WAEC Government Past Questions & Answers - Page 203

1,011.

The Loi-Cadre Reforms of 1956 in the French West Africa were as a result of

A.

pressure from the French territories

B.

change in French Policy of Association

C.

opposition to Bamako Conference

D.

British colonial policy of granting internal self-government

Correct answer is A

The loi-cadre ( Reform Act) was a French legal reform passed by the French National Assembly on 23 June 1956. It marked a turning point in relations between France and its overseas empire. Under pressure from independence movements in the colonies, the government transferred a number of powers from Paris to elected territorial governments in French African colonies and also removed remaining voting inequalities by implementing universal suffrage and abolishing the multiple electoral college system. It was the first step in the creation of the French Community, comparable to the British Commonwealth of Nations. Most French African colonies held elections under the new universal suffrage Loi Cadre system on 31 March 1957, the exceptions being Cameroon which held its election on 23 December 1956, and Togo which held its election on 17 April 1958. (Cameroon and Togo were United Nations mandated territories and so were on a different trajectory than the rest of French Africa).

1,012.

Anonymity of the civil servants means that they

A.

are free from their political heads

B.

are to be seen but not be heard

C.

cannot vote for any political party

D.

are to execute government policies

Correct answer is B

Civil servants must therefore be anonymous. And it follows from both of the above that civil servants cannot be held accountable for the success or otherwise of government policy, for otherwise their public explanations could contain criticisms of their political masters.

1,013.

The term winner-takes all can be associated with

A.

second ballot system

B.

representative government

C.

first-past-the post system

D.

proportional representation

Correct answer is C

A first-past-the-post (FPTP and sometimes abbreviated to FPP) electoral system is one in which voters indicate on a ballot the candidate of their choice, and the candidate who receives the most votes wins. This is sometimes described as winner takes all. First-past-the-post voting is a plurality voting method. FPTP is a common, but not universal, feature of electoral systems with single-member electoral divisions, and is practiced in close to one third of countries. Notable examples include Canada, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as most of their current or former colonies and protectorates.

1,014.

A yes or no vote cast by electorate to decide an important issue in an area is known as

A.

franchise

B.

plebiscite

C.

electorate college

D.

public opinion

Correct answer is B

A plebiscite is the direct vote of all the members of an electorate on an important public question such as a change in the constitution.

1,015.

The arrangement by which a country is divided into parts for election purposes is called

A.

enfranchisement

B.

gerrymandering

C.

delimitation

D.

democratization

Correct answer is C

Boundary delimitation (or simply delimitation) is the drawing of boundaries, particularly of electoral precincts, states, counties or other municipalities. In the context of elections, it can be called redistribution and is used to prevent unbalance of population across districts.