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UNIVERSITY OF GHANA —

(All rights reserved)

B.A. SECOND SEMESTER EXAMINATIONS 2017/2018

DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

POLI 112: POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS (3 CREDITS)

4

(LEGON AND CITY CAMPUSES)

INSTRUCTIONS: V
ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS IN SECTION "A" ON THE QUESTION PAPER
AND TWO
“B"
QUESTIONS IN SECTION IN THE ANSWER BOOKLET.

TIME ALLOWED: TWO HOURS AND TIHRTY MINUTES

u
SECTION A

(40 MARKS)

ANSWER ALL THE QUESTIONS IN THIS SECTION ON TI-IE QUESTION

PAPER

"a”
- Each of the Questions 1-80 has four answers, lettered —
"d”; select the correct answer for
each of the questions by CIRCLING the corresponding letter.
_
I. A definition ofa political Institution excludes

I. Constitution and Informal nomis

ll. Understandings and Interactions

a. I only
·
b. II only
I
c. land II only
4
1. None of the above
2. The political institutions in Ghana are currently troubled by all of the following problems ‘

except —

'
a. Corruption ·
b. Staffing

ar
 t ;+ @:5 1 1
gi _' .. —
1 1 ’.1+ • 1
~ c. Remuneration V1 ¢
Y
‘,„..1 Y E
d, Status . ,_ .._
.Y . ... . ...„— .

3. Which area in the study of politics is March and Olsen’s theory of normative i

institutionalism directed at? 1 1 1

Y
a. Social institutions and organizations
Y Y
Yb.
Rule of law and constitutionalism ' ·
Y 1
_c.
Policies and programmes
.d. 1 _ - _
‘ ‘
Justice and freedoms _ . . · 1
Y
4. Which of the following is/are g about the main problems associated with the rational
Y Y
choice institutionalism? r j
Y
I. Problems of institutions can best be addressed by people and the institutions
Y Y '
themselves V · ·' _
YY
II. Institutional problems are structural in nature and can only be removed using
1
structural mechanism. Y
_ Y —
a. I only · _ ~
Y Y
b. II only _ _ . .
Y
c. I and II only ·
Y1. ‘ Y 1
d. None of the above _·
Y 1Y
. 1 . „ 5.. Un_der
..a. the systems theory, outputs consist of all of the following except ....... . . .... .. „
Y Y Y
Policies [Link] orders _ 1
Y
b. Decisions and court verdicts _
Y
c. Liberties and freedoms ·
Y‘ Y
d. Laws and rules _ · ' · i
6. Inputs of systems theory are made up of

a, Environment and feedback ,Y

Y
b. Demands and supports

c. Policies and programmes . _

d. None of the above . · - ·

7. Which aspect of the systems theory tums output into policies and legislation? _
Y
‘
a. Feedback _ .
Y
b. Gatekeeper
Y Y Y ·Y
f c, Enviromnent '
.
d. System ·
_ « 1
1
8. Which of the following entities or individuals has the responsibility of preferring charges

against the President in an impeachment trial in the United States? _

a. The Senate
·
b. House of Representatives
Y Y
c. Attomey General _
Y
d. Minister of Justice .
9. The Upper House in Britain is headed by the
Y
a. Prime Minister
b. Exchequer ·
Y c. Lord Chancellor _

d. House Chief .

Y
Examiners: Dr. Kwame Asah-Asante and Dr. Rosina Foli Page 2
 ‘
“··
·

10. How many sessions have Ghana’s

Parliament so far gone through from 1992 to
2016?

b. 20
c. 24
d. 28 I ·

11. One of the following positions is mit found in

Ghana’s Parliament
a. Speaker _
b. Majority Whip

c. Opposition Leader

d. Clerk
12. The formal ending of a session of a
legislature is called
a. Dissolution
b. Prorogation

c. End of session
d. Recess
13. The functions of the speaker of
parliament exclude
a. Presiding over all meetings of the House

b. Ensuring fair debate and votinglin the ‘

House _
. - ” N ” N N N 4
- · -- c. Sceingto the fomration ofappropriate v' N
committees
d. Recording debates in the 1-louse

14. Countries with relative homogenous

cultures tend to adopt
a. Unicameral legislative system

b. Bicameral legislative system

c. Tricameral legislative system

d. None ofthe above

15. Written constitutions are
popular among countries around the
globe because
. a. They are less expensive to operate

b. They rely on democratic methods to recruit

members of the House
c. They prevent the passage of hasty
and ill-considered legislations
d. They reduce the incidence of conflicts or
rivalry among members of the House
16. Jordan, Italy and Japan select
members of their upper houses through
a, Election, nomination
and appointment respectively
b. Appointment, nomination and election
respectively
c. Nomination, election and appointment
respectively
d. None ofthe above
17. Which of the houses of parliament
promotes "federa1 equi1ibrium"?
a. Unicameral legislature

b. Bicameral legislature

c. Tricameral legislature

d. None of the above

18. In recent times, bills are mostly

introduced to parliament
a. On motion
b. On the spot

c. On invitation
v
Examiners: Dr. Kwame Asah—Asante and
Dr. Rosina Foli
Page 3
 ____________________^_ „..— .
INI .'YV

· i' 42 m
·.

\ • 1
d. On notice _ ‘ ‘ ‘
„
_ ‘ ‘ [
I I I 19. At which stage of Vthe legislative. process does voting take place'? ~ ‘ ' " ett "
I
‘t*ja.
First reading
b. Second ‘ I
Reading
·
*
c. Third reading ’
I .
- d. None of the above
.20.
The category of staff in the executive
organtof goverrunent
whose appointinent
l
istrelatively
permanent is called?
'a.

Political executive i
· .l
b. Local executive
I I .
i
I c. Bureaucratic executive ·t .
- I ‘
d. Foreign executive
.
2l. The budget of the executive ‘ ‘ I ’
mainly consists of ° [
· I . _
a. Revenue and
expenditureb.

Taxes and income

·c. —
Loans and grants

_“
_ .

{
[
d. Benefits and premiums '
l
22. What is a reprieve?
r
[
I a. It is a release from the penalty of a. criminal "‘
offence-fcrwhich one is serving a jail
"tem1.
b. It is a postponement of legal
punishment
[
c. It is the pemiission that is granted
‘his to a prisoner to leave the prison
before the end of
or her sentence V ‘
[
d. None ofthe
above23.
The coercive apparatus of the state of Ghana A
excludes
I I [
a. Police
°b.
'c.

d. Fire Service
_·
Army

Navy ‘ ' g
24. Which of the following is gg ‘
a ceremonial function of the executive?
a. Granting ofpardon . t

b. Giving of awards and honours ‘

I V I
·
c. Appointment of ministers and civil servants I
I I
d. Comrnissioning of militaryofficers t
Z
25. Which of the following means ‘
is the @ way for the media to
effectively control the '
executive?
a. Educating the public about government ‘
_
„ _ b. Informing the public about government
programmes .
4
c. I I
Entertaining the public using policies and
programmes of government , . l
d. Monitor and expose the weakness of government I
.
26. In the course of interpreting the
law, judges can do all of the following
l 1
except
.
a. Elaborating on the law .
b. Embellishing the law

I
Examiners: Dr. Kwame Asah-Asante
and Dr. Rosina Foli
Page 4
 I
c. Re-writing the law •
·‘ ‘ ”·" ‘ ‘·' ‘
Rejectingthelaw · '

27. The main difference between misdemeanour and felony is the

a. Nature of crime and level of punishment associated with the said crime

b. Intention of the offender ,

4 c. Effect of the crime on society

d. Person involved in the crime

28. The concept of "original jurisdiction" means that

- I. The court acts as the court of first instance of all matters brought
before it.
II. The court hear appeals from the lower courts

a. I only .
·
b. II only

c. I and II only

d. None of the above

29. In Ghana, the superior courts are:

a. High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court

b. Magistrate Court, Divisional Court and Circuit Court

· c. Circuit Court, High Court and Court of Appeal

—. — ‘ ‘
- d. Supreme Court; Magistrate Court and High Court '
30. What is an order ofmarrdamus?

a. It is an order that is issued to compel a public officer to

perform his or her lawful
duty
I
b. It is an order mandating a public officer to listen to advice.
« c. It is an order restraining a public officer for carrying out an action

d. It is an order which takes away the mandate of a public officer to act

in a certain way
31. Ultra vires means

a. Beyond powers

b. Below powers

c. Within powers

d. Under powers

32. During the age of absolutism in Europe, monarchs were

a. Law makers, law executors and law adjudicators themselves

b. Both religious and political leaders of their people

c. Totally controlled by their people

d. Part and parcel of the aristocratic societies

33. What was the main reason for the development

of separation of power?
a. To protect the authority of those in public office

b. To prevent abuse of power

c. To ensure stability in the administration of the state

d. None of the above

34. According to Montesquieu, the combination of legislative

and executive powers lead
to

a. Tyranny

b. Arbitrary rule

Examiners: Dr. Kwame Asah—Asante and Dr. Rosina Foli

Page 5
 Ä
.
·'°

Y
/
A

‘
•
i
l
c. Oppression ‘
._
d. Absenceofliberty . E
..„„;»»·«:«35. . ~ —. » -„
In the United States, any bill that is vetoed
by the president could be overtumed
by
ga. One-third of the membership of Y
· both houses .
b. Half of the members of Congress _ I
_ A_
. ·
c. Two-thirds majority vote by both houses E„
Y
d. A quarter of the members of the
House‘ Upper
36. In which of the following ways does
the legislature share power with the executive?
a. Exercise ofprerogative of mercy l
i
b. Interpretation of
lawc.

Approval of
_budgetd.
None ofthe
above37. Under bureaucracy, red tape refers to
'
Y
a. Mechanism of measuring human labour
A j
b. A red—coloured tape measure
Y
c. Complex organisational processes and inefiiciency
Y j
d. Negative rules and regulations ' ‘
· g
38. One of the following is ggg a feature
of bureaucracy
-
_ _, ._ ._ _„
„Aa._ Impersonality_ . '.
. , . . . . . . i
A - - - -
-
b. Remuneration and resources
Y ·
A c. Hierarchy of leaders
d. Tenure of office A
.
39. Bureaucratic organisations
are criticised as being:
rI.
Too specialised _
E
II. Bound by rigid rules and procedures
Y
'
a. I only
A .
b. II only

c. I and
II-onlyd.
’
None of the above ‘
A
40. Political parties and interest groups
differ in terms of all of the following
a. Objective -
except
Y
· .
b. „__ Y
Composition .
c. Interest '
·
d. Location
’
4l. Which of the entities below uses
lockouts and boycotts to achieve their goals?
I. Pressure groups A
.
II. Political parties

a. I only

b. II only
—
4 Y
c. I and II only —
d. None of the above ‘ Y
42. The gg main types of associational interest Y
groups are:
a. Economic and instrumental

b. Institutional and oriental -

Examiners: Dr. Kwame Asah-Asante and Dr. Rosina _

Foli
Page 6
 ‘
. Wfl ·
•

c. Promotional and protective r

‘ ’ ‘
· · · d. Philosophical and applied * ·
43. Which interest group is formed spontaneously out of concem over a specific issue?

a. Institutional ·

b. Associational
°
c. Anomic

d. Non-institutional
44. One of the following is a popular mode of operation for pressure groups

a. Lobbying .

b. The use of public opinion tools

c. The use of the courts

d. Violence

45. The contributions of interest groups manifest themselves in all of the following

except

a. Articulation of Public Interests

b. Championing the cause of the underprivileged

i
c. Removal of govemment

d. Provision of expert advice

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘
- - -- 46. Which of the following thinkers began the discussion of separation of powers? '
i
a. John Locke
b. Thomas Hobbes

c. Aiistotle

d. Baron de Montesquieu

47. In the United States, Article 2 of the country’s Constitution vests the

a. Executive powers of the state in the hands of the President

b. Legislative powers of the state in the hands of Congress

c. Judicial powers of the state in the hands of the courts

d. The power of society in the hands of the media '

48. A proper definition of constitution must include all of the following except
‘
a. Legal rules

b. Non-legal rules

c. Legal and non-legal rules .

d. Amendments

49. Which of the following is gg a common feature of a constitution?

a. Duties and obligations

b. Indemnity clauses

c. Supremacy of the constitution

d. Entrenched and ordinary provisions

50. In which of the component parts of a constitution are intentions and aspirations
of the
people found?

a. Structure of govemment

b. Distribution of powers
c. Preamble

d. Citizenship

Examiners: Dr. Kwame Asah—Asante and Dr. Rosina Foli Page 7

 ..—

« .‘‘
„„+6
· . ·„t2iI;ä\_. _
51. Magna Carter deals with all of the following
subjects except
a, Rulc0flaw,, .+ „. F
P
F ·
b. Civil and political liberties I
·
c. Protection against unjust punishment ·

d. Limitation on the powers of govemment I

1
52. Sources of constitution exclude ' '
~ F
a. Statutes - .
b. Manifestoes F F F I
c. Decrees ‘ I

a. Customs
g
d. Court
judgements53.

I
Greater portions of unwritten constitutions are in the
fom1 of all of the following
except I
p

‘
b. Conventions
Yi
c. Common usage

d. Views of eminent
personalities54.
What defines a rigid constitution?
·· F
a. Its method of amendment I
_ _ _ _} _ b. .
I
Itspowersandfunctions . . . .. . . . . . - .

.c.
Its component parts
.

Gambia
d. Its political orientation

j
I
55. includea.
Federal states do g

b. Argentina

c. Comoros I
d. Malaysia
„
56. Which of the following is gg part of civil ·
society organisations in Ghana? j
a. Ghana Joumalists Association 2
_ F
b. Ghana Centre for Democratic Development

c. University of Ghana
_ d. Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice
.
57. What is the main aim of political parties? F

a. To recruit national leaders '

b. To mobilise the electorate of the state
A
c. To ensure political accountability '
d. None ofthe above
58. Which of the following pairs of countries
operate a two-party system?
a. Britain and Brazil
b. Canada and Australia I
c, France and United States
_
d. None ofthe above
59. Which of the following statements is
institutions?F true about
a. Institutions are socially determined controls and directions that ‘
regulate the behaviour
of people so that they can live together in harmony.

Examiners: Dr. Kwame Asah—Asante and Dr. Rosina Foli

Page 8
 b. They are a collection of interrelated rules •
and routines that define appropriate actions
‘~ — ‘ ”
-~· · in relations between roles'·and situations. '‘''' °° W ‘''' ' ‘ u

"c.
They are a body of interrelated units
which operate in such a way that change in one
·- of the parts or units affects the function
of the system as a whole.
d. None of the above.
4
60. Political parties are classified according to all of the
following except
a. Outlook
b. Support base
c. Functions and methods employed to win power

d. Recourse capabilities

61. The categories ofpolitical parties developed by

Maurice Duverger are
a. Branch, dwarf and cadre
b. Mass, cadre and devotee.

c. Devotee, elite and patron

d. Branch, cadre and devotee

A
62. One of the following is Qt a feature of
a defacto one party state
a. Only a single party tends to dominate
the political scene and repeatedly wins
elections for a long time
. b. The laws of the state allow political ” ‘
partiesto operate üeely ' '' ° '
c. There is no recognised opposition in the state

d. There are no legislations to ban the formation

and activities of political parties
63. What is a·mu1ti—party system?

a. lt is a situation where there are more

than two political parties in the state
b. This is where two or more parties have
equal strength, influence and resources
and
· have what it takes to win political power.

c. It is where two parties dominate the electoral

process of the country _
d. None of the above

64. Which of the following deterrnines the

winner in a direct election?
. a. Electoral college

b. The votes of citizens

c. Electoral commission

d. None of the above

65. Measures to ensure free and fair

elections include all of the following except
V
a. Compilation of a comprehensive voters’
register
b. Delimitation of constituencies

c. Provision for challenging electoral results

2
d. None ofthe above

66. The main types of electoral systems are

a. Single member constituency system and

multi-member constituency system
b. Simple Majority and Plurality System

c. Altemative Vote System and Single Transferable

Vote System
d. The List System and Limited Vote System ‘

67. What is unique about a convention?

a. Distinguishes one group of people from another

.

Examiners: Dr. Kwame Asah—Asante and Dr. Rosina

Foli Page 9
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iV
Fi
‘„
‘··
. 3 » 3* V
·

.
-
„Q:
5-
'Ä 5 Q
Q
• b. A breach of it cannot be enforced in a law court
__ Q Q
5 c._ Entails views of eminent authorities — _
*·
·-
dp None ofthe
above68.
A Q

What statement(s) did Thomas Paine and Alexis de ·

Tocqueville make with regard
toEdmundBurke’s claim that Britain has no constitution? _
_I.
The two scholars said that where a constitution cannot be
produced in a booklet or
_visible
form, it cannot be said that there is one.
E-Q
II. Both scholars dared Burke to produceithe Britain Constitution
one.· if there is
a.
onlyb.
I

Q II orrry
2;
c. 1 and II only
Q Q;
d. _ None of the
above-
69. Which of the constitutions listed below
is easily manipulated by holders of political
Q

C. r cxabre
power?

Q
' '§
a. Written V . , Q
b. Urrwritterr
5

d. None ofthe above

I70.
I—Iuntington_applied his. institutional _theory to all of the following areas of political studies- · · · · '
except
. -
a. The legislature .
‘ „
b.
Decision-making”
Ad.
c. Political participation Q

Human rights
_7l.
Which of the following systems
_A aims at providing fair representation of all
groups in the
state?
a. The plurality system
Q
. b. Limited vote
systemc.
‘ ‘
Majoritarian system

d. None of the above »

72. Parliamentary, presidential and district level
elections in Ghana are conducted by the
Parliamentary Select Committee
Q
a. Select committee on civic affairs -
b. Prime Minister
c. Electoral Commission of Ghana -
d.
Q
Polling station agents
V
73. In a democracy, elections are important because

a. Itihelps to legitimize the right to rule

b. It ensures peaceful transfer of power

c. It promotes political participation in the

state
· d. It promotes accountability

74. On the basis of their particularism, parties can

be classified as
a. Devotee parties
b. Mass parties
·
c. Branch parties

Examiners: Dr. Kwame Asah~Asante and Dr. Rosina l

Foli Page 10
 i ‘
•
d. None of the above •
._ . , >· ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘
75. The officers who keep discipline in parliament are called
"
U
I. Whips

II. Clerks '

a. I only
I
b. II only

c. I and II only

d. None of the above

76. The rise of political parties in recent times is directly linked
to
a. Emergence of representative democracies

b. Population growth
·
c. Mechanism of govemmental support

d. None ofthe above ”

77. Why is the principle of Judicial Review not applicable in
Britain?
a. Because in Britain, no Act of Parliament can be declared
ultra vires by any court of
law

b. Because Parliament is supreme and the courts have no

power to apply whatever laws
_ it enacts

l _ _ ‘ V _ »c.V Because _the courts in Britain possess authority to examine

the validity of their ovim
enactments

d. None of the above

78. What makes rigid constitutions unattractive to some
states?
a. They are expensive to operate

b. They put too much power in the hands of govemment

‘
f
c. They divide the allegiance of citizens

. d. They are not suitable for countries with large geographical

size
79. The main distinction between flexible and rigid
constitution is the:
V
a. Usage of the constitution

b. Mode of drawing the constitution

c. Mode of amending the constitution

d. Means of protecting the rights of the citizens

80. The main method by which bureaucracies ascertain

facts about their clients and take
decision on them is through

a. Administrative monitoring

b. Client perfonnance appraisal f‘om1s

c. Record keeping

d. Fact-decision doctunents of clients

Examiners: Dr. Kwame Asah-Asante and Dr. Rosina Foli

Page 11
I.
I.
IyI. :I
‘<
I?
l
' Ü , /
·

I
’§._ SECTION B . / Q
(so MARKS) I I
. . . .. I
-
ANSWER ONE QUESTION FROM EACH OF THE TWO
PARTS
OFTHIS
SECTION IN YOUR ANSWER BOOKLET
I
Part A ·
· _ I
. 1. Argue for and against proportional representation _

2. Explain the factors that determine free ar1d fair elections ° I

‘ I ‘ E I
. Ban B
3.‘ I
How do constitutions come into
being?4.

Explain the significance of the principle ofjudicial 'I I

review I

I
·
I

’
'
I

,I
'
I

Examiners: Dr. Kwame Asah-Asante and Dr. Rosina Foli

Page 12