WASSCE Government · Paper 1 style

Foreign policy

One sample question with the full working. 9 more in the app, with instant feedback and repair sessions for the traps below.

The principle of non-alignment in foreign policy means

Anot belonging to any of the major Cold War power blocs
Brefusing all foreign aid
Cbreaking diplomatic relations with all states
Djoining NATO

Show the answer and working

Answer: A

Members of the Non-Aligned Movement avoided formal alliances with the East or West.

Trap B Uses the everyday meaning of a term: Recall the textbook definition of the term before matching options.

Trap C Over-generalises a feature: Political systems vary; options with all/always/never are usually wrong unless the definition itself is absolute.

Trap D Reverses the principle or its effect: Ask what problem the principle is meant to solve; the right answer serves that purpose, the reversal defeats it.

Traps in Foreign policy

Uses the everyday meaning of a term
Recall the textbook definition of the term before matching options.
Over-generalises a feature
Political systems vary; options with all/always/never are usually wrong unless the definition itself is absolute.
Reverses the principle or its effect
Ask what problem the principle is meant to solve; the right answer serves that purpose, the reversal defeats it.
Picks a closely related concept
Learn related terms as contrasting pairs with one-line definitions, then identify which one the stem describes.
Assigns the function to the wrong body
Make a table: body → main function → membership. Match the function in the stem to the body, not the topic area.
Misunderstands foreign policy concepts
Non-alignment: not joining Cold War blocs (NAM, 1961). Africa as centrepiece: Nigeria's priority to African issues. Diplomacy: conduct of relations through negotiation by envoys.
Chooses a true but irrelevant statement
Test each option against the exact term in the stem, not against whether it is true.
Confuses parliamentary and presidential systems
Parliamentary: executive drawn from and responsible to legislature (fusion), separate head of state and head of government. Presidential: separate executive, fixed term, president is both heads.
Misunderstands local government
Local government is government at the grassroots by locally elected councils with defined powers and revenue. Deconcentration transfers tasks to field officers of central ministries; devolution transfers powers to elected local bodies.
Gives only one part of the concept
Recall the full definition and check the option covers it, not just one component.
Confuses international organisations
ECOWAS: 1975, Lagos treaty, HQ Abuja. OAU: 1963 Addis Ababa → AU 2002. UN: 1945, HQ New York. Commonwealth: former British territories.

Practise Foreign policy (9 questions)Send to your class on WhatsApp