WASSCE Government · Paper 1 style

Local government

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

Local government exists mainly to

Abring government closer to the people at the grassroots
Bmake laws for the whole country
Ccontrol the armed forces
Dconduct foreign policy

Show the answer and working

Answer: A

Local government provides services and participation at the local level.

Trap B 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.

Trap C 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.

Trap D Picks a closely related concept: Learn related terms as contrasting pairs with one-line definitions, then identify which one the stem describes.

Traps in Local government

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.
Picks a closely related concept
Learn related terms as contrasting pairs with one-line definitions, then identify which one the stem describes.
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.
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.
Confuses executive roles
Collective responsibility: the cabinet stands or falls together. Individual responsibility: a minister answers for their department. Ceremonial head of state vs executive head of government.
Confuses legislative structures
Unicameral = one chamber (Ghana); bicameral = two (Nigeria: Senate + House of Reps). Speaker presides; whips enforce party discipline; quorum is the minimum number to transact business.
Mixes colonial administration policies
Britain: indirect rule through traditional rulers (Lugard, Northern Nigeria). France: assimilation/association — making Africans 'French'. Portugal: assimilado.
Confuses federal and unitary systems
Federal: powers divided CONSTITUTIONALLY between centre and units (Nigeria, USA). Unitary: power concentrated at the centre, which may delegate (Ghana, UK).
Misunderstands public corporations
Public corporations are set up by statute, owned by government, run by boards with some autonomy, to provide essential services (power, water, rail); they are controlled by ministers, the legislature (budget, audit) and the courts.
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.
Confuses international organisations
ECOWAS: 1975, Lagos treaty, HQ Abuja. OAU: 1963 Addis Ababa → AU 2002. UN: 1945, HQ New York. Commonwealth: former British territories.
Gives only one part of the concept
Recall the full definition and check the option covers it, not just one component.

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