WASSCE Government · Paper 1 style

Military rule

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

Under military rule, laws are usually made by

Athe judiciary
Ban elected parliament
Cdecrees issued by the ruling military council
Dreferendums

Show the answer and working

Answer: C

The legislature is suspended.

Trap A 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 B 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.

Trap D Military rule misconceptions: Military regimes suspend the constitution and rule by decrees/edicts; the ruling council (e.g. Supreme Military Council) combines executive and legislative powers.

Traps in Military rule

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.
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.
Military rule misconceptions
Military regimes suspend the constitution and rule by decrees/edicts; the ruling council (e.g. Supreme Military Council) combines executive and legislative powers.
Picks a neighbouring date
Learn key dates as a timeline with the event attached (1957 Ghana independence; 1960 republic; 1963 OAU). Check the event, not just a familiar year.
Picks a closely related concept
Learn related terms as contrasting pairs with one-line definitions, then identify which one the stem describes.
Misunderstands judicial independence
Independence is secured by security of tenure, salaries charged on the consolidated fund, appointment through a judicial service commission, and immunity for judicial acts.
Chooses a true but irrelevant statement
Test each option against the exact term in the stem, not against whether it is true.
Attributes the idea or event to the wrong person
Pair each thinker with one book and one key idea (Montesquieu – Spirit of the Laws – separation of powers; Hobbes – Leviathan – absolute sovereign; Locke – limited government).
Misunderstands features of democracy
Direct democracy: citizens decide in person (ancient Athens, referendums). Representative: elected representatives decide. Features: periodic free elections, rule of law, majority rule with minority rights, freedom of expression.
Confuses separation of powers and checks and balances
Separation of powers (Montesquieu): legislature makes, executive implements, judiciary interprets laws. Checks and balances: each organ limits the others (veto, impeachment, judicial review).
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.
Confuses electoral systems and bodies
Franchise = right to vote. First-past-the-post: highest votes wins a constituency. Proportional representation: seats in proportion to votes.

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