Deck 9: The British Political System

Question 1

Great Britain is composed of England, Scotland, and

A) Northern Ireland.
B) Wales.
C) Burgundy.
D) Normandy.

Answer 1

Wales.

Question 2

The Commonwealth, once called the Commonwealth of Nations, is made up of

A) countries that were at one time members of the British Empire.
B) countries with Western European values and ideals.
C) former military allies of Britain.
D) a number of independent African and Latin American states.

Answer 2

countries that were at one time members of the British Empire.

Question 3

The British North America Act of 1867 was the formal name of

A) the constitution of Canada.
B) the document giving the United States independence.
C) the constitution of Mexico.
D) the constitution of Bermuda.

Answer 3

the constitution of Canada.

Question 4

Which of the following countries was not a member of the British Commonwealth?

A) New Zealand
B) Algeria
C) South Africa
D) India

Question 5

The three key sources of the British (unwritten) constitution include Acts of Parliament, common law, and

A) judicial interpretation.
B) religious guidelines.
C) public referenda.
D) customs of the constitution.

Question 6

Common law plays an important role in the British constitution. Common law, by definition,

A) is enacted by the legislature.
B) is concerned with customs.
C) is the product of judicial review.
D) comes from international agreements.

Question 7

Two fundamental principles underlie the British constitution. One involves the rule of law. The second affirms that

A) law comes from the monarch.
B) the United Kingdom will be a federal state.
C) Scotland and Wales will be part of Britain.
D) Parliament is sovereign.

Question 8

All of the following are components of the Westminster Model of government, except:

A) the chief executive is not the same person as the head of state
B) checks and balances exist between the executive and the legislature
C) the chief executive and cabinet come from the legislature
D) the chief executive and cabinet can be removed by the legislature

Question 9

In the term "responsible government" the word "responsible" suggests that

A) the government can be voted out of office by the public.
B) the government is subject to judicial review.
C) the government is immune from prosecution.
D) the government can deliver on its promises.

Question 10

Britain's form of government can be characterized as an example of:

A) unitary government
B) federal government
C) confederal government
D) collective government

Question 11

As used in the text, the term "devolution of power" relates to the flow of power

A) from Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland to Westminster
B) from Westminster to London
C) from London to Westminster
D) from Westminster to Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland

Question 12

What was the peace agreement between Britain and Northern Ireland known as?

A) the Magna Carta
B) the Witenagemot
C) the Mitchell Agreement
D) the Oslo Agreement

Question 13

In Britain today, de jure most powers of government are exercised

A) after judicial review.
B) in the name of the prime minister and cabinet.
C) in the name of the queen.
D) with public approval through a referendum.

Question 14

The history of the British monarchy has gone from being in power to being

A) subject to international market forces.
B) in a power-sharing arrangement with the prime minister.
C) grateful to the prime minister for public attention.
D) obligated to accept the advice of the cabinet.

Question 15

In the Speech from the Throne, the monarch outlines plans for his or her government for the year. The fraud here is that

A) the government has no plans for the year.
B) the monarch never delivers public speeches.
C) the monarch only says what she believes.
D) the speech is written by the prime minister and cabinet.

Question 16

The Privy Council

A) played the role of Supreme Court in Britain in the past.
B) was the historical source of today's cabinet.
C) was elected by the House of Commons.
D) was created by a bloc of members of the House of Lords.

Question 17

The job of the prime minister includes all of the following except:

A) serving as head of state
B) party management
C) winning a general election
D) debating policy

Question 18

A key dimension of "Thatcherism," the governing philosophy of Margaret Thatcher, is

A) privatization of many government-run functions.
B) raising national revenue through higher taxes.
C) moving power from the center at Westminster to local councils and cities.
D) increasing the size of the House of Commons.

Question 19

In the British case, a bicameral national legislature is a function of

A) being federal.
B) class-conscious society and political evolution.
C) a complex electoral system.
D) a unitary government.

Question 20

One historical role of the House of Lords, no longer in existence, was serving as

A) a forum for impeachment of the monarch.
B) the highest court of appeals in the nation.
C) the base for bureaucratic administration in Britain.
D) to help select the prime minister.

Question 21

Which is the term that describes the formal approval by the queen of bills approved by both houses of parliament?

A) Westminster Approval
B) Hampton Court Ratification
C) Royal Assent
D) Windsor Castle Sanction

Question 22

High-ranking British civil servants are sometimes referred to as:

A) Tommys
B) Sahibs
C) Killjoys
D) Mandarins

Question 23

Why has local government has played a very significant role in Britain?

A) British federal government vested great power in local government.
B) Devolution moved much power from Westminster to the cities.
C) Thatcherism supported local governments having more power.
D) Unitary government made local government the only alternative to Westminster.

Question 24

Britain has traditionally been called a two-party system. This is true only

A) in terms of how many parties come from Scotland.
B) in terms of the number of parties that have formed a Government since 1945.
C) in terms of the number of parties in coalition governments.
D) in terms of the number of parties permitted to run candidates in a district.

Question 25

The British electoral system is a:

A) multiple member district voting system
B) hereditary representation system
C) single-member district, plurality voting system
D) single-member district, majority voting system

Question 26

Britain has a constitutional government with a written constitution.

Question 27

Statutory law is law that derives from Acts of Parliament.

Question 28

In the United Kingdom today, the law may permit an action that has, through custom over time, become impermissible.

Question 29

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is an example of a federal system.

Question 30

The term Life Peers in the House of Lords, refers to members of the House of Lords who serve as a member of the House as long as they live but whose titles are not passed to their heirs upon their deaths.

Question 31

The British constitutional principle that parliament is sovereign means that no parliament can change a law of a previous parliament.

Question 32

British devolution in 1997 meant that Scotland and Wales were given an opportunity to reclaim some of the political power that had developed in Westminster over the years.

Question 33

The principle of a split executive in Britain gives us the offices of the Monarch and the Lord Chief Justice.

Question 34

The monarch is the de facto leader, but the prime minister is the de jure leader in Britain today.

Question 35

Today's British cabinet meets as a subcommittee of the Privy Council and acts in the name of the Privy Council.

Question 36

The name used for the "conviction politics" style of operation of Margaret Thatcher when she was Prime Minister of Britain was Thatcherism.

Question 37

The point of The Parliament Act of 1911 was to limit the power of the House of Lords.

Question 38

In British legislation, Government bills are bills introduced and sponsored by the cabinet, while Private Members' Bills are introduced by non-cabinet members.

Question 39

The role of local government became more political after the arrival of Thatcherism began to reshape many fundamental domestic policies of the central government.

Question 40

The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom gradually evolved in the late 1800s, and was formalized in 1927.

Question 41

Britain is a unitary political system. Yet, Britain has some very significant political regions. Why did political regions in the United Kingdom not work to have British politics become federal?

Question 42

What does the following quotation by George Orwell mean?
In a dictatorship the power and the glory belong to the same person. In England the real power belongs to unprepossessing men in bowler hats: the creature who rides in a gilded coach behind soldiers in steel breast-plates is really a waxwork. It is at any rate possible that while this division of functions exists a Hitler or a Stalin cannot come to power.

Question 43

What were the forces that led to the House of Commons being more politically significant than the House of Lords today?

Question 44

What has been Britain's history with the concept of judicial review? How do principles of judicial review square with principles of parliamentary supremacy? Why did Britain develop a Supreme Court?

Question 45

Britain is a party-dominated electoral system. How do the political principles of party discipline and responsible government help Britain to have an effective democratic government?