Lesson 3.1.1.3.1

3.1.1.3.1 The Prime Minister and cabinet: policy making and power Quiz: AQA Politics, Unit 1

20 questions

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Lesson 3.1.1.3.1, The Prime Minister and cabinet: policy making and power: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA Politics (7152), Unit 1: Government and politics of the UK, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What does the Latin phrase 'primus inter pares' translate to regarding the Prime Minister?

    • Head of state
    • Leader above all
    • Supreme power
    • First among equals

  2. What term describes a small core group of senior ministers who drive key decisions?

    • Inner cabinet
    • Privy Council
    • Select committee
    • Shadow cabinet

  3. What is the primary function of cabinet committees in the UK executive?

    • Detailed policy scrutiny
    • Debating opposition motions
    • Conducting public trials
    • Appointing senior judges

  4. Which term describes the central executive machinery around the PM, including Downing Street and the Cabinet Office?

    • The legislative chamber
    • The devolved administration
    • The judicial committee
    • The core executive

  5. Which factor provides a Prime Minister with the strongest authority over policy making?

    • Minority government
    • Coalition agreement
    • Large parliamentary majority
    • Hung parliament

  6. Which Prime Minister introduced the controversial Community Charge (poll tax) in 1990?

    • Margaret Thatcher
    • Tony Blair
    • John Major
    • James Callaghan

  7. Which Prime Minister made the executive decision to commit the UK to the 2003 Iraq War?

    • David Cameron
    • Tony Blair
    • John Major
    • Gordon Brown

  8. Which factor primarily determines the extent of a Prime Minister's dominance over cabinet?

    • Political circumstance
    • Supreme Court rulings
    • Statutory limits
    • Written constitution

  9. Which concept describes a Prime Minister increasingly operating independently of the cabinet?

    • Parliamentary sovereignty
    • Cabinet government
    • Bipartisanship
    • Presidentialism

  10. Which constraint is most effective at limiting a Prime Minister's power over cabinet?

    • Monarchical refusal
    • Judicial review
    • Cabinet resignations
    • Lords vetoes

  11. What structural subgroup of the cabinet is used by Prime Ministers to handle detailed policy?

    • Standing committee
    • Select committee
    • Grand committee
    • Cabinet committee

  12. Which controversial policy contributed directly to Margaret Thatcher's resignation as Prime Minister in 1990?

    • The Miners' Strike
    • Universal Credit
    • Westland affair
    • The Poll Tax

  13. When a Prime Minister faces severe cabinet split over policy, what must they usually do?

    • Abolish cabinet
    • Dismiss Parliament
    • Invoke royal prerogative
    • Compromise or drop

  14. Through which weekly parliamentary event is the Prime Minister held directly accountable to the Commons?

    • PMQs
    • The State Opening
    • Select committee hearing
    • Budget debate

  15. Whose resignation in 1990 demonstrated clear limitations on prime ministerial power over cabinet?

    • Tony Blair
    • Theresa May
    • Margaret Thatcher
    • John Major

  16. Which Prime Minister served during the 1945 to 1997 period studied in UK politics?

    • Margaret Thatcher
    • Tony Blair
    • Boris Johnson
    • David Cameron

  17. Which term describes the network of central actors and bodies making policy in UK government?

    • Legislative branch
    • Shadow cabinet
    • Civil service
    • Core executive

  18. Which term describes a government with a large majority dominating Parliament with little opposition?

    • Direct democracy
    • Representative democracy
    • Elective dictatorship
    • Constitutional monarchy

  19. Which political factor most significantly increases a Prime Minister's power over Parliament?

    • Minority government
    • Large parliamentary majority
    • Coalition agreement
    • Suspended parliament

  20. Which major military decision in 2003 demonstrated significant executive power under Tony Blair?

    • Iraq War invasion
    • Falklands War
    • Gulf War
    • Libyan intervention

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