2.4.2 Relationship between the Executive and Parliament Quiz: Pearson Edexcel Politics, Unit 2

The 20 questions

1. Which term describes a UK government using its large Commons majority to dominate legislation?

   • Elective dictatorship
   • Judicial tyranny
   • Executive federalism
   • Parliamentary sovereignty

2. Which bodies check executive dominance by scrutinising specific government departments in detail?

   • Cabinet committees
   • Public bill committees
   • Executive agencies
   • Select committees

3. What key democratic principle is weakened when the executive dominates Parliament?

   • Federal representation
   • Parliamentary accountability
   • Separation of powers
   • Judicial review

4. Which mechanism enforces MP voting alignment to strengthen government control over legislation?

   • Collective responsibility
   • Party discipline
   • Committee stage
   • Judicial review

5. Which 1979 reform significantly enhanced backbench scrutiny of government departments?

   • Select committees
   • Fixed-term parliaments
   • House of Lords reform
   • Prime Minister questions

6. What allows the executive to control most of the debate time in the House of Commons?

   • Filibustering tactics
   • Government timetable control
   • Speaker's powers
   • Opposition day motions

7. How is the relationship between the UK executive and Parliament best described?

   • Judicial dominance
   • Parliamentary supremacy
   • Executive dominance
   • Perfect power equality

8. Why does a small parliamentary majority reduce executive power over Parliament?

   • Stronger whip authority
   • Reduced committee powers
   • Statutory judicial review
   • Increased rebel leverage

9. Which Standing Order traditionally gives government business precedence in the House of Commons?

   • Standing Order 58
   • Standing Order 24
   • Standing Order 35
   • Standing Order 14

10. How many parliamentary days per session are set aside specifically for Opposition business?

    • Thirty days
    • Twenty days
    • Five days
    • Ten days

11. Which constitutional feature blends executive and legislative power in the UK system?

    • Federal structure
    • Fusion of powers
    • Separation of powers
    • Codified constitution

12. Which process demonstrates executive dominance during a bill's passage through Parliament?

    • Unamended bill passage
    • Committee stage rejection
    • Private members' bills
    • Lords absolute veto

13. What ultimate vote can the House of Commons use to defeat a government?

    • Money bill veto
    • Second reading vote
    • Adjournment motion
    • No-confidence vote

14. What 2010 reform allowed MPs to elect select committee chairs by secret ballot?

    • Gladstone Reforms
    • Salisbury Convention
    • Wright Reforms
    • Nolan Principles

15. What term describes government ministers and parliamentary private secretaries who must vote with the executive?

    • Crossbench bloc
    • Payroll vote
    • Backbench caucus
    • Opposition frontbench

16. What term describes a government using its large majority to pass legislation with minimal check?

    • Judicial review
    • Cabinet government
    • Elective dictatorship
    • Parliamentary sovereignty

17. Which parliamentary bodies were given elected chairs following the 2010 Wright Reforms to improve scrutiny?

    • Cabinet committees
    • Public bill committees
    • Select committees
    • Standing committees

18. Who controls the majority of parliamentary time in the House of Commons legislative calendar?

    • The government
    • The Opposition
    • Select committees
    • The Speaker

19. Which Lord Chancellor coined the term elective dictatorship in 1976 to criticise executive power?

    • Lord Woolf
    • Lord Denning
    • Lord Hailsham
    • Lord Bingham

20. Which 2010 parliamentary reforms significantly increased backbench power and select committee independence?

    • Liaison Reforms
    • Nolan Reforms
    • Jenkins Reforms
    • Wright Reforms

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