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1、Exercises for British Political SystemI. Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F):1. It is no doubt that Britain is the oldest representative democracy in the world.2. In Britain, the process of state-building had been one of evolution rather than revolution, in contrast to
2、France and the US.3. The oldest institution of government in Britain is the Monarchy.4. The divine right of the king means the sovereign derived his authority from his subjects.5. As the king in theory had God on his side, it was thought that he should exercise absolute power.6. The term “parliament
3、” was first officially used in 1066 to describe the gathering of feudal barons and representatives from counties and towns.7. Britain is both a parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy.8. Britain, like Israel, has a written constitution of the sort which most countries have.9. Common laws
4、 are laws which have been established through common practice in the courts.II. Choose the answer that best completes the statement or answers the question:1. Which of the following is not a characteristic of British government?A it offers the Queen high political status and supreme power.B it is bo
5、th a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy.C it is the oldest representative democracy in the world.D it has no written form of Constitution2. Which of the following kings was executed in the civil war?A James I B James II C Charles I D Charles II3. What happened in 1215?A it was the
6、 year of Norman Conquest in British history.B forced by barons, king John signed the Magna Carta.C Henry IV granted the Commons the power to review money grants.D King Egbert united England under his rule.4. Which of the following is not true about the Great Council?A they included barons and repres
7、entatives from counties and towns.B they were sometimes summoned by the kings to contribute money.C they later developed into what we now know as the Cabinet.D they represented the aristocrats as well as the communities5. Under whose reign was the Bill of Rights passed? A James II B William of Orang
8、e C Oliver Cromwell D George I 6. Which of the following is not related to the Constitution?A it is a written document which lists out the basic principles for government.B it is the foundation of British governance today.C Conventions and Laws passed by Parliament are part of the Constitution.D The
9、 common laws are part of the Constitution.7. Which of the following statements is Not true?A there are no legal restraints upon Parliament.B strictly speaking, the Queen is part of the Constitution.C Parliament has the supreme power of passing lawsD Parliament has no power to change the terms of the
10、 Constitution.8. Which of the following is not a true description of the Queens role?A the Queen selects the Prime Minister and the Cabinet.B the Queen symbolizes the tradition and unity of the British state.C the Queen acts as a confidante to the Prime Minister.D the Queen is the temporal head of t
11、he Church of England.9. Which of the following is not a feature of the House of Lords?A lords do not receive salaries and many do not attend Parliament sittings.B it consists of the Lords Spiritual and Lords Temporal.C the lords are expected to represent the interests of the public.D most of the lor
12、ds in the House of Lords are males.10. Which of the following is not based on the fact?A members of parliament elect the Prime Minister and the Cabinet.B MPs receive salaries and some other allowancesC MPs are expected to represent the interests of the publicD Most MPs belong to the major political
13、parties.III. Fill in the blanks:1. _, the ancestor of the present Queen, Elizabeth II, united England under his rule in 829.2. The doctrine of the “divine right of kings” held that the sovereign derived his authority from _ , not from _.3. During the civil war in the 17th century, those who represen
14、ted the interests of Parliament are called _, on the Kings power.4. In 1215, some feudal barons and the Church forced King _ to sign the _ to place some limits on the Kings power.5. In medieval times, kings would summon a group of wealthy barons and representatives of counties, towns and cities-call
15、ed _ to raise money.6. In 1689, Parliament passed _ to ensure that the King would never be able to ignore Parliament.7. In the 18th century, King George I left the job of chairing cabinet meetings to one of his ministers who later came to be called _.8. In Britain, the official head of state is_ whi
16、le the real centre of political life is in_.9. The British Constitution consists of statute law, _ and _.10. The most important function of the Parliament is to _.11. Strictly speaking, the Parliament today consists of the Queen, _ and _.12. Life peers should be nominated by _ and appointed by _.IV.
17、 Tell what you know about the following in your own words:1. The Bill Rights of 16892. The Constitution3. The functions of Parliament4. The House of lords5. The House of CommonsV. Questions for Consideration: 1. What are some of the characteristics of the British constitutional monarchy? How has the
18、 English monarchy evolved gradually to the present constitutional monarchy?2. How did the doctrine of the “divine right of kings”, according to the author, lead to the English Civil War? What do you know about the causes of the English Revolution in the 17th century?3. What is the history of English
19、 parliament? What role did the parliament play in the Civil War?4. Discuss the major characteristics and the main content of the British constitution.5. Why does the author say that parliament is supreme in the British state?6. What kind of institution is the House of Lords? What role does it play in British government?Key to ExercisesI. 1. F 2.T 3.T 4.F 5.F 6.F 7.T 8.F 9.TII. 1.A 2.C 3.B 4.C 5.B 6.A 7.D 8.A 9.C 10.A