UK Politics
Who is the British Head of State?
The British monarch
Is the president of the USA elected directly by popular votes?
No, people vote for Electors who sit in an Electoral College and promise to vote for one particular "presidential ticket" (a president and vice-president).
Which nations compose the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom is made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Who has been the leader of India since 2014?
The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, for the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), a Hindu nationalist party.
What are the 3 branches of power in the USA?
The Legislative Power (at the Capitol), the Executive Power (at the White House), the Judicial Power (The Supreme Court)
Where does the British Prime Minister live?
10 Downing Street, London
What are the names of the two American political parties whose emblems are an elephant and a donkey?
The Republican Party (the elephant, founded by Abraham Lincoln in 1854) and the Democratic Party (the donkey, founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1792)
Which English cities host 2 of the world's most famous universities, from the Ivy League?
Oxford and Cambridge
When did India become an independent republic?
In 1947. (First Indian Prime Minister: Jawaharlal Nehru, friend of Gandhi) The partition occured that same year (creation of Pakistan).
Each branch of power has control over the other two in order to avoid abuse of power, this system is called...
... checks and balances.
Name the political regime of the United Kingdom.
The UK is a parliamentary monarchy.
The "presidential ticket" (president + vice president) receiving the largest number of votes in a state gets the entire list of Presidential Electors of that state (ex: California 55, New Hampshire 4). That is called...
... the "winner-take-all" rule. So the result does not necessarily reflect the popular vote.
Who is the Head of the Church of England?
The British monarch (King Charles III)... since Henry VIII
What group of nations did India join in 1949 ?
The Commonwealth of Nations, made up of 56 states.
The Congress is composed of 2 chambers, what are they?
The House of Representatives (453 members, proportional to each state's population) elected for 2 years, and the Senate (100 senators, 2 per state) elected for 6 years.
What are names of the two houses in the British Parliament (bicameral system)?
The House of Commons (650 elected MPs) and the House of Lords (about 800 appointed peers)
This American President suggested a New Deal to restore prosperity and help his country recover after the 1929 Stockmarket crisis. He took an active part in the planning of the United Nations Organization after WWII.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
General elections are organized at least every 5 years, with a "first past the post" system. What does it mean?
The first candidate with a majority of votes is elected.
Discrimination on the grounds of caste was outlawed in 1947. What were the names of the outcasts in that system ?
The Dalits (or Untouchables)
There are 9 judges (called "Justices") at the Supreme Court of the USA. How does one become a "Justice"?
They are appointed for life by the President with the approval of the Senate.
What's the name of the Great Charter of Liberties King John was forced to sign in 1215: no monarch could have absolute power over its subjects, no one could be imprisoned unlawfully or without a trial.
It's called Magna Carta. (the UK does not have a Constitution)
The thirteen English colonies on the American continent become independent from the British Empire. The Declaration of Independence, mainly written by Thomas Jefferson, is adopted by Congress.
1776, July 4th
Name the process that allows British nations like Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland to make political decisions for their own territory.
It is called "devolution", i.e. the transfer of power from national to regional government.
With settlements in the Indus Valley around 2500 BC and Sanskrit one of the oldest languages in the world, "India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech." Who said this?
Mark Twain, American author of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" (1876) or "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" (1885).
This text protects fundamental freedoms, including freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and the right to petition the government. It ensures that the government cannot establish an official religion, prohibit the free exercise of religion, or infringe on these other essential freedoms.
The first Amendment to the US Constitution, part of the first 10 Amendments, corresponding to the American Bill of Rights drafted in 1791.