Constitutional law worksheet with answers

The separation of powers divides state power between:

1. AThe police, the army and the courts
2. BThe central, regional and local tiers of government
3. CThe legislature, the executive and the judiciary
4. DParliament, the monarch and the church

An ombudsman typically:

1. ADrafts legislation for parliament
2. BProsecutes criminal offences committed by ministers and civil servants
3. CHears appeals from the highest court
4. DInvestigates complaints of maladministration by public bodies

The rule of law means, at its core, that:

1. AOnly citizens must follow the law
2. BEveryone, including the government, is subject to the law
3. CThe government can change any law at any time without limits
4. DJudges make all laws

In R v Bow Street Magistrate, ex p Pinochet (No 2), the House of Lords set aside its own earlier decision because:

1. AThe judges had made a legal mistake
2. BThe case had been heard in private
3. COne judge had links to a charity that was a party to the case
4. DPinochet had not been given a lawyer of his own choice at the hearing

In Hirst v UK (No 2), the European Court of Human Rights held that the UK's blanket ban on voting by convicted prisoners:

1. AWas within the UK's margin of appreciation
2. BWas justified because prisoners have no rights
3. CViolated the right to freedom of expression in Article 10 of the Convention
4. DViolated the right to free elections in Protocol 1, Article 3

After Burmah Oil v Lord Advocate held that compensation was due for property destroyed during the war, Parliament passed the War Damage Act 1965, which:

1. ARequired the courts to hear the case again
2. BIncreased the compensation payable
3. CWas struck down by the courts
4. DRemoved the right to compensation retrospectively

People buy TV licences early to avoid a fee increase, and the Home Office threatens to revoke them unless they pay the extra. In Congreve v Home Office, the court held:

1. AUsing the revocation power this way was unlawful
2. BLicence holders had no legal rights
3. CThe minister could act for any purpose
4. DThe revocation was lawful under the statute

Under Osman v UK, a state breaches its positive obligation under Article 2 to protect a person from a third party if the authorities:

1. AFailed to convict the person who later killed the victim
2. BFailed to prevent any crime in their area
3. CDid not provide round-the-clock police protection for every person who had reported any threat against them
4. DKnew or ought to have known of a real and immediate risk to life, and failed to take reasonable measures