WAEC Civic Education 2017 past questions

Checked by the Skolra question team · Last updated 23 October 2026

Ten questions from the 2017 WAEC Civic Education paper, with answers and explanations. We hold 44 questions from this paper, and the Skolra app has all of them.

WAEC Civic Education 2017 questions and answers

1. 1.Constituted authority is necessary in the society because?
   1. A
      it reduces the powers of government institutions over the citizens
   2. B
      it promotes sectional and ethnic loyalty above national unity
   3. C
      it maintains law and order and ensures peaceful co-existence among citizens
      Correct
   4. D
      it allows every citizen to act purely according to personal interest
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   Answer: C

   Constituted authority refers to government and its agencies (the police, the courts, traditional rulers backed by law, and so on) that have been given legal power to make and enforce rules for a society.

2. 2.Use of hard drugs can best be curtailed through?
   1. A
      Imposing heavier prison sentences on drug users
   2. B
      Banning the sale of all pharmaceutical products
   3. C
      Mounting stricter border patrols to stop drug importation
   4. D
      Public enlightenment on the dangers of drug abuse
      Correct
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   Answer: D

   Public enlightenment on the dangers of drug abuse is the best way to curtail the use of hard drugs. Civic education teaches that drug abuse is, at its root, a problem of ignorance and peer pressure: many young people take hard drugs because they do not understand the health, mental and social damage involved. A sustained campaign of public enlightenment, through schools, religious bodies, the media and community outreach, attacks this root cause by changing attitudes and raising awareness, so that people choose not to start in the first place.

3. 3.A non-governmental organization that allows independent initiative of citizens is known as
   1. A
      Civil society organisation
      Correct
   2. B
      Trade union
   3. C
      Cooperative society
   4. D
      Pressure group
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   Answer: A

   Civil society organisation is correct. A civil society organisation (CSO) is a non-governmental, non-profit body that citizens form voluntarily, on their own initiative, to pursue shared interests or serve the public good — it is independent of government control and independent of any one person's or group's compulsion. That is exactly what "independent initiative of citizens" describes.

   Because the question asks for the general term for a voluntary, citizen-driven, non-governmental body, civil society organisation is the answer, while the other three name more specific, purpose-bound associations.

4. 4.Road sign primarily serves as?
   1. A
      A means through which government generates revenue from road users
   2. B
      A decoration used to beautify roads and highways
   3. C
      A guide that informs and warns road users in order to ensure safety
      Correct
   4. D
      A means of restricting the movement of pedestrians on the highway
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   Answer: C

   Road signs are symbols, words or pictures placed along roads and highways to inform, instruct and warn road users (drivers, riders and pedestrians) about conditions ahead, rules to obey, and dangers to avoid. Their primary purpose is road safety: they help prevent accidents by guiding how road users should behave at a given point — for example, warning of a bend, instructing drivers to stop, or showing the speed limit.

   So the correct understanding, consistent with the Civic Education syllabus on road safety, is that road signs primarily serve as a guide that informs and warns road users in order to ensure safety.

5. 5.use the dialogue below to answer the following question Johnson: when are you leaving for school Danladi: school? Johnson: Are you on breaak Danladi: no, but the school has been closed down due to a clash between rival cult groups. Johnson: 'what a terrible situation! i dnt know when you are going to finish your programme. you have already spent six years in school for a 4-year programme due to frequent closure and compulsory break. so what will you be doing at home, while the closure lasted. Danladi: roaming the streets, visiting friends and attending functions ofcourse. Johnson: you better engage yourself in a productive venture such as learning a new language, entreprenuerial skills, volunteers services and so on. From the above dialogue, it is evident that cultism disrupt activities in the
   1. A
      political system
   2. B
      educational system
      Correct
   3. C
      economic system
   4. D
      religious system
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: B

   The whole conversation between Johnson and Danladi revolves around Danladi's school being shut down because of a clash between rival cult groups. Johnson even points out that Danladi's 4-year programme has stretched to six years because of these repeated closures and forced breaks.

6. 6.In the public service, another name for red-tapism is?
   1. A
      Nepotism
   2. B
      Favouritism
   3. C
      Corruption
   4. D
      Bureaucracy
      Correct
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   Answer: D

   Bureaucracy is correct. Red-tapism describes the excessive insistence on following rigid rules, procedures and paperwork in the public service, which causes unnecessary delay in getting things done. This is exactly what the term bureaucracy (in its negative, everyday sense) refers to, so it is used as another name for red-tapism.

7. 7.One way of being infected with HIV/AIDS is through?
   1. A
      Sharing of eating utensils with an infected person
   2. B
      Mosquito bites from an infected person
   3. C
      Unprotected sexual intercourse with an infected person
      Correct
   4. D
      Casual hugging with an infected person
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   Answer: C

   Unprotected sexual intercourse with an infected person is a recognised route of HIV/AIDS infection. HIV is carried in body fluids such as blood, semen, vaginal fluids and breast milk, so it spreads mainly through unprotected sex, transfusion of infected blood, sharing sharp objects like needles and razor blades, and from an infected mother to her child during pregnancy, birth or breastfeeding.

8. 8.The standards that are considered ethical by an individual or the society are known as
   1. A
      Values
      Correct
   2. B
      Dignity
   3. C
      Materialism
   4. D
      Rights
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   Answer: A

   Values are the standards that an individual or a society considers ethical, worthwhile and right. They guide what people believe is good or bad, acceptable or unacceptable behaviour, and they shape the rules and conduct a community upholds.

9. 9.The following are effects of political apathy except that it?
   1. A
      weakens citizens' participation in decision-making
   2. B
      promotes good governance and accountability
      Correct
   3. C
      results in low voter turnout during elections
   4. D
      produces leaders who do not reflect the will of the people
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   Answer: B

   Political apathy is the lack of interest or unwillingness of citizens to take part in political and civic activities, such as voting, attending town hall meetings, joining political parties, or holding leaders to account.

10. 10.The inalienable rights of citizens can be guaranteed through?
    1. A
       A unitary system of government
    2. B
       An independent judiciary
       Correct
    3. C
       An unwritten constitution
    4. D
       A parliamentary system of government
    Show answerHide answer

    Answer: B

    Inalienable rights are the rights every citizen is entitled to simply by being human, and which cannot lawfully be taken away. Writing these rights into a constitution is only the first step; what actually guarantees them in practice is having a body that can enforce them impartially whenever government or anyone else tries to violate them.

    So the correct guarantee of inalienable rights is an independent judiciary.

The questions come from past JAMB, WAEC and NECO papers. We use software to help write the answer options and explanations, and every answer is checked twice before it goes on the site. How we check

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Practise all 44 questions we hold from the 2017 paper, on a timed CBT screen

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