AQA A-Level Politics sample questions and answers (7152)
Guide overview All 33 topics Sample questions Papers and weighting Look inside Questions and answers
98 sample questions and answers
Taken from every topic of AQA A-Level Politics, specification 7152. The full guide has 2,215.
Paper 1
The Nature and Sources of the British Constitution
82 questions in the guide, across 6 subtopics. More from this topic
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Codified and Uncodified Constitutions
What is common law?
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Law developed by judges through their rulings in individual cases, together with long-established legal custom. -
Codified and Uncodified Constitutions
Which work is treated as the standard guide to parliamentary procedure?
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Erskine May's Parliamentary Practice. -
The Rule of Law and Parliamentary Sovereignty
Why can no Parliament bind its successors?
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Because every Parliament is equally sovereign, so any statute passed by one Parliament can be repealed or amended by a later one.
Paper 1
The Structure and Role of Parliament
87 questions in the guide, across 6 subtopics. More from this topic
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The Two Chambers and Parliamentary Privilege
Which Act made it possible to appoint peers for their lifetime only?
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The Life Peerages Act 1958. -
The Two Chambers and Parliamentary Privilege
Define parliamentary privilege.
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The legal protections enjoyed by Parliament, chiefly freedom of speech in its proceedings, which cannot be challenged in the courts. -
The Passage of a Public Bill
What happens at first reading?
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The bill's title is formally announced and it is printed; there is no debate and no vote.
Paper 1
The Prime Minister and Cabinet
50 questions in the guide, across 4 subtopics. More from this topic
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The Core Executive and the Prime Minister's Powers
Translate primus inter pares and explain what it claims about the Prime Minister.
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It means 'first among equals', and it presents the Prime Minister as the leading member of a collective cabinet rather than a separate chief executive. -
The Core Executive and the Prime Minister's Powers
What is an inner cabinet?
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A small informal group of the Prime Minister's most trusted colleagues and advisers in which key decisions are effectively taken. -
Policy Making and the Limits of Prime Ministerial Power
Name three factors that determine how dominant a Prime Minister can be.
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The size of the Commons majority, the unity and loyalty of the governing party, and the Prime Minister's standing with the public.
Paper 1
The UK Judiciary
52 questions in the guide, across 4 subtopics. More from this topic
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Judicial Independence and Impartiality
Define judicial impartiality.
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The principle that judges must decide cases on the law and the evidence alone, without personal or political bias. -
Judicial Independence and Impartiality
Explain what security of tenure means for senior judges.
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They hold office during good behaviour and can be removed only by the monarch after an address from both Houses, so they cannot be sacked for unpopular rulings. -
The Constitutional Reform Act, Separation of Powers and Appointments
Which body selects most judges in England and Wales?
Show the answer
The Judicial Appointments Commission.
Paper 1
Devolution
52 questions in the guide, across 5 subtopics. More from this topic
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Devolution, Federalism and the Scottish Parliament
Which Act created the Scottish Parliament, and what preceded it?
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The Scotland Act 1998, which followed a 1997 referendum in which Scottish voters endorsed a parliament by a large majority. -
Devolution, Federalism and the Scottish Parliament
Name three areas devolved to Scotland.
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Health, education and policing and justice. -
Scotland and Wales since Devolution
How did Welsh devolution begin differently from Scotland's?
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The 1997 Welsh referendum passed by a wafer-thin margin and delivered only executive powers over secondary legislation, without primary law-making or tax powers.
Paper 1
Democracy and Participation
98 questions in the guide, across 8 subtopics. More from this topic
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Democracy, Legitimacy and Direct Democracy
Explain why liberal democracy involves more than simply majority rule.
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Liberal democracy also requires limited government, the rule of law, an independent judiciary, a free media and protected rights, so that majorities cannot override minorities. -
Direct and Representative Democracy Compared
Which eighteenth-century MP argued that a representative owes constituents his judgement rather than his obedience?
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Edmund Burke, in his address to the electors of Bristol in 1774. -
The Reform Acts of 1832 to 1884 and the Chartists
Why is the Great Reform Act described as a limited measure despite its name?
Show the answer
It kept a property qualification and left about four in five adult men and all women without a vote, enfranchising only the propertied middle class while preserving open voting.
Paper 1
Elections and Referendums
121 questions in the guide, across 8 subtopics. More from this topic
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Majoritarian and Proportional Systems
What is a wasted vote?
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It is a vote that contributes nothing to the outcome, either cast for a losing candidate or piled up beyond the number the winner needed. -
The Additional Member System, STV and Other Systems
What is the quota in a single transferable vote count, and what happens to surplus votes?
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The quota is the minimum number of votes needed to be certain of election, and votes a candidate holds above it are transferred to voters' next preferences at a reduced value. -
The 1945 and 1979 General Elections
Which crisis immediately preceded the 1979 general election?
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The Winter of Discontent of 1978 to 1979, a wave of public-sector strikes over pay restraint that left rubbish uncollected and services disrupted.
Paper 1
Political Parties in the UK
96 questions in the guide, across 7 subtopics. More from this topic
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Party Functions and the Conservative Party
What is one-nation conservatism?
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It is the paternalist tradition associated with Disraeli, holding that the privileged have a duty to improve the condition of the poor in order to keep society united. -
Party Functions and the Conservative Party
How did the 2016 referendum reshape Conservative policy?
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It made delivering withdrawal from the EU the party's central purpose, entrenched the Eurosceptic wing and shifted the party towards greater state intervention in favour of leave-voting areas. -
Labour: Origins, Clause IV and Structure
Which revisionist thinker argued that equality could be achieved through growth and redistribution rather than nationalisation?
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Anthony Crosland, in The Future of Socialism in 1956.
Paper 1
Pressure Groups in the UK
66 questions in the guide, across 4 subtopics. More from this topic
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What Pressure Groups Are
Why can the sectional and promotional distinction be difficult to apply?
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Many groups do both, since a professional body campaigning for public health is advancing a cause while also protecting its members' professional standing. -
What Pressure Groups Are
What price may a group pay for insider status?
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It must moderate its demands and avoid embarrassing the government, so it risks being drawn into defending policy rather than changing it. -
Outsider Groups, Methods and Influence
How do pressure groups use the courts to influence policy?
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They seek judicial review of ministerial decisions, arguing that a decision was unlawful, procedurally improper or irrational, which can force a policy to be reconsidered.
Paper 1
The UK and the European Union
29 questions in the guide, across 3 subtopics. More from this topic
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The Institutions of the European Union
What does the Council of the European Union do?
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It brings together the relevant national ministers from each member state and acts as a co-legislator with the European Parliament, amending and adopting EU law. -
The Institutions of the European Union
How does the European Council differ from the Council of the European Union?
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The European Council is composed of heads of state or government and sets the Union's overall strategic direction, whereas the Council of the European Union is composed of ministers and legislates. -
EU Aims and the Four Freedoms
What are the four freedoms of the single market?
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The free movement of goods, services, capital and people between member states.
Paper 2
The Constitutional Framework of US Government
73 questions in the guide, across 6 subtopics. More from this topic
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The Nature of the US Constitution
Explain why the US Constitution is described as entrenched.
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It can only be altered by a deliberately demanding amendment process, so it is protected against change by an ordinary legislative majority. -
The Nature of the US Constitution
State what each of the first three Articles of the Constitution establishes.
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Article I establishes the legislature, Article II the executive presidency and Article III the judiciary. -
Checks and Balances and Constitutional Principles
What is the Bill of Rights, and when was it added?
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It is the first ten amendments, ratified in 1791, setting out fundamental liberties protected against government.
Paper 2
Congress
56 questions in the guide, across 4 subtopics. More from this topic
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The Composition of Congress
How many senators are there, and how are they allocated?
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There are 100 senators, two for each state regardless of that state's population. -
The Composition of Congress
What are the age and citizenship requirements for each chamber?
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A representative must be at least twenty-five and a citizen for seven years; a senator must be at least thirty and a citizen for nine years. -
The Powers of Each Chamber, Leadership and Elections
What is a filibuster?
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It is the use of the Senate's tradition of unlimited debate to talk out or block a measure by refusing to yield the floor.
Paper 2
The US Presidency
75 questions in the guide, across 6 subtopics. More from this topic
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The Sources of Presidential Power
Define a president's informal powers.
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They are powers derived from the office's political standing rather than the constitutional text, such as leading the party, setting the national agenda and acting as world leader. -
The Sources of Presidential Power
What is an executive order?
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It is a directive from the president to the federal bureaucracy that has the force of law without needing congressional approval. -
Signing Statements, Pardons and Informal Powers
As commander-in-chief the president directs the military, but which body alone can declare war?
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Congress, although it has not issued a formal declaration of war since 1942.
Paper 2
The US Supreme Court
83 questions in the guide, across 6 subtopics. More from this topic
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The Composition and Tenure of the Court
Outline the stages of appointing a Supreme Court justice.
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A vacancy arises, the president nominates a candidate, the Senate Judiciary Committee holds hearings and reports a recommendation, and the full Senate votes to confirm by simple majority. -
The Composition and Tenure of the Court
Give two nominations that failed at the Senate stage.
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Robert Bork was rejected by the Senate in 1987, and Merrick Garland's nomination in 2016 never received a hearing. -
How a Case Reaches the Supreme Court
What is the rule of four?
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It is the convention that four of the nine justices must agree before the Court will hear a case.
Paper 2
US Elections and Direct Democracy
136 questions in the guide, across 9 subtopics. More from this topic
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Congressional Elections and Electoral College Votes
How is a vacancy in the Senate filled?
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The state governor calls a special election and, where the state legislature allows it, makes a temporary appointment until that election is held. -
The Electoral College
Explain how the electoral college can produce a president who lost the national popular vote.
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Because votes are counted state by state on a winner-takes-all basis, a candidate can win many states by small margins while losing others heavily, as happened in 2000 and 2016. -
The Invisible Primary, Primaries and Caucuses
Why is turnout in caucuses so much lower than in primaries?
Show the answer
They demand attendance for several hours at a fixed time and a public declaration of support, which deters all but the most committed activists.
Paper 2
Political Parties in the USA
75 questions in the guide, across 6 subtopics. More from this topic
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The Ideologies of the Two Main Parties
State the core values of the Republican Party.
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They are individual liberty and self-reliance, free enterprise, traditional morality and religious faith, and a federal government kept within strict limits. -
The Ideologies of the Two Main Parties
How do the parties differ on immigration?
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Democrats generally favour a route to legal status alongside enforcement, while Republicans emphasise border security and the reduction of illegal entry. -
Party Traditions and Organisation
What do the Democratic and Republican National Committees actually do?
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They organise the national convention, raise and distribute money, run data and voter contact operations and support candidates, but they cannot choose those candidates or bind them to policy.
Paper 2
Pressure Groups in the USA
56 questions in the guide, across 4 subtopics. More from this topic
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Pressure Groups and Political Pluralism
Which constitutional protections underpin pressure group activity?
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They are the First Amendment guarantees of free speech, freedom of assembly and the right to petition the government for redress of grievances. -
Pressure Groups and Political Pluralism
In the USA, what is the difference between a promotional (cause) group and a sectional (interest) group?
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A promotional group campaigns for a cause or value and is open to anyone who supports it, while a sectional group represents the material interests of its own members, such as a trade union or a professional association. -
Think Tanks, Lobbying and Group Methods
How do groups use congressional committees?
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They give evidence at hearings, cultivate committee members and staff, and press for amendments at the stage where legislation is actually written.
Paper 2
Civil Rights in the USA
69 questions in the guide, across 6 subtopics. More from this topic
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Civil Liberties, Civil Rights and the Bill of Rights
State the freedoms protected by the First Amendment.
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It protects freedom of religion through the establishment and free exercise clauses, together with freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly and the right to petition government. -
Civil Liberties, Civil Rights and the Bill of Rights
What rights does the Sixth Amendment give a criminal defendant?
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It gives the right to a speedy public trial by an impartial jury, to be told the charge, to confront witnesses and to have the assistance of a lawyer. -
Entrenchment, Incorporation and the Rights Amendments
Which amendment is the main engine of civil rights law, and what are its key clauses?
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It is the Fourteenth Amendment, which confers citizenship by birth and guarantees due process and the equal protection of the laws.
Paper 2
Comparative Politics: Theoretical Approaches
19 questions in the guide, across 1 subtopics. More from this topic
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Structural, Rational and Cultural Approaches
How would a cultural approach explain why no major US party proposes a tax-funded health service like the NHS?
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American political culture places a high value on individualism, self-reliance and limited government, whereas post-war British culture accepted collective state provision as normal. -
Structural, Rational and Cultural Approaches
Structurally, why has the USA retained two-party dominance while the UK moves towards multi-party politics?
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The USA combines first-past-the-post with a single national prize awarded through the electoral college, while the UK combines first-past-the-post with proportional systems in devolved elections and parties whose support is regionally concentrated.
Paper 2
Constitutions and Legislatures Compared
52 questions in the guide, across 4 subtopics. More from this topic
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The Two Constitutions Compared
How does the separation of powers differ between the two systems?
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The USA separates the personnel of the three branches so that nobody may serve in two at once, while the UK fuses executive and legislature because ministers must sit in Parliament. -
The Two Constitutions Compared
Why does constitutional interpretation matter far more in the USA than the UK?
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The US document is short, old and often vaguely worded, so its meaning is settled by Supreme Court interpretation, whereas the UK's uncodified rules are changed openly by Parliament. -
Devolution and Federalism Compared
Why is UK devolution described as asymmetric and US federalism as symmetric?
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Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland hold different powers and England has no devolved legislature at all, whereas every US state has identical constitutional status.
Paper 2
The Executives Compared
25 questions in the guide, across 2 subtopics. More from this topic
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Prime Minister and President: Office, Tenure and Cabinet
Name two presidential powers a Prime Minister does not possess.
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The president can veto legislation passed by the legislature and can nominate justices to the Supreme Court, neither of which a Prime Minister may do. -
Prime Minister and President: Office, Tenure and Cabinet
What personal staff supports each leader?
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The president is served by the large Executive Office of the President, including the White House staff, while the Prime Minister relies on the smaller Downing Street operation and the Cabinet Office. -
Executive Power over Courts, Officials and Abroad
How do the foreign policy powers of the two leaders differ?
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The president is commander-in-chief but needs a two-thirds Senate vote to ratify treaties, while the Prime Minister exercises prerogative powers over treaties and deployments under far weaker legislative constraint.
Paper 2
The Judiciaries Compared
25 questions in the guide, across 2 subtopics. More from this topic
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The Two Supreme Courts: Appointment, Tenure and Powers
When and how was each court created?
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The US Supreme Court was created by the constitution itself in 1787, while the UK Supreme Court began work only in 2009 after legislation moved the highest judges out of the House of Lords. -
The Two Supreme Courts: Appointment, Tenure and Powers
Explain a declaration of incompatibility and contrast it with a US ruling of unconstitutionality.
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A UK court may declare a statute incompatible with human rights law, but the statute stays in force and only Parliament can change it, while a US ruling of unconstitutionality strikes the law down at once. -
Judicial Impact, Activism and Restraint
Which protections of judicial independence do the UK and the USA share?
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Both give judges security of tenure and salaries protected from political interference, and both bar ministers from interfering in individual cases.
Paper 2
Electoral and Party Systems Compared
51 questions in the guide, across 5 subtopics. More from this topic
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Electing Legislatures and Executives Compared
What effect does the electoral college have that has no UK equivalent?
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It concentrates campaigning on a handful of swing states and can hand victory to a candidate who lost the national popular vote, whereas UK distortions arise from seat totals rather than a separate college. -
Electing Legislatures and Executives Compared
How are candidates selected in each country?
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US candidates are chosen by ordinary voters in primaries and caucuses, while UK candidates are selected by local party members from lists approved by the national party. -
Campaign Finance, Direct Democracy and Voting Compared
Where do parties and candidates get their money in each country?
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UK parties rely on individual donations, trade union affiliation fees and limited public funding for opposition parties, while US candidates raise money from individual donors, political action committees and independent spending groups.
Paper 2
Pressure Groups Compared
21 questions in the guide, across 2 subtopics. More from this topic
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Access Points and Group Power Compared
What typologies are used to classify groups in each country?
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Both distinguish promotional or cause groups from sectional or interest groups, and UK analysis adds the insider and outsider distinction based on access to government, which American analysis uses far less. -
Access Points and Group Power Compared
Explain what an iron triangle is and why the UK has no real equivalent.
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An iron triangle is the mutually beneficial relationship between an interest group, a congressional committee and a federal agency, which cannot form in the UK because parliamentary committees do not control spending and the civil service is politically neutral. -
Group Methods and Targets Compared
Why are US pressure groups often judged more powerful than their UK counterparts?
Show the answer
Weak and undisciplined parties leave individual legislators dependent on outside money and organisation, which groups can supply or withdraw.
Paper 2
Civil Rights Compared
23 questions in the guide, across 2 subtopics. More from this topic
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How Rights Are Protected in Each Country
A government wishes to restrict the right to protest. How does the position differ in each country?
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In the UK it can legislate and the courts must apply the Act, while in the USA the restriction would be tested against the First Amendment and could be struck down. -
How Rights Are Protected in Each Country
How far do civil rights campaigns in the UK and the USA use the same methods?
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Both have used mass demonstrations, publicity, civil disobedience and lobbying, but US campaigns have relied much more heavily on litigation as a route to change. -
Security, Guns and Reforming the Rights Framework
Compare the debates about reforming the rights framework itself.
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UK debate has centred on replacing the Human Rights Act with a British Bill of Rights and on membership of the European Convention, while US debate concerns how the constitution should be interpreted rather than whether to replace it.
Paper 3
Liberalism
82 questions in the guide, across 6 subtopics. More from this topic
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The Individual and Individualism
Why do liberals regard human beings as rational?
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Liberals hold that people can reason about their own interests and settle disputes by discussion and evidence, which is why they can be trusted with liberty. -
The Individual and Individualism
Define positive freedom.
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Positive freedom is the ability actually to control one's own life and realise one's potential, which poverty, ignorance or ill health can deny even when no one is coercing you. -
Limited Government and Foundational Equality
What is equality of opportunity?
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It is the principle that everyone should start from the same position and be able to rise on the basis of ability and effort.
Paper 3
Conservatism
77 questions in the guide, across 6 subtopics. More from this topic
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Human Imperfection in Conservative Thought
Why does intellectual imperfection make conservatives distrust grand theories?
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Human reason cannot grasp the complexity of society, so plans built on abstract principle are likely to do more harm than the problems they set out to solve. -
Human Imperfection in Conservative Thought
What is empiricism, and why do conservatives prefer it to rationalism?
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Empiricism grounds knowledge in observation and experience; conservatives prefer it because tested practice is more reliable a guide than untested abstract reasoning. -
Organic Society and Paternalism
Where do conservatives believe authority comes from?
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It arises naturally from above, from experience and position, in institutions such as the family, the school and the state, and it gives people the guidance and boundaries they need.
Paper 3
Socialism
80 questions in the guide, across 6 subtopics. More from this topic
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Common Humanity, Equality and Social Class
Why is equality the defining value of socialism?
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Because socialists see inequality as socially created rather than natural, and believe that only substantial equality allows people to cooperate, live in solidarity and fulfil their potential. -
Common Humanity, Equality and Social Class
What is class consciousness?
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It is the awareness among workers of their shared position and common interest, which enables them to act together against the class that exploits them. -
Alienation, Common Ownership and Social Justice
What do socialists mean by social justice?
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A distribution of wealth, income and life chances judged fair by need and by contribution, rather than one determined by market power or inheritance.
Paper 3
Nationalism
84 questions in the guide, across 7 subtopics. More from this topic
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The Nation, the State and Self-Determination
Define national self-determination.
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National self-determination is the principle that every nation has the right to govern itself rather than be ruled by outsiders. -
The Nation, the State and Self-Determination
Nationalists are often said to hold an organic view of the nation. Explain what this means.
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It means the nation is treated as a living whole that has grown naturally over generations, so individuals are formed by it rather than choosing to join it like a club. -
Views of the Nation and Economic Nationalism
Why do nationalists place such value on a common language and shared traditions?
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Because these carry the collective memory and outlook of a people, and are what allow a large population to feel and act as a single community.
Paper 3
Feminism
84 questions in the guide, across 6 subtopics. More from this topic
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Sex, Gender and Patriarchy
Why do many feminists argue that formal legal equality is not enough?
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Because entrenched attitudes, unequal domestic burdens and informal barriers keep outcomes unequal even where the law treats women and men identically. -
Sex, Gender and Patriarchy
State two arguments in favour of affirmative action for women.
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It counteracts structural barriers that formal equality alone cannot overcome, and it creates visible role models that reshape expectations for the next generation. -
Feminist Views of the State
Why do many feminists regard the family as central to women's oppression?
Show the answer
Because it assigns women unpaid domestic and caring work, makes them economically dependent, and teaches each new generation its gender roles.
Paper 3
Multiculturalism
84 questions in the guide, across 7 subtopics. More from this topic
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Multiculturalism and the Politics of Recognition
What do multiculturalists mean by equality of opportunity?
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They mean that everyone should have a genuine chance to succeed, which requires removing the cultural and structural barriers that leave minorities starting from behind. -
Multiculturalism and the Politics of Recognition
What does anti-discrimination mean in multiculturalist thought?
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It is the commitment to outlaw and combat unequal treatment on grounds of race, ethnicity, religion or culture in law, employment, housing and public services. -
Assimilation, Integration and the Melting Pot
Why does multiculturalism deny that there is one best way of life?
Show the answer
Because it accepts value pluralism: there are many genuine human goods, and no rational standard by which one culture's balance between them can be declared correct for everyone.
Paper 3
Anarchism
75 questions in the guide, across 5 subtopics. More from this topic
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The Anarchist Case against the State
Explain what anarchists mean by a coercive relationship, and name two institutions they attack as examples.
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A coercive relationship is one in which some people command and others must obey under threat of punishment; anarchists attack the state and organised religion as leading examples. -
The Anarchist Case against the State
Explain why anarchists believe that power corrupts even well-intentioned rulers.
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Power over others is self-serving and addictive, so those who hold office come to use it to protect their own position and privileges rather than to serve the governed. -
Propaganda by the Deed and the Charge of Chaos
Anarchism has been called the meeting point of extreme liberalism and extreme socialism. Explain this description.
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Individualist anarchism pushes liberal individual sovereignty to the point where the state disappears, while collectivist anarchism pushes socialist common ownership to the point where the state becomes unnecessary.
Paper 3
Ecologism
77 questions in the guide, across 6 subtopics. More from this topic
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Ecologism, Environmentalism and Ecocentrism
What is ecocentrism?
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Ecocentrism is the view that the ecosystem as a whole is the source of value, so human interests must be judged against the needs of the wider natural community. -
Ecologism, Environmentalism and Ecocentrism
What political conclusion do dark greens draw from the Gaia hypothesis?
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That the health of the planet rather than human comfort is the measure of value, and that humanity is one species among many with no special claim on the Earth. -
Sustainability and the Limits to Growth
What is a steady-state economy?
Show the answer
It is an economy held at a constant level of population and physical throughput, in which improvement comes from a better quality of life rather than from growth in output.
AQA A-Level Politics Active Recall Guide
The other 2,117 questions, with the answers printed after each section.