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Social Studies 9

Social Studies 9 · Worksheets

Mixed review · Government and justice

Ten questions of mixed difficulty, covering Government, Justice. Print it, or work through it on screen — the answer key starts on its own page.

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Mixed review · Government and justice

Social Studies 9 · maddyhelps.com

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Circle the best answer for each question. Use the space to note the reasoning or the source detail that decided it.

  1. An environmental group's website: "Nine out of ten Albertans we surveyed support a ban on single-use plastics. Tell your MP today." The group surveyed people on its own email list. What is the biggest weakness of this source as evidence of what Albertans think?

    1. a) It asks readers to act, so its numbers must be invented
    2. b) It comes from a website, and websites are never reliable
    3. c) It says nine out of ten instead of giving a percentage
    4. d) Its sample was people already likely to agree with the group

  2. A police report: "A 14-year-old caught shoplifting a phone case for the first time was given a warning and referred to a community program instead of being charged." This is an example of

    1. a) an extrajudicial measure under the YCJA
    2. b) a custody sentence in a youth facility
    3. c) a civil lawsuit brought by the store
    4. d) an adult sentence under the Criminal Code

  3. How does a person become a member of the Senate of Canada?

    1. a) A vote of the members of the House of Commons
    2. b) Appointment on the Prime Minister's advice
    3. c) Appointment by the premier of their province
    4. d) Election in a federal riding, like an MP

  4. From a community agency's brochure: "Our volunteers visit people in prison, help them find housing and work after release, and speak to lawmakers about prison conditions." The agency's work is best described as

    1. a) prosecuting people accused of crimes on behalf of the Crown
    2. b) deciding guilt or innocence as members of a jury
    3. c) enforcing court orders as officers of the justice system
    4. d) advocacy and support for people in conflict with the law

  5. Two newspapers report on the same federal budget. Paper 1: "Budget brings relief for struggling families." Paper 2: "Budget spending spree will cost taxpayers billions." What does the difference between the headlines best show?

    1. a) The government released two different budgets that day
    2. b) One of the two papers must be reporting false information
    3. c) Newspapers are required by law to take opposite sides
    4. d) Media can frame the same event to push readers toward a view

  6. Results in one riding: Okafor, 41% of the votes; Lavoie, 35%; Chen, 24%. Under Canada's first-past-the-post system, what happens?

    1. a) The seat goes to the party that wins most seats nationally
    2. b) Okafor wins the seat, though most voters chose someone else
    3. c) Lavoie and Chen can combine their votes to take the seat
    4. d) No one wins until a runoff gives someone more than 50%

  7. A political science professor: "In Canada, the ministers who run the government also sit in Parliament. They must answer questions in the House, and if the government loses a vote on its budget, it can fall." Which principle is the professor describing?

    1. a) Responsible government
    2. b) Representation by population
    3. c) Separation of powers
    4. d) Judicial independence

  8. An MP: "I disagree with part of this bill, but I'll vote for it. If I vote against my party, I could lose my committee role and the leader's support in the next election." The MP is describing

    1. a) responsible government
    2. b) party discipline
    3. c) lobbying
    4. d) a free vote

  9. Which branch of Canada's federal government interprets laws and decides whether they fit the Constitution?

    1. a) The judicial branch
    2. b) The legislative branch
    3. c) The executive branch
    4. d) The Official Opposition

  10. Which of these is a legal duty for Canadian citizens, not just a good idea?

    1. a) Volunteering with a victim services group
    2. b) Voting in every federal and provincial election
    3. c) Joining a political party or lobby group
    4. d) Serving on a jury when summoned, unless excused

Answer key · Mixed review · Government and justice

Social Studies 9 · maddyhelps.com

  1. d) Its sample was people already likely to agree with the group — People on an environmental group's email list are not a fair sample of all Albertans, so "nine out of ten" describes the group's supporters. Rejecting every website, or assuming a call to action means the numbers are made up, is too sweeping; the real flaw is how the sample was chosen.
  2. a) an extrajudicial measure under the YCJA — Extrajudicial measures (warnings, cautions and referrals to community programs) deal with minor offences outside court, and the YCJA prefers them when they are enough to hold a youth accountable. No court was involved, so this cannot be a sentence of any kind.
  3. b) Appointment on the Prime Minister's advice — The Governor General appoints senators on the Prime Minister's advice, and they can serve until age 75. Alberta has held Senate nominee votes, but those are only advice to the Prime Minister; the appointment is what makes someone a senator.
  4. d) advocacy and support for people in conflict with the law — Speaking to lawmakers is advocacy, and helping people return to the community supports the justice system from outside government. Crown prosecutors and police are part of the system itself, and a volunteer agency does neither job.
  5. d) Media can frame the same event to push readers toward a view — Both headlines can describe the same budget accurately; the loaded words "relief" and "spending spree" show each paper's slant. Assuming one must be false misses how framing works: through what a writer chooses to stress, not only through lies.
  6. b) Okafor wins the seat, though most voters chose someone else — First-past-the-post needs only more votes than any other candidate, not a majority, so Okafor wins with 41% while 59% voted for someone else. That gap is the main criticism of the system; runoff votes belong to other electoral systems, not Canada's.
  7. a) Responsible government — Responsible government means the executive must keep the confidence of the elected House of Commons, so ministers answer questions there and a lost budget vote can bring the government down. Separation of powers is the tempting answer, but Canada deliberately joins the executive and the legislature, unlike the United States.
  8. b) party discipline — Party discipline is the pressure on MPs to vote with their party, enforced by the party whip and the leader. A free vote is the opposite: the rare vote in which a party lets its MPs follow their own judgment.
  9. a) The judicial branch — Courts interpret laws and can strike down one that breaks the Constitution, including the Charter. Parliament, the legislative branch, makes laws and the executive carries them out; mixing up making a law with interpreting it is the usual slip.
  10. d) Serving on a jury when summoned, unless excused — A jury summons is a legal order, and ignoring it without being excused can bring a penalty. Voting is a right and a civic responsibility, but Canada, unlike Australia, does not make it compulsory.