Sample questions for the exam topics

The System of Government in the UK

1. What are 3 branches of power?

2. What type of state system (government) does the UK have?

3. What are the functions of the Sovereign? Name the present-day monarch of the UK.

4. What kind of Parliament does the UK have?

5. How many members are there in the House of Commons?

6. What is the main function of the House of Commons?

7. Who usually becomes the Prime Minister? Name the present-day Prime Minister of the UK.

8. What are main political parties in the UK? What party is the leading one now? What is the opposing party?

9. What is the Cabinet? What are its functions?

10. What is the difference between life peers and hereditary peers, Lords Temporal and Lords Spiritual?

11. What is the main function of the House of Lords?

12. What House has more power in law-making process?

13. What is now the highest judicial body in the UK? What body served as the court of last resort until 2009?

14. What can you say about the place of the UK in the world politics?

The System of Government in the USA

1. What branches is the US system of government composed of?

2. What type of state system does the USA have?

3. Who represents the highest executive power in the USA?

4. What do you know about presidential elections in the US?

5. What are the requirements for the US President?

6. What are the functions of the President?

7. Name the present-day US President. What party does he represent? What is the opposing party?

8. What body represents the highest legislative power in the USA?

9. How many Chambers are there in Congress? What are they?

10. How many members are there in the Senate? And in the House of Representatives?

11. How do bills and resolutions become laws in the US?

12. What do you know about lobbyists?

13. What is the head of the judicial branch of power in the US?

14. Who does the US Supreme Court consist of?

15. What is the main principle of operation of all three branches of power in the USA?

16. What kind of government does each state have?

17. Who has the ultimate power in the USA according to the Constitution?

UK Court System

1. What is the main function of courts?

2. What is the most common type of court in England and Wales?

3. What kind of offences do magistrates’ courts deal with?

4. What cases are heard in the Crown Court?

5. What kinds of cases are tried in County Courts?

6. What courts hear appeals?

7. What appeals can the Crown Court hear?

8. What appeals can the High Court of Justice hear?

9. What is the highest court of appeal in England and Wales?

10. What kinds of special courts are there in the court system of England and Wales?

11. What kind of cases do juvenile courts deal with?

12. What is the function of coroner’s courts?

13. How would you characterize administrative tribunals?

14. What can you say about the court systems of Northern Ireland and Scotland?

15. What are the functions of the European Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights? In what situations do people appeal to these courts?

US Court System

1. What is the main peculiarity of US court system?

2. What kind of cases do federal courts hear?

3. What are the lowest courts in the federal court system?

4. What are higher courts in this system?

5. What is the highest court in the federal court system?

6. What are the lowest courts in the state court system? How are they called?

7. Name different kinds of special courts.

8. What does an appeal court deal with?

9. When is an appeal possible?

10. When does an error of law occur?

11. What is the highest court in the state court system?

12. Does the US Supreme Court hear all appeals brought to it?

13. When is the trial by jury used?

14. What is a precedent?

15. What are the main functions of US courts?

Legal Professions (the UK, the USA and Russia)

1. Name legal professions that you know.

2. What are two main types of lawyers in the UK?

3. What are the functions of barristers and solicitors?

4. What do coroners do?

5. What can you say about magistrates?

6. What is the main difference between the American legal profession and the English one?

7. What are the main roles of a lawyer? What are the functions of a lawyer in each of these roles?

8. What kind of skills should an advocate have?

9. Name the organizations of advocates in the UK and in Russia.

10. What is a judge? What are his/her duties?

11. What are the main functions of the jury?

12. What are the functions of in-house counsels? Why has the number of in-house counsels increased lately?

13. What does a notary do?

14. How does a person become an advocate (a judge, a notary, an investigator) in Russia?

15. Why is the career in law so popular? Why did you choose to study law? What would you like to be?