About this quiz
50 questions covering every section of the note on the meaning and features of good governance, the Good Governance Act 2064, its tools and the challenges of good governance in Nepal.
This Lok Sewa practice set has 50 multiple-choice questions (Subject: Administration and Law · For: Nayab Subba, Section Officer · Level: Medium). Take the quiz above first; after that, use the study list below to revise every question with its correct answer and a short explanation.
Study list: all 50 questions with answers and explanations
Which description best fits good governance?
- A) Government that rules by force to keep order
- B) Accountable, transparent, lawful, participatory and efficient use of public power ✔
- C) Government run only by experts without public involvement
- D) Government that never changes its policies
Why: Good governance concerns how public power is used: openly, lawfully, with participation and with answerability.
Good governance looks not only at what the government decides but also at what?
- A) How it decides ✔
- B) Who pays the most tax
- C) Which party wins elections
- D) How many ministries exist
Why: The concept focuses on the process of decision-making as much as on the decisions themselves.
The idea of good governance became popular in the 1990s mainly through which bodies?
- A) Political parties of Nepal
- B) Village councils
- C) Private banks
- D) The World Bank and United Nations agencies ✔
Why: International bodies such as the World Bank and UN agencies linked good governance with development and anti-corruption.
An official explains and answers for a decision to the public and to higher authorities. Which feature of good governance is this?
- A) Consensus orientation
- B) Equity
- C) Accountability ✔
- D) Efficiency
Why: Accountability means officials must answer for their decisions and actions.
Which feature of good governance means that decisions and information are open and people can see how and why things are done?
- A) Transparency ✔
- B) Responsiveness
- C) Rule of law
- D) Participation
Why: Transparency means openness of decisions and information.
Everyone, including officials, being equal before the law describes which feature?
- A) Efficiency
- B) Participation
- C) Consensus orientation
- D) Rule of law ✔
Why: Rule of law means laws are fair, apply to all and are enforced without bias.
Bringing different interests together to reach a broad agreement on what is best for society is called what?
- A) Responsiveness
- B) Consensus orientation ✔
- C) Transparency
- D) Social audit
Why: Consensus orientation means mediating different interests to reach broad agreement.
Institutions serving people within a reasonable time and reacting to their needs reflects which feature?
- A) Equity
- B) Rule of law
- C) Responsiveness ✔
- D) Accountability
Why: Responsiveness is about serving people promptly and meeting their needs.
In which year was the Good Governance (Management and Operation) Act made?
- A) 2047 BS
- B) 2072 BS
- C) 2058 BS
- D) 2064 BS ✔
Why: The Act was made in 2064 BS, which is 2008 AD.
In which year were the Rules under the Good Governance Act made?
- A) 2065 BS ✔
- B) 2064 BS
- C) 2070 BS
- D) 2063 BS
Why: The Good Governance (Management and Operation) Rules were made in 2065 BS.
What is the main purpose of the Good Governance Act 2064?
- A) To create new provinces
- B) To fix salaries of civil servants
- C) To make public administration pro-people, accountable, transparent and participatory ✔
- D) To regulate private companies
Why: The Act aims to make administration people-centred, accountable, transparent, inclusive and participatory.
Under the Good Governance Act, what must an official do when taking a decision?
- A) Keep the reasons secret
- B) Follow the proper procedure and state the grounds and reasons ✔
- C) Wait for a court order
- D) Ask a political party for approval
Why: The Act requires decisions to follow procedure and to give clear grounds and reasons.
Under the Act, what should an official do if he or she has a personal interest in a matter?
- A) Not take part in that decision ✔
- B) Decide it quickly before others notice
- C) Hand it to a relative
- D) Decide it but keep no record
Why: The conflict of interest provision bars an official from deciding a matter in which he or she has a personal interest.
Why does the Good Governance Act describe the duties of the Chief Secretary, Secretaries, heads of departments and office chiefs?
- A) To fix their salaries and allowances
- B) To let them avoid answering to the public
- C) So that each official clearly knows what he or she is responsible for ✔
- D) To transfer their powers to political parties
Why: By setting out clear roles for each level of officials, the Act makes it plain who is responsible for what.
Which provision helps take services to people in remote areas?
- A) Social audit
- B) Conflict of interest rule
- C) Code of conduct
- D) Mobile service ✔
Why: The Act allows services to be delivered in remote areas through mobile service camps.
Which of the following is NOT normally shown in a citizen charter?
- A) The fee charged for a service
- B) The political party of the office chief ✔
- C) The time a service takes
- D) The officer responsible for the service
Why: A charter shows the service, procedure, time, fee and responsible officer, not anyone's party membership.
If an office does not provide a service as stated in its citizen charter, what can follow under the Act?
- A) The office is closed for a year
- B) The citizen must pay a fine
- C) Nothing, because the charter is only advice
- D) Departmental action against the official and compensation for the loss ✔
Why: The Act allows departmental action against the responsible official and compensation to the person who suffers loss.
Which tool brings officials and service users face to face to discuss the office's work, budget and services?
- A) Public hearing ✔
- B) Financial audit
- C) Citizen charter
- D) Complaint box
Why: A public hearing is a meeting where the office explains its work and people raise questions directly.
What does the Good Governance Act say about the time for deciding a matter?
- A) An official may decide whenever convenient
- B) Decisions can wait until the next fiscal year
- C) The matter must be decided within the time set by law, and delay without reason is not allowed ✔
- D) Only a court can set a time limit for an office
Why: The Act requires officials to decide matters within the legal time limit and does not allow unreasonable delay.
How is a social audit different from a financial audit?
- A) A social audit checks only bank accounts
- B) A social audit involves users and the community in reviewing a programme ✔
- C) A social audit is done only by foreign auditors
- D) There is no difference
Why: A social audit is a participatory review by users and the community, while a financial audit checks accounts against rules.
A complaint box placed in an office is a tool of which practice?
- A) Grievance management ✔
- B) Consensus building
- C) Budget preparation
- D) Recruitment
Why: The complaint box is a tool of grievance management, which every office must maintain under the Act.
Using ICT for online applications, payments and digital records is called what?
- A) Social audit
- B) Public hearing
- C) Mobile service
- D) E-governance ✔
Why: E-governance means delivering services through information and communication technology.
Which is a main benefit of e-governance?
- A) More visits to offices
- B) Less chance of bribery and faster service ✔
- C) Longer queues
- D) Fewer records
Why: E-governance saves time, reduces office visits and cuts the chances of bribery.
Which of the following is a challenge of good governance in Nepal?
- A) Strong political will
- B) A free press
- C) Political interference and weak implementation of laws ✔
- D) Active citizens
Why: Political interference and weak implementation hinder good governance; the other options help it.
What does the term governance mean?
- A) Only the work of the courts
- B) The way power is used to manage a country's affairs, resources and public services ✔
- C) The salary system of civil servants
- D) The election of members of Parliament
Why: Governance is the way power is used to manage a country's affairs, resources and services.
The Good Governance Act 2064 corresponds to which AD year?
- A) 2001
- B) 2015
- C) 2012
- D) 2008 ✔
Why: The note states the Act was made in 2064 BS, that is 2008 AD.
Which feature of good governance ensures that women and marginalised groups can take part in decision-making?
- A) Participation ✔
- B) Rule of law
- C) Consensus orientation
- D) Efficiency
Why: Participation means citizens, including women and marginalised groups, take part in decisions.
Results meeting people's needs while making the best use of resources describes which feature?
- A) Equity
- B) Transparency
- C) Effectiveness and efficiency ✔
- D) Accountability
Why: Effectiveness and efficiency mean good results with the best use of resources.
All groups having a chance to improve or keep their well-being, with no one left out, is which feature?
- A) Responsiveness
- B) Equity and inclusiveness ✔
- C) Rule of law
- D) Consensus orientation
Why: Equity and inclusiveness mean no group is left out.
How many core features of good governance are widely accepted according to the note?
- A) Four
- B) Six
- C) Ten
- D) Eight ✔
Why: The note lists eight widely accepted core features.
Which of the following is NOT one of the eight core features of good governance?
- A) Accountability
- B) Secrecy ✔
- C) Responsiveness
- D) Transparency
Why: Secrecy is the opposite of transparency and is not a feature of good governance.
A short way to describe good governance is
- A) People-centred, open and answerable government ✔
- B) Rule by a single leader
- C) Government without laws
- D) Administration run only by experts in secret
Why: The note sums up good governance as people-centred, open and answerable government.
Under good governance, how should citizens get services?
- A) Only through middlemen
- B) After paying extra money
- C) Easily, on time and at a fair cost ✔
- D) Only in the capital city
Why: Good governance means services are delivered easily, on time and at a fair cost.
Which of the following is listed in the Act as a basis of administration?
- A) Personal loyalty to a minister
- B) Political party membership
- C) Secrecy in all matters
- D) Neutrality and objectivity ✔
Why: The Act lists neutrality and objectivity among the bases of administration.
Under the Good Governance Act, a decision-maker must state what with the decision?
- A) The grounds and reasons ✔
- B) His or her home address
- C) The names of all applicants in the district
- D) Nothing; reasons are not needed
Why: Decisions must follow proper procedure and state the grounds and reasons.
A section officer is asked to decide a tender in which his brother's company has bid. What should he do?
- A) Decide in favour of his brother
- B) Decide quickly before anyone finds out
- C) Keep away from that decision because of conflict of interest ✔
- D) Ask his brother to withdraw other bids
Why: An official must not take part in a decision where he or a close relative has a personal interest.
What does the Act say about delay in decisions without reason?
- A) It is allowed for senior officers
- B) It is encouraged for careful work
- C) It is not allowed ✔
- D) It is allowed only in winter
Why: Officials must decide within the time set by law, and unreasonable delay is not allowed.
Public employees must follow which document regarding their behaviour?
- A) The code of conduct of their service ✔
- B) Any private company rules
- C) Their political party manifesto
- D) The citizen charter of another office
Why: The Act requires public employees to follow the code of conduct of their service.
नागरिक बडापत्र is known in English as
- A) Public hearing
- B) Social audit
- C) Complaint box
- D) Citizen charter ✔
Why: नागरिक बडापत्र (nagarik badapatra) means citizen charter.
सार्वजनिक सुनुवाइ means
- A) Social audit
- B) Public hearing ✔
- C) Grievance management
- D) Mobile service
Why: सार्वजनिक सुनुवाइ (sarbajanik sunuwai) is the public hearing.
गुनासो पेटी is
- A) A citizen charter
- B) A cash box for fees
- C) A complaint box ✔
- D) A ballot box
Why: गुनासो पेटी (gunaso peti) is the complaint box used for grievance management.
Where should a citizen charter be placed?
- A) Inside the office chief's drawer
- B) At a visible spot of the office ✔
- C) In the national archive
- D) Only on a private website
Why: A citizen charter is a notice board placed at a visible spot of the office.
A person suffers loss because an office did not provide a service as stated in its citizen charter. What does the Act allow?
- A) Compensation to that person ✔
- B) Nothing at all
- C) Imprisonment of the person
- D) Closing the office permanently
Why: The Act allows compensation to a person who suffers loss, besides departmental action against the official.
Who are typically invited to a public hearing besides the public?
- A) Only foreign diplomats
- B) Only the office's own staff
- C) Local representatives, civil society and experts ✔
- D) Only police officers
Why: Stakeholders such as local representatives, civil society and experts are invited.
In a social audit, what do people mainly check?
- A) The private life of officials
- B) Whether work was done as planned, money used properly and benefits reached the right people ✔
- C) Only the colour of the building
- D) Exam results of staff children
Why: A social audit checks plan, use of money and whether benefits reached the right people.
After a complaint box is opened, what must happen?
- A) Complaints are burnt without reading
- B) Complaints are kept secret forever
- C) Suitable action is taken and information about it is made public ✔
- D) Complaints are sent back to the people
Why: Action is taken and information about the action is made public.
According to the note, which main value does the citizen charter support?
- A) Consensus orientation
- B) Transparency and responsiveness ✔
- C) Political loyalty
- D) Secrecy
Why: The note links the citizen charter with transparency and responsiveness.
Frequent transfers of officials because of political pressure point to which challenge of good governance?
- A) Political interference in administration ✔
- B) Too much citizen awareness
- C) Excess transparency
- D) Strong implementation
Why: Political interference and frequent transfers are listed challenges.
Which is NOT listed as a way to overcome the challenges of good governance?
- A) Strong political will
- B) Honest leadership
- C) A free press
- D) Banning citizen participation ✔
Why: The note calls for active citizens; banning participation would harm good governance.
Political instability harms good governance mainly because it
- A) Increases transparency
- B) Weakens continuity of policy ✔
- C) Improves service delivery
- D) Reduces corruption
Why: Frequent changes in leadership weaken the continuity of policy.