By comparison, a state is ______________.

Analyze the question: The question asks you to compare a state with a government in terms of permanence.

Explain the concept:

• A state is a political entity with four main features: a defined territory, a permanent population, a government, and sovereignty. It is a lasting institution.
• A government is the machinery or agency through which the state carries out its functions. Governments change through elections, coups, resignations, or revolutions.

For example, Nigeria has remained the same state since independence in 1960 (and even before, as a political entity). But its governments have changed many times: Balewa, Aguiyi-Ironsi, Gowon, Shagari, Buhari, Obasanjo, Jonathan, and so on. Nigeria did not stop existing when those governments changed.

Solution, option by option:

• A. Less permanent than a government: wrong, because the state outlasts governments.
• B. More permanent than a government: correct. The state continues to exist even when governments change.
• C. More changeable than a government: wrong, because governments are the ones that change.
• D. Equally permanent: wrong, because governments are temporary and the state is continuous.

Answer: B. A state is more permanent than a government.

Exam tip: Remember it this way: "Governments come and go, but the state remains." Whenever a question compares the two, the state is permanent and abstract, and the government is temporary and changeable.