Comparative Politics
Chapter Exam Questions
Course Introduction
Comparative Politics is an introductory course that explores the fundamental concepts, theories, and methodologies used to analyze and compare political systems across different countries. The course examines key topics such as political institutions, governance structures, public policy, democratization, authoritarianism, and political culture. Students will engage with case studies from various regions to understand how historical, social, and economic contexts shape political behavior and outcomes. By the end of the course, students will develop analytical tools for critically assessing similarities and differences among political systems and for understanding the challenges and dynamics of global politics.
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Introduction to Comparative Politics 6th Edition by Mark Kesselman\
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Chapter 1: Introducing Comparative Politics
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Q1) A failed state is one in which
A) the leaders of the state violate the rule of law and prey on their own citizens.
B) the leaders of the state fail to pay their United Nations dues.
C) the government is authoritarian and denies its citizens political freedoms.
D) the state is in a state of war with another nation.
E) large numbers of citizens try to leave either legally or illegally.
Answer: A
Q2) Which of the following statements about the Human Development Index is CORRECT?
A) It is compiled by the World Bank.
B) It includes measures for sustainable development.
C) It is used to measure and compare levels of achievement in health, knowledge, and the standard of living.
D) In 2010, the countries with the highest HDI rankings were the United States, New Zealand, and Norway.
E) It assesses the level of interaction between people in a political system.
Answer: C
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Chapter 2: Britain
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Q1) Electoral reforms introduced by the coalition government will
A) make positions in the House of Lords fully elected.
B) make the position of prime minister a directly elected position.
C) stagger elections for the House of Commons, so that only one-third is up for election at any one time.
D) establish fixed terms of four years for the regional assemblies.
E) establish a fixed term of five years for House of Commons members subject to dissolution by a majority of MPs.
Answer: E
Q2) The prime minister is
A) elected by the House of Commons.
B) the leader of the party after a general election who controls a majority of seats in the House of Commons.
C) directly elected by majority vote of the whole electorate.
D) determined after a general election by an electoral college on the basis of votes cast by electors representing England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
E) chosen by the monarch.
Answer: B
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Chapter 3: France
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Q1) Executive dominance in policy-making means that
A) legislative and popular participation have little input.
B) bureaucratic and legislative influence is very limited.
C) European Union commitments rarely constrict France's policy actions.
D) subnational governments have limited input.
E) All of the statements are true.
Answer: A
Q2) The powers of the president include all of the following EXCEPT
A) naming the prime minister and other high level government officials.
B) directing the armed forces and controlling the country's nuclear forces.
C) conducting foreign affairs.
D) dissolving the National Assembly and calling for new elections.
E) appointing the nine members of the Constitutional Council.
Answer: E
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Chapter 4: Germany
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Q1) The reunification of Germany proved more difficult than expected due to
A) resistance to reunification from both populations.
B) lack of support from the international community.
C) opposition from the Soviet Union.
D) the poor state of the economy in east Germany.
E) opposition from NATO.
Q2) Among Germany's political parties, which actively opposed German troop deployment to Afghanistan?
A) The Left Party
B) The Christian Democrats
C) The Social Democrats
D) The Greens
E) The Free Democrats
Q3) The rise of cartel parties has led to
A) the decline of party responsiveness to their core constituencies.
B) the rise of party dependence upon state resources for financial support.
C) parties adopting similar platforms.
D) a decrease in voter turnout.
E) All of the above statements are true.
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Chapter 5: Japan
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Q1) Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A) Although there are five major parties in Japan, for practical purposes the country is a two-party-dominant system.
B) All of Japan's major political parties were formed in the 1950s.
C) The Social Democratic Party dominated the Diet throughout most of the post World War II period.
D) Most of Japan's political parties are highly factionalized with the divisions primarily involving ideological and policy differences.
E) All of the above.
Q2) The Lay Judge System
A) is a system whereby a judge may adjudicate a suit between Japanese citizens.
B) is a system whereby a panel of randomly selected citizens rule on civil cases involving corporations.
C) permits persons who have not attained a law degree to become judges.
D) is a reform that made all judgeships in Japan elected positions.
E) allows major criminal cases to be heard by a panel consisting of professional judges and randomly chosen citizens.
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Chapter 6: India
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Q1) Which fundamental contradiction is embedded in India's constitution?
A) Civil rights versus the need to protect order
B) Democratic governance versus authoritarian institutions
C) Presidents versus prime ministers
D) Parliamentary sovereignty versus judicial review
E) Religious freedom versus caste protection
Q2) India's electoral system
A) is called a single-member district, first-past-the-post system, proportional representation.
B) privileges the major parties.
C) means that the candidate winning a simple plurality of the votes wins the seat.
D) is similar to that of the United States.
E) All of the above statements are true.
Q3) Although India is often seen as a being a growing economy on the verge of becoming a major force in global economics, the fact remains that the country also has a large portion of poor people. First, explain how the poor represent both a political and economic problem for India. Second, address, how the country has sought to address this problem, both historically and in contemporary times.
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Chapter 7: The United States
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Q1) The ability of state and local governments to shape the economy
A) comes from their police powers to regulate health and safety.
B) is limited because the Constitution grants the national government authority over intrastate commerce.
C) comes from explicit delegation from Congress.
D) is permissible due to the interstate commerce clause.
E) is significantly limited by their inability to offer benefits to companies such as tax breaks.
Q2) Which of the following is NOT true?
A) As is the case in other electoral democracies, voter registration in the United States is controlled by the national government.
B) State governments determine how votes are counted even in national elections.
C) Expansion of the electorate was made possible through federal government intervention and Constitutional amendments.
D) State governments have the responsibility for holding elections, deciding which nonfederal offices are to be filled by elections and determining how long nonfederal officeholders may serve.
E) Voting Rights Act of 1965 secured African Americans access to the ballot box.
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Chapter 8: Russia
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Q1) Which of the following is NOT true of Russia's semi-presidential system?
A) Generally speaking, the president oversees foreign policy relations with the regions and the organs of state security while the prime minister oversees economic issues.
B) Until 2008, the president was clearly the dominant part of the executive.
C) The prime minister has always been the leader of the dominant party or coalition in the legislature.
D) If the president dies or becomes incapacitated, the prime minister serves as the acting president until presidential elections can be held.
E) The president is directly elected while the prime minister is appointed.
Q2) Sovereign democracy refers to the idea that
A) political sovereignty ultimately rests with the Russian people.
B) Russia is a sovereign and independent state.
C) democracy in Russia should be adapted to Russian traditions.
D) the sovereignty of the Russian people is best expressed through democratic means.
E) political power in Russia should be vested in a single sovereign at the national level.
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Chapter 9: Brazil
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Q1) The process of trading favors and protection for political support is called A) coronelismo.
B) patrimonialism.
C) clientelism.
D) caudillo.
E) bossism.
Q2) During the transition from military rule to democracy, the Catholic Church
A) supported the continuance of military rule because it shared similar conservative political ideas with it.
B) organized popular opposition to military rule.
C) chose neither to oppose or support the military actively.
D) passively supported the military while not actively speaking in favor of military rule.
E) passively opposed military rule while directing its officials and associated organizations to take no direct action against it.
Q3) What weaknesses of Brazilian political parties have been apparent since the transition to democracy in the 1980s? To what extent are these reflections of historical circumstances? Assess the impact these weaknesses have had upon Brazilian democratization.
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Chapter 10: Mexico
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Q1) In what ways does the actual distribution of power differ from the model outlined in the Constitution? What are the main reasons for such discrepancies? How has the ongoing democratization progress affected such discrepancies?
Q2) Which of the following is TRUE?
A) Amerindians comprise the largest group in Mexico.
B) The largest indigenous group in Mexico are the Aztecs.
C) Although about 30 percent of Mexicans claim Amerindian descent, only about 6 percent speak an indigenous language other than Spanish.
D) One of the country's largest indigenous groups, the Maya, live primarily in the central regions of Mexico.
E) None of the above statements is true.
Q3) The northern areas of the country are more economically advanced than the southern regions because of all of the following EXCEPT
A) the presence of maquiladores that supply jobs.
B) government programs that favor these areas.
C) the proximity to the United States.
D) large commercialized farms with extensive transportation networks.
E) large industrialized cities.
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Chapter 11: South Africa
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Q1) Which of the following statements is NOT indicative of the status of South Africa's standing in the world economy?
A) The country has traditionally dominated the regional economy.
B) South Africa is the only African member of the G20.
C) The country's currency, the Rand, is used as an internationally accepted "hard" currency just like the EU's Euro and the American dollar.
D) South Africa has a fairly high growth in terms of GNP.
E) The country is part of an informal group of rapidly growing emerging economies known as BRICS.
Q2) What are the political implications and effects of South Africa's electoral system? Are these detrimental to the democratization process in the country? Cite specific examples from your text.
Q3) The Constitutional Court
A) acts as the final court of appeal for matters related to the constitution.
B) Is comprised of judges appointed for life.
C) Is also known as the Supreme Court.
D) has regularly sided with the executive in its rulings.
E) Is widely seen by the public as being ineffective.
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Chapter 12: Nigeria
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Q1) Which of the following statements about U.S.-Nigerian relations is NOT true?
A) A close relationship between the United States and Nigeria began during the Cold War when Nigerian governments generally aligned their foreign policies with that of the United States.
B) The United States buys about 8 percent of its oil exports from Nigeria and this has generally muted its criticism of Nigerian domestic politics.
C) Since 9/11, Nigerian and American military forces have cooperated in joint anti-terror exercises on the African continent.
D) A sizeable Nigerian diaspora exists in the United States and has recently begun to exercise some influence over American foreign affairs.
E) Nigeria modeled its presidential and federal systems on those of the United States.
Q2) Arguably, President Obasanjo's greatest economic achievement was
A) improving the average GDP of Nigeria.
B) paying off much of the country's massive foreign debt.
C) implementing a government-funded universal primary education system.
D) privatizing the oil industry.
E) curbing the country's rampant corruption.
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Chapter 13: Iran
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Q1) Which of the following is TRUE of Iran's economy in the pre-Islamic Revolutionary period?
A) It was an important member of OPEC.
B) It was a major purchaser of arms, especially from the United States.
C) It imported many products from the West that sometimes had a detrimental effect on domestic production.
D) The country became dependent on oil as a commodity that was subject to volatile market prices.
E) All of the above are true of Iran's economy in the pre-Islamic Revolutionary period.
Q2) The Resurgence Party was created in A) 1979.
B) 1981.
C) 1975.
D) 1941.
E) 1970.
Q3) The Shah undertook many changes in Iranian society. First, briefly describe these changes. Second, assess both the negative and positive impacts that these changes had on the country. Finally, evaluate which of these changes led to his downfall.
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Chapter 14: China
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Q1) All of the following were important parts of the economic reforms launched by Den Xiaoping EXCEPT
A) a growth of the role of private industry.
B) reducing the role of the state in the economy.
C) a large increase in foreign trade and investment.
D) the abolition of all state-owned enterprises.
E) Xiaoping policies included all of the above.
Q2) Because the current Chinese regime has increasingly recognized the importance of obtaining advice from key sectors of the population while insisting on suppressing dissent, it can be described as
A) a consultative authoritarian regime.
B) a totalitarian regime.
C) an accommodative authoritarian regime.
D) a fragmented authoritarian regime.
E) a transitioning totalitarian regime.
Q3) What factors suggest that China may undergo democratization? To what extent are these factors simply the result of the country's economic changes rather than meaningful political changes?
Q4) What factors help to explain the durability of the Chinese communist party-state?
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