Comparative Politics
Exam Answer Key
Course Introduction
Comparative Politics is the study of political systems, institutions, processes, and behavior across different countries and regions. This course examines how governments are structured, how power is distributed, and the variety of political regimes including democracies, authoritarian systems, and hybrids. Students explore themes such as political culture, state formation, electoral systems, party politics, and public policy, using comparative analysis to understand similarities and differences among countries. By investigating case studies from around the world, the course provides analytical tools and theoretical frameworks essential for understanding global political dynamics and the challenges faced by diverse societies.
Recommended Textbook
Cases in Comparative Politics Fifth Edition by Patrick H. ONeil
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14 Chapters
420 Verified Questions
420 Flashcards
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Introduction
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following units of government most often represents geographical subunits of the population in lawmaking?
A)the executive
B)the upper house of a bicameral legislature
C)the lower house of a bicameral legislature
D)the judiciary
E)the constitutional court
Answer: B
Q2) Steven wants to compare the degree of economic inequality between his country and a wealthy, developed democracy. The measure he uses yields a score of 68 for his country and a score of 12 for the wealthy democracy. What measurement did he most likely use?
A)GDP
B)GDP per capita
C)UNHDI
D)Gini index
E)Human Development Index
Answer: D
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Chapter 2: United Kingdom
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Sample Questions
Q1) The British party system is often called a two-and-a-half party system because:
A)the MPs in Parliament are notoriously hard to control, and their independence counts as a sort of third party.
B)the Labour Party has two unofficial wings that operate with different policy objectives.
C)the House of Lords is part of government but is not popularly elected.
D)the Scottish National Party holds only a regional sway instead of a national one.
E)the Liberal Democratic Party trails far behind the Conservative and Labour parties in electoral strength.
Answer: E
Q2) Local government in the United Kingdom:
A)is constitutionally protected.
B)cannot have its powers revised by the central government.
C)does not exist at any level.
D)is led by appointed rather than elected officials.
E)has formal powers only when granted by the central government.
Answer: E
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4
Chapter 3: United States
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Sample Questions
Q1) Neoliberal policies that endorsed cutting back on social spending began under President:
A)Johnson.
B)Reagan.
C)Clinton.
D)George W. Bush.
E)George H. W. Bush.
Answer: B
Q2) Which of the following events represents the most significant turning point in U.S. foreign policy?
A)participation in World War I
B)participation in World War II
C)establishment of the Monroe Doctrine
D)participation in the Vietnam War
E)fall of the Soviet Union
Answer: B
Q3) What is the state of America's participatory civil society? How does it relate to the level of populist sentiment in the United States?
Answer: Answers will vary.
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Page 5
Chapter 4: France
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Sample Questions
Q1) What effect did the dirigisme system have on the French economy in the decades after World War II? How has this model fared through the economic changes of the last 20 years?
Q2) Which best describes the upper house (Sénat) in France?
A)directly elected
B)weaker than the lower house
C)more powerful than the lower house
D)recently dissolved as a result of constitutional reform
E)directly appointed by the president
Q3) What explains why France has a strong state and a relatively weak civil society? What roles do trade unions and private enterprise play in the everyday lives of French citizens?
Q4) How has France handled the issue of assimilation versus multiculturalism in recent decades? Is laïcité the right policy? Why or why not?
Q5) Describe the core goals of de Gaulle's 1958 constitution and the creation of the Fifth Republic. Were they successful? Where did they fall short? What have been the results for France's party system?
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Page 6
Chapter 5: Germany
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Sample Questions
Q1) Has reunification succeeded in Germany? Identify the primary political, social, and economic challenges that remain.
Q2) Germany's political regime since 1949 is often called the:
A)Third Reich.
B)Deutsch Democracy.
C)Second Reich.
D)Bonn Republic.
E)Weimar Republic.
Q3) What are the consequences of Germany's mixed electoral system for the political makeup of parliament and the legislative process?
Q4) The title of Germany's head of government is:
A)state premier.
B)magistrate.
C)federal chancellor.
D)president.
E)king or queen.
Q5) Why did the Weimar Republic fail? Were internal or external factors more significant?
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Page 7
Chapter 6: Japan
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Sample Questions
Q1) Historically, Japan's political leadership has been characterized by a persistent division of labor between:
A)bourgeoisie and proletariat.
B)shoguns and zaibatsu.
C)those who rule and those who symbolically reign.
D)warriors and clerics.
E)those who represent the people and those who represent the elites.
Q2) The iron triangle of Japan, Inc. has come under increased criticism and scrutiny recently because of:
A)the inability of Japan, Inc. to dominate new Chinese and South Korean tech producers.
B)revelations of scandals within the triangle.
C)the growing Chinese military dominance in the region.
D)the collapse of the DPJ government.
E)the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
Q3) Describe Japan's industrial policy. How did government guidance and support lead to booming decades of growth, and what were the structural problems that became apparent in the 1990s?
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Chapter 7: Russia
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Sample Questions
Q1) The term parties of power denotes:
A)parties built by elites to serve their personal political aspirations.
B)parties in Russia that rely on a single ethnic group for support.
C)nationalist parties in Russia that call for the restoration of the Soviet Union.
D)parties that depend on votes from the armed forces.
E)those elites that controlled the Soviet Union until 1991.
Q2) A key institution in Russia's religious and political culture is:
A)Roman Catholicism.
B)Protestantism.
C)Orthodox Christianity.
D)animism.
E)Islamism.
Q3) Why has "true" democracy failed to take root in Russia since the collapse of communism? What factors do you think are most important?
Q4) Considering the extreme power of the Russian presidency, does the national legislature serve any important independent functions in modern Russia? How has the national legislature's role evolved since 1991?
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Chapter 8: China
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Sample Questions
Q1) China's two most important river systems are the:
A)Sui and Tang.
B)Yellow and Yangtze.
C)Boxue and Miansu.
D)Plum and Terapin.
E)Meng and Xiang.
Q2) The Chinese leader primarily responsible for initiating China's post-Mao program of reform and opening was:
A)Hu Jintao.
B)Jiang Zemin.
C)Deng Xiaoping.
D)Wen Jiabao.
E)Xi Jinping.
Q3) Falun Gong refers to:
A)the overseas Chinese community.
B)China's controversial one-child policy.
C)China's recent construction boom.
D)wealthy private entrepreneurs.
E)a government-banned Chinese meditation sect.
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Page 10
Chapter 9: India
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which prime minister declared emergency rule in 1975?
A)Rajiv Gandhi
B)Jawaharlal Nehru
C)Manmohan Singh
D)Indira Gandhi
E)Mohandes K. Gandhi
Q2) Discuss both the costs and benefits of British colonialism to Indian development, and assess the net influence of this colonial legacy.
Q3) Explain the rise of Hindu fundamentalism in India. What effect has it had on ethnic relations within states and on diplomatic relations with Pakistan?
Q4) Why has one-party dominance given way to rule by coalition government since the early 1990s? Has this trend produced a stable, workable government, and why?
Q5) India's Sepoy Mutiny pitted:
A)the East India Company against British colonial troops.
B)Hindu conscripts against Muslim conscripts.
C)British colonial troops against British officers.
D)Hindu and Muslim conscripts against British colonial troops.
E)British soldiers against French revolutionary forces.
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Chapter 10: Iran
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Sample Questions
Q1) Why did the Second Khordad Front ultimately fail to bring about major reforms?
A)It couldn't win a majority in the Majlis and couldn't form a coalition.
B)It had the support of the Expediency Council but not the Guardian Council.
C)It only controlled the Majlis and the presidency, both of which were relatively weak institutions.
D)The Revolutionary Guard instituted a terror campaign to threaten reformist politicians.
E)The prime minister ultimately opposed the party's goals.
Q2) Which of the following is true of the Azeri in Iran?
A)The collapse of the Soviet Union indirectly helped foster a stronger ethnic identity among Iranian Azeris.
B)They are Iran's smallest, most persecuted minority.
C)Azeris have historically played almost no role in the major facets of Iranian life.
D)Improving relations between Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan have helped the position of the Azeri in Iran.
E)Azeri adherence to the Sunni religion has caused them to be more persecuted than other minority groups in Iran.
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Chapter 11: Mexico
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following describes maquiladoras?
A)factories that import materials to make goods for export
B)corrupt politicians
C)large state-backed agriculture corporations
D)Mexico's drug cartels
E)indigenous communities in southern Mexico
Q2) Which factors explain how the PRI's base of power began to erode? Has the reintroduction of genuine political competition into Mexican national politics brought with it genuine improvements in government?
Q3) Mexican presidents are:
A)elected for up to two four-year terms.
B)elected for unlimited six-year terms.
C)elected for a six-year term with no re-election.
D)elected for a six-year term with one re-election allowed.
E)appointed by their predecessors.
Q4) How has the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) affected the Mexican economy? Who have been its detractors and supporters, and why?
Q5) What has been the result of constitutional term limits for legislators and the president? Why have so many sought an end to term limits?
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Chapter 12: Brazil
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following accurately describes Brazilian political culture?
A)Just barely over half of Brazilians express satisfaction with democracy in their country.
B)Most Brazilians view democracy as preferable to any other system of government.
C)Brazilians have very low levels of confidence in political parties but are not ideologically polarized.
D)Brazilians have the highest turnout rates among Latin American countries, at an average of 55 percent for recent elections.
E)Most Brazilians identify strongly with an individual party and as a whole have grown very politically polarized in the last two decades.
Q2) Describe the effects of Brazil's public debt and high inflation on its economy, particularly with respect to poverty. Has democratization had a positive effect on these problems?
Q3) Why has Brazil been plagued by some of the worst poverty and inequality on the planet? How have more recent governments sought to alleviate these problems?
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14
Chapter 13: South Africa
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Sample Questions
Q1) The National Party took power in 1948 after:
A)a Dutch invasion.
B)a military coup.
C)a long war with blacks.
D)a bloody battle with the English.
E)an election victory.
Q2) South Africa's largest ethnic group is:
A)Zulu.
B)Tswana.
C)Afrikaner.
D)Xhosa.
E)Venda.
Q3) Describe the logic and workings of apartheid. How did its supporters justify white rule? How was it able to survive for so long?
Q4) The most important antiapartheid organization was the:
A)Pan Africanist Congress.
B)National Party.
C)African National Congress.
D)South African Communist Party.
E)Congress of the People.
Page 15
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Chapter 14: Nigeria
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Sample Questions
Q1) Personal rule by an authoritarian leader bestowing privileges upon loyal followers is called:
A)personalism.
B)beneficialism.
C)patrimonialism.
D)atriarchy.
E)hedonism.
Q2) Which of the following is a component of Nigeria's constitution of the Second Republic (and all subsequent constitutions)?
A)a combined head of state and head of government
B)a merged constitutional court and legislature into a single body
C)a unitary structure
D)a unicameral legislature
E)an indirectly-elected president
Q3) The practice of "bunkering" involves:
A)storing oil outside of the country.
B)discarding crude oil in favor of natural gas.
C)the illegal siphoning off of oil.
D)discarding natural gas in favor of crude oil.
E)the illegal avoidance of taxation on oil profits.
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