Comparative Politics Exam Preparation Guide
Course Introduction
Comparative Politics is a foundational course that examines the structures, processes, and outcomes of political systems across different countries. By employing comparative methods and theoretical frameworks, students analyze key concepts such as political institutions, regimes, democratization, political culture, public policy, and state-society relations. The course encourages critical evaluation of similarities and differences among nations, fostering a deeper understanding of global political dynamics, the causes and effects of political change, and the challenges facing modern states in a rapidly evolving international landscape.
Recommended Textbook
World Politics Interests Interactions Institutions 3rd Edition by Jeffry A. Frieden
Available Study Resources on Quizplus
17 Chapters
1179 Verified Questions
1179 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/study-set/1347
Page 2
Chapter 1: Introduction
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/26889
Sample Questions
Q1) About half of the world's population,around 3 billion people:
A)live in countries under threat of nuclear destruction.
B)have been victims of terrorist attacks.
C)suffer from human rights abuses.
D)live in environmentally dangerous areas.
E)live on less than $2 a day.
Answer: E
Q2) What is cooperation?
A)An interaction that makes at least one actor better off without making the others worse off.
B)An interaction in which actors must choose outcomes that make all the parties better off.
C)Two states dividing the spoils of conflict they had with a third actor.
D)Two states threatening conflict with each other over some policy dispute.
E)A single state imposing its will upon another state.
Answer: A
Q3) Is realism realistic? Explain why you think the framework is suitable for international relations,or,if you do not think it is,does liberalism or constructivism make more sense?
Answer: Answer will vary.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 3
Chapter 2: What Shaped Our World
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
66 Verified Questions
66 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/26890
Sample Questions
Q1) Why did major-power interests and interactions result in a peaceful nineteenth century but a conflict-ridden twentieth century?
Answer: Answer will vary.
Q2) The Bretton Woods System sought to reduce barriers and taxes on goods exchanged between countries with the:
A)General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.
B)International Monetary Fund.
C)International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
D)Council for Mutual Economic Assistance.
E)Marshall Plan.
Answer: A
Q3) After World War I:
A)the German economy rebounded relatively quickly.
B)the United Nations was abolished after failing to prevent war.
C)the League of Nations was created to avoid another war.
D)few new countries became independent.
E)the Austrian and Ottoman empires survived until the next war.
Answer: C
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
4
Chapter 3: Understanding Interests, interactions, and Institutions
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
75 Verified Questions
75 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/26891
Sample Questions
Q1) Even though currently powerful countries like Germany,Brazil,and Japan would like a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council,they have not started their own competing international organization but have kept their protests within the United Nations' system.This is best an example of what?
A)Often it is cheaper and easier to use existing institutions even if they do not exactly match an actor's preferences.
B)Institutions with self-enforcement are more likely to last.
C)Institutions are created to reflect the biases of those who have the most power at that time.
D)Institutions lower the costs of joint decision making by providing a forum for actors to have repeated interactions.
E)Institutions are most effective when they serve multiple roles,such as assisting in verifying compliance and reducing costs of joint decision making.
Answer: A
Q2) Explain how the number of actors,iteration,the importance of the future,and information contribute to successful cooperation.
Answer: Answer will vary.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 5
Chapter 4: Why Are There Wars
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
71 Verified Questions
71 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/26892
Sample Questions
Q1) Resolve is difficult to measure because it depends on:
A)the intervention of international organizations.
B)the quality of a state's military training.
C)how much a state is willing to pay and risk to achieve a particular goal.
D)how much a state trusts the other side.
E)how well a state can obscure facts about its armies from opponents.
Answer: C
Q2) The United States did not believe China would intervene in the Korean War,because:
A)the Chinese government had been an ally of the United States.
B)China had no apparent strategic interest in protecting North Korea.
C)China obviously lacked the capability to effectively launch an attack against U.S.troops.
D)the Chinese government did not pay any real cost to making the threat.
E)U.S.troops were acting under the authority of the United Nations.
Answer: D
Q3) How can we make war less likely? In your answer make sure to include a discussion of the costs of war,the credibility of commitments,and the divisibility of goods.
Answer: Answer will vary.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 6
Chapter 5: Domestic Politics and War
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
68 Verified Questions
68 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/26893
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is NOT something that bureaucracies usually seek?
A)Bigger budgets.
B)More input into policy making.
C)Winning the next election.
D)Opportunities for personal promotion.
E)Increasing their resources.
Q2) It has been said that how much the general public matters in foreign policy decision making is a question of how much democracy matters.Why would this be the case?
Q3) All of the following are examples of when the military can be an important domestic actor EXCEPT when:
A)a group of military officers took direct control of the Brazilian government from 1964 to 1985.
B)a single general was the dictator of Chile from 1973 to 1990.
C)the Argentine military junta was forced from office by popular rebellions in 1983.
D)the civilian president of Ecuador was forced from office with support from the military in 2000.
E)the Mexican government used the military to shoot student protesters in 1968.
Q4) Why might the democratic peace simply be a coincidence?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 7
Chapter 6: International Institutions and War
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
67 Verified Questions
67 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/26894
Sample Questions
Q1) How is international peace a public good,and how does this affect the likelihood of peace?
Q2) How did the Korean War start?
A)North Korea invaded South Korea,and the United Nations authorized troops to repel the attack.
B)South Korea invaded North Korea,and the United Nations sent troops to help North Korea.
C)North Korean soldiers infiltrated South Korea and began a long insurgency to overthrow the government.
D)China invaded Korea,and the United Nations authorized troops to reverse the attack.
E)The Soviet Union invaded Korea,and the United States sent troops to repel the attack.
Q3) Why has NATO survived after the end of the Cold War?
Q4) Which of the following is an alliance?
A)The United Nations.
B)The League of Nations.
C)The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.
D)The European Union.
E)The World Bank.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 8
Chapter 7: Violence by Nonstate Actors: Civil War and Terrorism
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
67 Verified Questions
67 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/26895
Sample Questions
Q1) Explain two different strategies terrorists adopt to achieve their goals.When might one strategy be superior to the other?
Q2) Which example demonstrates a nonstate actor facing a collective action problem?
A)The U.S.government trying to convince people to turn out and vote in an upcoming election.
B)A student group collecting signatures for a petition to stop environmental damage.
C)Al Qaeda releasing a new video on the Internet.
D)The Iraqi government collecting taxes from its citizens.
E)The United Nations releasing a new report on human rights abuses in the United States.
Q3) Why does Russia continue to engage in a costly war against Chechnya instead of granting it autonomy?
A)Russia believes that if appeased,the Chechnyans would just ask for more.
B)Other potential separatists would then start their own campaigns for independence.
C)Russia does not have the authority to grant autonomy to republics.
D)Russia is concerned that Chechnya would not be able to exist on its own.
E)The value of Chechnyan territory is worth the cost of a bloody war.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 9
Chapter 8: International Trade
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
71 Verified Questions
71 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/26896
Sample
Questions
Q1) What factors make it more likely that countries will have trade agreements? How do strategic interactions make it more or less likely that a country will erect a trade barrier?
Q2) Which scenario represents strategic interaction in trade?
A)The United States creating a quota on sugar imports,due to lobbying from sugar manufacturers.
B)The European Union instigating a case against genetically modified organisms in the World Trade Organization to prevent U.S.agricultural imports.
C)Japan not raising tariffs on U.S.automobiles,as it fears retaliation from the United States.
D)France creating new tariffs on U.S.goods,due to concerns over domestic production.
E)Great Britain unilaterally liberalizing its agricultural sector.
Q3) When the United States established steel tariffs in 2002,who benefited?
A)Steel exporters in other countries.
B)Consumers in the United States.
C)Producers in the United States that used steel as an input.
D)Steel importers in the United States.
E)Steel exporters in the United States.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 10
Chapter 9: International Financial Relations
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
68 Verified Questions
68 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/26897
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is an example of a portfolio investment?
A)A pension fund purchases the Mexican telephone company.
B)Campbell's soup company purchases Godiva Chocolates.
C)Hershey's,the candy maker,relocates its factories to Mexico and El Salvador.
D)Wal-Mart purchases a majority of shares of a Thai clothing manufacturer.
E)A U.S.bank makes a loan to a Mexican shoe manufacturer.
Q2) At the end of the financial crisis of 2008,which region was facing new pressures from mounting debt at a level unparalleled since the 1930s?
A)North America.
B)South America.
C)Europe.
D)Africa.
E)Southeast Asia.
Q3) Why is the International Monetary Fund a controversial international financial institution?
Q4) Explain how the International Monetary Fund contributes to a stable international financial system.
Q5) How does Heckscher-Ohlin explain why banks,corporations,and individuals invest abroad?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 11
Chapter 10: International Monetary Relations
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
68 Verified Questions
68 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/26898
Sample Questions
Q1) What are the root causes of the 2011 European monetary crisis? What lessons from previous crises are valuable in understanding this new one?
Q2) A currency crisis in 1997 and 1998 spread quickly throughout ________,which eventually led to at least two governments falling from the resulting economic recessions.
A)Latin America
B)Europe
C)Africa
D)East Asia
E)Oceania
Q3) What is a national paper currency standard?
A)Governments issue a currency and peg its value to gold.
B)Governments issue a currency and commit to exchanging the currency for a set gold price.
C)Governments issue a currency and use gold as a standard value but do not commit to exchanging gold for the currency.
D)Governments issue a currency and commit to supporting the value of the currency.
E)Governments issue a currency but make no efforts to support the currency.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
12
Chapter 11: Development: Causes of the Wealth and Poverty of Nations
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
73 Verified Questions
73 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/26899
Sample Questions
Q1) Countries in which people live on less than $1,000 a year are generally concentrated in what region of the world?
A)North Asia.
B)South America.
C)Central America.
D)Sub-Saharan Africa.
E)Eastern Europe.
Q2) Why did less developed countries adopt import substituting industrialization (ISI)? What problems developed because of ISI policies?
Q3) Export-oriented industrialization is a policy of:
A)encouraging the consumption of high-tech foreign exports to fuel domestic industrialization.
B)promoting economic development by encouraging free trade.
C)promoting economic development by encouraging manufacturing for foreign consumption.
D)encouraging economic development by promoting foreign direct investment.
E)encouraging developed countries to reduce tariff barriers on developing countries' exports.
Q4) How has geography affected the economic development of poor countries?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 13
Chapter 12: International Law and Norms
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
64 Verified Questions
64 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/26900
Sample Questions
Q1) What role do TANs play in the creation of international agreements?
Q2) Which factor would make states more likely to rely on informal enforcement mechanisms?
A)Large differences in size and power of states.
B)An agreement being related to economic issues.
C)Weak norms in the related issue area.
D)The lack of an active norm entrepreneur.
E)The presence of an international organization with a veto.
Q3) Given the increased role nonstate actors play in international relations,how relevant is the state? Pick a specific topic area and discuss the most pivotal actors that shape the issue you have selected.
Q4) What is international law and how do international laws constrain the behavior of actors in the international system?
Q5) Which of the following is a typical characteristic of a soft law?
A)Adherence to it is mandatory.
B)Violation of the law results in immediate punishment.
C)Oversight and enforcement is delegated to third parties.
D)The obligations of the law are vague or unclear.
E)Nonstate actors are held accountable by the law.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 14
Chapter 13: Human Rights
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
69 Verified Questions
69 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/26901
Sample Questions
Q1) Explain the creation of the International Criminal Court (ICC),its purpose,and its jurisdiction.Why and how has the United States opposed the creation of the ICC?
Q2) The ICC is a court established to:
A)coordinate prosecution of international criminal networks.
B)try individuals accused of committing serious human rights abuses.
C)try states accused of genocide.
D)craft a universal human rights law.
E)hear cases arising in the European Union.
Q3) Which set of domestic conditions would make the imposition of sanctions by a state favorable?
A)The sanctions are likely to be as expensive as they are effective.
B)The opposing party is opposed to the use of economic sanctions.
C)War is an alternative to economic sanctions.
D)There is an upcoming election,and a leader needs to boost his or her standing on international economic policy.
E)A domestic interest group strongly supports the imposition of sanctions on a particular state.
Q4) When are states most likely to take action on human rights abuses?
Q5) How have TANs affected the adoption of human rights norms?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 15
Chapter 14: The Global Environment
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
66 Verified Questions
66 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/26902
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following illustrates the effects of linkage on environmental problems?
A)Greenpeace monitored Japanese whaling vessels while providing information to governments about weather trends.
B)The United States and Canada are each other's largest trading partners,and together they stopped the problem of acid rain.
C)Mexico blames pollution from the United States for birth defects in Tijuana.
D)Southern European and northern African countries share responsibility for pollution levels in the Mediterranean Sea.
E)Australians have experienced rising skin cancer rates because of ozone depletion.
Q2) When is cooperation on international environmental problems most likely to occur?
Q3) Explain how interests and interactions make international environmental cooperation difficult to achieve,even when major actors have a shared interest in preserving the environment.
Q4) How can international institutions help implement international environmental agreements?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 16
Chapter 15: The Future of International Politics
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
74 Verified Questions
74 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/26903
Sample Questions
Q1) Is second-strike capability necessary for deterrence? If only first-strike capability existed in the world,would we see more use of nuclear weapons?
Q2) Which of the following is the superior strategy for preventing terrorists from obtaining WMD?
A)The United States declares that it will retaliate massively against any terrorists that use WMD.
B)The United States declares that it will attack any terrorist organization that obtains WMD,even if the weapons are not used.
C)The European Union (EU)negotiates with terrorist organizations to convince them the costs of using WMD are higher than the gains they will obtain.
D)The International Atomic Energy Agency promotes the norm of nonproliferation WMD. E)The International Atomic Energy Agency helps countries make their nuclear facilities more secure.
Q3) Why did the European Union (EU)form?
Q4) Why didn't the rise in power of the United States lead to war?
Q5) Why has there been conflict between rich and poor countries over globalization?
Q6) How are terrorist groups likely to obtain nuclear weapons?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 17
Chapter 16: Foundations, war, and Peace
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
96 Verified Questions
96 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/26887
Sample Questions
Q1) Terrorist groups typically:
A)are stronger than states.
B)are weaker than states.
C)have abundant resources.
D)are well armed.
E)abstain from criminal activity.
Q2) Which of the following statements is true about the role of alliances in World War I?
A)They kept the conflict contained.
B)They caused the war to end quickly.
C)They allowed the major powers to ignore the problems of their smaller allies.
D)They did not exist until the war was over.
E)They caused small conflicts to escalate to war.
Q3) Which is NOT a factor that can facilitate cooperation?
A)Iteration.
B)Linkage.
C)Outside options.
D)Fewer actors.
E)International institutions.
Q4) How are war outcomes and leadership fate tied into democracy and autocracy?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 18
Chapter
Politics, and Looking Ahead
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
86 Verified Questions
86 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/26888
Sample Questions
Q1) In the present period,which factor of production is most likely to mobilize against globalization,due to its loss from liberalization and inability to move?
A)Capital.
B)The environment.
C)Labor.
D)The communication industry.
E)Land.
Q2) In the bargaining model,what problem arises out of a country rapidly gaining power?
A)Prisoner's Dilemma.
B)Information problem.
C)Cooperation problem.
D)Commitment problem.
E)Audience costs.
Q3) Would it be possible to eliminate all existing stockpiles of nuclear weapons? What kind of institution would it take to make this possible?
Q4) Explain how regional trade agreements could be both helpful and harmful for encouraging liberalization in the global economy.
Page 19
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.