Comparative Politics Exam Solutions
Course Introduction
Comparative Politics introduces students to the systematic study and comparison of political systems, institutions, processes, and outcomes across different countries. The course explores key concepts such as power, democracy, authoritarianism, political culture, public policy, and state formation. Through examining case studies from various regions, students learn to analyze similarities and differences among political systems, understand the factors influencing political development, and develop the analytical tools necessary to critically assess global political dynamics. The course emphasizes the importance of historical context, socio-economic factors, and international influences in shaping domestic politics, preparing students to engage thoughtfully with the complexities of world affairs.
Recommended Textbook
Struggle for Democracy 11th Edition by Benjamin I. Page
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1865 Verified Questions
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Democracy and American Politics
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46 Verified Questions
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Sample Questions
Q1) The suppression of the rights and liberties of a minority by the majority is which of the following?
A) majority tyranny
B) liberal democracy
C) representative democracy
D) self-government
E) social contract
Answer: A
Q2) What is the central idea of democracy?
A) Minorities have the full power of decision making over all matters that affect them.
B) Rule by the majority must prevail, even if majority tyranny is the result.
C) Ordinary people want to rule themselves and are capable of doing so.
D) Policy is determined by tyranny of the majority.
E) Majority rule violates minority rights.
Answer: C
Q3) Essential political liberties including the freedoms of speech, of conscience and religion, of the press, and of assembly and association are embodied in the __________ Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Answer: First
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Page 3
Chapter 2: The Constitution
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Sample Questions
Q1) Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution contains which powers of Congress?
A) enumerated
B) executive
C) implied
D) military
E) restrictive
Answer: A
Q2) James Madison was the author of many of the essays known as the __________.
Answer: Federalist Papers
Q3) The Great Compromise ended an impasse over the makeup of the legislative branch of government. Under which plan would California and Wyoming have had the same number of representatives in Congress?
A) Connecticut Plan
B) New Jersey Plan
C) New York Plan
D) Virginia Plan
E) West Virginia Plan
Answer: B
Q4) The __________ Amendment ended involuntary servitude in the United States. Answer: Thirteenth
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Chapter 3: Federalism: States and Nation
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Q1) The __________ interprets the Supremacy Clause to make sure that the U.S. laws and Constitution were actually the "supreme law of the land," controlling state laws.
Answer: Supreme Court
Q2) Federalism encourages the states to create local solutions to national problems.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q3) The power to regulate immigration is best described as a(n) __________ power.
A) concurrent
B) enumerated
C) implied
D) limited
E) reserved
Answer: A
Q4) Proponents of states' rights believe that the Constitution strictly limited the national government and established broad autonomy for the states.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Chapter 4: The Structural Foundations of American
Government and Politics
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105 Verified Questions
105 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) In terms of future economic success, it is much better to be a software engineer than a bricklayer.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Political power has shifted in the United States, as Americans flowed from rural to metropolitan areas, then to suburbia, and most recently to __________.
Q3) Describe the extent of inequality in the United States. Is inequality growing, shrinking, or staying the same? How does inequality in the United States compare with inequality in other democracies? Is inequality problematic for American democracy and for American society more generally? Be sure to consider the box, "By The Number," when answering this question.
Q4) With the fall of the Soviet Union, and Soviet-style communism in Eastern Europe, the United States could lay claim to the title of the world's only __________.
Q5) The influx of immigrants to America's shores in the nineteenth century triggered negative reactions, sparking what has been termed __________ sentiment.
Q6) What are Americans' concerns about outsourcing? Are they justified?
Q7) Can the United States still be considered the only superpower? Why or why not?
Page 6
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Chapter 5: Public Opinion
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Q1) Which of the following statements is more likely than the others to be a cause of concern for Republican candidates for office with respect to the Hispanic vote?
A) Most Hispanic Americans are likely to be Catholic.
B) Most Hispanic Americans have conservative social values.
C) Republican sponsorship and support for laws that crack down on illegal immigrants has been neutralized in some states by their opposition to English-only legislation.
D) Hispanics, the fastest-growing ethnic group and largest minority group in the United States, voted for Barack Obama in record numbers.
E) Hispanic Americans, despite their common ancestry, are remarkably dissimilar in their political outlook.
Q2) For the most part, polling on the Internet falls prey to the problem of __________ sampling.
Q3) Perhaps surprisingly, there is no __________ gap on the issue of abortion.
Q4) The best estimates suggest that about __________ percent of people in the United States are Muslim.
Q5) The family, popular culture, and schools all serve as important agents of
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Page 7
Chapter 6: The News Media
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Sample Questions
Q1) How did the media respond to the report that Dick Cheney had shot a man in the face?
A) The media refused to run the story because they thought it was not credible.
B) The story was ignored for several weeks in deference to the Bush administration.
C) The story was buried in the backs of newspapers and the ends of television programs.
D) The media covered the story almost exclusively the day after the shooting.
E) The media covered the story frequently and in great detail over several days.
Q2) Most Americans today say newspapers are their most important news source.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The Downing Street memo was considered highly newsworthy because it involved government corruption.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Explain what makes a story "newsworthy."
Q5) If you were an operative on a political campaign, what would you do to make stories about your campaign and candidate newsworthy?
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Chapter 7: Interest Groups and Business Organizations
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Sample Questions
Q1) How is lobbying the executive branch similar to lobbying the courts?
A) Both require a lobbyist to hold a law degree.
B) Both can involve lobbying related to the implementation of an existing policy.
C) Both are relatively rare, given that most lobbyists focus exclusively on Congress.
D) Both typically involve grassroots lobbying.
E) Both are viewed as inappropriate ways for interest groups to influence government.
Q2) In Federalist No. 10, James Madison described how a government could be designed to control the effects of __________.
A) monarchies
B) factions
C) representative government
D) political parties
E) trade associations
Q3) Given their significant financial resources, __________ groups are widely presumed to have an advantage over other types of interest groups in their efforts to influence government.
Q4) Discuss the role of interest groups in elections.
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9
Chapter 8: Social Movements
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Tea Party movement grew out of the established Republican Party. The Tea Party's successful candidates had access to resources that other movements may not have had. These candidates can be considered which of the following?
A) outsiders
B) insiders
C) grassroots activists
D) lobbyists
E) suffragists
Q2) What was the most effective tactic used during the civil rights movement?
A) civil disobedience
B) threatening leaders
C) sit-down strike
D) harassment
E) violent protesting
Q3) How people engage in politics-and how often-is in part a function of __________.
Q4) Abolitionists generally supported the Fugitive Slave Act.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Describe the Occupy Wall Street movement and the tactic it uses to demonstrate its beliefs.
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Chapter 9: Political Parties
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Sample Questions
Q1) Though a large majority of Americans identify with one of the two major parties, party polarization is increasing, primarily because partisans vote more than independents and participate more in campaigns.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Polls concerning party identification might lead a political scientist trying to understand voter behavior to believe that the increase in the percentage of people claiming to be independent is because of what?
A) the rise in the number of minor parties offering alternatives
B) the decline of the parties because they have become less well-organized
C) the decline in the economy, since people become less political during such times
D) the incivility and ineffectiveness in government because of intense partisanship
E) the ineffectiveness of the parties in campaigning because of lack of funds
Q3) A __________ is an organization that tries to win control of government by electing people to office who carry its label.
Q4) The __________ is the site for the writing of the party platform every four years.
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Page 11
Chapter 10: Voting, Campaigns, and Elections
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108 Verified Questions
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Sample Questions
Q1) Since 1912, roughly __________ to __________ percent of Americans have voted in presidential elections.
A) 10; 15
B) 30; 45
C) 50; 65
D) 60; 75
E) 85; 90
Q2) Initiatives are measures placed on the ballot by __________.
Q3) Should voting be mandatory? Why or why not?
Q4) Partisan appeals are more effective than door-to-door canvasing for votes.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Describe four ways in which American elections are different from those in most other democracies.
Q6) Referenda are measures placed on ballots by __________.
Q7) If you were a campaign advisor for a presidential candidate who had just won his party's nominating convention, what advice would you give for how to win the general election?
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Q8) What are 527 and 501 groups, and what is the most significant difference between them?
Chapter 11: Congress
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Sample Questions
Q1) Appropriations bills involve the __________.
A) corrections calendar
B) creation of new federal agencies
C) federal budget
D) federal courts
E) suspension calendar
Q2) Packing and cracking both draw district lines to the favor of the majority party, and thus, are two types of __________.
A) gerrymandering
B) lawmaking
C) oversight
D) reapportionment
E) redistricting
Q3) A __________ is one tactic to signal the leadership that a Senate member may have objections to a bill.
A) cloture
B) hold
C) markup
D) pocket veto
E) referral
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Chapter 12: The Presidency
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Sample Questions
Q1) Barack Obama used his veto power less at the beginning of his term.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The Framers placed most national policy-making powers in Congress.
A)True
B)False
Q3) According to the Twenty-Fifth Amendment, if a vacancy occurs in the office of the vice president, the __________ appoints a new vice president.
Q4) Describe the powers that Congress and the president share. Do you think this shared power leads to effective government? Why or why not? Discuss what factors make the president and Congress more or less cooperative with one another.
Q5) Which word best describes the language used by the Framers to describe the office of the president?
A) exact
B) static
C) deferential
D) florid
E) vague
Q6) What is the role of executive agreements in foreign policy? When are they used?
Page 14
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Chapter 13: The Executive Branch
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Sample Questions
Q1) Regulations are usually created by Congress.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Political appointees in the federal bureaucracy __________.
A) may remain in office until a new party majority in Congress
B) may remain in office until a new president is elected
C) often remain in office despite political changes
D) serve fixed terms of office lasting two years
E) serve fixed terms of office lasting four years
Q3) __________ often holds oversight hearings to investigate the policies and performance of agencies and departments in the federal bureaucracy.
Q4) Distinguish between independent agencies and independent regulatory commissions. Be sure to provide examples of each.
Q5) Critique or defend the constitutional doctrine known as the unitary executive.
Q6) How does the president exercise control over the federal bureaucracy?
Q7) Discuss the limitations on presidential control of the federal bureaucracy.
Q8) Discuss the role of bureaucratic agencies in adjudication, or quasi-judicial processes.
Q9) Explain privatization and its different uses by the U.S. government.
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Chapter 14: The Courts
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Sample Questions
Q1) Strict construction holds that the Constitution should be interpreted in light of modern values.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit is a constitutional court.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The circuit courts hear appeals from the __________ courts.
Q4) In a process known as __________, presidents generally allow senators from the state in which a judicial vacancy occurs to block the nomination.
A) advice and consent
B) presidential deference
C) judicial review
D) senatorial courtesy
E) Senate confirmation
Q5) The district courts are appellate courts.
A)True
B)False
Q6) Justices who do not agree with the outcome of a case write __________ opinions.
Page 16
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Chapter 15: Civil Liberties: the Struggle for Freedom
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which amendment protects the right to bear arms?
A) First
B) Second
C) Third
D) Fourth
E) Fifth
Q2) Writs of habeas corpus are laws declaring an act illegal without a judicial trial.
A)True
B)False
Q3) During the nineteenth century, the Bill of Rights did not apply to the states.
A)True
B)False
Q4) In matters of religion, the free exercise clause protects individuals from which of the following?
A) discrimination
B) persecution
C) governmental intrusion
D) segregation
E) dissenting opinions
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Chapter 16: Civil Rights: the Struggle for Political Equality
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Sample Questions
Q1) Under the Court's review standards, a law that classifies people according to __________ will be given strict scrutiny by the Supreme Court to determine its constitutionality.
A) race
B) age
C) disability
D) gender
E) sexual orientation
Q2) The Fourteenth Amendment attempted to guarantee which of the following to former slaves?
A) forty acres of farmland and a mule
B) free university education
C) economic equality with whites
D) citizenship rights
E) debt forgiveness
Q3) __________ upheld the right of private individuals-but not government-to discriminate in the provision of public accommodations.
Q4) Make an argument for interpreting the Fourteenth Amendment as supporting the right of gays and lesbians to get married to their same-sex partners.
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Chapter 17: Domestic Policies
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Sample Questions
Q1) If all citizens who are 65 years and older are eligible for Medicare, but only some citizens are eligible for Medicaid because they lack certain resources, which of the following is also true?
A) Both Medicare and Medicaid are principally retirement programs.
B) Both Medicare and Medicaid are means-tested programs.
C) Medicare is an entitlement program, but Medicaid is a means-tested program.
D) Medicare is a means-tested program, but Medicaid is an entitlement program.
E) Medicare and Medicaid have been replaced by Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
Q2) Which of the following changes would be the most likely to result in a stronger social safety net in the United States?
A) increased antigovernment sentiments
B) increased individualism
C) allowing businesses to have more political influence
D) stronger labor unions
E) increased ethnic diversity
Q3) Temporary Assistance to Needy Families replaced the federal program
Q4) How is the federal government involved in health care? Why is this the case?
Q5) Why do adjustments to interest rates by the Federal Reserve Board matter?
Q6) How has welfare been restricted in the past two decades?
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Chapter 18: Foreign Policy and National Defense
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Sample Questions
Q1) Why are unilateralists dissatisfied with contemporary U.S. foreign policy?
A) because the United States does not work closely enough with the United Nations and other international organizations
B) because the United States does not provide enough foreign aid to poor countries
C) because the United States works diligently to protect its intellectual property rights, even though poor countries need life-saving American drugs
D) because the United States has refused to work with its allies to address terrorism
E) because the United States relies heavily on negotiations with adversaries and collaboration with allies, particularly in regard to economic and nuclear proliferation issues
Q2) What is unilateralism? How was it apparent in U.S. foreign policy making in regard to the war in Iraq? How have unilateral actions prompted anti-Americanism around the globe?
Q3) What is a hegemon? What is a hegemon expected to do? To what extent is the United States a hegemon? Is the world better off if there is a hegemon? Should the United States act more like a hegemon?
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