Comparative Politics Practice Exam
Course Introduction
Comparative Politics explores the systematic study and comparison of political institutions, processes, and behaviors across different countries. The course examines a diverse range of political systems, from democracies to authoritarian regimes, investigating how various political, economic, and cultural factors influence governance and policy outcomes. Through case studies and theoretical frameworks, students analyze topics such as state formation, political participation, party systems, policy-making, and social movements, gaining insights into the similarities and differences that shape political life around the world.
Recommended Textbook
Introducing Comparative Politics Concepts and Cases in Context 3rd Edition by Stephen Orvis
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12 Chapters
883 Verified Questions
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Introduction
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Sample Questions
Q1) "Who rules" is not a key question in comparative politics.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) Quantitative methods are used in comparative politics in order to allow
A)applicability to most questions and data
B)proving causation
C)the study of a large number of cases
D)obtaining in-depth information for individual cases
Answer: C
Q3) What are the three broad approaches to the study of political behavior discussed in the textbook: ______, ______, and ______.
Answer: interests, beliefs, and structure.
Q4) Political culture theory is criticized for its inability to predict future behavior of individuals?
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q5) Politics can be defined as ______.
Answer: varies; the process by which human communities make collective decisions
Page 3
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Chapter 2: The Modern State
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Sample Questions
Q1) What are the two major religions of Nigeria?
A)Islam and Judaism
B)Christianity and Hinduism
C)Christianity and Islam
D)Judaism and Hinduism
Answer: C
Q2) The modern state spread throughout the world primarily through
A)trade relations
B)observation
C)colonial conquest
D)missionaries
Answer: C
Q3) Britain ruled its colonies through private corporations.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q4) The recognized right to rule is known as ______.
Answer: legitimacy
Q5) Provide a definition of sovereignty.
Answer: the state's ability to govern over a given territory
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Chapter 3: States, Citizens, and Regimes
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Q1) Civil society in Russia thrived under Communist Party rule, and the state was limited as to how it could influence individuals' lives.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) Germany's Nazi regime added ______ to fascism.
A)economic determinism
B)racism
C)populism
D)elitism
Answer: B
Q3) Which of the following was an important element used to justify the modernizing authoritarian state in Brazil?
A)anticommunism
B)economic collapse
C)anti-Americanism
D)democratic legitimacy
Answer: A
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Chapter 4: States and Identity
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Q1) A race is a group of people who see themselves as a group based on one or more perceived common physical characteristics and common history.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Summarize how religion functions as a group identity compared to ethnic groups.
Q3) Nationalist leaders tend to believe in
A)primordialism
B)constructivism
C)instrumentalism
D)ethnic
Q4) Ethnic groups are groups of people who see themselves as united by one or more cultural attributes or a sense of common history but do not seek their own state.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Why are the headscarves worn by Muslims so controversial in France and Turkey? What are some of the issues that have been raised by the controversy?
Q6) Identify the three approaches to secularism.
Q7) Explain the difference between jus soli and jus sanguinis,
Page 6
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Chapter 5: Governing Institutions in Democracies
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Sample Questions
Q1) When all the territorial units in a federal system have the same relationship to the national government it is called
A)an independent federal system
B)an asymmetrical federal system
C)a partial federal system
D)a symmetrical federal system
Q2) Explain how the United States and the United Kingdom differ in respect to the influence of opposition parties.
Q3) In parliamentary systems, impeachment can force a prime minister to resign.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The central government has sole constitutional sovereignty and power in ________ systems.
A)federal
B)unitary
C)authoritarian
D)code law
Q5) What is a vote of no confidence, and what is typically the result if such a vote passes?
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Chapter 6: Institutions of Participation and Representation in Democracies
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Sample Questions
Q1) Provide two characteristics of an interest group?
Q2) Explain two aspects of interest-group pluralism.
Q3) Compare and contrast the main features of FPTP and PR, highlighting some of the advantages and disadvantages of each system.Is one of them more "democratic?" Is one of them more likely to produce political stability and easier policy-making? Illustrate your answer with at least one country/example for each system.
Q4) Name and describe at least two types of electoral systems.
Q5) Japan drew its electoral district lines to over-represent rural voters in order to
A)punish urban voters for their behavior during the war
B)provide strong support for the anticommunist Liberal Democratic Party
C)promote workers' rights
D)weigh votes according to demographic conditions
Q6) The unusual electoral system used in Japan until 1993 was called
A)super-majoritarian
B)first-past-the-post
C)single, nontransferable vote
D)instant runoff voting
Q7) Explain some of the by-products of corporatism.
Q8) What are some distinctive characteristics of an open-list PR system? Page 8
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Page 9
Chapter 7: Contentious Politics: Social Movements, Political
Violence, and Revolution
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Q1) SELECT ALL THAT APPLY.Which of the following can be considered strategic actions of a social movement?
A)peaceful protest
B)online petitions
C)lunch counter sit-ins
D)violent actions
Q2) Social movements are most common and have arguably had the greatest impact in
A)wealthy democracies
B)poor democracies
C)wealthy autocracies
D)poor autocracies
Q3) Choose one defining aspect of social movements and explain how it differs from a political party.
Q4) The key distinction between terrorism and other forms of political violence is
A)the number of people killed
B)who is targeted
C)the motive behind the action
D)retaliation
Q5) Provide a definition of "relative deprivation," using a real-life example to illustrate your point. Page 10
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Chapter 8: Authoritarian Institutions
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Q1) Authoritarian regimes sometimes allow a degree of rule of law in order to
A)check the power of the executive and the legislature
B)build legitimacy by providing personal security
C)pursue opposition leaders
D)demonstrate public support
Q2) Personalist regimes are most likely to arise when
A)the military holds most power
B)the supreme leader holds most power
C)the political party holds most power
D)elections are free and fair
Q3) Name two ways in which authoritarian regimes attempt to increase legitimacy.
Q4) In more institutionalized authoritarian regimes, formal participation is forbidden. A)True
B)False
Q5) Describe how a supreme leader differs from a personality cult.
Q6) Describe the relationship between a modernizing authoritarian regime and development.
Q7) What is the function of formal institutions in authoritarian states?
Q8) List a few characteristics of a totalitarian regime.
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Chapter 9: Regime Change
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Sample Questions
Q1) Recent research suggests that wealthier countries are
A)more likely to become democracies
B)more likely to maintain democracies once established
C)less likely to maintain democracies
D)are more in need of democratization
Q2) One of the direct consequences of the 2016 attempted coup in Turkey was
A)suspension of parliament
B)discharge of nearly 2,000 military personnel
C)the overthrow of Recep Tayyip Erdo an
D)expansion of civil and democratic rights in Turkey
Q3) Leaders of an authoritarian regime who are willing to compromise with regime opponents in order to survive are called
A)softliners
B)hardliners
C)radicals
D)moderates
Q4) Democratic consolidation is best defined as the opening of the political system to greater participation.
A)True
B)False
Page 13
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Chapter 10: Political Economy of Wealth
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Sample Questions
Q1) Compare and contrast Keynesianism and Neoliberalism.What are they key differences?
Q2) Why have some states intervened in the market economy more than others? Choose two very different examples and explain their contrasting approaches.
Q3) Among the beneficial roles of states, prevention or regulation of monopolies is an important task.Why is it considered "acceptable" even within states that believe in the limited role of the state in the economy?
Q4) Which of the following countries have an economic model very close to the traditional concept of laissez faire?
A)the United States
B)Germany
C)Mexico
D)Japan
Q5) According to the VOC school of thought, wealthy market economies are divided into
A)FMIs and WTOs
B)FMIs and LMEs
C)CMEs and WTOs
D)LMEs and CMEs
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Chapter 11: Political Economy of Development
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following regions best demonstrates the worst economic failure in the age of globalization?
A)Africa
B)Latin America
C)Southeast Asia
D)Antarctica
Q2) Unlike South Korea and Taiwan, as China's economy grew, society became
A)richer
B)poorer
C)more unequal
D)more equal
Q3) Which of the following posits that the state should let the market operate more or less freely?
A)developmental state model
B)socialist model
C)coordinated market economies
D)neoliberal development model
Q4) Structural adjustment programs, or SAPs, focus on ______.
Q5) What led to the emergence of development economics?
Q6) Under what type of regimes have economic reforms in Africa been implemented?
Page 15
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Chapter 12: Public Policies When Markets Fail: Welfare, Health, and
the Environment
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is mostly based on social insurance?
A)the social insurance welfare state
B)the social democratic welfare state
C)the liberal welfare state
D)the Christian democratic welfare state
Q2) Germany's social insurance program is administered by
A)the legislative branch
B)private corporations
C)nongovernmental organizations
D)the German bureaucracy
Q3) Briefly describe "Conditional Cash Transfer" programs, using an example to illustrate your point.
Q4) Benefits that governments provide to all citizens equally are known as
A)social insurance
B)universal entitlements
C)means-tested public assistance
D)welfare
Q5) What does it mean for access to a social program to be means-tested?
Page 16
Q6) Environmental policy everywhere has to be based on risk assessment and risk management.What are these two concepts?
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