Comparative Politics Test Bank
Course Introduction
Comparative Politics is an introductory course that explores the systematic study and comparison of political systems, institutions, and processes across different countries. Through the analysis of themes such as democracy, authoritarianism, political culture, governance, policy-making, and state-society relations, students gain insights into how and why countries develop diverse forms of government and address common political challenges. The course emphasizes methodological approaches in comparative analysis and encourages critical thinking about global political phenomena by examining case studies from various regions around the world.
Recommended Textbook
Cases in Comparative Politics Fifth Edition by Patrick H. ONeil
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14 Chapters
420 Verified Questions
420 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/study-set/2402
Page 2
Chapter 1: Introduction
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30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) When an executive head of government is elected from within the legislature, we usually refer to the legislative-executive system as:
A)presidential.
B)authoritarian.
C)vote of no confidence.
D)semi-presidential.
E)parliamentary.
Answer: E
Q2) Citizens' trust in government, their knowledge about politics, and their views about their ability to influence political outcomes are aspects of:
A)ethnic identification.
B)civil society.
C)legitimacy.
D)political culture.
E)national identity.
Answer: D
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3
Chapter 2: United Kingdom
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30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The SNP's ability to win the 2007 Scottish regional elections resulted in part from which of the following?
A)Scottish support for Blair's Iraq policy
B)the Labour Party's refusal to devolve power to Scotland
C)economic revival in Scotland
D)the promise by the EU of membership for an independent Scotland
E)British military abuses against the Scottish people in the early 2000s
Answer: C
Q2) Which of the following statements about the UK's relationship with the European Union (EU) is accurate?
A)The United Kingdom has not joined the EU.
B)The United Kingdom is a full EU member and has adopted the euro as its currency.
C)The United Kingdom is an EU member but has opted out of some aspects of the EU, including the single currency.
D)The United Kingdom was a founding member of the EU and dominates its politics.
E)The United Kingdom is a transitional member of the EU, with membership conditional on acceptance of the single currency.
Answer: C
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Chapter 3: United States
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30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Political action committees (PACs) are often cited as an example of:
A)the strength of political parties in the United States.
B)how difficult it is for organized groups to influence national government.
C)the role of organized interests in fund-raising and influencing elected officials.
D)the power of third parties as "kingmakers" in congressional elections.
E)the ability of average citizens to get involved in politics.
Answer: C
Q2) Which of the following is an accurate list of the parts of the U.S. government that are subject to direct election?
A)House of Representatives, president
B)Senate, House of Representatives, federal judges, president, vice president
C)Senate, House of Representatives
D)Senate, president, vice president
E)federal judges, president, House of Representatives
Answer: C
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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30 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) 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
Q2) 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?
Q3) Which of the following statements about the French governmental bureaucracy is accurate?
A)Links between the bureaucracy and elected office are strong and considered normal.
B)The French people hold a very low opinion of the efficacy of the bureaucracy.
C)The bureaucracy is often linked in the public mind to abuses by the strong centralized state.
D)There are relatively low educational barriers to entry for the bureaucracy.
E)The bureaucracy is one of the few French institutions with high minority representation.
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Chapter 5: Germany
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30 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The German lower house of parliament uses what electoral system?
A)proportional representation
B)single-member district
C)mixed (between PR and SMD)
D)plebiscite
E)single-member districts in two rounds
Q2) Which of the following distinctions can be drawn between the CDU/CSU and the SPD?
A)The SPD is more likely to form a coalition with the Free Democratic Party.
B)The CDU/CSU is more likely to promote tax cuts.
C)The SPD is much more likely to propose reforms aimed at reducing the welfare state.
D)The SPD is a relatively young party compared to the CDU/CSU.
E)The CDU/CSU was a less enthusiastic supporter of reunification between East and West Germany.
Q3) Describe the core principles of the Basic Law. How was it designed to mitigate the weaknesses and failures of past governments? How well has it succeeded?
Q4) Why did the Weimar Republic fail? Were internal or external factors more significant?
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Chapter 6: Japan
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Sample Questions
Q1) Ainu and burakumin are examples of:
A)new quasi-federal regions in Japan.
B)groups in Japan that face discrimination.
C)neocorporatist business organizations inside the iron triangle.
D)environmental groups in Japan.
E)Japan's new frigate-class naval destroyers.
Q2) Japan's nineteenth-century modernizing slogan "rich country, strong military" best reflects which one of the following political economic systems?
A)liberal
B)social-democratic
C)mercantilist
D)communist
E)pragmatist
Q3) The shogun was the title for feudal Japan's:
A)largest castles.
B)dominant lords.
C)imported Portuguese cannon.
D)lowly peasant class.
E)Chinese mercenaries.
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Page 8
Chapter 7: Russia
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30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/47780
Sample Questions
Q1) Civil society in Russia:
A)remains strong as a legacy of Soviet rule.
B)was weak under Soviet rule but has grown dramatically since then, reaching near-Western levels.
C)has been repressed under Putin.
D)has built and supports a vibrant and diverse media.
E)has no public support.
Q2) Under Putin, economic assets have been increasingly concentrated in the hands of:
A)the European Union.
B)the oligarchs.
C)the siloviki.
D)the Communist Party.
E)China.
Q3) 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?
Q4) Why has "true" democracy failed to take root in Russia since the collapse of communism? What factors do you think are most important?
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Chapter 8: China
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30 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Deng Xiaoping introduced the "household responsibility system," which referred to:
A)privatizing farming.
B)imposing a strict birth control policy.
C)expanding the welfare state.
D)privatizing urban housing.
E)expanding urban housing.
Q2) Which of the following represents a core component of Confucianism?
A)equality of wealth
B)elevation of the people's will
C)meritocracy
D)elimination of hierarchy
E)democracy
Q3) Mao's 1950s short-lived encouragement of public criticism and dissent was the: A)Cultural Revolution.
B)Hundred Flowers Campaign.
C)Long March.
D)Great Leap Forward.
E)Great Awakening.
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Chapter 9: India
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Sample Questions
Q1) Explain the rise of Hindu fundamentalism in India. What effect has it had on ethnic relations within states and on diplomatic relations with Pakistan?
Q2) The nabob game in India allowed British merchants to plunder Indian wealth and resources by:
A)introducing cricket to the Indian ruling class.
B)playing the Spanish off of the Portuguese.
C)setting up puppet governorships.
D)encouraging opium addiction.
E)investing in Indian oil fields.
Q3) Which of the following has been a result of greater reliance on coalition governments?
A)strengthening of the policy influence of the prime minister
B)greater use of emergency rule
C)more frequent declarations of presidential rule
D)devolution of power to regional parties and states
E)weakening of regional parties
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?
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Chapter 10: Iran
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30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The perpetrators of the 1979 Iranian Revolution sought to create what kind of regime?
A)monarchy
B)theocracy
C)secular republic
D)illiberal democracy
E)fascist
Q2) The velayat-e faqih refers to:
A)the belief in clerical rule that gives political power to religious leaders.
B)the core belief of quietist Shia that politics and faith must not be mixed.
C)those fundamentalist Shia who reject the Koran over the worship of the hidden imam.
D)the belief in economic redistribution as consistent with the Koran's emphasis on social justice.
E)the Shia belief that all Jews and Christians must be forcibly converted to Islam.
Q3) Why do you think the Islamic Revolution was successful in Iran? How much of that success can be attributed to the influence of foreign powers, the nature of Shiism, or unique cultural attributes of the Iranian people?
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12
Chapter 11: Mexico
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Sample Questions
Q1) For Mexico, what was a drawback of the "Mexican miracle"?
A)reduced manufacturing
B)major dependence on the U.S. economy
C)greater reliance on exports to the south
D)political instability
E)declining oil prices
Q2) Both the PAN and the PRD are part of the traditional opposition to the PRI. How have PAN policies differed from those of the PRD?
A)The PAN has drawn more power at the state level and has been a bigger supporter of states' rights.
B)The PAN is less internally divided, and its legislators have been more loyal to the party platform.
C)The PAN has been less willing to stand against corruption.
D)The PAN has been more secular, advocating a reduction of church power.
E)The PAN has become less business-friendly than the PRD during the last few decades.
Q3) 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?
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Chapter 12: Brazil
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following statements regarding the Brazilian military is accurate?
A)Da Silva's Truth Commission resulted in the first imprisonment of Brazil's military leaders since the end of their formal rule.
B)The military's national security doctrine continues to focus too heavily on domestic stability and domestic threats.
C)President da Silva tested the military's loyalty by presiding over a broad decrease in military spending.
D)The military officers most closely connected to the military's authoritarian regime continue to hold top posts in the armed forces.
E)The military successfully engineered a full amnesty for itself concerning human rights abuses during military rule.
Q2) How has the issue of race evolved in the political discourse in Brazil? What has been the effect of affirmative action programs introduced in the 1990s?
Q3) Describe the main features of bureaucratic authoritarianism under military rule in Brazil. What legacy of that rule still affects Brazil today?
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Chapter 13: South Africa
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30 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Under apartheid, Bantustans were:
A)internationally recognized black states.
B)"independent" black states created by South Africa but not recognized by any other country.
C)squatter settlements of blacks within major South African cities.
D)banning orders, which prevented some South Africans from voting.
E)traditional African houses.
Q2) The Boer Wars:
A)pitted the French against the Dutch.
B)ended in defeat for the British.
C)ended in defeat for the Afrikaners.
D)ended in defeat for the Xhosa tribes.
E)ended in victory for the Xhosa tribes.
Q3) The Population Registration Act of 1950:
A)divided South Africans into four racial categories.
B)allowed interracial marriages for the first time.
C)gave blacks the right to vote.
D)required racial integration of neighborhoods.
E)ended all racial discrimination.
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Page 15
Chapter 14: Nigeria
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30 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Nigeria's current Iijaw Christian president is:
A)Olusegun Obasanjo.
B)Ibrahim Babangida.
C)Abdulsalam Abubakar.
D)Umaru Yar'Adua.
E)Goodluck Jonathan.
Q2) Nigeria's federal character principle refers to:
A)the remarkable unity of the Nigerian people.
B)the quota system for political appointments in Nigeria.
C)British colonial justification for Nigerian territorial divisions.
D)eligibility requirements for political candidates.
E)constitutional limits on the national judiciary.
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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