Comparative Politics
Test Preparation
Course Introduction
Comparative Politics is the study of political systems, institutions, processes, and behavior across different countries and regions. This course introduces students to key concepts, methods, and theories used to analyze similarities and differences among various political systems. Topics typically include regime types, democratization, political culture, electoral systems, political parties, state institutions, and policy outcomes. By examining case studies from a diverse set of countries, students develop analytical skills to critically assess how and why political systems vary, and the consequences these differences have on governance and society.
Recommended Textbook
Introduction to Comparative Politics 6th Edition by Mark Kesselman\
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14 Chapters
965 Verified Questions
965 Flashcards
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Introducing Comparative Politics
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Sample Questions
Q1) All of the following have been proposed as necessary conditions for democracy to succeed EXCEPT
A) parliamentary system government.
B) secure national boundaries.
C) widespread acceptance of democratic values.
D) minimal level of economic development.
E) All of the above are necessary for democracy.
Answer: A
Q2) In comparative politics, the term state refers to
A) subnational units of government like Missouri.
B) the total area of a country.
C) the key political institutions in a country.
D) the government in power in a country.
E) a group of people with a common ethnicity.
Answer: C
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Chapter 2: Britain
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Sample Questions
Q1) New Labour may be characterized as
A) a new party that emerged under Prime Minister Tony Blair's leadership, after the centrist members broke away from the Labour Party.
B) a "third-way" alternative to the collectivism of traditional Labour Party politics and Thatcherism.
C) an appeal to workers in the high technology and the "new economy" associated with the Internet-based sectors.
D) a reorientation of the Labour Party to commit itself more fully and comprehensively to the needs of all working people in the UK.
E) the resurgence of labor unions after Margaret Thatcher's efforts to curb their influence.
Answer: B
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Chapter 3: France
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Sample Questions
Q1) The governmental system used in France today is called a
A) semiparliamentarian system.
B) presidential system.
C) parliamentarian system.
D) hybrid system.
E) semipresidential system.
Answer: E
Q2) The 2002 presidential election was noteworthy because
A) the communist candidate, Jospin, won.
B) no candidate emerged with a clear majority.
C) the socialist candidate, Mitterrand, won.
D) Jean-Marie Le Pen of the Front National came in second in the first round of voting.
E) it was the first time the country used a voting process that involved two rounds.
Answer: D
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Chapter 4: Germany
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Sample Questions
Q1) The average German worker receives ____________ weeks of paid vacation per year.
A) two
B) four
C) six
D) eight
E) ten
Q2) An underlying frustration that Europeans have with Germany is its
A) refusal to abide by European Union environmental standards.
B) recent rejection of the Lisbon Treaty.
C) refusal to participate in an all-European military force.
D) tendency to export to its neighbors more than it imports from them.
E) refusal to participate in the Euro zone.
Q3) Germany' s participation in the Eurozone
A) was driven by a need to discard its traditionally weak currency.
B) burdens the country because it must continuously bail out participating Euro zone countries with failing economies.
C) makes it easier for Germany to sell its goods in the United States and Asia.
D) was driven by a desire among the elite to control public spending and inflation.
E) helps to attract foreign investment to the country.
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Chapter 5: Japan
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is TRUE regarding the status of women in Japan?
A) Continued informal discrimination against women is one reason that Japan ranks very low in terms of gender equality.
B) Women were first enfranchised during the Allied occupation.
C) Women's organizations date to the Meiji period.
D) Women are very underrepresented in the Diet.
E) All of the above statements are true.
Q2) A keiretsu is a
A) semipublicly owned financial corporation.
B) semipublicly owned industry.
C) business alliance of closely linked firms that have preferential trading relationships and often interlocked directorates and stock-sharing arrangements.
D) lobbyist who works for a private firm or collection of firms.
E) financier of public and private corporations and public works projects.
Q3) Policy coordination, coherence, and effectiveness are often problems associated with the policy process in Japan. First, explain the causes of these problems. Next, assess which of these you feel is the most important explanatory factor and why. Finally, assess to what extent these problems are systemic.
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Chapter 6: India
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Sample Questions
Q1) President's Rule
A) refers to the constitutional provision by which the national government can suspend state government.
B) refers to the constitutional provision by which the president can remove the prime minister for acting in a manner dangerous to the state.
C) has been invoked only a few times in India's history.
D) refers to the idea that the president, rather than the prime minister, is the major political force in India.
E) was removed from the constitution by a landmark Supreme Court decision.
Q2) What is interesting about India from comparative politics standpoint?
A) Despite widespread poverty, it has remained a stable democracy.
B) It offers instructive lessons about multiethnic democracy.
C) It provides an example of how democracy affects economic growth.
D) It provides an example of democracy and social equity.
E) All of the above statements are true.
Q3) What is the balance sheet (advantages and shortcomings) of India's two principal economic orientations: state-led industrialization and economic liberalization? Which would you argue has been superior? Please cite specific evidence in your argument.
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Chapter 7: The United States
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Sample Questions
Q1) More than other advanced democracies, the United States is more likely to threaten unilateral actions in foreign policy. Based on your reading of the development and structures of American national government, why do you think this is the case? Please offer specific evidence from the Chapter to substantiate your argument.
Q2) The Articles of the Confederation
A) rested power with the legislature but the states had to ratify most of its key decisions.
B) rested power with the executive branch.
C) gave the federal government the ability to regulate federal trade.
D) gave the federal government the ability to regulate interstate commerce.
E) gave the federal government the ability to tax.
Q3) Citing specific examples, explain how historical events have shifted power from state governments to the national government. How has this affected American federalism? Is the principle still applicable?
Q4) How has the governments, both federal and state, intervened in the economy? How is such intervention reconciled with principles such as laissez-faire and the free market?
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Chapter 8: Russia
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Sample Questions
Q1) Soft authoritarianism refers to
A) a tightening of political controls combined with a loosening of economic controls.
B) the re-emergence of the communist party as a political force in Russia.
C) Russia's increasingly militant actions in its near abroad.
D) a system of informal and formal mechanisms that assure the dominance of a ruling group despite the existence of some forms of political competition and opposition.
E) the use of repressive political controls designed to limit opposition.
Q2) The current Russian constitution was adopted by A) a referendum.
B) presidential decree.
C) a constitutional convention.
D) a vote in the country's legislature.
E) regional leaders following the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Q3) Discuss the factors that have inhibited the development of strong competing political parties in post-communist Russia. Do you consider the development of strong parties to be important or not? How does the rise of United Russia to its current position as the dominant party affect your argument?
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Chapter 9: Brazil
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A) Voting is compulsory for all Brazilians except illiterates and those over seventy.
B) Elections in Brazil operate under an open-list proportional representation system.
C) Parties are entitled to an amount of free air time, on both radio and television, in proportion to their number of votes in the last election.
D) Just as in the United States, the boundaries of electoral districts in Brazil vary from state to state in Brazil so that all districts have a roughly equal number of residents.
E) Elections are held in a staggered fashion, with some officials being elected one time and others another time.
Q2) The process of trading favors and protection for political support is called
A) coronelismo.
B) patrimonialism.
C) clientelism.
D) caudillo.
E) bossism.
Q3) Discuss how the Brazilian state is a mixture of professionalism and clientelism.
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Chapter 10: Mexico
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Sample Questions
Q1) The period 1982-2000 saw all of the following occur EXCEPT
A) extensive oil reserves were discovered in the Gulf of Mexico allowing the government to invest heavily in the economy.
B) Mexico became more fully integrated into the world economy due to government shifts in its development policies.
C) the PRI lost its absolute majority in the Chamber of Deputies.
D) a guerrilla army, the Zapista Army of National Liberation, became active demanding land, indigenous rights and the repeal of NAFTA.
E) All of the above occurred during this period.
Q2) How did Presidents de la Madrid and Salinas confront the economic crisis of the 1980s?
A) By borrowing against expected future income from oil exports
B) By recommitting the country to the previously successful import-substitution industrialization model of economic development
C) By opening Mexican markets to foreign trade and by limiting the role of government in the economy
D) By opening Mexican markets to foreign trade and nationalizing key industries
E) By imposing new taxes to boost government revenue
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Page 12
Chapter 11: South Africa
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Sample Questions
Q1) What kinds of external pressures were put on South Africa to end its apartheid policies? What was the impact of such pressures?
Q2) The South African constitution
A) is based upon principles adopted at multiparty talks that led to a transitional government.
B) is difficult to amend as most clauses require the approval of three-fourths of the National Assembly.
C) does not include a formal bill of rights.
D) requires that executive power is shared between political parties.
E) is difficult to amend as most clauses require the approval of the majority of provincial governments.
Q3) International sanctions against South Africa
A) began as early as 1948 and accelerated in the 1970s.
B) led the government to invest in strategic industries.
C) were meant to put pressure on the government to end apartheid.
D) were applied selectively by various countries and the United Nations.
E) All of the above are true of the international sanctions against South Africa.
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13
Chapter 12: Nigeria
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Sample Questions
Q1) Evidence that the judiciary is becoming more independent since the return to civilian rule can be illustrated by
A) a decision regarding electoral laws that contravened the wishes of the ruling party.
B) a decision against the governors of Nigerian states regarding the control of offshore gas reserves.
C) decisions that have overturned numerous gubernatorial and legislative election results.
D) a review of a presidential election.
E) All of the above is evidence that the judiciary is becoming more independent since the return to civilian rule.
Q2) In the Fourth Republic, Nigerian civil society groups have sought to influence politics through all of the following tactics EXCEPT
A) direct actions like strikes and protests.
B) forming relations with the National Assembly and state legislatures.
C) forming close relations with political parties.
D) establishing close ties to state officials.
E) exposing government corruption.
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Chapter 13: Iran
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Sample Questions
Q1) The 1979 Islamic Revolution has been variously described as a religious one and a nationalistic one. First, describe both the religious and nationalistic elements of the revolution. Next, frame an argument as to whether the revolution was predominately religious or nationalistic or a mixture of both.
Q2) The Shah undertook many changes in Iranian society. First, briefly describe these changes. Second, assess both the negative and positive impacts that these changes had on the country. Finally, evaluate which of these changes led to his downfall.
Q3) For Iranian Shi'is, the term Iman is reserved for
A) the clerical elite.
B) individuals who lead Islamic worship services.
C) Islamic community leaders.
D) Ali and his 12 direct descendents and Ruhollah Khomeini.
E) all of the above.
Q4) The primary difference between Sunni and Shi'a is
A) whether all Muslims have to make a pilgrimage to Mecca.
B) who would have succeeded the Prophet Mohammad.
C) the roots of shari'a law.
D) whether or not the Prophet was divine.
E) how much Muslims should modernize.
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Chapter 14: China
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which statement describes ethnic conflict in China?
A) It is limited in scope because of the relatively small size and geographic isolation of the country's minorities.
B) It is becoming more serious in some areas where there is a large Islamic population.
C) It is most extensive in Tibet.
D) China has used the "war on terror" to justify its crackdown on certain separatist movements.
E) All of the above describe ethnic conflict in China.
Q2) In what ways have international forces influenced China's political development? In particular, what impact has China's role in the world of states had on the fall of the imperial system, the course of the Chinese Revolution, the radicalism of the Maoist era, and the transformation of post-Mao China?
Q3) What event forced China to open its borders to European influences?
A) The Taiping Rebellion
B) The Opium War
C) The Great War
D) The British-Chinese War
E) The Cultural Revolution
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