Contemporary Political Analysis
Midterm Exam
Course Introduction
Contemporary Political Analysis explores the advanced concepts, methodologies, and debates that shape the study of politics in the modern world. The course introduces students to various analytical frameworks, including behavioralism, rational choice theory, institutionalism, and constructivism, emphasizing their application to real-world political phenomena. Students engage with contemporary issues such as globalization, democratization, public policy, and power dynamics, developing critical skills in empirical research, data interpretation, and theoretical evaluation. By the end of the course, students are equipped to critically assess political events and trends using contemporary analytical tools, preparing them for further research or careers in political science and related fields.
Recommended Textbook
Essentials of Comparative Politics Fifth Edition by Patrick H. ONeil
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11 Chapters
385 Verified Questions
385 Flashcards
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Chapter 1: Introduction
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Sample Questions
Q1) An institution can be defined as any:
A)organization or activity that is self-perpetuating and valued for its own sake.
B)large, monolithic organization that depends on a core bureaucracy and a set of standard operating procedures.
C)object or value that people support through public funds.
D)organization or action that is subject to government regulation.
E)spontaneous movement that is unable to sustain itself.
Answer: A
Q2) In which of the following ways did behavioralism differ from modernization theory?
A)It was more of a method than a general hypothesis.
B)It was more in touch with real-world concerns than theory.
C)It put less of an emphasis on empirical research.
D)It demonstrated a more narrow geographic range of interest.
E)It put greater emphasis on the evolution of political institutions.
Answer: A
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3
Chapter 2: States
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Sample Questions
Q1) The text suggests that the difficulty of amending the U.S.Constitution is evidence of the power of:
A)rational-legal legitimacy.
B)traditional legitimacy.
C)modern bureaucratic "red tape."
D)federalism.
E)charismatic legitimacy.
Answer: B
Q2) Recent research suggests that the rise of political organizations came about in large part because:
A)of the rise of monotheistic religions.
B)pre-state societies were extremely violent.
C)of writing as an innovation.
D)of the expansion of slavery.
E)of climate change.
Answer: B
Q3) How is power typically divided in a federal system? What conditions in a country are most likely to lead to a system of asymmetric federalism?
Answer: Answer :Answers will vary.
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Page 4
Chapter 3: Nations and Society
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Sample Questions
Q1) Reactionaries are those in the political spectrum who favor:
A)evolutionary change of the status quo.
B)the status quo.
C)restoring structures and values that they believe once existed.
D)revolutionary change of the status quo.
E)a racist political system.
Answer: C
Q2) Power sharing as a way to solve ethnic and national conflict:
A)typically reverses processes of devolution.
B)must be accompanied by international intervention in order to work.
C)sometimes causes concern about "freezing" group divisions.
D)has usually led to authoritarianism.
E)almost always results in a federalist structure.
Answer: C
Q3) What are the most important political aspirations related to national identity? What major factors can contribute to the formation of a national identity?
Answer: Answer :Answers will vary.
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5
Chapter 4: Political Economy
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Sample Questions
Q1) Social democracy can be defined as a system that:
A)attempts to balance freedom and equality.
B)favors equality over freedom.
C)favors freedom over equality.
D)opposes both freedom and equality.
E)favors environmental concerns over freedom and equality.
Q2) In which of the following ways do both communism and mercantilism differ from liberalism?
A)They typically employ relatively low tariff barriers.
B)They have high state autonomy and capacity.
C)They agree that markets should play a role, if a limited one.
D)Inequality is often a result of state economic policy.
E)The state role in the economy is minimal.
Q3) Does inequality pose a threat to any particular political-economic system(s)? Can inequality grow if everyone's standard of living is on the rise? What political-economic system is likely to produce the greatest amount of happiness?
Q4) What basic public goods should a state provide? What should be left to the market?
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6
Chapter 5: Democratic Regimes
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Sample Questions
Q1) The executive who symbolizes and represents the people is the:
A)head of state.
B)head of government.
C)ceremonial head.
D)chief executive.
E)head of authority.
Q2) What are the most important differences between a single-member district system and a proportional representation system? Which is more democratic? Which is more efficient? Which do you prefer, and why?
Q3) Civil rights typically refers to the promotion of:
A)equality.
B)freedom.
C)republicanism.
D)mass participation.
E)devolution.
Q4) Why does civil society matter, and do you think it is in any way connected to the idea of the rule of law? How? Why?
Q5) Should democracies rely more on initiatives or referenda to decide policy, or are forms of indirect democracy better? Why or why not?
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Chapter 6: Nondemocratic Regimes
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Q1) Which of the following is the best example of a country that could be described as a theocracy?
A)China
B)Jordan
C)Iran
D)Thailand
E)Russia
Q2) Which of the following statements about one-party rule is accurate?
A)It forces party membership on nearly all citizens.
B)It is often combined with a corporatist regime.
C)It typically prevents the development of extreme forms of rule like totalitarianism.
D)It is most often associated with theocracy.
E)Single-party influence is rarely able to penetrate very far down into society.
Q3) Can authoritarian rule be legitimate? Why or why not? Should all people live under democracy? What are the possible benefits and potential dangers that result from promoting this goal?
Q4) Describe the intersection of both modernization theory and "elites" with nondemocratic rule.How might the influence of elites contribute to the longevity of nondemocratic regimes?
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Chapter 7: Political Violence
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Q1) Which of the following statements about revolutions and their results is accurate?
A)Revolutions often result in less freedom and equality.
B)Resulting revolutionary regimes rarely institutionalize new forms of politics.
C)Ideational factors typically play little to no role in the successful institutionalization of revolutionary regimes.
D)France provides a strong example of how public demands for more rights are essential to the growth of democracy in the wake of a revolution.
E)The historical results of revolutions have led us to generally think of them as negative events.
Q2) What are some commonalities in the backgrounds of those who commit terrorist acts? Why are the more common explanations of religious fundamentalism and lack of education problematic?
Q3) How have the use of institutional, ideational, and individual explanations for political violence evolved in the work of political scientists? Are they employed differently for explaining terrorist and revolutionary violence?
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9
Chapter 8: Developed Democracies
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Sample Questions
Q1) Postindustrialism most threatens the economic security of:
A)the very rich.
B)those living in rural areas.
C)workers in the service industries.
D)the less educated.
E)women.
Q2) Many suggest that developed democracies are undergoing significant social, political, and economic changes, becoming:
A)postmodern.
B)postrational.
C)postbureaucratic.
D)posthierarchical.
E)posthuman.
Q3) Many now speak of the European Union as a body that has become:
A)quasinational.
B)antinational.
C)supranational.
D)subnational.
E)imperial.
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Page 10
Chapter 9: Communism and Postcommunism
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Q1) For Marxists, socialism represents:
A)the enemy that has to be overthrown.
B)the final end-stage of human history.
C)a transitional phase before communism.
D)the stage of human development before capitalism.
E)the enemy of communism.
Q2) In which of the following ways do postcommunist success stories like Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic differ from countries with less successful records like Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, and Serbia?
A)They have a greater precommunist history of healthy civil society.
B)They were more heavily influenced by the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian empires.
C)They are much more ethnically diverse.
D)They were more heavily industrialized after the fall of communism.
E)They had less contact with the West during communist rule.
Q3) Why was communism able to spread across such a large part of the globe? What explains its attraction?
Q4) How do we evaluate the economic transitions that postcommunist countries have undergone as either successful or unsuccessful? Have some models shown more promise than others? Why?
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Chapter 10: Developing Countries
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Sample Questions
Q1) One of the major criticisms of microfinance or microcredit is that:
A)the loans create a dependency on foreign handouts.
B)the loans do not help grow businesses that can hire employees.
C)the loans are rarely repaid.
D)the international community is not involved in making these investments.
E)the loans are not made to people, only firms.
Q2) The untaxed, unregulated, and unprotected sector of the economy is known as the ________ economy.
A)informal
B)unrestricted
C)devolved
D)private
E)democratic
Q3) The borders of most current African states were drawn by colonial powers according to:
A)longitude and latitude.
B)population groups.
C)ethnic divisions.
D)geographic divisions.
E)the locations of natural resources.
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Chapter 11: Globalization and the Future of Comparative
Politics
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Q1) In which of the following ways does the study of societal globalization differ from that of political globalization?
A)It largely focuses on the development of nonstate and supra-state organizations as rivals to the state.
B)It rejects the concept of global cosmopolitanism.
C)It ignores considerations of global democracy.
D)It focuses on the formation of civil society that stretches beyond borders.
E)It largely ignores nationalist movements as part of global culture.
Q2) Which of the followings statements about the extent of globalization is accurate?
A)Global foreign direct investment reached roughly $200 billion in 2013.
B)In 2013, nearly a quarter of a billion people moved across international borders.
C)General Electric's total profits in 2013 were approximately the same as Great Britain's GDP at purchasing power parity.
D)China owns about 40 percent of the total foreign loans made to the U.S.state to cover its debts.
E)The number of MNCs actually shrank between 2003 and 2013 due to consolidation.
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