Contemporary World Affairs
Exam Bank
Course Introduction
This course explores major political, economic, social, and cultural developments that shape the contemporary world. Students will examine key global issues, including international relations, security challenges, economic globalization, technological change, human rights, and environmental concerns. Through case studies and analysis of current events, the course emphasizes critical thinking and informed citizenship, helping students understand the complexities and interconnections that define todays global landscape.
Recommended Textbook
World Politics Interests Interactions Institutions 3rd Edition by Jeffry A. Frieden
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Chapter 1: Introduction
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is an example of an interest?
A)A politician is elected president.
B)A politician collects campaign donations to be elected president.
C)Individuals vote for a politician to be president.
D)A politician is put on the ballot in all the districts in which he or she is running.
E)A politician wants to be president.
Answer: E
Q2) Which theory of international relations would be best suited to understanding a norm of communication between heads of state?
A)Realism.
B)Liberalism.
C)Constructivism.
D)Cooperation.
E)Bargaining.
Answer: C
Q3) Is realism realistic? Explain why you think the framework is suitable for international relations,or,if you do not think it is,does liberalism or constructivism make more sense?
Answer: Answer will vary.
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Chapter 2: What Shaped Our World
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Q1) Which organization was created to facilitate private investment in developing nations in the 1950s and 1960s?
A)General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.
B)International Monetary Fund.
C)International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
D)Council for Mutual Economic Assistance.
E)Marshall Plan.
Answer: C
Q2) Why did the adoption of the gold standard facilitate global trade?
A)Gold was easier to mine than previous standard metals.
B)The International Monetary Fund pushed for the adoption of the gold standard.
C)It suited the interests of Great Britain,as it controlled most of the gold mines.
D)It created a predictable way to exchange international currencies.
E)Few countries had existing trade barriers against gold.
Answer: D
Q3) What were the major assumptions behind mercantilism? Why did mercantilism give way to globalization and free trade? Whose interests were most served by the change?
Answer: Answer will vary.
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Chapter 3: Understanding Interests, interactions, and Institutions
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Q1) In international relations,actors can be any of the following EXCEPT:
A)individuals.
B)international organizations.
C)groups.
D)rules.
E)states.
Answer: D
Q2) Under what conditions are both hunters likely to cooperate in the Stag Hunt game? Answer: Answer will vary.
Q3) Successful cooperation depends upon all of the following EXCEPT:
A)the number of actors involved in an interaction.
B)how quickly the actors can interact.
C)the number of times actors interact.
D)how much the actors value the future.
E)the accuracy of the information they possess.
Answer: B
Q4) Explain how access to information affects the probability of successful cooperation. Answer: Answer will vary.
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Chapter 4: Why Are There Wars
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Q1) What is the bargaining model of war? How does it explain why war occurs?
Answer: Answer will vary.
Q2) Which of the following is an example of deterrence?
A)The Soviet Union cutting off trade with Western countries so that they could not use economic sanctions as leverage in arms agreements.
B)The United States threatening to attack Iran if it did not cease developing nuclear weapons.
C)The Soviet Union placing missiles in Cuba so that it could threaten the United States.
D)The United States threatening to increase tariffs on another country's imports if that country first increases tariffs on U.S.products.
E)China attacking when the United States sent its troops into North Korea during the Korean War.
Answer: B
Q3) Why is war a relatively rare occurrence?
Answer: Answer will vary.
Q4) What is the difference between a preemptive war and a preventive war?
Answer: Answer will vary.
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Chapter 5: Domestic Politics and War
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Q1) How do interest groups affect the bargaining range of states? How does this differ if the groups or actors are hawks or doves?
Q2) War could further the particularistic interests of all of the following EXCEPT:
A)political leaders.
B)the general public.
C)ethnic lobbies.
D)the military.
E)business lobbies.
Q3) Which of the following definitions best describes the current conception of democracy?
A)A system in which all citizens are free to make their own political decisions.
B)A system in which all citizens meet together to discuss and vote on laws.
C)A system in which candidates compete for political office through frequent,fair elections in which most of the adult population can vote.
D)A system in which representatives are selected in elections.
E)A system in which a few representatives are allowed to make decisions for the many,as long as they preserve basic individual freedoms.
Q4) Why might the democratic peace simply be a coincidence?
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Chapter 6: International Institutions and War
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Q1) When are alliances most likely to be successful?
A)When democratic states create alliances.
B)When authoritarian states create alliances.
C)When a large number of states join the alliance.
D)When powerful states are interested in the outcome of a dispute.
E)When states are able to credibly signal their strong mutual interests.
Q2) Gondor invades the neighboring kingdom of Mordor.After many years of war the two sides call a cease-fire.They ask the United Nations (UN)to send in troops to help maintain the cease-fire.This is an example of:
A)an alliance.
B)peacemaking.
C)collective security.
D)genocide.
E)peace enforcement.
Q3) How is international peace a public good,and how does this affect the likelihood of peace?
Q4) Has the United Nations (UN)made the world a safer place than it would have otherwise been if the organization had never been created? Explain.
Q5) How did alliances contribute to the "Long Peace" of the twentieth century?
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Chapter 7: Violence by Nonstate Actors: Civil War and Terrorism
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Q1) Violence by nonstate groups for political ends counts as terrorism if it is committed against any of the following targets EXCEPT:
A)civilians.
B)politicians.
C)business executives.
D)soldiers.
E)police.
Q2) When is terrorism most likely to be adopted by a group as a strategy? Why would a group adopt terrorism instead of insurgency? When would a group conduct both?
Q3) Can states effectively prevent or deter terrorism? Why or why not?
Q4) Which is NOT a potential "grievance" for a rebel group to mobilize around?
A)Lack of education for a specific group.
B)Lack of health care for a specific group.
C)Lack of political representation for a specific group.
D)Lack of access to natural resource revenue for a specific group.
E)Lack of access to native language for a specific group.
Q5) Explain two different strategies terrorists adopt to achieve their goals.When might one strategy be superior to the other?
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Chapter 8: International Trade
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Q1) Demonstrate mathematically how comparative advantage suggests two countries should specialize and trade.Despite the math,why would countries refuse to partake in trade?
Q2) Which kind of state is LEAST likely to benefit from trade?
A)A state that has a comparative advantage at producing a few goods.
B)A state that has a comparative advantage at producing one good.
C)A state that has powerful business interests that produce goods that are more expensive than the global price.
D)A state that has powerful business interests that produce goods that are cheaper than the global price.
E)A state that can produce everything it wants to consume and does it more cheaply than the other alternatives.
Q3) When the United States established steel tariffs in 2002,who benefited?
A)Steel exporters in other countries.
B)Consumers in the United States.
C)Producers in the United States that used steel as an input.
D)Steel importers in the United States.
E)Steel exporters in the United States.
Q4) Explain how trade bargaining problems can resemble a Prisoner's Dilemma.
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Chapter 9: International Financial Relations
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Q1) How do international financial institutions contribute to global cooperation between investors and borrowers?
Q2) Which of the following is NOT an example of what the International Monetary Fund does?
A)It certified that Mexico complied with its norms.
B)It forced the Indonesian government to close banks.
C)It represented Citicorp and Bank of America when Argentina suspended its loan repayment.
D)It provided a loan to Thailand during its 1997 economic crisis.
E)It recommended that Ivory Coast reduce its education spending.
Q3) The World Bank typically provides additional capital to:
A)developed countries at the market rate.
B)developed countries at below the market rate.
C)lesser developed countries at the market rate.
D)lesser developed countries at below the market rate.
E)countries that are facing monetary problems.
Q4) How well does the Heckscher-Ohlin approach explain international immigration?
Q5) How do international finance and international immigration behave in similar ways? How do they differ?
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Q6) If international finance is beneficial,why is it controversial?
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Chapter 10: International Monetary Relations
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Q1) What is a floating exchange rate?
A)A monetary system in which the exchange rates of major currencies retain nearly the same value with respect to the U.S.dollar but are allowed to fluctuate during crises.
B)A monetary system in which the exchange rates of currencies are set at a permanent price of gold.
C)A monetary system in which the exchange rates of major currencies retain nearly the same value with respect to gold but are periodically adjusted during currency crises.
D)A monetary system in which exchange rates are allowed to change according to their market prices.
E)A trading system in which governments do not limit how many goods can be sent between countries.
Q2) Which of the following do national governments NOT control?
A)The printing of bills.
B)The minting of coins.
C)The choice of currency.
D)The control of the money supply.
E)The setting of a floating exchange rate.
Q3) Explain how an international monetary system is a public good.
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Chapter 11: Development: Causes of the Wealth and Poverty of Nations
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Q1) How does democracy affect the likelihood that necessary public goods will be provided?
A)More representative institutions are likely to give more weight to public concerns about overall economic growth.
B)Having elections makes democratic governments more susceptible to the influence of special interest groups who resist economic reforms.
C)Since citizens oppose tax increases,democracies are often unable to raise the revenue necessary for providing public goods.
D)In general,dictatorships are more likely to provide public goods than democratic countries.
E)Citizens in democracies are more likely to organize and provide public goods themselves.
Q2) All of the following are primary goods EXCEPT:
A)coffee.
B)automobiles.
C)copper.
D)cotton. E)oil.
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Chapter 12: International Law and Norms
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Q1) What is the primary difference between the Geneva Conventions and The Responsibility to Protect (R2P)norm?
A)The Geneva Conventions are mandatory,while the Responsibility to Protect norm is optional.
B)The Geneva Conventions target states,while the Responsibility to Protect norm targets individuals.
C)The Geneva Conventions do not challenge state sovereignty,while the Responsibility to Protect norm limits state sovereignty.
D)The United Nations primarily promoted the Geneva Conventions,while the Responsibility to Protect norm came from the European Union.
E)The United States backs the Geneva Conventions but actively tries to undermine the Responsibility to Protect norm.
Q2) What is NOT a characteristic of hard law?
A)It delegates substantial authority to third parties.
B)It is intentionally vague.
C)It is obligatory.
D)It requires state action.
E)It is precise in its mandates.
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Chapter 13: Human Rights
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Q1) How have TANs affected the adoption of human rights norms?
Q2) Which of the following is an example of a nonderogable right?
A)Freedom from torture.
B)Free primary education.
C)The right to form trade unions.
D)The right to vote.
E)Freedom to own property.
Q3) What is the International Bill of Rights?
A)The UDHR,the ICCPR,and the ICESCR.
B)The UDHR.
C)The ICCPR and the ICESCR.
D)The ICCPR.
E)The United Nations Charter.
Q4) In addition to the UDHR,the first international treaty to protect human rights covered:
A)freedom of movement.
B)freedom of speech.
C)asylum from persecution.
D)freedom from genocide.
E)access to health care.
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Chapter 14: The Global Environment
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Q1) Which of the following is an example of a transnational advocacy network acting as a "fire alarm"?
A)Greenpeace distributing to the media video clips about whaling.
B)Greenpeace notifying the IWC of any whaling violations that they witness.
C)Greenpeace hanging banners on the Golden Gate Bridge condemning commercial whaling.
D)Greenpeace organizing whale-watching tours to raise awareness in the public about whaling.
E)Greenpeace positioning themselves between Japanese whaling vessels and the whales they are trying to hunt.
Q2) What is a public good?
A)A good that is nonexcludable but rival in consumption.
B)A cost or benefit for stakeholders other than the actor undertaking an action.
C)An effect created by the interaction between two states.
D)A good that is nonexcludable and nonrival in consumption.
E)An international agency that monitors compliance with regulations.
Q3) Explain how interests and interactions make international environmental cooperation difficult to achieve,even when major actors have a shared interest in preserving the environment.
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Chapter 15: The Future of International Politics
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Q1) Deterrence works because:
A)so many states now have nuclear capabilities.
B)international institutions enforce deterrence as a matter of policy.
C)it does not require second-strike capability to work properly.
D)it relies on the natural irrationality of leaders.
E)it makes the costs of war far larger than the potential benefits.
Q2) When is a country most likely to acquire nuclear weapons?
A)When its neighbor tests a nuclear weapon.
B)When the major countries all have nuclear weapons.
C)When its neighbor increases the size of its military forces.
D)When it wants to promote faster economic development with spin-off technology.
E)When it wants to have more influence in international negotiations.
Q3) How does the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty set standards of behavior and monitor compliance?
Q4) Why is coercive disarmament a difficult strategy to pursue?
A)Economic sanctions take a long time before they are effective.
B)It is easy to smuggle nuclear components into a country.
C)Information about nuclear technology is easy to obtain.
D)States only respond to threats from stronger forces.
E)States hide and shield their nuclear facilities from attack.
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Chapter 16: Foundations, war, and Peace
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Q1) How can international institutions affect the probability of war between nations?
Q2) Which military alliance persisted from the Cold War into the present?
A)The European Union.
B)The Warsaw Pact.
C)The North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
D)The League of Nations.
E)The Triple Alliance.
Q3) Why is it harder for terrorists to credibly convey their capabilities as opposed to a state?
A)Terrorists do not really know how strong they are.
B)Their methods require surprise.
C)They are inherently untrustworthy as individuals.
D)Terrorists have strong incentives to stick to an agreement.
E)Terrorists are likely to use such communication as propaganda.
Q4) How are war outcomes and leadership fate tied into democracy and autocracy?
Q5) Using the bargaining model of war,show how the bargaining range would change if a new technology is discovered that reduces the cost of war for both sides.Is war now more or less likely?
Q6) What is anarchy? How is it important to our understanding of why wars occur?
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Politics, and Looking Ahead
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Q1) A specific and obligatory international law is best described as a(n):
A)international norm.
B)"soft" law.
C)"hard" law.
D)voluntary law.
E)customary international law.
Q2) How would we know if an international norm on pollution existed?
A)If an international body exists to prevent international pollution.
B)If a president of a democratic country is voted out of office for polluting the environment.
C)If a country faces international repercussions for polluting the environment.
D)If there exists an international law detailing how states are not supposed to pollute.
E)If a few states in the international system refuse to pollute the environment.
Q3) What kind of monetary policy do consumers in a society tend to prefer?
A)A weak exchange rate.
B)A currency with an artificially low value.
C)A strong exchange rate.
D)Consumers are indifferent to exchange rates.
E)A currency pegged to a precious metal.
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