Government and Politics of the World
Exam Answer Key
Course Introduction
This course offers a comprehensive overview of the political systems and governmental structures that define nations across the globe. Students will explore the foundations and functions of different forms of government, the roles of political institutions and actors, and the impact of cultural, economic, and historical factors on political processes. Through comparative analysis, the course examines key concepts such as democracy, authoritarianism, political participation, public policy, and international relations, equipping students with a deeper understanding of how diverse societies govern and address contemporary global challenges.
Recommended Textbook
Introduction to Comparative Politics 6th Edition by Mark Kesselman\
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14 Chapters
965 Verified Questions
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Introducing Comparative Politics
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Sample Questions
Q1) All of the following are frequent characteristics of transitional democracies EXCEPT A) control of the media.
B) intimidation and violence against opponents in order to limit criticism of the government.
C) ritualistic expressions of support for the ruling party.
D) undermining opponent's parties.
E) ensuring that the ruling party is re-elected.
Answer: C
Q2) Which of the following is NOT identified in your text as an event that made 2011 a critical juncture?
A) A pro-democratic uprising in Egypt
B) The death of Osama bin Laden
C) A major earthquake and tsunami in Japan
D) A pro-democratic uprising in Tunisia
E) United Nations authorized military intervention in Libya
Answer: B
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Chapter 2: Britain
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Sample Questions
Q1) All of the following are true of Great Britain's constitution EXCEPT that it
A) is not a single, formal written document.
B) sets up a dual executive with the powers equally shared between the prime minister and the monarchy.
C) is a combination of state law, common law, convention, and authoritative interpretation.
D) dates back to the seventeenth century.
E) All of these are true of Great Britain's constitution.
Answer: B
Q2) The term backbenchers refers to
A) members of parliament who unseat an incumbent.
B) elderly life peers in the House of Lords.
C) members of the minority party.
D) members of parliament who have no government office and rank-and-file members of the opposition.
E) the shadow cabinet of the opposition party.
Answer: D
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Chapter 3: France
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Sample Questions
Q1) Proportional representation is a system
A) in which most of the seats in the legislature are distributed to the party that receives the majority of votes.
B) in which seats in the legislature are distributed in proportion to the number of votes that a party receives.
C) in which all parties participating in an election are guaranteed a certain number of seats.
D) that tends to have only two major parties.
E) is inherently unfair because it hinders minor parties.
Answer: B
Q2) The two-ballot system used in presidential elections means that
A) citizens vote for the president and prime minister on separate ballots.
B) only two candidates can run for president.
C) if no candidate wins a majority on the first ballot, a run-off election is held two weeks later between the top two candidates.
D) citizens vote for the president and the National Assembly on separate ballots.
E) citizens vote for the individual on one ballot and the party on another.
Answer: C
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Chapter 4: Germany
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Bundesrat's absolute veto
A) only slows the passage of legislation.
B) can only be exercised on amendments to the constitution and laws that directly affect the Lander.
C) can be overturned by a two-thirds majority vote in the Bundestag.
D) applies to an ever-growing amount of legislation due to a 2006 constitutional reform.
E) has been ruled unconstitutional by the German courts.
Q2) Describe Germany's federal system. How does it differ from other federal systems?
Q3) The organization of Germany' s Federal Republic has been successful in establishing a stable democracy in all of the following ways EXCEPT
A) it has permitted successful alterations in power.
B) it has helped to assure that undemocratic right-wing parties receive little support.
C) its system of divided powers has kept policy change slow.
D) its introduction of a weak presidency has minimized potential abuse of executive power.
E) its allowances for emergency powers have minimized legislative deadlocks.
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Chapter 5: Japan
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is TRUE?
A) Japan is about the size of California.
B) Japan has about ten times the population density of the United States.
C) The vast majority of Japanese live in cities.
D) All but four of the islands that comprise Japan are less than 500 square kilometers in size.
E) All of the above statements are true.
Q2) Japan's postwar constitution was
A) drafted by a group of Japanese lawyers.
B) based on a draft prepared by American lawyers.
C) drafted by a group of lawyers from all of the Allied occupying powers.
D) based on a draft prepared by British lawyers.
E) accepted only after a country-wide referendum.
Q3) Japan's trading partners, especially those in the West, have often argued that there are certain structural and behavior features of the country's private sector that lead to unfair trade practices. First, discuss the structural and behavioral features of the private sector of the Japanese economy that set it apart from its counterparts in most Western countries. Second, assess why critics may see these as leading to unfair trade practices. Finally, assess how Japan's continued integration into the global economy affected these features.
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Chapter 6: India
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Sample Questions
Q1) India is
A) called a subcontinent due to its size and distinctive shape.
B) the world's third-most populous country.
C) the sixth largest country in the world.
D) readily assessable to the rest of Asia.
E) all of the above.
Q2) A major change in the social composition of parliament has been the larger representation of A) women.
B) the poor.
C) the middle castes.
D) Muslims.
E) all of the above.
Q3) Initially, after Independence, India adopted an economic strategy that A) involved state planning while allowing for a role for private entrepreneurs.
B) included heavy tariffs in order to protect domestic industry.
C) enabled the country to build up an impressive industrial base fairly quickly.
D) included the creation of large public enterprises.
E) All of the above statements are true.
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Page 8
Chapter 7: The United States
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Sample Questions
Q1) 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?
Q2) The U.S. government subsidizes agriculture by which of the following ways?
A) Guaranteeing a minimum price for many commodities
B) Providing subsidized crop insurance
C) Paying farmers to leave some land fallow
D) Subsidizing crops sold abroad
E) All of the above statements are true.
Q3) The Federal Reserve Board
A) assumed additional responsibilities in wake of the recession of 2008.
B) is a mechanism whereby the country's money supply is controlled by elected officeholders.
C) is appointed by Congress.
D) is appointed by the heads of major banks.
E) is part of the U.S. Treasury.
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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Page 9
Chapter 8: Russia
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Sample Questions
Q1) Ethnic Russians make up about _________ percent of the population of Russia.
A) 50
B) 60
C) 90
D) 80
E) 40
Q2) The phrase power vertical refers to the idea that
A) a single party or party bloc should dominate politics.
B) there should exist an integrated and hierarchal structure of executive power ranging from the national to the local level.
C) political power should flow upward from "the people."
D) federal officials should be free to interfere with regional politics.
E) regional governments should have some say in the making of federal policy and the federal government should have some say in the making of regional policy.
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) Clientelism is perhaps the most prominent feature of Brazilian politics. First, explain what is meant by this concept. Next, citing specific examples, illustrate how clientelism permeates the Brazilian political system. Finally, assess the impact this on Brazil's transition to democracy.
Q2) The gradual process of democratization begun under military rule included all of the following EXCEPT
A) redirecting the country's foreign policy towards gaining closer ties with the United States.
B) reestablishing direct elections for state governors.
C) eliminating the government's power to oust legislators.
D) granting political amnesty for dissenters.
E) All of the above were steps taken by the military in its efforts to gradually restore democracy.
Q3) Identify persistent problems of Brazil's economic development. How have these been addressed, both historically and since the transition to democracy in the 1980s? How have such steps affected the role of the state in managing the economy?
Q4) Discuss how the Brazilian state is a mixture of professionalism and clientelism.
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11
Chapter 10: Mexico
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Sample Questions
Q1) Semiautonomous or autonomous government agencies that produce goods and services are called
A) Ejidatorios.
B) Maquiladores.
C) Cietificos.
D) Parastatals.
E) Porfiriatos.
Q2) Which of the following is TRUE of the military in Mexico?
A) It has engaged in military coups quite regularly throughout the country's history.
B) There is little evidence to suggest that it has engaged in torture, illegal killings, and other forms of repression.
C) It has increasingly been used to help fight drug trafficking.
D) It has never had institutional representation in any political party.
E) All of the above are true statements.
Q3) How did the PRI maintain control over Mexico for so long without facing significant challenges to its power? Please cite specific examples in your answer.
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12
Chapter 11: South Africa
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Sample Questions
Q1) The transition from the apartheid regime to the post-apartheid regime involved negotiated agreements among the various political parties involved. Which of the following is an example of such an agreement?
A) Positions in the transitional government would be accorded proportionally among the parties.
B) Participants of politically motivated violence could obtain immunity.
C) The newly elected Parliament would sit as constitutional assembly to draw up a final constitution.
D) Provincial legislatures would absorb the homeland bureaucracies.
E) All of the above are examples of negotiated agreements.
Q2) In what ways has the state intervened in the economy? Address state policies during both the apartheid and post-apartheid eras.
Q3) Discuss some ways in which racial segregation persists in South Africa? What impact does this have on the democratization process?
Q4) What are the political implications and effects of South Africa's electoral system? Are these detrimental to the democratization process in the country? Cite specific examples from your text.
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Chapter 12: Nigeria
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Sample Questions
Q1) The informal sector accounts for about _____________ of Nigeria's GDP.
A) one-third
B) one-quarter
C) one-fifth
D) one-half
E) one-tenth
Q2) Since the 1970s, Nigeria's economy has been dominated by the export of a single product. What have been the political and economic impacts, both negative and positive, of this?
Q3) Describe how corruption has interfered with Nigeria's economic and political development. What attempts have been made to combat corruption? Have these been successful? Why or why not?
Q4) Contemporary Nigerian politics may be described as competitive oligarchy. First, discuss what this means. Next, describe the forms that this competition takes. Finally, assess the impact of this competition upon the democratization process.
Q5) The multi-ethnic character of Nigeria has had profound impacts on the country's political development. Which would you say have been the most important of these? Justify your argument.
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Page 14
Chapter 13: Iran
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Sample Questions
Q1) Some suspect that the seizure of the American embassy and the subsequent hostage crisis was engineered
A) in retaliation for past interference from the United States.
B) as a warning to the United States and its European allies, especially Britain, not to interfere with the Islamic Revolution.
C) to shore up popular support for the Ayatollah.
D) to preempt attacks from domestic groups opposed to the new constitution.
E) to undercut Bazargan and to ensure the ratification of the Islamic Constitution.
Q2) The Guardian Council is formed of
A) Ayatollahs.
B) Hojjat al-Islams.
C) Ulama.
D) Six clerics and six jurists.
E) Senior clerics.
Q3) 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.
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Chapter 14: China
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is NOT true of the Central Committee?
A) Its members are elected by the National Party Congress with a limited choice of candidates.
B) Formally, it directs party policy when the National Party Congress is not in session.
C) Its meetings, both formal and informal, provide venues for political maneuvering by various factions within the party.
D) It meets annually.
E) It consists of over 1000 members.
Q2) The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution
A) was launched by Mao who thought that the policies of Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping were leading to elitism and inequality.
B) was an effort to "purify" the country of class enemies.
C) involved massive authoritarian tactics such as harassing, torturing, and killing those accused of being class enemies.
D) ended with Mao's death.
E) All of the above statements are true.
Q3) What factors help to explain the durability of the Chinese communist party-state?
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Page 16