Introduction to Political Science Practice Exam
Course Introduction
Introduction to Political Science offers students a foundational understanding of the key concepts, principles, and institutions that shape political systems around the world. This course explores various forms of government, political ideologies, the roles of citizens and leaders, and the processes through which policies are formulated and implemented. Through comparative analysis and critical discussion, students will gain insight into how power is distributed and exercised, the functions of political parties and electoral systems, and the importance of political participation in democratic societies. The course also addresses contemporary issues in politics and encourages students to think critically about the impact of political decisions on society.
Recommended Textbook
Cases in Comparative Politics Fifth Edition by Patrick H. ONeil
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14 Chapters
420 Verified Questions
420 Flashcards
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Chapter 1: Introduction
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Sample Questions
Q1) Steven wants to compare the degree of economic inequality between his country and a wealthy, developed democracy. The measure he uses yields a score of 68 for his country and a score of 12 for the wealthy democracy. What measurement did he most likely use?
A)GDP
B)GDP per capita
C)UNHDI
D)Gini index
E)Human Development Index
Answer: D
Q2) Which of the following units of government most often represents geographical subunits of the population in lawmaking?
A)the executive
B)the upper house of a bicameral legislature
C)the lower house of a bicameral legislature
D)the judiciary
E)the constitutional court
Answer: B
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Chapter 2: United Kingdom
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Sample Questions
Q1) In which of the following ways did Tony Blair's policies as prime minister differ from those of Margaret Thatcher?
A)He was more accepting of his party's status quo mode of operation.
B)He devolved more power to regional governments.
C)He moved the country away from free-market policies.
D)He sought to strengthen the power of trade unions.
E)He sought a cooperative but more distant relationship with the United States.
Answer: B
Q2) Which term best describes the UK political regime?
A)authoritarian
B)majoritarian
C)checks and balances
D)separation of powers
E)corporatist
Answer: B
Q3) Describe the similarities that exist between Tony Blair and Margaret Thatcher, despite Thatcher being a Conservative and Blair a Labourite.
Answer: Answers will vary.
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Chapter 3: United States
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Q1) Which of the following most accurately characterizes political polarization today in the United States?
A)There is no polarization in the United States, despite common perceptions to the contrary.
B)Polarization is mainly found among the masses, but political elites are not polarized.
C)Recent decades have brought serious and increasing polarization to U.S. political elites.
D)Polarization is significant in the United States for the first time in the country's history.
E)Polarization has declined since the election of Barack Obama.
Answer: C
Q2) Populism can be defined as the idea that:
A)U.S. leaders must be very popular with the voters.
B)members of government should be directly elected.
C)the people are too ill-informed to make political decisions directly.
D)democracy is undermined by an overemphasis on charismatic leadership.
E)the masses and popular will should trump elites and professional expertise.
Answer: E
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Page 5
Chapter 4: France
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Q1) What group wields a disproportionate amount of power in French politics, in spite of its overall decline in numbers?
A)Roman Catholics
B)the aristocracy
C)farmers
D)conservatives
E)Muslims
Q2) The National Front in France is:
A)the largest left-wing party in the legislature.
B)a small but influential far-right, anti-EU party with xenophobic roots.
C)the main body that directs policies that affect labor and industry.
D)the party created to support Sarkozy's campaign for president.
E)the corporatist body that brings together labor and business.
Q3) What event encouraged de Gaulle to resign from office?
A)the collapse of the Fourth Republic
B)the admission of France into the EU
C)his failure to pass referendums on constitutional reform
D)scandal involving bureaucratic fraud
E)the declared independence of Algeria from France
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Page 6
Chapter 5: Germany
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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) Germany's democratic arrangement whereby business, labor, and the state work within an explicit framework to guide the economy toward future goals is called:
A)collaborationism.
B)federalism.
C)codetermination.
D)welfarism.
E)neocorporatism.
Q3) Which kingdom became the core of the modern German state?
A)Bavaria
B)Teutonia
C)Prussia
D)Saxony
E)Berlin
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Page 7
Chapter 6: Japan
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Q1) In which of the following ways does the Liberal Democratic Party differ from the Democratic Party of Japan?
A)It has demonstrated more electoral success in the aggregate.
B)It has largely avoided charges of corruption.
C)It places no time limits on the post of party president.
D)It has managed to avoid participation in a "twisted Diet."
E)It expresses less nationalist sentiment.
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) Discuss the consequences of Japan's historical division of labor between political rulers (shogun, Meiji oligarchs, MacArthur, bureaucrats) and those who reign (emperor, parliament) for the autonomy and capacity of the Japanese state.
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Chapter 7: Russia
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Sample Questions
Q1) The term parties of power denotes:
A)parties built by elites to serve their personal political aspirations.
B)parties in Russia that rely on a single ethnic group for support.
C)nationalist parties in Russia that call for the restoration of the Soviet Union.
D)parties that depend on votes from the armed forces.
E)those elites that controlled the Soviet Union until 1991.
Q2) Why has "true" democracy failed to take root in Russia since the collapse of communism? What factors do you think are most important?
Q3) After Stalin's death in 1953, Soviet leadership made which of the following changes?
A)The nomenklatura lost their authority over the daily life of citizens.
B)Economic control was taken away from the central planning bureaucracy.
C)Use of centralized power was reduced.
D)Power was taken away from the Politburo.
E)The Duma was established to share legislative powers.
Q4) What explains the recent conflicts between the West and Russia, and what can be done to limit them in the future?
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Page 9
Chapter 8: China
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Sample
Questions
Q1) Coastal capitalist enclaves established during the late 1970s as part of reform and opening were known as:
A)trade towns.
B)duty-free districts.
C)special economic zones.
D)kaifa.
E)entrepôts.
Q2) Which of the following best describes the purpose of the "Three Represents" policy?
A)harmonizing the diplomatic relations of Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China
B)co-optation of wealthy entrepreneurs into the Chinese Communist Party
C)expanding civil society by funneling state money into private or nonprofit organizations not affiliated with the Communist Party
D)broadening the scope of the special economic zones to include major industrial centers like Beijing
E)extending rudimentary civil rights and voting opportunities to ethnic minorities like Tibetans, Mongolians, and Uighurs
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Chapter 9: India
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Q1) How did Rajiv Gandhi's policies differ from those of his mother, Indira Gandhi?
A)He demonstrated a greater affinity-and success-for tackling India's ethnic and social tensions.
B)He proved more committed to economic liberalization.
C)He proved more willing to declare martial law in the face of public protest.
D)He proved more authoritarian in his governing style.
E)He associated himself more with the poorer classes through populist campaigns.
Q2) The most significant trend in recent national elections in India has been the growing dominance of:
A)the Indian National Congress.
B)the Bharatiya Janata Party.
C)coalition governments.
D)independent politicians.
E)the Indian Communist Party.
Q3) The region that lies between India and Pakistan and is claimed by both is:
A)Jammu and Kashmir.
B)Sikkim.
C)Bengal.
D)Kerala.
E)Gujarat.
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Chapter 10: Iran
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Revolutionary Guard is:
A)a paramilitary force controlled by the supreme leader.
B)the upper house of the legislature.
C)the body that selects the supreme leader.
D)comprised of religious leaders who have been approved by the government to preach.
E)the name given the opposition forces that oppose the supreme leader.
Q2) Mohammad Khatami's presidency is best known for his:
A)leadership during the Iran-Iraq war.
B)attempts at political reform.
C)attempts to roll back earlier political reform.
D)widespread use of violence during the early years of the Islamic Republic.
E)role in restarting Iran's nuclear weapons program.
Q3) Operation Ajax refers to:
A)the removal of Reza Khan by the British in 1941.
B)the seizure of the American embassy in 1979.
C)the U.S./UK covert program that was instrumental in the overthrow of Mohammad Mosaddeq.
D)the first policies of land reform under the White Revolution in 1963.
E)the revolutionary movements that toppled the monarchy in 1979.
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Chapter 11: Mexico
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following statements best describes Mexico's War of Independence?
A)It was dominated by liberals who favored democracy.
B)It was dominated by conservatives who sought independence from Spain in order to preserve the socioeconomic status quo.
C)It was a brief, relatively peaceful affair.
D)It was an indigenous rebellion against the white elite.
E)The United States invaded Mexico to support independence.
Q2) Most Mexicans are:
A)of European descent.
B)Protestant.
C)mestizo.
D)white.
E)Amerindian.
Q3) Mexican presidents are:
A)elected for up to two four-year terms.
B)elected for unlimited six-year terms.
C)elected for a six-year term with no re-election.
D)elected for a six-year term with one re-election allowed.
E)appointed by their predecessors.
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Page 13
Chapter 12: Brazil
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Sample Questions
Q1) Democratization in Brazil during the 1980s resulted from:
A)a civil war.
B)a popular uprising.
C)the rapid collapse of the military.
D)a gradual, controlled process.
E)foreign intervention.
Q2) Slavery ended in Brazil:
A)after a civil war similar to that of the United States.
B)only in the early twentieth century.
C)because of a slave rebellion against whites.
D)only after the United States cut off aid to Brazil.
E)peacefully, by royal decree.
Q3) Brazil's military regime after 1964 was:
A)a Communist regime.
B)a bureaucratic authoritarian regime.
C)an illiberal democracy.
D)a populist dictatorship.
E)a socialist experiment.
Q4) 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?
Page 14
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Chapter 13: South Africa
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Sample Questions
Q1) On balance, has the African National Congress's tenure in power been a success or a failure? Describe some of its achievements and some of its shortcomings.
Q2) Which of the following best describes the economic strategy adopted by the ANC in 1996?
A)a purely statist model with a near-total reliance on command and control planning
B)liberal market policies domestically, but with high tariff barriers and a rejection of international investment
C)strongly socialist policies with an expanding welfare state
D)mildly mercantilist, with a focus on import substitution industrialization
E)liberal macroeconomic structural adjustment with greater limits to the role of the state
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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Chapter 14: Nigeria
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Q1) Since the elections of 1999, the dominant political party in Nigerian politics has been the:
A)People's Democratic Party.
B)All People's Party.
C)Alliance for Democracy.
D)Nigerian Socialist Party.
E)Action Congress.
Q2) Both the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People and the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta have sought:
A)greater political autonomy for Muslims in northern Nigeria.
B)protection of ethnic groups and a greater share of oil revenues in the Niger Delta.
C)greater freedom of the press for Nigerian journalists.
D)enhanced microcredit loans for Nigeria's poorest.
E)greater African cooperation in trade and development issues.
Q3) Nigeria's Second Republic rejected the parliamentary system of the First Republic and adopted a presidential system much like that of the United States. What might have been the reasons for the change, and has it been successful?
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