Political Institutions and Processes
Midterm Exam
Course Introduction
This course offers an in-depth exploration of the fundamental structures and processes that define political systems across the world. Students will examine the roles and functions of key institutions such as legislatures, executives, judiciaries, and bureaucracies, analyzing how these bodies interact within different governmental frameworks. The course also delves into the processes of policy-making, political participation, elections, and the development of party systems, emphasizing how these elements influence governance and the distribution of power. Through comparative and case-study approaches, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of how political institutions and processes shape outcomes at both national and global levels.
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) Which of the following statements about mixed electoral systems is accurate?
A)Candidates in SMDs are elected on the basis of a plurality.
B)Voters are allowed to vote in either an MMD or an SMD but not both.
C)Votes cast in MMDs are allocated on the basis of absolute majority.
D)Voters cast votes for party and prime minister.
E)Candidates in MMDs are chosen through plurality vote.
Answer: A
Q2) Organizations that maintain a monopoly of violence over a territory are called: A)nations.
B)regimes.
C)governments.
D)states.
E)enforcement schemes.
Answer: D
Q3) What are the major differences seen among parliamentary, presidential, and semi-presidential systems? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each model?
Answer: Answers will vary.
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Chapter 2: United Kingdom
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Sample Questions
Q1) Violence in Northern Ireland was largely ended by:
A)a military intervention by the Irish Republic.
B)the Catholic victory in the civil war.
C)the Good Friday Agreement.
D)the Protestant victory in the civil war.
E)the Belfast compromise.
Answer: C
Q2) 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
Q3) What does it mean for the United Kingdom's political regime to be majoritarian? What about the structural relationship among the legislature, judiciary, and executive encourages majoritarianism, and what effect has it had on electoral politics in the United Kingdom?
Answer: Answers will vary.
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Chapter 3: United States
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Sample Questions
Q1) Political action committees (PACs) are often cited as an example of:
A)the strength of political parties in the United States.
B)how difficult it is for organized groups to influence national government.
C)the role of organized interests in fund-raising and influencing elected officials.
D)the power of third parties as "kingmakers" in congressional elections.
E)the ability of average citizens to get involved in politics.
Answer: C
Q2) Which of the following statements about the New Deal is accurate?
A)The New Deal resulted in growth of the state bureaucracy despite opposition from the Supreme Court.
B)Use of the state to restrict the power of big business was a centerpiece of the New Deal programs.
C)The New Deal concept was largely generated and pushed through by Republican reformers.
D)One long-term impact of the New Deal was to devolve power to the states.
E)The New Deal increased subsidies to some workers but reduced the rights of workers overall.
Answer: A
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Page 5
Chapter 4: France
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Sample Questions
Q1) What explains why France has a strong state and a relatively weak civil society? What roles do trade unions and private enterprise play in the everyday lives of French citizens?
Q2) A strong centralized French state can be attributed in part to which facet of its geography?
A)its significant obstacles to transportation
B)its relatively small size compared to other European countries
C)its lack of mineral resources or productive farmland
D)its unprotected borders to the north and northeast, making it vulnerable to invasion
E)the fact that it is an island
Q3) What effect did the dirigisme system have on the French economy in the decades after World War II? How has this model fared through the economic changes of the last 20 years?
Q4) 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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Chapter 5: Germany
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Sample Questions
Q1) West Germany's formal name during the division after 1949 was the:
A)Federal Republic of Germany.
B)German Democratic Republic.
C)Free German Republic.
D)United Republic of Germany.
E)German Social Democratic Union.
Q2) Which kingdom became the core of the modern German state?
A)Bavaria
B)Teutonia
C)Prussia
D)Saxony
E)Berlin
Q3) Germany's political regime since 1949 is often called the:
A)Third Reich.
B)Deutsch Democracy.
C)Second Reich.
D)Bonn Republic.
E)Weimar Republic.
Q4) Has reunification succeeded in Germany? Identify the primary political, social, and economic challenges that remain.
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Chapter 6: Japan
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Sample Questions
Q1) Japan's lower house is elected by which of the following electoral systems?
A)mixed single-member district and proportional representation
B)proportional representation
C)plurality single-member district
D)plurality multimember district
E)single-member district
Q2) Which of the following best describes the components of the Yoshida Doctrine?
A)focus on domestic economic recovery and reliance on American military protection
B)development of a strong Japanese military and expansion of foreign trade
C)replacement of state corporatism with more liberal economic policies
D)abandonment of agricultural and corporate subsidies
E)a turning away from foreign interventions and a focus on domestic political development
Q3) The shogun was the title for feudal Japan's:
A)largest castles.
B)dominant lords.
C)imported Portuguese cannon.
D)lowly peasant class.
E)Chinese mercenaries.
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Page 8
Chapter 7: Russia
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Sample Questions
Q1) Civil society in Russia:
A)remains strong as a legacy of Soviet rule.
B)was weak under Soviet rule but has grown dramatically since then, reaching near-Western levels.
C)has been repressed under Putin.
D)has built and supports a vibrant and diverse media.
E)has no public support.
Q2) What immediately replaced the rule of the last tsar when he was finally forced to step down in 1917?
A)a noncommunist republican leadership
B)a dictatorship sympathetic to Germany
C)Lenin's Communist state
D)a Communist democratic state
E)an antiwar prime minster and parliament
Q3) Which of the following was the result of Gorbachev's attempt at reform?
A)increased economic growth
B)the breakup of the Soviet Union
C)democratic elections by which the Communists were returned to power
D)membership in the European Union
E)war with China
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Chapter 8: China
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Sample Questions
Q1) What did Mao intend to accomplish with the Great Leap Forward, and what was its actual result? How did Mao respond to the results of the Great Leap Forward?
Q2) How has the current Xi Jinping government addressed the problem of corruption in China?
A)His government has targeted only the business leaders that are not associated with the CCP.
B)His government has targeted both high- and low-ranking officials and arrested huge numbers.
C)His government has denied the existence of corruption in government or business. D)His government has targeted only those officials and business leaders with deep ties to the West.
E)His government has sought to use corruption reform as a cloak with which to punish Tibetan leaders only.
Q3) Why does the process of political succession pose such a challenge to the dominance of the CCP? How have leaders sought to deal with the issue of political succession in China?
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Chapter 9: India
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which prime minister declared emergency rule in 1975?
A)Rajiv Gandhi
B)Jawaharlal Nehru
C)Manmohan Singh
D)Indira Gandhi
E)Mohandes K. Gandhi
Q2) Sikhism shares the beliefs of:
A)Hinduism and Buddhism.
B)Hinduism and Islam.
C)Islam and Buddhism.
D)Islam and Jainism.
E)Christianity and Islam.
Q3) The Indian state of Kerala's high female literacy rates and low fertility rates are largely the result of:
A)a coalition government between Muslim and Hindu leaders.
B)socialist state policies in education, health care, and land reform.
C)neoliberal economic policies.
D)the influence of a legacy British colonial government.
E)agricultural yields and profit made possible by the Green Revolution.
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Page 11
Chapter 10: Iran
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Sample Questions
Q1) What kind of electoral system does Iran use for the Majlis and Assembly of Experts?
A)none-all representatives are appointed
B)proportional representation
C)single-member district
D)mixed proportional representation and single-member district
E)single-member and multimember districts
Q2) How did the discovery of oil in Iran affect its economic development, particularly with respect to the top-down mercantilist model? What role have the bonyads played in the Iranian economy?
Q3) 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.
Q4) Describe the burst of political party development after the 1979 revolution, as well as its contraction leading up to the 1987 elections. How was political debate transformed in the Majlis after 1987?
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Chapter 11: Mexico
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Sample Questions
Q1) The conquistadores defeated which Mexican indigenous group?
A)Maya
B)Inca
C)Aztecs
D)Mapuche
E)Mestizos
Q2) Which of the following statements about the PRI's economic policies for most of its reign is accurate?
A)Liberal-minded PRI presidents sought greater and greater economic independence from the United States.
B)Nationalist PRI presidents tended to favor economic growth over redistribution.
C)The PRI maintained a state role in the economy that approached socialist levels of intervention.
D)It raised tariffs on agricultural imports but lowered them on manufactured goods.
E)It maintained relatively low labor costs that benefitted Mexican entrepreneurs.
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Chapter 12: Brazil
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Sample Questions
Q1) Describe the Brazilian political party system, and note some of its distinctive features. Why do many scholars blame the structure of the electoral system on Brazil's persistent government corruption?
Q2) Describe the effects of Brazil's public debt and high inflation on its economy, particularly with respect to poverty. Has democratization had a positive effect on these problems?
Q3) Brazil's Second Republic was:
A)polarized between supporters and opponents of Vargas.
B)a stable democracy that continues to the present.
C)buoyed by a very strong economy.
D)a successful laboratory for consolidating democratic elements.
E)a dictatorship run by the military.
Q4) In which of the following ways does the Brazilian Federal Senate's power differ from that of the Chamber of Deputies?
A)The Senate can override presidential vetoes with a majority vote.
B)The Senate has the power to approve top presidential appointments.
C)The Senate plays a key role in executive policymaking.
D)The Senate's members lack term limits.
E)The Senate can amend the constitution.
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Chapter 13: South Africa
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Sample Questions
Q1) The most powerful house of the South African legislature is called the:
A)National Council of Provinces.
B)Executive Chamber.
C)African National Congress.
D)Tribal Authority.
E)National Assembly.
Q2) South Africa currently uses which electoral system?
A)single-member district with two-round voting
B)single-member district with plurality
C)pure proportional representation
D)mixed single-member district and proportional representation
E)single transferable vote
Q3) The National Party took power in 1948 after:
A)a Dutch invasion.
B)a military coup.
C)a long war with blacks.
D)a bloody battle with the English.
E)an election victory.
Q4) Describe the logic and workings of apartheid. How did its supporters justify white rule? How was it able to survive for so long?
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Chapter 14: Nigeria
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Sample Questions
Q1) Nigeria's current legislative-executive system may be classified as:
A)presidential.
B)dictatorial.
C)parliamentary.
D)semi-presidential.
E)prime ministerial.
Q2) Nigeria's federal character principle refers to:
A)the remarkable unity of the Nigerian people.
B)the quota system for political appointments in Nigeria.
C)British colonial justification for Nigerian territorial divisions.
D)eligibility requirements for political candidates.
E)constitutional limits on the national judiciary.
Q3) Sani Abacha is best known for:
A)returning Nigeria to democracy in the 1980s.
B)leading a failed secessionist movement in the 1960s.
C)establishing independence in the 1950s.
D)imposing an oppressive dictatorship in the 1990s.
E)leading the movement against government corruption in the 2000s.
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