Political Systems
Pre-Test Questions
Course Introduction
This course offers an in-depth exploration of political systems, examining the frameworks and structures that organize, govern, and influence societies around the world. Students will analyze various forms of government democracies, authoritarian regimes, monarchies, and hybrid systems while considering the historical, cultural, and economic factors that shape them. Through comparative analysis, the course delves into the function of political institutions, the role of constitutions, electoral systems, political parties, and the impact of civil society. Emphasis is placed on understanding how different political systems address issues of power distribution, legitimacy, accountability, and citizen participation.
Recommended Textbook
Introduction to Comparative Politics 6th Edition by Mark Kesselman\
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Chapter 1: Introducing Comparative Politics
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Sample Questions
Q1) All of the following have been proposed as necessary conditions for democracy to succeed EXCEPT
A) parliamentary system government.
B) secure national boundaries.
C) widespread acceptance of democratic values.
D) minimal level of economic development.
E) All of the above are necessary for democracy.
Answer: A
Q2) Which of the following statements about the Human Development Index is CORRECT?
A) It is compiled by the World Bank.
B) It includes measures for sustainable development.
C) It is used to measure and compare levels of achievement in health, knowledge, and the standard of living.
D) In 2010, the countries with the highest HDI rankings were the United States, New Zealand, and Norway.
E) It assesses the level of interaction between people in a political system.
Answer: C
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Chapter 2: Britain
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Q1) The Coalition Government's new framework for governance, called "Big Society," is committed to all of the following EXCEPT the
A) recall of Members of Parliament who violate the public trust.
B) public election of police commissioners.
C) ability of parents to start their own schools.
D) election of a mayor in London.
E) rejection of ideological positions in favor of broad appeals.
Answer: D
Q2) All of the following are TRUE of the House of Lords EXCEPT
A) most government policy is initiated here.
B) it can debate, amend, and delay, but not block legislation.
C) it includes senior religious leaders from the Church of England.
D) it is made up of a mixture of hereditary peers and life peers.
E) it is not directly elected.
Answer: A
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Chapter 3: France
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Fourth Republic ultimately failed because of A) cabinet instability.
B) foreign military intervention.
C) revolution.
D) problems associated with its colonial empire.
E) popular support for constitutional reform.
Answer: D
Q2) The Enlightenment was
A) the philosophical movement that emphasized the importance of scientific reasoning over religious belief or folk wisdom.
B) the spread of electricity to the majority of the citizens of France.
C) Martin Luther's attempt to reform the Catholic Church that led to the Protestant Reformation.
D) the joining of the Catholic and Huguenot churches.
E) a vision of Pope Pious XII that led him to grant Charlemagne control of what was then known as the Holy Roman Empire.
Answer: A
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Chapter 4: Germany
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Sample Questions
Q1) Due to the difficulty to call snap elections and the constructive vote of no confidence, only ___________ has an entire government been replaced with a new one.
A) one time
B) two times
C) three times
D) four times
E) five times
Q2) The social market claims to represent a balance between free-enterprise capitalism and state-led socialism. First, discuss the major characteristics of this set of policy options that characterize the German political economy, paying particular attention to how it differs from both capitalism and socialism. Second, analyze the strengths and weakness of the social market system. Finally, assess how this system has been and is being impacted by such challenges as globalization and continued integration with the European Union.
Q3) Discuss the role of Germany's major social cleavages (e.g. gender, ethnicity, age) and their role and impact in the economy and politics. Please draw upon specific examples in your answer.
Q4) Describe Germany's federal system. How does it differ from other federal systems?
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Chapter 5: Japan
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Sample Questions
Q1) A predominant party regime is
A) a multiparty democracy in which one party dominates the parliament and executive for a long period of time.
B) the same as a single party regime.
C) one in which a single party dominates the parliament but not the executive.
D) one in which a single party dominates the executive but not the parliament.
E) an authoritarian regime is dominated by a single party even though other parties do exist.
Q2) The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is
A) an organization that promotes regional economic and political cooperation.
B) an organization seeking to form a politically and economically integrated regional powerhouse akin to the European Union.
C) a defense pact between Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines aimed chiefly against China.
D) a now-defunct defense pact between Japan, Taiwan, Australia, and other American allies in the region that was meant to contain the Soviet Union.
E) is comprised of 27 countries both inside and outside of the region.
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Chapter 6: India
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Q1) What lessons does India offer those studying the challenges of developing democracy in multi-ethnic societies? To what extent does India offer a positive role model? To what extent has the recent surge in ethnic violence suggest that India may not be such a positive role model?
Q2) Since the 1990s, India's agricultural policies have included
A) increasing trade barriers to protect domestic producers while shifting the country's production towards a greater emphasis on export of agricultural goods.
B) reducing subsidies to limit public spending and removing restrictions on imports in order to conform to WTO rules.
C) breaking up large publicly-owned farms into smaller privately-owned farms and removing restrictions on imports to conform to WTO rules.
D) undertaking massive land reform efforts to help poorer farmers while simultaneously removing restrictions on imports to conform to WTO rules.
E) increasing public subsidies to poorer farmers while reducing them for larger agribusiness firms and increasing trade barriers to protect domestic producers.
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Chapter 7: The United States
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Q1) Which of the following is TRUE?
A) The size of the federal bureaucracy has steadily grown since the New Deal.
B) The authority of the bureaucracy to act independently of both the executive and the legislature is established by the Constitution.
C) The size of the federal bureaucracy had been in steady decline since the 1980s but new security and military responsibilities in wake of the 9/11 attacks have reversed this trend.
D) The federal bureaucracy is formally part of the executive branch and thus can ignore Congress.
E) The president is able to firmly control the federal bureaucracy at all times.
Q2) 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.
Q3) Who votes and who does not in the United States? What are the implications of this for American democracy?
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Chapter 8: Russia
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Sample Questions
Q1) Putin has sought to assure greater federal authority over the regions by
A) creating federal districts to oversee the regions.
B) removing regional executives from the Federation Council.
C) eliminating the popular election of regional executives.
D) removing several recalcitrant regional executives from office.
E) all of the above.
Q2) Which of the following is NOT a factor that helps to explain why United Russia has become the dominant political party in the country?
A) The party is strongly associated with Putin who is quite popular among Russians.
B) It is supported by prominent people including the heads of Russia's regions.
C) It has a rather poorly defined program that appeals to many across the political spectrum.
D) It is well organized at the local level.
E) All of the above explain why United Russia has become the dominant party in the country.
Q3) How have executive-legislative relations changed in post-communist Russia? Have such changes strengthened or weakened democratization?
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Chapter 9: Brazil
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Q1) Which of the following is TRUE?
A) Constitutional amendments must be passed by a simple majority vote in each chamber of the legislature as well as a special constituent assembly.
B) Constitutional amendments must be passed by twice two-thirds of the votes in both chambers of the legislature and need not be approved by any other body.
C) Constitutional amendments can only be passed by a special constituent assembly which is created by a vote in both chambers of the legislature.
D) Constitutional amendments must be passed twice by three-fifths of the votes in both chambers of the legislature and by a special constituent assembly.
E) Constitutional amendments must be passed twice by three-quarters of the votes in both chambers of the legislature and subsequently approved by the president.
Q2) Discuss how the Brazilian state is a mixture of professionalism and clientelism.
Q3) What weaknesses of Brazilian political parties have been apparent since the transition to democracy in the 1980s? To what extent are these reflections of historical circumstances? Assess the impact these weaknesses have had upon Brazilian democratization.
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Chapter 10: Mexico
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Q1) A key consistent difference between the PRI and the PAN has always been
A) that the PAN has advocated a closer relationship with the Catholic Church.
B) whether to move to a more free-market economy.
C) whether to have closer ties to the United States.
D) whether to increase regional autonomy.
E) all of the above.
Q2) In what ways does the actual distribution of power differ from the model outlined in the Constitution? What are the main reasons for such discrepancies? How has the ongoing democratization progress affected such discrepancies?
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.
Q4) The president is elected for
A) one non-renewable four-year term.
B) unlimited renewable terms of six years.
C) unlimited renewable terms of three years.
D) one non-renewable six-year term
E) a six-year term which may be renewed only once.
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Chapter 11: South Africa
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Q1) Discuss some ways in which racial segregation persists in South Africa? What impact does this have on the democratization process?
Q2) Which of the following was NOT a factor that led to the establishment of institutionalized racism in South Africa following the Anglo-Boer War?
A) The massive influx of cheap labor from India
B) The need to coerce African labor, initially in the mining industry
C) The exclusion of Africans outside of the Cape Crown Colony from voting
D) The attraction of Whites who had been forced off the land during the Anglo-Boer War to the Afrikaner nationalist movement
E) The passage of a "civilized labor policy," which meant that semiskilled and certain unskilled jobs were reserved for Whites
Q3) The first European settlers of South Africa
A) were British.
B) arrived in the early 1700s.
C) arrived in search of gold and other valuable minerals in the area.
D) were Dutch.
E) arrived in the late 1500s.
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Chapter 12: Nigeria
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Q1) Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A) Business groups have frequently supported and colluded with corrupt military and civilian governments.
B) Recently, business groups have begun to take a more political stance by advocating better governance.
C) The Nigerian business class has historically been described as "pirate capitalists" due to their corrupt practices and high level of collusion with state officials.
D) The largest business organization is the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Mines and Agriculture.
E) Business groups have never had a say in the development of economic policy.
Q2) A recent survey has indicated that most Nigerians
A) prefer democratic rule over other alternatives.
B) have concerns about the pace of democratization.
C) have begun to question the merits of democratic rule.
D) prefer democratic rule over other alternatives but are concerned about both the slow pace of reform and corruption.
E) believe that it is necessary to divide the country into separate nations along ethnic lines.
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Chapter 13: Iran
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Q1) Iran is notable for which geographic feature?
A) It has many navigable rivers and fertile lands.
B) Most of the lands are dominated by mountains that have protected it from invasions.
C) It is home to the Aral Sea that creates a fertile region for agriculture.
D) Most of its territory is inhospitable to agriculture, and it lies at a strategic crossroads that has made it vulnerable to invasions.
E) The country is dominated by deserts and river valleys.
Q2) The Expediency Council has been set up to mediate differences between the Majles and the
A) Assembly of Experts.
B) Chief judge.
C) Leader.
D) Guardian Council.
E) Military.
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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Q1) Which of the following statement is NOT true?
A) Although foreign investment has risen dramatically in China since the 1980s, the vast majority of investors are smaller firms that produce consumer goods for export.
B) China is a net importer of oil.
C) China is much more dependent upon trade than either the United States or Japan, but less so than Germany and Canada.
D) China has had difficulty in exporting its own domestic brands.
E) Chinese domestic brands are finding a market place in the United States and elsewhere.
Q2) The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was founded in A) 1925.
B) 1918.
C) 1921.
D) 1930.
E) 1932.
Q3) What factors help to explain the durability of the Chinese communist party-state?
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