Answers to the 2006 AP Comparative Government and Politics Exam

Which of the following best defines a successful vote of no confidence?

A majority vote in the legislature forces the resignation of the government

the term "failed state" best refers to which of the following?

A state in which law and order persistently breaks down

Which description below most accurately describes Iran's Islamic republic?

A unitary government with dual executive whose prerogatives and responsibilities are specified in the constitution

Which of the following is an empirically based statement about politics in Nigeria?

There are many major ethnic groups in Nigeria

In recent years, all of the following reforms have been instituted in China EXCEPT

creation of an independent judiciary

The organizing principle of the Chinese Communist Party is

democratic centralism

One similarity between the political systems of Russia and Great Britain is that in both countries the

lower house of the legislature is the more powerful chamber in the policy-making process

One similarity between the Prime Minister of Russia and the Prime Minister of Great Britain is that both

may be removed as a result of votes of no confidence in the lower house of the legislature

In Nigeria, Shari'ah law is part of the legal system in the

northern region

The process by which basic political attitudes and beliefs are developed is known as

political socialization

The concept of nation is best defined as a

population with common historical, ethnic, linguistic, and/or religious bonds

Both Russia and Mexico have

proportional representation in the lower house of legislature

The European Union (EU) is an example of

supranational organization

Civil societies require which of the following?

voluntary associations

Which of the following statements about the Maastricht Treaty are correct?

It established European Citizenship and it paved the way for a single European currency

For which of the following reasons is the year 2000 considered a turning point in Mexican political history?

A President was elected who was not a candidate of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI)

Which of the following has been an important consequence of the one-child family policy for Chinese Society?

An increase in the median age

All of the following are accurate comparisons of Mexico and China in the latter half of the twentieth century EXCEPT:

Both outlawed all opposition parties from competing in elections

Which of the following is the best indicator that a political regime is legitimate?

Citizens follow laws because they believe in the government's right to rule

In which of the following types of systems is economic policy necessarily negotiated among government, labor, and industry?

Corporatist

Which of the following types of regimes has had the greatest increase in number worldwide since 1970?

Democratic

Which of the following is a key component of economic liberalization in former command economies?

Eliminating price controls

Which of the following is correct statement about elections in Great Britain and Russia?

In Russia presidential elections are held every four years, while in Great Britain national elections may be called at any time within a five-year period

Which of the following sets of contrasts is true for all parliamentary and presidential systems?

In parliamentary systems, the legislative and executive branches are fused, while the presidential system they are separate

Which of the following were consequences of ending the centrally planned economy in Russia after 1991?

Increased unemployment, Decentralized production decisions, An increase in the number of the individually owned enterprises

Which of the following countries is best described as a theocratic state?

Iran

Which of the following is a true statement about the Chinese government's approach to ethnic minorities?

It has given some latitude to ethnic minorities in such matters as population control and language

Which of the following best describes Iranian political culture?

It values the community's welfare above individual rights

Which of the lines shown in the chart above best represents the general relationship between per capita GDP and degree of democracy?

Line C

Which statement below best explains why, despite tremendous oil reserves, the Nigerian government still has difficulty providing social services throughout the country?

Massive corruption limits the amount of resources redistributed by the government to the people

Which of the following countries has a history of coups d etat and military rule during the past 50 years?

Nigeria

In which of the following pairs of countries do both governments have a federal structure?

Nigeria and Mexico

Which of the following refers to the array of political parties operating in a particular country and the nature of the relationships between them?

Party system

In most democratic political systems, interest groups differ from political parties in which of the following ways?

Political parties nominate and run candidates for elective office, while interest groups do not

Nigeria's head of state is the

President

Which of the following occurs in a command economy?

Quotas and plans direct production and distribution

Developing countries with multiple political parties most often divide along which of the following lines of cleavage?

Religion and ethnicity

Which of the following statements best characterizes Nigerian society?

Religious diversity, ethnic diversity, linguistic diversity

The nature of patron-client relationships is accurately reflected by which of the following statements?

Responsibilities and obligations are based on a hierarchy between elites and citizens

Before the Mexican elections of 2000, the presidential nominee of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) had been chosen by which of the following processes?

Selection by the sitting president

Which of the following political parties dominated its country's politics for the greatest number of years during the twentieth century?

The Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) in Mexico

Which of the following are the two most powerful policy-making institutions in Iran

The Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majles) and the Guardian Council

Which of the following best describes the European Union's (EU) democratic deficit?

The lack of its accountability to the average citizen in member states

In which of the following ways did the Iranian revolution of 1979 resemble the Chinese revolution of 30 years earlier?

The leaders of both revolutions personified charismatic authority

Which of the following is generally true about countries with unitary governments?

They have a highly centralized policy process

Following the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989, Iran's constitution was amended to

change the selection criteria for Supreme Leader

The most common strategy adopted by developing countries to deal with the problem of population growth is

establishing policies that seek to reduce fertility rates

Unlike Mexico and Nigeria, Iran has not experienced

formal colonial rule

Compared with the first-past-the-post, a proportional representation electoral system

gives third parties a better chance a winning seats in a legislature

One of the key socioeconomic changes as countries develop economically is

increasing rural-to-urban migrations

The welfare service commitments of advanced industrial democracies are most seriously threatened by

the aging of their populations

China's managements of public policy crises is best characterized by

the importance of secrecy in the Chinese Communist Party

Gross National Product (GNP) and gross domestic product (GDP) are measures used to compare countries on

the size of their economies