Unit 2 MCQ Topic Questions

Iran and China share which of the following institutional arrangements?

A national assembly with only limited powers to oversee the executive and enact laws

It is often said that in a parliamentary model, the executive and legislative functions are fused. What is meant by this characterization?

A parliamentary system combines the lawmaking and executive functions of government.

Which of the following explains why a country would choose a parliamentary system over a presidential system?

A parliamentary system does not divide powers among as many branches of government, so it is more efficient.

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

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

Which of the following describes a political challenge common to legislatures in both Russia and China?

Both countries have legislatures that confirm either a prime minister or premier.

Which of the following describes a political challenge common to legislatures in both the United Kingdom and Mexico?

Both countries have legislatures with multiple competing parties.

Which of the following is a similarity between the political systems of Mexico and Iran?

Both countries have popularly elected presidents.

Which of the following accurately describes a similarity between the parliamentary system of the United Kingdom and the presidential system of Mexico?

Both systems have a cabinet that advises the chief executive.

Which of the following statements is true with regard to the judicial systems in Nigeria and Iran?

Both systems have elements of Shari'ah law incorporated into their judicial systems.

Which of the following institutions most limit the exercise of independent legislative power?

China's Standing Committee of the Politburo and Iran's Guardian Council

For citizens involved in legal disputes with the government in China and the United Kingdom, which of the following best explains the likely outcome?

Citizens in China are less likely to receive a fair trial because the judicial system is governed by rule by law, whereas the United Kingdom's judicial system is governed by rule of law.

Which of the following statements accurately compare the parliamentary systems of China and the United Kingdom?

Even though China and the United Kingdom have parliamentary systems, they differ in how they choose their leadership: there is little competition over the selection of China's premier, while the selection of the United Kingdom's prime minister is competitive.

Which of the following best explains different checks that legislatures have on the executive in the United Kingdom and Mexico?

Even though the United Kingdom and Mexico have different types of political systems, in both countries the legislature can be a powerful check on the executive.

Which of the following explains a potentially negative consequence of executive term limits?

Executive term limits can force effective executives out of office.

Which of the following is an accurate explanation of an advantage of executive term limits?

Executive term limits can prevent executives from consolidating power.

Which of the following is typically a function of the head of state in a parliamentary system?

Greeting new foreign ambassadors

Which of the following is true of Iran's Supreme Leader?

He has the power to appoint half of the members of the Guardian Council.

Which of the following most accurately compares the national legislatures of Iran and the United Kingdom?

In both countries, the legislatures approve legislation and oversee the budget.

Which of the following is true of the bureaucracy in Mexico?

It is a major source of employment within Mexico.

Which of the following is the best description of Great Britain's Fixed-Term Parliaments Act of 2011?

It mandates that parliamentary elections must occur every five years starting in 2015.

Which of the following caused the British government to establish a Supreme Court of the United Kingdom in 2009?

It was determined that a permanent legal body be established with jurisdiction to resolve disputes relating to devolution in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.

Which of the following best describes how judiciaries remain independent from other branches of government?

Judiciaries overrule executive and legislative actions.

The 2009 presidential election in the Islamic Republic of Iran was one of the most transformative events in Iran's modern history. It bared important schisms within the .·.·. political system and pitted two key camps against one another, each with a very different vision of what Iran should be and what it should become. It appeared to solidify . . . under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and continued an ongoing militarization of Iranian politics led by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. . . . The widespread fraud alleged by the leading opposition candidate, former Prime Minister Mir Hossein Mousavi, and the .·.·. (political system's) repressive response irrevocably shattered an unspoken contract between the government and the people—one in which the theocratic government had allowed some popular political participation and limited personal space in return for the people's acquiescence to the status quo. Even the highest authority in Iran, the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, did not escape censure by the opposition—a traditional "red line" in Iranian politics that clerics, politicians, and voters alike crossed numerous times after the polls closed. Previously, Khamenei had portrayed himself as above the often-brutal factional "fray" in Iran. But now he came down decisively on the side of Ahmadinejad and his hard-line allies and used the Revolutionary Guard to preserve the status quo. In so doing, he altered the role of the office he occupied. Source: Alireza Nader, David E. Thaler, and S.R. Bohand. The Next Supreme Leader: Succession in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Rand National Defense Research Institute, 2011 Which of the following best describes the authors' evidence that Supreme Leader Khamenei sided with President Ahmadinejad in the aftermath of the 2009 presidential election in Iran? Which of the following is a role of the supreme leader and explains why Khamenei has the authority to take the actions described by the authors?

Khamenei used the Revolutionary Guard to preserve the status quo by suppressing protests. Commander in chief

Latin America's two biggest economies are in their first 100 days under new management. During the presidential campaigns in Brazil and Mexico, democracy's champions worried most about Brazil, given Jair Bolsonaro's nostalgia for military rule. Yet today it is Mexico's democracy that is under greater threat: President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, known as AMLO, is systematically concentrating power in an already strong executive. From the start, AMLO has undermined democratic norms and checks and balances. Despite controlling a constitutional majority in Mexico's Chamber of Deputies and sizable majority in its Senate, he has often chosen to work outside the formal legislative process. Instead he has relied on dubious public "referendums," sampling small and politically skewed groups to set agricultural policy, boost pensions, authorize infrastructure projects and create scholarships. He has attacked and stacked the courts. He quickly moved to cut judges' salaries and take control of court officials' evaluations and promotions. His first nominations to the highest bench include the wife of a favored contractor and party loyalists. Which of the following assertions is used by the author to support the claim in the passage?

López Obrador is attempting to control judicial decision making.

The institution in Iran that makes laws related to civil liberties is the

Majles

"Opposition parties joined in Parliament tonight to introduce a motion . . . that is believed likely to bring down the Labor Party government of Prime Minister James Callaghan and force a national election here by the beginning of May. Callaghan made a desperate attempt to win more time by proposing first to the House of Commons and then to the nation on television this evening that a crucial parliamentary vote on limited home rule for Scotland, which Callaghan was almost certain to lose, be postponed for several weeks to discuss alternatives. . . . Callaghan had been trying to delay the election until October, near the end of the Labor government's full five years in office, because union strife during the winter has left Labor well behind the Conservatives in public opinion polls... The prime minister, who has used a variety of delaying tactics and favors for some of the minority parties to stay in power this long, can count only on the 305 Labor members of Parliament plus a dwindling number of the contested Welsh and "Ulster votes". From The Washington Post. © 1979 The Washington Post. All rights reserved Which of the following would have been the most effective way to prevent the Callaghan government from falling in a vote of no confidence? If Mr. Downie's prediction was accurate, which of the following would have been likely to occur?

Mr. Callaghan could have worked closer with members of the Labour Party and minor parties to earn support. A vote of no confidence would have been staged and James Callaghan would have been removed from office.

According to the Chinese constitution, formal power of governing rests with the

National People's Congress

Russia's prime minister is primarily responsible for which of the following?

Overseeing the civil service

The journalist Walter Bagehot wrote, "The efficient secret of [its] Constitution may be described as the close union, the nearly complete fusion, of the executive and legislative powers." To which of the following systems was Bagehot referring?

Parliamentary

Two things about presidential government stand out. The first is the president's strong claim to democratic, even plebiscitarian, legitimacy; the second is his fixed term in office. . . . . . . In a presidential system, the legislators, especially when they represent cohesive, disciplined parties that offer clear ideological and political alternatives, can also claim democratic legitimacy. This claim is thrown into high relief when a majority of the legislature represents a political option opposed to the one the president represents. . . . Who has the stronger claim to speak on behalf of the people: the president or the legislative majority that opposes his policies? Since both derive their power from the votes of the people in a free competition among well-defined alternatives, a conflict is always possible and at times may erupt dramatically. . . . The second outstanding feature of presidential systems—the president's relatively fixed term in office—is also not without drawbacks. It breaks the political process into discontinuous, rigidly demarcated periods, leaving no room for the continuous readjustments that events may demand. The duration of the president's mandate becomes a crucial factor in the calculations of all political actors, a fact which . . . is fraught with important consequences. Source: Linz, Juan. "The Perils of Presidentialism." Journal of Democracy 1:51-69, 1990. Which of the following is an implication of the author's argument?

Passing laws on policy may be more efficient in parliamentary governments because the legislative and executive branches are fused.

Which of the following is a consequence of the bicameral legislature in both Mexico and the United Kingdom?

Policy making is slowed because both chambers participate in the policy-making process.

Nigeria's head of state is the

President

In which two countries does the legislative branch have the power of impeachment?

Russia and Nigeria

Which of the following statements best describes the judiciary in Russia and Nigeria?

Russia's government uses the judicial system to target opposition, and Islamic Sharia Courts have been established in northern Nigeria.

Which of the following is a feature shared by the political systems of Great Britain and Russia?

Separate individuals serving as head of state and head of government

The political institution that exerts the most power in China is the

Standing Committee of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party

Which of the following is an accurate description of the Mexican judiciary?

Supreme Court justices are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate.

Which of the following statements concerning Mexican and Nigerian politics is most accurate?

Supreme courts in both countries can exercise judicial review.

Which of the following accurately explains an outcome of differing judicial systems among the Comparative Government course countries?

The British judiciary uses common law to enforce rule of law, whereas the Russian judiciary uses the judiciary to target opposition.

Which of the following best explains a key difference between the Mexican presidential system and the British parliamentary system?

The British parliamentary system has fewer institutional obstacles in passing and enacting policy, while the Mexican presidential system is more likely to face institutional barriers such as checks and balances.

Which of the following best explains why, between general elections, the British prime minister is more likely than the president of Mexico to be replaced between general elections?

The British prime minister can be removed by members of Parliament (MPs), while the Mexican president can be removed only by the impeachment process.

Which of the following best explains the role of the judiciary in China?

The Chinese judiciary promotes rule by law instead of rule of law, resulting in a judicial system that is subservient to the Communist Party.

Which of the following institutions in Iran has the ultimate authority to assess the compatibility of laws with Islam?

The Guardian Council

Which of the following have veto power over legislation passed by the Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majles)?

The Guardian Council and the Supreme Leader

Candidate screening was part of the revolutionary system from the start. However, in the late 1980s, in the aftermath of the eight-year war and the death of the revolution's charismatic founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the Guardians' Council assumed a more stringent scrutiny over aspiring candidates for both the Assembly of Experts and the parliament, or Majlis. In his two terms as president, Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani strongly supported this shift, in hopes of diminishing the influence of leftist members of parliament who had opposed his efforts to spearhead post-war reconstruction. As with many episodes of Iranian politics, Rafsanjani's gambit came back to haunt him, and he himself was disqualified by the Guardians' Council for the 2013 presidential race. The aggressive vetting of candidates on the basis of factional preferences has forced movements like Iran's reformist front to engage in creative tactics, such as expanding the pool of prospective candidates in hopes of overwhelming the review process and supporting a cross-factional list that includes candidates from Iran's moderate camp. This is one of the reasons for the steady increase in applicants to run for office. As the list of registered candidates grew late last year, some observers suggested that reformist forces were hoping to flood the system, assuming that the Guardians' Council would not disqualify all of their candidates. For the upcoming vote, applications for both ballots reached record highs—the pool of candidates for the Majlis elections more than doubled since 2012. At the same time, however, the percentage of those approved to run plummeted to record lows. Only 51.4 percent of Majlis candidates were approved (6,229 out of 12,123), the lowest rate of approval for these elections ever. The closest parallel was the 51.7 percent approval rate in the Islamic Republic's first Majlis election in 1980, when an open power struggle raged among the various groups within the revolutionary coalition. Which of the following expresses the role that the Guardian Council plays in Iran's electoral process, according to the passage? Which of the following is a potential implication of the "flood the system" strategy discussed by the authors in the passage for Iran's legislative system? Which of the following is an argument that the authors would make about elections in Iran, based on the passage?

The Guardian Council vets all of the candidates seeking political office in Iran to make sure that all candidates have proper qualifications. It has the potential to elect more reformers to political office. The authors would argue that the role that the Guardian Council plays in the Iranian electoral system prevents elections in Iran from being truly competitive.

Which of the following is a difference between the parliamentary systems of China and the United Kingdom?

The House of Commons features Question Time and gives members the chance to question the prime minister, which does not occur in the National People's Congress.

Which of the following describes a difference between the Iranian and Nigerian legislatures?

The Iranian legislature is unicameral, while the Nigerian legislature is bicameral.

Which of the following describes an accurate difference between executive term limits in Iran and in Mexico?

The Iranian president is limited to two terms, whereas the Mexican president is limited to one term.

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 explains how power in the National People's Congress is constrained?

The National People's Congress is subservient to the Politburo Standing Committee, which is the actual center of power in China.

Which of the following best describes how the president is removed in Nigeria?

The Nigerian president is removed through impeachment proceedings in the legislature.

Which of the following is an accurate description of the executive in Nigeria?

The Nigerian president is the head of state and conducts foreign policy.

"Mr. Peña says his priority is to make the economy grow faster in order to reduce poverty. Nearly half the population are poor, many of them in the south. To achieve more rapid growth he will need to introduce a series of big economic reforms, some of which Mr. Calderón attempted during his presidency, only to see them get stuck in Mexico's cantankerous Congress. The PRI had hoped to win a majority in the summer's elections, but it fell short by 11 in the 500-member Chamber of Deputies and by four in the 128-member Senate. In any case, some of the most important reforms will need changes to the constitution, which require a two-thirds majority in Congress. . . . However, Mr. Peña has reason to be optimistic. The opposition PAN shares much of Mr. Peña's agenda, and together the two parties have a two-thirds majority in both houses of Congress. A new power to fast-track two bills per congressional session will help. A lot will depend on who ends up leading the PAN, which is restive and rudderless after finishing third in the presidential election." According to the passage, which of the following processes will be affected as a result of the 2012 election in Mexico? According to the passage, which of the following is an implication for executive-legislative relations in Mexico following the 2012 elections? Which of the following could Mr. Peña do to increase his ability to pass legislation following the 2012 elections?

The PRI will have to compromise with PAN, the opposition party, to pass legislation. Mr. Peña will have to work with members of his party as well as the opposition to get legislation passed. Mr. Peña can work with the PRI and PAN to establish a legislative agenda that is attractive to both parties.

Which of the following is a difference between the prime minister of Russia and the prime minister of the United Kingdom?

The Russian prime minister may be removed by the president, while the British prime minister may be removed as a result of a vote of no confidence.

Which of the following most accurately describes the role of the British cabinet?

The cabinet formulates, implements, and enforces policy through different agencies.

Which of the following is a consequence of the establishment of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom in 2009?

The doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty remains intact, which means the Supreme Court has limited powers and cannot overturn parliamentary legislation.

Which of the following is the most substantial cause of the weak judiciary in Russia?

The executive branch, which appoints judges, uses the courts to target opposition.

Which of the following best explains why the policy-making process in the United Kingdom is usually more efficient than in Mexico?

The fusion of executive and legislative power in the United Kingdom leads to fewer institutional obstacles to enacting policy, whereas the divided branch powers in Mexico make it more difficult.

Which of the following can be considered a fundamental feature of parliamentary government?

The head of government can be dismissed through a vote of no confidence in the assembly.

Which of the following is a consequence of fusing the executive and lawmaking functions?

The legislature can remove the executive through a vote of no confidence.

The role of the executive in Nigeria is similar to that of the executive in Mexico in which of the following ways?

The legislature has a constitutional check on the executive.

Which of the following is a check on the executive in both a presidential and a parliamentary system?

The legislature may refuse to pass executive proposed legislation.

Who selects the head of the British government?

The majority party in the House of Commons

Which of the following correctly describes the relationship between the Mexican Supreme Court of Justice and other political institutions in Mexico?

The president has the power to appoint or nominate members to the National Supreme Court of Justice.

Which of the following best explains the effect of the president's combined role as both head of state and head of government in countries such as Nigeria and Mexico?

The president is responsible for both executing the laws and representing the state.

Which of the following is often true about semi-presidential systems?

The president usually nominates the prime minister, which implies that the prime minister would support the president's policy agenda.

Russia's constitution provides for a semi-presidential system in which of the following ways?

The president's choice for prime minister must be approved by the Duma.

Which of the following best describes the primary role of the Mexican executive branch?

The primary role of the Mexican executive branch is to implement and enforce policies.

Which of the following sets the overall state agenda, serves as commander in chief, and appoints half the Guardian Council and all members of the Expediency Council in Iran?

The supreme leader

Which of the following is an accurate description of the Iranian dual executive power-sharing arrangement as outlined in the 1979 Constitution?

The supreme leader serves as commander in chief while the president conducts foreign policy.

Chinese leaders Hu Jintao and Jiang Zemin gained their political authority and effective political power from which of the following?

Their position as general secretary

Which of the following best explains the difference in cabinet selection between the Nigerian presidential system and the British parliamentary system?

There are fewer institutional obstacles for cabinets in the United Kingdom than in Nigeria because the executive and legislature are controlled by the same political party, so policymaking may be quicker and more efficient.

Which of the following is an accurate feature of the judiciary in China?

There is no independent judicial review

The primary difference between a commander in chief in a democratic regime and a commander in chief in an authoritarian regime is that only in

a democratic regime is the commander in chief accountable to the citizens

In Iran, the head of the judiciary is

appointed by the Supreme Leader

The political systems of Mexico, Nigeria, and Russia all have

bicameral legislatures based partly on regions and partly on population

The main duty of China's Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) is to

draft and pass legislation

One of the primary functions of Russia's Constitutional Court is to

exercise judicial review

In Great Britain, the title "chancellor of the exchequer" refers to the

finance minister

One difference between the British parliamentary system and the Nigerian presidential system is that the Nigerian presidential system

has an executive electorally independent from the legislature

The primary purpose of the Question Hour in the British Parliament is to

hold government ministers accountable for their actions

Parliamentary systems differ from presidential systems in that the head of government in a parliamentary system

is selected by the legislature, while a President is not

The use of judicial review in the United Kingdom is limited because

judicial review is seen as violating the principle of parliamentary sovereignty

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

northern region

Bureaucrats are best described as

officials who are responsible for the implementation of public policy

Divided government is possible in Mexico because it is a

presidential system

In addition to its basic lawmaking function, the Federation Council of the Russian Federation also has the power to

ratify treaties and approve troop deployments

In Iran, the concept of jurist guardianship states that

senior clerics have authority over the entire community

The power of the Russian prime minister is more limited than the power of the prime minister in the United Kingdom because

the Russian prime minister is limited by a much more powerful head of state

Rule of law is stronger in the United Kingdom than it is in Russia because

the judiciary in the United Kingdom is independent, whereas the judiciary in Russia is not

In a parliamentary system, a minimum winning coalition refers to

the smallest number of parties necessary to command a majority in an assembly

The common law system, especially as practiced in Great Britain, is based on

the use of precedents to guide legal decisions