AP Comp Gov Final
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 a dual executive whose perogatives and responsibilities are specified in the Constitution
Which of the following statements is true about Iranian domestic policy?
The predominant interpretation of Shari'ah law allows for birth control
Which of the following policies was a governmental priority for Russian reformers in the early 1990's?
The rapid transition toward a market economy
Gross national product (GNP) and gross domestic product (GDP) are measures used to compare countries on
The size of their economies
Interest groups tend to have minimal impact on individual legislators in parliamentary systems because
The strength of political parties gives individual legislators less power over policy
All of the following are issues currently faced by the European Union (EU) EXCEPT
The withdrawal of its founding members
Which of the following is an empirically based statement about politics in Nigeria?
There are many major ethnic groups in Nigeria
Which of the following statements accurately describes changes in the Chinese media in the past twenty-five years?
There has been an increase in investigative reporting
Which of the following is an accurate feature of the judiciary in China?
There is no independent judicial review
Which of the following is the best explanation of the cause of the democratic deficit in the European Union (EU)?
citizens lack direct control over the workings of the EU institutions
One of the central arguments of dependency theory is that
colonialism hampered the long term advancement of developing countries
Which of the following is true of Military rule in Nigeria?
many military leaders promised democratic rule and were followed periods by of democratic rule
The Russian political party system that has emerged since 1991 can best be described as a
multiparty system with one party dominating
Which of the following is a correct definition of a Camarilla?
organization that consists of a political leader's personal followers
In Great Britain, the House of Lords has the power to
postpone the enactment of legislation
Political culture is best defined as the
prevailing attitudes in a society toward government, authority, and participation
Why is Iran considered a rentier state?
Iran is able to capitalize on its oil revenues
Which of the following is true of the current Mexican Constitution?
It declares that all subsoil rights are the property of the nation and limits foreigners rights to exploit natural resources
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 defines a successful vote of no confidence
A majority vote in the legislature forces the resignation of the government
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 regarding class politics in Great Britain is true?
Although its impact has diminished class remains the most important source of social cleavage in British politics
In comparing procedural and substantive democracy, it is accurate to say
All substantive democracies are procedural, but not all procedural democracies are substantive
Which of the following has been an important consequence of the one-child family policy for Chinese society?
An increase in the median age
Which of the following provide a check on the Supreme Leader in Iran?
Assembly of Religious Experts
Which of the following is true of both China and Russia?
Both have weak legislative branches compared with the executive branch
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.
Which of the following occurs in a command economy?
Central planners determine prices on the basis of supply and demand
Following the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989, Iran's constitution was amended to
Change the selection criteria for Supreme Leader
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
In Chinese politics, the "mass line" refers to the principle that
Correct party leadership depends on constant contact between the party and the public
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
Which of the following types of regimes has had the greatest increase in number worldwide since 1970?
Democrats
Which of the following occurred soon after the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini?
Economic development became the central concern of the Iranian state
Which of the following was Deng Xiaoping's most important contribution to Chinese politics?
Economic liberalization
Which of the following is true about the current legal system in China?
Economic reform has led to judicial reform
One primary aim of the Cultural Revolution in China between 1966 and 1976 was to
Eliminate all opposition to the ideas of Mao Zedong
Which of the following is a key component of economic liberalization in former command economies?
Eliminating price controls
During the years of the Soviet empire's disintegration, the Chinese leadership did which of the following?
Emphasized liberalizing the economy rather than the political system
The most common strategy adopted by developing countries deal with the problem of population growth is?
Establishing policies that seek to reduce fertility rates
Health care, pensions, unemployment insurance, and direct economic assistance to those in need are
Examples of provision of public policies
Unlike Mexico and Nigeria, Iran has not experienced
Formal colonial rule
Compared with first-past-the-post, a proportional representation electoral system
Gives third parties a better chance at winning seats in a legislature
In a rentier system, public policy is less responsive to citizens because of which of the following factors?
Government revenues are derived from foreign purchases of a particular resource
Which of the following is a feature of the Iranian Political system?
Having a dual executive consisting of Supreme Leader and President
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 statements about the Maastricht Treaty are correct? I. It established European citizenship II. It established a uniform criminal code for all member states III. It paved the way for a single European currency IV. It devised a common foreign policy for all member states
I and III only
Which of the following countries have a history of corporatism? I. United Kingdom II. Russia III. China IV. Mexico
I and IV
All of the following is true of structural adjustment: I. it is strongly encouraged by IMF and World Bank II. it is strongly encouraged by the WTO III. it often results in large inequities in wealth IV. it sets up barriers to trade
I, II, and III
Which of the following were consequences of ending the centrally planned economy in Russia after 1991? I. Increased unemployment II. Decentralized production decisions III. An increase in the number of individually owned enterprises IV. A decrease in corruption
I, II, and III only
China's political leaders regard which of the following as integral parts of an eventually united Chinese state?('10) I. Hong Kong II. North and South Korea III. Taiwan IV. Tibet
I, III and IV only
Which of the following is true of the transitions to democracy in Mexico and Russia?
In Mexico old institutions were reformed while in Russia new institutions were created
Which of the following is a 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 in presidential systems they are separate.
Which of the following principles did President Mohammad Khatami put at the center of his domestic agenda in his first term?
Increased freedom of the press
One of the key socioeconomic changes as countries develop economically is
Increasing rural-to-urban migrations
All of the following countries have had active separatist movements EXCEPT
Iran
Which of the following countries is best described as a theocratic state?
Iran
Iran and Nigeria differ in which of the following ways?
Iran is a unitary state but Nigeria is a federal state
Which of the following is true of coalition government?
It tends to result from a fragmented legislature and can be unstable
Which of the following best describes Iranian political culture?
It values the community's welfare above individual rights
Based on the table above, which political party in Great Britain would gain the most seats from a change to proportional representation?
Liberal Democrat
Which of the lines shown in the chart above best represents the general relationship between per capita GDP and degree of democracy?
Line C
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
Interest group pluralism refers to a system in which
Many interest groups compete to influence the government policy
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
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
Which of the following is true of the legislature in Mexico?
Members are elected by proportional representation
All of the following political are features of the Iranian political system EXCEPT
Military rule
What is meant by the term "democratic deficit" in the European Union?
Most decision making in the European Union is done by nonelected officials
According to the Chinese constitution, formal power of the governing rests with the
National People's Congress
Which of the following countries has a history of coups d'état 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
A unitary system is best defined as one that has
No constitutional division of powers between the central and regional governments
In Nigeria, Shari'ah law is part of the legal system in the
Northern region
All of the following are true of Nigeria EXCEPT
Oil prices in Nigeria are low compared to the rest of the world
The voting behavior of members of the British House of Commons in principally determined by their
Party affiliation
Which of the following refers to the array of political parties operating in a particular country and the nature of the relationship between them?
Party system
Political parties in Nigeria are best described as being organized around which of the following?
Personalities and powerful individuals
In terms of actual practice, the key decision making body in the Soviet Union was the
Politburo of the Communist Party
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
The process by which basic political attitudes and beliefs are developed is 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
Nigeria's head of state is the
President
Which of the following one of the most important a causes of the Islamic revolution of 1979 in Iran?
Prohibition of Islamic religious practices
Both Mexico and Russia have
Proportional representation in the lower house of the legislature
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
Chinese citizens participate in politics by voting in elections for
Representatives to the local People's Congress
Which of the following statements is supported by the data in the table above?
Respondents were more likely to support devolution than to oppose it
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
Policies to decrease ethnic tension in Nigeria have included all of the following EXCEPT
Successful government led campaigns to promote nationalism
The European Union (EU) is an example of a
Supranational organization
The nature of the social and political cleavages in China and Russia are different because in China
The Communist Party is still one important and stable channel of upward mobility, while in Russia it is not
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 statements best characterizes the varying geographic distribution of the electoral support received by the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) and the National Action Party (PAN) in Mexico since 2000?
The PAN receives significantly more support in northern Mexico than the PRD does
Which of the following is true of the Mexican President?
The President is limited to one term of office
Which of the following is true of the election of the President in Nigeria?
The President must get support from a variety of regions in order to get elected
Which of the following was a direct result of the reforms initiated my Mikhail Gorbachev in the 1980's?
The Soviet government's legitimacy diminished as inefficiency and corruption were publicly acknowledged
The welfare service commitments of advanced industrial democracies are most seriously threatened by
The aging of their populations
In parliamentary democracies the major parties of the Right and of the Left tend to disagree most on which of the following?
The appropriate degree of government involvement in the economy and in solving social problems
According to dependency theory, which of the following is one aspect of the relationship between developed and developing nations in the global economy?
The economic progress of developing nations is hampered by developed nation's dominance of foreign direct investment in developing nations
All of the following were results of NAFTA in Mexico EXCEPT?
The government began to nationalization more industries after its adoption
A successful vote of no confidence in a parliamentary system means that
The government steps down and a new government must be formed
Which of the following can be considered a fundamental feature of a parliamentary system of government?
The head of government can be dismissed through a vote of no confidence in the assembly
China's management of public policy crises is best characterized by
The importance of secrecy in the Chinese Communist Party
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
Which of the following is a true statement about the adoption of competitive elections in Chinese villages?
They were initiated by the state to control local corruption and incompetent leaders
Which country below is a unitary system that has experienced devolution?
United Kingdom
Civil societies require which of the following?
Voluntary associations
The Russian constitution of 1993 differs significantly from the Soviet constitution in that the 1993 constitution has
allowed the President to disband the Parliament
The European Union (EU) challenges the sovereignty of member states in Europe because
an increasing number of decisions are now being made by the EU instead of being made solely by national governments
An illiberal democracy would typically be characterized by
elections coupled with restrictions on individual liberties
In Great Britain, the Prime Minister is
he head of government and leader of the dominant party in Parliament
The primary purpose of Question Hour in the British Parliament is to
hold government ministers accountable for their actions
Which of the following has the responsibility of disqualifying candidates for public office in Iran?
the Guardian Council
After the adoption of the Russian constitution in 1993, which of the following institutions has had the most power in Russia?
the President
In Russian politics, all of the following contribute to the continuing attraction of authoritarian political forces such as ultranationalists and former communists EXCEPT
the desire of most Russians to reestablish the tsarist empire
Which of the following best describes a command economy?
the government makes all fundamental economic decisions about capital investment, prices, wages, and production levels
Which of the following most accurately describes the population of Iran?
the largest cleavage is between the secular and religious populations
