Unit 4 Practice Test
A pluralist system is characterized by which of the following? a) Competition among interest groups over public policy b) Considerations of only those interests that reflect plural ethnicities c) The control of interest groups over implementation and policy d) Governmental domination of interest representation
a
China's current economic and political systems can best be described as which of the following? a) Economic System: Mixed - Political System: Authoritarian b) Economic System: Laissez-faire - Political System: Federal c) Economic System: Centralized Marxist - Political System: Parliamentary d) Economic System: Socialist - Political System: Semipresidential
a
Facing worsening air pollution and environmental degradation, Chinese citizens have been increasingly organizing in large, informal groups to protest and mobilize for change. This is an example of which of the following? a) The development of a social movement b) The creation of a new political party c) The formation of local government councils d) The establishment of a nongovernmental organization
a
What is a similarity between elections for the United Kingdom's House of Commons and elections for the Nigerian House of Representatives? a) Members are directly elected by plurality in single-member districts. b) A national congress selects members indirectly through a series of local and regional elections. c) Half of the members are directly elected from single-member districts and the other half are chosen through elections that use proportional representation with a threshold. d) Candidates are directly elected in single-member and multimember districts, which sometimes requires a second round of voting.
a
Which of the following best describes the trend in the data for the Communist Party? a) The Communist Party has consistently been one of the top three parties to receive seats in the Duma, and it was the largest party in 1999. b) Since 1993 the Communist Party has consistently been in government leadership as a coalition partner. c) The popularity of the Communist Party in Russia has declined over time, and so has the number of seats the party has in the Duma. d) The Communist Party is supported only by older people and people who do not like President Putin.
a
Which of the following best explains how centrifugal party systems in the United Kingdom affect constituency service? a) Centrifugal party systems with single-member districts and two main parties provide voters with strong constituency service because there is one representative per district. b) Centrifugal party systems promote devolution, which provides voters with strong constituency service at the local level. c) Centrifugal party systems favor minor parties, which decreases constituency service from the main political parties and constituents in the political center. d) Centrifugal party systems with proportional representation and minor parties lead to less constituency service because minor parties do not generally provide service to constituents.
a
Which of the following best explains how the change described by the author affects policy making in Mexico? a) Greater competition among groups may lead to inconsistent policy making at times. b) Businesses will become more involved with developing national economic policies. c) Policy making among government officials will become more consensual but less transparent. d) Interest groups will have more stable and predictable relationships with the government.
a
Which of the following describes how the Mexican president is elected? a) The president is chosen using a plurality formula, where the candidate who wins the most votes in a single round is elected president. b) The president is chosen using a majority formula, where a candidate can win only if he or she receives more than 50 percent of the vote. c) If no candidate receives a majority of the vote in the first round of elections, a runoff is held between the two candidates with the most votes in the first round. d) A candidate can become president only if he or she receives at least 25 percent of the vote in two-thirds of Mexico's 32 states.
a
Which of the following best describes the trend in the data for Independents? a) The number of Independents increased between 1993 and 2016. b) The number of Independents decreased between 1993 and 2016. c) The number of Independents remained constant between 1993 and 1999, then increased between 1999 and 2016. d) The number of Independents increased between 1993 and 1999, then decreased between 1999 and 2016.
b
Which of the following explain the effects of different party system between two countries studied in the AP Comparative Government and Politics course? a) In the United Kingdom, single-member plurality districts have created a two-party system, whereas in Iran formal political parties do not exist. b) In Russia, the domination of one party leads to stable political leadership, whereas in China multiple parties have created a complex and competitive party system. c) In Mexico, a two-party system has emerged from single-member districts, whereas in Nigeria a proportional system has created a dominant party system. d) In Iran, a dominant party system is enshrined in the constitution, whereas in Nigeria thresholds are used to limit the number of political parties.
a
Which of the following is a difference between the legislative electoral systems in Mexico and Britain? a) Members of the British House of Commons are elected in single-member districts, and members of the Mexican Chamber of Deputies are elected in single-member districts and through proportional representation. b) Members of the Mexican Chamber of Deputies are elected in single-member districts, whereas most members of the British House of Commons are elected in multimember districts. c) Members of the Mexican Senate are indirectly selected by political parties, whereas members of the British House of Lords are elected directly by the people. d) Members of the British House of Lords inherit their seats, and members of the Mexican Senate are appointed by state legislatures.
a
Which of the following best describes how social movements differ from interest groups? a) Social movements tend to be ethnically based, and interest groups are economically based. b) Social movements tend to be less formally organized than interest groups. c) Social movements tend to be more narrowly focused on a single issue, while interest groups are broadly focused. d) Interest groups tend to threaten the stability of government more than social movements do.
b
A corporatist political system is one in which a) schools incorporate political socialization directly into the curriculum b) formal relationships exist between the government and recognized interest groups c) labor unions own and manage large public enterprises d) the executive branch is advised by experts sympathetic to business interests
b
Before the Mexican elections of 2000, the presidential nominee of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) had been chosen by which of the following processes? a) Majority vote of PRI governors b) Selection by the sitting president c) Party elite election d) Party primaries across states
b
Which is the best explanation for why the Mexican Chamber of Deputies has a higher proportion of women legislators than the United Kingdom Parliament? a) Male voters in Mexico hold significantly more progressive views on the role of women in politics than male voters in the United Kingdom. b) Mexico has gender quota legislation requiring parties to place a minimum percentage of women on their party lists, while the United Kingdom does not. c) Mexico's long-dominant political party voluntarily ensures that two-thirds of its candidates are women, while the United Kingdom's two largest parties do not. d) Mexico employs single-member plurality districts for the election of deputies, while the United Kingdom employs multimember districts and proportional representation.
b
Which of the following best describes how members of Iran's Guardian Council are selected? a) The supreme leader directly appoints all twelve members with approval from the Assembly of Experts. b) The supreme leader selects six members and the judiciary selects the other six members with Majles approval. c) All twelve Guardian Council members are directly elected every four years by the electorate. d) The Expediency Council appoints all twelve members of the Guardian Council every ten years.
b
Which of the following best describes the trend in the data in the table? a) There was a change from a single-party dictatorship to a multiparty democracy between 1993 and 2016. b) There was a decline in the number of parties in the Russian parliament between 1993 and 2016 and a shift to a dominant party. 3) There was a shift from a more regionally diverse parliament to a more ideologically polarized legislature. 4) There was a gradual increase in the number of democratic parties in Russia that were opposed to communism.
b
Which of the following best explains an implication of the author's argument on Mexican officials' relationship with citizens? a) State officials will continue to ensure that loyal citizens will remain influential in a pluralist system. b) With the move from corporatism toward pluralism, state officials will have less control over the demands of groups in society. c) Even though corporatism is diminishing in Mexico, the influence of interest groups in Mexican politics will remain constant. d) Mexico will become less competitive on the world market because corporations are losing influence with the government.
b
Which of the following best explains how Sartori's idea of centripetal party systems relates to the United Kingdom? a) There is one dominant political party in the United Kingdom, which has caused the other parties to move to the political center. b) There has been an increase in support for minor parties, which has pushed the major parties away from the political center. c) UKIP and the Greens are popular centrist parties, which has made the major parties move toward the political center. d) A large number of voters have switched parties since 2000, which has caused the major parties to move away from the political center.
b
Which of the following pairs of countries uses only single-member districts in the electoral system for its legislature? a) Iran and Mexico b) The United Kingdom and Nigeria c) Russia and Mexico d) Nigeria and Iran
b
The type of party system in a particular country is most influenced by the a) extent to which the country is a consolidated democracy b) size of the country's population c) type of electoral systems used for legislative elections d) gender quota laws for legislative elections
c
Which of the following best explains an implication of the author's argument as it relates to the Mexican state? a) Pluralism in Mexico will bring about more coalition governments. b) Pluralism in Mexico will be beneficial to wealthier citizens and businesses. c) Pluralism in Mexico will promote competition among groups not linked to the state. d) Pluralism in Mexico will create political pressure for democratization.
c
Which of the following characteristics best fits a catch-all party? a) Presenting voters with an ideological viewpoint that envisions the role of government in a consistent manner on all issues b) A singular focus on one political issue that it considers most important and in need of government attention c) A willingness to change its position on a given issue to encourage more voters to support it in any given election d) The transnational pursuit of power by presenting a consistent message to voters in multiple countries
c
Which of the following is an implication of political parties in both Iran and Russia? a) A lack of political parties in both countries is a major contributor to voter apathy in national elections. b) Political parties in both countries have successful regional parties which formed to counter the dominant parties in each country. c) The irrelevance of the traditional left-right ideological spectrum has reduced the importance of political parties in both countries. d) There has been a left-right polarization in both countries caused by economic class cleavages.
c
Which of the following is supported by the main idea of the passage? a) Demonstrators in Iran are unpredictable and unclear in their demands, which will lead them to be crushed by the government. b) The Arab uprisings in 2011 were the catalyst for the protests in Iran. c) The Iranian state could meet the demonstrators' demands and end the uprisings but probably will not. d) Students were the largest group of protesters in Iran, and their issues were resolved in 2011.
c
Which of the following statements best represents the outcomes of Figure A (Left side) illustrated above? a) Figure A represents a proportional representation system. b) Figure A and Figure B show Liberals surreptitiously getting more seats even when they had fewer votes. c) Figure A shows the outcome in a first-past-the-post electoral system. d) Figures A and B show that right-wing conservatives and left-wing radicals have been left out of the elections.
c
Which of the following features best explains why the United Kingdom has what Sartori calls a "centrifugal" party system? a) There is one dominant political party in the United Kingdom. b) The United Kingdom is a unitary system with devolved regional powers. c) Members of Parliament are chosen through proportional representation. d) Single-member districts promote two centrist political parties.
d
Which of the following is a consequence of the United Kingdom's single-member district plurality electoral system? a) British elections are not particularly free, fair, or competitive across the country. b) Ethnoreligious minorities have a very large representation in Parliament and the executive cabinet. c) Local governing authorities are appointed and have almost no political power. d) Third parties without specific regional support are often underrepresented in Parliament.
d
Which of the following is an implication for competitiveness of the electoral process in Nigeria and Iran? a) Iranian legislative elections are very competitive because the Guardian Council encourages free and fair elections, while Nigerian legislative elections are not very competitive because the incumbent always wins. b) Electoral competition in Iran and Nigeria is limited, and both countries ban women from running in presidential or legislative elections. c) In Nigeria, the government requires that a certain number of seats in the legislature are reserved for minority groups, whereas in Iran there are no legislative seats reserved for specific groups. d) The Nigerian government has established an independent electoral commission to encourage competitiveness in elections, while the Iranian government continues to impose strict limits on who can run for office.
d
Which of the following statements best represents the outcomes of Figure B (Right side) illustrated above? a) Figure B shows a first-past-the-post outcome. b) Figure A and Figure B show Liberals surreptitiously getting more seats even when they had fewer votes. c) Figures A and B show that right-wing conservatives and left-wing radicals have been left out of the elections. d) Figure B shows the outcome in a proportional representation system.
d
