Chapter 3 practice test - - - Political science

If a small part of the population in a proportional representation system really believes in something, it can run as a party and win seats, meaning that it is __________.

not forced to amalgamate into bigger parties and dilute its view

Single-member districts produce winners on the basis of __________.

plurality

Compared to FPTP, proportional representation means that the country's legislature more accurately reflects __________.

public opinion and party strength

As it concerns the unitary versus federal classification of states, which country has a uniquely in-between situation, with some unitary aspects and notable decentralization?

China

Why have U.S. states been called laboratories of democracy?

States can experiment with new programs, which, if successful, can be copied nationwide

Which of the following would demonstrate institutionalized power?

The U.S. Supreme Court striking down a law as unconstitutional

If a "first-past-the-post" country has three viable political parties, but no one ever reaches 50 percent of the vote, what is the most likely result over time?

The two parties that share the most ideologically will merge into a single political party

Imagine that you are looking at a country's main political institutions to find out whether they meet a standard of good, effective governance. Which of the following characteristics would signify that they fail to meet this standard?

They are inflexible and have not evolved

The process of decentralization in France was intended to make the country less __________.

Unitary

Which of the following would highlight a critical downside of a federal system?

a component state unable to raise sufficient funds to provide certain government services at the local level

Authoritarian systems that are often in the category of failed states deliberately confuse rule of law with "rule by law," which essentially means that __________.

authorities use the law to achieve their ends but are themselves above the law

The current economic situation in China can be described by which of the following?

state capitalism

First-order civil divisions in the United States are represented by __________.

states

Imagine a system where there is significant control of industry but there are few welfare benefits paid out to citizens. Which of the following labels would best apply, given the circumstances?

statism

The fact that the Soviet Union ceased to exist by the end of 1991 is indicative of __________.

the collapse of communism as a system

If the politics of glasnost in Russia were applied, in a similar manner and with similar results, to the communist dictatorship of North Korea, what would be the outcome?

the end of communism and a rocky transition to federalism

At the heart of the concept of a federal system is ______

the existence of component states with some powers that cannot be easily overridden by the central government

State capitalism in China or Russia means that

the government is essentially the number one capitalist

Weak states are characterized by __________.

the penetration of crime into politics

If you were most concerned with what could be the best agent of modernization in your country, experts would most likely point you toward the role of __________.

the state

Woodrow Wilson won the U.S. presidency in 1912 only because __________.

theodore roosevelt split the republican party

What do England, Germany, and India have in common?

they each have a federal system

First-past-the-post (FPTP) countries tend to have __________ systems.

two-party

If you read reports from a particular country that indicate how easily people can bribe police officers, prosecutors, and judges to get themselves out of legal trouble, this would most likely suggest the existence of what kind of state?

weak

Consistent with the ideas of Francis Fukuyama, the establishment of democracy in a given country that was not ready for it is most likely to end up with what outcome?

a fragile democracy followed by government collapse

Which statement best depicts China?

china has become more capitalistic economically but has an authoritarian political structure

Most FPTP systems are also called majoritarian systems because they __________.

give a clear parliamentary majority to one party

The components of a federal system are typically represented __________.

in the upper chamber of the national legislature

Which of the following is true of Japan's assembly?

it is unicameral

Federalism is the balancing of power between a nation's central government and __________.

its autonomous subdivisions

Which of the following best describes the term laissez-faire?

leaving the economy alone

Which of the following would highlight a critical downside of a unitary system?

local officials unable to make basic decisions without the express consent of the central government

Gerrymandered electoral districts __________.

make seats safe for one party or the other

Imagine a country that has new leadership and is committed to transitioning to a welfare state similar to Sweden or Denmark. What is a likely policy action that would allow this?

raising tax rates significantly

Which of the following is often the basis for center-periphery tensions?

regionalism

A process of devolution involves _________

shifting some powers from central government to component units

If you were interested in designing a country with moderate, centrist, and pragmatic politics, what feature would you be most likely to support?

single-member districts

What is essentially the opposite of capitalism?

socialism

Adam Smith is most associated with which concept?

laissez-faire

The American Civil War was largely fought for reasons that involved __________.

sectionalism

George Washington retired after two terms. No other president tried to serve longer, until __________.

Franklin Roosevelt

Federal governments cannot always demand policy change in their component states, but they are often able to exert their influence in other ways. What would be an example of this dynamic?

withholding grants from states that refuse to adopt a national policy standard

Political institutions involve the __________ of a government.

working structures

Francis Fukuyama would likely agree with which of the following statements regarding democracy in Afghanistan and Iraq?

America's effort to democratize these countries has been met with very limited success because it essentially skipped over the prerequisites of a strong state and rule of law.

Almost all countries today are republics; this includes constitutional monarchies, due to the fact that royal families in constitutional monarchies __________.

are only figureheads

Political institutions represent established and durable patterns of __________ in a country.

authority

A state that is able to control and tax its entire territory would be considered __________.

effective

Which of the following policy reforms would be most indicative of a laissez-faire approach?

eliminating a state's sales tax

Bailouts for financial giants in the United States deemed "too big to fail" are illustrative of the fact that __________.

even laissez faire systems adopt other elements

Another way of describing single-member districts with plurality win is to use the phrase __________.

first past the post