AP Comparative Government: Iran

All of the following are true about the Iranian judicial system EXCEPT: a. The president appoints the top judges who are approved by the Guardian Council b. Human rights abuses and attacks on the media are approved by the courts c. Religious zealots help police the Islamic system and attack dissidents d. Women's rights are handled unequally according to their interpretation of Islamic law e. Judges are mostly conservative who follow the direction of the religious institutions

A

All of the following contributed to the decline of the Iranian Economy in the 1980s EXCEPT: a. commitment to free trade and liberalism b. decline in foreign direct investment c. war with Iraq d. decline in the price of oil e. inexperience and disdain for economics

A

The Ayatollah Khomeini changed the meaning of jurist's guardianship by a. expanding it to give the clergy authority over the entire Shia Community b. creating a Supreme Court to carry out its basic principles c. limiting to the clergy's authority over the unfortunate people in society d. interpreting it to grant the power to rule to the people e. interpreting it to reinforce separation of religious and political authority

A

The Expediency Council was first created by the Ayatollah Khomeini for the purpose of a. refereeing disputes between the Guardian Council and the Majles b. recommending appointments for government office to the Supreme leader c. devising the country's budget d. exercising jurist's guardianship e. passing qanun law

A

The Qajar rule shaped the political culture of Iran by laying the foundations for a. authoritarianism b. Sunni rule c. communism d. the theocratic state e. secularism

A

The United States was primarily motivated to co-sponsor the overthrow of Prime Minister Mosaddeq in the 1950s by its desire to a. keep a stable oil exporting regime in power b. keep Iran from becoming a rentier state c. keep Iraq from growing too powerful d. keep the Soviet Union from taking over e. keep Iran from becoming a dictatorship

A

The demonstrations and protests during the early summer of 2009 were sparked by a. accusations that presidential election was fraudulent b. striking bus drivers c. the privatization of the university system d. high unemployment rates and unsatisfactory labor laws e. a government crackdown against western dress

A

Which of the following is/are NOT appointed by Iran's Supreme Leader? a. the president b. the head of the Judiciary c. the Expediency Council d. the Guardian Council e. many nongovernmental directors

A

All of the following were characteristics of the rule of the two Shahs of the Pahlavi Dynasty EXCEPT: a. modernization b. rural economy c. military repression d. secularism e. pro-Westernism

B

An important cultural characteristic that separates Iran from most of its near neighbors is its a. identity as Arab rather than Persian b. identity as Shi'a rather than Sunni c. reliance on sharia law d. weak sense of nationalism e. history of authoritarian hereditary rule

B

Divine law, according to Islam, is called a. sunni b. shari'a c. qanun d. shi'a e. basij

B

What is the best description of political parties in Iran? a. they have a two party only system because of their proportional representation system b. they are many political parties that are generally either reformist or conservative c. they have an enforced one party system that supports Islamic ideology d. political parties are diverse to represent regional interests in the upper house of the Majles e. political parties are officially banned as they may increase internal political conflict

B

What is the main point of contention between Conservatives and Reformists in Iran? a. role of women b. role of religious and democratic institutions c. foreign policy d. commitment to Shi'a Islam e. economic policy

B

What is the role of Bonyads in Iran? a. private religious groups that seek to influence government policy b. semipublic institutions that manage many economic enterprises c. political institutions that advise the Supreme leader d. controversial reformist organizations not endorsed by the government e. volunteer militias that enforce religious behavior and dress

B

Which of the following is the best way to distinguish between democratic and authoritarian regimes? a. In democratic regimes, schools and the mass media are unimportant as agents of political socialization. b. In democratic regimes, leaders can be voted out of office. c. In democratic regimes, private citizens control the means of production d. Democratic regimes lack an ideology to exercise legitimate political power e. Democratic regimes hold elections.

B

In Iran, the head of the judiciary is a. appointed by the Guardian Council b. appointed by the president and confirmed by the Guardian Council c. appointed by the Supreme Leader d. chosen by a two-thirds majority of the Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majles) e. chosen by majority vote in the Assembly of Religious Experts

C

Political parties in Iran a. were banned by Khomenei which continues to this day. b. have become active only during the Ahmadinejad regime. c. must be licensed by the Interior Ministry. d. have a great degree of diverse views about the ideal regime type in Iran. e. are divided into socialist and neoliberal coalitions.

C

The Revolution of 1979 was different from 20th Century revolutions in Russia and China because it resulted in a(n) a. failed state b. ideological state c. theocratic state d. one party state e. dictatorship

C

The term "Green Movement" refers to a. the mass demonstrations that developed to overthrow the Shah in 1979. b. demonstrations by Iranian farmers for land reform. c. the protests that broke out following the 2009 Iranian presidential elections. d. an Iranian political party associated with President Khatami. e. Iran's environmental movement.

C

Which of the following has the right to dismiss Iran's Supreme Leader? a. Majles b. Expediency Council c. Assembly of Religious Experts d. Revolutionary Guards e. Guardian Council

C

Which of the following provide a check on the Supreme Leader in Iran? a. President b. Majles c. Assembly of Religious Experts d. Guardian council e. Expediency council

C

Which of the following public policy areas has Iran made the most gains in recent years? a. improving the environment b. decreasing drug abuse c. bringing down the fertility rate d. creating a parallel health care system e. ending human rights violations

C

An important result of the government's population policy that it has held since the late 1980s is that a. population has increased significantly b. the average family size in Iran has grown c. population has decreased significantly d. fertility rates have declined significantly e. Iran's population is disproportionately young

D

Civil society in Iran expanded most noticeably during the time a. after Ahmadinejad became president b. when the Pahlavi shas ruled c. during the rule of the Qajars d. when Khatami was president e. just after the Revolution of 1979

D

Educated women in Iran a. harbor numerous grievances against the regime especially the imposition of the veil. b. play a minor role in the Iranian economy. c. are banned from elected positions in the Majles. d. are organizing themselves to try to achieve greater equality within the framework of Islam. e. have been increasing in power through their status in the Shai'a clergy.

D

How did the Guardian Council change the political make-up of the elected institutions in Iran in 2004? a. they prevented elections from taking place for both the Majles and the Presidency b. they removed President Khatami from power and replaced him with a conservative c. they added an upper house to the legislature of appointed clerics d. they used their power of vetting candidates to disqualify reformists e. they ruled the Majles election void and appointed candidates of their choice

D

In recent years a crisis in political legitimacy in Iran has occurred between two conflicting ideas—sovereignty of the people and a. the power of judicial review b. sovereignty of the monarch c. charismatic authority of the president d. divinely inspired clerical rule e. outside interference by other countries

D

Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the colonial experience of Mexico and Iran? a. Mexico was only indirectly colonized but Iran was not impacted very much by western powers b. Both countries were officially colonized by a western power c. Neither country was ever officially colonized by a western power d. Mexico was officially colonized and Iran was not but Iran was greatly impacted by western powers e. Iran was officially colonized but Mexico was not since it was far away from Europe

D

Which of the following is the greatest source of resistance toward the clerical elite in Iran? a. Sunni Muslims b. ethnic minority groups c. political leaders of the Majles d. secular middle class e. the military

D

Which of the following is true about the Iranian Revolution of 1979? a. it was ended by a violent coup d'etat that removed and killed the shah b. the uprising against the shah was supported by the United States c. it was led primarily by peasants and rural guerillas d. there was a broad revolutionary coalition of urban poor, middle class, leftists, and clergy e. it was motivated by a decrease in consumer prices and a rise in the price of oil

D

In recent years women in Iran have had the most success in overcoming discrimination in terms of a. job opportunities b. equal civil liberties c. property rights d. representation in the Majles e. university enrollments

E

Language minorities in Iran a. were dying out but have enjoyed a renaissance under Ahmadinejad's administration. b. enjoy little freedom under the Islamic Republic but were given much freedom under the Shah. c. have always been suppressed throughout the country's history. d. are naturally dying out due to low birth rates among these groups. e. were given unprecedented rights under the Islamic Republic but in practice support for these has been minimal.

E

Privately-owned media in Iran a. are severely restricted in publishing intellectual content b. are forbidden from discussing religious matters c. cannot dispute any government policies d. enjoy freedom of the press e. must compete with government-owned media

E

Which of the following democratic characteristics is an illiberal democracy MOST likely to display? a. rule of law b. neutrality of the judiciary c. an open civil society d. guarantee of civil liberties and rights. e. regular, competitive elections

E

Which of the following is LEAST likely to be a cleric? a. a member of the Assembly of Experts b. the president c. a member of the Guardian council d. the Supreme Leader e. a member of the Majles

E