Deck 1: The Uses of Comparative Politics

Question 1

Aristotle believed that democracy was the best form of government.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Questions such as "is the population trusting or cynical?" and "is the country religious or secular" tap into the political culture of the country.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Nations construct states; states are not able to construct nations.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Some argue that the current wariness of Americans of giving Washington too much power is a direct product of our revolutionary path to independence from a strong monarch. This view is referred to as path-dependent development.

Question 5

Socrates said that for a government to be considered democratic, there must have been at least two turnovers in power.

Question 6

Catholic countries have had an easier time with secularization than protestant countries.

Question 7

All parliamentary systems are more stable than presidential systems.

Question 8

If you are able to convince your friends to do what you want, you have power over your friends.

Question 9

U.S. politics is characterized by its pure pragmatism rather than ideology.

Question 10

The political culture approach to comparative politics, introduced in the 1950s, explains political systems in terms of people's values.

Question 11

According to Aristotle, which form of government is ruled by many who rule in the interest of all?

A) democracy
B) polity
C) oligarchy
D) aristocracy

Question 12

If the U.S. successfully pressures China to decrease its human rights violations, despite the fact that China does not want to, the U.S. is exerting __________.

A) force
B) legitimacy
C) sovereignty
D) power

Question 13

Which of the following is a characteristic of democracy?

A) economic equality
B) a multi-party system
C) social equality
D) alternating power

Question 14

Under the "two-turnover" test, when is a democracy considered stable?

A) once two generations have passed
B) once there have been two constitutional law challenges that withstand court scrutiny
C) once there have been two elections in which one party replaces another
D) once there have been two executive terms without an attempted coup

Question 15

Which of the following countries is considered "not free" by Freedom House?

A) Turkey
B) Nigeria
C) Indonesia
D) Russia

Question 16

Who was the founder of political science who argued that comparison is the best method of study?

A) Plato
B) Kant
C) Aristotle
D) Machiavelli

Question 17

Political __________ are structures of power that are sometimes spelled out in constitutions but which have often simply evolved over time.

A) institutions
B) parties
C) regimes
D) cultures

Question 18

The Iroquois in the United States would be considered a __________, as it is a group of people psychologically bound together by a common culture.

A) state
B) country
C) nation
D) sovereign

Question 19

In the context of comparative politics, a __________ is the sovereign entity comprising governmental institutions and laws.

A) state
B) territory
C) kingdom
D) nation

Question 20

If you are the leader of a country, but constantly defer to the leader of the neighboring country to make decisions, your state lacks __________.

A) legitimacy
B) secularization
C) sovereignty
D) power

Question 21

A failed state is characterized by __________.

A) stability
B) collapse of state sovereignty
C) the two-turnover test
D) economic development

Question 22

If you are studying how natural boundaries like mountains and water affect the political development of a country you are studying __________.

A) political geography
B) comparative politics
C) international relations
D) political culture

Question 23

The process of __________ may awaken demands from the masses that must be addressed by the elites or else they may face revolution.

A) ruralization
B) modernization
C) nationalism
D) liberalization

Question 24

Democracy usually fails in countries with per capita GDPs of less than __________ and succeeds in countries with per capita GDPs of more than __________.

A) $3,000; $5,000
B) $6,000; $10,000
C) $10,000; $30,000
D) $20,000; $40,000

Question 25

According to political scientist Samuel Huntington, the __________ wave of democracy began with the American and French Revolutions and lasted until after WWI.

A) shortest
B) first
C) second
D) third

Question 26

Which of the following accurately describes democracy throughout the world?

A) Most countries are strong democracies.
B) Few countries purport to be democratic.
C) Most people live in thriving democracies.
D) A majority of people live in nondemocratic systems.

Question 27

Parliamentary systems are characterized by __________.

A) a weak executive
B) a directly elected executive
C) a legislative branch that selects the prime minister
D) political corruption and cronyism

Question 28

If you were developing the political institutions of a country from scratch and wanted to generate a political system that limits government turnover, you would choose a(n) __________.

A) authoritarian government
B) parliamentary system
C) presidential system
D) democracy

Question 29

Proportional electoral systems tend to produce __________, whereas majoritarian electoral systems tend to produce __________.

A) three parties; one party
B) competitive parties; noncompetitive parties
C) presidential systems; parliamentary systems
D) multiple parties; two major parties

Question 30

China has a(n) __________ system, and Russia has a(n) __________ system.

A) one-party; dominant-party
B) dominant-party; multi-party
C) dominant-party; one-party
D) multi-party; dominant-party

Question 31

What is the aim of most political ideologies?

A) self-betterment
B) improving society
C) revolution
D) maintaining political power

Question 32

The values and attitudes of citizens regarding politics and society are referred to as political __________.

A) beliefs
B) ideology
C) culture
D) fundamentalism

Question 33

The number of police officers a government has can be a proxy measure of that country's __________.

A) sovereignty
B) secularism
C) corruption
D) legitimacy

Question 34

Which of the following was a "fake state," as it did not have a sufficient political culture to keep it functional?

A) the Soviet Union
B) Nigeria
C) France
D) Afghanistan

Question 35

Which of the following would be an advantage of using the comparative rather than specialist method when trying to determine likelihood of regime collapse?

A) the ability to draw on country's extensive history to see if similar events have happened in the past
B) the ability to read government documents in the local language
C) the ability to apply lessons from other countries that have experienced similar collapses
D) the possession of in-depth knowledge of that's country's political culture

Question 36

What is Samuel Huntington's "two-turnover test"? How does this indicate whether a country should be considered a democracy or not? Do you agree? Explain.

Question 37

What does the term "political economy" mean? What types of debates arise within government institutions concerning political economy? Discuss at least three of these debates and provide specific examples from at least one country.

Question 38

What is a state? How is the nation related to the state? To what extent have they simultaneously evolved?

Question 39

Discuss the relationship between economic development and democracy. What degree of economic development is required to sustain democracy? Are there any exceptions to this? What role does the middle class play and how does this relate to economic development and democracy?

Question 40

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of presidential and parliamentary systems. Which system do you think is best? Provide examples of at least one presidential and one parliamentary system in your answer.

Question 41

What is a social cleavage? What types of social cleavages exist? How do they affect politics? Provide a detailed explanation of at least two social cleavages from two different countries.