Deck 3: States

Question 1

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

A)America's efforts in these countries have largely been successful,in large part due to the billions of dollars that have been spent on nation building.
B)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.
C)Afghanistan and Iraq already had long traditions of strong statehood and the rule of law,but were still unable to support democracy for ethnic and religious reasons.
D)Elements of democracy had existed prior to American military involvement in both countries,but the U.S.-led wars galvanized popular support for more authoritarian leaders.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

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

A)sectionalism
B)partisanship
C)spiritualism
D)socialism

Answer 2

A

Question 3

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

A)municipalities
B)states
C)counties
D)districts

Answer 3

B

Question 4

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

A)the private sector
B)the people
C)its autonomous subdivisions
D)a foreign government

Question 5

Which of the following would demonstrate institutionalized power?

A)the U.S.Supreme Court striking down a law as unconstitutional
B)the majority of Americans being in agreement on a major issue in an opinion poll
C)a large corporation using its influence to receive generous tax breaks
D)a significant increase in consumer confidence

Question 6

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

A)Theodore Roosevelt
B)John Kennedy
C)Franklin Roosevelt
D)Woodrow Wilson

Question 7

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

A)regionalism
B)unitary statism
C)political devolution
D)anarchy

Question 8

Adam Smith is most associated with which concept?

A)socialism
B)statism
C)laissez-faire
D)communism

Question 9

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

A)intervening in the economy
B)leaving the economy alone
C)creating monopolies
D)disbanding monopolies

Question 10

Weak states are characterized by __________.

A)the lack of civilian control over the military
B)the penetration of crime into politics
C)an adherence to economics
D)obedience to laws

Question 11

A process of devolution involves __________.

A)shifting some powers from central government to component units
B)limiting the role of the government in economic affairs
C)consolidating power within a central government
D)the government playing a larger role in regulating the economy

Question 12

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

A)authority
B)dissent
C)instability
D)anarchy

Question 13

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)foreign military involvement by the United States
B)one-party rule that remains stable for a long period of time
C)a fragile democracy followed by government collapse
D)a fragile democracy that inevitably strengthens

Question 14

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?

A)They are inflexible and have not evolved.
B)They are flexible but filled with partisanship.
C)They are flexible but always produce the same results.
D)They are flexible and have changed steadily over the years.

Question 15

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

A)partisan
B)liberal
C)federal
D)unitary

Question 16

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

A)appoint prime ministers
B)are only figureheads
C)control the agenda in parliaments
D)are all deceased

Question 17

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

A)weak
B)ineffective
C)failed
D)effective

Question 18

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?

A)failed
B)weak
C)effective
D)unitary

Question 19

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

A)authorities adhere to the rule of law with no practical exceptions whatsoever
B)authorities use the law to achieve their ends,but are themselves above the law
C)there is an absence of any legal tradition in the country's history
D)the people play the most important role in shaping laws

Question 20

Political institutions involve the __________ of a government.

A)weakness
B)public support
C)working structures
D)periphery

Question 21

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?

A)the decline of socialism as a political ideology,but the preservation of communism as a form of government
B)the end of communism and a rocky transition to federalism
C)the expansion of communist ideals solidified in a new constitution
D)the dissolution of North Korea as a state and the complete control of its territory by South Korea

Question 22

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

A)They demonstrate the ideal structure of democracy in a unitary state.
B)They are forced to alter national policies that they disagree with.
C)Democracy is practiced at the state level but not at the national level.
D)States can experiment with new programs,which,if successful,can be copied nationwide.

Question 23

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

A)Theodore Roosevelt split the Democratic Party
B)Theodore Roosevelt refused to run for president
C)the Constitution had been amended to impose terms limits
D)Theodore Roosevelt split the Republican Party

Question 24

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

A)fascism
B)libertarianism
C)modern conservatism
D)state capitalism

Question 25

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

A)It has repeatedly been dissolved by the prime minister in recent years.
B)It has two chambers that can override each other.
C)It is unicameral.
D)Its powers are largely ceremonial and legislation is nonbinding.

Question 26

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

A)the national legislature dominated by a single political party
B)a component state unable to raise sufficient funds to provide certain government services at the local level
C)the inability of component states to have any autonomy
D)local officials unable to make basic decisions without the express consent of the central government

Question 27

At the heart of the concept of a federal system is __________.

A)the nearly absolute lack of government regulation of the economy
B)the power of central government to dissolve political subunits at any time
C)the existence of component states with some powers that cannot be easily overridden by the central government
D)a fusion of the legislative and executive branch functions of government

Question 28

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

A)last to finish
B)first past the post
C)rule by the majority
D)voter turnout

Question 29

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

A)proportional representation
B)single-member districts
C)direct democratic initiatives
D)multi-member districts

Question 30

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

A)They each have a federal system.
B)They each have a confederation system of unitary states.
C)They each have military dictatorships.
D)They each have weak electoral democracies.

Question 31

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

A)the collapse of liberalism as a system
B)the collapse of conservatism as a system
C)the collapse of communism as a system
D)the collapse of neoconservatism as a system

Question 32

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

A)corrupt electoral
B)multiparty
C)weak judicial
D)two-party

Question 33

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

A)a parliament with very limited control over its national parks and wildlife reserves
B)the absence of a responsive government when citizens make certain demands
C)a declining sense of nationalism among elites in society
D)local officials unable to make basic decisions without the express consent of the central government

Question 34

Gerrymandered electoral districts __________.

A)make seats "safe" for one party or the other
B)heighten electoral competition
C)dramatically increase voter turnout
D)are illegal in the United States

Question 35

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

A)bipartisanship
B)plurality
C)minority rule
D)unanimity

Question 36

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?

A)The system will continue to add additional political parties that will be forced to form coalition governments.
B)The two parties that share the most ideologically will merge into a single political party.
C)It will eventually trend toward a one-party system defined by ideological purity.
D)Citizens will demand the creation of a new constitution.

Question 37

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?

A)allowing a foreign government to impose order in the component state
B)withholding grants from states that refuse to adopt a national policy standard
C)adopting a new political ideology to better serve the given policy
D)dissolving the component state

Question 38

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

A)produce a majority for one party in every election
B)allow each of the minority parties to override the actions of the majority
C)give a clear parliamentary majority to one party
D)use multi-member districts to broaden representation of the people

Question 39

The components of a federal system are typically represented __________.

A)in the upper chamber of the national legislature
B)in the chief executive
C)by individual political parties
D)by unelected delegates

Question 40

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?

A)Japan
B)China
C)North Korea
D)Vietnam

Question 41

Strong regionalism is likely to ease center-periphery tensions.

Question 42

State capitalism in China or Russia means that __________.

A)the government has allowed unfettered capitalism for all of its people
B)capitalist practices occur despite the fact that they are mostly illegal
C)the state plays no role in economic affairs
D)the government is essentially the number-one capitalist

Question 43

A country where crime has penetrated its politics would be considered a weak state.

Question 44

A first-past-the-post country with multiple political parties is likely to see parties merge until there are only two viable parties remaining.

Question 45

Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev would be considered a reformer.

Question 46

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

A)big business interests
B)elite demands
C)public opinion and party strength
D)the will of larger parties

Question 47

The upper chamber of a parliament usually represents the components of a federal system.

Question 48

Which statement best depicts China?

A)Since its reforms,China has become less capitalistic.
B)China has adopted state ownership of the economy,but has democratic political views.
C)China has become more capitalistic economically,but has an authoritarian political structure.
D)China has become democratic politically and more capitalistic.

Question 49

A state that is unable to control and tax its entire territory would be considered an effective state.

Question 50

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

A)free markets ultimately must take care of themselves
B)the government exerts too much control over the economy
C)state capitalism is the most preferred method for stable development
D)even laissez-faire systems adopt other elements

Question 51

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 __________.

A)overrepresented in the parliament
B)not capable of having a meaningful impact on the politics of a country
C)not forced to amalgamate into bigger parties and dilute its view
D)more likely to join with other parties to get its message out

Question 52

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?

A)laissez-faire system
B)socialist state
C)welfare state
D)statism

Question 53

First-order civil divisions in France are known as Länder.

Question 54

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

A)eliminating a state's sales tax
B)raising tax rates on top income earners
C)issuing new currency
D)using environmental laws to shut down industries that pollute excessively

Question 55

What is essentially the opposite of capitalism?

A)laissez-faire system
B)welfare state
C)statism
D)socialism

Question 56

The fact that democracy still fails to exist in a number of countries supports the ideas of Francis Fukuyama.

Question 57

The term laissez-faire generally indicates a desire for government intervention in economic matters.

Question 58

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 __________.

A)entrepreneurs
B)the scientific community
C)the state
D)the justice system

Question 59

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?

A)Paying down national debt.
B)Turning over national industries to the private sector.
C)Raising tax rates significantly.
D)Prohibiting individuals from owning gold or other precious metals.

Question 60

Single-member districts always produce an electoral majority.