Contemporary Political Analysis
Practice Questions
Course Introduction
Contemporary Political Analysis explores the theories, methods, and approaches used to examine political systems, behaviors, and institutions in the modern era. The course focuses on key themes such as power dynamics, governance structures, political participation, and policy analysis, integrating both qualitative and quantitative research techniques. Through case studies and critical discussions, students will assess pressing issues in global and domestic politics, develop analytical skills for interpreting political phenomena, and gain insight into the complexities of contemporary political life.
Recommended Textbook Essentials of Comparative Politics Fifth Edition by Patrick H. ONeil
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11 Chapters
385 Verified Questions
385 Flashcards
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Chapter 1: Introduction
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Sample Questions
Q1) Politics is defined in the text as the:
A)ability to impose your values on others.
B)struggle in any group for the power to make decisions for the larger group.
C)battle over economic resources and their use.
D)result of conflict between cultures.
E)relationship between international actors.
Answer: B
Q2) To a comparativist, which would be of more value: discovery of a correlation or discovery of a causal relationship? Why?
A)correlation, because it demonstrates more empirically that two variables are interrelated
B)causal relationship, because it describes a more concrete, specific relationship between two variables
C)correlation, because it is more valuable for quantitative research findings
D)causal relationship, because it is more valuable for qualitative research findings
E)neither, as both terms describe essentially the same relationship between two variables
Answer: B
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Chapter 2: States
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following lists Max Weber's three forms of political legitimacy?
A)traditional, charismatic, and rational-legal
B)traditional, charismatic, and technocratic
C)technocratic, democratic, and authoritarian
D)authoritarian, rational-legal, and charismatic
E)authoritarian, democratic, and revolutionary
Answer: A
Q2) The text suggests that the difficulty of amending the U.S.Constitution is evidence of the power of:
A)rational-legal legitimacy.
B)traditional legitimacy.
C)modern bureaucratic "red tape."
D)federalism.
E)charismatic legitimacy.
Answer: B
Q3) How is power typically divided in a federal system? What conditions in a country are most likely to lead to a system of asymmetric federalism?
Answer: Answer :Answers will vary.
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Chapter 3: Nations and Society
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following statements about fundamentalism is accurate?
A)Piety and violence are strongly associated with fundamentalism.
B)As a form of ideology, fundamentalism predates all other ideologies.
C)Fundamentalism's turn away from reactionary attitudes and toward radical attitudes often leads to association with violence.
D)Fundamentalists reject concepts of collective equality and individual freedom.
E)Fundamentalists have a wide spectrum of views on the balance between freedom and equality.
Answer: E
Q2) Following from the work of Bruce Lawrence, fundamentalism can be defined as:
A)an ideology that seeks to unite religion with the state.
B)a high degree of religious orthodoxy.
C)a desire to return a society to its premodern roots.
D)the use of violence toward religious ends.
E)any deeply held value that combines political and religious views.
Answer: A
Q3) What are the most important political aspirations related to national identity? What major factors can contribute to the formation of a national identity?
Answer: Answer :Answers will vary.
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Political Economy
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Sample Questions
Q1) Social democracy can be defined as a system that:
A)attempts to balance freedom and equality.
B)favors equality over freedom.
C)favors freedom over equality.
D)opposes both freedom and equality.
E)favors environmental concerns over freedom and equality.
Q2) ________ are the most fundamental components of political economy.
A)Markets and property
B)Income and markets
C)Property and assets
D)Income and assets
E)Supply and demand
Q3) The total market value of all goods and products produced in a year is known as:
A)the gross domestic product.
B)the national comparative income.
C)comparative national economics.
D)purchasing power parity.
E)the Human Development Index.
Q4) What basic public goods should a state provide? What should be left to the market?
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Chapter 5: Democratic Regimes
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Q1) In a parliamentary system, the prime minister serves as:
A)head of state.
B)head of government.
C)both head of state and head of government.
D)neither head of state nor head of government.
E)the final court of appeal.
Q2) Why does civil society matter, and do you think it is in any way connected to the idea of the rule of law? How? Why?
Q3) The electoral system that tends to produce a large number of political parties is:
A)the single-member district system.
B)proportional representation.
C)the mixed electoral system.
D)the single transferable vote.
E)binomial proportional voting.
Q4) Describe the benefits that political parties bring to a democracy.How might the structure of political parties differ between proportional representation systems and single-member districts?
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Chapter 6: Nondemocratic Regimes
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Q1) Is authoritarianism a more efficient means of rule than democracy? Why or why not? Can it offer any benefits over democratic processes?
Q2) Country X holds regular elections for a legislature, though most of its citizens have little faith in the validity of the results.Its powerful military operates largely outside of the control of the government, but it does not control the actions of the government.The government executive wields enormous power, but there is also a judiciary that occasionally rules on constitutional matters.A number of political parties compete with each other, but the government regularly restricts their campaigning activities.Based on this description, in which category could Country X most reliably be placed?
A)patrimonial regime
B)hybrid regime
C)military rule
D)clientist regime
E)corporatist regime
Q3) Can authoritarian rule be legitimate? Why or why not? Should all people live under democracy? What are the possible benefits and potential dangers that result from promoting this goal?
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Chapter 7: Political Violence
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Sample Questions
Q1) When looking at terrorists' backgrounds, we find that they:
A)often come from educated backgrounds.
B)are almost always illiterate.
C)almost always have religion as their primary motivating force.
D)usually have an extensive criminal background.
E)oppose political change.
Q2) What type of explanation for political violence can essentially be seen as a quest for a "root source" for violence?
A)institutional
B)ideational
C)individual
D)ideological
E)revolutionary
Q3) The modern concepts of revolution and terrorism can be first traced back to which important modern event?
A)French Revolution
B)American Revolution
C)English Revolution
D)Iranian Revolution
E)Russian Revolution
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Chapter 8: Developed Democracies
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Q1) A small province in a large European country feels that its ethnic and cultural heritage differs substantially from that of the country to which it belongs.The executive petitions the central government to allow the province to gain control over the design and writing of textbooks that are administered in its schools, a power formally held by the central ministry of education.The request is granted.This process would be categorized as:
A)centralization.
B)rationalization.
C)integration.
D)devolution.
E)imperialism.
Q2) Which is the better approach to dealing with immigration: multiculturalism or assimilation? What are the benefits of and drawbacks to each?
Q3) Is devolution a good thing? Should more power be sent down from state to local authorities? What might be the benefits or dangers of such a policy?
Q4) Describe how devolution and integration have become the greatest forces of change in developed democracies.Give a real-world example of each process.
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Chapter 9: Communism and Postcommunism
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Q1) How did Marxist theory change the lives of women in most communist countries?
A)Abortion and divorce laws were made more conservative, reducing women's access to both.
B)Women were given greatly expanding workforce and educational opportunities.
C)Many women rose to positions of significant political and economic power.
D)Gender relations changed dramatically in most arenas.
E)Traditional patterns of sexism largely faded and most women were able to let go of their traditional roles inside the home.
Q2) Why was communism unable to provide the benefits that it promised in theory? Are there inherent flaws in communist theory, or did those in power misapply its principles?
Q3) Gorbachev's perestroika was concerned with:
A)institutional economic and political reforms.
B)military disarmament.
C)devolution and federalism.
D)encouraging public debate.
E)religious freedom.
Q4) Why was communism able to spread across such a large part of the globe? What explains its attraction?
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Page 11
Chapter 10: Developing Countries
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Q1) Describe the motivating factors that began the process of European imperialism in the 1500s.Why were European states so proficient at expanding colonial structures in the less-developed world?
Q2) Which postcolonial region currently suffers the lowest rankings on the Human Development Index?
A)northern Latin America
B)Africa
C)central Asia
D)southeastern Asia
E)the Middle East
Q3) Which of the following is a component of import substitution, an economic strategy followed by many developing countries in the post-World War II era?
A)poor enforcement of intellectual property rights
B)lowering nontariff barriers
C)ending government business subsidies
D)privatizing nationalized industries
E)banning para-statal arrangements
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Chapter 11: Globalization and the Future of Comparative Politics
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Q1) Globalization is associated with the growing power of a host of nonstate or supra-state entities.What are the three major categories that these entities fall into?
A)interstate economic unions, nongovernmental organizations, intergovernmental organizations
B)multinational corporations, nongovernmental organizations, intergovernmental organizations
C)multinational corporations, nonprofit organizations, interstate economic unions
D)intergovernmental organizations, international regimes, multinational corporations
E)international regimes, interstate economic unions, nonprofit organizations
Q2) Will globalization overwhelm state sovereignty in the long run? Would this be a positive or negative development for the citizens in those states?
Q3) How might globalization shape democracy? How might globalization shape your responsibilities as a citizen of your country or of the world?
Q4) Is globalization unstoppable? What evidence suggests that it could (or could not) be reversed?
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