Online Quiz #3

Question 1

The origins of British democracy can be traced back to the:

• Bill of Rights, 1689.
• Magna Carta, 1215.
• Patronage Act, 1752.

Answer 1

Magna Carta, 1215.

Question 2

The ability of constitutional courts to strike down legislation even in the absence of a specific court case is known as ________ review.

• abstract
• concrete
• preemptive

Answer 2

abstract

Question 3

Single-member district systems are:

• electoral systems in which a candidate must win an absolute majority of the vote in a district to win the seat.
• electoral systems in which the percentage of votes a party receives in a district will determine how many seats that party will win.
• electoral systems in which the candidate with the largest share of the vote in a district wins the seat.

Answer 3

electoral systems in which the candidate with the largest share of the vote in a district wins the seat.

Question 4

Stalin’s rule in the Soviet Union is mostly associated with which of the following concepts?

• rational-legal legitimacy
• personality cult
• patrimonialism

Answer 4

personality cult

Question 5

Prime ministers can be removed through which mechanism?

• impeachment
• recall
• vote of no confidence

Answer 5

vote of no confidence

Question 6

Communist countries are examples of which form of authoritarianism?

• hybrid regimes
• patrimonialism
• one-party rule

Answer 6

one-party rule

Question 7

Once considered relatively unusual, military rule became much more common over the past 50 years, particularly in:

• Africa and Latin America.
• East Asia and Latin America.
• Africa and East Asia.

Answer 7

Africa and Latin America.

Question 8

Which of the following statements about populism is accurate?

• Populism draws much of its power from an institutional approach.
• Populism is a specific ideology most closely associated with clientelism.
• Populist movements are often led by a charismatic leader.

Answer 8

Populist movements are often led by a charismatic leader.

Question 9

Which term refers to a military seizure of the government?

• regime disruption
• coup d’état
• military usurpation

Answer 9

coup d’état

Question 10

Nondemocratic regimes are best defined as political systems wherein:

• a small group of individuals exercises power over the state without being constitutionally responsible to the public.
• a small group of individuals exercises power but remains constitutionally responsible to the public.
• power is held by a single political party.

Answer 10

a small group of individuals exercises power over the state without being constitutionally responsible to the public.

Question 11

Bicameral systems can be traced back to different representation for:

• religious groups.
• economic classes.
• religious groups.

Answer 11

economic classes.

Question 12

Countries that appear to have many of the trappings of democracy but restrict the democratic process to a great degree are known as:

• illiberal or hybrid regimes.
• democratic tyrannies.
• subdemocracies.

Answer 12

illiberal or hybrid regimes.

Question 13

The executive in charge of dealing with running the state and formulating policy is the:

• head of state.
• head of government
• Chief executive

Answer 13

head of government

Question 14

As a political system, totalitarianism is:

• common only in Latin America.
• a force that has been growing in power since the end of the Cold War.
• rare

Answer 14

rare

Question 15

Which of the following best describes the relationship between civil society and nondemocratic regimes?

• Elimination of civil society by nondemocratic regimes can sometimes encourage populist ideology.
• Nondemocratic regimes attempt to eliminate the idea of the state as an arena for social organization.
• Nondemocratic regimes often seek to empower and expand civil society.

Answer 15

Elimination of civil society by nondemocratic regimes can sometimes encourage populist ideology.

Question 16

What is meant by the term liberal democracy?

• a democratic system that values personal freedom above all
• a democratic system that promotes participation, competition, and liberty
• a democratic system that promotes process, liberty, and minority rights

Answer 16

a democratic system that promotes participation, competition, and liberty

Question 17

Which of the following statements about legislative structures is accurate?

• In the evolution of bicameral systems, lower houses were usually retained as a check on
• In bicameral systems, lower houses typically amend or veto legislation originating in the upper house.
• The majority of liberal democracies have bicameral systems.

Answer 17

The majority of liberal democracies have bicameral systems.

Question 18

In which of the following ways does a proportional representation (PR) system differ from a single-member district (SMD) system?

• In a PR system, individual candidates win by plurality vote instead of majority.
• Voters in a PR system are typically more willing to vote for smaller parties.
• Voters in a PR system cast a ballot for a candidate and for a party, not just for a candidate.

Answer 18

Voters in a PR system are typically more willing to vote for smaller parties.

Question 19

In a presidential system, the president typically serves as:

• both head of state and head of government.
• head of government.
• head of state.

Answer 19

both head of state and head of government.

Question 20

The executive who symbolizes and represents the people is the:

• head of government.
• head of state
• ceremonial head.

Answer 20

head of state.

Question 21

A system in which states co-opt members of the public by providing specific benefits to a person in return for public support is:

• neocorporatism.
• corporatism.
• clientelism.

Answer 21

clientelism.

Question 22

Purges are an example of:

• corporatism.
• a resource trap.
• coercion.

Answer 22

coercion.

Question 23

Which of the following statements about constitutional courts in the world is accurate?

• Trials have more influence on constitutional interpretation in countries with a fused appellate
• Most countries have a constitutional court, but less than half have endowed the constitutional court with the power of judicial review.
• Constitutional courts implementing abstract review usually do so at the request of the head of state or through referenda.

Answer 23

Trials have more influence on constitutional interpretation in countries with a fused appellate

Question 24

A system wherein authoritarian regimes sanction a limited number of organizations to represent the public (and restrict unsanctioned ones) is known as:

• neocorporatism.
• corporatism.
• clientelism.

Answer 24

corporatism.

Question 25

Which of the following was an effect of the rapid development of many Asian countries in the 1970s on the study of democracy?

• It demonstrated that overall poverty is not an impediment to democratization.
• It demonstrated that elites were the driving force behind early democratization.
• It helped to discredit modernization theory.

Answer 25

It helped to discredit modernization theory.