The Global Challenge of Comparative Politics

Question 1

For years after 2008, unemployment hovered at post–World War II record levels, and job creation was sluggish. True or False

Answer 1

True

Question 2

College graduates, similar to their non-college graduates, have equal levels of bleak job opportunities since the economic catastrophe of 2008. True or False

Answer 2

False

Question 3

In spite of the bad economic times, young people and middle-age workers are cooperating with one another to find solutions to the serious economic troubles afflicting the United States. True or False

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Political analysis, argues Kesselman, et. al., requires more than blogging, talking-head debates but involves both a longer historical context and a framework for understanding unfolding developments. True or False

Answer 4

True

Question 5

According to Kesselman, et. al, the study of comparative politics requires that analysts focus on a single national perspective and avoid the role of trade, mass communication, and culture because it detracts from the goal at hand. True or False

Answer 5

False

Question 6

According to Kesselman, et. al., there is no reason to include the study of the United States within the field of comparative politics. True or False

Answer 6

False

Question 7

There is little difference between the study of international relations and comparative politics, argue Kesselman, et. al. True or False

Answer 7

False

Question 8

According to Kesselman, et. al., despite increased international economic competition and integration, countries are still the fundamental building blocks in structuring most political activity. True or False

Answer 8

True

Question 9

The comparative approach principally analyzes similarities and differences among countries by focusing on selected political institutions and processes. True or False

Answer 9

True

Question 10

Although comparativists focus on the legislature, executive, political parties and court systems, they avoid such specialty areas such as education or the environment. True or False

Answer 10

False

Question 11

Rational choice theory is an approach used to analyze political decision-making and behavior that assumes that individual actors rationally pursue their aims in an effort to achieve the most positive net result. True or False

Answer 11

True

Question 12

In comparative politics, the state refers to the key political institutions responsible for making, implementing, and adjudicating important policies in a country. True or False

Answer 12

True

Question 13

Political legitimacy is greatly affected by the state’s ability to “deliver the goods” to its people through satisfactory economic performance and at least a minimum distribution of economic resources, argue Kesselman, et. al. True or False

Answer 13

True

Question 14

Because countries are the basic building blocks in politics and because states are the most significant political organizations within countries, these are two critical units for comparative analysis. True or False

Answer 14

True

Question 15

2011 began with an inspiring democratic surge where young people took to the streets in: a) Bahrain and Morocco, b) Jordan and Libya, c) Tunisia and Egypt, d) Syria and Lebanon.

Answer 15

c) Tunisia and Egypt

Question 16

The death of Osama bin Laden in the spring of 2011: a) assured that global terrorism would dramatically decrease, b) brought to rest the anger, sadness, and frustration for the relatives of the people who died on 9/11, c) eliminated Al Qaeda as an organization with no possibility of ever resurfacing, d) has most knowledgeable observers believing that his brand of terrorism may have lost traction but it is too early to tell.

Answer 16

d) has most knowledgeable observers believing that his brand of terrorism may have lost traction but it is too early to tell.

Question 17

According to Kesselman, et. al., “an important historical moment when political actors make extraordinary choices, which shape institutions and future outcomes” is referred to as: a) historical centerpiece, b) critical juncture, c) conducive event, d) cognizant alignment.

Answer 17

b) critical juncture

Question 18

Kesselman, et. al., refers to the groups with which people identify, including gender, class, race, region, and religion, and which are the “building blocks” for social and political action: a) consolidated analysis, b) holistic approach, c) apex hypothesis, d) collective identities

Answer 18

d) collective identities

Question 19

The ancient philosopher who analyzed and compared the city-states of Greece in the fourth century BCE according to whether they were ruled by a single individual, a few people, or all citizens: a) Socrates, b) Plato, c) Aristotle, d) Cicero

Answer 19

c) Aristotle

Question 20

The following involves comparing domestic political institutions, processes, policies, conflicts, and attitudes in different countries: a) international relations, b) comparative politics, c) political theory, d) public policy.

Answer 20

b) comparative politics

Question 21

An approach that gives priority to government regulation over the economy: a) libertarianism, b) supply-side, c) Keynesianism, d) mercantilism

Answer 21

c) Keynesianism

Question 22

Neoliberalism emphasizes: a) extensive government regulation over key sectors of the economy, b) the importance of market-friendly policies, c) government ownership of the utilities industry and other monopolistic enterprises, d) the need for establishing a social safety net for individuals suffering from the vagaries of the free market.

Answer 22

b) the importance of market-friendly policies

Question 23

The intensification of worldwide interconnectedness associated with the increased speed and magnitude of cross-border flows of trade, investment and finance, and processes of migration, cultural diffusion, and communication: a) International consolidation, b) Cross national diffusion, c) World Assimilation, d) Globalization.

Answer 23

d) Globalization

Question 24

The most powerful political institutions in a country, including the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government, the police, and armed forces: a) the nation, b) the political system, c) the state, d) the political culture.

Answer 24

c) the state

Question 25

A belief by powerful groups and the broad citizenry that a state exercises rightful authority: a) governmental values, b) consolidated authority, c) integrated hierarchy, d) political legitimacy

Answer 25

d) political legitimacy

Question 26

When a state’s geographic boundaries coincide with a citizen’s collective identity, the resulting formation is called: a) nation-state., b) state hegemony, c) government legitimacy, d) political integration

Answer 26

a) nation-state

Question 27

A theory that focuses on how individuals act strategically in an attempt to achieve goals that maximize their interests applying deductive and quantitative methods to construct models and general theories of political behavior that they believe can be applied across all types of political systems and cultures: a) Cooperative-level Theory, b) Rational Choice Theory, c) Structural Functional Theory, d) Dialectical Materialism

Answer 27

b) Rational Choice Theory

Question 28

Theories focusing on specific features of the political world, such as institutions, policies, or classes of similar events, such as revolutions or elections: a) Mid-level Theories, b) Deductive Reasoning, c) Comparative Advantage, d) Moral Hazard

Answer 28

a) Mid-level Theories