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POSC 215
Kesselman, pgs. 4-13, C:CP1-15
Part 1
THE GLOBAL CHALLENGE OF COMPARATIVE POLITICS
True or False Questions
1. 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
2. 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
3. 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
4. Kesselman, et. al. argue that there is no reason to include the study of the United States within
the field of comparative politics. True or False
5. There is little difference between the study of international relations and comparative politics,
argue Kesselman, et. al. True or False
6. According to Kesselman, et. al., because of the rise of globalization and the increased role of
international economic competition and integration, countries are no longer the fundamental
building blocks in analyzing most political activity. True or False
7. The comparative approach principally analyzes similarities and differences among countries
by focusing on selected political institutions and processes. True or False
8. Although comparativists direct their attention to the roles of the legislature, executive, political
parties and court systems, they avoid specialty areas, such as education or the environment. True
or False
9. 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
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10. In authoritarian states, political legitimacy is not greatly affected by the state’s inability to
“deliver the goods” to its people through poor economic performance because coercion and
threats of force compel the population to accept their condition, argues Kesselman, et. al. True or
False
11. 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
Multiple Choice Questions
1. The hostile relations that prevailed between the United States and the Soviet Union from the
late 1940s until the demise of the USSR in 1991: a) the Vietnam War, b) the Korean Conflict, c)
the Cuban Missile Crisis, d) the Cold War.
2. Under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, the following region was incorporated into Russia: a)
Crimea, b) Latvia, c) Estonia, d) Siberia.
3. An exclusive international club of the most industrialized nations in the world that deals with
both economic and political issues is referred to as: a) NATO, b) Group of 8, c) International
Economic Fund, d) World Trade Association.
4. According to Kesselman, et. al., “an important historical moment when political actors make
critical choices, which shape institutions and future outcomes” is referred to as: a) historical
centerpiece, b) conducive event, c) critical juncture, d) cognizant alignment.
5. 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.
6. There are approximately, how many countries in the world today? a) about 125 countries, b)
less than 135 countries, c) more than 200 countries, d) just about 300 countries.
7. 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.
8. 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.
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9. An approach that gives priority to government regulation over the economy: a) Libertarianism,
b) Supply-side, c) Keynesianism, d) Mercantilism.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. 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) legitimacy.
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. 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.
Fill-in Questions
1. In scarcely more than twenty years, we have
a) witnessed the collapse of the _______ _____ in 1989,
b) which ushered in the end of the _____ ____ era;
c) the attack on the ______ ______ _______ towers in 2001,
d) ushering in a new era of global insecurity in the face of mounting __________; and
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e) the ______ __________ of 2008, which threw the global economy into a tailspin,
heightened political conflict, and widespread anxiety about the future.
2. According to Kesselman, et. al., what were the five important critical junctures in recent
history?
a) 1989, which symbolizes the end of the _____ ____, and a wave of capitalist
democracies that replaced the former East versus West divisions
b) September 11, 2001, which reframes globalization, shifting attention away from the
development gap to __________, security, and the use of force;
c) 2008, a year that ushered in intense __________ and economic crisis around the world;
d) 2011, when ____-__________ movements toppled repressive regimes in North Africa
and the Middle East, and Japan was rocked by a severe earthquake;
e) 2014, when a resurgent Russia, under the increasingly authoritarian leadership of
Vladimir ______, annexed the Crimea and violated the sovereignty of ________.
3. What are the four themes incorporated by Kesselman, Krieger and Joseph, in analyzing
comparative politics?
a) The globalizing world of _______,
b) Governing the ________,
c) The __________ idea,
d) The politics of ___________ identities.
4. What are the policies followed by the Keynesian approach to regulating the economy for
achieving stable economic growth?
a) During a recession, state budget _________ are used to expand demand in an effort to
boost both consumption and investment, and to create ___________.
b) During periods of high growth when __________ threatens, cuts in ___________
spending and
c) a tightening of _______ are used to reduce demand.
5. Countries are:
a) distinct, politically defined ____________
b) that encompass ____________,
c) composed of political _____________,
d) as well as cultures, economies, and ___________ identities.
6. One widely-used approach in doing comparative analysis involves developing causal theories:
a) ___________ that can be expressed formally in a causal mode:
b) “If X happens, then Y will be the _______.”
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c) Such theories include factors (the ____________ variables, symbolized by X)
d) that are believed to influence some outcome (the __________ variable, symbolized by
Y) that the analyst wants to explain.
Answers
True or False Questions
1. False
3. False
5. False
7. True
9. True
11. True
Multiple Choice Questions
1. d
3. b
5. d
7. c
9. c
11. d
13. d
15. b
Fill-in Questions
1. a) Berlin Wall, b) Cold War, c) World Trade Center, d) terrorism, e) Great Recession
3. a) states, b) economy, c) democratic, d) collective
5. a) territories, b) governments, c) institutions, d) collective
A:CP1-15
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