01
Choose one
1 point
Which feature most directly distinguishes a parliamentary system from a presidential system?
Free Practice Quiz Question List
Comparative Politics Review and Applications Online Quiz Questions
Use this free practice quiz with 20 questions to review Comparative Politics Review and Applications, test your knowledge, and prepare for your next test or exam.
20 questions
02
Choose one
1 point
A country changes from proportional representation to majoritarian district elections. Which consequence is most consistent with the material?
- A
They guarantee that every party receives seats exactly equal to its vote share.
- B
They eliminate the importance of geographic districts.
- C
They award seats to district winners and can encourage concentrated parties.
- D
They require all governments to be formed by coalitions.
03
Choose one
1 point
A government adopts a public-service reform, but local agencies lack trained personnel and reliable funding. Which conclusion best applies the material?
- A
A formally adopted policy may produce limited results if agencies lack capacity.
- B
A policy always succeeds once a legislature has enacted it.
- C
Implementation depends only on whether citizens support the policy.
- D
Bureaucracies affect policy only during election campaigns.
04
Choose all
1 point
Which indicators could be used to operationalize state capacity? Select all that apply.
- A
Tax collection
- B
Survey trust in government
- C
Administrative reach
- D
Public-service delivery
- E
Election uncertainty
05
Choose all
1 point
Which two practices would make a comparison of executive accountability analytically strong? Select all that apply.
- A
List one unrelated fact about each country.
- B
Provide specific evidence for each case.
- C
Assume that a formal constitutional rule fully determines behavior.
- D
Explain the cause of the relevant similarity or difference.
06
True or false
1 point
True or false: A positive correlation between economic growth and regime legitimacy is sufficient by itself to prove that economic growth caused greater legitimacy.
- A
True
- B
False
07
True or false
1 point
If a country holds elections, analysts can infer that those elections provide meaningful democratic accountability without examining competition or civil liberties.
- A
True
- B
False
08
Written response
1 point
What political concept refers to a government's administrative ability to implement decisions throughout its territory?
09
Fill in the blank
1 point
In comparative analysis, a explains the process connecting a cause to an outcome, such as political .
10
Fill in the blank
1 point
The CER structure consists of , , and .
11
Open ended
1 point
Compare executive-legislative accountability in the United Kingdom and Mexico. Write a concise evidence-based response that identifies an institutional difference, provides specific evidence for both cases, explains the mechanism connecting the difference to a political consequence, and includes one reasonable qualification.
12
Choose one
1 point
A researcher wants to investigate why two countries with similar constitutional structures have different education-policy results. Which research design best fits the material?
- A
Choose cases that differ in every major characteristic.
- B
Choose cases that share some characteristics but differ on an important outcome.
- C
Choose only countries with identical policies and outcomes.
- D
Choose the country with the largest population and ignore other cases.
13
Choose one
1 point
In comparative political analysis, what is a mechanism?
- A
A label used to classify a regime
- B
The process connecting a cause to an outcome
- C
A numerical indicator used in a data set
- D
A list of political actors
14
True or false
1 point
True or false: The presence of elections by itself is sufficient evidence that a political system provides democratic accountability.
- A
True
- B
False
15
Choose one
1 point
Which comparison best explains a difference in executive-legislative accountability between the United Kingdom and Mexico?
- A
Both executives are selected by and remain directly dependent on the legislature.
- B
Both systems give the executive an independent mandate separate from the legislature.
- C
The United Kingdom’s executive depends on legislative confidence, whereas Mexico’s president has a separate electoral mandate.
- D
Mexico’s executive is appointed by the judiciary, whereas the United Kingdom’s executive is selected by regional governments.
16
Written response
1 point
What is the political-science term for selecting observable indicators to measure an abstract concept such as legitimacy or state capacity?
17
Choose one
1 point
A country awards legislative seats to candidates or parties that win individual districts. Which electoral system is being described?
- A
Majoritarian rules
- B
Proportional representation
- C
Mixed electoral systems
- D
Electoral authoritarianism
18
Choose one
1 point
Two governments adopt similar education reforms, but only one produces substantial improvements in schools. Which factor from the material provides the strongest explanation for this difference?
- A
The symbolic language used to announce the policy
- B
The number of countries making similar announcements
- C
The formal existence of a legislative majority
- D
Administrative capacity to implement the policy
19
Written response
1 point
What analytical error occurs when a researcher treats a statistical association between two variables as proof that one variable caused the other?
20
Written response
1 point
A researcher wants to explain why a policy reform produced a particular outcome. She reconstructs the initial problem, public demands, elite negotiations, government action, bureaucratic steps, and measurable consequences in sequence. What qualitative analytical method is she using?