01
Choose one
1 point
Which concept refers to the enduring system of rules and institutions that determines how leaders are selected, how power is organized, and how political conflict is managed?
Free Practice Quiz Question List
Political Regimes and Regime Change Online Quiz Questions
Use this free practice quiz with 20 questions to review Political Regimes and Regime Change, test your knowledge, and prepare for your next test or exam.
20 questions
02
True or false
1 point
True or false: The existence of elections by itself is sufficient to establish that a country is democratic.
- A
True
- B
False
03
Written response
1 point
What is the political-science term for the enduring system of rules and institutions that governs how leaders are selected and how political conflict is managed?
04
Fill in the blank
1 point
A democratic regime requires competitive elections and a so that incumbents can lose office and accept the result.
05
Choose one
1 point
Which institutional feature most characterizes a presidential democracy in comparison with a parliamentary democracy?
- A
The executive and legislature usually have separate electoral mandates
- B
The executive normally depends on a legislative vote of no confidence
- C
The prime minister is always directly elected by the entire population
- D
The legislature has no role in approving budgets
06
Choose all
1 point
Which two conditions are evidence that a regime holding regular elections may be hybrid rather than fully democratic? Select all correct choices.
- A
The ruling party uses state resources to make defeat extremely unlikely
- B
All opposition parties can compete under equally fair conditions
- C
Courts are politicized in ways that favor incumbents
- D
Incumbents regularly accept electoral defeat and leave office
07
True or false
1 point
True or false: Because authoritarian regimes can often implement policies quickly, their policy decisions are necessarily effective and beneficial to the public.
- A
True
- B
False
08
Written response
1 point
What term describes the gradual weakening of democratic institutions, rights, and norms, often through legal or incremental changes rather than a sudden coup?
09
Fill in the blank
1 point
Regime stability is strengthened by , which makes political competition follow predictable rules, and by , which leads citizens to view institutions as having a right to govern.
10
Choose one
1 point
Which event most clearly represents regime change rather than merely a change in government?
- A
A cabinet minister resigns while the constitution remains unchanged
- B
A governing party loses an election and hands office to its opponent
- C
A military coup abolishes competitive elections
- D
A legislature passes a new infrastructure budget
11
Choose all
1 point
Which two developments most directly support democratic consolidation? Select all correct choices.
- A
Political actors accept election results even when they lose
- B
The military intervenes whenever civilian leaders face a crisis
- C
Opponents are treated as enemies of the state rather than legitimate competitors
- D
Courts and election officials act impartially
12
Open ended
1 point
Explain how you would determine whether a country with regular elections is democratic, hybrid, or authoritarian. Distinguish formal institutions from their actual operation and identify the evidence you would examine.
13
Choose one
1 point
Which description best captures democratization?
- A
The first election held after a ruler announces a new constitution
- B
A process that expands accountable political competition and protects democratic rights and institutions
- C
The replacement of one cabinet by another within an unchanged authoritarian system
- D
A temporary suspension of elections during an emergency
14
Choose one
1 point
Which situation best demonstrates a defining feature of a democratic regime?
- A
A country holds elections, but the ruling party cannot lose under any realistic circumstances.
- B
A country holds competitive elections in which incumbents can lose and accept the result.
- C
A country has a constitution but no organized opposition.
- D
A country has a legislature that approves all executive decisions without debate.
15
Choose one
1 point
A country replaces its governing party through a fair election but keeps the same rules for selecting and limiting leaders. Which distinction best explains why its government changed while its regime did not?
- A
A government is the territory and population, while a regime is the group of current officials.
- B
A government is the enduring system of political rules, while a regime is the sovereign territory.
- C
A government is the current group exercising state authority, while a regime is the enduring system of rules and institutions.
- D
A government is the judiciary alone, while a regime is the legislature alone.
16
Choose one
1 point
Which scenario is most consistent with a hybrid regime?
- A
Regular elections occur, but incumbents use state media, politicized courts, and intimidation to make defeat extremely unlikely.
- B
All opposition parties are banned and no elections are held.
- C
Citizens freely replace leaders through competitive elections, and courts consistently constrain the executive.
- D
A military council openly suspends elections and rules without democratic institutions.
17
Choose one
1 point
An authoritarian government rapidly builds infrastructure, but officials conceal policy failures because they fear punishment. What conclusion is best supported by the material?
- A
Rapid policy implementation proves that citizens can remove leaders electorally.
- B
A government is democratic whenever it can pass infrastructure plans quickly.
- C
Few veto points guarantee that public policies will benefit the population.
- D
Centralized authority can speed implementation while still limiting accountability and producing distorted information.
18
True or false
1 point
True or false: Democratic backsliding can occur gradually through legally enacted changes that weaken courts, media, civil society, or electoral competition.
- A
True
- B
False
19
Written response
1 point
What regime category describes a system that holds elections and permits some opposition but uses unequal media access, biased rules, or intimidation to limit genuine accountability?
20
Written response
1 point
What term names the gradual weakening of democratic institutions, rights, and norms?