Deck 19: Iran

Question 1

The velayat-e faqih refers to

A)those fundamentalist Shia who reject the Koran over the worship of the hidden imam.
B)the belief in clerical rule that gives political power to religious leaders.
C)the core belief of quietist Shia that politics and faith must not be mixed.
D)the belief in economic redistribution as consistent with the Koran's emphasis on social justice.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Within the legislative process,what is the relationship between the Majlis and the Expediency Council?

A)The Expediency Council has no formal power over legislation,but exerts a strong policy influence on the Majlis.
B)The Expediency Council rules on unresolved legislative disagreements between the Guardian Council and the Majlis.
C)The Expediency Council must approve all legislation issued by the Majlis based on compatibility with the constitution.
D)The Expediency Council serves,as 12 individuals within the Majlis who vote in a bloc,to represent the ayatollah's interests.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Shiism differs from Sunni Islam in its emphasis on

A)the possibility for reincarnation among those free of sin.
B)the need for a literal reading of the Koran.
C)mysticism and ritual.
D)the descendants of Mohammad as true leaders of Islam.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Mohammad Khatami's presidency is best known for his

A)attempts at political reform.
B)attempts to roll back earlier political reform.
C)leadership during the Iran-Iraq war.
D)role in restarting Iran's nuclear weapons program.

Question 5

In which of the following ways did the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad differ from that of Mohammad Khatami?

A)It was more openly confrontational with the United States.
B)It involved less direct aid to the poor and more deference to clerical leaders.
C)It sought an invigoration of Iran's civil society.
D)It made improvements in women's rights a cornerstone of its reform efforts.

Question 6

The perpetrators of the 1979 Iranian Revolution sought to create what kind of regime?

A)monarchy
B)theocracy
C)illiberal democracy
D)secular republic

Question 7

What kind of electoral system does Iran use for the Majlis and Assembly of Experts?

A)single-member district
B)proportional representation
C)mixed proportional representation and single-member district
D)single-member and multimember districts

Question 8

Some note that Shiism resembles Christianity in its

A)belief that baptism can cleanse a person of past sins.
B)belief in a religious figure that will return to the world and restore faith and justice.
C)inherently political nature.
D)veneration of Jesus and Mary.

Question 9

Executive power in Iran lies primarily with the

A)supreme leader and president.
B)president's Assembly of Experts.
C)supreme leader and Majlis.
D)president and the Guardian Council.

Question 10

The Revolutionary Guard is

A)a paramilitary force controlled by the supreme leader.
B)the body that selects the supreme leader.
C)composed of religious leaders who have been approved by the government to preach.
D)the name given the opposition forces that oppose the supreme leader.

Question 11

Which of the following descriptions best characterizes the policy of the Islamic Republic toward drug and alcohol abuse in Iran?

A)hands-off policy that has allowed drug abuse to flourish
B)fairly liberal policy from the inception of the Islamic Republic resembling that of European welfare states
C)severe punishment policies,including capital punishment,despite widespread illegal consumption of drugs and alcohol
D)initially forgiving,treatment-based policy that has become more cruel and punishment-oriented in recent years

Question 12

Which of the following statements about the 2013 election of Hassan Rouhani to the presidency is accurate?

A)The supreme leader failed to demonstrate support for any individual candidate,freeing up Rouhani to dominate the field.
B)Rouhani took a hard line on the nuclear issue during the campaign phase,arguing that Iran should publicly pursue a weapons program.
C)Rouhani's previous 2005-2007 term as president was fondly remembered by many Iranians,giving him a boost against more inexperienced candidates.
D)Rouhani openly repudiated Islam in the final stages of the election,arguing for a purely secular government.

Question 13

Which individual largely articulated the ideas behind the Islamic Revolution of 1979?

A)Mohammad Mosaddeq
B)Ayatollah Khomeini
C)Ayatollah Khatami
D)Reza Khan

Question 14

Iranians differ from much of the Middle East in that

A)they are majority Sufi.
B)they are majority Sunni.
C)they are not Arabs and do not speak Arabic.
D)Iran is a monarchy.

Question 15

Within Iranian political culture,what is the relationship between followers of the "quietist" philosophy and the broader reformist versus conservative division?

A)Quietists' fundamentalist belief in the totality of Islam makes them even more extreme than most conservatives,who occasionally use quietists as political allies.
B)Quietists' belief that Islam should act as an intermediary between state and society leads them to align with the conservatives who place clerics as stewards of government.
C)Quietists' belief that Islam should not be mixed with politics leads them to reject the broad positions of both the reformers and the conservatives.
D)Quietists' opposition to the combination of politics with Islam leads them to align with the more secularist reform camp.

Question 16

The White Revolution refers to the

A)attempts at modernization led by the shah in the 1960s.
B)overthrow of the monarchy and the creation of the Islamic Republic.
C)overthrow of Iran's democratically elected government in 1953.
D)conservative backlash following the green movement in 2009.

Question 17

Reza Shah Pahlavi is noted for his

A)efforts at top-down modernization in Iran.
B)attempt to make Iranian politics more consistent with Shia beliefs.
C)effort to create a secular and democratic Iran.
D)hostility toward the United States in favor of other Middle Eastern states.

Question 18

The term ayatollah refers to

A)a member of a powerful higher clergy within Shiism's religious leadership.
B)the belief in the role of the Koran as the final word of God.
C)the Safavid and Qajar-era monarchs.
D)Jews and Christians who are respected in Islam as "people of the Book."

Question 19

Which of the following is true of the Azeri in Iran?

A)The collapse of the Soviet Union indirectly helped foster a stronger ethnic identity among Iranian Azeris.
B)Improving relations between Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan have helped the position of the Azeri in Iran.
C)Azeris have historically played almost no role in the major facets of Iranian life.
D)They are Iran's smallest,most persecuted minority.

Question 20

Operation Ajax refers to the

A)removal of Reza Khan by the British in 1941.
B)seizure of the American embassy in 1979.
C)first policies of land reform under the White Revolution in 1963.
D)U.S.-UK covert program that was instrumental in the overthrow of Mohammad Mosaddeq.

Question 21

Describe the burst of political party development after the 1979 revolution,as well as its contraction leading up to the 1987 elections.How was political debate transformed in the Majlis after 1987?

Question 22

Describe how Iran differs from other Middle Eastern societies in terms of Internet access.Why has this development largely failed to introduce more democratic elements into government?

Question 23

Describe the three events in 1979 that turned public protest against the shah into a revolution? What was the United States' role in these events?

Question 24

Explain how reformists differ from political conservatives (principalists)in the debate over the relationship between religion and the state.In the absence of institutionalized parties,what other debates form ideological cleavages in Iranian society?

Question 25

Which of the following powers is among those possessed by the president of the Iranian Republic?

A)vetoing legislation
B)dissolving the legislature
C)selecting a cabinet of ministers
D)controlling the military

Question 26

Which of the following statements most accurately describes the state of political or religious culture in Iran?

A)Surveys show that the majority population opposes democracy for religious reasons.
B)Surveys indicate that women are more religiously conservative than men in Iran.
C)Surveys show that many Iranians support both democracy and keeping religion an important part of their lives.
D)Surveys show that the youth are more religious than those born before 1979.

Question 27

How did the discovery of oil in Iran affect its economic development,particularly with respect to the top-down mercantilist model? What role have the bonyads played in the Iranian economy?