Deck 16: China: History, Culture, and Political Economy

Question 1

According to the Zhongyong, the relationship between an individual and his/her foe is one of the "Five Relationships" that must be perfected before social harmony is achieved.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

A central feature of China's First Five Year Plan was the collectivization of agriculture.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

With its emphasis on hierarchy, deference, moral rectitude, and behavioral norms, Confucianism was well suited to the needs of social stability and significantly contributed to China's long existence as a unified nation.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Mao Zedong's economic reforms were headlined by the "Four Modernizations."

Question 5

Invasion by barbarians resulted in centuries of political fragmentation, during which much of China's most impressive philosophy was developed.

Question 6

Confucianism has often been linked with the development and operation of capitalism in China and other Asian countries.

Question 7

The Confucian tradition places a strong emphasis on behavioral minutiae because of its belief that self-cultivation is not a solitary endeavor, but rather occurs in a social context.

Question 8

Confucianism views the family as the ideal setting for moral self-cultivation.

Question 9

Confucian behavioral norms display a strongly particularistic, as opposed to universal, inclination.

Question 10

Guanxi ties create a form of diffuse reciprocity, allowing individuals to exchange favors even years after a formal relationship has been dissolved.

Question 11

The Politburo is responsible for the ongoing administration of the CCP.

Question 12

China is not a member of the World Trade Organization, which puts it at a great disadvantage.

Question 13

Formal ties in the Chinese bureaucracy are often referred to as guanxi.

Question 14

In 1999 Macao was returned to China by Portugal.

Question 15

Beijing lifted import restrictions in 1978 under its open-door policy recognizing China's need for exposure to Western products, ideas, and capital.

Question 16

The general framework of Confucian thoughts displays considerable rigidity.

Question 17

The Chinese tendency toward small, family-owned businesses that operate within tight networks shows many traces of the Confucian heritage.

Question 18

Guanxi ties resemble legally circumscribed contracts or quid pro quo
arrangements.

Question 19

The Qin dynasty lacked the technological expertise of its rivals.

Question 20

The pre-Ming Chinese were strictly against foreign commerce.

Question 21

Under China's ________ policy, Hong Kong was to retain its autonomy, including a separate currency, for 50 years.

A) "One Country, One System"
B) "One Country, Two Systems"
C) "Two Countries, One System"
D) "Two Countries, Two Systems"

Question 22

Ethnic Chinese are also known as the ________ people.

A) Xia
B) Han
C) Sui
D) Qing

Question 23

China's paramount executive body is the State Planning Commission (SPC).

Question 24

Which of the following is true with regard to Deng Xiaoping's economic reforms?

A) Deng's economic reforms did not focus on defense.
B) Foreign investments were strongly discouraged in the Special Economic Zones.
C) Small, household-run enterprises were made illegal.
D) Deng's economic reforms were headlined by the "Four Modernizations."

Question 25

According to Confucian ethics, ________.

A) self-cultivation sought a solution to social conflict in defining, limiting, and guaranteeing the rights and interests of the individual
B) self-cultivation sought a solution to social conflict in the balance of power and interests between individuals
C) the society is the ideal setting for moral self-cultivation
D) self-cultivation sought the solution to social conflict from the self-sacrifice of the individual for the preservation of the group.

Question 26

According to Deng, which of the following was one of the "Four Modernizations"?

A) defense
B) social norms
C) cultural heritage
D) religion

Question 27

Which of the following is one of the "Five Relationships" that, according to the Zhongyong, must be perfected before social harmony is achieved?

A) the relationship between mother and daughter
B) the relationship between mother and son
C) the relationship between father and daughter
D) the relationship between father and son

Question 28

China has no tradition of an independent judiciary.

Question 29

Which of the following is true with regard to the Republican era in China?

A) While many credit Sun Yat-sen with the founding of the Republic of China in 1911, China at the time was hardly a coherent political entity.
B) Despite the military offensives launched in the 1920s, Chiang Kai-shek failed to bring most of China under GMD rule.
C) The Revolutionary Alliance, led by Mao Zedong, had the backing of a strong armed force.
D) By the first decade of the twentieth century, the activities of the Revolutionary Alliance steadily dwindled in China's major urban centers.

Question 30

Joint ventures are illegal in China.

Question 31

Confucius considered ________ as the ultimate object of moral self-cultivation.

A) li
B) danwei
C) ren
D) guanxi

Question 32

Which of the following is true with regard to the communist era in China?

A) With the aid of Soviet loans, the CCP industrial policy emphasized the consumer goods sector at the expense of sectors such as steel, petroleum, and chemicals.
B) In keeping with Marxist philosophy, the CCP sought to control all commerce.
C) The end of the Korean War allowed policymakers to concentrate on their next task: the transformation of the Chinese economy into a capitalist system.
D) The Cultural Revolution minimized the army's status within the party hierarchy.

Question 33

The Labor Contract Law took effect in 2005 and provided for rights that are as extensive as those found in Europe and the United States.

Question 34

Confucianism laid emphasis on ________.

A) chauvinism
B) hedonic living
C) deference
D) individualism

Question 35

According to Mao and Lin, which of the following was one of the four "olds"?

A) old people
B) old technology
C) old ideas
D) old machinery

Question 36

Between 1983 and 1985, in the agricultural sector, the government replaced mandatory grain purchases with a contracting system known as the ________.

A) One Country, Two Systems
B) Household Responsibility System
C) Danwei system
D) Guanxi system

Question 37

Which of the following is true with regard to the era of reforms in China?

A) In the agricultural sector, the government replaced a contracting system with mandatory grain purchases known as the danwei system.
B) Recognizing that China needed more exposure to Western products, ideas, and capital, Beijing lifted import restrictions in 1978 under its open-door policy.
C) Deng's economic reforms were headlined by the "Five Relationships."
D) In the cities, SOEs were given reduced discretion over their profits, and individual managers were made less accountable for their performance.

Question 38

Labor was furnished through the ________ system, under which workers were permanently assigned to enterprises upon completing their education.

A) Five Relationships
B) Four Modernizations
C) danwei
D) guanxi

Question 39

Confucius was responsible for initiating the central preoccupation of Chinese philosophical thought: ________.

A) self-awareness
B) moral self-cultivation
C) individualism
D) hedonic living

Question 40

No company is allowed wholly foreign-owned enterprise (WFOE) status in China.

Question 41

Informal personal ties in Chinese society are referred to as ________.

A) li
B) ren
C) guanxi
D) danwei

Question 42

What is an SOE? What is its importance in China?

Question 43

International concern about China's human rights have centered on which of the following?

A) the persecution of the aged
B) persecution of religious minorities
C) the increasing economic inequities in the Chinese society
D) the increasing rate of unemployment and underemployment

Question 44

When the Party Congress is not in session, authority passes to the ________, which convenes at least twice annually.

A) Central Committee
B) Politburo
C) state work units
D) Standing Committee of the Politburo

Question 45

China censored the content on the Internet as well as blocked responses to searches on topics such as ________.

A) Confucian ethics
B) guanxi
C) the Household Responsibility System
D) the spiritual Falun Gong movement

Question 46

According to the Confucian ideal of hierarchical relations, households were expected to defer to the ________ on nonhousehold matters.

A) state
B) family heads
C) head of the clan
D) religious leaders

Question 47

Discuss the piracy issues plaguing China. Why was it difficult to stop piracy?

Question 48

Write a short note on workers' rights in China. What are the different aspects of the Labor Contract Law?

Question 49

Explain the idea behind the concepts of ren and li.

Question 50

One of the most striking differences between Confucian and Western political thought is that the former does not conceive of a role for _______.

A) the head of state
B) family heads
C) the family
D) civil society

Question 51

Which of the following is true with regard to the SOEs (State-Owned Enterprises)?

A) The labor policies of the SOEs were in conflict with the socialist economic system.
B) Since the late 1970s, SOE reform has been systematically ignored by the Chinese leaders.
C) In addition to production, SOEs provided virtually all the major social services required by employees, their families, and retirees.
D) Subsidies provided to SOEs increased steadily from 1989 to 1996.

Question 52

Write a short note on the war with Japan and the civil war that resulted in the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Question 53

Explain briefly the rationale behind the launch of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in 1966. What was the aftermath of the revolution?

Question 54

What has been China's principal environmental concern?

A) global warming
B) domestic pollution
C) changes in sea-water levels
D) soil erosion

Question 55

Which of the following forms a part of the four I's?

A) injunction
B) information
C) instant justice
D) internal trade barriers