Deck 12: Iran

Question 1

Iran has a majority Sunni Muslim population.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

The United States and Russia occupied Iran during both World War I and World War II.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

The U.S. government helped Ayatollah Khomeini overthrow the Iranian government of Shah Muhammad Reza Pahlavi in 1979.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Iran is a fledgling democracy.

Question 5

Reza Khan's seizure of power in 1925 is an example of praetorianism.

Question 6

Iran currently has two political parties: the Islamic Republic Party and the Reformer Party.

Question 7

The Iranian regime maintains power with the significant assistance of the Revolutionary Guard and the Basij.

Question 8

The 2009 Iranian presidential election in which Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was reelected in a landslide was believed to be rigged.

Question 9

The Iranian government is secular in an attempt to reduce factionalism among Sunni Muslims, Shia Muslims, Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians.

Question 10

Communism is the prominent political ideology in Iran.

Question 11

Iran is constantly trying to reconcile its __________ culture and its dominant __________ faith.

A) Turkish; Sunni
B) Persian; Shia
C) Russian; Sunni
D) Iraqi; Wahabbi

Question 12

Which of the following countries has had a major presence in Iran?

A) Canada
B) Russia
C) Saudi Arabia
D) Chad

Question 13

In 1953 when Prime Minister __________ nationalized the oil industry, the U.S. stepped in and reinstated the pro-Western __________.

A) Mossadeq; Shah
B) Pahlavi; Khan
C) Khamenei; Mossadeq
D) Khomeini; Pahlavi

Question 14

What was Jimmy Carter's main focus in his dealings with Iran?

A) nuclear containment
B) subsistence farming
C) containment of communism
D) protection of human rights

Question 15

Which of the following countries has a majority Shia population?

A) Saudi Arabia
B) Iraq
C) Yemen
D) Qatar

Question 16

In what year did the Iranian Revolution that overthrew the Shah and implemented an Islamic government occur?

A) 1905
B) 1945
C) 1979
D) 1990

Question 17

Iran's legislature is called the __________.

A) Congress
B) Caliphate
C) Majlis
D) Basij

Question 18

Which of the following best describes the Iranian party system?

A) Iran has a dominant-party system.
B) Iran has a two-party system.
C) Iran has a multi-party system.
D) Iran does not have a formal party system, although candidates may join loose coalitions.

Question 19

Which of the following best describes the 2013 presidential election?

A) Hassan Rouhani won in a rigged election.
B) Ali Khamenei won in a rigged election.
C) Hassan Rouhani won in a fair election but was not allowed to implement any reforms once in office.
D) Ali Khamenei was forced to drop out because of his "penchant for a Western lifestyle," leaving Ayatollah Khomeini as the only candidate on the ballot.

Question 20

The most powerful actor in the Iranian political system is the __________.

A) president
B) Council of Guardians
C) Assembly of Experts
D) Supreme Leader

Question 21

The __________ must approve all legislative candidates before they are put on electoral ballots in Iran.

A) president
B) Council of Guardians
C) Majlis
D) Assembly of Experts

Question 22

__________, such as former president Ahmadinejad, are the most extreme supporters of the Islamic Revolution and adhere to the original plan for the republic.

A) Reformists
B) Conservatives
C) Liberals
D) Radicals

Question 23

__________ are willing to go the furthest in term of changing the Iranian regime. Members of this group promote democracy, civil rights, and free elections.

A) Liberals
B) Reformers
C) Moderates
D) Secularists

Question 24

Which body has the equivalent of a veto power over bills passed by the legislature?

A) Revolutionary Guard
B) Council of Guardians
C) Supreme Court
D) Assembly of Experts

Question 25

Which group of Iranian liberals has a history of advocating for democratic reform?

A) radicals
B) Muslim clerics
C) students
D) the faqih

Question 26

Modernization theory typically assumes that __________ will occur, although this did not happen in Iran.

A) egalitarianism
B) urbanization
C) an increase in education
D) secularization

Question 27

Which of the following is a component of modernization theory?

A) potential democratization
B) economic equality
C) movement from urban areas to rural areas
D) replacement of a service economy with a manufacturing economy

Question 28

What is Iran's major export?

A) gasoline and other refined oil products
B) pistachios
C) carpets
D) oil

Question 29

Which of the following is a cornerstone of Iranian foreign policy?

A) support for Sunni governments
B) destruction of Israel
C) destruction of the Alawites
D) destruction of Syria

Question 30

The Iranian political system is characterized as an Islamic __________.

A) democracy
B) monarchy
C) junta
D) theocracy

Question 31

Which statement best describes the relationship between the Supreme Leader and the president?

A) The Supreme Leader and the president do not interact in the government of Iran.
B) The president has the power to dismiss the Supreme Leader.
C) The Supreme Leader handles the day-to-day administration, but the president has the real power.
D) The Supreme Leader has the real power, while the president handles the day-to-day administration.

Question 32

What event marked the beginning of poor Iranian-U.S. relations?

A) Mossadeq's nationalization of the oil industry
B) expulsion of the shah from Iran
C) Iranian enrichment of uranium
D) the takeover of U.S. embassy in Tehran by student militants

Question 33

The text fears that __________ could follow the same path as Iran due to its relationship between religion and politics.

A) Israel
B) Slovakia
C) Cuba
D) Saudi Arabia

Question 34

Iranian voters seem to desire what kind of state?

A) a militant Islamic state
B) a moderate Islamic state
C) a Sunni-dominated Islamic state
D) a secular state

Question 35

Which of the following contributed the most to Iran's budget deficit?

A) a decrease in foreign aid from the United States and an increase in foreign aid to Israel
B) generous stipends for students and a misguided space program
C) corruption and graft
D) generous welfare spending and a decline in oil revenue

Question 36

How is Iran different than other Middle Eastern countries? How do these differences influence its position in the region, its foreign policy goals, and its isolationist tendencies?

Question 37

What factors led to Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution? Make sure to address the role of actors inside and outside of Iran, including the U.S. and Britain.

Question 38

What will future U.S.-Iran relations look like? Do you expect them to improve or not? Explain and address specific causal factors while providing examples.

Question 39

Where is the power really vested in the Iranian system? That is, what institution is the most powerful actor? What is the least powerful? Provide explanations and examples for each.

Question 40

Do you expect the current Iranian regime to maintain power for much longer? If so, why and how? If not, what will be its downfall? How does this regime compare this compare with the shah's pre-1979 regime?