Deck 9: Comparing Executives

Question 1

What would be considered an acceptable form of citizenship in most authoritarian states that is not considered acceptable in a totalitarian regime?

A)Apathy
B)Ethnic cleansing of "undesirables"
C)Peaceful dissent
D)Sit-ins
E)Harassing agents of the state

Answer 1

A

Question 2

What name has NOT been used to refer to autocratic rulers?

A)Caliph
B)King
C)President
D)Queen
E)Councilor

Answer 2

E

Question 3

When one person is in charge of an entire government, it is commonly referred to as which of the following?

A)An autocracy
B)A democracy
C)An oligarchy
D)An aristocracy
E)A polity

Answer 3

A

Question 4

For what reason can Plato's writings be considered a source of arguments in favor of authoritarianism?

A)The king had to be a philosopher.
B)He sets an academic precedent for an enlightened or benevolent monarchy.
C)The guardians are forced to give up their personal wealth for the benefit of the community.
D)He favored a malicious dictatorial type of rule.
E)He favored rulers who sought to be feared rather than loved.

Question 5

Totalitarian states differ from most authoritarian states in what major way?

A)They attempt to maintain power at all costs.
B)They stifle political dissent.
C)They make the servicing of the state the highest duty of each citizen.
D)They protect a free and open media.
E)They provide limited areas for political discussion.

Question 6

The kingdom of Saudi Arabia is best described as what kind of government?

A)Constitutional monarchy
B)Theocratic regime
C)Absolutist monarchy
D)Democratic fascist
E)National socialist

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of an authoritarian state?

A)Leaders are the sole source of law within the state.
B)Transition of power is not determined by elections.
C)Political parties are not representative of the public.
D)Elections are fair and open.
E)Limitations on freedom of expression.

Question 8

Machiavelli's The Prince insisted that which two concepts should be considered synonymous?

A)Justice and a anger
B)Revenge and a law
C)Revenge and a justice
D)Virtue and a effectiveness
E)Morality and a commitment to the pursuit of truth

Question 9

According to the writings of St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, Ibn Rushd, and Al-Farabi, what has played a major role in the history of authoritarianism?

A)Elitism
B)Leadership
C)Power
D)Religion
E)Wealth

Question 10

Military dictatorships, common during the Cold War era, were referred to in Latin America as which of the following?

A)Coups d'etat
B)Jefes militares
C)Juntas
D)Proxy states
E)Protectorates

Question 11

The term coup d'état refers to what?

A)An overthrow of the existing regime
B)A constitutional change
C)An invasion of another state
D)The enforcement of the law
E)A weak state

Question 12

Which of the following is NOT an authoritarian state?

A)Saudi Arabia
B)India
C)China
D)Iran
E)North Korea

Question 13

The media are commonly referred to as what?

A)The establishment
B)Vox populi
C)The Third Estate
D)The Fifth Estate
E)The Fourth Estate

Question 14

According to Thomas Hobbes, the desire for authoritarianism is a natural consequence of all of these EXCEPT for which of the following?

A)Humans' greed and selfishness
B)People allowing authoritarian rulers to exist
C)Humanity's bleak existence in the time before government
D)The elimination of the death and destruction of the state of nature
E)The inherent goodness of people

Question 15

Which of the following Christian scholars argued in favor of authoritarian rule?

A)Plato and Aristotle
B)Al-Farabi and Ibn Rushd
C)St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas
D)Machiavelli and Hobbes
E)Mayhew and Neustadt

Question 16

Which character said "Justice is only in the interest of the stronger party"?

A)Polybius in Aristotle's Politics
B)Cephalus in Plato's Republic
C)Thrasymachus in Plato's Republic
D)Polemarchus in Plato's Republic
E)Aristotle in Aristotle's Ethics

Question 17

"How men actually behave is so far removed from how we ought to behave" can sum up the political philosophy of which political theorist?

A)Thomas Hobbes
B)Thucydides
C)Plato
D)Aristotle
E)Machiavelli

Question 18

The writings of Machiavelli and Hobbes offered a justification for authoritarianism based on what two rationales?

A)The power of the people and the justice of the ruler
B)The security of the people and the power of the ruler
C)The state of nature and human nature
D)The religious salvation and happiness of the people
E)The power of the people and the compassion of the ruler

Question 19

Which author wrote, Leviathan : Or the Matter, Forme and Power of a Commonwealth, Ecclesiasticall and Civil , in which he argued that man's natural level of selfishness and greed perpetuated authoritarian rule?

A)Machiavelli
B)Hobbes
C)Rousseau
D)Plato
E)Al-Farabi

Question 20

Which document suggested that the gods called on him to lead the people?

A)Moses' Code
B)Jesus' Code
C)Al-Farabi's Code
D)Hammurabi's Code
E)Habbitarian's Code

Question 21

The Saudi constitution, known as the Basic Law, is based on all of the following EXCEPT what?

A)The Koran
B)Sharia law
C)Cultural traditions of the region
D)The preferences of the ruling family
E)International precedent

Question 22

In North Korea, what is the centerpiece of the North Korean bureaucracy?

A)The military
B)The prison system
C)The propaganda machine
D)The Public Distribution System (PDS)
E)The Public Surveillance System (PSS)

Question 23

Which of the following is designed to provide the king of Saudi Arabia with an understanding of issues at the local and provincial levels?

A)The Consultative Council
B)The Council of Ministers
C)The Shura Council
D)Sharia law
E)The national legislature

Question 24

Which of the following states does NOT share a land border with Saudi Arabia?

A)Egypt
B)Iraq
C)Jordan
D)Kuwait
E)Yemen

Question 25

In Saudi Arabia, it is said that all legal authority flows from religion, whereas political authority comes from which of the following?

A)The king
B)The rule of law
C)The legislature
D)The queen
E)The president

Question 26

Which of the follow is correct according to the Koran?

A)Women and men are supposed to be treated as equals.
B)Women should not drive.
C)Women should be subject to harsh treatment from religious police.
D)Inequality is the basic condition of human life.
E)Equality between the sexes is dangerous.

Question 27

On April 14, 1989, where did Chinese activists, students, and intellectuals protest decades of nondemocratic rule in China?

A)Tiananmen Square
B)The gates of the Forbidden City
C)Liu Xiaobo
D)Shanghai
E)Wuhan Circle

Question 28

Which of the following countries does not share a land border with China?

A)India
B)North Korea
C)Pakistan
D)Russia
E)South Korea

Question 29

Who is the final authority in the process of determining if legislation is in accordance with Sharia law in Saudi Arabia?

A)The Consultative Council
B)The Council of Ministers
C)The Shura Council
D)The national legislature
E)The king

Question 30

On October 8, 2010, who was awarded the Nobel Peace prize for his work on promoting human rights in China?

A)Deng Xiaoping
B)Liu Xiaobo
C)Ban-ki Moon
D)Chiang-kai Shek
E)Deng Yaobang

Question 31

Who founded the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949?

A)Mao Zedong
B)Deng Xiaoping
C)Chiang-kai Shek
D)Deng Yaobang
E)Xi Jinping

Question 32

When the Soviet Union turned its back on North Korea, Kim il-Sung changed the form of governance embracing a new policy known as what?

A)Juche
B)Market communism
C)Pyongyang
D)Peoning hwa
E)Bok soo ha da

Question 33

In Saudi Arabia, which of the following are the three legislative bodies?

A)The Islamic defense council, the king's honor guard, and the Council of Ministers
B)The Council of Ministers, the Shura Council, and the Consultative Council
C)The Council of Islam, the Shura Council, and the Council of Ministers
D)The Council of Ministers, the Consultative Council, and the Mission of the Prophecy
E)The Shura Council, the Consultative Council, and the king's honor guard

Question 34

A variation of Sunni Islam known for its strict teachings and literal interpretation of the Koran is known as what?

A)Ba'athism
B)Jainism
C)Hinduism
D)Wahabbism
E)Sufism

Question 35

What authoritarian state is known as the "hermit kingdom"?

A)China
B)North Korea
C)Iran
D)South Korea
E)Saudi Arabia

Question 36

The Consultative Council of Saudi Arabia was designed for what purpose?

A)To make Saudi Arabia a democracy
B)To give the Saudi regime a prime minister
C)To give the Saudi people a place to raise their local interests
D)To give the king a greater chance at expanding trade with neighboring states
E)To reduce the ruling family's level of power

Question 37

Islam's holy book is known as what?

A)The Bible
B)The Veda
C)The Medina
D)The Koran
E)The Literati

Question 38

Given Saudi Arabia has great wealth from its vast oil reserves, it can literally give its citizens financial rewards each month. Saudi Arabia is, therefore, known as what?

A)A welfare state
B)An entitled state
C)A rentier state
D)A capitalist state
E)A socialist state

Question 39

Who is the personal embodiment of the state and general secretary of the Korean Workers Party (KWP)?

A)Kim Il-Sung
B)Kim Zedong
C)Kim Jung Il
D)Kim Jong Un
E)Ban-ki Moon

Question 40

What is the name of a system designed to keep power in the hands of the male population?

A)Paternity
B)Maternity
C)Matriarchy
D)Patriarchy
E)Maternalism

Question 41

Which of the following is NOT typically present in an authoritarian state?

A)Arbitrary arrests
B)Human-rights abuses
C)Limited political parties
D)Media censorship
E)Significant due process of law

Question 42

What is the difference between totalitarian states and other authoritarian states? Offer examples of actions undertaken by totalitarian states that mark them as totalitarian.

Question 43

How are authoritarian characteristics seen in in Saudi Arabia, North Korea, and China?

Question 44

Will China continue to dominate the global marketplace? What role will environmental protection and media openness play in that development?

Question 45

In China, the media are controlled by what institution?

A)Red Guard
B)Communist Party's Central Propaganda Department (CPD)
C)Communist Party's Centrally Planned Directive
D)Communist League
E)Tiananmen Police Department

Question 46

Which of the following is NOT a fossil fuel?

A)Oil
B)Coal
C)Natural gas
D)Sodium dioxide
E)Methane

Question 47

Compare two of the three countries that are used as examples of authoritarianism: Saudi Arabia, North Korea, and China. What is similar about the modern authoritarianism exercised by these nations? In what respects do their rulers use different mechanisms to maintain their political power? For what reason(s)do the people of these countries continue to allow these regimes to exist?

Question 48

Why is North Korea called "the hermit kingdom"? How has nuclear technology shifted North Korea's relationship with the wider world?

Question 49

What is the dominant force in Chinese political life today?

A)Capitalism
B)The Chinese Communist Party
C)Kim Jung-il
D)Mao Zedong
E)The National Party Congress

Question 50

How do Plato, Christian and Islamic scholars of the medieval period, Machiavelli, and Hobbes inform arguments in favor of authoritarianism?

Question 51

What country has seen an explosion in oil consumption as its population has become increasingly urban (roughly 60 percent of the total population in 2018)?

A)United States
B)Iran
C)Saudi Arabia
D)China
E)Russia

Question 52

If the middle class continues to grow in China, according to theorists of democracy, it will most likely do which of the following?

A)Demand a reduction in tax rates
B)Demand a greater political voice
C)Demand more state-run media outlets
D)Demand fewer regulations of industry
E)Demand greater isolation from the world economy

Question 53

In China, what is the leading cause of death and its likely source?

A)Cancer is the leading cause of death, and pollution is the likely source.
B)AIDS is the leading cause of death, and inadequate sex education is the likely source.
C)Starvation is the leading cause of death, and lack of food supplies is the likely source.
D)Murder at the hands of the state is the leading cause of death, and a repressive political environment is the likely source.
E)Avian flu is the leading cause of death, and a lack of vaccines is the likely source.

Question 54

Discuss the theory of Plato and its relation to authoritarianism. In what respects does his theory make an argument for authoritarianism? How would you answer the claim from Thrasymachus, one of the characters in the Republic , that "justice is only in the interest of the stronger party"?

Question 55

Compare the similarities between Thomas Hobbes and Niccolò Machiavelli in the realm of ideas about power and human nature.

Question 56

What role does religion play in the political life of Saudi Arabia? How does the monarchy use Islam's holy book, the Koran, to enforce its agenda?