Deck 5: Political Systems, States, and Nations

Question 1

The term "sovereignty" refers to

A) rule by a monarch.
B) a state's historical, political, and cultural boundaries.
C) the premise that each state is the ultimate source of law within its own boundaries.
D) the belief that the needs of the state are more important than the needs of its citizens.
E) the need for every society to have a single leadership group.

Answer 1

the premise that each state is the ultimate source of law within its own boundaries.

Question 2

The doctrine of territorial integrity holds that

A) the state has the right to invade another state in order to protect itself.
B) a nation cannot exist across the boundaries of two states.
C) the boundaries of a state must be clearly defined.
D) a state should have a contiguous land mass.
E) the state has the right to resist any aggression or intervention within its boundaries.

Answer 2

the state has the right to resist any aggression or intervention within its boundaries.

Question 3

According to Max Weber, the state is distinguished from all other organizations by

A) its monopoly on the legitimate use of force.
B) its use of bureaucratic procedures in making policy decisions.
C) its ability to communicate political information via the media.
D) its dependence on culture to define social life.
E) its hierarchical chain of command.

Answer 3

its monopoly on the legitimate use of force.

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT among the eight essential functions that must be performed by every state, according to Gabriel Almond and his colleagues?

A) Interest articulation
B) Political socialization
C) Political modernization
D) Policy adjudication
E) Policymaking

Question 5

A group of components that exist in a characteristic relationship and interact on the basis of regular patterns constitutes a

A) territory.
B) nation.
C) state.
D) social contract.
E) system.

Question 6

Liberty, equality, freedom, and justice are examples of

A) inputs.
B) requisite functions of the state.
C) values.
D) traditions.
E) guaranteed rights.

Question 7

When decisions are accepted as binding by the people affected, the decisions may be described as

A) consensual.
B) judicial.
C) authoritative.
D) rational.
E) All of the above

Question 8

Which of the following can be a source of legitimacy for the state?

A) Law
B) Tradition
C) Contract
D) Law and tradition but not contract
E) Law, tradition and contract

Question 9

Which of the following actions is a "support" input to a political system?

A) Abstaining from a local election
B) Obeying local traffic laws
C) Signing a petition
D) Requesting a government service
E) None of the above

Question 10

A main rationale for sovereignty, according to the Debate in 5, is that

A) it is a core principle in national constitutions.
B) it is a central premise of international law.
C) it is essential for the effective functioning of states.
D) it is more important than humanitarian intervention.
E) it prevents many wars.

Question 11

Res publica refers to

A) a citizen's right to privacy.
B) a citizen's responsibility to support the government.
C) the appropriate domain of state activity.
D) the right of the state to protect its territory.
E) the demands and supports directed to the political system.

Question 12

The most important security goal of a state is

A) autonomy.
B) influence.
C) dominance.
D) survival.
E) economic growth.

Question 13

The Kurds, Basques, and Sikhs share the characteristic of

A) multinationalism.
B) nation-based identity.
C) religious fanaticism.
D) Marxism.
E) res publica.

Question 14

The concept of the state does NOT usually denote

A) a territorially-bound sovereign entity.
B) a large collectivity composed of many individuals and groups.
C) the highest governmental level within a country.
D) a group that shares a single national identity.
E) the actor holding the legitimate right to use violence.

Question 15

All of the following are alternative definitions of "the state" EXCEPT

A) an organized institutional machinery for enforcing the laws.
B) a territorially-bound sovereign entity.
C) the units and individuals functioning to make policy decisions for a country.
D) a deeply shared identification among a group of people.
E) All of the above are appropriate definitions.

Question 16

Which of the following is NOT a key component of Easton's political system framework?

A) Supports
B) The conversion process
C) The environment
D) Supports and the environment are key components, but not supports.
E) Supports, the conversion process and the environment are all key components.

Question 17

A key difference between authority and power is that

A) the exercise of authority does not require the application of power.
B) individuals can resist authority but not power.
C) the state relies more on power than authority to gain compliance.
D) authority relies on the threat of force and power relies on the application of force.
E) power relies more on traditional compliance than does authority.

Question 18

According to Focus in 5, the major cause of the partition of the Indian subcontinent into India and Pakistan was

A) ethnicity.
B) language.
C) religion.
D) regional identity.
E) All had about the same impact.

Question 19

Which of the following is the best example of the exercise of coercive power?

A) A's threat persuades B to do something B does not want to do.
B) B does something A wants in exchange for benefits from A.
C) A persuades B to do something that harms B's interests.
D) B does something in order to gain favor with A.
E) B does something that benefits B but harms A's interests.

Question 20

Which of these countries is NOT part of the area that would constitute Kurdistan?

A) Turkey
B) Syria.
C) Egypt.
D) Iran.
E) Iraq.

Question 21

Compare and contrast power and authority and means for the state to control the behavior of individuals and groups.

Question 22

What are the main components of a political system? Give examples of how each component can be applied in the study of an actual political society, such as the United States.

Question 23

Analyze why the mismatch between state and nation can produce severe challenges for the state's achievement of some of its major goals. What strategies might a state employ to limit the negative effects of such a mismatch? Provide examples when possible.

Question 24

Specify general principles regarding the circumstances under which it is justifiable to violate a state's sovereignty (i.e., principles that would apply equally to all states and different situations)? Offer two to five such principles, and present arguments for or against these principles.