Deck 4: France

Question 1

Which of the following was a founding principle of the French Revolution and creation of the French state that was absent from the principles of the American Revolution?

A)republicanism
B)a strong central state
C)commitment to a set of individual rights
D)celebration of multiculturalism
E)separation of church and state

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which best describes the legislative-executive relations in France?

A)parliamentary
B)presidential
C)semi-presidential
D)constitutional monarchy
E)authoritarian

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following statements about the French governmental bureaucracy is accurate?

A)Links between the bureaucracy and elected office are strong and considered normal.
B)The French people hold a very low opinion of the efficacy of the bureaucracy.
C)The bureaucracy is often linked in the public mind to abuses by the strong centralized state.
D)There are relatively low educational barriers to entry for the bureaucracy.
E)The bureaucracy is one of the few French institutions with high minority representation.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The French legal system is based on:

A)precedent.
B)codes.
C)common law.
D)religious law.
E)presidential authority.

Question 5

Which best describes the upper house (Sénat) in France?

A)directly elected
B)weaker than the lower house
C)more powerful than the lower house
D)recently dissolved as a result of constitutional reform
E)directly appointed by the president

Question 6

Referenda in France have been used less frequently after the 1960s, often with regard to:

A)electoral reform.
B)increasing the power of local government.
C)eliminating the upper house of the legislature.
D)changes to the European Union.
E)membership in NATO.

Question 7

Which of the following accomplishments can be credited to de Gaulle's time as president?

A)promotion of European integration
B)encouragement of the student protests of 1968
C)the banning of nuclear weapons and nuclear power on French soil
D)establishment of the Third Republic
E)passage of constitutional reforms in 1969

Question 8

Charles de Gaulle's political legitimacy rested in part on his:

A)having descended from Napoleon's family.
B)role in bringing the Reign of Terror to an end.
C)long-standing role in preventing the French state from growing too powerful.
D)role in the resistance movement during World War II.
E)religious credentials.

Question 9

What has led to conflicts over laïcité?

A)homeschooling
B)creationism
C)the head scarf
D)refusal by some students to sing the national anthem at school
E)environmental regulations

Question 10

Which of the following statements about the French party system is accurate?

A)The Communist Party has failed to gain enough traction in French history to participate in coalition governments.
B)The two-round voting system has been a big contributor to the two-bloc system.
C)The left-leaning political bloc has been composed of the Rally for the Republic and the French Socialist Party.
D)Although a traditional two-party system has surfaced in the past, the French system has been moving away from that model in recent years.
E)The growing Green Party has forced the Socialists into formal coalition governments in recent decades.

Question 11

Which of the following statements about France's Constitutional Council is accurate?

A)Most appeals to the council come from legislators.
B)It has been less active in the Fifth Republic than in the Fourth Republic.
C)Members of the Constitutional Council receive lifetime appointments.
D)Former legislators and presidents are barred from serving on the council.
E)In addition to constitutional matters, the council serves as a court of last appeal for cases from lower courts.

Question 12

Which of the following statements about France's legislative system is accurate?

A)A blocked vote by the legislature allows it to freeze and amend an executive policy even if it is already in process.
B)The legislature can only block a motion of confidence from becoming a law by passing a motion of censure against the government.
C)The legislature can sometimes govern directly through the use of ordinances.
D)Only about half of all legislation originates within the legislature itself; the executive proposes the other half.
E)Most legislative power rests with committees, which operate under loose, self-imposed rules because they are not regulated by the constitution.

Question 13

The Estates General was:

A)an assembly of representatives from different classes that was, at times, assembled by the French monarchy.
B)the military elite created by Napoleon.
C)the government installed in France after German occupation during World War II.
D)the civil code created by Napoleon that would become the foundation for the modern French state.
E)the commander in chief of the armed forces.

Question 14

A strong centralized French state can be attributed in part to which facet of its geography?

A)its significant obstacles to transportation
B)its relatively small size compared to other European countries
C)its lack of mineral resources or productive farmland
D)its unprotected borders to the north and northeast, making it vulnerable to invasion
E)the fact that it is an island

Question 15

In which of the following ways did President Sarkozy's policies differ from those of current President Hollande?

A)Sarkozy campaigned on the promise of a balanced budget.
B)Sarkozy favored tax increases on business.
C)Sarkozy favored pension reform.
D)Sarkozy favored lowering the retirement age.
E)Sarkozy sought to maintain government payrolls at current levels.

Question 16

What group wields a disproportionate amount of power in French politics, in spite of its overall decline in numbers?

A)Roman Catholics
B)the aristocracy
C)farmers
D)conservatives
E)Muslims

Question 17

The National Front in France is:

A)the largest left-wing party in the legislature.
B)a small but influential far-right, anti-EU party with xenophobic roots.
C)the main body that directs policies that affect labor and industry.
D)the party created to support Sarkozy's campaign for president.
E)the corporatist body that brings together labor and business.

Question 18

France's National Assembly is elected through:

A)proportional representation.
B)single-member district plurality (one round of voting).
C)single-member district majority (two rounds of voting).
D)mixed single-member district majority and proportional representation.
E)a single nontransferable vote.

Question 19

In France, cohabitation refers to when:

A)the two houses of the French legislature are controlled by different parties.
B)the president and the prime minister come from different parties.
C)there is a coalition government made up of several parties.
D)local governments are able to overturn legislation by means of referenda.
E)there is general political agreement between business and labor.

Question 20

How has the General Confederation of Labor differed from the French Democratic Labor Confederation?

A)It has remained much stronger and possesses far more members.
B)It has gained in membership due to centrist policies in recent decades.
C)It has demonstrated a greater affinity for communist ideology.
D)It has been more accepting of government reform efforts.
E)It has been more welcoming of alliances with smaller, more independent unions.

Question 21

How does France's current welfare state differ from those of its social-democratic peers in Europe?

A)Its broad scope has proved less popular domestically than those of its peers.
B)It is, on average, less well funded than those of its peers.
C)It has not undergone pension reforms or seen a reduction of welfare bureaucracy.
D)It is less rigid, with fewer legal protections for employed workers.
E)Most of its benefits go to the poorest French, while those of its peers mostly fund the middle class.

Question 22

How has France's relationship to the European Union evolved, and what are the current challenges it faces? Should France voluntarily give up its CAP benefits for the greater prosperity of the EU?

Question 23

Which of the following has resulted from the residual strength of populist ideas in France?

A)domination of the political scene by a few coherent political parties
B)a preference for a weak central state
C)extreme and contentious differences between the left and right in politics
D)a tendency toward mass protests
E)very low nationalist sentiment

Question 24

What effect did the dirigisme system have on the French economy in the decades after World War II? How has this model fared through the economic changes of the last 20 years?

Question 25

What event encouraged de Gaulle to resign from office?

A)the collapse of the Fourth Republic
B)the admission of France into the EU
C)his failure to pass referendums on constitutional reform
D)scandal involving bureaucratic fraud
E)the declared independence of Algeria from France

Question 26

How has France handled the issue of assimilation versus multiculturalism in recent decades? Is laïcité the right policy? Why or why not?

Question 27

Which of the following statements about the current French political economy is accurate?

A)The French economy is very capable of reform in part because it remains very competitive among other advanced democracies, and the French people are growing to accept the need for reform.
B)President Hollande continued President Sarkozy's policy of austerity and structural reform upon taking office.
C)Between early 2012 and 2014, the French economy responded to the new socialist government with the lowest unemployment levels in two decades.
D)The French agricultural sector has withered in large part because membership in the EU has exposed it to cheap exports from eastern members.
E)France has largely abandoned the dirigiste model of state intervention in the economy in response to declining GDP per capita.

Question 28

The Common Agricultural Policy is a key part of France's membership in the:

A)World Trade Organization.
B)World Bank.
C)European Union.
D)North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
E)European Free Trade Agreement.

Question 29

Describe the core goals of de Gaulle's 1958 constitution and the creation of the Fifth Republic. Were they successful? Where did they fall short? What have been the results for France's party system?

Question 30

What explains why France has a strong state and a relatively weak civil society? What roles do trade unions and private enterprise play in the everyday lives of French citizens?