Deck 10: Iran

Question 1

The perpetrators of the 1979 Iranian Revolution sought to create what kind of regime?

A)monarchy
B)theocracy
C)secular republic
D)illiberal democracy
E)fascist

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which of the following best describes Iran's population?

A)relatively young and ethnically diverse
B)relatively old and ethnically homogeneous
C)relatively young and ethnically homogeneous
D)religiously diverse
E)rapidly declining in total numbers

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The Revolutionary Guard is:

A)a paramilitary force controlled by the supreme leader.
B)the upper house of the legislature.
C)the body that selects the supreme leader.
D)comprised of religious leaders who have been approved by the government to preach.
E)the name given the opposition forces that oppose the supreme leader.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

What kind of electoral system does Iran use for the Majlis and Assembly of Experts?

A)none-all representatives are appointed
B)proportional representation
C)single-member district
D)mixed proportional representation and single-member district
E)single-member and multimember districts

Question 5

Which of the following statements about the 2013 election of Hassan Rouhani to the presidency is accurate?

A)The supreme leader failed to demonstrate support for any individual candidate, freeing up Rouhani to dominate the field.
B)Rouhani's success came in part from his opposition to the Green Wave movement, which earned him the support of many older Iranians.
C)Rouhani took a hard line on the nuclear issue during the campaign phase, arguing that Iran should publicly pursue a weapons program.
D)Rouhani's previous 2005-2007 term as president was fondly remembered by many Iranians, giving him a boost against more inexperienced candidates.
E)Rouhani openly repudiated Islam in the final stages of the election, arguing for a purely secular government.

Question 6

Operation Ajax refers to:

A)the removal of Reza Khan by the British in 1941.
B)the seizure of the American embassy in 1979.
C)the U.S./UK covert program that was instrumental in the overthrow of Mohammad Mosaddeq.
D)the first policies of land reform under the White Revolution in 1963.
E)the revolutionary movements that toppled the monarchy in 1979.

Question 7

Which individual largely articulated the ideas behind the Islamic Revolution of 1979?

A)Mohammad Mosaddeq
B)Reza Khan
C)Ayatollah Khomeini
D)Ayatollah Khatami
E)Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Question 8

Iranians differ from much of the Middle East in that:

A)they are not Arabs and do not speak Arabic.
B)they are majority Sunni.
C)they are majority Sufi.
D)the majority of the population is Zoroastrian.
E)Iran is a monarchy.

Question 9

Within the legislative process, what is the relationship between the Majlis and the Expediency Council?

A)The Expediency Council has no formal power over legislation, but exerts a strong policy influence on the Majlis.
B)The Expediency Council must approve all legislation issued by the Majlis based on compatibility with the constitution.
C)The Expediency Council rules on unresolved legislative disagreements between the Guardian Council and the Majlis.
D)The Expediency Council must appoint the presiding leaders over the Majlis, chosen from the already-elected members.
E)The Expediency Council serves, as 12 individuals within the Majlis that vote in a bloc, to represent the Ayatollah's interests.

Question 10

The White Revolution refers to:

A)the overthrow of the monarchy and the creation of the Islamic Republic.
B)the attempts at modernization led by the shah in the 1960s.
C)the overthrow of Iran's democratically elected government in 1953.
D)the conservative policies enacted by President Ahmadinejad since 2005.
E)the conservative backlash following the green movement in 2009.

Question 11

Which of the following characterizes the policy of the Islamic Republic toward drug and alcohol abuse in Iran?

A)a fairly liberal policy from the inception of the Islamic Republic that resembles that of European welfare states
B)a hands-off policy that has allowed drug abuse to flourish
C)years of severe punishment followed by a more recent expansion of treatment and rehabilitation facilities
D)imposition of the death penalty for almost any form of drug infraction, and application of penalties more against women than against men
E)an initially forgiving, treatment-based policy that has become more cruel and punishment-oriented in recent years

Question 12

The term ayatollah refers to:

A)the belief in the role of the Koran as the final word of God.
B)a member of a powerful higher clergy within Shiism's religious leadership.
C)the Safavid and Qajar-era monarchs.
D)Jews and Christians who are respected in Islam as "people of the Book."
E)the one God followed by Zoroastrians.

Question 13

Reza Shah Pahlavi is noted for:

A)his attempt to make Iranian politics more consistent with Shia beliefs.
B)his efforts at top-down modernization in Iran.
C)his effort to create a secular and democratic Iran.
D)his hostility toward the United States in favor of other Middle Eastern states.
E)his founding of the Persian Empire and the building of Persepolis.

Question 14

In which of the following ways did the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad differ from that of Mohammad Khatami?

A)It took on a more populist political approach.
B)It involved less direct aid to the poor and more deference to clerical leaders.
C)It placed a greater emphasis on secular government.
D)It sought an invigoration of Iran's civil society.
E)It made improvements in women's rights a cornerstone of its reform efforts.

Question 15

Israeli actions against Iraq in 1981 and Syria in 2007 may serve as potential precedents for what future action?

A)U.S. destruction of terrorist training camps
B)Israeli bombings of Iranian nuclear facilities
C)Israeli embargoes against Iranian oil exports
D)conventional military engagements between Iranian and Egyptian forces
E)the mining of the Persian Gulf to stop all naval traffic

Question 16

Executive power in Iran lies primarily with:

A)the supreme leader and Majlis.
B)the president's Assembly of Experts.
C)the supreme leader and president.
D)the president and the Guardian Council.
E)the Basij.

Question 17

Mohammad Khatami's presidency is best known for his:

A)leadership during the Iran-Iraq war.
B)attempts at political reform.
C)attempts to roll back earlier political reform.
D)widespread use of violence during the early years of the Islamic Republic.
E)role in restarting Iran's nuclear weapons program.

Question 18

Some note that Shiism resembles Christianity in its:

A)belief in a religious figure that will return to the world and restore faith and justice.
B)belief that baptism can cleanse a person of past sins.
C)fusion with earlier pagan beliefs that imbue certain types of natural entities, such as rocks and streams, with spiritual power.
D)inherently political nature.
E)veneration of Jesus and Mary.

Question 19

Why did the Second Khordad Front ultimately fail to bring about major reforms?

A)It couldn't win a majority in the Majlis and couldn't form a coalition.
B)It had the support of the Expediency Council but not the Guardian Council.
C)It only controlled the Majlis and the presidency, both of which were relatively weak institutions.
D)The Revolutionary Guard instituted a terror campaign to threaten reformist politicians.
E)The prime minister ultimately opposed the party's goals.

Question 20

Shiism differs from Sunni Islam in its emphasis on:

A)the possibility for reincarnation among those free of sin.
B)the need for a literal reading of the Koran.
C)the descendants of Mohammad as true leaders of Islam.
D)mysticism and ritual.
E)polygamy.

Question 21

Which of the following most accurately describes the state of political or religious culture in Iran?

A)Surveys show that the majority population opposes democracy for religious reasons.
B)Surveys indicate that women are more religiously conservative than men in Iran.
C)Surveys show that the youth are more religious than those born before 1979.
D)There is a growing underground community of Christian converts.
E)Surveys show that many Iranians support both democracy and keeping religion an important part of their lives.

Question 22

Which of the following is true of the Azeri in Iran?

A)The collapse of the Soviet Union indirectly helped foster a stronger ethnic identity among Iranian Azeris.
B)They are Iran's smallest, most persecuted minority.
C)Azeris have historically played almost no role in the major facets of Iranian life.
D)Improving relations between Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan have helped the position of the Azeri in Iran.
E)Azeri adherence to the Sunni religion has caused them to be more persecuted than other minority groups in Iran.

Question 23

Which of the following powers is among those possessed by the president of the Iranian Republic?

A)vetoing legislation
B)dissolving the legislature
C)calling for elections
D)selecting a cabinet of ministers
E)controlling the military

Question 24

Within Iranian political culture, what is the relationship between followers of the "quietist" philosophy and the broader reformist vs. conservative division?

A)Quietists' fundamentalist belief in the totality of Islam makes them even more extreme than most conservatives, who occasionally use quietists as political allies.
B)Quietists' belief that Islam should act as an intermediary between state and society leads them to align with the conservatives who place clerics as stewards of government.
C)Quietists' opposition to the combination of politics with Islam leads them to align with the more secularist reform camp.
D)Quietists' belief that Islam should not be mixed with politics leads them to reject the broad positions of both the reformers and the conservatives.
E)Most quietist clerics are actually leaders of the conservative factions, hoping to bring their vision of Islam into government policy.

Question 25

How did the discovery of oil in Iran affect its economic development, particularly with respect to the top-down mercantilist model? What role have the bonyads played in the Iranian economy?

Question 26

Why do you think the Islamic Revolution was successful in Iran? How much of that success can be attributed to the influence of foreign powers, the nature of Shiism, or unique cultural attributes of the Iranian people?

Question 27

How might the role of the younger generation affect politics in Iran in the future, given their large numbers and familiarity with technology? Why has their influence largely failed to introduce more democratic elements into government to date?

Question 28

The velayat-e faqih refers to:

A)the belief in clerical rule that gives political power to religious leaders.
B)the core belief of quietist Shia that politics and faith must not be mixed.
C)those fundamentalist Shia who reject the Koran over the worship of the hidden imam.
D)the belief in economic redistribution as consistent with the Koran's emphasis on social justice.
E)the Shia belief that all Jews and Christians must be forcibly converted to Islam.

Question 29

Describe the burst of political party development after the 1979 revolution, as well as its contraction leading up to the 1987 elections. How was political debate transformed in the Majlis after 1987?

Question 30

Is it possible for Iran to become more democratic while keeping a strong role for religion in politics? Why or why not?