Transcript
Kubicek, European Politics Chapter 6 Test Bank Questions
Multiple Choice Questions
1. In a parliamentary system of governance, which of the following is NOT true about the prime minister?
a. He or she is a member of parliament.
b. He or she is selected by parliament.
c. He or she can be dismissed by parliament.
d. He or she is elected for a fixed term of office.
e. He or she is the head of government.
Answer: d; Skill level: Understanding; Page reference: pp. 156-157
2. In constitutional monarchies, the head of state is
a. the prime minister.
b. elected by voters.
c. unelected.
d. approved by parliament.
e. the most important political actor.
Answer: c; Skill level: Understanding; Page reference: pp. 154-155
3. The cabinet in a political system is best understood as
a. part of the legislative branch.
b. a collection of government ministers.
c. a symbolic institution.
d. a committee that meets only in emergencies.
e. an unelected body typically led by the head of states.
Answer: b; Skill level: Understanding; Page reference: p. 154
4. The only country in Europe with a U.S.-style presidential system is
a. Poland.
b. France.
c. Finland.
d. Cyprus.
e. Bulgaria.
Answer: d; Skill level: Understanding; Page reference: p. 164
5. In which type of system is executive and parliamentary power separated?
a. Presidential
b. Parliamentary
c. A supranational one
d. One with proportional representation
e. A constitutional monarchy
Answer: a; Skill level: Understanding; Page reference: p. 163
6. A vote of no confidence
a. is a means by which a monarch can exercise some political power.
b. can remove the prime minister.
c. can remove the president.
d. can remove either the president or the prime minister.
e. means voters have rejected the government.
Answer: b; Skill level: Understanding; Page reference: p. 156
7. All of the following are true about presidential systems EXCEPT
a. divided government is possible.
b. there is separation of powers.
c. there are set terms of office.
d. the chief executive is elected by voters.
e. the president can dismiss the prime minister.
Answer e Application p. 157, p. 163
Answer: e; Skill level: Application; Page reference: p. 157 and p. 163
8. According to the textbook, which country does NOT have a coalition government?
a. Ireland
b. Greece
c. Sweden
d. Germany
e. Great Britain
Answer: b; Skill level: Understanding; Page reference: p. 156 and p. 158
9. A minority government
a. is impossible.
b. tends to be more unstable than one with a majority.
c. is possible only in a presidential system.
d. is a common feature in a semi-presidential system.
e. is theoretically possible, but has not yet been created in any European country.
Answer: b; Skill level: Analysis; Page reference: p. 159
10. When comparing a parliamentary and presidential system, which statement is true?
a. The chief executive in a parliamentary system is more accountable to parliament.
b. The chief executive in a parliamentary system is less accountable to parliament.
c. The level of accountability of chief executives to parliament is about the same.
d. It is easier for voters to remove a prime minister than a president.
e. The presidential system has a less predictable term of office.
Answer: a; Skill level: Analysis; Page reference: pp. 159-160
11. In a parliamentary system, elections are held
a. every four years.
b. every five years.
c. every six years.
d. only after the term of the parliament is finished.
e. if the prime minister calls for them to be held.
Answer: e; Skill level: Application; Page reference: p. 161
12. From Figure 6.1, one can conclude that
a. most European governments last less than two years.
b. coalition governments last longer than majoritarian ones.
c. German governments last longer than those in Sweden.
d. the duration of European governments varies widely.
e. coalition governments in Poland have been durable.
Answer: d; Skill level: Analysis; Page reference: p. 160
13. Compared to the Italian prime minister, the British prime minister typically
a. is weaker.
b. is stronger.
c. has the same amount of power.
d. must rely on support from both houses of Parliament.
e. lasts a relatively short time in office.
Answer: b; Skill level: Analysis; Page reference: p. 162
14. All of the following might be considered advantages of a presidential system over a parliamentary system EXCEPT
a. it is more stable.
b. its leader is directly elected.
c. there is separation of powers.
d. it is easier to get rid of an unpopular leader.
e. presidents can claim a popular mandate.
Answer: d; Skill level: Analysis; Page reference: p. 165
15. Divided government
a. makes accountability to voters more problematic.
b. is common in parliamentary systems.
c. means that no party has a majority in parliament.
d. means that there is a coalition government.
e. forces governments to call for early elections.
Answer: a; Skill level: Application; Page reference: p. 165
16. “Cohabitation” is unique to
a. presidential systems.
b. parliamentary systems.
c. semi-presidential systems.
d. countries with a minority government.
e. countries with a coalition government.
Answer: c; Skill level: Understanding; Page reference: p. 168
17. Data from countries that have democratized since World War II suggest
a. presidential systems perform best of all.
b. parliamentary systems perform best of all.
c. semi-presidential systems perform best of all.
d. all systems of government perform about equally well.
e. presidential systems are more successful economically but are less stable.
Answer: b; Skill level: Understanding; Page reference: p. 166
18. Semi-presidentialism can be found in
a. Cyprus
b. Germany
c. Spain
d. The Netherlands
e. Poland
Answer e Understanding p. 164, p. 169
Answer: e; Skill level: Understanding; Page reference: p. 164 and p. 169
19. One could argue that parliamentary systems are superior to presidential systems because
a. parliamentary systems have separation of powers.
b. parliamentary systems offer more choices to voters.
c. parliamentary systems require coalition governments.
d. parliamentary systems do not have “lame duck” leaders.
e. parliamentary systems employ a “winner-takes-all” logic.
Answer: d; Skill level: Analysis; Page reference: p. 165
20. The example in this chapter of the role played by Vaclav Klaus in ratifying the Lisbon Treaty shows
a. the Czech Republic is best understood as a parliamentary system.
b. the Czech Republic is best understood as a presidential system.
c. the Czech Republic is best understood as a semi-presidential system.
d. Klaus is a stronger backer of the European Union.
e. the Czech presidency is entirely symbolic.
Answer: c; Skill level: Application; Page reference: p. 169
21. Cabinet ministers
a. are appointed by the head of government.
b. check the powers of the prime minister.
c. are elected by voters.
d. have powers that illustrate the “presidentialization” of politics.
e. are the members of parliament responsible for selecting the prime minister.
Answer: a; Skill level: Understanding; Page reference: p. 154 and p. 170
22. Presidentialization suggests
a. more countries in Europe are adopting presidential systems.
b. presidential systems perform better than parliamentary ones.
c. prime ministers are increasingly gaining power at the expense of parliament.
d. presidents are becoming more powerful than parliaments.
e. prime ministers need to be elected by voters in order to stay in office.
Answer: c; Skill level: Understanding; Page reference: p. 171-172
23. One cause of presidentialization is
a. the lack of public trust in prime ministers.
b. the desire to copy from the United States.
c. the role of the media.
d. political decentralization.
e. constitutional changes in many European countries.
Answer: c; Skill level: Analysis; Page reference: p. 172
24. As used in this chapter, state capacity depends upon
a. the prime minister.
b. the parliament.
c. the president.
d. the military.
e. the bureaucracy.
Answer e Application p. 174
Answer: e; Skill level: Application; Page reference: p. 174
25. A politicized bureaucracy
a. is more inefficient than a professional one.
b. reflects the partisan composition of the current government.
c. is staffed with career civil servants.
d. has been a goal of reformers in post-communist Europe.
e. is more powerful than a professional one.
Answer: b; Skill level: Understanding; Page reference: p. 175
True/False Questions
1. The head of state and head of government are the same person in a presidential system.
Answer: True; Skill level: Application; Page reference: p. 154
2. Cabinets are a type of institution only found in parliamentary systems.
Answer: False; Skill level: Application; Page reference: p. 154
3. Monarchy in contemporary Europe serves a mostly symbolic role.
Answer: True; Skill level: Understanding; Page reference: p. 155
4. In the French system of government, there is both a president and a prime minister.
Answer: True; Skill level: Understanding; Page reference: p. 167
5. According to Duverger’s definition of semi-presidentialism, presidents in this type of system are not directly elected by voters.
Answer: False; Skill level: Understanding; Page reference: p. 167
6. In a parliamentary system, elections can be held at virtually any time.
Answer: True; Skill level: Understanding; Page reference: p. 161
7. Swedish governments are among the least durable in Europe.
Answer: False; Skill level: Analysis; Page reference: p. 160
8. Minority governments occur when no single party gets a majority of the seats in parliament.
Answer: False; Skill level: Application; Page reference: p. 159
9. Prime ministers are more accountable to parliament than presidents.
True Analysis pp. 159–160
Answer: True; Skill level: Analysis; Page reference: pp. 159-160
10. Some presidents in Europe have only symbolic powers.
True Understanding p. 155, pp. 169–170
Answer: True; Skill level: Understanding; Page reference: pp. 169-170
Essay Questions
1. Some suggest that a parliamentary system better reflects voters’ preferences than a presidential system, even though presidents are directly elected by voters. Why might this be the case?
2. Why is a British prime minister, in terms of institutional power, more powerful than a U.S. president?
3. Some argue the merits of presidential/semi-presidential and parliamentary systems with claims about the efficiency of one type of system vis-à-vis the other. In your view, which one is likely to be more “efficient”?
4. Why might Italy have less durable governments than Sweden or Great Britain? Try to come up with several possible arguments.
5. What are the tensions between a politicized and professional civil service? Do you think that the civil service should be subject to “politicization”?
Evaluation
