Quiz 4.7-4.10

Which of the following describes typical characteristics of federal states?

• A centralized government and strong centripetal forces

• A fragmented land area and a single ethnic group

• A small land area and high population density

• A compact shape and a primate city

• A large land area and multiple ethnic groups

Which of the following describes a federal form of governance?

• A centralized government creates a barrier to local participation in the political process.

• Autonomous regions act outside the authority of a central government.

• Federal states encourage devolutionary movements and break apart quickly.

• Laws are enacted in a single language to promote cultural unity.

• Multiple substates have local control and are unified to pursue common goals at the national level.

Which of the following describes a unitary form of governance?

• Stronger states and transnational corporations indirectly control weaker states.

• A state has a strong central government with no power given to regions.

• A collection of independent communities shares government services.

• A state’s more powerful central government shares power with its regions.

• A sense of unity, often derived from ethnic or cultural traits, binds a country together.

Based on the data in the table, which of the following is a possible impact of ethnic and religious diversity in Iraq?

• Ethnicity and religion act as centripetal forces in the country by creating a common Iraqi identity among the population.

• Ethnicity and religion facilitate democratization in the country by motivating participation in elections.

• Ethnicity and religion promote economic development in the country by generating national pride in the country’s accomplishments.

• Ethnicity and religion lead to devolutionary pressures in the country by politically dividing regions.

• Ethnicity and religion increase cultural cohesion in the country by promoting shared political ideology.

Based on the map, which of the following best explains the implications of physical geography as the Kurds continue to struggle for an independent state in their ethnic homeland?

• Israel, Turkey, and Russia have voiced their support for an independent Kurdistan in areas with a majority Kurdish population, showing potential validation for Kurdistan.

• In September 2017 a public referendum was carried out that demonstrated that a majority of Kurds overwhelmingly support independence.

• Most areas with a Kurdish majority population are landlocked and therefore dependent on good relationships with their neighbors in order to access trade and prosper economically.

• Even in areas with a Kurdish minority population, Kurdish people have their own unique culture and identity separately from the states in which their nation is located.

• Unstable oil prices have created economic problems both in parts of the region with a Kurdish majority population and in parts with a Kurdish minority, leaving the Kurdistan Regional Government weakened and struggling to pay off debt. 

Which of the following possible political effects is implied by the data in the table?

Responses

• The country’s high level of economic development acts as a centripetal force holding the state together.

• The high level of economic difference between the regions in Italy acts as a devolutionary force.

• The low level of economic difference between regions in Italy acts as a centripetal force holding the state together.

• The low level of economic difference between regions in Italy promotes devolutionary movements in some parts of Italy.

• The country’s low level of economic development promotes centrifugal forces tearing the state apart.

Which of the following is an accurate comparison of devolutionary movements in Spain and Canada?

• There is an economic aspect to the Quebecois independence movement, while the Catalans focus mainly on culture.

• Both independence movements utilize cultural distinctiveness as their only reason for seeking independence.

• Both independence movements focus on religious differences with the nations they currently belong to.

• There is an economic aspect to the Catalan independence movement, while the Quebecois focus mainly on cultural differences.

• Both independence movements utilize economic power as their main reason for seeking independence.

Compare the centralized power of the Soviet Union with the contemporary Russian Federation, in terms of the control of territory. Which of the following statements does the information in the map best support?

• Russia is a global power with concentrated power in East Asia.

• Russia is a multistate nation made up of numerous sovereign independent entities.

• Russia’s autonomous regions illustrate a strategy to counter the difficulty in governing such a large area from a single centralized location.

• Russia is an ethnically diverse region with many subnational units.

• Russia used to control fifteen additional republics that regained their independence in 1990.

Which of the following events could be a threat to a state’s sovereignty at the national scale, while holding a region together at the global scale?

• A natural disaster such as an earthquake or tsunami occurring within the country

• A member of the state’s minority political party being elected to lead the country

• Admittance into a supranational organization such as the European Union

• Decommitment to environmental resolutions established by the United Nations

• A shift from a federal system to a unitary system of governance within the state

Which of the following correctly compares the impact of centripetal forces at the local scale with the impact of centripetal forces at the national scale?

• Centripetal forces may cause uneven development at the local scale but not at the national scale.

• Centripetal forces at both the local scale and the national scale may lead to increased cultural cohesion.

• Centripetal forces may lead to stateless nations at the national scale but not the local scale.

• Centripetal forces may result in nationalism at the local scale but not at the national scale.

• Centripetal forces at both the local scale and the national scale may lead to failed states.