United Kingdom and Russia

Which of the following sets of contrasts is true for all parliamentary and presidential systems?

• Parliamentary systems have many parties in the legislature, while presidential systems have only two.

• Parliamentary systems use proportional representation, while presidential systems do not.

• Parliamentary systems have an indirectly elected head of state, while presidential systems have a directly elected head of state.

• In parliamentary systems, the legislative and executive branches are fused, while in presidential systems they are separate.

Which of the following is a difference between the prime minister of Russia and the prime minister of the United Kingdom?

• The Russian prime minister is directly elected, while the British prime minister is selected by the majority party in Parliament.

• The Russian prime minister must be head of the majority party in the Duma, while the British prime minister can be from any party in Parliament.

• The Russian prime minister may be removed by the president, while the British prime minister may be removed as a result of a vote of no confidence.

• The Russian prime minister may dissolve the Duma, while the British prime minister cannot dissolve Parliament.

The power of the Russian prime minister is more limited than the power of the prime minister in the United Kingdom because

• only in the United Kingdom does the prime minister act as head of government

• the Russian prime minister is limited by a much more powerful head of state

• the parliament in the United Kingdom has the power to pass laws, whereas the Russian parliament does not

• the United Kingdom has an unwritten constitution, whereas Russia has a written constitution

In comparing the legislatures of the United Kingdom and Mexico, which of the following statements is true?

• In both countries, the lower house is popularly elected.

• The upper house in each legislature has greater power than the lower house.

• Women are more likely to be elected to the British legislature than the Mexican legislature.

• Both legislatures select the head of government.

In addition to its basic lawmaking function, the Federation Council of the Russian Federation also has the power to

• approve the president's choice of prime minister

• undertake votes of confidence in the government

• ratify treaties and approve troop deployments

• appoint the chair of the Central Bank

Rule of law is stronger in the United Kingdom than it is in Russia because

• common law in the United Kingdom establishes judicial review, whereas the Constitution in Russia does not

• the United Kingdom is a parliamentary system, whereas Russia is a semi-presidential system

• the United Kingdom has a Supreme Court, whereas Russia does not

• the judiciary in the United Kingdom is independent, whereas the judiciary in Russia is not

Which of the following is the most substantial cause of the weak judiciary in Russia?

• The Russian judiciary does not have the power of judicial review.

• The Russian judiciary lacks a sufficient number of lawyers and judges, since most of them fell out of favor when communism collapsed.

• The executive branch, which appoints judges, uses the courts to target opposition.

• Most Russian judges oppose President Putin and consistently rule against his government.

The common law system, especially as practiced in Great Britain, is based on

• formal legal codes

• the use of precedents to guide legal decisions

• the idea that judges should interpret laws in ways that improve public policy

• a set of guidelines developed by a constitutional council

Followers of both socialism and communism are most likely to favor which of the following policy programs?

• The protection of civil liberties

• The reduction of economic inequality

• The elimination of government intervention in economic markets

• The acquisition of colonies to gather resources and create new markets

Which of the following refers to a vote by the public on a particular policy issue?

• Referendum

• Legislation

• Executive order

• Judicial review