Old Exam 2 with Answers - International Relations and World Politics | PWAD 150, Exams of Introduction to Sociology

Download Old Exam 2 with Answers - International Relations and World Politics | PWAD 150 and more Exams Introduction to Sociology in PDF only on Docsity! Sequence 001 POLI 150-001 Exam 2, Fall 2009 November 4 II. Multiple Choice: 45 questions, 2 points each (90 points total). Enter the correct answer for each item on the Scantron sheet, using a No. 2 pencil. Be sure to fill in the circle completely, without straying outside the circle. If you change your answer, be sure to erase your first mark completely. Do not mark more than one answer for each question; the computer scores double answers as incorrect. Keep the answer sheet clean (no stray marks) and undamaged (no folding/creasing). You may circle or underline the correct answers on the question sheet, but only answers reported on your scantron sheet will be graded. 1. “Failed states” are characterized by (a) de jure sovereignty, but limited de facto government control. (b) limited de jure sovereignty, but strong de facto government control. (c) authoritarian leadership. (d) military control of government. 2. The “race to the bottom” argument refers to the idea that (a) globalization has reached its peak and is currently declining. (b) free trade lowers the prices of goods for consumers. (c) as a result of competitive pressures generated by economic openness, governments reduce social spending and fail to enforce labor and environmental standards (d) international institutions such as the United Nations often are able to promote disarmament between formerly belligerent countries. 3. A Stolper-Samuelson approach to the domestic politics of trade would predict that (a) labor unions in wealthy nations will oppose freer trade. (b) import-competing industries in the U.S., such as steel and automobiles, will favor freer trade. (c) capital owners in poor nations will favor freer trade. (d) when factor specificity is high, trade politics will occur along industrial, rather than factoral, lines. 4. According to Pankaj Ghemawat (“Why the World Isn’t Flat”), the level of internationalization of activities such as immigration, direct investment and phone calls is estimated to be about what percentage of total activity? (a) 1 percent. (b) 10 percent. (c) 60 percent. (d) 90 percent. 5. In his chapter on alliance formation, Steven Walt argues that (a) balance of threat, not balance of power, drives alliance formation. (b) balance of power, not balance of threat, drives alliance formation. (c) weak states are likely to balance at the ends of wars. (d) strong states are likely to bandwagon during the early stages of wars. 6. The basic assumption of the liberal ideology of IPE is that: (a) international economic relations are inherently conflictual and best described as a zero-sum game. (b) the most important actors in global economic relations are nation-states. (c) international economic relations are a class struggle between core and peripheral nations. (d) the nature of international economic relations is essentially harmonious, and the most important actors are firms and consumers. Sequence 001 7. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) (a) ceased operations in 1991, following the peaceful end of the Cold War. (b) intervened in the Balkans as well as in Chechnya, but now has fewer members than during the Cold War. (c) admitted new members from central and eastern Europe in 1999, 2004 and 2009. (d) has more troops under its control today than it did in 1989. 8. Barry Posen (“A Nuclear-Armed Iran”) argues that the best strategy for achieving US goals vis-à-vis Iran is (a) a “grand bargain” in which the U.S. offers a security guarantee in exchange for major concessions on Iran’s nuclear program. (b) a preventive attack to eliminate or damage Iran’s nuclear program. (c) a strategy of containment and deterrence, in order to co-exist with a nuclear-armed Iran. (d) economic and political coercion, including trade and diplomatic sanctions. 9. One strategic goal of terrorist attacks is “spoiling.” Spoiling is defined as (a) an effort by a terrorist group to demonstrate a capability for leadership and commitment that is superior to that of other terrorist groups. (b) a strategy designed to provoke the target government into a disproportionate response, thereby rendering local audiences more sympathetic to the terrorist group. (c) a course of action intended to induce concessions by from the target state by threatening to impose future costs via additional attacks. (d) a strategy designed to sabotage a prospective peace agreement between the target government and moderate leadership in the terrorists’ home country. 10. Adam Smith, David Ricardo and others in the neoclassical economic tradition would argue that (a) imperfect competition is an essential feature of the modern global economy. (b) bilateral trade agreements are preferable to multilateral trade agreements. (c) barriers to economic trade, such as tariffs and quotas, help to promote national economic growth. (d) trade between two countries is welfare-improving, even if one of the countries has an absolute advantage in the production of every good. 11. Most civil wars end with (a) an outright military victory by one side. (b) a peace treaty that is upheld by both sides. (c) a United Nations peacekeeping mission. (d) the dissolution of the state. 12. Which of the following nations is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council? (a) Germany (b) Japan (c) India (d) France 13. Forming an alliance with the source of the prevailing threat is known as (a) balancing. (b) bandwagoning. (c) shadow of the future. (d) security dilemma. Sequence 001 28. The foreign policy issue of international intervention often boils down to a conflict between which two principles? (a) state sovereignty and anarchy (b) state sovereignty and reciprocity (c) human rights and state sovereignty (d) vulnerability and sensitivity 29. For mutually assured destruction (MAD) to work, both sides must possess (a) tactical nuclear weapons. (b) second strike nuclear capabilities. (c) Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs). (d) chemical and biological, as well as nuclear, weapons. 30. “Mercantilism” refers to (a) the predominance of one nation state over others. (b) the post World War II economic order. (c) the belief that military power and economic influence are mutually reinforcing, and that economic means should serve military/security ends. (d) the belief that economic influence is irrelevant to the conduct of world politics. 31. Robert Pape’s study of suicide terrorism funds that (a) the strategy of suicide terrorism is most effective at generating concessions from authoritarian governments. (b) suicide terrorism increased during the period from 1980 to 2001 because suicide attacks generated greater gains for terrorist groups than did other strategies. (c) the majority of suicide terrorist attacks are isolated, random acts, undertaken by individual fanatics. (d) moderate suicide terrorism campaigns elicit moderate concessions from target governments, while more ambitious suicide campaigns bring even greater concessions. 32. Each of the following states is classified as “failed” (according to Foreign Policy’s 2009 Failed States Index, as well as other sources) EXCEPT (a) Somalia (b) Sudan (c) Zimbabwe (d) Mexico 33. According to Paul Collier’s analysis, which of the following factors does NOT help to predict the outbreak of civil war? (a) income inequality. (b) economic decline and poverty. (c) natural resource dependence. (d) a history of recent intergroup conflict. 34. Which of the following statements about protectionism is true? (a) Tariffs and other trade barriers generate equally-sized losses for consumers and gains for producers. (b) Tariffs and other trade barriers generate deadweight losses: consumers lose more from trade barriers than domestic producers and governments gain. (c) Protectionist policies have reduced the economic well-being of major sugar producers in the United States. (d) Neoclassical economists, in the tradition of Adam Smith, argue that protectionist policies are welfare- enhancing. Sequence 001 35. Which of the following statements regarding NATO activity is accurate? (a) NATO troops are prohibited, both by member governments and by the alliance itself, from participating in operations outside of NATO’s geographic area. (b) During the Cold War, NATO forces were involved in defending western Europe against several conventional military attacks by the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies. (c)NATO has been involved in Afghanistan since 2001, via its International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). There are approximately 68,000 troops currently under ISAF command. (d) Each of NATO’s European members contributes equally, in proportion to its population, to NATO’s mission in Afghanistan. 36. United Nations peacekeeping operations (a) are described in detail by the United Nations Charter, under Chapter VI and a half. (b) have resulted in approximately 90,000 peacekeeper deaths since 1948. (c) have been most successful in the realm of post-conflict reconstruction, in places such as Cambodia and El Salvador. (d) have prevented genocides in Rwanda and Sudan. 37. Which of the following was true of terrorist activity in 2008 (the most recent year for which the National Counterterrorism Center has released a report)? (a) Bombings and armed attacks were less common, but more deadly, forms of terrorism than suicide attacks. (b) Attacks in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan accounted for approximately 55 percent of total terrorist attacks. (c) Approximately twenty percent of those killed by terrorist attacks were U.S. citizens. (d) The majority of terrorist attacks resulted in ten or more fatalities. 38. Civil wars are especially difficult to resolve because (a) the relative power of actors is likely to change frequently. (b) more powerful states often decide to take advantage of the conflict to attack. (c) international organizations frequently meddle in the affairs of states that are experiencing domestic conflict. (d) these conflicts are rarely fought over concrete goods like territory. 39. Why might an alliance entrap a state? (a) The state might be lulled into complacency about its ally and be unprepared when the ally attacks the state in the future. (b) An ally might take advantage of the state’s pledge to come to its defense and might make riskier demands of a mutual enemy. (c) A weaker state might trick a more powerful state into paying more for the alliance. (d) A state might become stuck in an alliance that does not provide enough benefits. 40. Why is Srebrenica (in Bosnia) an example of the limitations of United Nations peacekeeping? (a) United Nations peacekeepers could not effectively monitor elections to ensure their fairness. (b) United Nations peacekeepers could not prevent Serbian forces from massacring 7,000 Muslim men and boys. (c) United Nations safe havens proved to be breeding grounds for transnational terrorist groups. (d) The United Nations could not convince any of member countries to contribute troops to a peacekeeping mission in Srebrenica. Sequence 001 41.International trade liberalization often generates domestic political mobilization because (a) in poor countries, almost all groups lose from trade, leading to a net welfare loss as trade openness increases. (b) in rich countries, workers in high-technology industries tend to lose from trade. (c) while trade generates diffuse gains across an economy, it also produces concentrated costs for those at a comparative disadvantage. (d) while developed nations opened their agricultural and textile markets to imports many years ago, developing nations still have very closed markets. 42. Why is it difficult for terrorists to trust the target country to fulfill its commitments after the two sides come to an agreement? (a) States never bargain in good faith with terrorists. (b) Having given up their struggle after making a bargain, terrorists lose the power to coerce the target state through attacks and threats of attacks. (c) The target country usually has a difficult time controlling its military, which may want to continue attacking the terrorist group. (d) Leaders of terrorist groups are usually irrational and suicidal, making it very difficult for targeted governments to bargain with them. 43. Which of the following is the best example of a collective security organization helping to resolve a commitment problem? (a) The United Nations requires warring governments to agree to a ceasefire. (b) The United Nations forcibly confiscates the weapons of each country, in order to keep them from going to war again. (c) NATO forces carry out airstrikes against the aggressor, and NATO promises similar action in the future. (d) The United Nations places peacekeepers in the Kargil region, between India and Pakistan, to reduce the possibility of a surprise attack by either side. 44. Which of the following is explained well by the specific factor (Ricardo-Viner) approach? (a) Steel workers and steel factory owners both lobby for tariffs on imported steel. (b) Steel workers and agricultural workers join together to oppose tariffs on imported consumer goods. (c) Workers in an automobile factory promote free trade, while the factory owners lobby for tariffs on imported cars. (d) Owners of factories in a country with abundant fertile land promote free trade. 45. The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) (a) was created in 1945, and extended indefinitely in 1989. (b) has been signed by virtually every country, including Israel and Pakistan. (c) provides for inspection of civilian nuclear facilities under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). (d) identifies only two countries as “declared nuclear powers,” and commits these countries to reduce their nuclear arsenals.