Comparative Political Analysis Questions and Answers

Answer: B

Democratic centralism is a feature of the Chinese Communist Party.

The principle comes from Lenin: free discussion inside the party before a decision, then strict discipline once it is taken, with lower bodies bound by higher ones and the minority by the majority. It is written into the constitution of the Communist Party of China and of other communist parties.

The Democratic Party of the United States, the British Conservative Party and the Indian National Congress are parties of competitive democracies and are not organised on this principle.

Answer: B

The correct pair is France : French Revolution.

The French Revolution of 1789 replaced loyalty to the king with the idea of the sovereign nation of citizens, with the tricolour, the 'Marseillaise' and the levee en masse as its symbols. It is the standard example of an event that created modern nationalism in a European state, and it spread the idea across Europe.

The Magna Carta (1215) limited the power of the English king but was a feudal settlement, not nationalism. German nationalism grew from culture, war and Bismarck's unification, not simply elite dissatisfaction, and Giorgia Meloni's 2022 election victory came long after Italy became a nation.

Answer: D

The last military ruler of Pakistan was Pervez Musharraf.

Pakistan has had four military rulers: Ayub Khan (1958-69), Yahya Khan (1969-71), Zia-ul-Haq (1977-88) and Pervez Musharraf, who seized power in a coup in October 1999 and ruled until he resigned the presidency in 2008.

Ayub Khan, Yahya Khan and Zia-ul-Haq all came before him, so none of them was the last.

Answer: B

The founding father of Bangladesh is Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Mujib, called Bangabandhu (friend of Bengal), led the Awami League and the movement for East Pakistan's autonomy, and Bangladesh's independence was declared in his name in 1971. He became its first Prime Minister and later President, and is officially honoured as the Father of the Nation.

Yahya Khan was the Pakistani military ruler whose crackdown of 1971 led to the war of liberation, so he was on the other side. Zahurul Haq was a Bengali activist who died in custody in 1969, and Mufti Ahmed is not a founder figure.

Answer: A

The disadvantage is restricted political participation.

When power is concentrated in an elite, decisions are taken by a small group, and ordinary citizens have few real channels to influence them. Elite theorists such as Mosca, Pareto and C. Wright Mills described this narrowing of participation, which weakens democracy.

Accountability and the sustenance of democratic values are things that suffer under elite rule, not its disadvantages in themselves; efficiency is the advantage its defenders claim for it.

Answer: A

The correct statement is independent electoral machinery is essential in liberal democracy.

Free and fair elections are the foundation of a liberal democracy, and they require an election body independent of the government and parties, as India's Election Commission is under Article 324.

The head of the electoral machinery is normally appointed, not elected, so that it stays above party politics. If political parties controlled it, elections could not be fair. And electoral machinery is clearly essential, since without it there are no elections.

Answer: C

The Knesset is the parliament of Israel.

The Knesset is Israel's single-chamber legislature of 120 members, sitting in Jerusalem. Its name and size come from the Great Assembly (Knesset HaGedolah) of ancient Jewish tradition.

Denmark's parliament is the Folketing, Poland's the Sejm and Senate, and Turkey's the Grand National Assembly.

Answer: D

The official key gives Anthropology. Systems thinking began in biology with Bertalanffy, and in the social sciences its operational, working form was first developed by anthropologists and their functional analysis of whole societies, before political scientists such as Easton adapted it to politics.

Psychology is not keyed because it applied systems ideas mainly to individual behaviour. Sociology is not keyed even though Parsons later built a systems theory, which came after the anthropological work. Political Science is not keyed because Easton's political system model borrowed the framework from other disciplines.

Answer: A

The statement is by W.G. Runciman. In his work on sociology and social theory, Runciman observed that functionalism can be read as a conscious alternative to Marxism, since it explains social order through the functions of institutions while Marxism explains it through conflict and class.

Robert K. Merton is wrong because he was a leading functionalist himself and is associated with manifest and latent functions. Oran Young is wrong because he is known for systems theory in international politics. David Easton is wrong because he is associated with the political system model and not with this remark about Marxism.

Answer: B

The stages named are those of A.F.K. Organski. In The Stages of Political Development he describes four stages: political unification, industrialisation, national welfare and abundance, through which a developing society moves toward its goals of development.

Rustow is wrong because he is known for the genetic model of democratisation with its stages of national unity, struggle, decision and habituation. Lucian Pye is wrong because he is known for the development syndrome and political culture. David Apter is wrong because he is known for the modernisation model and the study of political systems of modernising societies.