SECTION I

60 MINUTES, 55 QUESTIONS

Directions: The following 55 questions are meant to test your knowledge of the complete curriculum of AP Comparative Government and Politics. Select the best answer from the choices provided with each question.

A parliamentary system differs from a presidential system in that parliamentary systems
1. directly elect the chief executive in a national election
2. possess separation of powers and checks and balances in their political systems
3. rely on constitutional authority rather than traditional authority
4. select a chief executive from the ranks of the legislative majority
Which of the following pairs of countries directly elect the most powerful chief executive in a national election?
1. Great Britain and Iran
2. Mexico and Russia
3. Nigeria and China
4. Great Britain and China
A two-party system is most likely to emerge in a country with
1. a conflictual political culture
2. a parliamentary system of government
3. a weak economy and divisive ethnic cleavages
4. a single-member-district plurality election system
Strong civil society would best be characterized by
1. a powerful bureaucracy that can immediately implement new policies
2. many independent associational groups that are free to organize and express their interests
3. free, fair, competitive elections with many viable candidates
4. a merit-based system of advancement
A unitary system is best defined as one that has
1. a complete centralization of power in the hands of one chief executive
2. only one legislative house with real policymaking power
3. no constitutional division of powers between the central and regional governments
4. a singular governing institution charged with interpretation of the law
The Iranian Revolution of 1979 is best characterized by which of the following statements?
1. It was a coup performed by a small segment of the Iranian military, and it resulted in a dictatorial state.
2. It was largely an uprising of the rural poor, and it resulted in a dictatorial state.
3. It was supported by large numbers of middle-class protesters, and it resulted in a theocratic state.
4. The regime of the Shah fell after a long and bloody civil war against armed dissidents who opposed his dictatorial practices.
The collective values, attitudes, and beliefs that citizens hold about politics, as well as the norms of expected behavior in the political system are the components of a country’s
1. political culture
2. political socialization
3. political ideology
4. civil society
In Russia, the prime minister is
1. appointed by the president
2. concurrently the head of state and head of government
3. the leader chosen by the majority party in the State Duma
4. directly elected in a national popular election
Which of the following best describes the population of China?
1. China’s population is highly concentrated in cities in the western part of the country.
2. China has the most ethnically diverse population of the countries studied in AP Comparative Government and Politics, with no one ethnic group making up a majority of the population.
3. Ethnic minorities make up almost half of China’s population, and they are concentrated in urban areas.
4. A single ethnicity makes up approximately 90 percent of China’s population, while ethnic minorities typically live in distant, isolated areas away from the major cities.

Question 10 refers to the following passage.

The mass-communication media, radio and television, must serve the diffusion of Islamic culture in pursuit of the evolutionary course of the Islamic Revolution. To this end, the media should be used as a forum for healthy encounter of different ideas, but they must strictly refrain from diffusion and propagation of destructive and anti-Islamic practices. It is incumbent on all to adhere to the principles of this Constitution, for it regards as its highest aim the freedom and dignity of the human race and provides for the growth and development of the human being. It is also necessary that the Muslim people should participate actively in the construction of Islamic society by selecting competent and believing officials and keeping close and constant watch on their performance. They may then hope for success in building an ideal Islamic society that can be a model for all people of the world and a witness to its perfection (in accordance with the Qur’anic verse “Thus We made you a median community, that you might be witnesses to men” [2:143].

The Constitution of Iran, 1979

Which of the following conclusions can be drawn from this passage of the Iranian Constitution of 1979?
1. The Iranian state is committed to the principle of freedom of speech and the press.
2. The government of Iran retains full ownership and control over the media of Iran.
3. The Iranian state may justify restrictions on freedom of the press if they are necessary to preserve Iran’s Islamic identity.
4. The media in Iran is forbidden from airing criticisms of the Supreme Leader or of his interpretations of Shari’ah law.
One accurate comparison between the British House of Lords and Russian Federation Council is that both
1. are directly elected in SMD plurality races
2. are powerful upper houses
3. may be overruled by the lower house
4. may act to remove the executive
Which of the following would be the best example of a rentier state?
1. There are regular colliding pro- and anti-government protests in the nation’s capital.
2. The vast majority of state revenue comes from leasing oil-drilling rights to foreign corporations.
3. Tax rates on the wealthiest citizens are among the highest in the world.
4. There are protectionist policies in place to prevent foreign corporations from competing with domestic businesses.
Why was the 2000 election of PAN candidate Vicente Fox significant?
1. It marked the first time a non-PRI candidate had been elected to office on any level in Mexico.
2. It marked the first time Mexico’s semi-presidential system elected a PRI president and a PAN prime minister.
3. It signified the end of Mexico’s involvement in NAFTA.
4. It marked a transition away from a dominant-party system to a multi-party system.
All modern representative democracies possess the characteristic of
1. widespread suffrage rights in elections
2. a written constitution
3. separation of powers between branches
4. a judiciary with the power of constitutional review
Mexico’s president may serve
1. one four-year term
2. one six-year term
3. two four-year terms
4. two six-year terms
The Iranian concept of jurist guardianship was reinterpreted by Ayatollah Khomeini to justify
1. violent revolution against the Shah
2. the suspension of progressive women’s rights reforms
3. empowering clerics to exercise authority over all of society
4. giving Supreme Court the final power to determine constitutionality
The British Cabinet tends to be composed of
1. leading members of the majority party in the House of Commons
2. technical experts who rose to the top of the British bureaucratic agencies they oversee through merit
3. a representative group of leaders from each party in the House of Commons
4. hereditary Lords who are appointed by the prime minister
Which country most accurately represents the concept of a “party state”?
1. The United Kingdom
2. Russia
3. China
4. Iran
Which of the following would exist in an illiberal democracy?
1. Regular elections in which the outcome determines who wields political power
2. Protected civil liberties such as freedom of speech and the press
3. Suffrage rights extended to all citizens without discrimination
4. Transparent government practices and budgeting
Compared to democratic regimes, authoritarian regimes
1. are more inefficient in enacting new policies
2. concentrate more power in the hands of the chief executive
3. are significantly more unstable and short-lived
4. consistently demonstrate a stronger rule of law
Which of the following is the best example of a change in government rather than a change in regime?
1. The age of the average Iranian is significantly lower than it was in 1979.
2. Although its literacy rate is rising, Nigeria should still build more schools to provide access to basic education.
3. Polls show a growing percentage of the British electorate planning to vote against the Conservative government.
4. Most Mexican people attribute the recent rise in income inequality to trade policy with the United States.
Which of the following is the best example of a rational-legal change in government?
1. A new prime minister takes office after the results of a general election.
2. Major reforms are made to the constitution to extend suffrage rights to all adult citizens.
3. A military dictator is deposed by an internal coup led by a fellow general.
4. Large-scale protests force a monarch to agree to draft a constitution and create a legislative assembly.
Both Nigeria and Mexico
1. have exhibited the traits of liberal democracy for many decades
2. had economic and budgetary policies shaped by the IMF’s and/or World Bank’s structural adjustment program
3. have sold their national oil resources into the private sector
4. elect their legislative bodies through a proportional representation system
The head of state and head of government are united into a single individual in
1. The United Kingdom
2. Russia
3. China
4. Mexico
Political socialization refers to
1. redistribution of wealth through the process of nationalizing key industries
2. the common and enduring practices that remain in place as governments change
3. people’s opinions about what their government should do
4. how people acquire their beliefs about politics
Nigerian leaders Umaru Yar’Adua in 2007 and Muhamadu Buhari in 2015 both came to power by
1. military coup d’état
2. leading a peaceful protest for regime change
3. popular election
4. leading the legislative parliamentary majority party
Which of the following statements is accurate regarding religious cleavages in Iran?
1. Iran reserves a small number of seats in the Majlis specifically for non-Muslim minority groups including Christians, Zoroastrians, and Jews.
2. Sunni and Shi’a Muslims are equally represented in Iran’s most powerful political institutions.
3. Non-Shi’a Muslim religious minorities receive no formal legal recognition nor rights of private religious worship.
4. Only a Sunni Muslim is legally permitted to hold the offices of Supreme Leader and President.
National identity is comparatively weak in Nigeria due to
1. the lack of economic resources
2. ethnic and linguistic diversity
3. the relative strength of local governing institutions
4. Nigeria’s unwillingness to assert itself on the world stage at international summits
Corruption is most likely to occur in a state with
1. a long history of pluralism
2. high levels of economic inequality
3. little or no transparency
4. an economy in which most resources are privately owned
A coalition government would emerge in Britain if
1. the prime minister was losing support within his party
2. the shadow cabinet voted “no” on a key initiative of the prime minister
3. no party managed to win a majority of Parliament in the general election
4. one party managed to secure more than two-thirds of the seats in the House of Commons
When comparing gender equality policies in Mexico and Nigeria, one accurate comparison would be that
1. while Nigeria has focused on guaranteeing equal access to education for women, Mexico has focused on equal pay in the workplace
2. Mexico has taken more overt legislative action than Nigeria to give women a place in elected offices of government
3. both Nigeria and Mexico have placed significant institutional limitations on women’s access to representation in government
4. women have come close to achieving status equal to men in politics and the workplace in both countries
Russia’s judicial system
1. adheres to strict standards protecting the rights of the accused against arbitrary use of power by government officials
2. exercises checks against the executive and legislative branches through the regular use of judicial review
3. does not have a defined role for the courts explained by its current constitution
4. is often dominated by the chief executive and executive institutions
The level of economic inequality in a country can be measured by
1. gross domestic product
2. gross national product
3. the Gini index coefficient
4. the unemployment rate
A vote of confidence that can bring down the government could occur in
1. a one-party state
2. a parliamentary democracy
3. a presidential democracy
4. a semi-presidential system
One limitation on candidates for office in Iran is that
1. they must be strictly observant Muslims
2. women are not allowed to hold public office
3. they must swear an oath of allegiance to the Supreme Leader
4. the Guardian Council may reject any candidate they find dissatisfactory
Devolution in the United Kingdom has directly resulted in
1. the union of Ireland with Northern Ireland
2. a renewed support for European integration in Scotland
3. separatist national parties in Scotland and Wales playing a larger political role
4. an independence movement in Wales
Which of the following best describes the concept of “rule by law” as it pertains to China?
1. Senior officials of the Chinese Communist Party are subject to follow the same laws and rules as the citizens.
2. The Chinese judiciary is functionally independent from the Chinese Communist Party, both in theory and in practice.
3. The judiciary and legal systems of China serve to reinforce the authority of the state over the lives of citizens.
4. Judges in China still largely adhere to Maoist ideology in their interpretations of the constitution.
Which of the following most accurately describes the ethnic demography of Russia?
1. There is no single ethnic group that makes up a majority of the Russian population.
2. Russia is dominated by two ethnic groups, Russians and Tartars, which combined make up over 98 percent of the population.
3. More than 80 percent of the population is made up of ethnic Russians, and a large number of diverse ethnicities make up the remaining 20 percent.
4. There is little ethnic diversity in Russia, as nearly the entire population identifies as ethnic Russians.
Which of the following offices in China is most likely to be chosen through a competitive popular election?
1. President of the People’s Republic of China
2. Member of the Central Committee
3. Deputy in the National People’s Congress
4. Mayor in a village

Question 40 refers to the following graph.

Data Source: The World Bank

Which of the following statements can be supported by the data in the graph?
1. Economic growth in Iran was more volatile than in Mexico or Great Britain from 2014 through 2017.
2. Mexico had the single largest growth rate for any year.
3. None of the countries measured experienced economic decline in a single year.
4. Iran’s nuclear agreement with the West and Britain’s referendum to leave the EU both had similar effects on their countries’ respective economies.
Both the prime minister of Great Britain and the prime minister of Russia
1. are directly elected by the people of the country
2. serve as long as they lead the majority party of the lower house
3. are ceremonial heads of state rather than heads of government
4. may be removed by a vote of no confidence in the lower house
A “failed state” is one in which
1. the people cannot exercise control over the government through regular elections
2. a prolonged war with neighboring states cannot be brought to a peaceful end
3. private property rights are not recognized by the government
4. law and order persistently breaks down because of the state’s inability to enforce its policies

Questions 43 through 45 refer to the following chart.

Country	Freedom Score out of 100 Possible (Freedom in the World, Freedom House 2018)	Corruption Perception Index Score out of 100 Possible (Transparency International, 2018)
China	14	39
Great Britain	94	80
Iran	17	28
Mexico	62	28
Nigeria	50	27
Russia	20	28

The country with the highest level of freedom and the least corruption is
1. China
2. Great Britain
3. Mexico
4. Russia
Which of the following conclusions can be drawn from the data in this chart?
1. The level of freedom in the developing world is rising rapidly.
2. The level of corruption in the world is nearing an all-time high.
3. Mexico is significantly freer than Iran and Russia.
4. Nigeria has less corruption than China.
Which of the following best describes the relationship between the level of freedom in a country and the level of corruption in a country, based on the data provided by Freedom House and Transparency International?
1. The more free and democratic a country’s regime is, the less corrupt the country’s public officials are likely to be.
2. The less free and democratic a country’s regime is, the less corrupt the country’s public officials are likely to be.
3. Reducing the level of corruption in a country causes a rise in the overall level of freedom in that country.
4. Based on this data, there is not a clear correlation between the level of freedom and the level of corruption.

Questions 46 and 47 refer to the following passage.

“The neoliberal economic model, pursued from 1983 until today, has been highly inefficient in Mexico in modern times. During this period, the economy grew 2 percent annually, and both for that reason and because of the tremendous concentration of income in just a few hands, it has impoverished the majority of our people, forcing them to search for a livelihood in the informal sector, to leave the country en masse or to choose the other path of criminal behavior.

I tell you both with realism and without ideological prejudice: neoliberal economics has been a disaster, a catastrophe for the public life of this country. . . .

This is why I insist. The distinguishing characteristic of neoliberalism is corruption. It may sound overstated, but in Mexico privatization has been synonymous with corruption. Unfortunately this evil has almost always existed in our country, but what happened during neoliberalism—that the system as a whole operated on corruption’s behalf—is without precedent. Political power and economic power have fed and fattened on each other, and have taken as a modus operandi the theft of the goods of our people and the wealth of our nation.”

Inaugural address of Andrés Manuel López Obrador, President of Mexico, 2018

Which of the following is an example of a neoliberal reform such as those referred to by President Obrador in this speech?
1. The sale of companies and resources once owned by the government into the private sector
2. Election reforms to make Mexico’s system more competitive and open for opposition parties
3. The nationalization of subsoil resources such as oil reserves
4. Increases to the corporate tax rates that motivated many foreign investors to move their money into other countries
Which of the following statements could an advocate of neoliberal reforms use to argue against the claims made by President Obrador?
1. Unionized workers in Mexico have benefited from privatization reforms with stronger collective bargaining rights.
2. Mexico’s sovereignty over its natural resources has been enhanced by neoliberalism because no foreign company is allowed to engage in oil exploration.
3. Public officials can engage in corruption when they are in control of an industry, whereas privatization creates competition to reduce the incentives for corruption.
4. During the age of neoliberalism, the welfare state has dramatically expanded to the benefit of average Mexican households.
In which pair of countries does the lower house of the legislature exercise substantially more policymaking power than the upper house?
1. The United Kingdom and Russia
2. China and Iran
3. Nigeria and The United Kingdom
4. Mexico and China
Mexico’s transition to democracy is in part due to
1. the adoption of a written constitution in 1988
2. strong economic growth throughout the 1960s and 1970s
3. the shift from a PR election system to a plurality SMD system
4. the creation of a strong and independent Federal Election Institute (IFE)
An authoritarian regime is more likely than a democratic regime to
1. give independence to the national judiciary
2. exert pressure on agents of political socialization to disseminate conforming beliefs
3. stage referenda to address the most pressing political questions
4. tolerate critical viewpoints in media and public life
Social movements differ from interest groups in that social movements
1. tend to be ethnically based, and interest groups are economically based
2. tend to be less formally organized than interest groups
3. tend to be more narrowly focused on a single issue, while interest groups are more broadly focused
4. have a stronger influence in liberal democracies than interest groups
Which of the following is not an agent of political socialization?
1. The media
2. Family and household members
3. Schools and universities
4. National elections
Legitimacy is defined as
1. the power of the state to exert its authority in times of public opposition
2. the extent to which popular elections determine who wields political power
3. the public’s perception that those exercising political power have the “right to rule”
4. the state’s adherence to principles of rule of law and constitutionalism
Political violence is most likely to be used by members of
1. the ethnic majority in a democratic state
2. the ethnic majority in an authoritarian state
3. a well-integrated ethnic minority in an authoritarian state
4. a poorly integrated ethnic minority in a democratic state
Economic development in the developing world has led to a demographic trend of
1. higher rates of child birth
2. higher mortality rates
3. movement from rural to urban environments
4. rapidly aging populations, which strain the welfare state

SECTION II

1 HOUR 30 MINUTES, 4 QUESTIONS

Conceptual Analysis

Answer parts (A), (B), (C), and (D).
1. Define a proportional representation system.
2. Describe how representatives are selected to a legislature in a proportional representation system.
3. Explain one difference between a proportional representation system and a single-member-district system.
4. Explain one reason why a proportional representation system is more likely to result in a multiparty system than a two-party system.

Quantitative Analysis

Answer parts (A), (B), (C), (D), and (E).

Economic Data from Selected Countries, 2017

Country	GDP (in billions of U.S. dollars)	GDP per Capita (PPP adjusted, in U.S. dollars)	Percentage of Workforce in Agriculture	Percentage of Workforce in Services
China	$12,010	$16,624	27	45
Great Britain	$2,620	$43,620	1	81
Iran	$430	$20,030	17	51
Mexico	$1,150	$19,480	13	61
Nigeria	$380	$5,927	37	52
Russia	$1,530	$27,890	6	67

Sources: GDP and GDP per capita data from the International Monetary Fund, 2017. Workforce data from the World Bank, 2017.

Identify the country that is the most economically developed based on the data in the table above.
Describe how one of the indicators in the table above can help to understand the level of development in a country.
Define economic development.
Explain how globalization has affected economic development in one of the AP Comparative Government and Politics course countries.
Explain how GDP per capita is distinct from GDP as a measure of economic development.

Comparative Analysis

Compare how civil society interacts with the state in two different AP Comparative Government and Politics course countries. In your response, you should do the following.
1. Define civil society.
2. Describe the relationship between civil society and the state in two different AP Comparative Government and Politics course countries, choosing one that is considered democratic and one that is considered authoritarian.
3. Explain why authoritarian systems still allow independent civil society groups to engage in political activities.
Argument Essay

Develop an argument as to whether an illiberal democracy (a system that uses elections to choose leading public officials, but lacks basic civil liberties) can exist, or if such a system is authoritarian by definition. Use one or more of the following course concepts in your response:
- Political efficacy
- Political socialization
- Pluralism
In your response, you should do the following:
- Respond to the prompt with a defensible claim or thesis that establishes a line of reasoning using one or more of the provided course concepts.
- Support your claim with at least TWO pieces of specific and relevant evidence from one or more course countries. The evidence should be relevant to one or more of the provided course concepts.
- Use reasoning to explain why your evidence supports your claim or thesis, using one or more of the provided course concepts.
- Respond to an opposing or alternate perspective using refutation, concession, or rebuttal.

ANSWER KEY

Practice Test 1

ANSWERS EXPLAINED

Multiple-Choice

(D) In a parliamentary system, voters elect the legislature, and then the party that wins a majority in the legislative election will choose a leader to serve as the executive, or prime minister. In a presidential system, voters directly elect the chief executive separately from the legislative election.
(B) Both Mexico and Russia hold elections for the most powerful executive (the president). Nigeria does as well. In Britain, the executive is chosen by the legislature. Iran and China do not hold elections for the most powerful executives.
(D) The single-member-district plurality system only rewards the candidates who win their district election, and does not give representation to parties with lower vote totals. This incentivizes groups to consolidate behind one of two major parties in order to maximize their chances to win representation.
(B) Civil society is composed of the various associational groups people join to express and advance their interests. These can include interest groups, charities or foundations, religious institutions, clubs, and many others. A strong civil society would have high participation rates in such groups among the people of the country, with relative independence and autonomy to act.
(C) Unitary systems are characterized by a strong central government that does not share much power with lower regional governments, or that retains the right to give and take powers to and from the regional governments as it sees fit. Federal systems, by contrast, have defined roles for the regional governments that cannot be altered without major reform.
(C) Iran’s 1979 Revolution was characterized mainly by street demonstrations of mostly urban middle-class Iranians who were angered over the poor state of the economy and saw the Shah as disconnected from their problems, subservient to the West, and anti-Islamic. The violence was limited to small conflicts between street protesters and the police, and culminated in the mostly bloodless departure of the Shah from Iran, and the arrival of the previously exiled Ayatollah Khomeini to establish an Islamic theocracy.
(A) The citizenry’s collective values, attitudes, and beliefs about politics and the norms of politics are called the political culture of a country. This is distinct from how people acquire and develop their beliefs about politics (political socialization), and what people believe the goals of politics should be (political ideology).
(A) The president is the most powerful executive in Russia, directly elected by the voters. The prime minister is appointed by the president to serve as head of government, but is much more constrained in his or her formal powers.
(D) The Han ethnicity makes up 90 percent of China’s population, and they primarily live in the eastern part of the country. The rest of the population is comprised of a large number of relatively isolated ethnic minorities who live in remote regions, mainly to the west.
(C) As the passage states that media must “strictly refrain from diffusion and propagation of destructive and anti-Islamic practices,” preservation of Iran’s Islamic identity is discussed as a higher priority than freedom of speech or of the press. The highest purpose of Iran’s constitution and its institutions is the construction of an “ideal Islamic society.”
(C) Both the British House of Lords and Russian Federation Council may be overruled by lower houses, though it only takes a simple majority in the British House of Commons (making the House of Lords effectively powerless), and it takes a two-thirds majority in the Russia State Duma (which means the Federation Council retains some meaningful power).
(B) Rentier states “rent” or lease out access to natural resources for use by foreign governments or corporations. This is commonly done with oil in developing countries with large oil reserves. Often the state earns enough from rents to pay for its security services and bureaucratic functions, and the result is that the state hardly needs tax revenue (or political support) from its own citizens.
(D) In the 2000 election, PAN candidate Vicente Fox won the presidential election, marking the first time in over 70 years that a member of a party other than the PRI would govern the country as chief executive. Mexico has been a competitive multiparty system since this election. PAN candidates had previously won some of the seats in the national legislature and some gubernatorial races at the state level but not the presidency.
(A) Democracies by definition must allow suffrage rights openly for a large segment of the population, perhaps with some reasonable limitations for age or otherwise, but there should be no artificial barriers preventing most people from being represented by the government. Other features such as constitutionalism or rule of law, checks and balances, federalism, etc., are present in some democracies but not all.
(B) The Mexican president may serve one sexenio, or six-year term, and may not stand for reelection. Non-reelection is a key feature of Mexico’s political culture.
(C) Jurist guardianship was for much of Iranian history interpreted by theologians to mean clerical guardianship of the core tenets of Islam, but Ayatollah Khomeini explained that only from a place of political power could clerical authorities truly guarantee that the society was adhering to the ideals of Islam. This was a major part of the justification for the establishment of a theocratic regime.
(A) The cabinet consists of the prime minister (“first among equals”) and other top leaders of the majority party in the House of Commons (though there has been an occasional Lord, historically). They may not all be close friends of the prime minister, and some may even be rivals for leadership within the party. Furthermore, they are not technical experts in the cabinet department they are leading. As a result, British ministers are often heavily influenced by advice they get from the bureaucrats who supposedly serve beneath them.
(C) A party state is one in which the control of state power is determined not by formal or constitutional processes, but rather by internal practices of a particular political party. In China, most of the constitutional processes to choose leaders are practically irrelevant, as the internal processes of the Chinese Communist Party truly determine political leadership.
(A) An illiberal democracy holds elections, and the winner of the elections takes political power. However, the election itself is often of questionable democratic legitimacy, due to a lack of transparency in governing processes, civil liberties, fully guaranteed suffrage rights, and other occurrences that don’t meet the standards of being labeled a liberal democracy.
(B) The chief executive often dominates a large patron-client network in an authoritarian regime, and typically faces little constitutional opposition from other state institutions such as the legislature or the judiciary. They do, however, sometimes hold elections as a means of boosting their legitimacy, though often the validity of the election result is questionable.
(B) Each of the other statements is an empirical statement, because they identify a measurable piece of data with no value-based judgment. Normative statements, meanwhile, make a value judgment, such as the statement “far too many Nigerians still lack access to basic education,” which implies that education is a value that all states should emphasize. Simply stating what the literacy rate is, or whether it has grown or declined, would be an empirical statement.
(A) In Comparative Government and Politics, a government is defined as those who are currently exercising political power. This is distinct from a regime, which is an existing set of political rules and norms that govern a political system. Therefore, an election in which a new party and prime minister take power would be called a change in government.
(B) Both countries experienced serious debt problems in the 1980s as oil prices plummeted, and both went to the IMF and World Bank for help, subjecting them to the conditions of structural adjustment programs to liberalize their economic policies, particularly with regard to opening their countries to international trade.
(D) In Mexico, the president serves as both head of state and head of government. The other four countries listed divide the roles between two distinct individuals.
(D) Political socialization is the process by which people acquire their beliefs about government and politics. Some common agents of political socialization include family, media, educators, and peers.
(C) Both Obasanjo and Yar’Adua were chosen by elections that were, at least compared to previous attempts in Nigeria, open and competitive. These leaders followed a long history of attempts at republican government followed by military coup d’état.
(A) Out of 290 seats in the national legislature (the Majlis), five are reserved for religious minorities recognized for their historic place in Persian society. The rest of the government is overwhelmingly filled by Shi’a Muslims, who make up approximately 90 percent of the population of Iran.
(B) Nigeria is one of the most ethnically diverse countries on the planet, with over 250 distinct ethnic groups, many of whom do not speak a common language (unless they have been educated in English), and no single group that makes up more than 25 percent of the population. The Nigerian people often identify more with their ethnic group than with any kind of Nigerian nationalism.
(C) Transparency in government processes, particularly in budgetary and spending policy, brings to light incidents of potential corruption for investigation. Without transparency, there is much more potential for corruption to go on unnoticed.
(C) Most governments in Britain form with one party gaining a majority of seats and choosing the prime minister and cabinet. Rarely, no party manages to win a majority of seats in the House of Commons (most recently in 2010), and multiple parties must form a coalition to create a governing majority.
(B) Mexico enacted laws requiring political parties to sponsor women candidates in legislative elections, initially with a quota of 33 percent and later 50 percent. As a result, women occupy a much larger percent of seats in the legislature of Mexico than they do in Nigeria. Women have less access to education and high wage jobs in Nigeria than they do in Mexico, particularly when considering northern Nigeria.
(D) Russia’s judiciary does not have much of a history with protecting civil rights and liberties that are supposedly guaranteed in their constitution. They have also never exercised much of a check through judicial review or any other power. Most of Russia’s executives are part of the patron-client network of the executive branch, and the judiciary often behaves as an extension of executive institutions.
(C) The Gini coefficient is a measure of income inequality in a country. A country with a high Gini coefficient has high income inequality; a country with a low Gini coefficient has a low income inequality.
(B) A vote of no confidence is when the majority party in a parliamentary democracy loses faith in its chosen leader, and votes that they have “no confidence in the current government,” resulting in the resignation of the prime minister and cabinet, and a call for a new general election.
(D) One power of the Guardian Council is the power to remove candidates from the ballot who would otherwise qualify. The Supreme Leader holds a similar power over candidates for the presidency.
(C) Devolution created regional parliaments in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland with powers over local matters. Many nationalist and/or separatist Welsh and Scottish parties that would win district seats for the House of Commons, but not enough to be meaningful politically, now hold larger shares of the seats in these regional parliaments.
(C) “Rule by law” means that the legal system and judiciary are under the control and authority of political leaders, and these leaders use the legal system to reinforce their authority and control over citizens. This is an opposing concept to “rule of law,” where all political leaders and citizens alike are subject to the same rules and laws, and the judiciary is independent from political leaders in its power to interpret the application of the law and issue rulings. In China, judges are appointed by the Chinese Communist Party and are subservient to it.
(C) Most people in Russia (about 80 percent) are ethnically Russian and speak the Russian language. Ethnic groups including Tartars, Ukrainians, Slavs, and others make up the remainder.
(D) Since 1979, China has held direct popular elections for many low-level offices, including village or town officials and deputies to the local people’s congresses. There are still no elections held for any national offices, though.
(A) The economic growth rate each year for Iran varied dramatically; for example, it had negative growth (economic decline) in 2015, followed by double-digit percentage growth in 2016. Both Great Britain and Mexico maintained relatively consistent rates of economic growth between 2 and 4 percent annually.
(D) While the British prime minister and Russian prime minister are different in numerous other ways, they may both be removed by vote of no confidence in their lower houses (the House of Commons and the State Duma, respectively).
(D) States must maintain the ability to enact laws and policies, and carry them out in order to fulfill their basic purpose, whatever the goals of the state may be. When law and order are breaking down and the state does not have the capacity to enforce its own rules, it is called a “failed state.”
(B) Great Britain has the highest score on the Freedom Score (94), along with the highest score on the Corruption Perception Index (80). These scores indicate that empirical evidence supports the idea that Great Britain has the highest level of freedom and the lowest level of corruption among the countries compared.
(C) Mexico’s score of 60 on the Freedom Index is significantly higher than the scores for Iran (17) and Russia (20). This supports the conclusion that Mexico has a freer society than Iran and Russia. Choice (D) is not supported by the chart since Nigeria has a lower Corruption Perception Index score than China. Choices (A) and (B) may or may not be true, but the data on the chart does not show changes over time in each country.
(D) These data do not show a correlation between the two scores. Although Britain has the highest Freedom Score and Corruption Perception Index score, other countries fall at various points along the freedom spectrum (Mexico, Nigeria, and China have a wide range of scores, for example), but they score at similar levels on corruption perception. As one example, China is the least free country, but actually scores better than many freer countries on corruption perception.
(A) Neoliberalism is an ideology that emphasizes the central role markets play in development, and it seeks to reduce the role of the government in the economy to protecting private property rights and enforcing clearly understood laws consistently, so that private businesses can operate freely and create economic prosperity. In the 1980s and 1990s, Mexico’s government sold many companies that were owned and operated by the government into the private sector. Leftists such as Obrador believe these reforms denied the Mexican people public ownership and control over the country’s resources, and they accused the government of enacting these reforms to benefit personal friends and associates of the government through corruption.
(C) Even though privatization can result in corrupt deals that benefit individuals with ties to the government, neoliberals would argue that corruption can also occur among public officials when the government owns a resource, company, or industry without proper checks in place. Furthermore, private businesses that engage in corruption have to compete with other businesses in the private sector, and may go out of business if they are not providing quality goods and services at reasonable prices to their customers. Neoliberals would argue that private competition is a strong check against corruption.
(A) In the United Kingdom, the House of Commons exerts nearly all political power, and the House of Lords exerts very little. The State Duma in Russia controls the budget and passes legislation, while the Federation Council can really only delay legislation, as its decisions can be overridden by a majority vote in the State Duma.
(D) The IFE of Mexico was established in 1990, bringing new levels of transparency and competitiveness to Mexico’s electoral processes after a highly questionable election in 1988. After the creation of the IFE, Mexico held a free and competitive election in 1994, and again in 2000, when an opposition candidate won the presidency for the first time since the creation of the PRI in 1929.
(B) Authoritarian regimes maintain control in many ways, including using the power of the state to pressure agents of political socialization (such as the media and schools) to disseminate political values that conform with the continued rule and values of the regime. Independent judiciaries, staging referenda, and allowing critical viewpoints to be expressed are all more consistent with democratic regimes.
(B) Interest groups focus on a narrow set of issues, and exist formally, usually with a specific hierarchy of leadership and membership, and registered status with the state. Social movements arise spontaneously, usually without any kind of specified organizational structure, and encompass a much broader range of concerns than interest groups have.
(D) Political socialization refers to how people acquire their political beliefs. There are many agents of political socialization that contribute to this process, including family members, schools and universities, and the media. National elections would be considered a linkage institution that connects people to the political process, but individuals do not acquire their political beliefs as a result of participating in an election.
(C) Legitimacy is defined as the perception of the people that those in official authority have the right to rule. States are unable to exercise political power over people if they do not possess legitimacy.
(D) Poorly integrated minorities, whether in democratic or authoritarian states, often have no legitimate legal mechanism to get their grievances addressed by the state, and no reason to maintain a peaceful relationship with the society. It is in these scenarios that violence, separatist movements, and terrorism are most likely to be used to try to achieve political goals.
(C) Most modern opportunities for better work and pay in developing countries are in cities, rather than in the countryside, and there has been large-scale migration from the countryside to cities in Mexico, China, and Nigeria as they have developed economically.

Free-Response

Conceptual Analysis (4 points possible)
1. One point is earned for a correct definition of a proportional representation system. Correct definitions may include:
  - A proportional representation gives representation in the legislature to each political party, based closely on the percentage of the vote the party receives in the election.
2. One point is earned for correctly describing the process of how representatives are selected to the legislature in a proportional representation system. Correct descriptions may include:
  - Political parties name candidates to a party list, and voters cast votes for a party rather than for individual candidates. Based on the percentage of the votes received in the election, the party wins a number of seats in the legislature, and the top names from the party list are elected to office.
3. One point is earned for a correct explanation of a difference between a proportional representation system and a single-member-district system. Correct explanations may include:
  - Voters cast votes for parties in a proportional representation system, but vote for an individual candidate in a single-member-district system.
  - The country is divided into geographic constituencies that each elect one person in a single-member-district system, while there may be no local level geographic constituencies in a proportional representation system, or the constituencies will elect multiple members.
  - Proportional representation systems give each party representation based closely on the percentage of the vote they received, while in a single-member-district system parties must win individual constituencies to gain representation.
4. ne point is earned for a correct explanation of one reason why a proportional representation system is more likely to result in a multiparty system than in a two-party system. Correct explanations may include:
  - Since proportional representation systems give representation to even small parties with few votes, voters are incentivized to continue supporting these parties. In a single-member-district system, these parties do not win constituencies, so they are left out of the government. Voters are incentivized to support larger parties with a better chance of winning.
  - Single-member-district systems encourage voters to support broad-based, big-tent ideological parties rather than fringe parties to maximize the chance of achieving their political goals. Proportional representation systems are better able to represent the interests of fringe parties.
  - Single-member-district systems tend to overrepresent the parties with the largest share of the vote so that only the two largest parties have a meaningful chance to control the government. Proportional representation systems match representation to the vote share, so there is no additional benefit to the largest parties.
Quantitative Analysis (5 points possible)
1. One point is earned for correctly identifying the country that is most economically developed. A country could best be deemed the most developed based on having the highest GDP per capita of the countries, the smallest percentage of workers in agriculture, and the largest percentage of workers in services. GDP is an aggregate statistic that says nothing about the average standard of living, so it does not help us understand the level of development. Correct identifications include:
  - Great Britain
2. One point is earned for a correct description of how one of the indicators in the table can help to understand the level of development in a country. Correct descriptions may include:
  - GDP per capita
    1. Shows the average standard of living for a person living in that country.
    2. A higher GDP per capita indicates a higher standard of living and/or more consumption purchasing power for the average person compared to countries with lower GDP per capita.
  - Percentage of workers in agriculture OR percentage of workers in services
    1. Agriculture is the most basic form of labor. Countries at low levels of development still employ most of their workforce in farming just to provide the basic food needs of the country. Once countries achieve higher levels of development and technology, machines replace the work of people on farms and people begin doing other forms of work in manufacturing or services, increasing the country’s economic output.
  - Note: It is incorrect to use GDP as an indicator of development. GDP is an aggregate statistic that shows the total output of the entire country’s economy, but not the average standard of living or the level of development.
3. One point is earned for a correct definition of economic development. Correct definitions may include:
  - Economic development means raising the standard of living of the average person, thus increasing the power of households to consume goods and services.
  - Economic development means creating more prosperity for larger segments of the population, hence lifting people out of poverty and into the middle class.
  - Economic development means increasing the productive capacity of a country. This can happen due to investment, adoption of new technologies, changes in labor practices, or other means.
4. One point is earned for a correct explanation of how globalization has affected economic development in one of the six course countries. Correct explanations may include:
  - Universal (could be applied to many of the countries)
    1. Invited investment from foreigners (foreign direct investment)
    2. Allowed domestic nationals to invest in companies in other countries
    3. Increased the amount of trade and specialization, thus increasing employment in specialized industries, but adversely affecting workers in industries that were outsourced
    4. Reduced production costs and/or prices for goods in the country
    5. Provided access to technologies developed in other countries to be used in their own country
  - Great Britain
    1. European Union gave Britain access to trade freely with the continent of Europe.
  - Russia
    1. International pressure from financial interests encouraged the conversion of the Russian economic system from communism to a more market-based system through shock therapy.
    2. Rapid international investment into Russia in the 1990s contributed to an inflation crisis.
  - China
    1. Concentrated manufacturing activity into certain areas by creating “Special Economic Zones” to attract foreign investment with reduced tariffs
    2. Caused a large migration event of workers leaving the countryside and agricultural jobs to find work in manufacturing in the cities because of expanded opportunities resulting from increased foreign direct investment
    3. Caused a major divide in the level of development between urban city centers and the countryside
  - Mexico
    1. Increased the number of jobs in manufacturing to export products to the United States and Canada
    2. Caused a divide in development between the more developed northern border area from the less developed central and southern parts of the country
  - Iran
    1. Expanded the international market to export its oil
    2. Concentrated the wealth of the country into the hands of the people with ties to the state and the oil industry because of the increase in oil exports
    3. Made the country susceptible to rapid economic decline when the price of oil drops sharply
  - Nigeria
    1. Expanded the international market to export its oil
    2. Concentrated the wealth of the country into the hands of the people with ties to the state and the oil industry because of the increase in oil exports
    3. Made the country susceptible to rapid economic decline when the price of oil drops sharply
    4. Caused a developmental divide between the region with more oil resources (the south) and the less developed northern region that lacks jobs in the oil industry
5. One point is earned for a correct explanation of how GDP per capita is distinct from GDP as a measure of economic development. Correct explanations may include:
  - GDP measures the total size of a country’s economy (or dollar value of all goods and services produced), while GDP per capita shows how that effects the standard of living for the average person.
Comparative Analysis (4 points possible)
1. One point is earned for a correct definition of civil society. Correct definitions may include:
  - Civil society is the term for independently organized groups of people who join together to advance or share a particular common interest.
2. One point is earned for EACH correct description of the relationship between civil society and the state in two different course countries, with up to two points possible. One country must be a democratic state, and one must be an authoritarian state. Correct descriptions may include:
  - Democratic states (Great Britain, Mexico, and Nigeria)
    1. Civil society groups are allowed to organize, communicate their message, influence the political process, and advance their interests freely without interference from the state.
    2. The state interacts with civil society in a pluralist system, where independent civil society groups compete freely for influence without the state selecting “authorized” groups to provide policy input.
  - Authoritarian states (Russia, China, and Iran)
    1. Civil society groups are often restricted from certain types of activities, especially those that could be considered politically opposed to the government.
    2. The organizing of civil society groups is restricted or monitored closely by the state.
    3. The state interacts with civil society in a corporatist system, where the state chooses “authorized” groups that are allowed to provide policy input to the state, while excluding independently formed groups from participating in the political system.
3. One point is earned for a correct description of why authoritarian systems still allow independent civil society groups to engage in political activities. Correct descriptions may include:
  - The state is creating a “veneer of democracy” by allowing limited political activities of civil society groups, so that it appears to citizens that rights of freedom of speech and association are protected.
  - Some civil society groups’ political activities are occurring on such a small scale that they do not pose an oppositional threat to the government, so the government effectively ignores their activities and concentrates its attention elsewhere.
  - Many civil society groups in authoritarian systems are supportive of the regime, so the government allows them to engage in political activity to build legitimacy and public support.
Argument Essay (5 points possible)
1. One point is earned for constructing a defensible claim or thesis that establishes a line of reasoning using one or more of the course concepts.
  - Examples of acceptable claims or theses:
    1. “Illiberal democracy is not possible as a concept because without the basic rights of liberal democracies (such as freedom of speech and association), a system cannot be a democracy at all.”
    2. “If a country truly protects the rights of voters to select their officials in competitive elections, a country can still be considered a democracy, even without the traditionally understood rights found in liberal ideology.”
  - Examples of unacceptable claims or theses:
    1. “Illiberal democracy means that the political system has elections to choose officials, but does not respect many rights, such as the freedom of speech and assembly.” This attempt at a thesis does not make a specific claim regarding whether the concept of an illiberal democratic system could be considered a democracy or not.
    2. “Illiberal democracies can be considered democracies if certain conditions are met.” This statement alone does not establish a line of reasoning.
2. One point is earned for EACH use of specific evidence from one of the six course countries, with up to two points possible. These specific examples and evidence used must be relevant and support the thesis or claim of the essay.
  - Examples of specific relevant evidence (not an exhaustive list):
    1. “Russia’s erosion of many rights of liberalism, such as access to alternative independent sources of media, protections for those accused of crimes for fair and public trials, and freedom of speech, have led to the transformation of what was once a democratic state into an authoritarian state.”
    2. “Despite the changes in Russia since Vladimir Putin became president, Russia still holds elections with multiple candidates on the ballot for every office, and those who receive the most votes are duly elected as Russia’s public officials.”
    3. “One of the central features of Mexico’s transition from an authoritarian, one-party state to a democracy was the implementation of liberal rights, including freedom of association through pluralism, rather than state-driven corporatist networks.”
    4. “In the same manner as China loosened state control over the economy gradually, China has implemented gradual and limited democratization, holding competitive elections at local levels of government, even though they have not liberalized the political rights of the people.”
3. One point is earned for discussion of why the evidence cited supports the thesis or claim. This discussion should be specific to the evidence cited and connected back to the thesis or claim.
4. One point is earned for responding to an opposing or alternate perspective, either using refutation, concession, or rebuttal.
  - Examples of refutation, concession, or rebuttal may include:
    1. “The concept of illiberal democracy was created to explain the system that was emerging in Russia under Vladimir Putin, along with other democracies with new, strongman chief executives. Although the term made sense in that moment, in retrospect we now see that in each of these cases, it was not illiberal democracy, but emerging authoritarianism.”
    2. “Even though liberal rights may be seen as necessary to democracy for those of us coming from the Western tradition, we must understand that democracy will look different in different cultures, and that for them, it is possible to hold peaceful elections to decide who holds political power without protecting every traditionally understood right that we hold.”

SCORE ANALYSIS

Section I: Multiple-Choice

Use the following formula to calculate your weighted Section I score.

Number correct (out of 55): ________ × 1.0909 = ________ (Section I Score Total)

Section II: Free-Response

Add together your weighted scores for each of the four questions to get your total weighted Section II score.

Short-Answer Concepts

Conceptual Analysis (11% of exam score)

Points earned on rubric ________ (out of 4 possible) × 3.3 = ______
Quantitative Analysis (12.5% of exam score)

Points earned on rubric ________ (out of 5 possible) × 3.0 = ______
Comparative Analysis (12.5% of exam score)

Points earned on rubric ________ (out of 5 possible) × 3.0 = ______
Argument Essay (14% of exam score)

Points earned on rubric ________ (out of 5 possible) × 3.36 = ______

Section II Score Total ______

Total Section I + Total Section II = ________/120

Conversion Chart for AP Exam Score*

Final Score Range	AP Score
84–120	5
72–83	4
60–71	3
43–59	2
0–42	1
*The score range corresponding to each grade varies from exam to exam and is approximate.