2012 - Question #11 – short answer/concept question

(A)          What do political scientists mean by accountability?

(B)          Describe briefly the primary means of ensuring accountability in Russia.

See pp. 37 and 74-81 in What You Need to Know

2012 - Question #9 – short answer/concept question

(A)          What is a prominent political cleavage in Russia?

(B)          How is that cleavage expressed (visible)?

See pp. 78-81 in What You Need to Know

2012 -- Question #8 – country context question

(A)          Describe the most democratic aspect of the Russian regime.

(B)          Describe the most democratic aspect of the PRC regime in China.

(C)          Identify which regime is more democratic.

(D)         Explain why.

See pp. 73-78 and 88-94 in What You Need to Know

Question No. 14

You can subscribe to these questions using the RSS feed (the broadcast icon in the address bar), and you'll see them in your news reader when I post them.

You can submit an answer using the "Questions" e-mail link at the What You Need to Know web site. (Look in the lower, right-hand section of that page.)

If you submit the earliest best answer, I'll post your answer (without your name) and a critique here a week after the question was posted. It will be in the "Comments" section for that question.



Here's Question No. 14 (It's a Conceptual Analysis question.):

The heads of government in Russia and the United Kingdom are not directly elected by voters.
•Explain how each is chosen.
•Describe a significant similarity in their roles as heads of government.
•Identify and describe one major difference between the sources of authority for these two executives.


(See pp. 57 - 62 and 74-78 in What You Need to Know.)

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Don't neglect the What You Need to Know Facebook pages

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Question No. 7

You can subscribe to these questions using the RSS feed (the little broadcast icon in the address bar), and you'll see them in your news reader when I post them.

You can submit an answer using the "Questions" e-mail link at the What You Need to Know web site. (Look in the lower, right-hand section of that page.)

If you submit the earliest best answer, I'll post your answer (without your name) and a critique here a week after the question was posted. It will be in the "Comments" section for that question.

Here's Question No. 7 (It's a Country Context question.):

•Identify where in each political system, nation-wide interest groups would most likely try to influence policy making in the United Kingdom AND Russia.
•Explain one factor in each country that prevents these efforts from being transparent.

(See pp. 63-67 and 79-82 in What You Need to Know.)

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Don't neglect the What You Need to Know Facebook pages

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Question No. 26 (29 April 2009)

Here's Question No. 26:

In Russia, voter turnout has declined with each successive presidential election.

a. What are two reasons for the decline in the percentage of citizens voting in the last two presidential elections? (2 points)

b. Explain why falling oil prices would encourage or discourage voting in the next presidential election. (2 points)

(See pp. 75-78 in What You Need to Know.)

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Question No. 17 (8 April 2009)

I'll post a sample FRQ here about comparative government and politics almost every week day until May 1. They're for practice, since that one of the best ways of preparing for the exam.

You can subscribe to these questions using the RSS feed (the little orange icon in the address bar), and you'll see them in your news reader when I post them.

You can submit an answer using the "Questions" e-mail link at the What You Need to Know web site. (Look in the lower, right-hand section of that page.)

If you submit the earliest best answer, I'll post your answer (without your name) and a critique here a week after the question was posted. It will be in the "Comments" section for that question.

No prizes this year. But, I'll add your school's web address to the list of "Worthwhile Links" on the left side of the blog, IF you send it to me.

Here's Question No. 17:

When Putin's presidential terms were over and he became prime minister, he was in a less powerful position than he had been in.

a. What are two formal authorities the president of Russia has that enhance the power of that office? (2 points)

b. What is an informal aspect of Russian politics that enhances the authority Prime Minister Putin has in practice and how does that aspect enlarge the power of Putin? (2 points)

(See p. 70 in What You Need to Know and Russian Election in the Updates section of the book's web site.)

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Question No. 13 (2 April 2009)

I'll post a sample FRQ here about comparative government and politics almost every week day until May 1. They're for practice, since that one of the best ways of preparing for the exam.

You can subscribe to these questions using the RSS feed (the little orange icon in the address bar), and you'll see them in your news reader when I post them.

You can submit an answer using the "Questions" e-mail link at the What You Need to Know web site. (Look in the lower, right-hand section of that page.)

If you submit the earliest best answer, I'll post your answer (without your name) and a critique here a week after the question was posted. It will be in the "Comments" section for that question.

No prizes this year. But, I'll add your school's web address to the list of "Worthwhile Links" on the left side of the blog, IF you send it to me.

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Here's Question No.: 13

In 2005, constitutional changes in Russia eliminated single-member districts in elections for the State Duma.
A. What was one of Putin's arguments that this change would strengthen political parties in Russia? (1 point)
B. What was an argument put forward by Putin's critics and opponents that a proportionally-elected legislature would only solidify Putin's hold on political power? (1 point)
C. What was another constitutional change in 2005 that supported Putin's state goal of strengthening parties? (1 point)
D. What was a constitutional change in 2005 that supported the arguments of Putin's opponents about solidifying Putin's power? (1 point)

(See pages 69-70 in What You Need to Know.)

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Question No. 12 (1 April 2009)

I'll post a sample FRQ here about comparative government and politics almost every week day until May 1. They're for practice, since that one of the best ways of preparing for the exam.

You can subscribe to these questions using the RSS feed (the little orange icon in the address bar), and you'll see them in your news reader when I post them.

You can submit an answer using the "Questions" e-mail link at the What You Need to Know web site. (Look in the lower, right-hand section of that page.)

If you submit the earliest best answer, I'll post your answer (without your name) and a critique here a week after the question was posted. It will be in the "Comments" section for that question.

No prizes this year. But, I'll add your school's web address to the list of "Worthwhile Links" on the left side of the blog, IF you send it to me.

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Here's Question No. 12:

What is one (1) way in which the Basij in Iran are similar to Nashi in Russia? (1 point)

What is one (1) way in which the Basij are different from Nashi? (1 point)

What are two reasons political movements find such quasi-official organizations as the Basij and Nashi politically useful? (2 points)

(See pages 73-74 and 145 in What You Need to Know.)

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Question No. 3 (17 March 2009)

I'll post a sample FRQ here about comparative government and politics almost every week day until May 1. They're for practice, since that one of the best ways of preparing for the exam.

You can subscribe to these questions using the RSS feed (the little broadcast icon in the address bar), and you'll see them in your news reader when I post them.

You can submit an answer using the "Questions" e-mail link at the What You Need to Know web site. (Look in the lower, right-hand section of that page.)

If you submit the earliest best answer, I'll post your answer (without your name) and a critique here a week after the question was posted. It will be in the "Comments" section for that question.

No prizes this year. But, I'll add your school's web address to the list of "Worthwhile Links" on the left side of the blog, IF you send it to me.

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Here's Question No. 3:



Russia and Nigeria are major oil producers. What are two (2) reasons the Russian government is more capable than the Nigerian government of expressing its sovereignty through policies and actions based on energy production? (2 points)

Is the Mexican government more like the Russian or Nigerian government in this regard? Why? (2 points)

(See pages 79 and 122-123 in What You Need to Know.)

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Question No. 43 (30 April)

For the next couple days, I'll post questions about comparative government and politics to help you prepare for the AP exam.

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Here's Question No. 43:
When discussing the "power ministries" in Russia, what are political scientists referring to?

What are two responsibilities or characteristics that guarantee those ministries political power?

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Question No. 28 (9 April)

Each weekday between now and May 1, I'll post a question about comparative government and politics.

You submit an answer to the "Questions" e-mail link at the What You Need to Know web site.

If you submit the earliest best answer, I'll publish your answer here a week after the question was posted.

And you'll win a pair of What You Need to Know number two pencils to help you fill in the exam's multiple choice answer sheet. One of the pencils will have all the multiple choice answers on it and the other will display King Arthur's memorable line from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, "You don't vote for kings!"

(You can also win a pair of WYNTK pencils by posing a question that gets used here.)

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Here's Question No. 28:
Politically, why has Putin's government made such great efforts to control civil society groups within the country?

What are two ways that rationale is similar to or different from the efforts in China to control civil society groups?

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Question No. 20 (28 March)

Each weekday between now and May 1, I'll post a question about comparative government and politics.

You submit an answer to the "Questions" e-mail link at the What You Need to Know web site.

If you submit the earliest best answer, I'll publish your answer here a week after the question was posted.

And you'll win a pair of fine What You Need to Know number two pencils to help you fill in the exam's multiple choice answer sheet. One of the pencils will have all the multiple choice answers on it and the other will display King Arthur's memorable line from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, "You don't vote for kings!"

(You can also win a pair of WYNTK pencils by posing a question that gets used here.)

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Here's Question No. 20:
What was Putin's primary public explanation for favoring the elimination of single member districts in Duma elections?

What did Putin's opponents suggest was the actual motivation for the electoral law reform?

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Question #19 (27 March)

Each weekday between now and May 1, I'll post a question about comparative government and politics.

You submit an answer to the "Questions" e-mail link at the What You Need to Know web site.

If you submit the earliest best answer, I'll publish your answer here a week after the question was posted.

And you'll win 17% of a dozen What You Need to Know number two pencils to help you fill in the exam's multiple choice answer sheet. One of the pencils will have all the multiple choice answers on it and the other will display King Arthur's memorable line from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, "You don't vote for kings!"

(You can also win a pair of WYNTK pencils by posing a question that gets used here.)

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Here's Question No. 19:
What are two political results of the growth of government control and ownership of major economic entities (e.g. corporations) in Russia during the past 10 years?

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Answer No. 8

Here's the first best answer I've received for Question #8.

Question 8 was:
How and why is the political role of media in Russia different from the political role of media in the UK?

Anonymous 2's answer is:
8. The UK, had an incredibly diverse and extensive media, with the main source being the BBC. British media is widely reputed for presenting a very respectable and varied body of information on both domestic and international events and developments. The media in the UK creates a form of political check on governmental power in its efforts to reveal the truth about political happenings and issues.

The Russian media, however, has a significant bias in favor of the current regime and has historically been an instrument of both propaganda that has a higher loyalty to the ruling party than to the truth.

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An important thing to keep in mind for this question is that the "how" and "why" questions are separate. Some of the "how the roles differ" may answer part of the "why the roles differ," but they are different question. You must clearly answer both questions.

This is a 4-point question. Up to two points for identifying the ways the political roles differ and up to two points for offering accurate and logical explanations for why the roles differ.

My rubric says that the political roles media play in the UK and Russia differ (this is "how" question) in that

• British media critically assess government and party policies and actions
• UK media choose which policies, candidates, and leaders to endorse or criticize
• British media freely and enthusiastically question rationales and reasoning of political actors
• British media raise issues they perceive the government neglects or ignores

The reasons for these differences (this is the "why" question) include:

• clearly private ownership of most British media vs. ownership by parastatals in Russia
• economic competition for readers, listeners, and viewers among British media vs. subsidies to media from Russian owners with little attention paid to "audiences"
• near absence of government restrictions on the content of British media vs. relatively rigid controls of Russian media because of the ownership structure
• tradition of free press in the UK vs. absence of free press tradition in Russia

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The answer does not offer two labeled lists, but it does say that British media present a "varied body of information on both domestic and international events..." and that the "media in the UK creates a form of political check on governmental power..." The answer also says that Russian media "a significant bias in favor of the current regime..." Those statements about how the political roles differ earn two points.

The statement that the Russian media have "historically been an instrument of... propaganda..." offers a reason why the political roles of the media differ. That earns a point.

So this answer earns 3 points.

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You could keep your thinking and your response clear by writing two paragraphs for this question. The first one should be labeled, "Differing political roles of media in the UK and Russia." The second paragraph should be labeled, "Reasons for differences in the political roles of media in the UK and Russia."

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Answer No. 2

Answer No. 2:

Here's the first best answer I've received for Question #2.

Question 2 was:
How did the current Russian constitution get approved?

Did that approval process contribute to the legitimacy of the constitution? Why or why not?.

Anonymous' answer is:

"According to my source, wikipedia, it says that the current constitution was drafted in a referendum on December 12 1993, after the previous president dissolved the last Constitution. in this referendum all the registered voters, or 54.8% of the population participated in the referendum. Of those,54.5% voted for adoption of the Constitution. So i believe that this makes it valid constitution, and therefore legitimate one because of the legal voting population it was approved by the majority of Russia."

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This would be a two point question.

A point would be awarded for correctly identifying a referendum for the way the constitution was approved.

A point would be awarded for a factually correct and logical explanation of why this process would or would not contribute to the legitimacy of this new constitution.

Acceptable reasons for the process contributing to the legitimacy of the constitution would be:
• approval by a majority of voters
• demonstrable, widespread dissatisfaction with the old constitution or regime
• demonstrable, widespread approval of the leader who caused the constitution to be written

Acceptable reasons for the process to detract from the legitimacy of the constitution would be:
• lack of public or representative involvement in the constitution-writing process
• small margin of the approval vote by less than an overwhelming percentage of eligible voters
• demonstrable lack of public knowledge about the innovations in the new constitution
• rapidity of constitution writing and the lack of widespread public discussion about the proposed regime change

Some of those reasons require more explanation than others.

Anonymous' answer would earn both points.

However, there are some questionable things in the answer that might have caused problems.
• Wikipedia should not be cited as the only source. The reliability of Wikipedia is very questionable. That doesn't cause a problem with this answer because sources were not requested by the question. Most FRQs do not request the citation of sources and it's not necessary to do so unless you are asked.
• The constitution wasn't "drafted" by the referendum. The referendum approved a constitution that had been drafted (i.e. written).
• It's unclear to whom "previous president" refers. In another case, that reference might have been important.
• Validity is not necessarily identical to legitimacy.

These kinds of minor "errors" are common in the responses that exam readers see. Exams are written under the pressure of test taking and the clock. Most of the time mistakes like this are of no consequence. But you should, if you have the time, proofread your answers. Sometimes, carelessness can cost you points.

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Anonymous has won two pairs of WYNTK pencils.

Question #12 (18 March)

Each weekday between now and May 1, I'll post a question about comparative government and politics.

You submit an answer to the "Questions" e-mail link at the What You Need to Know web site.

If you submit the earliest best answer, I'll publish your answer here a week after the question was posted.

And you'll win a pair of What You Need to Know number two pencils to help you fill in the exam's multiple choice answer sheet. One of the pencils will have all the multiple choice answers on it and the other will display King Arthur's memorable line from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, "You don't vote for kings!"

(You can also win a pair of WYNTK pencils by posing a question that gets used here.)

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Here's Question No. 12:
Since Putin's reforms in the past three years seem to be reducing the choices available to voters, what has he done to promote legitimacy of the Russian regime and his government?

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Question #8 (12 March)

Each weekday between now and May 1, I'll post a question about comparative government and politics.

You submit an answer to the "Questions" e-mail link at the What You Need to Know web site.

If you submit the earliest best answer, I'll publish your answer here a week after the question was posted.

And you'll win a sixth of a dozen What You Need to Know number two pencils to help you fill in the exam's multiple choice answer sheet. One of the pencils will have all the multiple choice answers on it and the other will display King Arthur's memorable line from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, "You don't vote for kings!"

(You can also win a pair of WYNTK pencils by posing a question that gets used here.)

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Here's Question No. 8:
How and why is the political role of media in Russia different from the political role of media in the UK?

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Question #2 (4 March)

Each weekday between now and May 1, I'll post a question about comparative government and politics.

You submit an answer to the "Questions" e-mail link at the What You Need to Know web site.

[That's http://apcomparativegov.com in case the link doesn't work for you.]

If you submit the earliest best answer, I'll publish your answer here a week after the question was posted.

And you'll win a pair of What You Need to Know number two pencils to help you fill in the exam's multiple choice answer sheet. One of the pencils will have all the multiple choice answers on it and the other will display King Arthur's memorable line from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, "You don't vote for kings!"

(You can also win a pair of WYNTK pencils by posing a question that gets used here.)

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Here's Question No. 2:
How did the current Russian constitution get approved?

Did that approval process contribute to the legitimacy of the constitution? Why or why not?

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