Question 1

Which of the following statements most accurately describes the state of political or religious culture in Iran?

Accepted Answer

A) Surveys show that the majority population opposes democracy for religious reasons. 
B) Surveys indicate that women are more religiously conservative than men in Iran. 
C) Surveys show that many Iranians support both democracy and keeping religion an important part of their lives. 
D) Surveys show that the youth are more religious than those born before 1979. 
A) Surveys show that the majority population opposes democracy for religious reasons. 
B) Surveys indicate that women are more religiously conservative than men in Iran. 
C) Surveys show that many Iranians support both democracy and keeping religion an important part of their lives. 
D) Surveys show that the youth are more religious than those born before 1979. C

Question 2

Describe the three events in 1979 that turned public protest against the shah into a revolution? What was the United States' role in these events?

Accepted Answer

A good answer will explain the three events and their significance in galvanizing public opposition toward the shah-the Cinema Rex fire that killed 400 was rumored to have been started by the shah's secret police (SAVAK);the shah declared martial law but this only intensified the protests (including violence between the army and protestors)and increased their religious symbolism and allusions to martyrdom;and the shah recognized Khomeini's significance and removed him from Iraq to France in an effort to isolate him,which only served to embolden the protesters.The United States was supportive of the shah and his secular regime but began equivocating as violence intensified,publicly condemning the violence while also continuing to support his regime.

Question 3

Within the legislative process,what is the relationship between the Majlis and the Expediency Council?

Accepted Answer

A) The Expediency Council has no formal power over legislation,but exerts a strong policy influence on the Majlis. 
B) The Expediency Council rules on unresolved legislative disagreements between the Guardian Council and the Majlis. 
C) The Expediency Council must approve all legislation issued by the Majlis based on compatibility with the constitution. 
D) The Expediency Council serves,as 12 individuals within the Majlis who vote in a bloc,to represent the ayatollah's interests. 
A) The Expediency Council has no formal power over legislation,but exerts a strong policy influence on the Majlis. 
B) The Expediency Council rules on unresolved legislative disagreements between the Guardian Council and the Majlis. 
C) The Expediency Council must approve all legislation issued by the Majlis based on compatibility with the constitution. 
D) The Expediency Council serves,as 12 individuals within the Majlis who vote in a bloc,to represent the ayatollah's interests. B

Question 4

Some note that Shiism resembles Christianity in its

Accepted Answer

A) belief that baptism can cleanse a person of past sins. 
B) belief in a religious figure that will return to the world and restore faith and justice. 
C) inherently political nature. 
D) veneration of Jesus and Mary. 
A) belief that baptism can cleanse a person of past sins. 
B) belief in a religious figure that will return to the world and restore faith and justice. 
C) inherently political nature. 
D) veneration of Jesus and Mary.

Question 5

The term ayatollah refers to

Accepted Answer

A) a member of a powerful higher clergy within Shiism's religious leadership. 
B) the belief in the role of the Koran as the final word of God. 
C) the Safavid and Qajar-era monarchs. 
D) Jews and Christians who are respected in Islam as "people of the Book." 
A) a member of a powerful higher clergy within Shiism's religious leadership. 
B) the belief in the role of the Koran as the final word of God. 
C) the Safavid and Qajar-era monarchs. 
D) Jews and Christians who are respected in Islam as "people of the Book."

Question 6

Operation Ajax refers to the

Accepted Answer

A) removal of Reza Khan by the British in 1941. 
B) seizure of the American embassy in 1979. 
C) first policies of land reform under the White Revolution in 1963. 
D) U.S.-UK covert program that was instrumental in the overthrow of Mohammad Mosaddeq. 
A) removal of Reza Khan by the British in 1941. 
B) seizure of the American embassy in 1979. 
C) first policies of land reform under the White Revolution in 1963. 
D) U.S.-UK covert program that was instrumental in the overthrow of Mohammad Mosaddeq.

Question 7

What kind of electoral system does Iran use for the Majlis and Assembly of Experts?

Accepted Answer

A) single-member district 
B) proportional representation 
C) mixed proportional representation and single-member district 
D) single-member and multimember districts 
A) single-member district 
B) proportional representation 
C) mixed proportional representation and single-member district 
D) single-member and multimember districts

Question 8

Explain how reformists differ from political conservatives (principalists)in the debate over the relationship between religion and the state.In the absence of institutionalized parties,what other debates form ideological cleavages in Iranian society?

Accepted Answer

A good answer will note that,in the abse

Question 9

Which of the following statements about the 2013 election of Hassan Rouhani to the presidency is accurate?

Accepted Answer

A) The supreme leader failed to demonstrate support for any individual candidate,freeing up Rouhani to dominate the field. 
B) Rouhani took a hard line on the nuclear issue during the campaign phase,arguing that Iran should publicly pursue a weapons program. 
C) Rouhani's previous 2005-2007 term as president was fondly remembered by many Iranians,giving him a boost against more inexperienced candidates. 
D) Rouhani openly repudiated Islam in the final stages of the election,arguing for a purely secular government. 
A) The supreme leader failed to demonstrate support for any individual candidate,freeing up Rouhani to dominate the field. 
B) Rouhani took a hard line on the nuclear issue during the campaign phase,arguing that Iran should publicly pursue a weapons program. 
C) Rouhani's previous 2005-2007 term as president was fondly remembered by many Iranians,giving him a boost against more inexperienced candidates. 
D) Rouhani openly repudiated Islam in the final stages of the election,arguing for a purely secular government.

Question 10

Which individual largely articulated the ideas behind the Islamic Revolution of 1979?

Accepted Answer

A) Mohammad Mosaddeq 
B) Ayatollah Khomeini 
C) Ayatollah Khatami 
D) Reza Khan 
A) Mohammad Mosaddeq 
B) Ayatollah Khomeini 
C) Ayatollah Khatami 
D) Reza Khan

Question 11

Within Iranian political culture,what is the relationship between followers of the "quietist" philosophy and the broader reformist versus conservative division?

Accepted Answer

A) Quietists' fundamentalist belief in the totality of Islam makes them even more extreme than most conservatives,who occasionally use quietists as political allies. 
B) Quietists' belief that Islam should act as an intermediary between state and society leads them to align with the conservatives who place clerics as stewards of government. 
C) Quietists' belief that Islam should not be mixed with politics leads them to reject the broad positions of both the reformers and the conservatives. 
D) Quietists' opposition to the combination of politics with Islam leads them to align with the more secularist reform camp. 
A) Quietists' fundamentalist belief in the totality of Islam makes them even more extreme than most conservatives,who occasionally use quietists as political allies. 
B) Quietists' belief that Islam should act as an intermediary between state and society leads them to align with the conservatives who place clerics as stewards of government. 
C) Quietists' belief that Islam should not be mixed with politics leads them to reject the broad positions of both the reformers and the conservatives. 
D) Quietists' opposition to the combination of politics with Islam leads them to align with the more secularist reform camp.

Question 12

The perpetrators of the 1979 Iranian Revolution sought to create what kind of regime?

Accepted Answer

A) monarchy 
B) theocracy 
C) illiberal democracy 
D) secular republic 
A) monarchy 
B) theocracy 
C) illiberal democracy 
D) secular republic

Question 13

Shiism differs from Sunni Islam in its emphasis on

Accepted Answer

A) the possibility for reincarnation among those free of sin. 
B) the need for a literal reading of the Koran. 
C) mysticism and ritual. 
D) the descendants of Mohammad as true leaders of Islam. 
A) the possibility for reincarnation among those free of sin. 
B) the need for a literal reading of the Koran. 
C) mysticism and ritual. 
D) the descendants of Mohammad as true leaders of Islam.

Question 14

Iranians differ from much of the Middle East in that

Accepted Answer

A) they are majority Sufi. 
B) they are majority Sunni. 
C) they are not Arabs and do not speak Arabic. 
D) Iran is a monarchy. 
A) they are majority Sufi. 
B) they are majority Sunni. 
C) they are not Arabs and do not speak Arabic. 
D) Iran is a monarchy.

Question 15

The Revolutionary Guard is

Accepted Answer

A) a paramilitary force controlled by the supreme leader. 
B) the body that selects the supreme leader. 
C) composed of religious leaders who have been approved by the government to preach. 
D) the name given the opposition forces that oppose the supreme leader. 
A) a paramilitary force controlled by the supreme leader. 
B) the body that selects the supreme leader. 
C) composed of religious leaders who have been approved by the government to preach. 
D) the name given the opposition forces that oppose the supreme leader.

Question 16

Executive power in Iran lies primarily with the

Accepted Answer

A) supreme leader and president. 
B) president's Assembly of Experts. 
C) supreme leader and Majlis. 
D) president and the Guardian Council. 
A) supreme leader and president. 
B) president's Assembly of Experts. 
C) supreme leader and Majlis. 
D) president and the Guardian Council.

Question 17

Which of the following powers is among those possessed by the president of the Iranian Republic?

Accepted Answer

A) vetoing legislation 
B) dissolving the legislature 
C) selecting a cabinet of ministers 
D) controlling the military 
A) vetoing legislation 
B) dissolving the legislature 
C) selecting a cabinet of ministers 
D) controlling the military

Question 18

How did the discovery of oil in Iran affect its economic development,particularly with respect to the top-down mercantilist model? What role have the bonyads played in the Iranian economy?

Accepted Answer

A good answer will note that the discove

Question 19

Reza Shah Pahlavi is noted for his

Accepted Answer

A) efforts at top-down modernization in Iran. 
B) attempt to make Iranian politics more consistent with Shia beliefs. 
C) effort to create a secular and democratic Iran. 
D) hostility toward the United States in favor of other Middle Eastern states. 
A) efforts at top-down modernization in Iran. 
B) attempt to make Iranian politics more consistent with Shia beliefs. 
C) effort to create a secular and democratic Iran. 
D) hostility toward the United States in favor of other Middle Eastern states.

Question 20

Which of the following descriptions best characterizes the policy of the Islamic Republic toward drug and alcohol abuse in Iran?

Accepted Answer

A) hands-off policy that has allowed drug abuse to flourish 
B) fairly liberal policy from the inception of the Islamic Republic resembling that of European welfare states 
C) severe punishment policies,including capital punishment,despite widespread illegal consumption of drugs and alcohol 
D) initially forgiving,treatment-based policy that has become more cruel and punishment-oriented in recent years 
A) hands-off policy that has allowed drug abuse to flourish 
B) fairly liberal policy from the inception of the Islamic Republic resembling that of European welfare states 
C) severe punishment policies,including capital punishment,despite widespread illegal consumption of drugs and alcohol 
D) initially forgiving,treatment-based policy that has become more cruel and punishment-oriented in recent years

Exam 19: Iran

Which of the following statements most accurately describes the state of political or religious culture in Iran?

Describe the three events in 1979 that turned public protest against the shah into a revolution? What was the United States' role in these events?

Within the legislative process,what is the relationship between the Majlis and the Expediency Council?

Some note that Shiism resembles Christianity in its

The term ayatollah refers to

Operation Ajax refers to the

What kind of electoral system does Iran use for the Majlis and Assembly of Experts?

Explain how reformists differ from political conservatives (principalists)in the debate over the relationship between religion and the state.In the absence of institutionalized parties,what other debates form ideological cleavages in Iranian society?

Which of the following statements about the 2013 election of Hassan Rouhani to the presidency is accurate?

Which individual largely articulated the ideas behind the Islamic Revolution of 1979?

Within Iranian political culture,what is the relationship between followers of the "quietist" philosophy and the broader reformist versus conservative division?

The perpetrators of the 1979 Iranian Revolution sought to create what kind of regime?

Shiism differs from Sunni Islam in its emphasis on

Iranians differ from much of the Middle East in that

The Revolutionary Guard is

Executive power in Iran lies primarily with the

Which of the following powers is among those possessed by the president of the Iranian Republic?

How did the discovery of oil in Iran affect its economic development,particularly with respect to the top-down mercantilist model? What role have the bonyads played in the Iranian economy?

Reza Shah Pahlavi is noted for his

Which of the following descriptions best characterizes the policy of the Islamic Republic toward drug and alcohol abuse in Iran?

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