Exam 5: Russia and the Post-Soviet States

Russia is home to the largest metal smelting complex in the world.

How has the dramatic shrinkage of the Aral Sea impacted the region's fishing industry?

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, life expectancies in Russia have declined.

Although privatization of business eliminated most of the social services that came from state-owned companies, increased tax revenues have improved government sponsored social welfare programs.

The political empowerment of women has advanced the least in the former Soviet states that have made the greatest strides toward democracy.

Central Asia is naturally prone to drought and water scarcity.

In 2010, Transparency International rated Russia as the most ________ of all major world countries.

What is the name for the process whereby industries owned by the government are sold to private companies or individuals?

Around two out of every three Russians live in the Far East region.

At this time, South Ossetia and Abkhazia are a part of:

At Stalin's behest, a major transformation resulted in what type of farm unit dominating the Soviet agricultural landscape?

The major rivers east of the Urals in Russia have long supported the region's commercial grape agriculture, used in wine production, through irrigation projects.

Beyond lost income, why is job loss in Russia particularly devastating for the individual?

The Soviet command economy was notably less efficient at allocating resources than the market economy.

A Russian city with particularly strong mineral wealth is:

The Chernobyl nuclear plant was located in:

What large Central Asian lake shrunk during the Soviet era because the rivers feeding it were diverted to irrigate cotton crops?

Which of the following is the best summary of Soviet ideology's approach to the environment?

The informal economy that flourishes in Russia today was born with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

What percentage of the Russian landmass is suitable for agricultural production?