Question 1

Which of the following was the result of Gorbachev's attempt at reform?

Accepted Answer

A) increased economic growth 
B) the breakup of the Soviet Union 
C) democratic elections by which the Communists were returned to power 
D) membership in the European Union 
E) war with China 
A) increased economic growth 
B) the breakup of the Soviet Union 
C) democratic elections by which the Communists were returned to power 
D) membership in the European Union 
E) war with China B

Question 2

In which institution does most political power lie in Russia?

Accepted Answer

A) the Duma 
B) the prime minister 
C) the president 
D) the Federation Council 
E) local government and political parties 
A) the Duma 
B) the prime minister 
C) the president 
D) the Federation Council 
E) local government and political parties C

Question 3

In which of the following ways has the Russian government sought to combat its demographic problems?

Accepted Answer

A) offering cash payments to westerners that immigrate to Russia 
B) barring all immigration from Asian countries 
C) increasing taxes on immigrants that have more than two children 
D) offering cash bonuses to women who have more than two children 
E) offering cash payments to nonethnic Russians that emigrate from Russia 
A) offering cash payments to westerners that immigrate to Russia 
B) barring all immigration from Asian countries 
C) increasing taxes on immigrants that have more than two children 
D) offering cash bonuses to women who have more than two children 
E) offering cash payments to nonethnic Russians that emigrate from Russia D

Question 4

The Federation Council's primary role is to:

Accepted Answer

A) advise the president on foreign policy issues. 
B) represent local interests. 
C) serve as the prime minister's cabinet. 
D) generate Russian legislation. 
E) serve as the highest constitutional court. 
A) advise the president on foreign policy issues. 
B) represent local interests. 
C) serve as the prime minister's cabinet. 
D) generate Russian legislation. 
E) serve as the highest constitutional court.

Question 5

Why has "true" democracy failed to take root in Russia since the collapse of communism? What factors do you think are most important?

Accepted Answer

There are several factors that have cont

Question 6

Which of the following statements about the Russian province of Chechnya is accurate?

Accepted Answer

A) Chechnya's ideological identification with the West has in large part led to the numerous invasions by the Russian military. 
B) Despite its status as an independent republic under the Soviet Union, Chechnya was denied independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union. 
C) Chechnya was able to operate as an independent country in actions, if not in formal status, during much of the 1990s. 
D) Putin's harsh invasion of Chechnya resulted in his initial loss of the presidency and assuming of the role of prime minister. 
E) Chechnya's Islamic population was ethnically cleansed and removed from the region during the course of the two conflicts with Russia. 
A) Chechnya's ideological identification with the West has in large part led to the numerous invasions by the Russian military. 
B) Despite its status as an independent republic under the Soviet Union, Chechnya was denied independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union. 
C) Chechnya was able to operate as an independent country in actions, if not in formal status, during much of the 1990s. 
D) Putin's harsh invasion of Chechnya resulted in his initial loss of the presidency and assuming of the role of prime minister. 
E) Chechnya's Islamic population was ethnically cleansed and removed from the region during the course of the two conflicts with Russia.

Question 7

What is the current state of the "Great Game"?

Accepted Answer

A) Russia is the only constant actor, seeking influence in Central Asia. 
B) Russia competes with the United States over the Middle East. 
C) Russia competes with Britain and the United States over the Middle East and Central Asia. 
D) The United States is the only constant actor, with Russia having given up influence in Afghanistan. 
E) Britain and Russia compete for influence over Iran. 
A) Russia is the only constant actor, seeking influence in Central Asia. 
B) Russia competes with the United States over the Middle East. 
C) Russia competes with Britain and the United States over the Middle East and Central Asia. 
D) The United States is the only constant actor, with Russia having given up influence in Afghanistan. 
E) Britain and Russia compete for influence over Iran.

Question 8

What were the central factors that allowed for the 1917 revolution, and why did communism eventually fail in the Soviet Union? What legacies, if any, survive from the era of the tsars?

Accepted Answer

The central factors that allowed for the

Question 9

After Stalin's death in 1953, Soviet leadership made which of the following changes?

Accepted Answer

A) The nomenklatura lost their authority over the daily life of citizens. 
B) Economic control was taken away from the central planning bureaucracy. 
C) Use of centralized power was reduced. 
D) Power was taken away from the Politburo. 
E) The Duma was established to share legislative powers. 
A) The nomenklatura lost their authority over the daily life of citizens. 
B) Economic control was taken away from the central planning bureaucracy. 
C) Use of centralized power was reduced. 
D) Power was taken away from the Politburo. 
E) The Duma was established to share legislative powers.

Question 10

In which of the following ways does Russia's Federation Council differ from the Duma?

Accepted Answer

A) It is capable of overriding a presidential veto, unlike the Duma. 
B) It has more responsibility for protecting the letter of the constitution. 
C) It produces legislation specifically for taxation and budgetary issues, but other legislative areas belong to the Duma. 
D) It has control over appointment and approval of the prime minister, which the Duma lacks. 
E) It lacks the power of approval over declarations of war and international treaties, which the Duma possesses. 
A) It is capable of overriding a presidential veto, unlike the Duma. 
B) It has more responsibility for protecting the letter of the constitution. 
C) It produces legislation specifically for taxation and budgetary issues, but other legislative areas belong to the Duma. 
D) It has control over appointment and approval of the prime minister, which the Duma lacks. 
E) It lacks the power of approval over declarations of war and international treaties, which the Duma possesses.

Question 11

Under Putin, economic assets have been increasingly concentrated in the hands of:

Accepted Answer

A) the European Union. 
B) the oligarchs. 
C) the siloviki. 
D) the Communist Party. 
E) China. 
A) the European Union. 
B) the oligarchs. 
C) the siloviki. 
D) the Communist Party. 
E) China.

Question 12

Which of the following statements about the Russian Constitutional Court is accurate?

Accepted Answer

A) Its members are nominated by the Duma. 
B) It does not serve as a court of last appeal for criminal cases. 
C) Its members are subject to 20-year term limits. 
D) It has the power of concrete review but lacks the power of abstract review. 
E) It cannot rule on matters of civil rights. 
A) Its members are nominated by the Duma. 
B) It does not serve as a court of last appeal for criminal cases. 
C) Its members are subject to 20-year term limits. 
D) It has the power of concrete review but lacks the power of abstract review. 
E) It cannot rule on matters of civil rights.

Question 13

What explains the recent conflicts between the West and Russia, and what can be done to limit them in the future?

Accepted Answer

The recent conflicts between the West an

Question 14

In which of the following ways does the electoral structure under Putin differ from that under President Yeltsin?

Accepted Answer

A) Access to the vote is vastly more restricted, allowing only a much smaller section of the population to cast ballots. 
B) It has two rounds of voting for the Duma instead of a single round. 
C) It is pure proportional representation instead of mixed PR and SMD. 
D) Voters must cast ballots for individual candidates instead of for parties. 
E) Voters must demonstrate registration with a specific pre-approved political party in order to cast a ballot. 
A) Access to the vote is vastly more restricted, allowing only a much smaller section of the population to cast ballots. 
B) It has two rounds of voting for the Duma instead of a single round. 
C) It is pure proportional representation instead of mixed PR and SMD. 
D) Voters must cast ballots for individual candidates instead of for parties. 
E) Voters must demonstrate registration with a specific pre-approved political party in order to cast a ballot.

Question 15

The Commonwealth of Independent States is:

Accepted Answer

A) an alliance of Russia, Iran, and Venezuela against "American hegemony." 
B) a body used by Russia to retain influence over former Soviet republics. 
C) the post-Soviet military alliance of Russia, Cuba, North Korea, and Vietnam. 
D) the coordinating body that manages relations between the European Union and Russia. 
E) the name for the European Union before it took in Russia as a full member. 
A) an alliance of Russia, Iran, and Venezuela against "American hegemony." 
B) a body used by Russia to retain influence over former Soviet republics. 
C) the post-Soviet military alliance of Russia, Cuba, North Korea, and Vietnam. 
D) the coordinating body that manages relations between the European Union and Russia. 
E) the name for the European Union before it took in Russia as a full member.

Question 16

Which of the following statements about Russian presidential power is accurate?

Accepted Answer

A) The president both chooses and dismisses the prime minister. 
B) The president cannot dissolve Parliament in the year following parliamentary elections. 
C) The president can both propose and veto bills. 
D) The president can issue laws that do not require legislative approval and that cannot be challenged in courts. 
E) The president appoints the leaders of all of the federal districts. 
A) The president both chooses and dismisses the prime minister. 
B) The president cannot dissolve Parliament in the year following parliamentary elections. 
C) The president can both propose and veto bills. 
D) The president can issue laws that do not require legislative approval and that cannot be challenged in courts. 
E) The president appoints the leaders of all of the federal districts.

Question 17

Civil society in Russia:

Accepted Answer

A) remains strong as a legacy of Soviet rule. 
B) was weak under Soviet rule but has grown dramatically since then, reaching near-Western levels. 
C) has been repressed under Putin. 
D) has built and supports a vibrant and diverse media. 
E) has no public support. 
A) remains strong as a legacy of Soviet rule. 
B) was weak under Soviet rule but has grown dramatically since then, reaching near-Western levels. 
C) has been repressed under Putin. 
D) has built and supports a vibrant and diverse media. 
E) has no public support.

Question 18

The term parties of power denotes:

Accepted Answer

A) parties built by elites to serve their personal political aspirations. 
B) parties in Russia that rely on a single ethnic group for support. 
C) nationalist parties in Russia that call for the restoration of the Soviet Union. 
D) parties that depend on votes from the armed forces. 
E) those elites that controlled the Soviet Union until 1991. 
A) parties built by elites to serve their personal political aspirations. 
B) parties in Russia that rely on a single ethnic group for support. 
C) nationalist parties in Russia that call for the restoration of the Soviet Union. 
D) parties that depend on votes from the armed forces. 
E) those elites that controlled the Soviet Union until 1991.

Question 19

Which of the following best describes Russia's geography?

Accepted Answer

A) It has few neighboring countries and is surrounded mostly by water. 
B) Most of its population is located in Siberia. 
C) It has a population larger than that of the European Union or the United States. 
D) It is much larger, though less populated, than the United States. 
E) It lacks natural resources. 
A) It has few neighboring countries and is surrounded mostly by water. 
B) Most of its population is located in Siberia. 
C) It has a population larger than that of the European Union or the United States. 
D) It is much larger, though less populated, than the United States. 
E) It lacks natural resources.

Question 20

What immediately replaced the rule of the last tsar when he was finally forced to step down in 1917?

Accepted Answer

A) a noncommunist republican leadership 
B) a dictatorship sympathetic to Germany 
C) Lenin's Communist state 
D) a Communist democratic state 
E) an antiwar prime minster and parliament 
A) a noncommunist republican leadership 
B) a dictatorship sympathetic to Germany 
C) Lenin's Communist state 
D) a Communist democratic state 
E) an antiwar prime minster and parliament

Which of the following was the result of Gorbachev's attempt at reform?

In which institution does most political power lie in Russia?

In which of the following ways has the Russian government sought to combat its demographic problems?

The Federation Council's primary role is to:

Why has "true" democracy failed to take root in Russia since the collapse of communism? What factors do you think are most important?

Which of the following statements about the Russian province of Chechnya is accurate?

What is the current state of the "Great Game"?

What were the central factors that allowed for the 1917 revolution, and why did communism eventually fail in the Soviet Union? What legacies, if any, survive from the era of the tsars?

After Stalin's death in 1953, Soviet leadership made which of the following changes?

In which of the following ways does Russia's Federation Council differ from the Duma?

Under Putin, economic assets have been increasingly concentrated in the hands of:

Which of the following statements about the Russian Constitutional Court is accurate?

What explains the recent conflicts between the West and Russia, and what can be done to limit them in the future?

In which of the following ways does the electoral structure under Putin differ from that under President Yeltsin?

The Commonwealth of Independent States is:

Which of the following statements about Russian presidential power is accurate?

Civil society in Russia:

The term parties of power denotes:

Which of the following best describes Russia's geography?

What immediately replaced the rule of the last tsar when he was finally forced to step down in 1917?

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Exam 7: Russia

Which of the following was the result of Gorbachev's attempt at reform?

In which institution does most political power lie in Russia?

In which of the following ways has the Russian government sought to combat its demographic problems?

The Federation Council's primary role is to:

Why has "true" democracy failed to take root in Russia since the collapse of communism? What factors do you think are most important?

Which of the following statements about the Russian province of Chechnya is accurate?

What is the current state of the "Great Game"?

What were the central factors that allowed for the 1917 revolution, and why did communism eventually fail in the Soviet Union? What legacies, if any, survive from the era of the tsars?

After Stalin's death in 1953, Soviet leadership made which of the following changes?

In which of the following ways does Russia's Federation Council differ from the Duma?

Under Putin, economic assets have been increasingly concentrated in the hands of:

Which of the following statements about the Russian Constitutional Court is accurate?

What explains the recent conflicts between the West and Russia, and what can be done to limit them in the future?

In which of the following ways does the electoral structure under Putin differ from that under President Yeltsin?

The Commonwealth of Independent States is:

Which of the following statements about Russian presidential power is accurate?

Civil society in Russia:

The term parties of power denotes:

Which of the following best describes Russia's geography?

What immediately replaced the rule of the last tsar when he was finally forced to step down in 1917?

Introduction

United Kingdom

United States

France

Germany

Japan

China

India

Iran

Mexico

Brazil

South Africa

Nigeria

Filters