Question 1

The term bureaucratic authoritarianism refers to a government led by the armed forces and

Accepted Answer

A)  land-owning elites. 
B)  the Catholic Church. 
C)  elected officials. 
D)  regional strongmen. 
E)  key civilian allies, often professional economists, engineers and administrators.

Question 2

What percentage of Brazil's population is officially classified as white and what percentage is officially classified as pardo?

Accepted Answer

A)  30.5; 30.8 
B)  53.7; 38.5 
C)  45.3; 40.2 
D)  45.5; 50.5 
E)  12.4; 61.5

Question 3

Which of the following is TRUE?

Accepted Answer

A)  The Chamber of Deputies and the Senate share equal authority to make laws and both must approve a bill for it to become a law. 
B)  The Senate may advise on legislative matters but it has not authority to make laws, a power that rests solely with the Chamber of Deputies. 
C)  Both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate must approve presidential nominees. 
D)  The Chamber of Deputies is empowered to impeach top officials, including the president. 
E)  The Chamber of Deputies has the power to block, but not make legislation.

Question 4

Brazil's economic development prior to the New State was based upon

Accepted Answer

A)  the export of agricultural products and commodities, chiefly coffee. 
B)  the domestic production of previously imported goods. 
C)  rapid state-led investment into the production of manufactured products for export. 
D)  the production of goods for the domestic market. 
E)  none of the above.

Question 5

Which of the following statements about Brazil's international economic ties is NOT true?

Accepted Answer

A)  A major issue between Brazil and the United States concerns the latter's refusal to discuss agricultural policies. 
B)  Economic ties between China and Brazil are growing as the latter provides the former raw resources for its development. 
C)  The Sarney government implemented free-market reforms in large part due to pressures from the international financial community, particularly the IMF and World Bank. 
D)  In large part because of import-substitution industrialization, Brazil has become one of the largest debtor nations in the world. 
E)  The ability of domestic firms to compete with foreign ones in the Brazilian marketplace is inhibited by obstacles such as untrained labor and the lack of access to technology and capital.

Question 6

In Brazil, the term oligarchy refers to

Accepted Answer

A)  the nobility. 
B)  military leaders. 
C)  the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. 
D)  land-owning elites. 
E)  the government's bureaucracy.

Question 7

Career-minded bureaucrats who administer public policy according to technical rationales are known as

Accepted Answer

A)  politicos. 
B)  coronels. 
C)  state technocrats. 
D)  tecnisimos. 
E)  economic specialists.

Question 8

Brazil is often described as a rising global power. What factors support such a description? What factors refute such a description?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Brazil is often described as a rising...

Question 9

What weaknesses of Brazilian political parties have been apparent since the transition to democracy in the 1980s? To what extent are these reflections of historical circumstances? Assess the impact these weaknesses have had upon Brazilian democratization.

Accepted Answer

The answer of What weaknesses of Brazilian political parties have...

Question 10

Analyze the Lula and Cardoso presidencies. What were the accomplishments of each? What areas did they fail to address?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Analyze the Lula and Cardoso presidencies. What...

Question 11

What was the end result of President Collor, the first democratically elected president since the 1960s?

Accepted Answer

A)  He was assassinated. 
B)  He was accused of bribery and impeached. 
C)  He was removed by a military coup. 
D)  He won re-election for a second term after which he retired from public service. 
E)  He died in office of natural causes allowing his vice president to secede him.

Question 12

Which ministry has tended to have more authority than other executive agencies?

Accepted Answer

A)  The Foreign Ministry 
B)  The Ministry of the Economy 
C)  The Ministry of Trade 
D)  The Ministry of Social and Economic Affairs 
E)  The Ministry of Finance, Trade and Commerce

Question 13

The program that provides cash payments to families to keep their children in school and to see their doctors for immunizations and check ups is called the

Accepted Answer

A)  Bolsa Familia. 
B)  Family Health Program. 
C)  The Family Welfare Act. 
D)  Aid to Families with Dependent Children. 
E)  No Child Left Behind.

Question 14

All of the following are true about the structures of Brazilian government EXCEPT

Accepted Answer

A)  power is centralized in the executive. 
B)  the federal government is decentralized to the states. 
C)  the separation of powers remains ill defined. 
D)  there are no checks and balances such as in the United States. 
E)  the Catholic Church is explicitly included in the policy-making process.

Question 15

Estimates are that the informal economy could account for ______________ of Brazil's GDP.

Accepted Answer

A)  one-eighth 
B)  one-quarter 
C)  one-third 
D)  one-half 
E)  one-fifth

Question 16

Because Brazilian politicians typically cultivate personal votes and avoid party rules and alliances, they are known as

Accepted Answer

A)  populist politicians. 
B)  patrimonial politicians. 
C)  independent politicians. 
D)  personalist politicians. 
E)  clientist politicians.

Question 17

In the context of Brazil, and more generally Latin America, the term populism refers to

Accepted Answer

A)  allowing "the people" to determine the basic political processes and principles of governance. 
B)  relying upon the political support of regional strongmen to rule. 
C)  promising labor unions a specific wage guarantees in order to gain their political support and to keep them from forming the basis of a communist challenge to the government. 
D)  gaining the political support of previously disenfranchised sectors of society, often through manipulation and demagogic appeals. 
E)  expanding the right to vote.

Question 18

Identify persistent problems of Brazil's economic development. How have these been addressed, both historically and since the transition to democracy in the 1980s? How have such steps affected the role of the state in managing the economy?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Identify persistent problems of Brazil's economic development....

Question 19

The process of trading favors and protection for political support is called

Accepted Answer

A)  coronelismo. 
B)  patrimonialism. 
C)  clientelism. 
D)  caudillo. 
E)  bossism.

Question 20

The policy that led to the transition from military to democratic rule was called

Accepted Answer

A)  glasnost. 
B)  "the great awakening". 
C)  abertura. 
D)  coronelismo. 
E)  machismo.

Exam 9: Brazil