Comparative Politics 215Part IV

Kesselman, pgs. 660-666, A:CP25-09

Representation & Participation

True or False Questions

1. In Communist China, there are legislative bodies, elections, and organizations like labor unions where there is a means for the public to influence public policy and select government leaders. True or False

2. Deputies of the National People's Congress are not full-time legislators, but remain in their regular jobs and home areas except when the Congress is in session. True or False

3. Britain governed Hong Kong in a very harsh manner, exploited the local population, forcing them to work in only menial jobs while white British subjects lived in plush abundance amongst the squalor. True or False

4. To assure that the residents of Hong Kong could have the option of leaving a potentially authoritarian system, the British government offered political asylum to anyone wishing to leave before the Communist takeover. True or False

5. Although the PRC took over full control of Hong Kong’s foreign policy and has stationed troops of the PLA in Hong Kong, Beijing has generally complied with its promise of allowing a high degree of autonomy in both the political and economic spheres for the former British colony. True or False

6. Most NPC deputies are chosen because of their ability to contribute to China’s modernization or to represent important constituencies rather than simply on the basis of party loyalty. True or False

7. With economics replacing ideology as the main motivating factor of China’s leaders, the NPC has become a much more significant and lively part of the Chinese political system. True or False

8. Unlike the Stalinist purges in the former Soviet Union of the 1930s and 1940s, the purges that took place in China during the Cultural Revolution did not lead to party expulsions, persecution, and imprisonment. True or False

9. The social composition of the CCP’s membership has changed dramatically since the party came to power in 1949. True or False

10. Even though many Chinese believe that communist ideology is irrelevant to their lives and the nation’s future, being a party member still provides unparalleled access to influence and resources. True or False

11. Because of the Chinese Communist Party’s ideological rigidity, it still refuses to broaden its base and disallows private entrepreneurs. True or False

12. New political parties are allowed to form in communist China by simply registering with the proper authorities. True or False

13. Most elections in China are “indirect.” It is the members of a particular body that elect from among their own to serve on the next higher level of the power structure. True or False

14. The Communist Party allows for direct elections of city mayors and provincial governors, believing that they pose no threat to the power structure of the system. True or False

15.Village elections in China are now generally multicandidate, with limited active campaigning and voting by secret ballot. True or False

Multiple Choice Questions

1. China's political system is officially referred to as: a) pure democracy, b) representative democracy, c) socialist democracy, d) centralized democracy.

2. Unlike Western political parties, such as the British Labor Party and the French Socialist Party, the Chinese Communist Party: a) embraces party competition, b) supports political pluralism, c) believes in multi-party rule, d) is committed to one-party rule.

3. In 2008, what was the approximate size of the National people's Congress? a) approximately 349, b) some 756 deputies, c) about 1,257 deputies, d) nearly 3,000 deputies.

4. How was Britain able to wrest control of Hong Kong from China for over a century? a) previous Chinese governments wanted the British to control Hong Kong to have access to necessary capital, b) It was coerced by the British with military and diplomatic pressure via unequal treaties, c) Historically, Hong Kong’s residents did not see themselves as ethnic Chinese and welcomed British rule, d) China perceived Hong Kong as a worthless tract of land with little to no value.

5. Today Hong Kong is governed as: a) an entirely independent territory with sovereignty residing with its people, b) part of the British Commonwealth with semi-autonomy, c) a Special Administrative Region that is allowed to essentially retain some semi-autonomy from mainland China, d) a Communist zone with removal of most forms of private enterprise.

6. Why were the British criticized on the eve of their departure from Hong Kong? a) They had failed to allow native Chinese to more fully participate in the administrative bodies of the territory, b) They had refused to offer substantial resistance to the Chinese Communists, making it easy to transfer sovereignty, c) They had turned over to the Chinese Communists lists of what they believed subversives who might challenge the new government, d) They had purposely left behind large caches of weapons for the locals to use to fight when necessary.

7. When the NPC is not in session, most of its powers are exercised by: a) the NPC Standing Committee, b) the Central Committee of the CCP, b) the Chamber of Deputies, d) the Politburo.

8. Who makes up the largest contingent of deputies in the National People’s Congress? a) workers and farmers, b) intellectuals and professionals, c) government and party cadres, d) military.

9. What is meant that legislatures in communist party-states are often called “rubber stamps?” a) They are flexible, like a rubber band, adapting to changes in society and when necessary, b) They automatically and without question approve party policies, c) They apply stamps with rubber glue to the policy initiatives that are implemented, d) They enjoy the confidence of the people in formulating public policy.

10. Outside of the Communist Party, what do the additional political parties ofChina do? a) They play a very important role in competing with the Communist Party come election time, b) They play a significant role in helping to run the government, c) They serve to challenge the policies of the Communist Party, d) They are increasingly providing advice in the policy-making process.

11. There are how many members in the Chinese Communist Party? a) about 51 million members, b) about 73 million members, c) about 89 million members, d) about 106 million members.

12. Of those over 18 years old in China, about what percentage of the population are members of the Communist Party? a) 5 percent, b) 8 percent, c) 12 percent, d) 19 percent.

13. The non-communist parties of China have a membership of about: a) 800,000, b) 1 million, c) 2.5 million, d) 3.6 million.

14. What happened to a group of former Tiananmen square protesters that tried to form and register a new China Democratic Party in 1998? a) their party was legally acknowledged and allowed to organize and quickly added a large membership, b) they attempted to form a party that the people of China ignored and it quickly died, c) they were arrested, given stiff prison sentences, and the party banned, d) the party was allowed to function legally and became popular in some of the major cities only with a small constituency.

15. Prior too 1913, how were U.S. senators elected? a) they were elected through state caucuses, b) they were appointed by state legislatures, c) they had to be the male child of a previously sitting senator, d) they had to pay for the privilege to the federal government.

16. Elections in which all the voters in a relevant area get to cast ballots for candidates for a particular position: a) popular election, b) caucus, c) direct election, d) primary election.

17. Where are direct elections most common in China? a) village level, b) the township level, c) provincial level, d) regional level.

Fill-in Questions

1. The National People's Congress is:

a) a ______legislature,

b) elected every _____ years,

c) meeting annually for only about ______.

2. Who are the “new social stratum” of Chinese society?

a) it includes ______of private businesses (entrepreneurs),

b) ______of private or foreign-funded companies, and

c) the _____-______.

Answers

True or False Questions

1. True

3. False

5. True

7. True

9. True

11. False

13. True

15. True

Multiple Choice Questions

1. c

3. d

5. c

7. a

9. b

11. b

13. a

15. b

17. a

Fill-in Questions

1. a) unicameral, b) five, c) two weeks

A:CP25-09

25-1