AP COGO Pre-Test

Part ONE: True/False

QUESTION #1 The President of Britain is David Cameron ANSWER: False – Prime Minister

QUESTION #2 The Queen of England has no powers ANSWER: False – every document has to be signed by the queen (royal assent) BUT she always signs

QUESTION #3 The head of government in Britain is Queen Elizabeth ANSWER: False – Head of STATE

QUESTION #4 Most of the people in Britain never voted for the Prime Minister ANSWER: True – people elect MP, ruling party picks PM (Parliamentary System)

QUESTION #5 The only legal party in China is the Communist Party ANSWER: True OR False depending on how you support it There ARE other parties, but have no political power – more like interest groups/sounding boards

QUESTION #6 Britain does not have a written constitution ANSWER: True – not one SINGLE document The “constitution” has evolved over time, with important documents, common law, and customs combining to form what is often called the “Constitution of the Crown”

QUESTION #7 Russia has a president and a prime minister ANSWER: True

QUESTION #8 The Soviet Union was a communist country ANSWER: True OR False…called themselves communist, but not true to theory

QUESTION #9 Marxist philosophy is opposed to democracy ANSWER: False – communism is purest form of democracy according to Communist Manifesto (you will read it soon!)

QUESTION #10 Communists are usually associated with the extreme right wing ANSWER: False – Left Wing

QUESTION #11 Britain and Nigeria have a unitary form of government ANSWER: False – Britain is unitary, Nigeria is Federal

QUESTION #12 Iranian women are not allowed to vote or run for office ANSWER: False; Women got the right to vote in 1963; Currently, 3% of Iran’s parliament is made up of women; debate over whether or not a woman could be president

QUESTION #13 Only Muslims can hold seats in the Iranian legislature ANSWER: False – Iran has reserved seats for religious minorities – Jews, Christians & Zoroastrians; only Sunni Muslims cannot hold office

QUESTION #14 Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa ANSWER: True

QUESTION #15 Nigeria has been under military leadership during most of its post-WWII history ANSWER: True

QUESTION #16 The United States is the largest democracy in the world ANSWER: False - India

QUESTION #17 There are term limits for the Mexican president and legislature ANSWER: True – president 1 6-year term (sexenio), legislators cannot serve consecutive terms

QUESTION #18 The United States has lower taxes than most industrialized countries ANSWER: True

QUESTION #19 All members of the European Union must adopt the Euro for currency ANSWER: False – UK and Sweden are exceptions

QUESTION #20 The United States has one of the oldest constitutions in the world today ANSWER: True - 1789 Oldest enduring constitution after San Marino UK loses on a technicality – no single doc Mexico 1917, Iran 1979, China 1982, Russia 1993, Nigeria 1999

QUESTION #21 A democratic government is necessary for significant economic growth ANSWER: False; Democracy and economic growth often correlate; however, China is a good example of economic growth under an authoritarian regime

QUESTION #22 Separation of powers is an essential ingredient for a democracy ANSWER: False – most democracies have parliamentary form/fusion of powers

QUESTION #23 Most democracies pattern themselves on the American model ANSWER: False – most democracies have are unitary/parliamentary form

QUESTION #24 Federalism is the form of government used by most countries in the world ANSWER: False – Unitary

QUESTION #25 The U.S. is the only industrialized nation without universal health care ANSWER: True – even with passage of recent legislation, WHO does not consider U.S. to have it)

Part TWO: Country Rankings/Classification

QUESTION #26 What is the official/legal name of the countries with the capital city of… A. Abuja – Federal Republic of Nigeria B. Beijing – Peoples Republic of China C. London – The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland D. Mexico City – United Mexican States E. Moscow – Russian Federation F. Tehran – Islamic Republic of Iran G. Washington DC – United States of America

QUESTION #27 (population) Rank the Countries MOST to LEAST populous China (1.3 billion, largest) U.S. (300 million, 3rd largest) Nigeria (170 million, 7th largest) Russia (140 million, 9th largest) Mexico (114 million, 11th largest) Iran (78 million, 18th largest) UK (63 million, 22nd largest)

QUESTION #27 (area) Rank the Countries LARGEST to SMALLEST in area Russia (world’s largest – 17,098, 242 sq mi) U.S. (3rd largest – 9,826,675 sq mi) China (4th largest – 9,596,961 sq mi) Mexico (14th largest – 1,964,375 sq mi) Iran (18th largest – 1,648,195 sq mi) Nigeria (32nd largest – 923,768 sq mi) UK (80th largest – 243,610 sq mi)

QUESTION #28 (life expectancy) Rank the Countries HIGHEST to LOWEST life expectancy UK – 80.17 (30th highest in world) U.S. – 78.49 (51st highest) Mexico – 76.66 (73rd highest) China – 74.84 (96th highest) Iran – 70.35 (147th highest) Russia – 66.46 (164th highest) Nigeria – 52.05 (212th highest)

QUESTION #29 (GDP) Rank the Countries HIGHEST to LOWEST GDP per capita U.S. - $48,300 (11th highest in world) UK - $36,500 (32nd highest) Russia - $16,700 (72nd highest) Mexico - $14,700 (86th highest) Iran - $13,200 (93rd highest) China - $8,400 (122nd highest) Nigeria - $2,600 (178th highest)

UK Head of State: Monarch Queen Elizabeth II Head of Gov’t: Prime Minister David Cameron Federal or Unitary: Unitary Unicameral or Bicameral Legislature: Bicameral

Russia Head of State: President Vladimir Putin Head of Gov’t: Prime Minister Dmitriy Medvedev Federal or Unitary: Federal Unicameral or Bicameral Legislature: Bicameral

China Head of State: President Xi Jinping Head of Gov’t: Premier Li Kequiang Federal or Unitary: Unitary Unicameral or Bicameral Legislature: Unicameral

Mexico Head of State: President Enrique Pena Nieto Head of Gov’t: President Enrique Pena Nieto Federal or Unitary: Federal Unicameral or Bicameral Legislature: Bicameral

Nigeria Head of State: President Goodluck Jonathan Head of Gov’t: President Goodluck Jonathan Federal or Unitary: Federal Unicameral or Bicameral Legislature: Bicameral

Iran Head of State: Supreme Leader Ali Hoseini-Khamenei Head of Gov’t: President Hasan Rouhani (replaced Mahmud Ahmadinejad) Federal or Unitary: Unitary Unicameral or Bicameral Legislature: Unicameral

U.S. Head of State: President Barack Obama Head of Gov’t: President Barack Obama Federal or Unitary: Federal Unicameral or Bicameral Legislature: Bicameral