[HOME]
WINTER 1995 POLS 203 FINAL EXAMINATION: Version A
Please use a #2 pencil to mark the answer sheet, being sure to fill out the
personal data and test verion first. The multiple choice section is worth 50
points, and the essay section is worth 50 points.
PART 1 Multiple Choice (2 points each)
Choose the one answer which best answers each question.
1. According to the realist tradition, international organizations:
a. are virtually nonexistent in a world of sovereign nation-states.
b. represent efforts to achieve international harmony through
functional cooperation.
c. generally reflect the interests of their most powerful members.
d. challenge the sovereignty of nation-states.
e. all of the above.
2. MAD theorists would advise states to:
a. sign a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.
b. erect defenses against nuclear attack.
c. concentrate on building first-strike weapons.
d. build a limited number of second-strike weapons.
e. unilaterally disarm.
3. Mercantilism is most closely associated with:
a. dependency theory.
b. realism.
c. idealism.
d. institutionalism.
e. the bourgeoisie.
4. The rational actor model of decision making is most seriously called
into question by:
a. the influence of the media in contemporary diplomacy.
b. the masculine bias of the foreign policy establishment.
c. phenomena like appeasement, moralism, and wishful thinking.
d. phenomena such as cognitive biases and misperception.
e. all of the above.
5. OPEC is an example of:
a. an international organization.
b. Third-World empowerment.
c. an international cartel.
d. all of the above.
e. only b and c.
6. Which of the following would NOT be part of a diplomatic negotiating
strategy to enhance your nation's credibility in a crisis situation:
a. increase your opponent's stakes so that s/he has a hard time
backing down.
b. create an image of resolve.
c. claim that you are losing control over the situation.
d. feign irrationality.
e. invoke larger principles or proclaim righteousness.
7. A primary objective of GATT is to:
a. prevent the decline of industrial production in both developed
and developing countries.
b. provide stable currency exchange rates.
c. negotiate mutually beneficial agreement among developing
countries.
d. pursue multilateral tariff reductions.
e. all of the above.
8. The United Nations and other international arenas for discussion of
and action on human rights have been constrained by:
a. the power of private special-interest groups that have kept
human rights off the international agenda.
b. the absence of organizations and assemblies in which to discuss
such issues.
c. the interests of competing disadvantaged groups, such as women,
ethnic minorities, and children.
d. the political biases of states.
e. the conceptual weaknesses inherent in natural law.
9. Functionalists argue all of the following EXCEPT:
a. cooperation in less political areas can be the basis for
higher-level cooperation.
b. cooperation will lead to a rapid transfer of sovereignty from
nation-states to a centralized supranational authority.
c. successful social and economic cooperation can eventually
eliminate the root causes of political conflict.
d. international regimes change actors' expections.
e. international regimes create an environment conducive to
cooperation.
10. Which of the following was adopted by the United Nations General
Assembly in 1948?
a. Helsinki Accords
b. Universal Declaration on Human Rights
c. International Bill of Human Rights
d. the Yalta Agreement.
e. the European Coal and Steel Community agreement.
11. The World Bank is probably the most influential source of long-term
development loans because:
a. it functions as an international "loan officer" among other
funding souces.
b. it provides more loans than other private and government sources
combined.
c. its cumulative reserves are far larger than those of the IMF.
d. it has recently shifted its funding priorities to more small-scale,
environmentally-friendly development projects.
e. all of the above.
12. Cosmopolitanism focuses on the interests of:
a. the cosmos.
b. nation-states.
c. the global community.
d. multinational corporations.
e. all of the above.
13. A Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty is seen as an important move towards
strenthening the nuclear nonproliferation regime because:
a. it would not be possible for countries like Iraq and N. Korea
to build a nuclear weapon without testing it first.
b. a Comprehensive Test Ban would prohibit the testing of nuclear
weapons in the atmosphere.
c. it would demonstrate that the nuclear powers are living up to
their end of the bargain by curbing vertical proliferation.
d. it would ban the testing of nuclear energy reactors, which are
the primary source of weapons-grade plutonium and uranium.
e. all of the above.
14. The permanent members of the UN Security Council are:
a. Russia, US, Japan, Britain, China.
b. Germany, France, Britain, US, China.
c. China, Japan, US, Russia, France.
d. China, US, Russia, France, Britain.
e. US, Russia, India, China, Britain.
15. The international organization whose primary function is to help
maintain exchange-rate stability by making short-term loans to countries with balance-of-payments problems is:
a. the World Bank.
b. the Federal Depository Insurance Company.
c. the International Monetary Fund.
d. UNCTAD.
e. NIEO.
16. According to Thomas Malthus,
a. the international shortage of food is more a matter of
distribution than production.
b. the carrying capacity of the Earth with respect to human
population was reached at the beginning of the 18th century.
c. a world food market can provide relief from local famines.
d. industrialization will boost human population so much that there
will eventually be mass starvation.
e. all of the above.
17. Dependency theorists believe that:
a. nations are all dependent upon each other.
b. human beings are ultimately dependent upon natural ecosystems.
c. multinational corporations assist developing countries in
developing.
d. institutions like GATT and the World Bank help ensure a level
economic playing field for states.
e. none of the above.
18. NGOs are becoming more influential in world politics primarily because:
a. they have access to substantial hard power.
b. they have access to substantial soft power.
c. in an era of budget-cutting, governments have invited NGOs to
perform functions that states can no longer perform.
d. international treaties have given them more power.
e. all of the above.
19. In his video on the Middle East, Joel Migdal said that increasing
globalization is precipitating:
a. the reaffirmation of "blood group" ties.
b. feelings of insecurity.
c. clashes between civilizations.
d. the formation of inter-cultural ties.
e. all of the above.
20. A key argument for the existence of human rights is rooted in:
a. the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
b. the Declaration of Independence.
c. international custom.
d. natural law.
e. soft law.
21. The multilateral ozone fund represents an important precedent because:
a. it requires industrialized countries to finance the transfer of
environmentally-friendly technology to developing countries.
b. the idea has been used to involve developing countries in efforts
to slow emissions of greenhouse gases.
c. it shows that corporations can be compelled to sacrifice profits
in order stop producing harmful chemicals.
d. all of the above.
e. only a and c.
22. Economic liberals believe that:
a. democratic states should use nontariff barriers to protect
domestic labor.
b. states should only use tariffs when it is in their national
interest.
c. disavantaged states should be allowed to protect their markets.
d. free trade policies are always in the state's long-term national
interest.
e. none of the above.
23. Amnesty International is an example of:
a. an IGO.
b. an NGO.
c. a supranational organization.
d. an MNC.
e. soft law.
24. The notion of global ecological interdependence suggests that:
a. environmental degradation poses a challenge to the principle of
territorial sovereignty underlying the nation-state system.
b. international relations, both in theory and practice, may need to
become more inclusionist.
c. economics and ecology are fundamentally intertwined.
d. all of the above.
e. only a and b.
25. The use of final examinations as a way to induce students to learn
course material may be interpreted as an example of:
a. professorial sovereignty.
b. hard power.
c. coercive diplomacy.
d. all of the above.
e. only a and c.
PART II ESSAYS (25 points each)
Please write an essay on two of the following questions in your blue book.
Be sure to present a coherent argument, not just your personal opinions.
Remember that most good essays begin with a thesis paragraph that clearly
summarizes the main point of the essay.
1) Do you believe the world is moving toward greater globalization
or greater regionalization? Which IPE theory best explains this
phenomenon? On the basis of your answers to the first two
questions, would you expect to see more or less conflict in the
future international arena? Why?
2) In recent years, issues like human rights, environmental problems,
and hunger have emerged on the agenda of international relations.
Do these issues pose any fundamental challenge to the realist
approach to international relations, or is realism equipped to
address these issues satisfactorily? How do you justify your
position? Provide examples and argumentation.
3) As the Cold War drew to a close at the dawn of the decade, there
was a great sense of optimism that the United Nations would at
last be able to fulfill its mission of promoting peace and
justice among nations. While the U.N. has clearly been more
active on all fronts, the results of its activities have often
been disappointing. Using concrete examples to support your
generalizations, what are the primary factors explaining the
U.N.'s apparent lack of success? What changes might facilitate
successful U.N. activities?