Civics Polity

Political Systems and Governance

1,972 Questions

This section provides practice questions on various political systems including democracies, authoritarian regimes, and oligarchies. Understanding political governance and theories is crucial for cracking civil services and state PSC examinations. Regular practice ensures a solid grasp of political concepts and frameworks.

Authoritarian regimesLiberal democracyPolitical legitimacyOligarchy and plutocracyTransitional democracies

Political Systems and Governance Questions

Multiple choice

Which of the following elements are critical to the success of a modern liberal democratic political system?

  1. Civil culture
  2. Functioning judicial system
  3. Periodic elections
  4. Stable government

  1. 1 and 4 only

  2. 1 and 2 only

  3. 1, 2 and 3 only

  4. 2, 3 and 4 only
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

A functioning judicial system (2) ensures rule of law and dispute resolution, periodic elections (3) enable democratic accountability, and stable government (4) provides continuity and governance capacity. While civil culture (1) supports democracy, the institutional framework of courts, elections, and stable executive power is more fundamental.

Multiple choice

Which of the following are a part and parcel of political modernization according to liberal theory?

  1. Citizens communicate their desires to their leaders.
  2. Government is responsive to the wishes of the citizens.
  3. Justice is retributive.
  4. Regular holding of elections.

  1. 1 and 4 only

  2. 1 and 2 only

  3. 2 and 3 only

  4. 1, 2 and 4 only

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Political modernization in liberal theory emphasizes citizen-government communication (1), governmental responsiveness (2), and regular elections (4) as mechanisms for accountability and representation. Retributive justice (3) is not specifically a liberal democratic principle and focuses on punishment rather than the participatory and responsive elements of modernization.

Multiple choice

Democratic values can be developed among students with the help of

  1. lectures

  2. demonstrations

  3. projects

  4. none of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Projects are the most effective method for developing democratic values among students as they promote collaborative decision-making, leadership, responsibility, and active participation - all core democratic principles.

Multiple choice

Which one of the following indicates a relationship between inputs and outputs of a democratic political system?

  1. Extractive capability

  2. Regulative capability

  3. Distributive capability

  4. Responsive capability
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

In Gabriel Almond's structural-functional approach to political systems, responsive capability indicates the relationship between inputs and outputs, showing how the system reacts to demands and supports from society. Extractive, regulative, and distributive capabilities refer primarily to systemic outputs.

Multiple choice

On what does the Elitist Theory of Democracy emphasize the maximum?

  1. Representation over common good

  2. Stability over participation

  3. Rule of law over deliberation

  4. Tacit over explicit consent
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Elitist theorists like Schumpeter and Sartori argue that democracy is primarily a method for selecting leaders. They prioritize the stability of the political system and the efficiency of elite decision-making over broad, active citizen participation, which they often view as potentially destabilizing.

Multiple choice

Which one of the following theories of democracy was propounded by Joseph Schumpeter?

  1. Elitist democratic theory

  2. The theory of people's democracy

  3. The theory of legal democracy

  4. The theory of participatory democracy
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Joseph Schumpeter propounded the elitist theory of democracy in his book 'Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy'. He defined democracy as a competitive struggle for the people's vote among rival elites, rather than a system of direct rule by the people.

Multiple choice

What does deliberative democracy lay emphasis on?

  1. Aggregation of individual preferences into a collective choice.

  2. Mobilization of people towards ideals and norms upheld by a wide variety of groups and committees.

  3. Dialogue and deliberation among citizens considered equal.

  4. According equal weight to each person's preferences.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Deliberative democracy places central emphasis on the process of public dialogue, discussion, and reasoning among citizens who are treated as equals, rather than mere aggregation of preferences.

Multiple choice

Consider the following statements. The republic view of democracy argues

  1. full and active participation of citizens
  2. accommodation and compromise between competing interests
  3. people are the bearers of democracy that cannot be delegated
  4. people cannot have others to represent them Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. 1, 2 and 3 only

  2. 1, 3 and 4 only

  3. 2 and 4 only

  4. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The republican (or civic republican) tradition, often associated with thinkers like Rousseau, emphasizes that citizens must be actively involved in self-governance. It posits that sovereignty resides in the people and cannot be truly represented or transferred to others, making direct participation essential.

Multiple choice

Which one of the following is a characteristic of fascism?

  1. A reluctant faith in rule of law

  2. Belief in omnipresence of state

  3. Faith in rational nature of man

  4. Belief in free communication
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Fascism is characterized by totalitarianism, summarized by Mussolini's phrase: 'Everything in the State, nothing outside the State, nothing against the State.' It rejects the rule of law, rationalism, and free communication in favor of state supremacy.

Multiple choice

Considered the following statements - Organized working class movement has remained deeply suspicious of the modes of representation prevalent in capitalist societies, because it feels:

  1. representatives acting as trustees uphold hegemonic concerns.
  2. representatives acting as delegates become spokes-persons of dominant interests.
  3. parties carry out their mandates without making a serious dent in prevailing social relations.
  4. even if a representative resembles members of the working classes, soon he/she comes to be co-opted within structures of power. Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. 1 and 2 only

  2. 1, 2 and 3 only

  3. 1, 3 and 4 only

  4. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The Marxist/Radical critique of capitalist representation argues that representatives act as trustees for hegemonic interests (1), mandates fail to change social structures (3), and working-class leaders are often co-opted (4). Statement 2 is also a common critique, but the provided key focuses on 1, 3, and 4.

Multiple choice

What does the principle of subsidiarity in the context of the European Union stand for ?

  1. Subsidizing the poor countries and regions vis-à-vis the rich and prosperous

  2. Restricting the influence of the subsidiary units of the multinational companies

  3. Decentralization and popular participation benefiting the local and the provincial interests and ethos

  4. Adoption of a less developed region or country by a developed nation
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The principle of subsidiarity dictates that decisions should be taken at the lowest possible level closest to the citizen, ensuring decentralization and popular participation. It is a foundational principle of European Union governance regarding competence distribution.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is the most important in a democratic set up?

  1. Freedom

  2. Tolerance for others

  3. Style of living

  4. Dignity of man
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Freedom (or Liberty) is the fundamental pillar of a democratic setup, allowing citizens to participate in governance and express their will. While tolerance and dignity are essential democratic values, freedom is the primary prerequisite for a functioning democracy.

Multiple choice

The most crucial aspect of 'Public Administration' in a democracy is:

  1. ownership of Government

  2. publicness of Public Administration

  3. benefit of the political party in power

  4. public opinion about the services rendered by government
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The publicness of public administration refers to its unique characteristics such as accountability to the public and adherence to legal standards. In a democratic setup, this ensures that the administration serves the collective interest rather than private or partisan goals. It is the defining characteristic that separates it from private management.

Multiple choice

According to Robert Dahl, the evolution of a science of public administration is a problem because of the need to concentrate on:

  1. clarification of ends

  2. aspects of human behaviour

  3. integrated view of politics and administration

  4. comparative studies from which it may be possible to discover principle

Select the correct answer from the codes given below.

  1. 1 and 4

  2. 2 and 3

  3. 3 and 4

  4. 2 and 4
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

In his 1947 essay, Robert Dahl identified three problems for a science of public administration: the exclusion of normative values (ends), the exclusion of human behavior, and the exclusion of the social/comparative context. Statements 1, 2, and 4 represent these three problems. While option A is marked correct, it is technically incomplete as statement 2 is also a core problem identified by Dahl.