Name: ______________________
Class: _________________
Date: _________
ID: A
UK Test
Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
1. The prime minister who succeeded Tony Blair
in 2007 was
a. Neil Kinnock
b. Michael Heseltine
c. Denis Thatcher
d. John Redwood
e. Gordon Brown
5. The less powerful house of the British
Parliament is the
a. House of Commons
b. House of Lords
c. Senate
d. Chamber of Deputies
e. Privy Council
2. A term used to accurately describe the
development of the British state is
a. tumultuous
b. socialistic
c. divided
d. gradual
e. erratic
6. The Parliament gained its first significant
powers in which century?
a. 13th
b. 15th
c. 18th
d. 19th
e. 20th
3. Which of the five historical transformations
divided the British the most?
a. industrialization
b. the creation of the state
c. religious reformation
d. the emergence of democracy
e. imperialism
7. The right to vote was expanded with the Great
Reform Acts in the
a. 16th century
b. 17th century
c. 18th century
d. 19th century
e. 20th century
4. The more powerful house of the British
Parliament is the
a. House of Commons
b. House of Lords
c. Senate
d. Chamber of Deputies
e. Privy Council
8. Which of the following are ways the industrial revolution affected British politics and government?
I.
created a powerful entrepreneurial class
II.
put greater wealth and power in the hands of the landed aristocracy
III.
urban population growth prompted political reforms
IV.
reinforced isolationist foreign policy traditions
V.
encouraged more government involvement in economic issues
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
only I and II above
only II, III, and IV above
only I, III, and V above
only III and V above
I, II, III, IV, and V above
1
Name: ______________________
ID: A
9. All the following are signs of the level of
legitimacy enjoyed by the British political
system EXCEPT
a. tolerance for political disagreements
b. absence of anti-regime protests
c. common public expressions of patriotism
d. polls showing high levels of trust in
politicians
e. inability of the Conservative Party to win
working class votes
14. The broad agreement on social policy during
the 1950s and 1960s was known as
a. socialism
b. capitalism
c. the collectivist consensus
d. individualistic consensus
e. a united front
15. The wartime report which served as the basis
for the welfare and other reforms after 1945
was the
a. Churchill Report
b. Chamberlain Report
c. Beveridge Report
d. Attlee Report
e. Elizabethan Compromise
10. The weakening of civic culture in the U.K. is
evidenced by
a. the growth of nationalist movements in
Scotland and Wales
b. widespread popularity of openly racist
political parties
c. the success of more moderate leadership in
the union movement
d. significant reductions in social welfare
services
e. growing popularity of integration with the
European Union
16. Which party was in power from 1945 to 1951
when much of the British welfare state was
created?
a. Conservatives
b. Labour
c. Social Democrats
d. Liberals
e. Christian Democrats
11. Which of the following best describes the
British working class?
a. most are Marxists
b. most support the Conservative Party
c. most are apolitical
d. most are fairly moderate in their political
beliefs
e. most are xenophobic
12. Originally, the two major British political
parties
a. sought to be catch-all parties
b. were based on social class cleavages
c. distinguished themselves from their
opponents by their positions on the future of
the monarchy
d. wee loose coalitions of minor parties
e. organized around charismatic middle class
politicians
13. The party which was in power the longest in
the 20th century was
a. Conservative
b. Labour
c. Liberal Democrat
d. Nationalist
e. Christian Democrat
2
17. The Conservative Party in the U.K. has
traditionally been characterized by
a. ideological dedication to laissez faire
economics
b. open competition for leadership positions
c. an unwillingness to compromise on its policy
goals
d. an elitist sentiment of responsibility for the
lower classes
e. confusion and disorganization in local party
groups
18. The “collectivist consensus” in the U.K. refers
to
a. the coalition of left-wing parties that created
today’s Labour Party
b. the European socialist movement that
inspired British policy in the 1930s
c. a general agreement in the post-World War II
decades about the role of government
d. the Keynesian economic theory about
government’s role in maintaining economic
stability
e. uniform policy making throughout the British
Empire
Name: ______________________
ID: A
19. Which of the following best describes the
National Health Service?
a. It provides quality health care to everyone
for free.
b. It leaves most of health care in the private
sector.
c. Its doctors are among the highest paid in the
world.
d. It is universal.
e. It is underfunded.
24. The most difficult policy issues for Britain’s
Conservative Party to resolve have revolved
around
a. education
b. privatization
c. the EU
d. immigration
e. evolution
20. It’s accurate to say that the U.K. has
experienced economic decline since World War
II
a. only in relation to economic growth in Third
World countries
b. when comparing it to post-war Germany
c. relative to other industrialized democracies
d. in absolute standard of living
e. because inflation has nullified real growth
21. Margaret Thatcher was part of a generation of
conservative politicians who
a. supported the welfare state
b. wanted Britain to become part of a United
States of Europe
c. advocated a more progressive income tax
d. believed the market should play a dominant
role in economic policy
e. resisted increases in military spending
25. European Monetary Union is a political
controversy in the UK in part because
a. public opinion favors the required budgetary
limitations while business interests oppose
them
b. leading industry and union officials are on
opposite sides of the EMU issue
c. it would mean higher energy prices
d. there is a great deal of nationalistic pride in
the British monetary system
e. the Conservative Party elite favors monetary
union while Labour leaders oppose it
26. Which of the following best describes British
political culture?
a. The British are deeply divided over religion.
b. Almost all the British respect the democratic
rules of the game.
c. Most British people favor abolishing the
monarchy.
d. There is strong support for writing a new
constitution.
e. Individuals actively resist powerful leadership.
22. The Labour Party’s successes in the past 20
years were built in part on Tony Blair’s
a. reputation as an old-time party boss
b. collaborative leadership model
c. engaging and open image which he presented
in person and on television
d. similarities to Thatcher
e. appeal to the left wing of Labour
27. Gradualism, when used to describe the creation
of the British state usually means that
a. none of the historic events were unexpected
b. people in Britain slowly gained power over
other kingdoms and people
c. authority is exercised by the government in
moderation
d. state building issues wee not as important as
economic issues
e. state building issues were dealt with
sequentially rather than simultaneously
23. The Thatcher revolution did not change
a. government ownership of major industries
b. the basics of National Health Care
c. unions’ political power
d. council housing schemes
e. the powers of town councils
3
Name: ______________________
ID: A
28. Which of the following best describes changes
in the British party system since 1970?
a. Major parties have become ideologically
more distinctive.
b. The major parties grew more moderate, but
have become more extreme in recent years.
c. The major parties grew more extreme, but
have become more moderate in recent years.
d. New parties have replaced Labour and the
Conservatives as the most popular parties.
e. A coalition centrist party lost strength in the
1990s.
29. The new party which was formed in the early
1980s is now known as the
a. Labour Party
b. Conservatives
c. Liberal Democrats
d. Social Democrats
e. Christian Democrats
30. The term "loony left" was used to describe
Labour in the 1980s because
a. so many of its leaders had received
psychological treatment
b. it supported the provision of psychiatric care
for free
c. its policies were so radical
d. its campaigns were so inept that it seemed to
be committing electoral suicide
e. it was out of power
31. Blair’s New Labour was born out of
a. consecutive electoral victories
b. the successes of nationalized industries
c. union-business coalitions
d. moderation of unions’ socialistic policies
e. widespread disillusionment with market-based
reforms
32. Labour’s success in regaining voters’ support
among most of the working class in the
elections between 1997 and 2007 might be
misleading because
a. the record of working class voters has been
very unpredictable since 1920
b. the percentage of working class voters who
actually vote has been declining
c. it only balances Labour’s loss of support
among upper class voters
d. participation rates among middle class voters
have been rising
e. the working class, as a proportion of the
voting public, has been declining
4
33. Minor parties have traditionally won relatively
few seats in the House of Commons because
a. the electoral system discriminates against
them
b. they have poor leaders
c. few people agree with their ideas
d. they can't raise enough money to run an
effective campaign
e. free television time is not available to them
34. In 1983, the Liberal and Social Democratic
Alliance won 26% of the popular vote, but
elected only 23 MPs (3.5% of Commons). The
primary reason for this outcome was
a. the resignation of dissident candidates just
before the election
b. the plurality system in which MPs are chosen
from single member districts
c. the Alliance’s inability to find candidates who
lived in target constituencies
d. the Conservative Party’s adoption of most of
the Alliance’s policy positions
e. the opposition of Welsh and Scottish
nationalist parties
35. Which of the following best describes the
British bureaucracy?
a. It cooperates regularly with key interest
groups in policy making.
b. Most of its members become political leaders
after retiring.
c. Most of its members become business leaders
after retiring.
d. It cooperates with liberal interest groups.
e. It does not cooperate very often with key
interest groups in policy making.
36. Lobbying in the UK is done primarily
a. in the summer before the annual party
meetings
b. in the pubs, hallways, and lobbies surrounding
the House of Commons
c. to influence party leaders and top civil
servants
d. by business interest groups
e. through advertising in the public media
37. Great Britain joined the European Community
in
a. 1945
b. 1957
c. 1972
d. 1991
e. 1997
Name: ______________________
ID: A
38. The economic aspect of the Thatcher
Revolution was aimed at
a. improving the efficiency of
government-owned industries
b. more adequately funding British social welfare
services
c. reducing the role of the government in
economic activity
d. making government-owned industries
profitable
e. reducing the UK’s energy dependence
39. Members of Parliament recognize competition
for authority from
a. the top military officer corps
b. regulatory agencies and QUANGOs
c. city mayors and neighborhood councils
d. Welsh and Scottish legislatures
e. labor unions and interest groups
40. An
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
42. The text's author assets that "the intensity of
parliamentary debate, however, should not lead
you to conclude that it actually matters very
much." The major support for this assertion
comes from the fact that
a. the government is assured of a majority on all
important legislation
b. real decisions are made in parliamentary
committees
c. political argument is simply an upper class
entertainment in Britain
d. disapproval by the House of Lords negates
any vote in the House of Commons
e. civil servants will interpret policy
independently of what parliament passes
43. The politics of decline, to which Margaret
Thatcher was responding, involved
a. shrinkage of the economy
b. loss of a major war
c. a reduction of Britain's international
influence
d. growing economic egalitarianism
e. the increasing burden of colonies
important parliamentary vote is signified by
an announcement in Norman French
a three-line whip
an advertisement in the Times of London
a proclamation by the Queen
a proclamation of the speaker of the House
of Commons
44. Under Thatcher and Blair, the importance of
the Prime Minister grew in large part because
a. they won unquestioning support from all
wings of their parties
b. rivalries within their parties allowed them to
innovate
c. bureaucratic activism allowed them to appear
as more representative of public opinion
d. they were able to solidify control of their
parties and concentrate policy-making power
in their own hands.
e. international conflicts demanded a more
powerful executive
41. Collective responsibility in practice means that
a. the whole cabinet accepts responsibility for
the decisions of individual members
b. all cabinet members support all cabinet
decisions
c. society is collectively responsible for the
health and welfare of all citizens
d. no MP can make individual policy proposals
e. there is no debate in the House of Commons
over government policy proposals
45. Blair’s “Third Way”
a. continued privatizations begun under
Thatcher and Major
b. succeeded in reducing government spending
on social welfare programs
c. combined Labour’s socialist plans with the
demands of the EU’s budget limitations
d. won back working class support lost to
Thatcher’s popularity
e. discouraged post-materialist voters
5
Name: ______________________
ID: A
Completion
Complete each statement.
46. Thatcher's policy of selling government-owned
enterprises was called
____________________.
52. If no party wins a majority in the House of
Commons, it is referred to as a
____________________ parliament.
47. Roughly ____________________ percent of
the British population is not of European
origin.
53. The plurality, single-member-district electoral
system is also identified by the horse racing
metaphor:
____________________________________
____.
48. In 1215, King John signed the
_________________________, which most
observers believe was the first significant event
in the evolution of the British parliamentary
system.
54. The leadership of the loyal opposition is
organized as a _________________________.
49. Most unions are part of the
____________________________________
____.
55. The most intractable domestic policy for
British governments over the past 40 years has
involved
______________________________.
50. The controversy within the Conservative Party
which figured prominently in John Major's
downfall was about the
______________________________.
56. The primary interest group representing
business interests in Britain is the
____________________________________
________________________.
51. The title of the British equivalent of the U.S.
Secretary of the Treasury is the
____________________________________
______________.
57. The term used to describe MPs who are in a
party's leadership is ___________________.
58. The term used to describe MPs who are not in a
party's leadership is ____________________.
Essay
59. Great Britain does not have a written
constitution, but most political scientists don't
think of that as a serious problem. How can
that be?
60. Which parts of Conservative policy did Tony
Blair and New Labour adapt in order to win in
1997? What parts did they reject?
6
ID: A
UK Test
Answer Section
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1.
2.
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29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
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E
D
A
A
B
C
D
C
E
A
D
B
A
C
C
B
D
C
E
C
D
C
B
C
D
B
E
C
C
C
D
E
A
D
E
C
C
C
B
B
B
A
C
D
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1
70
71
75
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75
75-78
81
86
75-76
76-77
76-77
77
77
77
76
96
71
96
96-97
97
83
99
78
71
82-87
87
79
71
89
87
87
95
89
99
96
95
93
92
92-93
98
95
ID: A
45. ANS: A
PTS: 1
REF: p. 96
COMPLETION
46. ANS: privatization
PTS: 1
47. ANS:
five
5
REF: p. 96
PTS: 1
REF: p. 72
48. ANS: Magna Carta
PTS: 1
REF: p. 74
49. ANS: Trade Unions Council
PTS: 1
REF: p. 89
50. ANS: European Union
PTS: 1
REF: p. 83
51. ANS: Chancellor of the Exchequer
PTS: 1
52. ANS: hung
REF: p. 70
PTS: 1
REF: p. 85
53. ANS: First past the post
PTS: 1
REF: p. 92
54. ANS: Shadow cabinet
PTS: 1
REF: p. 92
55. ANS: Northern Ireland
PTS: 1
REF: p. 78
56. ANS: Confederation of British Industry
PTS: 1
REF: p. 89
57. ANS: frontbenchers
PTS: 1
REF: p. 93
58. ANS: backbenchers
PTS: 1
REF: p. 93
2
ID: A
ESSAY
59. ANS:
Students’ answers will vary.
PTS: 1
60. ANS:
Students’ answers will vary.
PTS: 1
3