What is the title of the head of state in France?
Answer : The President of the Republic
The President of the Republic is the head of state in France.
Questions and answers: Politics
Revise Politics: here is a selection of questions of every level, with the answer and an explanation. To test yourself without seeing the answers, play the quizzes.
Play the Politics quizzesVery easy
What do we call the vote by which citizens choose their representatives?
Answer : An election
An election is the vote by which citizens choose their political representatives.
Which London building houses the British Parliament?
Answer : The Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster, in London, houses the British Parliament.
What do we call a country ruled by a king or queen whose powers are limited by a constitution?
Answer : A constitutional monarchy
A constitutional monarchy is ruled by a king or queen whose powers are limited by a constitution.
What do we call the fundamental text that organizes a country's institutions?
Answer : The constitution
The constitution is the fundamental text organizing a country's institutions.
What do we call a direct vote by citizens on a specific question, rather than through their representatives?
Answer : A referendum
A referendum is a direct vote by citizens on a specific question.
What do we call an organization bringing together citizens around shared political ideas?
Answer : A political party
A political party brings together citizens sharing common political ideas.
What do we call the branch of power responsible for enforcing laws in a state?
Answer : The executive branch
The executive branch is responsible for enforcing laws in a state.
Easy
Which 17th-century English philosopher theorized the state as a necessary 'social contract' to avoid chaos, in 'Leviathan'?
Answer : Thomas Hobbes
Thomas Hobbes theorized the state as a necessary social contract in his work 'Leviathan' (1651).
What do we call a political system where power is shared between a central government and autonomous states or regions?
Answer : A federal state
A federal state shares power between a central government and autonomous regional entities.
Which UN body, made up of 15 members, is responsible for maintaining international peace and security?
Answer : The Security Council
The UN Security Council, made up of 15 members, is responsible for maintaining international peace.
What do we call resigning or being forcibly removed before the end of a term, notably for a president?
Answer : Impeachment
Impeachment refers to the procedure for forcibly removing a leader before the end of their term.
Which French Enlightenment philosopher theorized the 'general will' in 'The Social Contract'?
Answer : Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau theorized the concept of the 'general will' in 'The Social Contract' (1762).
What do we call a political system where several parties can freely run in elections?
Answer : A multi-party system
A multi-party system (pluralism) allows several parties to freely run in elections.
Which 1957 treaty created the European Economic Community, the forerunner of the European Union?
Answer : The Treaty of Rome
The Treaty of Rome, signed in 1957, created the European Economic Community.
What do we call the limit on the number of consecutive terms a leader can serve?
Answer : Term limits
Term limits set a maximum number of consecutive terms a leader can serve.
Medium
Which 17th-century English philosopher theorized natural rights to life, liberty, and property, influencing liberal democracies?
Answer : John Locke
John Locke theorized natural rights to life, liberty, and property, heavily influencing liberal democracies.
Which international organization, founded in 1995, regulates world trade between its member countries?
Answer : The World Trade Organization
The World Trade Organization (WTO), founded in 1995, regulates international trade.
What do we call the electoral system where a country is divided into constituencies, each electing one representative?
Answer : First-past-the-post voting
First-past-the-post (single-member district) voting divides a country into constituencies, each electing one representative.
Which German chancellor oversaw the reunification of Germany in 1990?
Answer : Helmut Kohl
Helmut Kohl, German chancellor, oversaw the reunification of Germany in 1990.
Which political regime combines democratic-looking elements with strict state control over society and the economy?
Answer : An authoritarian regime
An authoritarian regime combines superficial democratic elements with strict state control over society.
Which South African statesman became the country's first democratically elected Black president in 1994?
Answer : Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela became South Africa's first democratically elected Black president in 1994.
What do we call the principle that decisions should be made at the level closest to citizens?
Answer : Subsidiarity
The principle of subsidiarity states that decisions should be made at the level closest to citizens.
Which 1992 treaty formally created the European Union as we know it today, with European citizenship?
Answer : The Maastricht Treaty
The Maastricht Treaty, signed in 1992, created the European Union and European citizenship.
Hard
Which 19th-century German philosopher theorized the concept of 'class struggle' as the driving force of history?
Answer : Karl Marx
Karl Marx theorized the concept of class struggle as the driving force of history, notably in 'Capital'.
Which German sociologist theorized three types of legitimate authority: traditional, charismatic, and legal-rational?
Answer : Max Weber
Max Weber theorized three types of legitimate authority in his sociological work.
Which 1648 treaty is considered foundational to the modern system of sovereign nation-states?
Answer : The Peace of Westphalia
The Peace of Westphalia, in 1648, is considered foundational to the modern system of sovereign nation-states.
Which 20th-century political philosopher theorized the notion of the 'banality of evil' while analyzing the Eichmann trial?
Answer : Hannah Arendt
Hannah Arendt theorized the 'banality of evil' in her work on the trial of Adolf Eichmann.
Which political system is characterized by the absence of any state authority and the free association of individuals?
Answer : Anarchism
Anarchism advocates the absence of state authority in favor of the free association of individuals.
Which controversial German jurist theorized the 'friend-enemy' distinction as the foundation of the political?
Answer : Carl Schmitt
Carl Schmitt, a German jurist controversial for his ties to Nazism, theorized the friend-enemy distinction.
Which 1919 treaty, ending World War I, created the League of Nations?
Answer : The Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles, signed in 1919, created the League of Nations, forerunner of the UN.
Which 20th-century American philosopher developed the theory of 'justice as fairness' in 'A Theory of Justice'?
Answer : John Rawls
John Rawls developed the theory of 'justice as fairness' in his major work 'A Theory of Justice' (1971).
Expert
Which Italian Renaissance theorist wrote 'The Prince', a pragmatic treatise on the exercise of power?
Answer : Niccolò Machiavelli
Niccolò Machiavelli wrote 'The Prince' (1532), a pragmatic treatise on the exercise and preservation of power.
Which 19th-century French political philosopher analyzed American democracy in 'Democracy in America'?
Answer : Alexis de Tocqueville
Alexis de Tocqueville analyzed American democracy in his work 'Democracy in America' (1835-1840).
Which Italian Marxist theorist developed the concept of cultural hegemony from prison under fascism?
Answer : Antonio Gramsci
Antonio Gramsci developed the concept of cultural hegemony in his 'Prison Notebooks', written under the fascist regime.
Which Austrian-American jurist theorized the 'pyramid of norms' hierarchizing sources of law?
Answer : Hans Kelsen
Hans Kelsen theorized the 'pyramid of norms', hierarchizing sources of law according to their validity.
Which British political philosopher distinguished 'negative liberty' from 'positive liberty' in a 1958 essay?
Answer : Isaiah Berlin
Isaiah Berlin distinguished 'negative liberty' from 'positive liberty' in his essay 'Two Concepts of Liberty' (1958).
Which American diplomat and theorist formulated the doctrine of containment against the USSR after 1945?
Answer : George Kennan
George Kennan formulated the doctrine of containment in his famous 'Long Telegram' of 1946.
Which 20th-century French philosopher theorized the concept of the 'society of the spectacle', critiquing widespread commodification?
Answer : Guy Debord
Guy Debord theorized the concept of the 'society of the spectacle' in his eponymous 1967 work.
Which 20th-century German philosopher, a member of the Frankfurt School, theorized 'instrumental reason' with Theodor Adorno?
Answer : Max Horkheimer
Max Horkheimer, with Theodor Adorno, theorized 'instrumental reason' in 'Dialectic of Enlightenment'.