Sample questions from Comparative Politics: Theoretical Approaches

Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.

1. Structural, Rational and Cultural Approaches

   How would a cultural approach explain why no major US party proposes a tax-funded health service like the NHS?

   Show the answer

   American political culture places a high value on individualism, self-reliance and limited government, whereas post-war British culture accepted collective state provision as normal.

2. Structural, Rational and Cultural Approaches

   Structurally, why has the USA retained two-party dominance while the UK moves towards multi-party politics?

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   The USA combines first-past-the-post with a single national prize awarded through the electoral college, while the UK combines first-past-the-post with proportional systems in devolved elections and parties whose support is regionally concentrated.

The 1 subtopics

One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.

How the guide is worked

Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.

1. Step 1 · Closed book

   Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.

2. Step 2 · Open book

   Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.

3. Step 3 · Closed book again

   Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.

Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.

Nearby topics

All 33 topics · Guide overview