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AP Comparative Government and Politics MCQs

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AP Comparative Government and Politics practice questions by unit

Fiveable has 7,909 AP Comparative Government and Politics multiple-choice practice questions across 5 units, plus 1,034 stimulus-based question sets built around a source. Practice one unit or topic at a time.

  • Unit 1 – Political Systems, Regimes, & Governments: 1,820 multiple-choice questions, 151 stimulus sets
  • Unit 2 – Political Institutions: 1,581 multiple-choice questions, 205 stimulus sets
  • Unit 3 – Political Culture & Participation: 1,806 multiple-choice questions, 257 stimulus sets
  • Unit 4 – Party, Electoral Systems, & Citizen Organizations: 996 multiple-choice questions, 252 stimulus sets
  • Unit 5 – Political & Economic Changes & Development: 1,706 multiple-choice questions, 169 stimulus sets

Sample AP Comparative Government and Politics practice question

Source:

Uche Bright Odoemelam and Ebiuwa Aisien, "POLITICAL SOCIALIZATION AND NATION BUILDING: THE CASE OF NIGERIA," European Scientific Journal ESJ, 2013.

The thrust of the paper is to examine the relationship between political socialization and political culture in crystallizing the process of nation building in Nigerian society. The developmental implications of the synergy provided drive for the paper. The paper argued that nationalism encouraged national consciousness and unity that made it possible for the nationalist leaders to emancipate Nigerian society from the shackles of colonialism. Thus, their failure to sustain nationalism on attainment of political independence in 1960, accounted for the inability of the nationalist leaders to mobilize the citizenry through political socialization to evolve right political culture supportive of the political system. This phenomenon created the problem of nation building. The implication was the failure of Nigerian peoples regardless of their individual ethnic, class, religions or linguistic differences to come to identify with the symbols and institutions of the state and share a common sense of destiny. The paper contested that the class character and interests of the nationalist leaders were antithetical to national unity and progress. It was characterized by ethnicity, greed for political power and wealth to the detriment of survival of Nigerian society. These phenomena engendered unhealthy political rivalry among political parties already formed along ethnic cleavages. The paper concluded that given this state of affairs, it was difficult for the nationalist leaders to politically socialize Nigerians to evolve the right political culture necessary for nation building.

Based on the passage, which of the following best explains why Nigeria's nationalist leaders failed to build a cohesive national political culture after independence in 1960?

Ethnic and class interests of nationalist leaders undermined the political socialization needed to foster shared national identity and loyalty to state institutions.

Correct answer

Colonial institutions imposed by Britain were structurally incompatible with indigenous Nigerian governance traditions, preventing effective state-building after independence.

Nigeria's diverse linguistic and religious communities made political socialization inherently impossible regardless of leadership quality or strategy.

The rapid transition to independence left insufficient time for nationalist movements to develop the institutional infrastructure required for effective governance.

Explanation

The passage constructs a clear causal chain: nationalism enabled independence, but leaders failed to sustain it post-1960, which prevented effective political socialization, which in turn blocked the formation of a supportive political culture, ultimately causing nation-building failure. The root cause identified is the class and ethnic interests of nationalist leaders—making the correct answer the one that captures this specific causal mechanism. Distractors represent plausible but unsupported explanations: colonial incompatibility, inherent diversity barriers, and insufficient transition time are all common explanations for African state fragility, but none are advanced by the passage's argument.

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