AP Comparative Government
Barton/Relator 2015
IRAN FRQs Activity
Names: ___________________
Date: ____________ Bl:_____
Directions: Answer the following question with your partners, using your notes, Briefing Paper and the
book. Be prepared to present your answer to the class.
Group 1 – Short Answer Concepts:
1. Identify the institution in Iran that controls which candidates can run for the Majles. Describe
how this institution controls the selection process. Explain how the candidate selection process
influences electoral competition.
2. Describe two distinct sources of political legitimacy established by the constitution of the Islamic
Republic of Iran. Discuss one example of how having both those sources of political legitimacy
simultaneously has led to tensions in Iran in the last fifteen years.
AP Comparative Government
Barton/Relator 2015
IRAN FRQs Activity
Names: ___________________
Date: ____________ Bl:_____
Directions: Answer the following question with your partners, using your notes, Briefing Paper and the
book. Be prepared to present your answer to the class.
Group 2 –Country Context: Iran & Mexico Competition and Transparency
Political competition and transparency are key concepts that political scientists use when evaluating
political systems.
(a) Describe political competition, and describe transparency in the context of politics.
(b) Explain the function of Iran’s Guardian Council in the electoral process. Explain the function of
Mexico’s Institute of Federal Elections (IFE) in the electoral process.
(c) Compare transparency in the electoral process in post-1979 Iran with transparency in the electoral
process in post-1985 Mexico.
(d) Compare political competition in the electoral process in post-1979 Iran with political competition in
the electoral process in post-1985 Mexico.
AP Comparative Government
Barton/Relator 2015
IRAN FRQs Activity
Names: ___________________
Date: ____________ Bl:_____
Directions: Answer the following question with your partners, using your notes, Briefing Paper and the
book. Be prepared to present your answer to the class.
Group 3 –Country Context: Iran & China Population Growth
Population growth rate is defined as the average annual percent change in the population resulting from
a surplus or deficit of births over deaths.
(a) Describe one trend shown in the graph for Iran and describe one trend shown in the graph for China.
(b) Explain one policy Iran has used to address population growth issues. Explain one policy China has
used to address population growth issues.
(c) Explain why both Iran and China pursued population growth policies.
(d) Describe one social or economic consequence of manipulating population growth rates.
AP Comparative Government
Barton/Relator 2015
IRAN FRQs Activity
Names: ___________________
Date: ____________ Bl:_____
Directions: Answer the following question with your partners, using your notes, Briefing Paper and the
book. Be prepared to present your answer to the class.
Group 4 – Short Answer Concepts:
1. Define a rentier (rent-seeking) state. Identify one rentier state among the six AP Comparative
Politics and Government countries. Describe a problem that a rentier state typically faces that
has an impact on economic development.
2. Identify two similarities in the goals of the Great Proletariat Cultural Revolution in China and the
Cultural Revolution in Iran.
AP Comparative Government
Barton/Relator 2015
IRAN FRQs Activity
Names: ___________________
Date: ____________ Bl:_____
Directions: Answer the following question with your partners, using your notes, Briefing Paper and the
book. Be prepared to present your answer to the class.
Group 5 –Country Context: Iran & Nigeria Presidential Elections
a) Describe on similarity in the procedure for selecting the President in Iran and in Nigeria.
b) Describe two differences in the procedure for selecting the President in Iran and in Nigeria.
c) Explain why the Nigerian President has more power than the Iranian President.
AP Comparative Government
Barton/Relator 2015
IRAN FRQs Activity
Names: ___________________
Date: ____________ Bl:_____
Directions: Answer the following question with your partners, using your notes, Briefing Paper and the
book. Be prepared to present your answer to the class.
Group 6 –Country Context: Iran & Nigeria Process of Democratization
AP Comparative Government
Barton/Relator 2015
IRAN FRQs Activity
Names: ___________________
Date: ____________ Bl:_____
Answers:
Group 1 –
2012 #5 Guardian Council
One point is earned for correctly identifying the Guardian Council as the institution that controls which
candidates can run for the Majles.
One point is earned for a correct description of how the Guardian Council controls the selection process.
An acceptable description includes: • Candidates apply to run and the Guardian Council accepts or
denies the nomination. • Candidates are vetted. • Candidates are evaluated using political criteria for
placement on the ballot.
One point is earned for a correct explanation of how the candidate selection process influences electoral
competition. An acceptable explanation includes: • Limits the number of candidates and therefore
reduces electoral competition. • Favors some ideas or groups and therefore reduces electoral
competition.
2011 # 1 Political Legitimacy
3 points One point is earned for each correct description of a distinct source of political legitimacy
established by the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Acceptable descriptions of a source of
political legitimacy include the following: • God/Allah • Divine revelation • Divine laws • Religious texts
• Sovereignty/truth of Koran • Supreme Leader • Islamic revolution • Charismatic leadership of
Khomeini • People of Iran • Elections (presidential or to the Majles) • Secular law
One point is earned for a correct example of how having both sources of political legitimacy
simultaneously has led to tensions in Iran in the past 15 years. Acceptable examples of tensions created
by having both sources of political legitimacy include the following: • Green Movement or protests •
Factionalism within the elite • Institutional tensions between popularly elected offices and appointed
clerical offices • Tensions between the Supreme Leader and the president Note: Simply stating
“protests” or “factionalism” does not earn a point.
AP Comparative Government
Barton/Relator 2015
IRAN FRQs Activity
Names: ___________________
Date: ____________ Bl:_____
Group 2: 2010 #8
Part (a): 2 points
One point is earned for an accurate description of political competition. Acceptable descriptions include:
• when there is more than one political group or candidate that can contest an election and have a
chance of winning • when there are a limited number of hurdles for entering into meaningful electoral
competition One point is earned for an accurate description of transparency in the context of politics.
Acceptable explanations include: • when citizens can access information about government decisions
and decision-making processes • when political decisions and processes are openly explained and visible
to the citizenry
Note: Discussing government openness as a description of transparency is acceptable. Transparency is
citizens’ ability to access that information, not citizen awareness of information.
Part (b): 2 points
One point is earned for an accurate explanation of the function of the Guardian Council in Iran’s
electoral process. Acceptable explanations include: • vetting candidates for the legislative and
presidential positions • supervising the overall quality of the elections, including monitoring electoral
fraud • nullifying election results if they are deemed fraudulent; approving the results if they are not
Note: The Ministry of Interior (MoI), not the Guardian Council, organizes and administers elections. The
Guardian Council’s role in overseeing elections is a broad supervisory one.
One point is earned for an accurate explanation of the function of the Institute of Federal Elections (IFE)
in the electoral process. Acceptable descriptions include: • organizing elections of the president and the
Congress of the Union • registering voters and parties • giving all parties access to the media • setting
the ceiling for campaign expenditures • allocating public funds for campaigns • recruiting and training
citizens to run polling places • confirming the electoral results (counting votes and certifying results)
Part (c): 2 points
One point is earned for an accurate comparison of transparency in the electoral process in Iran and
Mexico.
Acceptable comparisons include: • Over time, transparency has increased in Mexico, while it has not
increased in Iran. • The electoral process in Mexico is more transparent than the electoral process in
Iran.
Note: To earn the point, the response must accurately compare transparency in the electoral process in
Mexico with transparency in the electoral process in Iran. Comparisons within countries (over time) that
do not also compare across countries do not earn a point.
AP Comparative Government
Barton/Relator 2015
IRAN FRQs Activity
Names: ___________________
Date: ____________ Bl:_____
One point is earned for an accurate discussion of transparency in the electoral process in Iran and
Mexico.
Acceptable discussions include: • In Mexico, the establishment of the IFE has facilitated access to
decision making about those eligible to be candidates . • In Iran, there is no formal mechanism for
citizens to demand access to Guardian Council decisions and decision-making processes with regard to
vetting of candidates. Note: To earn the point, the response must accurately discuss transparency in the
electoral process in both countries.
Part (d): 2 points One point is earned for an accurate comparison of political competition in the electoral
process in Iran and Mexico. Acceptable comparisons include: • In terms of overall trends, political
competition increased in Mexico between 1985 and 2010, while it did not increase in Iran between 1979
and 2010. • There are more political parties or groups competing in elections in Iran, but the electoral
process in Mexico is more competitive than the electoral process in Iran.
Note: To earn the point, the response must accurately compare political competition in Mexico to
political competition in Iran. Comparisons within countries (over time) that do not also compare across
countries do not earn a point. In certain periods in Iran (e.g., the 1997 election) there was greater
political competition than in others.
One point is earned for an accurate discussion of political competition in Iran and Mexico. Acceptable
discussions include: • In Mexico electoral law reforms have provided opportunities for more meaningful
competition. • In Iran there is no guarantee of meaningful political competition.
Note: To earn the point, the response must accurately discuss political competition in both countries.
AP Comparative Government
Barton/Relator 2015
IRAN FRQs Activity
Names: ___________________
Date: ____________ Bl:_____
Group #: 3: 2009 #8
7 points
Part (a): 2 points
One point is earned for an accurate description of one trend shown in the graph for Iran. Acceptable
descriptions include either of the following: • Decline in population growth rate from 1980–1984 to
2000–2004. • Increase in population growth rate from 1970–1974 to 1980–1984.
One point is earned for an accurate description of one trend shown in the graph for China. The following
is an acceptable description: • Decline in population growth rate over the time period 1970–2009.
Notes:  Trends are not mere descriptions of individual points on the graph.  The populations of China
and Iran did not decrease during this time period.
 Parts (b), (c), and (d) do not require specific references to the graph used in part (a).  If the student
describes a policy that was designed to increase the population growth rate, the student must place that
policy in its time period accurately.  Description of a policy designed to decrease the population
growth rate does not have to state a time period.
Part (b): 2 points One point is earned for an accurate explanation of a policy Iran has used to address
population growth issues. Acceptable explanations include any of the following: • Incentives to increase
family size to build the army (Iran–Iraq War). • Family-planning law: encourages reductions in family size
(1989–present). • State-controlled media campaigns to raise awareness. • Free birth control: statesanctioned condom factories to provide access to birth control. • Mandatory marital sex counseling for
men and women to provide education on how to avoid unwanted pregnancies. • Increased
education/employment opportunities for women, as more education for females leads to lower birth
rates.
One point is earned for an accurate explanation of a policy China has used to address population growth
issues. Acceptable explanations include any of the following: • One-child policy to ensure only one child
per family, in most instances. • Fines for noncompliance incurred for having more than one child
without state permission. • Preferential housing/educational opportunities for compliance. •
Exemptions for ethnic minorities and rural areas to reduce opposition to one-child policy.
Note: The response must explain the policy; a simple identification of a policy is not sufficient. Part (c): 2
points Two points are earned for an explanation of why both Iran and China pursued population growth
policies. Acceptable explanations include any of the following: • Economic development. • Fear of
unrest resulting from overpopulation. • Relief of pressure on government budget. • Strain on natural
resources. Note: A statement that the purpose has been to reduce population is not sufficient.
Part (d): 1 point One point is earned for a description of one social or economic consequence of
manipulating growth rates. Acceptable descriptions of a social consequence include any of the
following: • Popular resistance to the policy of restriction. • Female infanticide; “missing girls.” •
AP Comparative Government
Barton/Relator 2015
IRAN FRQs Activity
Names: ___________________
Date: ____________ Bl:_____
Selective abortion. • Sex-ratio imbalance. • Potential empowerment of women. Acceptable descriptions
of an economic consequence include any of the following: • Need for a security system to replace the
traditional safety net provided by children for parents in large families. • Reduction of poverty. •
Economic growth possibility.
Note: Students may use country-specific examples to describe a consequence of manipulating growth
rates.
AP Comparative Government
Barton/Relator 2015
IRAN FRQs Activity
Names: ___________________
Date: ____________ Bl:_____
Group #: 4: Short Answer Concepts
2010 #4 – Rentier state
3 Points
One point is earned for a correct definition of a rentier state. Acceptable definitions include: • a country
that obtains lucrative income by exporting a raw material or leasing out a natural resource to foreign
countries • a country that obtains much of its revenue from the export of oil or another natural resource
• a country that receives a significant amount of income in the form of rents from foreign companies
Note: The answer must show that not only are resources purchased or leased from the other state, but
significant income is accrued by the state.
One point is earned for a correct identification of one country in the AP Comparative Government and
Politics course that is a rentier state. Acceptable identifications include: • Iran • Nigeria • Russia
One point is earned for a correct description of a problem that a rentier state typically faces that has an
impact on economic development. Acceptable descriptions include: • lack of diversification of the local
economy • price fluctuations caused by dependence on world market • income inequality exacerbated
where disparity is already extreme • no incentive to industrialize/modernize economy • increased
opportunity for corrupt usage of income from rents • lack of accountability to citizens Note: Foreign
economic investment alone is not a sufficient answer. The response must show that investments are
made in a specific resource that produces the major portion of the state’s income/budget.
2007 #3 China & Iran Cultural Revolutions
AP Comparative Government
Barton/Relator 2015
IRAN FRQs Activity
Group # 5: Presidential Elections of Iran and Nigeria – 2007 #8
Names: ___________________
Date: ____________ Bl:_____
AP Comparative Government
Barton/Relator 2015
IRAN FRQs Activity
Names: ___________________
Date: ____________ Bl:_____
AP Comparative Government
Barton/Relator 2015
IRAN FRQs Activity
Group # 6: Process of democratization in Iran and Nigeria – 2006 #8
Names: ___________________
Date: ____________ Bl:_____
AP Comparative Government
Barton/Relator 2015
IRAN FRQs Activity
Names: ___________________
Date: ____________ Bl:_____