Appendix 2: Samples of Essay Exam Questions
Essay Exam 2
What, according to Jacques Rupnik in his article ‘‘The Post-Communist Divide’’,
explains why some post-communist countries have become relatively successful
and some have not? Explain in some detail the six factors that Rupnik sets out.
Which countries and/or regions seem to be doing well, which ones poorly and
why? Drawing on our class discussions on Russia, explain how it might fit into
Rupnik’s classification scheme and why (in terms of the six factors) this might be
the case. Does the ‘‘case’’ of Russia help to validate or invalidate Rupnik’s theory?
Essay Exam 3
Imagine that you have been appointed as an adviser to President Olusegun Obasanjo
of Nigeria, charged with writing a report entitled ‘‘How to Keep Nigeria Democratic.’’
Drawing on the articles ‘‘What Makes Democracies Endure’’ and ‘‘How
Solid is Mass Support for Democracy—and How Can We Measure it?,’’ discussions
we’ve had in class, and particular features of Nigerian politics and society, outline
what factors you think will be important in keeping Nigeria democratic. Then sketch
out (roughly, of course) what policy recommendations you would make (e.g., strategies
for economic development) based on these factors. Be creative here! Remember:
the future of Nigerian democracy may well depend on what you say!
Appendix 3: Samples of Take-Home Exam Questions
Take-Home Exam 1
In this course we look at several factors that influence a country’s wealth and quality
of life. For this exercise I want you to explore one other explanation for a country’s
quality of life and economic well-being. Specifically, what do you think the relationship
is between a country’s well-being and how many resources that country devotes
to its military budget? State a hypothesis about this phenomenon. Then test this
hypothesis using the GLOBAL file and SCATTERPLOT function, choosing or
operationalizing the terms of your hypothesis. TEST AT LEAST TWO SETS OF
DEPENDENT VARIABLES. What did you find out? Are the relationships you
tested significant? If so, is there a ‘‘negative’’ or ‘‘positive’’ direction to the relationship?
How strong is the relationship? What are some of the outliers in your analysis?
Does the removal of these outliers make any difference to your data? How does the
United States fit this pattern? How would you explain or interpret your findings?
Take-Home Exam 3
In this course we’ve talked a lot about what is necessary for democracy to be established
and maintained in a country. One of the things we’ve discussed is the link
between democracy and the distribution of wealth in a country. In light of all the
information we’ve examined and the discussions we’ve had, which type of countries
in the ‘‘7-Worlds’’ do you think might have higher, and which types lower, levels of
economic inequality among its citizens? Furthermore, what do you think might be
the relationship between inequality and the level of freedom that exists in a country?
To answer the first research question, formulate a hypothesis, operationalize your
variables, and then test your hypothesis using the GLOBAL file and ANOVA function.
To answer the second research question, formulate a hypothesis about the
relationship between inequality and freedom, operationalize your variables, and then
test those variables using the GLOBAL file and SCATTERPLOT function. What
did you find out? Are the relationships you tested significant? Would removing
any outliers make a difference? Offer an explanation=interpretation of your results,
drawing on the tests you undertook as well as any discussions we’ve had in class that
might shine some light on this.