CONS 127 - UBC CERTIFICATION SCRIPT
2026 QUESTIONS WITH SOLUTIONS
GRADED A+
◍ What criteria does Freedom House use to measure freedom?.
Answer: Competitive multiparty political system, universal adult suffrage,
regular elections, and public access to political parties.
◍ What is a key feature of presidential systems?.
Answer: The executive (president) is separately elected from the legislature
and has a fixed term.
◍ Executive Immunity.
Answer: The protection the president enjoys against the legal processes of
other branches related to conduct in his official capacity as president.Ex:
Cannot sue the President for backwages
◍ The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are on a concert tour when their plane is
hijacked by a Middle Eastern terrorist group led by Splinter. Splinter
demands $100 million worth of pizza in return for the Turtles. In the face of
hysteria among the nation's four year old boys, the President vows publicly
never to negotiate with the terrorists. However, Congress launches an
investigation when it comes across videotape of a Domino's delivery truck,
driven by presidential advisor Ollie Snort, heading to Splinter's alleged
hideout in the Middle East. The investigation unearths an elaborate
pizza-for-hostages scheme. In Snort's subsequent criminal trial, the defense
seeks a deposition from the President covering conversations with Snort.
The President seeks to avoid testimony with a claim of executive privilege.
Will he have to testify?.
Answer: Yes. The President will have to testify because he cannot claim
executive privilege in a criminal suit.
,◍ Judicial Review.
Answer: Allows the court to determine the constitutionality of laws.
◍ War Powers Resolution.
Answer: The War Powers Resolution requires the President to consult with
Congress before introducing troops to hostility; submit report to Congress
within 48 hours after introducing troops to hostility; terminate the use of
armed forces within 60 days unless Congress has declared war.
◍ What is a positive aspect of cross-national quantitative analysis?.
Answer: It allows for more comparisons and control, providing measures of
confidence.
◍ What are elite bargains in the context of democracy?.
Answer: Democracy emerges when elites compromise to avoid violence,
using institutions as insurance against losing power.
◍ What is a positive aspect of lab and field experiments?.
Answer: They allow for easier inference of causality by comparing two
groups under the same conditions.
◍ What are the three waves of democratization according to Huntington?.
Answer: First Wave (1828-1926), Second Wave (1943-1962), Third Wave
(1974-present).
◍ The President signs a treaty with Candyland, that provides that family
members of American soldiers stationed in Candyland can be
court-martialed by the army for crimes they commit. Congress ratifies the
treaty. Private Partz is stationed in Candyland, and his wife, Chicken, is
court-martialed under the treaty for armed robbery. She challenges the
validity of the treaty. Is the treaty valid?.
Answer: No. Chicken is a civilian, so she must have all the rights afforded
by the US Constitution and she is not a member of the armed forces.
◍ What are the concepts of standing?.
Answer: 1.) requirement of Article III2.) has been greatly and clarified by
, case law3.) keeps the courts from exercising jurisdiction unless an injury is
one that can be resolved through the judicial process.
◍ What is the minimal definition of democracy?.
Answer: Competitive elections plus civil liberties.
◍ What is charismatic legitimacy based on?.
Answer: The power of an individual's ideas or beliefs.
◍ What is a pro and con of parliamentary systems?.
Answer: Pro: Flexibility with votes of no confidence; Con: Can be unstable
with frequent government collapse.
◍ What are some indicators of state failure?.
Answer: Internal violence, civil war, refugee flows, economic collapse, and
breakdown of law and order.
◍ Presidential Communications Privilege.
Answer: Applies to communications made directly to the president.Ex:
Emails, papers, documentation.
◍ What is the difference between 'regime' and 'government'?.
Answer: Regime refers to the rules governing access to power, while
government refers to the current leadership.
◍ What are the key democratic principles?.
Answer: Popular sovereignty, political equality, participation,
accountability, and responsiveness.
◍ What are the two additional conditions added by Schmitter and Karl for
democracy?.
Answer: Elected officials must exercise power without overriding
opposition and the polity must be self-governing without external
interference.
◍ Attorney Client Privilege.
Answer: Protects certain communications made between a client and his or
her attorney.
2026 QUESTIONS WITH SOLUTIONS
GRADED A+
◍ What criteria does Freedom House use to measure freedom?.
Answer: Competitive multiparty political system, universal adult suffrage,
regular elections, and public access to political parties.
◍ What is a key feature of presidential systems?.
Answer: The executive (president) is separately elected from the legislature
and has a fixed term.
◍ Executive Immunity.
Answer: The protection the president enjoys against the legal processes of
other branches related to conduct in his official capacity as president.Ex:
Cannot sue the President for backwages
◍ The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are on a concert tour when their plane is
hijacked by a Middle Eastern terrorist group led by Splinter. Splinter
demands $100 million worth of pizza in return for the Turtles. In the face of
hysteria among the nation's four year old boys, the President vows publicly
never to negotiate with the terrorists. However, Congress launches an
investigation when it comes across videotape of a Domino's delivery truck,
driven by presidential advisor Ollie Snort, heading to Splinter's alleged
hideout in the Middle East. The investigation unearths an elaborate
pizza-for-hostages scheme. In Snort's subsequent criminal trial, the defense
seeks a deposition from the President covering conversations with Snort.
The President seeks to avoid testimony with a claim of executive privilege.
Will he have to testify?.
Answer: Yes. The President will have to testify because he cannot claim
executive privilege in a criminal suit.
,◍ Judicial Review.
Answer: Allows the court to determine the constitutionality of laws.
◍ War Powers Resolution.
Answer: The War Powers Resolution requires the President to consult with
Congress before introducing troops to hostility; submit report to Congress
within 48 hours after introducing troops to hostility; terminate the use of
armed forces within 60 days unless Congress has declared war.
◍ What is a positive aspect of cross-national quantitative analysis?.
Answer: It allows for more comparisons and control, providing measures of
confidence.
◍ What are elite bargains in the context of democracy?.
Answer: Democracy emerges when elites compromise to avoid violence,
using institutions as insurance against losing power.
◍ What is a positive aspect of lab and field experiments?.
Answer: They allow for easier inference of causality by comparing two
groups under the same conditions.
◍ What are the three waves of democratization according to Huntington?.
Answer: First Wave (1828-1926), Second Wave (1943-1962), Third Wave
(1974-present).
◍ The President signs a treaty with Candyland, that provides that family
members of American soldiers stationed in Candyland can be
court-martialed by the army for crimes they commit. Congress ratifies the
treaty. Private Partz is stationed in Candyland, and his wife, Chicken, is
court-martialed under the treaty for armed robbery. She challenges the
validity of the treaty. Is the treaty valid?.
Answer: No. Chicken is a civilian, so she must have all the rights afforded
by the US Constitution and she is not a member of the armed forces.
◍ What are the concepts of standing?.
Answer: 1.) requirement of Article III2.) has been greatly and clarified by
, case law3.) keeps the courts from exercising jurisdiction unless an injury is
one that can be resolved through the judicial process.
◍ What is the minimal definition of democracy?.
Answer: Competitive elections plus civil liberties.
◍ What is charismatic legitimacy based on?.
Answer: The power of an individual's ideas or beliefs.
◍ What is a pro and con of parliamentary systems?.
Answer: Pro: Flexibility with votes of no confidence; Con: Can be unstable
with frequent government collapse.
◍ What are some indicators of state failure?.
Answer: Internal violence, civil war, refugee flows, economic collapse, and
breakdown of law and order.
◍ Presidential Communications Privilege.
Answer: Applies to communications made directly to the president.Ex:
Emails, papers, documentation.
◍ What is the difference between 'regime' and 'government'?.
Answer: Regime refers to the rules governing access to power, while
government refers to the current leadership.
◍ What are the key democratic principles?.
Answer: Popular sovereignty, political equality, participation,
accountability, and responsiveness.
◍ What are the two additional conditions added by Schmitter and Karl for
democracy?.
Answer: Elected officials must exercise power without overriding
opposition and the polity must be self-governing without external
interference.
◍ Attorney Client Privilege.
Answer: Protects certain communications made between a client and his or
her attorney.
