AP Comparative Government and Politics Practice Quiz: Political Stability
Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026
Test your understanding with short quizzes. This quiz has 10 questions to check your progress.
Question 1 of 10
All Questions (10)
A) By exclusively providing financial support to the government.
B) By either bolstering or threatening regime stability.
C) By only interacting with international organizations.
D) By always seeking to overthrow the existing government.
Correct Answer: B
The first point of the provided content states that internal actors 'influence and interact with state authority and either enhance or threaten stability.' This directly supports the idea that their influence can be either positive (bolstering) or negative (threatening).
A) To increase the budget for social welfare programs.
B) To attract foreign direct investment and improve economic growth.
C) To comply with international human rights treaties.
D) To promote a specific state-sponsored ideology.
Correct Answer: B
The third point explicitly states that authorities attempt to limit divisive actors 'to attract more private capital and foreign direct investment and to improve economic growth.' This highlights the economic incentive for maintaining political stability.
A) The immediate dissolution of the state's legislative body.
B) The creation of new policies to protect civil liberties and improve transparency.
C) A complete withdrawal from international economic agreements.
D) The nationalization of all private industries.
Correct Answer: B
The fourth point details the potential outcomes of pressure from citizen groups, stating it 'can lead to the creation of new political institutions or policies to protect civil liberties, improve transparency, address election fairness and media bias, limit corruption, and ensure equality under law.'
A) always enhance the rule of law.
B) force a country to adopt a new regime type.
C) undermine regime stability.
D) attract foreign direct investment.
Correct Answer: C
The second point lists 'separatist group violence, drug trafficking, and discrimination' as issues where internal actors can 'undermine regime stability and rule of law.' State responses are a reaction to this threat.
A) States always ignore mass protest movements to maintain stability.
B) Mass protests are solely focused on economic issues and do not lead to political change.
C) State responses to mass protests can vary, and these movements can pressure the state into policy reforms that protect civil liberties.
D) All mass protest movements inevitably lead to violent conflict with the state.
Correct Answer: C
This answer synthesizes two points from the text. Point 2c mentions 'varied state responses to mass protest movements,' and Point 4 explains that these movements can lead to 'new political institutions or policies to protect civil liberties.'
A) political corruption is not a significant threat to stability in any country.
B) all countries use identical, internationally mandated anti-corruption policies.
C) there is no single, universal approach that states use to address corruption.
D) only democratic regimes are capable of combating political corruption.
Correct Answer: C
The phrase 'contrasting methods' directly suggests that different countries use different strategies. This means there is not one single or universal way that states handle the problem of corruption, which is an internal threat to stability.
A) Unfair media bias and lack of transparency.
B) Widespread opposition to foreign trade agreements.
C) Separatist violence, drug trafficking, and discrimination.
D) Pressure from international financial institutions.
Correct Answer: C
Point 2b explicitly lists 'State responses to separatist group violence, drug trafficking, and discrimination based on gender or religious differences in Iran, Mexico, and Nigeria.'
A) exclusively threatens state stability through violent means.
B) can pressure the state for reforms that enhance equality under law.
C) is primarily concerned with attracting foreign direct investment.
D) has no significant influence on state authority or policy.
Correct Answer: B
Point 4 identifies 'citizen protest groups and civil society' as sources of 'internal reform pressure' that can lead to policies that 'ensure equality under law,' which is a way they interact with and influence the state.
A) To demonstrate their superior commitment to human rights.
B) To consolidate power within a single political party.
C) To improve economic conditions by attracting private capital.
D) To fulfill their obligations to a supranational organization.
Correct Answer: C
Point 3 is key here, as it states that 'State authorities of different regime types' share this motivation. The reason given is to 'attract more private capital and foreign direct investment and to improve economic growth,' making it a shared goal regardless of regime type.
A) A foreign government provides economic aid to a state, which improves its economy.
B) A state passes a law that is universally popular and faces no opposition.
C) A civil society group organizes peaceful protests for election reform, while a separatist group in another region engages in violent attacks.
D) A state's economy improves due to a rise in global commodity prices.
Correct Answer: C
This option provides clear examples of the two types of influence mentioned in the text. The civil society group (Point 4) is pressuring for reforms that could enhance stability and equality, while the separatist group (Point 2b) is actively threatening stability through violence.