CBSE Class 12 Political Science The End of Bipolarity MCQs

Question. Which among the following statements wrongly describes the nature of the Soviet economy?
(A) Socialism was the dominant ideology.
(B) State ownership/control existed over the factors of production.
(C) People enjoyed economic freedom.
(D) Every aspect of the economy was planned and controlled by the state. 
Answer : C

Question. Which one of the following was NOT a consequence of disintegration of the USSR?
(a) Many new stages emerged
(B) Russia emerged as a new superpower
(C) Power relations in world politics changed
(D) The capitalist system emerged as the winner
Answer : B

Question. Shock therapy involved a drastic change in the ...................... orientation of the economies.
(A) external
(B) internal
(C) international
(D) opposition 
Answer : A

Question. Mikhail Gorbachev was elected as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in:
(a) 1955
(B) 1965
(c) 1975
(D) 1985
Answer : D

Question. Which one of the following was NOT an outcome of ‘Shock Therapy’?
(A) The old system of social welfare got destroyed.
(B) Industries were put up for sale to the private sector.
(C) The value of the Russian currency, the ‘Ruble’ rose dramatically.
(D) Russia started to import food grains.
Answer : C

Question. The Socialist Movement was inspired by the ideas of:
(A) Democracy
(B) Socialism
(C) Communalism
(D) Dictatorship
Answer : B

Question. The real GDP of Russia in 1999 was below what it was in:
(A) 1959
(B) 1969
(C) 1979
(D) 1989
Answer : D

Question. The post-Soviet countries underwent a process of transition from an authoritarian socialist system to ...................... capitalism system.
(A) democratic
(B) authoritative
(C) aristocratic
(D) systematic 
Answer : A

Question. Which one of the following did Gorbachev not promise to reform?
(A) To loosen the administrative system
(B) To catch up with the west
(C) To reform the economy
(D) To maintain strict control over the government
Answer : D

Question. ...................... witnessed a Civil War that went on for ten years till 2001.
(A) Dagestan
(B) Tajikistan
(C) Chechnya
(D) Moscow 
Answer : B

Question. Which one of the following statements about the Berlin wall is false? 
(A) It symbolised the division between the capitalist and the communist world.
(B) It was built during the Second World War.
(C) It was broken by the people on 9 November 1989.
(D) It marked the unification of the two parts of Germany.
Answer : B

Question. First Gulf War was known as ...................... .
(A) Operation Infinite Reach
(B) Operation Enduring Freedom
(C) Operation Desert Storm
(D) Operation Iraqi Freedom 
Answer : C

Question. Which one of the following statement related to the Iraq invasion by the US is incorrect?
(A) More than forty other countries were involved in this invasion.
(B) The UN had given consent to invade Iraq.
(C) The invasion was to prevent Iraq from developing weapons of mass destruction.
(D) The US lost over 3000 military personnel in this war.
Answer : B

Question. A system in which the affairs at the international level cannot be dominated by only one superpower but by a group of countries is known as:
(A) unipolar world
(B) capitalise world
(C) multi-polar world
(D) collective world 
Answer : C

Question. Arab Spring began with ...................... .
(A) Russian Revolution
(B) Tunisian Revolution
(C) Egyptian Revolution
(D) Syrian Revolution 
Answer : B

Question. What was the final and most immediate cause of the disintegration of the USSR?
(A) Gorbachev’s policies
(B) Western developments
(C) Second World War
(D) The rise of nationalism and the desire for sovereignty within various republics 
Answer : D

Question. In Soviet system, who used to control the economy?
(A) Businessmen
(B) State
(C) People
(D) None of the above 
Answer : B

Question. Why Soviet system lost its popularity soon?
(A) It became more democratic
(B) People were fed up of the system
(C) It exploited people
(D) It became very bureaucratic and authoritarian
Answer : D

Question. When was Soviet Union disbanded?
(A) 1989
(B) 1990
(C) 1991
(D) 1992 
Answer : C

Question. What type of economy was proposed by Shock therapy?
(A) Communist
(B) Liberal Communist
(C) Socialist
(D) Capitalist 
Answer : D

Question. Who became the sole superpower after the disintegration of USSR?
(A) China
(B) Russia
(C) US
(D) Britain 
Answer : C

Question. After which event in 1917 Soviet Union came into existence?
(A) French Revolution
(B) First World War
(C) November Revolution
(D) Socialist Revolution
Answer : D

Question. What was the nomenclature of the group who followed the USSR?
(A) Communist group
(B) Democratic group
(C) Liberal socialist group
(D) The Second World or The Socialist bloc 
Answer : D

Question. What among the following was the result of the disintegration of USSR?
(A) End of Cold War confrontations
(B) End of Second World War
(C) Great economic depression
(D) All of the above 
Answer : D

Question. Which period is described as the period of US dominance?
(A) 1960 onwards
(B) Cold War era
(C) Post-Cold War era
(D) 1980 onwards 
Answer : C

Question. The model of transition, influenced by the World Bank and the IMF, came to be known as ................ .
(A) USSR
(B) Shock Therapy
(C) United Nations
(D) CENTO 
Answer : B

Question. Which currency declined after the implement of Shock therapy?
(A) Ruble
(B) Dollar
(C) Pound
(D) Euro 
Answer : A

Question. What was the result of withdrawal of government subsidies? 
(A) people had no impact at all
(B) market prices hiked rapidly
(C) people were pushed into poverty
(D) none of the above 
Answer : C

Question. How Central Asian economies benefited?
(A) due to oil resources
(B) due to their agricultural activities
(C) due to tourism
(D) due to their hydrocarbon resources 
Answer : D

Question. Which operation is known as “Operation Iraqi Freedom”?
(A) US attack on Iraq in 2003
(B) US attack on Iraq in 1991
(C) US attack on Afghanistan
(D) None of the above 
Answer : A

Question. How did the Shock Therapy affect the economy?
(A) It flourished the economies.
(B) It devastated the economies.
(C) It had no impact at all on economies.
(D) None of the above.
Answer : B

ASSERTION AND REASON BASED MCQs 

Directions: In the following questions, a statement of Assertion (A) is followed by a statement of Reason (R).Mark the correct choice as:
(A) Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
(B) Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
(C) (A) is true, but (R) is false.
(D) (A) is false, but (R) is true.

Question. Assertion: After the Second World War, the east European countries that the Soviet Army had liberated from the fascist forces came under the control of the USSR.
Reason: The Soviet System, however, became very bureaucratic and authoritarian, making life very difficult for its citizens.
Answer : B

Question. Assertion: Shock Therapy was the transitional form from authoritarian socialist system to a democratic capitalist system in Russia, Central Asia and East Europe under the influence of the World Bank and IMF.
Reason: The model of transition in Russia, Central Asia and east Europe that was influenced by the World Bank and the IMF came to be known as ‘Shock therapy’.
Answer : A

Question. Assertion: Cold War had a great cost on the economy of the country.
Reason: In the arms race, the Soviet Union managed to match the US from time to time.
Answer : B

Question. Assertion: Reforms were necessary to keep the USSR abreast of the information and technological revolutions taking place in the West. 
Reason: Mikhail Gorbachev, who had become General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1985, sought to reform this system.
Answer : A

Question. Assertion: The exclusion of these republics was an issue that was quickly solved by making them founding members of the CIS.
Reason: The declaration on the disintegration of the USSR and the formation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) came as a surprise to the other republics, especially to the Central Asian ones.
Answer : B

Question. Assertion: The Russian Republic, where Yeltsin won a popular election, began to shake off centralized control.
Reason: A coup took place in 1991 that was encouraged by Communist Party hard-liners.
Answer : B

Question. Assertion: The Soviet economy was then more developed than the rest of the world except for the US. 
Reason: The Soviet Union became a great power after the Second World War
Answer : A

Question. Assertion: Most of the former Soviet Republics are prone to conflicts, and many have had civil wars and insurgencies.
Reason: In Russia, two republics, Chechnya and Dagestan, have had violent secessionist movements.
Answer : B

Question. Assertion: Gorbachev’s decision to normalize relations with the West and democratize and reform the Soviet Union had some other effects that neither he nor anyone else intended or anticipated.
Reason: People supported Gorbachev in his every decision he has taken.
Answer : C

Question. Assertion: Gorbachev did nothing to save the disintegration of soviet system.
Reason: These developments were accompanied by a rapidly escalating crisis within the USSR that hastened its disintegration.
Answer : D

Question. Assertion: The Shock Therapy brought success which was not anticipated at all. 
Reason: Each of these countries was required to make a total shift to a capitalist economy, which meant rooting out completely any structures evolved during the Soviet period.
Answer : D

Question. Assertion: The hydrocarbon resources have brought an enormous prosperity to these countries.
Reason: The Central Asian Republics are areas with vast hydrocarbon resources.
Answer : A

Question. Assertion: Each state from this bloc was now linked directly to the West and not to each other in the region.
Reason: The transition also involved a breakup of the existing trade alliances among the countries of the Soviet bloc.
Answer : B

Question. Assertion: In Georgia, the demand for independence has come from two provinces, resulting in a Civil War.
Reason: In Central Asia, Tajikistan witnessed a Civil War that went on for ten years till 2001.
Answer : B

Question. Assertion: Central Asian countries were already in control of US.
Reason: Central Asia has also become a zone of competition between outside powers and oil companies.
Answer : C

Question. Assertion: Development was now envisaged through more trade, and thus a sudden and complete switch to free trade was considered essential.
Reason: Shock therapy also involved a drastic change in the external orientation of these economies.
Answer : A

Case based MCQ Chapter 2 The End of Bipolarity Political Science

I. Read the following excerpt and answer the questions that follow:

Economist Jeffrey Sachs is widely associated with shock therapy. He developed a plan of shock therapy for post-communist Poland in 1990, for post-communist Russia in 1992, and several other countries, including Bolivia and Chile. Bolivia, in particular, in 1985, had success as a result of shock therapy in ending a period of hyperinflation. Poland also initially seemed to benefit from shock therapy as inflation was controlled, but it saw a sharp rise in unemployment that peaked at 16.9%. Sachs did not like the term shock therapy, which he said was coined by the media and made the reform process sound more painful than it was. In Russia, neo- liberal shock therapy did not produce favourable outcomes. Shock therapy was applied swiftly and on a large scale, as opposed to how it was applied in other nations. Almost all of Russia’s industries were undervalued and sold to private individuals and companies, with most acquired by a few Russian oligarchs. With limited government intervention, most industries disappeared. The Russian currency declined, causing high inflation and the erosion of most citizens’ savings. Unemployment increased drastically, and government subsidies were removed, further pushing Russian families into poverty.

Question. Who developed the plan of the Shock therapy for the post-communist Poland?
(A) Mikhail Gorbachev
(B) Jeffery Sachs
(C) Both of them
(D) None of them
Answer : B

Question. Which country benefited with the Shock therapy in 1985?
(A) Bolivia
(B) Poland
(C) Ukraine
(D) Russia
Answer : A

Question. What happened in Poland after the initial success of the shock therapy?
(A) Rise in the commodity prices
(B) Economy declines
(C) Rise in the unemployment rate
(D) All of the above
Answer : C

Question. What was the aftermath of the shock therapy in Russia?
(A) Rise in the economy and in currency value.
(B) Decline in the unemployment rate and boosting economy.
(C) Improvement in people’s income and life style
(D) Decline in the currency, increasing unemployment, high inflation and decrease in people’s incomes.
Answer : D

II. Read the following cartoon and answer the following questions:

Question. What lead to the dissolution of the Soviet Union?
(A) The rise of nationalism and the desire for sovereignty at various places
(B) The world economy sunk
(C) Russia emerged as a super power with capitalist democracy
(D) None of the above
Answer : A

Question. What event officially marked the end of communism in the Soviet Union?
(A) End of Cuban Missile Crisis
(B) Rise of New World Order
(C) The failed August Coup
(D) Rise in US economy
Answer : C

Question. How was the collapse of the USSR seen by the West?
(A) As an opportunity to colonise Russia.
(B) A victory for freedom, a triumph of democracy over totalitarianism.
(C) As the end of communist dominance.
(D) None of the above.
Answer : B

Question. How many countries did the Soviet Union disintegrate?
(A) 15
(B) 14
(C) 13
(D) 18
Answer : A

III. Read the following excerpt and answer the questions that follow:

A coup took place in 1991 that was encouraged by Communist Party hard-liners. The people had tasted freedom by then and did not want the oldstyle
rule of the Communist Party. Boris Yeltsin emerged as a national hero in opposing this coup. The Russian Republic, where Yeltsin won a popular election, began to shake off centralised control. Power began to shift from the Soviet centre to the republics, especially in the more Europeanised part of the Soviet Union, which saw themselves as sovereign states. The Central Asian republics did not ask for independence and wanted to remain with the Soviet Federation. In December 1991, under the leadership of Yeltsin, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, three major republics of the USSR declared that the Soviet Union was disbanded. The Communist Party of the Soviet Union was banned. Capitalism and democracy were adopted as the bases for the post-Soviet republics. The declaration on the disintegration of the USSR and the formation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) came as a surprise to the other republics, especially to the Central Asian ones. The exclusion of these republics was an issue that was quickly solved by making them founding members of the CIS. Russia was now accepted as the successor state of the Soviet Union. It inherited the Soviet seat in the UN Security Council. Russia accepted all the international treaties and commitments of the Soviet Union. It took over as the only nuclear state of the post-Soviet space and carried out some nuclear disarmament measures with the US. The old Soviet Union was thus dead and buried.

Question. Who opposed the coup of 1991?
(A) Mikhail Gorbachev
(B) Post-Soviet republics
(C) Communist party
(D) Boris Yeltsin
Answer : D

Question. Which were the three major republics of USSR?
(A) Poland, Cuba, Russia
(B) Sweden, Germany, France
(C) Russia, Ukraine, Belarus
(D) Ukraine, Poland, Sweden
Answer : C

Question. Which type of government was adopted by the post-soviet countries?
(A) Socialist
(B) Capitalist and Democratic
(C) Communist Democratic
(D) None of the above
Answer : B

Question. Which country became the successor state of the Soviet Union?
(A) Belarus
(B) Ukraine
(C) Central Asian Republics
(D) Russia
Answer : D

IV. Study the cartoon given below and answer the following questions: 

Question. Which country is represented by this mighty soldier?
(A) Russia
(B) China
(C) USA
(D) Canada
Answer : C

Question. Why have the names of so many countries been written on the uniform of the soldier?
(A) It symbolizes the union of these countries.
(B) It symbolizes the colonization of these countries by USA.
(C) USA has invaded these countries.
(D) None of the above.
Answer : C

Question. What message does this cartoon give to the international community?
(A) It reminds world about the peace and unity.
(B) It urges the world to fight against terrorism.
(C) It urges the need to have military rule over democratic governments.
(D) It conveys that the US is a superpower and has the might to push its interests into any part of the world.
Answer : D

Question. Which of the countries listed below was never invaded by USA?
(A) Japan
(B) England
(C) Iraq
(D) Afghanistan
Answer : B

V. Read the following excerpt and answer the questions that follow:

The Soviet Union had become stagnant in an administrative and political sense as well. The Communist Party that had ruled the Soviet Union for over 70 years was not accountable to the people. Ordinary people were alienated by slow and stifling administration, rampant corruption, the inability of the system to correct mistakes it had made, the unwillingness to allow more openness in government, and the centralisation of authority in a vast land. Worse still, the party bureaucrats gained more privileges than ordinary citizens. People did not identify with the system and with the rulers, and the government increasingly lost popular backing. Gorbachev’s reforms promised to deal with these problems. Gorbachev promised to reform the economy, catch up with the West, and loosen the administrative system. All this might not have led to the collapse of the Soviet Union but for another development that surprised most observers and indeed many insiders. The rise of nationalism and the desire for sovereignty within various republics including Russia and the Baltic Republics (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania), Ukraine, Georgia, and others proved to be the final and most immediate cause for the disintegration of the USSR.

Question. How long the communist party have been ruling Soviet Union?
(A) For sixty eight years
(B) For seventy years
(C) For 82 years
(D) For fifty years
Answer : B

Question. What led to the collapse of the Soviet System?
(A) Because of its failure in World War Two
(B) Because people did not identify with the system
(C) Because of its extreme bureaucratic nature
(D) All of the above
Answer : C

Question. Gorbachev promised to…
(A) Back the people in war and international tensions.
(B) Provide employment and pensions to elder citizens.
(C) To defeat west and become the sole super power.
(D) To reform the economy, catch up with the West, and loosen the administrative system.
Answer : D

Question. What was the final and most immediate cause for the disintegration of Soviet Union?
(A) The rise of nationalism and the desire for sovereignty within various republics including Russia and the Baltic Republics, Ukraine, Georgia, and others.
(B) The rise of extremism and the desire for privatization within various republics including Russia and the Baltic Republics, Ukraine, Georgia, and others.
(C) The rise of capitalism and the desire for democratic government within various republics including Russia and the Baltic Republics, Ukraine, Georgia, and others.
(D) All of the above
Answer : D