64 exam-style questions on Contested meanings of power, sovereignty, legitimacy and interdependence — topic CORE.1 of Core: Understanding power and global politics in the IB Global Politics syllabus — with answers and explanations. Samples below; the full set is free with an account.
Which theory examines the lasting effects of imperialism and Western dominance on formerly colonised societies?
Answer: Post-colonialism
Post-colonialism (e.g. Edward Said's 'Orientalism') critiques enduring power imbalances and Western-centric narratives.
Which UN body has five permanent members holding veto power?
Answer: Security Council
The UN Security Council's five permanent members (P5: US, UK, France, Russia, China) can veto substantive resolutions.
A profit-driven organisation operating across multiple countries, such as Apple or Nestlé, is best described as what?
Answer: A multinational corporation (MNC)
MNCs are non-state economic actors whose global reach can rival states in influence over trade and investment.
A global system dominated by two roughly equal power centres is described as what kind of polarity?
Answer: Bipolar
Bipolarity (e.g. US vs USSR in the Cold War) features two dominant poles; multipolarity has several major powers.
Global governance mainly refers to what?
Answer: Managing transnational issues without a world government
Global governance is the collection of institutions, rules and norms (IGOs, treaties, NGOs) coordinating cross-border problems.
Economic power in global politics is best exemplified by which of the following?
Answer: Controlling trade access and imposing sanctions
Economic power uses wealth, trade, aid and sanctions as leverage; military and cultural power are separate resource types.
That was 6 of 64 Contested meanings of power, sovereignty, legitimacy and interdependence questions.
Practise all 64 freeDefineAO1 · 1–3 marks
Give the precise meaning — one sentence, the key terms in it, no example needed unless asked.
DistinguishAO2 · 3–8 marks
Make the difference clear for BOTH terms — a definition of one of them is only half an answer.
StateAO1 · 1–3 marks
One word or one short sentence. No explanation, no working: the mark is for the fact itself.
64 Contested meanings of power, sovereignty, legitimacy and interdependence questions — free with an account. Spaced repetition, streaks and full exam simulations included.
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