CHAPTER 5 RUSSIA AND THE POST-SOVIET STATES
INTRODUCTION
Multiple-Choice
1. The Russian political leadership tends to see U.S. and EU efforts to promote democracy in the Russian realm as: a) harmful to the environment b) a way of cutting off Russian support to Iran and Cuba c) efforts to gain control of formerly Soviet countries d) stabilizing influences in sometimes troubled areas
2. What proportion of the earth’s land surface did the USSR cover? a) 1/8 b) 1/6 c) 1/4 d? 1/3
3. Which of the following is not one of Russia’s internal republics? a) Azerbaijan b) Ossetia c) Chechnya d) Tatarstan
4. The term used to describe semiarid grasslands is: a) tundra b) pampas c) savanna d) steppe
5. Which area is home to some of the world’s largest reserves of oil and natural gas? a) The Central Siberian Plateau b) Moscow and its environs c) The West Siberian Plain] d) the Ural Mountains
1 Environmental Issues
6. Which of the following is the best summary of Soviet ideology’s approach to the environment? a) Nature is a powerful force and should be respected. b) Forests should be harvested but water should not be polluted. c) Nature is the servant of industrial and agricultural progress. d) Humanity should live in harmony with the land.
7. Which of the following is considered the world’s most polluted city? a) Hong Kong b) Beijing c) Dzerzhinsk d) Gdansk
8. The Chernobyl nuclear plant was located in: a) Georgia b) Russia c) Ukraine d) Chechnya
9. Which sea is polluted with nuclear waste? a) Sea of Okhotsk b) Black Sea c) Baltic Sea d) Mediterranean Sea
10. All the major rivers of Eastern Russia flow: a) from east to west b) from west to east c) from south to north d) from north to south
2 11. The environmental and climatic changes wrought by the diversion of water from the Syr Darya and Amu Darya rivers are reflected in which of the following phenomena? a) saltwater intrusion in the Black Sea b) shrinkage of the Aral Sea c) heavier and more frequent rains in Central Asia d) cooler average temperatures throughout Central Asia
Human Patterns Over Time
12. In the twelfth century CE, the ______conquered the forested lands of Ukraine and Russia. a) Slavs b) Mongols c) Chinese d) Anglo-Saxons
13. The Slavic ruler who defeated the Mongols and began the modern Russian empire was: a) Genghis Khan b) Alexander the Great c) Ivan the Terrible d) Vlad the Impaler
14. The Moscow landmark that commemorates the defeat of the Mongols in the twelfth century is: a) Red Square b) The Houses of Parliament c) The Hermitage d) St. Basil’s Cathedral
15. Russia’s Communist Party was formed by: a) former serfs b) Karl Marx c) proletarians d) Bolsheviks
3 16. For Stalin, the key to achieving rapid economic growth was: a) investments in education and human capital b) increased industrial production c) increased agricultural production d) efficient infrastructure and transportation
17. In the Stalin era, which of the following was the place to which resisters and dissenters were sent to work in labor camps? a) Mongolia b) Turkmenistan c) Alaska d) Siberia
18. Which of the following countries did not fall under Soviet communist influence after World War II? a) Argentina b) Vietnam c) Cuba d) North Korea
II. CURRENT GEOGRAPHIC ISSUES
Democratization in the Post-Soviet Years
19. The relatively peaceful transitions to democracy that have taken place in some of the post-Soviet states, such as Georgia and Ukraine, are known as the: a) coups d’état b) flower transfers c) democratic caucus d) Color Revolutions
20. The predominant religion in Chechnya is: a) Islam b) Russian Orthodox c) Eastern Orthodox d) Roman Catholic
4 21. The ethnic group targeted by Stalin as traitors to Russia—a persecution that lasted into the twenty-first century—were the: a) Tatars b) Magyars c) Chechens d) Ukrainians
22. Which of the following is not widely available in Russia today? a) televisions b) personal computers c) mobile phones d) satellite dishes
23. The Russian organized crime syndicate run by former members of the KGB is the: a) Russian Liberation Front b) Soviet Solidarity Movement c) Russian Black Market d) Russian Mafia
24. Which of the following statements is the best description of modern-day Russia? a) Former Soviet officials have mostly left the country and are living in luxury in Western Europe. b) Corruption and organized crime in Russia is rampant, with bribes and illegal activity throughout the country. c) Oligarchs from the post-Soviet states have banded together to help the motherland achieve democracy. d) Strict environmental laws have made the country much more attractive to foreign investors, and the result has been strong migration into Russia from other nations.
Sociocultural Issues Multiple-Choice
25. Which of the following is the best description of the population of the Russian region today? a) It has high birth rates and an aging population. b) Its level of human well-being generally exceeds that of the United States. c) It has a rapidly aging population and a low birth rate. d) As an undeveloped region, the Russian region is facing a burgeoning birth rate and fairly low death rate.
5 26. GDP per capita in Russia tends to overstate the general well-being of the Russian population because: a) the data have not been updated since the Soviet era b) Russian authorities refuse to report their national economic data c) wealth is highly concentrated in the hands of a small wealthy elite d) the fact that Russia is so densely populated skews the numbers
27. Which of the following is perhaps the most obvious element of cultural revival throughout the former Soviet Union? a) culinary diversity b) linguistic diversity c) the return to religion] d) revival of ethnic attire
28. Among the following, which religious group provides a message of individual salvation that coincides nicely with the experiences of Russia’s new capitalists? a) Buddhist b) Islamic c) Jewish d) Evangelical Christianity
III. SUBREGIONS OF RUSSIA AND THE POST-SOVIET STATES
Russia
29. The European Russian city located on the Baltic Sea, once the Russian capital and today a center of Russian culture, is: a) Moscow b) Vladivostok c) Stavropol d) St. Petersburg
30. Ninety percent of the land in the Russian Far East is: a) steppe b) grassland c) permafrost d) amber
6 31. Which of the following is a prediction made by some geographers about the Russian Far East? a) It may eventually break away from Russia and gain independence. b) Because of its immense resources, the capital of Russia will move here. c) Because of its immense resources, China will invade and take it from Russia. d) It will become as densely populated as the surrounding East Asian countries.
Belarus, Moldova, and Ukraine
Multiple-Choice
32. Which of the following is the best description of Belarus? a) It remains closely allied to Russian industry and interests. b) Its leaders are seeking closer ties with the European Union. c) Its rich resources have made it a magnet for foreign investment. d) Its population is mostly Russian, with a small amount of the population being of ethnic origins.
33. Which of the following is not a reason for the EU’s interest in Ukraine and Moldova? a) Undocumented immigrants on their way to Western Europe routinely travel through Moldova and Ukraine b) Moldova and Ukraine might become potential routes for oil pipelines carrying oil to the nations of the European Union c) Neighbors of Moldova and Ukraine on the Black Sea are experiencing economic and social crises that could destabilize European trade or peace d) Moldova and Ukraine are seeking to cut all ties to Russia and need the support of a strong economic entity like the European Union
Caucasia: Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan
Multiple-Choice
34. Which of the following parts of Caucasia is NOT an independent nation-state? a) Armenia b) Georgia c) Azerbaijan d) Chechnya
7 35. Since 1991, which of the following has greatly affected the daily lives of a great many Caucasians? a) inter-ethnic strife b) drought-induced famine c) violence by Chinese soldiers d) the disappearance of oil resources
The Central Asian States
36. Civilization flourished in Central Asia until what change took place in 1500? a) A shift in weather patterns that turned Central Asia into a dustbowl b) The shift from trade along the Silk Road to trade along sea lanes c) The migration of non-native peoples into the region d) The region’s decision to be self-sufficient rather than engage in trade
37. GDP per capita in Kazakhstan has increased greatly in the 21st century as a result of the nation’s: a) oil reserves b) carpet trade c) close alliance with Russia d) annexation of Turkmenistan
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