This document provides a summary of the key concepts and activities to be covered in a geography and history exam, including defining important political terms, explaining differences between types of governments and ideologies, identifying important countries and global institutions on maps, and completing diagrams related to the functions of states, social states, democracies, and political ideologies. Students are asked to define terms, point out countries, answer questions, and complete various diagrams and tables as review exercises.

1. Departamento de Geografía e Historia
UNIT 2. COUNTRIES AND POLICY.
KEYS FOR THE EXAM (you have to know…):
- Define:
• Borders:
• Institutions:
• Ideology:
• Parliament:
• Constitution:
José Carlos Núñez Vidal Página1
• Social State (Estado del
Bienestar):
• Head of State (Jefe de Estado):
• NGOs (ONGs):
• Referendum:
- Explain the differences between:
• State and Nation:
• Democracy and Dictatorship:
• Monarchy and Republic:
• Lay, Religious and Theocratic State:
• Centralized, descentralized and federal State:
- Point in a map the most important countries in global politics.
- Summarize in a diagrams the elements and functions of a State.
- Resume in a diagram the functions of the Social State.
- Summarize in a diagram the characteristics of Democracy.
- Resume/Compare in a diagram Social-Democratics and liberal ideologies.
- Rate/ explain hith his words what is a State.
- Rate/ explain with his words the need for Social State.
- Recognizes democratic or dictatorial traits in a country.
- Give examples of the problems provocate for a political passivity
behaviour.
- Put examples for the problem that would be if it would be easy to
change a constitution.
- List the chatacteristics that would have democratic elections.
- List the three powers and its functions.
- List the most important global institutions and NGOs and their
functions.
- List the most important problems of democracies and internartional
institutions.

2. Departamento de Geografía e Historia
ACTIVITIES: THE COUNTRIES.
1. Define and explain the differences with your words. [The resume explain
what is each one]
a) State and Nation. Give an example of each one.
b) Borders:
c) Institutions:
2. Point on the map (Using the numbers) the following countries. [Look at
the textbook]
China (1), USA (2), Spain (3), India (4), Japan (5), South Korea (6), Germany (7)
a) What are the wealthiest areas of the world? And the poorest ones?
b) What are the most powerful countries in the world?
3. Complete, in your notebook, the diagram below: [Look at the resume]
José Carlos Núñez Vidal Página2

3. Departamento de Geografía e Historia
José Carlos Núñez Vidal Página3
ACTIVITIES: THE POLICY.
1. Define:
a) Ideology:
b) Taxes [Search it in a dictionary]. Why are they a need? [You have to think]
2. Complete, in your notebook, the diagram below. Then, write a
definition of the Social State with your words.
3. Complete in your notebook the table below about the ideologies:
Should the State
regulate economy?
Why? Give an example of a
Spanish Political PArty
Liberal ideology
Social-Democratic
ideology
• Only in cases in extreme poverty.
• Quite (It´s a Social State).
• The companies earn money and so they create jobs for the people.
• The poor are getting poorer and the rich richer.
• PSOE, Podemos, and Izquierda Unida.
• Partido Popular.

4. Departamento de Geografía e Historia
ACTIVITIES: THE DEMOCRACY.
1. Define:
a) Democracy:
b) Parliament:
c) Constitution:
d) Universal Suffrage:
e) Head of State (Jefe de Estado):
f) Referendum:
2. Complete in your notebook the diagram below:
3. Answer in your notebook the following questions:
a) What means that a government is “Representative”?
b) How have to be an election to be democratic election?
c) Why is the separation of powers necessary?
d) What would happen if the government could easily change the
constitution?
José Carlos Núñez Vidal Página4

5. Departamento de Geografía e Historia
ACTIVITIES: DICTATORSHIPS.
1. Answer the questions about the map below.
a) Is there more democracies or dictatorships in the world?
b) In which continent are there more Democracies?
c) Give examples of dictatorships in America, Africa and Asia.
2. Complete, in your notebook, the table below.
On the afternoon of 10th of August in 1976, my son came from the military school
where he studied. “Mom, I´m going fast because I expected my friend Molfino”. At
10 pm Molfino called: “Lady, Molfino, did not arrive”. The 3 am and waiting restless.
AT 6 came a man with documentation of my child: “I have seen how the military have
led him in a van at gunpoint”.
We asked the director of the military school. Then begun a journey asking
everywhere. No one knew anything. Neither we knew more about him and thousands
like us, including Molfino´s parents, who disappeared six months later than my son.
José Carlos Núñez Vidal Página5
Democracy False Democracy Dictatorship
Is there separation of powers?
Are there elections? Are they clean?
Are there rights in a Constitution?
Example of countries
3. Read the text and answer the questions:
a) Do you think a Democracy or Dictatorship?
b) Why do you think he was taken?
c) What do you think happened to them?
d) What human rights were not respected?
e) What is “los desaparecidos”? Search about the Videla´s dictatorship
in Argentina.
Sara Steimberg (adapted).

6. Departamento de Geografía e Historia
ACTIVITIES: THE ORGANIZATION OF THE POWER.
1. Explain the differences between centralized, decentralized and
federal State. Find an Example of each:
2. Answer the following questions. Are questions to think about:
a) Why power is distributed geographically?
b) Attach with arrows:
Local Power State
Regional Power Council
National Power Autonomous Community (CCAA)
c) Which of these powers should by gestionated by the State, which by
the region and which by the municipality? Why?
- Managements of Ports and airports.
- Education.
- Assistance to homeless.
- Relation with other states
3. Write the name of each region, capital and flag and answer:
a) Who is the current president of Andalucia?
b) Who was Blas Infante? What happened on February 28?
c) Give your opinion about the following sentence:
“The decentralized organization of power in Spain pretends to be political
José Carlos Núñez Vidal Página6
decisions nearer to citizens”.
4. Search about the international institution or NGO that has assigned
you the teacher and make a Powerpoint presentation.
a) What is its function? How is it organized?
b) What is its History: How appeared and what interventions has done?
c) What are the main criticisms and problems?

7. Departamento de Geografía e Historia
ACTIVITIES: INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTIONS AND NGOS.
1. Define:
A) NGOs (ONGs):
B) Boycott:
C) The right of veto:
2. Look at the diagram and answer the questions:
a) What UN institution solves problems between countries?
b) Do you think the UN resolutions are always respected?
c) In your opinion, have all countries the same influence at the UN?
d) What would happen if there was not an organization like this?
3. Look at the map and answer:
a) What is NATO (OTAN)?
b) Do you think that countries where there are military basses are his
Página7
allies?
José Carlos Núñez Vidal c) In what region of the world there are more American troops? Why?

8. Departamento de Geografía e Historia
ACTIVITIES: THE EUROPEAN UNION.
1. Look at the map and answer: [Look at the textbook]
a) How many countries belong to the EU?
b) What is the greatest country? And the more populated one?
c) Which are the richest countries? And the poorest ones?
d) What were the founding countries of the EU? Complete the table.
Year of enlargement Countries that join the EU
2. Look at the diagram above and answer. [Look at the textbook]
a) What is the most important institution of the EU?
b) Complete the table: [Look at the resume]
José Carlos Núñez Vidal Página8
How is it organized? What are its functions?
European Council
Council of ministers
European Parliament
European commission
c) What mistakes or problems do you find in this structure of working?
3. Imagine how you can be affected because of being a EU
membership. You need analyse aspects like the influence when travelling
abroad, the opportunities offered to students, workers…

9. Departamento de Geografía e Historia
It seems that the passive actitudes are gaining ground, especially among young people. This
is a worrying phenomenon because it breaks the democratic system. The people who are not
interested in political forget that democracy is a conquest that has cost many social
struggles and hard work. In fact, only 90 countries are free currently.
- “I´m tired of the war of political parties and many elections. I am confused. I have a bad
timetable in my work and on my day off I like to go on my own”.
- “I did not vote because it was not clear to whom. I was not convinced for either and so I
did not go to vote. In fact, sometimes I vote I did in white”:
- This time I didn’t vote for anyone. They just promise a lot and then do what they want”.
- I will never vote. Voting is useless because always govern the same kind of people. All
politicians are the same. They just looking to get their hands on the box”.
José Carlos Núñez Vidal Página9
REVIEW ACTIVITIES.
1. Complete in your notebook the diagram below.
2. Read the sentences. What kind of government is each country?
[Democracy or dictatorship, Secular, religious or theocratic; Central or Federal]
a) “It is compulsory for women to wear the Burka”
b) “You can go to jail for criticizing the government”.
c) “The pupils do not have to give religion at school If they do not want”
d) “The government pays an amount of money annually to the church”.
e) “In this area of the country it doesn´t have the death penalty but in others there
is”.
f) The Madrid government does not understand well the problems of Malaga”.
3. Read the texts and answer.
a) What is abstinence? And the “White vote”?
b) Why do you think that “broke the democratic system”?
c) Search about how Democracy was built in Spain.
d) What you would respond to each of the opinions of text 2?

10. Departamento de Geografía e Historia
a) International relations.
b) To maintain order and defend its citizens.
c) To ensure global peace and security.
d) Regulate the national economy.
e) Provide services to the population.
José Carlos Núñez Vidal Página10
RECOVERY ACTIVITIES.
1. Read the sentences and classify them as democratic or
undemocratic:
a) Freedom of thought.
b) Poor people cannot vote.
c) Several Political parties.
d) Rich people vote twice.
e) Universal Suffrage.
f) Racism.
g) Division of powers.
h) Coup.
i) We always do what Jhon
want.
j) Freedom of association.
k) Free Elections.
l) We respect your opinion.
m) Repression.
2. What Human rights are reproduced in these photographs?
3. Which of the following functions are functions of the State?
4. Write each function in the corresponding column.
a) Make the laws.
b) Manage justice and resolve conflicts.
c) Direct the policy and administration.
d) Controls the government.
e) Develop laws.
f) Ensure that the laws are respected.
Parliament Government Courts

11. Departamento de Geografía e Historia
5. What ideology (liberal or social–democratic) belong this opinions:
a) “The government should reduce taxes so businesses would become
more profitable and easier to hire people”.
b) “If fire workers was easy, Companies would hire more people”.
c) “If hiring workers was difficult, they would buy more things and then
companies would earn more”.
d) “The health care an education system should be free and equal for
everyone”.
e) “The government must raise taxes in order to help the poorest with
them”.
6. Complete in your notebook, the diagram below:
7. Attach with arrows: Do you think it is more advanced economic or
political union? Why?
Economic Union
Single currency
Political Union
Agreement on foreign and security policy
Social equality Development of poor regions and sectors
José Carlos Núñez Vidal Página11
Common economic policy
8. Which of these examples is an institution?
a) Neighbourhood association.
b) Environmental association.
c) Commissioner of police.
d) City Hall.
e) Offices of the company Adidas.
9. Answer the questions:
a) Give specific examples of your rights:
b) Do you also have obligations? Give some examples.
c) Is perfect the Spanish Democracy?