Politics and Political Science Exam: Questions with Answers

(Political Science Exam)

Chapter 1 – Politics and Political Science

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

1. Which political science subfield studies the interface of politics and economics?
2.                     is a subfield of political
3. The subfield _studies major thinkers and attempts to define the good
4. Which are both true for most politicians?
5. Which are both true for most political scientists?
6. Foreign policy falls under the subfield of .
7. Which of the following statements would best reflect the views of German Philosopher Hegel?
8. The term, polis originated in .
9. Which best explains the differences between historians and political scientists?
10. Politics could be referred to the “master science” because politics .
11. Anthropology applies most to political science based on which example?
12. Which of the following did Machiavelli contribute to the study of politics?
13. The statement, “Man is by nature a political animal” is attributed to .
14. Machiavelli is associated with the concept of .
15. Rationality is based on which of the following?
16. When people base their views on beliefs that may not be based in reality, they are behaving .
17. A political leaders’ ability to command respect and exercise power is known as                     .
18.                     is the use of public office for private
19. The notion that we acknowledge the rightful roles of our leaders or our laws is known as                     .
20. Political scientists data which makes the discipline more like the natural sciences.
    

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TRUE/FALSE QUESTIONS

1. Generally speaking, political scientists are skeptical of
2. Conflict and diplomacy are the primary areas of interest within the subfield of comparative
3. Harold Lasswell argued that politics is the study of “who gets ”
4. Biological explanations of political power focus on learned
5. If Iraq and Iran argue over control of land area, this debate deals with
   

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FILL-IN-THE-BLANK QUESTIONS

1. Aristotle, the founder of the , called politics “the master ”
2. Tom Paine’s discussed why America should separate from
3. A leader is said to have _ when he or she can get others to obey
4. undermines legitimacy, such as when crooked officials are part of government.
5. When is low, police may be necessary to coerce the people into maintaining order.
   

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ESSAY QUESTIONS

1. How is political science an interdisciplinary major?
2. Why is culture important to political scientists?
3. Is the public rational? How might the public utilize rationality today?
4. … are Legitimacy, Sovereignty, and Authority related?
5. How can Politics be treated as a science? 
   

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Chapter 2 – Theories 

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

1.                     wrote
2. Aristotle argued that the best political communities would be .
3. Which of the following would be consistent with Confucius’s vision of government?
4. … best reflects a descriptive statement?
5. Which statement best reflects a normative description?
6. Aristotle and John Locke might agree on which point?
7. Thomas Hobbes wrote that “the life of man [is] solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and                     .”
8. Which of the following is most consistent with the idea of a social contract?
9. Which of the following was of greatest concern to John Locke?
10. Social contracts, the state of nature, and civil society are phrases that are best associated with .
11. Which of the following is most consistent with the concept of the “general will” according to Rousseau?
12. Karl Marx used the term to refer to everything built on top of the
13. Which of the following would most likely be supported by the bourgeoisie?
14. According to Karl Marx, what would likely replace capitalism? Communism
15. Which of the following is a criticism of behavioralism?
16. David Easton is most associated with which of the following?
17. Hegel is most associated with which theory?
18. Seymour Martin Lipset wrote .
19. Rational-Choice Theory is most related to which of the following?
20. Rational-Choice theory became popular among political scientists during what time period?
    

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TRUE/FALSE QUESTIONS

1. Realists focus on the world as it should
2. Political theory was limited to Europe until the 20^th
3. Thomas Hobbes’s work might be useful in examining Rwandan
4. Karl Marx called the ruling class the
5. Rational-choice theorists argue that behavior cannot be
   

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FILL-IN-THE-BLANK QUESTIONS

1. Niccolo Machiavelli’s was about getting and using political _               
2. The German term refers to the spirit of the
3. Formal structures of government, like the presidency or the courts, are referred to as                    .
4. theory would likely predict that democracy might follow a nation once it becomes
5. Rational-Choice theorists might employ theory to study how political actors might
   

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ESSAY QUESTIONS

1. Explain Confucius’ vision for a good, stable government. Could this apply to your state?
2. Contrast the Contractualists’ state of nature and the consequences of each
3. What are the weaknesses in Marxist Theory?
4. What were the advantages and disadvantages of the behavioral approach to studying politics? Evaluate some problems with this
5. Evaluate the biological analogy at the heart of systems theory. Analyze the utility of this analogy.