Political Science Research Methods
Practice Exam
Course Introduction
Political Science Research Methods introduces students to the foundational concepts and practical techniques used in the systematic study of political phenomena. The course covers both qualitative and quantitative research approaches, teaching students how to design research projects, develop hypotheses, collect and analyze data, and critically evaluate scholarly literature. Emphasis is placed on understanding the logic of social inquiry, the importance of ethical considerations in research, and the application of various methodological tools to better understand political behavior, institutions, and policy. Through hands-on assignments and case studies, students gain essential skills to conduct independent research and to critically assess the validity and reliability of political science research findings.
Recommended Textbook
A Novel Approach to Politics 5th Edition by Douglas A. Van Belle
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Chapter
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Q1) What is fascism and what do fascists believe in?
Answer: Fascism is an ideology that was developed in the 20th century,which argues for the supremacy and purity of one group of people in a society.Fascists believe in strong military rule headed by the charismatic dictator of a ruling party that exercises total control over all aspects of social and cultural life and molds it to suit the history and traditions of the superior group.
Q2) The period between World War I and World War II is often referred to as the ______.
A)interwar period
B)idealist period
C)transitional period
D)realist period
Answer: B
Q3) A society's religions,its customs and traditions,its resources,and its economy can all be part of its politics.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Chapter 2: Why Government Security, Anarchy, and Some
Basic Group Dynamics
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Q1) There is no difference between power and authority.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) The "other" is often referred to as our allies.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) Which one of the following films conjures up most closely a social expression known as anarchy?
A)Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
B)Twilight
C)The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
D)Mad Max
Answer: D
Q4) Who is the "other?"
Answer: In group dynamics,the "other" becomes the enemy,them,not us.
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Chapter 3: Governing Society: We
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Q1) Which Libyan dictator pursued security in office by seeking legitimacy?
A)Muammar al-Qaddafi
B)Saddam Hussein
C)Golda Meir
D)Ayatollah Khomeini
Answer: A
Q2) Identify and describe the various means by which governments exercise control over their people.
Answer: Varies depending on the student's analysis of government control.However,a strong answer can incorporate the use of force and pursuing legitimacy (popular elections,public goods,etc. )as a means of controlling a government's people.
Q3) According to the text,"whenever you are trying to understand a confusing aspect of politics," you should simply ask which of the following questions?
A)"Is the matter important?" and "How come?"
B)"Who benefits?" and "How do they benefit?"
C)"What party is in charge?" and "Why?"
D)"Is the majority in support?" and "How many?"
Answer: B
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Chapter 4: Governments Role in the Economy: The Offer
You Cant Refuse
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Q1) Pure capitalism is also referred to as feudalism.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Laissez-faire capitalism is an economic system characterized by very little,if any,government involvement in the economy.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Which of the following is socialism's biggest flaw?
A)It is hard to motivate people to work and even harder to motivate people to seek efficiencies or get them to excel at their craft.
B)Workers become too competitive.
C)Labor is undervalued,creating a "tragedy of the commons."
D)Its stress on agriculture is no longer applicable in today's worlD.
Q4) Which of the following refers to an economic system in which society controls the means of production?
A)mercantilism
B)capitalism
C)imperialism
D)socialism
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Chapter 5: Structures and Institutions
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Q1) In which of the following systems do local government units have the real power?
A)federal
B)unitary
C)confederal
D)democratic
Q2) Political scientist Sidney Verba uses the term ______ to describe "the system of empirical beliefs,expressive symbols,and values,which defines the situation in which political action takes place."
A)political culture
B)political capital
C)class consciousness
D)form
Q3) Which of the following is a political structure?
A)the British House of Commons
B)the U.S.Senate
C)a judicial system
D)the presidency
Q4) Why is it the case that nations rarely have an opportunity to install their ideal institutions from scratch?
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Chapter 6: El Grande Loco Casa Blanca: The Executive in Bad Spanish
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Q1) Heads of state ______.
A)take the same form in all democratic countries
B)are really not that important in terms of the legitimacy of a government
C)often take the form of a monarch,even in some democracies
D)are all equally powerful
Q2) According to your text,the term monarchy means ______.
A)rule of many
B)rule of the few
C)one leader
D)swarm of butterflies
Q3) Saint Augustine (Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis)is known as a theologian and philosopher,but which concept of his is also considered important in the development of Western political thought?
A)the biblical justification for the divine right of kings
B)the idea of two realms,an earthly world of men and a heavenly world of God
C)the idea that Protestants should be brought back into the Catholic Church
D)his defense of the Roman Empire's contribution to democratic thought
Q4) Compare and contrast an authoritarian executive to a democratic executive.
Q5) Discuss the difference between a patriarchal and matriarchal hierarchy.
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Chapter 7: The Confederacy of Dunces: The Legislative
Function Not in Bad Spanish
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Q1) Gridlock is usually associated with which of the following?
A)policy instability
B)votes of no confidence
C)divided government
D)dictatorship
Q2) Lawmaking is probably the most fundamental role that legislative institutions play.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Question Hour in the British Parliament is an example of which legislative function?
A)legitimating
B)checking
C)education
D)legislating
Q4) Legislatures do not create laws.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Which do you believe better serves democracy,district elections or proportional representation? Explain.
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Chapter 8: Brazilian Bureaucracy: Do I Even Need to Bother
With the Jokes
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Q1) Which of the following concepts emerged as a contrast to the iron triangle theory of democracy and emphasized an interactive relationship between bureaucracies and political forces in the democratic context?
A)agency theory
B)cockroach theory
C)organized interests theory
D)authority leakage theory
Q2) Which of the following is not part of the iron triangle that captures bureaucracies?
A)extremist political parties
B)bureaucracies
C)interest groups
D)public officials
Q3) Agency theory is structured around the basic premise that bureaucracies are agents that act on behalf of the legislature in a relationship similar to a business contract.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Discuss the cockroach theory of bureaucracy and the role the media plays in this theory.
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Chapter 9: Courts and Law: Politics Behind the Gavel,
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Q1) Describe the difference between criminal and civil law and explain what standard of evidence is used in each.
Q2) What makes the law political? How have recent events served to convince the public that the law is political?
Q3) We are more likely to engage with laws in action than with laws on the books.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Judicial symbols such as a judge's robe,the raised platform,the Bible,the gavel,the ornate building (e.g.Supreme Court)all lend ______ to the judicial system.
A)superiority
B)legitimacy
C)hierarchy
D)procedure
Q5) Unlike common law,civil law relies predominately on ______.
A)written law
B)religious doctrine
C)judicial review
D)case law
Q6) Describe the many ways in which the courts monitor government.
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Chapter
Ideal in Modern Politics
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Q1) Which ancient Greek city-state was a direct democracy?
A)Sparta
B)Carthage
C)Athens
D)Madrid
Q2) Direct democracy systems can result in the creation of an unrestrained majority of citizens who band together to rule society with a ferocity and cruelty comparable to a dictator,a ______.
A)tyranny of the majority
B)hierarchy of authority
C)factionalism
D)cross-cutting cleavages
Q3) Arrow's theorem demonstrates that the use of elections does not ensure that the majority's preference will be selected.Explain Arrow's theorem,detail what some of the different methods of tallying votes are,and give a real-world example of at least one of these methods and the shortcomings associated with it.
Q4) Why is it highly unlikely that third parties will be successful in the United States?
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Chapter 11: Media,Politics,and Government: Talking Heads
Are Better Than None
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Q1) Your mind uses a set of instinctual and learned filters for sorting the mass of incoming information and selecting which bits it will recognize and pass on to the thinking parts of your brain.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Faith-based religions are often based on ______.
A)agreement reality
B)experiential reality
C)mediated reality
D)alternative reality
Q3) Most news media products are available free of charge (such as through TV news and websites)or very inexpensively (such as through newspapers).How do the media make money,and what are they really selling? How does this affect the way news is framed?
Q4) Describe the mutual exploitation model and explain how elites and the media benefit from their relationship with each other.
Q5) The image of politics presented to us by the media is distorted.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 12: International Politics: Apocalypse Now and Then
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Q1) Which of the following theoretical perspectives directly challenges realism's assumption that states behave as if they are rational unitary actors?
A)idealism
B)Marxism
C)Foreign Policy Analysis
D)world systems theory
Q2) When a nation allies with an aggressor to carve out its own slice of the spoils,it is engaging in ______.
A)bullying
B)balancing
C)broadening
D)bandwagoning
Q3) According to your text,why did Israel attack its neighbors in 1967?
A)fear of an attack
B)opportunity
C)bandwagoning
D)balancing
Q4) Identify two theories of international relations that are alternatives to realism and explain the defining characteristic of each.
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Chapter 14: Political Culture: Sex and Agriculture, Getting
Rucked Explains It All
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Q1) The bro'Town example shows that ______.
A)it is hard for television to capture political culture
B)culture is the set of conflicts that a group shares
C)there are important cultural differences even between two English-speaking societies
D)there is no political culture in New Zealand
Q2) According to the author,ownership of culture must be established in the legal system to prevent someone else from doing so.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The current debate over NFL team names,such as Redskins,with Native Americans is an example of cultural ownership.
A)True
B)False
Q4) New Zealand is a medium-sized market.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Define the term subculture and identify three subcultures in our society explaining why they are (would be)considered a subculture.
Page 15
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