POLSC 110 FINAL

The idea that people have the right to do what they want unless their activity harms other people is

Liberty

In the survey of college students on a Midwestern campus roughly 60% of the students supported marriage equality for same-sex couples. This was somewhat higher than the national average. It is possible that this result reflects a generational difference among young people who are now more comfortable with the idea of marriage equality. However, it is possible that there is some bias in the results because students generally think that their professors are liberal and thus the students know what the professor wants to hear. This is an example of what kind of bias?

Social Desirability Bias

Which of the following is NOT a factor in the ability of third-party candidates to succeed in American politics?

State laws prohibiting third parties

The United States most closely resembles what kind of political or governmental system?

A Nation-State

The Affordable Health Care law requires that everyone has health insurance. This is because when everyone has health insurance it becomes less expensive for everyone. To make sure everyone has health insurance a person may be fined for not having insurance. This is a way to solve what market problem?

A free-rider problem

Which of the following is not one of the conditions that need to be met for good inductive science?

A large number of cases Observations must be repeatable under a wide variety of situations There can be no conflict between our observations and scientific theory (((((all of the above)))))

You have decided that you will not drink alcohol because your parents say it is bad for your health. You are relying on what kind of method of gaining knowledge in order to make your decision?

Authority

You've never been to China, but you believe that it exists. This is an example of what:

Agreement reality

While Canada has a single-member district with plurality winning election system they still have five legitimate parties. Why?

Because Canada's parties are largely regional

A poll taken on August 15 shows Candidate A leading by a 55 to 45 percent margin over Candidate B, with a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points. Assuming no sampling problems, what is the best evaluation of this poll's results?

Candidate A will win the November election, gathering between 52 percent and 58 percent of the vote.

In a multi-party system, if no party has enough seats to govern alone, it will try to form a(n) ___________.

Coalition

Research suggest that there are three basic principles that offer possible solutions for this core problem of getting individuals to cooperate for the common good without a central authority to make them do so. Which of the following is not one of them?

Democracy

The security-liberty trade-off leads to which dilemma:

Dependence and Paternalism

Which one of the following is not a disadvantage of the dominance solution to solving the collective goods problem?

Dominance forces members of a group to contribute to the common good

The term Solid South describes the electoral support of the Southern United States for Democratic Party candidates from 1877 (the end of Reconstruction) to 1964 (the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964). During this time, the vast majority of local and state officeholders in the South were Democrats, as were federal politicians the region sent to Washington, D.C.. The virtual non-existence of the Republican Party in the region meant that a candidate's victory in Democratic primary elections wastantamount to election to the office itself. This is an example of what kind of party system?

Dominant-party

Stone said "getting the most output for a given input" to be defining what concept?

Efficiency

Which of the following would be considered the most unconventional mode of individual political action?

Engaging in revolutionary acts

A parameter is a particular value, such as a mean or a median, of a sample and a statistic is a particular value of a population.

False

A random sample of 1,000 people will produce results that are accurate 100 percent of the time.

False

Conventional participation relies heavily on unusual or extreme methods of influencing the political process.

False

For science to be valuable the facts have to come before the theories that we create.

False

For the strength of a civil society, strong ties and better than weak ties.

False

We can say that two observers viewing the same object from the same place will "see" the same thing because everyone will perceive the same physical object the same way.

False

When groups rely on identity to overcome collective action problems that do so by focusing on individual's self interests and not community interests.

False

definition of falsifiable

Falsifiability or refutability of a statement, hypothesis, or theory is an inherent possibility to prove it to be false. A statement is called falsifiable if it is possible to conceive an observation or an argument which proves the statement in question to be false. USUALLY VERY VAGUE STATEMENTS THAT ARE FALSIFIABLE LIKE IT DOES NOT RAIN ON TUESDAY.

Which of the following is not a reason that efficiency as a goal in the public sector is difficult .

How do we know what goal we are measuring Efficiency is a comparative idea and governments do things that the private sector does not. There may be too many opportunity costs to measure appropriately. (((((( All of the above are reasons )))))

A group leader attempts to solve the collective action problem in his group by emphasizing the members' common ethnicity and asking group members to sacrifice for the group interest. Which of the following principles is he implementing?

Identity

A political scientist is doing research about the path a politician takes to becoming a member of Congress. They really do not have a specific theory or research in mind before doing the interview, but come to the conclusion that most Congress-people have no intention to be members of Congress when they start there careers. From their interviews and the results they develop a theory known as Political Career Chaos Theory (PCCT). PCCT is a theory that indicates that most political careers are shaped more by random events than any type of political aspiration. What type of research approach are these political scientist using

Inductive Approach

In Chalmers, chapter 4, the example of the repeatedly observing metals expand when heated (a set of premises) and then concluding that all metals expand when heated illustrates a(n)

Inductive argument

After observing that the bus arrives at his bus stop on time ten times and late one time, Jack theorizes that public buses are either on time or not. Based on the Chalmers' chapters, Jack's theory should not be regarded as scientific because

It is not falsifiable: it is always correct and does not rule out anything.

In 1986 the United States Football League sued the National Football League. The USFL claimed that the NFL had bullied ABC, CBS and NBC into not televising USFL games in the fall. It also claimed that the NFL had a specific plan to eliminate the USFL, the "Porter Presentation." In particular, the USFL claimed the NFL conspired to ruin several teams in New York and Los Angeles. Specifically, the USFL claimed that the NFL was a(n)_______.

Monopoly

The city of Springfield has decided to build a power plant in order to provide electricity too its citizens. They are afraid that if they just let the market take over a(n) _________would be created

Monopoly

Your hometown is a small town with only a Walmart and no other major stores. The prices you pay for groceries at the Walmart in your home town are higher than what you pay for in Manhattan. This because the hometown Walmart is a(n)_____.

Monopoly

In 2006 the National Election Survey (NES) asked a random sample of 1500 Americans their views on the legality of abortion. Of the 1500 people only 1% responded that they "don't know" or had "no opinion". The response choices were as follows: a. It is too hard for people to get an Abortion b. It is too easy to get an abortion c. The ease at which one can get an abortion is about right. What is a potential reason there was such a small number of people without an opinion?

Not having an don't know option forced people into an opinion

A national newsmagazine publishes an article on efforts to restrict smoking in public places. Subsequently, the magazine receives 1,500 letters commenting on the article, with nearly two-thirds of the letters favoring tougher restrictions on smoking in public. Would this be an accurate reflection of public opinion on this issue?

Not likely, because the sample is not random and thus probably not an accurate reflection of public opinion on the issue.

The examples of "the earth is stationary" and "the apparent size of Mars and Venus do not change appreciably during the course of the year" were discussed as?

Observations that were rejected after being originally accepted as facts

The Van Winkle family reportedly produces and releases just 6,000 to 7,000 cases a year of their Pappy Van Winkle bourbon. This production of alcohol is about a tenth of a percent as much as a brand like Jim Beam produces in a year. They produce this small amount because they want to create what?

Rivalry

The city of Manhattan has just built a new pool at city park. It is so popular that people from the surrounding areas are starting to use the pool. The city decides to charge the non-residents a higher fee. They do this to deal with what market failure

Positive Externality

The residents of Manhattan Kansas have agreed to raise property taxes in order to build a pool in city park. The pool is not only open to Manhattan residents but anyone who lives in the area. Manhattan decides to charge non-residents more to use the pool because this is an example of a(n)___________

Positive externality

Which of the following is not a political goal of government as outlined in the Stone reading?

Profitability

The Federal government provides National Defense because it is an example of a(n)_______.

Public Good

When stone indicates that there are just certain things or ideas that are good or important because there is a consensus in the community that these things need to be done. This is known as what type of characteristic of the polis?

Public interest

On August 6, 1990, four days after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait the United Nations Security Council imposed a financial and trade embargo against Iraq. These sanctions continued until May 22, 2003, after the fall of the Saddam Hussein government in the US-led invasion earlier that year. Their stated purpose was at first to compel Iraq's military to withdraw from Kuwait and after that to compel Iraq to pay reparations, and to disclose and eliminate any weapons of mass destruction, and to do certain other things. This is an example of what kind of approach to solving collective action problems?

Reciprocity

What has been identified as the main cause for a decrease in U.S. social capital according to Putnam?

TV and technology

In the United States, many politicians tend to adopt similar platforms and campaign rhetoric. In addition the Democratic and Republican candidates typically move their campaign platforms towards the middle during general election campaigns. This is known as:

The Median Voter Theorem

Which of the following is not a nation?

The National of Israel

Which of the following statements is not falsifiable?

The United States would have been better off not going into War in Iraq

The research findings from the 2006 and 2007 CIRCLE studies found out which of the following?

The millennial generation is more involved in volunteering They are more comfortable with direct service than politics They view politics as a polarized debate (((((( All of the above))))))

I had a recent graduate student who wanted to write a thesis that asked the following question: would the United States be better off not going to war in Iraq? Why is this a bad topic

The question is not scientific and The question in not falsifiable

How do elections or political participation in general aid democracy?

They confer legitimacy on government

Describe the purpose of the Electoral College.

To overrepresent states with fewer voters, especially the Southern states

What is the aim of Science?

To produce knowledge

Anthony Downs suggests that people may think that voting is irrational because the benefits are too low and the costs are too high.

True

Even though a positive externality creates benefits for people they are still bad for the market.

True

In the market individuals will always act in a way that maximizes their own self interest.

True

In the common view of science, the following is assumed:

Unprejudiced observers identify the facts via the senses Facts are independent and prior to theory Facts are a reliable foundation for scientific knowledge (((((( All of the Above )))))

Which of the following is a potential problem with a two-party system?

Voters lack a sufficient array of alternatives

In order to evaluate public opinion, we should pay attention to:

What questions are asked? Who is questioned? How are the questions asked? ((((((All of the above))))))

______________ is NOT a form of social capital?

Writing a check to a political action committee.

Which of the following is true about young citizens?

Young citizens are less likely to vote.

Knowledge about politics based on authority may include which of the following sources?

Your Mom Revered Leader A Constitution ((((All of the above)))))

In March of 2012 , a polling company released a poll about Rush Limbaugh. The poll was conducted on March 2nd and 3rd and survey 1000 likely voters. In the survey they specifically asked: Agree or Disagree: "Rush Limbaugh is the leader of the Republican Party — he says jump and they say how high." The margin of error was +/- 3 percent. The results are as follows: 29% Agree 59% Disagree 13% Not sure The way the question was asked, "Rush Limbaugh is the leader of the Republican Party — he says jump and they say how high," potentially leads some to respond in certain way regardless of how they may feel about the subject. This is because the question is possibly

a loaded question

Social capital is:

a pattern of community interaction and citizen involvement in social organizations

Although citizens of China vote, their electoral process is still totalitarian because

a single party dominates elections.

A violent political demonstration led by revolutionaries is an example of ________.

an unconventional political action

How do most citizens in Oregon vote?

by mail

Making campaign contributions is a form of __________.

conventional participation

Deductive vs. Inductive approach

deductive approach is aimed at testing a theory. inductive approach is concerned with the generation of a new theory emerging from the data.

Often times when a policy is developed and implemented different people and groups have different ideas about what the ultimate goal of the program should be. Because of this, it is often difficult use _____________ as a goal of government?

efficiency

If you wanted to improve voter turnout, which of the following would you suggest?

turing election day into a national holiday

The fact that we know now that the earth revolves around the sun is an example of how:

facts are not infinitely reliable

One explanation for low voter turnout in the United States is that the burden of voter registration falls on the government and not on the individual citizen.

false

One of the consequences of social capital is:

greater diffusion of information.

A newspaper publishes a front-page story about the latest poll showing the local candidates standing in pre-election polls, while relegating the interviews of the candidates to the back pages. The example illustrates:

how conflict and controversy shapes the presentation of political information.

A basic problem with many multiparty systems is that

it can be difficult to create a governing legislative majority.

In what situation is free-riding most likely to occur?

large groups

Recently there has been an increase in the level of debate surrounding the issue of how the government should be conducting airport security. The debate is largely an example of a ________trade-off that drives political debate

liberty-security

In March of 2012 , a polling company released a poll about Rush Limbaugh. The poll was conducted on March 2nd and 3rd and survey 1000 likely voters. In the survey they specifically asked: Agree or Disagree: "Rush Limbaugh is the leader of the Republican Party — he says jump and they say how high." The margin of error was +/- 3 percent. The results are as follows: 29% Agree 59% Disagree 13% Not sure Based on the sample we can draw conclusions about what population?

likely voters

Beliefs about something based on second-hand knowledge or experience is the definition of

mediated reality

Politics through media information flows creates ______ reality.

mediated reality

The most basic definition of need is:

minimum requirements for biological survival

A plant in Manhattan Kansas was dumping waste into the Kansas River. It was shown that crops in areas down river were contaminated . The Kansas EPA fined the the owners of the plant because this is an example of a(n)________.

negative externality

If one defines liberty as the absence of interference with individual decisions, then one would regard government policy that taxes rich people more than poor people as:

restraining rich people's liberty.

Sampling designs in which the probability of sample selection from the population is unknown are known as:

non-probibilility sampling

During the 2008 South Carolina Republican Primary, potential voters were called and surveyed about various issues. The following question was included that specifically focuses on former Senator Fred Thompson: Does the fact that former Senator Fred Thompson refuses to sign the No New Tax pledge - that is a written promise not to raise taxes as president - and that Governor Huckabee has signed the No New Taxes pledge not to raise taxes as president, supported the Bush tax cuts, and is proposing a Fair Tax Reform that eliminates the IRS altogether make you more likely to trust Governor Huckabee on the issue of tax relief? This is an example of what kind of poll?

push poll

This summer my wife and I were getting tired of missing "Mr. Robot " on Wednesday night. Because of this we decided we needed to break down and purchase a DVR so we could watch it later. This is an example of what kind of need?

relative need

"Legitimacy" in political science refers to

rightful rule

The belief that government should play a role in making sure people have their basic needs met, is based on the idea that government is there to ensure______.

security

A researcher has decided to do a study of people who hunt in a nearby national forest. He asks a friend, whom he knows to be a hunter, if he would consent to an interview. He interviews his friend, and then asks his friend if he could name other people who hunt in the forest. His friend provides him with five names. The researcher contacts those five people, interviews them, and asks each of those people for names of other hunters. This sampling technique is known as:

snowball sampling

A social scientist is interested in investigating the relationship between students' high school grade point averages, S.A.T scores, and their current grade point averages on a large urban campus (N=50,000). The social scientist is granted access to the students' records. He decides on a sample size of n=1,000. The researcher divides 50,000 by 1,000 to get 50. He then picks a student on the sampling frame to start with, proceeds down the sampling frame, repeatedly counts to the 50th student, and adds him/her to his sample. He stops when he has 1,000 students in his sample. This sampling technique is known as:

systematic random sampling

The difficulty for most people when using equity as a goal for government action is

that most people have differing opinions about what equity means and that equity may limit an individuals motivation to work hard

Media content is affected by:

the need to be profitable by selling the news.

The term "sovereignty" refers to

the premise that each state is the ultimate source of law within its own boundaries.

Large organizations, such as lobbying groups, labor unions, or states, cannot rely on voluntary contributions because:

the public goods they provide are available to all members including those who do not contribute; therefore members tend not to contribute voluntarily

One of the problems of the principle of induction is that:

there is no clear rule for how many observations must be made before a conclusion can be reached

Which of the following reasons do voters most often give for not voting?

too busy

The fact that the news treats the campaign for president as a horse-race is because they want to cover news as a story

true

Voting is a form of conventional participation.

true

Criticisms of Putnam's argument about the consequences of declining social capital include:

volunteerism has increased and Americans still display a sense of connection to their community.

Mexico's PRI and Democrats in the southern United States are examples of political parties that

were once dominant parties but no longer dominate their party systems