POLS 2310: Chapters 1 & 2

A greater focus on individual freedom is most likely to require a. a larger role for the state. b. more political parties. c. a smaller role for the state. d. greater civic responsibility.

c. a smaller role for the state.

Which of the following best describes a failed state? a. a state strong in some areas but weak in others b. a state that has recently lost a major war c. a state unable to govern large parts of its territory d. a state that has failed to develop economically

c. a state unable to govern large parts of its territory

What is a correlation? a. a hypothesis generated from evidence b .a cause and effect relationship between certain factors or variables c. an apparent association between certain factors or variables d. an integrated set of hypotheses, assumptions, and facts

c. an apparent association between certain factors or variables

Which of the following statements about rational choice/game theory is accurate? a. It assumes generally explainable, and therefore predictable, behavior by individuals. b. It considers the institution as the primary political actor of focus. c. It is often used in qualitative research. d. It considers cultural factors to be a major determinant of human political choices.

a. It assumes generally explainable, and therefore predictable, behavior by individuals.

In which of the following ways did behavioralism differ from modernization theory? a. It was more of a methodology than a set of hypotheses. b. It put less emphasis on empirical, data-driven research. c. It demonstrated a narrower, geographic range of interest. d. It put greater emphasis on the historical evolution of political institutions.

a. It was more of a methodology than a set of hypotheses.

Which of the following forms of research or data would be more likely used by a quantitative research study than by a qualitative research study? a. archival data b. personal narrative data c. economic data d. interview data

c. economic data

Which of the following statements about Pakistan's slide toward state failure is accurate? a. Pakistan's lack of a central government at the time of formation may have contributed to its continued weakness. b. Constant warfare has led to a weak Pakistani military that is unable to provide sufficient state support. c. Central authority in Pakistan is too strong, leading to the formation of rebellious military groups on its borders. d. The first Pakistani leadership regime was too strongly institutionalized after independence.

a. Pakistan's lack of a central government at the time of formation may have contributed to its continued weakness.

In which of the following ways were behavioralism and modernization theory similar? a. They both constituted new, more scientific attempts to study politics. b. They both attempted to broaden comparative politics outside of the European model. c. They both rejected the study of politics as a means to generate specific policy outcomes. d. They both constituted a set of hypotheses about how countries develop.

a. They both constituted new, more scientific attempts to study politics.

Which of the following is an informal institution? a. an unwritten rule of politics b. a constitution c. a house of parliament d. an armed force

a. an unwritten rule of politics

Maria constructs a series of hypotheses that might explain why some countries have strong networks of interest groups and civic organizations, whereas other countries do not. Maria then gathers data to test the validity of her hypotheses. This is an example of a. deductive reasoning. b. selection bias. c. multicausality. d. inductive reasoning.

a. deductive reasoning.

Which of the following best describes the process in which a country's central government gives more power to local or regional governments? a. devolution b. evolution c. rational-legal legitimacy d. revolution

a. devolution

Which of the following characteristics is more likely to be seen in a federalist state than a unitary state? a. devolution of taxation to regional bodies b. underrepresentation of ethnic minorities c. concentration of power in a central government d. limited local policy making

a. devolution of taxation to regional bodies

Thomas Hobbes believed that people gave up their rights to the coercive power of the state in order to a. escape anarchy. b. gain religious freedom. c. seek greater equality. d. escape authoritarianism.

a. escape anarchy.

An institution can be defined as any a. organization or activity that is self-perpetuating and valued for its own sake. b. large, monolithic organization that depends on a core bureaucracy and a set of standard operating procedures. c. organization or action that is subject to government regulation. d. object or value that people support through public funds.

a. organization or activity that is self-perpetuating and valued for its own sake.

Recent research suggests that states arose as a form of political organization because a. states helped protect people from other violent groups. b. states were needed to build dams and roads. c. written pamphlets helped convince people that states were the best form of political organization. d. people formed political parties and voted to give their power to states.

a. states helped protect people from other violent groups.

Max Weber's three forms of political legitimacy are a. traditional, charismatic, and rational-legal. b. traditional, charismatic, and technocratic. c. technocratic, democratic, and authoritarian. d. authoritarian, democratic, and revolutionary.

a. traditional, charismatic, and rational-legal.

What is one theory that accounts for why China failed to expand its power in the way Europe did? a. China never developed a powerful state. b. China consolidated state power early on and faced no serious external rivals. c. China's geography is too mountainous and fragmented for the expansion of state power. d. China was riven by warring factions for almost its entire history and was prevented from consolidating state power.

b. China consolidated state power early on and faced no serious external rivals.

In which of the following ways can multicausality affect comparative politics research? a. It allows comparative politics researchers to make more accurate predictions about real-world phenomena. b. It makes it more difficult to develop concrete explanations about real-world phenomena. c. It makes it easier to gather information and to conduct research. d. It helps provide a wider number of cases for researchers to study.

b. It makes it more difficult to develop concrete explanations about real-world phenomena.

A small state government successfully makes a major change to its public education policy out of a belief that it is the best thing for the people, even though the public largely opposes the new policy. At the same time, the state proves largely incapable of maintaining law and order, or providing food and medical care, in a region that is suffering through a drought. In which of the following ways could this state be categorized? a. low capacity, low autonomy b. low capacity, high autonomy c. high capacity, high autonomy d. high capacity, low autonomy

b. low capacity, high autonomy

Endogeneity refers to the a. use of research from biology or other sciences to study human behavior. b. problem of distinguishing cause from effect. c. use of methods from psychology to better understand comparative politics. d. problem that some political questions may not have answers.

b. problem of distinguishing cause from effect.

Asymmetric federalism refers to a system in which power is divided unevenly between a. national and federal bodies. b. regional bodies. c. federal departments and authorities. d. federal and judicial authorities.

b. regional bodies.

States with high capacity and high autonomy are a. more likely to provoke public unrest. b. risking a threat to individual freedom. c. unable to provide basic services d. typically democratic.

b. risking a threat to individual freedom.

Which of the following can be said about the concept of a regime? a. A regime may consist of democratically elected legislators, presidents, and prime ministers, or it may be made up of leaders who gained office through force. b. A regime is a set of political institutions that generate and carry out policy. c. A regime guides the state regarding individual freedom and collective equality, where power should reside, and how power should be used. d. A regime is most often transformed slowly by the evolving legislative and social preferences of citizens.

c. A regime guides the state regarding individual freedom and collective equality, where power should reside, and how power should be used.

The substance of politics is inevitably bound up in the struggle between a. equality of opportunities and equality of outcomes. b. individual rights and collective responsibilities. c. individual freedom and collective equality. d. liberty and security.

c. individual freedom and collective equality.

Which of the following might be a characteristic of a state with low autonomy? a. government pursuit of the best interests of the country, despite public opinion b. tendency to resist the interests of well-organized groups c. limited ability to disobey the public d. freedom from a state of "capture"

c. limited ability to disobey the public

A major criticism of comparative politics at the turn of the twentieth century was that it a. was too focused on post-revolutionary states. b. employed too many quantitative methods. c. tended to be descriptive, atheoretical, and Eurocentric. d. relied too heavily on predictive models.

c. tended to be descriptive, atheoretical, and Eurocentric.

What is a key difference between ancient states and those of today? a. Unlike modern states, ancient states did not pass laws or collect taxes. b. Unlike modern states, ancient states did not field armies. c. Unlike ancient states, modern states have clearly defined and defended borders. d. Unlike ancient states, modern states have legitimacy.

c. unlike ancient states, modern states have clearly defined and defended borders.

In which of the following ways does a government built primarily on charismatic legitimacy differ from one built on traditional legitimacy? a. A government built on charismatic legitimacy has a better chance of being institutionalized. b. A government built on charismatic legitimacy is much more likely to transform into rational-legal legitimacy. c. A government built on charismatic legitimacy increases in power from length of office more than other forms of legitimacy. d. A government built on charismatic legitimacy would likely be shorter-lived.

d. A government built on charismatic legitimacy would likely be shorter-lived.

________ is the study of domestic politics across countries, whereas ________ concentrates more on the ways in which countries interact with one another. a. Behavioralism; international relations b. Comparative politics; institutional politics c. Behavioralism; institutional politics d. Comparative politics; international relations

d. Comparative politics; international relations

Modernization theory can be defined as the view that a. the only way to modernize is to apply scientific methods to social and economic problems. b. each country and region will likely take a different route to modernization. c. significant social and economic change is possible only through revolution. d. as societies develop, they will become capitalist democracies, converging around shared values.

d. as societies develop, they will become capitalist democracies, converging around shared values.

The modern state spread throughout the world primarily through a. increased international commerce and trade. b. a centuries-long process of wars and indigenous development. c. philosophical treatises by European thinkers. d. colonial dominance imposed by European states.

d. colonial dominance imposed by European states.

One big rift within the study of comparative politics is a. structural versus agent-centered research. b. epistemology versus ontology. c. poststructuralism versus critical realism. d. quantitative versus qualitative methods.

d. quantitative versus qualitative methods.

Deductive reasoning ________; whereas inductive reasoning ________. a. starts with a causal relationship; starts with a correlation b. starts with a correlation; starts with a causal relationship c. starts from a single case, then generates a hypothesis; starts from a hypothesis, then seeks evidenced. d. starts from a hypothesis, then seeks evidence; starts from a single case, then generates a hypothesis

d. starts from a hypothesis, then seeks evidence; starts from a single case, then generates a hypothesis

Sovereignty is primarily defined as the ability of a. individuals to depend on laws and regulations to be enforced with impartiality. b. individuals to vote freely in elections without restriction by the state or external actors. c. states to influence other actors in the international system by means of physical, cultural, or economic force. d. states to carry out actions or policies within a territory independent of external actors or internal rivals.

d. states to carry out actions or policies within a territory independent of external actors or internal rivals.

What is a dependent variable? a. the variable that is left at the end of the study when all others have been removed b. the variable that is the presumed cause c. the variable that we believe to be both the cause and the effect d. the variable that is affected by another variable

d. the variable that is affected by another variable

Political scientists, based on the work of Max Weber, define the state as a. a small regional unit within a country, found only under federalism. b. the basic rules and norms of politics. c. any condition that leads to political action. d. an organization that maintains a monopoly of violence over a territory

d.an organization that maintains a monopoly of violence over a territory.