CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION: THE STUDY OF POLITICS
TRUE/FALSE
1. Governments cannot make or enforce laws, provide security, regulate the economy or conduct
foreign policy without legitimacy.
ANS: F REF: p. 3
2. The acid test of legitimate authority is whether people have the right to vote or to strike or dissent
openly.
ANS: F REF: p. 4
3. Republics are a form of government, in which sovereignty ultimately resides in the people.
ANS: T REF: p. 6
4. In the language of politics, state usually means country.
ANS: T REF: p. 6
5. Basic to the notion of social contract theory is the notion that the right to rule is based on the
consent of the governed.
ANS: T REF: p. 5
6. The concepts of political “power” and “authority” are synonymous.
ANS: F REF: p. 4
7. Political power is a measure of military strength.
ANS: F REF: p. 5
8. Behavioral political scientists place little emphasis on abstract or normative political questions.
ANS: T REF: p. 13
9. There is only one good way to study politics, through the use of statistical comparisons.
ANS: F REF: p. 13
10. The term “nation” is synonymous with either state or country.
ANS: T REF: p. 6
11. Behaviorism is an offshoot of positivism that focuses mainly on the study of political behavior.
ANS: T REF: p. 12
12. In order to explain why the Constitution of 1787 did not abolish slavery, scholars often skip over
the question as to whether or why slavery is wrong.
ANS: T REF: p. 13
13. Normative Political Theory dates back to Plato.
ANS: T REF: p. 15
14. Studying human behavior is fascinating and it is usually fairly easy to identify a single cause.
ANS: F REF: p. 14
15. Prestige, power, and wealth have political and moral consequences.
ANS: T REF: p. 16
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. What term is used to describe the ability to get others to want what you want?
a. Political power
b. Authority
c. Hard power
d. Soft power
e. Legitimacy
, ANS: D REF: p. 4
2. The political theory of the social concept is often associated with which of the following
philosophers?
a. John Locke
b. Thomas Hobbes
c. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
d. Both A and B
e. All of the above
ANS: E REF: p. 5
3. Which of the following best describes a people who are scattered over the territory of
several states or dispersed widely and who have no autonomous, independent, or sovereign
governing body of their own?
a. Multinational state
b. Stateless nation
c. Nation state
d. Sovereign nation
e. None of the above
ANS: B REF: p. 9
4. Which of the following is a rare example of a culturally and linguistically divided state that
started out that way?
a. Germany
b. Denmark
c. Belgium
d. England
e. None of the above
ANS: C REF: p. 7
5. Since the German people of the 1930s and 40s were not inherently evil, wicked or maniacal,
why did the Nazi Holocaust occur?
a. Fiscally expedient
b. Character flaws
c. Skewed justice
d. Moral indifference
e. All of the above
ANS: D REF: p. 11
6. According to the text, which of the following is the “father” of political science?
a. Aristotle
b. Plato
c. Rousseau
d. Locke
e. Socrates
ANS: A REF: p. 12
7. A country’s military capacity is an example of
a. soft power.
b. inherent legitimacy.
c. hard power.
d. misguided power.
e. legitimate authority.
, ANS: C REF: p. 4
8. Normativism is normally associated with which political philosopher?
a. Immanuel Kant
b. Thomas Hobbes
c. Adolf Eichmann
d. Aristotle
e. Jean-Jacque Rousseau
ANS: A REF: p. 13
9. Political scientists employing the behavioral approach tend to
a. concentrate on broad questions.
b. avoid moral and philosophical analysis.
c. reject the application of the scientific method to political science.
d. draw heavily on the work of ancient political theorists.
e. use dependency theory.
ANS: B REF: p. 14 | p. 15
10. Which of the following might be called a stateless nation?
a. The Shia
b. The Pashtuns
c. The Kurds
d. Legal immigrants
e. Illegal immigrants
ANS: C REF: p. 9
11. Political scientists studying how to improve the hiring process for a city government would
be working in which subfield?
a. Political theory
b. U.S. government
c. Comparative politics
d. International relations
e. Public administration
ANS: E REF: p. 17
12. The study of political science includes the study of which of the following fields?
a. Political theory
b. U.S. government
c. International relations
d. Both A and B
e. All of the above
ANS: E REF: pp. 15–17
13. What theory holds that individuals and states alike act according to the iron logic of self-
interest?
a. Normative theory
b. Behavioral theory
c. Rational choice theory
d. Political realism theory
e. Political culture
ANS: D REF: p. 15
, 14. What term is best used to describe the role of reason over emotion in human behavior?
a. Political realism
b. Public administration
c. Political theory
d. Single cause dogma
e. Rational choice
ANS: E REF: p. 15
15. A specialist in international relations would likely NOT focus on
a. conflict and cooperation.
b. terrorism.
c. trade policy.
d. the definition of the “good life.”
e. both C and D.
ANS: D REF: p. 17
16. Political theorists tend to focus on such issues as
a. the relationship between voting behavior and interest groups.
b. which rights are guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.
c. how diplomacy affects the potential for conflict between states.
d. how bureaucracies develop their own policy interests.
e. the relationship between human nature and politics.
ANS: E REF: p. 10
17. Political scientists who study similarities and differences in legislative processes across
countries would be working in which subfield?
a. Political theory
b. U.S. government
c. Comparative politics
d. International relations
e. Public administration
ANS: C REF: p. 16
18. Which subfield would involve a political scientist who would specialize in how a
bureaucracy implements governmental policies?
a. Political theory
b. U.S. government
c. Comparative politics
d. International relations
e. Public administration
ANS: E REF: pp. 17-18
19. The principle reason to study politics is
a. national interest.
b. self-interest.
c. public interest.
d. both A and B.
e. both B and C.
ANS: E REF: p. 3
20. According to a recent issue of The Economist, what is the strongest force shaping politics
today?
TRUE/FALSE
1. Governments cannot make or enforce laws, provide security, regulate the economy or conduct
foreign policy without legitimacy.
ANS: F REF: p. 3
2. The acid test of legitimate authority is whether people have the right to vote or to strike or dissent
openly.
ANS: F REF: p. 4
3. Republics are a form of government, in which sovereignty ultimately resides in the people.
ANS: T REF: p. 6
4. In the language of politics, state usually means country.
ANS: T REF: p. 6
5. Basic to the notion of social contract theory is the notion that the right to rule is based on the
consent of the governed.
ANS: T REF: p. 5
6. The concepts of political “power” and “authority” are synonymous.
ANS: F REF: p. 4
7. Political power is a measure of military strength.
ANS: F REF: p. 5
8. Behavioral political scientists place little emphasis on abstract or normative political questions.
ANS: T REF: p. 13
9. There is only one good way to study politics, through the use of statistical comparisons.
ANS: F REF: p. 13
10. The term “nation” is synonymous with either state or country.
ANS: T REF: p. 6
11. Behaviorism is an offshoot of positivism that focuses mainly on the study of political behavior.
ANS: T REF: p. 12
12. In order to explain why the Constitution of 1787 did not abolish slavery, scholars often skip over
the question as to whether or why slavery is wrong.
ANS: T REF: p. 13
13. Normative Political Theory dates back to Plato.
ANS: T REF: p. 15
14. Studying human behavior is fascinating and it is usually fairly easy to identify a single cause.
ANS: F REF: p. 14
15. Prestige, power, and wealth have political and moral consequences.
ANS: T REF: p. 16
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. What term is used to describe the ability to get others to want what you want?
a. Political power
b. Authority
c. Hard power
d. Soft power
e. Legitimacy
, ANS: D REF: p. 4
2. The political theory of the social concept is often associated with which of the following
philosophers?
a. John Locke
b. Thomas Hobbes
c. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
d. Both A and B
e. All of the above
ANS: E REF: p. 5
3. Which of the following best describes a people who are scattered over the territory of
several states or dispersed widely and who have no autonomous, independent, or sovereign
governing body of their own?
a. Multinational state
b. Stateless nation
c. Nation state
d. Sovereign nation
e. None of the above
ANS: B REF: p. 9
4. Which of the following is a rare example of a culturally and linguistically divided state that
started out that way?
a. Germany
b. Denmark
c. Belgium
d. England
e. None of the above
ANS: C REF: p. 7
5. Since the German people of the 1930s and 40s were not inherently evil, wicked or maniacal,
why did the Nazi Holocaust occur?
a. Fiscally expedient
b. Character flaws
c. Skewed justice
d. Moral indifference
e. All of the above
ANS: D REF: p. 11
6. According to the text, which of the following is the “father” of political science?
a. Aristotle
b. Plato
c. Rousseau
d. Locke
e. Socrates
ANS: A REF: p. 12
7. A country’s military capacity is an example of
a. soft power.
b. inherent legitimacy.
c. hard power.
d. misguided power.
e. legitimate authority.
, ANS: C REF: p. 4
8. Normativism is normally associated with which political philosopher?
a. Immanuel Kant
b. Thomas Hobbes
c. Adolf Eichmann
d. Aristotle
e. Jean-Jacque Rousseau
ANS: A REF: p. 13
9. Political scientists employing the behavioral approach tend to
a. concentrate on broad questions.
b. avoid moral and philosophical analysis.
c. reject the application of the scientific method to political science.
d. draw heavily on the work of ancient political theorists.
e. use dependency theory.
ANS: B REF: p. 14 | p. 15
10. Which of the following might be called a stateless nation?
a. The Shia
b. The Pashtuns
c. The Kurds
d. Legal immigrants
e. Illegal immigrants
ANS: C REF: p. 9
11. Political scientists studying how to improve the hiring process for a city government would
be working in which subfield?
a. Political theory
b. U.S. government
c. Comparative politics
d. International relations
e. Public administration
ANS: E REF: p. 17
12. The study of political science includes the study of which of the following fields?
a. Political theory
b. U.S. government
c. International relations
d. Both A and B
e. All of the above
ANS: E REF: pp. 15–17
13. What theory holds that individuals and states alike act according to the iron logic of self-
interest?
a. Normative theory
b. Behavioral theory
c. Rational choice theory
d. Political realism theory
e. Political culture
ANS: D REF: p. 15
, 14. What term is best used to describe the role of reason over emotion in human behavior?
a. Political realism
b. Public administration
c. Political theory
d. Single cause dogma
e. Rational choice
ANS: E REF: p. 15
15. A specialist in international relations would likely NOT focus on
a. conflict and cooperation.
b. terrorism.
c. trade policy.
d. the definition of the “good life.”
e. both C and D.
ANS: D REF: p. 17
16. Political theorists tend to focus on such issues as
a. the relationship between voting behavior and interest groups.
b. which rights are guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.
c. how diplomacy affects the potential for conflict between states.
d. how bureaucracies develop their own policy interests.
e. the relationship between human nature and politics.
ANS: E REF: p. 10
17. Political scientists who study similarities and differences in legislative processes across
countries would be working in which subfield?
a. Political theory
b. U.S. government
c. Comparative politics
d. International relations
e. Public administration
ANS: C REF: p. 16
18. Which subfield would involve a political scientist who would specialize in how a
bureaucracy implements governmental policies?
a. Political theory
b. U.S. government
c. Comparative politics
d. International relations
e. Public administration
ANS: E REF: pp. 17-18
19. The principle reason to study politics is
a. national interest.
b. self-interest.
c. public interest.
d. both A and B.
e. both B and C.
ANS: E REF: p. 3
20. According to a recent issue of The Economist, what is the strongest force shaping politics
today?
