PSCI 2305 - Exam 1 Questions and
Answers
■ Government: - Answer -The institutions and processes through which public policies
are made for society.
■ Democracy: - Answer -A system of selecting policymakers and of organizing
government so that policy represents the public's preferences.
■ Politics: - Answer -The process by which we select our governmental representatives
and what policies they produce.
■ Rational choice theory - Answer -Individuals act in their own self-interest
■ Weigh the costs and benefits of any decision and choose to maximize benefits and
minimize costs
■ i.e. gun control, immigration reform, voting restrictions
■ Policymaking - Answer -■ Legislators and presidents support policies usually because
it will benefit them on reelection day
■ Voting and political parties - Answer -Voters vote for the person who will benefit them
the most
■ Policy - Answer -■ A choice government makes in response to a public concern
FOREIGN POLICY
■ 3 US Goals - Answer -o Maintain national security
o Promote economic well being
o Spreading democratic ideals
o Central Idea - - Answer -goals motivating policy have changed with time
Liberalism - - Answer -A political philosophy that places a high value on individual
freedom, based on a belief in natural rights that exist independent of government.
o Isolationist - - Answer -The doctrine that a nation is best served by limiting its
involvement in the economic, political, or social behavior of other nations.
, o Pragmatic Idealism - - Answer -A foreign policy approach that balances the values of
idealism with the facts and practical matters of the world.
o Federalists - - Answer -supported large, powerful federal gov
o Anti-Federalists - - Answer -supported smaller federal gov, with more state decision
making and emphasized protection of individual liberties
o Great Powers - - Answer -Countries that have the military and economic ability to
influence the global arena.
o Versailles Treaty - - Answer -The peace treaty between Germany and Allied forces
that ended World War I.
o League of Nations - - Answer -Formed in 1920, the first international organization with
the purpose to maintain world peace.
Cold war - - Answer -An economic and political rivalry lasting from 1947 to 1991 that
pitted the democratic capitalism of the United States against the communist
totalitarianism of the Soviet Union.
o Liberalism - - Answer -a political philosophy that places high value on individual
freedom, is based on a belief in natural rights that exist independent of government.
o Constitutional Republic - - Answer -us --> A form of government where
representatives are democratically elected, and the rules for governance are in a written
constitution.
o Absolute Monarchy - - Answer -Saudi Arabia --> A form of government where the
monarch, usually one person, holds total power.
o Realist (Jacksonians) - - Answer -Those who explain foreign policy in terms of power
politics and believe in the anarchic nature of the international system.
o Idealist (Wilsonians) - - Answer -Those who believe foreign policy should be framed
around ethical, philosophical, and moral values.
■ What is one reason biden publicly criticized the coup in Myanmar? - Answer -o US
public opinion influenced the presidents disapproval.
■ What is one example of a foreign policy "carrot"? - Answer -o The US offering
economic aide to North Korea if it halts it's nuclear development program.
■ The embargo act of 1807 was designed, in part, to stop drafting of US sailors by
which country? - Answer -o Britain
Answers
■ Government: - Answer -The institutions and processes through which public policies
are made for society.
■ Democracy: - Answer -A system of selecting policymakers and of organizing
government so that policy represents the public's preferences.
■ Politics: - Answer -The process by which we select our governmental representatives
and what policies they produce.
■ Rational choice theory - Answer -Individuals act in their own self-interest
■ Weigh the costs and benefits of any decision and choose to maximize benefits and
minimize costs
■ i.e. gun control, immigration reform, voting restrictions
■ Policymaking - Answer -■ Legislators and presidents support policies usually because
it will benefit them on reelection day
■ Voting and political parties - Answer -Voters vote for the person who will benefit them
the most
■ Policy - Answer -■ A choice government makes in response to a public concern
FOREIGN POLICY
■ 3 US Goals - Answer -o Maintain national security
o Promote economic well being
o Spreading democratic ideals
o Central Idea - - Answer -goals motivating policy have changed with time
Liberalism - - Answer -A political philosophy that places a high value on individual
freedom, based on a belief in natural rights that exist independent of government.
o Isolationist - - Answer -The doctrine that a nation is best served by limiting its
involvement in the economic, political, or social behavior of other nations.
, o Pragmatic Idealism - - Answer -A foreign policy approach that balances the values of
idealism with the facts and practical matters of the world.
o Federalists - - Answer -supported large, powerful federal gov
o Anti-Federalists - - Answer -supported smaller federal gov, with more state decision
making and emphasized protection of individual liberties
o Great Powers - - Answer -Countries that have the military and economic ability to
influence the global arena.
o Versailles Treaty - - Answer -The peace treaty between Germany and Allied forces
that ended World War I.
o League of Nations - - Answer -Formed in 1920, the first international organization with
the purpose to maintain world peace.
Cold war - - Answer -An economic and political rivalry lasting from 1947 to 1991 that
pitted the democratic capitalism of the United States against the communist
totalitarianism of the Soviet Union.
o Liberalism - - Answer -a political philosophy that places high value on individual
freedom, is based on a belief in natural rights that exist independent of government.
o Constitutional Republic - - Answer -us --> A form of government where
representatives are democratically elected, and the rules for governance are in a written
constitution.
o Absolute Monarchy - - Answer -Saudi Arabia --> A form of government where the
monarch, usually one person, holds total power.
o Realist (Jacksonians) - - Answer -Those who explain foreign policy in terms of power
politics and believe in the anarchic nature of the international system.
o Idealist (Wilsonians) - - Answer -Those who believe foreign policy should be framed
around ethical, philosophical, and moral values.
■ What is one reason biden publicly criticized the coup in Myanmar? - Answer -o US
public opinion influenced the presidents disapproval.
■ What is one example of a foreign policy "carrot"? - Answer -o The US offering
economic aide to North Korea if it halts it's nuclear development program.
■ The embargo act of 1807 was designed, in part, to stop drafting of US sailors by
which country? - Answer -o Britain
