INTL 105 EXAM 1 (VCU) UPDATED
ACTUAL Exam Questions and CORRECT
Answers
What is International Relations? - CORRECT ANSWER - subfield of Political Science
What did Hans Morgenthau write? - CORRECT ANSWER - Politics Among Nations—
First IR theory textbook
Politics - CORRECT ANSWER - study of how and who makes policy decisions
Who is the first theorist to call it realism? - CORRECT ANSWER - E H Carr
Social science theory - CORRECT ANSWER - general logical explanations that seeks to
explain social phenomena, NOT PROVE
What theory states that POWER is everything? Its a power based theory - CORRECT
ANSWER - Classical realism
IR Theory - CORRECT ANSWER - explanations that can be generally applied across
cases: logical, with good, empirical evidence
What are the Classical Realism measures of power ? - CORRECT ANSWER - Who ever
has most, has most power
- Military
- Economy
,Classical realism - CORRECT ANSWER - states seeking power, States primary actors,
balance of power
X VARIABLE
Ex: Dictators cause Wars...Dictators is...... - CORRECT ANSWER - INDEPENDENT
VARIABLE, or the variable that "does the causing" or the the explanatory variable
Dictators is the X
Y VARIABLE
Ex: Dictators cause Wars..... - CORRECT ANSWER - DEPENDENT VARIABLE, or the
variable that is being caused, or the outcome variable
Y = Wars, the outcome, what is being caused by X
What time of realists believe that POWER is a means AND an END? - CORRECT
ANSWER - Classical Realists
The key to theories - CORRECT ANSWER - logic and strong evidence
What do realists speak to? - CORRECT ANSWER - security dilemma
IR Theory should always be - CORRECT ANSWER - PARSIMONIOUS
What is the key determinate for international politics? - CORRECT ANSWER - balance of
power
, Parsimony - CORRECT ANSWER - least amount of variance in the explanation of the
outcome. Reduced to basically: the smaller the number of independent variables that cover the
most outcomes, the stronger the theoretical explanation. Reduce all explanation to only the
variable that ACTUALLY CAUSES THE OUTCOME (the rest are causal mechanisms)
(Occam's Razor)
How security dilemma works - CORRECT ANSWER - • based on idea of uncertainty
• any increase in the security/power of state (A) may create fear in state (B)
• that state (B) will then increase its relative power, making (A) less secure
• this continues and creates a worst situation—arms races, spirals (see also Goldstein text)
Why do realists rely on self-help? - CORRECT ANSWER - the principle of self-defense
under anarchy in which states have no one else to rely on to defend their security except
themselves; other state may have power over you if you don't have self-help
Theories should be - CORRECT ANSWER - falsifiable, or falsifiability
Theories are NOT laws...especially Social theory - CORRECT ANSWER -
Realism says Power is a _________ gain. What does this mean? - CORRECT ANSWER -
ZERO SUM, meaning a gain for one state is a loss for another
Parsimony - CORRECT ANSWER - Most causal "bang for your buck" Most cause from
fewest (single) variables. The more you add the harder it is to falsify
zero sum gain - CORRECT ANSWER - one country gain=1 country loss aka "A" has 5
guns so "B" has -5 guns=loser, not willing to lose;
Theoretical degeneration - CORRECT ANSWER - to add to the independent or add more
independent variables—hurts the strength of the explanation, hurts parsimony. Trying to explain
every case by adding to the independent variable is DEGENERATION.
ACTUAL Exam Questions and CORRECT
Answers
What is International Relations? - CORRECT ANSWER - subfield of Political Science
What did Hans Morgenthau write? - CORRECT ANSWER - Politics Among Nations—
First IR theory textbook
Politics - CORRECT ANSWER - study of how and who makes policy decisions
Who is the first theorist to call it realism? - CORRECT ANSWER - E H Carr
Social science theory - CORRECT ANSWER - general logical explanations that seeks to
explain social phenomena, NOT PROVE
What theory states that POWER is everything? Its a power based theory - CORRECT
ANSWER - Classical realism
IR Theory - CORRECT ANSWER - explanations that can be generally applied across
cases: logical, with good, empirical evidence
What are the Classical Realism measures of power ? - CORRECT ANSWER - Who ever
has most, has most power
- Military
- Economy
,Classical realism - CORRECT ANSWER - states seeking power, States primary actors,
balance of power
X VARIABLE
Ex: Dictators cause Wars...Dictators is...... - CORRECT ANSWER - INDEPENDENT
VARIABLE, or the variable that "does the causing" or the the explanatory variable
Dictators is the X
Y VARIABLE
Ex: Dictators cause Wars..... - CORRECT ANSWER - DEPENDENT VARIABLE, or the
variable that is being caused, or the outcome variable
Y = Wars, the outcome, what is being caused by X
What time of realists believe that POWER is a means AND an END? - CORRECT
ANSWER - Classical Realists
The key to theories - CORRECT ANSWER - logic and strong evidence
What do realists speak to? - CORRECT ANSWER - security dilemma
IR Theory should always be - CORRECT ANSWER - PARSIMONIOUS
What is the key determinate for international politics? - CORRECT ANSWER - balance of
power
, Parsimony - CORRECT ANSWER - least amount of variance in the explanation of the
outcome. Reduced to basically: the smaller the number of independent variables that cover the
most outcomes, the stronger the theoretical explanation. Reduce all explanation to only the
variable that ACTUALLY CAUSES THE OUTCOME (the rest are causal mechanisms)
(Occam's Razor)
How security dilemma works - CORRECT ANSWER - • based on idea of uncertainty
• any increase in the security/power of state (A) may create fear in state (B)
• that state (B) will then increase its relative power, making (A) less secure
• this continues and creates a worst situation—arms races, spirals (see also Goldstein text)
Why do realists rely on self-help? - CORRECT ANSWER - the principle of self-defense
under anarchy in which states have no one else to rely on to defend their security except
themselves; other state may have power over you if you don't have self-help
Theories should be - CORRECT ANSWER - falsifiable, or falsifiability
Theories are NOT laws...especially Social theory - CORRECT ANSWER -
Realism says Power is a _________ gain. What does this mean? - CORRECT ANSWER -
ZERO SUM, meaning a gain for one state is a loss for another
Parsimony - CORRECT ANSWER - Most causal "bang for your buck" Most cause from
fewest (single) variables. The more you add the harder it is to falsify
zero sum gain - CORRECT ANSWER - one country gain=1 country loss aka "A" has 5
guns so "B" has -5 guns=loser, not willing to lose;
Theoretical degeneration - CORRECT ANSWER - to add to the independent or add more
independent variables—hurts the strength of the explanation, hurts parsimony. Trying to explain
every case by adding to the independent variable is DEGENERATION.
