Deck 1: Introduction

Question 1

Which political theory is criticized for its inability to predict future behavior of individuals?

A)rational choice
B)political ideology
C)political culture
D)institutionalism

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Comparative politics focuses on

A)advanced industrial democracies
B)politics between national governments
C)politics within national boundaries
D)political networks that transcend state borders

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following statements best defines a political actor?

A)any person or group engaged in political behavior
B)members of political parties
C)members of the electorate
D)individuals who hold political office

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Postmodernists see culture as sets of ______ that political actors can use.

A)ideologies
B)behaviors
C)symbols
D)clearly defined values

Question 5

According to Gramsci, political ideology is used to establish ______ for the ruling class:

A)contempt
B)hegemony
C)finance
D)obedience

Question 6

Marxism claims that ______ affect(s) political structures.

A)economic structures
B)political actors
C)inequality
D)political ideology

Question 7

Which of the following observations regarding the financial crisis that began in 2008 is true?

A)It began in Europe, but ultimately hit the United States at least as hard.
B)It has demonstrated that there is no relationship among countries and people's well-being across the globe.
C)It has demonstrated the interrelationships among countries and people's well-being across the globe.
D)It began in China and India, but ultimately hit the United States and Europe.

Question 8

According to pluralist theory

A)Power is dispersed among various political actors.
B)Power is concentrated in the hands on a political elite.
C)Power does not play any role in politics.
D)Power constantly shifts between different levels of government.

Question 9

The argument that society is divided into political groups belongs to what type of theory?

A)pluralist theory
B)elitist theory
C)critical race theory
D)rational actor theory

Question 10

On which of the following areas will rational-choice institutionalists and historical institutionalists disagree?

A)the importance of institutions
B)the importance of social values in a state
C)the short-term effect of any political actions
D)the long-term effect of any political actions

Question 11

Political systems in which leaders mobilize political support primarily by providing resources to their followers are called

A)premodern
B)nondemocratic
C)patron-client
D)feudal

Question 12

A theory that assumes that widely held values and beliefs help explain political behavior would be best described as

A)rational choice theory
B)political culture theory
C)psychological theory
D)none of the above

Question 13

Which of the following does not posit a structural argument?

A)Marxism
B)institutionalism
C)rational-choice institutionalism
D)postmodernism

Question 14

In American politics, the use of "family values" functions within political discourse to

A)influence political attitudes, identity, and actions
B)increase marriage rates
C)increase birth rates
D)stir the political bases

Question 15

The modernist school of political culture theory believes that

A)Political cultures are constantly evolving.
B)Clear attitudes, values, and beliefs can be identified within a political culture.
C)It is more important to look at conflict over values and beliefs than at consistency.
D)Political attitudes may be symptoms of political activity rather than the cause of it.

Question 16

The difference between empirical theory and normative theory is that

A)Empirical theory describes what actually occurs; Normative theory describes what ought to occur.
B)Normative theory describes what actually occurs; Empirical theory describes what ought to occur.
C)Empirical theory is an abstract argument that provides a systematic explanation of some phenomena; Normative theory generates lessons from one place to apply in another.
D)Normative theory is an abstract argument that provides a systematic explanation of some phenomena; Empirical theory generates lessons from one place to apply in another.

Question 17

The ruling class' ability to spread a set of ideas justifying and perpetuating its political dominance is known as

A)ideological hegemony
B)patriarchy
C)dictatorship
D)elite theory

Question 18

What is modernization?

A)the transformation of poor agrarian societies into wealthy industrial societies
B)the process of achieving widespread availability of modern technology
C)the transformation of wealthy industrial societies into global powers
D)the process of developing strategies for making high-speed internet available to most citizens

Question 19

One difference between modernist and postmodernist approaches to political culture is that postmodernists

A)focus on individuals
B)often use surveys to learn about culture
C)tend to focus on conflicts over political culture within a country
D)have been accused of ethnocentrism

Question 20

Quantitative methods are used in comparative politics in order to allow

A)applicability to most questions and data
B)proving causation
C)the study of a large number of cases
D)obtaining in-depth information for individual cases

Question 21

Neocolonialism argues that postcolonial governments

A)are ruled by the military
B)do not benefit the leaders of those countries
C)came to serve the interests of Western corporations
D)are inherently too weak to govern

Question 22

A regime category that has become widespread recently is

A)authoritarian regime
B)electoral authoritarian regime
C)dictatorial regime
D)transitional regime

Question 23

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY.Which of the following is a research method in comparative politics?

A)single case studies
B)the comparative method
C)quantitative statistical techniques
D)political activism

Question 24

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY.A good empirical theory should ______.

A)explain a pattern
B)allow theorist to predict
C)explain what ought to occur
D)account for all exogenous factors

Question 25

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY.Which of the following statements describe psychological theories of individual motivation?

A)They look for nonrational explanations based on individual's psychological experiences.
B)They look for nonrational explanations based on a cost-benefit analysis.
C)They are particularly interested in the third dimension of power.
D)They assume that people conduct a cost-benefit analysis before making a decision.

Question 26

Which of the following can be described as post-communist countries?

A)Cuba and Brazil
B)Russia and China
C)France and Australia
D)North Korea and Egypt

Question 27

One common criticism of institutionalism is that institutions

A)do not usually shape political behavior
B)often are not rationally designed
C)do not explain political behavior, but rather result from it
D)Their effects are difficult to study.

Question 28

A comparative study looking at revolution in France, China, Nicaragua, and Iran, would be an example of what research method?

A)case study
B)most different system design
C)most similar system design
D)quantitative statistical technique

Question 29

Elite theories argue that

A)No group has complete or permanent power.
B)Political parties are the most important political actors.
C)Policy is the result of compromise among groups.
D)Even in democracies, a small group possesses virtually all power.

Question 30

According to elite theory

A)The military rules society with effective control over virtually all power.
B)Elites rule society with effective control over virtually all power.
C)All citizens rule society with effective control over virtually all power.
D)None of these

Question 31

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY.Which of the following are elements of the "minimal definition" of democracy?

A)a separation of powers among branches of government
B)citizens' guaranteed right of association
C)a government that can be changed through elections
D)citizens' guaranteed right of expression

Question 32

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY.Which of the following are examples of authoritarian regimes?

A)communist regime
B)fascist regime
C)electoral authoritarian
D)liberal regime

Question 33

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY.Which of the following can be considered a fundamental question in comparative politics?

A)Who rules?
B)What explains political behaviors?
C)How do certain regimes form?
D)Where and why do particular types of political behavior occur?

Question 34

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY.Rational choice theory assumes which of the following statements?

A)Individuals are rational.
B)Individuals have self-defined interests.
C)Individuals have the knowledge and ability to pursue their interests.
D)Individuals are capable of obtaining full information.

Question 35

Which of the following states is an example of a theocracy?

A)Brazil
B)Russia
C)Japan
D)Iran

Question 36

Which of the following is an example of a likely rational choice argument to explain why the ruling class adopts a specific ideology to support its hegemony?

A)self-interest
B)cultural values
C)good of the community
D)psychology

Question 37

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY.Which of the following are examples of elite theories?

A)Marxism
B)neocolonialism
C)patriarchy
D)pluralism

Question 38

The two-term limit on the presidency of the United States is an example of

A)an informal institution that was later formalized
B)a formal institution that broke down
C)a political economy explanation
D)historical determinism

Question 39

Case studies are unable to

A)generate ideas for theory
B)prove or disprove theory
C)highlight the limitations of theory
D)provide depth on individual cases

Question 40

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY.Which of the following can be described as a democracy?

A)India
B)Iran
C)Germany
D)Japan

Question 41

Politics can be defined as ______.

Question 42

Empirical theory describes what ought to occur; Normative theory describes what actually occurs.

Question 43

Case studies can prove or disprove a theory.

Question 44

List on dimension of power and provide, in your own words, its definition.

Question 45

The comparative method is the means by which scholars try to mimic laboratory conditions by careful selection of cases.

Question 46

Postmaterialism is not a structuralist theory of political behavior.

Question 47

Political culture theory is criticized for its inability to predict future behavior of individuals?

Question 48

Democracy refers to an ideology associated with modernization.

Question 49

The concept of patriarchy is considered a pluralist theory.

Question 50

Quantitative statistical technique is a research method used for large-scale studies that reduces evidence to sets of numbers so that statistical analysis can systematically compare a huge number of cases.

Question 51

In comparative politics, we often talk about transitions of power.What term best defines when a regime is transformed from one type into another?

Question 52

Authoritarian regimes do not hold elections.

Question 53

In comparative politics researchers do not use single-case studies.

Question 54

The transformation of a poor agrarian society into a wealthy industrial society is an example of what concept in political science?

Question 55

Rational choice theory is in natural opposition to which decision making theory?

Question 56

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY.Which of the following is a major topic within comparative politics?

A)political development
B)political economy
C)diplomatic relations
D)dimensions of power

Question 57

Civil society refers to an organized activity to pursue common interests by groups larger than the family.

Question 58

The concept relating to why and how modern nations and states arose is known as ______.

Question 59

According to elite theory, power is concentrated in the hands of a political elite.

Question 60

"Who rules" is not a key question in comparative politics.

Question 61

What is the problem with the statement that "democracies have elections and authoritarian regimes have dictators"?

Question 62

______ is a regime in which citizens have basic rights of open association and expression and the ability to change the government through some sort of electoral process.

Question 63

Institutions are the "______" within which political actors must operate.

Question 64

What are the three broad approaches to the study of political behavior discussed in the textbook: ______, ______, and ______.

Question 65

What is "comparative politics?" What does it study, and how would you situate it within political science.

Question 66

What are the main differences between pluralist and elitist theories? Illustrate your answers with specific examples.

Question 67

Compare and contrast the various research methods utilized in comparative politics.

Question 68

The three key questions in comparative politics are ______, ______, and ______.

Question 69

Provide a working definition of the concept "patriarchy".

Question 70

A political actor is best defined as ______

Question 71

What do political scientists mean when they use the term "regime"? What are some examples of types of regimes?