Test Bank (Multiple Choice)
Chapter 5: Power, Conflict, and Policy: The Role of Political Science in International
Studies
What is Political Science?
1. Which of the following is the textbook’s definition of politics?
a) The study of governments
b) The study of governments and government-like operations
c) The study of power and money
d) The study of power and conflict
2. Which of the following is not a subfield of political science?
a) International studies
b) International relations
c) Public administration
d) Political theory
3. What two subfields of political science are most important to interdisciplinary
international studies?
a) Comparative politics and political theory
b) International relations/politics and comparative politics
c) American politics and international relations/politics
d) Political theory and American politics
Comparative Politics
1. According to comparative political scientists, which of the following is true?
a) A state that holds elections is a liberal democracy.
b) Democracy has been the most common form of government in human history.
c) Fascism is dictatorship of one party and a single, charismatic leader.
d) All of these are correct.
2. What is the difference between a state and a nation?
a) a state is group of people with a shared identity and a nation is the territory they
live in
b) a state is a political entity and a nation is where it is located
c) a state is a political entity and a nation is a group of people with a shared
identity
d) in the post-WWII era, “state” and “nation” are different terms for the same
concept
3. What do the following states all have in common: the United States, Japan, Great
Britain, and France?
a) they are all parliamentary systems
b) they are all presidential systems
c) they are all democracies
d) they are all social democracies
4. When measuring their view on the role of government in human activities, people on
the right side of the political spectrum believe in ____________, while people on the left
believe in ____________.
a) expanded government; limited government
b) liberalism; realism
c) idealism; liberalism
d) limited government; expanded government
International Politics
1. The study of U.S. foreign policy is primarily a subfield of which field of political
science?
a) American politics
b) International politics
c) Comparative politics
d) None of these is correct.
2. Which of the following is true about theories in international relations, according to
nearly all political scientists?
a) Theories should always provide concepts necessary to understand political
phenomena.
b) Theories should never aim to explain political phenomena.
c) Theories should never advocate or recommend policy actions and responses.
d) All of these are correct.
3. According to the principle of “complex interdependence,” the decision to go to war is
made less attractive by which of the following connections?
a) Connections between states
b) Connections between corporations
c) Connections between people
d) All of these are correct.
4. What event is or was a serious challenge to the European Union?
a) the end of World War II
b) France and Germany’s participation in a coal and steel community
c) the Brexit vote in Great Britain
d) the establishment of the World Trade Organization
5. Which of the following is a tenet of classical realism?
a) States operate in a world of anarchy.
b) States consist of humans, who are fallible: Therefore, the world will always be
full of war and violence.
c) When states are democratic, they are less likely to go to war.
d) None of these is correct.
6. Why are idealism and realism two of the most prominent theoretical traditions in
international politics?
a) Because they strongly oppose each other
b) Because democracy hasn’t been around long enough
c) Because Marxist ideas are no longer relevant
d) None of these is correct.
7. Proponents of which theory of international relation is most likely to be concerned
about international conflict as a result of China’s rise?
a) Liberal/idealists
b) Neoliberals
c) Realists
d) “Doves”
Chapter 5
Question
Answer
1
d
2
a
3
b
1
c
2
c
3
c
4
d
1
b
2
a
3
d
4
c
5
a
6
a
7
c