Deck 2: Theories, Hypotheses, and Evidence

Question 1

Which of the following is not true?

A) Theories are typically backed by facts and evidence.
B) Theories require real world support.
C) Theories are usually inductive.
D) Theories are general explanations of empirical phenomena.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which of the following does not describe a theory?

A) Abstract ideas about a given subject
B) Intuitive understandings
C) Schools of thought backed by substantial empirical evidence over time

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which of the following statements is true about hypotheses?

A) Hypotheses can be tested against empirical evidence.
B) Hypotheses need not be vetted.
C) Hypotheses are determined after research has been completed.
D) Hypotheses cannot come from deductive reasoning.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Deviant cases are unique because _________.

A) They provide little insight to the study or its results.
B) They result from deductive reasoning.
C) They specifically deal with the study of social deviants in a society.
D) They do not fit the predicted pattern.

Question 5

How do hypotheses differ from theories?

A) Hypotheses are more speculative than theories.
B) Hypotheses are more quantitative than theories.
C) Hypotheses are less hypothetical than theories.
D) Hypotheses are less intuitive than theories.

Question 6

Which of the following is not always true of a thesis?

A) A thesis is generally placed at the beginning of a paper.
B) A thesis should be developed after a hypothesis is tested.
C) A thesis should be a full theory.
D) A thesis should be backed by evidence.

Question 7

Hypotheses that are generated starting with general ideas and testing whether these work on specific examples are called:

A) Inductive Reasoning
B) Deductive Reasoning
C) Comparative checking
D) Analyzing Deviant Cases

Question 8

Hypotheses that are generated from a group of specific cases and develop generalized ideas are called:

A) Inductive Reasoning
B) Deductive Reasoning
C) Comparative checking
D) Analyzing Deviant Cases

Question 9

Which of the following is not true about theories?

A) They are general explanations of how the world works.
B) They are backed by a considerable amount of supporting facts.
C) They are supported through logical argumentation.
D) They are indisputable.

Question 10

This type of evidence may come from narrative accounts of historical or contemporary events:

A) Quantifiable evidence
B) Quantitative evidence
C) Qualitative evidence
D) Quasi evidence

Question 11

Measurements of adult literacy rates would be considered what type of evidence?

A) Qualitative
B) Quantitative
C) Inferential
D) Theoretical

Question 12

Which of the following is not a central argument in the Qualitative-Quantitative debate?

A) Qualitative arguments are too case-specific.
B) Quantitative methods neglect case context.
C) Qualitative arguments do not "travel well."
D) Quantitative arguments are too concerned with prediction.

Question 13

Why can we not be certain about the future in the study of comparative politics?

A) We only have evidence of the past, not the future.
B) We are unable to factor in unforeseen events.
C) Previous observations may not hold in deviant cases.
D) All of the above

Question 14

Why is correlation not alone sufficient for explanation of a cause-and-effect argument?

A) Cause-and-effect argument doesn't happen in comparative politics.
B) Only positive correlation is explanatory.
C) Correlative links do not necessarily imply causation.
D) Negative correlation necessarily negates association.

Question 15

How could a positive correlation between ice cream sales and violent crime be explained in order to show there is no causation?

A) Even criminals love ice cream.
B) Ice cream sales increase to console victims of violent crime.
C) Ice cream sales and violent crime are linked by another variable.
D) Ice cream sales and violent crime rates only correlate sometimes.

Question 16

What does a correlation between wealth and democracy need to prove that getting rich causes countries to democratize?

A) A positive correlation
B) A negative correlation
C) A positive causal argument where wealth -> democracy
D) Theoretical proof

Question 17

The testability of a theory or hypothesis refers to what term?

A) Falsifiability
B) Legitimacy
C) Conclusiveness
D) Defensibility

Question 18

If one hypothesizes that Y is a dependent variable and X is an independent variable, then reverse causality would occur when:

A) X leads to Y.
B) Y leads to X.
C) X and Y are the same.
D) X and Y are not correlated.

Question 19

Which of the following can pose a common problem for causal arguments?

A) Falsifiability
B) Intervening variables
C) Endogeneity
D) All of the above

Question 20

Which of the following might be the reason that two variables are correlated?

A) There is a causal relationship between them.
B) There is some other variable that influences them both.
C) Coincidence
D) All of the above

Question 21

Endogeneity refers to:

A) A circumstance when a variable creates its own correlation
B) A circumstance when a theory can be tested with evidence
C) A circumstance when two variables exhibit mutual or reciprocal effects
D) A circumstance when two variables exhibit correlation without a causal relationship

Question 22

Which of the following pairs of variables are most likely to be endogenous?

A) Institutional quality and economic performance
B) Institutional quality and butter production
C) Stock market performance and whether an NFC team wins the Super Bowl
D) Democracy and butter production

Question 23

What does the presence of an intervening variable signify?

A) The effect of variable X on variable Y is mediated through variable Z
B) Variables X and Y are independent
C) The effect of variable X on variable Y is dependent on correlation
D) Variable Z has no effect on variable X

Question 24

A correlation between wearing your lucky hat and your team winning is most likely due to:

A) Omitted variables
B) Spurious correlation
C) Intervening variables
D) Divine intervention

Question 25

An effort to show that a given theory has logical limitations is called:

A) An empirical critique
B) A theoretical critique
C) A qualitative limitation
D) A quantitative comparison

Question 26

An empirical critique serves to:

A) Establish the validity of the evidence presented
B) Demonstrate the link between hypotheses and theory
C) Demonstrate the logical limitations of a given theory
D) Point to evidence that does not support a conventional version of a given theory

Question 27

Which of the following would be considered an empirical critique of a theory?

A) A theory says that institutional quality predicts economic growth, but a study finds that by standard measures of institutional quality, there is no independent effect once you control for resource endowments and international ties.
B) A theory says that institutional quality predicts economic growth, but a study argues that this can't be true because institutional quality is far too vague of an idea.
C) A theory says that institutional quality predicts economic growth, but a study argues that this is unknown since we don't know which kinds of institutions might be important.
D) A theory says that institutional quality predicts economic growth, but a study argues that all cultures are so different that we cannot compare them.

Question 28

What is the name commonly used in comparative politics for the conditions or range of cases for which an argument works?

A) Scale conditions
B) Scope conditions
C) Extension conditions
D) Extrapolation conditions

Question 29

Which of the following is not commonly seen as a key challenge of measurement?

A) Error
B) Bias
C) Validity
D) Time

Question 30

The fluctuation of an individual's scores on a standardized test would most likely be a reflection of:

A) Measurement error
B) False indicators
C) Spurious correlation
D) Measurement bias

Question 31

Whether a given measure effectively captures or represents what we are researching refers to:

A) Measurement error
B) Measurement bias
C) Measurement validity
D) Measurement verification

Question 32

Which of the following is not a part of good hypothesis testing?

A) Researching other cases beyond those of direct interest
B) Choosing evidence that best helps the case of the hypothesis
C) Weighing the results against available evidence
D) Avoiding bias in the testing process

Question 33

Ensuring that your argument produces new knowledge rather than reproducing old knowledge requires that your argument have which of the following?

A) Evidence
B) Originality
C) Meaningfulness
D) All of the above

Question 34

Centeno used the number of national monuments to measure nationalism in 19^th century Latin American societies. Another way to capture nationalist sentiment from the past is to:

A) Examine writing in diaries and newspapers.
B) Watch movies made about the 19^th century.
C) Build a time machine.
D) None of the above.

Question 35

Among African countries, wealth is low, poverty is high, and democracy is scarce. Wealth and democracy demonstrate a ___ correlation, while poverty and democracy demonstrate a ____ correlation.

A) hypothetical/true
B) negative/positive
C) true/hypothetical
D) positive/negative

Question 36

How do we know if two variables that are correlated are causally related as well?

Question 37

What is the difference between a theory and a thesis?

Question 38

Are all arguments based on testing hypotheses? Why or why not?

Question 39

What is a variable?

Question 40

What is the difference between an empirical critique and a theoretical critique?

Question 41

Explain the omitted variable problem, using an example.

Question 42

What is the difference between endogeneity and spurious correlation?

Question 43

Explain how independent and dependent variables are related to one another, making reference to causal arguments.

Question 44

Identify the key characteristics of good concepts.

Question 45

What are the major types of evidence used by comparative political analysts?

Question 46

Formulate a good "why" question about any topic in comparative politics. Argue in support of the importance of the question. Generate a general theory that one could use as the framework to answer your question. Deduce a hypothesis from this theory and explain how it could be tested.

Question 47

Describe the various potential problems that could arise when an analyst assumes causation from two variables that are correlated. What are some major rules of thumb we could use to avoid these pitfalls?

Question 48

What are the major advantages of quantitative and qualitative analysis? Is one to be preferred to the other, and if so, under what circumstances? Can scholars use both and if so how? Be sure to use examples of types of questions and problems as you respond to this prompt.