Question 1

Endogeneity refers to:
A)determining cause versus effect.
B)intellectual obstacles to new scholarship in social sciences.
C)the use of tools such as psychology to understand comparative politics.
D)the belief that most major political questions are close to being understood by scholars.
E)the use of new information from biology to study human political behavior.

Accepted Answer

Endogeneity refers to the problem of determining cause and effect, where the cause and effect variables interact with each other, making it difficult to establish a clear causal relationship between them. This is a common issue in social sciences research where many variables may influence a particular phenomenon.

Question 2

Recent discussions of the future of comparative politics and political science have called for:
A)a greater connection to political ideas and questions of policy.
B)a greater use of social media to promote findings.
C)a greater focus on the relationship between politics and environmental change.
D)a greater distance between scholarship and real-world politics in order to remain objective.
E)making comparative politics a field of history rather than political science.

Accepted Answer

The call for a greater connection to political ideas and questions of policy suggests a focus on applied and practical research that can have real-world impact.

Answer: C 
 Increasing attention is being paid to the connections between politics and environmental change, and comparative politics may be an important field for exploring these relationships.

Answer: D 
 While some may argue for a closer connection between scholarship and real-world politics, others believe that maintaining objectivity and distance is important for producing rigorous and unbiased research.

Answer: E 
 There is no evidence to suggest that making comparative politics a field of history rather than political science is a widely-supported or viable suggestion for the future of the field.

Question 3

What is deductive reasoning?
A)The means by which we go from a hypothesis to studying a number of cases.
B)The means by which we go from studying a single case to generating a hypothesis.
C)The means by which we test evidence using logic and mathematics.
D)The means by which we test evidence using extensive field research.
E)The means by which we use ideological assumptions to create policy.

Accepted Answer

A

Question 4

Approaches like game theory rest on the assumption that humans are:
A)rational.
B)unpredictable.
C)not comparable across cultures.
D)only understandable through qualitative research.
E)malleable.

Accepted Answer

Game theory assumes that humans are rational in their decision-making, meaning they will make choices that maximize their own self-interests. This assumption forms the foundation of many economic and political models.

Question 5

Political scientists are limited in their use of the comparative method by:
A)the difficulty in controlling variables and a limited number of cases.
B)the large number of comparable cases and the difficulties in choosing between them.
C)university restrictions on carrying out field research.
D)their general reluctance to look at historical factors.
E)the decline of scholars interested in studying outside of their home country.

Accepted Answer

Political scientists face difficulties in controlling variables and have a limited number of cases to study while using the comparative method. This limits their ability to generalize their findings and draw meaningful conclusions.

Question 6

A true comparative approach to politics only emerges with the work of:
A)Machiavelli.
B)Hobbes.
C)Rousseau.
D)Montesquieu.
E)Marx.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A true comparative approach to politics only...

Question 7

Which of the following would be an example of selection bias?
A)Studying female literacy to see if it is correlated with nondemocratic regimes.
B)Only studying material that is consistent with your political ideology.
C)Only using statistical methods to conduct research.
D)Studying revolution by looking at case studies of revolution only.
E)Studying revolution by looking at case studies of revolution and nonrevolution.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following would be an...

Question 8

Critics of the behavioral revolution accused it of which of the following?
A)It had come to emphasize methods over knowledge.
B)It relied too much on Marxist assumptions regarding politics.
C)It was too focused on history.
D)It had not fully embraced mathematical innovations.
E)It was not interested in developing predictive models of politics.

Accepted Answer

Critics of the behavioral revolution argued that it placed too much emphasis on quantitative methods and techniques, rather than on building a substantive base of knowledge about politics. This criticism is reflected in choice (A), which suggests that the behavioral revolution had come to emphasize methods over knowledge.

Question 9

What is inductive reasoning?
A)The means by which we go from a hypothesis to studying a number of cases.
B)The means by which we go from studying a single case to generating a hypothesis.
C)The means by which we test evidence using logic and mathematics.
D)The means by which we test evidence using extensive field research.
E)The means by which we use ideological assumptions to create policy.

Accepted Answer

Inductive reasoning is the process of going from specific observations or data to a general hypothesis or theory. It involves studying a single case or set of cases and then using that information to generate a hypothesis or theory that can be tested further.

Question 10

One big rift within the study of comparative politics is:
A)quantitative versus didactic research.
B)epistemology versus ontology.
C)religious versus secular research.
D)quantitative versus qualitative research.
E)structural versus ideational.

Accepted Answer

The big rift within the study of comparative politics is the debate between quantitative and qualitative research approaches. Quantitative research is concerned with explainable texts, numerical data, and statistical analysis, while qualitative research is more concerned with understanding the context, meaning, and nuances in social phenomena through observation and interpretation.

Question 11

An institution can be defined as any:
A)organization or pattern of activity that is self-perpetuating and valued for its own sake.
B)large, monolithic organization that depends on a core bureaucracy and a set of standard operating procedures.
C)object or value that people support through public funds.
D)organization or action that is subject to government regulation.
E)spontaneous movement that is unable to sustain itself.

Accepted Answer

Option A defines an institution as a self-perpetuating organization or pattern of activity valued for its own sake, which is a more comprehensive and accurate definition of an institution compared to the other options. The other options either focus on specific characteristics or do not fully capture the essence of an institution.

Question 12

The move toward a more scientific approach to political science and comparative politics began:
A)with the Renaissance.
B)at the start of the nineteenth century, alongside the Industrial Revolution.
C)following World War II.
D)following the Cold War.
E)around the time of the U.S.Civil War.

Accepted Answer

The move toward a more scientific approach in political science and comparative politics began following World War II, with the development of behavioralism and the emphasis on empirical research and methodology.

Question 13

Politics is defined in our text as the:
A)ability to impose your values on others.
B)struggle in any group for the power to make decisions for the larger group.
C)battle over economic resources and their use.
D)result of conflict between cultures.
E)relationship between international actors.

Accepted Answer

The definition of politics provided in our text is "the struggle in any group for the power to make decisions for the larger group." This definition centers around the idea of power and decision-making within a group, which aligns with option B. The other options do not fully capture the definition of politics as presented in the text.

Question 14

Early approaches to comparative politics were eventually shaken by all of the following EXCEPT:
A)World War I.
B)the rise of fascism.
C)World War II.
D)the rise of the Cold War.
E)the Great Depression.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Early approaches to comparative politics were eventually...

Question 15

The collapse of communism is important for comparative politics because:
A)scholars did not anticipate it, and it called their work to date into question.
B)many scholars using qualitative methods predicted it, while those using quantitative methods did not.
C)many scholars using quantitative methods predicted it, while those using qualitative methods did not.
D)the absence of communism as a point of comparison weakened the field.
E)it finally put an end to the use of Marxist ideas in the study of comparative politics.

Accepted Answer

The collapse of communism caught many scholars off guard, as they did not anticipate it, and called into question the existing theories and approaches in the field of comparative politics.

Question 16

The earliest political thinker who practiced a form of comparative analysis was:
A)Plato.
B)Machiavelli.
C)Thucydides.
D)Aristotle.
E)Marx.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The earliest political thinker who practiced a...

Question 17

The shift in political science toward seeking causality and using quantitative methods is known as the:
A)mathematical revolution.
B)behavioral revolution.
C)statistical turn.
D)analytical revolt.
E)causal transformation.

Accepted Answer

The shift toward seeking causality and using quantitative methods in political science is known as the "behavioral revolution." This movement began in the 1950s and emphasized the use of scientific methods to understand political behavior and institutions. The other answer choices (A, C, D, and E) are not commonly used phrases in political science to describe this shift.

Question 18

A great criticism of comparative politics in the early twentieth century was that it:
A)focused too strongly on religious explanations.
B)was descriptive rather than explanatory.
C)was too quantitative.
D)was too focused on Asia.
E)was too focused on postrevolutionary states.

Accepted Answer

Comparative politics in the early twentieth century was criticized for being too descriptive and lacking in explanatory depth. It was accused of simply providing a catalog of institutional features without truly analyzing their underlying causes and implications. This led to calls for more theory-driven and analytical approaches to the field, which became increasingly prominent in subsequent decades.

Question 19

Modernization theory can be defined as the view that:
A)few countries will ever modernize and embrace democracy.
B)as societies develop, they will become capitalist democracies.
C)each country and region will modernize in a different way, each with a different result.
D)significant change is possible only through revolution.
E)the only way to modernize is to apply scientific methods to policy problems.

Accepted Answer

Modernization theory suggests that as societies develop, they will become capitalist democracies. It assumes that economic development leads to social and political progress, and that modernization is a necessary step towards democracy.

Question 20

One of the problems in case study research can be in the cases that we use, or what is known as:
A)selection bias.
B)inference liability.
C)choice limiting.
D)norm bounding.
E)area studies.

Accepted Answer

Selection bias refers to the possibility that the cases selected for the study may not be representative of the population or phenomenon of interest, potentially leading to inaccurate or biased conclusions. This is a common problem in case study research, particularly if the sample is not randomly or systematically selected. Therefore, it is important to carefully consider and justify the selection of cases used in the study.

Quiz 1: Introduction

Endogeneity refers to:

Recent discussions of the future of comparative politics and political science have called for:

What is deductive reasoning?

Approaches like game theory rest on the assumption that humans are:

Political scientists are limited in their use of the comparative method by:

A true comparative approach to politics only emerges with the work of:

Which of the following would be an example of selection bias?

Critics of the behavioral revolution accused it of which of the following?

What is inductive reasoning?

One big rift within the study of comparative politics is:

An institution can be defined as any:

The move toward a more scientific approach to political science and comparative politics began:

Politics is defined in our text as the:

Early approaches to comparative politics were eventually shaken by all of the following EXCEPT:

The collapse of communism is important for comparative politics because:

The earliest political thinker who practiced a form of comparative analysis was:

The shift in political science toward seeking causality and using quantitative methods is known as the:

A great criticism of comparative politics in the early twentieth century was that it:

Modernization theory can be defined as the view that:

One of the problems in case study research can be in the cases that we use, or what is known as: