Pols 102 Chapter 1

True or False. Political scientists most often study politics in an analytical way, as opposed to focusing on their own opinions or preferences.

True

Political scientists tend to

study patterns in politics

Political scientists might study the COVID-19 pandemic by

questioning why various states pursued different approaches to vaccine mandates

What is the difference between politics and political science?

Politics deals with the authority to distribute resources and political science studies resource distribution policies.

The idea behind behavioralism was that all human actions could be

studied in an objective, scientific way

Political science education was expanded in the 19th century as universities transitioned from studying mostly classics and religion to

specialized fields of study

True or False. Machiavelli wrote The Prince to promote ideas like peace, morality, and compassion in politics.

False

Which of the following areas has seen the most growth in terms of political theorists exploring new topics, ideas, or theories?

the role of historically marginalized groups

Plato shows a disapproval for democracy in The Republic because he felt that ______.

it could lead to a tyranny of the majority

The most crucial aspect of any science is its ______.

application of the scientific method

True or False. A limitation of political science is that it is often difficult to make accurate predictions.

True

A limiting factor in considering political science to be a true science is the fact that ______.

human behavior is always subject to change

Political scientists understand historical contingency to mean ______.

findings are dependent upon historical circumstances

True or False. Political scientists feel generally at ease making sweeping long-term predictions.

False

Liberalism and conservatism are both ______.

examples of ideologies

True or False. Representation is designed to reflect the wishes and desires of people in leadership positions within the government.

False

Which statement is true of political culture?

Political culture is the dominant set of ideas, norms, and beliefs of a group of people.

True or False. Power can be thought of as getting someone to do something that they otherwise would not do.

True

Civil liberties encompass certain guarantees of protection from abuses by ______.

the government

Some states are ruled by a relatively small group of a few powerful people, known as a(n) ______.

oligarchy

Which scenario would be an example of a direct democracy?

a state in which every citizen gets to voice their opinion on policy

As Europe moved out of the medieval period, ______ came to the forefront as a political issue.

religion and its role in government

Which question captures the nature of politics?

Who gets what, when, and how?

The scientific method is based upon ______.

observation

Which of the following might be considered a nation?

a group of people that has a common background regarding who they are

The nature of contemporary political violence in the United States can be understood best through which of the following?

January 6th

Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle are responsible for ______.

establishing the roots of the discipline of political science

True or False. There are few things that political scientists can predict with any degree of certainty.

True

True or False. Human Rights are universal and respected by all countries that signed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

False

True or False. The past 50 years or so have seen a revival of the study of political theory.

True

Political scientists move beyond media rhetoric by looking at the ______.

factors that go into the creation of policy

It is exceedingly difficult for political scientists to make predictions due to ______.

historical contingency

Representation can occur even when the people ______.

are not physically present to shape policies

True or False. Thomas Hobbes and John Locke both discussed politics from the starting point of human beings in the state of nature.

True

Political science tends to be much less ______ than politics.

turbulent and contentious