Political Analysis Exam Preparation Guide
Course Introduction
Political Analysis is a foundational course that introduces students to the methods and approaches used to critically examine political phenomena. The course covers key concepts, theoretical frameworks, and empirical techniques employed in the study of political behavior, institutions, and policies. Students will learn to formulate research questions, design comparative and case-study analyses, interpret quantitative and qualitative data, and assess the validity of political arguments. Emphasizing both theory and application, the course prepares students to engage rigorously with contemporary political issues and develop analytical skills essential for advanced study and policy work.
Recommended Textbook
Essentials of Comparative Politics Fifth Edition by
Available Study Resources on Quizplus
11 Chapters
385 Verified Questions
385 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/study-set/2403
Patrick H. ONeil
Page 2
Chapter 1: Introduction
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
35 Verified Questions
35 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/47788
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following statements about game theory is accurate?
A)It assumes rational, predictable behavior by individual human beings.
B)It is most closely associated with qualitative methods of research.
C)Its primary political actor of focus is the institution.
D)It considers cultural factors to be a major determinant of human political choices.
E)It demonstrates a bias against western political thought.
Answer: A
Q2) Which of the following forms of research or data would more likely be used by a quantitative research study than by a qualitative research study?
A)economic data
B)interview data
C)observational research
D)archival data
E)documentary research
Answer: A
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 3
Chapter 2: States
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
35 Verified Questions
35 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/47789
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following can be said about the relationships among states, regimes, and governments?
A)The regime consists of either leaders elected by democratic means or leaders who took control by force.
B)States are more institutionalized than governments.
C)Governments are more institutionalized than regimes.
D)Governments tend to be longer-lived than regimes.
E)The state can be considered the machinery that operates the regime.
Answer: B
Q2) Recent research suggests that the rise of political organizations came about in large part because:
A)of the rise of monotheistic religions.
B)pre-state societies were extremely violent.
C)of writing as an innovation.
D)of the expansion of slavery.
E)of climate change.
Answer: B
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 4
Chapter 3: Nations and Society
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
35 Verified Questions
35 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/47790
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following statements about citizenship, national identity, and patriotism is accurate?
A)High degrees of national identity necessarily spark high degrees of patriotism.
B)Citizenship is likely to be more flexible than ethnic identity.
C)Patriotism typically gives rise to more inclusive citizenship.
D)Citizenship is much less variable than national or ethnic identity.
E)Citizenship is rigid in scope and power, unlike ethnic or national identity.
Answer: B
Q2) Political culture can be defined as:
A)the views of a society toward the role of culture and its place in politics.
B)temporary political values held during times of sudden change.
C)a society's norms for political activity.
D)how politicians conduct their campaigns.
E)the level of political modernization in a country.
Answer: C
Q3) What are the most important political aspirations related to national identity? What major factors can contribute to the formation of a national identity?
Answer: Answer :Answers will vary.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 5
Chapter 4: Political Economy
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
35 Verified Questions
35 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/47791
Sample Questions
Q1) Public goods are best defined as:
A)goods, provided or secured by the state, that are available for society and indivisible.
B)goods, provided or secured by the state, that only members of the state and government may use.
C)any goods that exist beyond the sovereignty of a state's borders.
D)any goods that exist solely within the sovereignty of a state's borders.
E)the welfare state.
Q2) Which of the following statements about the state of world liberalization in the twenty-first century is accurate?
A)Communism is resurgent in many of the poorest countries in the world.
B)Most industrial democracies have moved decisively away from the social democratic model.
C)Political forces that oppose liberal trade policies have grown in Europe.
D)The global economic downturn has emboldened proponents of trade liberalization.
E)The large-scale evaporation of social expenditures has weakened the social democratic model considerably.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 6
Chapter 5: Democratic Regimes
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
35 Verified Questions
35 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/47792
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following was an effect of the rapid development of many Asian countries in the 1970s on the study of democracy?
A)It helped to discredit elite theory.
B)It helped to discredit modernization theory.
C)It demonstrated that elites were the driving force behind early democratization.
D)It proved that a middle class was essential for democratization.
E)It demonstrated that overall poverty is not an impediment to democratization.
Q2) The executive who symbolizes and represents the people is the:
A)head of state.
B)head of government.
C)ceremonial head.
D)chief executive.
E)head of authority.
Q3) The idea of legal institutions to which everyone is subject is known as:
A)the reign of democracy.
B)the rule of law.
C)the authority of the governed.
D)majority rule.
E)authority of power.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 7
Chapter 6: Nondemocratic Regimes
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
35 Verified Questions
35 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/47793
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is among the characteristics that have led some to consider Russia to be a bureaucratic authoritarian regime?
A)Opposition to technological modernization comes primarily from the military regime.
B)Union leaders have found themselves endowed with high levels of authority, bolstered by the government.
C)The head of government and top rulers came into their positions from the military or security services.
D)Military and industry in the country find themselves on opposite ends of the political spectrum.
E)The Russian government has rejected the tools of clientelism and instead adopted populist rhetoric.
Q2) Describe the intersection of both modernization theory and "elites" with nondemocratic rule.How might the influence of elites contribute to the longevity of nondemocratic regimes?
Q3) What might explain why the popularity of nondemocratic rule has waned in recent decades? What could reverse this course? Why do illiberal regimes have such staying power?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
8
Chapter 7: Political Violence
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
35 Verified Questions
35 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/47794
Sample Questions
Q1) In terms of achieving their stated long-term outcomes, terrorists:
A)are usually successful.
B)are usually unsuccessful.
C)have shown more strategic than tactical success.
D)usually abandon their primary goals early into the process of committing violence.
E)are typically more successful in rich countries than in poor ones.
Q2) It has been argued that the 1979 Iranian Revolution and the 2011 Egyptian Revolution are examples of which model of revolution?
A)incipient mobilization model
B)religious-social model
C)relative deprivation model
D)imperial trigger model
E)Islamist rebellion model
Q3) States most often engage in state-sponsored terrorism as a means of:
A)encouraging domestic social unrest.
B)engaging in cosmic war.
C)influencing foreign policy.
D)attacking their own people by proxy.
E)silencing political dissent.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 9
Chapter 8: Developed Democracies
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
35 Verified Questions
35 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/47795
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following best characterizes the role of freedom across developed democracies?
A)Developed democracies typically have some restrictions on civil rights but have very expansive civil liberties.
B)There are significant differences in the level of civil rights, but they correlate strongly with the strength of the judiciary.
C)There are significant differences in the definitions and applications of civil rights and liberties.
D)The degree of civil liberties rises with the level of public participation in government.
E)Developed democracies have moved past distinctions between civil rights and liberties.
Q2) An economy based primarily on the service sector is known as:
A)postindustrial.
B)postcapitalist.
C)socialist.
D)precapitalist.
E)mercantilist.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 10
Chapter 9: Communism and Postcommunism
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
35 Verified Questions
35 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/47796
Sample
Questions
Q1) How were gender relations, ethnic identities, and civil society handled under communist regimes? Were ethnic identities reduced or sharpened, and why?
Q2) Gorbachev's perestroika was concerned with:
A)institutional economic and political reforms.
B)military disarmament.
C)devolution and federalism.
D)encouraging public debate.
E)religious freedom.
Q3) How did Marxist theory change the lives of women in most communist countries?
A)Abortion and divorce laws were made more conservative, reducing women's access to both.
B)Women were given greatly expanding workforce and educational opportunities.
C)Many women rose to positions of significant political and economic power.
D)Gender relations changed dramatically in most arenas.
E)Traditional patterns of sexism largely faded and most women were able to let go of their traditional roles inside the home.
Q4) Why was communism unable to provide the benefits that it promised in theory? Are there inherent flaws in communist theory, or did those in power misapply its principles?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 11
Chapter 10: Developing Countries
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
35 Verified Questions
35 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/47797
Sample Questions
Q1) South Korea is among the Asian countries that pursued an export-oriented strategy known as:
A)import substitution.
B)the product life cycle.
C)technological descent.
D)product peripheralism.
E)the industrial curve.
Q2) Countries that are experiencing weak economic and political development are known as ________ countries.
A)newly developing
B)newly industrializing
C)lower income
D)peripheral
E)trajectory
Q3) Why have less-developed countries had such difficulty in building effective states? What particular roles do ethnic and national identities contribute to this difficulty?
Q4) Describe the debate, pro and con, over the use of microfinance in lower income countries.Why might it lead to the middle income trap, and do the risks outweigh the benefits?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 12
Chapter 11: Globalization and the Future of Comparative
Politics
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
35 Verified Questions
35 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/47798
Sample Questions
Q1) What role might globalization play in the creation of a "global civil society"? Describe the counterargument that globalization will take the opposite track and reduce social progress.
Q2) Will globalization overwhelm state sovereignty in the long run? Would this be a positive or negative development for the citizens in those states?
Q3) Which of the followings statements about the extent of globalization is accurate?
A)Global foreign direct investment reached roughly $200 billion in 2013.
B)In 2013, nearly a quarter of a billion people moved across international borders.
C)General Electric's total profits in 2013 were approximately the same as Great Britain's GDP at purchasing power parity.
D)China owns about 40 percent of the total foreign loans made to the U.S.state to cover its debts.
E)The number of MNCs actually shrank between 2003 and 2013 due to consolidation.
Q4) Is globalization unstoppable? What evidence suggests that it could (or could not) be reversed?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 13