Political Science Research Methods
Textbook Exam Questions
Course Introduction
Political Science Research Methods introduces students to the foundational principles and techniques used in the systematic study of political phenomena. The course covers both qualitative and quantitative approaches, emphasizing the formulation of research questions, hypothesis development, research design, data collection, and data analysis. Students learn how to critically evaluate scholarly literature, construct surveys and experiments, conduct interviews and case studies, and apply statistical tools to interpret political data. By the end of the course, students gain practical skills in conducting their own research projects and a deeper understanding of ethical considerations in political science research.
Recommended Textbook
Cases in Comparative Politics Fifth Edition by
Patrick H. ONeil
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14 Chapters
420 Verified Questions
420 Flashcards
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Introduction
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Sample Questions
Q1) Karen has a business that has grown over the years from a small one to a large, very profitable one. She has amassed a high degree of wealth in a society where most of her fellow citizens are extremely poor-to the point of common homelessness. Additionally, the state she lives under has eliminated all citizen access to government and regularly violates all measures of civil rights and freedoms in the name of securing and building up the state. Karen agrees with both her economic situation and the role that the state plays in the life of her country. How is Karen's ideology best characterized?
A)liberalism
B)anarchism
C)social democracy
D)fascism
E)fundamentalism
Answer: D
Q2) What are the major differences seen among parliamentary, presidential, and semi-presidential systems? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each model?
Answer: Answers will vary.
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Page 3
Chapter 2: United Kingdom
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Q1) In which of the following ways has the British welfare state changed in recent decades?
A)It has sought more of its funding from personal income taxes instead of corporate taxes.
B)It has reduced reliance on the national health system and has begun to privatize health care.
C)It has moved away from direct benefits and toward "welfare-to-work" programs.
D)It has taken on a more Labour-centric structure and moved away from Conservative preferences for welfare.
E)It has increased in size while providing a narrower range of benefits to citizens.
Answer: C
Q2) What does it mean for the United Kingdom's political regime to be majoritarian? What about the structural relationship among the legislature, judiciary, and executive encourages majoritarianism, and what effect has it had on electoral politics in the United Kingdom?
Answer: Answers will vary.
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4
Chapter 3: United States
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following statements about the electoral college is accurate?
A)Only twice in U.S. history has the requirement of winning a plurality of the electoral college vote in a presidential election not been met.
B)The electoral college system was designed to prevent any single party from dominating the presidency for long periods of time.
C)The structure of electoral college voting and results can sometimes require the intervention of the House of Representatives.
D)The electoral college is used to select the president, vice president, and members of the Senate.
E)All but ten states use a winner-take-all formula for allocating their electoral college votes.
Answer: C
Q2) What is the state of America's participatory civil society? How does it relate to the level of populist sentiment in the United States?
Answer: Answers will vary.
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Chapter 4: France
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Sample Questions
Q1) How does France's current welfare state differ from those of its social-democratic peers in Europe?
A)Its broad scope has proved less popular domestically than those of its peers.
B)It is, on average, less well funded than those of its peers.
C)It has not undergone pension reforms or seen a reduction of welfare bureaucracy.
D)It is less rigid, with fewer legal protections for employed workers.
E)Most of its benefits go to the poorest French, while those of its peers mostly fund the middle class.
Q2) Which of the following statements about France's Constitutional Council is accurate?
A)Most appeals to the council come from legislators.
B)It has been less active in the Fifth Republic than in the Fourth Republic.
C)Members of the Constitutional Council receive lifetime appointments.
D)Former legislators and presidents are barred from serving on the council.
E)In addition to constitutional matters, the council serves as a court of last appeal for cases from lower courts.
Q3) How has France handled the issue of assimilation versus multiculturalism in recent decades? Is laïcité the right policy? Why or why not?
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Page 6
Chapter 5: Germany
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Weimar Republic:
A)is the name of Germany's current regime.
B)sponsored German reunification in the 1990s.
C)fostered German industrialization in the 1890s.
D)replaced Nazi rule in the 1950s.
E)collapsed in the face of rising Nazism in the 1930s.
Q2) The Holy Roman Empire was divided and weakened by:
A)the Vatican.
B)the Protestant Reformation and Thirty Years' War.
C)the French Revolution.
D)World War I.
E)World War II.
Q3) Why did the Weimar Republic fail? Were internal or external factors more significant?
Q4) Which of the following statements about East Germany is accurate?
A)It was a (forced) Communist ally of the USSR.
B)It became a closely managed ally of the United States.
C)It was a founding member of the European Union.
D)It became a cornerstone of the NATO alliance.
E)It was far more affluent than West Germany.
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Chapter 6: Japan
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Q1) Discuss the consequences of Japan's historical division of labor between political rulers (shogun, Meiji oligarchs, MacArthur, bureaucrats) and those who reign (emperor, parliament) for the autonomy and capacity of the Japanese state.
Q2) Describe Japan's industrial policy. How did government guidance and support lead to booming decades of growth, and what were the structural problems that became apparent in the 1990s?
Q3) Which of the following best describes the components of the Yoshida Doctrine?
A)focus on domestic economic recovery and reliance on American military protection
B)development of a strong Japanese military and expansion of foreign trade
C)replacement of state corporatism with more liberal economic policies
D)abandonment of agricultural and corporate subsidies
E)a turning away from foreign interventions and a focus on domestic political development
Q4) Why did Japan's "one-and-a-half" party system provide for such a stable government for so long? Why did that stability fracture in 2007?
Q5) Why is Japan's bureaucracy so powerful, and what prevents its reform? Should Japan take radical measures to eliminate its powerful iron triangle?
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Page 8
Chapter 7: Russia
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Sample Questions
Q1) After Stalin's death in 1953, Soviet leadership made which of the following changes?
A)The nomenklatura lost their authority over the daily life of citizens.
B)Economic control was taken away from the central planning bureaucracy.
C)Use of centralized power was reduced.
D)Power was taken away from the Politburo.
E)The Duma was established to share legislative powers.
Q2) In which of the following ways does Russia's Federation Council differ from the Duma?
A)It is capable of overriding a presidential veto, unlike the Duma.
B)It has more responsibility for protecting the letter of the constitution.
C)It produces legislation specifically for taxation and budgetary issues, but other legislative areas belong to the Duma.
D)It has control over appointment and approval of the prime minister, which the Duma lacks.
E)It lacks the power of approval over declarations of war and international treaties, which the Duma possesses.
Q3) Why has "true" democracy failed to take root in Russia since the collapse of communism? What factors do you think are most important?
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Page 9
Chapter 8: China
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Q1) Which of the following statements about the provinces of Xinjiang and Tibet is accurate?
A)The Chinese government has made major investments in transport and communication infrastructure improvement in these regions.
B)Chinese leaders have periodically engaged in negotiations for independence in these provinces but have never granted it, even for provisional periods.
C)Persistently harsh repression has been largely successful in quelling ethnic protest in the regions.
D)The Uighur minority in Tibet has been the most willing to use violence in seeking Tibetan independence.
E)What little independence is to be had in these regions stems in large part from the Chinese government's continued disinterest in their strategic value or natural resources.
Q2) Discuss the relationship between the Chinese state and the Chinese Communist Party. Can they be separated and assessed as separate institutions? Will it be possible for the state to continue without the CCP?
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10
Chapter 9: India
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Sample Questions
Q1) Explain the rise of Hindu fundamentalism in India. What effect has it had on ethnic relations within states and on diplomatic relations with Pakistan?
Q2) Hindutva is championed primarily by the:
A)Indian National Congress.
B)Bharatiya Janata Party.
C)Communist Party of India.
D)Samajawadi Party.
E)Left Front.
Q3) Which of the following statements about India's House of the People is accurate?
A)It has rejected most of the rituals and institutions of its colonial model.
B)Most of its members are elected to fixed six-year terms.
C)Each representative in the chamber serves roughly 2 million people.
D)It represents India's 29 states and 7 territories.
E)It is the weaker of the two legislative houses.
Q4) Sikhism shares the beliefs of:
A)Hinduism and Buddhism.
B)Hinduism and Islam.
C)Islam and Buddhism.
D)Islam and Jainism.
E)Christianity and Islam.
Page 11
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Chapter 10: Iran
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Sample Questions
Q1) Executive power in Iran lies primarily with:
A)the supreme leader and Majlis.
B)the president's Assembly of Experts.
C)the supreme leader and president.
D)the president and the Guardian Council.
E)the Basij.
Q2) Why did the Second Khordad Front ultimately fail to bring about major reforms?
A)It couldn't win a majority in the Majlis and couldn't form a coalition.
B)It had the support of the Expediency Council but not the Guardian Council.
C)It only controlled the Majlis and the presidency, both of which were relatively weak institutions.
D)The Revolutionary Guard instituted a terror campaign to threaten reformist politicians.
E)The prime minister ultimately opposed the party's goals.
Q3) Which of the following best describes Iran's population?
A)relatively young and ethnically diverse
B)relatively old and ethnically homogeneous
C)relatively young and ethnically homogeneous
D)religiously diverse
E)rapidly declining in total numbers
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Page 12
Chapter 11: Mexico
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following statements about the PRI's economic policies for most of its reign is accurate?
A)Liberal-minded PRI presidents sought greater and greater economic independence from the United States.
B)Nationalist PRI presidents tended to favor economic growth over redistribution.
C)The PRI maintained a state role in the economy that approached socialist levels of intervention.
D)It raised tariffs on agricultural imports but lowered them on manufactured goods.
E)It maintained relatively low labor costs that benefitted Mexican entrepreneurs.
Q2) In which of the following ways does the Mexican Senate differ from the Chamber of Deputies?
A)The Senate has a committee system.
B)The Senate can levy taxes.
C)Senate members are unable to serve consecutive terms.
D)The Senate has the power to approve treaties.
E)The PRI was never able to fully control the Senate.
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13
Chapter 12: Brazil
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Sample Questions
Q1) Brazil's independence:
A)was achieved after a bloody war.
B)occurred due to widespread dissatisfaction with Portugal.
C)was achieved without bloodshed.
D)abolished the monarchy.
E)lasted only two decades before Portugal reasserted control.
Q2) Describe the main features of bureaucratic authoritarianism under military rule in Brazil. What legacy of that rule still affects Brazil today?
Q3) Slavery ended in Brazil:
A)after a civil war similar to that of the United States.
B)only in the early twentieth century.
C)because of a slave rebellion against whites.
D)only after the United States cut off aid to Brazil.
E)peacefully, by royal decree.
Q4) How has the issue of race evolved in the political discourse in Brazil? What has been the effect of affirmative action programs introduced in the 1990s?
Q5) Describe the effects of Brazil's public debt and high inflation on its economy, particularly with respect to poverty. Has democratization had a positive effect on these problems?
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Chapter 13: South Africa
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Q1) To what degree has South Africa developed a political party system and a political culture that is independent of the history of apartheid? What level of influence do the current social and economic divisions have on the current makeup of political parties?
Q2) South Africa's legislative-executive system is:
A)presidential, though the legislature is referred to as a parliament.
B)parliamentary, though a president serves as head of government.
C)semi-presidential.
D)a monarchy.
E)a traditional parliamentary model.
Q3) The Great Trek was:
A)an Afrikaner migration to the interior of South Africa to escape the British, which later gained mythical status.
B)a long march by Bantu kingdoms to escape European colonization.
C)an epic battle between Afrikaners and the English.
D)a bloody battle between Xhosa and Afrikaners.
E)the legendary Dutch voyage from Europe to Africa.
Q4) Describe the logic and workings of apartheid. How did its supporters justify white rule? How was it able to survive for so long?
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Page 15
Chapter 14: Nigeria
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Q1) In which of the following ways did Nigerian economic policy of the 1990s differ from that of the 1970s?
A)Tariff barriers meant to protect native industries were lower and there were fewer parastatal industries.
B)Tariff barriers to protect native industries were higher, but Nigeria was less dependent on oil exports.
C)Nigeria's economy was no longer highly regulated, but it remained even more dependent on oil exports.
D)There was less patrimonialism on the part of the government and much less state regulation of the economy.
E)Patrimonialism was a bigger problem, and the state intensified its policy of import substitution industrialization.
Q2) What has been the Nigerian state's strategy for dealing with the growing threat of Boko Haram? How have Boko Haram's tactics and targets changed in recent years?
Q3) Nigeria's Second Republic rejected the parliamentary system of the First Republic and adopted a presidential system much like that of the United States. What might have been the reasons for the change, and has it been successful?
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Page 16