Test Bank for
Understanding the Political World 13th Edition A Comparative Introduction to Political
Science by James Danziger; Lindsey Lupo
Chapter 1-15
CHAPTER 1
POLITICS AND KNOWLEDGE
MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS
1. Attempts to describe and explain the political world are known as ____________.
A) conventional wisdom
B) political analysis
C) public opinion polling
D) political philosophy
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.3: Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different sources of political
knowledge.
Topic: Science
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
2. Among the many crucial themes related to politics, a central idea of politics includes the
existence of _________.
A) competing interests and values
B) alliances in society
C) economic change
D) universal logic
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.1: Define politics within a public context.
Topic: Toward a Definition of Politics
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
3. Which of the following is LEAST likely to be a source of normative political
knowledge?
A) the United States Constitution
B) the Gallup Poll
C) the writings of Karl Marx
D) the platform of the German Green Party
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.2: Analyze three types of political knowledge.
Topic: Prescription
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
1
Copyright © 2020, 2016, 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
,4. Which of the following is one of the four characteristics of the scientific method?
A) searching for regularities
B) the use of common sense
C) relying on commonly held beliefs
D) consultation of government authorities for approval
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.3: Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different sources of political
knowledge.
Topic: Science
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
5. Science moves away from _________ evidence and toward _________.
A) anecdotal; normative propositions
B) empirical; searching for regularities
C) empirical; testable hypotheses
D) anecdotal; rigorous research
Answer: D
Learning Objective: 1.3: Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different sources of political
knowledge.
Topic: Science
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
6. Anecdotal evidence typically involves ___________.
A) telling a story to prove a point
B) finding empirical regularities
C) hypothesis testing
D) rigorous research
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.3: Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different sources of political
knowledge.
Topic: Science
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
7. According to Thomas Kuhn, a necessary element of a ―real‖ science includes ________.
A) values
B) predictions
C) theories
D) assumptions
Answer: C
Learning Objective: 1.4: Identify techniques and approaches used to gain political knowledge
and assess whether they constitute a science.
Topic: Political Science and Political Knowledge
2
Copyright © 2020, 2016, 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
,Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
8. Knowledge about politics based on authority may include a specific authority, a general
authority, or _________.
A) a foreign authority
B) a power vacuum
C) personal sources
D) ―everyone‖
Answer: D
Learning Objective: 1.3: Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different sources of political
knowledge.
Topic: Authority
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
9. Prescriptive positions that people select on political issues are associated with their
_________.
A) national identities
B) normative political knowledge
C) empirical political knowledge
D) anecdotal evidence
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.2: Analyze three types of political knowledge.
Topic: Prescription
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
10. The notion that key aspects of political knowledge are self-evident is most associated with
the _________.
A) scientific method
B) method of rationality
C) intuition method
D) method of experience
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.3: Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different sources of political
knowledge.
Topic: Personal Thought
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
11. Donald Trump’s 2016 slogan ―Make American Great Again‖ can be associated with which of
the following sources of political knowledge?
A) authority
B) personal thought
C) science
3
Copyright © 2020, 2016, 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
, D) anecdotal evidence
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.4: Identify techniques and approaches used to gain political knowledge
and assess whether they constitute a science.
Topic: Personal Thought
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
12. Which of the following is seldom an obstacle to the application of the scientific
method to politics?
A) Not enough data points are available to serve as a basis for generalizations.
B) The evidence is so ambiguous that no clear conclusions can be reached.
C) The analyst cannot be objective because of the influence of his or her
social reality.
D) It is impossible for others to evaluate the data and conclusions.
Answer: D
Learning Objective: 1.3: Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different sources of political
knowledge.
Topic: Science
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
13. According to Thomas Kuhn, a theory is described as _________.
A) one scholar’s idea about how politics works
B) a set of systematically linked generalizations
C) the set of concepts that most people accept as true
D) the most widely shared view about how a particular political process works
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.4: Identify techniques and approaches used to gain political knowledge
and assess whether they constitute a science.
Topic: Political Science and Political Knowledge
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
14. If something ―feels‖ right to you, it is most likely what type of personal thought?
A) intuition
B) rationality
C) personal experience
D) personal preference
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.3: Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different sources of political
knowledge.
Topic: Personal Thought
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the concepts
4
Copyright © 2020, 2016, 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Understanding the Political World 13th Edition A Comparative Introduction to Political
Science by James Danziger; Lindsey Lupo
Chapter 1-15
CHAPTER 1
POLITICS AND KNOWLEDGE
MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS
1. Attempts to describe and explain the political world are known as ____________.
A) conventional wisdom
B) political analysis
C) public opinion polling
D) political philosophy
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.3: Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different sources of political
knowledge.
Topic: Science
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
2. Among the many crucial themes related to politics, a central idea of politics includes the
existence of _________.
A) competing interests and values
B) alliances in society
C) economic change
D) universal logic
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.1: Define politics within a public context.
Topic: Toward a Definition of Politics
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
3. Which of the following is LEAST likely to be a source of normative political
knowledge?
A) the United States Constitution
B) the Gallup Poll
C) the writings of Karl Marx
D) the platform of the German Green Party
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.2: Analyze three types of political knowledge.
Topic: Prescription
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
1
Copyright © 2020, 2016, 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
,4. Which of the following is one of the four characteristics of the scientific method?
A) searching for regularities
B) the use of common sense
C) relying on commonly held beliefs
D) consultation of government authorities for approval
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.3: Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different sources of political
knowledge.
Topic: Science
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
5. Science moves away from _________ evidence and toward _________.
A) anecdotal; normative propositions
B) empirical; searching for regularities
C) empirical; testable hypotheses
D) anecdotal; rigorous research
Answer: D
Learning Objective: 1.3: Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different sources of political
knowledge.
Topic: Science
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
6. Anecdotal evidence typically involves ___________.
A) telling a story to prove a point
B) finding empirical regularities
C) hypothesis testing
D) rigorous research
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.3: Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different sources of political
knowledge.
Topic: Science
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
7. According to Thomas Kuhn, a necessary element of a ―real‖ science includes ________.
A) values
B) predictions
C) theories
D) assumptions
Answer: C
Learning Objective: 1.4: Identify techniques and approaches used to gain political knowledge
and assess whether they constitute a science.
Topic: Political Science and Political Knowledge
2
Copyright © 2020, 2016, 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
,Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
8. Knowledge about politics based on authority may include a specific authority, a general
authority, or _________.
A) a foreign authority
B) a power vacuum
C) personal sources
D) ―everyone‖
Answer: D
Learning Objective: 1.3: Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different sources of political
knowledge.
Topic: Authority
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
9. Prescriptive positions that people select on political issues are associated with their
_________.
A) national identities
B) normative political knowledge
C) empirical political knowledge
D) anecdotal evidence
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.2: Analyze three types of political knowledge.
Topic: Prescription
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
10. The notion that key aspects of political knowledge are self-evident is most associated with
the _________.
A) scientific method
B) method of rationality
C) intuition method
D) method of experience
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.3: Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different sources of political
knowledge.
Topic: Personal Thought
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
11. Donald Trump’s 2016 slogan ―Make American Great Again‖ can be associated with which of
the following sources of political knowledge?
A) authority
B) personal thought
C) science
3
Copyright © 2020, 2016, 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
, D) anecdotal evidence
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.4: Identify techniques and approaches used to gain political knowledge
and assess whether they constitute a science.
Topic: Personal Thought
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
12. Which of the following is seldom an obstacle to the application of the scientific
method to politics?
A) Not enough data points are available to serve as a basis for generalizations.
B) The evidence is so ambiguous that no clear conclusions can be reached.
C) The analyst cannot be objective because of the influence of his or her
social reality.
D) It is impossible for others to evaluate the data and conclusions.
Answer: D
Learning Objective: 1.3: Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different sources of political
knowledge.
Topic: Science
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
13. According to Thomas Kuhn, a theory is described as _________.
A) one scholar’s idea about how politics works
B) a set of systematically linked generalizations
C) the set of concepts that most people accept as true
D) the most widely shared view about how a particular political process works
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.4: Identify techniques and approaches used to gain political knowledge
and assess whether they constitute a science.
Topic: Political Science and Political Knowledge
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
14. If something ―feels‖ right to you, it is most likely what type of personal thought?
A) intuition
B) rationality
C) personal experience
D) personal preference
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.3: Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different sources of political
knowledge.
Topic: Personal Thought
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the concepts
4
Copyright © 2020, 2016, 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
