Test Bank For
World Politics A Critical Introduction to International Relations First Edition by
Catherine Goetze
There are no right or wrong answers, really. The answers to the questions are only given as
sample answers or simply just keywords. In order to assess whether students have assimilated
the content of the book, you might want to look out for these keywords or concepts, but you
should keep an ear open to the students’ stories. Quotes and page numbers refer to the
editions as used and cited in the textbook.
Chapter Question Question Keywords to look out for in answers
number
1 1 What kind of world is Eurocentrism; state-centrism; US-
not written about centrism; ‘male, pale and stale’; where
commonly when are the women?; queer; global South;
international relations how does the international impact the
is written with upper everyday?; hierarchies, inequalities;
case ‘I’ and ‘R’? indivisibilities
1 2 In children’s stories Stories of white colonial settlements
like ‘Snugglepot and omitting indigenous people matters
Cuddlepie’, ‘Little because not only the omission but also
House on the Prairie’ the inversion of the history of
or ‘The Flintstones’, colonialism, dispossession and
what parts of the violence that constructed the
stories are not told, international as we know it today.
and why does it
matter?
1 3 When we say that Social construction is not fiction or
international relations fantasy; it is the notion of social facts;
are socially social construction refers to the
constructed, do we meaning we give to things; nuclear
mean that nuclear weapons are not a threat but are threat
weapons are not a but reflective of relationship (e.g.
, real threat? USA-GB vs USA-Soviet Union).
1 4 If critical social From a critical perspective the notion
sciences reject most of truth does not make sense;
of the vocabulary of alternative notions would be terms like
natural science, ‘correct’, ‘appropriate’, ‘just’; holistic
especially the idea of and critical approach asks us to look at
objective knowledge, many sides; reflexivity is a means to
how do we know that self-correct.
what critical analysis
says is true?
1 5 Describe a way of Questioning terms of analysis;
applying reflexivity thinking about conditions of
in the study of possibility and contingency;
international transparency about observer’s role;
relations. positioning of the observer in society
and observation.
1 Spotlight 1 With reference to one The intro uses the plot of being a
of the book’s case migrant, queer person who just
studies, explain how watched a play; reflection on
the title of Rahul modernity and time; Uganda case
Rao’s book Out of study: in terms of queer, Uganda was
Time reflects a ‘progressive’ before colonisation when
critical epistemology. it was considered ‘backward’ by
Europeans, while current homophobia
is also seen as ‘progressive’ by
government while it is seen as
‘backward’ by queer rights
movements.
1 Spotlight 2 With reference to Knowledge not something to have but
Black Pacific’s main to share, stories, music, narratives and
focus, explain what people; case: encounters across oceans
Robbie Shilliam to reconstruct black identities.
, means by ‘cultivating
knowledge’.
1 Spotlight 3 Explain Sarah Breaking with colonial and patriarchal
Motta’s argument in politics through a radical rethinking of
Liminal Subjects that knowledge; the body itself is theorised
a woman’s body is a as a site of knowledge and epistemic
central place of resistance; knowledge that emerges
knowledge about the from the lived, bodily experience of
world. racialised women; reclaiming female
subjecthood by resisting denial, shame
and erasure.
2 1 How is the Myth of 1648; ahistorical
Eurocentrism of IR understanding of state as if it had
expressed in the always existed even though only a
claim that the state is recent political development;
the most important reproducing colonial denial of
actor of the sovereignty towards non-European
international? polities and rulers.
2 2 Name a key author of See Table 2.1.
one of the three
mainstream IR
theories and explain
how their
epistemology is
different to that of
critical analysis.
2 3 What does Robert Neutrality is not possible; there is
Cox mean when he difference between policy advising
says that ‘theory is analysis from within existing
always for something epistemological paradigms and critical
and for someone’? theory that steps back and looks at
conditions of possibility and social
, forces that shape these.
2 4 Explain why critical State is a configuration of power that
approaches reject the is historically institutionalised, thus
idea of the state as a also effect of social struggle and
universal set of violence; incorporates social
institutions and law hierarchies like gender, sex, race and
and how they class.
understand the state
instead.
2 5 With reference to Kant’s view of human evolution,
Box 2.1 on Immanuel history and an ethical community
Kant’s philosophy, based on hierarchies of ‘races’ is
explain why the implicit in his political writings but
liberal claim of not explicitly discussed thus feigning
‘value neutrality’ is neutrality.
problematic.
2 Spotlight 1 How does Robert Race relations – the starting point of
Vitalis (2015) early U.S. international relations
challenge the thought.
mainstream origin Howard School – African-American
story of International intellectuals theorising IR from the
Relations, and what perspective of the oppressed.
role does he attribute White supremacy – the dominant but
to African-American often silenced foundation of
scholars in shaping mainstream IR.
alternative Erasure – the post-WWII silencing of
foundations of the race and empire in IR scholarship.
discipline?
2 Spotlight 2 With reference to Migrants, i.e. trans-border crossers,
Cynthia Weber’s disturb ethnic nationalist
arguments about understandings of territorial, nation-
queerness, explain state borders in ways similar to queer
World Politics A Critical Introduction to International Relations First Edition by
Catherine Goetze
There are no right or wrong answers, really. The answers to the questions are only given as
sample answers or simply just keywords. In order to assess whether students have assimilated
the content of the book, you might want to look out for these keywords or concepts, but you
should keep an ear open to the students’ stories. Quotes and page numbers refer to the
editions as used and cited in the textbook.
Chapter Question Question Keywords to look out for in answers
number
1 1 What kind of world is Eurocentrism; state-centrism; US-
not written about centrism; ‘male, pale and stale’; where
commonly when are the women?; queer; global South;
international relations how does the international impact the
is written with upper everyday?; hierarchies, inequalities;
case ‘I’ and ‘R’? indivisibilities
1 2 In children’s stories Stories of white colonial settlements
like ‘Snugglepot and omitting indigenous people matters
Cuddlepie’, ‘Little because not only the omission but also
House on the Prairie’ the inversion of the history of
or ‘The Flintstones’, colonialism, dispossession and
what parts of the violence that constructed the
stories are not told, international as we know it today.
and why does it
matter?
1 3 When we say that Social construction is not fiction or
international relations fantasy; it is the notion of social facts;
are socially social construction refers to the
constructed, do we meaning we give to things; nuclear
mean that nuclear weapons are not a threat but are threat
weapons are not a but reflective of relationship (e.g.
, real threat? USA-GB vs USA-Soviet Union).
1 4 If critical social From a critical perspective the notion
sciences reject most of truth does not make sense;
of the vocabulary of alternative notions would be terms like
natural science, ‘correct’, ‘appropriate’, ‘just’; holistic
especially the idea of and critical approach asks us to look at
objective knowledge, many sides; reflexivity is a means to
how do we know that self-correct.
what critical analysis
says is true?
1 5 Describe a way of Questioning terms of analysis;
applying reflexivity thinking about conditions of
in the study of possibility and contingency;
international transparency about observer’s role;
relations. positioning of the observer in society
and observation.
1 Spotlight 1 With reference to one The intro uses the plot of being a
of the book’s case migrant, queer person who just
studies, explain how watched a play; reflection on
the title of Rahul modernity and time; Uganda case
Rao’s book Out of study: in terms of queer, Uganda was
Time reflects a ‘progressive’ before colonisation when
critical epistemology. it was considered ‘backward’ by
Europeans, while current homophobia
is also seen as ‘progressive’ by
government while it is seen as
‘backward’ by queer rights
movements.
1 Spotlight 2 With reference to Knowledge not something to have but
Black Pacific’s main to share, stories, music, narratives and
focus, explain what people; case: encounters across oceans
Robbie Shilliam to reconstruct black identities.
, means by ‘cultivating
knowledge’.
1 Spotlight 3 Explain Sarah Breaking with colonial and patriarchal
Motta’s argument in politics through a radical rethinking of
Liminal Subjects that knowledge; the body itself is theorised
a woman’s body is a as a site of knowledge and epistemic
central place of resistance; knowledge that emerges
knowledge about the from the lived, bodily experience of
world. racialised women; reclaiming female
subjecthood by resisting denial, shame
and erasure.
2 1 How is the Myth of 1648; ahistorical
Eurocentrism of IR understanding of state as if it had
expressed in the always existed even though only a
claim that the state is recent political development;
the most important reproducing colonial denial of
actor of the sovereignty towards non-European
international? polities and rulers.
2 2 Name a key author of See Table 2.1.
one of the three
mainstream IR
theories and explain
how their
epistemology is
different to that of
critical analysis.
2 3 What does Robert Neutrality is not possible; there is
Cox mean when he difference between policy advising
says that ‘theory is analysis from within existing
always for something epistemological paradigms and critical
and for someone’? theory that steps back and looks at
conditions of possibility and social
, forces that shape these.
2 4 Explain why critical State is a configuration of power that
approaches reject the is historically institutionalised, thus
idea of the state as a also effect of social struggle and
universal set of violence; incorporates social
institutions and law hierarchies like gender, sex, race and
and how they class.
understand the state
instead.
2 5 With reference to Kant’s view of human evolution,
Box 2.1 on Immanuel history and an ethical community
Kant’s philosophy, based on hierarchies of ‘races’ is
explain why the implicit in his political writings but
liberal claim of not explicitly discussed thus feigning
‘value neutrality’ is neutrality.
problematic.
2 Spotlight 1 How does Robert Race relations – the starting point of
Vitalis (2015) early U.S. international relations
challenge the thought.
mainstream origin Howard School – African-American
story of International intellectuals theorising IR from the
Relations, and what perspective of the oppressed.
role does he attribute White supremacy – the dominant but
to African-American often silenced foundation of
scholars in shaping mainstream IR.
alternative Erasure – the post-WWII silencing of
foundations of the race and empire in IR scholarship.
discipline?
2 Spotlight 2 With reference to Migrants, i.e. trans-border crossers,
Cynthia Weber’s disturb ethnic nationalist
arguments about understandings of territorial, nation-
queerness, explain state borders in ways similar to queer
