Political Science First Midterm Exam
UPDATED ACTUAL QUESTIONS AND
CORRECT ANSWERS
The ____________ problem of making political science scientifically valid as a discipline can be seen
when we consider the limited number of cases available for
political analysis. - CORRECT ANSWER Statistical
The ________ problem of making Political Science scientifically valid can
be seen when we consider the difficulty of constructing petri dishes, "ant farms" or
terraria suitable for incubating human polities. - CORRECT ANSWER practical
The __________ problem of making Political Science scientifically valid can
be seen when we consider that there is no consensus as to what human polities should be
like, politically speaking, if they were to become what they should be. - CORRECT
ANSWER ontological
The _________ problem of making Political Science scientifically valid can
be seen when we consider the difficulty of conducting any experiment, especially involving human
beings and their polities, without contaminating the result. - CORRECT
ANSWER Epistemologica
The Stag Hunt differs from the Prisoner's Dilemma game in that: - CORRECT ANSWER The
best payoff for each individual occurs when all cooperate in hunting the stag.
In the absence of remedial institutions and norms, anyone facing the logic of the Prisoner's Dilemma
has an incentive to: - CORRECT ANSWER Defect without regard to the other player's actions.
Two suspects are arrested for allegedly committing a bank robbery. The police tell them
that if one confesses, the confessor will be set free and the other will take the fall for the
crime. In this scenario, the suspects are confronted with: - CORRECT ANSWER The prisoner's
dilemma.
, People working together to achieve a collective good without which they would all be worse
off both individually and collectively exemplifies a version of: - CORRECT ANSWER The
stag hunt.
Individuals who are always better off if they choose "steal" over "split" strategies face: - CORRECT
ANSWER The prisoner's dilemma.
Which of these games is the most cooperative because making your opponent the
"sucker" is not the best payoff available to you in the matrix? - CORRECT ANSWER The stag
hunt.
Harold Lasswell has defined politics as: - CORRECT ANSWER Who gets what, when, and
how.
According to Aristotle's Politics, this political ability is most highly valued because it allows us to put
reason into action: - CORRECT ANSWER Political debate.
A __________ approach seeks to determine how one "ought" to do something. - CORRECT
ANSWER Normative.
This political theorist had a strong influence on Thomas Jefferson when he penned the U.S.
Declaration of Independence. - CORRECT ANSWER John Locke.
Henry David Thoreau was put in an American prison over his objection to slavery and this declared
war. - CORRECT ANSWER Mexican-American War.
Which of the following is NOT one of the three parts of the ideal republic/human soul as described by
Plato in his Republic? - CORRECT ANSWER Rulers/power-seeking.
Plato's Allegory of the Cave reveals that most citizens are not suited to rule because they: -
CORRECT ANSWER Confuse shadows for reality, mistakenly accept their opinion as truth,
never leave the cave, and rely on "imagining" or "belief" rather than "knowledge."
UPDATED ACTUAL QUESTIONS AND
CORRECT ANSWERS
The ____________ problem of making political science scientifically valid as a discipline can be seen
when we consider the limited number of cases available for
political analysis. - CORRECT ANSWER Statistical
The ________ problem of making Political Science scientifically valid can
be seen when we consider the difficulty of constructing petri dishes, "ant farms" or
terraria suitable for incubating human polities. - CORRECT ANSWER practical
The __________ problem of making Political Science scientifically valid can
be seen when we consider that there is no consensus as to what human polities should be
like, politically speaking, if they were to become what they should be. - CORRECT
ANSWER ontological
The _________ problem of making Political Science scientifically valid can
be seen when we consider the difficulty of conducting any experiment, especially involving human
beings and their polities, without contaminating the result. - CORRECT
ANSWER Epistemologica
The Stag Hunt differs from the Prisoner's Dilemma game in that: - CORRECT ANSWER The
best payoff for each individual occurs when all cooperate in hunting the stag.
In the absence of remedial institutions and norms, anyone facing the logic of the Prisoner's Dilemma
has an incentive to: - CORRECT ANSWER Defect without regard to the other player's actions.
Two suspects are arrested for allegedly committing a bank robbery. The police tell them
that if one confesses, the confessor will be set free and the other will take the fall for the
crime. In this scenario, the suspects are confronted with: - CORRECT ANSWER The prisoner's
dilemma.
, People working together to achieve a collective good without which they would all be worse
off both individually and collectively exemplifies a version of: - CORRECT ANSWER The
stag hunt.
Individuals who are always better off if they choose "steal" over "split" strategies face: - CORRECT
ANSWER The prisoner's dilemma.
Which of these games is the most cooperative because making your opponent the
"sucker" is not the best payoff available to you in the matrix? - CORRECT ANSWER The stag
hunt.
Harold Lasswell has defined politics as: - CORRECT ANSWER Who gets what, when, and
how.
According to Aristotle's Politics, this political ability is most highly valued because it allows us to put
reason into action: - CORRECT ANSWER Political debate.
A __________ approach seeks to determine how one "ought" to do something. - CORRECT
ANSWER Normative.
This political theorist had a strong influence on Thomas Jefferson when he penned the U.S.
Declaration of Independence. - CORRECT ANSWER John Locke.
Henry David Thoreau was put in an American prison over his objection to slavery and this declared
war. - CORRECT ANSWER Mexican-American War.
Which of the following is NOT one of the three parts of the ideal republic/human soul as described by
Plato in his Republic? - CORRECT ANSWER Rulers/power-seeking.
Plato's Allegory of the Cave reveals that most citizens are not suited to rule because they: -
CORRECT ANSWER Confuse shadows for reality, mistakenly accept their opinion as truth,
never leave the cave, and rely on "imagining" or "belief" rather than "knowledge."
