PSC 100 MIDTERM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS
Major premise: If a country has a strong economy, the government will be
popular
Minor premise: The government is not popular
Conclusion: Therefore, the country does not have a strong economy
Is this a valid argument?
Yes; Denying the consequent
The deductive approach:
formulates an expectation about what we ought to observe in light of a particular theory
about the world and then sets out to see if the observations are consistent with that
theory.
If I observe a pattern in political events and decide to generate an explanation for
those events, I am practicing ______ approach to learning.
inductive
If I derive some implications from a theory and collect observations to see if they
are consistent with that theory, I am practicing ______ approach
deductive
"Smoking increases the probability of cancer." Is this a scientific statement?
Yes--it is falsifiable, a.k.a testable
"The sun revolves around the earth." Is this a scientific statement?
Yes--it is falsifiable, a.k.a testable
"Education spending increases under left-wing governments." Is this a scientific
statement?
Yes--it is falsifiable, a.k.a testable
"Religious faith assures people a place in the afterlife." Is this a scientific
statement?
No--it is not falsifiable, a.k.a testable
, "Democracies are less likely to go to war than dictatorships." Is this a scientific
statement?
Yes--it is falsifiable, a.k.a testable
A falsifiable statement means that:
the statement is potentially testable
Scientists never prove their theories are correct. However, they can:
-demonstrate that their theories are logical
-use empirical evidence to show that their theories are wrong
-claim that some theories have more empirical support than others
A scientific statement must be falsifiable. True or false?
True
Science is a collection of facts--it tells us what we know about the world.
False
Statements that cannot ever be tested must be wrong
False
"All good students get high grades." Is this statement scientific if "good" is
defined in terms of a student's grade?
No
Major Premise: If the president commits a criminal act, then he can be
impeached.
Minor Premise: The president does not commit a criminal act. Conclusion:
Conclusion: Therefore, the president cannot be
impeached.
Is this a valid argument?
Invalid; denying the antecedent
Major premise: If a country employs proportional representation electoral rules, it
will have many parties.
Minor premise: The country does employ proportional representation electoral
rules.
Conclusion: Therefore, the country will have many parties.
ANSWERS
Major premise: If a country has a strong economy, the government will be
popular
Minor premise: The government is not popular
Conclusion: Therefore, the country does not have a strong economy
Is this a valid argument?
Yes; Denying the consequent
The deductive approach:
formulates an expectation about what we ought to observe in light of a particular theory
about the world and then sets out to see if the observations are consistent with that
theory.
If I observe a pattern in political events and decide to generate an explanation for
those events, I am practicing ______ approach to learning.
inductive
If I derive some implications from a theory and collect observations to see if they
are consistent with that theory, I am practicing ______ approach
deductive
"Smoking increases the probability of cancer." Is this a scientific statement?
Yes--it is falsifiable, a.k.a testable
"The sun revolves around the earth." Is this a scientific statement?
Yes--it is falsifiable, a.k.a testable
"Education spending increases under left-wing governments." Is this a scientific
statement?
Yes--it is falsifiable, a.k.a testable
"Religious faith assures people a place in the afterlife." Is this a scientific
statement?
No--it is not falsifiable, a.k.a testable
, "Democracies are less likely to go to war than dictatorships." Is this a scientific
statement?
Yes--it is falsifiable, a.k.a testable
A falsifiable statement means that:
the statement is potentially testable
Scientists never prove their theories are correct. However, they can:
-demonstrate that their theories are logical
-use empirical evidence to show that their theories are wrong
-claim that some theories have more empirical support than others
A scientific statement must be falsifiable. True or false?
True
Science is a collection of facts--it tells us what we know about the world.
False
Statements that cannot ever be tested must be wrong
False
"All good students get high grades." Is this statement scientific if "good" is
defined in terms of a student's grade?
No
Major Premise: If the president commits a criminal act, then he can be
impeached.
Minor Premise: The president does not commit a criminal act. Conclusion:
Conclusion: Therefore, the president cannot be
impeached.
Is this a valid argument?
Invalid; denying the antecedent
Major premise: If a country employs proportional representation electoral rules, it
will have many parties.
Minor premise: The country does employ proportional representation electoral
rules.
Conclusion: Therefore, the country will have many parties.
