POLITICAL SCIENCE EXAM
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
What are the four traditional subfields of political science? - answer- Comparative
politics, international relations, political philosophy or theory, public administration,
public law
Political Science is a field of study characterized by a search for critical
understanding of: - answer- the good political life, significant empirical observations,
and wise political and policy judgments
Political Science is thus concerned with the search for meaningful knowledge of the
interrelated __________, _____________, and ____________ components of that
community concerned with public life. - answer- ethical, empirical, prudential
how is politics defined? - answer- Search for critical understanding of the good
political life, significant empirical understanding, and wise political and policy
judgments
List and describe the three major components of Political Science. - answer- Ethical-
political values, what ought to be? Philosophy
Empirical- Political phenomena, what is? Science
Prudential- Political judgment, What can be? Public Policy
What are ethics? - answer- The study of the nature of moral standards and choices
of judgment and behavior
What is empiricism? - answer- What has been, what is, and what will be
What is political prudence? - answer- Workable public policies developed through
wise judgment about the practical tasks of politics respectful both of sound values
and the limitations and opportunities of social reality
List and describe the four major tasks of Political Science. - answer- A concern for
what is right or wrong in politics, which leads to the task of ethical recommendation;
a concern for political phenomena, which leads to the task of empirical
understanding, a concern for what can sensibly be done, which leads to the task of
prudential judgment or action; and the theoretical integration of these ethical,
empirical, and prudential concerns
Define the concept of political health - answer- The political, economic, and social
well-being of the political community
What is behaviorialism? - answer- Emphasizes empirically observable, discoverable,
and explicable patterns of behavior
, Easton's 8 intellectual foundation stones of behavioralism. - answer- regularities,
commitment to verification, techniques, quantification, values, systemization, pure
science, integration
Define Regularities - answer- discoverable uniformities in political behavior, that can
be expressed in generalizations or theories with explanatory and predictive value
Define commitment to verification - answer- generalizations through testing
Define Techniques - answer- the goal of obtaining ever more rigorous means for
observing, recording, and analyzing the behavior
Define Quantification - answer- possible, relevant, and meaningful
Define Values - answer- valuation and empirical explanation involve two different
kinds of propositions that, for the sake of clarity, should be kept analytically distinct
Define Systemization - answer- on the importance of theory in research and in the
development of a coherent and orderly body of knowledge
Define Pure Science - answer- as against applied science or practical problem
solving
Define Integration - answer- The social sciences and the value of interdisciplinary
fertilization
What is Causality? - answer- The concept that a condition or behavior exists or takes
place because of the influence of another fact
The 7 phases of the decision making process as seen by Harold Lasswell. - answer-
Intelligence, recommendation, prescription, invocation, application, appraisal, and
termination.
Politics does not occur in a vacuum. Although political actors are free to make
choices to fulfill their values, they must make these choices in an environment not
entirely of their own choosing. Politics, and political decisions, can be understood
only in terms of the __________, ____________, and ______________,
environment in which a community is embedded. - answer- physical, social, and
cultural
10 important propositions that the chapter offers for understanding the impact of the
physical, social, and cultural environment on politics. - answer- Physical coexistence,
biological nature/biological destiny, human needs, reduction of distance, vulnerability
to disaster, exhaustion of nonrenewable resources/growth of population, global
warming, growth of cities, revolution of rising expectations
Define the concept of carrying capacity? - answer- A population size supportable
without suffering deterioration
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
What are the four traditional subfields of political science? - answer- Comparative
politics, international relations, political philosophy or theory, public administration,
public law
Political Science is a field of study characterized by a search for critical
understanding of: - answer- the good political life, significant empirical observations,
and wise political and policy judgments
Political Science is thus concerned with the search for meaningful knowledge of the
interrelated __________, _____________, and ____________ components of that
community concerned with public life. - answer- ethical, empirical, prudential
how is politics defined? - answer- Search for critical understanding of the good
political life, significant empirical understanding, and wise political and policy
judgments
List and describe the three major components of Political Science. - answer- Ethical-
political values, what ought to be? Philosophy
Empirical- Political phenomena, what is? Science
Prudential- Political judgment, What can be? Public Policy
What are ethics? - answer- The study of the nature of moral standards and choices
of judgment and behavior
What is empiricism? - answer- What has been, what is, and what will be
What is political prudence? - answer- Workable public policies developed through
wise judgment about the practical tasks of politics respectful both of sound values
and the limitations and opportunities of social reality
List and describe the four major tasks of Political Science. - answer- A concern for
what is right or wrong in politics, which leads to the task of ethical recommendation;
a concern for political phenomena, which leads to the task of empirical
understanding, a concern for what can sensibly be done, which leads to the task of
prudential judgment or action; and the theoretical integration of these ethical,
empirical, and prudential concerns
Define the concept of political health - answer- The political, economic, and social
well-being of the political community
What is behaviorialism? - answer- Emphasizes empirically observable, discoverable,
and explicable patterns of behavior
, Easton's 8 intellectual foundation stones of behavioralism. - answer- regularities,
commitment to verification, techniques, quantification, values, systemization, pure
science, integration
Define Regularities - answer- discoverable uniformities in political behavior, that can
be expressed in generalizations or theories with explanatory and predictive value
Define commitment to verification - answer- generalizations through testing
Define Techniques - answer- the goal of obtaining ever more rigorous means for
observing, recording, and analyzing the behavior
Define Quantification - answer- possible, relevant, and meaningful
Define Values - answer- valuation and empirical explanation involve two different
kinds of propositions that, for the sake of clarity, should be kept analytically distinct
Define Systemization - answer- on the importance of theory in research and in the
development of a coherent and orderly body of knowledge
Define Pure Science - answer- as against applied science or practical problem
solving
Define Integration - answer- The social sciences and the value of interdisciplinary
fertilization
What is Causality? - answer- The concept that a condition or behavior exists or takes
place because of the influence of another fact
The 7 phases of the decision making process as seen by Harold Lasswell. - answer-
Intelligence, recommendation, prescription, invocation, application, appraisal, and
termination.
Politics does not occur in a vacuum. Although political actors are free to make
choices to fulfill their values, they must make these choices in an environment not
entirely of their own choosing. Politics, and political decisions, can be understood
only in terms of the __________, ____________, and ______________,
environment in which a community is embedded. - answer- physical, social, and
cultural
10 important propositions that the chapter offers for understanding the impact of the
physical, social, and cultural environment on politics. - answer- Physical coexistence,
biological nature/biological destiny, human needs, reduction of distance, vulnerability
to disaster, exhaustion of nonrenewable resources/growth of population, global
warming, growth of cities, revolution of rising expectations
Define the concept of carrying capacity? - answer- A population size supportable
without suffering deterioration
