Chapter 3: Political Theory

Test Bank

Multiple Choice

1. In political science, normative theory is concerned with ______.

a. how the world should be and focuses on the exploration of values and what should be done based upon those values

b. developing and utilizing mathematical models and techniques to construct theories of political phenomena and deduce findings about politics, behavior, and institutions

c. how the world is and focuses on the exploration and interpretation of results derived from repeated observations that are verifiable

d. the application of logical techniques in order to attain conceptual clarity by emphasizing argumentative clarity and precision, formal logic, consistent with the success of modern science

Learning Objective: 3.5: Describe modern political thought and its leading theorists and perspectives.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Introduction

Difficulty Level: Easy

2. Plato explored the nature of truth, knowledge, and subjectivity through which of the following stories?

a. the allegory of the ring of Gyges

b. the allegory of the cave

c. the allegory of the ship of state

d. the allegory of the divided line

Learning Objective: 3.1: Describe the basic arguments of early political theorists in ancient Greece, Rome, and later medieval Europe.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Plato’s The Republic

Difficulty Level: Easy

3. To which of the following does Plato refer when speaking of enlightened rulers who govern with reason?

a. cave dwellers

b. balanced souls

c. philosopher kings

d. enlightened oligarchs

Learning Objective: 3.1: Describe the basic arguments of early political theorists in ancient Greece, Rome, and later medieval Europe.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Plato’s The Republic

Difficulty Level: Easy

4. To Plato, what is the purpose of a city?

a. to create a partnership of persons “who cannot exist without one another”

b. to provide for the basic needs of individuals who are compelled to enter into this society

c. to preserve life, and “a more contented life thereby”

d. to preserve life, liberty, and property.

Learning Objective: 3.1: Describe the basic arguments of early political theorists in ancient Greece, Rome, and later medieval Europe.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Plato’s The Republic

Difficulty Level: Easy

5. Which of the following regime types would Aristotle argue is unjust?

a. monarchy

b. aristocracy

c. polity

d. democracy

Learning Objective: 3.1: Describe the basic arguments of early political theorists in ancient Greece, Rome, and later medieval Europe.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Aristotle and Roman Developments

Difficulty Level: Medium

6. The inspiration for checks and balances in the American political system can be traced back to ______.

a. ancient Greece

b. ancient Rome

c. the Renaissance

d. the Enlightenment

Learning Objective: 3.1: Describe the basic arguments of early political theorists in ancient Greece, Rome, and later medieval Europe.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Aristotle and Roman Developments

Difficulty Level: Medium

7. In political science, Aristotle is known for composing ______.

a. The Republic

b. The Prince

c. Leviathan

d. Politics

Learning Objective: 3.1: Describe the basic arguments of early political theorists in ancient Greece, Rome, and later medieval Europe.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Aristotle and Roman Developments

Difficulty Level: Medium

8. The role of religion in government appears to have first been contemplated in which historical era?

a. ancient Greek times

b. Roman times

c. the medieval period

d. the Renaissance

Learning Objective: 3.1: Describe the basic arguments of early political theorists in ancient Greece, Rome, and later medieval Europe.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: St. Augustine

Difficulty Level: Medium

9. Augustine’s concept of a ‘City of God’ can be described by which of the following statements?

a. a city that attempts to balance out the needs and happiness of individuals with a need for a just and fair society

b. a city ruled over by individuals who have balanced souls who abide by reason and wisdom

c. a city that includes a chosen people who live in both a state of grace and an earthly city

d. a city that may be permitted to engage in warfare so long as the conflict is justified

Learning Objective: 3.2: Understand the influence of religion, and in particular Christianity, on political theory and the origins of the Enlightenment.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: St. Augustine

Difficulty Level: Medium

10. According to Augustine, a conflict that is engaged to pursue peace and punish wrongdoers is known as a ______.

a. just war

b. necessary war

c. righteous war

d. virtuous war

Learning Objective: 3.2: Understand the influence of religion, and in particular Christianity, on political theory and the origins of the Enlightenment.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: St. Augustine

Difficulty Level: Easy

11. Which philosopher is considered a founder of Western philosophy who melded ancient philosophy with developing Christian ethos?

a. Augustine of Hippo

b. Thomas Aquinas

c. Catherine of Siena

d. Clement of Alexandria

Learning Objective: 3.2: Understand the influence of religion, and in particular Christianity, on political theory and the origins of the Enlightenment.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: St. Thomas Aquinas

Difficulty Level: Medium

12. Which of the following is the culmination or end-point of Aquinas’ logic and positions on ethics and governance?

a. divine law

b. eternal law

c. human law

d. natural law

Learning Objective: 3.2: Understand the influence of religion, and in particular Christianity, on political theory and the origins of the Enlightenment.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: St. Thomas Aquinas

Difficulty Level: Hard

13. In political science, Thomas Aquinas is known for authoring ______.

a. City of God

b. Summa Contra Gentiles

c. Leviathan

d. Two Treatises on Government

Learning Objective: 3.2: Understand the influence of religion, and in particular Christianity, on political theory and the origins of the Enlightenment.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: St. Thomas Aquinas

Difficulty Level: Medium

14. Which of the following movements signalled one of the first major weakenings in the political power of Rome?

a. the Western Schism

b. the Protestant Reformation

c. the Counter-Reformation

d. the Enlightenment

Learning Objective: 3.2: Understand the influence of religion, and in particular Christianity, on political theory and the origins of the Enlightenment.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Reformation and the Establishment of the English Church

Difficulty Level: Easy

15. In political science, Thomas Hobbes is known for authoring ______.

a. City of God

b. Summa Contra Gentiles

c. Leviathan

d. Two Treatises on Government

Learning Objective: 3.3: Outline the political theory of liberalism including its tenets, adherents, and contributors.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Hobbes and Locke

Difficulty Level: Easy

16. In political science, John Locke is known for authoring ______.

a. City of God

b. Summa Contra Gentiles

c. Leviathan

d. Two Treatises on Government

Learning Objective: 3.3: Outline the political theory of liberalism including its tenets, adherents, and contributors.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Hobbes and Locke

Difficulty Level: Easy

17. How did Thomas Hobbes describe the state of nature?

a. a war of every man against every man

b. a state where all order their actions, and dispose of their possessions and persons, as they think fit, within the bounds of the law of nature

c. a morally neutral and peaceful condition, preceding socialization, in which individuals act according to basic urges and the desire for self-preservation

d. the principles of governance that would be accepted by a group of rational individuals who have been made ignorant of their positions in society

Learning Objective: 3.3: Outline the political theory of liberalism including its tenets, adherents, and contributors.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Hobbes and Locke

Difficulty Level: Medium

18. How did John Locke describe the state of nature?

a. a war of every man against every man

b. a state where all order their actions, and dispose of their possessions and persons, as they think fit, within the bounds of the law of nature

c. a morally neutral and peaceful condition, preceding socialization, in which individuals act according to basic urges and the desire for self-preservation

d. the principles of governance that would be accepted by a group of rational individuals who have been made ignorant of their positions in society

Learning Objective: 3.3: Outline the political theory of liberalism including its tenets, adherents, and contributors.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Hobbes and Locke

Difficulty Level: Medium

19. Which of the following Enlightenment philosopher sis best known for incorporating ideas about the state of nature, natural rights, and the social contract to develop the structure of proper or good government?

a. Hobbes

b. Locke

c. Rousseau

d. Kant

Learning Objective: 3.3: Outline the political theory of liberalism including its tenets, adherents, and contributors.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Later Enlightenment Writers

Difficulty Level: Medium

20. The theory that argues, among other things, that history is a series of conflicts that will eventually lead to a society rid of the causes of inequality is known as ______.

a. communism

b. existentialism

c. objectivism

d. utilitarianism

Learning Objective: 3.4: Summarize challenges to liberalism including those of Karl Marx.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Karl Marx and Communism

Difficulty Level: Easy

21. Immanuel Kant’s work is considered fundamental in what sense?

a. It establishes the association between virtue, enlightenment, and reason as the basis of good governance.

b. It establishes the link between the state of nature, the social contract, and best practice in government.

c. It considers international frameworks to develop one of the earliest formulations of liberal foreign policy.

d. It invokes utilitarian principles as the foundation for protecting liberty and the specification of law by measuring and identifying best approaches in any situation.

Learning Objective: 3.3: Outline the political theory of liberalism including its tenets, adherents, and contributors.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Later Enlightenment Writers

Difficulty Level: Hard

22. The theory that argues what is right and wrong should be determined by what brings the most happiness or good to the most people is called ______.

a. communism

b. existentialism

c. objectivism

d. utilitarianism

Learning Objective: 3.3: Outline the political theory of liberalism including its tenets, adherents, and contributors.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Later Enlightenment Writers

Difficulty Level: Easy

23. In order to facilitate a transition to communism, Marx and Engels posited which of the following as an initial prerequisite?

a. the establishment of a Communist Party to mentor and organize the revolution

b. the establishment of a revolution to wrest power from those who will not give it up freely

c. the establishment of a self-awareness by those being exploited that they are being exploited

d. the establishment of a society with no social classes to speak of, nor a government

Learning Objective: 3.4: Summarize challenges to liberalism including those of Karl Marx.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Karl Marx and Communism

Difficulty Level: Medium

24. Ironically, some of Marx’ work shares which theoretical motif in common with Medieval philosophers?

a. the ethical and reason-based virtues of governance

b. the role of religion in state and society

c. the preservation of liberty in society

d. the foundations of justice and a just society

Learning Objective: 3.4: Summarize challenges to liberalism including those of Karl Marx.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Karl Marx and Communism

Difficulty Level: Hard

25. The theory that argues for the centrality of the individual over categorization or the individual above the state is a focus of ______.

a. communism

b. existentialism

c. objectivism

d. contractarianism

Learning Objective: 3.5: Describe modern political thought and its leading theorists and perspectives.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Existentialism

Difficulty Level: Medium

26. The theory that argues for the centrality of the individual as holding the moral right to act on their own judgment directs and to keep the product of their own efforts is a central tenet of ______.

a. communism

b. existentialism

c. objectivism

d. contractarianism

Learning Objective: 3.5: Describe modern political thought and its leading theorists and perspectives.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Contemporary Philosophy

Difficulty Level: Medium

27. A state in which every person has the same equal basic liberties, all positions are open to everyone under fair equality of opportunity, and all decisions should “be to the greatest benefit of the least-advantaged members of society” is known as ______.

a. the state of nature

b. the basic state

c. the liberal state

d. the utilitarian state

Learning Objective: 3.5: Describe modern political thought and its leading theorists and perspectives.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: John Rawls and Justice as Fairness

Difficulty Level: Medium

28. How would John Rawls think about the state of nature?

a. a war of every man against every man

b. a state where all order their actions, and dispose of their possessions and persons, as they think fit, within the bounds of the law of nature

c. a morally neutral and peaceful condition, preceding socialization, in which individuals act according to basic urges and the desire for self-preservation

d. the principles of governance that would be accepted by a group of rational individuals who have been made ignorant of their positions in society

Learning Objective: 3.5: Describe modern political thought and its leading theorists and perspectives.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: John Rawls and Justice as Fairness

Difficulty Level: Medium

29. According to Rawls, which of the following is designed to be a fair and impartial point of view that is adopted in reasoning about fundamental principles of justice?

a. original position

b. veil of ignorance

c. constructivism

d. contractarianism

Learning Objective: 3.5: Describe modern political thought and its leading theorists and perspectives.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: John Rawls and Justice as Fairness

Difficulty Level: Easy

30. John Rawls is notably famous for penning which of the following works?

a. Anarchy, State, and Utopia

b. A Theory of Justice

c. The Racial Contract

d. The Sexual Contract

Learning Objective: 3.5: Describe modern political thought and its leading theorists and perspectives.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: John Rawls and Justice as Fairness

Difficulty Level: Medium

31. The philosophy that argues that moral norms and political authority originate in agreements that we make with one another is known as ______.

a. communism

b. existentialism

c. objectivism

d. contractarianism

Learning Objective: 3.5: Describe modern political thought and its leading theorists and perspectives.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Nozick’s Response

Difficulty Level: Easy

32. Robert Nozick is notably famous for penning which of the following works?

a. Anarchy, State, and Utopia.

b. A Theory of Justice.

c. The Racial Contract.

d. The Sexual Contract.

Learning Objective: 3.5: Describe modern political thought and its leading theorists and perspectives.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Nozick’s Response

Difficulty Level: Medium

33. Nozick’s response to Rawls on the best type of state and government provides what type of basis of interpretation for the social contract?

a. democratic

b. liberal

c. libertarian

d. objectivist

Learning Objective: 3.5: Describe modern political thought and its leading theorists and perspectives.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Nozick’s Response

Difficulty Level: Medium

34. Charles W. Mills is notably famous for penning which of the following works?

a. Anarchy, State, and Utopia.

b. A Theory of Justice.

c. The Racial Contract.

d. The Sexual Contract.

Learning Objective: 3.5: Describe modern political thought and its leading theorists and perspectives.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Social Contract Theory

Difficulty Level: Medium

35. Which of the following thinkers emphasized and argued that the social contract developed as an agreement only between people who “counted,” ignoring or eliminating an entire group (or groups) of people from consideration?

a. Charles W. Mills

b. Bhikhu Parekh

c. Carol Pateman

d. Ida B. Wells

Learning Objective: 3.5: Describe modern political thought and its leading theorists and perspectives.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Social Contract Theory

Difficulty Level: Hard

36. In Rethinking Multiculturalism, Bhikhu Parekh wrestles with the idea that ______.

a. the social contract ignores or eliminated an entire group of people from consideration

b. women and minorities fall under the notion of property ensconced in the traditional social contract

c. the traditional social contract implies the assimilation of groups and identities within a given society

d. moral norms and interpersonal agreements do not form the basis of the social contract as is traditionally argued

Learning Objective: 3.5: Describe modern political thought and its leading theorists and perspectives.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Social Contract Theory

Difficulty Level: Hard

37. In political science, empirical theory is concerned with ______.

a. how the world should be and focuses on the exploration of values and what should be done based upon those values

b. developing and utilizing mathematical models and techniques to construct theories of political phenomena and deduce findings about politics, behavior, and institutions

c. how the world is and focuses on the exploration and interpretation of results derived from repeated observations that are verifiable

d. the application of logical techniques in order to attain conceptual clarity by emphasizing argumentative clarity and precision, formal logic, consistent with the success of modern science

Learning Objective: 3.5: Describe modern political thought and its leading theorists and perspectives.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Introduction

Difficulty Level: Hard

38. In political science, formal theory is concerned with ______.

a. how the world should be and focuses on the exploration of values and what should be done based upon those values

b. developing and utilizing mathematical models and techniques to construct theories of political phenomena and deduce findings about politics, behavior, and institutions

c. how the world is and focuses on the exploration and interpretation of results derived from repeated observations that are verifiable

d. the application of logical techniques in order to attain conceptual clarity by emphasizing argumentative clarity and precision, formal logic, consistent with the success of modern science

Learning Objective: 3.5: Describe modern political thought and its leading theorists and perspectives.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Introduction

Difficulty Level: Hard

39. In political science, analytic theory is concerned with ______.

a. how the world should be and focuses on the exploration of values and what should be done based upon those values

b. developing and utilizing mathematical models and techniques to construct theories of political phenomena and deduce findings about politics, behavior, and institutions

c. how the world is and focuses on the exploration and interpretation of results derived from repeated observations that are verifiable

d. the application of logical techniques in order to attain conceptual clarity by emphasizing argumentative clarity and precision, formal logic, consistent with the success of modern science

Learning Objective: 3.5: Describe modern political thought and its leading theorists and perspectives.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Introduction

Difficulty Level: Hard

True/False

1. As a subfield of political science, political theory focuses primarily on government and society.

Learning Objective: 3.5: Describe modern political thought and its leading theorists and perspectives.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Introduction

Difficulty Level: Easy

2. The philosophy of Socrates forms the basis, or starting point, for most of political philosophy that has come after.

Learning Objective: 3.1: Describe the basic arguments of early political theorists in ancient Greece, Rome, and later medieval Europe.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Plato’s The Republic

Difficulty Level: Medium

3. Aristotle notes that as the creation of cities is a natural phenomenon, so too do its citizens know how to behave in a just manner from the outset.

Learning Objective: 3.1: Describe the basic arguments of early political theorists in ancient Greece, Rome, and later medieval Europe.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Aristotle and Roman Developments

Difficulty Level: Medium

4. St. Thomas Aquinas argued that true evil does not exist; rather, evil is the absence of good.

Learning Objective: 3.2: Understand the influence of religion, and in particular Christianity, on political theory and the origins of the Enlightenment.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: St. Augustine

Difficulty Level: Medium

5. St. Thomas Aquinas spends much of his writings specifying how we are to know human versus natural law.

Learning Objective: 3.2: Understand the influence of religion, and in particular Christianity, on political theory and the origins of the Enlightenment.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: St. Thomas Aquinas

Difficulty Level: Medium

6. For a long time, governments and rulers in Europe split their power and loyalties between themselves and Rome.

Learning Objective: 3.2: Understand the influence of religion, and in particular Christianity, on political theory and the origins of the Enlightenment.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Enlightenment

Difficulty Level: Easy

7. The English Reformation consequentially led many to question the notion of the divine right to rule.

Learning Objective: 3.2: Understand the influence of religion, and in particular Christianity, on political theory and the origins of the Enlightenment.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Reformation and the Establishment of the English Church

Difficulty Level: Easy

8. A common theme in political theory regarding the value of institutions is the act of imagining their absence.

Learning Objective: 3.3: Outline the political theory of liberalism including its tenets, adherents, and contributors.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Hobbes and Locke

Difficulty Level: Medium

9. John Stuart Mill argued that there are situations in which liberties must be curtailed.

Learning Objective: 3.3: Outline the political theory of liberalism including its tenets, adherents, and contributors.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Later Enlightenment Writers

Difficulty Level: Medium

10. Communist states that have existed, and those that continue to exist, were originally formulated through Marx and Engels’ theorized methodology.

Learning Objective: 3.4: Summarize challenges to liberalism including those of Karl Marx.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Karl Marx and Communism

Difficulty Level: Medium

11. Modern theory in political science has focused on the social contract, its construction, and its impact on politics today.

Learning Objective: 3.5: Describe modern political thought and its leading theorists and perspectives.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Social Contract Theory

Difficulty Level: Easy

12. Political theory today has moved on from ancient philosophy to pursue contemporary applications.

Learning Objective: 3.5: Describe modern political thought and its leading theorists and perspectives.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The State of Political Theory Today

Difficulty Level: Easy

Essay

1. Discuss the transition between political philosophy of ancient times and developments that occurred in the Renaissance and the Enlightenment. What influence does this transition have on political philosophy and theory today?

Learning Objective: 3.1: Describe the basic arguments of early political theorists in ancient Greece, Rome, and later medieval Europe. | 3.2: Understand the influence of religion, and in particular Christianity, on political theory and the origins of the Enlightenment.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: The Ancients to the Enlightenment

Difficulty Level: Medium

2. How did the Enlightenment change the way we think about politics, behavior, society, and government? How have those developments influenced recent developments in political theory?

Learning Objective: 3.3: Outline the political theory of liberalism including its tenets, adherents, and contributors.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: The Enlightenment

Difficulty Level: Medium

3. What is the impact of the development of the theory of communism on political philosophy? Discuss Marx and Engels’ theory in the context of political theory’s evolution, its impact on normative worldviews, and its legacy and relevance to political theory today.

Learning Objective: 3.4: Summarize challenges to liberalism including those of Karl Marx.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Challenges to Liberalism

Difficulty Level: Hard

4. Where does political theory fit in political science? Is it, or should it be considered, a discipline within this field, or is it more aligned with philosophy and humanities disciplines? Justify your argument using examples not only from your readings, but from real world examples.

Learning Objective: 3.5: Describe modern political thought and its leading theorists and perspectives.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: The State of Political Theory Today

Difficulty Level: Hard

5. Discuss some of the more recent notable works in political theory (in the last century or so). How have these approaches been influenced by developments of past eras? Provide some examples and explain how these developments relate to one another.

Learning Objective: 3.5: Describe modern political thought and its leading theorists and perspectives.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: The State of Political Theory Today

Difficulty Level: Medium