Deck 3: Modern Political Theory

Question 1

Why did Machiavelli's The Prince have a greater impact with future leaders than The Discourses on the First Ten Books of Titus Livius ?

A)The Discourses lacked the depth of analysis of The Prince .
B)The Prince was shorter and more straightforward in its analysis than The Discourses .
C)The arguments in The Prince were more measured and moderate than those in The Discourses .
D)The Prince focused entirely on republican government, whereas The Discourses focused on monarchies.
E)The Prince focused entirely on monarchies, whereas The Discourses focused entirely on republican government.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which of the following leaders offers an example of Machiavelli's advice to use violence to enhance political power?

A)Cesare Borgia
B)Cicero
C)King Charles VIII of France
D)Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain
E)Frederick the Great

Answer 2

E

Question 3

Machiavelli sought to curry favor with which statesman's family while writing The Prince ?

A)John Locke
B)Thomas Hobbes
C)Jean-Jacques Rousseau
D)Karl Marx
E)Lorenzo de' Medici

Answer 3

E

Question 4

Edmund Burke's belief that government should not attempt to change society, but that government should merely reflect changes that have already taken place in society helped shape which theoretical movement?

A)Classical liberalism
B)Modern liberalism
C)Modern communism
D)Traditional conservatism
E)Environmentalism

Question 5

Which of the following best describes Machiavelli's economy of violence theory?

A)Leaders should always use violence to achieve goals.
B)Leaders should never use violence to achieve goals.
C)Leaders should use violence only when necessary to achieve goals.
D)Leaders should use violence only when it can lead to an economic gain.
E)Leaders should use violence only against external, not internal, enemies.

Question 6

Thomas Hobbes was a nominalist, someone who believes in all of the following EXCEPT what?

A)No permanent objective truth lies beneath our world of appearances
B)Language is necessary in part to help us make sense of the world
C)Humans construct a perception of "truth"
D)"Truth" is filtered through self-interest and the syllogisms of language
E)Human behavior can be described as objectively good or bad based on standards of morality

Question 7

Thomas Hobbes argued that human behavior is all of the following EXCEPT what?

A)Best understood by examining how sensations interact with the mind
B)Best explained by humans' natural appetites and aversions
C)Driven by our pursuit of pleasures and aversion to pain
D)Best explained through the study of psychology
E)Best understood using historical standards of morality established by religion

Question 8

According to Machiavelli, why should a prince seek to be feared, but not hated?

A)Because princes who are hated are rarely remembered by history
B)Because when the population hates the prince, he will have damaged self-esteem
C)Because when people hate the prince, it will cause low morale in society
D)Because princes who are hated overcompensate by being too generous with government resources
E)Because hatred puts people in an emotional state, and it makes them less aware of their interests

Question 9

Which of these political situations would NOT be considered a latter-day example of Machiavelli's theories on gaining and maintaining political power?

A)Abraham Lincoln's suspension of habeas corpus during the American Civil War
B)Ayatollah Khomeini's endorsement of President Ahmadinejad in questionable elections in Iran
C)Karl Rove's electoral strategy for George W. Bush, referring to opponent John Kerry as a "flip-flopper"
D)President Bashar Al-Assad's violent suppression of protests in Syria
E)President George W. Bush's quick decision to attack Afghanistan after the terrorist attacks of 9/11

Question 10

Machiavelli asserts that power can be exercised in all of the following ways EXCEPT for which one?

A)Use of force
B)Making threats
C)Providing gifts
D)Manipulation of subjects
E)Seeking advice from political rivals

Question 11

Which social and political movement primarily seeks to prevent the further deterioration of our natural resources?

A)Modern liberalism
B)Capitalism
C)Modern communism
D)Environmentalism
E)Traditional conservatism

Question 12

Why did Machiavelli advise that leaders should create a state religion?

A)Because it is important for leaders to be spiritual
B)Because leaders who do not believe in God lack morality
C)Because leaders who believe in God make better decisions
D)Because leaders who belong to a state religion are more ethical
E)Because religious authority can help fortify a leader's power

Question 13

Machiavelli proposes that the prince, who possesses both strength and cunningness, will be able to control the people through the use of which of the following?

A)Force
B)Gifts
C)Threats
D)Charisma
E)Love

Question 14

Machiavelli asserted that The Prince can best lead by applying the finest traits associated with which two members of the animal kingdom?

A)Fox and lion
B)Cobra and mongoose
C)Lion and tiger
D)Fox and bear
E)Bear and tiger

Question 15

Political theorists who are less interested in the way politics "ought" to be and more interested in studying politics as it is actually practiced follow which approach?

A)Empirical approach
B)Normative approach
C)Liberal approach
D)Traditional approach
E)Modern approach

Question 16

The ancient political theory of Plato and Aristotle often focused on the concept of justice to help explain politics, whereas the modern political theory of Machiavelli and Hobbes focuses on which of the following?

A)Conservatism
B)Feudalism
C)Force
D)Morality
E)Power

Question 17

Which type of theory most closely linked with Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau typically provides an observation on human nature, an observation on problems that arise because of a lack of government, and a recommendation for a best form of government?

A)Normative theory
B)Empirical theory
C)Social contract theory
D)Existentialist theory
E)Socialist theory

Question 18

Which political theorist argued that political power should be viewed as a means to prevent chaos and warfare?

A)Peter Abelard
B)Niccoló Machiavelli
C)Thomas Hobbes
D)John Locke
E)Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Question 19

Machiavelli is considered to be an amoral theorist. Why is he characterized this way?

A)Because he believed leaders should be evil
B)Because he believed morality should be removed from all political decisions
C)Because he believed leaders should be moral
D)Because he believed leader should always use violence to achieve goals
E)Because he believed that religious values were essential to leadership

Question 20

Just as Galileo used science to prove Copernicus's theory that the sun was the center of the universe, so did Hobbes attempt to use science to prove the correctness of whose theory of power?

A)Peter Abelard's
B)Aristotle's
C)Francis Bacon's
D)Machiavelli's
E)Plato's

Question 21

Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau are generally regarded as three of the most influential social contract theorists. What is a social contract theorist and how do these three theorists reflect the diversity of approaches within this area of political theory?

Question 22

How do Hobbes and Locke differ with respect to human nature, the precontract state, and their theory on the social contract?

Question 23

Which of the following reflects Thomas Hobbes thoughts regarding life in the precontract state?

A)Solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short
B)Largely peaceful and cooperative
C)Peaceful or violent, depending on the size of the society
D)A state of bliss
E)Highly structured and ordered

Question 24

Thomas Hobbes advocated for which type of government?

A)Representative democratic
B)Strong authoritarian
C)Direct democratic
D)Oligarchy
E)Monarchy

Question 25

John Locke argued that the most important role of government is to protect which of the following?

A)Freedom of religion
B)The role of the monarchy
C)The rights of individuals
D)The concept of judicial review
E)The security of the public

Question 26

What is the relationship between the work of Hobbes and Machiavelli? Which of Machiavelli's theories was Hobbes trying to prove correct, and how did he frame his argument?

Question 27

Which best describes John Locke's view of the precontract state?

A)The state of nature is largely cooperative and guided by natural laws.
B)The state of nature is a peaceful place until people are corrupted by the introduction of private property.
C)The state of nature is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.
D)The state of nature is filled with violence and chaos.
E)The state of nature is highly structured and hierarchical.

Question 28

Which of the following is NOT one of the issues analyzed by all three major social contract theorists?

A)Human nature
B)Women's suffrage
C)The problems that arise in the absence of government
D)The form of government best able to handle human problems
E)The ideal structure of government

Question 29

Explain how John Locke's theories associated with natural rights and the social contract influenced Thomas Jefferson when he wrote the American Declaration of Independence.

Question 30

John Locke's Two Treatises of Government directly challenges the self-interested view of human nature and the authoritarian political theory of which theorist?

A)Peter Abelard
B)Thomas Hobbes
C)Immanuel Kant
D)Plato
E)Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Question 31

According to Hobbes, which of the following cause quarrels in the state of nature?

A)Competition, diffidence, and glory
B)Competition, hatred, and greed
C)Vanity, diffidence, and intolerance
D)Selfishness, resentment, and glory
E)Possessiveness, diffidence, and avarice

Question 32

Which school of thought in international relations is linked with Machiavelli and Hobbes and emphasizes the furtherance of national interests and military security?

A)Classical liberalism
B)Traditional conservatism
C)Environmentalism
D)Realism
E)Feminism

Question 33

Which political theorist argued that all human nature is driven by our pursuit of pleasures and an avoidance of pain?

A)John Locke
B)Jean-Jacques Rousseau
C)Karl Marx
D)Niccolò Machiavelli
E)Thomas Hobbes

Question 34

Which political theorist authored The Two Treatises of Government and had a major influence on Thomas Jefferson when he wrote the Declaration of Independence?

A)Niccoló Machiavelli
B)Thomas Hobbes
C)Karl Marx
D)John Locke
E)Edmund Burke

Question 35

Why does Machiavelli believe that leaders should take on the traits of the fox and the lion? How do these traits offer insights into how Machiavelli believes leaders should behave to ensure that they are respected and not hated by the populace?

Question 36

Which ideology advocates for a limited government and for greater individual liberties at the political, social, and economic levels of society and inspired both the American and French Revolutions?

A)Traditional conservatism
B)Classical liberalism
C)Modern liberalism
D)Marxism
E)Feminism

Question 37

Which theoretical movement began in earnest in the mid-nineteenth century and called for social, political, economic, and familial equality between men and women?

A)Feminism
B)Traditional conservatism
C)Marxism
D)Capitalism
E)Classical liberalism

Question 38

Which of the following groups contains only social contract theorists?

A)Hobbes, Locke, and Machiavelli
B)Locke, Rousseau and Marx
C)Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau
D)Rousseau, Nietzsche, and Locke
E)Locke, Rousseau and Hume

Question 39

John Locke advocated for what type of government?

A)Direct democracy
B)Monarchy
C)Representative democracy
D)Oligarchy
E)Aristocracy

Question 40

John Locke believed in the concept of tabula rasa , which means what?

A)People are born with a belief in God.
B)People are born with a blank moral slate.
C)People are born with a desire to exploit others.
D)People are born to pursue pleasure and avoid pain.
E)People are born naturally sinful and amoral.

Question 41

According to John Locke, living under a tyrannical government will cause, rather than prevent, violence. Why is this, and how does this differ from Thomas Hobbes's account of necessary sovereign power?

Question 42

According to John Locke, "Freedom must be coupled with responsible behavior to ensure one's freedom of action does not bring harm to another." For Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau, what "freedom" does entering into the social contract grant, and what "responsible behavior" does it require?

Question 43

For Hobbes, it is the concept of "appetite" that shapes human behavior, whereas Locke relies on the concept of "reason" as a foundation of his political theory. How do these two starting points shape each theorist's social contract theory?

Question 44

Thomas Hobbes' social contract theory has offered a justification for authoritarian governments, whereas John Locke's social contract theory founded classical liberalism and inspired the American and French Revolutions. What elements in their theories lead to such different outcomes, and what similarities keep them under the same umbrella of "social contract theory"?

Question 45

Compare the political theory of John Locke with that of Jean-Jacques Rousseau as it concerns the concept of "private property." How does their understanding of private property affect their different social contract theories?