Question 1

Which of the following is an example of what both natural scientists and political scientists who study international politics do in their studies?

Accepted Answer

A) Perform experiments isolating and controlling the variables they are studying 
B) Run trials 
C) Use 'laws of nature' that have no exceptions 
D) Collect and observe data

Question 2

What is the question posed by explanatory theory?

Accepted Answer

A) What are the underlying ethical concerns of a given action? 
B) How will this action improve security? 
C) How can the U.S. defeat terrorism? 
D) How does the world work?

Question 3

What do you believe are some of the biggest puzzles in international politics today? When addressing these issues, which level of analysis (systemic, state, individual, substate, etc.)might be most important? Why?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What do you believe are some of...

Question 4

What is one way to categorize theories?

Accepted Answer

A) According to their levels of analysis 
B) According to their quality 
C) According to their detail 
D) According to their degree of predictability

Question 5

Which of the following is true about methodology in political science?

Accepted Answer

A) There is clear agreement among political scientists about which methodological approaches are best. 
B) Methodology is not one of the branches of political science. 
C) There is profound disagreement among political scientists about which methodological approaches are best. 
D) There is clear agreement among politicians about which methodological approaches are best.

Question 6

One could assume that "political science" is a science in the same way as physics or chemistry. Obviously, it is not, but there are some ways in which we can examine international politics from a "scientific" perspective. What are some of these ways?

Accepted Answer

The answer of One could assume that "political science" is...

Question 7

Besides the individual, state, and system levels of analysis, what other level of analysis do researchers study?

Accepted Answer

A) Sub-atomic 
B) Analytical 
C) Substate 
D) Supra-systemic

Question 8

Which of the following refers to the goals that actors pursue?

Accepted Answer

A) Power 
B) Purpose 
C) Statecraft 
D) Contingency plans

Question 9

Analyses that examine the bureaucracies and small groups that make foreign policy, such as interest groups, are focusing on what level of analysis?

Accepted Answer

A) Substate level 
B) System level 
C) Individual level 
D) State level

Question 10

Whereas policymakers and journalists concentrate on specific problems and look for specific answers, what type of questions do political scientists ask?

Accepted Answer

A) Specific questions about specific problems, with no real interest in looking for specific solutions 
B) Abstract questions that can be used to write dissertations 
C) General questions about how international politics work 
D) Questions that help politicians being elected.

Question 11

Which of the following are themes that scholars in the field of international relations seek to understand?

Accepted Answer

A) War and peace 
B) Justice and injustice 
C) Power and purpose 
D) Morality and immorality

Question 12

Prestige and the ability to persuade are both key elements of which type of power?

Accepted Answer

A) Coercion 
B) Institutional power 
C) Collaborative power 
D) Soft power

Question 13

Which of the following is a main goal of this textbook?

Accepted Answer

A) To help readers evaluate arguments in international politics by connecting them to scholarly research 
B) To tell readers what to think 
C) To help readers remember the history of world so that they can better understand world politics 
D) To assert which solutions to international crises should be adopted

Question 14

In terms of explaining the causes of war, Waltz prefers a system level of analysis, which focuses on which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A) How individuals come together to start a conflict 
B) The distribution of power in the international system 
C) The nature of the states themselves 
D) The interaction of state bureaucracies

Question 15

Deciding whether to accept or reject an assertion made about international politics is considered to be which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A) The goal of analysis in international politics 
B) The first step to formulating a hypothesis 
C) The first step required to carry out an experiment 
D) The goal of historians

Question 16

In order to achieve their purposes, what must actors have?

Accepted Answer

A) Power 
B) Moral guidance 
C) Conflict 
D) Competing goals

Question 17

Which famous political scientist argued that one can explain war at any of the three levels of analysis?

Accepted Answer

A) Walter Cronkite 
B) Kenneth Waltz 
C) Paul D'Anieri 
D) Anthony Downs

Question 18

What is the essential question stemming from normative theory?

Accepted Answer

A) How does the world work? 
B) What is the reality of international politics? 
C) What goals should we pursue? 
D) How can we describe a particular war?

Question 19

In the context of international relations, what are power and purpose? In what way are they connected to each other?

Accepted Answer

The answer of In the context of international relations, what...

Question 20

What are the four levels of analysis that are looked at by researchers of international politics? Why might it be important for those studying international politics to consider more than one in order to explain global events? Give examples.

Accepted Answer

The answer of What are the four levels of analysis...

Exam 1: Introduction: Problems and Questions in International Politics