Political Science Research Methods MCQs

Political Science Research Methods MCQs

The following Political Science Research Methods MCQs have been compiled by our experts through research, in order to test your knowledge of the subject of Political Science Research Methods. We encourage you to answer these multiple-choice questions to assess your proficiency.
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1: Dillon’s rule describes a principle that assumes ______ to be a creature of _______.

A.   Legislative districts

B.   Local party bosses who use the patronage system for jobs and benefits

C.   Cumulative voting

D.   Local government; state government

2: To decrease sample error, a pollster must __________ the number of respondents.

A.   Hide

B.   Increase

C.   Decrease

D.   Underrepresent

3: There is no question that ________ is/are important for candidate success in texas.

A.   Incumbents

B.   March

C.   A modest increase

D.   Money

4: Representations refers to _____.

A.   The way in which an elected official responds to the people that elected him/her

B.   Removal of representative from individuals in the distric

C.   Both Brexit and the Iraq War

5: Because of texas's highly decentralized system, __________.

A.   Actions of interest groups or businesses to undercut or dilute policies

B.   Legislators, high-level bureaucrats, and representatives of interest groups

C.   Personnel policies are largely unique to each agency, some with better policies than others

D.   Providing benefits for the public good, regulating the private sectors, and affecting the governmental process

6: By 2030, it is possible that about __________ of texans will live in poverty.

A.   10 percent

B.   20 percent

C.   30 percent

D.   40 percent

E.   50 percent

7: Hispanic political clout in texas __________.

A.   Is so strong that most elected officials in Texas are of Hispanic descent

B.   Without having to state a reason

C.   The Republicans opposed it, fearing that it would benefit the Democratic Party.

D.   Was supported by Republicans, who argued it would reduce voter fraud

8: About ________ percent of eligible voters turn out for midterm congressional elections.

A.   35

B.   45

C.   33

D.   31

9: ________ referred to himself as a compassionate conservative in 2000.

A.   George W Bush

B.   Historically

C.   Democrats

10: Political action committees, or pacs, are ______.

A.   The fundraising arm for interest groups

B.   Effective leadership

C.   Effective leadership

D.   None of these

11: Richard nixons ____ strategy was aimed at attracting white southerners to the republican party.

A.   Southern

B.   Middle

C.   New england

D.   Western

12: A ________ exists when paid staff conduct most of the daily business of a group.

A.   Lobbyist firm

B.   Free-rider group

C.   527 committee

D.   Staff organization

13: Electors in each state are chosen by _____.

A.   Caucus meeting

B.   Financial contribution

C.   Proportional vote

D.   Popular vote

14: ________ states prohibit prison inmates who are serving a felony sentence from voting.

A.   Forty-eight

B.   Sixteen

C.   Thirty-six

D.   Thirty-three

15: An individuals psychological attachment to one party or another is called a party ________.

A.   Identification

B.   Patronage

C.   Proportional

D.   Elections

16: In 2012, ________ u.s. house seats were considered highly contested.

A.   23

B.   412

C.   112

D.   245

17: _____ helps maintain the federal balance by instilling loyalty to nation, state, and locality.

A.   Nativism

B.   Federalism

C.   Nationalism

D.   Isolationism

18: _____ was characterized by a far more active federal government and blurred lines of authority.

A.   Cooperative federalism

B.   Dual federalism

C.   New Federalism

D.   Progressive federalism

19: ________ conducts its elections entirely by mail.

A.   New Mexico

B.   Oklahoma

C.   Oregon

D.   Louisiana

20: ________ does not have a competitive multiparty system.

A.   Italy

B.   The Netherlands

C.   The United States

D.   Sweden

21: ________ dominated the secession convention of 1861.

A.   Landowners and cattlemen

B.   Lawyers and slaveholders

C.   Supporters of Governor Sam Houston

D.   Supporters of the Union

22: ________ is the practice of tailoring campaign messages to individuals in small, homogenous groups.

A.   Micro-targeting

B.   Winnowing

C.   Message bundling

D.   Redlining

23: __________ is the tendency for viewers to seek news that aligns with their existing ideas.

A.   Narrowcasting

B.   Investigative journalism

C.   Selective exposure

D.   None of these

24: ______________ is a factor in determining the leaders of each chamber in congress:

A.   Political party in the majority

B.   The Majority Leader

C.   Budget deficit

D.   Speaker of the House

25: (tco 5) in a parliamentary system, voters directly elect _____.

A.   The prime minister only

B.   Members of parliament only

C.   Members of parliament and the prime minister

D.   Members of parliament and the ministerial cabinet

26: A filibuster can be ended through __________; it requires the approval of __________ senators.

A.   Abrogation; fifty-one

B.   Censure; fifty-five

C.   Cloture; sixty

D.   Discharge; sixty-seven

27: A referendum is not purely direct democracy because the ________.

A.   Gerrymandering of the candidate's district

B.   Government proposes something and the voters approve it

C.   Decrease voter fraud

D.   Increasing compulsory voting laws

28: About ________ million americans have lost their voting rights as a result of felony convictions.

A.   1

B.   5

C.   14

D.   23

E.   50

29: About ________ percent of u.s. senators and u.s. representatives serving in congress are women.

A.   5

B.   45

C.   17

D.   55

E.   30

30: After reconstruction ended, most texans came to identify with the ____ party.

A.   Federalist

B.   Whig

C.   Republican

D.   Democratic

E.   Populist.

31: After the unpleasantness of reconstruction, texas created a constitution that __________.

A.   Gave the governor more powers

B.   Concentrated power in the radical Republicans

C.   Concentrated power in business interests and the wealthy

D.   Limited government power and fragmented its institutions

32: America's experience under the articles of confederation taught us that _____

A.   Derives its power from the consent of the governed

B.   Grievances against the King George III

C.   Congress having neither the authority to raise taxe

D.   A weak central government left the nation vulnerable

33: An important activity of any campaign is ________, which most directly involves ________.

A.   Mobilizing supporters; the ground game

B.   Converting opponents into supporters; the ground game

C.   Mobilizing supporters; name recognition

D.   Converting opponents into supporters; campaign platforms

E.   Name recognition; campaign platforms

34: At the state level, a cluster of __________ would be considered an iron triangle of government.

A.   Legislators, the governor and justices of the Supreme Court

B.   Legislators, high level bureaucrats and representatives of interest groups

C.   High level bureaucrats, the governor and business leaders

D.   Interest group representatives, corporate leaders and the press

E.   High level bureaucrats, members of the press and legislators

35: Between 1965 and 1973, the percentage of americans living below the poverty line _____.

A.   Increased

B.   Decreased

C.   Greatly decreased

D.   Greatly increased

36: Burning the american flag as a gesture of protest is an example of _____.

A.   Obscenity

B.   Symbolic speech

C.   Slander

D.   Libel

E.   Seditious speech

37: Campus speech codes __________ but __________.

A.   Are considered constitutional; are ineffective

B.   Are generally considered unconstitutional; are commonly found on university campuses

C.   Are effective at preventing hate speech regarding race; ineffective against religious hate speech

D.   Are widespread; rarely enforced

E.   Are uncommon; effective and constitutional

38: Grandparents, tall people, and undergraduates are all examples of ________.

A.   Political Parties

B.   Political action committees

C.   Potential interest groups

D.   Public interest groups

39: In a __________, virtually all power goes to the national government.

A.   Confederal system

B.   Federal system

C.   Unitary system

D.   System of self-government

40: In a republic, the _____ is/are in charge.

A.   Supreme Court

B.   People

C.   President

D.   Bureaucracy

41: The __________ is the official statement of a political party's policy alternatives.

A.   Choices

B.   Party cpnstitution

C.   Articles of incorporation

D.   Platform

42: The activities of the implementation phase of the policy process include __________.

A.   Nterpretation, organization and application

B.   Convincing government officials to initiate action

C.   Identification of an issue, formulation, and implementation

D.   Convincing government officials to initiate action

43: The federalist party disappeared forever as a result of ________.

A.   Reducing the number of third-party and independent candidates who can run for office.

B.   Have given presidents substantial capacity to achieve significant policy results despite congressional

C.   African Americans and Latinos are less likely to participate in politics than whites.

D.   More responsive to the needs of local interest groups in the districts they represent.

44: The ________ is the last example of indirect voting in national elections.

A.   Referendum

B.   Electoral college

C.   Open primary

D.   Closed primary

45: Congress can exercise influence over foreign policy through its power to __________.

A.   Receive diplomats

B.   Command the armed forces

C.   Ratify treaties

D.   Recognize the sovereignty of foreign countries

46: The most important feature of international relations according to a realist is __________.

A.   Power and dominance.

B.   Woodrow Wilson

C.   Theodore Roosevelt

D.   Franklin Roosevelt

47: Kinky friedman and carole keeton strayhorn ran for governor as ________ in 2006.

A.   Republicans

B.   Democrats

C.   Tea Party candidates.

D.   None of these

48: Latinos currently represent ________ percent of the texas population.

A.   27%

B.   40.2% ·

C.   40.3%

D.   38%

49: The ________ is a public official who is the main record keeper of court documents.

A.   District clerk

B.   County tax assessor-collector

C.   County clerke

D.   Texas counties

50: The term adjudication hearing refers to __________ in juvenile law.

A.   A court

B.   A verdict

C.   A mediation

D.   A trial