TESTING ISSUES FOR GOVERNMENT 2301/2302, Fall 2001
This document is designed to help students understand what the instructor’s expectations are for
certain types of test items this semester. Print a copy of this document and refer to it before each
exam. Use it in conjunction with review questions, lecture notes, and reading materials to prepare
for each test. Tests in this course are, in the view of the instructor, essentially tests of the
student’s preparation. Use these tools wisely and you should do well in the course.
Exams in this course are CRITICAL THINKING exercises. Exams in the course are objective-format
(multiple choice items and variations). Provided below are explanations and examples of each
type.
OBJECTIVE ITEMS - These primarily include multiple choice questions, in various forms,
including true/false items and matching items. Multiple choice questions require that students
select the BEST answer from several possible responses. Students often mistake this
requirement to mean that answers to multiple choice questions in government courses are
subjective and that their task is to figure out which answer corresponds to the instructor’s or
author’s opinion. This is not the case, at least in this course. The instructor does NOT present
questions on tests that are opinion-based. However, questions are frequently confronted with
questions that present several plausible answers. In these situations, the student should pick
the best answer.
Varieties of multiple choice questions:
FACTUAL - This is the most rudimentary type. The student either knows or does not know the
facts.
Examples:
Which of the following is frequently referred to as “the father of the Constitution” because he
was the principle architect of the Virginia Plan and kept a detailed record of the proceedings of
the 1787 Constitutional Convention?
a. Thomas Jefferson
b. James Madison
c. Ben Franklin d. George Washington
Which of the following political philosophers had the greatest single influence on the principles
expressed in the Declaration of Independence by the founders of the American republic?
a. Thomas Hobbes
b. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
c. Thomas Aquinas
d. John Locke.
Which of the following is (are) a quality (qualities) of a good theory?
1. explanation 2. prediction 3. parsimony 4. complexity 5. generalization
a. 1, 2, and 3 b. 1 and 2 c. 1, 2, 3, and 5 d. all of these
DEFINITIONAL - This type tests the student’s familiarity with the terms and concepts presented in
the course.
Examples:
The stage of the policy-making process that involves “choosing an official course of action from
among alternative policy strategies” is
a. implementation. b. designation. c. adoption. d. formulation.
The set of political values, beliefs, and norms found in a political community which flow from
basic ideological assumptions about human nature, society, and government is
a. an “ism.” b. an ideology. c. political culture. d. political theory.
The requirement that “citizens must participate in the political process” is characteristic of which
theory of democracy?
a. elite theory b. traditional democratic theory c. pluralist theory
d. none of these
A model that explains, describes, and prescribes is called a _________ model.
a.
authoritarian
b.
normative
c.
direct
d.
positive
Which of the following ideas means that a change in one variable is accompanied by a change
in another?
a. causal relationship
b. correlation
c. spurious correlation
d. parsimony
Which of the following ideas means that a change in one variable lead to or results in a change
in another variable?
a. causal relationship
b. correlation
c. spurious correlation
d. ceteris paribus assumption
A statement that predicts an expected relationship between two or more variables and that can
be empirically-tested is a
a. scientific theory. b. scientific law. c. hypothesis. d. supposition.
CONCEPTUAL - This type tests the student’s understanding of major concepts and themes
presented in the course. This type frequently assumes students know the basic facts and can
think about the facts at a level beyond rote memorization.
Examples:
Which of the following tends to emphasize policy outcomes?
a. traditional democratic theory b. pluralist theory c. procedural democracy
d. elite theory
The perfect provision of order, equality, and freedom can never take place because
a. no government structure is perfectly designed.
b. some political officials will always be corrupt or incompetent.
c. these three values encompass essentially the same meaning.
d. these three values are inherently in conflict and cannot be simultaneously provided fully.
Which of the following constitutes the modern dilemma of government?
a. freedom versus order b. freedom versus equality
c. political order versus economic order d. none of these
A primary objective of civil disobedience is to
a. reveal the corruption within a local police force.
b. Address the support of locally elected officials.
c. Bankrupt an oppressive government.
d. Stir the conscience of an apathetic majority.
Implicit in the theory of the social contract (as understood by the American founders) is the
belief that
a. governmental processes should be open to public scrutiny.
b. There should be strict separation of church and state.
c. There should be an elite governing body to guide the uneducated masses.
d. Governmental powers and restrictions on the individual should be kept to a minimum.
Which of the following tends to emphasize policy outcomes?
a. traditional democratic theory b. pluralist theory
c. procedural democracy d. elite theory
APPLICATION - This type tests the student’s ability to apply facts, concepts, and themes to
hypothetical or actual scenarios, situations, and problems. Frequently, the scenarios presented
on a test have not been discussed in class or in the reading material. The scenario itself,
however, is not important. It is simply a device to gauge the student’s to think “in a political
science way” about issues beyond those discussed in class.
Example:
A public affairs radio talk show host accuses his guest of being a xenophobic racist because the
guest supports legislation which would make English the official language of the United States.
The host’s charge illustrates which fallacy of reasoning discussed in class?
a. post hoc fallacy b. slippery slope
c. non-sequitur d. ad hominem argument
Suppose a city council passed an ordinance in 1990 which prohibits individuals and businesses
from posting signs (i.e., garage sale signs, small business advertising) on right-of-ways,
intersections, street lights, telephone poles, city property, etc. Because Code Enforcement (the
city department responsible for enforcement of the ordinance) does not have enough
manpower, it has not issued a single citation for violation of the ordinance in seven years.
Consequently, these signs are pervasive around the city. What important principle of public
policy does this example illustrate?
a. Public policies NEVER work.
b. City governments have little authority to make public policy decisions.
c. Public policies consist of decisions AND action - the action of government determines the
content of public policy.
d. Public policies are what government intends to do.
The U.S. Supreme Court strikes down a law school’s affirmative action admissions program as
unconstitutional. This is an example of which stage of the policy-making process?
a. implementation. b. designation. c. agenda-setting. d. evaluation.
The City Health Department inspects a local restaurant and finds “slime in the ice machine,”
inadequate refrigeration for perishable foods, and roach and rodent droppings on cabinet
shelves, the floor, and food containers. This is the third round of violations for this restaurant.
The Health Department closes down the establishment until standards are met. This is an
example of which type or class of public policy?
a. resource allocative
b. resource extractive
c. regulatory
d. internal organization and management
Which of the following is NOT an hypothesis?
a. “The majority party will lose seats in Congress in election years in which unemployment rates
are high.”
b. “The incumbent president lacks foreign policy leadership skills.”
c. “Students who begin the day with a nutritious breakfast are likely to score higher on exams
than students who do not eat breakfast.”
d. “A daily regimen of oral hygiene which includes brushing with a fluoride toothpaste can
reduce the chances of developing cavities.”
MULTIPLE-COMBINATION QUESTIONS - These can incorporate elements of any or all of the
previous types.
Examples:
The pluralist theory of democracy
1. is basically the same as traditional democratic theory in its assumptions about the role of
citizens in the political process.
2. sees democracy as operating through competition among groups.
3. suggests that there are several types of political resources which may be effective in
influencing public policy.
4. argues that the only meaningful political resource is money.
5. views public policy as a balance or equilibrium among competing group interests.
a. 1 and 2 b. 2 and 5 c. 2, 3, and 5 d. 2, 4, and 5
Professor Ludlow has developed a model to explain congressional election outcomes. She
believes that candidates who raise more money in a campaign are more likely than their
opponents to win their races. Which of the following statements is (are) NOT true?
1. Ludlow believes there is a direct relationship between the amount of money a candidate
raises and his/her likelihood of winning the election.
2. She will be able to perfectly predict the outcomes of all congressional elections using her
model.
3. The amount of campaign money raised is the independent variable; the likelihood of winning
an election is the dependent variable.
4. The relationship between the independent and dependent variables is exact.
5. A graph of the relationship between these two variables would probably be a line that slopes
upward to the right.
a. 1, 3, and 5 b. all of the above are true c. 3, 4, and 5 d. 1, 2, and 3
**Note: Students should be aware that multiple choice questions are designed to identify what
students DO NOT KNOW rather than what they do know. For example, in the previous sample
question, suppose you pick answer [b] because you know that answers [1], [3], and [5] are
correct but you are unsure about answers [2] and [4]. The correct answer is [a]. Although you
knew [1], [3], and [5] to be correct, you receive no credit in this case because you incorrectly
guessed that [2] and [4] are true as well. This may seem harsh, but it is the nature of multiple
choice questions, particularly the multiple combination questions. Being aware of this fact
ahead of time, however, should help you more effectively deal with these questions in a test
situation. For example, you might be able to develop strategies to minimize mistakes.
**Another Note: Occasionally, you might see a series of related questions that represent several
different types of questions. For example,
Definitional
A condition that exists when a private market fails to capture all of the social costs associated
with the production and consumption of a good or service is known as
a. a negative externality. b. a positive externality. c. adverse selection.
d. the free rider problem.
Conceptual
What policy responses might government attempt to counter the condition described in the
previous question?
a. subsidize the good or service b. provide the good or service
c. regulate the market d. all of the above
Application
Which good or service is most likely to have associated with it the kind of condition described in
the previous question?
a. higher education b. childhood immunizations c. automobiles
d. public libraries