Free Practice Quiz Question List

1 Foundations of Political Science Online Quiz Questions

Use this free practice quiz with 20 questions to review 1 Foundations of Political Science, test your knowledge, and prepare for your next test or exam.

20 questions
01
Fill in the blank
1 point

The process through which people make collective decisions, resolve conflicts, and distribute resources and responsibilities is .

02
True or false
1 point

True or false: Political science uses systematic methods to study political life, while political philosophy asks normative questions such as whether a law is just.

  1. A

    True

  2. B

    False

03
Choose one
1 point

A city fines people who violate a traffic regulation. Which statement best identifies how the city uses power in this example?

  1. A

    The officials have authority because they can issue the rule.

  2. B

    The officials exercise coercive power by imposing a fine for violating the rule.

  3. C

    The fine proves that residents believe the rule is legitimate.

  4. D

    The rule is part of the state's sovereignty over other countries.

04
Written response
1 point

What Latin phrase describes authority that is accepted or obeyed in practice, whether or not it is morally justified?

05
Fill in the blank
1 point

The set of institutions and officeholders currently exercising state power is the .

06
Choose one
1 point

Residents believe that their city government has a right to govern, even though they disagree about whether one of its policies is fair. Which concept best describes the residents' belief?

  1. A

    Normative legitimacy, because it asks whether the government follows fair procedures.

  2. B

    Legality, because public acceptance is the same as conformity with existing law.

  3. C

    Descriptive legitimacy, because it concerns residents' belief that the city has a right to govern.

  4. D

    Sovereignty, because it concerns independence from external rule.

07
True or false
1 point

True or false: An institution with a recognized legal role necessarily has the practical capacity to enforce its decisions.

  1. A

    True

  2. B

    False

08
Choose all
1 point

Select all statements that correctly distinguish states from nations.

  1. A

    A state is a political organization that claims authority over a population and territory.

  2. B

    A nation is a community whose members share some sense of identity, often connected to history, culture, or language.

  3. C

    Every state necessarily contains exactly one nation.

  4. D

    A nation may exist without having its own state.

09
Choose one
1 point

A new administration takes office, but the country's territory and underlying political organization remain in place. Which conclusion is best supported?

  1. A

    The government has changed, while the state may persist.

  2. B

    The state has necessarily disappeared because its officeholders changed.

  3. C

    The regime has necessarily changed whenever a new administration takes office.

  4. D

    The country has necessarily become a new nation.

10
Written response
1 point

What term describes a state's claim to final political authority within its territory and independence from external rule?

11
Choose all
1 point

Which changes provide evidence that a political regime has changed? Select all that apply.

  1. A

    The basic rules for selecting or removing leaders change.

  2. B

    The rules governing who can access political power are substantially revised.

  3. C

    Officeholders change, but the rules governing political competition remain the same.

  4. D

    A government adopts a new policy without changing the framework for acquiring or exercising power.

12
Choose one
1 point

Members of a neighborhood association debate how to allocate a shared fund. Does this count as politics, even though the association is not a government?

  1. A

    No; politics occurs only in governments.

  2. B

    No; allocating shared funds is an economic matter, not a political one.

  3. C

    Yes; members are making a collective decision about shared resources.

  4. D

    Yes, but only if the group has legal authority to make laws.

13
Open ended
1 point

A city requires residents to follow a new traffic rule. Officials enforce it and say that traffic regulation is part of their legal role. Some residents accept the city's right to set the rule, while others challenge whether it was adopted fairly. Explain how power, authority, descriptive legitimacy, and normative legitimacy apply to this situation.

14
Choose one
1 point

Members of a neighborhood association disagree about how to allocate a shared fund, then negotiate a decision. Which concept best describes this process?

  1. A

    Politics

  2. B

    Political science

  3. C

    Sovereignty

  4. D

    Legitimacy

15
Written response
1 point

A researcher systematically investigates how households respond to a new public policy. Which field is the researcher working in?

16
Choose one
1 point

A political organization claims authority over a defined population and territory. Which term best describes that organization?

  1. A

    Government

  2. B

    State

  3. C

    Nation

  4. D

    Regime

17
Written response
1 point

A community shares a sense of identity connected to its history and culture but does not have its own state. What term best describes the community?

18
Choose one
1 point

Residents believe that their ruler has a right to govern, although they disagree about whether the ruler's decisions are fair. Which concept describes the residents' belief?

  1. A

    Descriptive legitimacy

  2. B

    Normative legitimacy

  3. C

    Legality

  4. D

    Sovereignty

19
True or false
1 point

A government rule is legal, so its exercise of political power is necessarily legitimate. True or false?

  1. A

    True

  2. B

    False

20
Choose one
1 point

A powerful group forces people to comply with its decisions, but no one recognizes or claims that the group has a right to rule. Which description best fits the situation?

  1. A

    Power without authority

  2. B

    Legitimate authority

  3. C

    Normative legitimacy

  4. D

    Sovereignty