01
True or false
1 point
True or false: A descriptive comparison primarily asks how cases differ, while a causal comparison asks why they differ.
Free Practice Quiz Question List
Comparative Analysis and Research Methods Online Quiz Questions
Use this free practice quiz with 20 questions to review Comparative Analysis and Research Methods, test your knowledge, and prepare for your next test or exam.
20 questions
02
Choose one
1 point
Which case-selection strategy compares cases that are similar in many important respects but differ in the outcome being studied?
- A
Cases that differ in many ways but have the same outcome
- B
Cases that are similar in important ways but differ in the outcome
- C
Cases selected only because they support the researcher's preferred conclusion
- D
Cases from the same region regardless of their relevant characteristics
03
True or false
1 point
True or false: A legislature's formal constitutional authority is not necessarily the same as the power it exercises in practice.
- A
True
- B
False
04
Written response
1 point
What methodological term means translating an abstract political concept into observable indicators?
05
Fill in the blank
1 point
Complete the statement: An indicator has when it measures the intended concept, and it has when it produces reasonably consistent measurements.
06
Choose one
1 point
A government passes a school-reform law. Which option is the policy output in this example?
- A
The adoption of the school-reform law
- B
Increased student attendance
- C
Improved long-term educational attainment
- D
An unintended distributional effect
07
Choose all
1 point
Which three are identified as risks in using cross-national political indicators? Select all correct choices.
- A
Missing data
- B
Source bias
- C
Transparent documentation of how a measure was constructed
- D
False precision
08
Written response
1 point
How many broad dimensions do the World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators measure? Enter the number of dimensions.
09
Fill in the blank
1 point
In a study of why countries implement climate regulations differently, the degree of implementation and measurable policy compliance is the , while bureaucratic capacity could be an .
10
Choose all
1 point
Which methods are qualitative techniques used to examine political processes and interactions in depth? Select all correct choices.
- A
Interviews
- B
Archival research
- C
Regression analysis
- D
Process tracing
11
Choose one
1 point
Which design compares cases that differ in many ways but display a similar outcome in order to identify a possible common explanation?
- A
Cases that are typical of the broader population
- B
Cases that should be especially favorable to a theory
- C
Cases that differ in many ways but share a similar outcome
- D
Cases chosen only after the results are known
12
True or false
1 point
True or false: A correlation between two political variables, by itself, establishes that one causes the other.
- A
True
- B
False
13
Open ended
1 point
Design a comparative research plan to explain why some countries implement climate regulations more effectively than others. Specify the outcome, at least two possible explanatory variables, a case-selection strategy, appropriate evidence or methods, alternative explanations, and a limitation of the design.
14
Choose one
1 point
A researcher wants to compare survey responses about trust in government across countries. Which principle requires ensuring that the same question has the same meaning in each country?
- A
Measurement equivalence
- B
Institutional determinism
- C
Selection bias
- D
Index aggregation
15
Choose one
1 point
A legislature passes a school-reform law, and student attendance subsequently increases. Which item is the policy outcome?
- A
A school-reform law passed by the legislature
- B
Increased student attendance after the reform
- C
Improved long-term educational attainment
- D
The distributional effects of the reform
16
Choose one
1 point
A researcher first defines democracy as including competitive elections, civil liberties, and judicial constraints, and then selects indicators for each dimension. Which step is the selection of indicators?
- A
Selecting countries that have similar education levels
- B
Defining democracy as including elections and civil liberties
- C
Comparing survey responses across several countries
- D
Translating democracy into indicators such as judicial constraints and participation
17
Choose one
1 point
A researcher wants to explain why two economically similar democracies with comparable education levels have different levels of public-health compliance. Which case-selection strategy best fits this comparison?
- A
Two economically similar democracies with comparable education levels but different public-health compliance
- B
A presidential democracy, a parliamentary democracy, and an authoritarian system with the same digital-tax policy
- C
Cases selected because they support the researcher's preferred conclusion
- D
A single country studied before and after a constitutional reform
18
Choose one
1 point
Which example best illustrates a de jure institution rather than a de facto institution?
- A
An informal coalition practice that is not written into law
- B
A legislature's constitutional oversight authority despite its rare use
- C
The level of public trust in the legislature
- D
A statistical estimate of legislative effectiveness
19
Written response
1 point
A comparative researcher selects a country that does not fit the relationship predicted by the study’s theory in order to investigate omitted variables or weaknesses in that theory. What case-selection term describes this country?
20
Written response
1 point
A researcher investigates political trust by comparing survey responses with administrative records, interviews, and legislative evidence. When these different forms of evidence are used to test one another, what research strategy is being used?