Question 1

Thomas Hobbes advocated for which type of government?

Accepted Answer

A) Representative democratic 
B) Strong authoritarian 
C) Direct democratic 
D) Oligarchy 
E) Monarchy

Question 2

Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau are generally regarded as three of the most influential social contract theorists. What is a social contract theorist and how do these three theorists reflect the diversity of approaches within this area of political theory?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau are generally regarded...

Question 3

Machiavelli asserts that power can be exercised in all of the following ways EXCEPT for which one?

Accepted Answer

A) Use of force 
B) Making threats 
C) Providing gifts 
D) Manipulation of subjects 
E) Seeking advice from political rivals

Question 4

According to John Locke, living under a tyrannical government will cause, rather than prevent, violence. Why is this, and how does this differ from Thomas Hobbes's account of necessary sovereign power?

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to John Locke, living under a...

Question 5

Thomas Hobbes argued that human behavior is all of the following EXCEPT what?

Accepted Answer

A) Best understood by examining how sensations interact with the mind 
B) Best explained by humans' natural appetites and aversions 
C) Driven by our pursuit of pleasures and aversion to pain 
D) Best explained through the study of psychology 
E) Best understood using historical standards of morality established by religion

Question 6

Which of the following groups contains only social contract theorists?

Accepted Answer

A) Hobbes, Locke, and Machiavelli 
B) Locke, Rousseau and Marx 
C) Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau 
D) Rousseau, Nietzsche, and Locke 
E) Locke, Rousseau and Hume

Question 7

Which political theorist argued that political power should be viewed as a means to prevent chaos and warfare?

Accepted Answer

A) Peter Abelard 
B) Niccoló Machiavelli 
C) Thomas Hobbes 
D) John Locke 
E) Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Question 8

Which of the following leaders offers an example of Machiavelli's advice to use violence to enhance political power?

Accepted Answer

A) Cesare Borgia 
B) Cicero 
C) King Charles VIII of France 
D) Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain 
E) Frederick the Great

Question 9

Machiavelli proposes that the prince, who possesses both strength and cunningness, will be able to control the people through the use of which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A) Force 
B) Gifts 
C) Threats 
D) Charisma 
E) Love

Question 10

Which of these political situations would NOT be considered a latter-day example of Machiavelli's theories on gaining and maintaining political power?

Accepted Answer

A) Abraham Lincoln's suspension of habeas corpus during the American Civil War 
B) Ayatollah Khomeini's endorsement of President Ahmadinejad in questionable elections in Iran 
C) Karl Rove's electoral strategy for George W. Bush, referring to opponent John Kerry as a "flip-flopper" 
D) President Bashar Al-Assad's violent suppression of protests in Syria 
E) President George W. Bush's quick decision to attack Afghanistan after the terrorist attacks of 9/11

Question 11

Just as Galileo used science to prove Copernicus's theory that the sun was the center of the universe, so did Hobbes attempt to use science to prove the correctness of whose theory of power?

Accepted Answer

A) Peter Abelard's 
B) Aristotle's 
C) Francis Bacon's 
D) Machiavelli's 
E) Plato's

Question 12

John Locke's Two Treatises of Government directly challenges the self-interested view of human nature and the authoritarian political theory of which theorist?

Accepted Answer

A) Peter Abelard 
B) Thomas Hobbes 
C) Immanuel Kant 
D) Plato 
E) Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Question 13

The ancient political theory of Plato and Aristotle often focused on the concept of justice to help explain politics, whereas the modern political theory of Machiavelli and Hobbes focuses on which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A) Conservatism 
B) Feudalism 
C) Force 
D) Morality 
E) Power

Question 14

Explain how John Locke's theories associated with natural rights and the social contract influenced Thomas Jefferson when he wrote the American Declaration of Independence.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain how John Locke's theories associated with...

Question 15

John Locke believed in the concept of tabula rasa , which means what?

Accepted Answer

A) People are born with a belief in God. 
B) People are born with a blank moral slate. 
C) People are born with a desire to exploit others. 
D) People are born to pursue pleasure and avoid pain. 
E) People are born naturally sinful and amoral.

Question 16

Why does Machiavelli believe that leaders should take on the traits of the fox and the lion? How do these traits offer insights into how Machiavelli believes leaders should behave to ensure that they are respected and not hated by the populace?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Why does Machiavelli believe that leaders should...

Question 17

Why did Machiavelli advise that leaders should create a state religion?

Accepted Answer

A) Because it is important for leaders to be spiritual 
B) Because leaders who do not believe in God lack morality 
C) Because leaders who believe in God make better decisions 
D) Because leaders who belong to a state religion are more ethical 
E) Because religious authority can help fortify a leader's power

Question 18

For Hobbes, it is the concept of "appetite" that shapes human behavior, whereas Locke relies on the concept of "reason" as a foundation of his political theory. How do these two starting points shape each theorist's social contract theory?

Accepted Answer

The answer of For Hobbes, it is the concept of...

Question 19

How do Hobbes and Locke differ with respect to human nature, the precontract state, and their theory on the social contract?

Accepted Answer

The answer of How do Hobbes and Locke differ with...

Question 20

Which political theorist authored The Two Treatises of Government and had a major influence on Thomas Jefferson when he wrote the Declaration of Independence?

Accepted Answer

A) Niccoló Machiavelli 
B) Thomas Hobbes 
C) Karl Marx 
D) John Locke 
E) Edmund Burke

Exam 3: Modern Political Theory