POLITICAL SCIENCE QUESTIONS

1. Which of the following pairs are correctly matched?
1. Leo Strauss : Political philosopher
2. Albert Venn Dicey : Constitutional theorist
3. Harold Lasswell : Communication theorist
4. Samuel Finer : Historian of Government
Select the correct answer by using the codes given below:
(a) l and 3
(b) 2, 3 and 4
(c) 1, 2 and 4
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Ans. (c)

2. Modernization theorists associate which of the following with political modernization?
1. Equal opportunity to participate in politics and compete for government office.
2. Differentiation and specialization of political functions.
3. Secularization of the political sphere.
4. Formation of a federal system of government.
Select the correct answer by using the codes given below:
(a) 3 and 4
(b) 1, 2 and 3
(c) 1, 2 and 4
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Ans. (c)

3. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer by using the codes given below the lists:
List-I List-II
(Concept/Theory) (Scholar)
A. Proletarian internationalism 1. Charles Kindleberger
B. Political realism 2. Hans Morgenthau
C. Complex interdependence 3.V. I. Lenin
D. Hegemonic stability theory 4. Keohane and Nye
Codes:
A B C D
(a) 1 2 4 3
(b) 3 4 2 1
(c) 1 4 2 3
(d) 3 2 4 1
Ans. (d)

4. ‘Sovereignty is the supreme power over citizens and subjects unrestrained by law.’ This understanding of sovereignty today is restricted in practice by which of the following?
(a) Globalization
(b) Acceptance of the declaration of universal human rights by a majority of the states
(c) Rise of global concerns such as ecology and terrorism
(d) All of the above
Ans. (d)

5. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer by using the codes given below the lists:
List-I List-II
(Theme) (Author)
A. State as a class 1. J. Rousseau, G. Hegel and T. H. Green
B. State as ethical life 2. Machiavelli and T. Hobbes
C. State as power 3. Karl Marx and Lenin
D. Minimal state 4. F. Hayek and R. Nozick
Codes:
A B C D
(a) 2 4 3 1
(b) 3 1 2 4
(c) 2 1 3 4
(d) 3 4 2 1
Ans. (b)

6. Consider the following statements:
According to the Liberals, rights
1. curtail the power of the state.
2. enable individuals to attain their best selves.
3. empower individuals against the collective.
4. form the basis of a vibrant civil society
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1, 2 and 4
(b)
(c) 2 and 3
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Ans. (a)

7.In accordance to a growing consensus today, which of the
following freedom should be inclusive of?
1. Absence of certain physical and legal impediments.
2. Presence of certain civil and political liberties.
3. Social provisions of income, education and health.
4. Protection of cultural identity
Select the correct answer by using the codes given below:
(a)1, 2, 3 and 4
(b)1, 2 and 3
(c) 2 and 3
(d) only l
Ans. (a)

8. Consider the following statements:
1. Liberal democratic tradition views equality primarily as “equality of opportunity” and “equality of conditions”.
2. ‘Equality of conditions” seeks to ensure that equality of results are achieved regardless of natural ability.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Ans. (b)

9. Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched?
(Concept) (Thinker)
(a) Public sphere : Thomas Hobbes
(b) Civil associations : A. de Tocqueville
(c) Social capital : Robert Putnam
(d) Non-government, non-party organizations : Rajni Kothari
Ans. (a)

10.. Which one of the following thinkers defended representative democracy against direct democracy?
(a) J. J. Rousseau
(b) Karl Marx
(c) M. A. Bakunin
(d) J. Madison
Ans. (a)

11. Consider the following statements about conservatism:
1. Conservatism is opposed to revolutionary change.
2. For conservatives, traditions, customs and usages are sources of rights.
3. Conservatives are invariably committed to religious practices.
4. Conservatives are opposed to universal adult franchise.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1 and 3
(b) 1 and 2
(c) 3 and 4
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Ans.(d)

12. Which one of the following statements is not correct.?
(a) The effects of globalization on the lives of women have. been multiple, contradictory, inclusionary and exclusionary.
(b) The gender question can be meaningfully addressed only by ensuring equality, in the private realm.
(c) A democratic solution to gender question lies with more democracy in social, economic and political fields with a commitment to equality.
(d) Feminist political theory from its inception has demanded special and different treatment for women.
Ans. (d)

13. Consider the following statements with respect to deepening of democracy:
1. A system of representation, with well functioning political parties and interest associations.
2. An electoral system that guarantees free and fair elections as well as universal suffrage.
3. A system of checks and balances based on the separation of powers with independent, judicial and legislative branches.
4. A vibrant civil society as well as a free and independent media.
Which of the above statements are required to deepen the democracy?
(a) l and 2
(b) 2 and 4
(c) 1 and 3
(d) 1, 2 , 3 and 4
Ans. (d)

14. Which one of the following statements is correct?
A ‘night watchman/minimal state’ is one which
(a) ensures law and order
(b) cares for its citizens
(c) protects minimum wages for the workers
(d) safeguards the social and economic rights of citizens
Ans. (a)

15. In which of their works did Karl Marx and F. Engels first expound the principles of materialistic dialectics?
(a) Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts
(b) Communist Manifesto’
(c) On the Jewish Question
(d) German Ideology
Ans. (b)

16. In the critique of the Gotha Programme, what is the reason on which Karl Marx. argues that equal wages cannot be paid to the workers in the immediate aftermath of the working class revolution?
(a) The needs and requirements of workers differ.
(b) The productivity of labour varies and it is unfair to pay the same wages to skilled and unskilled labour.
(c) The demands of primitive capital accumulation does not afford e wages to workers.
(d) Militant sections of the working class who have made enormous sacrifices in making the revolution need to be compensated.
Ans.(a)

17. Which one of the following is not correct?
(a) For N. Machiavelli and I. Hegel, State was based on force
(b) For J. S. Mill and T. H. Green, consent was the basis of the state
(c) In Marx’s view, the state was an instrument of class exploitation
(d) In Gandhian philosophy, the propertied classes should be persuaded to employ their resources and to sub serve common good
Ans.(b)

18. Who, among the following, was an author of one of the major books in the area of Games Theory : The Theory of Games and Economic Behaviour?.
(a) John Nash
(b) Von Neumann and Oskar Morgenstern
(c) Anthony Downs
(d) Jeffrey S. Banks
Ans. (b)

19. Consider the following statements:
1. Dependency theory argues that poverty in the Third World (countries, in the periphery) is on account of their not being integrated into the world system.
2. Idealist theory in International Relations maintains that self-interest cannot be muted in order to build national and international norms of, behaviour that foment peace.
3. Realist theory in International Relations is criticized for under-emphasizing the role of international organizations.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) l and 3
(b) 2 and 3
(c) l and 2
(d) 3only
Ans. (b)

21. Which one of the following is not associated with game theory in International Relations?
(a) Rationality of actors
(b) Attempt to maximize gains and minimize losses
(c) Inclination of a state to act on the grounds of morality
(d) Awareness about the. possibility of a ‘free rider’
Ans. (d)

22. To who can the idea of ‘Development as Freedom’ be credited?
(a) J. M. Keynes
(b) M. Gorbachev
(c) Jawaharlal Nehru
(d) Amartya Sen
Ans. (d)

23. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer by using the codes given below the lists:
List-I List-II
(Theme) (Scholar)
A. Principal advocate of utilitarian liberalism 1. Robert Dahl
B. The central figure in the American pluralist theory 2. Jeremy Bentham
C. The major contributor to re-thinking citizenship 3. J. Habermas
D. Undertook a major study on the structural 4. T. H. Marshall
transformation of the public sphere
Codes:
A B C D
(a) 2 1 4 3
(b) 4 3 2 1
(c) 2 3 4 1
(d) 4 1 2 3
Ans. (a)

24. Which two political thinkers represent the Institutional Approach to Comparative Politics?
(a) Almond and Coleman
(b) Easton and Dahl
(c) Duvergel and Sartori
(d) Leo Strauss and Dicey
Ans. (c)

25. Consider the following statements:
1. Neo-Liberals argue that an unregulated market is the best way to increase economic growth, which will ultimately benefit everyone.
2. Neo-Liberals suggest that free trade should benefit those with better abilities and merit.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Ans. (c)

26. Which one of the following political theorists first made the conceptual distinction between negative and positive liberty in criticism of positive liberty?
(a) C. B. McPherson
(b) Isaiah Berlin
(c) Robert Dahl
(d) Sydney Webb
Ans. (b)

27. Who, among the following theorists, is associated with neo-realism in international relations?
(a) Kenneth Waltz
(b) Hans Morgenthau
(c) Reinhold Niebuhr
(d) John Ruggie
Ans. (a)

28. Assertion (A): In his colonial thesis, Lenin argued that there is a close bond between national liberation movements and working class movement world wide.
Reason (R) : Both the working class movement and national movements in the colonies are directed against a common enemy i. e. imperia1ism.
Codes:
(a) Both A and R are individually true and R is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both A and R are individually true but R is not the correct explanation of A
(c) A is true but R is false (d)A is false but R is true
Ans. (a)

29. Assertion (A) : Rule of law is a pre-condition for a free society.
Reason (R) : When those with wielding power can use force in any way they like, everyone is at the mercy of the rulers.
Codes:
(a) Both A and Rare individually true and R is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both A and R are individually true but R is not the correct explanation of A
(c) A is true but R is false (d) A is false but R is true
Ans. (b)

30. Consider the following statements:
Thomas Hobbes argues that
1. without the state; morality, justice, industry and civilization cannot endure.
2. in the state of nature, everyman has the liberty to use his power as he wants.
3. human nature primarily seeks self preservation, power, glory, riches and honour.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1 and 2
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Ans. (d)

31. Which one of the following statements is not correct?
(a) For Aristotle, state exists to ensure good life for its members
(b) For Jeremy Bentham, state exists to promote the social and economic welfare of its citizens
(c) For Thomas Hobbes, the primary task of the state is to ensure law and order
(d) For John Locke, the state exists to protect the inalienable rights of its citizens
Ans.(b)

32. J. Rousseau’s concept of general will avows which one of the following?
(a) Parliamentary sovereignty
(b) Popular sovereignty
(c) Sovereignty of the constitution
(d) De jure sovereignty
Ans.(b)

33. Consider the following statements:
The ideal of ‘universal citizenship’ implies that
1. all citizens of a country should be treated alike and granted equal rights.
2. individuals should be considered as citizens of the world.
3. all persons living in a country should he treated as citizens.
4. citizenship rights are given to us by nature.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 only
(d) 4 only
Ans. (d)

34. Consider the following statements about the UN
Declaration of Human Rights:
1. Universal Declaration of Human Rights does not refer to any social or economic rights
2. The Declaration does not uphold such rights as. right to work, protection against unemployment, just remuneration and right to form trade unions.
3. The Declaration recognizes the rights of indigenous populations.
4. The Declaration grants special status to women.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1 and 2
(b) 2 and 3
(c)1, 2 and 4
(d) 3 and 4
Ans. (a)

35. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer by using the codes given below the lists:
List-I List-II
(Thinker) (Idea)
A. Karl Marx 1. Justice as fairness
B. Jeremy Bentham 2. From each according to his ability to each according to his needs
C. John Rawls 3. Justice as net aggregate satisfaction
D. Robert Nozick 4. From each as they choose to each as they are chosen
Codes:
A B C D
(a) 1 3 2 4
(b) 2 4 1 3
(c) 1 4 2 3
(d) 2 3 1 4
Ans. (d)

36.Which one of the following conditions aptly represents Gandhi’s idea of swaraj?
(a) Self-sufficiency in food grains based on large scale irrigation and applications of fertilizers
(b) Self-sufficient rural economy employing local resources and labour-intensive techniques
(c) An economy where men and women are fully employed in professions requiring technical education
(d) Labour intensive agriculture and a modern urban economy
Ans. (b)

37. Which one of the following pairs is correctly matched?
(a) Che Guevara : Bolshevik Revolution
(b) George Lukas : Cuban Revolution
(c) Rosa Luxemburg : German Uprising.
(d) Nikolai Bukharin : Hungarian Revolution
Ans. (a)

38. Consider the following statements:
In early 1920s, Gandhi argued that swaraj is impossible without
1. Khadi
2. Hindu-Muslim unity
3. Abolition of untouchabiity
4. Nai Talim (Basic Education).
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1,2, 3and 4
(b) 1,2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) 2 and 4
Ans. (b)

39. Why do contemporary liberals persuaded by John Rawls argue for the primacy of rights Over good?
(a) A majority of the people prefer rights over good.
(b) There are plurality of conceptions of good which people uphold and they have their reasons for the same.
(c) Liberal societies, unlike the traditional, uphold rights.
(d) The universal declaration on human rights prefers right over good.
Ans.(c)

40. Which one of the following is the correct combination related to theoretical defense of the welfare state?
(a) John Locke : Treatise on Government
(b) J. S. Mill : Representative Government
(c) F. Engels : Socialism : Utopian and Scientific
(d) L. T. Hobhouse : Liberalism
Ans. (d)

41. Which one of the following thinkers suggests that right to property is the basis of life and liberties?
(a) Thomas Hobbes
(b) J. Rousseau
(c) J. Locke
(d) J. S. Mill
Ans. (c)

42.Who defined the state as a “human community that (successfully) claims the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force within a given territory”?
(a) Benito Mussolini
(b) Max Weber
(c) Thomas Hobbes
(d) Nicolo Machiavelli
Ans. (b)

43. Assertion (A) : In the Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes argues that through social contract, a sovereign authority is created to whom every man surrendered his authority of governing himself.
Reason (R) : Men found that they cannot collectively regulate their life as they did in the state of nature.
Codes:
(a) Both A and R are individually true and R is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both A and R are individually true but R is not the correct explanation of A
(c) A is true but R is false
(d) A is false but R is true
Ans. (c)

44. Consider the following statements on the implications of coalition politics in the states
1. Coalition government have weakened the position and influence of Chief Ministers in the states.
2. Coalition government have virtually weakened bureaucracy in state administration.
3. Coalition government adversely affected political homogeneity of the Council of Ministers.
4. The area of coalition politics expanded the scope of the discretionary powers of the Governors.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1 and 2
(b) 2, 3 and 4
(c) 1, 3 and 4
(d) l, 2, 3 and 4
Ans. (c)

45. Where was the First Asian Relations Conference held?
(a) Manila
(b) Tokyo
(c) New Delhi
(d) Colombo
Ans. (c)

46. Which one of the following statements is not correct?
(a) There is a provision in the Constitution of India for readjustment of allocation of seats in the Lok Sabha upon the completion of each census.
(b) If for a period of 60 days, a member of either- house is absent without permission of the house from all meetings thereof, the house may declare his seat vacant.
(c) The Rajya Sabha approves money bill after it has been passed by the Lok Sabha.
(d) The Attorney-General of India has the right to speak in and otherwise to take part in the proceedings of either House of Parliament.
Ans. (c)

47. On the basis of the criterion issued by the Election Commission of India, what is the minimum number of states in which a political party must be recognized to be termed as a ‘National Party’ throughout the whole of India?
(a) 3
(b) 4
(c) 5
(d) 6
Ans. (b)

48. What was/were the most important demands of the J. P. Movement of 1970s?
1. Land reforms
2. Representation for women in the Parliament
3. Workers’ participation in industry
4. Accountability of power
Select the correct answer by using the codes given below:
(a) 1, 2, 3 and 4
(b) 2, 3 and 4
(c) 2 and 3
(d) 4 only
Ans. (a)

49. In which one of the following cases was the doctrine of ‘Prospective Overruling’ adopted by the Supreme Court of India?
(a) Golak Nath vs. State of Punjab
(b) Keshavananda Bharti vs. State of Kerala
(c) Champakam Dorairajan vs. State of Madras
(d) Kehar Singh vs. Union of India
Ans. (b)

50. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer by using the codes given below the lists:
List-I List-II
A. Indra Sawheny case 1. Power of Parliament to amend Part III of the
Constitution upheld
B. Minerva Mills case 2. Dynamic scope of Right to Equality
C. Royappa case 3. Reservation for Backward Classes
D. Shankari Prasad case 4. Revival of Judicial Review
Codes:
A B C D
(a) 3 1 2 4
(b) 2 4 3 1
(c) 3 4 2 1
(d) 2 1 3 4
Ans.(c)