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Semester I1 Repeat Examinations 2008/ 2009
Exam Code(s) 2BA1, 2BA6, 1OA1 1EM Exam(s) 2 nd^ Arts Module Code(s) SP215/ Module(s) Modern Political Thought/Methods for Social & Political Science Paper No. Repeat Paper External Examiner(s) Dr. Paul Mitchell Professor Piers Beirne Internal Examiner(s) Professor Chris Curtin Dr. Pete Morriss Dr. Ricca Edmondson Mr. Donal Igoe
Instructions:
2 Hours in total 1 hour for SP 1 hour for SP Please use a separate answer book for SP215 and SP No. of Pages Department(s) Course Co- ordinator(s) Requirements : MCQ (^) required Handout
SP215: MODERN POLITICAL THOUGHT
Time Allowed: ONE Hour Candidates should answer THREE Questions; ONE from Section A and TWO from Section B. Please use a separate answer book for this paper. Section A
- Sketch the different views of Hobbes and of Locke to the suggestion that a ruler should have absolute powers.
- Contrast the accounts of property offered by Hobbes and by Locke.
- Why is the Prisoners’ Dilemma of interest to political theorists?
- Outline the political theory of seventeenth-century republicanism. Section B
- How do utilitarians think goods should be distributed within a society?
- What was it about Bentham’s utilitarianism that did not please John Stuart Mill? How did Mill think he had solved these problems?
- What are the arguments for freedom of speech advanced by John Stuart Mill in On Liberty?
- What utilitarian arguments are there on the question of how much state intervention there should be in the economy?
- Outline John Stuart Mill’s main argument in Representative Democracy. How does this relate to his arguments in Utilitarianism and/or On Liberty?
SP220 Section B quantitative.
Clearly mark on the MCQ answer sheet provided the appropriate
answers.
Correction for guessing will be applied.
You should not spend any longer than 30 minutes on this section.
Answer ALL the following 30 questions in this section.
Pre-announced Details:
In this Section, each correct answer will be awarded one mark; one-quarter of a mark will be DEDUCTED for each incorrect one. For each question, only ONE of the four answers offered is correct. If you are not sure of the correct answer, you are free to guess should you wish (and risk getting one quarter of a mark deducted from your overall score if you get it wrong), or you may leave the question unanswered (and score zero for that particular question). You MUST answer these questions on the MCQ [Multiple Choice Question] Answer Sheet provided. You should note that this will be marked by a machine, so that you MUST make your answers clear. Do NOT give more than one answer to any question: if you do, the machine win treat this as if you left the question unanswered, scoring zero. If you make a mistake or change your mind, you should rub out the mistake carefully (or tippex it out), or use a new MCQ Answer Sheet. (N.B. You may only submit ONE Answer Sheet, so make sure that it contains all your answers.) Do NOT write anything extra on the MCQ Answer Sheet; the machine will not read it. If you want to make any additional comments or explanations of your answers, ask for and use an extra answer book. However, such explanations of correct answers will NOT gain any extra marks; the only point of your writing anything extra in this section is if you think the question is unclear Question 1 What is the epistemological position held by a positivist? a) There is no substitute for an in-depth, hermeneutic understanding of society b) Scientific research should be based on value-free, empirical observations c) Events and discourses in the social world prevent us from having direct knowledge of the natural order d) It is important to remain optimistic about our research, even when things go wrong
Question 2 What is a research design? a) A way of conducting research that is not grounded in theory b) The choice between using qualitative or quantitative methods c) The style in which you present your research findings, e.g. a graph d) A framework for every stage of the collection and analysis of data Question 3 What is a cross-sectional design? a) A study of one particular section of society, e.g. the middle classes b) One that is devised when the researcher is in a bad mood c) The collection of data from more than one case at one moment in time d) A comparison of two or more variables over a long period of time Question 4 Panel and cohort designs differ, in that: a) Cohort studies involve quantitative research, whereas panel studies are qualitative b) A panel study does not need rules to handle new entrants to households c) Only a cohort study will suffer from sample attrition d) A panel study can distinguish between age effects and cohort effects, but a cohort design cannot Question 5 Why do you need to review the existing literature? a) To make sure you have a long list of references b) Because without it, you could never reach the required word-count c) To find out what is already known about your area of interest d) To help in your general studying
Question 10 The response set of "acquiescence" can be a problem in that: a) Some people consistently agree or disagree with a set of questions or items b) Respondents tend to give answers that they think are socially desirable c) The structured interview is so conducive to reciprocity that male respondents find it hard to stop talking d) Researchers who wear very strong perfume will distract their respondents Question 11 One of the advantages of self-completion questionnaires over structured interviews is that: a) They are quicker and cheaper to administer b) They create interviewer effects c) They have greater measurement validity d) They are less prone to inter-coder variation Question 12 Why is it generally better to present fixed choice answers in vertical rather than horizontal form? a) It takes up less space on the page b) It encourages respondents to choose more than one answer c) It allows questions to be spread over more than one page d) It makes the layout of the questionnaire more clear and unambiguous Question 13 Which of the following is a general rule of thumb for designing questions? a) Always bear in mind your research questions b) Never ask a closed question c) Always use vignettes rather than open questions d) Use ambiguous terms to put respondents at ease
Question 14 Leading questions should also be avoided because: a) They suggest ways of answering and so may bias the results b) They create a mismatch between the question and its possible answers c) They involve negative terms and unnecessary jargon d) They ask about several different things at the same time Question 15 What is the difference between interval/ratio and ordinal variables? a) The distance between categories is equal across the range of interval/ratio data b) Ordinal data can be rank ordered, but interval/ratio data cannot c) Interval/ratio variables contain only two categories d) Ordinal variables have a fixed zero point, whereas interval/ratio variables do not Question 16 If there were a perfect positive correlation between two interval/ratio variables, the Pearson's r test would give a correlation coefficient of: a) - 0. b) + c) +0. d) - 1 Question 17 What is meant by a "spurious" relationship between two variables? a) One that is so ridiculously illogical it cannot possibly be true b) An apparent relationship that is so curious it demands further attention c) A relationship that appears to be true only because each variable is related to a third one d) One that produces a perfect negative correlation on a scatter diagram
Question 22 Why might you tell SPSS to represent the "slices" of a pie chart in different patterns? a) Because the program tends to crash if you ask it to use colour b) Because the patterns form symbolic visual images of different social groups c) In order to make full use of the facilities that SPSS can offer d) If you do not have a colour printer, it makes the differences between slices clearer Question 23 In which sub-dialog box can the Chi Square test be found? a) Frequencies: Percentages b) Crosstabs: Statistics c) Bivariate: Pearson d) Gender: Female Question 24 (Babbie)
The fundamental rule in reading tables according to Babbie Is to
a) Percentage down
b) Percentage and read in terms of the total number of cases
c) Read across the categories of the dependent variable in analyzing
the independent variable
d) Read across the categories of the independent variable in analyzing
the dependent variable
Question 25 (Babbie)
Professor Kinkle conducted a survey in which he found that people over
the age of 40 were more likely to put their parents in nursing homes
than were people under age 40. When he controlled for age of parents,
the results remained the same. This Is an example of
a) replication
b) explanation
c) specification
d) interpretation
Question 26 The key advantage of structured observation over survey research is that: a) It does not rely on the researcher's ability to take notes b) The researcher is immersed as a participant in the field they are studying c) It does not impose any expectations of behaviour on the respondents d) It allows you to observe people's behaviour directly Question 27 What is an observation schedule? a) A set of explicit rules for assigning behaviour to categories b) A timetable of days on which you plan to carry out your observation c) A list of questions to ask your interviewees d) A way of testing for measurement validity Question 28 The term "secondary analysis" refers to the technique of: a) Conducting a study of seconds, minutes and other measures of time b) Analysing your own data in two different ways c) Analysing existing data that have been collected by another person or organisation d) Working part time on a project alongside other responsibilities Question 29 Why might secondary analysis be a particularly useful method for students? a) It is relatively easy to do b) It saves time and money c) It does not require any knowledge of statistics d) It only requires a half-hearted effort Question 30 What is the "ecological fallacy"? a) The assumption that secondary data analysis can be carried out at home b) The mistake of observing people in their natural setting c) The error of making inferences about individual behaviour from aggregate data d) The myth that it is easy to research environmentalist action groups
