CSS Political Science chapter 1: Foundations of political science MCQs with answers

By Team Megalecture · Updated 4 Nov 2026

47 exam-style questions on Foundations of political science, each with the answer and a short explanation. Ten of them are below to try. The chapter test draws ten fresh questions each time and is marked the moment you finish, with your score by topic.

47 questions · 3 topics · 10 per test

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What chapter 1 covers

Ten Foundations of political science questions with answers

Try each one, then open the answer. These ten stay the same; the test draws new ones every time.

1. The behavioural approach asks political scientists to study mainly

  1. A
    the observable behaviour of individuals and groups, using empirical evidence
  2. B
    the wording of the written constitution and the legal powers of each office
  3. C
    the moral ideals that a perfect state ought to follow
  4. D
    the family history of ruling dynasties
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Answer: A. Behaviouralists such as Charles Merriam, Robert Dahl and David Easton wanted to explain what people actually do in politics, with surveys and measurable data. Constitutions and ideals belong to the traditional approach.

2. According to the force theory, the state originated from

  1. A
    an agreement among free and equal individuals living in a state of nature
  2. B
    a gift of authority from God to the ruler
  3. C
    war and the domination of the strong over the weak
  4. D
    the natural growth of the family into the tribe
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Answer: C. The force theory says that conquest produced rulers and ruled. Agreement is the contract view, divine gift the divine view and family growth the patriarchal-evolutionary view.

3. Equal access for everyone to education and jobs, whatever the family background, is called

  1. A
    equality of opportunity
  2. B
    equality of outcome
  3. C
    equality before the law
  4. D
    political equality
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Answer: A. Equality of opportunity opens the same chances to all. Equality of outcome would aim at equal results regardless of effort.

4. A researcher who studies written constitutions, statutes and the formal powers of institutions, rather than surveys of voters, follows mainly the

  1. A
    behavioural approach to voters
  2. B
    traditional (institutional) approach
  3. C
    systems approach to inputs
  4. D
    post-behavioural approach to values
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Answer: B. The traditional approach is philosophical, historical and legal-institutional. It examines the formal structures of the state rather than measured behaviour.

5. Society is wider than the state because society includes

  1. A
    only those persons who hold political office or serve in the government
  2. B
    only the institutions that make laws and enforce them on the people, such as courts and police
  3. C
    families, markets, clubs and many other associations, of which the state is only one
  4. D
    only the people who live in the cities and take part in trade
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Answer: C. The state is one association within society, distinguished by its power to make binding rules and enforce them. Society includes many voluntary and non-political bodies.

6. David Easton defined the political system as concerned with

  1. A
    the distribution of wealth among social classes
  2. B
    the authoritative allocation of values for a society
  3. C
    the struggle for control of the means of production
  4. D
    the protection of natural rights against the sovereign
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Answer: B. Easton's phrase 'authoritative allocation of values' became the best-known definition of politics in the systems approach. The other options describe Marxist or natural-rights themes.

7. Dicey distinguished legal from political sovereignty. In Britain, political sovereignty is said to lie with

  1. A
    the monarch
  2. B
    the House of Lords
  3. C
    the electorate
  4. D
    the judges
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Answer: C. Legal sovereignty belongs to the Crown in Parliament, but behind it the voters hold political sovereignty because Parliament must in the end respect their will.

8. Which of the following is NOT normally treated as a part of the subject matter of political science?

  1. A
    Public administration in government offices
  2. B
    International relations between states
  3. C
    Cost accounting methods used in private firms
  4. D
    Comparative study of governments
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Answer: C. Political science covers the state, government, power, public administration, comparative politics and international relations. Cost accounting is a business technique.

9. The classic sociological definition of power as 'the chance of carrying out one's own will even against resistance' comes from

  1. A
    Max Weber
  2. B
    Emile Durkheim
  3. C
    Karl Marx
  4. D
    Alexis de Tocqueville
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Answer: A. Weber's definition in 'Economy and Society' is the standard starting point for the discussion of power and domination.

10. In John Austin's theory of sovereignty, law is

  1. A
    custom accepted by the people over time
  2. B
    the command of the sovereign backed by a sanction
  3. C
    the expression of divine and natural reason
  4. D
    the declaration of the general will
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Answer: B. Austin's 'command theory' treats law as the order of a determinate sovereign who is habitually obeyed and who punishes disobedience.

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How many Foundations of political science MCQs are there?

47, each with the answer and a short explanation, across 3 topics: Nature, scope and approaches, The state: elements, origin and sovereignty, Power, authority, legitimacy and key concepts. Every chapter test draws ten of them, so you can take it many times.

Is the CSS Political Science chapter 1 test free?

Yes. The test, the answers and the explanations are free and need no sign-up. Sign in only if you want your scores kept across devices.

How is the chapter test marked?

The moment you press Finish: your score, the right answer and an explanation for every question, and the ones you got wrong saved in My mistakes to retry.

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