Muskingum College - Center for Advancement and Learning (CAL)
 Muskingum College - Center for Advancement and Learning (CAL)
Muskingum College - Center for Advancement and Learning (CAL)
 

Test Preparation

Tips for preparing for political science courses include practice test questions, study guides, and study groups (K. Buchanan, M. Hartman, CAL).

Study Groups

Study groups may be used to compare notes, to make up study guides, to make up and answer practice questions, to brainstorm ideas about the test, to test one another, to share organizational aids, and to share in reading responsibilities.

Read the Book

Be sure to include information from the textbook in test answers. Some exam questions will be based solely on the text.

Study Guides

Test preparation activities are gainfully coordinated using study guides - a concise summary of everything you need to know for the test. Outlines generated while reading the text may be used as study guides. Just add lecture material to them. Study guide material may be organized by chapter or major topic, or by the types of information (terms, people, concepts, etc.). A sample study guide using the latter format is provided below (K. Buchanan, M. Hartman, C. Krause, CAL).

STUDY GUIDE FOR EXAM 1

TERMS

  • clear and present danger
  • dangerous tendency
  • preferred position
  • federalism
  • democracy
  • socialism
  • totalitarianism
  • dictatorship
  • authoritarianism

CONCEPTS

  • constitutional comprises
  • similarities and differences between US and British democracies
  • amendments to Constitution: dates, descriptions
  • Bill of rights: descriptions

PEOPLE

  • Thomas Jefferson
  • Alexander Hamilton
  • Benjamin Franklin
  • John Quincy Adams
  • Winston Churchiull
  • Karl Marx
  • Joseph Stalin
  • Golda Meir
  • John Jay

Practice Questions

Identify and answer practice test questions based on lecture material and readings. Try turning chapter headings into questions, looking for sample questions at the end of each chapter, and turning chapter objectives into questions. Because political science isn't an area where a great deal can really change in regard to subject matter (subject matter is usually just updated), try to locate information about previous tests and the instructor's preferences. The research will pay off. Examples of practice questions are given below (K. Buchanan, M. Hartman, C. Krause, CAL).

Sample Identification Questions

Mariel Boat Lift

Clear and Present Danger

Dangerous Tendency

Double Jeopardy

Articles of Confederation

Bill of Rights

Sample Multiple Choice Questions

The eighth amendment to the Constitution deals with

a. freedom of religion
b. freedom of speech
c. bails, fines and punishments [correct]
d. freedom of the press

The first Chief Justice of the United States was:

a. Benjamin Franklin
b. John Jay [correct]
c. Alexander Hamilton
d. Thomas Jefferson

Sample Essay Questions

What are the principles compromises of the Constitution?

Compare and contrast the legislative branches of the United States and Britain in terms of organization, function, and the legislative process.

Discuss the concept of federalism as it evolved in the United States.

What are the five things needed for a stable regime?

What are the principle forms of city government? Discuss the pros and cons of each.

What is the constitutional status of American cities?