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GVPT101 Final Exam
Introduction to Political Theory (Spring 2020)

General Instructions: This exam should be completed within four days from the time it
is posted. It is worth a total of 100 percentage points and has three parts:

Part I: Identification and significance (20 points)
Part II: Matching (30 points)
Part III: Brief essays (2 * 25 points)

Part I: Identification and significance (5 points each)

Respond to all four terms below. In a few sentences (150-200 words each), define the
term fully, connect it to at least one of the theorists we have studied and describe the
significance of the concept for the study of political theory. Please check for spelling
and grammar.

1. State of nature with respect to freedom, liberty, justice
2. Distributive justice
3. Free market
4. Double effect

Part II: Match the quote to the author or document (5 points each)

1. Please identify the author of the following phrase, and write a concise explana-
tion of what he/she was referring to.

“If men were angels, no government would be necessary.”

2. Please identify the author of the following phrase, and write a concise explana-
tion of what he/she was referring to.

“The right of nature is the liberty each man hath to use his own power, as he will

himself, for the preservation of his own nature, that is to say, of his own life, and

consequently of doing anything which, in his own judgment and reason, he shall

conceive to be the aptest means thereunto.”

3. Please identify the author of the following phrase, and write a concise explana-
tion of what he/she was referring to.

“From this arises an argument: whether it is better to be loved than to be feared,

or the contrary. I reply that one should like to be both one and the other; but

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since it is difficult to join them together, it is much safer to be feared than to be

loved when one of the two must be lacking.”

4. Please identify the author of the following phrase, and write a concise explana-
tion of what he/she was referring to.

“Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains. One believes himself the

master of others, and yet he is a greater slave than they.”

5. Please identify the author of the following phrase, and write a concise explana-
tion of what he/she was referring to.

“The ruling ideas of each age have ever been the ideas of its ruling class.”

6. Please identify the author of the following phrase, and write a concise explana-
tion of what he/she was referring to.

“The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member

of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. His own

good, either physical or moral, is not sufficient warrant.”

Part III: Brief Essays. (25 points each)

Select two topics from the list below. Write a formal essay that includes an introduction,
body and conclusion. Be sure it is clear which questions you are answering. Each es-
say for this section must be between 400-500 words.

1. What is the origin of democratic thought? How has it changed over the centuries
and how does it compare with democratic thought in practice today for the United
States? How can it be evaluated (compare and contrast) with other countries in the
West, and in developing states? Provide specific example to help clarify your re-
sponse.

2. Explain the concept of alienation. How does it relate to socialism, to capitalism, and

to democracy? With which political thinker is the concept most closely associated,
and how was it considered significant to his/her political thought?

3. What is anarchism and can it be rationally and morally justified? Is anarchism possi-

ble in a complex society? Is democracy effective in a complex society? Identify spe-
cific political thinkers associated with anarchism and use examples from the read-
ings to defend your position.