All Free Political Science MCQs with Answers

• A. Military strength and hereditary status
• B. Philosophical wisdom and moral virtue
• C. Religious ancestry and commercial wealth
• D. Popular fame and administrative experience

Explanation: Al-Farabi's ideal ruler possesses wisdom, moral excellence and the ability to guide citizens toward true happiness.

• A. Only records the ruler's spoken orders
• B. Exercises broad delegated authority in government
• C. Supervises religious education in local schools
• D. Commands the army without civil powers

Explanation: A wazir al-tafwid receives extensive delegated powers and may make important administrative decisions on behalf of the ruler.

• A. Religion and kingship mutually support one another
• B. Political authority makes religious law unnecessary
• C. Religion must remain entirely outside public affairs
• D. A ruler becomes a source of divine revelation

Explanation: Al-Ghazali presents religion and political authority as mutually dependent, often comparing them to two connected supports of social…

• A. Excessive luxury and oppressive taxation by rulers
• B. The complete absence of foreign trade
• C. The use of consultation in public affairs
• D. The adoption of agricultural production

Explanation: Shah Waliullah connected political decline with injustice, excessive luxury and burdensome taxation that damaged cooperation among social…

• A. Equality and moral freedom under divine guidance
• B. Rule by a hereditary priestly class
• C. Absolute authority of a military ruler
• D. The separation of ethical values from politics

Explanation: Iqbal's spiritual democracy combines political equality with moral responsibility and the guidance of Islamic values.

• A. Human sovereignty without religious limits
• B. Divine sovereignty exercised through human trusteeship
• C. Hereditary sovereignty exercised by a royal family
• D. Popular sovereignty independent of revealed law

Explanation: Maududi holds that sovereignty belongs to God, while human beings exercise authority as trustees within the limits of revealed law.

• A. Muslims may use reason in political matters
• B. A religiously mandatory caliphate is required by Islam
• C. Justice is relevant to political administration
• D. Historical governments can be studied critically

Explanation: Ali Abd al-Raziq argued that the caliphate is not an obligatory religious institution established by Islam, but a human and historical…

• A. Political administration guided by justice and Islamic law
• B. A system in which rulers act without legal limits
• C. The hereditary transfer of political office
• D. A private agreement between merchants and rulers

Explanation: Siyasah shar'iyyah refers to administrative and political measures that serve justice and public order while remaining consistent with the…

• A. Preserve religion and manage worldly affairs justly
• B. Expand the ruler's personal wealth and prestige
• C. Replace religious law with customary tribal law
• D. Prevent all differences in political opinion

Explanation: Ibn Taymiyyah regards authority as necessary for establishing religion and organizing worldly affairs according to justice.

• A. Nizam al-Mulk
• B. Al-Jahiz
• C. Ibn Hazm
• D. Al-Biruni

Explanation: Siyasatnama was written by Nizam al-Mulk, the influential Seljuk vizier.

• A. Military recruitment and battlefield command
• B. Markets, weights, and public conduct
• C. Diplomatic relations with foreign rulers
• D. Inheritance disputes among royal families

Explanation: The muhtasib supervises the hisbah, including market fairness, correct weights and measures, and certain standards of public conduct.

• A. Interpret revelation independently of legal schools
• B. Select or ratify the political leader
• C. Collect taxes from agricultural land
• D. Command the army during defensive wars

Explanation: Ahl al-hall wa al-aqd means influential persons who can make or implement important political decisions, especially selecting or…

• A. Taxation, land revenue, and fiscal administration
• B. The classification of virtuous and defective cities
• C. The psychological stages of political dynasties
• D. The philosophical interpretation of Greek science

Explanation: Kitab al-Kharaj discusses taxation, land revenue, and principles of financial administration for the Islamic state.

• A. Mutually exclusive sources of political authority
• B. Related paths that can support the search for truth
• C. Identical institutions with the same legal functions
• D. Practices permitted only to military commanders

Explanation: Ibn Rushd argues that sound demonstrative reasoning and revealed law cannot ultimately contradict one another because both lead toward…

• A. A private choice left entirely to each household
• B. A collective obligation on the Muslim community
• C. A duty limited to merchants and landowners
• D. A temporary practice used only during wartime

Explanation: Classical Sunni jurists generally view the establishment of an imam as a collective obligation, because political authority is needed to…

• A. How do political parties perform in elections?
• B. What makes political authority legitimate?
• C. How are ministries organised in practice?
• D. Which countries use a federal system?

Explanation: Political theory examines the normative foundations of authority, power and government.

• A. Preserve natural inequality among citizens
• B. End insecurity caused by the state of nature
• C. Create direct democracy in every community
• D. Distribute property according to ability

Explanation: Hobbes argues that people leave the state of nature to escape fear, conflict and insecurity.

• A. Government exists to protect natural rights
• B. Government must control all private property
• C. Citizens have no right to resist rulers
• D. Political power should belong only to nobles

Explanation: Locke identifies life, liberty and property as natural rights that government must protect.

• A. Unequal political bargaining power
• B. A veil of ignorance about social position
• C. Complete knowledge of personal advantage
• D. Rule by a hereditary sovereign

Explanation: The veil of ignorance prevents people in the original position from knowing their class, talents or social status.

• A. Aristocracy
• B. Polity
• C. Oligarchy
• D. Tyranny

Explanation: Aristotle uses polity for a constitutional form in which many citizens govern for the common interest.