Text 1: Political scientist Dr. Sarah Long studies democratic peace theory. "Democracies rarely war with each other," Long reports. "Shared norms and institutional constraints create stable peace among democratic states."
Text 2: Historian Dr. James Park questions the theory. "Historical definitions of 'democracy' are conveniently flexible," Park observes. "When democracies fight, analysts redefine one as 'not really democratic.' The pattern may be definitional artifact, not causal law."
What methodological concern does Park raise about Long's democratic peace finding?
That democracies have never existed
That the finding may result from post-hoc definitional manipulation rather than genuine pattern
That war between any states never occurs
That norms have no behavioral effects
Correct Answer: B
Choice B is the correct answer. Park argues when democracies fight, one gets redefined as non-democratic. The "pattern" might be definitional manipulation—adjusting categories to fit theory rather than discovering genuine causal relationships.
- Evidence: Park: convenient redefinition creates apparent pattern.
- Reasoning: If definitions adjust to preserve theory, finding is circular.
- Conclusion: Methodological artifact, not discovery.
Choice A is incorrect because Park discusses democracy's definition. Choice C is incorrect because Park discusses democratic wars. Choice D is incorrect because Park doesn't reject norm effects.