Exam 1 Study Questions

Question 1

Which of the following could be considered a belief of sociologist C Wright Mills?

A. Power in democracies conforms to a pluralist model, as it is primarily interested parties that determine what the govt. does on specific issues.
B. The clear, regular demonstration of majoritarian rule in the form of popular legislation that reflects societal interests demonstrates the weakness of elite theory
C. Corporate elites pursue society’s broader interests out of a sense of civic duty and in the interests of preserving their positions.
D. Corporate elites have a great deal of influence over govt. policy, but are ultimately constrained by majority will in the form of elected politicians.
E. Corporate elites have more control over economic policy than do the elected politicians.

Answer 1

E. Corporate elites have more control over economic policy than do the elected politicians.

Question 2

The reality that officials in the United States spend comparatively less money on government programs for the poor than other fully industrialized democracies reflects the American ideal of

a. unity.
b. equality.
c. diversity.
d. collectivism.
e. individualism.

Answer 2

E. Individualism

Question 3

The two primary sources of political conflict are

a. liberalism and conservatism.
b. partisan differences and philosophy.
c. scarce resources and competing values.
d. ethnicity and geographical differences.
e. libertarianism and populism.

Answer 3

C. Scarce resources and competing values

Question 4

How have changes in modern communication affected political thinking in the United States?

a. Increases in access to new forms of media have increased public awareness of news issues and increased political thinking across a wider segment of the population.
b. The extreme bias and popularity of new forms of media such as cable news networks and Internet blogs have led to a rise in faulty perceptions and thus a decrease in political thinking.
c. They have provided a more in-depth and varied analysis of public policy issues, which increases political thinking among those that self-inform.
d. They have resulted in better fact-checking and more transparent news gathering, which results in more objective reporting and an increase in political thinking.
e. They have resulted in a drop in political thinking among some, and a rise among others, based on increased access to new forms of media only among the wealthier economic groups.

Answer 4

b. The extreme bias and popularity of new forms of media such as cable news networks and Internet blogs have led to a rise in faulty perceptions and thus a decrease in political thinking.

Question 5

In a 2009 Pew Research Center survey, what percent of Americans expressed “complete agreement” when asked whether government has a responsibility “to take care of people who can’t take care of themselves”?

a. roughly one-tenth
b. roughly one-half
c. roughly one-quarter
d. roughly three-quarters
e. roughly five percent

Answer 5

A. ROughly one-tenth

Question 6

Over the many decades of public debate and conflict over the American health care system, what has been the one constant?

a. Almost every president has attempted some form of health care reform aimed at bringing greater government coverage to those that do not have it.
b. A majority of Americans consistently express support for a government-run health care system, but have opposed new taxes to pay for such a system.
c. A majority of Americans have expressed a desire to end the Medicaid program.
d. Never has a majority expressed a willingness to entrust health insurance fully to government.
e. Almost every president has attempted to make cuts in health care programs in order to improve budget deficits, but has been opposed by popular opinion.

Answer 6

b. A majority of Americans consistently express support for a government-run health care system, but have opposed new taxes to pay for such a system.

Question 7

Which of the following statements provides the most accurate description of democracy as practiced in the United States?

a. The people directly govern themselves.
b. Elitist institutions are absent from the American government.
c. The power of the people to make and enforce laws is checked by nothing except the will of the people.
d. The people govern through elected representatives.
e. The will of the majority always prevails.

Answer 7

d. The people govern through elected representatives.

Question 8

Which of the following forms of government admits to no limits on its power?

a. authoritarian
b. totalitarianism
c. autocracy
d. oligarchy
e. socialist

Answer 8

b. totalitarianism

Question 9

As described in the text, the issue of agricultural price-supports suggests that the exercise of government power conforms to which of the following models?

a. pluralism
b. elitism
c. oligarchy
d. corporate power
e. majoritarianism

Answer 9

a. pluralism

Question 10

What point is the author trying to make when he makes note of the fact that the White House Press Office was once run by a single individual?

a. It requires a much larger organization to communicate policy messages to the public because public policy has become more complex.
b. The level to which political leaders spin their messages has increased dramatically.
c. It takes a larger press office now because the means of communicating the news has expanded dramatically.
d. The White House has been forced to take a more dramatic defensive position against biased news reporting.
e. The Office of the President has become much more powerful over time, requiring a larger political apparatus behind it.

Answer 10

b. The level to which political leaders spin their messages has increased dramatically.

Question 11

Pluralists such as ________ argue that it is the preference of the special interest that largely determines what government does.

a. G. William Domhoff
b. Max Weber
c. C. Wright Mills
d. Robert Dahl
e. All these answers are correct.

Answer 11

d. Robert Dahl

Question 12

Why did President Lyndon Johnson choose not to pursue comprehensive government-based health insurance?

a. He opposed this form of government-based health insurance on the basis of budgetary concerns.
b. He believed strongly in the American ideal of individualism and self-reliance, and thought that government-based health insurance contradicted this ideal.
c. Most Americans were happy with their health insurance coverage and he felt it would be unpopular politically.
d. There was no precedent for a president attempting to achieve such a system before.
e. He was convinced that it could not be achieved politically.

Answer 12

c. Most Americans were happy with their health insurance coverage and he felt it would be unpopular politically.

Question 13

More than ________ of Americans have a college degree—the world’s highest rate?

a. two-thirds
b. one-half
c. one-quarter
d. 10 percent

Answer 13

c. one-quarter

Question 14

Which of the following could NOT be considered one of the aspects of the American system of government or political culture?

a. constitutionalism
b. judicial action
c. oligarchy
d. free market
e. majoritarianism

Answer 14

c. oligarchy

Question 15

Which of the following is enhanced by a democratic form of government?

a. corporate power
b. a leader’s authority
c. a leader’s power
d. the free market system
e. elitism

Answer 15

d. the free market system

Question 16

A handwritten note by a penniless convict brought about the Gideon v. Wainwright Supreme Court case, in which the Court ruled that

a. Gideon’s Sixth Amendment right to counsel had been violated.
b. Gideon’s Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable search had been violated.
c. Gideon’s Fifth Amendment right to due process had been violated.
d. Gideon’s Eighth Amendment protection against cruel and unusual punishment had been violated.
e. Gideon’s Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination had been violated.

Answer 16

a. Gideon’s Sixth Amendment right to counsel had been violated.

Question 17

Which of the following is a major limit on majoritarianism in the United States?

a. the strong bias of news media
b. the lack of access individuals have to the voting process
c. the fact that most of the public pays attention to only a small number of issues
d. that elected officials generally have no interest in determining the public’s interest on policy issues
e. that most elected officials deliberately act against the wishes of the majority once they have been elected to office

Answer 17

c. the fact that most of the public pays attention to only a small number of issues

Question 18

Under communism, the government

a. owns most or all major industries and also takes responsibility for overall management of the economy.
b. owns most or all major industries but takes little responsibility for overall management of the economy.
c. owns most industries but allows the economy to run mostly on private transactions.
d. allows firms to make their own production and distribution decisions, but tightly controls pricing.
e. leaves individuals to rely largely on themselves for economic security.

Answer 18

a. owns most or all major industries and also takes responsibility for overall management of the economy.

Question 19

Which of the following is true of majoritarianism in the United States?

a. Majorities do sometimes rule in America.
b. In many policy areas, majority opinion is ignored by policy makers.
c. When majority opinion on major issues changes, policy tends to change in that direction as well.
d. The public is interested in and well-informed on all policy issues.
e. All these statements are true, except for the statement that the public is interested and well-informed on all policy issues.

Answer 19

e. All these statements are true, except for the statement that the public is interested and well-informed on all policy issues.

Question 20

How does the number of lawyers in the United States compare to those in Britain, Italy, or Germany, on a per capita basis?

a. There are about a tenth as many lawyers in Britain, Italy, or Germany as in the United States.
b. The amount of lawyers is roughly equal.
c. There are half as many lawyers in the United States.
d. There are twice as many lawyers in the United States.
e. There are about a fifth as many lawyers in Britain, Italy, or Germany as in the United States.

Answer 20

d. There are twice as many lawyers in the United States.