FINAL Flashcards
________ wrote that “Liberty is to faction what air is to fire.”
Select one:
a. James Madison
b. Alexis de Tocqueville
c. Thomas Jefferson
d. Theodore Lowi
e. Theodore Roosevelt
a. James Madison
Political scientist Theodore Lowi has questioned pluralist theory by suggesting
that
Select one:
a. special interests should never receive benets from
government.
b. there is no concept of the public interest in a system that gives special
interests the ability to determine the policies affecting them.
c. policies that favor a series of minorities are inherently fairer than policies that ignore small groups in favor of a majority.
d. the sum of people’s special interests is a rough approximation of society’s
collective interest.
e. Madisonian theory has created a perfect balance of special interest and
common good.
b. there is no concept of the public interest in a system that gives special
interests the ability to determine the policies affecting them.
In acknowledging the dilemma inherent in group activity, James Madison
Select one:
a. argued that the free-rider problem would hurt some groups more than
others.
b. claimed that government could listen to all groups, but should only enact
policies that promote the interests of majority groups.
c. worried that government would be overly dominated by groups, but
recognized that a free society is obliged to permit the advocacy of self-interest.
d. argued that government must restrict the activities of groups, so that
political parties could act as the major instrument of democracy.
e. All of these answers are correct.
c. worried that government would be overly dominated by groups, but
recognized that a free society is obliged to permit the advocacy of self-interest.
Theodore Lowi’s theory of interest-group liberalism
Select one:
a. constitutes a partial and wrongful abdication by government of its authority
over policy.
b. argues that lawmakers are rightly prevented from using government to
promote group interests.
c. posits that interest groups result in an ecient use of society’s resources.
d. describes the effect of groups on policy, resulting in a system of rule by
majorities.
e. deals with the tendency of ocials to support the policy demands of the
interest group or groups that have a special stake in a policy.
e. deals with the tendency of ocials to support the policy demands of the
interest group or groups that have a special stake in a policy.
The term iron triangle refers to
Select one:
a. a tightly-knit set of lobbying groups.
b. the relationship among the Congress, the military, and defense contractors.
c. a small and informal but relatively stable set of bureaucrats, legislators, and lobbyists who are concerned with promoting a particular interest.
d. the strategy of lobbying all three branches of government simultaneously.
e. a corrupt relationship among the president, Congress, and the Supreme
Court.
c. a small and informal but relatively stable set of bureaucrats, legislators, and lobbyists who are concerned with promoting a particular interest.
Why have issue networks become more prevalent?
Select one:
a. the increasing power of corporate lobbying
b. the increasing diversity of interest groups
c. the increasing influence of PACs
d. the instability of candidates’ positions
e. the increasing complexity of policy problems
e. the increasing complexity of policy problems
In the dynamics of an iron triangle, what benet do interest groups provide to friendly government agencies?
Select one:
a. services for constituents
b. travel funds
c. campaign spending
d. administration of mutually benecial policies
e. lobbying support for agency programs
e. lobbying support for agency programs
An informal grouping of ocials, lobbyists, and policy specialists who come together temporarily around a policy problem is
Select one:
a. an iron triangle.
b. an issue network.
c. a caucus.
d. a policy system.
e. an ideological network.
b. an issue network.
Members of the ________ generate more mail to Congress than any other group.
Select one:
a. NRA
b. ACLU
c. NAACP
d. AARP
e. NEA
d. AARP
The limits of interest groups’ inuence might be gauged by the Democratic
backlash against the ________, which tried to block the North American Free Trade
Agreement in 1993.
Select one:
a. ACLU
b. Sierra Club
c. Izaak Walton League
d. AARP
e. AFL-CIO
e. AFL-CIO
Citizens’ interest groups are distinguished from economic interest groups by the fact that
Select one:
a. their leaders are elected by secret ballot among the group’s members.
b. their members receive no direct economic benet from attainment of the group’s goals.
c. they do not lobby government ocials directly, but rely instead on public service announcements to get their views across to society.
d. they always pursue goals in which there is a high level of agreement among society members.
e. All of these answers are correct.
b. their members receive no direct economic benet from attainment of the group’s goals.
The Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission
(2010)
Select one:
a. allows corporations and labor unions to spend unlimited funds on
campaigns.
b. limits PACs by reducing the amount of money they can raise through
contributions by small donors.
c. has forced candidates for oce and elected ocials to make public the amounts of campaign contributions they have received from PACs and which PACs make those donations.
d. has strengthened the argument that PACs constitute a better system of
campaign nance than one based on wealthy donors.
e. has forced corporations
a. allows corporations and labor unions to spend unlimited funds on
campaigns.
Which of the following is NOT a typical interest group function?
Select one:
a. supporting candidates for public office
b. addressing a broad and diverse range of public issues
c. working to inuence policymakers
d. promoting public policies
e. working to inuence legislators
b. addressing a broad and diverse range of public issues
incumbents have an advantage over their challengers because
Select one:
a. the cost of their race is much lower.
b. they have open seat elections.
c. they get 80 percent of PAC contributions.
d. their race is uncontested.
e. their districts don’t get reapportioned.
c. they get 80 percent of PAC contributions.
The lawmaking function in the Constitution was granted to the:
Select one:
a. Judiciary
b. President
c. Congress
d. State governments
e. National government
c. Congress
Since the founding of the United States, the debate over the representation
function of Congress has centered on whether
Select one:
a. key decisions should be made by a small number of representatives in
committee or by the whole membership in floor debate.
b. the primary concern of a representative should be the interests of the nation or of his or her constituency.
c. congressional or presidential authority should dominate on broad issues.
d. the House or the Senate is more responsive to the public.
e. the House or the Senate should take the lead on foreign policy issues.
b. the primary concern of a representative should be the interests of the nation or of his or her constituency.
The minimum amount of money that a Senator must raise to compete in a small state is \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_. Select one: a. 12 million b. 4 million c. 8 million d. 5 million e. 34 million
d. 5 million
Which of the following groups is overrepresented in Congress?
Select one:
a. blue-collar workers
b. homemakers
c. clerical workers
d. women
e. lawyers
e. lawyers
In the 1970s, roll-call votes
Select one:
a. generally demonstrated the power of incumbents.
b. generally demonstrated an increase in party loyalty.
c. generally did not pit most Republicans against most Democrats.
d. were less common than voice votes.
e. were generally not used to record each member’s vote.
c. generally did not pit most Republicans against most Democrats.
Most of the work on legislation in Congress is done
Select one:
a. by committees and their respective subcommittees.
b. on the oor of the House and Senate.
c. by conference committees.
d. by the president.
e. by bureaucratic agencies.
a. by committees and their respective subcommittees.
Committee staffs within Congress
Select one:
a. concentrate on constituency relations.
b. perform an almost entirely legislative function.
c. concentrate on public relations.
d. split their time between legislative functions and public relations.
e. are devoted to logistical functions and committee public relations.
b. perform an almost entirely legislative function.
The dominant policymaking political institution during most of the nineteenth
century was
Select one:
a. the president and the executive branch.
b. Congress.
c. the Supreme Court.
d. the bureaucracy.
e. the mass media.
b. Congress.
What is the procedural tactic employed in the Senate to prevent a bill from coming
to a vote?
Select one:
a. mark up
b. filibuster
c. cloture
d. pocket veto
e. conference committee
b. filibuster
Most of the legislative work of Congress is performed by
Select one:
a. the standing committees and their subcommittees with jurisdiction over
particular policy areas.
b. the joint committees chosen to coordinate actions between the two
chambers of Congress.
c. the select committees chosen to study special problems on a temporary
basis.
d. the steering committees that decide how the party stands on particular bills.
e. party leaders in both chambers.
a. the standing committees and their subcommittees with jurisdiction over
particular policy areas.
Senators are generally less likely to take directions from their leaders than House
members because
Select one:
a. senators are prohibited by their state legislatures from taking orders from
others.
b. senators think of themselves as being equals and are only willing to be led
by persuasion.
c. senators are more highly paid than House members and are thus immune
from financial threats.
d. House rules mandate that all party members on major bills vote according to
the directions of their leaders.
e. All of these answers are correct.
b. senators think of themselves as being equals and are only willing to be led
by persuasion.
Individual rights, such as the right to a fair trial, that are constitutionally protected
against infringement by the government are known as:
Select one:
a. civil rights
b. limited rights
c. civil liberties
d. expansive rights
e. Constitutional freedoms
c. civil liberties
Which of the following, relative to the others, is typically more protective of individual rights?
Select one:
a. the U.S. Congress
b. the general public
c. public opinion
d. the presidency
e. the judiciary
e. the judiciary
What Illinois policy did the Supreme Court invalidate with its decision in
Witherspoon v. Illinois (1968)?
Select one:
a. allowing the prosecution an unlimited number of challenges in capital cases
b. preventing convicted persons in capital cases from ling an appeal
c. preventing the prosecution from challenging jury selections in felony cases
d. the failure to provide low income defendants with court-appointed lawyers
e. encouragement of low income defendants to act as their own attorney
a. allowing the prosecution an unlimited number of challenges in capital cases
The individual freedoms in the Bill of Rights were extended by the Fourteenth
Amendment to include protection from deprivation of due process rights by:
Select one:
a. actions of the president.
b. the actions of individuals.
c. actions of the federal government.
d. actions of state and local governments.
e. actions of the U.S. military.
d. actions of state and local governments.
The clear-and-present-danger test is a standard used by the court to determine:
Select one:
a. when people had the right to burn the US ag as a symbol of expression.
b. the likelihood of imminent lawless action.
c. when government could legally limit freedom of expression.
d. when police ocers had to read a suspect their Miranda rights.
e. is used by states to keep groups from protesting.
c. when government could legally limit freedom of expression.
Which country has the highest proportion of women serving in its national
legislatures?
Select one:
a. Sweden
b. United States
c. Japan
d. Germany
e. Canada
a. Sweden
In 2010, the greatest percentage of immigrants to America came from
Select one:
a. Europe.
b. Asia.
c. Latin America.
d. Africa.
e. Australia.
c. Latin America.
Politically, the ght for civil rights in Congress in the 1960s was led primarily by
Select one:
a. southern Democrats.
b. southern Republicans.
c. Republicans.
d. Democrats.
e. an about equal coalition of Democrats and Republicans.
e. an about equal coalition of Democrats and Republicans.
The policy of armative action arose when
Select one:
a. it became apparent that disadvantaged Americans would not attain equal
employment opportunities through lawsuits that beneted single individuals
only.
b. the Supreme Court declared in Bakke that the Fourteenth Amendment
requires government and large rms to hire more women and minorities.
c. the Supreme Court ruled that de facto discrimination is unlawful.
d. private rms decided on their own that a more diverse workforce was
actually a more productive and effective workforce.
e. the Supreme Court rendered its Adarand v. Pena decision in 1995.
a. it became apparent that disadvantaged Americans would not attain equal
employment opportunities through lawsuits that beneted single individuals
only.
Which of the following groups is LEAST likely to identify with the Democratic
Party?
Select one:
a. Hispanics
b. African Americans
c. white women
d. white southerners
e. white liberals
d. white southerners
_______ called discrimination “America’s curse” because of deep-rooted racism in a
country that idealized equality.
Select one:
a. Thomas Jefferson
b. Abraham Lincoln
c. Gunnar Myrdal
d. Justice Roberts
e. Martin Luther King Jr.
c. Gunnar Myrdal
Which of the following states is solidly Democratic?
Select one:
a. Idaho
b. Georgia
c. Utah
d. Washington
e. Texas
d. Washington
What are the two distinguishing characteristics of political socialization?
Select one:
a. Schools are the most inuential agent of political socialization, and political
socialization is strongest during childhood.
b. Family is the strongest agent of political socialization, and political
socialization is strongest during high school and college.
c. Political socialization is cumulative, and it is most heavily developed during
childhood.
d. Political socialization is transitory, and it is most heavily developed during
young adulthood.
e. Political socialization occurs primarily among educated populations, and it is
most heavily developed during adulthood.
c. Political socialization is cumulative, and it is most heavily developed during
childhood.
Americans who attend religious services at least once a week are most likely to vote for which political party?
Select one:
a. Libertarian
b. Democratic
c. Republican
d. Populist
e. Green
c. Republican
social liberals, EXCEPT that
Select one:
a. they favor government activism in the area of distribution of economic
benets.
b. they prefer a smaller role for government in upholding social and cultural traditions.
c. they favor more government spending for the poor.
d. they believe lifestyle choices should be left to the individual.
e. they believe that government should be used to promote traditional values.
e. they believe that government should be used to promote traditional values.
Voter turnout is highest in which country
Select one:
a. Canada
b. Great Britain
c. Belgium
d. Italy
e. United States
c. Belgium
Compared with U.S. citizens of higher incomes, those of lower incomes are
Select one:
a. much less likely to vote in elections.
b. about equally likely to vote in elections.
c. much more likely to vote in elections.
d. much less likely to vote in elections—a pattern that is also true in European
democracies.
e. None of these answers is correct.
a. much less likely to vote in elections.
As distinct from alienation, apathy is
Select one:
a. associated with a high rate of voter turnout.
b. a feeling of powerlessness.
c. a general lack of interest in politics.
d. a sign that the political system is working properly.
e. widespread among auent Americans.
c. a general lack of interest in politics.
Women gained the right to vote
Select one:
a. with passage of the Bill of Rights.
b. shortly after the Civil War.
c. early in the twentieth century.
d. with passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
e. during the era of Jacksonian democracy.
c. early in the twentieth century.
Congressional campaigns are primarily focused on
Select one:
a. national issues
b. the party platform
c. local issues
d. special interests
e. personal interests
c. local issues
Which of the following is an indication of strong party loyalty?
Select one:
a. split-ticket voting
b. an increase in independent voters
c. straight-ticket voting
d. the inuence of short-term issues and candidates
e. a focus on candidate charisma and personal style
c. straight-ticket voting
The main reason for the high cost of American political campaigns is the cost of
Select one:
a. complying with Federal Election Commission rules.
b. actually raising campaign funds.
c. paying campaign managers.
d. paying pollsters.
e. paying for media ads.
e. paying for media ads
Presidential candidates in the 1960s, compared with today,
Select one:
a. received more negative coverage.
b. were largely ignored by the media.
c. were hounded by the media incessantly.
d. had longer sound bites, on average, in broadcast television newscasts.
e. None of these answers is correct.
d. had longer sound bites, on average, in broadcast television newscasts.
What technology led editors to substitute news reports for opinion commentary?
Select one:
a. radio
b. telegraph
c. broadcast TV
d. cable TV
e. power-driven printing presses
b. telegraph
Political parties are organized at the national, state, and local levels to assist
candidates with:
Select one:
a. fundraising
b. polling
c. research
d. media
e. all of these
e. all of these
Which of the following characterizes journalist Walter Lippmann’s views on democracy?
Select one:
a. He felt that well-funded private interest groups and lobbyists had taken the
true majoritarian power of democracy away from the voting public.
b. He felt that modern democratic government had become an unhealthy,
pluralistic enterprise.
c. He believed that among forms of government, only democracy could provide
a citizen with the ability to be a “progressive being.”
d. He worried that most citizens are too uninformed to play the role democracy
assigns them.
e. None of these answers is correct.
d. He worried that most citizens are too uninformed to play the role democracy
assigns them.
What is a major limit on majoritarianism suggested by the text?
Select one:
a. The public as a whole takes an interest in only a few of the hundreds of
policy decisions that U.S. ocials make each year.
b. The public lacks access to the information required to take informed
political action on most issues dealt with by the government each year.
c. The actions of special interest groups are ultimately more inuential than the voting power of the public.
d. The rapid turnover of government ocials and members of the legislature
prevents the majority public from making a sustained effort for any single issue.
e. The most power tends to reside with a wealthy minority of the voting public,
preventing the majority public from setting the issue agenda.
a. The public as a whole takes an interest in only a few of the hundreds of
policy decisions that U.S. ocials make each year.
Individualism is a perspective that
Select one:
a. individuals should be free to act and think as they choose.
b. all individuals are equal in their moral worth.
c. people are the ultimate source of governing authority.
d. supports personal commitment and self-suciency.
e. there should be formal limits on the power of citizens.
d. supports personal commitment and self-suciency.
French philosopher Michel Foucault referred to politics as:”________.”
Select one:
a. like making sausage
b. the burden of citizens
c. a means to an end
d. war by other means
e. a necessary evil
d. war by other means
The Bill of Rights
Select one:
a. reduced the restrictiveness of constitutionalism.
b. enhanced the powers of the executive.
c. further checked the power of the majority.
d. enhanced the majoritarian nature of government.
e. restricted the power of corporate inuence in the government.
power of the majority.
How many lawyers does the United States have in comparison to Britain, Germany,
and Italy?
Select one:
a. The U.S. has twice as many lawyers on a per capita basis.
b. The U.S. has roughly the same amount of lawyers on a per capita basis.
c. The U.S. has roughly twice as many lawyers, in terms of total numbers.
d. The U.S. has roughly ve times as many lawyers on a per capita basis.
e. The U.S. has roughly half as many lawyers on a per capita basis.
a. The U.S. has twice as many lawyers on a per capita basis.
The average incomes of minimum-wage workers in the United States and Europe reect a greater inuence of which of the following in the United States, when
compared to Europe?
Select one:
a. majoritarianism
b. elitism
c. corporate power
d. judicial action
e. constitutionalism
c. corporate power
The process by which a society settles its conicts and allocates the resulting
benets and costs is called:
Select one:
a. politics.
b. government.
c. elitism.
d. socialism.
e. communism.
a. politics.
Compared to two decades ago, contemporary Americans are, on average,
Select one:
a. far better informed about political affairs.
b. at about the same level of being informed about political affairs.
c. getting most of their news from traditional media sources such as
newspapers.
d. much more knowledgeable about the functioning of America’s political
institutions.
e. paying more attention to news sources that have an obvious ideological
bias.
e. paying more attention to news sources that have an obvious ideological
bias.
Which of the following is an accurate description of the prevalence of college education in the United States?
Select one:
a. Among adults twenty-ve years of age and older, roughly half are college
graduates.
b. Among adults twenty-ve years of age and older, roughly one in four is a college graduate.
c. Every U.S. state has at least twenty colleges or universities within its
borders.
d. Despite having a much higher rate of colleges and universities per capita than European countries; the U.S. has a lower rate of college graduation per
capita.
e. Although the U.S. has a lower number of colleges and universities per capita
than Europe, it has a much higher rate of college graduation per capita.
b. Among adults twenty-ve years of age and older, roughly one in four is a college graduate.
