Deck 13: Government, Political Power, and Social Movements

Question 1

Sociologists observe a turn toward "populist authoritarianism" in European countries and in the United States. Accordingly, they expect to see citizens valuing:

A) town hall meetings where citizens gather to debate in person
B) rewritten state constitutions
C) Internet-mediated political movements forming across traditional national borders
D) assertive leadership that values security over civil liberties

Answer 1

D

Question 2

For more than half a century, the U.S. government has committed to providing material benefits to citizens who are unable to support themselves. This is called the:

A) nation-state
B) welfare state
C) socialist state
D) laissez-faire state

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The term that refers to the rightfully executed use of power is:

A) the state
B) government
C) nationalism
D) authority

Answer 3

D

Question 4

In 2016, British voters decided to leave the European Union ("Brexit") and in the United States, Donald Trump was elected President. What do these two political events have in common?

A) behind both was concern over immigration
B) both can be classified as revolutions
C) both are likely to spark local nationalisms
D) behind both was fear that a failed state was eminent

Question 5

Occupy Wall Street (OWS) was an attempt to draw attention to the inequalities of wealth and income in the United States. Despite the use of disruptions that promoted conflict and, in a few cases, some violent actions, the OWS effort as a social movement can be distinguished from a revolution due to:

A) an absence of violence as a means to effect a major change
B) the failure on the part of the movement to effect lasting change
C) the willingness of the government and police to stop the protestors
D) the speed with which OWS became an institution

Question 6

The idea of the welfare state has generated a lot of debate in the United States over the past 50 years, especially during elections. The notion of the state guaranteeing basic provisions to citizens, though, is an integral part of our ________ rights.

A) social
B) political
C) civil
D) constitutional

Question 7

A defining characteristic of a modern state is that:

A) it has institutions such as a parliament, prime minister, or other public officials
B) it has no true sovereignty within its territory
C) it possesses a wide range of different cultures and languages that separate the citizens
D) its authority is backed by a strong military force

Question 8

Max Weber theorized that for an effective democracy in modern, large, bureaucratic states, a country must have:

A) a body of persons that has the expertise to run a government
B) no spin-off parties that represent different interests or have different outlooks
C) participatory democracy, no matter how challenging the logistics
D) an ability to have all citizens meet regularly to determine the fate of the nation

Question 9

We often take for granted our right to vote in elections and run for office, but as part of a democracy, these are considered to be:

A) social rights
B) political rights
C) constitutional guarantees
D) personal liberties

Question 10

The queen of England may seem to outsiders as a figurehead, a relic of the past. But she has the power to declare war on other nations. England is governed by a parliament and a prime minister, however, that are elected by the people. England is what kind of democracy?

A) participatory democracy
B) constitutional monarchy
C) liberal democracy
D) two-party system

Question 11

The activist collective Anonymous has mounted a wide range of disruptive events that have often shut down industries and parts of government. A sociologist would be unlikely to call this effort a revolution because the collective:

A) is a transient social movement
B) does not have any central authority
C) does not have any military forces to deploy
D) does not use violence

Question 12

A defining characteristic of a nation-state is that:

A) it is democratic
B) a government is able to impose a unified belief system through the use of military power
C) many of its citizens have ambivalent or negative feelings of commitment based on nationalism
D) the citizenry enjoys a common identity that fosters a sense of belonging

Question 13

The right to a fair trial is a ________ right.

A) civil
B) partial
C) social
D) judicial

Question 14

Nationalist sentiments among the French-speaking population in Quebec, Canada, and the movement to restore the traditional indigenous Hawaiian Kingdom are examples of:

A) sovereignty
B) local nationalisms
C) participatory democracy
D) limited freedom

Question 15

Which of the following political questions represents a debate about the role of the welfare state?

A) Should the United States wage war against ISIS?
B) Did the Internet affect the outcome of the 2016 election?
C) Should women and transgender Americans serve in all military roles?
D) Should the United States build a border wall to better control immigration?

Question 16

In most countries, the establishment of social rights takes place after the exercise of other rights. This is due to the fact that in most cases, civil and political rights were something that:

A) were required by the government in order to define the social rights later conferred
B) applied only to the elite ruling class, leading to social upheaval and then social rights
C) were necessary because governments cannot establish welfare benefits without first having a clear set of political rights in place
D) poor and underrepresented groups had to achieve prior to obtaining social rights

Question 17

The basic meaning of democracy is from the Greek and literally means "people" (demos) and "rule" (kratos). The major problem with this definition is that:

A) it is easy to define who the people are, but defining how they rule is difficult
B) it is difficult to clearly define who the people are and what rule means
C) there is no single definition of "people" that fits all democracies, even despite the fact that the idea of "rule" is widely understood and accepted
D) Greece in ancient times was actually a dictatorship

Question 18

When groups of people seek civil rights, they mean that they believe their rights should be based in:

A) cultural norms
B) law
C) identity groups
D) sovereignty

Question 19

Populism arises when citizens are frustrated with politics that are focused on the needs and interests of:

A) states rather than the entire nation
B) noncitizens rather than citizens
C) elites rather than the general population
D) civil rights concerns rather than welfare state concerns

Question 20

The United States is a liberal democracy because:

A) the Democratic Party, as the liberal party, has more members than the Republican Party
B) Americans can choose between two or more political parties in an election
C) liberal social reforms have dominated the U.S. political agenda since President Johnson was in office
D) people are able to have direct participation in some localities and states through referendums

Question 21

Why is the Republican Party considered a political party but the Boy Scouts are not?

A) Republicans have historically been considered a party, but the Boy Scouts have not.
B) The budget of the Republican Party rivals that of other political parties, but the Boy Scout organization budget is much smaller.
C) The Republicans are oriented toward achieving legitimate control of government, whereas the Boy Scouts do not want to control government.
D) The Republicans have official membership, whereas the Boy Scouts do not.

Question 22

Alain Touraine would probably agree that:

A) social movements are irrational responses to social injustices
B) in the modern world, individuals and groups believe that social activism has lost its effectiveness in reshaping society
C) mutual negotiation among antagonists may create changes in the social movement itself
D) social movements almost always become institutionalized

Question 23

Max Weber's theory argues that in large-scale societies, democratic elitism is inevitable. Why must elites "rule"?

A) Globalization increases the extremes between the "haves" and the "have-nots," giving the "haves" access to both financial and political power.
B) Business, military, political, and special interests work together to rule in a network called the "power elite."
C) Millions of individuals cannot each be rulers, so democracy in large-scale society will be run by skilled, expert politicians.
D) Democracy seems egalitarian, but people in democratic societies usually believe that democracy is best, which constitutes a form of elitism.

Question 24

When listing countries in the order of money spent on the military, the United States spends more than nearly all other countries in the world combined. The public figure who warned the country to beware of the expanding military and the industries that cater to it was:

A) President Bill Clinton
B) industrialist Ross Perot
C) President Dwight D. Eisenhower
D) Senator Ted Kennedy

Question 25

Recent polarization between the Democrats and Republicans in the United States is surprising to sociologists because political theory predicts that:

A) two-party systems often lead to similarity between the parties because the big "middle" is where the votes are
B) alternative parties such as the Green Party and the Libertarian Party would produce a robust multiparty system
C) each party contains radical alternatives that, surprisingly, are being suppressed in favor of a watered-down common ground
D) coming together is more likely than polarizing because mainstream parties share so much common ground in concern for security, public goods, and human welfare

Question 26

Neil Smelser's theoretical model predicts that the U.S. approach of having no state-sponsored religion is an example of structural conduciveness. What does the condition of no state-sponsored religion predict for society?

A) Religious movements are able to "compete" for people in an effort to exercise religious belief.
B) Religion is less likely to be used as a mobilizing force in social movements.
C) Individuals will experience less conflict with each other over religion, which reduces the likelihood of conflict in the form of social movements.
D) In this type of society, religion is more likely to become fused with politics in unhelpful ways.

Question 27

Why did the 2010 Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission change the concept of what we define as an interest group?

A) It allowed any bona fide corporation to cast a vote in an election.
B) It denied the right of candidates to challenge corporate policies governing political speech.
C) It allowed all corporations the right to openly lobby Congress during an election.
D) It recognized the right of corporations to express an opinion on a candidate.

Question 28

A politician working from a pluralist theory of modern democracy would most likely:

A) appreciate interest groups because they limit the consolidation of political power, even if interest groups make the politician's work more difficult
B) work against interest groups because, as Weber theorized, good government should be run by skilled politicians and bureaucrats, not interest groups
C) form strategic alliances with interest groups in order to form an effective power elite
D) use interest groups as a way of facilitating participatory democracy

Question 29

If Alain Touraine's concept of historicity influenced a new social movement, how would the new movement relate to Rosa Park's action in 1955?

A) The new movement would use contemporary technologies to mobilize and communicate, as Rosa Parks did in her day.
B) The new movement would see itself as connected to the civil rights movement and would strengthen itself with historical knowledge and understanding.
C) The new movement would learn the mistakes and limitations of history and repeat only the successful parts.
D) The new movement would adapt and appropriate Rosa Park's image and ideals, even stretching them beyond their original meanings, for the sake of achieving contemporary change.

Question 30

Populist movements in the United States today express concern about the "deep state." They are concerned about:

A) the government deeply investing in just one political party
B) "deep" injustice along lines of race, gender, and social class, which is against popular values
C) insider control of government, which makes it unresponsive to popular interests
D) the two-party system being a cover for what is actually a multiparty system

Question 31

In the early civil rights movement, black protestors frequently attacked by both citizens and the police. These violent conflicts are, according to Neil Smelser, expressions of what aspect of structural strain?

A) unintended consequences
B) direct clashes of goals
C) a lack of a central religion
D) multiple sovereignties

Question 32

President Dwight Eisenhower delivered a farewell address in 1961 that warned of possible threats to democracy and suggested that the large corporations and the military, in cooperation with the government, could exercise too much power. Sociologists refer to this network of groups as the:

A) New World Order
B) democratic elite
C) constitutional monarchy
D) power elite

Question 33

Some in the United States see parties like the Green Party or Libertarian Party as a detrimental part of a major election cycle, siphoning off votes from their close ideological "cousins" and potentially costing the election. Sociologically, however, the presence of more than two parties-a multiparty system-is vital in order to:

A) foster diverse interests and allow for the representation of more radical alternatives
B) ensure that more eligible citizens vote in the election
C) give illegal immigrants a voice in the political process
D) prevent any one party from achieving total power

Question 34

Some would suggest that the ideas put forth by some of the smaller parties in the United States are radical and not appropriate. The Libertarian Party, for example, opposes all governmental control of the economy, while the Green Party wants government to control corporate interests. Their presence in the political scene, however, challenges the definition of the U.S. political system as a:

A) multiparty system
B) two-party system
C) liberal democracy
D) radical democracy

Question 35

Protests and other social movement actions can turn violent, even when they are intentionally planned to be nonviolent. In Charles Tilly's analysis, which factor most strongly influences whether violence erupts in an expression of collective action?

A) the issue at stake
B) words and symbols used to express discontent
C) size of the crowd
D) response of the authorities

Question 36

Theda Skocpol believes that revolutions are not the direct result of a deliberate pursuit of interests but instead are ambiguous in nature and are best seen as _______________ linked to the more limited aims of different groups.

A) unintended consequences
B) intended outcomes
C) inevitable results
D) collective realization of interests

Question 37

Based on recent trends, what can be predicted about the relationship between income and voting preference?

A) Democrats will continue to draw votes from lower-income groups, as they have for many decades.
B) Republicans will continue to draw votes from lower-income groups, as they have for many decades.
C) The future is uncertain because Democrats used to draw votes from lower-income groups, but Republicans earned votes from these groups in the 2016 election.
D) The future is uncertain because income no longer correlates with voting patterns.

Question 38

The central aim of an interest group is to successfully lobby:

A) a political party
B) financial institutions to secure both funding and political favor
C) members of legislative bodies
D) individuals and groups who advance their own interests above others

Question 39

A characteristic of the Tea Party is:

A) its interest in dismantling the entire governmental apparatus
B) its support of universal health care
C) its support of increased government
D) that it is not actually a party at all

Question 40

Of the following, the country that has the lowest percentage of women in the lower legislative house is:

A) Sweden
B) South Africa
C) Rwanda
D) the United States

Question 41

Dictatorships are based on authority if their citizens see them as legitimate.

Question 42

What does it mean to say, in Benedict Anderson's terms, that a nation-state is an imagined community?

Question 43

What has given rise to the legitimation crisis in liberal democracies?

A) the destruction of communism
B) third-party candidates running for president
C) the increased numbers of citizens not born in the United States who are voting for Republican candidates
D) the contradictory demands for more government services and lower taxes

Question 44

Voter turnout in the United States is among the lowest in the world. Many Americans say that they do not vote because they:

A) cannot read the ballot
B) are ineligible to vote due to voter registration requirements
C) have not met the candidates and do not have enough information to vote
D) find the process of registration and voting to be burdensome

Question 45

Which is an example of a nation without a state?

A) Darfur region in Sudan
B) Chinese community in Toronto
C) Kurdish community in Iraq
D) Cuban community in Miami

Question 46

What is the key difference between a direct democracy and a liberal democracy?

Question 47

What is a legitimation crisis? What would be one warning sign that U.S. democracy is experiencing a legitimation crisis?

Question 48

The United States is a complex nation-state with many social problems and active social movements, but despite this complexity, sociologists would still call it a sovereign state. What characteristic of the United States classifies it as a sovereign state?

Question 49

The statement "Protest is an end in itself. It helps us establish who we are and what we are about" accurately reflects the underlying attitude of:

A) collective action
B) nationalist movements
C) old social movements
D) new social movements

Question 50

What is one change that would improve civil society? Explain how the change is related to civil society.

Question 51

What was one important way that the Internet shaped the outcome of the 2016 presidential election?

A) People with Internet access voted at higher rates than those without Internet access.
B) Republicans used the Internet more for political information than Democrats did.
C) Donald Trump used social media more effectively than Hillary Clinton.
D) The Supreme Court decided that, like corporations, the Internet is a "person" in the eyes of the law.

Question 52

Which characteristic defines today's LGBTQ+ social movements as "new"?

A) It generally promotes nonviolence.
B) It is concerned with quality of private life and culture as well as political and economic rights.
C) It is concerned with civil rights but applied to a new population.
D) It uses digital technologies to network and promote goals.

Question 53

The political system in ancient Greece was a liberal democracy.

Question 54

How do new social movements differ from social movements of earlier times?

A) They are made possible through modern technology.
B) They often are not based on a single issue.
C) They do not differ from the past as much as most scholars think they do.
D) Early social movements invariably led to violent revolution.

Question 55

List the three levels of power in the United States, as theorized by C. Wright Mills. Briefly describe the type of power held by each.

Question 56

European countries provide their citizens with more services than the U.S. government provides its citizens because Europeans:

A) have a longer tradition of support for those in need
B) rely more on government than on family
C) have weaker civil societies
D) pay higher taxes than Americans

Question 57

One thing that the Tibetans in China and the Kurds in Turkey, Syria, Iran, and Iraq have in common is:

A) their religion
B) that they are recognized as nations within nations
C) their mutual respect for each other and the nation-states that encompass them
D) the refusal of the larger nation-state to recognize them

Question 58

Black Lives Matter is a social movement calling for an end to racial profiling, police brutality, and the mass incarceration of black people. Which of the following would represent a contribution to civil society made by the Black Lives Matter social movement?

A) changes in police training procedures
B) inclusion of victim/survivor voices in city councils and state legislatures
C) new economic opportunities made available to African Americans
D) alterations to textbooks and teacher curriculum in local schools

Question 59

What would democratic elitism theory predict about the possibility for direct democracy in the United States? Is direct democracy possible? Why or why not?

Question 60

Among the world's larger nations, literacy rates tend to be high. Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States, and China all have literacy rates of 95 percent or higher. By contrast, countries like Chad and Sierra Leone have literacy rates that just pass 30 percent. Since one key indicator of voter turnout is literacy rate, we might be surprised to learn that the country from the list below with the worst voter turnout rate is:

A) the United States
B) Chad
C) China
D) Sierra Leone

Question 61

Design an intervention that would improve voter turnout in the United States. Explain how your intervention is based in sociological research findings from the chapter.

Question 62

If you were making a society from scratch, would you develop a participatory democracy, a liberal democracy, or a monarchy? Why would you choose this political system? What would be its key strength and its key weakness?

Question 63

Is the United States facing a legitimation crisis? Why or why not? What social indicators are important to monitor when assessing the health of democracy?

Question 64

Compare and contrast revolutions and social movements. Include one to two key points of similarity and one to two key points of difference.

Question 65

Summarize the key issues and trends related to the political participation of women in the United States. Offer one intervention or change that could strengthen women's political participation.

Question 66

Why does relative deprivation inspire revolution? In your answer, summarize James Davies's theory.

Question 67

How does C. Wright Mills's theory of the power elite help interpret the concern that some U.S. citizens have about the "deep state"?