Deck 7: Pluralism, Parties, Interest Groups, and Social Movements

Question 1

The idea of pluralism uses as its focus the concept of:

A) electoral systems
B) military power
C) competing elites
D) judicial review

Answer 1

competing elites

Question 2

According to pluralist theory, interest groups could be called:

A) multilateral valences
B) orthogonal rotation groupings
C) advantage groups
D) input-output organizers

Answer 2

advantage groups

Question 3

___________ is a very close interaction of interest groups and government.

A) corporatism
B) socialism
C) pluralism
D) nepotism

Answer 3

corporatism

Question 4

The theory that personal inaction often makes more sense than participation in group action is referred to as a theory of

A) collective action.
B) interest groups.
C) democratic elitism.
D) proportional representation.

Question 5

What is an individual decision to participate when someone believes that their participation will benefit them known as?

A) selfish behavior
B) rational choice theory
C) the volonte generale
D) collective action

Question 6

Material goods or nonmaterial goods that are shared by a number of people or that will be available to all are called:

A) payoffs
B) inputs
C) gatekeepers
D) collective goods

Question 7

Interest groups, political parties, social movements, and nongovernmental organizations are all examples of:

A) corporatism
B) linkage mechanisms
C) electoral structures
D) plurality voting

Question 8

The way that the population of a nation organizes into associations or organizations that are independent of formal institutions of the state is referred to as:

A) plurality voting
B) proportional representation
C) social movements
D) civil society

Question 9

The idea of a "civic culture" includes the principle that

A) individuals participate if it is in their personal interest to do so.
B) individuals accept the "rules of the game" of the political regime.
C) individuals compete for power with other individuals.
D) individuals fear other individuals gaining political power.

Question 10

Group theory suggests that all public opinion can be described in group terms, and that individual opinion is essentially unimportant, except for

A) when one ethnic group is in charge.
B) a military-dominated government.
C) democratic elections.
D) the fact that individuals make up groups.

Question 11

What is a subcategory of interest groups that is explicitly focused on lobbying for political issues?

A) pressure groups
B) polyarchy
C) single-party systems
D) corporatism

Question 12

The relationship between pressure groups and interest groups can be expressed by the general observation that

A) interest groups are narrower in scope than pressure groups.
B) political parties are more important than interest groups or pressure groups.
C) they mean the same thing.
D) pressure groups are narrower in scope than interest groups.

Question 13

When comparing political parties and interest groups we might generally observe that parties

A) have a narrower range of concerns than interest groups.
B) have the same range of concerns as interest groups.
C) have a broader range of concerns than interest groups.
D) cannot coexist with interest groups.

Question 14

The ultimate goal of political parties is

A) fundraising.
B) driving competing parties out of existence.
C) winning control of political office.
D) ideological development.

Question 15

Political parties can be seen to come from many different sources, including all of the following except:

A) legislatures
B) labor movements
C) national liberation movements
D) private corporations

Question 16

Two general categories of political parties are the mass party and the ____________.

A) single party
B) dualistic party
C) competitive party
D) cadre party

Question 17

Comparative study has shown us that the simple-majority single-ballot electoral system favors

A) a single-party system.
B) a two-party system.
C) a multiple-party system.
D) there is no general pattern to observe.

Question 18

When we refer to a political system as a two-party system we mean that

A) only two parties are likely to win elections.
B) there are only two parties competing.
C) only two parties have ever held a majority.
D) two parties created the government when it became independent.

Question 19

Single-party systems are most often associated with:

A) nondemocratic rule
B) Latin American politics
C) African politics
D) European politics

Question 20

Political parties are crucially important to legislatures for all of the following reasons except:

A) political socialization
B) they are the only source of campaign funds
C) political recruitment
D) a source of organizing legislation

Question 21

Parties contribute to all of the following processes of political development except:

A) encouraging political participation
B) growth of the private economic sector
C) stimulating a sense of governmental legitimacy
D) contributing to national integration

Question 22

The term that describes broad groups of individuals who share an interest in a given social issue is a/an:

A) ethnic group
B) ideological camp
C) social movement
D) distributional group

Question 23

A key difference between interest groups and social movements is that

A) interest groups are less organized than social movements.
B) interest groups only exist in democratic governments.
C) social movements only exist in democratic governments.
D) social movements are likely to be less organized than interest groups.

Question 24

The series of demonstrations that became known as the "Arab Spring" was an example of a protest movement that arose because of a feeling of protest

A) against economic inequality.
B) against American international influence.
C) against global warming.
D) against authoritarian rule.

Question 25

Social deprivation theory suggests that people create social movements because

A) they want to be elected to office.
B) they want a resource that has not been available to them.
C) they want less military power in their lives.
D) they want lower taxes.

Question 26

The idea of pluralism suggests that multiple, competing elites determine public policy through bargaining and compromise.

Question 27

Pluralist theory suggests that individuals join groups because they see an advantage to doing so.

Question 28

Interest group theory suggests that individuals belong to many varied interest groups, reflecting different aspects of their own interests.

Question 29

An example of a collective good, as the term is used in chapter 7, is winning a lottery.

Question 30

Rational choice theory suggests that individuals will participate in politics when they believe the cause is just.

Question 31

One of the most important ideas to remember about the concept of civil society is that it is distinct from governmental institutions.

Question 32

Interest groups are collections of individuals who share common beliefs, attitudes, values, or concerns.

Question 33

The function of political linkage mechanisms is to connect the voice of the people to the political leaders of the regime.

Question 34

Interest groups all have similar goals: to win elected political office in a regime.

Question 35

The terms "interest group" and "pressure group" can be used interchangeably.

Question 36

The single most important difference between political parties and interest groups relates to the goals of the organization.

Question 37

One source of political parties may be national-liberation movements from when a nation was under the colonial control of another.

Question 38

Political parties have very little to contribute to the development of governmental legitimacy in developing nations.

Question 39

A key difference between social movements and interest groups is that interest groups are likely to have a broader constituency than social movements.

Question 40

Nationalist movements can be seen as a special case of social movements.

Question 41

How do the theories of pluralism and corporatism relate to each other? Both theories use the concept of "group" as a core component, but how do they use the concept differently? What assumptions do they make that are similar?

Question 42

"Rational choice theory" has been seized upon by many to explain individual political behavior in the political system. What are the strengths of this theory? What are its greatest vulnerabilities?

Question 43

What is the relationship between the idea of a civil society and the idea of a civic culture? How compelling do you find the arguments that they suggest as an understanding of political behavior?

Question 44

What are the key differences between political parties and interest groups? In what ways are they similar? Which is a more effective linkage mechanism in politics?

Question 45

In recent months the idea of social movements has become very visible with significant political instability in the Middle East. How can social movements be seen as extensions of interest groups? In what ways are they different?