Deck 19: Politics and Political Institutions

Question 1

Max Weber once observed that "politics is the slow boring of hard boards." By this he meant that:

A) people are resistant to political change
B) political change is never achieved easily
C) politics is extremely ineffective in bringing about social change
D) revolution is the most effective means of bringing about political change

Answer 1

political change is never achieved easily

Question 2

Harold Lasswell argues that in any society politics determines:

A) the composition of the population
B) the difference between reality and appearances
C) the distribution of valued resources
D) the nature of the class struggle

Answer 2

the distribution of valued resources

Question 3

The ability to control the behavior of others, even against their will, is termed:

A) authority
B) coercion
C) influence
D) power

Answer 3

power

Question 4

Power whose exercise is governed by the norms and statuses of institutions is referred to as:

A) authority
B) coercive power
C) influence
D) permissive power

Question 5

Which of the following terms refers to a set of norms and statuses that specializes in the exercise of power and authority?

A) coercive institutions
B) economic institutions
C) political institutions
D) productive institutions

Question 6

In the United States the legislature, executive branch, and judiciary are among the nation's major:

A) coercive institutions
B) economic institutions
C) political institutions
D) productive institutions

Question 7

John Davis is the leader of a street gang, and the gang's other members obey his orders even when they would prefer not to. This is an example of which of the following?

A) authority
B) personality
C) power
D) strength

Question 8

Horace Aronson is director of personnel of a small manufacturing firm in the Southwest. As such, he can hire and fire workers, review their performance, and set work schedules. Very often he makes decisions that his subordinates do not like, but they go along with them anyway. This is an example of which of the following?

A) authority
B) charisma
C) influence
D) strength

Question 9

Conflicts over scarce resources like wealth, power, and prestige are part of the social process known as:

A) acculturation
B) assimilation
C) economics
D) politics

Question 10

Karl Marx views politics as the process by which:

A) classes relate to each other in society
B) people elect officials to decide how their society is to be governed
C) society allocates scarce resources among its members
D) society establishes equilibrium in the competition for status

Question 11

According to Karl Marx, the way power is distributed in the shape of a society's political system is a function of which of the following?

A) cultural institutions
B) economic institutions
C) religious institutions
D) scientific institutions

Question 12

Which of the following is NOT an element of the Marxian perspective on politics?

A) It leads to a fairly equal distribution of power.
B) It reflects the society's system of stratification.
C) It results in competition for power and conflict over its use.
D) It tends to serve the interests of the upper class.

Question 13

When political institutions govern with the consent and goodwill of the governed, they are said to possess:

A) acceptance
B) legitimacy
C) sovereignty
D) veracity

Question 14

Legitimacy results from:

A) citizens' belief in the norms that specify how power is to be exercised in their society
B) legislation is enacted by government
C) the ability of those in power to force their will on the majority
D) the manner in which class struggles are resolved

Question 15

Weber's typology of authority includes all of the following EXCEPT:

A) charisma
B) influence
C) legal
D) tradition

Question 16

In Weber's typology of authority, which of the following refers to authority legitimated by people's ideas of the sacred?

A) charismatic authority
B) legal authority
C) spiritual authority
D) traditional authority

Question 17

In Weber's typology of authority, which of the following refers to authority legitimated by the extraordinary personal qualities of an individual?

A) charismatic authority
B) legal authority
C) spiritual authority
D) traditional authority

Question 18

Which of the following types of authority identified by Weber was described as usually unstable?

A) charismatic authority
B) democratic authority
C) legal authority
D) traditional authority

Question 19

Which of the types identified by Weber is the most adaptable to social change?

A) charismatic authority
B) legal authority
C) spiritual authority
D) traditional authority

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT one of the three types of authority discussed by Max Weber?

A) Legitimacy
B) Traditional
C) Charismatic
D) Legal

Question 21

The authority held by the Royal Family in England is an example of:

A) nationalism.
B) traditional authority.
C) charismatic authority.
D) legal authority.

Question 22

Martin Luther King, Jr. had the type of authority that would be considered:

A) traditional.
B) charismatic.
C) legal.
D) none of the above

Question 23

The President of the United States represents ________ authority.

A) traditional
B) charismatic
C) legal
D) national

Question 24

The norms, values, and symbols that support a society's political institutions are referred to as its:

A) civil religion
B) political culture
C) political ecology
D) rights of citizenship

Question 25

In legal authority obedience is owed to a:

A) charismatic leader
B) set of impersonal principles
C) spiritual director
D) traditional chief

Question 26

Weber characterized which of the following types of authority as being undergirded by the supremacy of law?

A) democratic authority
B) legal authority
C) political authority
D) traditional authority

Question 27

The Pledge of Allegiance, the National Anthem, and the Statue of Liberty are elements of this nation's:

A) coercive structure
B) educational system
C) political culture
D) system of authority

Question 28

Which of the following is NOT an element of the political culture of the United States?

A) a one-party system
B) equality of political participation
C) the Statue of Liberty
D) trial by jury

Question 29

The Chinese justify single-party political systems by:

A) asserting the need for firm leadership and a centralized state
B) mandating elections every six months
C) permitting party politics at the local level
D) threatening citizens who do not comply

Question 30

The belief of a people that they have the right and the duty to constitute themselves as a nation-state is termed:

A) civil religion
B) legal authority
C) nationalism
D) political legitimacy

Question 31

All of the following are experiences that are those that help people feel they should have their own state EXCEPT:

A) religion
B) language
C) democratic elections
D) history of immigration

Question 32

All of the following are examples of crises of legitimacy EXCEPT:

A) the conflict in the former Yugoslavia
B) the American Revolution
C) the protests by French-speaking Canadians
D) the U.S. elections of 1994

Question 33

Sociologists would describe the political upheavals being experienced by South Africa as an example of:

A) a challenge to authority
B) a crisis of legitimacy
C) political culture
D) political fanaticism

Question 34

The most important political territory in world affairs is the:

A) municipality
B) nation
C) national coalition
D) nation-state

Question 35

Which of the following is NOT a required characteristic of the nation-state?

A) It claims a legitimate monopoly over the use of force within its borders.
B) It has developed clear-cut procedures for challenging its policies.
C) Political parties compete for power in free elections.
D) When people do not fully accept its legitimacy, organized resistance groups emerge.

Question 36

Which of the following statements about national boundaries is TRUE?

A) Disputes over national borders are rare.
B) National borders correspond exactly to societal territories.
C) Societies always determine their own national borders.
D) Territories claimed by nation-states and societies frequently overlap.

Question 37

The status of membership in a nation-state is called:

A) citizenship
B) class location
C) democratic participation
D) incorporation

Question 38

Which of the following has been the most significant influence in reshaping the political campaign?

A) Trains
B) Television
C) Movie theaters
D) Public opinion

Question 39

Which of the following is an example of a nation-state that has improved the stability of its nation and improved social peace within its borders?

A) Lebanon
B) Somalia
C) Sudan
D) Northern Ireland

Question 40

Authority that is hereditary and is legitimized by traditional values is:

A) charismatic authority
B) traditional authority
C) legal authority
D) political authority

Question 41

Political participation in nation-states has taken the form of:

A) direct participation by citizens
B) representation by the landed gentry
C) representatives elected by the citizenry
D) the appointment of office holders by a highly centralized government

Question 42

T. H. Marshall refers to freedom of speech and the right to own property as:

A) civil rights
B) personal rights
C) political rights
D) social rights

Question 43

T. H. Marshall refers to the right to vote and the right of access to public office as:

A) civil rights
B) personal rights
C) political rights
D) social rights

Question 44

Which of the following terms is used by T. H. Marshall to refer to rights that deal with economic welfare and the right to share in the social heritage of a society?

A) civil rights
B) personal rights
C) political rights
D) social rights

Question 45

During the Great Depression upper- and middle-class Americans looked favorably upon the welfare measures suggested by Democrats because they saw them as:

A) a way of easing the plight of the poor without altering the structure of capitalism
B) a way of increasing class consciousness among workers
C) a way of preventing the United States' entry into World War II
D) extremely humanitarian

Question 46

According to Seymour Martin Lipset, the central problem of modern politics is finding ways to:

A) encourage more people to participate in the political process
B) maintain social cohesion and legitimacy in the face of conflict
C) redistribute wealth on a more equitable basis
D) reduce class conflict

Question 47

A leader who uses personal charisma and political symbols to manipulate public opinion is a:

A) demagogue
B) dictator
C) martinet
D) tyrant

Question 48

General Lasalla, the president of a small third-world nation, came to power as the result of a revolution. When he first took control, he enjoyed considerable popularity and had a large following. Recently, however, he has had to resort to manipulating public opinion through the mass media. Sociologists would classify him as a:

A) demagogue
B) dictator
C) martinet
D) tyrant

Question 49

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of demagogues?

A) They appeal to people's fears.
B) They have personal charisma.
C) They rely on the electoral process to maintain their position.
D) They use the media to manipulate public opinion.

Question 50

An organization of people who join together to gain legitimate control of state authority is:

A) an interest group
B) an oligarchy
C) a political-action committee
D) a political party

Question 51

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of political parties?

A) Their purpose is to gain legitimate control of the government.
B) They come to power through the use of force and coercion.
C) They have an ideological base.
D) They often represent competing groups with the same values.

Question 52

An organization that is led by a few people who stay in office indefinitely rather than for limited periods is:

A) an interest group
B) an oligarchy
C) a political-action committee
D) a political party

Question 53

Revolutionary political parties differ from more traditional political parties in that they:

A) are more likely to participate in elections
B) do not recognize the legitimacy of the state
C) do not represent the interests of a significant segment of the population
D) must conduct their activities in secret

Question 54

Which of the following terms refers to the seizure of state power by a military faction?

A) coup d'état
B) insurrection
C) protest movement
D) revolution

Question 55

A coup d'état usually results in:

A) revolutionary change throughout the society
B) the establishment of a classless society
C) the establishment of a democracy
D) the establishment of an oligarchy

Question 56

Harold Lasswell warned that nations might be moving toward a system of "garrison states." By this he meant that:

A) local police departments had a disproportionate amount of influence in national affairs
B) modern technology was depriving people of their fundamental rights
C) the military was emerging as the most powerful group in society
D) the world was on the brink of international war

Question 57

Upon leaving office, President Eisenhower warned the American public of the emergence of a "military-industrial complex." By this he meant that:

A) modern technology was becoming a threat to individual liberty
B) the United States was becoming a police state
C) spending on social welfare was threatening the national defense
D) suppliers of military equipment were gaining undue influence over other institutions

Question 58

A political system in which all citizens have the right to participate in public decision making is:

A) a democracy
B) an interest group
C) an oligarchy
D) a totalitarian regime

Question 59

Which of the following is NOT a factor that contributes to the effective functioning of democracies?

A) One or more sets of leaders who do not hold office act as a legitimate opposition.
B) One set of political leaders holds office.
C) The political culture legitimizes the democratic system and its institutions.
D) Those that hold office are able to maintain their position indefinitely.

Question 60

The type of democratic rule found in Great Britain is called:

A) an oligarchical system
B) a parliamentary system
C) a representative system
D) a totalitarian system

Question 61

A major difference between the types of democratic rule found in the United States and Great Britain is that in the United States:

A) coalition politics is more common
B) it is easier for third parties to gain political power
C) political patronage is more frequent
D) the party of the head of state need not win a majority of the seats in the legislature

Question 62

Which of the following is a characteristic of representative democracy in the United States?

A) absence of legitimate political opposition
B) a two-party system
C) coalition governments
D) government control of the media

Question 63

All of the following are conditions that lead to democratic functioning in one-party systems EXCEPT:

A) Citizens are free to form other parties.
B) Leaders do not violate the rights of citizens.
C) Party leaders can be replaced through democratic processes.
D) Political leaders have unlimited power.

Question 64

A political system in which the party that wins a majority of the seats in the legislature "forms a government" is a:

A) junta system
B) parliamentary system
C) representative system
D) totalitarian system

Question 65

Which of the following perspectives is associated with the belief that democratic political institutions can operate only when certain structural prerequisites are met?

A) conflict theory
B) functionalism
C) interactionism perspective
D) the ecological perspective

Question 66

Seymour Martin Lipset argues that democratic political institutions are relatively rare because:

A) if they are to exist, the society must have attained a high level of economic and cultural
development
B) most people are distrustful of democracy as a political institution
C) most people are too apathetic to participate in the political process
D) the upper classes will always control the political process in order to satisfy their interests

Question 67

In a survey of 48 nation-states, Seymour Martin Lipset concluded that democratic political institutions are correlated with all of the following EXCEPT the:

A) literacy of its citizens
B) nation's degree of urbanization
C) nation's level of economic development
D) number of political parties

Question 68

According to Seymour Martin Lipset, a large middle class is a structural prerequisite of democracy. Which of the following is NOT among the reasons he presents to support this argument?

A) Its members feel that they have a stake in society.
B) Its members tend to fill positions in society that are structurally necessary if democracy is to be preserved.
C) Its members tend to support policies that reduce class and status cleavages.
D) It tends to be a highly literate group capable of making decisions about complex political and social issues.

Question 69

Seymour Martin Lipset argues that the stability of democratic institutions rests on:

A) freedom of the press
B) structural features that diminish conflict
C) the ability of the upper class to maintain its position
D) the society's ability to provide jobs for all its citizens

Question 70

Which of the following maintains that political decisions are controlled by rich and powerful individuals even in societies with democratic institutions?

A) the ecological model
B) the functional model
C) the pluralist model
D) the power elite model

Question 71

Which of the following theories states that the most powerful members of a society's major institutions form a tightly knit network of decision makers who control the mass of citizens?

A) democratic theory
B) functionalist theory
C) pluralist theory
D) power elite theory

Question 72

Which of the following is NOT an element of the power elite model?

A) Elections are ineffective in changing the basic structure of society.
B) Elite groups compete with one another for power and may form coalitions in order to maintain their dominant position.
C) The power elite tolerates democratic institutions because it can control them.
D) The three major elites consist of leaders from the military, government, and industry.

Question 73

The major difference between Mills' power elite thesis and Marx's theory of class conflict is that Mills believed that:

A) class conflict was relatively unimportant in industrial society
B) revolutionary change was not possible in American society
C) the upper class would eventually give up power to the working class
D) the working class could not win power without joining forces with the middle class

Question 74

Which of the following states that no single group controls political decisions but instead a variety of interest groups influence those decisions through a process of coalition building and bargaining?

A) the ecological model
B) the functionalist model
C) the pluralist model
D) the power elite model

Question 75

Which of the following is NOT an element of the pluralist model of American politics?

A) Elite groups compete with one another for political influence.
B) Elite groups do not exist in American society.
C) Interest groups influence political decisions through a process of coalition building and bargaining.
D) No single group controls political decisions.

Question 76

According to the research done by Seymour Lipset, which of the following is a consequence of democratic regimes?

A) dictatorships
B) bureaucracies
C) totalitarian regimes
D) communist regimes

Question 77

Which of the following is NOT a condition of democracies?

A) political apathy
B) open class system
C) literacy
D) capitalist economy

Question 78

Specialized organizations that attempt to influence officials on specific issues are:

A) political parties
B) lobby groups
C) plural groups
D) special interest groups

Question 79

The process of interest groups working to persuade legislators to vote in their favor is known as:

A) negotiating
B) lobbying
C) politicking
D) bargaining

Question 80

Trade unions are interested in seeking legislation that would limit imports and they spend a great deal of time and money encouraging legislators to support them in this effort. This process is:

A) negotiating
B) lobbying
C) politicking
D) bargaining