Deck 17: Politics and Government

Question 1

People who attract followers, including Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, display:

A) traditional authority.
B) rational-legal authority.
C) charismatic authority.
D) power rather than authority.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

As Max Weber saw it, the essential difference between power and authority is that:

A) authority is more rational.
B) people perceive authority as legitimate, rather than coercive.
C) raw power is always the foundation of justice.
D) power is more efficient in getting the job done.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which of the following concepts refers to the formal organization that directs the political life of a society?

A) the political system
B) rational-legal authority
C) the power elite
D) government

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Capitalist societies base their claim to democracy on:

A) people having personal liberty.
B) meeting the basic needs of all.
C) maintaining public order.
D) their high living standards.

Question 5

Industrialization increases the importance of which type of authority?

A) traditional authority
B) rational-legal authority
C) charismatic authority
D) no authority at all

Question 6

The concept "political economy" refers to:

A) any system in which people are unequal.
B) the interplay of politics and economics.
C) democratic political systems.
D) the most efficient form of government.

Question 7

In which of the following types of societies would you expect to find monarchy as the political system?

A) hunting and gathering
B) industrial
C) agrarian
D) postindustrial

Question 8

Which of the following concepts refers to a political system in which a single family rules from generation to generation?

A) democracy
B) monarchy
C) totalitarianism
D) aristocracy

Question 9

Which of Weber's types of authority rests on extraordinary personal abilities that inspire devotion in followers?

A) traditional authority
B) rational-legal authority
C) charismatic authority
D) None of the above is correct.

Question 10

For which of the following reasons might you argue that the United States is not truly democratic?

A) There is a lot of economic inequality.
B) Millions of bureaucratic officials are not elected.
C) Most U.S. adults have never voted.
D) Both A and B, but not C, are correct.

Question 11

In Max Weber's view, monarchy claims legitimacy based on:

A) traditional authority.
B) charismatic authority.
C) rational-legal authority.
D) sheer force.

Question 12

Max Weber said that a crisis of charismatic authority results from:

A) the death of the leader.
B) the fact that few people follow a charismatic leader.
C) the fact that charisma existed only in the ancient world.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 13

Politics is a social institution that is defined in terms of a society's:

A) distribution of power, goals, and decision making.
B) system of elections.
C) income distribution.
D) types of authority.

Question 14

What Weber called the routinization of charisma involves charismatic authority:

A) disappearing entirely.
B) becoming a reflection of a leader's unique personality.
C) becoming sheer force.
D) transforming into some combination of traditional authority and rational-legal authority.

Question 15

In 2008, about what percentage of the world's people lived in countries that can be considered politically "free?"

A) 6 percent
B) 26 percent
C) 46 percent
D) 66 percent

Question 16

Max Weber defined power as:

A) simply a reflection of wealth.
B) the ability to achieve desired ends, despite resistance.
C) the operation of a government.
D) the source of all bureaucracy.

Question 17

Preindustrial societies, explained Max Weber, are characterized by having:

A) mostly traditional authority.
B) mostly rational-legal authority.
C) mostly charismatic authority.
D) no authority at all.

Question 18

Which nations in the world today claim to be democratic?

A) all low-income nations
B) no nations
C) most high-income nations
D) all nations

Question 19

Socialist societies base their claim to democracy on:

A) people having personal liberty.
B) meeting the basic needs of all.
C) maintaining public order.
D) their high living standards.

Question 20

Which of the following concepts refers to a political system in which power resides in the hands of the people as a whole?

A) democracy
B) monarchy
C) totalitarianism
D) aristocracy

Question 21

In the United States, _____ people tend to vote Democratic, while _____ people mostly vote Republican.

A) rural urban
B) urban rural
C) high-income low-income
D) conservative liberal

Question 22

Terrorism refers to:

A) the use of military force by a nation state.
B) the use or threat of violence as a political strategy by an individual or group.
C) organized, armed conflict between groups.
D) unorganized, violent conflict between any two parties.

Question 23

In general, high-income people tend to be _____ on social issues and _____ on economic issues.

A) conservative conservative
B) liberal liberal
C) liberal conservative
D) conservative liberal

Question 24

A power-elite approach to the U.S. political system suggests that:

A) power is concentrated in the hands of a few.
B) an anti-democratic bias exists in the capitalist system.
C) power is widely dispersed throughout society.
D) many people do not vote because they are alienated from the political system.

Question 25

Which of the following nations comes closest to having a political system that is "totalitarian"?

A) Mexico
B) France
C) North Korea
D) Japan

Question 26

The concept "authoritarian" refers to a political system that:

A) is well legitimated.
B) relies on more than one kind of authority.
C) denies most people participation in government.
D) has free elections.

Question 27

Which of the following categories of the U.S. population is LEAST likely to vote in national elections?

A) African Americans
B) white, non-Hispanic people
C) Hispanic people
D) All of the above categories are equally likely to vote.

Question 28

People with lower social standing in the United States tend to be _____ on social issues and _____ on economic issues.

A) conservative conservative
B) liberal liberal
C) liberal conservative
D) conservative liberal

Question 29

Which of the following statements correctly describes how the U.S. population falls on the political spectrum?

A) The largest share of people are moderates who fall near the political center.
B) Most people fall on the political left.
C) Most people fall on the political right.
D) Most people fall near one or the other outer edge of the spectrum.

Question 30

Which from the following list would be described as an economic issue?

A) the abortion controversy
B) poverty
C) gay rights
D) the family values debate

Question 31

Which of the following is a factor encouraging political revolution?

A) rising expectation of a better life
B) unresponsive government
C) radical leadership by intellectuals
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 32

The Marxist political-economy model suggests that:

A) power is no longer concentrated in the hands of a few.
B) an anti-democratic bias exists in the capitalist system.
C) power is widely dispersed throughout society.
D) many people do not vote because they are satisfied with the political system.

Question 33

Which of the following statements about political parties in the United States is True?

A) Democrats have had control of Congress for more than twenty years.
B) Most people claim to be either a strong Republican or a strong Democrat.
C) National political power tends to swing from one party to the other over time.
D) The last five presidents have all been Republicans.

Question 34

In the 2008 presidential election, about what percentage of registered voters actually went to the polls?

A) about 80 percent
B) about 63 percent
C) about 30 percent
D) about 20 percent

Question 35

In general, how does income affect the likelihood of voting in the United States?

A) Most high-income people vote most low-income people do not.
B) People of all income levels are about equally likely to vote.
C) Most low-income people vote most high-income people do not.
D) Higher income increases the share of people who vote among women, but not men.

Question 36

The gun lobby is an example of a:

A) special-interest group.
B) political action committee.
C) political party.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 37

A pluralist approach to the U.S. political system suggests that:

A) power is concentrated in the hands of a few.
B) an anti-democratic bias exists in the capitalist system.
C) power is widely dispersed throughout society.
D) many people do not vote because they are alienated from the political system.

Question 38

A totalitarian political system:

A) mixes politics with religion.
B) is completely democratic.
C) is government without any bureaucracy.
D) concentrates power and closely regulates people's lives.

Question 39

In general, terrorism is the strategy favored by:

A) a weak organization against a stronger foe.
B) a left-wing organization.
C) a right-wing organization.
D) a strong organization against a weaker foe.

Question 40

Political revolution almost always produces:

A) a left-wing government.
B) a right-wing government.
C) a democratic government.
D) Revolution can and does produce many types of government.

Question 41

Rational-legal authority is also called "bureaucratic authority" because it usually is rooted in formal offices.

Question 42

Which of the following concepts refers to the use of violence by governments, often against their own people?

A) authoritarianism
B) state terrorism
C) totalitarianism
D) counterterrorism

Question 43

The arms race refers to efforts by the United States and the former Soviet Union to:

A) reduce nuclear arsenals.
B) move to less deadly weapons.
C) increase their military power.
D) work together to wage war on other nations.

Question 44

A sociological profile of men and women in the U.S. armed forces reveals a large share of young people who:

A) are of working-class background.
B) are looking to the military for a job.
C) join the military to earn money for college or just to get out of a small home town.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 45

About how much money does the world as a whole spend annually for military purposes?

A) $12 million
B) $120 million
C) $12 billion
D) $1.6 trillion

Question 46

Traditional authority gains importance as a society becomes industrialized.

Question 47

Weber's idea of the routinization of charisma states that charisma does not exist in the modern world.

Question 48

The military-industrial complex refers to:

A) the fact that war often destroys a country's economic infrastructure.
B) the close link between the government, defense contractors, and the military.
C) the fact that the postindustrial economy is increasingly dominated by war production.
D) the fact that the military is the world's largest industrial corporation.

Question 49

The concept "government" refers to the formal organization that directs the political life of a society.

Question 50

This chapter's Sociology in the News explains that:

A) more and more people in the United States are joining the military.
B) military conflict is now more "low-tech" than ever before.
C) governments are discovering new ways to work for peace.
D) many of the world's children are forced to become soldiers.

Question 51

The text explains that:

A) human beings are naturally eager to engage in war.
B) there is nothing in our human biology that makes it natural to go to war.
C) nations usually fight wars simply over wealth.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 52

Which of all U.S. wars was the most deadly in terms of loss of (U.S.) lives?

A) the Civil War
B) World War I
C) World War II
D) the War in Iraq

Question 53

Traditional authority is one source of strength for patriarchy.

Question 54

According to Max Weber, authority is just another word for power.

Question 55

Terrorism has been called a new kind of warfare because:

A) it is less violent.
B) it is "symmetrical," involving two opponents of roughly equal power.
C) it lacks clearly stated objectives and is not about controlling territory.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 56

Read the following statements. Which of them is True?

A) Whether someone is a "terrorist" or a "freedom fighter" is often a matter of definition.
B) Democratic societies are especially vulnerable to terrorism.
C) Identifying and effectively targeting terrorists is usually difficult.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 57

In absolute monarchies, hereditary rulers claim a virtual monopoly of power based on divine right.

Question 58

Charismatic authority is based on extraordinary personal abilities.

Question 59

For almost fifty years, what strategy has kept the peace between the world's nuclear superpowers?

A) deterrence
B) high-technology defense
C) disarmament
D) resolving underlying differences

Question 60

Authority refers to power that people perceive as coercive.

Question 61

In the United States, African Americans are much more likely than Hispanic Americans to vote in national elections.

Question 62

The pluralist model states that the United States is far less democratic than most people would like to think.

Question 63

In a totalitarian political system, one political organization claims total control of society.

Question 64

Most people in the United States strongly identify with one or the other major political party.

Question 65

The sociologist closely associated with the power-elite model is C. Wright Mills.

Question 66

In the 2008 presidential election, rural people tended to support the Democratic candidate, Barack Obama.

Question 67

In most of the states, people convicted of serious crimes cannot vote.

Question 68

A large majority of the world's people live in nations that are considered to be politically free.

Question 69

In terms of cost per person, the U.S. government is about the same size today as it was when this nation was founded more than two centuries ago.

Question 70

Terrorism is considered to be a new form of asymmetrical warfare.

Question 71

The Marxist political-economy model suggests that capitalist societies are democratic, giving some political voice to everyone.

Question 72

Authoritarian governments give people little voice in politics.

Question 73

Special-interest groups represent liberal interests, while political-action committees represent conservative interests.

Question 74

An examination of socialist and capitalist systems suggests that political liberty and economic equality almost always go together.

Question 75

African Americans tend to be more politically liberal than whites.

Question 76

Political revolutions tend to occur when and where living standards are the lowest.

Question 77

Democracy and rational-legal authority are linked, just as monarchy and traditional authority are linked.

Question 78

Just as the economy is becoming more and more global, so is the world developing a single global political system.

Question 79

Gay rights is one example of a social issue.

Question 80

Extensive civil liberties make democratic societies very vulnerable to terrorism.