Deck 14: Power and Politics

Question 1

The elitist views of societal power are similar to the two views of power held by ________.

A) Emile Durkheim
B) Karl Marx
C) Max Weber
D) Herbert Spencer

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Domhoff argues that the ________ has more influence on (but not formal control of) Congress and state and local governments than any other group.

A) State Department
B) dominant class
C) president
D) military

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The two ways of looking at the phenomenon of influencing policy makers represent two fundamental views of the distribution of ________ for the whole society.

A) wealth
B) status
C) governmental positions
D) power

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The ________ view holds that the ruling class gets its way because in a capitalist society it is imperative that the government serves the needs of business to avoid economic crises.

A) instrumental
B) institutional
C) structuralist
D) democratic

Question 5

In (the) ________ view, the ruling class rules by controlling political officials and institutions through money and influence. It does so either directly through the manipulation of state policies or indirectly through the exercise of pressure on the state.

A) instrumentalist
B) structuralist
C) C. Wright Mills'
D) Domhoff's

Question 6

Identify which of the following is not a characteristic of the pluralist models.

A) The group exercising power will vary with the specific issue at hand.
B) The group seeking to promote its self-interest on these particular issues seeks out the masses as allies.
C) Although the upper classes dominate interest groups, they are not a unified interest group themselves.
D) Interest groups are representative of all classes of people and are made up of representatives from all classes.

Question 7

From (the) ________ perspective, the ruling class gets its way because the structure of political and economic institutions in capitalist society makes it imperative that the state serve those interests regardless of whether big businessmen take part in state affairs.

A) instrumentalist
B) structuralist
C) C. Wright Mills
D) Domhoff

Question 8

Identify which of the following is not controlled by the dominant class as defined by Domhoff.

A) the executive branch of the federal government
B) major corporations and the mass media
C) foundations and universities
D) the Institute of Policy Research

Question 9

According to Mills, the most powerful leaders of the power elite, which reigns over the three sectors of the power structure, come from ________.

A) the corporate rich
B) the middle level of power
C) local opinion leaders
D) none of the above

Question 10

Domhoff's theory of power is referred to as the ________.

A) governing class model
B) representative democratic model
C) bias of the system model
D) power elite model

Question 11

The ________ model of power sees power as dispersed rather than concentrated; power is broadly distributed among a number of organizations, special interests, and the voters.

A) elitist
B) democratic
C) pluralist
D) totalitarian

Question 12

The ________ view holds that the ruling class rules by controlling political officials and institutions through money and influence.

A) instrumental
B) institutional
C) structuralist
D) democratic

Question 13

The two views of the role in the capitalist class in exerting political power disagree on how the capitalist class actually controls the ________.

A) media
B) state
C) congress
D) money

Question 14

Marxists generally agree that the state serves the interests of the ________.

A) poor
B) masses
C) capitalist class
D) middle class

Question 15

The veto groups' model is an example of the ________ view of power, which argues that the power structure of the United States is mediated by a plurality of interest groups.

A) pluralist
B) democratic
C) elitist
D) totalitarian

Question 16

Identify which of the following is not one of the three subsectors C. Wright Mills cited that regularly interact to form the power elite in the United States.

A) the corporate rich
B) the executive branch of government
C) Congress
D) the military

Question 17

The ________ model assumes that there are a number of specific interest groups in American society and each group has the power to counteract or neutralize the interest of others.

A) pluralist/veto group
B) elitist/power elite
C) pluralist/representative democracy
D) elitist/governing class

Question 18

________ identified the dominant class as the approximately 1% of the population which owns a disproportionate share of the country's wealth and contributes a disproportionate number of its members to the controlling decision-making positions and groups in the country.

A) Michael Parenti
B) G. William Domhoff
C) C. Wright Mills
D) Samuel Huntington

Question 19

Marx believed that ________ was the basis for the stratification system and that the economic elite exerts tremendous influence on government policies and action and is, therefore, a ruling class.

A) economics
B) democracy
C) equality
D) race

Question 20

The ________ model of power describes a pyramid of power with people at the apex controlling power.

A) elitist
B) pluralist
C) democratic
D) socialist

Question 21

There is a general principle that applies to the government's relationship to big business in conducting its affairs--business is either ________ or ________ by government.

A) monitored / undisturbed
B) restricted / undisturbed
C) monitored / encouraged
D) undisturbed / encouraged

Question 22

The major difference between the views of Mills and Domhoff is that Domhoff has asserted the complete ascendancy of the upper class to the apex of ________.

A) social status
B) intellectual accomplishment
C) power
D) none of the above

Question 23

Parenti notes that the dominance of the wealthy is ________ when indoctrination to conservative values achieves a consensus among the citizenry concerning the status quo.

A) threatened
B) legitimized
C) guaranteed
D) weakened

Question 24

Critics of Domhoff's model arguethat, although most persons in institutionally important positions have upper-class backgrounds, Domhoff offers no proof that these people promote the interests of the ________.

A) corporate rich
B) masses
C) middle class
D) government

Question 25

The central focus of the Franklin Roosevelt administration was toward ________ rather than ________.

A) business recovery / social reform
B) radical reform / national recovery
C) progressive reform / business recovery
D) liberal reform / national recovery

Question 26

Labor unrest by troubled miners, farmers, and laborers were consistently met by a government that inevitably took the side of the ________ against the ________.

A) strong / weak
B) weak / strong
C) owner / worker
D) worker / owner

Question 27

In Domhoff's view, which of the following demonstrate(s) the impact of individuals and subgroups within the elite on the decision-making structure of the United States?

A) They control presidential nominations through the financing of political campaigns.
B) They control both major political parties.
C) They control almost total staffing of important appointive governmental positions.
D) All of the above

Question 28

In (the) ________ view, there are three sectors--the corporate rich, the executive branch of the government, and the military--that combine to form a power elite that makes all-important decisions.

A) instrumentalist
B) structuralist
C) C. Wright Mills'
D) Domhoff's

Question 29

According to Domhoff, the ________ controls almost total staffing of government appointments, including cabinet members, members of regulatory agencies, judges, diplomats, and presidential advisors.

A) military
B) dominant class
C) legislature
D) electorate

Question 30

Piven and Cloward, in a historical assessment of government welfare programs, have determined that the government institutes massive aid to the poor only when ________.

A) the business initiates this measure
B) the poverty reaches disastrous proportions
C) the poor constitute a threat to the system
D) the percentage of more than 10% of the population lives in poverty

Question 31

________ is the ability to get what one wants from someone else; this can be achieved by force or by getting someone to think and believe in accordance with your interests.

A) Power
B) Status
C) Influence
D) Coercion

Question 32

Robert Hutchins argues that domestic policy is conducted according to one infallible rule: the costs and burdens of whatever is done must be borne by ________.

A) those most able to bear them
B) those least able to bear them
C) the middle class
D) the majority

Question 33

Which of the following demonstrate(s) that the U.S. foreign policy seems to be carried on in the light of the needs of the munitions makers, the Pentagon, the CIA, and the multinational corporations?

A) Military goods are sold overseas for the profit of the arms merchants. Sometimes arms are sold to both sides in a potential conflict.
B) The government has supported foreign governments that are supportive of U.S. transnational companies regardless of how tyrannical these governments might be.
C) The U.S. government has directly intervened in the domestic affairs of foreign governments to protect U.S. corporate interests and to prevent the rise of any government based on an alternative to the capitalist model.
D) All of the above

Question 34

________ argues that the dominant class directly controls the executive branch of the government, including the councils for domestic and foreign affairs, the National Security Council, etc.

A) G. William Domhoff
B) Michael Parenti
C) C. Wright Mills
D) Samuel Huntington

Question 35

The government remained ________ but only in relation to the common people, giving little attention to poverty, unemployment, unsafe working conditions, child labor, and the spoiling of natural resources.

A) supportive
B) naive
C) laissez-faire
D) active

Question 36

The shift from local businesses to large-scale manufacturing during the last half of the nineteenth century saw a concomitant increase in ________ in the economy.

A) popular participation
B) governmental activity
C) party politics
D) minority participation

Question 37

Identify which of the following is not an example of the similarities between Domhoff's and Mills' models.

A) The power structure is a single pyramid.
B) The masses balance the power of the elite through grassroots coalitions.
C) The corporate rich are the most powerful interest group.
D) Congress is relegated to a relatively minor role, and the executive branch is the important factor in the decision-making process.

Question 38

In (the) ________ view, the dominant class is the uppermost social group (approximately 1% of the population), which owns a disproportionate amount of the country's wealth and contributes a disproportionate number of its members to the controlling institutions and key decision-making groups of the country.

A) instrumentalist
B) structuralist
C) C. Wright Mills'
D) Domhoff's

Question 39

According to Piven and Cloward, the government institutes massive aid to the poor only when ________.

A) the poor constitute a threat
B) the middle class is threatened with poverty
C) the upper class becomes embarrassed by their condition
D) the conditions of the poor worsen

Question 40

Parenti believes that through ________ the institutions of society are patterned to produce prearranged results, regardless of the personalities of decision-makers.

A) political coalitions
B) systemic imperatives
C) cultural biases
D) structural biases

Question 41

One of the most undemocratic features of the U.S. political system is________.

A) how representatives get re-elected
B) the politicization of the Supreme Court
C) how campaigns are financed
D) the amount of time spent in jail by people who cannot afford bail

Question 42

One factor that has given rise to the sudden emergence of the power elite is________.

A) the infinitely greater means of violence
B) the gradual diffusion of the means of violence
C) the explosion of corporate wealth
D) the apathy of the mass of unorganized people

Question 43

A basic criticism of the pluralistic model is that________.

A) it refuses to recognize the amorphous nature of power
B) it gives too much attention to this power differential among the various interest groups
C) it refuses to recognize that interest groups can neutralize each other
D) it ignores the existence of a hierarchy of power among the veto groups

Question 44

In his analysis of the power elite, Mills fails to recognize the power of________.

A) the common man
B) the political process
C) the pressure groups
D) the meritocracy

Question 45

According to G. William Domhoff, ________ compose the real power elite.

A) military leaders
B) business leaders
C) the American aristocracy
D) political leaders

Question 46

The most important component of a democratic society is that________.

A) the representatives are responsive to the wishes of the people
B) when people vote, they use the secret ballot
C) people enjoy equal protection under the law
D) decisions are made to maximize the common good

Question 47

A factor that helped in the formation of the power elite was________.

A) terrorism
B) the spread of communism
C) the decline of bureaucracy
D) the emergence of Third World ideology

Question 48

The result of this centralization of power is________.

A) an increase in the prestige of the presidency
B) the economy has become dominated by less than 200 giant corporations
C) a decline in the power of the Pentagon
D) the emergence of the U.S. Senate as a force to be reckoned with

Question 49

The government's common solution for runaway inflation is to increase ________.

A) investments
B) government spending
C) unemployment
D) government subsidies

Question 50

As the power elite has emerged, a shift has occurred in the institutions, where ______ has been replaced by _______ .

A) family / economy
B) religion / family
C) military / education
D) polity / military

Question 51

A condition unrecognized by the pluralistic model is________.

A) the tendency toward anarchy of the unorganized masses
B) that the leaders in each sector come from the upper-economic stratum
C) the amorphous nature of power
D) the equality of power among the interest groups

Question 52

Mills claims that there is a psychological similarity among the power elite due to________.

A) personality traits
B) socialization processes in politics
C) the corruption of wealth
D) similar social origins and lifestyles

Question 53

A most important impetus to the formation of the power elite was ________ .

A) Stock Market Crash
B) Great Depression
C) World War I
D) World War II

Question 54

An important ingredient in Mills' view is that

A) the power elite will eventually disappear.
B) the masses of Americans will vote the elite out of office.
C) the elite are a self-conscious cohesive unit.
D) communism will decline as a threat.

Question 55

According to C. Wright Mills, the power elite is composed of leaders of three sectors, the most powerful of which are________.

A) the president and his advisors
B) the U.S. Senate
C) the corporate rich
D) local opinion leaders

Question 56

One criticism of Mills' theory is________.

A) the absence of proof that the sub-elites are more or less equal
B) the inaccurate claim that business leaders are a part of the elite
C) the exaggerated emphasis on the aristocratic origin of the elite's members
D) the failure to recognize military membership in the elite

Question 57

The pluralist view of who has power focuses on________.

A) the unified upper class
B) a number of sectors who share this power
C) the business interests
D) none of the above

Question 58

According to Mills, the key decision makers have instruments such as ________ to influence the masses.

A) television
B) public relations firms
C) techniques of propaganda
D) all of the above

Question 59

The unity of the power elite, as described by Mills, is a result of________.

A) psychological similarity
B) social interactions
C) coinciding interests
D) all of the above

Question 60

According to C. Wright Mills, the elite ________.

A) are a small group who interact together
B) have similar interests and goals
C) occupy key institutional positions
D) all of the above

Question 61

Elitists see power as broadly distributed among a number of organizations, special interests, and the voters.

Question 62

The legislative proposals of Teddy Roosevelt________.

A) attacked the governmental bias on behalf of business
B) actively tried to restrain big business
C) reflected the desires of corporate interests
D) systematically excluded representatives of big business from his administration

Question 63

The elitist views of societal power are similar to the views of power held by Karl Marx.

Question 64

A careful analysis of the military draft reveals that it________.

A) was really a tax on the poor
B) operated equitably
C) was inefficient in its operation
D) did not favor the educated

Question 65

According to G. William Domhoff, the dominant class is the uppermost social group who are closely knit through________.

A) intermarriage
B) private schools
C) social class
D) all of the above

Question 66

One criticism of Domhoff's theory is his________.

A) lack of research
B) Marxian economic determinism
C) social class bias
D) social origins

Question 67

A major difference between the views of Mills and Domhoff is Domhoff's assertion that ________ has/have ascended to the apex of power.

A) the military
B) the upper class
C) politicians
D) industry

Question 68

In large complex societies, decisions are made by a few people, but in a democracy it is necessary that these few be representatives of the masses and therefore subject to their influence.

Question 69

Which of the three branches of government is not controlled, according to Domhoff, by the dominant class?

A) executive
B) judicial
C) legislative
D) All of the above

Question 70

The most powerful lobby in the U.S. Congress is the ________ industry.

A) drug
B) meat-packing
C) automotive
D) education

Question 71

According to Barlett and Steele, ______ is a way to get favorable treatment by the Congress and the White House.

A) lobbying
B) cluster voting
C) monitoring the Congressional Record
D) direct election of candidates

Question 72

An oligarchy is a form of government in which the people have the ultimate power.

Question 73

The chances of getting killed in the Vietnam War was ________ for the lesser educated than the well-educated.

A) the same
B) twice as high
C) three times higher
D) less

Question 74

When the institutions are patterned to produce prearranged results regardless of the personalities of the decision-makers, one may speak of________.

A) an oligarchy
B) an aristocracy
C) systemic imperative
D) patterned variables

Question 75

There is no evidence, says Parenti, that the power elite is________.

A) conspiratorial
B) an actual entity
C) anti-democratic
D) a homogeneous group

Question 76

Political campaigns are subsidized by taxpayer contributions so that virtually anyone can have access to sufficient financial support to run for public office.

Question 77

The key argument of the pluralist model of power is that there is a pyramid of power and the people at the apex control the rest of the pyramid.

Question 78

Circumstances cited by Domhoff to show the impact of the dominant class on the decision-making structure of the United States includes________.

A) control of presidential nominations
B) control of both political parties
C) selection from their ranks of appointees to important governmental positions
D) all of the above

Question 79

The best illustration of how business benefits from government policies is ________.

A) subsidies
B) fiscal appropriations
C) the system of legal loopholes provided by the tax code
D) the appointment schedule

Question 80

Congress, in the eyes of C. Wright Mills, is________.

A) an unrecognized part of the power elite
B) a formidable adversary in the formation of the power elite
C) a rubber stamp for the interest of business
D) an effective tool in monitoring the power elite