Deck 12: Economics and Politics

Question 1

Over the course of human history, changes in _____have brought the greatest changes to the economy.

A) the family
B) productive technology
C) natural resources
D) population size

Answer 1

productive technology

Question 2

The postindustrial economy is defined by

A) manufacturing of raw materials.
B) working with symbols rather than just material things.
C) the spread of factories.
D) mass production of goods.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Terrorism refers to

A) the use or threat of violence as a political strategy.c. renouncing the established political system.
B) the use of military force.
D) the claim that any and all violence is wrong.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The Industrial Revolution accelerated with the development of which of the following new source of energy?

A) animal power
B) wind power
C) the steam engine
D) electricity

Question 5

The text describes three technological revolutions that transformed all of social life. Which of the following is NOT one of them?

A) the Agricultural Revolution
B) the Immigration Revolution
C) the Industrial Revolution
D) the Information Revolution

Question 6

The expansion of service work marks the growth of the economy's

A) primary sector.
B) secondary sector.
C) tertiary sector.
D) None of the above is correct.

Question 7

As a social institution, politics refers to

A) any country's formal government.
B) the distribution of power and societal decision making.d. a society's income distribution.
C) the system of elections.

Question 8

Which of the following did NOT play a part in the emergence of the economy as a distinct social institution?

A) the Protestant Reformation
B) permanent settlements
C) agricultural technology
D) the specialization of work

Question 9

Which sector of the economy generates raw materials directly from the natural environment?

A) primary sector
B) secondary sector
C) tertiary sector
D) postindustrial sector

Question 10

Turning metals into automobiles is work that falls within the economy's

A) postindustrial sector.
B) primary sector.
C) secondary sector.
D) tertiary sector.

Question 11

The development of agriculture was set in motion by

A) hitching animals to the plow.
B) changes in the church.
C) the discovery of oil.
D) the discovery of writing.

Question 12

Social institutions are defined as

A) major spheres of social life that meet human needs.
B) the most powerful leaders of any society.
C) large organizations that care for needy members of society.
D) the goods and services that are most widely consumed in any society.

Question 13

Globalization of the economy means that

A) world regions specialize in one sector of
B) more and more products pass through
C) a small number of businesses controls a economic activity. large share of the planet's economy.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 14

The development of agriculture was set in motion by

A) the invention of industrial machinery.
B) engaging in hunting and gathering.
C) hitching animals to the plow.
D) using water power to turn a wheel.

Question 15

Which of the following concepts refers to an economy based on service work and computer technology?

A) cottage economy
B) agrarian economy
C) industrial economy
D) postindustrial economy

Question 16

A 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 system at all.

Question 17

The economy became a distinct social institution during which historical era of societal development?

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

Question 18

Over the course of human history, changes in which of the following brought the greatest changes to the economy?

A) the family
B) government
C) natural resources
D) productive technology

Question 19

The Industrial Revolution was based on

A) the increasing share of people working in agriculture.
B) a decrease in productive specialization.
C) people beginning to work in their homes.
D) new sources of energy.

Question 20

Read the following statements about the Information Revolution. Which statement is NOT correct?

A) The Information Revolution involves a shift from making tangible products to working with ideas.
B) The Information Revolution involves a shift from gathering raw materials to making consumer products.
C) The Information Revolution involves a shift from mechanical skills to literacy skills.
D) The Information Revolution involves a shift from working in factories to working anywhere.

Question 21

The primary sector accounts for some share of economic output in countries at all income levels. In which category of nations would you expect the share of economic output from the primary sector relative to the other two sectors to be the largest?

A) low-income nations
B) middle-income nations
C) high-income nations
D) industrialized nations

Question 22

Read the following statements about the global economy. Which statement is CORRECT?

A) More and more products pass through several nations.
B) The majority of the world's workers have jobs in the secondary sector of the economy.
C) The United States is gaining factory jobs that once existed in other countries.
D) World regions all produce exactly the same products and services.

Question 23

Compared to mostly capitalist societies, mostly socialist societies

A) are more economically productive.
B) have extensive political and personal freedoms.
C) are more equal in terms of people's incomes.
D) have extensive market systems.

Question 24

Compared to socialist economic systems, capitalist economic systems are generally

A) much more productive.
B) equally productive.
C) slightly less productive.
D) much less productive.

Question 25

Capitalism is an economic system in which there is

A) pursuit of collective interests.
B) a major goal of economic equality of all.
C) government control of production.
D) private ownership of productive property.

Question 26

The most recent shift toward socialism has occurred in several countries in_____ .

A) South America.
B) Eastern Europe.
C) Africa.
D) North America.

Question 27

Concerning the issue of personal freedom, capitalist systems emphasize people's _____, while socialist systems emphasize people's_____ .

A) collective needs; personal needs
B) freedom from basic want; freedom to pursue their self- interest
C) equality; material needs
D) freedom to pursue their self-interest; freedom from basic want

Question 28

In a capitalist economic system, "justice" amounts to

A) doing what is best for society's poorest members.
B) everyone being more or less equal in terms of income.
C) marketplace freedom-buying, selling, or investing according to self-interest.
D) meeting people's basic needs for housing, food, and schooling.

Question 29

Socialism is an economic system in which there is

A) private ownership of all property.
B) pursuit of individual profit.
C) freedom of the marketplace.
D) government control of production.

Question 30

The social thinker who analyzed and celebrated the operation of a free-market economy was

A) Adam Smith.
B) Thorstein Veblen.
C) Max Weber.
D) Karl Marx.

Question 31

The concept "global economy" refers to

A) the fact that economic activity goes on everywhere.
B) the fact that the United States is the largest economy in the world.
C) expanding economic activity that moves across national borders.
D) the fact that single nations now produce more than the entire world did a century ago.

Question 32

Ilze lives in a European country that combines a mostly market-based economy with extensive social welfare programs. Which of the following concepts best describes her country?

A) market communism
B) welfare capitalism
C) socialism
D) state capitalism

Question 33

The United States is considered a mostly capitalist nation because

A) we have a system of free elections.
B) the vast majority of productive businesses are privately owned.
C) of extensive government control of the economy.
D) we have a high standard of living.

Question 34

In the United States and other high-income nations, about what percentage of the labor force performs service (tertiary) sector work?

A) 95 percent
B) 80 percent
C) 55 percent
D) 10 percent

Question 35

The concept of "state capitalism" refers to a system in which

A) the government owns and operates most economic enterprises.
B) the government owns but does not operate most economic enterprises.
C) large businesses control the government.
D) privately-owned companies cooperate closely with the government.

Question 36

Which of the following traits would NOT be used correctly to describe the operation of a socialist economy?

A) laissez-faire economy
B) command economy
C) a collective orientation
D) government control of production

Question 37

The expansion of office work marks the growth of the economy's

A) postindustrial sector.
B) primary sector.
C) secondary sector.
D) tertiary sector.

Question 38

In a socialist economic system, "justice" means

A) freedom to buy and sell in the marketplace.
B) rewarding people for the market value of the work that they do.
C) trying to meet the basic needs of all people.
D) doing whatever helps boost productivity and raise company earnings.

Question 39

Compared with socialist economic systems, capitalist economic systems generally produce

A) more equality in terms of income.
B) less equality in terms of income.
C) about as much equality in terms of income.
D) absolute equality because they are required by law to pay all people exactly the same income.

Question 40

In the United States, about what share of the population aged sixteen and older is in the paid labor force?

A) 78 percent
B) 58 percent
C) 38 percent
D) 28 percent

Question 41

At the end of 2009, about_____ of the U.S. labor force was unemployed.

A) 1 percent
B) 5 percent
C) 10 percent
D) 25 percent

Question 42

What percentage of today's U.S. workers are self-employed today.

A) 67 percent
B) 47 percent
C) 27 percent
D) 7 percent

Question 43

Which of the following statements correctly describes the effect of computers on the workplace?

A) Computers are centralizing work in a company's headquarters.
B) Computers are deskilling labor.
C) Computers are increasing workplace interaction.
D) Computers decrease employers' control of workers.

Question 44

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

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

Question 45

Max Weber defined power as

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

Question 46

The concept "oligopoly" refers to

A) any corporation with more than $1 billion in annual sales.
B) the largest company in any particular field.
C) domination of a market by a few companies.
D) a large company operating in all three economic sectors.

Question 47

A corporation is defined as

A) any company that operates in more than one country.
B) a business in the tertiary sector of the economy.
C) a business that earns a profit.
D) an organization with a legal existence separate from that of its members.

Question 48

Industrialization brings about an emphasis on which type of authority?

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

Question 49

Which category of the U.S. population is showing the greatest labor-force increase in terms of percentage?

A) Hispanic women
B) Non-Hispanic white women
C) African American women
D) Non-Hispanic white men

Question 50

Which of the following is NOT a trait that defines a "profession"?

A) requires theoretical knowledge of a field
B) involves working for a large, well-established company
C) involves authority over clients
D) claims to have a community orientation, rather than an individual orientation

Question 51

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

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

Question 52

Yesterday's family farms have given way to

A) importing most foods from abroad.
B) collectively-run farming communes.
C) corporate agribusiness.
D) smaller, individual-run farms.

Question 53

Over the course of the last century in the United States, the number of people involved in agricultural work

A) has increased dramatically.
B) has increased slightly.
C) has declined slightly.
D) has declined dramatically.

Question 54

Since about 1950, most of the people in the U.S. labor force have held_____ .

A) white-collar, or service jobs.
B) blue-collar, or factory jobs.
C) self-employed jobs.
D) jobs on farms.

Question 55

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

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

Question 56

In recent decades, union membership

A) has declined in the United States and other high-income nations.
B) has declined in the United States but not in other high-income nations.
C) has risen in the United States and other high-income nations.
D) has risen in the United States but not in other high-income nations.

Question 57

What Weber called the "routinization of charisma" takes place when charismatic authority

A) becomes more based on a leader's personality.
B) becomes nothing more than sheer force.
C) transforms into some combination of traditional authority and rational-legal authority.
D) disappears entirely.

Question 58

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

A) people perceive authority as legitimate, but power can be coercive.
B) authority is more rational.
C) power is more likely than authority to get the job done.
D) power, but not authority, involves a claim to justice.

Question 59

_____refers to a political system in which a single family rules from generation to generation.

A) Democracy
B) Aristocracy
C) Totalitarianism
D) Monarchy

Question 60

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

Question 61

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

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

Question 62

One reason that someone might claim that the United States is not truly democratic is that

A) power can never be transformed into authority.
B) no government can be truly democratic.
C) there are no term limits for most political offices.
D) economic inequality results in some people having more political power than others.

Question 63

Which of the following topics of political controversy would be described as a social issue?

A) abortion
B) unemployment
C) government regulation of the economy
D) taxes

Question 64

Read the following statements about political parties in the United States. Which statement is CORRECT?

A) Most people in the United States have no party preference.
B) Most people say they favor one party but they may vote for candidates from one party or the other.
C) Most people consistently support Democratic candidates.
D) Most people in the United States consistently vote for Republican candidates.

Question 65

In general, high-income people tend to be _____on social issues and_____ on economic issues.

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

Question 66

A pluralist approach to the U.S. political system claims that

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

Question 67

In Max Weber's view, monarchy is a form of

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

Question 68

_____refers to a political system in which power resides in the hands of the people as a whole.

A) Totalitarianism
B) Monarchy
C) Democracy
D) Aristocracy

Question 69

The Marxist political-economy model claims that

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

Question 70

In the 2008 U.S. presidential election, about of _____registered voters went to the polls

A) 23 percent
B) 43 percent
C) 63 percent
D) 83 percent

Question 71

An organizations that speaks out in favor of the right to own handguns is an example of a

A) pluralist group.
B) political action committee.
C) political party.
D) special-interest group.

Question 72

A totalitarian political system

A) mixes politics with religion.
B) is completely democratic.
C) has no bureaucracy.
D) concentrates power and regulates people's lives.

Question 73

As a general rule across the United States,_____ people tend to vote Democratic, while_____ people tend to vote Republican.

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

Question 74

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 75

Between 1989 and 2009, political freedom around the world

A) increased, especially in Latin America and Eastern Europe.
B) increased in a few regions, but declined overall.
C) declined almost everywhere.
D) stayed about the same.

Question 76

Which of the following statements correctly describes the link between income and voting?

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

Question 77

The concept "authoritarianism" refers to a political system that

A) relies on more than one type of authority.
B) denies popular participation in government.
C) allows free elections.
D) has a high degree of authority.

Question 78

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

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

Question 79

Which of the following topics of political controversy would be described as an economic issue?

A) abortion
B) gay rights
C) inequality of income
D) "family values"

Question 80

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

A) people earning more than $75,000 a year
B) African Americans
C) non-Hispanic whites
D) Hispanic Americans