Deck 11: Political Participation: the Limits of Democracy

Question 1

According to the rational actor model, for whom do voters tend to vote?

A)Party leaders who have national and international interests at heart
B)Intelligent and competent candidates, regardless of experience
C)New faces who may or may not be qualified
D)Charismatic challengers who grab the imagination
E)Experienced incumbents who can deliver benefits to their constituents

Answer 1

E

Question 2

How many American states allow the firing of state officials through recall?

A)10
B)18
C)26
D)38
E)50

Answer 2

B

Question 3

In a direct democracy, who can overturn the actions of the legislature?

A)No one
B)The courts
C)The executive branch
D)The electorate
E)A panel of experts

Answer 3

D

Question 4

How were straw polls first used?

A)As a way for media outlets to gauge support for sports teams
B)As a scientifically rigorous means of measuring political opinion by television stations
C)As an unscientific measurement of opinion by newspapers to predict the outcomes of an upcoming election
D)As way for political parties to nominate candidates
E)As a way to conduct marketing research for food products

Question 5

What did Alexis de Tocqueville see as a counter to Americans' individualism?

A)Their innate patriotism
B)Their strong tendency to join the military
C)Their desire for material advancement
D)Their commitment to direct democracy
E)Their tendency to join groups

Question 6

What was the end result of the 1936 Literary Digest presidential election poll?

A)Franklin Roosevelt won, and the Literary Digest attained greater credibility.
B)Alf Landon lost, and the Literary Digest went out of business.
C)The Literary Digest became the most important periodical in America.
D)The Literary Digest set new standards for scientific polling.
E)There was little change in political polling methods.

Question 7

What groups are surveyed in exit polling?

A)The most interested and involved voters
B)Carefully selected respondents from specific socioeconomic groups
C)Randomly chosen respondents from all socioeconomic groups
D)Respondents identified as probable voters before an election
E)Voters actively leaving the polls

Question 8

Which of the following is an advantage of winner-take-all elections?

A)They ensure fairness in vote counting.
B)They give minority interests extra opportunity.
C)They undercut the advantages of incumbents.
D)They open the door for challengers.
E)They encourage stability.

Question 9

In general, how does public opinion tend to influence politicians?

A)Public opinion is usually disregarded by officials.
B)When a majority of voters have a strong opinion about an issue, politicians listen.
C)A miniscule but noisy minority of motivated voters can usually get officials to listen.
D)Public opinion is so changeable that politicians have a hard time following it.
E)Elected officials tend to listen to every individual voter.

Question 10

According to the theory of low-information rationality, how do voters tend to choose candidates?

A)According to rational choices, but based on little evidence
B)According to guidance from the media
C)According to superficial criteria, such as looks
D)According to guidance from their clergy and other informal leaders
E)According to random choice

Question 11

Which statement about public opinion is most true?

A)It remains largely static from year to year.
B)It is usually founded on deep knowledge and understanding.
C)It has little effect on political decisions in the American system.
D)It tends to be divided and changeable.
E)It usually reflects a united electorate.

Question 12

Which of the following is often a result of proportional representation?

A)It fosters the growth of two-party systems.
B)It encourages the growth of multiparty systems.
C)It leads to one-party dominant systems.
D)It impedes the growth of small parties.
E)It has little influence on the number of parties in a system.

Question 13

According to the elite theory, how much power do voters and the people in general have compared to the rich and powerful?

A)Absolutely none
B)Little
C)Just as much
D)More
E)They are all part of the same group.

Question 14

Of the following, who has advantages in elections, and why?

A)Challengers, as they tend to be fresh faces, capable of generating excitement.
B)Challengers, as they are capable of raising money while incumbents are distracted by their offices.
C)Incumbents, because they can devote the time and money to dissuade challengers.
D)Incumbents, because they are known factors and likely to be beloved by voters.
E)No one, as elections offer a fair playing field to incumbent and challenger alike.

Question 15

Why are voting rates higher in Australia than in the United States?

A)Australians are more politically involved than Americans.
B)Australians are legally required to vote.
C)Americans have a harder time finding polling places.
D)American political culture discourages voting.
E)Australian political culture makes non-voting socially unacceptable.

Question 16

Which of the following is a consequence of winner-take-all elections?

A)They ensure that no vote is effectively wasted.
B)They diminish the success of the winner.
C)They exaggerate the success of the winner.
D)They neither exaggerate nor diminish the success of the winner.
E)They ensure minority interests are fairly represented.

Question 17

Which of the following is a key element of a scientific poll?

A)A random sample of people to be questioned
B)A tightly focused group of expert respondents
C)A core of more-affluent-than-average respondents
D)A group of respondents with whom the pollsters are comfortable
E)A group of educated, intelligent voters

Question 18

Identify two countries that have winner-take-all elections.

A)Norway and Germany
B)Belgium and Canada
C)United States and Israel
D)Norway and Great Britain
E)United States and Great Britain

Question 19

In the best public opinion polls, what is the standard margin of error?

A)Plus or minus less than one point
B)Plus or minus one point
C)Plus or minus three points
D)Plus or minus five points
E)Plus or minus ten points

Question 20

What was the first state to hold a legislative referendum?

A)New York
B)Pennsylvania
C)California
D)Massachusetts
E)North Dakota

Question 21

Of the following, which is the best example of a positive effect of social media on American political participation?

A)It is an effective avenue for government to manage change.
B)In general, it enables opposition groups to mount protests against their enemies.
C)It opens the door for official monitoring of dissent and opposition.
D)It enables the government to exercise greater control over varied elements of society.
E)It gives people the opportunity to be more engaged with political processes.

Question 22

Describe how polling methodology can influence respondents to give answers that are preferred by the pollsters.

Question 23

Explain the advantages and disadvantages of direct democracy in an otherwise representative system.

Question 24

Which of the following is a type of illegal political engagement?

A)Soliciting signatures on a petition
B)Working for a political campaign
C)Lobbying on behalf of special interests
D)Contributing to a political campaign
E)Engaging in civil disobedience

Question 25

Explain how candidates use polls to tailor their message, and how they use those messages to approach voters.

Question 26

Analyze how a participant in the American system might see a need to turn to illegal action in order to pursue political goals; consider in your response the responsiveness of government to peaceful and legal action.

Question 27

In general, how did the Founding Fathers view political parties?

A)Negatively, and they remained opposed to parties in practice.
B)Negatively, though they soon started parties of their own.
C)Positively, though they never started parties.
D)Positively, and they soon started parties of their own.
E)They had no opinion one way or another.

Question 28

Examine the effects of large monetary contributions to political campaigns; in your opinion, is this healthy for democracy or an element of political corruption?

Question 29

How do political parties in federal systems organize themselves?

A)As a unitary organization
B)As a state-based national organization
C)On a local basis
D)As a decentralized organization
E)Under central leadership

Question 30

Explain how political parties in European parliamentary systems differ from parties in the American democratic system.

Question 31

Explain why voting rates in the United States are lower than in other countries and what might be done to raise them.

Question 32

Which of the following is an example of a one-party dominant political system?

A)Mexico under the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI)
B)The American South under the Republican Party
C)Canada under the Liberals
D)Britain under the Conservatives
E)The American Midwest under the Democrats

Question 33

What is a key advantage that political parties in multi-party systems have over American parties?

A)They avoid confrontation.
B)They avoid negative campaigning.
C)They offer clear policy differences from their competitors.
D)They are inherently less corrupt.
E)They make politics personal.

Question 34

Of the following, which is the best example of a special interest group?

A)The National Farmers Organization (NFO)
B)The Republican Party
C)Microsoft
D)The Boy Scouts of America
E)The Catholic Church

Question 35

Describe the changes in American politics due to the rise in social media use. In general, have they been for the better, or has social media had an overall negative influence on political life? Be sure to use examples to demonstrate your point.

Question 36

Historically, how have American presidential candidates tended to appeal to voters in elections?

A)They use bread and butter issues, while avoiding ideological confrontation.
B)They stand on firm principles that are shared by the majority of voters.
C)They attack the opposition on the basis of emotion.
D)They embrace confrontation.
E)They rely on logic and rationality.

Question 37

Which presidential candidate pioneered the use of social media and the Internet to drive the candidate's campaign?

A)Hillary Clinton
B)Barack Obama
C)Bill Clinton
D)John McCain
E)George W. Bush

Question 38

Explain how political parties and interest groups differ in function and objectives.