Deck 16: Classification of Political Systems

Question 1

According to Plato and Aristotle,which of the following was NOT a desirable regime?

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

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which term did Aristotle use to refer to a system in which one person rules for the common good?

A) monarchy
B) tyranny
C) oligarchy
D) aristocracy

Answer 2

A

Question 3

What assumption about human nature can be drawn from Plato's typology?

A) Individual ambition is difficult to guard against.
B) Individuals prefer to be governed by many rulers as opposed to one.
C) Individuals prefer to be governed by one ruler instead of many.
D) Unchecked by law, people will use power in their self-interest, not for the good for the community.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which of the following assumptions is NOT present in the idea of the philosopher-king?

A) It is possible to know and understand the common good.
B) Citizens will recognize the legitimacy of a virtuous ruler.
C) Even monarchs should be subject to the rule of law.
D) Someone with ultimate wisdom would want to rule.

Question 5

The difficulty of classifying types of government is similar in principle to which other problem?

A) organizing ideologies
B) understanding different forms of authority
C) breaking governments into categories of "lawful" and "lawless"
D) differentiating between the thought of Plato and Aristotle

Question 6

Which term did Aristotle use to refer to the lawless rule of the common people?

A) democracy
B) polity
C) oligarchy
D) tyranny

Question 7

Which characteristic of modern society would make it exceptionally difficult for a philosopher-king to rule?

A) People are more concerned with their individual well-being than the common good.
B) People are less likely to voluntarily follow a ruler.
C) There are many competing ideas about what the common good entails.
D) Political communities are much larger today.

Question 8

Which statement best reflects Aristotle's views on property?

A) People should have no property at all.
B) Citizens should have moderate and sufficient amounts of property.
C) Property should be abolished altogether.
D) The state should own all property.

Question 9

A philosopher-king is someone who is so wise that he rules by personal judgment alone,rather than the constraint of law.Who was the first philosopher to advocate this form of rule?

A) Aristotle
B) Plato
C) Socrates
D) Hobbes

Question 10

One can classify different kinds of government with typologies.

Question 11

Why might Plato and Aristotle be confused by countries that consider themselves democracies today?

A) They do not suffer from corruption or the ambitions of individuals.
B) They all subscribe to some form of rule of law, even if it is imperfect.
C) They are governed by one ruler.
D) They offer constitutional protections for minorities.

Question 12

Which of the following categories does NOT appear in modern typologies of government?

A) monarchy
B) liberal democracy
C) totalitarian
D) authoritarian

Question 13

Aristotle preferred democracy as the best form of government.

Question 14

Under which of the following regimes would a minority language most likely be protected?

A) tyranny
B) oligarchy
C) polity
D) democracy

Question 15

According to the classical typology,tyranny is a regime in which one person rules arbitrarily.

Question 16

For Plato and Aristotle,a system where one person rules lawfully is called monarchy.Which term refers to its corrupt counterpart?

A) oligarchy
B) tyranny
C) aristocracy
D) polity

Question 17

According to the classical typology,which statement best defines the term "oligarchy"?

A) A few people rule in the interests of the common good.
B) A few people rule in their own interest.
C) Many people rule in their own interest.
D) Many people rule in the interests of the common good.

Question 18

According to Plato and Aristotle,which statement best defines the term "polity"?

A) Many rule in the interest of the common good.
B) Many rule in their private interest.
C) A few rule in the interest of the common good.
D) A few rule in their private interest.

Question 19

What was the most essential aspect of Aristotle's ideal balanced polity?

A) Trust
B) Mistrust
C) Wisdom
D) Wealth

Question 20

Which term refers to broad schemes of classification?

A) continuums
B) typologies
C) categories
D) typographies

Question 21

Define and explain the classical regime of tyranny.Are there any modern examples?

Question 22

The nineteenth-century writers J.S.Mill and Alexis de Tocqueville agreed with the ancient Greeks that democracy could become a "tyranny of the majority."

Question 23

Why were the classical political theorists concerned about democracy,or popular government? Do you agree with their assessment? For Plato and Aristotle,what was the best form of government?

Question 24

Explain the classical typology of forms of governments.What does it mean to say that for the Greek political philosophers the question of who rules is less important than how rule is conducted?

Question 25

According to the classical typology,a regime in which one person rules within the law is called_______________.

Question 26

Aristotle's preference was for polity or constitutional democracy.

Question 27

For Plato and Aristotle,polity was the best form of government.

Question 28

Plato was the first philosopher-king.

Question 29

According to the classical typology,a regime in which one person rules arbitrarily is called_______________.

Question 30

According to the classical typology,a regime in which political power is held by a restricted group that rules in the general interest under law is called_______________.

Question 31

In his The Republic,Plato's word for a man so pre-eminent in wisdom and moral virtue that he could rule by personal judgment rather than by constraint of law: _______________.

Question 32

The works of Plato and Aristotle are still used today to describe the differences between types of government.

Question 33

According to the classical typology,a regime in which a few rule in their own private interest,and who exploit the majority,is called_______________.

Question 34

According to the classical typology,aristocracy exists when there are many ruling in their own interest.

Question 35

According to the classical typology,an oligarchy is a regime in which a few rule in their own interest.

Question 36

The modern form of polity is constitutional democracy.

Question 37

Plato and Aristotle classified governments by asking the questions: "___________ rules?" and "___________is rule conducted?"

Question 38

For Plato and Aristotle,the question of who rules was less important than how rule was conducted,so the rule of the majority-what we might call democracy-was not necessarily a good thing.

Question 39

For Aristotle,rule by law is in the general interest of the entire community.

Question 40

According to the classical typology,the rule of the majority unchecked by any legal constraints is called _______________.

Question 41

Are the classical typologies of government still useful for contemporary political science? Use Plato and Aristotle's typologies to classify modern governments.How would Canada be classified?

Question 42

Compare the classical typologies of government to modern ways of classification.

Question 43

Are the modern classification schemes of government mutually exclusive? How would Canada be described?

Question 44

Explain the distinction in the classical typology between lawful and lawless government.

Question 45

Explain Aristotle's ideas about property.Which modern ideology would this be similar to,and why?

Question 46

Plato eventually gave up on his ideas about a philosopher-king.Would such a ruler be possible in today's society? Why,or why not?