Deck 12: Power and Politics

Question 1

A criticism of the pluralist model of power is that

A) those who promote this idea are actually secret elitists from the upper-economic stratum.
B) a truly pluralist model would support campaign finance reform.
C) in real life, people from all walks of life routinely vote against their own interests.
D) the leaders in each sector come disproportionately from the upper-economic stratum, and thus share common goals and interests.

Answer 1

the leaders in each sector come disproportionately from the upper-economic stratum, and thus share common goals and interests.

Question 2

According to the chapter, the most important component of a democratic model is that representatives, because they are elected by the people,

A) can do whatever it takes to keep the country safe.
B) are responsive to the wishes of the people.
C) do the will of the majority at all times.
D) remember that the legislature is the most important branch of government.

Answer 2

are responsive to the wishes of the people.

Question 3

The New York Times editorialized: "The court's conservative majority has paved the way for corporations to use their vast treasuries to overwhelm elections and intimidate elected officials into doing their bidding." That opinion was a response to

A) Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.
B) the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act.
C) the McCain-Feingold law.
D) Section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code.

Answer 3

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.

Question 4

The Electoral College allows for the possibilty that someone could be elected president even if that person received fewer votes than his or her opponent; for instance, in the year 2000 presidential election

A) Bush won despite having more than half a million fewer votes than Gore.
B) Bush won despite having almost 600,000 fewer votes than Kerry.
C) Obama won by a landslide popular vote, despite having fewer votes in the Electoral College.
D) Obama won despite having more than 500,000 fewer votes than Gore.

Question 5

The Republican and Democratic Parties receive federal matching campaign funds based on their presumed viability, which serves to

A) keep the strong parties strong and the weak parties weak.
B) keep campaign financing fair and balanced.
C) relieve the parties of some fundraising so they can focus on the issues.
D) balance the power of the parties by favoring one party in one election and the other party in the next election.

Question 6

The number of each state's electors in the Electoral College is based on the number of senators and representatives in that state. The problem with this system is states with

A) large populations receive a disproportionatly high number of electoral votes.
B) small populations receive a disproportionatly high number of electoral votes.
C) more senators receive a disproportionatly high number of electoral votes.
D) large populations dominate the Electoral College process.

Question 7

What percentage of Americans of voting age chose to vote in the 2012 presidential election?

A) 96.2%
B) 63.5%
C) 53.6%
D) 37.1%

Question 8

An important criticism of the pluralistic model is that it is

A) impossible to put into effect because of the opposition of various interest groups.
B) impossible to put into effect because it is not based on ideals or principals.
C) an idealized conception of the distribution of power that does not conform with reality.
D) an idealized conception of the distribution of power that does not recognize interest groups.

Question 9

Which model of power is most aligned with the conflict model of sociology?

A) Elitist
B) Pluralist
C) Sequence
D) Imperative

Question 10

The _____ model views power as broadly distributed among a number of organizations, special interests, and the voters.

A) elitist
B) pluralist
C) instrumentalist
D) conflict

Question 11

What is the term for the process in which state legislatures under partisan control deliberately shape congressional districts to favor their own parties?

A) Electioneering
B) Polling
C) Gerrymandering
D) Campaigning

Question 12

What is the basic difference between pluralists and elitists regarding those in society who are wealthy enough to be upper class?

A) Whether there is basic unity or disagreement among the powerful from different sectors
B) Who should be considered upper class
C) The income level at which a member of the upper class becomes powerful
D) Whether the power of the upper class resides in individuals or in institutions

Question 13

The phrase "government of the people, by the people, and for the people" describes which type of political system?

A) Oligarchy
B) Communism
C) Democracy
D) Monarchy

Question 14

What did the McCain-Feingold law seek to do?

A) Establish the 527 loophole to allow more soft money contributions to political campaigns
B) Remove the limits on soft money donations to political campaigns
C) Declare corporations to be people, allowing them to make soft money campaign donations
D) Limit soft money donations to political campaigns to $2,300

Question 15

In _____'s classic view of the U.S. structure of power posits that the key people in three sectors-the corporate rich, the executive branch of the government, and the military-combine to form a power elite that makes all important decisions.

A) Karl Marx
B) G. William Domhoff
C) Michael Parenti
D) C. Wright Mills

Question 16

Which model of societal power is similar to the views of Karl Marx?

A) Elitist
B) Pluralist
C) Citizenry
D) Order

Question 17

In the _____ view, the political and economic elite are on the same side and so the state will serve the interests of the elite whether they actively try to manipulate the system or not.

A) order model
B) instrumentalist
C) structuralist
D) pluralist

Question 18

While it is difficult to conclusively prove that campaign contributions result in direct favors, there is some indirect evidence that this must be so. For instance

A) interest groups often give to candidates who run unopposed.
B) interest groups give only to candidates with whom they agree.
C) candidates return donations to interest groups with whom they disagree.
D) candidates routinely release the names of interest groups who donate to their party PACs.

Question 19

In the _____ view, the ruling class rules by controlling political officials and institutions through money and influence.

A) order model
B) instrumentalist
C) structuralist
D) pluralist

Question 20

The pluralist idea of interest groups is the groups that primarily exercise power vary with the issue. This idea of _____ means that interest groups band together to neutralize each other when their interests do not align.

A) power elites
B) veto groups
C) voting dominance
D) camaradaries

Question 21

Mills's third unifying condition, which he called _____, hypothesized that the elite have similar goals and desires, such as maintaining themselves at the top of the capitalist system.

A) the pyramid of power
B) psychological similarity
C) social interaction
D) coinciding interests

Question 22

Which of the following is the author of the Bias of the System theory?

A) Karl Marx
B) C. Wright Mills
C) Michael Parenti
D) G. William Domhoff

Question 23

Between 2001 and 2007, Philip Morris, the leader in the tobacco industry, spent over $75 million on _____ to keep tobacco regulations and increased cigarette taxes at a minimum.

A) lobbying
B) advertising
C) bribery
D) research

Question 24

Which of the following developed a model of power broadly based on the idea of a dominant class?

A) Karl Marx
B) G. William Domhoff
C) Michael Parenti
D) C. Wright Mills

Question 25

Mills argued that the members of the ruling elite interact with each other, their children go to the same schools, and they do business together. Hence, these people who are the inner circle of the upper social classes tend to see the world alike. This idea is the basis of which of his factors of unity?

A) Pyramid of power
B) Psychological similarity
C) Social interaction
Bias
D) Coinciding interests

Question 26

Which of the following tech companies mentioned in the chapter is new to lobbying and spent only about $350,000 on this process in 2010?

A) Microsoft
B) Apple
C) Facebook
D) Google

Question 27

According to Mills, the institutional positions men and women occupy throughout their lifetimes determine the values they will hold. He called this

A) the pyramid of power.
B) psychological similarity.
C) social interaction.
D) coinciding interests.

Question 28

Despite paying lip service to laissez-faire capitalism, the U.S. government actually _____ big business.

A) greatly subsidizes
B) completely ignores
C) closely regulates
D) overtaxes

Question 29

Which of the following is NOT one of the circumstances cited by Domhoff as showing the impact of individuals and subgroups within the elite on the decision-making structure of the United States?

A) Control of presidential nominations through the financing of political campaigns
B) Control of both major political parties
C) Psychological similarity among the members of the elite
D) Almost total staffing of important appointive governmental positions

Question 30

Who maintained that the psychological similarity among the members of the elite is derived from their similar social origins and lifestyles?

A) Karl Marx
B)G. William Domhoff
C) C. Wright Mills
D) Michael Parenti

Question 31

How did Domhoff's view of the military differ from Mills's view?

A) Domhoff saw the military as having much less power and being dominated by the corporate rich through the executive branch.
B) Domhoff saw the military as having much more power and dominating the executive branch via the corporate rich.
C) Mills saw the military as having much less power and being dominated by the corporate rich through the executive branch.
D) Mills saw the military as having much more power and dominating the executive branch via the corporate rich.

Question 32

Which of the following is NOT part of Mills's pyramid of power?

A) Power elite
B) Local opinion leaders, legislatures, and interest groups
C) Clerisy
D) Powerless masses

Question 33

Which of the following is an area in which Facebook hopes to influence Washington, DC?

A) New regulations regarding Facebook hardware purchases by minors
B) Investigation as to whether Facebook's search practices merit legal action
C) Investigation of Facebook on charges of being a monopoly
D) Regulatory actions regarding privacy that might hinder Facebook's revenue from ads targeted at users

Question 34

Parenti asserted that the wealthy and powerful are served because of the way society is organized. Which of the following is NOT one of the three ways he identified as how this bias occurs?

A) By their influence over elected and appointed governmental officials at all levels
B) Through systemic imperatives
C) Through the ideological control of the masses
D) By means of democratic elections and public education

Question 35

Which of the following is NOT one of the various subsidies that state and local governments offer to woo corporations?

A) Tax breaks
B) Relatively toxin-free land
C) Low-interest loans
D) Infrastructure improvements

Question 36

According to the journalists Barlett and Steele, there are two ways to get favorable treatment by Congress and the White House. Those two wars are

A) petition your local congressperson and technology.
B) contribute generously to the right people and spend lavishly on lobbying.
C) be a military war hero and an astronaut.
D) conduct secret meetings with journalists and rise in the ranks of the Masons.

Question 37

Wright Mills sees the structure of power as forming a _____ with three levels.

A) pyramid of power
B) power triangle
C) sphere of influence
D) confederacy of squares

Question 38

Which of the following noted in his Dominant Class model of power that appointees to influential, unelected positions are either members of the upper class or people who have held positions in major corporations, and are thereby people who accord with the wishes of the upper class?

A) Karl Marx
B) C. Wright Mills
C) Michael Parenti
D) G. William Domhoff

Question 39

Which thinker noted that members of the ruling class tend to see the world alike because they interact socially, send their children to the same elite schools, and do business with each other?

A) Karl Marx
B) G. William Domhoff
C) Michael Parenti
D) C. Wright Mills

Question 40

Wright Mills divides the U.S. power structure into _____, with the leaders of these groups forming the top level of a power pyramid.

A) the unions, the media, and the federal government
B) national opinion leaders, the judicial branch of government, and the media
C) local opinion leaders, the legislative branch of government, and interest groups
D) the corporate rich, the executive branch of government, and the military

Question 41

Which U.S. president first said, "The business of America is business"?

A) Theodore Roosevelt
B) Herbert Hoover
C) Calvin Coolidge
D) Rutherford B. Hayes

Question 42

After the Great Recession hit in late 2007, federal and state governments had to reduce or eliminate programs. Where were the biggest cuts made?

A) Congressional pay
B) Subsidies to corporations
C) Public schools
D) The military

Question 43

Michael Parenti noted in 2008 that the U.S. government has directly intervened in the domestic affairs of foreign governments to

A) protect any government based on an alternative to the capitalist model.
B) prevent the rise of any government based on the capitalist model.
C) protect the interests of the disadvantaged.
D) protect U.S. corporate interests.

Question 44

Who is most likely to bear the burden of decisions made by the powerful?

A) Rival power brokers
B) The poor
C) Corporations
D) Small business

Question 45

The idea that giving money to wealthy businesses will benefit everyone below them on the social ladder is known as

A) fair and balanced redistribution of wealth.
B) subsidizing poverty.
C) socialism.
D) trickle-down economics.

Question 46

The shipping industry, railroads, airlines, and exporters of iron, steel, textiles, paper, and other products receive direct subsidies from

A) several state governments.
B) local chambers of commerce.
C) the federal government.
D) the members of NAFTA.

Question 47

What legal practice took place during the Civil War?

A) The affluent were overrepresented in the Union Army.
B) The affluent who were drafted could hire someone to take their place in the service.
C) The disadvantaged were underrepresented in the Confederate Army.
D) The affluent could pay to take the place of someone else in the service.

Question 48

Which of the following is NOT a reason that the government opts for trickle-down solutions?

A) Trickle-down spending is the most efficient and effective way to get government money to the places where it will do the most good.
B) Government officials believe in the conservative ideology that says what is good for business is good for the United States.
C) Government officials are more likely to hear from business leaders who are organized and have access to the halls of power.
D) Because the weak, by definition, are not organized, their voice is not heard or, if heard, not taken seriously in decision-making circles.

Question 49

During the Viet Nam war, the chances for getting killed while in the service were about _____ for the less educated than for the college educated.

A) four times lower
B) about equal
C) twice as great
D) three times greater

Question 50

In the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, the government relied on military volunteers rather than a draft. Who were the most likely to volunteer based on economic incentives?

A) Young men and women from the working and lower classes
B) Young men and women from the upper classes
C) Older men from the working and lower classes.
D) Older men and women with previous military experience