Deck 7: Power and Politics

Question 1

Big business needs security to make the kinds of investments that create jobs and produce economic growth, according to __________.

A) the New Deal
B) the business confidence theory
C) tax and transfer policies
D) pluralism

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Medicare is health insurance for everyone __________.

A) over 65
B) over 65 under the poverty line
C) under the poverty line
D) without employer-funded health insurance

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The one-dimensional view of power is easily discernible in the relationships between __________.

A) two or more individuals in conflict
B) two or more groups in conflict
C) two or more countries in conflict
D) two or more individuals, groups, or countries in conflict

Answer 3

A

Question 4

In the __________ dimensional view of power, we see power at work when power holders prevent subordinates from raising issues that challenge the power holders' power.

A) one-
B) two-
C) three-
D) four-

Question 5

The complete array of major political institutions of any society is known as __________.

A) the levels of government
B) a bureaucracy
C) critical mass
D) the state

Question 6

Which of these statements represents the powerlessness of B in relation to A, according to the three-dimensional view of power?

A) B comes to believe in A's ideas even when it is not in B's interest to do so.
B) B fails to get its challenge to A taken seriously.
C) B is so frustrated by lack of power that B fails to issue a challenge to A.
D) B comes to believe that it is not in B's interest to win open conflicts.

Question 7

Why is the image of the "invisible hand" in Adam Smith's analysis of capitalism said to be misleading?

A) For markets to function properly, rules must be enforced by the state when violated.
B) For markets to function properly, entrepreneurs must be admitted by lottery drawing.
C) For markets to function properly, competition must be enforced by contractual exchanges.
D) For markets to function properly, contractual exchanges must be enforced by historical precedents.

Question 8

How do sociologists view the use of force in sustaining power?

A) The use of force is effective only over long periods of time.
B) The use of force is failed power.
C) The use of force is necessary to "win the game."
D) The use of force is a necessary consequence of uncertainty.

Question 9

Social Security and other New Deal programs were opposed by __________.

A) most wealthy Americans
B) many business interests
C) most wealthy Americans and many business interests
D) most wealthy Americans and many middle-income Americans

Question 10

Social Security, health and unemployment insurance, and welfare for poor families comprise the __________.

A) bureaucratic state
B) pluralistic state
C) welfare state
D) disciplinary state

Question 11

Exercising power by breaking the rules of the game __________.

A) doesn't always work, since threats and bribes, for example, can fail
B) always works if powerful groups have enough resources
C) almost never works, since following the rules of the game is essential
D) only works if the power elite is in control of the game

Question 12

Which of the following statements is indicative of the three-dimensional view of power?

A) Conflict is not necessary for power to exist.
B) Coercion is necessary to maintain the status quo.
C) Conflict is necessary for power to exist.
D) Power manifests itself as behavior.

Question 13

In 2007, the top 1 percent of U.S. households received __________ percent of all income.

A) 12
B) 24
C) 36
D) 48

Question 14

Which of these statements represents the powerlessness of B in relation to A, according to the two-dimensional view of power?

A) B comes to believe in A's ideas even when it is not in B's interest to do so.
B) B fails to get its challenge to A taken seriously.
C) B has few resources to win open conflicts.
D) B comes to believe that it is not in B's interest to win open conflicts.

Question 15

Sociologists define status as __________.

A) the prestige accorded to individuals and to important social or economic roles
B) the views of individuals who have important social or economic roles
C) a classification system that dominates the upper levels of society
D) the right to lay claim to special rewards

Question 16

In 2007, the top 10 percent of U.S. households received approximately __________ of all income.

A) 10
B) 25
C) 50
D) 70

Question 17

The New Deal programs were adopted under the administration of __________.

A) Franklin D. Roosevelt
B) John F. Kennedy
C) Lyndon B. Johnson
D) Theodore Roosevelt

Question 18

When your boss comes into the office, you try to look as busy as possible. Which dimensional view of power is operating in this scenario?

A) the one-dimensional view of power
B) the two-dimensional view of power
C) the three-dimensional view of power
D) the four-dimensional view of power

Question 19

Tax and transfer policies govern the __________.

A) distribution of income and wealth
B) bargaining power of unions
C) public service contracts of the government
D) regulatory, but not the legal, environment

Question 20

Presidents engage in __________ by focusing on topics, such as health care, that they believe are most important.

A) civil inattention
B) agenda setting
C) class preferences
D) framing

Question 21

Phyllis, a teacher, constantly disagrees with the way her department chair runs the math department. The two of them have had heated arguments about her schedule and her classroom assignments. This scenario illustrates which dimensional view of power?

A) one-dimensional
B) two-dimensional
C) three-dimensional
D) four-dimensional

Question 22

Billionaire __________ famously highlighted the extent of tax loopholes for the wealthiest Americans when he reported paying less in federal taxes on his income, in terms of percentage, than his secretary.

A) Bill Gates
B) Warren Buffett
C) Ted Turner
D) Mitt Romney

Question 23

__________ is the system of elections in which seats in a legislature are divided up based on the percentage of the vote received.

A) Direct representation
B) Proportional representation
C) Electoral representation
D) Partial representation

Question 24

Which company has so successfully used the tax system to avoid paying taxes that it paid no corporate income tax in 2010 on reported profits of $14 billion?

A) Apple
B) Berkshire Hathaway
C) General Electric (GE)
D) Verizon

Question 25

Since the end of World War II, the trend in the corporate tax rate has been __________ relative to shifts in the entire economy.

A) downward
B) upward
C) flat
D) erratic

Question 26

It is better to be rich in the United States than other similar high-income countries around the world, mostly because the United States __________.

A) has a progressive tax system
B) is not a democracy
C) has sufficient antipoverty programs
D) is diverse

Question 27

A record number of layoffs at Andrew's place of employment has everyone on pins and needles. The employees want to make sure their bosses are pleased with their performances, so many of them have agreed to work overtime on weekends. Which dimension of power is operating in this scenario?

A) one-dimensional
B) two-dimensional
C) three-dimensional
D) four-dimensional

Question 28

Which president attempted to close some of the loopholes that GE was using to avoid corporate income taxes?

A) Jimmy Carter
B) Bill Clinton
C) George H. W. Bush
D) Ronald Reagan

Question 29

Eloise is a network executive at XYZ News Media. She has been instructed to prevent XYZ journalists from covering a breaking scandal involving XYZ's chief financial officer. She has the staff prepare filler stories instead. XYZ, with Eloise's complicity, is engaging in __________.

A) civil inattention
B) agenda setting
C) class preferences
D) framing

Question 30

The estate tax can be described as __________.

A) the tax that family members must pay when they bury a loved one
B) the tax that surviving spouses pay when their partners die
C) the tax that heirs, other than spouses, pay when left money from an estate
D) money paid when one commissions an attorney to set up an estate

Question 31

A political action committee, or PAC, is a term used in U.S. politics to describe an organization set up to __________.

A) collect political donations
B) eliminate voter fraud
C) nominate candidates for elective office
D) supervise local boards of election

Question 32

Emily's List is an organization that works to __________.

A) transport low-income voters to the polls
B) eliminate felon disenfranchisement
C) elect prochoice Democratic women
D) overturn Roe v. Wade

Question 33

In cross-country comparisons, the country that does the least to reduce poverty is __________.

A) the United States
B) the United Kingdom
C) Canada
D) Australia

Question 34

Poverty, crime, drug abuse, and racism are examples of __________.

A) the welfare state
B) social problems
C) deviance
D) public policies

Question 35

Which of the following changes in the U.S. tax code has been enacted in recent decades, disproportionately benefiting the wealthy?

A) elimination of the capital gains tax
B) reduction in the capital gains tax rate
C) equalization of the capital gains tax rate and the income tax rate
D) elimination of off-shore tax shelters

Question 36

Which of the following statements exemplifies the "conservative egalitarian" label, which sociologists apply to American voters who do not consistently connect their beliefs about equality to support for government programs that might make our society more egalitarian?

A) Conservative egalitarian Americans want their opinions heard but do not want their privacy violated.
B) Conservative egalitarian Americans want to uphold democratic values but do not want to vote.
C) Conservative egalitarian Americans want to help the poor but do not want to pay higher taxes.
D) Conservative egalitarian Americans want the same quality schools and health care as the rich.

Question 37

In the 1970s, residents who lived in a neighborhood called Love Canal in New York discovered that their homes had been built on a dump for toxic wastes. There were high rates of birth defects, miscarriages, and other health complications in Love Canal. After an investigation was conducted, residents were compensated for their pain and suffering. This scenario represents the importance of __________.

A) bureaucracy
B) pluralism
C) regulatory policies
D) critical mass

Question 38

During the 2012 presidential election campaign, Mitt Romney revealed that he paid less than __________ percent of his income in federal taxes.

A) 15
B) 22
C) 27
D) 32

Question 39

__________ provide(s) an obvious and plausible explanation as to why income and wealth in the United States have become so concentrated at the top.

A) Accounting loopholes
B) The tax system
C) Capital gains
D) Entrepreneurial risk taking

Question 40

Major corporations that earn tax credits can use them __________.

A) to lavish pay and other perks on their top managers
B) as gifts for deserving public institutions
C) as cash reimbursements to employees
D) as cash advances on CEO salaries

Question 41

Identify a limitation of the premise made by Adam Smith in The Wealth of Nations.

A) Smith's analysis did not give enough power to the state's role in capitalism.
B) Smith's analysis gave too much power to the state in the production of capitalism.
C) Smith described capitalism as an economy run by the masses, who do not have real power.
D) Smith described capitalism as a system of equality for all people.

Question 42

Which of the following statements best explains why it is difficult to bring about change in U.S. national politics?

A) Change in U.S. national politics is difficult because of the power of federal bureaucracies.
B) Change in U.S. national politics is difficult because the main components of the state must remain in equal amounts of power.
C) Change in U.S. national politics is difficult because employees in the federal bureaucracies are constantly shifting with administrations.
D) Change in U.S. national politics is difficult because we have proportional representation.

Question 43

Explain the role of the state in the distribution of power to the poor and disadvantaged.

Question 44

How does agenda setting meet the needs of the powerful?

A) Agenda setting averts the challenges that may threaten the interests of the rich and powerful.
B) Grievances from marginal groups can enhance the power of the elite and support the elite's agenda.
C) Power by the elite is unable to overcome the agendas set by the marginalized.
D) Agenda setting supports the needs of the majority.

Question 45

Houston, Texas has been described as a pro-business city, due in part to the fact that Texas is a right-to-work state. Texas businesses may eliminate jobs at will, without just cause, and the state has other statutes on its books that the business community readily endorses. This scenario illustrates __________ in action.

A) the New Deal
B) the business confidence theory
C) tax and transfer policies
D) pluralism

Question 46

Which of the following statements best describes the critique the two-dimensional view of power identifies as a weakness of the one-dimensional view of power?

A) The two-dimensional view of power notes that the one-dimensional view does not acknowledge that people who do not have access to power may not be able to set the agenda.
B) The two-dimensional view of power notes that the one-dimensional view focuses too strongly on agenda setting.
C) The two-dimensional view of power highlights that the one-dimensional view ignores silent power.
D) The two-dimensional view of power ignores the ability of celebrities to set the agenda.

Question 47

Which of the following statements explains why it is better to be a rich person in the United States than in any other part of the world?

A) The revised tax system has allowed wealthy people to retain most of their income.
B) The progressive income tax system provides better services for the wealthy.
C) Because Americans pay significantly more taxes than people in other countries, the wealthy benefit from tax cuts.
D) The wealthy pay significantly more in taxes in the United States but they also receive a greater number of government services.

Question 48

David Jones is a Green Party candidate for city council, which elects one candidate from each of five city districts. He garnered 25 percent of the vote in his district, but took no seat on the city's governing council. Why, do you theorize, this is so?

A) City council seats are subject to proportional representation.
B) City council seats are not subject to proportional representation.
C) The Green Party raised insufficient funds for the campaign.
D) Jones lacked sufficient citywide exposure.

Question 49

Why is it difficult for third-party candidates to gain traction in the United States when third-party candidates can earn seats in other countries?

A) The U.S. system gives the candidate with the most votes the seat outright.
B) The U.S. uses proportional representation that eliminates third-party candidates.
C) U.S. citizens do not financially support third-party candidates.
D) Political action committees resist the financial support of the third-party candidates.

Question 50

Why are antipoverty programs necessary? How effective are American antipoverty programs when compared with those of other countries?

Question 51

Social scientists have observed that the state promotes the interests of the powerful. Explain why the state supports the goals of powerful businesses.

Question 52

Discuss some of the ways in which the state regulates the economy and businesses. What is the purpose of these regulating policies?

Question 53

A wealthy executive wants to shelter her income from taxes. Which action should she take?

A) purchase real estate
B) misrepresent her income on her tax return
C) divert assets to the Cayman Islands
D) adhere to the progressive income tax system