Deck 15: Political and Economic Systems

Question 1

Which of the following is NOT a criticism of Political Action Committees (PACs)?

A) They tend to favor incumbents.
B) They do not represent the majority of Americans.
C) They tend to diminish the role of the individual voter.
D) They distribute cash through their network that helps the system function.
E) Their partisanship on issues disrupts representative democracy.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Journalists exercise political authority in all of these ways EXCEPT:

A) the amount of money pumped into local markets by the ads.
B) the fact that truth about political candidates can be told.
C) the interrelationship between the number of ads created and purchased and the economic health of the society.
D) the fact that a democratic society tolerates political dissent.
E) speaking with the president and representatives at any time about their concerns.

Answer 2

E

Question 3

Sociologists term the ability to carry out one s will even in the face of opposition as:

A) power.
B) force.
C) politics.
D) authority.
E) divine right.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Modern thought regarding the nature of government and its forms is derived from the ideas of:

A) Plato.
B) Socrates.
C) Aristotle.
D) Franklin.
E) Calvin.

Question 5

A major criticism of special-interest groups is that they:

A) are poorly organized.
B) do not serve the public at large.
C) focus only on problems of the poor.
D) focus only on problems of minority groups.
E) are not well-funded.

Question 6

The process by which power is distributed and decisions are made is known as:

A) politics.
B) authority.
C) coercion.
D) autocracy.
E) transference.

Question 7

Decision-making power based on time-honored routines is called ______ authority.

A) charismatic
B) legal-rational
C) hereditary
D) traditional
E) state-rational

Question 8

In the American South in the first half of the 20th century, African Americans considered laws mandating separate public facilities for blacks and whites to be illegitimate, but generally obeyed these laws because they feared the consequences of not doing so. This is an example of:

A) tradition.
B) authority.
C) coercion.
D) politics.
E) majority will.

Question 9

People think it is legitimate for the police to use force against citizens when necessary in their work. This is an example of power as:

A) charisma.
B) coercion.
C) authority.
D) autocracy.
E) all of the above

Question 10

Power that is regarded as legitimate by those over whom it is exercised is called:

A) coercion.
B) authority.
C) autocracy.
D) influence.
E) royalty.

Question 11

Which form of authority is based on the extraordinary personal characteristics of an individual?

A) charismatic
B) traditional
C) legal-rational
D) hereditary
E) aristocratic

Question 12

The function of presidential concession speeches is:

A) to expose the feelings of the losers so everyone can feel good about the win.
B) a reaffirmation democratic process may be corrupt, but it has winners.
C) to affirm the view that the control of the political process must be in the hands of the people.
D) to say the losing party will win in the future.
E) to state the losing party s beliefs that they were still the best choice.

Question 13

Which of the following is a type of authority identified by Max Weber?

A) charismatic, traditional, legal-rational
B) legal-rational, constitutional, court-based
C) traditional, charismatic, court-based
D) traditional, charismatic, bureaucratic
E) bureaucratic, charismatic, legal-rational

Question 14

An employer tells his employees that they will be fired if they do not have an AIDS test. This threat is an example of:

A) hereditary authority.
B) influence.
C) charismatic authority.
D) coercion.
E) practical rules rather than laws.

Question 15

Power regarded as illegitimate by those over whom it is exercised is called:

A) coercion.
B) authority.
C) autocracy.
D) force.
E) fascism.

Question 16

The distinction between authority and coercion is that authority:

A) can never be achieved without some power being used.
B) is less stable.
C) involves religious beliefs.
D) rests on the consent of the people.
E) is more efficient that coercion alone.

Question 17

A system based on __________ authority almost always faces a crisis when its leader dies.

A) traditional
B) legal-rational
C) charismatic
D) routinized
E) democratic

Question 18

Coercion is:

A) always regarded as illegitimate.
B) sometimes considered legitimate.
C) always regarded as legitimate.
D) limited to the use of physical force.
E) always legitimized over time.

Question 19

In which form of authority is power vested not in individuals but in particular positions or offices?

A) coercive
B) charismatic
C) traditional
D) legal-rational
E) democratic

Question 20

Regardless of his personal abilities or popularity, Charles, Prince of Wales, will become King of England when his mother, Elizabeth II, abdicates the throne or dies. This is an example of which form of authority?

A) legal-rational
B) traditional
C) appointive
D) charismatic
E) aristocratic

Question 21

Under socialism, economic activity is guided by the principle of:

A) private profit.
B) public need.
C) government profit.
D) elite needs.
E) the state knowing what is best for society.

Question 22

In modern industrial society, the state:

A) is responsible for social control, protection of citizens, and goals for the society.
B) protects against outside threats, distributes taxes to business developers, and operates services.
C) sets goals for the society as a whole, profits from services, and sanctions social controls.
D) is not really necessary, but we still have a tax system to manage.
E) protects the rich, punishes the poor, and enforces work codes.

Question 23

Which events create rapid and basic changes in a society s political and class structures?

A) elections
B) rebellions
C) social revolutions
D) political revolutions
E) political transitions through heredity

Question 24

The social institution that determines how a society produces, distributes, and consumes goods and services is known as:

A) the economy.
B) politics.
C) the state.
D) capitalism.
E) the invisible market hand.

Question 25

Data on members of Congress indicate that they are disproportionately:

A) white, male, and 50-59 years old.
B) male, Hispanic and white, and 45-65 years old.
C) male, white, and 45-55 years old.
D) white, male or female, and 60-70 years old.
E) white, over 60, and major business owners.

Question 26

Conflict theorists say the state emerged:

A) out of a growing need for specialization.
B) in order to protect the power of the ruling class.
C) because societies became large and complex.
D) in order to promote greater equality.
E) once people realized that they would live better under a system of control.

Question 27

Marx predicted that under socialism:

A) workers would continue to be exploited.
B) private property would be limited to a select few.
C) workers would control the means of production.
D) as owners, workers would become more like dictators over the people.
E) workers would be unsure of authority and more prone to violence.

Question 28

Which of the following are basic freedoms under capitalism, according to Adam Smith?

A) freedom of choice, from governmental interference, and to own private property
B) freedom from taxes
C) freedom from market forces
D) freedom from market forces, market movements, and advertising
E) freedom from the Democracy

Question 29

According to Adam Smith, everyone in a society benefits most from:

A) competition among producers.
B) centralized government planning.
C) local government control of economic processes.
D) democratic decision-making in the workplace.
E) individual conscience in deciding on market concerns.

Question 30

Rule by the majority is known as:

A) autocracy.
B) aristocracy.
C) democracy.
D) majocracy.
E) popular government.

Question 31

Which of the following statements about two-party political systems is true?

A) They encourage compromise and relatively moderate party platforms designed to appeal to a broad spectrum of citizens.
B) They are superior to multiple-party systems for ensuring that minority positions are heard.
C) They are based on proportional representation, so a party that receives 49% of the popular vote gets 49% of the legislative seats.
D) They have problems because their platforms completely overlap.
E) They cause a centrifugal polarization on issues.

Question 32

Which of the following is one of the basic premises behind capitalism?

A) Producers attempt to serve the best interests of society as a whole.
B) Production is always in the direction of social need.
C) Free markets decide what is produced and for what price.
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 33

Which two developments undermine Marx s prediction about the end of capitalism?

A) labor unions and access to markets in developing countries
B) a reduction in greed and less inequality between classes
C) increased worker satisfaction and greater government regulation
D) labor unions and a move toward command economies

Question 34

Marx predicted that as production expands in capitalist economies:

A) profits will decline and wages will fall, leading to revolution.
B) wages will increase and profits will decline, leading to bankruptcy.
C) profits and wages will both increase, leading to inflation.
D) profits and wages will become irrelevant, as a decent standard of living for all is attained.
E) as profits increase, wages will be increased to produce better goods.

Question 35

Which of the following is NOT one of the basic functions of the state?

A) establishing laws and norms
B) protecting against outside threats
C) ensuring economic stability
D) socializing the young
E) providing social control

Question 36

An attempt to achieve rapid political change that is not possible within existing institutions is known as:

A) revolution.
B) rebellion.
C) institutionalized change.
D) voting.
E) political conventions.

Question 37

The police, the courts, and federal agencies like the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms are primarily involved with what function of the state?

A) providing social control
B) establishing laws and norms
C) setting goals
D) protecting against outside threats
E) socializing the next generation of citizens

Question 38

When people are deprived of satisfaction in their work, they are said by Marxists to be:

A) anomic.
B) alienated.
C) rejected.
D) discontent.
E) powerless.

Question 39

The U.S. economic system is best described as:

A) laissez-faire capitalism.
B) a mixed economy.
C) democratic socialism.
D) a command economy.
E) a pure capitalist economy.

Question 40

Rosa is paid $10 per hour for her work on an assembly line. During that time, she produces goods that will be sold by her employer for $45. What would Marx term the $35 difference between Rosa s wages and the value of what she produces?

A) return on investment
B) overhead
C) surplus value
D) alienation
E) exploited labor

Question 41

In the United States, politicians need the support of the mass media to win elections.

Question 42

In the long run, power based on coercion will inevitably fail.

Question 43

Which of the following is characteristic of a totalitarian society?

A) There is only one political party.
B) People are controlled through terror and intimidation.
C) Media is controlled.
D) An elaborate ideology offers a complex but simplistic explanation for most aspects of life.
E) all of the above

Question 44

Legitimacy refers to the condition in which people accept the idea that the allocation of power is as it should be.

Question 45

Thomas Jefferson believed that once established, a political system should only be changed in unusually dire circumstances.

Question 46

Democracy:

A) has always been regarded as the best form of government.
B) can only exist in capitalist societies.
C) is claimed, to a greater or lesser degree, by nearly every government in the world.
D) has always been a de facto concept.
E) has always been de jure, but not de facto.

Question 47

Conflict theorists see which of the following as the key to the origin of the state?

A) the need to coordinate increasingly large and complex societies
B) the desire of populations to control their own destiny
C) human nature, in which some will always dominate others
D) the need for a way to protect elite control over surplus production
E) the need to produce enough surplus for a division of labor to occur

Question 48

Power based on fear is the most stable and enduring form of power.

Question 49

Democratic socialism is:

A) a convergence of capitalism and socialism.
B) Karl Marx s model of an ideal economic system.
C) Adam Smith s model of an ideal economic system.
D) a logical impossibility.
E) all of the above

Question 50

Socialism is a(n):

A) free market economy.
B) laissez-faire economy.
C) alternative to a capitalist economy.
D) economy with equal incomes for all workers.
E) step along the way to a communist economy.

Question 51

Which of the following is a major defect of socialist economies, from the point of view of capitalists?

A) They do not provide worker incentives, encourage wasteful consumption, and are inefficient and less productive.
B) They do not provide for a progressive tax structure.
C) They do not seek innovation in industry.
D) They waste too much time talking instead of doing.
E) They are less likely to invest in technology until it is out of date.

Question 52

The number of registered Hispanics is lower than either white or African American voters.

Question 53

The study of political processes is the study of power.

Question 54

In most socialist societies:

A) nonessential consumer items are expensive, but basic necessities are inexpensive.
B) both nonessential consumer items and basic necessities are expensive.
C) both nonessential consumer items and basic necessities are inexpensive.
D) nonessential consumer items are inexpensive, but basic necessities are expensive.
E) there are few consumer goods in the economy, so pricing is unimportant.

Question 55

Although traditional, presidential concession speeches are of little practical political value.

Question 56

Legal-rational authority locates power in positions or offices, not in individuals.

Question 57

The basic goal of socialism is to:

A) meet the essential needs of the people.
B) bring about greater efficiency through the profit incentive.
C) ensure consumer satisfaction.
D) guarantee the best product at the lowest prices.
E) structure the economy to prevent undue surpluses.

Question 58

Under democratic socialism:

A) private ownership of means of production is abolished.
B) taxes are kept low.
C) it is impossible to separate the means of production from the functions of government.
D) little effort is made to expand social welfare programs or redistribute income.
E) the state assumes ownership of strategic industries.

Question 59

Historical evidence indicates that the earliest legal codes protected the:

A) property of the wealthy.
B) rights of the minority.
C) interests of the common person.
D) equal rights for women.
E) the rights of all children under age 12.

Question 60

Which of the following is not a characteristic of democratic political systems?

A) majority rule
B) direct government by the people
C) civilian rule
D) constitutionalism
E) minority rights

Question 61

The laws of supply and demand inevitably limit competition in capitalist societies.

Question 62

In democracies, change usually comes about through elections.

Question 63

Conflict theorists argue that the state emerged because society got so large and complex that a specialized and centralized institution was needed to maintain it.

Question 64

Representative government requires popular elections.

Question 65

Adam Smith is regarded as the father of modern capitalism.

Question 66

A strong feature of American politics is the concession speeches in presidential campaigns, where the loser works to bring the nation together.

Question 67

Constitutionalism means the government s power is limited by law.

Question 68

According to Marx, capitalism contains the seeds of its own destruction.

Question 69

Democracy has always been regarded as the best form of government.

Question 70

Most countries have a mixed economy.

Question 71

Functionalists and conflict theorists hold the same ideas about the function of the state.

Question 72

African Americans have been the only group in recent years to increase voter participation in American elections.

Question 73

Laissez-faire refers to the view that government must regulate the economy in order to guarantee its efficiency.

Question 74

The concept of majority rule means that those who choose to take a minority position effectively give up their political rights.

Question 75

Functionalists maintain that the state emerged to manage and stabilize an increasingly complex society.

Question 76

The invisible hand of capitalism refers to the role played by the government in regulating economic policies.

Question 77

In his pioneering argument about the benefits of capitalism, Adam Smith maintained that the government should monitor large companies but leave small businesses alone.

Question 78

The American Revolution was a political revolution, not a social one.

Question 79

Political change often occurs when there is a shift in the distribution of power among groups in a society.

Question 80

Today, the word democracy has so many different meanings that there is a problem distinguishing democracy from other political systems.