Deck 1: Government and Politics

Question 1

Government is necessary so long as there is:

A) morality
B) conflict
C) humanity
D) political science

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which of the following would be considered an electoral coalition?

A) Three political leaders decide to work together to oust the governing party.
B) Two political parties with similar views decide to merge in order to win more votes.
C) Voters who regularly vote for three separate left-wing parties band together and vote for the party that is most likely to win.
D) A prime minister builds close relationships with party members to ensure their vote on key issues.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT an example of an organizational coalition?

A) School boards come together to pressure the provincial government for more money.
B) Provincial governments come together to pressure the federal government for more money.
C) Teachers from different schools decide to work together in order to pressure the school board for more money.
D) Trade unions support school boards in a labour dispute.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

When did the study of politics begin?

A) During the time of French writer, Bertrand de Jouvenel
B) After the Renaissance.
C) In ancient times.
D) In primate communities.

Question 5

Government is best defined as:

A) Coalitions built in order to increase the rank of an individual.
B) Rules that dictate who makes policy decisions.
C) A machine that makes decisions for a community.
D) A stable moment in the political process.

Question 6

According to Harold Lasswell,politics is the distribution of all of the following EXCEPT:

A) wealth
B) government
C) safety
D) recognition

Question 7

In the merger of two political parties,what would most likely be the necessary first step?

A) Formation of an organizational coalition.
B) Formation of a personal coalition.
C) Formation of an electoral coalition.
D) Formation of a new party.

Question 8

According to Alan Ball,which of the following situations would NOT be political?

A) Roommates arguing over who has to wash the dishes.
B) Two cars pulling up to a gas pump at the same time.
C) Three children sharing two toy cars.
D) Two friends going to the gym together.

Question 9

According to Bertrand de Jouvenel,politics is defined as:

A) the authoritative allocation of values.
B) the art of gathering support for collective projects.
C) the process of winning elections.
D) the distribution of the goods amongst members of society

Question 10

Which of the following factors would have the greatest influence on male social hierarchy in a chimpanzee society?

A) inheritance
B) size
C) strength
D) rank

Question 11

Which of the following would be considered a personal coalition?

A) Two similar political parties merge in order to secure more votes.
B) Several religious groups come together to pressure the government on an important issue.
C) A political candidate takes potential donors out to lunch as part of a fundraising initiative.
D) Members of a specific ethnic community generally vote for the same political party.

Question 12

What is the usual translation of the Greek word "polis"?

A) city-state
B) government
C) constitution
D) politics

Question 13

What problem do human beings face due to their vastly greater intelligence that other animals do not face?

A) use of rank to structure society
B) use of collective deliberation
C) use of inheritance to determine social standing.
D) use of coalitions

Question 14

According to Bertrand de Jouvenal,which of the following would be considered a political activity?

A) Owning your county's flag, and keeping it in your closet.
B) Stealing your country's flag from a store.
C) Fixing a leak in your roof.
D) Enlisting your neighbours to help fix leaks in your community centre's roof.

Question 15

What is the factor that contributes the most to the ordering of chimpanzee society?

A) primate size
B) biological sex
C) age
D) rank

Question 16

Who described politics as being a process of gathering and maintaining support for human projects?

A) Bertrand de Jouvenel
B) J.D.B. Miller
C) Harold Lasswell
D) Alan Ball

Question 17

What was a polis in Ancient Greek times?

A) A country with a military.
B) The poll, or vote, where all men had their voices heard.
C) A self-governing city and the surrounding rural land.
D) A politician.

Question 18

Who said that politics is the authoritative allocation of values?

A) Bertrand de Jouvenel
B) Harold Lasswell
C) Aristotle
D) David Easton

Question 19

Which if the following is NOT a key element of politics?

A) coalitions
B) conflict
C) compromise
D) crime

Question 20

What is a characteristic that humans and primates share?

A) Obsession with rank.
B) Language skills.
C) Formal governing institutions.
D) 90% shared DNA.

Question 21

Jean Chrétien and Peter MacKay formed a coalition after the 2004 election.

Question 22

Electoral coalitions,or voting blocks,are a uniquely American phenomenon.

Question 23

The fundamental unit of political activity is the coalition.

Question 24

J.B.D.Miller and Alan Ball have similar definitions of 'politics.'

Question 25

The term polis was first used by the Romans to describe their political system.

Question 26

Henri de Saint-Simon believed that people are inherently self-interested.As a result,he thought that strong,authoritarian government would always be necessary.

Question 27

Human beings are the only political creatures.

Question 28

The study of politics is an ancient part of human culture.

Question 29

In small-scale settings,__________ are based on personal relationships among individuals.

Question 30

Which of the following best defines the term 'coalition'?

A) A systematic efforts, performed at any place in the social field, to move others in pursuit of some design cherished by the mover
B) Small or large groups of people who come together to survive and to live well
C) A specialized activity of those individuals and institutions that make and enforce public decisions that are binding upon the whole community
D) The joining of forces of two or more parties during a conflict of interest with other parties

Question 31

The cabinets of many European democracies-for example,Germany,Italy,Denmark,and the Netherlands-are routinely put together as coalitions of two or more parties.

Question 32

Which term is a synonym for city-state?

A) polis
B) community
C) nation
D) tribe

Question 33

Christian and Islamic traditions,along with Henri du Saint-Simon,believe that:

A) A strong ruler is necessary to suppress conflict.
B) Eventually conflict will cease and government will no longer be necessary.
C) Government decisions are not binding on a society.
D) Government will never be able to control self-interested individuals.

Question 34

An explicit agreement among political parties to divide up the seats in cabinet when no single party has a majority of seats in the elected legislature is called a _______________.

Question 35

Which term refers to an explicit agreement among parties to divide up the seats in cabinet when no single party has a majority of seats in the elected legislature?

A) coup d'état
B) prorogation
C) non-confidence motion
D) coalition

Question 36

For a group to be considered political,members must share a common,spoken language.

Question 37

In domestic politics,it is a normal feature of democratic politics that governments are formed by coalitions when no single party has a majority of seats in the elected legislature.

Question 38

Politics has been called the art of what?

A) government
B) self-interest
C) society
D) compromise

Question 39

Government is essential because it makes it possible for other human endeavours,such as religion,art,and business to flourish.

Question 40

A woman wants to be nominated for the position of branch representative at the bank where she works.Which of the following would be the best strategy for her to employ?

A) Form electoral coalitions amongst her fellow employees.
B) Form organizational coalitions between neighbouring branches.
C) Form personal coalitions with her co-workers.
D) Attempt to increase her rank through use of coercion.

Question 41

Explain why coalitions are so important in politics

Question 42

Define the relationships between government and politics.Does government necessarily require coercion in order to be effective?

Question 43

Politics has been called the art of the _______________ and the art of _______________.

Question 44

What is the significance of 'rank' in chimpanzee societies? Does this make them "political"? Why,or why not?

Question 45

Briefly describe three types of coalitions and decide which one is the most effective method for settling political disagreements.

Question 46

A fundamental unit of political activity is the__________.

Question 47

The Roman equivalent of the polis was the ________.

Question 48

Using the ideas of Bertrand de Jouvenel and Alan Ball,explain how a crime could be considered a political activity.

Question 49

Politics can be described as building coalitions of support to obtain ___________.

Question 50

David Easton states that politics is the "authoritative distribution of _________."

Question 51

Do humans need government?

Question 52

Compare and contrast the different meanings of politics