Deck 49: Political Behavior and Power in the United States

Question 1

What percentage of U.S.adults went online to get news information regarding the 2008 presidential election?

A)11 percent
B)26 percent
C)38 percent
D)55 percent

Answer 1

D

Question 2

A decline in political participation allows governments to

A)become dictatorships.
B)be held to higher standards.
C)operate with less accountability.
D)become more efficient.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

In what year did women receive the right to vote in national elections?

A)1776
B)1825
C)1875
D)1920

Answer 3

D

Question 4

What do we mean when we use the term fiesta politics?

A)Mexican-style politics in national races
B)White power brokers showing up in ethnic neighborhoods for support,then leaving
C)disguising real problems under fluffy symbolic language
D)the huge amount of waste and surplus in federal spending bills

Question 5

Which country has the highest percentage of females represented in legislative houses?

A)Iran
B)Haiti
C)Rwanda
D)Canada

Question 6

A recent analysis of newspaper coverage of female gubernatorial candidates indicated that

A)newspaper coverage focused more often on the personal life,appearance,or personality of a female candidate than it did on that of a male candidate.
B)newspaper articles are more likely to illustrate political issues with statements made by female candidates.
C)newspapers often fail to cover the political rallies of female candidates.
D)male and female candidates have received equal treatment by the news media in recent elections.

Question 7

Which model of power relations suggests that society is ruled by a small group of individuals who share a common set of political and economic interests?

A)pluralist model
B)elite model
C)functionalist model
D)interactionist model

Question 8

The pluralist model of power relations in the United States suggests that

A)power is concentrated in the hands of a small group of military,corporate,and political leaders.
B)power is held by many competing groups that have access to government,so no single group is dominant.
C)power is held by a group of charismatic leaders.
D)power is concentrated in the hands of a small group of military,corporate,and political leaders and is held by a group of charismatic leaders.

Question 9

Dianne Pinderhughes has criticized ________ for failing to account for the exclusion of African Americans from the political process.

A)multinational corporations
B)political action committees
C)the Christian Coalition
D)the pluralist model

Question 10

Roughly what percentage of citizens in the U.S.voted in the 2012 general election?

A)84.3 percent
B)75.5 percent
C)61.8 percent
D)51.8 percent

Question 11

What percentage of Americans have ever contacted an official of national,state,or local government about a political issue or problem?

A)10 percent
B)20 percent
C)40 percent
D)60 percent

Question 12

Before 1971,you had to be twenty-one in order to vote in a political election in the United States.

Question 13

How many U.S.senators out of 100 were women in early 2014?

A)50
B)35
C)27
D)20

Question 14

The media tend to cover the personal lives of male politicians more than female politicians,since males are more likely to be elected to political offices.

Question 15

Many countries have adopted quotas in order to ensure participation of females in the legislative process.

Question 16

The United States is relatively unique in that it requires its citizens to essentially vote twice-a policy that may cause lower voter turnout among the young.

Question 17

How many U.S.senators out of 100 were Asian American in 2011?

A)79
B)17
C)5
D)1

Question 18

According to Zweigenhaft and Domhoff,today's power elite in the U.S.is composed of which of the following?

A)White males
B)African American males
C)White females
D)African American females

Question 19

Which of the following statements about political apathy in the U.S.is correct?

A)Studies reveal that only 8 percent of the people in the U.S.belong to a political club or organization.
B)Half the people in the U.S.have contacted a national,state,or local official about a political issue or problem.
C)Only a small minority of all citizens are familiar with the political process in the U.S. ,and very few tend to identify with a political party.
D)None of these answers is correct.

Question 20

Historically,voter turnout has been particularly low among which group?

A)young adults
B)members of racial and ethnic minorities
C)senior citizens
D)the wealthy

Question 21

Discuss the representation of women and minorities within the U.S.governmental structure.

Question 22

Robert Dahl's model of political power in the United States suggests there are three levels: corporate,executive,and military elites;local opinion leaders;and the unorganized,exploited masses at the bottom of the pile.

Question 23

Describe the various models of the power structure in the United States and give examples to support your answer.

Question 24

A fundamental element in Mills's power structure model is that the power elite are relatively few in number and also operate as a self-conscious and cohesive unit.

Question 25

Pluralists suggest that upper-class politicians are dominant in the power structure of the United States.

Question 26

Today's corporate elite are overwhelmingly White and male.

Question 27

One common point between the elite perspective and the pluralist perspective is that power is unequally distributed within the U.S.political system.