Deck 8: Elites, the Capitalist Class, and Political Power

Question 1

Elite theories often focus on ______.

A) the concentration of power in one group
B) specific institutional bases of power
C) the power wielded by the capitalist class
D) those who hold power due to their charismatic personalities

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Mills's conception of the national power structure centered on the growing significance of three major interlocking institutions. These are ______.

A) the modern corporation, the legislative branch of the federal government, and the military establishment
B) the executive branch of the federal government, the legislative branch of the federal government, and the modern corporation
C) the military establishment, the legislative branch of the federal government, and the modern corporation
D) the modern corporation, the executive branch of the federal government, and the military establishment

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Registered ______ are created under the provisions of the campaign finance laws to regulate group political donations.

A) political action commissions
B) political advocacy committees
C) candidate advocacy groups
D) political action committees

Answer 3

D

Question 4

One conception of Mills that evoked the most skepticism was the idea of the military as a separate, more or less autonomous, elite. A major reason for the skepticism includes the fact that the American military ______.

A) has been subject to civilian elites since the period of the American Revolution
B) has always had control of the American electorate through the draft
C) has embedded military liaisons with corporate boards and foundations
D) has divided its leadership among individuals from government and business

Question 5

Mills suggested two ways in which the three distinct elites might be melded into one single, internally cohesive power elite. These are ______.

A) social-psychological mechanisms and structural mechanisms
B) psychological mechanisms and structural mechanisms
C) structural mechanisms and cultural mechanisms
D) social-psychological and cultural mechanisms

Question 6

What is the extent to which the members of a hypothesized elite hang together in pursuit of common objectives and in opposition to other groups called?

A) status maintenance
B) status consistency
C) elite comradery
D) elite cohesion

Question 7

A traditional division within the capitalist class, in terms of its economic aspects, has been between the following two groups: ______ and ______.

A) national capitalists; local capitalists
B) national capitalists; regional capitalists
C) local capitalists; regional capitalists
D) old money; new money

Question 8

______ are organizations staffed with experts in various fields who produce research findings and policy recommendations.

A) Policy groups
B) Think tanks
C) Major charitable foundations
D) political action committees

Question 9

Which of the following is true about President John F. Kennedy's cabinet?

A) His cabinet constituted of mostly women.
B) Every member of his cabinet was a Democrat.
C) Kennedy's appointments followed a pattern inherited from his predecessors.
D) Kennedy relied on a political scientist for recommendations.

Question 10

Focusing on the idea of ______, Dye wrote a book devoted to defining the top institutional positions and describing the people who hold them.

A) elite directorates
B) multiple directorates
C) interlocking directorates
D) elite multiples

Question 11

According to Max Weber, the rich tend to draw together into upper-class ______ with common lifestyles, values, and patterns of association.

A) status communities
B) elite cooperatives
C) status cooperatives
D) elite associations

Question 12

Which of the following is NOT a common behavior of members of the upper-class social world?

A) listing in the Social Register
B) attendance at select prep schools
C) membership in elite metropolitan social clubs
D) association with a broad number of social classes

Question 13

Domhoff explained how group solidarity among the elite is maintained through all of the following EXCEPT ______.

A) physical proximity
B) personal distance
C) frequent contact
D) a group reputation of high prestige

Question 14

According to Page et al., the number one priority for the wealthy is ______; the number one priority for the general public is ______.

A) federal budget deficits; food stamps
B) unemployment; federal budget deficits
C) food stamps; unemployment
D) federal budget deficits; unemployment

Question 15

Which of the following was NOT a reason that the "Establishment" has faded away?

A) Recruitment to positions of power in business and government has become more open and meritocratic.
B) Ivy League and selective college began to depend on the SAT exam for decisions about college admission rather than family connections.
C) Colleges and businesses came under pressure to eliminate discriminatory practices.
D) Fewer women, Jews, Catholics, and Blacks were entering the elite.

Question 16

The Business Roundtable consists of ______.

A) CEOs of approximately 200 of the largest corporations
B) academics from major research institutions in the United States
C) business, military, and government leaders from around the country
D) analysts from various American and international think tanks

Question 17

______ is defined as the potential of individuals or groups to carry out their will even over the opposition of others.

A) Influence
B) Coercion
C) Power
D) Politics

Question 18

What perspective is primarily concerned about the identity of the rulers and the structure that creates them?

A) capitalist
B) class
C) pluralistic
D) elite

Question 19

What perspective is concerned with the distinction between an organized minority that rules and an unorganized majority that is ruled?

A) capitalist
B) class
C) pluralistic
D) elite

Question 20

What perspective denies that power is concentrated in one group and instead finds multiple bases of power representing the interest of competing groups?

A) capitalist
B) class
C) pluralistic
D) elite

Question 21

______ capitalists are affluent but community-oriented businesspeople.

A) Local
B) National
C) Political
D) Connected

Question 22

According to the table in your chapter, who is the richest person on the Forbes 400 list?

A) Jeffrey Bezos
B) Bill Gates
C) Warren Buffett
D) Mark Zuckerberg

Question 23

What are two of the most powerful business lobby organizations in Washington?

A) Business Roundtable and Cato Institute
B) U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Cato Institute
C) U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Business Roundtable
D) National Rifle Association and Educators of America

Question 24

What class consists of people who receive most of their income from invested wealth?

A) capitalist
B) elite
C) upper
D) investor

Question 25

The ______ are highly successful professionals, salespeople, executives, and small-business owners, whose incomes depend more on their jobs than on their assets.

A) affluent
B) elite
C) working rich
D) old money rich

Question 26

Power is defined as the potential of individuals or groups to carry out their will even over the opposition of others.

Question 27

The elite perspective is primarily concerned about the identity of the rulers and the structure that creates them.

Question 28

The pluralistic perspective denies that power is concentrated in one group; in democratic societies a plurality of interest groups vie for power.

Question 29

Dahl questioned the extent to which Mills's power elite was a cohesive group with unitary interests.

Question 30

Lerner et al. contend that there is a plurality of elites, not simply one core "power elite" like that suggested by Mills.

Question 31

In his book Who Rules America (2006), William Domhoff examines a particular elite group, the directors of major corporations.

Question 32

The internet has become the preferred location for making large donations to political campaigns.

Question 33

Political action committees are organizations dedicated to formulating and disseminating broad proposals for national policy.

Question 34

Major charitable foundations are organizations staffed with experts in various fields who produce research findings and policy recommendations.

Question 35

According to Riesman in his book The Lonely Crowd, leadership is important both to initiate new ideas and to maintain the status quo.

Question 36

Even after the stock market boom of the 1990s, the great majority of American households owned no corporate stock or mutual fund shares.

Question 37

The "Establishment" faded away in part because recruitment to positions of power in business and government had become less open and meritocratic.

Question 38

Three quarters of super-PAC money came from 100 contributors in the 2012 election.

Question 39

Overall, according to Page et al., the general public supports increased spending on health care, food stamps, and social security while the wealthy do not.

Question 40

Labor contributions to national campaigns far exceed business contributions.

Question 41

The threat of the loss of business confidence is an indirect veto over government policy.

Question 42

Mills's conception of the national power structure centered on the growing significance of three major interlocking institutions: the modern corporation, the executive branch of the federal government, and the military establishment.

Question 43

Most campaign money comes from business sources, such as individual corporate executives and corporate PACs.

Question 44

The Forbes 400 list was first published in 1962.

Question 45

Similar to the policy groups, both in their functions and their links to the capitalist class, are the major charitable foundations and the policy research "think tanks."

Question 46

List and describe the three perspectives on power.

Question 47

Explain why campaign finance reform was created, and what its present-day limitations are.

Question 48

What three groups constitute Mills's "power elite?"

Question 49

List the three areas of agreement that Dye, Domhoff, and Lerner and colleagues have in common with Mills.

Question 50

What is the primary function of a think tank?