Deck 9: The Political Order: Power, War, and Terrorism

Question 1

According to Michel Foucault's theory of power, even though African Americans have on average a lower income than Whites, a local African American preacher may have more power or influence than some Whites due to his or her __________.

A) use of religious power
B) capacity to unleash power
C) determination due to faith
D) collective power

Answer 1

capacity to unleash power

Question 2

Societal control of media aimed at influencing people's attitudes, beliefs, and values is explained by Foucault's concept of __________.

A) discourse
B) legitimacy
C) coercion
D) authority

Answer 2

discourse

Question 3

Which type of authority do revolutionists usually use to gather support for the revolution?

A) traditional authority
B) legal-rational authority
C) charismatic authority
D) coercion

Answer 3

charismatic authority

Question 4

According to Max Weber's theory, if an employee violates a rule from the employee handbook, the consequences would be considered legitimate because it represents which type of authority?

A) traditional authority
B) legal-rational authority
C) charismatic authority
D) coercion

Question 5

Assume that Israel/Palestine were declared a "nation-state." What would Israel and Palestine still be as separate entities?

A) nations
B) states
C) authorities
D) countries

Question 6

According to the definitions of nation and state, America is composed of __________ state(s).

A) one
B) five
C) 48
D) 50

Question 7

If government employment is a measure of government power and Denmark employs 35 percent of its people in the government and America employs 15 percent of its people in the government, which country has more governmental power?

A) neither; power is not measured by government employment
B) America, because it has fewer government employees
C) they have equal governmental power
D) Denmark, because it has more governmental influence over its people

Question 8

The two types of governmental power are __________.

A) legitimate and illegitimate
B) legitimate and coercive
C) democratic and republic
D) democratic and coercive

Question 9

The number of people employed by the U.S. federal government continues to __________.

A) remain the same
B) increase steadily
C) decrease steadily
D) increase drastically

Question 10

Common among most people in the United States is an attitude against __________ government.

A) small
B) state
C) big
D) federal

Question 11

Sociologists find it difficult to assess and precisely measure the definition of war because __________.

A) countries define peace differently
B) there are civil and military wars
C) there are many components to war
D) governments declare war at different levels of combat

Question 12

Consequences of war can be measured by economic damages, military and civilian deaths, and __________.

A) crime rates
B) property lines
C) political power gained or lost
D) injuries to military personnel and civilians

Question 13

Although the veteran population in the United States is close to 22 million, how many actually receive health care through the Department of Veterans Affairs?

A) 1 million
B) 5 million
C) 12 million
D) 18 million

Question 14

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the annual cost of providing health care for veterans could be as high as __________ by the year 2020.

A) $50 billion
B) $65 billion
C) $85 billion
D) $105 billion

Question 15

The underlying objective of terrorism is __________.

A) to kill as many people as possible
B) notoriety
C) carrying out religious beliefs
D) to achieve political objectives

Question 16

In 2016, how many suicide terrorist acts occurred?

A) 28
B) 392
C) 633
D) 927

Question 17

Terrorists do not usually pick a specific victim in order to spread __________.

A) rumors about people being captured
B) news of killing a variety of victims
C) fear among people about becoming a victim
D) confusion about who the individual target was

Question 18

In 2016, what percentage of Americans reported being "afraid" or "very afraid" of terrorist attacks?

A) 25 percent
B) 40 percent
C) 70 percent
D) 85 percent

Question 19

Which of the following terrorist strategies takes the least amount of effort to carry out but can cause the largest number of deaths?

A) videotaping a beheading
B) use of social media to spread word to cells to activate
C) bioterrorism
D) suicide terrorism

Question 20

What has increased the potential for international terrorism?

A) industrialization
B) postindustrialization
C) globalization
D) religious freedom

Question 21

According to the functional perspective, which of the following is the average way society maintains order?

A) codifying important norms
B) protecting international power
C) pooling resources to fight a war
D) ordering martial law

Question 22

Which of the following best exemplifies the functional perspective's view on maintaining political order?

A) It may take war to maintain order.
B) Conflict is a healthy part of governing.
C) It is through people's interactions that order is achieved.
D) When social movements occur, necessary changes can be made.

Question 23

Which of the following illustrates the conflict theory of war being profitable?

A) oppressed people being freed
B) walls between nations being removed
C) businesses making money from selling supplies to the military
D) new laws going into effect

Question 24

How do conflict theorists explain the unequal burden of war?

A) Minorities are given the worst jobs in the military and consequently die more frequently.
B) There is constant conflict between military leadership and enlisted men or women.
C) Decisions are made in Washington versus on the field of battle.
D) Women are treated as less than men in the military.

Question 25

Which of the following best represents the symbolic interaction view of political socialization?

A) a college student exploring various political views on the Internet
B) a man in midlife deciding he is not in agreement with the political party he has believed in his entire life
C) Democratic parents teaching their children that the Democratic Party is the best party to support
D) strangers doing something nice for others without regard to their political party affiliation

Question 26

What harm is there in labeling someone as being part of a political group?

A) The person could retaliate.
B) There is very little harm, as actions speak louder than labels.
C) Others may treat labeled people as if they fit the label, even if they do not.
D) Labels are always harmful.

Question 27

Which of the following is an example of a government action in the United States, according to sociologists?

A) a policeman giving a ticket for speeding
B) Congress voting on a bill to require states to fund Medicaid
C) a teacher sending a student to the principal's office
D) a citizen paying her taxes

Question 28

According to sociologists, the highest political authority in Hawaii is called the __________.

A) judicial authority
B) police
C) state
D) government

Question 29

To be classified as an authoritarian state, the government must __________.

A) allow the people to vote on important issues
B) allow open opposition
C) have appointees that look after the well-being of citizens
D) have a near-monopoly on political power

Question 30

A junta is a(n) __________ state.

A) authoritarian
B) totalitarian
C) democratic
D) republican

Question 31

Which of the following helps make totalitarianism possible today?

A) a line of successors through heredity
B) enough people to overthrow a government
C) a democratic process to choose the head of state
D) the use of technology

Question 32

Which of the following is common among people living in a totalitarian state?

A) wealth
B) suffering
C) crime
D) stability

Question 33

Although voting may occur in totalitarian or authoritarian states, the voting is __________ in a democratic state.

A) more limited than
B) not as representative as
C) a shorter process than
D) a longer process than

Question 34

The defining factor for a democratic state is the __________.

A) people's participation in government
B) automatic succession of leaders in the same bloodline
C) military suppression of the people
D) use of voting for leaders

Question 35

What percentage of the world is considered "politically free"?

A) 85 percent
B) 45 percent
C) 15 percent
D) 5 percent

Question 36

There seems to be a correlation between lagging economic growth and __________.

A) higher levels of political freedom
B) lower levels of political freedom
C) a mid-range level of political freedom
D) complete totalitarianism

Question 37

The majority of Republicans today are __________.

A) Hispanic
B) Black
C) White
D) Asian

Question 38

Which of the following demographics is not much associated with political party affiliation?

A) gender
B) race
C) ethnicity
D) education

Question 39

Which of the following groups lags behind the rest in the percentage of citizens voting in the United States?

A) Whites
B) Blacks
C) Hispanics
D) Asians

Question 40

Educationally, which group has the highest rate of voting?

A) people with advanced degrees
B) people with bachelor's degrees
C) people with associate's degrees
D) people with high school diplomas

Question 41

New populism has to do with the __________ that arose at the intersection of race, class, and gender.

A) agreement
B) leftist ideas
C) discontent
D) conservatism

Question 42

Populism is really just a __________ events and ideas.

A) frame for
B) fad involving
C) list of
D) catch-all of

Question 43

Which of the following is true of the trend in "trust of government"?

A) Trust is at a plateau.
B) Trust is continuing to decline.
C) Trust is climbing upward.
D) Trust is entirely dependent on the political party in power.

Question 44

Which of the following presidents garnered the highest level of trust of government?

A) George W. Bush
B) Donald Trump
C) Bill Clinton
D) Barack Obama

Question 45

Which of the following best exemplifies the forgotten working class?

A) farmer
B) coal miner
C) mechanic
D) store clerk

Question 46

Which of the following has the technological and global market caused in the United States?

A) an increase in manufacturing jobs
B) a move toward cleaner coal production
C) less trade with neighbors such as Canada and Mexico
D) a decrease in manufacturing jobs

Question 47

What was Donald Trump implying during the 2016 presidential campaign when he claimed he would "drain the swamp"?

A) that federal regulations were creating hardships for big business
B) that balancing the budget and lowering the national debt were his top priorities
C) that elected officials in Washington were elite and out of touch
D) that corruption in business needs to stop

Question 48

In the 2016 Republican presidential campaign, the "we" or "us" group referred to __________.

A) the current federal government
B) those worthy to hold office
C) anyone in the Trump family
D) the upper class

Question 49

New populism is full of elation over self-identified success. An example of this new populism is __________.

A) acceptance of President Trump's alleged extramarital affairs
B) labeling negative news reports as "fake news"
C) the firing of cabinet members
D) banning immigrants from Muslim countries

Question 50

In new populism, which of the following outweighs logic, facts, and common sense?

A) collectivism
B) empathy for others
C) assertion of moral authority
D) allegiance to the popular majority

Question 51

Explain how the 2016 U.S. presidential election brought about new populism.

Question 52

List the influence of race/ethnicity, gender, and social stratification on voting. Discuss the similarities and differences among these factors.

Question 53

Explain the differences among authoritarian, totalitarian, and democratic states.

Question 54

Explain the view of power from each of the major sociological perspectives. Use parenting as an example for each.

Question 55

What evidence can be used to measure the severity of a war?