Deck 1: Five Principles of Politics

Question 1

A form of government in which a single individual-king, queen, or dictator-rules is known as

A)a unigarchy.
B)an oligarchy.
C)an autocracy.
D)totalitarianism.
E)anarchy.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

States and tribal councils are examples of which institutions and procedures through which a land and its people are ruled?

A)governments
B)public opinion
C)legislative bodies
D)democracy
E)bureaucracies

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The following question is an example of a(n) __________ question in political science: "Are African American legislators more likely to support African American interests than other legislators with similar districts?"

A)empirical
B)analytical
C)normative
D)fundamental
E)policy

Answer 3

A

Question 4

In order to win elections, presidential candidates typically focus their campaign visits and spending on "swing states" that could vote for either major candidate.This strategic allocation exemplifies which of the five principles?

A)rationality principle
B)institution principle
C)collective action principle
D)policy principle
E)history principle

Question 5

On the small island nation of Tamazia, the small but elite group of purple-spotted Tamazians, who own most of the land on the more fruitful north side, have invaded the less productive southern sections of the island.Now they have taken control of all political institutions.Consequently, the pink-spotted and green-spotted Tamazians who make up the majority of the island inhabitants have to submit to the will of the purple-spotted Tamazians.This new government on the island nation of Tamazia would most correctly be classified as

A)oligarchic.
B)autocratic.
C)democratic.
D)constitutional.
E)totalitarian.

Question 6

Autocracy can best be defined as rule by

A)all.
B)one.
C)few.
D)many.
E)self-executing laws.

Question 7

In early thirteenth-century England, King John had few formal limits on his power yet needed the permission of the Catholic pope to marry many of his potential spouses and needed the cooperation of English nobles to wage war.A general term for a political system with informal limits on power is

A)plutocracy.
B)indirect government.
C)teleological.
D)authoritarian government.
E)totalitarian.

Question 8

Which term describes a system of rule in which formal and effective limits are placed on the powers of government?

A)pluralism
B)totalitarianism
C)monarchy
D)authoritarian government
E)constitutional government

Question 9

The following question is an example of a(n) __________ question in political science: "Which political party do a majority of Latinos support in presidential elections?"

A)empirical
B)analytical
C)normative
D)fundamental
E)policy

Question 10

A system of rule that permits citizens to play a significant part in the governmental process, usually through the selection of key public officials, is called

A)democratic.
B)pluralistic.
C)constitutional.
D)oligarchic.
E)totalitarian.

Question 11

A government with specific limits on what governments control and how political power is exercised is called a

A)theocracy.
B)limited partnership.
C)constrained system.
D)divided government.
E)constitutional government.

Question 12

What is the difference between an empirical question and a normative question?

A)An empirical question deals with international politics, while a normative question deals with domestic politics.
B)An empirical question is about observing facts and patterns about politics, while a normative question is about how the political world should be.
C)An empirical question focuses on theorizing about political phenomena, while a normative question seeks to describe typical behavior.
D)An empirical question asks how the world should be, while a normative question asks how it actually works.
E)An empirical question focuses on a single person or event, while a normative question focuses on patterns of behavior.

Question 13

The Soviet Union during the rule of Joseph Stalin was a classic example of a(n) __________ society.

A)democratic
B)monarchical
C)authoritarian
D)constitutional
E)totalitarian

Question 14

The following question is an example of a(n) __________ question in political science: "Should a majority of Latinos support the Democratic Party in presidential elections?"

A)empirical
B)analytical
C)normative
D)fundamental
E)policy

Question 15

If the populace has some direct role in political decision making, the government is most likely

A)pluralistic.
B)autocratic.
C)constitutional.
D)capitalist.
E)democratic.

Question 16

When a small group of landowners, military officers, or wealthy merchants controls most of the governing decisions, the government is said to be a(n)

A)theocracy.
B)oligarchy.
C)autocracy.
D)meritocracy.
E)democracy.

Question 17

When France was ruled by King Louis XVI, Napoleon Bonaparte, and then Louis XVIII, it exemplified the governmental system known as

A)a unigarchy.
B)an oligarchy.
C)an autocracy.
D)totalitarianism.
E)a democracy.

Question 18

What is the general term used to describe the formal political arrangement by which a land and its people are ruled?

A)formalism
B)government
C)authoritarianism
D)autarky
E)monarchism

Question 19

The kind of rule in which the power of government has only minimal legal limits but is effectively restrained by other social, religious, or economic institutions is called

A)autocratic.
B)totalitarian.
C)authoritarian.
D)constitutional.
E)democracy.

Question 20

In many nations in Europe, South America, Asia, and Africa, the law imposes few real limits, but the government is nevertheless kept in check by other political and social institutions that it does not control.Examples of these outside actors include autonomous territories, an organized church, organized business groups, or organized labor unions.Such governments are generally called

A)autocratic.
B)totalitarian.
C)authoritarian.
D)constitutional.
E)democracies.

Question 21

The designated domain over which institutional actors have the authority to make decisions is referred to as

A)jurisdiction.
B)decisional alignment.
C)gatekeeping.
D)trespass boundary.
E)zoning.

Question 22

The saying "All political behavior has a purpose" is an expression of the

A)institution principle.
B)rationality principle.
C)collective action principle.
D)principal-agent relationship.
E)history principle.

Question 23

A politician who helps a constituent's child apply for a Washington internship is engaging in __________ politics.

A)retail
B)wholesale
C)systematic
D)probabilistic
E)local

Question 24

The responsibility of the Food and Drug Administration to regulate the marketing of pharmaceuticals is its

A)jurisdiction.
B)decisional alignment.
C)decision rule.
D)trespass boundary.
E)zoning.

Question 25

Political scientists would most accurately classify a governing system that recognizes no formal limits on its power and seeks to absorb or eliminate other social institutions that might challenge it as

A)autocratic.
B)dictatorial.
C)democratic.
D)authoritarian.
E)totalitarian.

Question 26

The governor of Louisiana asks the president of the United States to reform the national flood insurance program so that residents of coastal states like Louisiana would pay less money to be protected from hurricanes.The governor is engaging in __________ politics.

A)retail
B)wholesale
C)systematic
D)probabilistic
E)local

Question 27

According to the text, the five principles that help explain why government does what it does are (1) all political behavior has a purpose; (2) institutions structure politics; (3) all politics is collective action; (4) political outcomes are the products of individual preferences and institutional procedures; and (5)

A)how we got here matters.
B)society evolves toward increased equality.
C)political socialization shapes government.
D)government shapes political socialization.
E)public opinion matters.

Question 28

Efforts to gain power, influence those in power, bring new people to power, or throw current leaders out are forms of

A)autocracy.
B)pluralism.
C)democracy.
D)interest-group bargaining.
E)politics.

Question 29

The conflicts and struggles over the leadership, structure, and policies of government are called

A)government.
B)politics.
C)derision.
D)lobbying.
E)war.

Question 30

When politicians vote in a particular way in order to win reelection, their behavior is best described as

A)wise.
B)ethical.
C)corrupt.
D)instrumental.
E)exceptional.

Question 31

A state legislature is considering raising taxes to pay for road improvements.Each legislator must decide whether he or she is going to support this bill, which has polarized public opinion in the state.The legislator from the Seventh District is particularly concerned about the consequences of her vote because her constituents are about equally divided for and against the bill.If the legislator votes for the bill, she will gain future electoral support from supporters of the bill but will likely also face a tough reelection campaign as bill opponents may mobilize to try and defeat her.If she votes against the bill, she still faces the same situation because bill supporters will mobilize against her in the next election.In either case, the legislator will benefit from her decision but also face some uncertain costs.This description of the legislator's decision making is an example of which principle of politics?

A)the policy principle
B)the history principle
C)the rationality principle
D)the institution principle
E)the collective action principle

Question 32

According to Harold Lasswell, the struggle over who gets "what, when, how" is known as

A)government.
B)politics.
C)authoritarianism.
D)lobbying.
E)redistribution.

Question 33

Politicians plan their activities and attempt to behave in a manner that recognizes a full calculation of political risk because their actions are not random but rather are

A)wise.
B)ethical.
C)corrupt.
D)instrumental.
E)exceptional.

Question 34

In the years leading up to World War II, the National Socialist (Nazi) Party rose to power in Germany and consolidated its hold on political institutions by effectively striking down any significant opposition through violence and intimidation.Nazi Germany achieved almost absolute control over every facet of its citizens' lives.In terms of limits on governmental power, the political system of Nazi Germany would most accurately be categorized as

A)totalitarian.
B)monarchical.
C)authoritarian.
D)constitutional.
E)democratic.

Question 35

A five-term member of the House has developed a reputation as being particularly successful at securing federal resources for his district to revitalize the historic downtown area, build new bridges, and repair dilapidated roads and sidewalks.This member of the House of Representatives has also been criticized for accepting large campaign contributions from agricultural entities that maintain substantial interests in the rural areas of the district.This legislator defends his actions as necessary to win reelection.After five terms, the representative abruptly decides he will retire at the end of his next term for personal reasons.In the following two years, he fails to obtain any federal resources for his district but continues to accept campaign contributions from the agricultural industry and advocate for agricultural interests in the hope of obtaining a job as a lobbyist with an agricultural group.This scenario is an example of which kind of behavior?

A)institutional
B)democratic
C)irrational
D)ideological
E)instrumental

Question 36

A citizen attending a city council meeting to complain about the lack of city parks exemplifies the principle that

A)cooperation is difficult.
B)rules and procedures matter.
C)all political behavior has a purpose.
D)policy results when political goals meet institutions.
E)individuals generally enjoy consuming historical information.

Question 37

Routine, structured relations based on rules and procedures that provide incentives for political behavior (thereby shaping politics) are called

A)institutions.
B)submerged collectives.
C)social culture.
D)planning agendas.
E)classifications.

Question 38

A politician who helps a constituent navigate through the federal bureaucracy to find a misplaced Social Security check is engaging in __________ politics.

A)retail
B)wholesale
C)systematic
D)probabilistic
E)local

Question 39

A legislator who introduces a bill to increase Social Security payments to senior citizens across the country is engaging in __________ politics.

A)retail
B)wholesale
C)systematic
D)probabilistic
E)local

Question 40

Which is NOT an example of a political actor rationally pursuing a political goal?

A)a legislator trying to get reelected
B)a bureaucratic agency trying to maximize its budget allocation
C)a Congressional committee chair bargaining to expand her committee's jurisdiction
D)the Social Security Agency automatically increasing its income payments to senior citizens as the cost of living increases
E)a lobbyist donating to a politician to obtain a meeting

Question 41

What is the dark side of principal-agent relationships?

A)Agents are often not rational.
B)Institutions sometimes force principal-agent relationships underground.
C)Principals often force agents to do things against their will.
D)The interests of the agent and the principal may not be well aligned.
E)The principals usually do not know what they are doing.

Question 42

When the Speaker of the House exercises his or her authority to keep a bill from even being discussed, it exemplifies the Speaker's ability to exert

A)veto power.
B)agenda power.
C)docket authority.
D)termination authority.
E)discharge action.

Question 43

Which of these is a principal-agent relationship?

A)client-attorney
B)two students on a date
C)inmate-prison guard
D)U.S.ambassador-King of Sweden
E)horse-jockey

Question 44

The transmission of authority to some other official or body for the latter's use (though often with the right of review and revision) is called

A)abdication.
B)deliverancy.
C)conveyance.
D)decisiveness.
E)delegation.

Question 45

One of the unique features of the U.S.Congress is the jurisdiction assigned to each

A)legislative liaison.
B)congressional staff.
C)standing committee.
D)oversight authority.
E)special authority.

Question 46

If two neighbors who share a private hedge on their property line talk to each other and decide to take turns trimming the hedge without signing a written contract, they have most likely engaged in

A)trade negotiations.
B)formal bargaining.
C)informal bargaining.
D)interest-based negotiations.
E)thorough agreement making.

Question 47

The power to make proposals and to block proposals from being made is known as

A)jamming.
B)throttling.
C)damming.
D)gatekeeping.
E)obstruction.

Question 48

In American representative democracy, citizens are considered to function as __________ of elected officials.

A)agents
B)delegates
C)principals
D)specialists
E)experts

Question 49

Those who exercise some form of agenda power are said to engage in

A)casework.
B)logrolling.
C)earmarking.
D)pork barreling.
E)gatekeeping.

Question 50

The ability to defeat a measure after it comes up for consideration or has received preliminary approval is called

A)veto power.
B)agenda power.
C)docket authority.
D)termination authority.
E)decision rule.

Question 51

A husband and wife would likely employ formal bargaining when

A)decorating a new house.
B)dividing household chores.
C)deciding which of their parents to spend Christmas with.
D)choosing a restaurant for dinner.
E)allocating household assets in a divorce settlement.

Question 52

The pooling of resources and coordination of effort and activity by a group of people to achieve common goals is called

A)free riding.
B)collective action.
C)formal bargaining.
D)informal bargaining.
E)altruistic mutual advancement.

Question 53

Negotiations that are governed by rules are called

A)informal bargaining.
B)formal bargaining.
C)turf wars.
D)jurisdictional conflicts.
E)norms.

Question 54

The Senate's rule that requires 60 votes to close debate and move to a vote is an example of

A)legislative impediment.
B)direct democracy.
C)deliberative democracy.
D)oligarchic discussion.
E)decisiveness rules.

Question 55

The specific control over what a group will consider for discussion in the first place is called

A)veto power.
B)agenda power.
C)docket authority.
D)initiation authority.
E)discretionary authority.

Question 56

Which term describes the organizational sacrifices needed to clarify each aspect of a principal-agent relationship and to monitor it to ensure compliance?

A)tort infractions
B)transaction costs
C)proctor expenses
D)mediation efforts
E)business costs

Question 57

A small group of congressional party and committee leaders meet in an unmarked room in the U.S.Capitol and make legislative deals while sipping bourbon.This pattern of group decision making is best described as

A)deinstitutionalized.
B)democratic.
C)selective agreement.
D)informal bargaining.
E)authoritarian.

Question 58

Getting everyone to act collectively when the number of parties involved is too large to engage in face-to-face bargaining requires

A)providing incentives to actors who cooperate.
B)employing a professional facilitator.
C)establishing an elaborate communication system.
D)designating representatives and scheduling a specific meeting time.
E)reducing the group size.

Question 59

Because individuals involved in the decision-making process often have different goals and preferences, it can be very difficult to orchestrate

A)policy analysis.
B)collective action.
C)constituent service.
D)political gamesmanship.
E)committee work.

Question 60

A large number of members of the House of Representatives publicly support legislation to increase the federal minimum wage.However, the bill must pass through the Education and the Workforce Committee before being brought to the floor for a vote.The chair of the committee decides whether to allow the committee to vote on the bill.The committee chair's decision is an example of

A)jurisdiction.
B)veto power.
C)agenda power.
D)decisiveness.
E)delegation.

Question 61

A senator depends on private contributions to fund his reelection campaigns since public campaign financing is not available.Though he is personally concerned about the environmental impact of burning coal, he accepts large campaign contributions from powerful coal companies in his state.This senator also sits on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee and uses his position to protect the interests of the coal industry to ensure he receives future campaign contributions.The policies promoted by this senator best reflect which motivations?

A)transaction costs
B)personal interests
C)ideology
D)institutional ambitions
E)electoral ambitions

Question 62

Which of these is a primary reason that history commonly matters in political life?

A)Voters can only choose from candidates whose families have previously won elected office.
B)American politicians have traditionally lacked the creativity to come up with new policy ideas.
C)History is a very popular major in college.
D)Rules and procedures have consequences for years, decades, or even centuries.
E)Many political documents are written in classic languages like Sanskrit, Latin, and Aramaic.

Question 63

When each individual seeks to maximize his or her use of the common pool of resources without regard to their degradation or depletion because no one owns them, political scientists speak about a

A)race to the bottom.
B)catastrophic spiral.
C)tragedy of the commons.
D)fallacy of collective action.
E)cooperative demise.

Question 64

Free riding occurs in collective action settings because

A)usually some individuals do not have an interest in the public good.
B)the diversity of motives means not everyone wants to achieve the same goal.
C)irrationality is prevalent in society.
D)people do not know what the price of public goods really ought to be.
E)individuals may be able to enjoy the benefit of others' efforts without contributing themselves.

Question 65

The tragedy of the commons suggests that

A)mutual trust is based on an ongoing process of give and take.
B)an ongoing process of give and take is based on mutual trust.
C)individual preferences may sometimes clash with collective welfare.
D)collective preferences may sometimes clash with individual preferences.
E)human goodwill is generally sufficient to induce individuals to support collective goals.

Question 66

A congressional representative promises a vote and delivers a rousing speech on the House floor supporting a particular legislative measure because the Speaker also supports the measure.The representative hopes that the Speaker will remember this enthusiastic support of a critical measure when the time comes for handing out prestigious committee assignments in the next legislative year.In this instance, the representative is acting in accordance with

A)personal interests.
B)electoral ambitions.
C)institutional ambitions.
D)environmental interests.
E)altruistic interests.

Question 67

A large majority of U.S.citizens has favored mandatory background checks for firearms purchases for several years, but Congress has not enacted this into law.Which principle indicates that preferences (here, citizens' views on gun control) do not automatically translate into policy change but instead are filtered by governing institutions?

A)rationality principle
B)collective action principle
C)institution principle
D)policy principle
E)history principle

Question 68

What is an example of a public good?

A)clean air
B)garbage collection service
C)shoes sold at a shoe store
D)groceries sold at a grocery store
E)home-grown vegetables given from one person to another

Question 69

Your instructor has organized the class into groups of three students each and assigned each group a research project on different aspects of the workings of Congress.Regardless of the individual contributions of each member of the group, all three students of each group will receive the same grade based on the quality of the project.After numerous attempts to organize the group to work on the project, you realize the third student in your group will not participate.Instead, you and the second student get together to finish the project because both of you are very concerned about your final grade in the class.However, you are both angry that the third student is going to benefit from your hard work without contributing.Had the instructor told each group that each student's grade on the project would be based on his or her individual contribution, which problem would the instructor have avoided?

A)a delegation problem
B)an empirical problem
C)a normative problem
D)a free-rider problem
E)a principal-agent problem

Question 70

Which term describes the idea that certain possibilities are made more or less likely because of decisions made in the past?

A)decisiveness
B)logrolling
C)path dependency
D)historical determinism
E)time-space contingency

Question 71

A good that may be enjoyed by anyone, if provided, and that may not be denied to anyone once it has been provided is called a(n)

A)public good.
B)private good.
C)universal good.
D)externality.
E)negative good.

Question 72

A congressman who enthusiastically supports subsidies for home heating oil but opposes regulation to control its price because his family owns a heating-oil distributorship is basing his policy preferences on

A)personal interests.
B)electoral ambitions.
C)institutional ambitions.
D)environmental interests.
E)illegal ambitions.

Question 73

Each semester, your school budgets for a certain amount of office supplies, including paper to use in the printers available in your school's computer labs.If the supplies run out, the school cannot afford to purchase more until the following semester.Students are allowed to freely access the computer labs and print out their homework or papers for class, and there is no policing of how much each student prints.The school estimates that each student will print about 200 pages per semester.If enough students exceed this limit, the computer labs may run out of paper before the end of the semester; students will then no longer be able to freely print out their assignments for class and will have to make other arrangements to ensure they turn in their work on time.This scenario describes which common problem in politics?

A)transaction costs
B)free-rider problem
C)tragedy of the commons
D)gatekeeping
E)bargaining failure

Question 74

Even though a majority of the U.S.House and Senate support a bill, it may not become law.This is an expression of which principle?

A)history principle
B)policy principle
C)institution principle
D)collective action principle
E)rationality principle

Question 75

Free riding tends to undermine

A)political will.
B)legal authority.
C)collective action.
D)policy acquiescence.
E)formal bargains.

Question 76

One of the most notorious collective action problems involves the overconsumption of a shared resource and is called the

A)demise of the surplus.
B)candy box phenomenon.
C)tragedy of the commons.
D)paradox of too much is not enough.
E)Hawthorne effect.

Question 77

A group of people who pool their resources and coordinate their efforts and activities in order to achieve common goals will ordinarily establish some decision-making procedures by which to resolve differences, coordinate activities, and

A)punish cheaters.
B)promote flexibility.
C)encourage new initiatives.
D)establish borders.
E)monitor principals.

Question 78

A well-known, politically moderate senator has recently introduced very conservative amendments to bills dealing with the economy in order to appeal to more conservative financial donors.In turn, she hopes these donors might contribute to her budding presidential campaign.She is basing her policy decisions on

A)personal interests.
B)electoral ambitions.
C)institutional ambitions.
D)environmental interests.
E)altruistic interests.

Question 79

Your instructor decides to give the class one very hard exam question.The entire class may work together to answer the question because the instructor just wants the correct answer; she does not care how the class arrives at the answer or who contributes to answering the question.The final answer that is submitted will be graded, and all students will receive the same grade.In one sense, the exam grade is a __________ because all students will benefit and cannot be denied a grade, regardless of their individual contributions to answering the question.

A)selective good
B)private good
C)public good
D)retail good
E)wholesale good

Question 80

A good example of a tragedy of the commons is

A)the crash of a commercial airliner.
B)gun violence.
C)theft of archaeological artifacts in a national museum.
D)policy paralysis due to lack of clear and relevant information.
E)pollution of the earth's atmosphere.