Deck 10: Democracy and Democratic Government

Question 1

Which Greek philosopher viewed democracy as involving leaders of the mass of people plundering the rich and distributing some of their wealth?

A) Socrates
B) Aristotle
C) Plato
D) Thucydides

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The version of representative democracy that developed in modern Western societies is often described as ___________.

A) Transitional democracy
B) Direct democracy
C) Liberal democracy
D) Absolute monarchy

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT characteristic of a democratic deficit?

A) declining levels of voter turnout
B) increased protest activity
C) low levels of trust in government
D) increasing levels of government transparency

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Who argued that ordinary people did not know what was in the interests of the nation?

A) John Stuart Mill
B) Karl Marx
C) Edmond Burke
D) John Locke

Question 5

A means of giving the public to have a proposition that they have drafted put to vote by the electorate after obtaining a sizeable number of signatures is known as a ______.

A) private member's bill
B) citizens' initiatives
C) citizens' jury
D) deliberative poll

Question 6

Which of the following is not a form of government accountability in liberal democracies?

A) Elections
B) Law enforcement officials
C) Independent agencies and officials
D) Media

Question 7

Of the following, who is NOT associated with the public release of classified government documents?

A) Bradley Manning
B) John Brennan
C) Daniel Ellsberg
D) Julian Assange

Question 8

In what contemporary context are forms of direct democracy practiced in the form of citizen meetings?

A) municipal elections in Saskatchewan
B) Swiss cantons
C) Malta
D) semi-presidential systems

Question 9

A(n) __________ gives people the opportunity to vote on a particular issue or proposed law.

A) referendum
B) recall
C) initiative
D) democratic deficit

Question 10

About 2,500 years ago, the Greek city-state of Athens adopted a system of ___________.

A) indirect democracy
B) connected democracy
C) direct democracy
D) elite democracy

Question 11

The term democracy comes from ancient Greek words that can be translated as "________________".

A) Rule of the landowners
B) Rule by the people
C) Rule by the philosopher kings
D) Rule by the poor

Question 12

________ involves citizens electing representatives to the legislature.

A) Representative democracy
B) Indirect democracy
C) Basic democracy
D) Modern democracy

Question 13

The obligation for government to provide access to information and to operate visibly so that it can be held accountable is referred to as ____________.

A) participation
B) the deep state
C) weakness
D) transparency

Question 14

Which of the following is considered to be a defining feature of liberal democracies?

A) collective decisions are made by referenda
B) collective decisions prioritize unity
C) the powers of government are limited by law
D) the economy includes public ownership of firms

Question 15

Washington and Colorado voted to legalize ___________ on November 6, 2012.

A) marijuana
B) cocaine
C) tobacco
D) alcohol

Question 16

___________argues that ordinary people possess common sense and should have more political power than the elites who control politics in representative democracies.

A) Populism
B) Aristotle
C) Neo-liberalism
D) Conservatism

Question 17

What did the French Revolution (1789-99) challenge?

A) The "divine right" of kings to rule
B) The "divine right" of the Pope to rule
C) The "divine right" of the masses to rule
D) The "divine right" of the elites to rule

Question 18

What forced governments to adopt universal adult suffrage?

A) The development of the working class and socialist movements
B) The right wing political parties
C) The classical conservative ideology
D) The development of the upper class

Question 19

In which year were women given the right to vote in federal elections in Canada on the same basis as men?

A) 1922
B) 1918
C) 1956
D) 1970

Question 20

Who coined the phrase "a government of law and not of men"?

A) John Adams
B) Adam Smith
C) John Martin
D) Adam Przeworski

Question 21

___________ is a political system in which decisions are made based on discussions by free and equal citizens.

A) Liberal democracy
B) Medieval democracy
C) Deliberative democracy
D) Social democracy

Question 22

A citizens' jury is typically associated with the ideals of plebiscitary democracy.

Question 23

What are three conditions necessary for the rule of law to exist?

Question 24

Liberal democracy is based on the belief that power, even the power of a government that is supported by the majority of the people is liable to be abused.

Question 25

Recall elections in British Columbia have been used to successfully remove three politicians since 1991.

Question 26

Representative legislatures in England originated in meetings called by the people.

Question 27

What is meant by the rule of law?

Question 28

In Canada, provincial governments were responsible for determining who had the right to vote in provincial and federal elections until 1970.

Question 29

The wording of a referendum is generally set by the people.

Question 30

What are three essential features of liberal democratic systems?

Question 31

Describe the difference between Plato's and Aristotle's perception of democracy.

Question 32

Rule of law is enshrined in liberal democracy.

Question 33

Aristotle believed that democratic government did not work for the common good.

Question 34

A group of randomly selected ordinary citizens that deliberate about and make recommendations concerning particular issues is known as a _______________.

A) polity
B) plebiscite
C) citizens' jury
D) citizens' initiative

Question 35

Democracy is closely associated with the ideal of _________.

A) Equality
B) Inequality
C) Elitism
D) Communism

Question 36

_____________ procedures allow citizens to remove representatives from office before the end of their term of office.

A) Recall
B) Referendum
C) Citizen Assembly
D) Transparency

Question 37

Define deliberative democracy.

Question 38

Popular participation is an essential feature of democratic systems.

Question 39

In which country do they reserve legislative seats for minority groups?

A) Japan
B) Singapore
C) Canada
D) New Zealand

Question 40

The citizens of Athens met in an open assembly once every two years.

Question 41

What is meant by political pluralism?

Question 42

What are the arguments in favour of and opposing plebiscitary democracy? What are some of the devices used to achieve its aims?

Question 43

Briefly discuss how the idea of equality, integral to most conceptions of democracy, can nonetheless be a challenge for democratic government.