Deck 17: D: Politics and Government

Question 1

Which of the following concepts refers to a political system in which power resides in the hands of the people as a whole?

A)democracy
B)monarchy
C)totalitarianism
D)aristocracy

Answer 1

A

Question 2

As Max Weber saw it,the essential difference between power and authority is that:

A)authority is more rational.
B)people perceive authority as legitimate rather than coercive.
C)raw power is always the foundation of justice.
D)power is more efficient in getting the job done.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which of the following concepts refers to a political system in which a single family rules from generation to generation?

A)democracy
B)monarchy
C)totalitarianism
D)aristocracy

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following concepts refers to the formal organization that directs the political life of a society?

A)the political system
B)rational-legal authority
C)the power elite
D)government

Question 5

Which of Weber's types of authority rests on extraordinary personal abilities that inspire devotion in followers?

A)traditional authority
B)rational-legal authority
C)charismatic authority
D)None of the above is correct.

Question 6

For which of the following reasons might you argue that Canada is not truly democratic?

A)There is a lot of economic inequality.
B)Millions of bureaucratic officials are not elected.
C)Most Canadian adults have never voted.
D)Both A and B,but not C,are correct.

Question 7

Industrialization increases the importance of which type of authority?

A)traditional authority
B)rational-legal authority
C)charismatic authority
D)no authority at all

Question 8

Preindustrial societies,explained Max Weber,are characterized by having:

A)mostly traditional authority.
B)mostly rational-legal authority.
C)mostly charismatic authority.
D)no authority at all.

Question 9

People who attract followers,including Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King,display:

A)traditional authority.
B)rational-legal authority.
C)charismatic authority.
D)power rather than authority.

Question 10

Which nations in the world today claim to be democratic?

A)All low-income nations
B)No nations
C)Most high-income nations
D)All nations

Question 11

Max Weber defined power as:

A)simply a reflection of wealth.
B)the ability to achieve desired ends,despite resistance.
C)the operation of a government.
D)the source of all bureaucracy.

Question 12

Canada is a _______________ monarchy.

A)political
B)constitutional
C)traditional
D)postmodern

Question 13

In which of the following types of societies would you expect to find monarchy as the political system?

A)hunting and gathering
B)industrial
C)agrarian
D)postindustrial

Question 14

Politics is a social institution that is defined in terms of a society's:

A)distribution of power,goals,and decision making.
B)system of elections.
C)income distribution.
D)types of authority.

Question 15

Canada's democracy is a capitalist system tinged with:

A)communism
B)totalitarianism
C)socialism
D)evangelism

Question 16

Max Weber said that a crisis of charismatic authority results from:

A)the death of the leader.
B)the fact that few people follow a charismatic leader.
C)the fact that charisma existed only in the ancient world.
D)All of the above are correct.

Question 17

In Max Weber's view,monarchy claims legitimacy based on:

A)traditional authority.
B)charismatic authority.
C)rational-legal authority.
D)sheer force.

Question 18

Capitalist societies base their claim to democracy on:

A)people having personal liberty.
B)meeting the basic needs of all.
C)maintaining public order.
D)their high living standards.

Question 19

In 2008,about what share of the world's people lived in countries that can be considered politically "free?"

A)6 percent
B)26 percent
C)43 percent
D)66 percent

Question 20

What Weber called the routinization of charisma involves charismatic authority:

A)disappearing entirely.
B)becoming a reflection of a leader's unique personality.
C)becoming sheer force.
D)transforming into some combination of traditional authority and rational-legal authority.

Question 21

The concept "authoritarianism" refers to a political system that:

A)is well legitimated.
B)relies on more than one kind of authority.
C)denies most people participation in government.
D)has free elections.

Question 22

An analysis of the history of Canadian political parties shows that:

A)Tories have always been "anti-protectionist"
B)Grits have always been expansionist and pro-business
C)Of the minor parties that appeared on the scene since World War I,the CCF-NDP is the most long-lived
D)In 1999 the Reform Party entered the political arena

Question 23

Which of the following is TRUE?

A)Canadian politicians are more likely to emphasize their religiousness during an election than American politicians.
B)Both American and Canadian politicians seldom mention their religious affiliation during an election.
C)American politicians are more likely to emphasize their religiousness during an election than Canadian politicians.
D)During an election,politicians in most countries discuss their religiousness fairly regularly.

Question 24

According to Lipset (1991),the difference between the United States and Canada is:

A)the United States is the country of counter-revolution
B)Canadians place more emphasis on "individualism"
C)"life,liberty and the pursuit of happiness" are the primary goals of Canadians
D)"Peace,order and good government" are the primary goals of Canadians

Question 25

Socialist societies base their claim to democracy on:

A)people having personal liberty.
B)meeting the basic needs of all.
C)maintaining public order.
D)their high living standards.

Question 26

Quebec and Ontario elect _______ percent of the members of the House of Commons.

A)40
B)59
C)68
D)75

Question 27

Those on the political left can be described as:

A)concerned with "family values"
B)pro-big business
C)supportive of social welfare programs
D)in favour of privatizing Crown corporations

Question 28

Which of the following regions of Canada entered Confederation most recently?

A)Newfoundland and Labrador
B)Nunavut
C)Saskatchewan
D)B.C.

Question 29

Which of the following statements accurately describes events surrounding Confederation in Canada?

A)the impetus was strictly political
B)the impetus involved fear of economic absorption and possible military conquest by the United States
C)Canada,as we know it today,was formed in 1867
D)Various parts of Canada came together eagerly

Question 30

Ontario,New Brunswick,Nova Scotia and Quebec entered Canadian Confederation in:

A)1776
B)1867
C)1899
D)1903

Question 31

Milbrath,in his typology reflecting a hierarchy of participation in electoral politics,classified the transitional level as one in which participants _______________.

A)are actually involved in the political fray
B)are involved in a campaign
C)contribute time in a campaign
D)express interest in politics

Question 32

Which of the following is NOT considered a function of a political party?

A)promoting political pluralism
B)increasing political involvement
C)selection of political candidates
D)undermining political coalitions

Question 33

Which of the following is TRUE of political socialization?

A)Most elementary school students know that Queen Elizabeth is Canada's head of state
B)Our political socialization is more formal than that of the United States
C)Canadian school children do not learn what the Canadian flag looks like
D)Very few Canadian schools offer formal civics classes

Question 34

According to Lipset (1991)the Canadian Charter of Rights,as compared to the American Bill of Rights:

A)places more emphasis on the individual
B)discourages litigious action
C)preserves the principle of parliamentary supremacy
D)does not constitute a due-process bill

Question 35

Political sociologists have discerned that Canadians:

A)tend to vote for the same party at both the provincial and federal level
B)want the party system introduced into municipal politics
C)show no observable patterns in party support
D)commonly vote for different parties at federal and provincial levels

Question 36

A totalitarian political system:

A)mixes politics with religion.
B)is completely democratic.
C)is government without any bureaucracy.
D)concentrates power and closely regulate people's lives.

Question 37

Organizations operating within the political system that seek control of the government are called __________________.

A)state parties
B)state factions
C)political parties
D)political factions

Question 38

Which of the following is TRUE?

A)in both Canada and the U.S. ,citizens are less likely to vote today than they were a century ago
B)in both Canada and the U.S. ,citizens are more likely to vote today than they were a century ago
C)Canadians are more likely to vote than they were a century ago and Americans are less likely
D)Americans are more likely to vote than they were a century ago and Canadians are less likely

Question 39

Which of the following nations comes closest to having a political system that is "totalitarian"?

A)Mexico
B)France
C)North Korea
D)Japan

Question 40

The impetus behind the demand for a Triple-E Senate is:

A)satisfaction with the political clout of central Canada in the House of Commons
B)unhappiness with the political clout of central Canada in the Senate
C)a desire for a decrease in the number of Senators
D)the West wanted less power in the Senate and more in the House of Commons

Question 41

The military-industrial complex refers to:

A)the fact that war often destroys a country's economic infrastructure.
B)the close link between the government,defense contractors,and the military.
C)the fact that the postindustrial economy is increasingly dominated by war production.
D)the fact that the military is the world's largest industrial corporation.

Question 42

Read the following statements.Which of them is TRUE?

A)Whether someone is a "terrorist" or a "freedom fighter" is often a matter of definition.
B)Democratic societies are especially vulnerable to terrorism.
C)Identifying and effectively targeting terrorists is usually difficult.
D)All of the above are correct.

Question 43

A power-elite model is an analysis of politics that views:

A)power concentrated among the rich.
B)an anti-democratic bias exists in the capitalist system.
C)power is widely dispersed throughout society.
D)many people do not vote because they are alienated from the political system.

Question 44

Which of the following concepts refers to the use of violence by governments often against their own people?

A)authoritarianism
B)state terrorism
C)totalitarianism
D)counterterrorism

Question 45

A pluralist approach to politics system suggests that:

A)power is concentrated in the hands of a few.
B)an anti-democratic bias exists in the capitalist system.
C)power is widely dispersed throughout society.
D)many people do not vote because they are alienated from the political system.

Question 46

Terrorism has been called a new kind of warfare because:

A)it is less violent.
B)it is "symmetrical," involving two opponents of roughly equal power.
C)it lacks clearly stated objectives and is not about controlling territory.
D)All of the above are correct.

Question 47

In Canadian politics today:

A)women are given only portfolios deemed "suitable" for women
B)overall,women are under-represented
C)the Conservative Party has been most persistent,over the long term,in the promotion of women
D)the proportion of females among those running for office and winning is greatest at the provincial level

Question 48

The text explains that:

A)human beings are naturally eager to engage in war.
B)there is nothing in our human biology that makes it natural to go to war.
C)nations usually fight wars simply over wealth.
D)All of the above are correct.

Question 49

The first female cabinet minister in Canada was:

A)Kim Campbell
B)Alexa McDonough
C)Agnes McPhail
D)Ellen Fairclough

Question 50

Which of the following is NOT one of the five factors that promote war?

A)perceived threats
B)political objectives
C)moral objectives
D)attacking an internal enemy

Question 51

About 5% of Canadians would fall into the ____________ category of Milbrath's hierarchy of participation.

A)gladiatorial
B)transitional
C)spectator
D)non-participant

Question 52

For almost fifty years,what strategy has kept the peace between the world's nuclear superpowers?

A)deterrence
B)high-technology defense
C)disarmament
D)resolving underlying differences

Question 53

Which of all U.S.wars was the most deadly in terms of loss of Canadian lives?

A)the Korean War
B)World War I
C)World War II
D)the Vietnam War

Question 54

About how much money does the world as a whole spend annually for military purposes?

A)$12 million
B)$120 million
C)$12 billion
D)$1.6 trillion