Question 1

A criticism of the pluralist model of power is that

Accepted Answer

the leaders in each sector come disproportionately from the upper-economic stratum, and thus share common goals and interests.

Question 2

According to the chapter, the most important component of a democratic model is that representatives, because they are elected by the people,

Accepted Answer

are responsive to the wishes of the people.

Question 3

The New York Times editorialized: "The court's conservative majority has paved the way for corporations to use their vast treasuries to overwhelm elections and intimidate elected officials into doing their bidding." That opinion was a response to

Accepted Answer

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.

Question 4

The Electoral College allows for the possibilty that someone could be elected president even if that person received fewer votes than his or her opponent; for instance, in the year 2000 presidential election

Accepted Answer

Bush won despite having more than half a million fewer votes than Gore.

Question 5

The Republican and Democratic Parties receive federal matching campaign funds based on their presumed viability, which serves to

Accepted Answer

keep the strong parties strong and the weak parties weak.

Question 6

The number of each state's electors in the Electoral College is based on the number of senators and representatives in that state. The problem with this system is states with

Accepted Answer

small populations receive a disproportionatly high number of electoral votes.

Question 7

What percentage of Americans of voting age chose to vote in the 2012 presidential election?

Accepted Answer

53.6%

Question 8

An important criticism of the pluralistic model is that it is

Accepted Answer

an idealized conception of the distribution of power that does not conform with reality.

Question 9

Which model of power is most aligned with the conflict model of sociology?

Accepted Answer

Elitist

Question 10

The _____ model views power as broadly distributed among a number of organizations, special interests, and the voters.

Accepted Answer

pluralist

Question 11

What is the term for the process in which state legislatures under partisan control deliberately shape congressional districts to favor their own parties?

Accepted Answer

Gerrymandering

Question 12

What is the basic difference between pluralists and elitists regarding those in society who are wealthy enough to be upper class?

Accepted Answer

Whether there is basic unity or disagreement among the powerful from different sectors

Question 13

The phrase "government of the people, by the people, and for the people" describes which type of political system?

Accepted Answer

Democracy

Question 14

What did the McCain-Feingold law seek to do?

Accepted Answer

Limit soft money donations to political campaigns to $2,300

Question 15

In _____'s classic view of the U.S. structure of power posits that the key people in three sectors-the corporate rich, the executive branch of the government, and the military-combine to form a power elite that makes all important decisions.

Accepted Answer

C. Wright Mills

Question 16

Which model of societal power is similar to the views of Karl Marx?

Accepted Answer

Elitist

Question 17

In the _____ view, the political and economic elite are on the same side and so the state will serve the interests of the elite whether they actively try to manipulate the system or not.

Accepted Answer

structuralist

Question 18

While it is difficult to conclusively prove that campaign contributions result in direct favors, there is some indirect evidence that this must be so. For instance

Accepted Answer

interest groups often give to candidates who run unopposed.

Question 19

In the _____ view, the ruling class rules by controlling political officials and institutions through money and influence.

Accepted Answer

instrumentalist

Question 20

The pluralist idea of interest groups is the groups that primarily exercise power vary with the issue. This idea of _____ means that interest groups band together to neutralize each other when their interests do not align.

Accepted Answer

veto groups

Quiz 12: Power and Politics

A criticism of the pluralist model of power is that

According to the chapter, the most important component of a democratic model is that representatives, because they are elected by the people,

The New York Times editorialized: "The court's conservative majority has paved the way for corporations to use their vast treasuries to overwhelm elections and intimidate elected officials into doing their bidding." That opinion was a response to

The Electoral College allows for the possibilty that someone could be elected president even if that person received fewer votes than his or her opponent; for instance, in the year 2000 presidential election

The Republican and Democratic Parties receive federal matching campaign funds based on their presumed viability, which serves to

The number of each state's electors in the Electoral College is based on the number of senators and representatives in that state. The problem with this system is states with

What percentage of Americans of voting age chose to vote in the 2012 presidential election?

An important criticism of the pluralistic model is that it is

Which model of power is most aligned with the conflict model of sociology?

The _____ model views power as broadly distributed among a number of organizations, special interests, and the voters.

What is the term for the process in which state legislatures under partisan control deliberately shape congressional districts to favor their own parties?

What is the basic difference between pluralists and elitists regarding those in society who are wealthy enough to be upper class?

The phrase "government of the people, by the people, and for the people" describes which type of political system?

What did the McCain-Feingold law seek to do?

In _____'s classic view of the U.S. structure of power posits that the key people in three sectors-the corporate rich, the executive branch of the government, and the military-combine to form a power elite that makes all important decisions.

Which model of societal power is similar to the views of Karl Marx?

In the _____ view, the political and economic elite are on the same side and so the state will serve the interests of the elite whether they actively try to manipulate the system or not.

While it is difficult to conclusively prove that campaign contributions result in direct favors, there is some indirect evidence that this must be so. For instance

In the _____ view, the ruling class rules by controlling political officials and institutions through money and influence.

The pluralist idea of interest groups is the groups that primarily exercise power vary with the issue. This idea of _____ means that interest groups band together to neutralize each other when their interests do not align.