PoliSci Final Exam Review

b.

Amendments to the U.S. Constitution a. must be approved by the president. b. are difficult and time-consuming to pass. c. are easily made and ratified. d. can be easily rescinded.

b.

Americans differ from Canadians in that a. Canadians are more insistent about their individual rights. b. Canadians are more willing to allow government to assume a larger role in their lives. c. their tastes and lifestyles are vastly different. d. Americans are more law-abiding.

a.

Americans' emphasis on pragmatism a. has led them to underestimate the energizing effect of ideology in different places in the world. b. is a characteristic that is imitated throughout the world. c. has always been part of their character Americans have never been ideological. d. is no longer valid today, as Americans have become more ideological.

b.

An explanation of political power that makes the claim that forming a political system and obeying its leaders is innate and inherited is a. a rational explanation. b. a biological explanation. c. a cultural explanation. d. an irrational explanation.

a.

Before the rise of mass communication, political candidates reached the electorate by relying most heavily on a. stumping. b. letter-writing. c. communication by phone. d. newspapers.

b.

Compared to citizens of other lands, when it comes to citizen pride in and satisfaction with the government system, Americans a. are among the least proud of their system and least satisfied with the way democracy works. b. are prouder of their system and more satisfied with the way democracy works. c. don't have an opinion about their system and the way democracy works. d. are less proud of their system and less satisfied with the way democracy works.

d.

Compared to political campaigns in other countries, American campaigns a. are driven mainly by two strong, centralized political parties. b. are tightly controlled by the federal government. c. rely much more heavily on public financing. d. are much longer and more expensive.

a.

Compared to the middle and upper classes, the poor are a. less well represented by interest groups. b. not represented by interest groups. c. better represented by interest groups. d. as well represented by interest groups.

d.

Constitutions a. formalize the structure of government. b. establish the legitimacy of government. c. may serve a symbolic function. d. All of the above.

b.

Countries with laissez-faire economic systems are followers of which of the following? a. Niccolò Machiavelli b. Adam Smith c. Aristotle d. Karl Marx

a.

Interest group activities are dominated by individuals with a. business- or economic-related interests b. ideological interests. c. concerns for the poor. d. religious and ethnic interests.

a.

Interest group activity in a democracy a. does not always balance "particular wills" with the "general will." b. always has the full support of its membership. c. allows different interests to articulate demands that are always heeded by government. d. allows smaller organizations, just like larger organizations, to be equally heard.

a.

Interest groups a. exist in every highly organized modern society. b. exist only in capitalist democracies. c. did not exist in the former Soviet Union. d. exist only in the United States.

c.

It is likely that a non-controversial issue will show opinions that will take the form of a. a skewed or J-curve. b. a bimodal or U-curve. c. a bell-shaped curve. d. a bimodal distribution.

c.

The main distinguishing factor between a nation and a state is a. a state is a population with an historic sense of self, and a nation is not. b. a nation is always the underlying element of a state. c. a state is the government structure of a nation. d. a nation is merely a governmental structure; a state has nothing to do with government.

d.

The most common procedure for amending the U.S. Constitution involves a. ratification by 75 percent of the states. b. a 2/3 vote from the U.S. Senate. c. a 2/3 vote from the U.S. House of Representatives. d. All of the above.

c.

The neoconservative movement a. was launched by discontented conservatives. b. was an extreme left-wing movement. c. was launched by discontented liberals. d. was not at all like modern conservatism.

d.

The number of college students who keep up on the news and editorial opinion a. has surpassed the number of college students who follow sports, rock stars, and feature articles. b. has surpassed the number of people between ages thirty and fifty who do so. c. is about the same as the number of people between ages thirty and fifty who do so. d. is minimal.

c.

The one feature of political science that distinguishes it from the other social sciences is a. its popularity among students. b. its lack of a need for data. c. its focus on power. d. its interdisciplinary nature.

a.

The primary reason that monarchs began sharing power with parliaments was a. to raise money needed for war. b. to enhance the monarchs' support for the concept of separation of powers. c. to devise the rules and regulations of the kingdom. d. none of these.

c.

The subsystems of society under a totalitarian government are a. largely free to run their own internal affairs. b. controlled minimally and able to voice demands and influence government. c. forced to adhere to official and dogmatic ideologies. d. given great autonomy.

c.

The theory that government structures take on lives of their own and powerfully shape the behavior and attitudes of the people who live under and work in them is called a. social contractualism. b. new behaviorism. c. new institutionalism. d. new realism.

c.

The theory that society can be studied scientifically and incrementally improved with the knowledge gained is best described as a. realism. b. postbehaviorism. c. positivism. d. rational choice theory.

c.

The trend toward democracy has most likely been found in a. authoritarian regimes that enjoyed strong economic growth. b. collapsed Communist regimes whose economic growth lagged. c. both a. and b. d. neither a. nor b.

b.

Regarding interest group size and membership, a. all things being equal, small groups have just as much clout as large groups. b. membership numbers are not as important as the socioeconomic status of the members. c. groups that claim to speak for large numbers, even though they have few committed members, are as effective as groups with large membership numbers. d. all of the above.

d.

This theorist is credited with the development of the political systems model. a. Aristotle b. Seymour Martin Lipset c. John Locke d. David Easton

d.

Today's social democracies a. are run by right-wing revolutionary parties. b. are able to keep taxes low by abandoning welfare measures. c. seem to focus more on nationalization. d. use welfare measures rather than industry nationalization to improve living conditions.

b.

Which of the following statements most accurately describes television news coverage in the United States? a. Television provides excessive coverage of federal bureaucrats. b. Americans are usually not informed about a place unless there are some good visuals going on there. c. Television provides a lot of background coverage of events. d. The main strength of television is its ability to provide video along with comprehensive analysis of an issue.

a.

According to Almond and Verba a political culture in which people identify with their immediate locality but take no pride in their country's political system and expect little of it is best called a. parochial. b. participant. c. competent. d. subject.

c.

According to Aristotle, which of the following is a legitimate type of government? a. Oligarchy b. Democracy c. Monarchy d. Tyranny

b.

According to Gabriel Almond, the general public a. is quite attentive to foreign policy. b. doesn't know or care about much in politics beyond their immediate concerns. c. comprises highly influential people who are involved in politics, often professionally. d. is more involved in politics than they are given credit for.

a.

According to modernization theory, a. there is a connection between a country's level of economic development and democracy. b. the different facets of society are not related to each other. c. society moves along through a simple process with a single cause. d. industrialization has no impacts on a society.

b.

Authoritarian regimes differ from totalitarian regimes in that a. authoritarian regimes go very far in promoting individual freedoms. b. in authoritarian regimes, many economic, social, religious, cultural and familial matters are left up to individuals. c. authoritarian regimes have an all-encompassing and firm ideology to sell. d. none of these. There are no differences between authoritarian and totalitarian regimes

d.

Psychological studies have revealed that people a. have no need or desire to be part of a group. b. are naturally conformist. c. often obey authority because of a deep-seated desire to fit into groups. d. Both b and c.

c.

Classic conservatism finds its roots in the writings of a. Adam Smith. b. Karl Marx. c. Edmund Burke. d. Thomas Paine.

c.

Classic liberalism had expelled government from the marketplace modern liberalism a. expelled government from the marketplace even more forcefully. b. didn't consider government's role in the marketplace. c. brought it back in. d. kept it out.

b.

Classic political theorists, such as Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, are best described as a. power politicians. b. rationalists. c. irrationalists. d. cultural theorists.

c.

Compared to a generation ago, today more news focuses on a. world affairs. b. foreign policy. c. health and lifestyles. d. politics.

b.

Public opinion in a democracy a. rarely involves the mass media. b. can be blurred behind the opinions of small groups of people who are well-organized and highly vocal. c. is largely ignored by political leaders. d. is rarely tested on specific issues.

b.

Freedom of Expression a. gives you the right to shout "Fire!" in a crowded theater, even if there is no fire. b. does not protect malicious falsehoods. c. will always be limited if violence is advocated. d. means that you can say anything, anytime, to anyone.

d.

Freedom of speech is more likely to be restricted by governments a. during tranquil times. b. that are long-established. c. that are comfortable with their legitimacy. d. when they feel threatened.

a.

George H. Gallup's success in public opinion polling is attributed to his a. obtaining a representative sample of the population. b. sampling of only high-income people. c. use of the straw poll. d. obtaining a large sample of the population.

d.

Public policies are made in the form of a. executive decrees. b. judicial rulings. c. legislation. d. All of the above.

d

In Europe, Green parties are determined to end a. nuclear power. b. the arms race. c. toxic waste. d. all of the above.

a.

In a constitutionally governed nation, a. the power of the government is limited. b. the constitution is largely ignored. c. individuals and minority groups have little protection against arbitrary acts of government. d. the government is considered to be authoritarian.

c.

In the United States, education a. makes people more liberal on noneconomic issues. b. makes people more conservative on economic issues. c. both a. and b. d. neither a. nor b.

a.

Public policy choices a. often involve the use of power and money. b. seldom involve politics. c. are decisions that are made to benefit the entire public. d. are seldom influenced by interest groups.

d.

John Locke believed that a. man does not have any self-interests, so there are none for government to protect. b. ruled peoples would always support those in power, even if their interests were not being served. c. ruled peoples could never support those in power. d. the great end of government is the preservation of property interests.

c.

Karl Marx argued that a. workers in the capitalist system could easily afford to buy the goods they produced. b. the capitalist system could survive forever because of all of its surplus value. c. workers get paid only a fraction of the value of what they produce. d. the capitalist system was quite fair to the workers.

c.

Reactions to the 1995 murder trial of O.J. Simpson illustrated that a. both blacks and whites have similar feelings about the police and court system in America. b. blacks no longer form a political subculture. c. there is still a huge gap between blacks and whites in America. d. although they disagreed about the verdict, both blacks and whites share the same mainstream political culture.

a.

Left-wing and right-wing totalitarians distinguish themselves because a. right-wing totalitarians seek to strengthen the existing social order. b. right-wing totalitarians strive toward a stateless, classless society. c. left-wing totalitarians seek to protect private property. d. right-wing totalitarians seek to change and revolutionize society completely.

d.

Libertarians want a. government to stay out of the economy. b. government to stay out of people's personal lives. c. neither a. nor b. d. both a. and b.

d

Mao Zedong based the Communist revolution in China on a. the wealthy classes. b. a market economy. c. slow and moderate reforms. d. poor peasants.

b.

More than any other, which of the ideologies depends most upon emotional appeals? a. liberalism b. nationalism c. communism d. conservatism

d.

Most modern elite theorists a. are conservatives. b. believe that rule by elites is the best and fairest way to run a democracy. c. believe elites are ultimately accountable to the masses. d. decry rule by elites as unfair and undemocratic.

c.

Probably the most powerful agent of socialization is a. peer groups. b. the mass media. c. the family. d. the government.

d.

Probably the single most important factor in an interest group's success is the a. size of its membership. b. types of candidates it supports. c. content of its message. d. amount of money it has.

c.

Of all the hurdles in building a nation, this one is typically considered to be the first. a. Crisis of participation b. Crisis of penetration c. Legitimacy crisis d. Identity crisis

b.

One of the key factors that has contributed to the decay of political culture in the United States is a. an increase in grassroots and volunteer associations. b. the decline of the American tendency to form associations. c. the decline of American individualism. d. a decline in Americans' interest in personal freedom.

b.

One of the main distinctions between the Constitution of the United States and the constitutions of other nations is that a. the U.S. Constitution is much more detailed and specific than other constitutions. b. the U.S. Constitution contains far fewer details than the constitutions of other nations. c. the U.S. Constitution is much longer than the constitutions of other nations. d. civil rights in the U.S. Constitution are carefully defined and enumerated.

c.

One of the main reasons that developing societies have a difficult time establishing democracy is that a. democracy is too firmly rooted in their political culture. b. their levels of education and income are high, and they are not interested in democracy. c. they don't have competitive market economies. d. their leaders too often decentralize power.

a.

One of the major criticisms of the behavioralists is that they focus a. on relatively minor topics and steer clear of the big questions. b. on what ought to be rather than what is. c. too heavily on thoughts and feelings. d. too closely on the possibility of change.

c.

One of the reasons that it is difficult to curb the influence of big money in politics is that a. Congress has never tried to pass campaign-reform laws. b. laws that curb big money influence are already on the books and working effectively. c. campaign contributions are considered to be a form of free speech. d. None of the above. There is no influence of big money in politics.

c.

Paul Lazarsfeld and Elihu Katz were among the first to perceive a two-step pattern in the way the mass media penetrate an audience. They believe that communication flows a. from opinion leaders to the mass media and then to the general public. b. from the mass media to the general public and then to opinion leaders. c. from the mass media to opinion leaders and then to the general public. d. from the general public to opinion leaders and then to the mass media.

a.

Political ideologies a. are commitments to change political systems. b. are calm, rational attempts to understand political systems. c. focus on what is, rather than on what ought to be. d. are not concerned with improving society.

c.

Political science accumulates data that is a. quantified. b. neither quantified nor qualitative. c. both quantified and qualitative. d. qualitative.

a.

Political scientist Samuel Huntington proposes that democracy is firmly rooted in a country that a. has had two electoral alternations of government. b. has overthrown communism. c. continuously reelects the same ruling party into power. d. keeps the same group of ruling elites in power for decades.

b.

Presidential popularity a. rarely fluctuates during a president's term of office. b. is usually at its highest early in the president's term of office. c. is usually at its highest at the end of the president's term of office. d. usually drops quickly with a dramatic foreign policy event.

d.

Rousseau believed that a. man is born both evil and savage. b. private property is vital to the establishment of a just society. c. life is "nasty, brutish and short." d. society corrupts man.

b.

Studies of the impact of the mass media on individual thinking and behavior show that a. people are strongly influenced by the mass media because of its two-way avenue of communication. b. the mass media can effectively reinforce existing political opinions. c. the mass media are easily able to convert people to a particular way of thinking. d. all of the above.

c.

The American political culture includes a. expectations that the government will supervise the economy. b. a difficulty understanding democracy. c. an emphasis on minimal government. d. excessive submission to the authority of those who hold political office.

b.

The Literary Digest poll in 1936 a. accurately reflected the results of that year's presidential election because of its use of the scientific sampling method. b. wrongly predicted the outcome of the presidential election because its sample was too large. c. wrongly predicted the outcome of the presidential election because its sample was drawn from higher-income people. d. was inaccurate because it failed to obtain a large enough sample of the population.

b.

The Milgram study, in which unwitting subjects were instructed by a professor to administer electric shocks to a victim, shows us that people a. are innately evil. b. are willing to do something when instructed by an authority figure. c. want to find a way to take responsibility for the pain of others. d. simply like hurting victims.

d.

The Renaissance philosopher who emphasized the role of power in politics was a. Thomas Hobbes. b. Aristotle. c. John Locke. d. Niccolò Machiavelli.

c.

The Soviet Union's greatest weakness was its a. lack of security forces and a secret police. b. lack of research and exploration in outer space. c. economic backwardness. d. failure to control the mass media.

d.

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) a. strongly enforces its "equal-time" and "fairness" provisions. b. was established in 1934 and abolished in 1984. c. supervises the content of programs on radio and television. d. can do little, if anything, to make programs more cultural, educational or morally uplifting.

a.

The U.S. Founding Fathers studied the contractualists but seem to have taken most of their influence from which one? a. John Locke. b. Jean Jacques Rousseau. c. Confucius. d. None of these. The Founding Fathers were not influenced by the contractualists.

d.

The bureaucracy a. is charged with implementing laws, not making them. b. originates few, if any, policy ideas. c. has no need to engage in interest group activity. d. has become one of the biggest and most powerful interest groups of all.

c.

The distribution of Americans' political attitudes is most likely to form a curve that is a. bimodal because most Americans are either strong liberals or strong conservatives. b. skewed because most Americans are liberals. c. unimodal because most Americans are moderates. d. skewed because most Americans are conservatives.

d.

The drafters of both the U.S. Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were deeply influenced by a. psychological and irrational factors. b. the rationalism of their day. c. biological and cultural factors. d. a complex mixture of many factors.

b.

The politics of ethnic groups, such as African-Americans or American Jews, a. has remained quite constant over the past century. b. has changed over the past century, as times have changed. c. has always been and will always be predominantly Republican. d. has always been and will always be predominantly Democratic.

c.

The primary distinction among the concepts legitimacy, sovereignty and authority is a. Legitimacy means respect for a country, sovereignty means respect for a leader and authority means respect for a government. b. Legitimacy means respect for a country, sovereignty means respect for a government and authority means respect for a leader. c. Legitimacy means respect for a government, sovereignty means respect for a country and authority means respect for a leader. d. None of these. There are no distinctions among the three concepts.

d.

The primary function of the mass media in totalitarian states is a. to provide citizens with facts and raise public awareness about the true workings of government. b. to create a dialogue between the people and their leaders. c. news and entertainment. d. to indoctrinate the people with the official ideology.

b.

Voter turnout in America is a. higher than in most other industrialized democracies b. among the lowest in the world. c. close in proportion to voter turnout in Western Europe. d. high in all elections, particularly in state and local contests.

c.

Which of the following statements about newspaper, radio and television news in America is false? a. More Americans get their political information from television than from any other source. b. Television is inherently a more emotional medium than newspapers or radio. c. Most Americans still find information obtained from newspapers and radio to be more believable than television news. d. Television devotes more attention to a news story with good visuals than one without

d.

Which of the following statements about political action committees (PACs) is false? a. Today, there are more than 5,000 PACs in the United States. b. There is no limit on the amount of money an individual or business can donate to a PAC. c. The bulk of PAC contributions goes to incumbents. d. Although PACs were originally an idea of business, labor PACs now greatly outspend business PACs.

b.

Which of the following statements about public opinion is false? a. Public opinion may not demonstrate the public's awareness or knowledge of an issue. b. Public opinion typically implies strong, clear, united convictions of most citizens. c. Public opinion is not the same as individual opinion. d. Public opinion concerns people's reactions to specific policies and problems.

c.

What is the main distinction between political culture and public opinion? a. Surveys are useful for measuring public opinion but not political culture. b. Political culture is nearly permanent and changes only rarely, while public opinion is fickle and changes quickly. c. Political culture focuses on basic, general values, while public opinion focuses on specifics. d. Political culture relies only on quantifiable data, public opinion seeks insights beyond the numbers.

b.

When Aristotle called political science "the master science," he meant that a. Politics is completely unrelated to any of the other social sciences. b. Almost everything happens in a political context. c. Politics is better studied as part of the natural sciences. d. None of the above. Aristotle never called politics "the master science."

c.

When it comes to concerns about sedition in the United States, the government a. has not tried to suppress radical expression since the establishment of the Bill of Rights. b. has not attempted to suppress seditious expression since the dawning of the 20th century. c. has suppressed radical expression during several periods in U.S. history. d. has never been concerned about speech that could incite government overthrow.

a.

When it comes to political participation, elites and masses a. have vastly different levels of participation. b. have the same levels of participation. c. do not participate in a democracy. d. do not exist in a democracy.

d.

Which contemporary theory focuses predominantly on people's self-interests? a. new institutionalism b. modernization c. postbehavioralism d. rational-choice

d.

Which of the following branches of government do interest groups attempt to influence? a. executive b. legislative c. judicial d. all of the above

d.

Which of the following fueled Adolf Hitler's rise to power? a. a strong German economy b. assistance from the Communists c. Hitler's denunciation of the Nazis d. a severe German economic depression

b.

Which of the following has become known as the world's first television war? a. Iraq b. Vietnam c. Korea d. World War II

b.

Which of the following is INCORRECT regarding systems theory? a. Government decisions and actions are part of the outputs of the system. b. The conversion process is clearly defined. c. The feedback link involves citizens' demands. d. Citizens' demands are part of the inputs of the system.

b.

Which of the following is an impact of television on campaigns and elections in the United States? a. Election day voter turnouts have increased. b. Voter passivity and apathy has increased. c. The cost of campaigns has been kept down. d. Voter identification with one of the two major parties has increased.

b.

Which of the following is true about symbolic policies? a. Symbolic policies do little to make people feel satisfied. b. Symbolic policies can deflect public concern without a huge expenditure of public funds. c. Symbolic policies involve real and tangible benefits. d. Symbolic policies require a large expenditure of public funds, which are typically scarce.

c.

Which of the following polling methods is most likely to produce the most accurate results? a. telephone polling b. mail-out ballots c. face-to-face interviews d. computer surveying

a.

Which of the following statements about constitutions is correct? a. Constitutions are important not only for what they say but how they are practiced. b. If a country does not have a written document, it does not have a constitution. c. Besides the United States, there are very few nations that have a written constitution. d. Written constitutions throughout the world are always followed, even in corrupt or dictatorial systems.