Chapter 17: Government and Politics

10. A(n) _________________ is an extremely oppressive government that seeks to control all aspects of its citizens' lives. a. oligarchy b. totalitarian dictatorship c. anarchy d. absolute monarchy

B

representative democracy:

a government wherein citizens elect officials to represent their interests

politics:

a means of studying a nation's or group's underlying social norms as values as evidenced by its political structure and practices

rational-legal authority:

a power that is legitimized by rules, regulations, and laws

authority:

a power that people accept because it comes from a source that is perceived as legitimate

power elite:

a small group of powerful people who control much of a society

patrimonialism:

a type of authority wherein military and administrative actions enforce the power of the master

totalitarian dictatorship:

an extremely oppressive form of dictatorship in which most aspects of citizens' lives are controlled by the leader

14. Which president signed the Voting Rights Act? a. Lyndon Johnson b. John F. Kennedy Jr. c. Barack Obama d. Franklin D. Roosevelt

A

23. Sociologist G. William Domhoff's Who Rules America? asserts that wealth is often necessary to exert the most influence over social and political systems. This is a ____ perspective. a. conflict theory b. symbolic interactionist c. functionalist d. feminist

A

8. Which nation is an absolute monarchy? a. Oman b. Great Britain c. Denmark d. Australia

A

democracy:

a form of government that provides all citizens with an equal voice or vote in determining state policy

11. Which is not a characteristic of a democracy? a. People vote to elect officials. b. A king or queen holds the majority of governmental control. c. One goal of this type of government is to protect citizens' basic rights. d. A constitution typically outlines the foundational ideas of how this government should operate.

B

13. In the past, Southern states discouraged African Americans from voting by requiring them to take a _____________________ test. a. blood b. literacy c. lie detector d. citizenship

B

16. The U.S. Supreme Court case _________________ led to the revision of voting districts to account for differences in population density. a. Roe v. Wade b. Reynolds v. Sims c. Brown v. Board of Education d. Marbury v. Madison

B

18. Which concept corresponds best to functionalism? a. Happiness b. Interdependence c. Revolution d. Symbolism

B

21. The Arab Spring, Occupy Wall Street protests, and the Tea Party movement have the following in common: a. They sought to destroy central government. b. They are examples of conflict theory in action. c. They can only occur in a representative democracy. d. They used violence as the means of achieving their goals.

B

24. Which of the following paradigms would consider movements such as Occupy Wall Street undesirable and unnecessarily forcing social change? a. Symbolic interactionism b. Functionalism c. Feminism d. Conflict theory

B

3. In the U.S. Senate, it is customary to assign each senator a seniority ranking based on years of government service and the population of the state he or she represents. A top ranking gives the senator priority for assignments to office space, committee chair positions, and seating on the senate floor. What type of authority does this example best illustrate? a. Dictatorial b. Traditional c. Charismatic d. Legal-rational

B

4. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. used his public speaking abilities and magnetism to inspire African Americans to stand up against injustice in an extremely hostile environment. He is an example of a(n) __________ leader. a. traditional b. charismatic c. legal-rational d. illegitimate

B

5. Which current world figure has the least amount of political power? a. President Barack Obama b. Queen Elizabeth II c. British Prime Minister David Cameron d. North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un

B

7. Many constitutional monarchies started out as: a. oligarchies b. absolute monarchies c. dictatorships d. democracies

B

1. Which statement best expresses the difference between power and authority? a. Authority involves intimidation. b. Authority is more subtle than power. c. Authority is based on the perceived legitimacy of the individual in power. d. Authority is inherited, but power is seized by military force.

C

12. Which statement best expresses why the United States is not a true democracy? a. Many politicians are corrupt. b. Special-interest groups fund political campaigns. c. Citizens elect representatives who vote on their behalf to make policy. d. Ancient Greece was the only true democracy.

C

20. Karl Marx believed social structures evolve through: a. supply and demand b. enlightenment c. conflict d. cooperation

C

22. Which is not one of functionalism's four main purposes of government? a. Maintaining law and order b. Meeting social needs c. Equally distributing resources d. Planning and directing society

C

6. Which statement best expresses why there have been so few charismatic female leaders throughout history? a. Women have different leadership styles than men. b. Women are not interested in leading at all. c. Few women have had the opportunity to hold leadership roles over the course of history. d. Male historians have refused to acknowledge the contributions of female leaders in their records.

C

15. Which factor does not influence voting practices? a. Race b. Social class c. Ethnicity d. Voting booths

D

17. Which statement best explains the meaning of "one person, one vote"? a. One person should not be allowed to vote twice. b. A voter deserves one chance to vote. c. A voter should vote only once a year. d. All people's votes should count equally.

D

19. Which sociologist is not associated with conflict theory? a. C. Wright Mills b. G. William Domhoff c. Karl Marx d. George H. Mead

D

2. Which of the following types of authority does not reside primarily in a leader? a. Dictatorial b. Traditional c. Charismatic d. Legal-rational

D

9. Which of the following present and former government leaders is generally considered a dictator? a. David Cameron b. Barack Obama c. Qaboos bin Said Al Said d. Kim Jong-Un

D

17.2 Forms of Government

Nations are governed by different political systems, including monarchies, oligarchies, dictatorships, and democracies. Generally speaking, citizens of nations wherein power is concentrated in one leader or a small group are more likely to suffer violations of civil liberties and experience economic inequality. Many nations that are today organized around democratic ideals started out as monarchies or dictatorships but have evolved into more egalitarian systems. Democratic ideals, although hard to implement and achieve, promote basic human rights and justice for all citizens.

Power and Authority

Sociologists examine government and politics in terms of their impact on individuals and larger social systems. Power is an entity or individual's ability to control or direct others, while authority is an influence that is predicated on perceived legitimacy. Max Weber studied power and authority, differentiating between the two concepts and formulating a system for classifying types of authority.

17.4 Theoretical Perspectives on Government and Power

Sociologists use frameworks to gain perspective on data and observations related to the study of power and government. Functionalism suggests that societal power and structure is predicated on cooperation, interdependence, and shared goals or values. Conflict theory, rooted in Marxism, asserts that societal structures are the result of social groups competing for wealth and influence. Symbolic interactionism examines a smaller realm of sociological interest: the individual's perception of symbols of power and their subsequent reaction to the face-to-face interactions of the political realm.

17.3 Politics in the United States

The success and validity of U.S. democracy hinge on free, fair elections that are characterized by the support and participation of diverse citizens. In spite of their importance, elections have low participation. In the past, the voice of minority groups was nearly imperceptible in elections, but recent trends have shown increased voter turnout across many minority races and ethnicities. In the past, the creation and sustenance of a fair voting process have necessitated government intervention, particularly on the legislative level. The Reynolds v. Sims case, with its landmark "one person, one vote" ruling, is an excellent example of such action

oligarchy:

a form of government in which power is held by a small, elite group

one person, one vote:

a concept holding that each person's vote should be counted equally

monarchy:

a form of government in which a single person (a monarch) rules until that individual dies or abdicates the throne

dictatorship:

a form of government in which a single person (or a very small group) wields complete and absolute authority over a government or populace after the dictator rises to power, usually through economic or military might

absolute monarchies:

governments wherein a monarch has the absolute or unmitigated power

constitutional monarchies:

national governments that recognize monarchs but require these figures to abide by the laws of a greater constitution

charismatic authority:

power legitimized on the basis of a leader's exceptional personal qualities

traditional authority:

power legitimized on the basis of long-standing customs

power:

the ability to exercise one's will over others

anarchy:

the absence of any organized government