CHAPTER 1: Political Thinking & Political Culture: Becoming a Responsible Citizen

Which governing structure represses individuals and groups that oppose the regime?

Authoritarianism

The text cites President Trump's decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement on climate change—even though two-thirds of Americans polled disagreed with the decision—as an example of

Authority

______ is the recognized right of officials to exercise power

Authority

Which of these is not considered to be a core value of American political ideals?

Collectivism

Americans' belief in self-government formed in

Colonial America

Individualism in the U.S. is best described as

Deeply ingrained

In what year was discrimination against Chinese, Japanese, and other Asian immigrants finally removed from U.S. immigration law?

1965

Democracy may free the mind, but who determines how that freedom will be used?

Democracy frees the mind, but the individual citizen determines how that freedom will be used

Which of the following is a system of majority rule through elections, empowering majorities, groups, and officials?

Democratic

In a(n) ______ form of democracy (for example, the type that might be conducted through town meetings) citizens decide policy instead of depending on elected representatives.

Direct

Which of the following are true of party polarization?

Partisanship has increased dramatically over the past few decades Partisan fights have become prolonged and bitter Partisan divisions have surfaced on nearly every issue

When political leaders respond to the policy desires of the majority, it is referred to as

Majoritarianism

An elite few hold the power to govern in which of these forms of government?

Oligarchy

In a pluralist system, who or what would have the most influence on policies regarding regulation of Internet service providers?

The providers themselves

Slavery in America lasted for ______ years

250 years

An economic system that operates mainly on private transactions where firms are free to make their own production, distribution and pricing decisions is known as

A free-market system

Compared to other countries, Americans have pursued their individual rights

Aggressively and in many areas.

Political culture in the U.S. is based upon Americans'

Allegiance to common goals

Statements that are true about American ideals and government?

Americans generally believe that government power should be widely shared Americans believe that their government should have a high purpose

The text suggests that Americans tend especially toward selective memory and recasting history because

Americans' beliefs are so idealistic

As political leaders have become more willing to make deceptive claims, the public has

Become more tolerant of the practice

Which of the following were placed in the United States Constitution in order to prevent majority tyranny?

Bill of rights Separation of powers Checks and balances

Which of the following is a system based on rule of law, including legal protections for individuals, empowering individuals by enabling them to claim their rights in court?

Constitutional

The idea that there are lawful restrictions on government power is called

Constitutionalism

What term refers to the influence of business firms on public policy?

Corporate Power

According to sociologist C. Wright Mills, who or what has greater control over economic policy than even elected officials have?

Corporate elites

Despite the existence of institutions that encourage widespread participation, wealth gives rise to ______, the power that well-positioned and highly influential individuals have.

Elitism

Which of the following statements about political institutions and interests in the United States is true?

Few nations have as many competing interests and institutions as the United States.

Under socialism as it is practiced today in Sweden and other countries, the government

Guarantees its citizens a minimal standard of living

Individualism

Is a commitment to personal initiative and self-sufficiency

Authority

Is recognized right of officials to exercise power

Liberty

Is the principle that individuals should be free to act and think as they choose, provided they do not infringe unreasonably on the freedom and well-being of others

America's Core Political Ideas

Liberty Individualism Equality Self-Government

Which of the following correctly describes political culture?

It helps define the relationship between citizens and their government It is derived from the country's traditions. It helps define citizens' relationships to each other

Which of the following are true of legal action?

It involves the Bill of Rights, an independent judiciary, and firm attachment to private property It involves use of the courts to assert rights and interests It is a channel through which ordinary Americans exercise power

People who are acting in a way that promotes critical thinking?

Jamal is a liberal but his best friend is conservative. The two often compare sources before forming opinions on political issues.

The use of the courts as a means of asserting rights and interests is known as

Legal Action

The tools of political science attempt to

Sharpen students' understanding of American politics

The overall way in which society settles conflicts and allocates the resulting benefits and costs is called

Politics

Who or what owns the means of production in a free-market economic system?

Private firms

The state of California barred individual of Japanese descent from doing what?

Purchasing property in the state

Critical thinking should involve which of the following?

Putting forth considerable effort Evaluating information carefully

Confirmation Bias

Reinterpret information in ways that reinforce what we already believe

What are tools that political science offers to increase one's ability to think critically?

Reliable information about how the U.S. political system operates Systematic generalizations about major tendencies in American politics Terms and concepts that precisely describe key aspects of politics

What best describes the ways in which our media system has presented obstacles to critical thinking in recent history?

Some sources purposely hide contradictory information Some sources invent information that suits their purpose Media consumers fail to question media sources

Pluralism asserts that, on most issues, the actors who exercise the most influence over government policy are

Special interest groups

What document proclaimed that "Governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed"?

The Declaration of Independence

Which of the following statements are true about the motivations for creating American democracy?

The idea of individual potential could be achieved more easily in the New World than in the Old World Colonists, following Enlightenment ideas, wanted to overturn the European way of governing The American Revolution sought to create a radically different form of society

At what point in American history did the influence of business firms on public policy become a defining feature of American politics?

The late 1800s

Equality

The notation that all individuals are equal in their moral worth and thereby entitled to equal treatment under the law

In the U.S., who or what is the ultimate source of governing authority?

The people

Who is the "self" in the political ideal of self-government?

The people

The term party polarization refers to

The situation resulting from the intense conflicts between Republicans and Democrats in recent years

Political Culture

The widely shared and deep-seated beliefs of its people about politics

If citizens do not develop the habit of critical thinking, what may result?

Their choices may not result in the outcome they expect They may engage in wishful thinking They may invent odd versions of reality

Participants in a free-market economy depend primarily on which of the following for their economic security?

Themselves

In America, majoritarianism occurs mainly

Through competition between the Republican and Democratic parties

A country's political culture derives from its

Traditions

Which of the following accurately describe higher education in the U.S.?

U.S. states with the lowest proportion of college grads have more residents with a bachelor's degree than the typical European country The U.S. ranks second only to Canada in the number of people over 25 with a college degree The U.S. has the most elaborate system of higher education in the world

Concerning power sharing, the U.S. is

Unique

People who are said to live in an echo chamber are hearing

What they want to hear

Under an authoritarian government

opposition leaders are sometimes brutalized or imprisoned the regime is usually backed by the military or police political opposition is openly repressed

Politics are necessary because

society's resources are limited conflict in a society is inevitable people do not all think alike