Political Science Final Exam
ch 13 Which statement explains why parliamentary systems have an advantage over presidential systems should a person of dubious character win executive power?
A president is very difficult to remove before his term of office expires.
ch 13 In what sense are bureaucracies "inherently conservative"?
Bureaucrats are generally reluctant to change their ways.
ch 8 How has television shaped the roles of political party leaders in nominating presidential candidates?
Candidates enter party conventions with established momentum that allows them to bypass party leaders.
ch 11 Which one of these is not a factor contributing to partisan polarization in the United States?
Centrism
ch 8 Which of the following events is an example of the "bandwagon effect"?
Commentators proclaim a candidate the winner of a political debate; the candidate then carries that momentum to gain his party's nomination.
ch 10 Which statement explains why the implementation of "responsible party government" is difficult in the United States?
Party power is highly fragmented and divided across branches of government.
ch 11 What is the core argument of Anthony Downs's landmark 1957 work, An Economic Theory of Democracy?
People vote if the returns outweigh the costs.
ch 9 Which statement explains why the issue of access challenges the pluralist theory?
Pluralists assume that all groups have access to policy makers when some groups are actually shut out of the system almost entirely.
ch 8 Which of the following is a consequence of structural bias in the U.S. mass media?
Policy problems tend to be ignored until they reach a crisis point.
ch 13 Which country referred to its state nobility as the Junkers?
Prussia
ch 8 What is one advantage of social media that is not shared by television or print media?
The Internet often catches stories the mass media overlooks.
ch 13 What was a consequence of making top Soviet bureaucrats a privileged elite?
The Soviet bureaucracy was very conservative.
ch 13 Which of these is someone who is most likely to become a cabinet minister in Great Britain?
a longtime politician who has displayed loyalty to his or her party
ch 11 what is dealignment?
a major, long-term decline in party ID
ch 8 An oligopoly occurs when __________.
a small number of corporations own and control an entire industry
ch 13 Under a parliamentary system, the cabinet is __________.
a source of overlap between the executive and legislative branches
ch 8 The willingness of journalists to uncover and publish classified material about torture, drone strikes, and government surveillance programs indicates that __________.
accountability journalism is increasingly popular
ch 8 The relationship between the government and the media today can best described as __________.
adversarial
ch 12 Which of these is a typical feature of the parliamentary system?
an absence of executive-legislative deadlock
ch 12 A European cabinet would be called __________ in the United States.
an administration
ch 8 Which of these forms of media tend to be the most partisan?
blogs
ch 9 Interest groups typically approach __________ looking for a favorable interpretation of existing rules and regulations.
bureaucrats
ch 9 Interest groups in the United States tend to over-represent __________.
business interests
ch 13 Each division of government in a parliamentary system is headed by a __________.
cabinet minister
ch 8 Television usually covers events after the fact because __________.
camera crews cannot always know in advance when an event is taking place
ch 10 In most democratic countries, major parties attempt to be _________ in order to win a large number of votes
catchall parties
ch 11 Swing voters often
change parties from one election to the next.
ch 12 Which of the following is an example of an ombudsman-like action that a Congressional representative could take on behalf of a particular constituent?
check on the status of the constituent's application for Social Security Disability benefits
ch 12 If no party wins a majority of seats in a Parliamentary system, two or more parties must form a __________.
coalition
ch 12 Most of the power in modern legislatures is exercised by __________.
committees
ch 11 The people or district that elects an official are called a(an)
constituency
ch 12 The separation of powers is intended to __________.
create checks that prevent the government from becoming too powerful
ch 11 Someone who believes strongly that their vote and their participation matters is said to exhibit a high level of
efficacy
ch 10 Laws for running elections (or translating votes into seats) are generally called __________.
electoral systems
ch 8 Highly influential newspapers and magazine read by the elite and the attentive public are known as__________?
elite media
ch 12 The fusion of power in a parliamentary system is intended to ___________.
ensure that the executive is responsible to the legislative branch
ch 13 How many years is the presidential term in France?
five
ch 9 Tocqueville noted that Americans are unusually fond of __________.
forming associations
ch 13 in the united states, the president is both chief of government and ______.
head of state
ch 11 People who live __________ tend to embrace conservative values and vote for conservative parties.
in rural areas
ch 12 In U.S. House races, __________ almost always win.
incumbents
ch 12 A feudal system is one in which power __________.
is dispersed among layers
ch 8 Face-to-face communication is the most effective means of altering political opinions because __________.
it allows for dialogue to occur between people who disagree
ch 12 John Locke believed that the __________ wields the foundational power of any government.
legislative branch
ch 9 Interest groups efforts to sway legislators are often referred to as
lobbying
ch 12 Suppose that a legislator from one party supported the earmark project of a legislator from a different party in exchange for support of her own earmark project. This is an example of _____.
logrolling
ch 11 Which of the following would be most likely to motivate a voter to self-identify as an independent?
major national scandals involving members of both parties
ch 11 Which of the following would you expect to see in a country with routinely high voter turnout?
mandatory voting or automatic voter registration
ch 12 In a parliamentary system, voters directly elect __________.
members of parliament only
ch 13 A cabinet secretary is to a department as a minister is to a ___________?
ministry
ch 9 The central concern behind the formation of single-issue interest groups tends to be __________.
moral
ch 9 Political parties differ from interest groups because parties __________.
must win elections to influence policy
ch 13 Someone who characterizes the members of the U.S. cabinet as "vice presidents in charge of spending" is implying that cabinet members in the United States __________.
play a primarily administrative role
ch 9 Which term describes a democratic system where all kinds of people with different opinions and values compete to influence government policy?
pluralist
ch 8 The lack of government control over communications in the United States reflects __________.
the widespread commitment to non-paternalism
ch 10 A critic of the U.S. campaign finance system is most likely to point out that __________.
there is little transparency in the way that wealthy people's money is used in the political system
ch 13 What was the main purpose of the cohabitation arrangement between the executive and legislative branches in France's parliamentary system?
to enable a president and a prime minister from different parties to govern together
ch 13 In the German parliamentary system, what is the main purpose of a constructive vote of no confidence?
to increase the stability of Germany government
ch 8 Franklin D. Roosevelt won popular support for his policies through __________.
weekly radio addresses
ch 12 In a parliamentary system, the cabinet changes __________.
when the majority party loses an election or a no-confidence vote
ch 11 Which of the following supports the view that America is going through gradual dealignment?
the rise in voters identifying as independent
ch 11 The election of 1828 was noted for its Jacksonian populism, which is__________.
the urging of common people to rise up against elites.
ch 9 The trend toward negative advertising in political campaigns is spurred in by __________.
the use of soft money
ch 11 Women in the United States tend to prefer candidates of which party at higher rates than men?
Democratic Party
ch 11 How does education affect the likelihood that people will vote?
Education increases the sense of participation, which makes people more likely to follow political news and more likely to vote.
ch 8 Which statement best characterizes the partisan orientation of newspapers?
Few newspapers present the news in an obviously partisan manner.
ch 8 Which statement explains why "framing" can be a source of considerable influence?
Framing guides subsequent media coverage and shapes public discourse on the issue.
ch 11 Which of the following is true of a secular electoral realignment?
It happens gradually.
ch 10 Which of these is true about the party system in the United States?
It is rare for individuals to change their party identification.
ch 12 What is the main idea behind "pork barrel" politics?
Legislators seek to spend government money in their home district to help ensure reelection.
ch 13 Who is best classified as an early scholar of bureaucracies and their characteristics?
Max Weber
ch 11 What are the likely reasons for middle-aged and older people being more likely to vote than the young?
Middle-aged people are at their peak earning levels, and older people are concerned with Social Security and Medicare benefits.
ch 13 How does the process a parliamentary system uses to oust a chief executive differ from that available in the United States?
Parliamentary systems can hold a vote of no confidence instead of using the impeachment process.
ch 10 Which statement explains why elected officials in the United States are less likely to be able to enact the agenda of their party than elected officials in Europe?
The U.S. system is characterized by checks and balances that put obstacles in the way of legislation.
ch 12 Question Hour is a feature of which country's legislature?
The United Kingdom
ch 12 Which statement describes how the executive relates to the legislature in a parliamentary system?
The executive is appointed by the legislature.
ch 13 Which of these statements about regulations and bureaucracy is true?
The potential for corruption increases with the number of regulations and the size of the bureaucracy.
ch 8 What resulted from the Supreme Court ruling in New York Times v. Sullivan (1964)?
The press is largely protected from charges of libel against public officials.
ch 12 What distinguishes the U.S. Congress from most of the world's other bicameral parliaments?
The two chambers have equal power over the legislative process.
ch 10 In what sense do parties help to maintain government legitimacy?
They give citizens a way to communicate their needs to the government.
ch 10 Which of these is a characteristic of single-party systems?
They lack competition and accountability.
ch 11 What is one reason that in most of the world, cities have higher voter turnouts than rural areas?
Urbanites tend to be better educated.
ch 8 Which political event below best highlights the role of the media as watchdog?
Watergate
ch 11 Which of the following indicates a realignment has taken place?
a critical election
ch 11 Which of the following is typical of the partisan polarization we see in America today?
a drift of political opinion from the center to two opposing hostile camps
ch 10 Under which of these systems is party discipline likely to be highest?
a highly centralized system in which candidate selection is in the hands of party leaders
ch 12 Which of these systems demonstrates the clearest separation of power between the executive and legislative branches?
presidential
ch 10 A flaw in personalistic parties is that they __________.
rarely represent a coherent ideology
ch 12 In the United States, it is common for one party to control Congress and the other party to hold the presidency. This possibility __________.
reduces the chances of rapid and foolish policy changes
ch 11 The degree of commitment to one's religion that often affects one's political beliefs is referred to as
religiosity
ch 8 Which of these events is most likely to be ignored by the mainstream media because of structural bias?
reports from a journalist embedded with a military unit in a war zone
ch 11 Voters choosing candidates based on the overall performance of the incumbent is referred to as
retrospective voting
ch 13 What are the government structures of a nation?
state
ch 8 The Supreme Court would be likely to receive more news coverage if __________.
television cameras were allowed in the courtroom
ch 8 Which of these sources is the Associated Press most likely to consult for a story?
the White House press secretary
ch 13 Which of these is a difference between the U.S. Cabinet and cabinets in Europe?
the amount of control the chief executive exercises over its structure
ch 13 In many democracies, how is hiring on the basis of personal connections or party affiliation avoided?
the application of a merit system
ch 12 Deadlock is less likely to occur in a parliamentary system than a presidential system because __________.
the chief of government and the parliament are integrally connected
ch 13 A prime minister is most likely to use his or her power to dissolve parliament when __________.
the country is prosperous and job performance ratings are high
ch 9 Rousseau influenced French attitudes toward pluralism by arguing that __________.
the general will was more important than particular wills
