chaper one test bank

which of the following statements about a governments policy agenda is FALSE

A governments policy agenda tends to remain constant over time

(T/F) All issues on the governmentʹs policy agenda are carefully considered by public officials.

Flase

Voter turn out matters because..

Politicians pay more attention to those who vote than those who do not vote

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels wrote

The Communist Manifesto

(T/F) A non-decision is one type of policy decision made by government.

True

(T/F) A recent study of college freshmen recently found that only 34 percent said that ʺkeeping up with politicsʺ was an important priority for them.

True

(T/F) In a democracy, public officials are supposed to pay attention to the problems that concern voters.

True

one type of linkage institution is

an interest group

at the center of all theories of elite domination of politics is

big business

(T/F) It is clear that ordinary citizens can make sound political judgments on technical issues in our society.

false

single issue groups

have little sympathy for compromising

American government is viewed most positively by the

pluralist theory

Many politicians believe that single issue groups

complicate efforts to seek the middle ground on various issues

populism emphasizes

the people

which of these is not considered a challange to democracy by the textbook?

the tendency of the american political system to change rapidly

which of the following would NOT be considered a comtemporary challenge to American democracy?

the threat of communism

(T/F) A political issue arises when people disagree about a problem or about a public policy choice made to combat a problem.

true

(T/F) AIDS is an example of policy being made by inaction.

true

parties and interest groups...

work hard to get the issues they want on the policy agenda

Government is defined as the

The institutions and processes through which public policies are made for a society.

(T/F) In a 2004 survey of political knowledge, young people provided the correct answer to only one-third of these questions, whereas people over 65 were correct half the time.

True

(T/F) Pluralist theory holds that because so many groups compete for power in the United States, none has a majority say and public policy roughly approximates the public interest.

True

(T/F) Public goods are things that everyone shares, such as clean air.

True

(T/F) The American creed includes laissez-faire.

True

(T/F) Very few policies are made by a single policymaking institution in the United States.

True

which of these is a linkage institution

USA today

There is a tremendous gap between youth and the elderly in all of the following EXCEPT

Volunteering

BLANK is the process by which policy comes into being and evolves over time

a policy making system

An interest group so single minded that its members often vote on only one issue, ignoring a politicians stand on everything else, is known as

a single issue group

According to Frederick Jackson Turner, the existence of the frontier in American history most directly resulted in A) the abolition of slavery. B) a strong preference for limited government. C) the environmental movement. D) the space program. E) the civil rights movement.

a strong preference for limited government

elite and class theory holds that

all societies are divided along class lines and that an upper-class elite will rule

political issues...

arise when people disagree about a problem or public policy choices made to combat a problem.

Public policy is defined as

choice that government makes in response to an issue

in evaluating american democracy, hyperpluralists

claim that too many influential groups cripple government's ability to govern

which of the following is NOT a linkage institution

congress

A means of selecting policymakers and or organizing government so that policy represents and responds to the public's preferences is

democracy

Which of the following is not a contemporary theory of democracy

democratic centeralism

Which of the following is NOT one of the cornerstones of an ideal democracy

economic equality

the theory that sees wealth as the basis of power is the

elite and class theory

which of the following is most fundamentally critical of american democracy

elite and class theory

(T/F) Kevin Phillipsʹ description of the 1980s as the ʺtriumph of upper Americaʺ is evidence of hyperpluralism in the United States.

false

(T/F) Most governmental policies are made by a single institution.

false

(T/F) The national government employs nearly ten million people.

false

(T/F) The writers of the Constitution were unanimously and devotedly committed to democracy.

false

T/F: "government by the people" is a meaningful and useful definition of democracy

false

T/F: nearly all political scientists agree that the united states is in the midest of a culture war

false

political knowledge...

fosters political tolerance

define public goods and give an example

goods, such as clean air and clean water, that everyone must share.

hyperplurlaist believe that the dominant player in american politics is

groups

one of the primary reasons for the comparatively small scope of american government is

individualism

Which of the following statements about public goods is false

individuals have powerful incentives to provide public goods

increaded technical expertise is a challenge to democracy because

it goes against the tenets of pluralist political theory

Escalating campaign costs are a challenge to democracy because

it is believed that PAC contributions affect the way members of congress vote on single issues

according to thomas jefferson, which of the following is an inalienable right?

liberty

the declaration of independence says that "all men are created equal." whcih aspect of the american creed does that suggest?

liberty

a political party is a key BLANK in americas democratic system

linkage institution

in a democratic society, parties, elections, interest groups and the media are all examples of BLANK between the prefereces of citizens and the governments policy agenda

linkage institutions

All of the following are ingeredients of a pluralist democracy EXCEPT

majority rule

the most fundamental element of democratic theory is

majority rule

One advantage of the Internet for democracy is that it

makes it easier for citizens to communicate directly with government

Pluralist theory contends that in the United States

many groups vie for power with no one set of groups dominating.

two of the most important principles of democratic theory are majority rule and

minority rights

which of the following statements about taxes is true?

one out of every three dollars earned by an american citizen is used to pay texes

Over a third of America's wealth is owned by

one percent of the population

the US government owns BLANK of the land in the united states

one third

Robert Putnam's claim that American's are now "bowling alone" is a criticism of

pluralism

The theory that argues that group competition results in a rough approximation of the public interest in public policy is

pluralist theory

A system in which many groups make themselves heard and felt somewhere in the policy process is

pluralistic

Those who argue that the United States is in the midst of a culture war argue that Americans are becoming increasingly A) isolationist. B) secular. C) hypocritical. D) egalitarian. E) polarized.

polarized

The ability of groups to prevent the government from taking actions adverse to their interests leads to what the text calls

policy gridlock

according to the text, the diversity of political interests in america is resulting in

policy gridlock

the effects a policy has on people and problems is called

policy impacts

The list of problems to which political leaders are paying serious attention is a

political agenda

The overall set of shared values in a society is known as

political culture

BLANK arise when people disagree about a problem or a public policy choice made to combat a problem

political issues

The policymaking instituions of the american national government include all of the following except

political parties

Governments in the modern world, whether democratic or not, are similar in doing all of the following EXCEPT

protecting citizens civil liberties

all governments

provide public goods and socialize citizens into the political and social system

all governements

provide services

All of the following are parts of the policymaking system excpet

public goods

things that are indivisible, nonexclusive, and that everyone can share are called

public goods

A choice that government makes in response to some issue on its agenda is called

public policy

The largest item in the United States government budget, consuming more than one-fifth of spending, is

social security payments

A public good is defined as

something in which any member of society can share

The nature of groups and the government in hyperpluralist theory is

strong groups and weak government

The "power of the few" in the United States today is likely to refer to

technical experts

People who worry about PACs are most especially concerned about

the close connection between money and politics

Representation refers to

the correspondence between the few leaders and the many followers in a democracy.

According to hyperpluralists, the increasing caseloads of federal and state courts demonstrate

the expanding scope of government in the US

which of the following statements best describes voter turnout in the united states

the united states has one of the lowest voter turnout rates in the world

Hyperpluralists would argue that

too many influential groups cripple government's ability to govern.

(T/F) A key aspect of egalitarianism is political equality.

true

(T/F) Elite theorists believe that whoever is elected to office in the federal government has little influence on policymaking.

true

(T/F) Elite theorists maintain that who holds office in Washington is of marginal consequence; the corporate giants always have the power.

true

(T/F) Immigrants to the United States often brought a sense of individualism with them.

true

(T/F) Politicians who argue that ʺthe people should be put firstʺ are emphasizing populism.

true

(T/F) The more participation in a democracy, the healthier the democracy is thought to be.

true

(T/F) The national government in the United States now spends approximately $2.8 trillion every year.

true

(T/F) When taxes do not grow, tax revenue must grow to pay the additional costs, or a budget deficit results.

true

T/F: according to robert putnam, many of the problems of americam democracy today stem from a decline in group-based participation

true

when compared with the rest of the world, america has relatively low

voter turnout of elections

The writers of the United States Constitution

were distrustful of democracy

A key question that confronts government regarding different public policy choices is

whether or not government should do anything about them

politics is defined by Harold Lasswell as

who gets what, when, and how

Politics determines

whom we select as our governmental leaders and what politics these leaders pursue

During the american revolution, patrick henry said

"give me liberty or give me death"

Lasswell defines politics as:

"who gets what, when, and how"

the united states national government spend about BLANK a year

$2.8 trillion

national, state, and local governments in america spend almost BLANK of the GDP

30%

According to G.K. Chesterston, the United States is the only country in the world that is founded on A) heredity. B) a creed. C) isolationism. D) civic virtue. E) religious principles.

B. a creed

which of these is NOT a criterion of traditional democracy theory, as formulated by Robert Dahl?

Citizens must make rational choices

An example of public policymaking would be

Congress and the president deciding not to act on the AIDS crisis

Many elite and class theorists believe that ________ of Americans control most government policy decisions. A) 5 percent B) a majority C) the vast middle class D) 1 percent E) 10 percent

D: 1%

(T/F) The revolutionary expansion of channels and Web sites anticipated in the near future is likely to enhance the political interest and involvement of young people.

FALSE

(T/F) Governments have little incentive to provide public goods.

False

(T/F) New Hampshireʹs official state motto is ʺGive me liberty or give me death.ʺ

False

(T/F) The voter turnout rate in the United States is one of the highest in the world.

False

T/F: Government often acts on issues that are not especially high on the policy agenda

Flase

which of the following takes the most positive view of democracy in the US?

Pluralist theory

PAC stands for

Political Action Committee

which of the following individuals have suggested that pluralist theory is less descriptive of american politics than in the past?

Robert putman

which of the following categories is the largest expenditure in the federal government

Social security