Chapter 2 Government Honors

An autocracy is a political system ruled by: A. a few B. one individual C. the military D. a majority E. a few powerful wealthy individuals

B. one individual

Gun control laws are usually unsuccessful in Congress because: A. the public generally does not favor gun control B. the National Rifle Association lobbies on behalf of the majority of Americans C. the National Rifle Association speaks for a minority of people who have very intense views about the undesirability of gun control D. it is unconstitutional for Congress to act on this issue; the power to regulate firearms is reserved to the states E. a majority of voters will not support gun control

C. the National Rifle Association speaks for a minority of people who have very intense views about the undesirability of gun control

________ is (are) recognized as necessary for truly democratic decision making: A. universal participation B. political equality C. majority rule D. all of the above E. none of the above

D. all of the above

The names of more than 20 percent of the world's political parties contain some variation of the word: A. conservative B. republican C. socialist D. democracy E. freedom

D. democracy

The procedural view of democracy is most concerned with: A. the level of popular participation in decision making B. the equality of government decisions C. minority protections D. the impact of government decisions E. how government decisions are made

E. how government decisions are made

New England town meetings are an example of: A. substantive democracy B. oligarchies C. representative democracy D. civil democracy E. participatory democracy

E. participatory democracy

Whereas majority rule is defined as decision making by 50 percent plus one person, _________ is defined as decision making by most participants: A. rule by the people B. assention C. political equality D. universal participation E. plurality rule

E. plurality rule

On the issue of gun control, Americans, when polled, show a preference for: A. less regulation B. increased enforcement of the Second Amendment's right to bear arms C. elimination of background checks D. longer sentences for gun law violators E. registration of all handguns

E. registration of all handguns

responsiveness

a decision making principle, necessitated by representative government, that implies that elected representatives should do what a majority of the people wants

procedural theory

a view of democracy as being embodied in a decision making process that involves universal participation, political equality, majority rule and responsiveness

referendum

an election of a policy issue

pluralistic model

an interpretation of democracy in which government by the people is meant to mean government by the people operating through competing interest groups

special interest group

an organized group of individuals that seeks to influence public officials also known as a lobby

political equality

equality in political decision making: one vote one person with all votes counted equally

universal participtaion

the concept that everyone in a democracy should participate in government decision making

majority rule

the principle basic to procedural democratic theory- that the decision of a group must reflect the preference of more than half of those participating; a simple majority

substantive theory

the view that democracy is embodied in the substance of government policies rather than in the policy making procedures

initiative

when a policy issue is put on a ballot by citizens circulating petitions and gathering a minimum required number of signatures