Government Quiz - Chp. 2

Which of the following can be considered an institutional mechanism in politics?

All of these choices (Legislatures, Elections, Political parties, and Interest groups)

Which of the following is not an assumption of the majoritarian model of democracy? Citizens...

All of these choices are assumptions of the majoritarian model

Why do most democracies give power to representatives rather than directly to citizens?

Bringing large numbers of citizens together for discussions and votes is difficult, decisions may require specialized knowledge not possessed by the average citizen, and discussion of political issues consumes more time than most people are willing to spend.

__________ theorists have a narrower view of the scope of social and economic rights that should be guaranteed by a democratic government than __________ theorists.

Conservative; liberal

Bible readings in public schools would violate a __________ principle, freedom of religion.

Democratic

Members of which of the following groups would be most likely to support immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship?

Democrats

The text suggests that there are __________ that may be pushing authoritarian governments toward democratization.

Economic

Suppose that top government jobs for both political parties are filled only from an inner circle of top corporate leaders. This would be evidence for

Elite theory

The idea that the most important government decisions are made by an identifiable and stable minority that shares certain characteristics -- particularly wealth and business connections -- is called

Elite theory

The principal drawback of the pluralist model is that is

Favors groups who need help the least.

The concept of democracy was initially defined centuries ago in ancient

Greece

A citizen's group gathers enough signatures on a petition to force a popular vote on a statewide lottery proposal. This proposal would represent a(n)

Initiative

When citizens circulate petitions to gather signatures to put a policy question on the ballot, it is called a(n)

Initiative

An organized group that seeks to influence government policy is called a(n)

Interest group

Although they are instruments of majoritarian democracy, initiatives are often sponsored by

Interest groups

Whether a political system is "democratic" is chiefly defined by..?

It cannot simply be defined

For some years our two congressional parties have been increasingly polarized, working less together to fashion compromise legislation. This is consistent with the ________ of democracy

Majoritarian model

Cohesive political parties with well-defined programs contribute to the

Majoritarian model of democracy.

In most democracies other than the United States, there is __________ support for the view that jobs and incomes for the unemployed are a right.

Much more

What rules govern the use of referenda at the federal level?

No provisions exist for the use of referenda at the federal level.

A form of government that puts power in the hands of the elite is a(n)

Oligarchy

Portland's incorporation of neighborhood associations into its municipal government is an example of

Participatory democracy

The text suggests that the United States fulfills the __________ model quite well.

Pluralist

A country abiding by the principle "one man, one vote" is practicing

Political equality

The Greek word "kratos," one of the roots of the word "democracy," means

Power

According to the __________ view of democracy, anti-gay marriage laws are democratic.

Procedural

__________ theory prescribes that a group should decide to do what the majority of its participants want to do

Procedural

An election on a public policy issue is called a(n)

Referendum

Civil libertarians commonly assert that "We don't put our fundamental rights, like freedom of speech, up for a vote!" This statement reflects the __________ view of democracy.

Substantive

In 2005, voters in Texas voted by over a 60% margin to ban gay marriage. Arguing that gay marriage should be allowed in Texas anyway implies a reliance on the __________ view of democracy.

Substantive

In August of 2010, a federal judge overturned a decision by the voters of California that had banned gay marriage. The judicial decision is an example of

Substantive democracy

Suppose a majority of Congress passes a law to permit organized prayer in public schools and the Supreme Court declares that the Constitution forbids this rule. This would be an example of

Substantive government

The Bill of Rights is at the core of our

Substantive theories of democracy.

A popular election is the primary mechanism for democratic government in which model?

The majoritarian model

The ancient Greeks classifies governments as autocracies, oligarchies, or democracies based on

The number of citizens involved in governing.

According to the text, it is difficult for a country with a market economy to remain ________ in its internal politics.

Undemocratic

The idea that all adults within the boundaries of a political community should be allowed to vote is known as

Universal participation

The concept that everyone in a democracy should participate in governmental decision making is

Universal participation.

Which of the following is NOT a question asked by procedural democratic theory?

What democratic outcomes violate the rights of minorities?

Although public opinion does not fluctuate erratically, change can occur

When different generations with different experiences enter the electorate.

According to the text, in the past few years, there has been __________ in the number of democracies around the world.

a slight decline

Studies of the congressional agenda demonstrate that it is characterized by

an emphasis on business-related legislation.

In a system of participatory democracy,

citizens govern themselves, without electing representatives

The basic standard of substantive democracy is that government must guarantee

civil rights and liberties

The Greek word "demos," which is the root of the term "democracy," means

common people

A politician who appeals to and often deceives the masses by manipulating their emotions and prejudices is a(n)

demagogue

A referendum is best described as a(n)

election on a policy issue

A sign that pluralist democracy might NOT be working well in the United States is the

fact that the best represented sectors in Washington are business and professional groups.

The principle of responsiveness requires that legislators

follow the general contours of public opinion.

Americans tend to define democracy in terms of

freedoms, rights, or liberties.

The procedural view of democracy is MOST concerned with

how government decisions are made

Participatory democracy today

is rare in the United States and in other democracies.

One of the weaknesses of the procedural model of democracy is that

it permits policies that violate standards of substantive democracy.

Studies on decision making concerning public policy issues suggest that much of the elite's power comes from the ability of elites to

keep issues off the political agenda.

In 2014, voters in Switzerland approved an initiative to

limit immigration

An important problem with the procedural view of democracy is that it can clash with

minority rights

An autocracy is a political system ruled by

one individual

In 2011, the state of Ohio approved an initiative to

overturn a law that had weakened unions.

New England town meetings are an example of

participatory democracy

Based on polls testing how closely Americans follow news about politics, the text implies that policymakers should

pay more attention to polls on policy questions.

The texts suggests that the United States fulfills the ________ model quite well.

pluralist

Whereas majority rule is defined as decision making by 50% plus one person, ____________ is defined as decision making by most participants.

plurality rule

Democratization is the

process of institutionalizing the rules of procedural democracy and establishing substantive democratic policies.

One primary challenge to democratization in Iraq after the overthrow of the dictator Saddam Hussein is

religious conflict between Sunni and Shiite branches of Islam.

Agreement among substantive theorists breaks down when the discussion moves from civil rights to

social and economic rights

Compared with majoritarian thought, the pluralist model of democracy shifts the focus of democratic decision making from _______ to ________.

the mass electorate; organized groups

In America, when the wealthy and the rest of the population have differing policy goals

the preference of the wealthy will most often prevail

According to procedural theory, the government should do

whatever the majority wants.