American Government Ch.

1 The Study of American Government

1. Power is best defined as the capacity to
a. make and carry out decisions without regard to others.
b. get others to act in accordance with your intentions.
c. persuade others to do what they do not want to do.
d. respect your positions without fully believing them
2. f you decided that you wanted to achieve some formal authority in !.S. society"
you would be best advised to
a. get a formal education.
b. #oin a political party.
c. pursue elective or appointive office.
d. #oin an effective interest group.
$. %hen did the !.S. Constitution become a source of legitimate authority&
a. at the time of the American 'evolution.
b. when it was written in (hiladelphia.
c. after 1)*)" gradually.
d. only in recent years.
+. The term participatory democracy applies most accurately to which of the
following societies&
a. Greece in the fourth century" ,.C.
b. modern China.
c. the !nited States since 1)*).
d. the Soviet !nion between 1-1) and 1--..
/. The author cites political conflicts during the early presidential administrations"
the Civil %ar" and the 0ew 1eal as e2amples of struggles over
a. what constitutes legitimate authority.
b. who shall govern.
c. who gets what" when" and how.
d. when progress is possible.
3. 'epresentative democracy allows individuals to gain political power through
a. media campaigns.
b. 4uadrennial elections.
c. nonpartisan elections.
d. competitive elections.
). The key to the success of a representative democracy is
a. the direct participation of citi5ens in holding office.
b. the direct participation of citi5ens in making policy.
c. community control of policy formation.
d. genuine competition for leadership.
*. The 6ramers of the !.S. constitution favored
a. direct democracy.
b. participatory democracy.
c. representative democracy.
d. 7the rule of the many.8
-. 9lite theory is based upon all of the following principles e2cept
a. :a#oritarian politics are not always controlling.
b. %hen ma#oritarian politics are not controlling" policy is likely to be
shaped by those who go through the trouble to be active participants in
politics.
c. n general" the number of active participants in politics will be small
;relative to the number of potential participants<.
d. 1espite their small numbers" those who are active participants in politics
generally reflect the types of people in the general population and the
viewpoints of most citi5ens.
1.. :a#oritarian politics comes into play when
a. the ma#or party prevails on an issue.
b. a political elite comes to power.
c. an absolute ma#ority is re4uired to win an election.
d. leaders feel constrained to follow the popular will.
11. C. %right :ills" =arl :ar2" and :a2 %eber are cited in the te2t as theorists who
attempted to e2plain the
a. dynamics of %estern history.
b. behavior of the !.S. electorate.
c. behavior of political elites.
d. fall of %estern 9uropean capitalists.
12. Those who emphasi5e the role of politics of shifting coalitions of groups are
referred to as
a. :ar2ists.
b. structuralists.
c. elitists.
d. pluralists.
1$. The average citi5en in the !nited States would have been most likely to look to
the federal government to solve social and economic problems in the year
a. 1)-..
b. 1*-..
c. 1-+/.
d. 1-)/.
1+. The view that morally impassioned elites drive important political changes is
associated with
a. =arl :ar2
b. :a2 %eber
c. Samuel (. >untington
d. ?ames :adison
1/ @f the following" which one affects the political agenda&

a. Shared political values
b. The weight of custom and tradition
c. The impact of events
d. All of the above
13. !nder what circumstances would ma#oritarian politics normally not be effective&
a. %hen a political leader feels sharply constrained by what most people want
b. %hen an issue is sufficiently important to command the attention of most citi5ens
c. %hen an issue is too complicated or technical for most citi5ens to understand
d. %hen an issue is sufficiently feasible so that what citi5ens want done can in fact
be done.
1). %hen the cost and benefits of a policy are widely distributed" they are
a. Aimited to a relatively small number of citi5ens
b. Spread over many" most" or even all citi5ens
c. Aimited to one geographic region.
d. Spread over a number of states.
1*. BBBBBBB is a policy in which one small group benefits and almost everybody pays.
a. nterest group politics.
b. :a#oritarian politics
c. Client politics.
d. 9ntrepreneurial politics