Chapter 1 Questions Flashcards
(25 cards)
What is the definition of politics?
The activity-negotiation, argument, discussion, application of force, persuasion- by which an issue is agitated or settled.
The president’s speechwriters have adopted a new tone reflecting their own evolving views of controversy while drafting a speech. These views are not strongly held by the president, but he will say the words as written. What concept does this illustrate?
Legitimacy
Which of the following phrases accurately describes the concept of authority?
The right to use power
What term refers to a situation in which the right to exercise power is vested in a governmental office?
Formal authority
Which of the following is accepted as a source of legitimacy in the United States?
The U.S. Constitution
Which of these statements best defines democracy?
The rule of the many
Most Americans believe that, without democracy, what is impossible at any level of government?
The legitimate exercise of political power
What type of democracy is in place where all adult citizens gather annually to vote on issues?
Direct
Representative democracy is sometimes disapprovingly referred to as what theory of democracy?
Elitist
Politicians that agree with referenda refer to it as “the will of the people,” while those who disagree with the referenda refer to it as “mass misunderstanding.” This reflects a common concern with which type of democracy?
Direct
What view of democracy might contend that the CEOs of WarnerMedia, AT&T, and the NRA, the president of the AFL-CIO, and other top officials like them, dominate American democracy?
The power elite view
In what ways does the theory by Max Weber on the distribution of power in America differ from the theory by C. Wright Mills?
Weber’s theory states that those in power hold valuable resources, while Mill’s theory states that morally impassioned allies hold power.
Which view of how power is distributed contends that appointed officials run everything, despite the efforts of elected officials and the public to control them?
Bureacuratic
Patrick Henry, leaders of the civil rights movement, and progressive reformers are historical examples modeling which view of power distribution?
Creedal passion
What explains the ongoing expansion of the political agenda?
People want the government to continue doing all the things it has done in the past and to address new issues and needs as they arise.
Which of these terms refers to the issues that people with decision-making authority believe require governmental action?
Political agenda
School desegregation involved what chain of government actions?
Following the Supreme Court’s order that all public schools be desegregated, local school districts resisted, and President Eisenhower had to send in troops to enforce the mandate.
As the bureaucracy has grown, what new significance has it acquired in American politics?
As it has grown, the bureaucracy has not only implemented policies, it has also become a source for new policy.
In what way is a policy imposing an income tax policy different from a policy regulating a doctor who participates in the Medicare program ?
Widely distributed
In what type of politics are interest groups relatively unimportant?
Majoritarian
In what kind of politics do many people incur the costs of a policy proposal that benefits a small group?
Client
Suppose Senator Richard Burr supported Senator Martha McSally’s proposal in exchange for McSally’s support of Burr’s own proposal. What term describes arrangements like this one?
Log-rolling
In response to revelations about the dangers that thousands of toxic waste sites around the country posed to public health, legislators developed the Superfund program in an attempt to force industries to clean up their own toxic waste sites. This program is an example of what type of politics in action?
Entrepreneurial
What is arguably one of the best barometers of changes in who governs?
The policy process
