American Govt ch 1 and 2

According to the pluralist theory of government, ________

• government does what the majority of voters want it to do

• government policy is formed as a result of the competition between groups with different goals and interests

• ordinary people acting on their own have a significant influence on government

• wealthy people decide what government policy will be, and politicians have no interest in pleasing anyone else

The elite theory of government maintains that ________.

• special interest groups make government policy

• politicians who have held office for a long time are favored by voters

• poor people and people of color should not be allowed to vote

• wealthy, politically powerful people control government, and government has no interest in meeting the needs of ordinary people

What is the difference between a representative democracy and a direct democracy?

• Representative democracy allows for more frequent voting on laws than direct democracy.
• In a representative democracy, citizens vote directly on every issue.
• The main difference is that representative democracy relies on elected officials, whereas direct democracy involves citizens voting on laws and policies directly.
• Direct democracy is only used in small communities, while representative democracy is for larger nations.

What goods are available to all without direct payment?

• private goods

• public goods

• common goods

• toll goods

Supporting the actions of the Democratic Party simply because one identifies oneself as a member of that party is an example of ________.

• partisanship

• ideology

• latent preference

• social capital

In which form of government does a small group of elite people hold political power?

• Monarchy
• Democracy
• Oligarchy
• Theocracy

Which of the following is a good example of a tradeoff?

• The government pleases environmental activists by preserving public lands but also pleases ranchers by allowing them to rent public lands for grazing purposes.

• The government pleases environmental activists by reintroducing wolves to Yellowstone National Park but angers ranchers by placing their cattle in danger.

  
  

• The government pleases oil companies by allowing them to drill on lands set aside for conservation but allows environmental activist groups to protest the drilling operations.

• Groups that represent a variety of conflicting interests are all allowed to protest outside Congress and the White House.

What does government do for people?

• The government only collects taxes from citizens.
• The government provides entertainment and leisure activities.
• The government is responsible for personal relationships.
• The government serves people by ensuring safety, providing education, maintaining infrastructure, offering healthcare, and delivering social services.

When a person is asked a question about a political issue that he or she has little interest in and has not thought much about, that personâ s answer will likely reflect ________.

• intent preferences

• ideology

• latent preferences

• partisanship

British colonists in North America in the late seventeenth century were greatly influenced by the political thought of ________.

• John Locke
• Jean-Jacques Rousseau
• Thomas Hobbes
• Karl Marx