Name: __________________________ Date: _____________

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

1.The text suggests politics exists in part because people differ about two things: Who
governs? and
Who pays?
To what ends?
With what means?
For how long?
To what extreme?
2.The relationship between the two central questions addressed by your text "Who
governs?" and "To what ends?" can best be described in what way?
They are two distinct questions, but each must be considered with the other in mind.
They are essentially two different versions of the same question.
Who governs? deals with the purpose of politics; To what ends? deals with who
holds political power.
They are two separate and distinct questions that should be addressed without
reference to each other.
They are questions which cannot be separated without considering the very nature of
politics.

D)
E)

3.The fact that the rich are taxed more heavily than the poor and amendments which gave
voting rights to minorities were passed by large majorities suggests that:
few people pay close attention to political processes.
government does not always adopt policies that are to the narrow advantage of those
who hold political offices.
power is distributed in such a manner that very few people can exercise it in a
meaningful fashion.
Who governs? and To what ends? are really the same question.
Knowing who governs is usually a good predictor of what policies will be adopted.

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

4.Individuals have power when they are able to

get elected to office.
be present at behind-the-scenes political meetings.
serve their fellow human beings.
get others to do what they want them to do.
vote without being influenced by outside forces.

A)
B)
C)

5.Compared with the 1950s, government's involvement in the everyday lives of Americans
in the 1990s is
about the same.
slightly less.
considerably less.

A)
B)
C)

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D)
E)

slightly greater.
considerably greater.

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

6.Formal authority refers to a right to exercise power that is derived from a(n)
official ceremony.
majority vote.
consensus.
popular consensus.
governmental office.

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

7.The text suggests that, in the United States, no government at any level would be
considered legitimate if it were not in some sense
democratic.
altruistic.
humanitarian.
elitist.
aristocratic.

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

8.At the time of the Constitutional Convention, the view that a democratic government was
desirable was
already waning.
close to unanimous.
beyond debate.
held by an elite only.
far from unanimous.

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

9.The Greek city-state, or polis extended the right to vote to everyone except
slaves.
women.
minors.
those without property.
All of the above.

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

10.The term participatory democracy applies most accurately to which of the following
societies?
Greece in the fourth century B.C.
Modern China
The United States since 1787
The Soviet Union between 1917 and 1990
The Southeastern United States before the Civil War

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A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

11.Representative democracy allows individuals to gain political power through

media campaigns.
quadrennial elections.
nonpartisan elections.
reciprocal elections.
competitive elections.
12.The Framers' concerns about direct democracy are well illustrated by the fact that the
Constitution
only uses the word "democracy" once, in the Preamble.
only uses the word "democracy" in reference to Congress.
does not feature the word "democracy" at all.
only uses the word "democratic."
frequently uses the word "democracy," but never in reference to the enumeration of a
formal power.

E)

13.Which statement best reflects the views of the Framers of the Constitution?
Elected officials should register majority sentiments.
The government should mediate, not mirror, popular views.
The views of the people are trustworthy because most are informed and can make
reasonable choices.
A government should be able to do a great deal of good, as quickly and as efficiently
as possible.
Majority opinion should be irrelevant to the policy-making process.

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

14.Critics of representative democracy have pointed out all of the following except
it responds too slowly.
it serves special interests.
it is unresponsive to majority opinion.
it does not adequately protect basic liberties.
a and c.

A)
B)
C)
D)

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

15.Under what circumstances would majoritarian politics normally not be effective?

When a political leader feels sharply constrained by what most people want
Wwhen an issue is sufficiently important to command the attention of most citizens
When an issue is too complicated or technical for most citizens to understand
When an issue is sufficiently feasible so that what citizens want done can in fact be
done
All of the above.

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A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

16.Elite theory is based upon all of the following premises except:

Majoritarian politics are not always controlling.
When majoritarian politics are not controlling, policy is likely to be shaped by those
who go through the trouble to be active participants in politics.
In general, the number of active participants in politics will be small (relative to the
total number of potential participants).
Despite 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
citizens.
The actual distribution of power, even in a democracy, will depend importantly on
the composition of the political elites.

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

17.Which of the following was not an important source of theories explaining political
elites?
Sigmund Freud
Karl Marx
C. Wright Mills
Max Weber
All of the above.

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

18.Marx's view of government would dispose one to view an administration's proposal of a

large military budget as a(n)
search for national security.
exercise in bargaining and compromise.
service to defense corporations.
threat to world peace.
ploy to appease the international community.

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

19.C. Wright Mills was concerned that a coalition of three groups dominated politics and
government. He labeled the members of this coalition "the
bourgeoisie."
shadow government."
leadership triangle."
elite ensemble."
power elite."

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

20.C. Wright Mills suggested the most important policies are set by
corporate leaders.
top military officials.
a handful of key political leaders.
All of the above.
None of the above.

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A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

21.That a comparatively tiny group of individuals holds the greatest political power could be
agreed on by both
Tocqueville and Dahl.
Dahl and C. Wright Mills.
C. Wright Mills and Karl Marx.
Karl Marx and Tocqueville.
Truman and Dahl.
22.Max Weber might remind an individual who is upset at the prospect of radical change in
law and policy following a presidential election that
presidents rarely act in opposition to the policy goals of the power elite.
there are thousands of governmental employees who remain in their jobs before,
during and after such elections and they have a considerable amount of power and
discretion.
power is so widely dispersed and difficult to maintain, there is little chance of any
real potential for change.
corporate leaders generally insist on change regardless of who wins presidential
elections.
only military leaders and key figures in Congress can cause real change in law and
policy.

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

23.According to the text, the pluralist view has many followers in

political science and journalism.
history and sociology.
economics.
philosophy and ethics.
psychology and anthropology.

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

24.The pluralist view holds all of the following except

No single elite has a monopoly on political resources.
Policies are the result of a complex pattern of shifting alliances.
Political resources are not distributed equally.
Political elites are divided.
Political elites do not respond to the interests of their followers.

25.Which of the following conceptualizes the widest distribution of political power

places it in the largest number of hands?
A)
Karl Marx
B)
C. Wright Mills
C)
Max Weber

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or

D)
E)

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

The pluralists
The power elite
26.According to Tocqueville, Americans are fond of explaining their actions in terms of
self-interest.
moral precepts.
religious commitments.
disinterested and spontaneous impulses.
philosophical skepticism.

27.The text cites the AFL-CIO's civil rights position in the 1960s as an example of
an innocent bystander caught up in a battle between opposing forces.
an organization as a whole acting politically out of considerations broader than its
members' individual interests.
C)
the subtle ways in which obstructionism can be exercised in Washington.
D)
how economic interests lead directly to policy preferences.
E)
the manner in which interest groups can impose their viewpoints on large majorities.
A)
B)

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

28.Which of the following statements is incorrect?

In the 1920s it was widely assumed that the federal government would play a small
role in our lives.
From the 1930s to the 1970s it was generally believed that the federal government
should try to solve social and economic problems.
Reagan sought to reverse the trend of expanding governmental power.
No simple theory of politics is likely to explain both the growth and cut back of
federal power.
None of the above.
29.Which of the following statements about political power "who governs" is most accurate?
The key to understanding power is understanding the monetary costs of different
political decisions.
Political power can usually be inferred by knowing what laws are on the books.
Political power can usually be inferred by knowing what administrative actions have
been taken.
Power cannot be realized without institutional arrangements.
Most power derives from psychological and social factors such as friendship, loyalty,
and prestige.

30.The trouble with trying to infer the distribution of political power from examining the
laws on the books is that
A)
laws may be enacted in a great variety of circumstances.

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B)
C)
D)
E)

laws are made to be broken.

legislative codes may be so obscure as to defy anyone's comprehension.
many congressional enactments never get recorded at all.
the judicial branch is rarely independent from the legislative branch.

31.The text argues that we can know who governs without knowing to what ends.
A)
True
B)
False
32.The goals of a particular administration will not be obvious from its party affiliation.
A)
True
B)
False

A)
B)

33.Government policies do not always favor the people who are in the government.
True
False

34.Power is to be found in all human relationships.

A)
True
B)
False
35.In the 1950s, the federal government would have taken little interest in a university
refusing to accept an applicant.
A)
True
B)
False
36.One can have political power even if one does not possess formal authority.
A)
True
B)
False
37.Aristotle's notions of democracy were based on governments that actually allowed only a
small percentage of the populace to participate.
A)
True
B)
False
38.The terms participatory democracy and rule of the many are synonymous.
A)
True
B)
False

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39.Community control of citizen participation is urged today as a variant of classical

democracy.
A)
True
B)
False
40.The word "democracy" does not appear in the U.S. Constitution.
A)
True
B)
False

Answer Key AP CH. 9

1.B
2.A
3.B
4.D
5.E
6.E
7.A
8.E
9.E
10.A
11.E
12.C
13.B
14.D
15.C
16.D
17.A
18.C
19.E
20.D
21.C
22.B
23.A
24.E
25.C
26.A
27.B
28.E
29.E
30.A
31.A

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32.A
33.A
34.A
35.A
36.A
37.A
38.A
39.A
40. A

Page 9