Government and Politics Quiz

What goods are available to all without direct payment?

• private goods

• public goods

• common goods

• toll goods

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

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

• ideology

• partisanship

• intense preferences

• latent preferences

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

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

• direct democracy

• monarchy

• oligarchy

• totalitarian

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.

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