MULTIPLE CHOICE [Circle your answer]
1. Globalization has had the effect of ___________ in the American economy.
a. increasing wage earnings
b. decreasing U.S. national income as work is performed offshore
c. raising aggregate income, while increasing inequality
d. having had little impact on family wealth
2. Increased trade with less developed economies that have large numbers of low-wage workers, has the effect of _____________________.
a. pressuring Americans to keep wages lower
b. creating global competition for American workers
c. encouraging companies to move production offshore
d. all of the above
3. Deunionization refers to the fact that the percentage of workers in the American work force who are members of a union has dropped from nearly 40% fifty years ago to _________ today.
a. 31%
b. 23%
c. 13%
d. 7%
4. The AFL-CIO federation of unions can be characterized as mainly focused on which of the following activities?
a. Lobbying Washington politicians
b. Negotiating contracts for workers
c. Pushing for significant increases in wages for workers
d. All of the above
5. Support for immigration in American politics tends to come from ___________.
a. business elites
b. unions
c. the masses
d. nobody, it has no support
6. In the United States, the top one-fifth (or 20%) of income recipients earns
a. about the same as its percentage of the population.
b. about a quarter (~25%) of all income.
c. about half (~50%) of all income.
d. about two-thirds (~67%) of all income.
7. In the United States, the bottom one-fifth (or 20%) of income recipients earns
a. about the same as its percentage of the population.
b. about one-twentieth (~5%) of all income.
c. about one-tenth (~10%) of all income.
d. about a quarter (~25%) of all income.
8. Which theory has been suggested to explain the rise in income inequality in the U.S.?
a. The decline of the manufacturing sector
b. A rise in the number of female-headed households
c. The aging of America
d. All of the above
9. In 2008, the top 5% of families in the United States owned about _____________ of all family wealth.
a. 20%
b. 40%
c. 50%
d. 75%
10. The distrust and cynicism of mass attitudes toward government is illustrated by public opinion polls which reveal most Americans believe that _____________________.
a. quite a few government officials are crooked
b. public official don't care what people like me think
c. government is run by an aristocratic elite
d. all of the above
11. Trust in government is need to maintain ___________, which is/are critical resources of democratic government.
a. mass compliance with laws
b. financial support of government through taxes
c. a willingness of people to enter government service
d. all of the above
12. Which of the following is not a factor underlying the decline of confidence in government?
a. A long-term trend toward disrespect of authority.
b. The disruption of lives caused by globalization.
c. The greater availability of politicians through media outlets, such as the internet.
d. The decline in allegiance to political parties.
13. Mass support for fundamental democratic values, such as freedom of speech, is best characterized as ___________________.
a. superficial
b. deeply ingrained
c. misunderstood
d. growing over time
14. The _________ of society are the most willing to apply democratic values in specific situations.
a. masses
b. elites
c. labor unions
d. militias
15. McClosky and Brill concluded from their research that which of the following was true?
a. The masses understand the Constitution and its principles.
b. The masses appreciate why free speech and free press are important.
c. The masses show a consistent willingness to support unpopular views.
d. None of the above
16. The masses are more intolerant of which of the following issues?
a. A graduated income tax system
b. Support of trade unions
c. Protection of civil liberties
d. Wage issues
17. ________________ is a very important factor in developing tolerance and respect for civil liberties.
a. Education
b. Laws and policies
c. Human nature
d. Ideology
18. Public activity promotes tolerance because it ________________.
a. exposes people to a wide variety of attitudes, opinions, and lifestyles
b. broadens perspectives
c. generates empathy for others
d. all of the above
19. Increased tolerance by the masses for different social groups occurs when elites ___________.
a. begin to accept members of these groups into their ranks
b. instruct the masses on what proper attitudes should be
c. pass laws punishing bigotry
d. confuse the masses with complex arguments
20. When civil rights issues come up for a popular vote (in states with initiative and referendum), overwhelming the result is that ________________.
a. civil rights are overwhelmingly supported by the voters
b. surprising levels of tolerance are demonstrated
c. people regularly support elite attitudes of tolerance
d. the anti-civil rights side regularly wins
21. Mass confidence in elected Congressional representatives is roughly the same as that for
a. the institution of big business.
b. the President.
c. the institution of organized religion.
d. the Supreme Court.
22. Ignorance among members of the electorate is demonstrated by which of the following poll results?
a. Less than half of Americans can name their representative in Congress.
b. Less than half of Americans can name the Vice President.
c. Fewer than 25% of Americans can name the current Secretary of State.
d. All of the above
23. Poll responders regularly exhibit which of the following, resulting in inconsistency in poll results.
a. Responding positively to positive phrases.
b. Responding negatively to negative phrases.
c. Giving socially approved responses to questions.
d. All of the above
24. The single best predictor of sustained political activity is ___________.
a. education
b. marital status
c. age
d. union-membership
25. Mass vulnerability to extremism can be reduced through which of the following methods?
a. Punitive laws against antidemocratic elements in society.
b. Participation in community organizations.
c. Isolating people from each other.
d. All of the above
26. The Supreme Court response to elite repression in cases such as the internment of Japanese-Americans in World War II or the prosecution of communists advocating the overthrow of the American government in the 1950s was to_______________.
a. declare such acts unconstitutional
b. find such acts as being within the Constitution
c. explain that the Constitution is not apply in such cases
d. refuse to hear the relevant cases
27. In response to the 2001 terrorist attacks, the elite in the United States responded by
a. restricting freedom in the name of protecting democracy.
b. promoting freedom in order to irritate Osama bin Laden.
c. ejecting terrorist sympathizers from the elite.
d. trying to reverse a loss of mass confidence in government.
28. The survival of democracy depends on
a. mass activism.
b. mass movements led by counterelites.
c. mass apathy.
d. none of the above.
29. Presently, the greatest threat to democracy in the United States is violence by
a. left-wing extremists.
b. right-wing extremists.
c. Al-Qaeda terrorists.
d. single-issue interest groups.
30. In 1901, President McKinley was assassinated by
a. a right-wing counterelite.
b. an anarchist group which advocated socialist views.
c. a member of the Weather Underground.
d. a member of the Symbionese Liberation Army.
COMPLETION
1. Family income in the U.S. has risen because __________________.
2. The decline in the earnings of American workers coincides with the increase of __________________.
3. The main effect of immigration on the American workplace is to __________________.
4. The general trend in the last 30 years in the percentage of family income earned by the top quintile (20%) of income earners has been __________________.
5. __________________ is the total value of a person's assets, such as stocks, bonds, houses, etc, less debt.
6. To be truly rich in American, one must be worth __________________.
7. As globalization makes the value of and the pay for unskilled labor decline, the effect is to create __________________ in the gap in earnings differentials.
8. An economy that is __________________ reduces mass distrust and cynicism.
9. The willingness of the masses to unite around their leadership when attacked from foreign soil is known as the __________________ effect.
10. Masses are unable or unwilling to apply democratic principles to specific situations involving __________________.
11. Extremist and intolerant movements are most likely to be based on the __________________ class.
12. _________________ affects tolerance by influencing an individual's ability to apply an abstract principle to a concrete situation.
13. The fact that large numbers of the electorate are politically uninformed and have no real opinions on issues is referred to as ________________.
14. The institution with the strongest support among the masses is the __________________.
15. Many poll respondents offer an "opinion" even though they have never thought about an issue before, because they _________________.
16. Voter turnout only exceeds 50% in __________________ elections.
17. Leaders who seek to exploit the worst attributes of antidemocratic mass attitudes are known as ________________________.
18. In terms of endangering democratic values, antidemocratic mass activism has its counterpart in __________________.
19. Mass anxiety and vulnerability to antidemocratic appeals increases in periods of __________________.
20. __________________ are theories about power, and mark places in the political system where segments of the population feel powerless.
TRUE/FALSE
1. Democracy envisions a people who believe in equality of opportunity. T__ F__
2. In the United States, differences between the rich and poor in terms of income and wealth are growing. T__ F__
3. The U.S. economy performs generally poorly, which creates a great inequality in the distribution of economic assets. T__ F__
4. The minimum wage was worth more in 1970 than it is today, adjusted for inflation and cost of living.
T__ F__
5. Membership has shrunk in the major industrial unions. T__ F__
6. Membership in unions representing public sector workers such as government employees or teachers is declining. T__ F__
7. Any genuine "people's revolution in the United States would likely be a right-wing, nationalist, and racist movement". T__ F__
8. Skilled American workers are well-positioned to benefit from increased trade. T__ F__
9. Americans are more patriotic than the citizens of other most countries. T__ F__
10. Masses want the government to continue its large and significant role in many different areas of life.
T__ F__
11. Mass support for civil liberties is consistent, even in times of national crisis. T__ F__
12. Public opinion surveys show that more than half of Americans do not know the first 10 amendments to the Constitution are the Bill of Rights. T__ F__
13. The terrorist attacks of 2001 led almost immediately a decline in trust in the government and its leaders. T__ F__
14. The protection of First Amendment rights rests principally on those governmental elites which those rights were designed to control. T__ F__
15. The most consistent support for democratic values in American society comes from the masses. T__ F__
16. Americans are becoming more tolerant of different social groups. T__ F__
17. Americans become more tolerant of groups as those groups become less threatening. T__ F__
18. Left counterelites have no mass following among workers, farmers, or middle-class Americans. T__ F__
19. Income inequality has only recently become a significant component of the U.S. social structure. T__ F__
20. Income is distributed more unequally than wealth. T__ F__