POLI 2051 CHAPTER 1 TERMS
EXAM QUESTIONS WITH
CORRECT ANSWERS
Linkage institutions - Answer-The political channels through which people's concerns
become political issues on the policy agenda.
Policy agenda - Answer-The issues that attract the serious attention of public officials
and other people involved in politics at a point in time.
Political issue - Answer-An issue that arises when people disagree about a problem and
how to fix it.
Policymaking institutions - Answer-The branches of government charged with taking
action on political issues. The U.S. Constitution established three policymaking
institutions—Congress, the presidency, and the courts. Today, the power of the
bureaucracy is so great that many political scientists consider it a fourth policymaking
institution.
Public policy - Answer-A choice that government makes in response to a political issue.
Democracy - Answer-A system of selecting policymakers and of organizing government
so that policy represents and responds to the public's preferences.
Majority Rule - Answer-A fundamental principle of traditional democratic theory. In a
democracy, choosing among alternatives requires that the majority's desire be
respected.
Minority Rights - Answer-A principle of traditional democratic theory that guarantees
rights to those who do not belong to majorities.
pluralism - Answer-A theory of American democracy emphasizing that the policymaking
process is open to the participation of all groups with shared interests, with no single
group usually dominating. Pluralists tend to believe that as a result, public interest
generally prevails.
elitism - Answer-A theory of American democracy contending that an upper-class elite
holds the power and makes policy, regardless of the formal governmental organization.
EXAM QUESTIONS WITH
CORRECT ANSWERS
Linkage institutions - Answer-The political channels through which people's concerns
become political issues on the policy agenda.
Policy agenda - Answer-The issues that attract the serious attention of public officials
and other people involved in politics at a point in time.
Political issue - Answer-An issue that arises when people disagree about a problem and
how to fix it.
Policymaking institutions - Answer-The branches of government charged with taking
action on political issues. The U.S. Constitution established three policymaking
institutions—Congress, the presidency, and the courts. Today, the power of the
bureaucracy is so great that many political scientists consider it a fourth policymaking
institution.
Public policy - Answer-A choice that government makes in response to a political issue.
Democracy - Answer-A system of selecting policymakers and of organizing government
so that policy represents and responds to the public's preferences.
Majority Rule - Answer-A fundamental principle of traditional democratic theory. In a
democracy, choosing among alternatives requires that the majority's desire be
respected.
Minority Rights - Answer-A principle of traditional democratic theory that guarantees
rights to those who do not belong to majorities.
pluralism - Answer-A theory of American democracy emphasizing that the policymaking
process is open to the participation of all groups with shared interests, with no single
group usually dominating. Pluralists tend to believe that as a result, public interest
generally prevails.
elitism - Answer-A theory of American democracy contending that an upper-class elite
holds the power and makes policy, regardless of the formal governmental organization.
