Chapter 1: What Is Politics?
CHAPTER 1: What Is Politics?
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
1. Power is __________.
a. based upon class structure
b. the ability to influence another’s behavior either by coercion , persuasion or
rewards
c. determined by a person’s employment or profession
d. determined by how much money a person makes
Answer: B
2. Harold Lasswell defines politics as __________.
a. relationships among people involving power and authority
b. a process of who gets what, when, and how
c. the distribution of a society’s wealth
d. determining why elite groups have access to more benefits
Answer: B
3. Power uses the tools of coercion, persuasion and rewards __________.
a. to influence another person’s behavior
b. to create military weapons and advanced technology
c. to achieve economic superiority over others by use of political bribery
d. is the ability of a person or nation to adapt to social change
Answer: A
4. One of the roles of a democratic government is to __________.
a. directly control the economy
b. make rules determining who will get what share of society’s valuables
c. monopolize the use of legitimate force
d. dictate the ideas that its people may entertain
Answer: B
5. Which of the following best represents the essence of power?
a. Power involves solely persuasion.
b. Power is limited to politics.
c. Power involves solely coercion.
d. Power entails the ability to change another’s actions.
Answer: D
6. The more power one has over another, the __________.
a. lesser is the ability to influence the other’s behavior
b. greater is the force required to influence the other
1
, Chapter 1: What Is Politics?
c. easier a change is to accomplish
d. lesser the ability of that person to achieve goals
Answer: C
7. The United States is the most powerful country in the world, possessing a strong
military, a large economy, and an educated population. These resources __________.
a. constitute coercive power
b. provide only a capacity for power
c. ensure that the United States is a world leader
d. guarantee that the United States attains its goals
Answer: B
8. The elites in a society __________.
a. are those with the least power
b. have the least influence on the government and the society to which they
belong
c. are the people who get a disproportionately large part of the society’s
resources
d. comprise the majority of the population
Answer: C
9. Authority is __________.
a. not related to power and politics
b. legitimate power
c. an inefficient form of power
d. the illegal use of power
Answer: B
10. Elites often reinforce their position by __________.
a. gaining authority
b. usurping power
c. using coercion
d. promoting democratic values
Answer: A
11. Authority is useful for getting others to do something they would otherwise not want
to do because __________.
a. authority must be obeyed
b. authority is highly coercive
c. when one has authority, there is usually no need to use force or persuasion
d. authority is based on strength
Answer: C
2
, Chapter 1: What Is Politics?
12. What does the author mean when he writes that authority is “an efficient form of
power”?
a. Authority is distributed equally among political elites.
b. The cost of influence is high if people respect the authority’s legitimacy.
c. Authority reduces inefficiencies in government spending.
d. Authority, if accepted, does not require force to influence change.
Answer: D
13. Which of the following is an example of authority?
a. being forced to join the military
b. refusing to pay taxes
c. feeling that one should listen to one’s parents
d. compromising with a coworker
Answer: C
14. “Vice presidents should follow the wishes of presidents.” This statement affirms
presidents’ __________.
a. authority and legitimacy
b. constitutional prerogatives
c. responsibilities
d. checks and balances
Answer: A
15. Inequality is a growing problem in the United States. Currently, the top 1 percent of
households hold nearly __________ percent of the nation’s wealth.
a. 9
b. 19
c. 40
d. 59
Answer: C
16. According to a 2020 report, the United States ranks __________ out of 38 developed
countries when it comes to wealth inequality.
a. 1
b. 6
c. 23
d. 32
Answer: D
17. Anarchy is best defined as __________.
a. unlimited democracy
b. the most universal form of ruling a state
c. a society without government
d. a constant war between the governments of two states
3
, Chapter 1: What Is Politics?
Answer: C
18. Political conflict avoids becoming armed conflict when __________.
a. there is some form of government
b. the military steps in and crushes the opposition
c. competing factions purchase equal amounts of weapons
d. a government collapses and tribal leaders emerge
Answer: A
19. The tolerance of different opinions and interests is __________.
a. a threat to democratic rule
b. the central principle of communism
c. observed by all political systems
d. an essential part of democracy
Answer: D
20. Government is __________.
a. uncommon in most parts of the world
b. a relatively recent institution, historically speaking
c. not found in societies with political conflict
d. one of humanity’s oldest and most universal institutions
Answer: D
21. Because it is __________ for people to participate directly in government, most
democracies today are __________.
a. impractical; representative democracies
b. illegal; liberal democracies
c. easy; representative democracies
d. costly; illiberal democracies
Answer: A
22. Which of the following statements regarding democracies is true?
a. Democracies do not tolerate different opinions and interests.
b. Democracy is a favored “label” for many governments.
c. Citizen participation in voting must exceed 80 percent of eligible voters in
order for a government to be considered democratic.
d. Elites hold no power in a democracy.
Answer: B
23. In The Federalist Papers No. 51, James Madison __________.
a. defends checks and balances within the new government structure
b. maintains that if people are given total freedom, life can be safe and
prosperous
c. argues for increased individual state powers to protect civil liberties
d. criticizes the nature of checks and balances
4
CHAPTER 1: What Is Politics?
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
1. Power is __________.
a. based upon class structure
b. the ability to influence another’s behavior either by coercion , persuasion or
rewards
c. determined by a person’s employment or profession
d. determined by how much money a person makes
Answer: B
2. Harold Lasswell defines politics as __________.
a. relationships among people involving power and authority
b. a process of who gets what, when, and how
c. the distribution of a society’s wealth
d. determining why elite groups have access to more benefits
Answer: B
3. Power uses the tools of coercion, persuasion and rewards __________.
a. to influence another person’s behavior
b. to create military weapons and advanced technology
c. to achieve economic superiority over others by use of political bribery
d. is the ability of a person or nation to adapt to social change
Answer: A
4. One of the roles of a democratic government is to __________.
a. directly control the economy
b. make rules determining who will get what share of society’s valuables
c. monopolize the use of legitimate force
d. dictate the ideas that its people may entertain
Answer: B
5. Which of the following best represents the essence of power?
a. Power involves solely persuasion.
b. Power is limited to politics.
c. Power involves solely coercion.
d. Power entails the ability to change another’s actions.
Answer: D
6. The more power one has over another, the __________.
a. lesser is the ability to influence the other’s behavior
b. greater is the force required to influence the other
1
, Chapter 1: What Is Politics?
c. easier a change is to accomplish
d. lesser the ability of that person to achieve goals
Answer: C
7. The United States is the most powerful country in the world, possessing a strong
military, a large economy, and an educated population. These resources __________.
a. constitute coercive power
b. provide only a capacity for power
c. ensure that the United States is a world leader
d. guarantee that the United States attains its goals
Answer: B
8. The elites in a society __________.
a. are those with the least power
b. have the least influence on the government and the society to which they
belong
c. are the people who get a disproportionately large part of the society’s
resources
d. comprise the majority of the population
Answer: C
9. Authority is __________.
a. not related to power and politics
b. legitimate power
c. an inefficient form of power
d. the illegal use of power
Answer: B
10. Elites often reinforce their position by __________.
a. gaining authority
b. usurping power
c. using coercion
d. promoting democratic values
Answer: A
11. Authority is useful for getting others to do something they would otherwise not want
to do because __________.
a. authority must be obeyed
b. authority is highly coercive
c. when one has authority, there is usually no need to use force or persuasion
d. authority is based on strength
Answer: C
2
, Chapter 1: What Is Politics?
12. What does the author mean when he writes that authority is “an efficient form of
power”?
a. Authority is distributed equally among political elites.
b. The cost of influence is high if people respect the authority’s legitimacy.
c. Authority reduces inefficiencies in government spending.
d. Authority, if accepted, does not require force to influence change.
Answer: D
13. Which of the following is an example of authority?
a. being forced to join the military
b. refusing to pay taxes
c. feeling that one should listen to one’s parents
d. compromising with a coworker
Answer: C
14. “Vice presidents should follow the wishes of presidents.” This statement affirms
presidents’ __________.
a. authority and legitimacy
b. constitutional prerogatives
c. responsibilities
d. checks and balances
Answer: A
15. Inequality is a growing problem in the United States. Currently, the top 1 percent of
households hold nearly __________ percent of the nation’s wealth.
a. 9
b. 19
c. 40
d. 59
Answer: C
16. According to a 2020 report, the United States ranks __________ out of 38 developed
countries when it comes to wealth inequality.
a. 1
b. 6
c. 23
d. 32
Answer: D
17. Anarchy is best defined as __________.
a. unlimited democracy
b. the most universal form of ruling a state
c. a society without government
d. a constant war between the governments of two states
3
, Chapter 1: What Is Politics?
Answer: C
18. Political conflict avoids becoming armed conflict when __________.
a. there is some form of government
b. the military steps in and crushes the opposition
c. competing factions purchase equal amounts of weapons
d. a government collapses and tribal leaders emerge
Answer: A
19. The tolerance of different opinions and interests is __________.
a. a threat to democratic rule
b. the central principle of communism
c. observed by all political systems
d. an essential part of democracy
Answer: D
20. Government is __________.
a. uncommon in most parts of the world
b. a relatively recent institution, historically speaking
c. not found in societies with political conflict
d. one of humanity’s oldest and most universal institutions
Answer: D
21. Because it is __________ for people to participate directly in government, most
democracies today are __________.
a. impractical; representative democracies
b. illegal; liberal democracies
c. easy; representative democracies
d. costly; illiberal democracies
Answer: A
22. Which of the following statements regarding democracies is true?
a. Democracies do not tolerate different opinions and interests.
b. Democracy is a favored “label” for many governments.
c. Citizen participation in voting must exceed 80 percent of eligible voters in
order for a government to be considered democratic.
d. Elites hold no power in a democracy.
Answer: B
23. In The Federalist Papers No. 51, James Madison __________.
a. defends checks and balances within the new government structure
b. maintains that if people are given total freedom, life can be safe and
prosperous
c. argues for increased individual state powers to protect civil liberties
d. criticizes the nature of checks and balances
4
