Chapter 1 Introducing Government in America



Chapter 1 Introducing Government in America

Short Answer Questions

1) Because they pay so little attention to politics, ________ are less likely than ________ to be

well-informed about politics in government.

Page Ref: 4

2) Define public goods and give an example.

Page Ref: 9

3) Lasswell defines politics as ________.

Page Ref: 10

4) Politics determines ________.

Page Ref: 10

5) Those who cast their votes based solely on how candidates stand on one topic, such as

abortion rights, belong to what are known as ________ groups.

Page Ref: 10

6) Whom we select as our government leaders and the policies these leaders pursue ________.

Page Ref: 10

7) Define public policy. Give examples of different types of public policies.

Page Ref: 13

8) In a democratic society, parties, elections, interest groups and the media are key ________.

Page Ref: 11

9) What are the key linkage institutions in the United States?

Page Ref: 11

10) ________ is a means of selecting policymakers and of organizing government so that policy

represents and responds to the publicʹs preferences.

Page Ref: 14

11) What is a democracy? Define the term, and then briefly describe three characteristics typically

associated with democracies in traditional democratic theory.

Page Ref: 14-15

12) What is meant by representation? How important is it in a democracy, and why?

Page Ref: 15

13) Compare and contrast majority rule and minority rights. What is their importance in a

democratic society?

Page Ref: 15

14) Compare and contrast the role of groups in pluralist theory and hyperpluralist theory.

Page Ref: 16-18

15) What is the role of wealth (or money) in pluralist theory vs. elite theory?

Page Ref: 16-17

16) Those who espouse the ________ theory contend that United States society is divided along

class lines, and that an upper class rules here regardless of Americaʹs rhetoric of equality.

Page Ref: 16-17

17) Name the theory of government that argues that too many influential groups are so strong that

the government is unable to act, as government tends to cave in to every conceivable interest

and single issue-group.

Page Ref: 17-18

18) Identify two challenges to democracy today, as identified in the text.

Page Ref: 18-19

19) ________ occurs when no coalition is strong enough to form a majority and establish a policy.

Page Ref: 19

20) What are the five elements of the American creed?

Page Ref: 20-22

21) When people talk about a culture war, what do they mean?

Page Ref: 22

22) The ________ is the sum total of the value of all the goods and services produced in a nation.

Page Ref: 24

Essay Questions

1) Discuss the political differences between young people and older adults. What might account

for these differences? And what are the implications of these differences for democracy in the

United States?

Page Ref: 4-6

2) Discuss the differences in political involvement between young people and older adults. How

might youth involvement be increased in our democracy?

Page Ref: 4-6

3) What are the major functions performed by all governments? Give examples of how these

functions are performed in the United States.

Page Ref: 8-10

4) Describe the components of the policymaking system and explain how public policies make

their way through the political system.

Page Ref: 11-13

5) Describe the five principles of traditional democratic theory, as identified by Robert Dahl.

Under what circumstances would the reality of democratic politics fall short of each of these

ideal principles? Provide specific examples in your answer.

Page Ref: 15

6) Compare and contrast the three leading contemporary theories of how American democracy

works. Which do you think most accurately describes the reality today? Explain.

Page Ref: 15-18

7) Compare and contrast pluralist, elite and class theory, and hyperpluralism and assess their

applicability to American government.

Page Ref: 16-18

8) Describe the five aspects of the American creed.

Page Ref: 20-22

9) Some argue that the United States is in the midst of a culture war. What is meant by culture

war? What are the arguments for and against the existence of a culture war? Which set of

arguments do you find most convincing and why?

Page Ref: 22

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