Question 1:

Which of the following characterizes politics as a pervasive pattern of oppression?
a) Marxism
b) Feminism
c) Postmodernism
d) Both A and C
e) All of the above

Question 2:

Who said, “The fundamental concept in social science is Power, in the same sense in which Energy is the fundamental concept of physics”?
a) Karl Marx
b) John Locke
c) Aristotle
d) Bertrand Russell
e) Max Weber

Question 3:

According to Leo Panitch’s definition, the concept of the state refers to what?
a) A monopoly over the use of force in its territory
b) A competitive party system
c) A complex set of governing institutions
d) Both B and C
e) Both A and C

Question 4:

In response to the question, “in whose interests is the state’s authority exercised?” which approach to the study of politics is the most eclectic in its explanation of the basis of state oppression?
a) Class analysis
b) Pluralism
c) Feminism
d) Postmodernism
e) None of the above

Question 5:

Which of the following is an example of power exercised by influence?
a) Extortion
b) Persuasion
c) Verbal threat
d) Blackmail
e) Fines

Question 6:

Which thinker was concerned about the development of a “tyranny of the majority”?
a) Alexis de Tocqueville
b) Thomas Jefferson
c) Karl Marx
d) David Easton
e) Eugene Forsey

Question 7:

The term “government” refers to what?
a) The system of institutions and agencies used to exercise the state’s authority
b) The activity by which rival claims are settled by public authorities
c) The ability to influence what happens in society
d) Both B and C
e) All of the above

Question 8:

Through which mechanisms can citizens vote on important public questions in between elections in representative democracies?
a) Plebiscites
b) Petitions
c) Referendums
d) Both A and C
e) Both B and C

Question 9:

Eugene Forsey maintained that the “rule of law” is the foundation of democratic government because this legal principle means what?
a) Everyone is subject to the law.
b) No one is above the law.
c) Public officials may only exercise those powers that have been assigned by law to their offices.
d) All of the above
e) None of the above

Question 10:

According to recent public opinion surveys, who are Canadians more likely to trust than politicians?
a) Car salespeople
b) Nurses
c) Teachers
d) Both B and C
e) All of the above

Question 11:

Why is politics a necessary part of society?
a) People need to be governed.
b) The things people desire are scarce.
c) Most people enjoy elections.
d) It is the art of the possible.
e) All of the above

Question 12:

On which agenda are matters deemed worthy of receiving government attention placed?
a) The public agenda
b) The institutional agenda
c) The caucus agenda
d) The Prime Minister’s agenda
e) The Queen’s agenda

Question 13:

Democracy is a political system based on what?
a) The formal political equality of all citizens
b) The realistic possibility that voters can replace the government
c) The protection of certain basic rights and freedoms
d) Both B and C
e) All of the above

Question 14:

Which term refers to the situation in which the values and beliefs of the dominant group in society are accepted as normal and inevitable by society as a whole, despite being contrary to the actual interests of most people?
a) Cultural hegemony
b) Propaganda
c) Corporatism
d) Conservatism
e) Conspicuous consumption

Question 15:

Which term refers to the recognition that a person or organization issuing a command has the right to do so?
a) Influence
b) Coercion
c) Authority
d) Dominance
e) Pressure

Question 16:

Direct democracy is usually characterized by the presence of what?
a) Elected legislatures
b) Periodic elections
c) Propaganda
d) All of the above
e) None of the above

Question 17:

What does a feminist-based definition of politics emphasize as the basis for political conflict?
a) Sexual inequality
b) Scarcity
c) The unequal division of wealth
d) Cultural divisions
e) Laws and the constitution

Question 18:

Which term refers to the ability of A to convince B that a particular action is reasonable or otherwise in B’s best interest?
a) Authority
b) Coercion
c) Influence
d) Dominance
e) Pressure

Question 19:

Almond and Verba maintained that democratic government depends on what?
a) Popular tolerance of diversity
b) A constitution
c) Competitive elections
d) A strong police force
e) A charismatic leader

Question 20:

Which term refers to the belief that the opinion of the majority should almost always be considered in decision making?
a) Majoritarianism
b) Pluralism
c) Responsiveness
d) Populism
e) Communism

Question 21:

Which of the following is true about the rules and institutions that comprise the state, if those rules and institutions are to be legitimate?
a) They must be fair and equitable.
b) They must take into account many points of view.
c) They must be accepted by most people as reasonable.
d) They must be laid out in a written constitution.
e) All of the above

Question 22:

The “democracy index” identifies rule of law with what?
a) Independent judiciary
b) Police under direct civilian control
c) Equality of treatment
d) All of the above
e) None of the above

Question 23:

Which term refers to compliance that results from the threat or use of force?
a) Authority
b) Coercion
c) Influence
d) Dominance
e) Pressure

Question 24:

Which of the following are characteristics of social capital?
a) Interpersonal trust
b) Civic duty
c) Involvement in politics and the community
d) Both A and B
e) All of the above

Question 25:

Which term refers to a procedure found in some democracies to remove elected officials before the end of their term?
a) Referendum
b) Recall election
c) Plebiscite
d) All of the above
e) None of the above

Question 26:

According to Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, "political power ... is merely the organized power of one class for oppressing another."
a) True
b) False

Question 27:

Direct democracy is more commonly practiced than representative democracy in Canadian government.
a) True
b) False

Question 28:

Public opinion surveys indicate that older Canadians tend to be the least interested in politics and are less likely to participate in politics.
a) True
b) False

Question 29:

According to Freedom House's World Democracy Audit, Canada is the most democratic country in the world.
a) True
b) False

Question 30:

"Social capital" refers to the norms of interpersonal trust, a sense of civic duty, and a belief that one's involvement in politics and in the life of the community matters.
a) True
b) False

Question 31:

Victor Davis Hanson states that, "Democracy is like pornography, we know it when we see it."
a) True
b) False

Question 32:

As stated in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, rights and freedoms are absolute in nature – fixed as originally written – and not subject to re-interpretation by the judicial courts.
a) True
b) False

Question 33:

Pluralism views politics as being fundamentally a competition between different interests.
a) True
b) False

Question 34:

Occasionally, in a democracy when public opinion is divided and elected officials are unwilling to legislate, unelected judges have usurped policy-making prerogatives to uphold the rights of minority groups.
a) True
b) False

Question 35:

An independent judiciary is necessary in a democracy in order to check the abuse of power.
a) True
b) False

Question 36:

The terms "government popularity" and "state legitimacy" have the same meaning and thus may be used interchangeably.
a) True
b) False

Question 37:

"The personal is political" is the slogan of the feminist movement.
a) True
b) False

Question 38:

Blackmail is a form of coercion.
a) True
b) False

Question 39:

Multiple group identities protect against the tyranny of the majority.
a) True
b) False

Question 40:

Class analysis views the state as an inherently patriarchal institution.
a) True
b) False

Higher Education

Canadian Democracy, A Concise Introduction - Chapter 1