Name ____________________

POL 201

Exam #1

Part I. Multiple-choice (2 points each, total = 30 points).

1. __D__ Elite theorists contend that

A. Elites do not protect government by the people

B. Few societies are divided into elites and masses

C. Average citizens are well informed and politically active

D. All societies are governed by elites

2. __B__ Elitism

A. Keeps individuals from the lower classes from rising to the top

B. Permits social mobility that enables nonelites to become elites

C. Encourages revolutionary change of leaders

D. Cannot exist in a true democracy

3. __D__ Traditional democratic thinking reflects all of the following ideas except:

A. Popular participation in decision making

B. Government by majority rule with protection of minority rights

C. Commitment to individual dignity

D. Commitment to absolute equality for individuals rather than equality of opportunity

4. __C__ Which one of the following is NOT associated with pluralism?

A. Public policy is determined by conflict and compromise among competing interests

B. Voters can exercise meaningful choices in elections

C. Citizens participate directly in decision making

D. New groups can form and gain power

5. __A__ Pluralists contend that individuals' interests are protected by

A. Competition among leadership groups

B. Equal distribution of political influence in society

C. The fact that public policy reflects majority preference

D. All of the above

6. __A__ Delegates to the Constitutional Convention agreed on all of the following EXCEPT:

A. The notion that the end of government is the protection of property rather than liberty

B. Republicanism

C. Limited government

D. Nationalism

7. __B__ Which of the following was not found in Exercise #1 in the MicroCase workbook?

A. The original colonies were generally similar in their ancestry and religion

B. Most blacks quickly left the South after the Civil War

C. Americans today live predominantly in metropolitan areas

D. The majority of Southern states no longer vote democratic in national elections

8. __D__ Separation of powers and checks and balances

A. Encourage government decisions by popular numerical majorities

B. Make it easier for the masses to hold government accountable for public policy

C. Discourage each branch from participating in the activities of every other branch

D. Aim to protect private interests from government and the self-seeking majority

9. __B__ Normative theory

A. Describes how things are

B. Tells the way things ought to be

C. Is also known as empirical theory

D. Predicts the future

10. __B__ The Constitution was ratified

A. By the amendment provisions of the Articles of Confederation

B. By special ratifying conventions rather than state legislatures

C. By over 50% of the general population

D. Only after the Bill of Rights was added

11. __B__ Which of the following is NOT true about the 1787 Constitutional Convention?

A. Delegates met behind closed doors and kept its proceedings secret

B. It honored its mandate to modify the Articles of Confederation

C. It wrote a new constitution for the nation

D. It was attended by the nation's elite

12. __D__ McCulloch v. Maryland

A. Declared the national bank unconstitutional

B. Established judicial review as the cornerstone of Supreme Court power

C. Ruled that corporations were persons

D. Created implied powers for the national government

13. __A__ Western elites were assimilated into the governing elite with

A. The election of Andrew Jackson

B. The election of Thomas Jefferson

C. The purchase of the Louisiana Territory

D. The chartering of the national bank

14. __A__ The Great Depression

A. Undermined the faith of both elites and masses in the old economic order

B. Forced elites to abandon noblesse oblige

C. Restored faith in the concept of rugged individualism

D. Led to the emergence of new governing elites

15. __B__ The prevailing philosophy of the liberal elite establishment can be described as

A. Conservative and hostile to social welfare programs

B. A willingness to take the welfare of others into account and use government power to correct perceived wrongs done to others

C. Rejecting the philosophy of noblesse oblige

D. Reluctant to take on responsibility for the rest of the world

Part II. Short Answers (Points for each question in parentheses, total = 40 points)

16. Define the following terms and tell why each is significant: (3 points each, total = 15 points)

A. The irony of democracy: D & Z notion that elites must govern wisely if government by the people (democracy and dem. Rights are to survive)--justifies elitism

B. Federalism: separation of government by levels with each level (nat and state) having distinct powers. Dispeerses power as FFs wished

C. Social Darwinism: survival of the fittest applied to the social realm. At one time, part of elite values which justified elite rule.

D. Variable: research concept which argues you can only know something in terms of something else and how changes in one affect the other. Key to social science research.

E. Madison's idea of "faction": Idea of individuals banding together to form groups and then trying to "capture" government. Madison feared them but perhaps empowered them via the structure of the government created in the Constitution.

17. Questions about capitalism and pluralism (total= 12 points)

A. What is the fundamental flaw in both capitalism and pluralism? (2)

Both argue that everyone agrees to abide by or follow the rules

B. What is the pluralist equivalent of competing firms? (2)

interest groups

C. What is the "proper" role of government in market capital theory? (2)

minimal, an enforcer of contracts/ laws, etc

D. What is hyperpluralism? (3)

the notion that a pluralist system always devolves/evolves into an elite system because eco power is translated into pol power which is in turn translated into more eco power, etc.

E. How do A, B and C bring about D? (3)

the pol and eco systems are so synonymous that hyperpluralism is the inevitable result

18. Distinguish between convenience and redemptive theory and give an example of each, being sure to demonstrate how your example relates to the theory. (6)

Convenience theory external arrangements, the private realm, private property, structure

Redemptive theory: concerned with individual, public realm, earth as possession of all, centralized power

1 pt bonus: The capital of Ruritania is Shanorewni

19. Identify the major events that have shaped the development of the American elite. Be sure to identify how they contributed to elite values. (7)

Puritans LA Purchase Frontier Stock Market Crash and Depression Mod Consumer Era

Part III. Essay (30 points)

Thoroughly answer the following question. Demonstrate your mastery of the material covered in class, readings, the web, etc.

20. During the first third of the course we have explored the three possible theoretical approaches to the study of government and the development of American elites in Dye and Zeigler. Let's assume that Dye and Zeigler are correct in describing America as an elite system. Let's also assume that Schuman is correct in his assertion that we are the way were are. How does Schuman's analysis 1) support the general principles of elite theory and 2) Dye and Zeigler's notions about the American elite in particular?