POSCI-4 Political Ideologies
Study Guide 1
______________________________________________________________
Robert Brem
6.
1. Ideology and Ideologies
1.
Which of the following is NOT a function of
political ideologies?
A. orientation
B. evaluation
C. edification
D. political program
E. explanation
2.
People who are strongly committed to an
ideology and try to persuade others to accept it
are called
A. nationalists.
B. empiricists.
C. disciples.
D. ideologues.
E. The correct answer is not listed.
3.
Some idea or conception of human nature is
important to a political ideology because
A. it sets the limits of what the ideology
considers to be possible to achieve
politically.
B. it explains why ideologies are so attractive to
so many people.
C. it provides an indication of how the ideology
wants to change or reshape human nature.
D. it shows how ideologies use scientific studies
of human nature for their own purposes.
E. people who need people are the luckiest
people in the world.
4.
5.
Which term best describes an attempt to bring
about a radical transformation of society?
A. revolution
B. orientation
C. rebellion
D. coup d’état
E. reform
Since the French Revolution, people who
want to make radical changes in society
have been called
A. leftists (or left wingers).
B. rightists (or right wingers).
C. centrists (or moderates).
D. recidivists.
E. ideologues.
1
Political ideologies are like revolutionary
movements because they assume or
presuppose that
A. power corrupts, and absolute power
corrupts absolutely.
B. every society will consist of a small
group of leaders and a large group of
followers.
C. people will take action, but they will do it
only to promote their personal interests.
D. the more things change, the more they
stay the same.
E. people can act to make a difference in
the world.
7.
Empirical statements, such as the ones
scientific theories use, try to
A. inspire revolutionary action.
B. disguise and defend the interests of the
dominant class in society.
C. define one of the key terms of an
ideological system.
D. describe some feature or features of the
world.
E. prescribe how things ought to be.
8.
According to the functional definition of
ideology, all ideologies try to
A. stir up the common people against their
rulers.
B. protect the interests of the ruling class in
society.
C. establish and defend some form of
democracy.
D. explain why societies are always divided
into rulers and ruled.
E. provide people with a sense of position
or situation in society.
9.
The way political positions are now
commonly described as left, right, or center
comes from
A. the fact that Karl Marx and other
prominent radicals have been lefthanded.
B. the anarchists’ attempt to overthrow the
British government in 1848.
C. seating arrangements in the National
Assembly during the French Revolution.
D. Karl Mannheim’s attempt to distinguish
central from peripheral ideologies.
E. soccer, where the most “radical dudes”
always play the left-wing.
10.
11.
12.
13.
Which of these statements about political
ideologies is FALSE?
A. Political ideologies are static, or
unchanging, in nature.
B. Ideologies include basic beliefs about
human nature that shape their views of
what is possible.
C. Ideologies usually claim to promote
freedom.
D. Ideologies try to unite thought with
action.
E. Ideologies sometimes simplify ideas to
appeal to large numbers of people.
16.
______________________________
2. The Democratic Ideal
According to the triadic model, freedom is
A. just another word for nothing left to lose.
B. something that all ideologies claim to
promote.
C. something that some ideologies defend
but others attack.
D. a matter of being free from obstacles in
order to pursue a goal.
E. a right that all agents have to pursue
happiness in whatever way they choose.
Nationalists believe that
A. democracy is always the best form of
government.
B. all governments are immoral because
they deprive people of freedom.
C. people who share a common birth
should be united in a political body.
D. a coup d’etat is a safer way to achieve
nationhood than a revolution.
E. ideologues are “terrible simplifiers” who
are too dangerous to be trusted.
Someone who believes that government or
the state should be abolished or eliminated
is
A. a nationalist.
B. an anarchist.
C. a democrat.
D. an ideologue.
E. an empiricist.
14.
According to MacCallum’s triadic model of
freedom, the three aspects of freedom are
A. agents, obstacles, and goals.
B. people, revolutions, and outcomes.
C. legislating, judging, and executing.
D. ideas, laws, and desires.
E. parties, negotiations, and policies.
15.
Ever since it was invented in the late 1700s,
the term “ideology” has been used to link
A. science and religion.
B. logic and justice.
C. thought and action.
D. religion and revolution.
E. theory and education.
Which of the following should NOT be
considered political ideologies?
A. anarchism and environmentalism
B. liberalism and conservatism
C. conservatism and socialism
D. nationalism and socialism
E. anarchism and nationalism
1.
Plato was adamantly opposed to
A. monarchy.
B. democracy.
C. aristocracy.
D. All of the above are correct.
E. None of the above is correct.
2.
The form of government favored by
Machiavelli is
A. monarchy.
B. democracy.
C. aristocracy.
D. the republic.
E. tyranny.
3.
The American Founders attempted to create
a(n)
A. republic.
B. democracy.
C. constitutional monarchy.
D. constitutional democracy.
E. None of the above is correct.
4.
Democracy originally meant a system of rule
by
A. the poorest class of citizens.
B. the numerically largest class of citizens.
C. a philosopher-king.
D. Both A and C are correct.
E. Both A and B are correct.
5.
Aristotle argued that polity is a better form of
government than democracy because
A. the “middling” or middle-class men who
rule a polity will work to promote the
common good.
B. polity is rule by the many in the interests
of the many.
C. polity is rule by the many who are poor,
and justice demands that the poor hold
power.
D. democracy is a form of mixed
government, and mixed governments
simply lead to confusion.
E. he was an aristocrat who couldn’t bear
to say anything good about democracy.
2
6.
7.
8.
9.
Plato and Aristotle believed that democracy
is
A. a bad form of government because it
gives too much power to the wealthy.
B. a good form of government because it
gives most power to the “middling” class
of people.
C. a good form of government because
“what touches all should be decided by
all.”
D. bad because it gives power to people
who lack wisdom, foresight, and selfrestraint.
E. a good form of government as long as
the people elect Plato and Aristotle to
office.
10.
In Aristotle’s terms, the good form of “rule by
the many” is
A. oligarchy.
B. polity.
C. the rota.
D. democracy.
E. aristocracy.
11.
According to the Greek writer Polybius, a
republic is
A.
just another name for a social
democracy.
B.
not as good as democracy because
it places too much power in the
hands of the wealthy.
C.
the most stable form of government
because it mixes rule by one, the
few, and the many.
D.
a satisfactory form of government
for a small territory but not for a
large one.
E.
the worst form of government
because it requires too much time
and effort from the people.
According to Niccolò Machiavelli, the
greatest danger a republic faces is that it will
be
A. torn apart by disputes between different
religious groups.
B. unable to protect individual liberties from
the tyranny of the majority.
C. destroyed from within by the corruption
and complacency of its own citizens.
D. unable to achieve the “rota” necessary
to maintain mixed government.
E. weakened by the poverty of its citizens.
12.
One of the republican features of the U. S.
Constitution is the
A. constitutional provision that everyone
has a natural right to life, liberty, and
happiness.
B. power given to the president to act as
commander-in-chief of the military.
C. Supreme Court’s right to review all bills
before they become laws.
D. principle of majority rule.
E. division of Congress into a popular body
(the House) and a more aristocratic
body (the Senate).
13.
Alexis de Tocqueville believed that
democracy leads to
A. mediocrity, conformity, and the tyranny
of the majority opinion.
B. a strong government because it
encourages political participation.
C. a diverse society with many geniuses
because of its devotion to individuality.
D. a breakdown of law and order because
everyone will do whatever he or she
wants to do.
E. a strengthening of law and order
because people will learn how to govern
themselves.
14.
3
Which of the following contributed to the
revival of democracy in the seventeenth
century?
A. Roger Williams and the Levellers
B. John Stuart Mill and the Utilitarians
C. Plato and the Guardians
D. Polybius and the Machiavellians
E. Paul Revere and the Raiders
Which of the following best describes the
idea of mixed or balanced government?
A. Governing power will be shared by the
one, the few, and the many.
B. People of different groups or
nationalities will blend together into a
single political unit.
C. The government will always try to
promote the greatest happiness of the
greatest number.
D. The government follows the rule, “What
touches all should be decided by all.”
E. Anyone who wants to go into politics
these days must be unbalanced!
Which of the following was NOT a feature of
Niccolò Machiavelli’s Discourses?
A. the desire for a mixed government
B. the attempt to promote a virtuous,
public-spirited citizenry
C. belief in the rule of law, not the rule of
princes or monarchs
D. fear of the corruption of the citizens by
luxury, selfishness, and ambition for
power
E. belief that property should be distributed
equally to give every citizen equal power
15.
16.
____________________________
Majority rule must be limited to protect
individual rights and liberties, according to
A. people’s democracy.
B. liberal democracy.
C. evaluative democracy.
D. social democracy.
E. conservative democracy.
11. Postscript: The Future of
Ideology
According to the Greek philosopher Plato,
which form of government is better than
democracy?
A. oligarchy (or rule by the few)
B. timarchy (rule by the military)
C. tyranny (rule by the strongest)
D. guardianship (or aristocracy)
E. wackocracy (rule by the wacky)
17.
Republican political theories favor which of
the following forms of government?
A. monarchy
B. democracy
C. populist oligarchy
D. aristocracy
E. mixed or balanced government
1.
Since World War II, anticolonial and
separatist movements have been leading
examples of
A. theocracy.
B. fascism.
C. speciesism.
D. imperialism.
E. nationalism.
2.
According to Francis Fukuyama, the “end of
history” has arrived with the triumph of
A. liberal democracy.
B. social democracy.
C. people’s democracy.
D. democratic centralism.
E. radical Islamism.
3.
One can argue that political ideologies are
not about to end or disappear because
18.
Which of the following ideologies support the
democratic ideal?
A. liberalism and socialism
B. liberalism and conservatism
C. radical Islamism and fascism
D. fascism and Nazism
E. Both A and B are correct.
19.
20.
A.
B.
C.
Which conception of democracy stresses the
rights and liberties of the individual?
A. liberal democracy
B. social democracy
C. people’s democracy
D. wack democracy
E. Both B and C are correct.
D.
E.
Which conception of democracy calls for rule
in the interest of the working people, or
proletariat?
A. liberal democracy
B. social democracy
C. people’s democracy
D. wack democracy
E. Both A and C are correct.
22.
According to Aristotle and some modern
political scientists, democracy
A. is not possible everywhere.
B. requires certain cultural prerequisites.
C. can flourish almost anywhere.
D. Both A and B are correct.
E. Both B and C are correct.
4
no one can even imagine what life
would be like without ideologies.
ideologies help people understand and
deal with new problems and
complicated conflicts.
people will cling to ideologies simply
because they are familiar and
comfortable.
all ideologies promote nationalism,
which will continue to be important in the
next century.
jihad is stronger than McWorld.
4.
The breakup of the Soviet Union into
separate countries and the conflict in
Yugoslavia are recent examples of the
continuing
A. revival of Islamic fundamentalism.
B. arrogance of humanism.
C. power of nationalism.
D. decadence of bourgeois materialism.
E. growth of imperialism.
5.
Which of the following is an example of the
continuing power of religion in politics?
A. secular humanism
B. Christian secularism
C. Jewish libertarianism
D. Islamic fundamentalism
E. liberation agnosticism
10.
6.
7.
Which of the major conceptions of
democracy in the twentieth century seems to
be disappearing?
A. liberal democracy
B. social democracy
C. people’s democracy
D. secular democracy
E. republican democracy
Some conservatives, such as Pat Buchanan,
oppose globalization because they think
A. it gives too much power to the United
Nations.
B. laissez-faire economics is a communist
plot.
C. globalization is a threat to national
sovereignty and independence.
D. globalization is a threat to labor unions
and the environmental movement.
E. globalization gives too much power to the
“little platoons” of society.
Which of the following forces have Marxists
been expecting to fade away into
insignificance?
A. secularism
B. nationalism
C. religion
D. industrialism
E. Both B and C are correct.
11
Which of the following is most likely to support
or favor globalization?
A. environmentalists
B. anarcho-communists
C. neoclassical liberals
D. animal liberationists
E. traditional conservatives
8.
Advocates of globalization agree with Adam
Smith’s claim that free trade among
countries
A. leads to inequality and injustice.
B. promotes economic efficiency and
prosperity.
C. spreads democracy around the world.
D. is a step on the path to socialism.
E. will lead to a renewal of mercantilism.
12
In addition to its cultural or general
aspect, globalization is also a movement that
A. tries to eliminate tariffs and other
obstacles to free trade among countries.
B. promotes miscegenation as a way of
increasing international cooperation.
C. aims to extend market socialism to
nonindustrial as well as industrial
countries.
D. encourages countries to enter into
treaties that will protect the natural
environment.
E. promotes fair trade agreements that will
protect workers’ rights and the natural
environment.
9.
According to contemporary
Marxists, globalization is
A. the historical phase that will lead directly
to “the revolutionary dictatorship of the
proletariat.”
B. another way of describing the victory of
the international working class.
C. a form of imperialism—and thus of the
capitalist exploitation of the working
class throughout the world.
D. another form of democratic centralism.
E. a really good idea that they wish they
had thought of first.
SG 2
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