Q&A Hero

Q: According to the journalists Barlett and Steele, there are two ways to get favorable treatment by Congress and the White House. Those two wars are a. petition your local congressperson and technology. b. contribute generously to the right people and spend lavishly on lobbying. c. be a military war hero and an astronaut. d. conduct secret meetings with journalists and rise in the ranks of the Masons.

Q: Between 2001 and 2007, Philip Morris, the leader in the tobacco industry, spent over $75 million on _____ to keep tobacco regulations and increased cigarette taxes at a minimum. a. lobbying b. advertising c. bribery d. research

Q: Parenti asserted that the wealthy and powerful are served because of the way society is organized. Which of the following is NOT one of the three ways he identified as how this bias occurs? a. By their influence over elected and appointed governmental officials at all levels b. Through systemic imperatives c. Through the ideological control of the masses d. By means of democratic elections and public education

Q: Which of the following is the author of the Bias of the System theory? a. Karl Marx Women are concentrated in lower-paying occupations the gender segregation problem. b. C. Wright Mills Women enter the labor force at different and lower-paying levels than men do. c. Michael Parenti Women as a group have less education and experience than do men; therefore, they are paid less. d. G. William Domhoff Women tend to work much more overtime than do men.

Q: How did Domhoff's view of the military differ from Mills's view? a. Domhoff saw the military as having much less power and being dominated by the corporate rich through the executive branch. b. Domhoff saw the military as having much more power and dominating the executive branch via the corporate rich. c. Mills saw the military as having much less power and being dominated by the corporate rich through the executive branch. d. Mills saw the military as having much more power and dominating the executive branch via the corporate rich.

Q: Which of the following noted in his Dominant Class model of power that appointees to influential, unelected positions are either members of the upper class or people who have held positions in major corporations, and are thereby people who accord with the wishes of the upper class? a. Karl Marx Gender roles b. C. Wright Mills Gender differentiation c. Michael Parenti Gender segregation d. G. William Domhoff Gender preferences

Q: Which of the following is NOT one of the circumstances cited by Domhoff as showing the impact of individuals and subgroups within the elite on the decision-making structure of the United States? a. Control of presidential nominations through the financing of political campaigns b. Control of both major political parties c. Psychological similarity among the members of the elite d. Almost total staffing of important appointive governmental positions

Q: Which of the following developed a model of power broadly based on the idea of a dominant class? a. Karl Marx traditional man b. G. William Domhoff new man c. Michael Parenti traditional woman d. C. Wright Mills new woman

Q: Mills's third unifying condition, which he called _____, hypothesized that the elite have similar goals and desires, such as maintaining themselves at the top of the capitalist system. a. the pyramid of power Men intrude less on other peoples personal space than women do. b. psychological similarity Men touch women more than women touch men. c. social interaction Women engage in more eye contact and smile more than men do. d. coinciding interests Women generally exhibit behavior associated with low status.

Q: Which thinker noted that members of the ruling class tend to see the world alike because they interact socially, send their children to the same elite schools, and do business with each other? a. Karl Marx Karl Marx doing gender. b. G. William Domhoff G. William Domhoff political correctness. c. Michael Parenti C. Wright Mills cultural dialects. d. C. Wright Mills Michael Parenti gender slang.

Q: Mills argued that the members of the ruling elite interact with each other, their children go to the same schools, and they do business together. Hence, these people who are the inner circle of the upper social classes tend to see the world alike. This idea is the basis of which of his factors of unity? a. Pyramid of power structuring blame b. Psychological similarity blaming the victim c. Social interaction bias d. Coinciding interests None of the above

Q: Who maintained that the psychological similarity among the members of the elite is derived from their similar social origins and lifestyles? a. Karl Marx increases / female b. G. William Domhoff decreases/ female c. C. Wright Mills increases / male d. Michael Parenti decreases / male

Q: According to Mills, the institutional positions men and women occupy throughout their lifetimes determine the values they will hold. He called this a. the pyramid of power. b. psychological similarity. c. social interaction. d. coinciding interests.

Q: C. Wright Mills sees the structure of power as forming a _____ with three levels. a. pyramid of power b. power triangle c. sphere of influence d. confederacy of squares

Q: C. Wright Mills divides the U.S. power structure into _____, with the leaders of these groups forming the top level of a power pyramid. a. the unions, the media, and the federal government b. national opinion leaders, the judicial branch of government, and the media c. local opinion leaders, the legislative branch of government, and interest groups d. the corporate rich, the executive branch of government, and the military

Q: Which of the following is NOT part of Mills's pyramid of power? a. Power elite b. Local opinion leaders, legislatures, and interest groups c. Clerisy d. Powerless masses

Q: In _____'s classic view of the U.S. structure of power posits that the key people in three sectorsthe corporate rich, the executive branch of the government, and the militarycombine to form a power elite that makes all important decisions. a. Karl Marx b. G. William Domhoff c. Michael Parenti d. C. Wright Mills

Q: In the _____ view, the political and economic elite are on the same side and so the state will serve the interests of the elite whether they actively try to manipulate the system or not. a. order model genderfication b. instrumentalist gendering c. structuralist socialization d. pluralist tracking

Q: In the _____ view, the ruling class rules by controlling political officials and institutions through money and influence. a. order model b. instrumentalist c. structuralist d. pluralist

Q: Which model of societal power is similar to the views of Karl Marx? a. Elitist order b. Pluralist conflict c. Citizenry bias d. Order deficiency

Q: According to the chapter, the most important component of a democratic model is that representatives, because they are elected by the people,a. can do whatever it takes to keep the country safe.b. are responsive to the wishes of the people.c. do the will of the majority at all times.d. remember that the legislature is the most important branch of government.

Q: While it is difficult to conclusively prove that campaign contributions result in direct favors, there is some indirect evidence that this must be so. For instance a. interest groups often give to candidates who run unopposed. b. interest groups give only to candidates with whom they agree. c. candidates return donations to interest groups with whom they disagree. d. candidates routinely release the names of interest groups who donate to their party PACs.

Q: A criticism of the pluralist model of power is that a. those who promote this idea are actually secret elitists from the upper-economic stratum. b. a truly pluralist model would support campaign finance reform. c. in real life, people from all walks of life routinely vote against their own interests. d. the leaders in each sector come disproportionately from the upper-economic stratum, and thus share common goals and interests.

Q: An important criticism of the pluralistic model is that it is a. impossible to put into effect because of the opposition of various interest groups. b. impossible to put into effect because it is not based on ideals or principals. c. an idealized conception of the distribution of power that does not conform with reality. d. an idealized conception of the distribution of power that does not recognize interest groups.

Q: The pluralist idea of interest groups is the groups that primarily exercise power vary with the issue. This idea of _____ means that interest groups band together to neutralize each other when their interests do not align. a. power elites b. veto groups c. voting dominance d. camaradaries

Q: What is the basic difference between pluralists and elitists regarding those in society who are wealthy enough to be upper class? a. Whether there is basic unity or disagreement among the powerful from different sectors b. Who should be considered upper class c. The income level at which a member of the upper class becomes powerful d. Whether the power of the upper class resides in individuals or in institutions

Q: The New York Times editorialized: "The court's conservative majority has paved the way for corporations to use their vast treasuries to overwhelm elections and intimidate elected officials into doing their bidding." That opinion was a response to a. Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. b. the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act. c. the McCain"Feingold law. d. Section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code.

Q: What did the McCain"Feingold law seek to do? a. Establish the 527 loophole to allow more soft money contributions to political campaigns b. Remove the limits on soft money donations to political campaigns c. Declare corporations to be people, allowing them to make soft money campaign donations d. Limit soft money donations to political campaigns to $2,300

Q: What is the term for the process in which state legislatures under partisan control deliberately shape congressional districts to favor their own parties? a. Electioneering b. Polling c. Gerrymandering d. Campaigning

Q: The number of each state's electors in the Electoral College is based on the number of senators and representatives in that state. The problem with this system is states with a. large populations receive a disproportionatly high number of electoral votes. b. small populations receive a disproportionatly high number of electoral votes. c. more senators receive a disproportionatly high number of electoral votes. d. large populations dominate the Electoral College process.

Q: The Electoral College allows for the possibilty that someone could be elected president even if that person received fewer votes than his or her opponent; for instance, in the year 2000 presidential election a. Bush won despite having more than half a million fewer votes than Gore. b. Bush won despite having almost 600,000 fewer votes than Kerry. c. Obama won by a landslide popular vote, despite having fewer votes in the Electoral College. d. Obama won despite having more than 500,000 fewer votes than Gore.

Q: The Republican and Democratic Parties receive federal matching campaign funds based on their presumed viability, which serves to a. keep the strong parties strong and the weak parties weak. b. keep campaign financing fair and balanced. c. relieve the parties of some fundraising so they can focus on the issues. d. balance the power of the parties by favoring one party in one election and the other party in the next election.

Q: What percentage of Americans of voting age chose to vote in the 2012 presidential election? a. 96.2% b. 63.5% c. 53.6% d. 37.1%

Q: The phrase "government of the people, by the people, and for the people" describes which type of political system? a. Oligarchy b. Communism c. Democracy d. Monarchy

Q: Which model of power is most aligned with the conflict model of sociology? a. Elitist b. Pluralist c. Sequence d. Imperative

Q: The _____ model views power as broadly distributed among a number of organizations, special interests, and the voters. a. elitist b. pluralist c. instrumentalist d. conflict

Q: One condition of true capitalism is a government policy of _____ that allows the marketplace to operate without intervention. a. laissez-faire b. benign neglect c. the balance of powers d. progressivism

Q: Discuss whether totalitarian governments that call themselves socialist fail to meet the socialist standard.

Q: Discuss how unemployment figures relate to true levels of unemployment in the United States. What are the consequences of using this method?

Q: How did the burst of the housing bubble affect people who did not own their homes (renters)?

Q: Discuss the ways in which employers control workers.

Q: Discuss Karl Marx's prediction that capitalism carries the seeds of its own destruction. What are the five ways in which Marx said this would happen?

Q: Despite signs of economic recovery, the legacy of the Great Recession is _____ the U.S. economic system and the government's ability to address the economic difficulties faced by American families. a. increased trust in b. diminished trust in c. increased dependence on d. diminished dependence on

Q: Which of the following is NOT one of the challenges faced by today's recent college graduates? a. Higher salaries b. Higher unemployment rate c. Greater student loan debt d. Lower salaries

Q: Although the Great Recession technically ended in 2010, there are long-term consequences still being felt; for instance, governments at the local, state, and federal level a. received large influxes of money by charging penalties to banks that had engaged in predatory lending practices. b. spent large amounts of tax money on services for the newly homeless. c. lost significant tax revenues, causing them to impose punitively high taxes. d. lost significant tax revenues, causing them to face serious budget shortfalls.

Q: The Chicago Coalition for the Homeless found that in 2008, 22% of families seeking emergency shelter were a. choosing to walk out on their underwater mortgages. b. seeking shelter after a natural disaster. c. homeless for the first time. d. chronically homeless.

Q: Around 40% of the homeless population were families, typically a. single fathers with children. b. single mothers with children. c. married couples with teenage children. d. single or married women responsible for aging parents.

Q: By early 2009, around 16.5 million children received _____, up 6.5% from the previous year. a. free school lunches b. college scholarships c. art and music education d. health care

Q: A major source of bankruptcy for people in the United States is the inability to pay for _____, especially for people who lose this benefit because they lost their jobs. a. their children's college tuition b. catastrophic health care needs c. vacations and luxury items d. the high interest on credit card bills

Q: In 2008 alone, individuals who had contributed to 401(k) retirement savings accounts for 20 years or more lost an average of _____ of value. a. 5% b. 10% c. 20% d. 25%

Q: According to research by Marquardt and Shinkle, stock market value declined by $7.3 _____ in 2008 alone. a. thousand b. million c. billion d. trillion

Q: In addition to homeowners, _____ suffered during the housing bubble collapse and many faced eviction from their dwellings. a. renters b. small businesses c. big banks d. nursing home residents

Q: The effects of the burst housing bubble fell disproportionately on minorities. By 2009 some 1.5 million homes, owned mostly by _____, were lost through subprime foreclosures. a. all minorities combined b. Asian Americans c. Latinos d. African Americans

Q: What forces combined in 2007 to bring about the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930s? a. Hurricane Katrina and the resulting bailout to homeowners b. Bipartisan support of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan c. Predatory mortgage lending and irresponsible dealing on Wall Street d. The election of the nation's first Black president and a Republican legislature

Q: According to United for a Fair Economy, _____ lost between $163 billion and $278 billion from subprime loans taken out between 1999 and 2007. a. Native Americans and poor Whites b. African Americans and Latinos c. Asian Americans and middle-class Blacks d. Hispanics and Asian Americans recent immigrants

Q: In 2005, about 20% of home loans were _____, meaning they were loans sold to low-income people who had little chance of paying their mortgages, often under predatory terms that were especially unfavorable to the unsuspecting borrowers. a. subprime b. triple-A rated c. fixed-rate d. refinanced

Q: Even before the economic crisis of 2007 to 2009, employees in the United States were working about _____ more hours per year than their European counterparts. a. 70 b. 249 c. 350 d. 1,970

Q: Prior to the economic crisis of 2007 to 2009, the economy was already shifting away from manufacturing to services and information/knowledge. Tens of millions of mostly _____ jobs were lost permanently. a. white-collar b. women's c. unionized d. small business

Q: On August 26, 2014 (Women's Equality Day), the Teamsters Local 237 union in New York City won a historic gender-equity settlement for thousands of female _____, who earned about $7,000 less per year than their male counterparts. a. construction workers b. school safety agents c. skilled factory workers d. truck drivers

Q: In 2013, more than 30,000 charges of _____ discrimination were filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. a. racial b. reverse c. sex d. age

Q: Research in 2009 showed that union members are 59% more likely to have _____ than their nonunion counterparts. a. job sharing opportunities b. stock options c. unemployment insurance d. employer-provided health insurance

Q: Historically, _____ have been extremely important in changing the relationship between management and workers. By joining together, workers were able to challenge owners to increase wages, add benefits, provide worker security, and promote safety in the workplace. a. hierarchies b. employees c. labor unions d. professional organizations

Q: When researchers from the UC"Berkeley's Human Rights Center and a Washington D.C.-based group stated that "New federal laws have been passed to combat these crimes "¦ but much more needs to be done, especially at the local level," they were talking about launching a broad-based campaign against modern-day a. racism. b. slavery. c. union busting. d. feudalism.

Q: In 2013, a spotlight on sweatshops occurred due to the collapse of a garment factory in _____ that killed more than 1,100 young women and child laborers. a. Bangladesh b. Los Angeles c. South Korea d. Afghanistan

Q: Which term refers to a substandard work environment where workers are paid less than the minimum wage, workers are not paid overtime premiums, and other labor laws are violated? a. Sweat lodge b. Workshop c. Factory d. Sweatshop

Q: Pregnant _____ have disproportionate numbers of miscarriages or babies with birth defects, apparently from exposure to nonionizing radiation. a. dyestuffs workers b. coal miners c. video display terminal operators d. workers in semiconductor factories

Q: Minorities, especially _____, have the highest number of work-related deaths. Between 1992 and 2007, the rate of worker deaths for this group increased by 76%. a. African Americans b. Latinos c. Asian Americans d. Native Americans

Q: Since the founding of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), workplace fatalities have a. dropped by 62%. b. risen by 43%. c. risen by 34%. d. dropped by 26%.

Q: According to Karl Marx, worker _____ occurs when workers do not have any control over their labor, are manipulated by managers, work in large impersonal settings, and work at specialized tasks. a. advancement b. satisfaction c. apathy d. alienation

Q: One of the functions of a hierarchical system in the workplace is to encourage obedience to rules by a. rewarding innovative ideas from all levels of worker. b. increasing workers' sense of pride in their accomplishments. c. holding out the possibility of advancement as a reward. d. ensuring that each worker is rewarded according to his or her contribution.

Q: Scientific management was called by a term that based on the name of the concept's founder, who is a. Henry Ford. b. Frederick Taylor. c. Karl Marx. d. Adam Smith.

Q: Which term refers to repetitive work that is divided into very specialized tasks, using standardized tools and procedures, in order to maximize speed and efficiency? a. Scientific management b. Industrial revolution c. Factory system d. Systemization

Q: With the advent of the _____, more and more families left agrarian life, moved to cities, and worked in factories. a. Socialist Revolution b. Age of Englighment c. Back-to-the-Land Movement d. Industrial Revolution

Q: The chapter points out that work can have its dark side. The distribution of work and how it is rewarded are major sources of _____ in society.a. capitalismb. advancementc. inequalityd. leveling the playing field

Q: _____ provides individuals with their social identity, economic resources, and social location, it dominates their time, and it is a primary source of life's meaning. a. Education b. Work c. Politics d. Capitalism

Q: Capitalists argue that the profit motive, private ownership, and competition will achieve _____, although this is not currently the case in the United States, where many workers live below the poverty line. a. the greatest good for the greatest number b. the greatest good for the most disadvantaged c. a balance between the "haves" and "have nots" d. social equality and opportunity for class advancement

Q: The chapter states that inequality is endemic to capitalism. For example, of the 15,000 commercial U.S. banks, the largest 50 hold _____ of all assets.a. 77%b. more than 50%c. more than 33%d. 10%

Q: Because resources and wages are cheaper in many other nations, U.S. corporations are shifting more and more of their total assets outside of the United States. As of 2009, _____ of the top 15 multinational companies were U.S. based companies. a. all b. three c. six d. 12

Q: Which of the following is the term for the linkage between corporations that results when an individual serves on the board of directors of two companies or when two companies each have a director on the board of a third company? a. Conflict of interest b. Oligopoly c. Interlocking directorates d. Monopoly

Q: Mr. Cabot serves on the boards of both the Big Bank of Money and the Super Soda Company. This type of interlocking directorate is a(n) a. direct interlock. racialized b. indirect interlock. self-identified c. interlock conflict. equalized d. shared monopoly. marginalized