Deck 2: The Democratic Ideal

Question 1

Plato was adamantly opposed to

A) monarchy.
B) democracy.
C) aristocracy.
D) all of the above.
E) none of the above.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The form of government favored by Machiavelli is

A) monarchy.
B) democracy.
C) aristocracy.
D) republic.
E) tyranny.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The American Founders attempted to create a(n)

A) republic.
B) democracy.
C) constitutional monarchy.
D) constitutional democracy.
E) none of the above.

Answer 3

A

Question 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.

Question 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.

Question 6

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) a bad form of government because it gives power to people who lack wisdom, foresight, and self-restraint.
E) a good form of government as long as the people elect Plato and Aristotle to office.

Question 7

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.

Question 8

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).

Question 9

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.

Question 10

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.

Question 11

In Aristotle's terms, the good form of "rule by the many" is

A) oligarchy.
B) polity.
C) the rota.
D) democracy.
E) aristocracy.

Question 12

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

Question 13

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!

Question 14

Which of the following statements best reflects the early Christians' attitude toward politics?

A) Obey those who are in power and seek no power for yourself.
B) Monarchy is the only acceptable form of government because God appoints kings to rule us.
C) Democracy is the only acceptable form of government because God creates us all as equals.
D) We are all equal in God's eyes, so no one has the right to have power over other people.
E) Different forms of government must be mixed together to do God's will.

Question 15

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

Question 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.

Question 17

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)

Question 18

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

Question 19

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

Question 20

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

Question 21

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

Question 22

Which of the following Supreme Court decisions rendered campaign contributions essentially unlimited?

A) Lochner v. New York
B) Brown v. Board of Education
C) Roe v. Wade
D) Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission
E) none of the above

Question 23

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.

Question 24

Aristotle looked more favorably upon "rule by the many" than Plato did.

Question 25

Tocqueville claimed that Americans value liberty above equality.

Question 26

Democracy was originally a form of class rule.

Question 27

The word democracy comes from the Latin demon krazie, meaning "demon-crazed."

Question 28

From ancient Athens to the present, democracies have always protected the rights of individuals.

Question 29

Democracy is one of the most important and influential ideologies in the modern world.

Question 30

All modern democracies attempt to imitate American democracy.

Question 31

Aristotle believed that democracy can be established almost anywhere.

Question 32

Matching
Fill in the blanks with the letter corresponding to the names or terms listed below. Some names or terms may be used more than once and others not at all.
-Believed in a "rota," or rotation of representatives in and out of office, to protect liberty:

A) Aristotle
B) Polybius
C) people's democracy
D) James Harrington
E) Niccolò Machiavelli
F)Plato
G) Karl Marx
H) social democracy
I) Alexis de Tocqueville
J) liberal democracy

Question 33

Matching
Fill in the blanks with the letter corresponding to the names or terms listed below. Some names or terms may be used more than once and others not at all.
-Author of the nineteenth-century study of democracy, Democracy in America:

A) Aristotle
B) Polybius
C) people's democracy
D) James Harrington
E) Niccolò Machiavelli
F)Plato
G) Karl Marx
H) social democracy
I) Alexis de Tocqueville
J) liberal democracy

Question 34

Matching
Fill in the blanks with the letter corresponding to the names or terms listed below. Some names or terms may be used more than once and others not at all.
-The version of democracy that has prevailed in communist countries:

A) Aristotle
B) Polybius
C) people's democracy
D) James Harrington
E) Niccolò Machiavelli
F)Plato
G) Karl Marx
H) social democracy
I) Alexis de Tocqueville
J) liberal democracy

Question 35

Matching
Fill in the blanks with the letter corresponding to the names or terms listed below. Some names or terms may be used more than once and others not at all.
-Philosopher who said that democracy gives power to the ignorant and envious:

A) Aristotle
B) Polybius
C) people's democracy
D) James Harrington
E) Niccolò Machiavelli
F)Plato
G) Karl Marx
H) social democracy
I) Alexis de Tocqueville
J) liberal democracy

Question 36

Matching
Fill in the blanks with the letter corresponding to the names or terms listed below. Some names or terms may be used more than once and others not at all.
-Notorious author of The Prince who displayed his preference for a republic in another book:

A) Aristotle
B) Polybius
C) people's democracy
D) James Harrington
E) Niccolò Machiavelli
F)Plato
G) Karl Marx
H) social democracy
I) Alexis de Tocqueville
J) liberal democracy

Question 37

Matching
Fill in the blanks with the letter corresponding to the names or terms listed below. Some names or terms may be used more than once and others not at all.
-Justified popular rule in his Politics because many heads are better than one:

A) Aristotle
B) Polybius
C) people's democracy
D) James Harrington
E) Niccolò Machiavelli
F)Plato
G) Karl Marx
H) social democracy
I) Alexis de Tocqueville
J) liberal democracy

Question 38

Matching
Fill in the blanks with the letter corresponding to the names or terms listed below. Some names or terms may be used more than once and others not at all.
-Greek writer who argued that political stability can be achieved through mixed government:

A) Aristotle
B) Polybius
C) people's democracy
D) James Harrington
E) Niccolò Machiavelli
F)Plato
G) Karl Marx
H) social democracy
I) Alexis de Tocqueville
J) liberal democracy

Question 39

Matching
Fill in the blanks with the letter corresponding to the names or terms listed below. Some names or terms may be used more than once and others not at all.
-The version of democracy that would spread wealth to give every citizen roughly equal power:

A) Aristotle
B) Polybius
C) people's democracy
D) James Harrington
E) Niccolò Machiavelli
F)Plato
G) Karl Marx
H) social democracy
I) Alexis de Tocqueville
J) liberal democracy

Question 40

Identify and explain the significance of the following names, terms, or concepts.
-Socrates

Question 41

Identify and explain the significance of the following names, terms, or concepts.
-Plato

Question 42

Identify and explain the significance of the following names, terms, or concepts.
-Aristotle

Question 43

Identify and explain the significance of the following names, terms, or concepts.
-Polybius

Question 44

Identify and explain the significance of the following names, terms, or concepts.
-Niccolò Machiavelli

Question 45

Identify and explain the significance of the following names, terms, or concepts.
-James Harrington

Question 46

Identify and explain the significance of the following names, terms, or concepts.
-Roger Williams

Question 47

Identify and explain the significance of the following names, terms, or concepts.
-the Levellers

Question 48

Identify and explain the significance of the following names, terms, or concepts.
-Alexis de Tocqueville

Question 49

Identify and explain the significance of the following names, terms, or concepts.
-John Stuart Mill

Question 50

Identify and explain the significance of the following names, terms, or concepts.
-liberal democracy

Question 51

Identify and explain the significance of the following names, terms, or concepts.
-social democracy

Question 52

Identify and explain the significance of the following names, terms, or concepts.
-people's democracy

Question 53

Identify and explain the significance of the following names, terms, or concepts.
-mixed government (or constitution)

Question 54

Why were the ancient philosophers Plato and Aristotle convinced that democracy was a bad form of government? Do you find their arguments persuasive? Explain why you do or do not.

Question 55

What have Machiavelli and other political theorists meant by the term republic? How, if at all, is a republic different from a democracy?

Question 56

Is the United States best described as a democracy, a republic, or a democratic republic? Explain and defend your position.

Question 57

What were the three principal conceptions of democracy in the twentieth century? How do they differ from one another and which, in your view, is the best way of thinking about democracy?

Question 58

Ball, Dagger, and O'Neill maintain that democracy is not an ideology but an ideal. Why do they say this? Are they right or wrong about this? That is, does it make sense to say that democracy is an ideology? Why or why not?