Exam 18: Politics and Social Movements

After the flood, 300 people who had been displaced from their homes realized that only poor neighbourhoods had been flooded, and that the rich neighbourhoods had been protected from the water. The next day, the 300 displaced people marched on government offices, demanding an explanation. Which of the following theories is supported by this event?

Compare and contrast the positions of instrumentalist Marxists and structuralist Marxists.

Citizens of both Canada and Sweden are legally free to vote and influence their governments, but because the working class is more powerful in Sweden, the legal right of Swedes to vote and influence governments has been turned into real political influence on a wider scale.

Sasha had never thought of herself as an activist until she had a tour of the public school located in an upscale neighbourhood of her city. After seeing the state-of-the-art computer lab, she became outraged that the school her daughter attended did not even have computers in the classrooms. Consequently, she organized a parents' group to petition the school board for funding in order to construct a computer lab in their neighbourhood public school. Which concept could be utilized in order to understand Sasha's actions?

Which of the following groups of people is LEAST likely to be attracted to the new social movements?

According to pluralists, democracy is guaranteed because no single group in Canada is always able to control the political agenda.

Which type of theorist would contend that democracy is guaranteed when no sole/single group of people is able to control politics?

What is political citizenship?

Which of the following terms refers to a citizen's right to a certain level of economic security and social participation?

At its inception, the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) consisted of an alliance between two groups. What were they?

According to C.Wright Mills and his study of the United States, what three groups comprise the power elite?

Paul and Mary were having a heated political discussion and Paul asserted "Sure, the United States is a democracy-but just remember that democracy means mob rule by the power elites." Who was Paul referring to?

What is civil society?

A commentator on the war in Iraq maintains that the elites of the United States in government, industry, and the military have acted in their own interests to wage a war that has made them rich. Whose interests was the commentator referring to?

George and several of his close friends work for Environment Canada as biologists, or teach environmental technology courses at universities and colleges. They have formed an action committee with the purpose of saving the northern tundra from diamond mining companies. What kind of social activists are they?

Dasha joined the Gay Pride March in Ottawa. She marched not because she is gay, but because she believes that everyone has rights that must be acknowledged and respected. Which of the following concepts is she supporting?

On any given day, the media is filled with stories about multiple competing interests; for example: gay rights activists versus dominant heterosexual views, pro-choice versus anti-abortion advocates, and feminists against male chauvinists. Which of the following perspectives supports this view of power in society?

A group of workers were laid off by their company shortly before the end of 2008, with some wages still owing to them. They held a sit-in at the closed plant until they got what they were entitled to. Which perspective would use this as an example to support its theory?

The prime minister of Canada, the mayor of a city, members of parliament, and the president of the student body generally all have what type of authority?

What segment of society do the police and the military represent?