Unit 2: Power and Authority - Practice Quiz

1 What is power in political theory?

2 Which concept involves the direct use or threat of physical coercion?

3 How is authority most clearly distinguished from mere power?

4 A leader changes public opinion mainly through persuasion. Which concept does this illustrate?

5 What is the basic relationship between authority and legitimacy?

6 Which statement best distinguishes authority from influence?

7 When citizens obey a law because they accept the government's right to make laws, their obedience rests mainly on what?

8 Which situation is the clearest example of influence rather than formal authority?

9 What is authority commonly defined as?

10 Authority is described as relational because it involves which two sides?

11 According to Max Weber, which type of authority is based on long-established customs?

12 According to Max Weber, charismatic authority is based primarily on what?

13 Legal-rational authority is mainly based on what?

14 What does legitimacy mean in political theory?

15 Which condition most directly strengthens the legitimacy of a democratic government?

16 What is a likely result when a government loses legitimacy?

17 Why is legitimacy important for a political system?

18 What is influence?

19 Which method is most closely associated with influence?

20 Which person may exercise political influence without holding public office?

21 A government secures compliance with a tax law mainly because citizens fear the legal penalties for non-payment. Which concept is most directly operating?

22 A respected scientist has no official position but persuades legislators to support stricter pollution standards. This best illustrates:

23 Which situation most clearly demonstrates political authority rather than power alone?

24 During a protest, police physically remove demonstrators from a building after persuasion fails. Their final action is primarily an example of:

25 Citizens obey a court judgment because they accept the court's constitutional role, although they dislike the decision. Their compliance is best explained by:

26 A university dean may issue academic regulations but cannot lawfully command students how to vote. What feature of authority does this illustrate?

27 An elected government follows constitutional procedures, but a growing majority believes that persistent corruption has destroyed its right to govern. This indicates a decline in:

28 Which change would most clearly transform a community leader's influence into formal authority?

29 A business owner changes a council's policy by threatening to relocate hundreds of jobs. Why is this better classified as power than authority?

30 A traditional chief's advice is widely followed, but the constitution gives the chief no decision-making office. Which description is most accurate?

31 When a new judge assumes office, the previous judge's lawful powers pass to the successor. This suggests that authority is primarily attached to:

32 Which policy would most directly strengthen the procedural legitimacy of a disputed election?

33 A campaign changes voters' preferences through repeated arguments and endorsements but offers no rewards or punishments. Its main political resource is:

34 Which statement best distinguishes force from power?

35 A mayor is legally entitled to issue an evacuation order, but residents comply mainly because a trusted local doctor supports it. Which factor most directly explains their actual compliance?

36 A military officer gives a lawful operational order to a subordinate, who complies despite personal disagreement. What makes the relationship authoritative?

37 A regime has enough military power to suppress opposition but is viewed by most citizens as having seized office unlawfully. Which conclusion follows?

38 Two legislators hold identical formal offices, but one consistently shapes the other's votes through negotiation and expertise. This shows that:

39 A prison guard is authorized to direct inmates but secretly accepts a bribe from an inmate who then receives special treatment. The inmate's effect on the guard is best classified as:

40 A public agency notices that compliance rises when it publishes clear reasons for its regulations, even though penalties remain unchanged. What most likely explains the increase?

41 A government announces no new penalties, yet opposition legislators support its bill because they anticipate that the government could exclude their districts from future grants. Which concept best explains their compliance?

42 A minister first convinces a legislator that a policy is socially beneficial and later threatens to remove the legislator from a committee unless she votes for it. The two interventions are best classified, respectively, as:

43 Citizens obey a tax ruling they consider mistaken because they accept the court's right to issue binding interpretations. What most directly distinguishes this response from mere submission to power?

44 Which case most clearly demonstrates force without authority?

45 An unconstitutional junta controls the army and receives widespread obedience solely because resistance appears futile. Which assessment best separates effectiveness from legitimacy?

46 Under Joseph Raz's service conception, a directive possesses legitimate authority primarily when following it helps subjects:

47 Which proposition best captures the content-independent character often attributed to authoritative directives?

48 In Hannah Arendt's conceptual framework, a regime's increasing reliance on violence as public support collapses most strongly suggests that:

49 Civil servants obey an official because impersonal statutes assign powers to the office, although they feel no personal loyalty to its holder. In Weber's typology, this is primarily:

50 Parliament authorizes an agency to set safety standards but not to impose criminal penalties. The agency nevertheless creates prison sentences. What is the strongest authority-based objection?

51 A population sincerely believes that a hereditary monarch has a right to rule, but political philosophers conclude that the institution is unjustifiable. Which distinction best describes the disagreement?

52 A political order satisfies established rules and those rules reflect shared beliefs, but citizens have no meaningful opportunity to express consent or contest decisions. Under David Beetham's account, which legitimacy dimension is weakest?

53 An unelected regulator consistently produces beneficial outcomes but operates through secret, discriminatory procedures. Which conclusion best avoids equating performance with complete legitimacy?

54 Which circumstance most seriously weakens the claim that an election demonstrates political consent?

55 A statute is enacted exactly as the constitution requires but systematically denies a minority equal civic status. Which statement is most defensible?

56 A respected scientist's policy recommendation is followed because citizens trust her expertise, but she holds no public office and claims no right to command. Her role is best characterized as:

57 A lobbyist changes a senator's vote by supplying credible evidence that alters the senator's understanding of a bill, without offering rewards or making threats. This is most precisely an instance of:

58 A media owner never orders editors to suppress an issue, yet editors omit it because they anticipate displeasing the owner. Which interpretation best captures the edge case?

59 Drawing on Steven Lukes's three-dimensional view, which case most clearly goes beyond observable decision-making and agenda exclusion?

60 State A's institutions are voluntarily emulated abroad because foreign publics admire its culture and political ideals. No payments, threats, or binding commands are involved. The relationship is best understood as: