Deck 1: The Study of American Government

Question 1

In this type of political meeting,the adult citizens of a community gather in a common area to vote directly on all major issues and expenditures of the town.

A)A meeting of the Board of Alderman
B)A meeting of City Council
C)A New England town meeting
D)A meeting of the general assembly
E)A meeting of the forum

Answer 1

C

Question 2

By authority,the authors mean the

A)right to use power.
B)manner in which power is spread.
C)use of power for good causes.
D)desire to have power.
E)desire to give power to others.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The term participatory democracy applies most accurately to which of the following societies?

A)Greece in the fourth century B.C.
B)Modern China
C)The United States since 1787
D)The Soviet Union between 1917 and 1990
E)The southeastern United States before the Civil War

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Formal authority refers to a right to exercise power that is derived from an)

A)official ceremony.
B)majority vote.
C)consensus.
D)popular consensus.
E)governmental office.

Question 5

For representative democracy to work

A)there must be an opportunity for genuine competition of leadership.
B)individuals and parties must be free to run for office.
C)there needs to be freedom of speech and press.
D)voters must perceive that a meaningful choice exists.
E)All of these choices are correct.

Question 6

In 1787,as the Constitution was being debated,worried that the new government he helped create might be too democratic,while who refused to sign the Constitution,worried that it was not democratic enough.

A)John Adams;James Madison
B)George Washington;George Mason
C)Alexander Hamilton;George Mason
D)Thomas Jefferson;Alexander Hamilton
E)Patrick Henry;Samuel Adams

Question 7

The text suggests that in the United States,no government at any level would be considered legitimate if it were not in some sense .

A)democratic
B)altruistic
C)humanitarian
D)elitist
E)aristocratic

Question 8

In the United States,a person is said to have political if he or she acts in a certain way that is conferred by a law or by a state or national constitution.

A)authority
B)control
C)power
D)influence
E)clout

Question 9

Individuals have power when they are able to

A)get elected to office.
B)be present at behind-the-scenes political meetings.
C)serve their fellow human beings.
D)get others to do what they want them to do.
E)vote without being influenced by outside forces.

Question 10

In our political system,Aristotle's ideal of direct democracy has been most closely approximated by the

A)AFL-CIO.
B)U.S.House of Representatives.
C)New England town meeting.
D)Constitutional Convention.
E)southeastern United States before the Civil War.

Question 11

For what reason does the book justify representative democracy?

A)Deciding wisely on issues is impractical and unlikely,but deciding on leaders is possible.
B)Elites are better at making political decisions.
C)Representative democracy reserves power to important institutions besides the people.
D)The Capitol Building lacks the room for all voters to discuss issues.
E)Direct democracy is subject to emotional whims by voters.

Question 12

The text notes a tendency for issues that once were to become .

A)simple;complicated
B)public;secret
C)social;political
D)private;public
E)economic;social

Question 13

The federal budget initially proposed for 2016 called for almost trillion dollars in spending.

A)1
B)2
C)4
D)5
E)7

Question 14

At the time of the Constitutional Convention,the view that a democratic government was desirable was

A)already waning.
B)close to unanimous.
C)beyond debate.
D)held by the elite only.
E)far from unanimous.

Question 15

The textbook refers to the activity by which an issue is agitated or settled as

A)government
B)policy
C)politics
D)participation
E)None of these choices is correct.

Question 16

How did Aristotle define democracy?

A)Rule of the few
B)Rule of the one
C)Rule of the powerful
D)Rule of the many
E)Rule of the intelligent

Question 17

The Greek city-state,or polis,extended the right to vote to everyone EXCEPT

A)slaves.
B)women.
C)minors.
D)those without property.
E)All of these choices are correct.

Question 18

The financial position of the state and national governments under the Articles of Confederation could be best described as

A)sound,strong,and based on a large surplus of revenue.
B)sound,strong,but uncertain around the edges.
C)uniformly stable at the state level,but the national government struggled with debt.
D)stable at the national level with little cause for concern in any of the states.
E)growing debt at the national level and several states with financial crises.

Question 19

Which of the following expressed sincere concern that ratification of the Constitution would result in "an immense increase in taxes"?

A)James Madison
B)Alexander Hamilton
C)George Washington
D)Patrick Henry
E)John Jay

Question 20

Today,a primary source of legitimate political authority in the United States is the

A)Bill of Rights.
B)will of the people.
C)U.S.Constitution.
D)concept of civil liberty.
E)notion of civil rights.

Question 21

In a referendum,citizens express their opinions about issues by means of

A)letters.
B)the ballot.
C)town meetings.
D)petitions.
E)Both letters and petitions are true.

Question 22

When the Framers of the Constitution wrote "republican form of government," they were referring to

A)direct democracy.
B)democratic centralism.
C)mob rule.
D)town meetings.
E)representative democracy.

Question 23

Karl Marx is associated with the view that elites reflect an)

A)dominant social class.
B)group of business,military,labor-union,and elected officials.
C)array of appointed bureaucrats.
D)large number of organized interests.
E)flexible alliance of religious and cultural leaders.

Question 24

A modern example of direct democracy would be citizens

A)electing local boards to make decisions.
B)running for political office.
C)affected by some program participating in its formulation.
D)writing elected officials to express opinions on policy.
E)working for politicians.

Question 25

Direct democracy is impractical because

A)citizens do not have enough time.
B)citizens do not have enough information or policy expertise.
C)citizens lack the energy to participate the required amount.
D)citizens lack the interest to be so involved in politics.
E)All of these choices are correct.

Question 26

Representative democracy allows individuals to gain political power through

A)media campaigns.
B)quadrennial elections.
C)nonpartisan elections.
D)reciprocal elections.
E)competitive elections.

Question 27

The author cites the early presidential administrations,the Civil War,and the New Deal as examples of struggles over

A)what constitutes legitimate authority.
B)who shall govern.
C)who gets what,when,and how.
D)when progress is possible.
E)how power is accumulated.

Question 28

In power elite view,which leaders control politics?

A)Top military officials
B)Labor union leaders
C)Mass media executives
D)The heads of special-interest groups
E)All of these choices are correct.

Question 29

The sociologist argued that American democracy is dominated by a small "power elite."

A)C.Wright Mills
B)Karl Marx
C)David B.Truman
D)Max Weber
E)Samuel P.Huntington

Question 30

Samuel P.Huntington argued that morally impassioned elites made most important changes EXCEPT

A)during periods of great social change.
B)for decisions made by political parties.
C)during normal,business as usual periods.
D)for decisions by religious leaders.
E)during wars.

Question 31

The bureaucratic view of political elites,which argues that appointed officials dominate government,is associated with

A)Karl Marx.
B)C.Wright Mills.
C)Max Weber.
D)David B.Truman.
E)Robert Dahl.

Question 32

Representative democracy is sometimes disapprovingly referred to as the theory of democracy.

A)limited
B)aristocratic
C)economic
D)authoritarian
E)elite

Question 33

One distinctive feature of many European democracies is that very few offices are

A)independent.
B)effective.
C)elective.
D)active.
E)efficient.

Question 34

Karl Marx argued that governments were dominated by business owners,who he called " ",until a revolution replaced them with rule by laborers,who he called " ."

A)proletariat;bourgeoisie
B)bourgeoisie;proletariat
C)power elite;middle class
D)working class;lower class
E)laborites;working class

Question 35

All of the following are requirements for representative democracy EXCEPT

A)there must be opportunity for genuine leadership competition.
B)individuals and parties must be able to run for office.
C)voters must perceive that a meaningful choice exists.
D)political resources must be distributed in a roughly equal manner.
E)communication through the press,meetings,and the internet or speech must be free.

Question 36

Democracy in the United States is distinguished from many European democracies by the fact that in the United States,

A)many more offices are elective.
B)more campaign money comes from public sources.
C)more people participate in the electoral process.
D)the government plays a more active role in elections.
E)the government frequently changes hands.

Question 37

Current advocates of economic elite-driven political power argue

A)for a revolution by laborers to replace business owners.
B)that the economic elite are only one of many powerful interest groups.
C)that unelected bureaucrats actually make all political decisions.
D)for spreading political resources across the nation to encourage political pluralism.
E)that class matters less than the power the rich hold through multinational corporations.

Question 38

Democracy was defined as the competitive struggle for people's votes by

A)Joseph Stalin.
B)Joseph Schumpeter.
C)Max Weber.
D)Karl Marx.
E)Søren Kierkegaard.

Question 39

Elite theory is NOT based on the following premise.

A)Majoritarian politics is not always controlling.
B)When majoritarian politics is not controlling,policy is likely to be shaped by those who go to the trouble to be active participants in politics.
C)In general,the number of active participants in politics will be small relative to the total number of potential participants).
D)Despite their small numbers,those who are active participants in politics generally reflect the types of people in the general population and the viewpoints of most citizens.
E)The actual distribution of power,even in a democracy,will depend importantly on the composition of the political elites.

Question 40

The Framers' concerns about direct democracy are well illustrated by the fact that the Constitution

A)uses the word democracy only once,in the Preamble.
B)uses the word democracy only in reference to Congress.
C)does not feature the word democracy at all.
D)uses only the word democratic.
E)frequently uses the word democracy,but never in reference to the enumeration of a formal power.

Question 41

A policy in which one small group benefits and another small group pays is

A)interest group politics.
B)majoritarian politics.
C)client politics.
D)entrepreneurial politics.
E)logrolling politics.

Question 42

In 1935,of American families paid no federal income tax.

A)1 percent
B)4 percent
C)80 percent
D)90 percent
E)96 percent

Question 43

The pluralist view of power focuses on aan)

A)dominant social class.
B)group of business,military,labor-union,and elected officials.
C)array of appointed bureaucrats.
D)large number of governmental interests and organized interests.
E)flexible alliance of religious and cultural leaders.

Question 44

politics is a policy in which almost everybody benefits and a small group pays.

A)Interest group
B)Majoritarian
C)Client
D)Entrepreneurial
E)Logrolling

Question 45

Which of the following statements about political power,or "who governs?" is most accurate?

A)The key to understanding power is to understand the monetary costs of different political decisions.
B)Political power can usually be inferred by knowing what laws are on the books.
C)Political power can usually be inferred by knowing what administrative actions have been taken.
D)Power cannot be realized without institutional arrangements.
E)Most power derives from psychological and social factors such as friendship,loyalty,and prestige.

Question 46

politics is a policy in which one small group benefits and almost everybody pays.

A)Interest group
B)Majoritarian
C)Client
D)Entrepreneurial
E)Logrolling

Question 47

Pork-barrel legislation is an example of this type of politics.

A)Interest group politics
B)Majoritarian politics
C)Client politics
D)Entrepreneurial politics
E)None of these choices is correct.

Question 48

Today,most people holding national political office are all of the following EXCEPT

A)upper-class.
B)males.
C)white.
D)middle-class.
E)Protestants

Question 49

Of the following,which one affects the political agenda?

A)Shared political values
B)The weight of custom and tradition
C)The impact of events
D)Changes in the way political elites think
E)All of these choices are correct.

Question 50

A city council representative faces an important vote on how much,if any,money to spend on a new school.The representative relies on a poll of her constituents to make a decision.This is in keeping with the form of politics known as

A)participatory politics.
B)majoritarian politics.
C)pluralist politics.
D)elitist politics.
E)reciprocal politics.

Question 51

Most people holding national political office are

A)middle class.
B)middle age.
C)males.
D)Protestant.
E)All of these choices are correct.

Question 52

When the cost and benefits of a policy are narrowly concentrated,they are

A)limited to a relatively small number of citizens.
B)spread over many,most,or even all citizens.
C)enjoyed by many demographics.
D)limited a geographic region.
E)spread over a number of states.

Question 53

The view that morally impassioned elites drive important political changes is associated with

A)Karl Marx.
B)Max Weber.
C)Samuel P.Huntington.
D)Robert Dahl.
E)David B.Truman.

Question 54

When the cost and benefits of a policy are widely distributed,they are

A)limited to a relatively small number of citizens.
B)spread over many,most,or even all citizens.
C)enjoyed by only one demographic.
D)limited to one geographic region.
E)spread over a number of states.

Question 55

A policy in which almost everybody benefits and almost everybody pays is

A)interest group politics.
B)majoritarian politics.
C)client politics.
D)entrepreneurial politics.
E)logrolling politics.

Question 56

Under what circumstances would majoritarian politics normally NOT be effective?

A)When a political leader feels sharply constrained by what most people want
B)When an issue is sufficiently important to command the attention of most citizens
C)When an issue is too complicated or technical for most citizens to understand
D)When an issue is sufficiently feasible so that what citizens want done can in fact be done
E)All of these choices are correct.

Question 57

What effect does the national media most likely have on the political agenda?

A)Publicize issues by giving them most attention
B)Influence politicians into voting a particular way
C)Produce stories that force politicians to act
D)The size and power demands action
E)None of these choices is correct.

Question 58

Regarding the role of self-interest in the positions that people take on important issues,it is safest to say that

A)the self-interest of individuals is usually a complete guide to their actions.
B)economic self­interest may be important but is usually not the only guide to people's actions.
C)organizational self­interest rather than economic self­interest is usually the best guide to people's actions.
D)political preferences can be predicted invariably by knowing an individual's economic or organizational position.
E)self-interest is rarely an important factor in understanding political attitudes and behavior.

Question 59

Which of the following statements is INCORRECT?

A)During the 1920s,it was widely assumed that the federal government would play a small role in our lives.
B)From the 1930s to the 1970s,it was generally believed that the federal government should try to solve social and economic problems.
C)Interest group politics often produces decisions about which the public is uniformed.
D)No simple theory of politics is likely to explain both the growth and cutback of federal power.
E)In the 21^st Century are about whether the Federal Government has the power to create programs,not how to make programs sustainable over time.

Question 60

The trouble with trying to infer the distribution of political power from examining the laws on the books is that

A)laws may be enacted in a great variety of circumstances.
B)laws are made to be broken.
C)legislative codes may be so obscure as to defy anyone's comprehension.
D)many congressional enactments never get recorded at all.
E)the judicial branch is rarely independent from the legislative branch.

Question 61

At one time,it was unconstitutional for the federal government to levy income tax.

Question 62

Explain what power involves and differentiate it from authority.

Question 63

Explain what a democracy is and note some prominent examples of this form of government throughout history.

Question 64

A modern example of the Aristotelian ideal of the rule of the many is a New England town meeting.

Question 65

Young Americans are closer to being "political dropouts" than they are to being "engaged citizens."

Question 66

Marx argued that governments were basically dominated by business owners.

Question 67

Representative democracy is sometimes referred to as the "elitist theory of democracy."

Question 68

The power elite view argues that American democracy is controlled by elected officeholders.

Question 69

Pluralists see power as being widely distributed throughout society.

Question 70

None of the Founders was particularly concerned about the government being too democratic.

Question 71

Increasingly,matters once thought to be private are becoming objects of governmental action.

Question 72

Political power is the ability to influence who rules and how rulers behave.

Question 73

Discuss the differences between participatory democracy and representative democracy.

Question 74

The interest on the national debt will be well over $300 billion a year by 2025.

Question 75

In the Greek city-state,only property holders were allowed to be citizens.

Question 76

Many young Americans regularly read newspapers.

Question 77

Max Weber argued that the modern state is controlled by appointed bureaucrats.

Question 78

Log-rolling is when a legislator supports a proposal favored by another in return for support of his or hers.

Question 79

Under the Articles of Confederation,the state governments paid very little of the monies requisitioned by the federal government.

Question 80

Safety requirements for automobiles are an example of client politics.