Deck 1: Introducing Government in America

Question 1

What makes up the government's policy agenda?

A)all of the issues that candidates talk about on the campaign trail
B)the issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other political actors
C)the issues that are asked about on public opinion polls
D)the issues that concern single-issue interest groups

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which theory argues that special interest groups have essentially become sovereign,and the government is merely their servant?

A)pluralism
B)hyperpluralism
C)majority rule
D)federalism

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The ways in which people get involved in politics make up their political __________.

A)ideology
B)participation
C)party
D)opinions

Answer 3

B

Question 4

How does government usually protect its national sovereignty?

A)by maintaining armed forces
B)by maintaining schools,libraries,hospitals,and highways
C)by collecting taxes
D)by politically socializing the young

Question 5

The withdrawal of American troops from Iraq resulted from which of the following?

A)a regulation
B)a budgetary choice
C)a congressional statute
D)a presidential action

Question 6

What most closely exemplifies equality in voting?

A)inclusion
B)freedom of speech and of the press
C)one person,one vote
D)universal citizenship

Question 7

The __________ principle is that,in a democracy,policies should reflect the will of more than half of the voters.

A)enlightened rule
B)pluralism
C)representation
D)majority rule

Question 8

Which theory contends that American society is divided along class lines?

A)pluralism
B)policy gridlock
C)balance of power
D)elitism

Question 9

A law passed by Congress and the adoption of a regulation by an agency are examples of which of the following?

A)collective action
B)red tape
C)public policies
D)government rule

Question 10

What are policy impacts?

A)issues that attract serious attention of public officials
B)government institutions that are charged with taking action on political issues
C)the effects that a policy has on people and on society's problems
D)systems of selecting policymakers and of organizing government so that policy represents and responds to the public's preferences

Question 11

What condition occurs when interests conflict and no coalition is strong enough to form a majority and establish policy,yet each may be strong enough to thwart the will of the others?

A)divided government
B)Hyperpluralism
C)policy gridlock
D)separation of powers

Question 12

What is democracy?

A)a system that ensures freedom,justice,and peace to all citizens
B)a system that perpetuates the status quo and upholds the values of the party in power
C)a system that selects policymakers and organizes government so that policy represents and responds to the public's preferences
D)a system that grants a status of privilege to the most active and informed voters

Question 13

What determines whom we select as our governmental leaders and what policies these leaders pursue?

A)the media
B)public opinion
C)politics
D)public policy

Question 14

How does our government respond to the priorities of its people?

A)through linkage institutions
B)through political science
C)through political tolerance
D)through a policymaking system

Question 15

What best describes a linkage institution?

A)a channel through which people's concerns become part of the political agenda
B)a location to express a political opinion
C)the formation of a special interest group
D)an environment where one learns about the political process

Question 16

The U.S.preference for __________ economic policies helps to explain why we have a smaller and more limited government than do most other advanced industrialized countries.

A)laissez-faire
B)populist
C)pluralist
D)egalitarian

Question 17

What are the institutions that make public policy decisions for a society collectively known as?

A)political culture
B)the courts
C)government
D)Congress

Question 18

A set of values widely shared within a society is referred to as which of the following?

A)government
B)politics
C)public policy
D)political culture

Question 19

What is the theory that argues that group competition results in a rough approximation of the public interest in public policy?

A)pluralism
B)elitism
C)balance-of-power theory
D)elite-and-class theory

Question 20

What is an example of a collective good?

A)clean air
B)medical care
C)a college education
D)food stamps

Question 21

Free speech and a free press are essential to which principle of traditional democratic theory?

A)inclusion
B)effective participation
C)enlightened understanding
D)equality in voting

Question 22

Who is at the center of all theories of elitism?

A)big business
B)Congress
C)ordinary citizens
D)political parties

Question 23

In the United States,pluralism suggests which of the following?

A)Because most citizens fail to pay attention to serious issues,government has become an elite institution.
B)Congress is stronger and more influential than the presidency.
C)Many groups vie for power with no one group dominating politics.
D)Too many influential groups cripple government's ability to govern.

Question 24

What kind of public policy involves the legislative enactment of taxes and expenditures?

A)budgetary choice
B)regulation
C)court decision
D)congressional statute

Question 25

What is public policy?

A)all government decisions
B)the root causes of political culture
C)the public's political issues
D)only legislation enacted by Congress

Question 26

Which principle of traditional democracy theory is violated in circumstances in which the wealthy have influence over the government's policy agenda that far exceeds what would be expected based on their numbers?

A)citizen control of the agenda
B)effective participation
C)enlightened understanding
D)equality in voting