Deck 2: The Idea of the Public Good

Question 1

The election of Ronald Reagan served as a catalyst for accelerating the efforts of the Religious Right.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Conservatives believe that rich people deserve to be rich, and wealth is a sign of success and reward.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

In the United States, both liberalism and conservatism developed from a common set of fundamental political principles.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Anarchism is founded on the belief that

A) capitalism promotes inequality and should be destroyed.
B) the poor are responsible for their own poverty.
C) opposes the existence of any form of government.
D) government intervention is bad for the economy.
E) equality is a basic human right.

Question 5

Liberals believe that government action leads to greater social equality.

Question 6

The idea of the commercial republic was popularized by Adam Smith.

Question 7

John Stuart Mill advocated for an individualist viewpoint that became a key component of liberalism.

Question 8

Compared to many other countries, the political spectrum in the United States is shifted to the right.

Question 9

Extreme right-wing ideologies share which of these traits in common?

A) Resistance to any form of government intervention in the economy
B) Fervant patriotism
C) Appeal to popular prejudices and hatred
D) Commitment to social justice
E) Belief in individual rights

Question 10

Which of the following would be considered a totalitarian political system?

A) Capitalism
B) Fascism
C) Anarchism
D) Communism
E) Socialism

Question 11

Fascism appeals to people's ideals of nationalism, ethnicity, and/or race.

Question 12

Left-wing ideologies posit a view of human beings living together cooperatively, free from demeaning social divisions.

Question 13

Until the twentieth century, monarchism was the most prevalent form of government in the world.

Question 14

Liberals generally use the past for guidance when meeting the challenges of the present.

Question 15

What is the term for the filter that we use to interpret events?

A) Social environment
B) Capitalism
C) Ideology
D) Politics
E) Gradualism

Question 16

Which of the following would favor a public assistance program, cuts in military spending, more regulation of business and industry, and a progressive tax system?

A) Capitalists
B) Liberals
C) Libertarians
D) Marxists
E) Conservatives

Question 17

Ideology is a set of fixed, predictable ideas on how to serve the public good.

Question 18

The modern welfare state is the invention of European social democracy.

Question 19

Aristotle regarded democracy as the best form of government.

Question 20

Communism is the most prevalent and powerful ideology in Europe and Asia today.

Question 21

Which theorist argued that the main purpose of government was to protect private property?

A) John Locke
B) Adam Smith
C) Milton Friedman
D) Baron de Montesquieu
E) Karl Marx

Question 22

According to Baron de Montesquieu, what are the advantages associated with business and commerce?

A) Nations that trade extensively with other nations are predisposed toward peace.
B) Commerce would provide an antidote to individual morality.
C) Focus on wealth creation that would stimulate religious organizations.
D) A commercial democracy would eliminate certain modest bourgeois attitudes.
E) Successful commerce would stimulate spending and end frugality.

Question 23

Which of the following is a true statement about liberals and conservatives?

A) Both liberals and conservatives stress the virtues of free enterprise and minimal government.
B) Conservatives devote considerable political attention to economic inequality.
C) Liberals define equality to cover economic, political and social rights.
D) Conservatives are not as concerned as liberals with matters of freedom and human rights.
E) Liberals embrace efforts to limit the role of government.

Question 24

The statement, "That government is best, which governs least" best characterizes which ideology?

A) Liberalism
B) Libertarianism
C) Communism
D) Conservatism
E) Nihilism

Question 25

Who developed the idea of laissez-faire capitalism?

A) John Locke
B) Adam Smith
C) Baron de Montesquieu
D) Friedrich Engels
E) François Noël Babeuf

Question 26

Which ideology tries to achieve collectivist ends by using democratic means?

A) Communism
B) Liberalism
C) Capitalism
D) Conservatism
E) Democratic Socialism

Question 27

The root of the differences between liberals and conservatives can be found in

A) their views on what role government should play in shaping society.
B) their views of human nature.
C) the fact that liberals tend to be less hard-working than conservatives.
D) their views on the human condition in an evolving historical process.
E) the fact that liberals are more compassionate than conservatives.

Question 28

All of the following reflect liberal values EXCEPT

A) gay rights.
B) legal abortions.
C) free speech.
D) prayer in schools.
E) public assistance programs.

Question 29

What is the term for Karl Marx's theory of historical progression that is focused on class struggle?

A) Monopoly capitalism
B) Law of capitalist accumulation
C) Gradualism
D) Dialectical materialism
E) Law of pauperization

Question 30

When it comes to moral issues, conservatives

A) believe morality is personal.
B) think it is the job of government to regulate morality.
C) promote tolerance as a key moral value.
D) look to religion as the foundation of morality.
E) avoid discussions about morality.

Question 31

Liberalism and conservatism are both rooted in principles found in the political philosophy of

A) John Locke.
B) Adam Smith.
C) Friedrich Hayek.
D) Baron de Montesquieu.
E) G.W.F. Hegel.

Question 32

Who was the main architect behind the restoration of classical liberalism in economics during the twentieth century?

A) Friedrich Hayek
B) Milton Friedman
C) Adam Smith
D) Helmut Kohl
E) Ronald Reagan

Question 33

Which of the following do conservatives tend to stress the most?

A) Increased military spending
B) The rejection of property ownership free from government's interference
C) Egalitarian ideals and civil liberty
D) Economic rights and freedom of enterprise
E) The role of government in ending poverty

Question 34

Which political group has seen its numbers increase in the United States in the past decade?

A) Independents
B) Republicans
C) Democratic socialists
D) Democrats
E) Libertarians

Question 35

Which of the following most significantly accelerated the "values divide" between liberals and conservatives?

A) The election of Ronald Reagan
B) The rise of the KKK
C) The Contract with America
D) The war on terror
E) The election of Barack Obama