Deck 1: American Government and Civic Engagement

Question 1

What is the difference between a representative democracy and a direct democracy?

Answer 1

In a representative democracy, people elect representatives to make political decisions and pass laws for them. In a direct democracy, people make all political decisions and pass laws themselves.

Question 2

Critical Thinking Questions
Assume rating/grading scale for the question ranges from 0 to 3 points.
Which is the more important reason for being engaged: to gain power or improve the quality of life? Why?

Answer 2

Both are important. Becoming engaged is necessary to improve the quality of life not just for ourselves or a particular group we may belong to, such as college students, but for others as well. Indeed, attempting to improve our own quality of life may improve it for others as well. If, for example, college students work to cap rents in a city in order to provide affordable housing for themselves, their efforts may end up helping poor city dwellers as well. However, sometimes before certain groups of people are able to act to improve the quality of their own lives or those of others, they often must first gain basic political power, such as the power to vote, organize, or hold office.

Question 3

In which form of government does a small group of elite people hold political power?

A) direct democracy
B) monarchy
C) oligarchy
D) totalitarian

Answer 3

C

Question 4

What kinds of people are most likely to become active in politics or community service?

Question 5

Supporting the actions of the Democratic Party simply because one identifies oneself as a member of that party is an example of ________.

A) partisanship
B) ideology
C) latent preference
D) social capital

Question 6

Which of the following is a good example of a tradeoff?

A) The government pleases environmental activists by preserving public lands but also pleases ranchers by allowing them to rent public lands for grazing purposes.
B) The government pleases environmental activists by reintroducing wolves to Yellowstone National Park but angers ranchers by placing their cattle in danger.
C) The government pleases oil companies by allowing them to drill on lands set aside for conservation but allows environmental activist groups to protest the drilling operations.
D) Groups that represent a variety of conflicting interests are all allowed to protest outside Congress and the White House.

Question 7

What does government do for people?

Question 8

Critical Thinking Questions
Assume rating/grading scale for the question ranges from 0 to 3 points.
Which pathways of engagement in U.S. government do you plan to follow? Why do you prefer these approaches?

Question 9

Critical Thinking Questions
Assume rating/grading scale for the question ranges from 0 to 3 points.
Are there any redeeming qualities to elitism and any downsides to pluralism? Are there benefits to having elites rule? Are there problems with allowing interest groups to exercise influence over government? Explain.

Question 10

What political activities can people engage in other than running for office?

Question 11

Critical Thinking Questions
Assume rating/grading scale for the question ranges from 0 to 3 points.
Is citizen engagement necessary for a democracy to function? Explain.

Question 12

When a person is asked a question about a political issue that he or she has little interest in and has not thought much about, that person's answer will likely reflect ________.

A) ideology
B) partisanship
C) intense preferences
D) latent preferences

Question 13

Critical Thinking Questions
Assume rating/grading scale for the question ranges from 0 to 3 points.
Are all Americans equally able to become engaged in government? What factors make it more possible for some people to become engaged than others? What could be done to change this?

Question 14

What goods are available to all without direct payment?

A) private goods
B) public goods
C) common goods
D) toll goods

Question 15

The elite theory of government maintains that ________.

A) special interest groups make government policy
B) politicians who have held office for a long time are favored by voters
C) poor people and people of color should not be allowed to vote
D) wealthy, politically powerful people control government, and government has no interest in meeting the needs of ordinary people

Question 16

According to the pluralist theory of government, ________.

A) government does what the majority of voters want it to do
B) government policy is formed as a result of the competition between groups with different goals and interests
C) ordinary people acting on their own have a significant influence on government
D) wealthy people decide what government policy will be, and politicians have no interest in pleasing anyone else