Deck 2: The Idea of the Public Good: Ideologies and Isms

Question 1

In capitalism, who owns the means of economic production?

A)The national government
B)Employee committees
C)Political parties
D)Private individuals and groups
E)The military

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Despite its official political ideology, the People's Republic of China follows which economic ideology?

A)Marxism
B)Capitalism
C)Socialism
D)Maoism
E)Anarchism

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Whom of the following is the best example of a current European ultraconservative leader?

A)Juan Perón
B)Kim Jong-il
C)Rafael Jorge Videla
D)Viktor Orbán
E)Margaret Thatcher

Answer 3

D

Question 4

How do American political movements relate to European ones?

A)American and European movements closely resemble each other in terms of ideology.
B)American movements tend to be more socialist leaning than European movements.
C)American movements tend to be more conservative than European movements.
D)European movements have stronger libertarian tendencies than American movements.
E)American movements tend to be more liberal than European movements.

Question 5

Of the following, who is one of the founding theorists of capitalism?

A)Friedrich Engels
B)Adam Smith
C)Friedrich Hayek
D)Karl Marx
E)John Rawls

Question 6

Which of the following is most likely to be supported by an American conservative Republican?

A)Strong national defense
B)Cuts in defense spending
C)Skepticism toward religion
D)Programs to aid the poor
E)Government regulation of large businesses

Question 7

Which type of government is least likely to pursue the public good?

A)A state with a Western liberal democracy
B)A state led by a European socialist party
C)A state with a capitalist economy
D)A state with a free press
E)A state dominated by a single powerful leader

Question 8

How are capitalists most likely to view taxes?

A)They will endorse higher taxes if used for stronger social programs.
B)They will endorse taxes that harm international competitors.
C)They will oppose lower taxes as bad for business.
D)They will oppose higher taxes on general principle.
E)They tend to have no preference either way about taxes .

Question 9

Through most of the Cold War, how did Hollywood tend to portray communism?

A)Most movies were hostile to communism and communists.
B)Movies tended to show communists as social reformers.
C)There was fairness and balance toward Left and Right in films.
D)Hollywood showed capitalism in the worst possible light.
E)Filmmakers looked to the Soviet Union for themes and topics.

Question 10

Which principle is associated with capitalism?

A)Alienation of labor
B)Trickle-down theory
C)Dialectic materialism
D)Xenophobic nationalism
E)Economic equality

Question 11

In which religious group is the Christian Coalition most rooted?

A)Pentecostals
B)Roman Catholics
C)Southern Baptists
D)African American Baptists
E)Methodists

Question 12

Whom of the following American presidents is most associated with religious conservativism?

A)Richard Nixon
B)Bill Clinton
C)Barack Obama
D)George W. Bush
E)Dwight D. Eisenhower

Question 13

What is "the public good"?

A)The accumulation of wealth and power by well-meaning idealists
B)Parks and recreational facilities
C)Solutions to deep philosophical problems
D)Goals that benefit society as a whole rather than individuals
E)Common support for charitable pursuits

Question 14

What policies are American libertarians most likely to support?

A)Regulations on speech
B)Military spending
C)Aggressive foreign policy
D)Extensive regulation of business
E)Small government

Question 15

Which statement is most likely to be supported by an American liberal Democrat?

A)The nation and society have a duty to care for the poor and less fortunate.
B)The poor are poor because they deserve to be.
C)The government that governs least governs best.
D)The government should own major industrial concerns.
E)Some races and nationalities are inherently superior to others.

Question 16

Which of the following is a socialist most likely to oppose?

A)Progressive taxation
B)Government regulation of businesses
C)Subsidies to corporations
D)Lower defense budgets
E)Social equality

Question 17

Whom of the following would best be described as liberal in the American sense?

A)Donald Trump
B)Rand Paul
C)Rachel Maddow
D)Rush Limbaugh
E)Glenn Beck

Question 18

After World War I, which type of ideology largely replaced monarchism as the dominant worldwide force on the right?

A)Nihilism
B)Fascism
C)Racism
D)Libertarianism
E)Anarchism

Question 19

According to Marxism, what is the only way that capitalism will be overthrown?

A)Revolution
B)Evolution
C)Negotiation
D)Surrender
E)Peaceful transition

Question 20

Which of the following ideologies is least likely to see democracy as a public good?

A)Liberalism
B)Libertarianism
C)Socialism
D)Capitalism
E)Communism

Question 21

Which of the following could be described as totalitarian?

A)Fascism
B)Liberalism
C)Democratic socialism
D)Conservatism
E)Libertarianism

Question 22

Holders of which of the following ideologies are more likely to view the public good as the maintenance of traditional moral standards?

A)Liberals
B)Conservatives
C)Libertarians
D)Socialists
E)Communists

Question 23

Which of the following is a value that American libertarians and conservatives tend to share?

A)Small government
B)Big government
C)Efficient bureaucracy
D)Strong government authority
E)Distrust of state government

Question 24

Which ideology largely defines one of the two major political parties in the United States?

A)Libertarianism
B)Anarchism
C)Socialism
D)Conservatism
E)Communism

Question 25

What ideology has been of major importance in Europe for many years, but of minor importance in the United States?

A)Liberal
B)Conservative
C)Libertarian
D)Socialist
E)Anarchist

Question 26

Which of the following ideologies is related to totalitarian systems?

A)Conservative
B)Liberal
C)Socialist
D)Nihilist
E)Communist

Question 27

What ideology is most likely to emphasize a collective public good, as opposed to the welfare of individuals?

A)Conservatism
B)Socialism
C)Liberalism
D)Religious right
E)American progressivism

Question 28

Of the following, which is not a constitutional monarchy?

A)Great Britain
B)Netherlands
C)Saudi Arabia
D)Belgium
E)Spain

Question 29

In what way did the ideology of conservatism deviate the most during and after the 1980s' Reagan revolution in the United States?

A)Conservatism no longer emphasized balanced budgets.
B)Conservatism adopted a new stress on fiscal responsibility.
C)Conservatism prioritized a shift from strong defense to diplomacy.
D)Conservatism no longer prioritized religious interests in the Oval Office.
E)Conservatism abandoned claims on patriotism.

Question 30

In practice, how are most American voters likely to behave politically?

A)Erratically
B)Idealistically
C)Consistently
D)Pragmatically
E)Fanatically

Question 31

Which concept is agreed upon by liberals and conservatives as part of the public good?

A)LGBT rights
B)Immigration controls
C)Wage equality
D)Religious tolerance
E)Economic growth

Question 32

Which of the following best describes the American liberal view of criminal justice?

A)It is better that some innocent people be convicted than some guilty people go free.
B)It is better that some guilty people go free than some innocent people be convicted.
C)The judicial system's main task is to protect prevailing social order.
D)The judicial system's main task is to protect the rights of victims.
E)There should be no connection between criminal law and political justice.

Question 33

Of the following, which is an American conservative most likely to view as a means toward the social good?

A)Redistribution of wealth
B)Individual success and affluence
C)Collective social gains
D)Erosion of social barriers
E)Awareness of cultural diversity

Question 34

Which American president is most associated with neoconservatism?

A)Ronald Reagan
B)Donald Trump
C)Barack Obama
D)George W. Bush
E)Bill Clinton

Question 35

What is the goal of the welfare state?

A)To ensure political continuity by preserving social stability
B)To alleviate poverty and inequality by redistributing wealth
C)To strive for justice by overturning social and economic relationships quickly
D)To ensure economic progress by instituting revolution from above
E)To foster a successful class struggle by empowering the proletariat

Question 36

What is a belief that American liberals and conservatives tend to share?

A)The importance of religion in political life
B)A need for enlightened elite leadership
C)Immigrants are a vital resource to the national economy
D)Every American deserves an equal outcome
E)Freedom of speech should be upheld

Question 37

How do American liberals tend to view morality?

A)As something personal
B)Rooted in religion
C)Set in immutable truths
D)In service to state interests
E)Serving tradition

Question 38

Which philosopher's work influences both American conservatives and liberals?

A)Jean-Jacques Rousseau
B)Thomas Hobbes
C)John Locke
D)David Hume
E)Alexis de Tocqueville

Question 39

What term best describes the struggle between conservative and liberal ideologies?

A)Moral war
B)Culture war
C)Political war
D)Class war
E)Social war

Question 40

Which concept is most strongly advocated by Adam Smith?

A)Laissez-faire capitalism
B)Class consciousness
C)Gradualism
D)Law of pauperization
E)Surplus value

Question 41

Explain whether socialism or traditional American liberalism is better able to serve the public good in the United States, as understood by most Americans.

Question 42

Describe liberalism's concept of the public good and evaluate its strengths and weaknesses in serving the public good.