Deck 1: Politics, Democracy, and the American People

Question 1

Locke believed that government's primary role was to

A)help individuals fulfill their potential.
B)develop the moral character of its citizens.
C)protect the life, liberty, and property of those it governs.
D)preserve the social morality.
E)create an all-powerful central government

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The procedure in some states that allows citizens to put proposed laws and constitutional amendments on the ballots to approve or reject legislative statutes is called

A)referendum.
B)initiative.
C)recall.
D)proposition.
E)disposition.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The filibuster, which permits a few U.S.Senators - or even one - to indefinitely postpone or delay a vote in the Senate, is an example of:

A)minority rights.
B)limited rights.
C)majority rights.
D)basic rights.
E)civil rights.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

A New England town meeting is a form of

A)direct democracy.
B)constitutional democracy.
C)representative democracy.
D)republican democracy.
E)collaborative democracy.

Question 5

When voters vote for or against the adoption of particular laws, they participate in a

A)supposition.
B)referendum.
C)recall.
D)proposal.
E)veto.

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT a basic principle of American democracy?

A)self-government
B)majority rule
C)an organized opposition
D)economic equality
E)government regulation of the economy

Question 7

John Locke wrote that civil society was created by an agreement among citizens in which they accepted existing law and penalties as binding.This agreement was called

A)the social contract.
B)majority rule.
C)direct democracy.
D)constitutional democracy.
E)representative democracy.

Question 8

Government and politics are not the same because government refers to

A)the institutions and processes by which rules are made and enforced for all members of society.
B)the institutions that govern and how these institutions work in concert.
C)the institutions that govern and how citizens determine which ones can enforce the rules.
D)the rules made by citizens and enforced by representatives.
E)organizations that influence policymaking.

Question 9

Why isn't a labor union or a corporation considered to be a part of the government?

A)Labor unions and corporations do not have elected officials.
B)Labor unions and corporations cannot enforce rules for all of society.
C)Labor unions and corporations cannot create any legitimate rules.
D)Labor unions and corporations rarely involve themselves in politics.
E)Labor unions and corporations do not support political candidates.

Question 10

Representative democracy differs from direct democracy in that in the former, citizens transfer their __________ power to people whom they elect to represent them.

A)implied
B)natural
C)participation
D)decision-making
E)constitutional

Question 11

A government that places written legal limits on the power of the majority to act is often referred to as a

A)representative democracy.
B)constitutional democracy.
C)limited democracy.
D)republican democracy.
E)collaborative democracy.

Question 12

Who expressed concern about a "tyranny of the majority"?

A)John Locke
B)David Hume
C)Thomas Jefferson
D)Alexis de Tocqueville
E)James Madison

Question 13

What doctrine is an extension of Locke's idea that people are able to make rational decisions and that they understand what policies would best serve their interests?

A)minority rights
B)majority rule
C)separation of powers
D)limited government
E)checks and balances

Question 14

The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.had many followers due to what source of legitimate power?

A)charisma
B)tradition
C)force
D)legality
E)wealth

Question 15

Alexis de Tocqueville was

A)a British philosopher who argued against democracy.
B)a French aristocrat who visited America in the 1830s.
C)a Spanish political thinker who wrote a book on government in the twentieth century.
D)an American senator who was not fully trusted by the voters.
E)an Italian political philosopher who argued against direct democracy

Question 16

Harold Lasswell defined politics as the study of

A)who gets the support of elites.
B)who acquires the most political power in a community.
C)who gets what, based on how much they contribute to campaigns.
D)who gets what, when, and how.
E)a pattern of corrupt or unethical decision-making.

Question 17

According to the text, Thomas Hobbes and David Hume

A)agreed with John Locke about natural law.
B)were skeptical of human reason.
C)did not think that people were passionate enough about freedom.
D)were influenced by the thinking of James Madison.
E)were influenced by the thinking of Alexis de Tocqueville

Question 18

Which of the following is NOT a basis of legitimacy, according to Max Weber?

A)charisma
B)tradition
C)force
D)legality
E)none of the above

Question 19

Which of the following BEST defines democracy?

A)Power is held by a small group of people.
B)Governmental powers are held by a single person or group.
C)Power is shared by all citizens.
D)Government is unnecessary.
E)Government consists of three branches: legislative, executive, judicial.

Question 20

According to the text, the American public's level of trust in their government

A)has always been extremely low.
B)immediately declined as a result of the September 11 terrorist attacks.
C)immediately rose following the September 11 terrorist attacks but subsequently declined.
D)has never been higher than it is today.
E)cannot be accurately measured

Question 21

In the U.S.Constitution, freedom of speech is protected under the

A)First Amendment.
B)Fifth Amendment.
C)Fourteenth Amendment.
D)Twenty-first Amendment.
E)Third Amendment.

Question 22

What two regions of the United States have recently had the largest increase in population?

A)the Northeast and the West
B)the South and the Midwest
C)the West and the South
D)the Midwest and the West
E)the Northeast and the Midwest

Question 23

According to German sociologist Max Weber, legitimacy in politics can be derived through the use of force.

Question 24

According to the text, who was an early advocate of public education, defending the cost of such a system on the basis that it would instill the value of democracy?

A)John Locke
B)James Madison
C)Baron Montesquieu
D)Thomas Jefferson
E)David Hume

Question 25

According to the U.S.Census, what is the largest minority group within the U.S.population today?

A)Asian Americans
B)Hispanics or Latinos
C)African Americans
D)American Indians
E)Eastern European immigrants

Question 26

Diversity poses challenges to a democracy as it leads to wide differences of opinion thereby making it difficult to

A)survey public opinion.
B)propose solutions to political problems affecting the elites.
C)acquire support for minority candidates.
D)obtain agreement on proposed solutions to political problems.
E)win elections.

Question 27

The Census Bureau estimates that the American population will

A)decline suddenly after 2075.
B)hit over 500 million by 2025.
C)jump to a billion by 2100.
D)reach about 300 million by 2010.
E)decline sharply beginning in 2020.

Question 28

The United States is primarily a direct democracy.

Question 29

Jefferson's concept of equality did NOT apply to

A)black slaves or women.
B)people who did not own land.
C)individuals who were born with few talents.
D)citizens who practiced different religions than his.
E)citizens of different colonies.

Question 30

What basic principle of American democracy has been a source of conflict since the nation's founding?

A)equality
B)private property
C)limited government
D)majority rule
E)universal education.

Question 31

The principle that holds that the powers of government should be limited and embodied in a basic written law is referred to as

A)liberty.
B)the social contract.
C)majority rule.
D)constitutionalism.
E)equality.

Question 32

Ordinary people exercise political power through voting or interest group membership.

Question 33

Natural law is an agreement among members of society in which they accept existing laws and penalties as binding.

Question 34

The Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Amendments grant important rights to people who are accused of having committed crimes.These rights are examples of

A)democratic rules.
B)majority rules.
C)civil liberties.
D)civil rights.
E)social contracts.

Question 35

According to the text, free elections:

A)force citizens to express their preferences for public policy.
B)ensure that public officials are responsive to the desires of minorities.
C)give citizens a chance to select policy-making officials.
D)encourage violence as a means of replacing leaders.
E)allow political candidates to raise unlimited amount of money.

Question 36

Government and politics are synonymous.

Question 37

What type of equality did Thomas Jefferson stress in the Declaration of Independence?

A)religious equality
B)moral equality
C)political equality
D)economic equality
E)racial equality.

Question 38

Elections for members of the House of Representatives are held every

A)two years.
B)three years.
C)four years.
D)six years.
E)year.

Question 39

The written language of the U.S.Constitution can only be altered by

A)holding a referendum and requiring a majority vote of citizens.
B)the approval of the United Nations, the president, and Congress.
C)a formal amendment process as stated within the document.
D)writing a totally new constitution that includes the desired changes.
E)the approval of all the state legislatures.

Question 40

Political power is the ability to influence the political behavior of others.

Question 41

Jefferson believed that economic equality is necessary for the existence of a democratic society.

Question 42

In terms of population, the fastest growing states are in the Northeast.

Question 43

Adopted in 1791, the Bill of Rights sought to protect the individual against abuses of power by the government.

Question 44

The Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Amendments grant important rights to people who are accused of having committed crimes.

Question 45

The total number of poor people in the United States rose sharply between 1996 and 2003.

Question 46

If citizens obtain enough signatures on a petition, a vote is then held deciding whether or not an official may continue to hold office.This is known as a recall.

Question 47

Majority rule always prevents tyranny.

Question 48

The United States is referred to as a constitutional democracy, meaning it places written legal limits on the power of the majority to act.

Question 49

An example of a civil liberty is the freedom to worship or not worship as one chooses.

Question 50

Assess social contract theory as the basis for government. In what ways is the theory reflected in the structure of the U.S.government?

Question 51

According to Volkomer, "Diversity creates special problems for a democracy." Assess Volkomer's assertion with reference to the contemporary demographic shifts taking place in the United States today. Is Volkomer correct in his assertion? Why or why not?

Question 52

Which of the "Bases of Democracy" (i.e., self-government, majority rule, limited government) is most important? Support your choice by explaining why you selected this "base of democracy.";

Question 53

Alexis de Tocqueville claimed that a nation cannot be both ignorant and free.

Question 54

Presently, African-Americans are the largest minority group.

Question 55

What might Locke and Tocqueville say about American government and politics today? Where might they agree and disagree?

Question 56

One of the rights protected by the First Amendment to the U.S.Constitution is the right to petition the government.

Question 57

Compare and contrast Weber's three sources of legitimacy. Which do you think is the most important in contemporary democratic political systems? Why?

Question 58

The idea of self-government originated with Thomas Jefferson.