Deck 20: American Democracy, Then and Now American Democracy, Then and Now

Question 1

 In the Old System,discussed by the text,a new federal proposal was debated based on 

A) legitimacy. 
B) transparency. 
C) duplication. 
D) effectiveness. 
E) justiciability.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

 Under the Old System,people voted 

A) at a high rate. 
B) at a low rate. 
C) for radical candidates. 
D) for national elections more than state and local ones. 
E) for candidates supportive of social programs.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

 One of the great puzzles surrounding the ever-increasing expectations we have of government is the fact that 

A) the Constitution is designed to make it difficult for government to act. 
B) the federal courts have facilitated these expectations. 
C) few government officials have welcomed such change. 
D) Americans seem to know less and less about government and politics. 
E) political participation has continually decreased.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

 Until the mid-twentieth century,the federal government 

A) spent large amounts of resources addressing social problems, such as abortion, crime, and drug abuse. 
B) paid little attention to social problems. 
C) was larger than it is today. 
D) focused mostly on just transportation. 
E) None of these are correct

Question 5

 Relaxed constraints on federal action resulted in each of the following EXCEPT: 

A) A citizen could use the federal courts to alter state policy. 
B) People began demanding federal policies regarding civil rights and consumer safety. 
C) The number of interest groups decreased. 
D) Political resources became more widely distributed. 
E) Activists achieved greater control of political parties.

Question 6

 Which of the following best describes how federal policies regarding civil rights and environmental protection came about? 

A) They were enacted due to overwhelming public opinion against the wishes of the political elite. 
B) They were demanded by well-educated, politically active people, then found popular by the general public.  
C) They were enacted due to pressure from interest groups against the wishes of the public. 
D) They were enacted due to pressure from a moderately sized group of politically active citizens against the wishes of interest groups. 
E) None of these are correct.

Question 7

 Under the Old System,the __________ restricted the regulation of business and prevented the government from levying an income tax. 

A) Supreme Court 
B) Senate 
C) House of Representatives 
D) states 
E) All of these are correct.

Question 8

 The transition from the Old System to the New System occurred between 

A) 1920 and 1950. 
B) 1930 and 1970. 
C) 1940 and 1960 
D) 1950 and 1980 
E) 1960 and 1990

Question 9

 Under the Old System,a dominant theme in the debates concerning the legitimacy of the scope of the federal government's power was the 

A) difficulty of quantifying efficiency. 
B) importance of checks and balances. 
C) need for congressional dominance. 
D) limits of federalism. 
E) importance of states' rights.

Question 10

 The special protection the courts once granted property rights has been reduced so that government can 

A) regulate business more than in the past. 
B) construct national plans. 
C) assist the redistribution of income. 
D) implement collective laws. 
E) restrict business less than in the past.

Question 11

 The New System,which took its present form in the 1970s,is characterized by which of the following? 

A) a large policy agenda 
B) the end of most debate over the legitimacy of government action 
C) the decentralization of power in Congress 
D) the multiplication of interest groups 
E) All of these are correct.

Question 12

 During this president's administration,the nation decided to build the interstate highway system. 

A) Franklin Roosevelt 
B) Harry Truman 
C) Dwight Eisenhower 
D) John Kennedy 
E) Lyndon Johnson

Question 13

 During the Old System,discussed in the text,most members of Congress 

A) hoped to become career legislators. 
B) did not serve more than one or two terms. 
C) ran for the presidency. 
D) enjoyed the power of an activist federal government. 
E) All of these are correct.

Question 14

 The text suggests that the Supreme Court's early restriction of the government's authority was probably 

A) the by-product of high levels of education among the members of the Court. 
B) engineered by the various chief justices. 
C) largely contrary to public opinion. 
D) largely consistent with public opinion. 
E) the logical consequence of reliance on precedent.

Question 15

 During the Eisenhower administration,there were __________ major domestic political issues. 

A) no 
B) about three 
C) about ten 
D) dozens of 
E) over one hundred

Question 16

 Which of the following most accurately describes the relationship between administrative agencies and Congress? 

A) Bureaucrats and Congress have never had overlapping powers. 
B) Bureaucrats and Congress have always had overlapping powers.  
C) Bureaucrats can now make decisions that once only Congress could make. 
D) Congress can make decisions that once only bureaucrats could make. 
E) Bureaucrats now have more power than Congress does.

Question 17

 The Supreme Court used this amendment to the Constitution to apply most of the provisions of the Bill of Rights to state governments. 

A) Eleventh Amendment 
B) Fourteenth Amendment 
C) Fifth Amendment 
D) Twenty-second Amendment 
E) Twenty-fourth Amendment

Question 18

 A major development in the changing influence of the federal government was the new manner in which the Supreme Court interpreted 

A) the Bill of Rights. 
B) its previous rulings on checks and balances. 
C) the Preamble to the Constitution. 
D) Article I of the Constitution. 
E) Article II of the Constitution.

Question 19

 Even in the 1930s,public opinion polls showed 

A) that as many as half the voters were skeptical of a federal unemployment compensation program. 
B) that over 90 percent of Americans were supportive of Social Security. 
C) that most Americans were against the national highway system being built at the time. 
D) that most Americans wanted an activist foreign policy. 
E) None of these are correct.

Question 20

 Which of the following was a characteristic of what the authors call the Old System? 

A) A large agenda 
B) High voter participation rates 
C) Dominance of federal powers 
D) Focus on foreign affairs 
E) An impersonal presidency

Question 21

 Under the Old System,the press understood that they should 

A) never ask the president follow-up questions. 
B) never quote the president directly. 
C) always submit press conference questions in writing in advance. 
D) quote the president in matters related to domestic affairs but not foreign affairs. 
E) have most printed material reviewed by the White House before publication.

Question 22

 In the New System,the critical questions surrounding new proposals have focused on 

A) legitimacy. 
B) transparency. 
C) duplication. 
D) effectiveness. 
E) justiciability.

Question 23

 As a result of American concern about rights, 

A) interest groups have proliferated. 
B) parties have become less connected to their voters. 
C) the courts are used much less frequently than in the past. 
D) government uses simple and easy to understand rules. 
E) party and congressional leaders are very powerful.

Question 24

 Under the Old System,power was somewhat centralized in the hands of 

A) party and Congressional leaders. 
B) party activists. 
C) interest group leaders. 
D) voters in primary elections. 
E) PACs.

Question 25

 Lyndon Johnson's legislative program was called the 

A) New Deal. 
B) Square Deal. 
C) New Frontier. 
D) Great Society. 
E) Fair Deal.

Question 26

 Which of the following policy questions would most likely be asked in the New System? 

A) Would a new federal program abridge states' rights? 
B) Should the federal government enter a new policy area? 
C) How can we fix and pay for an existing policy? 
D) Is it legitimate for the federal government to pass certain legislation? 
E) None of these are correct.

Question 27

 The more decentralized and political world of the New System makes it harder for government to 

A) say yes to new ideas. 
B) tax the people. 
C) block new ideas. 
D) promote talented politicians. 
E) pursue equality for all people.

Question 28

 In which decade did TV first begin to shape the political agenda and possibly the types of candidates nominated? 

A) 1940s 
B) 1950s 
C) 1960s 
D) 1970s 
E) 1980s

Question 29

 The text suggests that,under the Old System,bold governmental action usually required 

A) a critical realignment. 
B) a divided government. 
C) a unified government. 
D) wartime crisis. 
E) an activist Supreme Court

Question 30

 Which of the following best describes the two periods between which the transition from the Old to the New System chiefly occurred? 

A) Neither period was particularly remarkable. 
B) Both were periods of prosperity. 
C) Both were periods of crisis. 
D) The first was a period of prosperity; the second was a period of crisis. 
E) The first was a period of crisis; the second was a period of prosperity.

Question 31

 Under the Old System and New System,checks and balances 

A) ensure executive dominance. 
B) go against a committee system. 
C) are in contrast to federalism. 
D) make starting new programs difficult. 
E) ensure a consolidated court system.

Question 32

 The text argues that if the Founders had made the American government similar to England's,we would have seen which of the following outcomes? 

A) Slower adoption of majoritarian politics  
B) Similar foreign policy 
C) Lower taxes 
D) Faster and more frequent discovery of scandals such as Watergate  
E) More decentralization of executive authority

Question 33

 Under the Old System,the presidency 

A) was powerful. 
B) was impersonal. 
C) had a large White House staff. 
D) did not concern itself with the press. 
E) None of these are correct.

Question 34

 Lyndon Johnson was able to get his Great Society programs through Congress because 

A) most of the public favored the programs. 
B) Democrats controlled both houses of Congress by large margins. 
C) most Republicans worked with him on these issues. 
D) he broke up the conservative coalition by convincing Southern Democrats to defect. 
E) the federal government had surplus funds to be spent.

Question 35

 Which administration played a pivotal role in the transition from the Old to the New System? 

A) Kennedy 
B) Johnson 
C) Nixon 
D) Truman 
E) Eisenhower

Question 36

 The New System's Congress is characterized by 

A) diffusion and decentralization of power. 
B) stronger leadership. 
C) fewer interest groups. 
D) debate about the legitimacy of government action. 
E) a smaller government.

Question 37

 According to Alexis de Tocqueville,Americans are most attached to 

A) equality. 
B) freedom. 
C) security. 
D) liberty. 
E) effectiveness.

Question 38

 Under the Old System,crises had a way of leaving the federal bureaucracy 

A) more efficient. 
B) more decentralized. 
C) larger than it was before. 
D) less organized. 
E) less popular.

Question 39

 Which of the following typifies the type of question Congress would debate in 1935? 

A) Should the nation have a Social Security system at all? 
B) Should Social Security be kept solvent by raising taxes? 
C) Should Social Security be kept solvent by cutting benefits? 
D) Should people be allowed to invest some part of their Social Security payments in the stock market? 
E) All of these are correct.

Question 40

 In the 1960s numerous assistance programs were collectively referred to as 

A) the War on Poverty. 
B) the One for All Program. 
C) Head Start. 
D) No Child Left Behind. 
E) the Equality Initiative.

Question 41

 The text suggests that the reason it is difficult to cut back on what the government does is that 

A) cutting programs usually means cutting jobs 
B) party politics make gridlock inevitable 
C) the public wants what the government does 
D) powerful interest groups use money to buy influence in Washington and overrule public opinion 
E) None of these are correct.

Question 42

 The rapid increase in the number and variety of interest groups and their enlarged role in government are 

A) an unintended consequence of federalism. 
B) a rational response to the fact that elected officials can tend to only a few things. 
C) the inevitable result of a two-party system. 
D) the primary cause of increased voter turnout. 
E) the primary cause of divided government.

Question 43

 The authors speculate that taxes would probably have been __________ if the Founders had adopted a parliamentary system in America. 

A) unaffected 
B) less controversial 
C) lower 
D) higher 
E) flat

Question 44

 The authors suggest one way of describing the New System is to call it a(n)__________ government. 

A) restrictive 
B) activist 
C) counter-majoritarian 
D) top-heavy 
E) bottoms-up

Question 45

 The increasing size of the government has occasioned 

A) a decline in public confidence in those who lead and manage government. 
B) greater respect for politicians. 
C) greater trust in government. 
D) greater participation in elections. 
E) less activism through interest groups.

Question 46

 The ultimate cause of red tape,bureaucratic stalemates,and confusion might be the fact that 

A) public officials are self-interested. 
B) bureaucrats are incompetent. 
C) there is too much separation of powers. 
D) citizens want different and often conflicting things. 
E) federalism simply does not work.

Question 47

 For fiscal year 2012,Barack Obama proposed a budget with an estimated deficit of more than 

A) $1 trillion. 
B) $400 billion. 
C) $100 billion. 
D) $20 billion. 
E) $6 billion.

Question 48

 Although we hold the president responsible for a variety of problems,it is certainly true that 

A) the president cannot address them efficiently without excessive use of the veto. 
B) few are relevant to the voting decisions of most Americans. 
C) most can be solved by less partisanship in Washington. 
D) most can be solved with a little assistance from Congress. 
E) many are totally beyond the president's reach.

Question 49

 All parts of the government are becoming more 

A) centralized. 
B) bureaucratized. 
C) automated. 
D) efficient. 
E) popular.

Question 50

 George W.Bush described his political philosophy as 

A) hope and change. 
B) time for change. 
C) compassionate conservatism. 
D) efficiency in assistance. 
E) smart government.

Question 51

 From time to time during the nineteenth century,federal officials might be blamed for,and thrown out of office because of 

A) crime rates. 
B) the economy. 
C) the environment. 
D) civil rights. 
E) All of these are correct.

Question 52

 Among the reasons American government is now much harder to administer than in the 18th and 19th centuries is that 

A) The United States consists of 300 million diverse and free people, instead of 4 million people in a slave-holding society. 
B) The United States is politically divided. 
C) The 20th century featured more consensus among the political elite. 
D) Federalism has reduced the importance of the states. 
E) There are fewer interest groups participating in government today.

Question 53

 When assessing the efficiency of the government,it is always important to remember that Americans are especially energetic about 

A) asserting their rights. 
B) voting. 
C) lobbying their U.S. senators. 
D) complaining to the media. 
E) tracking the success of this or that program.

Question 54

 When elected officials do __________,elections matter more than when elected officials do __________. 

A) badly; well 
B) well; badly 
C) little; a lot 
D) a lot; little 
E) None of these are correct.

Question 55

 Americans probably use __________ more frequently than the citizens of any other nation to make or change public policy. 

A) the media 
B) the courts 
C) protests 
D) voting 
E) boycotts

Question 56

 The text argues that one important reason people vote less now than in the distant past is that  

A) today's voters are less intelligent 
B) today's elections make less of a difference 
C) today's voters are more apathetic about the world 
D) voter in the past had nothing better to do. 
E) All of these are correct.

Question 57

 Today,the government is held responsible for 

A) crime. 
B) the economy. 
C) the environment. 
D) civil rights. 
E) All of these are correct.

Question 58

 Which of the following statements concerning the enormous expansion of the scope and goals of the federal government is correct? 

A) It has not been random or unguided. 
B) Power has been enlarged in some directions more than in others. 
C) Certain goals have been served more frequently than others. 
D) The selection of goals has been shaped by our political culture. 
E) All of these are correct.

Question 59

 The text argues that opinion surveys since the 1960s reflect the public's  

A) loss of faith in the design of our government's institutions 
B) loss of faith in our form of government 
C) disappointment with our government's performance  
D) increasing political apathy 
E) All of these are correct.

Question 60

 The text suggests that,as government gets bigger,its members spend less time __________ and more time __________. 

A) debating; managing 
B) campaigning; advertising 
C) managing; assessing 
D) credit claiming; debating 
E) governing; contemplating

Question 61

 Activism in government can cause declining voter turnout. 

Question 62

 Lyndon Johnson used large liberal Democratic majorities in the House and the Senate to pass his Great Society legislative program. 

Question 63

 Interest groups in the New System rely primarily on "insider" lobbying for influence. 

Question 64

 Power was more decentralized under the Old System of American politics. 

Question 65

 The American public's growing disenchantment with the government is relatively unique among the world's democracies. 

Question 66

 Under the Old System of American politics,leaders in the House and Senate had considerable power. 

Question 67

 Today,the federal government is involved in only a few areas of public policy. 

Question 68

 A college education is no longer the privilege of a tiny minority. 

Question 69

 Members of the House of Representatives began to enjoy relatively secure seats during the 1930s. 

Question 70

 The federal government first attempted to address the issue of crime shortly after the Civil War. 

Question 71

 The conflicting goals of government are often a reflection of the conflicting desires of citizens. 

Question 72

 The Supreme Court initially prevented the government from levying an income tax. 

Question 73

 The fragmentation and individualization of our political system have made it less susceptible to the sway of ideas. 

Question 74

 As government gets bigger,its members must spend more time debating new ideas at length. 

Question 75

 A dominant theme under the Old System of American politics was the importance of states' rights. 

Question 76

 Political elites change their minds more slowly than average citizens do. 

Question 77

 Today,powerful party bosses are the main people determining the party nominees for elections. 

Question 78

 The Supreme Court virtually ceased opposing any economic legislation during the 1930s. 

Question 79

 The interstate highway system was built during the administration of Dwight Eisenhower. 

Question 80

 Today,bureaucrats have less discretion than they did several decades ago.