Deck 20: American Democracy,then and Now

Question 1

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

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

Answer 1

B

Question 2

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

A)served many terms.
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 choices is true.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

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 3

A

Question 4

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.

Question 5

Numerous rights have been applied to the states via the clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

A)takings
B)due process
C)equal protection
D)establishment
E)fairness

Question 6

When the Supreme Court declares that a feature of the Bill of Rights is applicable to the states as well as the federal government,we say that feature has been

A)excised.
B)truncated.
C)bifurcated.
D)redacted.
E)incorporated.

Question 7

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.

Question 8

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 was 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 choices is true.

Question 9

The text suggests that the Supreme Court's 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 10

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 11

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

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

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

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)the Eighth Amendment.
E)the Seventh and Eighth Amendments.

Question 14

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 choices is true.

Question 15

Relaxed constraints on federal action means all of the following EXCEPT

A)a citizen can 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 has decreased.
D)political resources have become more widely distributed.
E)political parties are more controlled by activists.

Question 16

The constraints on federal action have now weakened because

A)the courts have altered their interpretation of the Constitution in ways that have not only permitted,but sometimes even required government action.
B)public opinion has changed in ways that support an expanded role for the federal government.
C)political resources have become more widely distributed.
D)public opinion has changed to support an expanded role for the federal government and political resources have become more widely distributed.
E)All of these choices are true.

Question 17

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)President
E)None of these choices is true.

Question 18

Until the 1930s,the Supreme Court

A)restricted the authority of the government to regulate business.
B)prevented the government from levying an income tax.
C)refused,with some exceptions,to allow the delegation of broad discretionary power to administrative agencies.
D)restricted the authority to regulate business,prevented the government from levying an income tax,and refused to allow the delegation of broad discretion to administrative agencies.
E)None of these choices is true.

Question 19

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 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

Lyndon Johnson's legislative program was called the

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

Question 22

In 1935,Congress debated whether the nation should have

A)a Social Security system.
B)Medicare.
C)Medicaid.
D)protections for Americans with disabilities.
E)an interstate highway system.

Question 23

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 made an appeal to the public for his programs.
E)the federal government had surplus funds to be spent.

Question 24

According to the text,if the United States was more like England

A)it would be less majoritarian.
B)it would have still had the same foreign policy.
C)taxes would be lower.
D)Watergate never have been discovered.
E)the government would be more centralized.

Question 25

According to Alexis de Tocqueville,Americans are most attached to

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

Question 26

Under the Old System and New System,checks and balances

A)ensures executive dominance.
B)goes against a committee system.
C)is in contrast to federalism.
D)makes starting a new program difficult.
E)ensures a consolidated court system.

Question 27

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)popular.

Question 28

As a result of American concern about rights,

A)interest groups are expected to shape and administer programs,and so 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 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

It is now easier to gain access to the courts,and once there,one is more likely to encounter judges who believe that

A)precedent should be adhered to as closely as possible.
B)courts should avoid political questions.
C)the Constitution should be interpreted broadly to permit particular goals.
D)the executive branch should dominate the legislative branch.
E)state laws are superior to federal laws.

Question 31

Which of the following is a characteristic of the New System?

A)A large policy agenda
B)The diffusion and decentralization of power in Congress
C)The multiplication of interest groups
D)The end of debate over the legitimacy of government action
E)All of these choices are true.

Question 32

Under the Old System,the presidency

A)was powerful.
B)was impersonal.
C)had only a large White House staff.
D)was powerful,impersonal,and had a large staff.
E)None of these choices is true.

Question 33

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

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

Question 34

Under the Old System,the press understands 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 35

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 36

All of the following were features of Lyndon Johnson's Great Society legislation EXCEPT

A)Temporary Assistance to Needy Families TANF).
B)provision of federal aid to local schools.
C)aid to the states to fight crime and rebuild slums.
D)Medicaid.
E)Medicare.

Question 37

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 38

The New System's Congress was 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 39

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 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 more government does,the more it will appear

A)inconsistent.
B)uncoordinated.
C)cumbersome.
D)connected.
E)All of these choices are true.

Question 42

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

A)the United States is 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 20^th 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 43

For Fiscal Year 2012,Barack Obama proposed a budget with an estimated deficit of more than $ .

A)1 trillion
B)400 million
C)100 million
D)20 million
E)6 million

Question 44

An activist government is susceptible to control by electoral activity than a passive one.

A)much more
B)slightly more
C)less
D)always more
E)increasingly

Question 45

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 46

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 47

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 48

The authors suggest one way of describing the New System is to call it an)government.

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

Question 49

By 2009,the federal government had become the majority stockholder in what was once the world's largest __________ company.

A)steel
B)railroad
C)automotive
D)telephone
E)Internet

Question 50

One result of an activist government is

A)an increase in public trust of government.
B)a decline in interest group activity.
C)a decline in voter turnout.
D)an increase in party-related activity.
E)an increase in the role of courts.

Question 51

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 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 choices are true.

Question 52

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 53

The increasing size of the government has also 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 54

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 55

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 56

All parts of the government are becoming more

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

Question 57

Today,the government is held responsible for

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

Question 58

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 choices is true.

Question 59

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 60

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 61

As government gets bigger,its members must spend more time debating at length new ideas and less time managing the consequences.

Question 62

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

Question 63

Activism in government can be a cause of declining voter turnout.

Question 64

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

Question 65

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

Question 66

Provisions of the Bill of Rights have been extended to the states via the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Question 67

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

Question 68

Discuss the restraints on the growth of government that existed until the mid-1930s.

Question 69

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

Question 70

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

Question 71

What are some constitutional features that make it hard for the government to act?

Question 72

The federal government actively sought to address the issue of drug abuse before the mid-twentieth century.

Question 73

Political elites change their minds more slowly than the average citizen.

Question 74

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

Question 75

Until the twentieth century,the Supreme Court refused to allow the delegation of broad discretionary power to administrative agencies.

Question 76

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

Question 77

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

Question 78

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

Question 79

The authors suggest that public disenchantment with government is likely to vanish as the government plays a larger
role in people's lives.

Question 80

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