Deck 9: United States

Question 1

Which of the following statements about the Electoral College is accurate?

A)Only twice in U.S.history has the requirement of winning a plurality of the Electoral College vote in a presidential election not been met.
B)The Electoral College system was designed to prevent any single party from dominating the presidency for long periods of time.
C)The structure of Electoral College voting and results can sometimes require the intervention of the House of Representatives.
D)The election of Donald Trump in 2016 was only the second time in U.S.history that a president was elected without winning the popular vote.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which of the following statements most accurately characterizes political polarization in the United States today?

A)Recent decades have brought serious and increasingly high levels of polarization among U.S.political elites.
B)Political polarization is mainly found among the masses,but political elites are not polarized.
C)There is no polarization in the United States,despite perceptions to the contrary.
D)Polarization has decreased significantly since the election of Donald Trump in 2016.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Why is there such hostility toward a strong central state in the United States? What advantages and disadvantages have resulted from this prevalent attitude of anti-statism?

Answer 3

A good answer will note that anti-statism traces back to the American Revolution and what was perceived to be excessive and abusive power in a single king.Advantages of this attitude include several levels of checks and balances on the president written into the U.S.Constitution-federalism,independent judiciary,and separation of powers;disadvantages of this include strictly limiting the state's role in providing social welfare for its citizens-the size of the U.S.welfare state is significantly smaller than other advanced democracies.

Question 4

The rise of political action committees (PACs)is often cited as an example of the

A)role of organized interests in fundraising and influencing elected officials.
B)difficulty in influencing national government policy.
C)growing strength of political parties in the United States.
D)ability of average citizens to get involved in politics.

Question 5

Which electoral system is used for the House of Representatives?

A)proportional representation
B)multimember district proportional representation
C)single-member district majority
D)single-member district plurality

Question 6

The United States is unique in that became a founding principle of the regime at its creation.

A)anti-statism
B)equality of means
C)populism
D)a robust welfare state

Question 7

Which of the following parts of the U.S.government are directly elected?

A)House of Representatives,president
B)Senate,House of Representatives,federal judges
C)Senate,president
D)Senate,House of Representatives

Question 8

The financial crisis in the United States in 2008 was largely triggered by

A)excessive military spending.
B)a sharp decline in the housing market.
C)the collapse in technology stocks.
D)the trade deficit with China.

Question 9

The U.S.president serves as head of

A)state and government.
B)government and the judiciary.
C)state and chair of the Electoral College.
D)the party and leader of the Senate.

Question 10

Americans typically favor equality defined in terms of

A)outcome.
B)opportunity.
C)wealth.
D)ideas.

Question 11

The Progressive era was the

A)period from 1945 to 1965 when civil rights were expanded.
B)period from 1865 to 1885 when African Americans gained their rights after the end of slavery.
C)period from 1903 to 1920 when state power was increased to restrict large businesses and to establish a national income tax.
D)period from 1781 to 1787 when the Constitution was drafted to replace the Articles of Confederation.

Question 12

One major source of contention between the colonies and the British was the issue of

A)slavery.
B)taxes.
C)control over the navigable rivers.
D)religious freedom.

Question 13

In which of the following ways does a 527 organization differ from a political action committee?

A)A 527 organization must remain strictly nonpartisan in its funded issue advocacy.
B)A 527 organization serves as a vehicle for corporations and trade unions to support individual candidates.
C)There are no limits on what it can spend,as long as a 527 organization directly supports a candidate or party.
D)A 527 organization is more tightly regulated by federal campaign finance law,but it is also allowed to make higher donations to political campaigns.

Question 14

Which of the following was a major result of the Civil War in the United States?

A)greater concentration of power in the federal government
B)greater delegation of power to the states
C)elimination of a standing army until World War I
D)end of all discrimination against African Americans

Question 15

Separation of powers refers to the

A)division of power to prevent any branch from dominating the state.
B)basic individual freedoms laid out in the Bill of Rights.
C)delegation of powers to states in the Tenth Amendment.
D)separation between church and state.

Question 16

What branch of the government did the framers of the Constitution intend to be the dominant one?

A)executive
B)judiciary
C)legislature
D)none;separation of powers were intended to make them equal

Question 17

Which of the following descriptions best characterizes poverty and inequality in the United States compared to other advanced democracies?

A)high levels of equality and little poverty
B)high levels of equality and a high degree of poverty
C)high levels of inequality with little poverty
D)high levels of inequality and a high degree of poverty

Question 18

Which of the following statements about the United States is true relative to other advanced democracies?

A)The United States has a high voter turnout but a weak civil society.
B)The United States has traditionally been dominated by two strong and disciplined political parties.
C)The United States has a relatively weak state with high political legitimacy.
D)The United States has a strong state with little respect for the rule of law.

Question 19

Which of the following statements about the relationship between the judiciary and the other two branches of government in the United States is accurate?

A)The legislature exercises a check on federal judiciary power through its power of appointment of federal judges.
B)The Senate wields a check on the power of the Supreme Court through the right of approval of Supreme Court nominees.
C)The president exercises a check on the Supreme Court with veto power over the Court's decisions.
D)The Supreme Court can overturn presidential vetoes.

Question 20

Populism can be defined as the idea that

A)U.S.leaders should stay very popular with the voters.
B)all members of government should be directly elected.
C)the people are not informed enough to make political decisions directly.
D)the sovereign will of the people should replace the views of the elites and professional experts.

Question 21

What are key examples of the increasing levels of political polarization in U.S.politics? Does the current trend indicate a dysfunctional democracy? What are possible solutions to increased polarization?

Question 22

What is the state of America's participatory civil society? How does it relate to the level of populist sentiment in the United States?

Question 23

Describe the causes of the 2008 financial crisis and its resulting damage on the U.S.economy.What steps did the U.S.government take-or not take-to alleviate the downturn?