Deck 15: Domestic Policy

Question 1

Which type of public policymaking tends to involve the highest levels of conflict?

A) ​Distributive
B) ​Regulatory
C) Business
D) ​Redistributive

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Medicare can best be described as a comprehensive health program for Americans who are ​

A) ​infants.
B) noncitizens.
C) ​unemployed.
D) ​senior citizens.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) evolved from the ​

A) ​Job Corps.
B) ​Food Stamp Program.
C) ​Affordable Care Act.
D) ​Women, Infants, and Children Program.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

How was social welfare generally viewed in the United States prior to the Great Depression? ​

A) As the responsibility of private charities and communities
B) ​As the responsibility of the government
C) ​As the responsibility of local businesses and employers
D) ​As the responsibility of the individual

Question 5

Public opinion, media coverage, and constituent complaints all play a significant role in which stage of the policymaking process?​

A) ​Policy implementation
B) ​Problem identification
C) ​Policy enactment
D) ​Policy formulation

Question 6

The policymaking process is often subject to challenges, particularly during the

A) identification and formulation phases.
B) evaluation and implementation phases.
C) identification and evaluation phases.
D) formulation and implementation phases.

Question 7

The Social Security Act of 1935 provided a formula for payments that was based on ​

A) ​the number of years worked.
B) ​one's wages in covered employment.
C) ​contributions made by fellow workers.
D) ​the value of the company of employment.

Question 8

Which of the following is an example of policy enactment? ​

A) ​A complex law is drafted.
B) ​An existing law is examined.
C) ​Legislation is passed and signed into law.
D) ​A determination is made as to which agency will execute a law.

Question 9

The Affordable Care Act has its origins in the health care law from ​

A) ​New York.
B) ​Texas.
C) ​New Mexico.
D) ​Massachusetts.

Question 10

When Ralph Nader found significant safety problems with automobiles, problems that were causing death and injury, this was a classic example of ​policy

A) ​evaluation.
B) ​formulation.
C) ​identification.
D) ​implementation.

Question 11

Which area of the federal government is most involved with policy formulation, including holding hearings and conducting research in the process of formulating legislation? ​

A) Legislative branch
B) ​Judicial branch
C) ​Executive branch
D) Bureaucracy

Question 12

How do western European countries compare to the United States in terms of social welfare? ​

A) ​Parental leave is more limited in western European countries.
B) ​In western European countries, pensions for older adults and unemployment benefits are more generous.
C) ​Taxes are lower in western European countries in their efforts to support services.
D) ​In western European countries, centralized administration of programs providing services is less common.

Question 13

When a number of states compete to offer more favorable relocation deals to businesses, this exemplifies the practice of

A) fragmentation.
B) administration.
C) cooperation.
D) affirmation.

Question 14

Which is an example of a distributive policy? ​

A) Licensing for dentists
B) Grants for medical research
C) Automobile inspection requirements
D) ​Cash transfers to disadvantaged people

Question 15

In 1996, the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program was replaced by the Temporary Aid for Needy Families (TANF) program, which shifted much of the responsibility for program administration to the ​

A) ​federal government.
B) ​courts.
C) ​former employers.
D) ​states.

Question 16

Which of the following best describes the way the current Social Security system in the United States functions? ​

A) ​As a savings program
B) ​As a charity program
C) As an insurance program
D) ​As an employment option

Question 17

Social Security is an entitlement program, which means that​ by law, payments are made to

A) those who cannot survive without them.
B) ​those who private enterprise designates as entitled.
C) anyone who meets eligibility requirements.
D) anyone living below the poverty level.

Question 18

Which statement about regulatory policy is not accurate? ​

A) ​It can limit the number of actors involved in an industry.
B) ​It includes practices that can bar actions.
C) ​It protects the public by regulating public activities.
D) ​It is generally intended to govern the conduct of businesses or individuals.

Question 19

​In the policymaking arena, experts from academia, think tanks, and the media are most likely to be

A) ​part of issue networks.
B) ​policy implementers.
C) part of ​iron triangles.
D) ​service recipients

Question 20

The policymaking power of the president is best described as

A) ​limited, but long-term.
B) ​limited and transitory.
C) equal to that of Congress.
D) ​extensive.

Question 21

Which type of taxation charges a higher percentage to wealthier taxpayers than to those less wealthy? ​

A) Regressive
B) Proportional
C) Flat
D) ​Progressive

Question 22

Which of the following is not an accurate statement regarding the role of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)? ​

A) ​It is in charge of preparing the president's budget and then presenting it to Congress.
B) ​It evaluates the effectiveness of agency programs, policies, and procedures as related to the president's budget.
C) ​It supervises the administration of the president's budget by the executive branch agencies.
D) ​It ensures that agency reports, rules, testimony, and proposed legislation are consistent with the president's budget.

Question 23

In the United States, the fiscal year runs from ​

A) ​January 1 to December 31.
B) ​April 15 to April 14.
C) ​October 1 to September 30.
D) ​May 15 to May 14.

Question 24

Which of the following best defines the term gross domestic product?

A) ​The average standard of living per capita
B) ​The change in prices over time of a standard market basket
C) The output of the goods and services produced by labor
D) ​The unemployed as a percent of the labor force

Question 25

The presence of a budget surplus or deficit reflects any difference between what a government ​

A) ​brings in through bond sales and what it spends.
B) ​spends for defense and brings in through goods and services.
C) ​brings in through taxes and what it spends.
D) ​spends for social services and brings in through government bonds.

Question 26

Which of the following best describes the attitude regarding social welfare spending during Ronald Reagan's presidency? ​

A) ​Supportive
B) ​Hostile
C) ​Compassionate
D) Flexible

Question 27

The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program was not ​intended to ​

A) ​replace a patchwork of state programs for the aged, blind, and disabled.
B) ​help low-income parents meet the costs of rearing children with disabilities.
C) ​remove people living with disabilities from community-based housing.
D) ​provide clear guidelines regarding those who were eligible for coverage.

Question 28

Which term can be defined as "a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services"​?

A) ​National debt
B) ​GDP per capita
C) ​Market economy
D) ​Consumer price index

Question 29

​The 2011 law passed by Congress stating that $4 trillion in debt must be eliminated from the federal budget resulted in

A) ​a 2013 full government shutdown.
B) ​a new and more efficient budget process being enacted.
C) ​the elimination of partisan disagreement over budget resolutions.
D) ​a smooth budget process for the next five fiscal years.

Question 30

If the gross domestic product (GDP) has dropped for two consecutive quarters, the economy is said to be in​

A) ​inflation.
B) ​deflation.
C) ​recession.
D) ​depression.

Question 31

The process of determining the funding for various government priorities is called the ​

A) ​budget process.
B) ​appropriations process.
C) ​supply process.
D) ​reference process.

Question 32

President George W. Bush proposed which of the following in order to shore up U.S. social welfare programs?

A) ​To privatize Social Security
B) ​To lengthen the eligibility period for TANF funds
C) ​To increase progressive taxation
D) ​To eliminate unemployment insurance payouts

Question 33

In the United States, the term national debt can best be defined as ​the

A) ​amount the government owes to other countries.
B) ​liabilities of the government.
C) ​amount the government must pay out for social services.
D) ​assets of the government.

Question 34

Tying health care benefits to employment is most commonly associated with labor conditions during ​

A) ​World War II.
B) ​the Great Depression.
C) ​the Korean War.
D) ​Reconstruction.

Question 35

For the U.S. federal budget, who decides how much money to spend, what to spend it on, and how to raise this money?

A) ​Taxpayers
B) ​Congress and the president
C) ​The Office of Management and Budget
D) ​The Treasury Department

Question 36

The unemployment rate represents the number of unemployed persons as a percentage of the ​

A) ​labor force.
B) ​general national population.
C) ​budget deficit.
D) ​goods and services produced.

Question 37

The budget resolution is a central part of the budget process in Congress mainly because it ​

A) ​defines the parameters for earlier budgetary actions.
B) ​shows the debate that occurs between members of the House and Senate.
C) ​gives the government an opportunity to examine spending.
D) ​represents an agreement between the House and Senate on established budget priorities.

Question 38

The Welfare Reform Act of 1996 fulfilled President Bill Clinton's campaign promise ​

A) ​"to end welfare as we know it."
B) ​"to search for welfare solutions wherever possible."
C) ​"to examine the welfare needs of citizens."
D) ​"to supply welfare on a fair and consistent basis."

Question 39

Which economist advocated for increased government spending​ to stimulate overall economic development?

A) ​Ronald Reagan
B) ​Adam Smith
C) ​Alan Greenspan
D) ​John Maynard Keynes

Question 40

​Which of the following groups benefits from the Head Start and Early Head Start federal programs?

A) ​Unemployed workers
B) ​Children under age five
C) ​Undocumented immigrants
D) Retired workers

Question 41

Medicare was enacted under the leadership of ​

A) ​John F. Kennedy.
B) ​Ronald Reagan.
C) ​Lyndon Johnson.
D) ​Gerald Ford.

Question 42

In 2010, the average national health care spending per person in the United States was about ​

A) ​$3,200.
B) ​$5,900.
C) ​$8,400.
D) ​$10,600.

Question 43

Which of the following is not a requirement for Medicare coverage? ​

A) ​The individual must fit within specific age parameters.
B) ​The individual must be below the poverty level.
C) The individual ​must be a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident.
D) ​The individual must be eligible for Social Security benefits.

Question 44

What is an insurance copayment? ​

A) ​An amount that must be paid by the insured party
B) ​An amount disputed by the insurance company
C) ​An amount that the employer pays for each employee
D) ​An amount discounted by the health care provider

Question 45

What was the primary intent of the Affordable Care Act?

A) ​To expand health insurance coverage
B) To eliminate the Medicaid program
C) To lower the cost of prescription drugs
D) To make health care available to noncitizens

Question 46

How many people were covered by Medicare in 2011? ​

A) ​22.5 million
B) ​37.2 million
C) ​48.7 million
D) ​54.6 million

Question 47

Between 2000 and 2010, national health care spending per person grew at an average rate of ​

A) ​2.4% per year.
B) ​5.6% per year.
C) ​7.3% per year.
D) ​9.1% per year.

Question 48

The United States spends about ________ of its gross domestic product on health care, a figure which is ________.

A) 2%; lower than any other country
B) 6%; lower than any other country
C) 16%; higher than any other country
D) 28%; higher than any other country

Question 49

In 2009 and 2010, health care spending represented more than what fraction of the value of all goods and services produced in the U.S. economy? ​

A) ​one-third
B) ​one-half
C) ​one-sixth
D) ​one-ninth

Question 50

Who funds the Medicaid program? ​

A) ​Only the states
B) Only the federal government
C) ​Only employers
D) ​The states and the federal government