Deck 1: Understanding American Politics

Question 1

Cultural issues include social spending on the poor and proper taxation levels.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

James Madison assumed that people

A) preferred anarchy over the creation of a government.
B) were basically self-interested.
C) were basically civic-oriented.
D) preferred a monarchy over a republican form of government.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

If one group took power and established an official state religion, James Madison would likely describe the situation as

A) a stage in the evolution of government.
B) unfortunate but inevitable and outside the scope of government to prevent.
C) the best possible outcome given the desires of a majority of the people.
D) an example of the tyranny of a faction imposing its will on the rest of the nation.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Politics occurs only in the context of government decision making.

Question 5

The main reasons we have government are to provide order and to promote the general welfare.

Question 6

Collective action problems

A) are very rare in modern society.
B) are very common in modern society.
C) are rare in the field of education.
D) only occur in modern dictatorships.

Question 7

It is almost impossible for people to get everything they want from the political process.

Question 8

James Madison was concerned about the possibility that no faction would be able to gain a majority and thus the government would not function.

Question 9

A stealth democracy would exist if government were run like a business.

Question 10

Federalism refers to the division of power between Congress, the president, and the Supreme Court.

Question 11

Politics rarely involves overt conflict.

Question 12

For James Madison, the notion that government is necessary depended mainly on

A) his belief that people are self-interested and could not be trusted to rule themselves.
B) his belief that direct democracy was the only legitimate way to make collective decisions.
C) his desire for the United States to serve as a functioning colony of Great Britain.
D) his view that people were willing to sacrifice freedoms to make democracy work.

Question 13

America is an example of a direct democracy.

Question 14

________ said that life in the "state of nature" would be "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short."

A) James Madison
C) Thomas Hobbes
B) George Washington
D) King George III

Question 15

The free rider problem occurs because people can share in the benefits of a public good whether or not they helped provide it.

Question 16

Race and gender are significant in American elections because they remain important sources of political disagreements and identity politics, which can influence individual voting behavior.

Question 17

Politics is fundamentally all about election outcomes.

Question 18

To the framers of the Constitution, equality was the central principle of the new government.

Question 19

What did British philosopher Thomas Hobbes mean by the term "state of nature"?

A) a belief that all people were basically good
B) a belief that the laws of nature gave kings the right to rule by divine right
C) life without any existing government
D) a world in which people lived in harmony

Question 20

Compared to most European democracies, the United States has been relatively free of class-based politics because economics is not an important source of political conflict in America.

Question 21

The division of power between the national government and the state and local governments is called ________.

A) constitutionalism
C) republicanism
B) federalism
D) pluralism

Question 22

A college student's life

A) is typically not affected by federal regulators.
B) is typically only affected by regulators at the local level.
C) is affected profoundly by regulators at the federal level.
D) is only regulated if she or he attends a public university or college.

Question 23

Which one of the following is true about the 2008 elections?

A) The Republican victories allowed them to control the health care debate in America.
B) Barack Obama's reelection allowed him to overcome attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
C) The Republicans successfully rebuffed Democratic attempts to pass an economic stimulus package.
D) The Democrats illustrated that political process matters in the aftermath of their victories over the Republicans.

Question 24

Aristotle

A) was an eminent British political philosopher who predated Thomas Hobbes.
B) more than 2,000 years ago developed a classification scheme for governments that still has utility.
C) was an early advocate of presidential systems of government with checks and balances.
D) believed in the necessity of overcoming the free rider problem.

Question 25

When it comes to political organization,

A) college students are not very successful.
B) America does not have a free rider problem for the most part.
C) most people with common goals are likely to pool their resources and mobilize.
D) most Americans do not know key distinctions between the Republican and Democratic parties.

Question 26

Which one of the following is an example of a public good?

A) the interstate highway system
B) a new business that creates jobs in a community
C) food produced by local farmers
D) volunteering time to a political campaign

Question 27

Politics

A) is generally free of conflict.
B) is basically the same thing as government.
C) is the process that determines what government does.
D) does not affect most people on a daily basis.

Question 28

A free rider problem occurs when

A) a public good is provided by government.
B) everyone fails to work toward a common goal.
C) the market provides a good by making it free of charge.
D) government officials offer bailouts to failing corporations that come at the expense of taxpayers.

Question 29

Politicians who make bargains to resolve political conflict

A) are typically the ones with the least political power.
B) are usually trying to enact at least some policy change.
C) are betraying their principles.
D) are usually liked but not respected by their colleagues.

Question 30

Rules and procedures are important to the political process because they

A) influence who has the power to make choices at different points in time.
B) determine which interest groups are allowed to engage in lobbying.
C) provide a level playing field for everyone interested in politics.
D) allow the average citizen to become involved in governmental politics.

Question 31

The separation of powers refers to

A) a division of authority within Congress, so that not all legislators do the same things.
B) the division of authority between the national and state governments.
C) providing each part of government with some power over the others.
D) dividing a government into different branches with distinct areas of authority.

Question 32

Government

A) only has an impact on public goods in American society.
B) is not involved in the protection of civil liberties.
C) is basically involved in all aspects of the daily lives of citizens.
D) is not typically involved in the regulation of human behavior.

Question 33

Abortion

A) has been less controversial since Roe v. Wade was decided.
B) is a policy issue that results in little consensus among the citizenry.
C) has little to do with political ideology.
D) policy typically results in a compromise that satisfies most people.

Question 34

It may be easy for two neighbors to agree to drain a meadow, which they possess in common, to grow crops. However, when the meadow is much larger and reaches thousands of people, the solution is more difficult because

A) decision making is nearly impossible with so many people.
B) factions would form that would ultimately destroy the meadow for everyone.
C) the problem of the tyranny of the majority would be impossible to control.
D) the people involved would suffer from the free rider problem.

Question 35

When federal officials attempt to address a problem, such as assisting the poor, the sick, or the aged, they are acting

A) under their constitutional power to provide order.
B) under their constitutional power to promote the general welfare.
C) through powers specified in the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution.
D) through powers specified in the Bill of Rights.

Question 36

________ are likely to disappear quickly from the political agenda, while ________ often take a long time to resolve.

A) Conflictual issues; valence issues
B) Social issues such as abortion; national issues
C) Consensus issues; conflictual issues
D) Campaign issues; state and local issues

Question 37

If people decide there is a problem worth solving that requires the creation of a public good, government involvement is necessary because

A) majority factions will try to ensure that the good works only for themselves.
B) it is difficult for individuals to provide common resources on their own.
C) of positive externalities that make the good otherwise undesirable.
D) citizens would be able to sue the government in federal court.

Question 38

Which one of the following is an example of checks and balances?

A) Federal judges can recuse themselves from participating in certain cases.
B) Congress holds the power of impeachment.
C) The president is the head of the entire federal bureaucracy.
D) Senators have the ability to filibuster a bill.

Question 39

Which one of the following is a key idea essential for understanding politics?

A) Governing does not require compromise.
B) Conflict is a rare component in the political process.
C) Politics affects everyone in American society.
D) Rules and procedures generally do not matter that much in the political world.

Question 40

Structural rules require that

A) citizens vote in U.S. elections.
B) that the president must be born a U.S. citizen.
C) all federal regulations be approved by the Supreme Court.
D) citizens can only influence public policy through the electoral process.

Question 41

Which of the following is true about presidential elections at the state level?

A) Texas is a purely Republican state.
B) There are not many Republican voters in the plains states.
C) In all states, some people vote Democratic while others vote Republican.
D) Massachusetts is a purely Democratic state.

Question 42

A person who agreed with the melting pot approach to racial and ethnic relations would be likely to support

A) stricter rules for immigrants to be eligible to vote in U.S. elections.
B) English as the country's official language.
C) amnesty for illegal immigrants currently living in the United States.
D) bilingual public education.

Question 43

Which one of the following is part of the modern economic values of the United States?

A) workplace democracy
B) economic individualism
C) economic equality
D) the greatest good for the greatest number

Question 44

The size of the federal government's most recent annual budget was

A) just over $100 billion.
C) almost $1 trillion.
B) nearly a half a trillion dollars.
D) around $4 trillion.

Question 45

The federal government

A) has more than 50 million employees.
B) affects the everyday lives of Americans in many different ways.
C) is expected to create more than 1 million pages of new regulations this year.
D) is expected to go bankrupt in the next few years.

Question 46

Republicans are more likely than Democrats to favor

A) regulation of business to promote worker safety.
B) regulation of business to promote product safety.
C) lower taxes and less spending on social policies.
D) higher taxes and less spending on social policies.

Question 47

A conservative is likely to favor

A) greater regulation of business to protect workers.
B) the legalization of marijuana.
C) laws restricting or abolishing abortion.
D) social programs to help the poor.

Question 48

Which of these groups tends to vote for Republicans more often than for Democrats?

A) Asian Americans
C) African-American men
B) Cuban Americans
D) women

Question 49

How does equality contribute to resolving conflict in the political system?

A) People respect the system more if they believe they are going to be treated equally.
B) By promising equal outcomes, politicians have ensured everyone is satisfied.
C) Conflict can only exist when people are being treated differently.
D) Multiculturalism reinforces equality of opportunity in America.

Question 50

A libertarian is likely to favor

A) greater regulation of business to protect workers.
B) the legalization of marijuana.
C) laws restricting or abolishing abortion.
D) social programs to help the poor.

Question 51

Which one of the following is an important issue to values voters?

A) the growing gap between the rich and the poor
B) the teaching of evolution in public schools
C) improving health care for seniors by strengthening Medicare
D) protecting collective bargaining rights for teachers, police, and firefighters

Question 52

To the founders of the American republic,

A) equality was the central principle of government.
B) commerce was the central principle of government.
C) liberty was the central principle of government.
D) all people should own the same amount of property.

Question 53

A cohesive set of ideas and beliefs used for organizing the political world is a(n)

A) partisan identity.
C) cultural identity.
B) ideology.
D) progressive worldview.

Question 54

Over time, the United States has experienced

A) an increase in stratification by class.
B) a departure from free market principles in its overall economic philosophy.
C) a sharp increase in political corruption.
D) economic decline relative to Europe.

Question 55

Which one of the following is true about demographics in the United States?

A) About 80 percent of Americans are white.
B) About 30 percent of Americans are Hispanic or Latino.
C) About 13 percent of Americans are Asian.
D) African Americans comprise about 12 percent of the population in America.

Question 56

Democrats and Republicans most strongly disagree about which area of economic policy?

A) free trade
B) gold or silver standards for currency
C) redistributive tax policy
D) campaign finance reform

Question 57

The federal government consists of

A) elected officials, party chairs, and lobbyists.
B) the president, members of Congress, the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, and all citizens who vote in elections.
C) 10 million employees, including contractors and postal service workers.
D) registered members of a political party.

Question 58

The melting pot approach to racial and ethnic relations holds that

A) racial and ethnic groups should leave their customs behind when they immigrate to the United States.
B) cultural identities do not hold much political relevance in contemporary American politics.
C) the United States has a unique history of supporting the customs of ethnic and racial groups that immigrate to the United States.
D) the United States cannot really assimilate new ethnic and racial groups into its already complicated cultural mix.

Question 59

Cultural and moral values garner attention because

A) Democrats and Republicans largely agree on economic issues.
B) interest groups and activists attempt to keep cultural and moral issues at the top of the policy agenda.
C) recent presidential election outcomes, such as in 2008, were determined largely by cultural and moral issues.
D) cultural and moral issues are relatively new, only becoming important in the twenty-first century.

Question 60

Liberals tend to support which of the following views?

A) Government involvement in social welfare should be limited.
B) There should be greater government regulation of economic markets.
C) Government should support the pro-life position on the abortion issue.
D) Government should end all restrictions and regulations on trade with foreign nations.

Question 61

James Madison wrote, "If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary." Explain what this quote means. Do you believe it to be true? What kind of institutional controls did Madison put into the Constitution as a consequence of his beliefs, and are they effective?

Question 62

What are the dominant beliefs of liberals, conservatives, and libertarians in the United States today?

Question 63

Is democracy the only way to resolve conflict in a society?

Question 64

What is meant by a "stealth democracy?"

Question 65

What two broad purposes are served by government?

Question 66

Identify and define the three pure types of government that were described by Aristotle.

Question 67

Identify and define the core American political values and explain how they are central to thinking about and understanding American politics.

Question 68

What is the difference between separation of powers and federalism?

Question 69

Why was liberty the central principle of the framers of the U.S. Constitution?

Question 70

Select one of the following policy issues and discuss how the three key ideas are central to understanding this policy debate: health care, campaign finance reform, national debt, or abortion.

Question 71

Which one of the following statements is accurate?

A) A state referendum is an example of direct democracy.
B) There are no examples of direct democracy in New England.
C) There is no conflict in authoritarian countries.
D) Democracy is the only way to resolve conflict in the world.

Question 72

Why is abortion a wedge issue in American politics?

Question 73

Why do structural rules matter in American politics?

Question 74

Provide a capsule summary of the U.S. population.

Question 75

Explain how ideology affects American politics in a profound manner. Cite specific examples.