Deck 3: 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 electoral college is used to select the president, vice president, and members of the Senate.
E)All but ten states use a winner-take-all formula for allocating their electoral college votes.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

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

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

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The Progressive era was the:

A)period from 1945 to 1965 when civil rights were expanded.
B)period from 1781 to 1787 when the Constitution was drafted to replace the Articles of Confederation.
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 1865 to 1885 when African Americans gained their rights after the end of slavery.
E)1960s period of the presidencies of John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Political action committees (PACs) are often cited as an example of:

A)the strength of political parties in the United States.
B)how difficult it is for organized groups to influence national government.
C)the role of organized interests in fund-raising and influencing elected officials.
D)the power of third parties as "kingmakers" in congressional elections.
E)the ability of average citizens to get involved in politics.

Question 5

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 political system designed to produce decisive government actions.
D)The United States has a very strong state with low political legitimacy.
E)The United States has a relatively weak state, but there is strong respect for the rule of law.

Question 6

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 judiciary and head of state.
E)his party and leader of the legislature.

Question 7

Which electoral system is used for the House of Representatives?

A)proportional representation
B)single-member district plurality
C)single-member district majority
D)bicameralism
E)two-round voting in single-member districts

Question 8

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

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

Question 9

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

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

Question 10

In which of the following ways did U.S. foreign policy in the latter half of the twentieth century differ from foreign policy in the first half of the twentieth century?

A)The United States was less concerned with acting militarily to prevent the growth of communism.
B)The United States established supremacy over affairs in the Western Hemisphere.
C)The United States shifted its concern away from communism and toward supporting global stability.
D)The United States accepted a greater role in peacekeeping and settling ethnic conflicts.
E)The United States initiated fewer direct invasions and covert actions.

Question 11

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

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

Question 12

Which of the following statements about the Articles of Confederation is accurate?

A)It created a Confederation Congress that passed legislation through majority vote.
B)It created an alliance of sovereign states with a unicameral legislature.
C)It created an extremely weak national executive.
D)It created powerful controls for financial matters but provided for little power over foreign policy.
E)It created a national currency but prevented the Congress from raising taxes.

Question 13

Which of the following statements about the New Deal is accurate?

A)The New Deal resulted in growth of the state bureaucracy despite opposition from the Supreme Court.
B)Use of the state to restrict the power of big business was a centerpiece of the New Deal programs.
C)The New Deal concept was largely generated and pushed through by Republican reformers.
D)One long-term impact of the New Deal was to devolve power to the states.
E)The New Deal increased subsidies to some workers but reduced the rights of workers overall.

Question 14

Americans typically support equality in terms of:

A)equality of outcome.
B)equality of wealth.
C)equality of opportunity.
D)equality between countries.
E)equality of ideas.

Question 15

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)Federal judges must operate under political control after their lifetime appointments.
C)The Supreme Court can exercise the power of judicial review over presidential vetoes.
D)The president exercises a check on the Supreme Court with veto power over the Court's decisions.
E)The Senate wields a check on the power of the Supreme Court through the right of approval of Supreme Court nominees.

Question 16

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

A)highly equal and with little poverty
B)highly equal but with a high degree of poverty
C)highly unequal but with little poverty
D)highly unequal and with a high degree of poverty
E)increasing poverty but with increasing equality

Question 17

Which of the following is an accurate list of the parts of the U.S. government that are subject to direct election?

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

Question 18

Neoliberal policies that endorsed cutting back on social spending began under President:

A)Johnson.
B)Reagan.
C)Clinton.
D)George W. Bush.
E)George H. W. Bush.

Question 19

Populism can be defined as the idea that:

A)U.S. leaders must be very popular with the voters.
B)members of government should be directly elected.
C)the people are too ill-informed to make political decisions directly.
D)democracy is undermined by an overemphasis on charismatic leadership.
E)the masses and popular will should trump elites and professional expertise.

Question 20

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)specific powers that have been laid out in the amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
D)separation between church and state.
E)rules governing the U.S. military.

Question 21

The Bush Doctrine refers to the:

A)rollback of the welfare state under Bush's presidency.
B)willingness to use preemptive force against all possible terrorist threats.
C)United States' withdrawal from the North American Free Trade Agreement.
D)strategies used to help end the Cold War.
E)policy that the United States should avoid nation building abroad.

Question 22

Which of the following events represents the most significant turning point in U.S. foreign policy?

A)participation in World War I
B)participation in World War II
C)establishment of the Monroe Doctrine
D)participation in the Vietnam War
E)fall of the Soviet Union

Question 23

Does the United States have too much power in the international system? If so, what would be a better alternative, either in general power structure or in voluntary alteration of U.S. foreign policy?

Question 24

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

A)There is no polarization in the United States, despite common perceptions to the contrary.
B)Polarization is mainly found among the masses, but political elites are not polarized.
C)Recent decades have brought serious and increasing polarization to U.S. political elites.
D)Polarization is significant in the United States for the first time in the country's history.
E)Polarization has declined since the election of Barack Obama.

Question 25

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 26

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

A)antistatism
B)equality of means
C)majority rule
D)populism
E)a robust welfare state

Question 27

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

A)the costs of the Iraq War.
B)a decline in the housing market.
C)the collapse in technology stocks.
D)unequal trade with China.
E)excessive welfare spending.

Question 28

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

Question 29

What are the advantages and disadvantages of American federalism? How has the nature of that federalism changed over the country's history?

Question 30

Why is there such hostility toward a strong central state in the United States? What advantages and disadvantages have resulted from this?