Deck 3: United States

Question 1

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.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Americans typically favor equality defined in terms of

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

Answer 2

B

Question 3

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 3

C

Question 4

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 5

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 6

Which of the following 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 7

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 8

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 accepted a greater role in peacekeeping and settling ethnic conflicts.
D) The United States shifted its concern away from communism and took a more isolationist stance on global issues.

Question 9

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) The New Deal concept was largely generated and pushed through by Republican reformers.
C) The New Deal increased subsidies to some workers but reduced the rights of workers overall.
D) One long-term impact of the New Deal was to devolve power to the states.

Question 10

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

A) George H.W.Bush.
B) George W.Bush.
C) Bill Clinton.
D) Ronald Reagan.

Question 11

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 12

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 13

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 14

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 15

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 16

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 17

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 18

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 a 527 organization can spend,as long as it 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 19

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 powerful controls for financial matters.
C) It created an extremely weak presidential position.
D) It created an alliance of sovereign states with a unicameral legislature.

Question 20

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 21

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 22

Discuss three historical themes/ideas that have guided U.S.foreign policy from its founding up to the present day.What theme is most likely to guide U.S.foreign policy in the future?

Question 23

The Bush Doctrine refers to the

A) rollback of the welfare state.
B) policy that the United States should avoid nation building abroad.
C) United States taking a more economically nationalist position on global trade.
D) willingness to use preemptive force against terrorist threats.

Question 24

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?

Question 25

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) participation in the Vietnam War
D) fall of the Soviet Union

Question 26

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 27

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 28

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?

Question 29

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 30

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.