Deck 1: Politics, democracy, and the American People

Question 1

What doctrine is an extension of Locke's idea that people are able to make rational decisions and that they understand what policies would best serve their interests?

A)Minority rights
B)Majority rule
C)Separation of powers
D)Limited government
E)Checks and balances

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Alexis de Tocqueville was

A)a British philosopher who argued against democracy.
B)a French aristocrat who visited America in the 1830s.
C)a Spanish political thinker who wrote a book on government in the twentieth century.
D)an American senator who was not fully trusted by the voters.
E)an Italian political philosopher who argued against direct democracy.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which of the following accurately describes Americans' attitudes about government?

A)Americans are confident that the government will do what is right.
B)The September 11,2001,terrorist attacks shook Americans' confidence in government.
C)Americans do not have much trust in government.
D)Most Americans think highly of government and government officials.
E)Americans think that government is the solution to most problems.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

A New England town meeting is a form of

A)direct democracy.
B)constitutional democracy.
C)representative democracy.
D)republican democracy.
E)collaborative democracy.

Question 5

Which of the following is one of Max Weber's sources of legitimacy in politics that also helped Martin Luther King,Jr.attract people to his ideas?

A)Charisma
B)Tradition
C)Force
D)Legality
E)Perseverance

Question 6

Locke believed that government's primary role was to

A)help individuals fulfill their potential.
B)develop the moral character of its citizens.
C)protect the life,liberty,and property of those it governs.
D)preserve the social morality.
E)create an all-powerful central government

Question 7

Representative democracy differs from direct democracy in that in the former,citizens transfer their __________ power to people whom they elect to represent them.

A)implied
B)natural
C)participation
D)decision-making
E)constitutional

Question 8

The Reverend Martin Luther King,Jr.had many followers due to what source of legitimate power?

A)Charisma
B)Tradition
C)Force
D)Legality
E)Wealth

Question 9

Government refers to

A)the institutions and processes by which rules are made and enforced for all members of society.
B)the institutions that govern and how these institutions work in concert.
C)the institutions that govern and how citizens determine which ones can enforce the rules.
D)the rules made by citizens and enforced by representatives.
E)organizations that influence policymaking.

Question 10

Harold Lasswell defined politics as the study of

A)who gets the support of elites.
B)who acquires the most political power in a community.
C)who gets what,based on how much they contribute to campaigns.
D)who gets what,when,and how.
E)a pattern of corrupt or unethical decision making.

Question 11

Which of the following BEST defines democracy?

A)Power is held by a small group of people.
B)Governmental powers are held by a single person or group.
C)Power is shared by all citizens.
D)Government is unnecessary.
E)Government consists of three branches: legislative,executive,judicial.

Question 12

John Locke wrote that civil society was created by an agreement among citizens in which they accepted existing law and penalties as binding.This agreement was called

A)the social contract.
B)majority rule.
C)direct democracy.
D)constitutional democracy.
E)representative democracy.

Question 13

The procedure in some states that allows citizens to put proposed laws and constitutional amendments on the ballots to approve or reject legislative statutes is called a/an

A)referendum.
B)initiative.
C)recall.
D)proposition.
E)disposition.

Question 14

A government that places written legal limits on the power of the majority to act is often referred to as a

A)representative democracy.
B)constitutional democracy.
C)limited democracy.
D)republican democracy.
E)collaborative democracy.

Question 15

The filibuster,which permits a minority of U.S.senators to indefinitely postpone or delay a vote in the Senate,is an example of

A)minority rights.
B)limited rights.
C)majority rights.
D)basic rights.
E)civil rights.

Question 16

Which of the following allows citizens to most directly decide policy issues?

A)Primary elections
B)General elections
C)Recalls
D)Interest groups
E)Ballot initiatives

Question 17

According to the text,Thomas Hobbes and David Hume

A)agreed with John Locke about natural law.
B)were skeptical of human reason.
C)did not think that people were passionate enough about freedom.
D)were influenced by the thinking of James Madison.
E)were influenced by the thinking of Alexis de Tocqueville.

Question 18

Who expressed concern about a "tyranny of the majority" in Democracy in America?

A)John Locke
B)David Hume
C)Thomas Jefferson
D)Alexis de Tocqueville
E)James Madison

Question 19

Why are labor unions and corporations NOT considered to be a part of the government?

A)Labor unions and corporations do not have elected officials.
B)Labor unions and corporations cannot enforce rules for all of society.
C)Labor unions and corporations cannot create any legitimate rules.
D)Labor unions and corporations rarely involve themselves in politics.
E)Labor unions and corporations do not support political candidates.

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT a basic principle of American democracy?

A)Self-government
B)Majority rule
C)An organized opposition
D)Economic equality
E)Free elections

Question 21

Some third-party supporters complain that the Democratic Party and the Republican Party monopolize power in the United States,yet are nearly identical in the way they operate and the policies they pursue.These critics are most likely to believe that American democracy is jeopardized by

A)the lack of meaningful organized opposition.
B)those who own private property.
C)an overly limited government.
D)partisan squabbles over substantive public policy principles.
E)minority rule.

Question 22

Political power is the ability to influence the political behavior of others.

Question 23

Which of the following states will gain representation in Congress due to having the largest population increase as tracked in the 2010 census?

A)Pennsylvania
B)Massachusetts
C)Michigan
D)Texas
E)New York

Question 24

According to German sociologist Max Weber,legitimacy in politics can be derived through the use of force.

Question 25

The Census Bureau estimates that the American population in 2010 was about

A)30 million.
B)300 million.
C)3 billion.
D)30 billion.
E)300 billion.

Question 26

The United States is primarily a direct democracy.

Question 27

Diversity poses challenges to a democracy as it leads to wide differences of opinion thereby making it difficult to

A)survey public opinion.
B)propose solutions to political problems affecting the elites.
C)acquire support for minority candidates.
D)obtain agreement on proposed solutions to political problems.
E)win elections.

Question 28

What type of equality did Thomas Jefferson stress in the Declaration of Independence?

A)Religious equality
B)Moral equality
C)Political equality
D)Economic equality
E)Racial equality

Question 29

Which of the following encourages limited government?

A)Economic equality
B)The social contract
C)Constitutionalism
D)Majority rule
E)Minority rights

Question 30

According to the U.S.Census,what is the largest minority group within the U.S.population today?

A)Asian Americans
B)Hispanics or Latinos
C)African Americans
D)American Indians
E)Pacific Islanders

Question 31

Ordinary people can exercise political power through voting or interest group membership.

Question 32

Jefferson's concept of equality did NOT apply to

A)black slaves or women.
B)people who did not own land.
C)individuals who were born with few talents.
D)citizens who practiced different religions than his.
E)citizens of different colonies.

Question 33

The principle that holds that the powers of government should be limited and embodied in a basic written law is referred to as

A)liberty.
B)the social contract.
C)majority rule.
D)constitutionalism.
E)equality.

Question 34

Ballot initiatives are used by the federal government and by all fifty state governments.

Question 35

What two regions of the United States have recently had the largest increase in population?

A)The Northeast and the West
B)The South and the Midwest
C)The West and the South
D)The Midwest and the West
E)The Northeast and the Midwest

Question 36

The Fourth,Fifth,and Sixth Amendments grant important rights to people who are accused of having committed crimes.These rights are examples of

A)democratic rules.
B)majority rules.
C)civil liberties.
D)civil rights.
E)social contracts.

Question 37

In the U.S.Constitution,freedom of speech is explicitly protected under the

A)First Amendment.
B)Fifth Amendment.
C)Fourteenth Amendment.
D)Twenty-first Amendment.
E)Third Amendment.

Question 38

Democratic institutions in the United States are characterized by

A)hereditary rule.
B)coalition governments.
C)the separation of powers.
D)an authoritarian allocation of resources.
E)civil rights and civil liberties.

Question 39

In which of the following areas is the aging American population most likely to pose challenges for the United States?

A)Paying for health care expenses
B)Financing college education
C)Owning a home
D)Balancing the national budget
E)Encouraging charitable giving

Question 40

Elections for members of the House of Representatives are held every

A)two years.
B)three years.
C)four years.
D)six years.
E)year.

Question 41

Jefferson believed that economic equality is necessary for the existence of a democratic society.

Question 42

An example of a civil liberty is the freedom to worship or not worship as one chooses.

Question 43

Fewer than 5 percent of Americans live below the poverty line.

Question 44

Presently,African Americans are the largest ethnic minority group.

Question 45

The median age of the American population has decreased in recent years due to the increased immigration from Central America.

Question 46

Poor Americans are often hindered by an inadequate education.

Question 47

The United States is referred to as a constitutional democracy,meaning it places written legal limits on the power of the majority to act.

Question 48

Majority rule is designed to protect minority rights.

Question 49

John Locke believed that the people have the right to replace the government if it fails to protect the people's natural rights.

Question 50

Majority rule always prevents tyranny.

Question 51

One of the rights protected by the First Amendment to the U.S.Constitution is the right to petition the government.

Question 52

Adopted in 1791,the Bill of Rights sought to protect the individual against abuses of power by the government.

Question 53

In terms of population,the fastest growing states are in the Northeast.

Question 54

Natural law is an agreement among members of society in which they accept existing laws and penalties as binding.

Question 55

If citizens obtain enough signatures on a petition,a vote is then held deciding whether or not an official may continue to hold office.This is known as a recall.