Deck 1: Introduction

Question 1

The term political system refers to ____________________.

A) the way a society organizes and manages its politics across various levels of public authority
B) the set of cultural, social, and religious norms and values shared by a group of people
C) a coordinated set of choices or decisions made by individuals in a single community
D) the information and beliefs held by ordinary citizens that structure their orientations toward government
E) a network of activists and organizations that works to produce changes in public policy

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Why is it important to individuals that governments pass regulatory laws?

A) Laws are necessary for individuals to exist.
B) Regulations enable companies to produce profits.
C) Firms are property of government, and regulations generate jobs.
D) Rules guide decisions to do right for everyone.
E) Regulations apply and enforce the same rules for everyone.

Answer 2

E

Question 3

Which term best describes the United States' political system,which is composed of multiple levels of government with independent yet overlapping authority over many areas of public life?

A) authoritarian
B) dictatorial
C) unitary
D) federal
E) confederal

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which term refers to the process of making collective decisions,usually by governments,to allocate public resources and to create and enforce rules for the operation of society?

A) federalism
B) constitutionalism
C) institutionalism
D) politics
E) coordination

Question 5

Which of the following is an example of free riding?

A) taking a free bus without paying
B) not paying off your car separately from others
C) writing a check instead of volunteering
D) not voting in an election
E) working in a humane society

Question 6

Mike and Jim are candidates for city council.Each plans their campaign separately and does not coordinate with their opponent.Mike and Jim must make a choice about whether to bribe voters,as bribing voters is potentially illegal but most likely will allow them to win.Assuming that each candidate believes they need to win,what is the most likely outcome for their tactics?

A) Neither bribes any voters, and focuses on issues.
B) Mike bribes voters and Jim focuses on issues.
C) Jim bribes voters and Mike focuses on issues.
D) Both bribe voters, rather than focusing on issues.
E) Mike and Jim coordinate with outside bodies.

Question 7

What is the role of a political institution?

A) provide a physical location for decisions to be made
B) provide justice for wrongdoing
C) provide rules to determine collective decisions
D) provide opportunities for individuals to advance
E) provide institutionalized punishments for crimes

Question 8

When the basic dynamics of the Prisoner's Dilemma play out among many people rather than a pair of individuals,the behavioral pressures that work against the provision of a public good are called a ____________________.

A) negative dilemma
B) social choice dilemma
C) problem of incomplete information
D) negative externality
E) collective-action problem

Question 9

Which is the best example of how an institution shapes outcomes?

A) The end of a concert brings calls for an encore.
B) The thrust of an engine moves a car forward.
C) The force of gravity forces a ball to fall.
D) The rules of legislatures cause a bill to fail.
E) The explosion of dynamite levels a hill.

Question 10

Suppose a town charges individuals $5 to enter a park to watch its annual New Year's Eve fireworks display.The collected fees pay the cost of the fireworks.Joe parks his car across the street and watches the fireworks display without paying the fee.What is Joe doing?

A) coasting
B) coordinating
C) protesting
D) free riding
E) voting

Question 11

Suppose members of the Republican Party prefer that a Republican be elected president in the next election,but they disagree about which particular member of their party would be the best choice.The problem facing members of the Republican Party is best described as a/an ____________.

A) free-rider problem
B) unstable coalition
C) coordination problem
D) Prisoner's Dilemma
E) electoral college

Question 12

Government ____________________.

A) always chooses the best public policy option
B) effectively eliminates many social problems like violence and drug use
C) contributes to public welfare by helping resolve some collective dilemmas
D) is unnecessary because individual citizens can easily provide public goods
E) has little influence over public welfare

Question 13

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

A) streets
B) cell phones
C) washing machines
D) food
E) automobiles

Question 14

A person who takes advantage of a public good without contributing to it is ____________.

A) coasting
B) coordinating
C) protesting
D) free riding
E) voting

Question 15

A collective dilemma represents conflict between ____________________.

A) two or more groups attempting to achieve different political goals
B) two or more individuals with different preferences about what course a group should pursue
C) individual self-interest and group goals
D) individual economic interests and individual moral values
E) information or arguments that suggest different optimal choices for a group

Question 16

Which of the following is an example of a private good?

A) clean air
B) water
C) police departments
D) computers
E) television programs

Question 17

Why is government necessary for groups of individuals?

A) Individuals need leaders to generate any ideas.
B) No law can be passed without Congress's approval anywhere.
C) Groups of individuals have a hard time overcoming collective dilemmas.
D) Monarchy will inevitably develop without government.
E) Government solves no problems.

Question 18

How can political preferences be best described and accounted for?

A) minimizing benefits
B) maximizing costs
C) lowering barriers
D) minimizing benefits and maximizing costs
E) maximizing benefits and minimizing costs

Question 19

Public opinion polls generally indicate that most Americans support high levels of government services and benefits,though they are opposed to raising taxes to pay for them.This pair of stylized facts is most indicative of a/an ____________________.

A) free-rider problem
B) unstable coalition
C) coordination problem
D) Prisoner's Dilemma
E) electoral college

Question 20

What is the most accurate statement of the role of government in labor disputes?

A) The government dictates the terms of an agreement unilaterally.
B) The government provides a third party to enforce the agreement.
C) The government must be one of the parties in any dispute.
D) The government plays no role in labor disputes.
E) The government only provides monetary support in labor disputes.

Question 21

A/an ____________________ is a stable rule that establishes a procedure or process for selecting a/an ____________________.

A) institution/public policy
B) algorithm/institution
C) political system/algorithm
D) public policy/institution
E) institution/political system

Question 22

Why do changes in institutional design alter outcomes?

A) Outcomes are outside the scope of institutions, and thus have no effect.
B) Outcomes are only possible to be changed through elections, and thus changes to election laws will produce much change.
C) Institutions are only collections of rules, and thus have no effect on outcomes.
D) Outcomes are determined by institutional structures and rules, and thus changing the institution changes outcomes.
E) Institutions are equal to outcomes, thus changing one completely undermines the other.

Question 23

Which of these measures how democratic a state is?

A) Everyone must own property.
B) The head of state has great power.
C) The central government is weak.
D) Free and fair elections exist.
E) The bureaucracy has great ability to solve problems.

Question 24

Define the term free riding.Identify a free-rider problem that people might encounter in their everyday lives.Explain what makes the situation a free-rider problem,or how the key elements of the free-rider problem are present in the situation you describe.Discuss how the free-rider problem is relevant for politics and how government may help mitigate the negative effects of free riding in some situations.

Question 25

In China,only members of the Communist Party may seek elected office at any level and other political parties are forbidden to organize.China's political system may,therefore,be classified as a/an ____________________.

A) one-party state
B) democracy
C) monarchy
D) dictatorship
E) republic

Question 26

King Abdullah became the ruler of the country of Jordan following the death of his father,King Hussein,in 1999.Jordan's political system may,therefore,be classified as a/an ____________________.

A) oligarchy
B) democracy
C) monarchy
D) dictatorship
E) republic

Question 27

What role does reputation have in solving principal-agent problems?

A) There is no effect of reputation.
B) Reputations enable principals to pick better agents.
C) Reputation is the only solution to principal-agent problems.
D) Reputations enable agents to pick better principals.
E) Principals pay no attention to the reputation of agents.

Question 28

In the United States,important political decisions are typically made by elected representatives of the citizenry rather than directly by the people themselves.The United States' political system may,therefore,be classified as a/an ____________________.

A) one-party state
B) democracy
C) monarchy
D) dictatorship
E) republic

Question 29

Which of these is the best example of an agent?

A) kings
B) voters
C) agency undersecretaries
D) Supreme Court justices
E) homeowners

Question 30

Which of these is the best example of a principal?

A) baseball players
B) writers
C) plant workers
D) company presidents
E) repairmen

Question 31

Why is it unnecessary for an agenda setter to have complete control of debate and proceedings?

A) They will be listened to less if they have complete agenda setter control.
B) Members are more likely to proceed quickly without complete agenda setter control.
C) The agenda setter does need complete control of the proceedings.
D) The agenda setter can veto undesirable options after passage.
E) The available options are limited by the agenda setter before debate begins.

Question 32

Why are most practicing democracies also republics?

A) Republicanism is a popular concept.
B) Democracies are inherently weak due to their tendency to be at war with other states.
C) Democracies are better at making decisions due to the needs of the people and must be slowed.
D) Republics reduce the size of the deciding body and solve the collective dilemma more easily.
E) Democracies are never republics.

Question 33

Walter offers two dollars to Daisy in exchange for Daisy voting for Walter in the school board election,and Daisy agrees.Daisy is then offered three dollars in exchange for voting for Vernon,and agrees,due to the better offer.Walter then offers four dollars,and Daisy agrees to vote for him again.What is this cycle an example of?

A) free riding
B) agenda setting
C) institutions
D) unstable coalitions
E) coalition government

Question 34

Executive-branch agencies may not always enforce laws as Congress and the president prefer.This is an example of a ____________________.

A) free-rider problem
B) principal-agent problem
C) Prisoner's Dilemma
D) social choice problem
E) coordination problem

Question 35

How can agenda setters help make coalitions more stable?

A) provide money to help make coalitions larger
B) hold money to be paid off on completion of an agreement
C) limit the options available to raid coalitions
D) limit the size of winning coalitions
E) be both principal and agent for a coalition

Question 36

If a chamber of 435 members passes a bill by a vote of 218 to 217,what could it be said the winning side had?

A) quorum of members
B) free-rider problems
C) minimum winning coalition
D) maximum turnout
E) coordination problems

Question 37

____________________ helps explain why the House has 435 members.

A) Agenda setting
B) Path dependence
C) Institutionalization
D) Collective dilemmas
E) Principal-agent problems

Question 38

____________________ is a where people have an equal voice in the political system and ____________________ is where one person runs the political system.

A) Duopoly/monarchy
B) Democracy/dictatorship
C) Referendum/duopoly
D) Oligarchy/one-party state
E) Recall/referendum

Question 39

Kim Jong-Un is officially the "Supreme Leader" of North Korea,and all constitutional political authority is vested in him as an individual.North Korea's political system may,therefore,be classified as a/an ____________________.

A) oligarchy
B) democracy
C) theocracy
D) dictatorship
E) republic

Question 40

How can government improve people's welfare? What might life be like without any government? What are the costs of government? What do people give up in order to gain the benefits of government?

Question 41

What are political institutions? How do institutions influence the process and result of group decision making? How might one distinguish more effective institutions from less effective institutions?

Question 42

What is the principal-agent problem? Identify a principal-agent relationship in government and discuss how an agent's actions may create difficulties or costs for the principal.Describe at least two ways that institutions can minimize the negative consequences of the principal-agent problem.

Question 43

What distinguishes a democratic political system from an authoritarian political system? What makes a country more or less democratic? What kinds of economic and social benefits are associated with democratic governance?