Deck 4: Constitutional Democracy: Models of Representation

Question 1

What is the primary goal of anti-federalism?

A)To provide a strong central government for states to rally behind
B)To allow state and local governments the ability to tailor legislation and regulations to their needs
C)To have the federal government directly oversee the actions of the states
D)To allow the states the ability to govern international trade
E)To maintain a strong federal government with a loose collection of state governments creating a federation

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Why is the Tenth Amendment to the US Constitution controversial?

A)There have been instances of apparent federal overreach into what was considered to be a power of the states, such as the issue of slavery and taxation .
B)The states believe the Tenth Amendment limits the federal government's power to protect them .
C)The federal government is burdened with too much responsibility and uses the Tenth Amendment to give more responsibility to states .
D)The states use the Tenth Amendment to rely on the federal government intervening in interstate conflicts .
E)The Tenth Amendment has not been particularly controversial in the United States .

Answer 2

A

Question 3

What is tyranny of the majority?

A)When the minority of voters rule over the majority
B)When the president has absolute power over the people
C)When the majority and minority populations cooperate for the common good
D)When the majority of voters turn to mob rule over the minority
E)When all three branches of government abuse their powers to oppress citizens

Answer 3

D

Question 4

What is the primary qualification for a constitutional democracy or a democratic republic?

A)Free and fair elections for all citizens
B)Elections where the aristocracy votes
C)Elections between religious officials
D)Elections every four years
E)Elections for all government positions

Question 5

Why were the Founding Fathers of the American government so concerned with building a government that could hold itself and majority factions in check?

A)The Founding Fathers were concerned with the ability of a powerful government to ignore the wishes of the citizens. Conversely, the Founding Fathers were concerned with a majority of the population that, if it became too powerful, would ignore the government.
B)The common people were not educated enough at the time to understand how the government worked, so the Founding Fathers wanted it to be as clear as possible to avoid an uneducated mass from making irrational laws and regulations. On the other side, if the government was not educated enough, it would not be able to function efficiently or properly.
C)The Founding Fathers felt that human nature was inherently flawed, which would require both the government and the majority to be held in check in order to prevent tyranny from either the government or the mass of citizens.
D)The government was set up in a manner in which it was not necessary to change it throughout the course of the nation, which necessitated preventing either the majority or the government from being able to achieve any major change.
E)The Founding Fathers felt that it was their duty to create a government that would govern well without any interference from the citizens, which necessitated preventing the majority from having the power to change the government.

Question 6

What has been the impact on the distribution of power in the United States of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's implementation of cooperative federalism?

A)A restoration of power to the states that had been in decline since the end of the Civil War
B)A continuous increase of federal power since the 1930s that has taken more power away from the states
C)Cooperation between the federal government and the states leading to a more equal distribution of power
D)The creation of intermediary government agencies that would help the federal and state governments work together
E)The creation of more government work programs, resulting in a lowered unemployment rate

Question 7

What is the definition of a direct democracy?

A)Eligible voters vote for individuals to represent them in a legislative body.
B)All eligible voters are involved in the governing process.
C)Eligible voters decide upon one ruler to govern them.
D)The aristocracy votes for a leader.
E)A singular leader distributes power among all citizens who vote.

Question 8

What is brokered democracy as outlined by John C. Calhoun?

A)A government with the primary purpose of protecting minority rights through affirmative action policies
B)A government with the opportunity for all citizens to have input on legislation and governmental regulation
C)A government that should have the ideas of the minority groups in mind, not just the majority of the population
D)A form of democracy that required legislation to be acceptable to all groups of people through community interaction and input
E)A form of democracy with an increased emphasis on international trade and cooperation, particularly through the stock exchange

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT one of William Hudson's four models of democracy?

A)Participatory democracy
B)Federalist democracy
C)Developmental democracy
D)Pluralist democracy
E)Protective democracy

Question 10

What is a unitary system of constitutional democracy?

A)A united government that can overcome gridlock more easily than a national and states model
B)A single government structure, as opposed to the national and states model
C)A single-party government without the opportunity for other political parties to exist
D)A government where the national government has more power than the states
E)A government where every level of government has the same amount of power over every other

Question 11

What did proponents cite as the intended purpose of nullification in American government?

A)To give states the rights to fully govern themselves as they saw fit
B)To allow the federal government to make null and void any state law they wished
C)To allow for the states to work together to repeal any federal law that was deemed unnecessary
D)To allow a majority of states to make null and void laws of states that are deemed oppressive
E)To give the states the ability to ignore any federal law that went against their wishes

Question 12

What was the justification the American Founding Fathers used to focus on counteracting vice rather than working toward nurturing virtue?

A)Virtue was not seen as an American ideal and therefore not worth focusing on.
B)It is impossible for a modern government to achieve virtue.
C)Vice was seen as the larger threat to the American people.
D)Combating vice is a more achievable goal than nurturing virtue.
E)The Founding Fathers wanted to leave virtue up to the states.

Question 13

What is one major assumption of the concurrent majority attempting to adapt to a brokered democracy?

A)It is assumed that differing groups of people will easily work well together to pass large amounts of legislation .
B)It is assumed that minority groups will have too little say in the legislative process.
C)It is assumed that majority groups will have too little say in the legislative process.
D)It is assumed that majority groups will have too much power to enforce the status quo.
E)It is assumed that coalitions of minorities that band together will eventually become a majority themselves.

Question 14

Why were some of the delegates at the Philadelphia Convention supporters of the anti-federalist style of government?

A)The delegates were worried about the tyranny of the masses.
B)The delegates were worried that without a federalist government, there would be no central government to hold the nation together.
C)The delegates felt that only a federalist government would be able to control a population as large as that of the United States .
D)The delegates were worried that too strong of a centralized government would undermine the will of the people.
E)The delegates were worried that individual states would have too much power without a strong central government.

Question 15

What is the purpose of a liberal democracy?

A)The purpose of a liberal democracy is to ensure the rights and liberties of individual citizens are preserved to some degree through the structure of the government.
B)The purpose of a liberal democracy is to establish a utopian state in which all needs of the citizens are met to the highest degree.
C)The purpose of a liberal democracy is to create a progressive government that trends toward more liberal policies and regulations .
D)The purpose of a liberal democracy is to create a government aimed solely at protecting the international standing of a nation .
E)The purpose of a liberal democracy is to ensure that the individual citizens are all granted the same opportunities to change social or economic classes .

Question 16

What was the purpose of the "reserved powers" Amendment, or Tenth Amendment, to the American Constitution?

A)All powers not explicitly granted to the federal government in the Constitution were intended to remain with the states .
B)All powers not explicitly granted to the states in the Constitution were to remain with the federal government .
C)The states and the federal government must decide upon each individual power and determine where it should lay .
D)The federal government would decide what level of government was granted any new powers .
E)The federal government would reserve the right to revoke any powers from the states at any time .

Question 17

Why did both President Richard Nixon and President George W. Bush struggle to reverse the trend of, as they saw it, increased federal overreach into powers traditionally held by states?

A)Neither president had the goal of reducing the size of the federal government.
B)Both presidents felt that the states had enough power to govern themselves.
C)Both presidents found it far more difficult to extract federal interference in states than it was to introduce new federal powers.
D)Both presidents were forced to abandon their plans for a return to federalism due to complications of war and terrorism.
E)Both presidents were forced to admit defeat after numerous pieces of legislation were defeated by a coalition of states that did not see federal power as overreaching.

Question 18

What is the birthplace of the modern representative democracy?

A)The United Kingdom
B)France
C)The United States
D)Germany
E)China

Question 19

What is the purpose of checks and balances within a government structure?

A)To ensure that all branches of the government are involved in every action taken
B)To ensure that no single branch of government abuses power over other branches
C)To maintain the current structure of the government
D)To allow for the government to grow in a sustainable manner
E)To prevent any military coups from taking control of the government

Question 20

Why does the multiparty system of parliamentary democracies lead to less gridlock than the American model?

A)The multiparty system allows for multiple parties to form coalitions. These coalitions incentivize the parties to cooperate more than the divisiveness of a two-party system because each individual party must compete for votes, lending platforms more tailored to the needs of the people.
B)The multiparty approach does not lend itself to gridlock because it addresses smaller issues than the American model.
C)The multiparty system allows for a more diverse approach to issues than the two-party system present in the American model.
D)The parliamentary model has more voter access through primarily single-issue parties in comparison to the American model with two opposing broad-based parties.
E)The multiparty model leads to coalitions of minority groups that eventually lead to a two-party system, whereas the American model has two opposing parties that check the other's power.

Question 21

What is the purpose of a bicameral legislature in government?

A)To protect the largest states' rights by having power based upon population
B)To ensure that all states have equal representation in government
C)To allow states to have an equal voice in one chamber and be population based in another
D)To ensure that the states can work together to create legislation
E)To ensure that there is not an excessive amount of bills passed

Question 22

What is the purpose of the power of the purse?

A)To exist as a check that Congress has upon the executive branch through controlling the funding for any legislation or executive orders
B)To enable the federal government to regulate the flow of international trade in the United States in order to prevent excessive foreign influence on the government
C)To allow the Supreme Court to intervene in disagreements between the legislative and executive branches
D)To allow the executive branch to fund the federal government
E)To allow the legislative branch to regulate and control the economy

Question 23

What is anti-federalism?

A)The opposition to any form of federal government or strong central government ruling the nation
B)The idea that the federal government should become the strongest authority within a nation
C)The idea that the states should hold more power than the federal government
D)The idea that the states should be on equal legislative footing with the federal government
E)The opposition to any form of government with a single leader who holds absolute power

Question 24

Why would a direct democracy be unlikely to succeed in the United States?

A)The lower political participation by citizens would skew legislation too far away from the good of the majority.
B)The large population of the United States would likely make any direct democracy too unwieldy and inefficient to accomplish much.
C)The population of the United States changes too often in terms of diversity to make the direct democracy approach feasible.
D)The United States currently utilizes a direct democracy approach to all elections and legislation at various levels of government.
E)The political culture of the representative democracy is too ingrained in the United States for a shift to direct democracy to be possible.

Question 25

Why is it difficult for democracies such as the United States to address or pass comprehensive legislation on critical issues?

A)There are myriad issues facing democratic nations such as the United States, and each special interest group wants to focus on their own at the expense of other special interest groups or major issues .
B)Democracies such as the United States do not possess enough resources for them to focus on generating policies or legislation to address more than one major issue at a time .
C)Citizens are apathetic about the issues the government wants to focus on, which in turn means government will not move to address these issues .
D)Democracies such as the United States do not often achieve the unanimity required in their respective legislative chambers to significantly address any major issue, relegating the legislative chambers to addressing smaller issues .
E)The United States and democracies like it are not often faced with any major issues that would require near-unanimous decisions .

Question 26

Why are term limits for executive and legislative officials important in democracies?

A)Term limits allow for new ideas to be presented and tested in the governmental process .
B)Term limits allow for more diversity to be represented by ensuring each election has a diverse field of candidates .
C)Term limits keep the federal government from obtaining too much power by preventing officials from holding more than one different public office in their lifetime .
D)Term limits prevent any one individual from serving in multiple public offices simultaneously .
E)Term limits prevent the creation of familial political dynasties .

Question 27

What is the role of government in a developmental democracy as outlined by William Hudson?

A)To develop the national infrastructure and trade routes
B)To further research and development of new technologies to boost production
C)To foster and develop international relationships and agreements
D)To contribute to the political and civic literacy of the citizens
E)To develop the national infrastructure and economy

Question 28

A legitimate government is when the citizens both recognize and grant the government authority to govern. Why is the impartial rule of law a necessity for continued governmental legitimacy?

A)The impartial rule of law creates a government that is above irrational decisions of individuals and treats individuals fairly and justly .
B)The impartial rule of law states that everyone is created equal and is to be treated equally under the law .
C)The impartial rule of law creates a system of laws and regulations that treats individuals and corporations as equal participants in a democracy .
D)The impartial rule of law institutes mandatory sentences for citizens who do not abide by the laws or regulations of a democracy .
E)The impartial rule of law prevents all forms of corruption and nepotism within a government .

Question 29

What is Alexis de Tocqueville's defense of the rule of the majority?

A)The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few within a democracy.
B)The rule of the majority will be inherently beneficial to the minorities.
C)The rule of the majority will have collective wisdom behind it, making it just.
D)The rule of the majority was indefensible, according to de Tocqueville.
E)Alexis de Tocqueville did not have an opinion on the rule of the majority.

Question 30

What is a participatory democracy as outlined by William Hudson?

A)A form of democracy in which the government ensures the overall health and well-being of its citizens
B)A form of democracy in which the government contributes to the political and civic literacy of the citizens
C)A form of democracy that regulates the free market in order to benefit small businesses
D)A form of democracy in which businesses are invited to participate in politics along with citizens
E)A form of democracy in which the political participation of as many citizens as possible is emphasized

Question 31

According to William Hudson, why is apathy of the voting population such a danger to democracy?

A)It allows for the more vocal radical minorities to push their agendas and leads to more extreme governments.
B)It allows for the government, under the pretext of the common good, to ignore the small number of citizens still voting.
C)Apathy is not a danger to democracy because it indicates a belief of citizens that the government is working in their favor, thus not requiring any input.
D)Apathy is not a problem for democracies because the voters often defer to the expertise of political experts and have no desire to participate.
E)Apathy leads to lowered oversight on politicians by citizens allowing for a higher likelihood of corruption.

Question 32

Why is it significant that the war powers of the United States are divided between Congress and the president?

A)The separation of war powers creates an unnecessary delay of any action taken, reducing the effectiveness of any action .
B)The separation of war powers enables Congress to check the president for abuse of power by preventing the concentration of all power into one individual or tyrant .
C)The separation of war powers allows for more ideas to be heard, thus leading to more deliberative action taken .
D)The separation of war powers does not have any significant impact on military action .
E)Without separation of war powers, there would be a significant risk of a military coup .

Question 33

Why is it considered important for a constitutional democracy to protect the rights of minority groups?

A)Without protections, majority groups such as large states would trample over smaller states' needs, creating an unjust government.
B)Without protections, minority groups would leave the nation, causing serious damage to the economic system.
C)Minority groups do not need protection in a democracy because they will be absorbed into larger groups and become a majority group.
D)Protecting minority rights degrades the voice of majority groups and should not be protected any differently than those of the majority .
E)Protecting minority groups is essential to maintaining a fair and legitimate government through the impartial rule of law .

Question 34

Looking at the models of democracy set out by William Hudson, which model does not fit the United States?

A)Participatory democracy
B)Developmental democracy
C)Pluralist democracy
D)Protective democracy
E)Expansive democracy

Question 35

What is a pluralist democracy as outlined by William Hudson?

A)A form of democracy that develops into a semi-oligarchic model around free enterprise
B)A form of democracy in which the common citizens hold most of the political power
C)A form of democracy that emphasizes coalitions between different political parties
D)A form of democracy in which the government ensures the overall health and well-being of its citizens
E)A form of democracy that focuses on creating international alliances or coalitions to address issues

Question 36

Why is it beneficial that any proposed legislation in the legislative branch faces numerous hurdles to becoming a law?

A)To prevent any one group of people from having too much power or say in legislation
B)To keep the government as simple as possible with a much lower overall number of laws
C)To help maintain the status quo and prevent social pressure from having any influence on the legislative process
D)To fully vet and examine the purpose and execution of any proposed legislation
E)There are no benefits for a lengthy and deliberative process of creating laws

Question 37

What role does the rule of law play in a democracy?

A)To ensure the safety and protection of its citizens in a just and impartial manner
B)To prosecute any actions or beliefs that the government disagrees with
C)To create a like-minded voting population through a federal education system
D)To maintain the peace among the population through the display and use of force
E)To deter foreign entities from interfering with the nation through intimidation and military strength

Question 38

What is the purpose of constitutionalism within a democracy?

A)Constitutionalism combats the tyranny of the majority by separating citizens into different voting groups .
B)Constitutionalism creates checks and balances within the government to reduce any tyranny .
C)Constitutionalism grants the legitimacy of a democracy to rule over its citizens through a sustained initiative to ensure the government has enough power to protect the citizens .
D)Constitutionalism codifies the personal belief systems of citizens into law through the precedents set down by the judicial system .
E)Constitutionalism restrains the government and its officials with a supreme set of neutral rules that prevent arbitrary and unfair action by government .

Question 39

What is a protective democracy as outlined by William Hudson?

A)A form of democracy where the sole role of the government is to protect the lives and livelihoods of its citizens
B)A form of democracy in which the duty of the government is to ensure the well-being and overall health of its citizens
C)A form of democracy in which the role of the government is to protect the civil and individual liberties of its citizens
D)A form of democracy in which the role of the government is to regulate the free market in order to benefit small businesses
E)A form of democracy in which the sole role of the government is to protect itself

Question 40

What role did the Magna Carta play in the creation of the US Constitution?

A)The Magna Carta was held up as an example by the Founding Fathers as a failed British experiment and a structure to stay away from in the creation of a new government.
B)The Magna Carta was used to help create a bicameral legislative structure to help alleviate any bias one chamber may possess.
C)The Magna Carta was used as an example of how to protect individual liberties and create separate powers for different branches of government.
D)The Magna Carta was used as an example of how to franchise the common citizen and incentivize their participation in government and politics.
E)The Magna Carta was directly used as part of the US Constitution by creating a standard of British common law in the colonies.

Question 41

Why is it important for a democracy to adhere to the rule of law ?

A)The rule of law is not an important value for a democracy to adhere to.
B)The rule of law in a democracy protects individual rights, a necessity for all voices to be heard in elections.
C)The rule of law is not an important policy for a democracy to adhere to because different forms of democracy rely upon different systems.
D)The rule of law is solely focused upon maintaining and regulating international trade within a democracy.
E)The rule of law is necessary to prevent foreign encroachment upon the rights of individual voters.

Question 42

What is a republic?

A)A form of government where representatives are elected to represent groups of people in a central government
B)A form of government where there is one ruler who holds absolute power over any government structure
C)A form of government where the power to rule resides within a small group of wealthy individuals
D)A form of government where the people form collectives to govern themselves
E)A form of government where the ruling party is from a religious sect and enforces religiously based laws

Question 43

Why is it difficult for democracies and republics to find balance between centralized power and liberty?

Question 44

What challenges has American democracy faced as a result of an increasingly globalized worldview?

A)Globalization has led to an increase in hostile nation-states attempting to subvert the US government, leading to encroachment upon individual rights and liberties .
B)An increase in globalization has drastically changed the economic focus of the United States, as well as cause a shift in individual values reflected in recent elections .
C)Increased interactions with other sovereign nations have drastically changed the American population, leading to internal challenges around population controls .
D)The ease of modern immigration has challenged the American democracy because there has been a large exodus of people out of the United States, collapsing the national industrial sector .
E)The global economy has changed the American economy from a data/service economy into an industrial economy, causing a shortage of skilled laborers .

Question 45

How is the structure of the US Constitution designed to mitigate the threat of tyranny of the majority?

Question 46

Why is gridlock, or the lack of any major legislation passing through a government split between the two major political parties, so prevalent in the modern American government?

A)Gridlock is not a major issue with any branch of the US government, judicial, executive, or legislative .
B)Gridlock is so prevalent because the two major political parties have no significant legislation to pass .
C)Gridlock in the US government is caused by the two major political parties having near equal influence, with each having the ability to block legislation from the other party .
D)Gridlock in the US government is prevalent because the two major political parties are unsure which legislation would most benefit the American people .
E)Gridlock has been the result of a fracturing of the two major political parties, preventing either party from having enough power in Congress to pass legislation .

Question 47

What impact does artificial intelligence (AI)have on modern American democracy?

A)AI has allowed for the sowing of discord and mistrust among the American population with the potential for skewing elections.
B)AI has not had any significant effect on the modern American democracy and is limited to industrial and economic applications .
C)AI has replaced many bureaucratic positions, including that of many politicians and public officials, previously held by humans, causing resentment between voters and the government .
D)AI is being used as a tool by several public officials to suppress the will of the people by actively changing the votes that are submitted to suit their needs .
E)AI has been used to take control over research and education through replacing teachers and researchers .

Question 48

Which of the following models did the Founding Fathers rely upon most when drawing up the American Constitution and creating the new American government?

A)John Locke's social contract
B)James Madison's balanced government
C)Thomas Jefferson's majority rule
D)John C. Calhoun's brokered government
E)Alexander Hamilton's strong central government

Question 49

Explain why you feel the American democracy is or is not broken. In your response, consider the definition of democracy and a democratic republic, the expressed intentions of the Founding Fathers when creating the American democracy, the shifts and uses of federal power throughout the course of the American government, voter participation and enfranchisement over time, and increased political polarization.

Question 50

What impact did the idea of brokered democracy have on the nullification crisis in the early nineteenth century?