Deck 1: What Should We Know About American Government

Question 1

The belief that government is run by self-seeking politicians and dominated by special interest groups is, according to the text,

A) factual.
B) an exaggeration.
C) well documented.
D) self-evident.
E) rarely held.

Answer 1

an exaggeration.

Question 2

Winston Churchill observed that democracy is

A) "the best government."
B) "the best of all possible governments."
C) "the worst form of government for most of the world."
D) "the worst form of government except for all those other forms that have been tried."
E) "the only form of government that can succeed in future generations."

Answer 2

"the worst form of government except for all those other forms that have been tried."

Question 3

The text suggests that politics is

A) inevitable.
B) optional.
C) counterproductive.
D) a modern idea.
E) largely irrelevant.

Answer 3

inevitable.

Question 4

In a direct democracy,

A) political parties select rulers and base decisions on party platforms.
B) citizens are consulted by most leaders before policy is made.
C) unelected officials make decisions in the best interests of the people.
D) voters choose representatives to make policy for them.
E) all or most citizens make government decisions by themselves.

Question 5

When citizens vote on major issues that are put on the ballot, this is an example of a(n)

A) representative democracy.
B) oligarchy.
C) parliamentary system.
D) republic.
E) direct democracy.

Question 6

The term that the Framers of the Constitution used to describe our form of democracy was

A) publius.
B) polis.
C) pure democracy.
D) confederation.
E) republic.

Question 7

A government's legitimacy is based on its

A) willingness to use power.
B) sense of responsiveness and honor.
C) right to use power.
D) disregard of external forces.
E) view of the citizenry.

Question 8

A government whose decisions people will obey because they think the government has the right to make them is considered

A) authoritarian.
B) legitimate.
C) powerful.
D) institutionalized.
E) bureaucratic.

Question 9

In a parliamentary system, all power is invested in the national

A) executive.
B) judiciary.
C) bureaucracy.
D) legislature.
E) treasury.

Question 10

The chief executive in a parliamentary system is usually called

A) the president.
B) the prime minister.
C) the CEO.
D) the governor.
E) the commander in chief.

Question 11

In a parliamentary system, the prime minister is chosen by the

A) judicial system.
B) elected national legislature.
C) people.
D) electoral college.
E) party representatives.

Question 12

The prime minister can rule as long as he or she

A) is able to manage the bureaucracy.
B) has the support of the courts.
C) wins a plurality of the popular vote.
D) wins a majority of the popular vote.
E) is supported by a majority of parliament.

Question 13

One notable feature of parliamentary government is that

A) the governor is elected by the legislature.
B) the courts rarely interfere with the other branches.
C) the legislative branch controls the bureaucracy.
D) elections are held every year.
E) power is decentralized.

Question 14

In a presidential system, the bureaucracy reports to

A) Congress and the president.
B) Congress and the courts.
C) the courts.
D) the president.
E) Congress.

Question 15

The theory underlying the presidential system is that

A) policies should be tested at election time.
B) the courts should not interfere.
C) policies should be tested at every stage of the policymaking process.
D) more power should be vested in the executive branch.
E) More power should be vested in the courts.

Question 16

The text suggests that decisions about public policy usually

A) emerge out of complicated struggles among many different interests.
B) emerge out of complicated struggles between big business and Wall Street.
C) reflect the interests of small groups that have interests in the military.
D) reflect the opinions of the far right and the far left.
E) depend on the relationship between unions and big business.

Question 17

Pluralism asserts that political resources are

A) centralized.
B) scarce.
C) widely available.
D) stagnant.
E) concentrated.

Question 18

Today, the average income tax rate for American families is over _____ percent.

A) 20
B) 25
C) 30
D) 35
E) 40

Question 19

Hardly any policy becomes law without adjusting it to meet the needs of

A) the states.
B) big business.
C) labor unions.
D) the military.
E) the federal bureaucracy.

Question 20

It is important to remember that the business of lobbyists is protected by the _____ Amendment.

A) First
B) Fifth
C) Ninth
D) Tenth
E) Nineteenth

Question 21

The text suggests that the American system stimulates

A) compromise.
B) communication.
C) concentration of power.
D) uniformity.
E) disagreement.

Question 22

Most Americans have confidence in what the federal government does.

Question 23

It is possible to be critical of government and yet passionately defend its principles.

Question 24

The text suggests that politics is inevitable.

Question 25

Politics exists because people disagree about who should have power and what decisions they should make.

Question 26

A democracy is "direct" if decisions are made quickly and efficiently.

Question 27

The New England town meeting is an example of representative democracy.

Question 28

When states allow citizens to vote on issues, they are practicing a form of direct democracy.

Question 29

The framers of our constitution called a representative democracy a republic.

Question 30

It is incorrect to say that voters decide policies in the United States.

Question 31

A government is only legitimate if its citizens obey all its laws.

Question 32

Democracies always feature presidential systems.

Question 33

In a parliamentary system, power is decentralized.

Question 34

In a presidential system, the bureaucracy reports to the president and Congress.

Question 35

If a society has become pluralist, power and resources have been distributed widely.

Question 36

State and local governments play an important role in American politics.

Question 37

In 1935, most Americans paid no federal income tax.

Question 38

Most people holding office are white, affluent, middle-aged and male.

Question 39

There is a sense of rivalry between the president and Congress even when they are from the same party.

Question 40

American politics is adversarial.

Question 41

Identify and explain four factors in American politics that render it adversarial in nature.