Deck 13: Issues in Public Policy: Politics, Principles, Priorities, and Practicies

Question 1

Which U. .S President famously campaigned on (and failed to keep) a promise not to raise taxes?

A)Jimmy Carter
B)Ronald Reagan
C)George H.W. Bush
D)Dwight D. Eisenhower
E)Bill Clinton

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Major issues of public policy demonstrate that the five core values of security, prosperity, equality, liberty, and justice often come into conflict with one another.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Compared to all European nations, the income tax of Americans is much higher.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT a provision of the U.S. Patriot Act?

A)It is not limited to terrorism.
B)It allows government to strike first and ask questions later.
C)It authorizes the use of "sneak and peek" search warrants.
D)It reduces government accountability.
E)It expands the ability of state and federal government to conduct surveillance of U.S. citizens.

Question 5

The national government can use the power of prior restraint at any time to prevent the press from reporting negative things that it does not want to be made public.

Question 6

In the Bakke reverse-discrimination case, the Supreme Court held that all affirmative action programs were unconstitutional.

Question 7

No industrialized state has ever decriminalized both drugs and prostitution.

Question 8

What did Thomas Hobbes believe was the main responsibility for government to provide?

A)Prosperity in moderation
B)Justice for all
C)Safety from harm
D)Racial equality
E)Limited privacy

Question 9

The exclusionary rule holds that when evidence has been illegally obtained, it may not be used in court.

Question 10

The VAT stands for Vague Additional Tax, so each nation can adjust it as necessary.

Question 11

If we legalize pot, many people fear that it will lead to more addicts and relaxed moral standards.

Question 12

In the United States, corporate income is taxed heavier than individual income.

Question 13

Former U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan wrote that, over time, Americans have become less willing to accept violence and crime.

Question 14

The various provisions of the U.S. Patriot Act apply only to people suspected of engaging in terrorism.

Question 15

The United States has ratified and follows the Kyoto Protocol.

Question 16

The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 mandated a balanced federal budget, but what changed to allow Congress to ignore it?

A)2008 recession
B)9/11
C)European Monetary Collapse
D)Rise in interest rates
E)Supreme Court declaring it unconstitutional

Question 17

In which state have the most mass shootings in the United States occurred since World War II?

A)California
B)Illinois
C)Georgia
D)Texas
E)New York

Question 18

Although liberals and conservatives agree that equality is important in some sense, they do not agree on what kind of equality is necessary or how much inequality is desirable.

Question 19

The United States continues to give high priority to national defense as illustrated by its accounting for half the world's arms expenditures every year.

Question 20

The United States is the only postindustrial society in which private ownership of handguns is considered normal and private arsenals are not unusual.

Question 21

The richest 15 percent of Americans control approximately _____ of financial assets in America?

A)50 percent
B)60 percent
C)70 percent
D)80 percent
E)90 percent or more

Question 22

Which of the following has been cited as an example of the failure of American education?

A)Studies revealing that American students score higher on mathematics than European and Asian students
B)Improved U.S. college entrance scores
C)High failure rates on elementary-level literacy tests given by U.S. corporations
D)Low prevalence of guns, drugs, and gangs on American campuses
E)All of the above

Question 23

How does France's healthcare system compare to that of the United States?

A)Citizens live longer than in the United States.
B)It is a combination of both public and private systems.
C)It costs about 50 percent less than in the United States.
D)All of the above
E)None of the above

Question 24

Of the following, which country collects the smallest portion of its gross domestic product in taxes?

A)Canada
B)United States
C)United Kingdom
D)France
E)Germany

Question 25

Which of the following is true with regard to health care in the United States?

A)The U.S. population is aging and thus requires increasing public expenditures for Medicare and Medicaid.
B)The cost of health care is increasing at a lower rate than inflation.
C)Most Americans receive adequate health insurance through their employers.
D)All Americans are adequately covered by private health insurance policies.
E)The U.S. population is growing so prosperous that it will not require Medicare or Medicaid.

Question 26

What did the Civil Rights Cases of 1883 accomplish?

A)Prohibited racial discrimination in public accommodations
B)Held that the Fourteenth Amendment was intended to prohibit both state and private discrimination
C)Virtually ended racial segregation in the South
D)Helped legitimize a social system in which blacks were subject to discrimination
E)Created a punishment system for those who discriminated against others

Question 27

Which justification for punishment claims that its purpose is to discourage others from committing a similar crime?

A)Incarceration
B)Deterrence
C)Retribution
D)Rehabilitation
E)None of the above

Question 28

What are the five goals of democratic government? Give examples of how the United States government has attempted to achieve each one. Then give an example of how two of these goals have come in conflict. Have attempts been made to resolve this conflict? How successful have they been?

Question 29

The Emissions Trading Scheme is designed to reduce the carbon footprint of who?

A)The European Union
B)The United States
C)China
D)Japan
E)Australia

Question 30

What does the public debate over capital punishment tend to focus on?

A)Whether it is morally defensible
B)Whether it deters future murders
C)The extent to which it accomplishes retribution
D)Both A and B
E)Both A and C

Question 31

Which of the following have American courts allowed under the First Amendment?

A)Speech that constitutes a direct personal provocation
B)Clergy to offer nondenominational prayers at public high school graduations
C)Polygamy, as long as it is part of traditional religious practice
D)Schools to require children who are Jehovah's Witnesses to salute the flag
E)Schools to exempt Amish children from public education requirements

Question 32

What do public school administrators generally contend is a poor indicator of educational performance or potential?

A)State funding for public vs. private schools
B)Standardized tests
C)Graduation rates
D)Both A and C
E)None of the above

Question 33

In 2009 what percent of the U.S. population had no health insurance?

A)9 percent
B)12 percent
C)15 percent
D)20 percent
E)25 percent

Question 34

How does education policy differ in the United States compared to other states? What about the U. S. system could be improved? What seems to work? Explain.

Question 35

When can government outlaw religious practices?

A)If the religion is not approved beforehand
B)If the religion is too small
C)If the religion moves overseas
D)If the religion poses a threat to society
E)If the religion obscures or misinterprets the words of God

Question 36

Which of the following would the Supreme Court likely NOT view as a violation of the constitutional protection of our freedom of speech?

A)Organizing a terror strike against our government
B)Burning a replica of the American Flag
C)Asking for a list of names of all organizers and participants of an anti-government rally and then investigating them.
D)Wiretaps of individuals without their knowledge and without a warrant
E)Ku Klux Klan rally designed to start a riot against the minorities

Question 37

Which country spends the smallest portion of its gross domestic product on health care?

A)Canada
B)Switzerland
C)United States
D)France
E)Germany

Question 38

Should health care in the United States be seen as a public right as in other industrial democracies? Explain.

Question 39

Following the attacks in the United States on 9-11, there has been considerable discussion and debate on the tension between security and liberty goals. What is the proper or best balance between security and liberty?

Question 40

How have the United States' previous issues with equality affected the situation in employment and social class? Are these issues still worth considering and taking action to correct today? Explain?

Question 41

Compared to the rest of the world, the United States pays a fairly low percentage of taxes compared to their overall GDP, yet Americans continually complain about how they are overtaxed. Is this complaint a rational complaint? Explain.