Question 1

Which of the following was the major cause of the 1929 Depression?

Accepted Answer

The major cause of the 1929 Depression was that the cost of goods majorly decreased, caused by overproduction and underconsumption.
Key Takeaway: The Depression of 1929 was mostly due to too many goods being available (overproduction) without enough people who could buy them (underconsumption). This led to a nation-wide decrease in prices. Other reasons for the depression included: speculation, which led to massive overpricing of stocks; margin buying; poor bank practices; unemployment; an equally bad depression in Europe; and high tariffs abroad.

Question 2

What is Margaret Sanger best known for?

Accepted Answer

Margaret Sanger is best known for opening the first birth control clinic in the United States.
Key Takeaway: Margaret Sanger was a birth control activist and the founder of the American Birth Control League, which eventually became Planned Parenthood. Sanger was often opposed due to her beliefs about contraception and eugenics. However, Sanger is often seen as a great feminist leader, for her ability to provide contraception-and freedom of conception-to women.

Question 3

NATO was primarily formed to stop the spread of Communism in Asia.

Accepted Answer

Key Takeaway: NATO, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, was signed in 1949 by eleven Western European nations and the United States and primarily formed to stop the spread of Communism in Europe.

Question 4

Why did gay rights organizations and activists oppose Clinton's policy regarding gay soldiers in the military?

Accepted Answer

Gay rights organizations and activists opposed Clinton's policy regarding gay soldiers in the military because the policy did not protect openly gay soldiers from discriminatory policies and harassment.
Key Takeaway: When Clinton was first elected, he proposed that gay soldiers should be openly allowed to serve in the military, but this met with great disapproval in Congress. Clinton changed his policy to one that has been referred to as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," under which gay solders did not have to openly divulge information about sexual orientation, nor were commanding officers permitted to pry or research the background of soldiers' private lives.
This policy was-and continues to be-greatly criticized as a policy of mere tolerance. It does not actually protect the rights of gay people serving in the military.

Question 5

What is a flat tax?

Accepted Answer

A flat tax is a tax where every taxpayer pays the same percentage of her income. If you had a flat tax of, say, 20%, every taxpayer would pay 20% of their income in taxes, no matter how much they made. The person who made $10,000 would pay $2000 and the person who made $100,000 would pay $20,000. There aren't really any flat taxes in the United States. The closest is the Social Security tax because it has a flat tax up to $110,000 of income, but then there are not taxes on income above that. It isn't really flat because someone who made $500,000 would pay the same amount of Social Security taxes as someone who made $110,000.

Question 6

All of the following are among the growing number of players involved in foreign policymaking except:

Accepted Answer

The Department of Housing and Urban Development is one of very few Cabinet departments not to have a significant role in foreign policymaking. While it might be obvious what role Commerce, State, and Defense (the Pentagon) play in foreign policymaking, it may not be obvious how Agriculture is involved. A lot of foreign policy over the last two decades has developed around food and access to food. The Department of Agriculture, among other things, helps provide experts to other countries to show them how to effectively grow crops.

Question 7

Which of the following labels refers to the principle under which the government does not meddle with the economy?

Accepted Answer

Laissez-faire economics policy refers to the principle under which the government does not meddle with the economy. The principle under which our government does not meddle with the economy is known as laissez-faire policy. This doctrine opposes government interference in economic affairs beyond the minimum necessary to maintain peace and order. For the better part of United States history, our government has practiced this economic policy.

Question 8

Pluralist theory argues that the best way of understanding democracy in the United States is to view it as:

Accepted Answer

It may sound shocking to a lot of people, but pluralist thinkers believe that it is important to have interest groups competing with each other to control what the government does. They argue that interest groups represent the interests of people much better than do elected officials, who can ignore the interests of anyone who doesn't vote for them.

Question 9

The Council of Economic Advisors generally advocates that the government pursue goals in line with Keynesian economic theory, which advocates all of the following except:

Accepted Answer

Neither the Council of Economic Advisors nor Keynesian economic theory encourage allowing a faltering market time to correct course naturally. Keynesian economic theory strongly advocates that government get involved in the marketplace to soften the blow of a recession or depression, as well as to encourage productivity. The CEA often promotes proactive government intervention to stave off similar disasters.

Question 10

What did the Supreme Court decide in Grove City College v. Bell (1984)?

Accepted Answer

In Grove City v. Bell the Supreme Court decided that, because the college received federal student aid money, it could not discriminate in granting student aid. The Court did, however, allow the college to discriminate in areas where they did not receive federal funds. In 1988 Congress passed a law stating that the college was not allowed to discriminate in any area if it received any federal funds.

Question 11

What caused major shifts in the scope of federalism?

Accepted Answer

Major shifts in the scope of federalism were caused by conflicts between republics and totalitarian nations, states failing to protect civil rights, and the failure of capitalist economies to avoid major collapses. Conflicts between republics and totalitarian nations, states failing to protect civil rights, and capitalist economies failing to avoid major collapses have all caused major shifts in the scope of federalism. States failed to protect civil rights during the changes brought on during the Civil War; Capitalist economies failed to avoid major collapses during the Great Depression; conflicts between republics and totalitarian nations occurred during the Cold War era.

Question 12

Of the following powers, which one is designated only to the national government?

Accepted Answer

The only one of these powers that is designated only to the national government is the power to regulate commerce with foreign nations.
Key Takeaway: Only the national government can regulate trade with foreign countries. Occasionally, if a foreign government is at odds with the United States government, the national government will forbid trade with the offending country (known as an embargo).

Question 13

Which of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention is commonly known as "The Father of the US Constitution"?

Accepted Answer

James Madison is often cited as being the primary person responsible for the structure of the US government as designed in the US Constitution. Although he did not speak at the Convention as much as some others (especially George Mason), it is easy to see from his writings that Madison was the strongest proponent before the Convention of "separation of powers" and "checks and balances".

Question 14

President Grande vetoed a bill passed by Congress banning anyone from putting posters of President Grande up in their bedrooms. President Grande's veto was an example of:

Accepted Answer

The veto is an example of checks and balances. It is a way for the president, a member of the Executive Branch, to stop the legislative power of the Legislative Branch. This is an example of a violation of strict separation of powers; in a strict separation of powers system, all of the legislative power would be held in the legislative branch.

Question 15

Why is the bureaucracy system so critical to our government now?

Accepted Answer

The bureaucracy system is so critical to our government now because problems are too vast and complex for Congress to control. Problems are usually too immensely vast and complex for Congress to control, leading to the fact that the system of bureaucracy is now extremely critical to our government. Problems often stem from the sheer scope of the issues being governed. Presidential staff members and Congress do not have the resources, time, or levels of expertise to monitor tax codes, governmental licenses, environmental controls, and other massive duties.

Question 16

Which House of Representatives committee is responsible for placing a bill on the legislative calendar, establishing the time limits for debate, and determining the types of amendments that will be allowed?

Accepted Answer

The Rules committee in the House of Representatives is responsible for placing a bill on the legislative calendar, establishing the time limits for debate, and determining the types of amendments that will be allowed. The Committee on Rules is a committee of the House of Representatives. Rather than being responsible for a specific area of policy, as most other committees are, it is in charge of determining under what rule other bills will come to the floor, when it will appear on the legislative calendar, time limits for debate, and the types of amendments that will be allowed. As such, it is one of the most powerful committees, and often described the "traffic cop of Congress."

Question 17

Which of the following is not a requirement in order to become President of the United States?

Accepted Answer

Although it is usually the case, there is no constitutional requirement that a president previously hold elected office. Perhaps the most controversial requirement is that the President must be born a US citizen. This excludes a lot of highly-qualified citizens from becoming President who were at one time immigrants, including several current and former state governors.

Question 18

What is one big difference between the House of Representatives and the Senate in the legislative process?

Accepted Answer

One big difference between the House of Representatives and the Senate in the legislative process is that a bull must go through a Rules Committee in the House, but not in the Senate. The Rules Committee is responsible for setting the rules for debate of a bill. It exists in the House, but not in the Senate since almost every bill in the Senate is debated under the same set of rules. The Rules Committee is incredibly important because it can make it much easier or much harder to pass any bill. If the Rules Committee wants to kill a bill, for example, it could set the debate for 3 a.m., eliminate debate, and only bother to tell the opponents of the bill. (And, yes, this has happened a few times before.)

Question 19

Which side of the US Congress has more ability to check presidential actions?

Accepted Answer

The Senate has more ability to check presidential actions because only the Senate has to power to confirm Presidential nominations. As a result, the president does not get whoever he wants to run the various bureaucracies. It also means that the bureaucratic leaders are partially answerable to the Senate.

Question 20

Independent bureaucratic agencies and Cabinet departments are created by:

Accepted Answer

Congress is responsible for creating, describing the duties of, and funding all federal bureaucracies. This gives Congress considerable power over what a bureaucracy does, even though the bureaucracy is in the executive branch. Bureaucrats are much more likely to be responsive to members of Congress than anyone else. So, if your grandma doesn't get her Social Security check, contact your congressperson first.

Quiz 5: GED: Social Sciences