Question 1

Which of the following is not a major principle of procedural democratic theory?

Accepted Answer

The idea of procedural democratic theory is that a democracy is operating correctly as long as certain procedures occur. So, if the government responds to what the majority of the people want according to the rules set forth, then everything is acceptable, even if it infringes on the rights of a minority group. In the United States, the Bill of Rights and Amendments 13-15 of the Constitution are supposed to prevent minority rights from being infringed on.

Question 2

What is the main idea of substantive democratic theory?

Accepted Answer

Substantive democratic theory believes that certain core principles such as freedom of expression or religion should always be maintained. It contrasts with procedural democratic theory, which states that as long as the government follows certain procedures, it is doing its job well. Suppose a majority of the people wanted to ban the wearing of hats shaped like wedges of cheese. Substantive democratic theory says you shouldn't pass that law, even if all the procedures were followed, because it violates the freedom of expression of those who want to wear cheese hats.

Question 3

Senator Knowsome proposed a constitutional amendment that says that only college graduates should be allowed to vote. Which of the following theories of democracy might accept this proposed amendment?

Accepted Answer

Majoritarian democratic theory states that a democracy should follow the will of the majority of the citizens in every circumstance. If the majority of the citizens wanted Senator Knowsome's amendment, then that would be okay. All the other theories require that all citizens have a say in the government, whether they graduated from college or not.

Question 4

Justice Law some and Justice Feelgood are having an argument about whether the Supreme Court should uphold a school district's rule mandating that all students wear a uniform. Justice Feelgood is concerned that the dress code violates the students' freedom of expression. To which of the following theories of democracy is Justice Feel good appealing?

Accepted Answer

Substantive democratic theory states that there are certain principles that a democratic government must uphold, including freedom of expression. The other democratic theories either argue that this is not a necessary principle, or they don't directly address the issue at all. Substantive principles include the liberties found in the First Amendment and equal protection as guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment.

Question 5

In 2003, movie star Arnold Swarzenegger, was elected governor of California, running against 134 other candidates, with 49% of the vote. Which of the following democratic theories would not object to this election result?

Accepted Answer

Since pluralist theory believes that democracy best operates by interest groups competing against each other, it is not deeply concerned with majority rule. Elite theory would object to an actor with no political or government experience being that prominent of a candidate. The other theories would object to there not being a majority.

Question 6

What did Federalism originally mean?

Accepted Answer

Federalism originally meant that the individual layers of government could have unique forms of rights. Originally, federalism meant that layers of government could have unique forms of rights. For example, the rights that would be granted by the federal government could be very different from those granted by the individual states. Under this, the national government would protect the "republican" governments in the states, but not all rights.

Question 7

Why was Common Sense, a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1776, so significant?

Accepted Answer

Common Sense was so significant because it outlined the reasons that independence from Great Britain was the next logical step for the colonies. Thomas Paine's Common Sense was supposed to convince the colonists that it was logical and correct for them to fight for independence from Britain. Paine, a self-educated man, had arrived in the colonies only one year before writing Common Sense, yet he quickly saw the need for colonial independence. By June of 1766, the Second Continental Congress agreed with the new citizen.

Question 8

What does the US Constitution say about political parties?

Accepted Answer

Nowhere in the Constitution are political parties mentioned. Many of the Founders were opposed to the very concept of political parties. They thought it would disrupt the ability of the legislature to effectively govern. In spite of this, political parties were effectively completely in place and operating within a decade of George Washington taking the oath of office.

Question 9

What does James Madison say about removing the causes of factions in Federalist #10?

Accepted Answer

As bad as Madison thought factions were, he thought removing them would be worse. In order to remove the cause of factions, you would have to take away liberty. In his mind, that would be like trying to cure someone of the common cold by killing the patient. The cure would be worse than the disease. It is better to treat the symptoms-in this case, make sure the factions don't cause more harm than they need to, by spreading them out and forcing them to compete with each other.

Question 10

As James Madison uses the term in Federalist #10, what is a faction?

Accepted Answer

According to Madison, a faction is an interest group that seeks to harm individuals or the country as a whole. Madison was highly concerned with the harm factions-groups of people who were out for their own rather than the overall good-could do in a democracy. He did not think they could be stopped, but he thought that their influence could be limited if you set up the government in certain ways. He believed they should be slowed down by setting up government institutions in such a way that the various factions had to compete with each other.

Quiz 41: (AP) Us Government: Constitution