Poli Sci Chapter 1 Midterm test

10. At the time of American independence, the closest actual model for self-government was ancient __________, where the people had governed themselves in a direct democracy. a. Athens b. Britain c. Florence d. Rome e. Sparta

A

12. James Madison argued that size and diversity were assets to our new nation because competing interests, which he called _______, would check on another. a. factions b. political parties c. syndicalists d. majoritarians e. revolutionary vanguard

A

20. To ensure that one branch does not become too powerful, the Constitution divides power among the three branches to create a system of a. checks and balances. b. federalism. c. separation of powers. d. majority rule. e. democracy.

A

24. __________, on the right end of the political spectrum, believe that lower taxes will prompt greater economic growth that will ultimately benefit everyone, including the poor. a. Conservatives b. Liberals c. Democrats d. Anarchists e. Moderates

A

28. A shared way of thinking about community and government and the relationship between them is called a. political culture. b. political ideology. c. political parties. d. political factionalism. e. political currency.

A

30. The United States tends to favor __________, an economic system in which business enterprises and key industries are privately owned. a. capitalism b. communism c. libertarianism d. populism e. socialism

A

38. __________ is the intentional action by government to achieve a goal. a. Public policy b. Party identification c. Political party d. Political ideology e. Political culture

A

42. __________ provide the most common way to remove elected officials and are the primary mechanisms for forging responsiveness. a. Elections b. Impeachments c. Interest groups d. Political parties e. The courts

A

44. The Supreme Court's decision in Plyler v. Doe is an example of a. equality of outcome. b. equality of opportunity. c. judicial activism. d. political equality. e. political economy.

A

45. __________ interest is the idea that citizens get involved in the political process because they want to be part of the voluntary organizations of civil society that enable communities to flourish. a. Civic b. Civil c. Political d. Pluralist e. Self-

A

5. Which British philosopher and politician wrote that a "perfect democracy is... the most shameless thing in the world"? a. Edmund Burke b. Harold Joseph Laski c. John Cotton d. John Adams e. Adam Smith

A

50. A 2009 study by the Brookings Institution indicates that television, websites, and radio show a __________ percent coverage on education issues. a. 1.4 b. 5.4 c. 10.4 d. 15.4 e. 20.4

A

7. What ancient British legal principle holds that all people are equal before the law, all are subject to it, and no one is above it? a. rule of law b. stare decisis c. positivism d. human rights e. habeas corpus

A

13. A republic is a form of government in which power derives from a. a supreme mandate of the masses, rather than from divine right. b. the citizens but their representatives make policy and govern. c. the majoritarian consensus of all citizens. d. sectarian violence. e. none of the above.

B

14. According to the U.S. Constitution, power is channeled into three different branches of government: __________, __________, and __________. a. executive; economic; legislative b. legislative; executive; judicial c. judicial; legislative; military d. executive; federalism; legislative e. judicial; executive; liberal

B

17. The constitutional division of power horizontally, into layers, between the national and state governments is known as a. confederacy. b. federalism. c. unitary. d. anarchy. e. fascism.

B

22. __________ is a partnership that is a psychological attachment to a particular party that relates to political ideology, yet it is more personal than philosophical. a. Political ideology b. Party identification c. Political culture d. Political party e. Political capitalism

B

36. Groups of citizens who share a common interest by trying to influence public policy to benefit themselves are known as a. party identification groups. b. interest groups. c. policy agenda groups. d. populists. e. moderates.

B

37. In monarchies, autocracies, and oligarchies, a single person or small elite rules society. These systems are by definition a. democratic. b. undemocratic. c. fascist. d. monopolistic. e. anarchist.

B

4. __________ is rule by and for the people. a. Aristocracy b. Democracy c. Monarchy d. Autocracy e. Oligarchy

B

41. According to the Preamble of the Constitution, the functions of government include all of these EXCEPT a. establish justice. b. promote economic security. c. provide for the common defense. d. promote the general welfare. e. insure domestic tranquility.

B

51. The United States has been considered as having the __________ highest national debt, as a proportion to the GDP, in the world. a. fifth b. seventh c. eighth d. ninth e. tenth

B

11. Unlike Athens, the early United States had a population of nearly 4 million people, which made direct democracy impractical. Instead, the Framers created a a. dictatorship. b. direct democracy. c. representative democracy. d. socialist government. e. monarchy.

C

16. Madison and the other Framers saw pure democracy, where people ruled directly, as a place where a. well-reasoned, rational individuals would govern for the good of all. b. a small group of self-interested people would govern for their own benefit. c. passions would outweigh judgments about the common good. d. benevolent kings would rule in the interest of their subjects. e. group consensus would lead to rational policy results.

C

18. Shortly after the ratification of the Constitution, people began to form competing groups called ______, which were organized to win elections. a. factions b. sectarians c. political parties d. interest groups e. political action committees

C

21. When people have a fairly consistent set of views over a range of policy choices, they are said to have a(n) a. alliance. b. faction. c. political ideology. d. political party. e. democratic ideal.

C

27. A sizable number of Americans have described themselves as __________; that is, they believe that the government should not interfere in economic or social matters. a. conservatives b. moderates c. libertarians d. populists e. liberals

C

33. In the 1950s, the sociologist C. Wright Mills wrote of a(n) __________ from corporations, government, and the military that controlled the gates and gateways to power. a. faction b. pluralist group c. narrow power elite d. interest group e. political party

C

35. A policy-making process in which those with a numerical majority hold the authority is called a. diffused. b. elitist. c. majoritarian. d. pluralist. e. all of the above.

C

39. Clean air is an example of ________, which no one can be excluded from and benefits all citizens. a. private goods b. general welfare c. public goods d. self-interest e. public policy

C

46. ___________ is a wide-ranging idea dealing with how government serves your needs. a. Civic interest b. Political culture c. Self-interest d. Political equality e. Equality of outcome

C

6. John Adams and many others who would end up writing the founding documents of America believed in a system, which is known as a __________, where the people would set up and agree upon the basic rules and procedures that would govern them. a. minority right b. rule of law c. constitutional system d. social contract e. faction

C

15. The vertical division of power in the Constitution is called a. the integration of powers. b. the invisible hand. c. checks and balances. d. separation of powers. e. none of the above.

D

19. The process by which competing interests determine who gets what, when, and how is called a. voting. b. separation of powers. c. checks and balances. d. politics. e. gateways.

D

2. What country has the oldest written constitution in the world? a. England b. France c. Greece d. United States e. Venezuela

D

25. With regard to political ideology, most Americans are a. conservatives. b. liberals. c. libertarians. d. moderates. e. populists.

D

29. American political culture as a whole generally favors __________ over communal approaches to property and poverty. a. socialism b. Marxism c. industrialization d. individualism e. liberalism

D

3. Through citizen involvement, which one of the following has the United States NOT achieved? a. The nation and institutions are amazingly stable. b. Citizens are able to petition government and criticize it. c. Americans enjoy substantial freedom and are protected from abuses of power by the government. d. A society has been created with high voter turnout. e. People from poor and disadvantaged backgrounds have been elected President.

D

40. The idea that each citizen must have a chance to have his or her voice heard in government is the root of a. political economy. b. self determination. c. political culture. d. political equality. e. civil society.

D

48. _________ is the idea that citizens become civically involved in order to help foster civil society. a. Self-interest b. Political economy c. Public goods d. Civic interest e. Political parties

D

9. The right to life, liberty, and property, according to John Locke, are__________ rights, rights so fundamental that government cannot take them away. a. alienable b. constitutional c. human d. natural e. worldwide

D

23. __________, on the left end of the political spectrum, favor(s) government efforts to increase equality, which includes higher taxes on the wealthy and greater provision of social benefits to support those in need. a. Political ideology b. Political culture c. Ideology d. Conservatives e. Liberals

E

26. When someone opposes concentrated wealth and adheres to traditional moral values, they are called a. conservative. b. liberal. c. libertarian. d. moderate. e. populist.

E

31. American political culture is founded upon a. individualism. b. capitalism. c. egalitarianism. d. limited regulation of businesses. e. all of the above.

E

32. __________ is a set of beliefs that holds people, not the government, responsible for their own well-being. a. Pluralism b. Populism c. Majoritarianism d. Libertarianism e. Individualism

E

34. In the 1960s, the political scientist Robert Dahl argued that policy making has a(n) __________ basis, with authority held by different groups in different areas. a. democratic b. diffused c. elitist d. majoritarian e. pluralist

E

43. In Plyler v. Doe, the Supreme Court found that a. Texas could charge tuition to illegal immigrants to attend public schools. b. the 14th Amendment only applies to U.S. citizens. c. the right to privacy does to extend to unmarried couples. d. cities can create voucher programs that allow students to attend any school. e. Texas violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment.

E

47. If you were born between 1982 and 2003, you are the generation that social science researchers have identified as a. baby boomers. b. Generation X. c. Generation Y. d. idealists. e. the Millennials.

E

49. Neighborhood watch groups and soup kitchens are examples of a. self-interest. b. political economy. c. political parties. d. public goods. e. civic interest.

E

8. The Framers drew on the ideas of the British political philosophers __________ in perceiving the relationship between government and the governed as a social contract. a. Charles Darwin and William Montague b. Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Niccolò Machiavelli c. Michel Foucault and Herbert Marcuse d. Thomas Aquinas and Alexis de Tocqueville e. Thomas Hobbes and John Locke

E