Unit 1 - Khan Academy Questions

Use the image below to answer the following question. Source: Data from Opensecrets.org Elena Alvarez, a political scientist, decides to use this infographic to argue that the United States practices a particular model of democracy. Which of the following models would Elena most likely argue for, based on the infographic? a) Elite Democracy b) Direct democracy c) Participatory democracy d) Pluralist democracy

a) Elite Democracy

Read the passage and answer the following question. "As long as the reason of man continues fallible, and he is at liberty to exercise it, different opinions will be formed . . . The diversity in the faculties of men, from which the rights of property originate, is not less an insuperable obstacle to a uniformity of interests. The protection of these faculties is the first object of government. From the protection of different and unequal faculties of acquiring property, the possession of different degrees and kinds of property immediately results; and from the influence of these on the sentiments and views of the respective proprietors, ensues a division of the society into different interests and parties." -Publius (James Madison), Federalist No. 10 Which of the following statements is most consistent with the author's argument in this passage? a) Factions, while inevitable, can be controlled b) Political parties will strengthen the republic c) Only the wealthiest and most educated people should control the government d) A large republic cannot meet the needs of all citizens

a) Factions, while inevitable, can be controlled

Which of the following is one example of the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation? a) The Articles required that the United States maintain a standing army, which was too expensive to fund b) Amending the Articles required a unanimous vote of the states, which was nearly impossible c) The Articles stipulated a steep tariff on foreign products that threatened to undermine American exports d) The Articles placed too much power in the hands of the central government, which threatened to become tyrannical

b) Amending the Articles required a unanimous vote of the states, which was nearly impossible

Read the passage and answer the following question. "In a pure democracy the people are the sovereign, and their will is declared by themselves; for this purpose they must all come together to deliberate, and decide. This kind of government cannot be exercised, therefore, over a country of any considerable extent; it must be confined to a single city, or at least limited to such bounds as that the people can conveniently assemble, be able to debate, understand the subject submitted to them, and declare their opinion concerning it." -Brutus No. 1 Which of the following political parties would have agreed with the ideological perspectives in the passage when it was written? a) Federalists b) Anti-Federalists c) Whigs d) Progressives

b) Anti-Federalists

Read the passage and answer the following question. "In so extensive a republic, the great officers of government would soon become above the control of the people, and abuse their power to the purpose of aggrandizing themselves, and oppressing them. The trust committed to the executive offices, in a country of the extent of the United States, must be various and of magnitude." -Brutus No. 1 Based on the text, which of the following statements would the author most likely agree with? a) Government officers will oppress citizens no matter the size of the republic b) Citizens cannot hold distant elected representatives accountable for their actions c) Citizens should trust their elected representatives to act properly without supervision d) The United States is not large enough to require executive officers

b) Citizens cannot hold distant elected representatives accountable for their actions

Which two were weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation? I. The federal government could not levy taxes. II. The executive branch was more powerful than Congress. III. The federal government could not raise an army. IV. Each state had two votes in a bicameral Congress. a) I and II b) I and III c) II and IV d) III and IV

b) I and III

Read the passage and answer the following question. "Thus every man, by agreeing with others to make one body politic under one government, puts himself under an obligation to everyone in that society to submit to the decisions of the majority, and to be bound by it. Otherwise—that is, if he were willing to submit himself only to the majority acts that he approved of—the original compact through which he and the others incorporated into society would be meaningless . . ." -John Locke, Second Treatise of Government, 1690 Which of the following democratic ideals is described in the passage? a) Limited Government b) Social contract c) Popular sovereignty d) Republicanism

b) Social Contract

Which of the following best illustrates the concept of limited government? a) A senator decides to vote in favor of a law after a public opinion poll shows massive support for it in her district b) The Supreme Court ruled that a law passed by Congress was unconstitutional c) A president is reelected after a successful first term in office d) An unpopular governor is replaced with his opponent on election day

b) The Supreme Court ruled that a law passed by Congress was unconstitutional

"Our Debts being unfunded and unprovided for, the Interest cannot be paid. Those therefore who trusted us in the Hour of Distress are defrauded. To expect that under such Circumstances others will confide in the Government would be Folly, and to expect that Foreigners will Trust a Government which has no Credit with its own Citizens must be madness . . . "The United States has called for eight Million Dollars early in November last, of which the first quarterly Payment was to have been made on the first day of April next. But I cannot find that a single State has laid the Taxes." -Robert Morris, letter to the President of Congress, 1782 Based on the text, which of the following statements would the author most likely agree with? a) State governments should retain all power of raising revenue through taxation in the United States b) The national government under the Articles lacks necessary tax enforcement power c) Foreigners are wrong to distrust US debtors d) The US government should declare all pre-Revolutionary War loans null and void

b) The national government under the Articles lacks necessary tax enforcement power

Which of the following best illustrates the concept of limited government? a) The federal government restricting commerce within a state b) The president vetoing a bill from Congress c) The president appointing state and federal judges d) The federal government replacing state curricula in public schools

b) The president vetoing a bill from Congress

Which of the following aspects of the US Constitution best illustrates the concept of participatory democracy? a) The creation of the Electoral College b) The process for choosing members of the House of Representatives c) The process for choosing Supreme Court justices d) The ban on religious oaths as a condition of holding office

b) The process for choosing members of the House of Representatives

"In a pure democracy the people are the sovereign, and their will is declared by themselves; for this purpose they must all come together to deliberate, and decide. This kind of government cannot be exercised, therefore, over a country of any considerable extent; it must be confined to a single city, or at least limited to such bounds as that the people can conveniently assemble, be able to debate, understand the subject submitted to them, and declare their opinion concerning it." -Brutus No. 1, 1787 Based on the text, which of the following statements would the author most likely agree with? a) Elite democracy is the best model of representative democracy b) Pure democracy is impossible c) Participatory democracy does not work in large countries d) Countries should be limited to small territories

c) Participatory democracy does not work in large countries

Several oil companies donated to a pro-fracking interest group after hearing that the federal government plans to pass a law banning fracking in the United States. The interest group then appeals to members of Congress in an attempt to get them to vote against the bill. Which of the following democratic ideals does this scenario best exemplify? a) Limited Government b) Natural rights c) Republicanism d) Social contract

c) Republicanism

"The insurgents who were assembled at Worcester in Massachusetts have disbanded. The people at Boston seem to be glad at this event and say it was the effect of fear. But the fact is that the insurgents effected their object . . . "The commotions of Massachusetts have wrought prodigious changes in the minds of men in that State [with regard to] the Powers of Government. Everybody says they must be strengthened and that unless this shall be effected there is no Security for liberty or Property. Such is the State of things in the east, that much trouble is to be apprehended in the course of the ensuing year." -Henry Knox, letter to his former commander George Washington, 1786 Based on the text, which of the following statements would the author most likely agree with? a) Fear of the military power of the national government will put down future uprisings despite the events in Massachusetts b) The insurgents in Massachusetts were right to rebel against the state government, which had imposed unfair restrictions on their liberties c) The lack of centralized military power under the Articles of Confederation poses a serious threat to the stability of the United States d) Americans should no

c) The lack of centralized military power under the Articles of Confederation poses a serious threat to the stability of the United States

Read the passage and answer the following question. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. To secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government." -Thomas Jefferson, Declaration of Independence Based on the text, which of the following statements would the author most likely agree with? a) Society would be better if there were no governments b) There is no such thing as a just government c) Citizens should rebel against governments they disagree with d) A government is only just if citizens have a voice in it

d) A government is only just if citizens have a voice in it

Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution? a) AoC: Maintained national sovereignty over the states; CoUS: Maintained national sovereignty over the states b) AoC: Created a unicameral legislature with the power to levy taxes; CoUS: Created a bicameral legislature with the power to regulate interstate commerce c) AoC: Made the executive branch Commander-in-chief of the armed forces; CoUS: Gave Congress the power to declare war d) AoC: Created a weak central government with few independent powers; CoUS: Created a strong national government with many powers

d) AoC: Created a weak central government with few independent powers; CoUS: Created a strong national government with many powers

Participatory democracy is best defined as which of the following? a) Non-governmental interest groups influence political decisions through lobbying and donations b) Individual citizens electing representatives who would then articulate and fight for their interests c) Limited political participation by a small group of people that make and influence political decisions d) Direct individual participation by citizens in political decisions that affect their daily lives

d) Direct individual participation by citizens in political decisions that affect their daily lives

"When the Articles of Confederation were drafted, Americans had little experience of what a national government could do for them and bitter experience of what an arbitrary government could do to them. In creating a central government they were therefore more concerned with keeping it under control than with giving it the means to do its job." -Edmund S. Morgan, The Birth of the Republic, 1763-89, 1956 Which of the following concepts is most consistent with the author's argument? a) Republicanism b) Participatory democracy c) Natural rights d) Limited government

d) Limited government

An informal group advocating for a $15 minimum wage collects 590,000 signatures from registered voters in their state. In the next election, this initiative appears on the ballot for voters to decide whether it becomes a state constitutional amendment. This is an example of which of the following models of democracy? a) Elite Democracy b) Representative democracy c) Pluralist democracy d) Participatory democracy

d) Participatory democracy

After Congress proposed a bill to allow businesses to purchase land that was once a national park, several people formed an environmental interest group. They reached out to several senators to get their support to block the bill. This is an example of which of the following models of democracy? a) Participatory democracy b) Elite Democracy c) Direct democracy d) Pluralist democracy

d) Pluralist democracy

Read the passage and answer the following question. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government." -Thomas Jefferson, Declaration of Independence Which of the following ideas does the author of the passage advocate? a) Pluralism b) Checks and balances c) Constitutional monarchy d) Popular sovereignty

d) Popular sovereignty