Government Exam 1 Study Questions Chapter 1

B

According to the text, power is defined as ______. A. a type of totalitarianism B. the ability to get other people to do what you want C. the use of force to obtain desired goals D. the essential quality of leadership

C

Some countries in Western Europe follow the theory of ______, which is a hybrid system combining a capitalist economy and a government that supports equality. A. Jeffersonian democracy B. Italian fascism C. social democracy D. Marxism

D

Individuals born in the United States are American citizens, even if their parents are not, following the principle of ______. A. free movement B. children's rights C. jus prudence D. jus soli

D

Individuals who are obliged to submit to a government authority against which they have no rights are ______. A. elitists B. pluralists C. citizens D. subjects

C

Individuals who come to the United States seeking asylum are known as ______. A. illegal aliens B. de facto citizens C. refugees D. immigrants

True

Rules can be thought of as the "how" in the definition "who gets what and how." They are directives that determine how resources are allocated, and they determine how we try to get the things we want.

D

Social conservatives argue in favor of state intervention to uphold a traditional social order based on ______. A. direct democracy and complete social equality B. radical individualism and patriarchy C. full economic equality and patriotism D. certain religious values and a strong hierarchy

A

The federal agency that now oversees the naturalization process is the U.S.______. A. Citizenship and Immigration Services B. Customs and Border Protection Service C. Federal Bureau of Investigations D. Immigration and Naturalization Services

A

The founders of the United States had ______ expectations for ordinary citizens. A. low B. neutral C. high D. harmful

D

The doctrine that society is based on an agreement between government and the governed in which people agree to give up some rights in exchange for the protection of others is called ______. A. elite democracy B. pluralistic democracy C. social democracy theory D. social contract theory

D

1. According to the text, politics is defined as ______. A. the ability to get others to do what you want B. who gets what, when, and how C. the way we organize and live our collective lives D. the process by which societies resolve, reduce, or eliminate conflict

A

A ______ government combines an authoritarian government with a socialist economy. A. totalitarian B. monarchical C. libertarian D. anarchic E. democratic

C

A participatory democrat would be most likely to approve of which of the following ideas? A. promoting interest groups as a strategy for greater political involvement B. persuading politicians to engage in greater international economic and political integration C. encouraging young people to become more active in their local governments D. limiting voting rights to property holders

C

A political system in which the state holds all power over the social order is a(n) ______. A. theocracy B. republic C. authoritarian government D. social monarchy

B

A set of beliefs about politics and society that helps people make sense of their world is called ______. A. political attitude B. ideology C. public policy D. public opinion

D

A society in which government allows people complete economic freedom but maintains stringent social regulations to limit noneconomic behavior is ______. A. authoritarian socialism B. communist democracy C. totalitarianism D. authoritarian capitalism

False

A society in which government allows people complete economic freedom but maintains stringent social regulations to limit noneconomic behavior is referred to as totalitarian

D

A theory of democracy that holds that citizens should actively and directly control all aspects of their lives is ______. A. elite democracy B. pluralist democracy C. anarchy D. participatory democracy

True

A totalitarian government combines an authoritarian government with a socialist economy.

D

According to social contract theory, government requires a contractual agreement among citizens because ______. A. it is harder for the propertied classes to dominate B. lawyers control government through specialization and credentials C. it is the easiest way to create a government and prevent anarchy and subsequent dictatorships D. citizens are free and self-interested individuals who require a contract to regulate their collective lives

C

According to some elite theorists of democracy, low American voter turnout would be best illustrated by which of the following statements? A. Elections are fraudulent and corrupt. B. Laws concerning voting restrictions make it difficult for ordinary people to vote. C. Decisions are made by a powerful few, so voter participation in elections does not matter. D. Because Americans enjoy a high standard of living politics is not an important activity.

C

According to the elite theory of democracy, the central democratic institution is ______. A. grassroots organizing B. the court system C. the electoral process D. the press

B

According to the social contract, what is the source of government's legitimacy? A. religion B. citizen consent C. divine right of kings D. government control of property

B

According to the text, "economic conservatives" are people who believe in the widespread use of government power for ______. A. reducing economic inequality B. increasing the protection of private property C. increasing the protection of social equality D. increasing the protection of civil liberties

B

According to the text, "social liberals" are people who believe in the widespread use of government power for ______. A. maintaining order and protecting property B. reducing economic inequality C. increasing societal morality D. overcoming the excesses of civil liberties

A

According to the text, why do some observers claim there is a crisis in American citizenship? A. Self-interest is valued more than civic virtue. B. Racial demographics are changing rapidly. C. The gender ratio is skewed in favor of men 3 to 1. D. The number of college-educated citizens is declining.

B

Although a(n) ______ can help individuals perceive their political world more clearly, it can also often divide individuals within the same country along partisan lines. A. opinion B. ideology C. political culture D. value

A

Americans' belief in freedom is defined as freedom from ______. A. restraint by the government B. the limitations created by poverty C. the limitations created by lack of knowledge D. the power of corporations

B

An example of a policy proposal that clearly fits within the social order dimension would be one to ______. A. give more resources to the military B. ban pornography on religious grounds C. guarantee all Americans a job D. increase the punishment for a crime

D

An example of a policy that an economic liberal would most likely support is ______. A. opposite-sex (traditional) marriage B. privatization of governmental resources C. devolution of power to the states D. unemployment insurance

A

Anarchists value ______. A. liberty over order and security B. order over liberty C. equality over liberty D. equality over order

C

Barbour and Wright characterize the range of ideological debate in the United States as ______. A. unchanging since the time of the American Revolution B. wide, but shrinking as libertarians begin to fade from American politics C. relatively narrow compared to many other democracies D. narrower today than during the Cold War

D

Citizens or subjects of other countries who come to the United States to live or work are known as ______. A. American emigrants B. naturalized citizens C. illegal aliens D. immigrants

A

Generally speaking, economic liberals believe that ______. A. decisions on moral issues should be made by individuals and not the government B. people who do not belong to the dominant ethnic group in their society have nothing to add to it C. government institutions cannot be trusted to make good economic decisions D. the government can ignore and violate the rights of non-citizens at will

A

Given their desire to ameliorate the negative effects of modern social changes and technological progress on vulnerable individuals, social liberals would probably be in favor of ______. A. strong environmental protections B. total economic deregulation C. abolishing gun control laws D. tax breaks for large corporations

D

Government assurances of particular outcomes or results are ______. A. socialist B. democratic C. procedural guarantees D. substantive guarantees

True

Government assurances of particular outcomes or results are known as substantive guarantees.

C

Government assurances that the rules will work smoothly and treat everyone fairly, with no promises of particular outcomes, are ______. A. regulations B. promises C. procedural guarantees D. the social contract

C

Government in which citizens choose members of a legislature to make policy ,rather than making it themselves, was favored by Madison and included in the Constitution because the founders ______. A. were used to government by elites, so it did not occur to them to allow the people to govern themselves B. did not think the states would accept direct public involvement in government C. believed direct government was impractical and less likely to produce good public policy D. believed it would be harder for the wealthy elites to dominate a legislature than to buy the support of citizens

D

How do rules fit into the concept of "who gets what, and how"? A. Rules can be thought of as the what. B. Rules are not relevant C. Rules can be thought of as the who. D. Rules can be thought of as the how.

A

Ideologies on the democratic left would likely advocate ______. A. a large role for the government in regulating the economy B. conservative policies based on popular sovereignty C. that all individual political activity be in the service of the state D. economic freedom but not political equality

D

In a socialist economy, economic decisions are determined by ______. A. individual decisions in the market B. the presidents of leading corporations C. vote of the people D. political leaders on the basis of what society needs

B

In an authoritarian system, the people have ______. A. rights but no obligations B. obligations but no rights C. rights and obligations D. neither rights nor obligations

D

In authoritarian systems, governments ______. A. empower individuals to shape society B. have a robust welfare system C. support free elections for judges and other lower level civil servants D. make substantive decisions about how people ought to live their lives

True

In authoritarian systems, the people are subjects of their government. They possess no rights that protect them from their government.

C

In nonauthoritarian systems, governments ______. A. control the economy B. are usually supplemented by a monarchy C. guarantee fair rules for individuals to shape society D. make substantive decisions about how people ought to live their lives

C

In socialist economies, control over economic decisions is exercised by ______. A. consumer purchasing power B. the market C. the government D. supply and demand forces

False

In socialist economies, control over economic decisions is exercised by the people.

C

In the definition of politics, government rules can be thought of as the "______" and power and resources can be thought of as the "______." A. where; how B. how; where C. how; what D. what; where

B

In the relationship between politics and government, ______. A. politics is the system for exercising authority over people, whereas government is the process through which power is gained and lost B. politics is the process or activity through which power is gained and lost, whereas government is a system for exercising authority over a body of people C. politics is merely a narrow, self-interested activity, whereas government is solely an institution for serving the needs of the people D. politics is democratic, whereas government is authoritarian

C

James Madison thought that average citizens ______. A. had great "republican virtue" B. should participate in policy-making as much as possible C. were not likely to put the community's interests above their individual interests D. performed responsibly under the Articles of Confederation and should be given more power

D

Jus soli is the legal principle that defines citizenship by the right of ______. A. blood B. law C. free speech D. the soil

True

Madison greatly feared the problem of factions in democratic governments

True

Procedural guarantees are government assurances that the rules will work smoothly and treat everyone fairly, with no promises of particular outcomes

B

The absence of government and laws is a characteristic of ______. A. totalitarianism B. anarchy C. authoritarianism D. theocracy

False

The absence of government and laws is a characteristic of democracy.

A

The authors of the text argue that the two competing theories of citizenship can be reconciled through ______. A. deliberation B. more direct democracy C. bargaining and compromise D. more direct control of government by elites

A

The broad pattern of ideas, beliefs, and values about citizens and government held by a population is known as its ______. A. political culture B. ideology C. political philosophy D. constitution

D

The concept of "republican virtue" is what scholars such as Madison call the______. A. ability of individuals to follow the Ten Commandments B. basis of democracy according to Plato C. virtue associated with a conservative ideology D. ability of democratic man to put the community's interests ahead of his own

D

The key concept of the pluralist theory of democracy is that ______ is the key to political power. A. money B. frequent elections C. legislative power D. citizen membership in groups

C

The key difference between pure capitalist economies and pure socialist economies is that ______. A. politicians make economic decisions in capitalist economies, whereas the market controls economic decisions in socialist economies B. the government plays a regulatory role only in socialist economies C. the market controls economic decisions in capitalist economies, whereas politicians make economic decisions in socialist economies D. capitalist economies are seldom democracies, whereas socialist economies frequently are democracies

D

The legal process of acquiring citizenship for a person who was not born a U.S.citizen is known as ______. A. immigration B. jus soli C. habeas corpus D. naturalization

C

The major difference between the elitist, pluralist, and participatory theories of democracy is related to the ______. A. role of the mass media B. importance of the economy C. role of the people in decision-making D. importance of security as a goal of government

False

The market controls economic decisions in a socialist economy

D

The market controls economic decisions in a(n) ______ economy. A. socialist B. totalitarian C. authoritarian D. capitalist

B

The role of citizens is limited to choosing among competing leaders in the ______ theory of democracy A. pluralist B. elite C. participatory D. economic

B

The two competing views of citizenship that exist today in the United States see humans acting out of ______. A. public interest versus public involvement B. self-interest versus common good C. curiosity versus self-analysis D. public protection versus public promotion

B

Theories of democracy differ according to ______. A. how many people are defined as citizens B. what role the people play in the system C. whether there is any government and any rules at all D. whether God or the state is the ultimate source of authority

A

What are organizations called where government power is exercised and where political struggle takes place? A. institutions B. capitalist economies C. monarchies D. democracies

C

What are the competing views of citizenship explained in the text that exist today in the United States? A. One view places faith in the citizen's ability to act virtuously, whereas the other suggests that citizens should live in a more direct democracy. B. One view holds that individual participation in government should be limited because human nature is overly self-interested, whereas the other view places faith in the citizen's ability to act virtuously. C. One view holds that individual participation in government should be unlimited because human nature is virtuous, whereas the other view places faith only in a citizen's role in the economy. D. One view holds that individual participation should be high in economics, whereas the other view holds that individual participation should be low in government.

C

What is the defining difference between authoritarian governments and democratic governments? A. size of the executive branch and role of the judiciary B. general level of wealth and prosperity of their publics C. balance of power between government and citizens D. frequency of voting and elections

D

What is the key difference between a citizen and a subject? A. Citizens have rights and obligations, whereas subjects have only rights. B. Both can exist within an authoritarian system, whereas only citizens exist within democratic systems. C. Citizens have no obligations, and subjects have only rights. D. Citizens have rights as well as obligations, but subjects have only obligations

A

What is the most basic obligation of a citizen in a democracy? A. obey the law B. sit on a jury C. pay taxes D. voting

A

When those in government exercise power recognized by citizens as right and legitimate, they are exercising ______. A. authority B. leadership C. justice D. status

C

Which group would advocate for the least amount of government intervention in the economy? A. communitarians B. economic liberals C. libertarians D. social liberals

A

Which of the following best describes the major difference between anarchy and democracy? A. There is no government. B. There are multiple governments. C. The government controls the economy. D. The government runs by consensus rather than majority rule.

C

Which of the following countries is an advanced industrial democracy? A. North Korea B. Iran C. the United States D. Singapore

B

Which of the following reflects the type of economic system found in the United States? A. socialism, in which economic decisions are made by the government B. regulated capitalism, in which business has substantial freedom from government interference, but the government does step in and regulate the economy to guarantee individual rights C. pure capitalism, in which all means used to produce material resources are privately owned D. pure laissez-faire capitalism, in which the government has no economic role at al

D

______ can be described as a system or an organization for exercising authority over a body of people. A. Political partisanship B. Federalism C. Power D. Government

C

______ refers to a particular view of how we ought to organize and live our collective lives. A. Authority B. Politics C. Social order D. Authoritarianism