Government Test 1

In what way was the government of ancient Athens different from that of the United States?

athens was a direct democracy in which citizens voted on laws themselves.

Use the Preamble to the Constitution to answer the question. "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."—U.S. Constitution, Preamble Which of the following actions is one example of how the American government establishes justice?

creating a set of laws and a court system

What did Winston Churchill mean when he stated "it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time"?

democracy is not perfect, but it's better than any other form of government that's been tried

In which way are the women shown on this poster demonstrating their support for the ideals of American government?

displaying patriotism by volunteering to serve the public good

Which of the following examples shows a government exercising its executive powers?

enforcing a new tax law

Which of the following is the best definition of the public policies of a government?

everything a government decides to do

Describe the key differences between a federal system of government, such as that of the United States, and a confederate system, such as that of the European Union. Use details from the text to support your answer.

federal form of government is one in which some political power rests with the national (or federal) government but other, equally important, powers rest with the state governments. confederate system sits at the other extreme in terms of centralization. A confederacy is a loose relationship among a number of smaller political units. The vast majority of political power rests with the local governments; the central federal government has very little power.

Which system of government was mostly closely associated with scenes like this one showing serfs working in a field?

feudalism

What is the purpose of a constitution and what are the advantages of a written constitution?

A constitution sets forth the basic laws that explain the structure, principles, and processes of a government. A written constitution keeps an official record of these laws to help ensure that they are enforced consistently, not following necessarily just what the leader wants.

Dictatorship

A form of government in which the leader has absolute power and authority.

Theocracy

A government controlled by religious leaders

Oligarchy

A government ruled by a few powerful people

Autocracy

A system of government in which the power to rule is in the hands of a single individual

A government ruled by a dictator is a form of

Autocracy

In what way are representative democracy and the free enterprise system similar?

Both are based on the principles of individual liberty and choice.

According to the lesson text, "Thomas Jefferson called the [Declaration of Independence] 'pure Locke,'" referring to the English philosopher John Locke. Which of the following ideas shows Locke's influence on the Declaration of Independence?

By violating the social contract with the colonists, the king has lost his authority to rule.

In what way is the United States a representative democracy?

Citizens choose small groups of people to make laws and policy for them.

Use this cartoon to answer the question.

Different groups may have different ideas, but compromise is vital to a successful democracy.

Which of the theories BEST describes the origin of the ancient Mayan civilization?

Divine Right of Kings Theory

Use the following quotation to answer the question. "The right to swing my fist ends where the other man's nose begins." —Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Select the sentence that best explains the point that Justice Holmes was making about democracy.

Everyone has rights, but the exercise of these rights cannot endanger others.

What argument is the cartoon making about the role of compromise in our democratic government?

Failing to compromise on major issues by finding common ground can lead to disaster in public policy.

Use the following quotation to answer the question."The first requisite of a good citizen in our republic is that he should be able and willing to pull his weight." —President Theodore Roosevelt, 1902. Which of the following BEST summarizes Roosevelt's statement?

Good citizens should be willing and able to accept the duties and responsibilities of living in a free society.

A newspaper headline that reads "President Rejects Tax Increase Bill" is an example of which of the following?

The President has power to block actions of the legislature.

Which of these characteristics represents the system a state uses to make and enforce public policy?

Government

It has been said that if government did not exist we would have to invent it. In what way, therefore, is government a "need"? Explain your reasoning.

Government is a need, because without it there are no laws and no order. There might be some rules that people have established, but not everyone may have agreed to those rules and no one would be able to enforce them. People could do whatever they wanted, and the strongest would dominate those who are less strong, expanding the rights of some and limiting those of others. Government provides order, and without order, society would fall apart. Therefore, people need government in order to survive.

Use the following quotation to answer the question."If men were angels, no government would be necessary." —James Madison, Federalist No. 51Which of the following BEST summarizes this idea?

Government is necessary, because people do not always behave perfectly.

What did John Locke mean when he said that government was based upon a social contract? Use details from the text to support your answer.

He means that only right people give up in order to enter into civil society and its benefits is the right to punish other people for violating rights.

What is the difference between a unitary government and a federal government?

In a unitary government power is held by a single, central agency; in a federal government power is divided between a central government and local governments.

Which of the following statements about the forms of government shown in the chart is correct?

In a unitary system, the central government determines which powers the local governments have.

Use this excerpt from the text to answer the question. "To many people, the most meaningful of these classifications [of government] is the one that depends on the number of persons who can take part in the governing process." Why might this particular classification be most meaningful to people?

It indicates how democratic a government is.

Is it possible for a national government to have a direct democracy structure within a country that has a large population, such as the United States? Why or why not? Use details to support your answer.

It is not possible. There are too many people for each and every person to have a direct vote. Each people would have to go to Washington DC to talk about and to figure out issues and problems within the US. This simply would not work out for a country our size.

Why do you think patriotism is considered an important characteristic of a good citizen? Explain your reasoning.

It shows that you support and trust the country that you live in. Showing good patriotism can show your allegiance and trust to the country you live in, which is very important to live here.

Explain how the idea of majority rule relates to the rights of the minority in the American democratic political system.

Majority rule is a way of organizing government where citizens freely make political decisions through voting for representatives. ... Minority rights are rights that are guaranteed to everyone, even if they are not a part of the majority. These rights cannot be de eliminated by a majority vote

How did mercantilism and colonialism make monarchies stronger?

Mercantilist policies allowed monarchs to tax trade, which increased their wealth. These policies also motivated monarchs to establish colonies around the globe that increased trade even more and thus brought them even more wealth.

Use this excerpt from the text to answer the question. "A majority of the governmental systems in the world today are parliamentary, not presidential, in form." Which of the following explanations best explains why people support parliamentary systems?

Parliamentary governments are better able to prevent conflict between the executive and legislative branches.

Which one of these explanations about the origins of states best applies to the type of political system created by the U.S. Constitution?

Social Contract Theory

What would happen to a state that had population, territory, and government, but did not have sovereignty?

That state would not have the power to make its own foreign policies.

In what way was Athenian democracy a direct democracy?

The central feature was an Assembly open to all male citizens at least 18 years of age.

Which of the four historical theories of the origins of the state best accounts for feudalism? Why? Use details to support your answer.

The force theory best accounts for feudalism. Feudalism arose in a time of chaos and disorder. The closest thing there was to a central authority was the most powerful lord, who used force to control a territory. People submitted to his authority and traded freedom for security.

What is the relationship between democracy and the free enterprise system?

The government does not decide what is produced or what items cost, but does play a role in the economy by protecting the public and preserving private enterprise.

Use the following excerpt to answer the question."The [Roman] Republic was far from democratic in the modern sense. It did introduce the concept of representation, however."Which of the following statements supports this idea?

The government of the Roman Republic was centered in the Senate, and Senators were elected by citizens.

Use the following excerpt to answer the question. "To help manage the national government, monarchs hired loyal civil servants typically born in the towns and educated at local universities. Their perspectives were national, not regional. The state, in the person of the monarch, now had sovereignty, or the utmost authority in decision making and in maintaining order. Everyone, including the nobles, was subordinate to that authority. . . .With sovereignty, the monarch now had the right to make laws for the entire nation and all its people." How did the establishment of nations expand the power and reach of government?

The laws and policies of national governments affected greater numbers of people.

How did the effects of the Black Plague contribute to the destruction of the feudal system? Use details to support your answer.

The peasants demanded higher pay and better conditions which then made crop prices go down and the lords made less money

Which statement best describes the form of government that is most common in Europe and the Americas?

The people elect officials to represent them in government.

Do you think that the social contract theory is the most convincing origin of the state theory?

The social contract theory is the theory that people surrender to the state the power needed to maintain order, and the state, in turn, agrees to protect its citizens. It is a convincing origin of state theory because this idea is still used and held today, even in the US government. We surrender to our government so that they can protect us.

Which statement BEST expresses the concerns of the founders of the American government?

Their focus was to create a government that protected all aspects of the nation and its people.

How does the chief executive of a parliamentary system differ from that of a presidential system?

Unlike a president, a prime minister is a member of both the legislative and executive branches.

The text says that if government did not exist, people would have to invent it. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Explain your answer using details from the text.

Yes. With no government there would be anarchy. With a gov. people would be more peaceful and there would be order. In a sinful world, we need a government.

According to John Locke, political society is created when individuals voluntarily form a government to create and enforce laws, thereby protecting the people who form that government. In this social contract, people give up some of their power to the government, which then rules in their interest. This is the basis of which of the following concepts?

government by consent

In the United States, the concept of equality means that every individual

is entitled to receive the same treatment under the law.

Use this quote written by the English jurist William Blackstone about the common law to answer the question. "For it is an established rule to abide by former precedents, where the same points come again ... to keep the scales of justice even and steady." Which of the following statements is an accurate rephrasing of Blackstone's argument?

judges have a duty to look at previous legal decisions when deciding new cases.

Which of the following lists the three basic powers a government must have?

legislative power, executive power, judicial power

Which type of government does Kim Jong-un represent?

oligarchy

A legitimate government is

one that is accepted by its people and other governments as the sovereign authority of a nation.

Use this excerpt from the text to answer the question. "Some people insist the United States is more properly called a republic rather than a democracy." The people who support this statement argue that the United States is a republic because in its government,

political power is used indirectly by elected officials, not directly by the citizens themselves.

Compare the disadvantages of the presidential and parliamentary systems. Which disadvantage do you think is the most detrimental to the democratic function of government? Explain your reasoning.

presidential: 1. It is nearly impossible to remove an unpopular president 2. It is hard to reach an agreement when president and legislature from different parties. 3. Some presidents become all-powerful and authoritarian Parliamentary: 1. Can be unstable because vote of no confidence can happen at any time 2. Prime Minister is POWERFUL 3. Prime Minister lacks public support like the elected president

Use the following excerpt to answer the question. ". . . some activities that might be carried out privately are in fact conducted by government." Which of the following is an example of this statement?

providing fire and police protection

Use this quote by the French Enlightenment thinker Baron de Montesquieu to answer the question. "In every government there are three sorts of power; the legislative; the executive, in respect to things dependent on the law of nations; and the executive, in regard to things that depend on the civil law." What principle of government presented by the U.S. Constitution is Montesquieu describing?

separation of power

Which of the following concepts is being expressed in this painting?

the divine right of kings

What is government?

the institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies

If you know that a nation uses a parliamentary system of government, but have no other information, what do you know for certain about the structure of that government?

the relationship between the executive and legislative branches

Duties are actions a citizen is required to take. Responsibilities are actions a citizen should take. Which of the following actions is a responsibility of citizenship?

voting in elections