US Government Chapter 1
Republic
A form of democracy in which power is vested in representatives selected by means of popular competitive elections
Presidential system
A government that vests power in a separately elected president and legislature
Parliamentary system
A government that vests power in an elected legislature that chooses the chief executive
Legitimate
Political authority supported by public opinion
Representative democracy
Political system in which policy is made by officials elected by the people
Democracy
Political system where the people rule
people
Q: A democracy is government by the _____.
in many nations, the majority of workers belong to unions
Q: An example of just how different American politics are from politics in Europe is the fact that:
both the president and legislature, and with judicial oversight
Q: Compared with the bureaucracy in a parliamentary system, bureaucracy in a presidential system works for:
voters and representatives can communicate openly with one another
Q: Freedom of speech and press exist in order for representative democracy to function so:
has a monopoly over the use of legitimate force
Q: Government differs from other institutions (e.g., a college or corporation) in that government:
centralized
Q: In a parliamentary system, political power at the national level is _____:
direct democracy
Q: New England town meetings are commonly cited as the closest approach in America to:
doctrine of nullification
Q: The text states that the U.S. Constitution our habits have four effects on how we make policies. Which of the following is not one of those effects?
representative democracy
Q: The theory of a ____________is that policies should be tested for their acceptability at every stage of the policy- making process.
individuals acquire power through competition for the people's vote
Q: The theory of representative democracy holds that:
Senate
Q: When the U.S. President signs a treaty, he is making a promise only to try and get the _____ to ratify it.
The legislature investigates an agency's failure to implement a policy
Q: Which of the following would be least likely to happen in a parliamentary system such as Great Britain's?
False (The Framers of the Constitution chose a representative democracy)
T or F: America has followed a system of direct democracy since its inception
False (Freedom is best protected by a government with limited powers)
T or F: American- believe their freedom can be protected by having a government with unlimited powers
False (It refers to representative democracy; a New England town meeting is an example of a direct democracy)
T or F: Democracy as used in this book refers to the type of democracy illustrated by the New England town meeting
False (Our system of federalism has actually created much debate on this topic)
T or F: One aspect of American politics is that cities, states, and the national government never need to compete with each other to determine who makes what decisions
False (This is the definition of government, not politics)
T or F: Politics consists of those institutions that have the authority to make decisions that are binding to the whole society
True
T or F: Politics is inenivtable
True
T or F: Representative democracy was actually referred to as a republic by the Framers of the Constitution
True
T or F: The separation of legislative and presidential powers is an important feature of the American political system
Government
The institution that, with a monopoly on the lawful use of power, can make decisions binding the whole society
Politics
The management of conflict over who shall rule and what policies shall be made
Direct democracy
political system in which most citizens make policy, as in a town meeting