ap gov
When the wealthy are seen as the most powerful and most deserving of power, this is an example of the
elite and class theory
Which of these would NOT be a concern for the proponents of an active role for the government?
ensuring takes are lowered so they are fair for everyone
After being nominated by the president, the White House Chief of Staff and other top White House aides must then be confirmed by the Senate.
false
Following the ratification of the Constitution in 1789, all groups in American society were treated equally with respect to the law.
false
Most government employees you come into regular contact with, including police officers, mail carriers, and officials at agencies such as the department of motor vehicles, depend on political party leaders to obtain and keep their positions.
false
Ronald Reagan said, "As government expands, liberty and justice for all is increased."
false
Running for office is still an expensive proposition, but the costs of running a campaign have decreased in recent years.
false
Since the Constitution was written, the power of the presidency has dramatically decreased.
false
State laws cannot be subject to judicial review by the federal courts.
false
The American political system is based on the principles of direct democracy.
false
The Connecticut Compromise provided for proportional representation in the Senate and equal representation in the House of Representatives.
false
The Constitution declared that men are endowed by their Creator with the unalienable rights of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
false
The Declaration of Independence was written primarily by James Madison.
false
The health of a government can only be determined by the amount of political participation by its citizens.
false
Under the Constitution as originally ratified, only white men and women were guaranteed the right to vote in all states.
false
Under the free-market system in the United States, landlords can refuse to rent to anyone, for any reason.
false
Your representative in Congress is legally required to vote in a manner consistent with a majority of people in the district.
false
Which of these is NOT part of the national government?
governors
What is the primary difference between pluralists and hyperpluralists?
group competition is go for democracy while hyperpluralists believe it convulses it
Which of the following groups in our society do NOT have voting rights in the United States?
guest workers in america on visa
Which of these is an example of a Presidential action?
he invasion of Iraq
Which of the following is an example of checks and balances?
he president can veto a piece of legislation that is passed by Congress.
When Madison designed his plan, which part of the government did he select to be directly controlled by the votes of the majority?
house of representatives
Which of the following is NOT a public good provided to you as a resident of this country by the government
job security
An important result of American individualism has been a clear tendency to prefer
laissez-faire economic policies.
A political party is a key _____ in America's democratic system.
linkage institution
What is an entity that connects the people to their government and transmits the people's concerns to policymakers known as?
linkage institution
In America's federal system, power is divided between different levels of government. Which of the following institutions is typically responsible for coordinating public safety and medical transportation in the event that you get injured in a car accident?
local government
All of the following are ingredients in a pluralistic democracy EXCEPT
majority rule.
Two of the most important principles of democratic theory are majority rule and
minority rights.
Critics of pluralist theory contend that it
misses the larger of how the pie is divided by saying that everyone gets some
If you take a bus or car trip to another region of the country, you will likely travel on an interstate highway. Which level of government is primarily responsible for funding the construction and maintenance of these interstate highways?
national government
During the ratification debates, citizens who feared executive power and opposed a strong national government would have been likely to
new york
The Federalist Papers were written in support of ratification of the Constitution in the state of
new york
The Declaration of Independence expressed the belief that
people have a right to overthrow their government when they suffer deep injustices.
Under the Constitution, the states are responsible for overseeing the election process. Which of the following groups can states legally prevent from voting in congressional elections?
people whoa re not registered to vote
In the election for student body president, you emerged victorious with 40 percent of the vote, while your two opponents each received only 30 percent. How would you describe your winning vote percentage?
plurality
The federal government's response to the dramatic increase in the number of Aids patients at the beginning of the 1980s would be an example of a(n)
policy of inaction
Which of the following federal offices has a constitutionally mandated term limit?
president
Which of the following practices in American politics reflects the desire for majority rule when it comes to public policies?
publication of polling results
The type of government created by the Constitution is best described as a
republic
when you cast a vote for a political candidate you are participating in
respective democracy
In 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor to serve as the first Hispanic justice on the Supreme Court. Before taking office, Sotomayor's nomination had to first be approved by
senate
The fact that only members of Congress can introduce legislation is a good example of
separation of powers
If you want to know what's going on in your community, you can sit in on a city council meeting. Which types of laws protect your right to attend a government meeting?
sunshine laws
When the Continental Congress approved the country's first system of government under the Articles of Confederation, it did not create an executive branch to administer national laws because at that time the Founders feared
that a president could become a tyrant.
What happens when taxes do not grow as fast as government spending?
the budget deficit occurs
To whom in the American system of government could you turn to, as a last resort, if you believe that your school's rules of student conduct violate your freedom of speech rights under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution?
the judicial system
Madisonian principles in the Constitution were based on
the need to restrain both minority and majority power.
According to the Declaration of Independence, from what source does our national government derive its powers?
the people
Which of these is the heart of the populist movement?
the people
What does the gross domestic product (GDP) represent?
the total value of all goods and services produced annually
An exchange student tells you that, in her country, political power is concentrated in one party, and she is not allowed much opportunity to participate in her government. What kind of government does her country have?
totalitarian system
"God" is NOT mentioned in the U.S. Constitution.
true
A democracy must practice majority rule without impinging on minority rights.
true
During the 2008 election, senior citizens were more likely than young people were to closely follow politics and government affairs.
true
During the constitutional convention, delegates from large states were more likely to support proportional representation than delegates from small states.
true
Judicial review, the court's power to review the constitutionality of laws, is never mentioned in the Constitution.
true
The Constitution applies to all foreign workers who reside in the United States.
true
The First Amendment protects your right to contact members of Congress to share your grievances.
true
The United States devotes a smaller percentage of its financial resources to government than most other developed nations.
true
The amendments that have been added to the Constitution since 1789 have, in general, made the American political system more democratic.
true
The delegates at the Constitutional Convention disagreed with Thomas Hobbes' argument in Leviathan that a strong absolute ruler was necessary to restrain man's bestial tendencies.
true
There is never a shortage of political issues.
true
Those who participate in the political process are more likely to benefit from government programs and politics.
true
Under the Constitution, former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger cannot be elected president because he is not a "natural born" citizen.
true
What, according to James Madison, is the most common and durable source of factions?
unequal distribution of wealth
Robert Dahl's principle, "equality in voting," suggests that in a democracy
vote many not be universal but show majority
Social capital refers to the political and social resources that we gain from interacting with people in our community. Which of the following activities would be UNLIKELY to increase social capital?
watching television news programs in your home
Which of these represents a key question that confronts government regarding different public policy choices?
weither or not the government should respond at all
Harold Lasswell defined politics as
who gets what when and how
When discussing the three theories of democracy, what is the one question each of these theories tries to answer?
who really governs our nation
If two citizens from another country come onto American soil and have a child, is that child an American citizen?
yes
Public goods are resources that are accessible to everyone in a political community and not diminished when you use them. Which of the following is NOT an example of how you might benefit from a public good provided by your state or local government?
you put money in a meter that allows you to park your car on a street
Every time you start a new job your employer needs to send your information to the government for taxing purposes. What piece of identification information, obtained from the federal government, must you provide?
your social security number
Over a third of America's wealth is owned by
1 percent of the population
The age group with the lowest voter turnout rate is
18 to 25 year olds
Which of the following does the Constitution guarantee to every state in the union?
A republican form of government
Which of these defines democracy?
A way of selecting policymakers where policy represents and responds to the public's preferences
When was the last time that Congress exercised its Constitutional power to declare war?
Against the Axis powers in World War II
Which of these is NOT a criterion of traditional democratic theory, as formulated by Robert Dahl?
Citizens must make rational choices.
What provision in the First Amendment of the Constitution did the Supreme Court cite when it struck down regulations that prohibited corporations from funding "electioneering communications."
Congress shall make no law abridging freedom of speech.
The Constitution provides for a census to be taken every ten years. The census taken in 2010 was important for all of the following reasons EXCEPT
Congress uses census data to determine the number of members each state will have in the United States Senate.
Which of the following Constitutional provisions would have been strongly opposed by the Anti-Federalists?
Establishing the supremacy of national laws over state laws
An example of how much the United States government is similar to other western democracies, is that the United States government has taken upon itself to manage the nation's airlines, telephone, and communications companies.
False
Compared to other democracies, the United States has a high rate of voter participation.
False
Nearly all political scientists agree that the United States is in the midst of a culture war.
False
The theory that government is weakened in the face of too many groups competing for power and influence is called classism.
False
Under what condition can the federal government take your property to build a state highway or other essential public infrastructure project?
If the federal government justly compensates you for the loss of your property
Why was it important for the American colonists to justify their right to revolution?
It helped them secure the foreign assistance they would need to defeat the British.
Which of the following is true of the power of judicial review?
It is an informal power not specifically mentioned in the Constitution.
The Preamble to the Constitution begins with the phrase "We the People." Why is this phrase significant?
It signifies that the United States is a single nation, not merely a collection of states.
When the media focus on the "who" of politics, who does that refer to?
One out of every three dollars earned by American citizens is used to pay taxes.
Which of the following is NOT an element of the American creed?
Opportunism
What describes the set of widely shared values within American society, which Ingelhart and Welzel refer to as "deep-rooted orientations among the people themselves"?
Political culture
Which of the following is NOT part of the policymaking process, according to the authors of Government in America?
Private goods
What are services that are shared by everyone and cannot be denied to anyone called?
Public good
The largest item in the United States government budget, consuming more than one-fifth of the federal budget is
Social Security.
Which of the following is NOT an example of the principle of checks and balances?
The President manages the bureaucracy
Which of the following is most fundamentally critical of American democracy?
The elite and class theory
Which of the following aspects of the judicial system in the United States does NOT limit the power of the judiciary to shape our nation's anti-terrorism policies?
The members of the court serve lifetime appointments.
What do the Congress, the presidency, and the courts compose?
The three main policy-making institutions in the policy process
How did the Constitution limit the damaging effects of majority factions, according to Madison?
Through the construction of a system of checks and balances
Why did Great Britain impose a series of taxes on the American colonies in the 1760s and 1770s?
To raise revenue for colonial administration and defense
Individualism includes a belief that people can and should get ahead on their own.
True
Pluralist theory hinges on the assumption that power is dispersed in American government.
True
Which of these is NOT true about the finances of the United States' national government?
U.S. government officials are the highest paid in the world.
Which of the following statements about taxes is TRUE?
Voters, candidates, groups, and parties
Can a person be elected president without receiving a majority of the popular votes?
Yes, because it is not the popular vote that matters, but the electoral college votes, and they do not automatically line up with the popular vote.
The failure of the Equal Rights Amendment showed that
a national majority in favor of an amendment is not sufficient to add it to the Constitution.
Shays' Rebellion was
a series of armed attacks on courthouses to prevent judges from foreclosing on farms
According to Fredrick Jackson Turner, the existence of the frontier in American history most directly resulted in
a strong preference for limited government
Elite and class theory holds that
all societies are divided between class lines and the elite will rule
Ratification of the Constitution required
approval by special conventions in nine of the thirteen states.
In 1776, Congress appointed a committee to draw up a plan for a permanent union of the states; this plan is known as
articles of confederation
The Constitution was amended almost immediately after it was adopted, as citizens feared they did not have enough protections. The first ten amendments are referred to as
bill of rights
Elite theories of politics suggest that powerful political and economic elites dominate public policy. Which of the following aspects of American politics frequently results in the opinions of average citizens being ignored?
campaign finance laws that allow politicians to receive donations from industries they regulate
If you don't know much about the particular candidates seeking an elective office, which of the following voting cues would likely provide you with the most reasonable basis to assess a candidate's general approach to government?
candidates political party
The Senate's rejection of a president's nominee to the Supreme Court is a good example of
checks and balances
The Twenty-sixth Amendment, ratified in 1971, extended voting rights to all
citizens 18 years of age or older.
In evaluating American democracy, hyperpluralists
claim that too many influential groups cripple government's ability to govern.
Which of the following is NOT a public good?
college education
With 100 members, the U. S. Senate is smaller in number than the 435-member House of Representatives. The Senate's smaller size lends itself to
deliberation and debate
In 1786, delegates from five states met in Annapolis, Maryland, to
discuss the problems the country faced under the Articles of Confederation.
The writers of the United States Constitution
distrust or democracy
