Political science final

Which is a typical feature of the parliamentary system? A. an absence of executive-legislative deadlock B. a limited number of political parties in the legislature C. a division of government that helps prevent rapid policy changes D. direct and frequent accountability of the executive to the electorate

A. an absence of the executive-legislative deadlock

A history of _____ in a country makes t especially difficult for democracy to take root. A. absolutism B. feudalism C. parliamentarianism D. suffrage

A. absolutism

Political institutions represent established and durable patterns of ____ in a country A. authority B. dissent C. instability D. anarchy

A. authority

A written document outlining structure of a political system is a ____ A. constitution B. precedent C. referendum D. statute

A. constitution

In what way does the U.S. constitution differ from the most other constitution?

It's shorter and more vague

One benefit of a system with frequent alternation in power is_______

affective control over corruption

True about ballot in Europe

only offers choice of party

An important factor candidates need to have....

personality

Weak States are characterized by ________

the penetration of crime into politics

MACHIAVELLI

the role of power in politics

Political scientist build ________

theories

An ideology consist of ________

A set of plans to improve a society

Which can be considered an example of direct democracy? A. citizen voting on a ballot referendum B. the media openly criticizing elected officials C. Political candidates from different parties running for office D. A government holding free and fair elections at regular intervals

A. Citizens voting on a ballot referendum

Which philosopher discussed the difference between concepts and percepts? A. Kant B. Aristotle C. Locke D. Hobbes

A. Kant

Why might a government go ahead with a policy or action that the majority of citizens oppose? A. Public opinion does not always reflect what is best for the nation B. The public probably will have forgotten all about it by the next election C. The government rarely has an accurate way of knowing what the people think D. The public would rather see decisive action that it opposes than no action at all

A. Public opinion does not always reflect what is best for the nation

President Nixon's decision to impound appropriations made by Congress could be used as evidence to support which of these arguments? A. The American presidency has grown too powerful. B. Legislative deadlock necessitates an activist presidency. C. The US Constitution expects too much of the president. D. Executive privilege is an essential feature of the checks and balances system.

A. The American presidency has grown too powerful.

Which best explains why the German Constitutional Court has less impact than the US Supreme Court? A. The German Constitutional Court is less open to interpretation than the US Constitution. B. The German Constitutional Court does not give federal courts the power of judicial review. C. The German Constitutional Court is made up of judges who serve a single 12-year term instead of lifetime terms. D. The German Constitutional Court can only review laws passed by parliament; it cannot declare them null and void.

A. The German Constitutional Court is less open to interpretation than the US Constitution.

In the adversarial system, a judge function much like ______ A. a referee B. a guide C. a bureaucrats D. elected official

A. a referee

Mapp v. Ohio (1961) ruled that _______. A. evidence police seized without a warrant was inadmissible in a state court B. those who cannot afford legal counsel will have an attorney provided to them C. police officers can use evidence that they stumble upon while looking for something else D. law enforcement officers may search private residences and obtain a warrant after the fact

A. evidence police seized without a warrant was inadmissible in a state court

A pollster can decrease a poll's margin of error by _____. A. increasing the sample size B. decreasing the number of questions C. polling an equal number of men and women D. supplementing the poll with a focus group

A. increasing the sample size

Which factor has done the most to limit the size and growth of the U.S. cabinet A. legislative check on executive power B. reluctance of presidents to share power C. stability of the American political system D. anti-government sentiment of the American public

A. legislative check on executive power

An increasingly important factor in both presidential and parliamentary elections is a candidate's _____. A. personality B. economic policy record C. positions on social issues D. executive leadership experience

A. personality

What is the significance of Marbury v Madison? A. ruling created the concept of judicial review B. ruling claimed that federal taxes could not be levied on the states C. ruling state that even the president is subject to the courts decision D. ruling decreed that current administrations must honor the appointments

A. ruling created the concept of judicial review

Published surveys tend to be more carefully watched by the public during _____. A. wartime B. election years C. times of great social change D. upturns in the stock market

A. wartime

What is the relationship between the decision issued in the case of Marbury v. Madison and today's Supreme Court? A. The contemporary Court has gradually undermined the scope of the Marbury v. Madison ruling. B. Marbury v. Madison established the basis for the Court's ability to declare laws unconstitutional. C. The contemporary Court explicitly rejects the principles of Marbury v. Madison whenever it strikes down state law. D. Marbury v. Madison provides specific direction on interpreting the Constitution that is still followed by the Court today.

B. Marbury v. Madison established the basis for the Court's ability to declare laws unconstitutional.

Which thinker gave us the concept of the social contract? A. Locke B. Rousseau C. Machiavelli D. Hobbes

B. Rousseau

French philosopher Montesquieu would be most likely to favor which of these types of government? A. a monarch operating within a decentralized feudal government B. an absolutist state with total power in the hands of a single individual C. a parliamentary system subject to the will of powerful courts in the judicial branch D. a representative system with clear separation of powers between different branches

B. an absolutist state with total power in the hands of a single individual

An adversarial system of justice has which of these in common with an inquisitorial system? A. both give judges a large amount of discretion in conducting trails B. both reply on prosecutors bringing charges of wrongdoing to judge C. both put the judge in position of acting as both investigator and jury D. both require prosecutors to argue their case against a defense attorney

B. both rely on prosecutors bringing charges of wrong doing to judge

Each division of government in a parliamentary system is headed by a _______ A. presidential role B. cabinet minister C. legislative committee D. member of the upper house

B. cabinet minister

Suppose a dispute between two neighbors concerning the proper placement of the line dividing their property ends up in court A. administrative B. civil C. constitutional D. criminal

B. civil

In an inquisitorial system of justice, judges are most similar to ___ A. administrators B. detectives C. legislators D. referee

B. detectives

In the united states, the president is both the chief of government and A. chancellor B. head of state C. secretary of state D. speaker of the house

B. head of state

What does public opinion polling provide that election results cannot? A. the popularity of specific candidates B. insight into citizens' views on specific issues C. a clear indication which political party is dominant D. information about candidates' real views on the issues

B. insight into citizens' views on specific issues

In what sense are bureaucracies "inherently conservative"? A. Bureaucrats tend to vote republican B. Bureaucrats generally support smaller government C. Bureaucrats are generally reluctant to change their ways D. Bureaucrats are mainly drawn from the middle and upper classes of society

C. Bureaucrats are generally reluctant to change their ways

Which statement explains how Nate Silver was able to predict an Obama win in 2012 more confidently than many pollsters? A. His poll asked clearer, more useful questions than other polls did. B. He carefully aggregated polls, taking swing state trends into account. C. He polled a more representative sample of voters than other pollsters did. D. He knew that the electorate was more liberal than most polls at the time were suggesting.

C. He polled a more representative sample of voters than other pollsters did.

In contrast with most Western European leaders, U.S. presidents A. have more direct legislative power B. are more responsive tot he legislature C. act independently of the legislature D. spend more time lobbying the legislature

C. act independently of the legislature

After interviewing a citizen about his support for the new health care bill, a newspaper concludes that there is widespread support for the new legislation in town. This is an example of _____. A. saliency B. objective reporting C. anecdotal evidence D. government propaganda

C. anecdotal evidence

What is American voters general response to ballots? A. eagerness B. frustration C. bafflement D. amusement

C. bafflement

As political institutions become more modern, they tend to A. respond less to special interest B. crumble under labyrinthine bureaucracy C. become more specialized, complex, and differentiated D. established a militaristic nature to be control the population

C. become more specialized, complex,and differentiated

Survey results show that _____ Americans tend to be more tolerant and more in factor of civil rights than the public as a whole. A. wealthy B. rural dwelling C. college-educated D. strongly religious

C. college-educated

Aristotle's views that, like herd animals, humans naturally live in groups most relation to which kind of explanation for political power? A biological B psychological C. cultural D. economic

C. cultural

Semi-presidential systems differ from parliamentary systems because they _____. A. tend to be less stable B. bring small parties into power C. have both a president and a prime minister D. result in frequent and unpredictable elections

C. have both a president and a prime minister

What is the primary jurisdiction of the U.S. supreme court? A. it makes initial ruling on all federal cases, civil, criminal B. It rules on high penalty cases, including those with lift sentences and death penalty. C. It jurisdiction is almost entirely appellate, from lower federal or state supreme courts D. Its jurisdiction is board, ranging from appellate rulings to original rulings in federal crimes.

C. its jurisdiction is almost entirely appellate, from lower federal or state supreme courts.

Americans must _______ sometimes months before the election and before campaign excitement mounts. A. lobby B. declare a party allegiance C. personally register to vote D. caucus

C. personally register to vote

Polls designed to influence respondents' opinions are known as ____ polls. A. anecdotal B. focus C. push D. salience

C. push

Political science must involved ______ and ______ A. hypothetical ; historical B. empirical ; imagined C. quantitative ; qualitative D. speculative ; qualitative

C. quantitative ; qualitative

Which about regulation and bureaucracy is true? A. A large, strong bureaucracy is the best guarantee against corruption within the political system B. The public tends to accept the necessity of large bureaucracies for effectively regulating the market C. The potential for corruption increase with the number of regulations and the size of the bureaucracy D. The level of regulation and the size of the bureaucracy are proportional to the power of elected officials

C. the potential for corruption increases with the number of regulations and the size of the bureaucracy

It can be said that "almost all nations have constitutions because A. most nations on earth are democratic B. international law applies to all nations C. they operate according to some set of rules D. most nations have a population with a shared identity

C. they operated according to some set of rules

Political institutions involve the _____ of a government. A. weakness B. public support C. working structures D. periphery

C. working structures

Anthony Down's landmark 1957 work, An economic Theory of Democracy

Citizens need more than two political parties to be adequately represented

Adam Smith

Classic liberalism

What is one area in which the American separation of powers is especially unusual? A. It is rare for the president to hold veto power over the legislature B. It is rare for legislative and executive branches to overlap so much C. It is rare for the legislature to have the power to impeach the president D. It is rare for the legislature and executive branches to check each other so strongly

D. It is rare for the legislature and executive branches to check each other so strongly

A reformer who wanted to make his or her country more democratic would be most likely to attack the bureaucracy's ___ A. tendency to grow in size B. share of government C. merit-based promotion structures D. active role in the policy-making process

D. active role in the policy- making process

A chain of command improves a bureaucracy by ______ A. establishing clear consequences for dissent B. protecting bureaucrats from frivolous lawsuits C. making bureaucrats more accountable to voters D. creating a sense of uniformity and predictability

D. creating a sense of uniformity and predictability

A minister in a parliamentary system is equivalent to a ______ in the United States. A. premier B. head of state C. chief of government D. departmental secretary

D. departmental secretary

Potential explanations that a scientist test are known as ______ A. ideologies B. biases C. qualitative data D. hypotheses

D. hypotheses

John Locke believed that the ________ wields the foundation power of any government A. police B. court system C. bureaucracy D. legislative branch

D. legislative branch

Which is more likely to occur in a one-party regime than in a democratic country? A. bureaucratic regulation of private behavior is kept to a minimum B. political officials have an easy time reigning in the power of bureaucracies C. corrupt bureaucrats receive understanding and forgiveness from the public D. members of the bureaucracy enjoy privileges that are not available to most citizens

D. members of the bureaucracy enjoy privileges that are not available to most citizens

Politicians with an early lead in the polls tend to get _____. A. overconfident and sloppy B. ignored by the adversarial press C. control over future polling questions D. more campaign contributions and more press coverage

D. more campaign contributions and more press coverage

All mankind being equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or property." A. civil B. common C. constitutional D. natural

D. natural

The subfield of _____ studies major thinkers and attempts to define the good polity. A. public administrations B. comparative politics C. public policy D. political theory

D. political theory

Suppose two surveys are conducted, one asking people's level of support for "welfare" and the other using the term "assistance to the poor." The former survey finds much lower support than the latter. This discrepancy shows that _____. A. public opinion surveys are generally unreliable B. pollsters should avoid questions dealing with social policy C. a misinformed public will provide inconsistent survey answers D. pollsters must be careful to word questions in ways that avoid biased responses

D. pollsters must be careful to word questions in ways that avoid biased responses

United States turnout seldom falls below 40% in ____ elections A. local B. congressional C. gubernation D. presidential

D. presidential

The main way that democratic governments are held accountable is through A. ballot initiatives B. civil disobedience C. dissident movements D. regular electoral college

D. regular electoral college

A U.S. president is most likely to look to members of the cabinet for A. help campaigning for re-election B. advice on a foreign policy crisis C.assistance in forming a legislative agenda D. reports on the effectiveness of the bureaucracy

D. reports on the effectiveness of the bureaucracy

What was the main purpose of the cohabitation arrangement between the executive and legislative branches in France's parliamentary system? A. to reduce the likelihood of corruption among high officials B. to minimize conflict between the two houses of the legislature C. to enable the president to check the power of the legislature over domestic policy D. to enable a president and a prime minister from different parties to govern together

D. to enable a president and a prime minister from different parties to govern together

International law consist of ______ and established customs recognized by most nations. A. amendments B. sanctions C. statutes D. treaties

D. treaties

In a parliamentary system, the cabinet changes ______ A. every 4 to 6 years B. every 2 to 4 years C. whenever a ew prime minster is chosen D. when the majority party loses an election or no confidence vote

D. when the majority party loses an election or no confidence vote

Founder of classic conservatism

Edmund Burke

True or False: All public opinion polls pose questions to a group of randomly selected individuals without considering their age, gender, or location.

False

True or False: Congress created the Department of Homeland Security in response to a threatened military invasion.

False

True or False: In criminal court proceedings, the victim is considered the plaintiff.

False

True or False: The parents of peers are a recognized influence in the formation of most people's political values

False

True or False: The pinnacle of the federal court system is the US Supreme Court, consisting of one chief justice and six associate justices

False

True or False: The relationship between education and social class is weak.

False

Outcome 2012 U.S. presidential election

Republicans

Which would demonstrate institutionalized power?

U.S. supreme court striking down a law as unconstitutional

Which condition suggest that a states elections is rigged?

The ruling party wins several consecutive elections

How are legal ruling made by American judges an example of common law?

Their ruling are based on both precedent and written statutes

Which is true of most political scientist?

They are skeptical of power and see long term consequences

True or False: A decision made by Roberts Court led directly to the creation of Super PACs.

True

True or False: The Supreme Court has the final word on interpreting the US Constitution.

True

True or False: The U.S. Supreme Court's power to review the constitutionality of laws is not mentioned specifically in the Constitution and has been vehemently challenged.

True

Moralistic

a culture that views the government as a means to better society and promote the general welfare

Individualistic

a culture that views the government as a mechanism for addressing issues that matter to individual citizens and for pursuing individual goals

Traditionalistic

a culture that views the government as necessary to maintaining the existing social order or the status quo

Expect to see in a country with a high voter turnout......

mandatory voting

Middle aged and older people are more likely to vote because.....

middle aged are at peak earning levels and older people are concerned with Medicare benefits

More women than men have voted in the U.S. because

women are more highly educated than men