Chapter 1: Introducing Government in America

Transcription

1 Chapter 1: Introducing Government in America 1. Which statement represents the single most important message of Government in America? (A) Citizens, who are politically ignorant, are not free. (B) Most Americans are apathetic about politics and government. (C) Politics and government matter. (D) Voter turnout is irrelevant. 2. Which group exhibits the greatest amount of apathy toward public affairs in the United States? (A) elderly over age 65 (B) educated (C) wealthy (D) young under age According to Michael Delli Carpini and Scott Keeter in What Americans Know About Politics and Why It Matters, political knowledge is important because (A) it fosters uniformity of opinion on important public issues. (B) it fosters civic virtues, such as political tolerance. (C) it ensures that politicians will follow public opinion polls. (D) it encourages politicians to hire pollsters and take public opinion polls. 4. Which of the following is true about the political knowledge of the young and the elderly? (A) The elderly are most knowledgeable. (B) The young are most knowledgeable. (C) Both groups could easily identify the Speaker of the House. (D) More youth, than elderly, were able to identify the vice president. 5. Which of the following is not a function of the U.S. government? (A) providing public services (B) socializing the young (C) maintaining a national defense (D) provoking instability T-1

2 6. According to your text, which definition of politics is the briefest and most useful? (A) Politics are nothing more than a means of rising in the world. (B) Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere and applying the wrong remedies. (C) Politics is who gets what, when, and how. (D) Politics is the art of the possible. 7. Which of the following is not a policymaking institution? (A) the media (B) legislature (C) executive (D) court 8. Which of the following is an example of a linkage institution? (A) Congress (B) political party (C) Supreme Court (D) the State Department 9. Issues which attract the serious attention of public officials and other people actually involved in politics at any given point in time are know as the (A) party platform. (B) public s opinion. (C) policy agenda. (D) newsworthy events. 10. Which of the following statements best represents how public policy is made in the United States? (A) Most public policies are made by bureaucracies. (B) The great majority of public policies are made by one institution. (C) Very few policies are made by a single policymaking institution. (D) Policymaking is very centralized in the United States. 11. Voter turnout matters because (A) it guarantees access to important decision makers. (B) it prevents foreigners from having undue influence over the political system. (C) it demonstrates American solidarity. (D) those who participate are more likely to benefit from government programs. T-2

3 12. Today s youth find it difficult to believe that politics really matters because (A) they have too many shared national experiences. (B) public affairs news is so omnipresent. (C) there are too many major national events to follow. (D) the proliferation of television channels makes it easier to avoid exposure to politics. 13. The institutions that make authoritative decisions for any given society are collectively known as (A) political parties. (B) government. (C) bureaucracies. (D) iron triangles. 14. Which of the following is not always an example of a public good? (A) Yellowstone National Park (B) interstate highways (C) college education (D) national defense 15. Whom we select as government leaders and what policies these leaders pursue is the text book s definition of (A) politics. (B) linkage institutions. (C) civic duty. (D) natural law. 16. The group who is least likely to vote is (A) the elderly. (B) the young. (C) the well educated. (D) the wealthy. 17. The government s policy agenda (A) consists of the same issues with little change. (B) is lacking a sufficient number of political issues to debate. (C) is driven primarily by the good news spotlighted by the media. (D) changes regularly. T-3

4 18. When the Food and Drug administration approves a new drug, this is an example of a (A) budgetary choice. (B) regulation. (C) congressional statute. (D) presidential action. 19. The Social Security Act is an example of a (A) congressional statute. (B) presidential action. (C) court decision. (D) regulation. 20. Every decision that government makes constitutes a (A) democratic action. (B) pluralist response. (C) public policy. (D) republican initiative. 21. When American war planes were sent to Kosovo, this was a (A) presidential action. (B) court decision. (C) congressional statute. (D) regulation. 22. The framers of the U.S. Constitution were (A) very fond of democracy. (B) favored direct democracy. (C) caring toward citizen preferences. (D) doubted the ordinary citizen s ability to make informed judgments. 23. Most Americans would probably say that democracy is (A) government by a few. (B) government by fiat. (C) government by the people. (D) government gone haywire. T-4

5 24. Which of the following is not one of the five criteria established by Robert Dahl for identifying an ideal democratic process? (A) government control of the agenda (B) effective participation (C) inclusion (D) equality in voting 25. To be called democratic, democracies must practice (A) pluralist theory. (B) majority rule balanced with minority rights. (C) elitist theory. (D) unanimous consent. 26. According to pluralist theory, the actors who have the most influence over public policy are (A) the upper class. (B) the government elite. (C) interest groups. (D) blue collar workers. 27. According to elite and class theory, the actors who have the most influence over public policy are (A) the government elite. (B) interest groups. (C) single issue groups. (D) the upper class. 28. When politicians try to placate every interest group and pass contradictory policies, this is termed (A) technocracy. (B) demosclerosis. (C) arteriosclerosis. (D) hyperpluralism. T-5

6 29. One challenge to American democracy is (A) limited participation in government. (B) the homogeneity of political interests. (C) lower levels of technical expertise. (D) declining campaign costs. 30. When interests conflict and no coalition is strong enough to form a majority and establish policy, this is called (A) policy chaos. (B) the American way. (C) policy gridlock. (D) the revolving door. T-6

7 Chapter 2: The Constitution 1. Gregory Lee Johnson s perspective prevailed on the issue of flag burning because of (A) his articulate nature. (B) his access to money. (C) his access to a multiplicity of political resources. (D) the nature of the U.S. Constitution. 2. Which of the following is generally incorrect about constitutions? (A) They create political institutions. (B) The rules embodied in them are neutral. (C) They allocate power within government. (D) They often provide guarantees to citizens. 3. One of the biggest contributors to the revolt of colonists against British rule was (A) the British Parliament s setting of American foreign policy. (B) the British defense of colonial territories. (C) British imposed taxation without representation. (D) British regulation of commerce and trade. 4. The Declaration of Independence was a justification for (A) revolution. (B) protecting the status quo. (C) preserving colonialism. (D) keeping the monarchy. 5. According to John Locke, the sole purpose of government was to (A) collect tax revenues. (B) protect natural rights. (C) maintain order. (D) provide for the common defense. T-7