american government chapters 1-8 not including 6

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end of chapter self quizes from chapters 1 through 8, but not including chapter 6 in the american democracy eleventh edition by Thomas E. Patterson
Jess Todd
Quiz by Jess Todd, updated more than 1 year ago
Jess Todd
Created by Jess Todd over 9 years ago
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Resource summary

Question 1

Question
Barriers to political thinking include which of the following?
Answer
  • people's inattentiveness to politics
  • people's reliance on sources that slant information to fit their agendas
  • the tendency of politicians to "spin" information
  • all of the above

Question 2

Question
america's political culture includes all except which of the following ideals?
Answer
  • elitism
  • liberty
  • equality
  • self-government

Question 3

Question
when people are able to control policy decisions and prevail in political conflicts, they are said to have...
Answer
  • political culture
  • political power
  • pluralism
  • diversity

Question 4

Question
america's commitment to the principle of constitutionalism means...
Answer
  • the majority can decide all policy issues
  • there are limits on the rightful power of government over citizens
  • direct democracy will be favored over representative democracy
  • a "mixed economy" must be upheld at all costs

Question 5

Question
the text mentions each of the following theories of power concerning who governs america, except...
Answer
  • majoritaraianism
  • pluralism
  • factionalism
  • elitism

Question 6

Question
in a free market system, the allocation of benefits and costs is determined primarily by...
Answer
  • interaction between a private party and another private party
  • interaction between a government entity and another government entity
  • interaction between a private party and government
  • none of the above

Question 7

Question
an obstacle to majoritarianism is the fact that the general public pays little attention to most policy issues
Answer
  • True
  • False

Question 8

Question
in the united states, as compared with most other democracies, corporations are relatively weak in terms of their political influence and control over what happens in the workplace.
Answer
  • True
  • False

Question 9

Question
authority can be defined as the recognized right of officials to make binding decisions.
Answer
  • True
  • False

Question 10

Question
cultural beliefs are based on wishful thinking and serve no purpose for society.
Answer
  • True
  • False

Question 11

Question
the principle of checks and balances in the u.s. system of government...
Answer
  • requires the federal budget to be a balanced budget
  • provides that checks cashed at u.s. banks will be honored as legal tender
  • was a principle invented by the Progressives
  • allows the majority's will to work through representative institutions but places checks on the power of those institutions

Question 12

Question
the u.s. constitution provides for limited government mainly...
Answer
  • through direct election of representatives
  • through indirect systems of popular election of representatives
  • by defining lawful powers and by dividing those powers among competing institutions
  • by making state law superior to national law when the two conflict

Question 13

Question
the U.S. constitution provides for representative government mainly...
Answer
  • through direct and indirect systems of popular election of representatives
  • by defining the lawful powers of government
  • by dividing governing powers among competing institutions
  • by giving the majority absolute power to govern as it pleases

Question 14

Question
the articles of confederation...
Answer
  • established a weak central government that was subordinate to the states
  • defined the legal relationship between the colonies and great britain
  • were proposed by the Progressives as a means of strengthening the power of the voters
  • were the constitutional articles proposed by the southern states at the 1787 Philadelphia convention

Question 15

Question
the addition of the bill of rights to the u.s. constitution meant that...
Answer
  • a list of individual rights would be protected by law
  • the anti-federalists no longer had any reason to oppose the adoption of the constitution
  • the national government could infringe on the rights of the states
  • the state governments could infringe on the rights of the national government

Question 16

Question
of the issues taken up during the constitutional convention, which one consumed the most time and attention?
Answer
  • structure of the presidency
  • structure of congress
  • structure and powers of the federal judiciary
  • ratification of the new constitution

Question 17

Question
the framers of the constitution feared political apathy more than tyranny of the majority.
Answer
  • True
  • False

Question 18

Question
the idea of popular government-- in which the majority's desires have a more direct and immediate impact on public policy--has gained strength since the nation's beginning.
Answer
  • True
  • False

Question 19

Question
the supreme court decision in marbury v. madison gave the courts power to declare governmental action null and void when it is found to violate the constitution.
Answer
  • True
  • False

Question 20

Question
the Virginia plan (also known as the large state plan) called for a congress with equal representation of each state but with greatly strengthened powers.
Answer
  • True
  • False

Question 21

Question
Describing the United States as having a federal system of government means that...
Answer
  • the states are not included in the power arrangement.
  • constitutional authority for governing is divided between a national government on the one hand and the state governments on the the other.
  • the states are not bound by the rules and regulations of the national government.
  • America set up the same type of governing structure as Britain except for its monarchy.

Question 22

Question
the significance of the preamble to the constitution's reading "we the people" rather than "we the states" is that...
Answer
  • there was to be no change in the power relationship between the states and the nation in the new constitution.
  • the new constitution symbolically recognized the people for winning the Revolutionary War.
  • the states would not have to pay their war debts.
  • the national government under the Constitution would have direct power over the people, which it did not have under the Articles of Confederation.

Question 23

Question
which type of power was given to the states under the constitution?
Answer
  • the power to declare war
  • supremacy over the national government
  • reserved power
  • necessary and proper power

Question 24

Question
the supreme court in McCulloch v. Maryland...
Answer
  • ruled in favor of state-centered federalism.
  • affirmed that national law is supreme over conflicting state law.
  • established the principle of judiciary review.
  • declared the "necessary and proper" clause unconstitutional.

Question 25

Question
which one of the following does not describe trends in government revenues and intergovernmental relations in the United States?
Answer
  • the federal government raises roughly as much revenue as much revenue as do all state and local governments combined.
  • unlike states and localities, the federal government controls the american dollar and has a nearly unlimited ability to borrow money to cover its deficits.
  • the states possess the organizational resources to make fiscal federalism a workable arrangement
  • financial assistance from the federal government to the states is gradually being eliminated.

Question 26

Question
the concept of devolution is used to explain...
Answer
  • a shift in authority from the federal government to state and local governments.
  • the necessity for keeping federal and state spheres of responsibility absolutely separate from each other.
  • supreme court rulings in the period between the civil war and the new deal
  • increased recognition that the industrial economy is not confined by state boundaries and must be subject to national regulation.

Question 27

Question
categorical grants allow the states more flexibility and discretion in the expenditure of funds than do block grants
Answer
  • True
  • False

Question 28

Question
the primary goal of writers of the constitution was to establish a national government strong enough to forge a union secure in its defense and open in its commerce.
Answer
  • True
  • False

Question 29

Question
dual federalism is the idea that the national and state governments should not interfere in each other's activities.
Answer
  • True
  • False

Question 30

Question
fiscal federalism involves the states raising money for programs and the federal government administering the programs.
Answer
  • True
  • False

Question 31

Question
which constitutional amendment, as interpreted by the supreme court after 1925, provides protection of individual rights against the actions of state and local governments?
Answer
  • 14th
  • 10th
  • 5th
  • 4th
  • 1st

Question 32

Question
the exclusionary rule holds that...
Answer
  • people who are biased against the defendant may be excluded from serving on a jury.
  • a court can order or constrain an action by an individual.
  • evidence obtained by unconstitutional methods ordinarily cannot be used in a trial.
  • "fighting words" can be excluded from constitutional protection.

Question 33

Question
the U.S bill of rights as originally approved and interpreted protected individual liberties from violation by...
Answer
  • state governments only
  • the national government only
  • both national and state governments
  • all levels of government in the United States

Question 34

Question
the establishment clause prohibits government from...
Answer
  • establishing exceptions to the bill of rights
  • interfering in any matters where church and the state conflict
  • favoring one religion over another or supporting religion over no religion
  • interfering with a person's practice of religion

Question 35

Question
the right of privacy was the basis for the supreme court ruling in
Answer
  • Roe V. Wade
  • Mapp V. Ohio
  • Miranda V. Arizona
  • Schenk V. United States

Question 36

Question
the term that refers to the methods that authorities must use before a person can legitimately be punished for an offense is...
Answer
  • the three-point test
  • the right of privacy
  • procedural due process
  • substantive due process

Question 37

Question
Sexual material that is offensive to any one individual in society is automatically deemed obscene and is not protected under the first amendment.
Answer
  • True
  • False

Question 38

Question
selective incorporation refers to the process by which the supreme court through the fourteenth amendment's due process clause has applied many of the bill of rights guarantees to actions by state governments.
Answer
  • True
  • False

Question 39

Question
To win a libel suit, public officials must prove that a news organization or journalist acted with knowing or reckless disregard for the truth.
Answer
  • True
  • False

Question 40

Question
the supreme court supported the effort of the state of Texas to outlaw the burning of the american flag.
Answer
  • True
  • False

Question 41

Question
the term civil rights refers to...
Answer
  • treating groups equally under the law
  • protecting an individual's right to religious belief
  • protecting public safety
  • permitting marriage by justices of the peace

Question 42

Question
the supreme court of the United States
Answer
  • has never tolerated discriminating against people on the basis of their race
  • outlawed discrimination based on race in the plessy case
  • refused to hear the legal case involving school segregation in Topeka, Kansas, because Kansas was not considered part of the south.
  • in Brown V. Board of education prohibited the practice of separate public schools for the purposes of racial segregation.

Question 43

Question
the legal test that in some cases (such as the legal consumption of alcohol) allows government to treat people differently based on their characteristics (such as age) is called the...
Answer
  • reasonable basis test
  • strict-scrutiny test
  • suspect classification standard
  • none of the above

Question 44

Question
government policies that have been implemented to eliminate discrimination with the goal of achieving "equality of result" include...
Answer
  • food stamps
  • affirmative action
  • unemployment benefits
  • all of the above

Question 45

Question
regarding job-related issues, women...
Answer
  • have made gains in many traditionally male-dominated fields.
  • have achieved gains in the workplace through programs such as day care and parental leave.
  • hold a disproportionate number of the lower-wage jobs and are less likely to hold top-level management positions.
  • all of the above.

Question 46

Question
regarding affirmative action, supreme court decisions in the 1980's and 1990's have...
Answer
  • moved to outlaw it entirely.
  • moved to narrow its application to specific past acts of discrimination.
  • asked congress to clarify the policy.
  • asked the president to clarify the policy.

Question 47

Question
de facto discrimination is much harder to overcome than de jure discrimination
Answer
  • True
  • False

Question 48

Question
the history of discrimination against hispaniccs is virtually the same as the history of discrimination against african americans, which helps account for the similarity of their political and economic situations.
Answer
  • True
  • False

Question 49

Question
in recent years, the equal-protection clause of the fourteenth amendment has been extended to include the elderly but not the disabled
Answer
  • True
  • False

Question 50

Question
asian americans have made such great progress in overcoming discrimination that the percentage of asian americans in top managerial positions and elected political offices is greater than the percentage of asian americans in the U.S. population.
Answer
  • True
  • False

Question 51

Question
low voter turnout in U.S. elections compared to other democracies is explained by all of the following except...
Answer
  • differences in registration requirements
  • use of screen ballot
  • frequency of elections
  • differences in the political party systems

Question 52

Question
unconventional political activism includes all of the following except...
Answer
  • participating in a social movement
  • taking part in a political demonstration or march
  • practicing civil disobedience
  • doing volunteer work for a political candidate or party.

Question 53

Question
which group has the lowest voter turnout level?
Answer
  • high-income americans
  • college educated americans
  • young adult americans
  • americans with a strong sense of civic duty

Question 54

Question
in European democracies, voting registration is...
Answer
  • purely an individual's responsibility
  • the responsibility of government officials
  • taxed, although the tax is only a small amount in most european countries
  • open only to citizens of thirty years of age or older in most european countries

Question 55

Question
in comparison with citizens of european democracies, americans are more likely to...
Answer
  • vote in national elections
  • join labor unions
  • participate in community activities
  • regard protest as the most patriotic form of participation

Question 56

Question
which of the following statements does not describe political participation in america?
Answer
  • many people who participate in politics often do so from a sense of civic duty
  • america's culture of individualism discourages a reliance on political involvement
  • there are more barriers to regular participation in elections in the united states than in Europe.
  • americans place more emphasis on the public (political) sphere as a means of attaining their social and economic goals that they place on the private (economic) sphere.

Question 57

Question
more than in other western democracies, political participation in the united states is related to income level.
Answer
  • True
  • False

Question 58

Question
people who participate in social movements tend to be younger than nonparticipants.
Answer
  • True
  • False

Question 59

Question
the internet has increasingly been an important medium of election participation, including as a vehicle for contributing money to candidates' campaigns
Answer
  • True
  • False

Question 60

Question
with regard to election campaigns, americans are more likely than europeans to contribute money and to volunteer their time to help a candidate or party.
Answer
  • True
  • False

Question 61

Question
the formation of political parties...
Answer
  • acts as a support for an elitist government
  • makes it difficult for the public to participate in politics
  • can mobilize citizens to collective action to compete for power with those who have wealth and prestige
  • can function as an alternative to free and open media

Question 62

Question
a major change in party activity in the south since the 1960's is...
Answer
  • the emergence of a viable third party.
  • a sharp decline in voter turnout.
  • a decline in the level of two-party competition in state and local elections.
  • a switch to support republican candidates in presidential elections

Question 63

Question
the chief electoral factor supporting a two party system in the united states is...
Answer
  • proportional representation
  • multimember election districts
  • single-member districts with proportional voting
  • single-member districts with plurality voting.

Question 64

Question
the high cost of campaigns in the united states is largely related to...
Answer
  • running televised ads
  • developing an effective website
  • organizing door-to-door canvassing efforts
  • paying the legal and accounting expenses related to filing information about campaign donors and expenditures with the federal elections commisions

Question 65

Question
in the recent decades, state political party organizations in the united states have...
Answer
  • become weaker and less effective
  • taken over control and direction of the national parties
  • been hurt by services provided by the national party organizations
  • become more professional in staffing and support of statewide races

Question 66

Question
European and American political parties differ in which of the following ways?
Answer
  • the degree to which they are party centered as opposed to candidate centered.
  • the nature of their party organizations: the extent to which they are organized at the local and national levels, and the amount of power that exists at each of these levels.
  • the type of electoral system in which they elect their candidates to office.
  • all of the above.

Question 67

Question
the coalitions of voters that make up the republican and democratic parties are virtually identical.
Answer
  • True
  • False

Question 68

Question
primary elections help strengthen party organizations in the united states
Answer
  • True
  • False

Question 69

Question
U.S. political parties are organized largely from the bottom up, not the top down.
Answer
  • True
  • False

Question 70

Question
modern-day parties in the united states are described in the text as having more of a service than a power relationship with candidates.
Answer
  • True
  • False
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