Question 1
During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the national government
provided vast sums to business firms to keep them out of bankruptcy.
provided health care to Americans on a temporary basis as a means of alleviating economic hardships.
asserted the power to regulate the nation's economy.
provided vast sums to the states so they could meet their citizens' welfare needs.
utilized laissez-faire capitalism in its policies.
Question 2
The Greek words demos and kratis together mean
majority rule is sacred.
the people rule.
government is good.
politics is immoral.
the king is good.
Question 3
________ referred to his victory in the presidential election as the "Revolution of 1800".
John Adams
Andrew Jackson
John Marshall
Thomas Jefferson
James Madison
Question 4
The origin of the concept of separation of powers is most associated with
Montesquieu.
Aristotle.
Hobbes.
Locke.
Jefferson.
Question 5
In an oligarchy,
the state is run by corporate interests and companies instead of individuals.
control rests with a small group of popularly elected individuals.
control rests with a single individual, such as a dictator.
control rests with a small group, such as military officers or a few wealthy families.
the state controls all aspects of individuals' lives, including family relations and the practice of religion.
Question 6
Sovereignty refers to
a government headed by a king.
a division of authority between the national government and the states.
supreme and final governing authority.
sub-national (state) governments.
None of these answers is correct.
Question 7
Fiscal federalism refers to the
coordinated fiscal policy decisions of the federal government and the states.
expenditure of federal funds on programs run in part through state and local governments.
national banking system first established by Alexander Hamilton in the 1790s.
fact that both the federal government and the states have the power to tax.
ability of the states to manipulate federal decision making.
Question 8
Early Americans' preference for limited government was strengthened by
their exposure to life under the British Parliament and some of the "rights of Englishmen".
Lockean philosophy.
Britain's treatment of the colonies after the French and Indian War.
taxation without representation.
All these answers are correct.
Question 9
McCulloch v. Maryland
ruled in favor of state-centered federalism.
asserted that the necessary and proper clause was a restriction on the power of the national government.
affirmed that national law is supreme to conflicting state law.
established the Supreme Court's power to judge constitutional issues.
allowed for a narrow reading of the Constitution.
Question 10
Enormous concentrations of wealth and power exist in the U.S. private sector, primarily in the hands of
the top 1 percent.
elite political families such as the Kennedys and the Bushes.
middle class Americans.
small businesses.
large corporations.
Question 11
The inalienable rights enumerated in the Declaration of Independence are
life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
liberty, equality, and fraternity.
life, liberty, and property.
life and property only.
equality and liberty only.
Question 12
The writers of the Constitution used the term ________ to describe a form of government that consists of carefully designed institutions that are responsive to the majority but not captive to it.
democracy
republic
federalism
majoritarianism
separation of power
Question 13
Progressive reforms included
primary elections.
direct election of U.S. senators.
the initiative and referendum.
recall elections.
All these answers are correct.
Question 14
Through its Dred Scott decision, the Supreme Court
ruled that "free land" made "free men".
upheld free blacks' rights of citizenship.
upheld the principles of the Missouri Compromise.
soothed sectarian tensions.
ruled that Congress could not outlaw slavery anywhere in the United States.
Question 15
Viewed in historical terms, federalism has been a
contentious and dynamic system that has adapted to the needs of the time.
theoretical principle, in that constitutional provisions for federalism have had virtually no impact on the relationship between the nation and the states.
flawed principle, in that the relationship between the nation and the states has been a constant source of problems without many positive benefits.
fixed principle, in that the relationship between the nation and states is almost completely defined by provisions of the Constitution.
poor replacement for the confederal system which existed before the Constitution.
Question 16
The Constitution prevents the government from suspending the writ of habeas corpus, meaning that the government cannot
prosecute persons for acts that were legal at the time they were committed.
establish a state religion based on Christian beliefs.
enact laws that would legalize the practice of indentured servitude.
jail a person without a court hearing to determine the legality of his or her imprisonment.
silence freedom of the press.
Question 17
________ is the ability of persons, groups, or institutions to influence political developments.
Apathy
Politics
Power
Liberty
Political culture
Question 18
The European philosopher whose concept of natural rights had a great impact on American politics is
Montesquieu.
Locke.
Hobbes.
Aristotle.
Burke.
Question 19
Which of the following characterizes journalist Walter Lippmann's views on democracy?
He felt that well-funded private interest groups and lobbyists had taken the true majoritarian power of democracy away from the voting public.
He felt that modern democratic government had become an unhealthy, pluralistic enterprise.
He believed that among forms of government, only democracy could provide a citizen with the ability to be a "progressive being".
He worried that most citizens are too uninformed to play the role democracy assigns them.
None of these answers is correct.
Question 20
The Constitution forbids Congress from
proposing constitutional amendments.
passing ex post facto laws.
declaring war.
proposing the repeal of constitutional amendments.
creating a national university.
Question 21
In his criticism of the Constitution, the economist Charles Beard argued that
the Constitution's elaborate systems of power and representation were designed to protect the interests of the rich.
the Constitution failed to protect the economic interests of the poorer states.
the Constitution's commerce clause was inadequate to meet the nation's economic needs.
the Constitution did not provide for sufficient protection of property.
the Constitution gave too much power to the illiterate.
Question 22
A public policy program on which national, state, and local policymakers collaborate is an example of
dual federalism.
cooperative federalism.
unitary federalism.
confederal federalism.
cosponsor federalism.
Question 23
In Lochner v. New York (1905), the Supreme Court ruled that
the doctrine of separate but equal was constitutional.
state regulation of labor practices violated firms' property rights.
the Fourth Amendment did not apply to interstate commerce.
factory practices could only be regulated by the states.
factory practices could only be regulated by the federal government.
Question 24
Dual federalism held that
the states were equal to the national government in all respects.
a precise separation of national and state authority was both possible and desirable.
national and state authority were indivisible.
the Senate and the House were equal in their federal authority.
None of these answers is correct.
Question 25
According to the Anti-Federalists, too strong of a national government meant
eventual encroachment upon the sovereignty of the states.
that a new constitutional convention would have to convene every few years.
that a monarchy was preferable to a republic.
that effective commerce between and among the states was an impossibility.
that slavery would be abolished immediately.
Question 26
Which of the following is most closely related to the concept of implied powers?
necessary and proper clause
supremacy clause
Tenth Amendment
the commerce clause
the power to tax
Question 27
The Bill of Rights added to the Constitution, among other things,
a guarantee of freedom of speech.
a division of governmental authority into three branches.
checks and balances among the three branches of government.
restrictions against the power of corporations to influence the election process.
term limits for elected officials to reduce their power.
Question 28
The writers of the Constitution established a federal system of government in part because
the states already existed as established entities and had to be preserved.
a federal government alone would never be able to command the identity or loyalty of its citizenry.
Locke and Montesquieu had concluded it was superior to other systems of government.
the British political system was based on the federal principle.
the states would be valuable sources of revenue for a federal government.
Question 29
Through the grants of power in the Constitution, the framers sought to
define the powers of state governments.
create a government in which sovereignty was invested in the national government only.
both empower government and limit it.
enumerate the rights of individuals.
abolish slavery.
Question 30
The period of dual federalism (1865-1937) was marked by
congressional supremacy in the area of commerce.
state-government supremacy in the area of commerce.
presidential supremacy in the area of commerce.
business supremacy in the area of commerce.
national supremacy in the area of commerce.
Question 31
Sociologist C. Wright Mills was a proponent of the theory of
pluralism.
elitism.
majoritarianism.
bureaucratic rule.
None of these answers is correct.
Question 32
Devolution is the
passing of authority from the national government to the state and local levels.
expansion of national authority that began in the 1930s.
contraction of state authority and the expansion of local government authority.
expansion of national authority that began in the 1960s.
None of these answers is correct.
Question 33
The only counterforce that was potentially strong enough to control the business trusts of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was
government.
the buying public.
organized labor.
business competitors.
farmers.
Question 34
The process by which a society settles its conflicts and allocates the resulting benefits and costs is called
politics.
government.
elitism.
socialism.
communism.
Question 35
As described in the text, "political thinking"
is the reflection of an individual's ideological position when applied to political issues.
results from an individual allowing personal bias to inform all thoughts about political issues, instead of doing objective learning or research to form an opinion.
involves the careful gathering and sifting of information in the process of forming a knowledgeable view about a political issue.
is the result of an individual's attempts to seek out news media that reinforce a pre-existing political bias.
is a strategy taken by those seeking election to public office in which their publicly stated positions are designed to maximize their attractiveness to the widest voting bloc.
Question 36
The first plan of government for the United States was a
confederation.
federalist system.
unitary form of government.
monarchy.
theocracy.
Question 37
The idea that government should be restricted in its lawful uses of power and hence in its ability to deprive people of their liberty is expressed by the term
federalism.
self-government.
judicial review.
limited government.
natural rights.
Question 38
Edmund Burke's idea of representatives as trustees was based on the claim that
representatives should follow their own judgment of the public interest.
representatives should follow the voters' judgment of the public interest.
indirect election is a more trustworthy means of discovering the public interest.
direct election is a more trustworthy means of discovering the public interest.
None of these answers is correct.
Question 39
Which of the following is a difference between communism and socialism, as described by the text?
Under socialism, the government owns some firms, but under communism, the government does not own any major assets.
Under communism, the government assumes total management of the economy, whereas under socialism, the government does not try to manage the overall economy.
Under socialism, the economy operates mainly through private transactions, but under communism, the government owns a number of major industries and tries to provide for people's basic economic needs.
Under communism, the government manages the economy completely but does not attempt to provide for people's basic needs; under socialism, the government does not manage the economy completely, but does attempt to provide for people's basic needs.
Under socialism, the government owns more industries than a communist government, but provides less direct benefit for individuals' welfare.
Question 40
Pluralism contends that, on most issues,
corporate elites have more control over economic policy than do "the politicians in the visible government".
the will of the majority of the voting public determines government policy.
it is the preference of the special interest that largely determines what government does.
true authority lies with the elected politicians, and not with the public that put them in office.
the diverse nature of the citizenry enhances the democratic process in policymaking.
Question 41
Which of the following was an argument in favor of federalism at the time of the writing of the Constitution?
Federalism will protect liberty.
Federalism will force officials to be more responsive to the people.
Federalism will provide for a stronger national government than existed under the Articles of Confederation.
Federalism will be less likely to produce an all-dominant faction.
All these answers are correct.
Question 42
From 1789 to 1865, the most significant issue of federalism was
the application of the Bill of Rights to action by the state governments.
whether the states would accept the lawful authority of the national government.
whether business trusts would be regulated primarily by the states or by the national government.
whether the states would respect the sovereignty of neighboring states.
laissez-faire capitalism.
Question 43
Presidents are
directly selected by the people.
selected by votes of the state legislatures.
selected by votes of the Electoral College.
subject to recall elections.
subject to confidence votes by Congress.
Question 44
Marbury v. Madison is a landmark Supreme Court decision because it
established national supremacy.
set the precedent for judicial review.
defined the scope of state powers under the Tenth Amendment.
affirmed the necessary and proper clause.
helped to end Thomas Jefferson's political career.
Question 45
The framers entrusted the selection of U.S. senators to
specially chosen electors.
state legislatures.
direct vote of the people.
state governors.
federal magistrates.
Question 46
The framers' most significant modification of the traditional doctrine of the separation of powers was to
include federalism.
include a two-chamber legislature.
define legislative power precisely, while defining executive and judicial power only in general terms.
ensure that the powers of the separate branches overlap, so that each could better act as a check on the others.
grant the power of judicial review to the judiciary.
Question 47
In a constitutional system,
there are no restrictions on the lawful uses of power, as long as this power is obtained by majority rule.
there are lawful restrictions on a government's power.
the economy is based on the free enterprise system.
officials govern according to the traditions established by their predecessors.
all citizens have absolute free speech rights.
Question 48
The Tenth Amendment addressed the concerns of Anti-Federalists about
individual freedoms.
the meaning of the commerce clause.
popular representation in Congress.
the powers of state governments.
the Electoral College.
Question 49
The words of the Declaration of Independence reflected
Aristotle's conception of democracy.
Montesquieu's view of constitutionalism.
Hobbes's idea of the state of nature.
Locke's philosophy of inalienable rights.
Madison's view of factions.
Question 50
Andrew Jackson persuaded the states to choose their presidential electors
on the basis of the popular vote.
by a vote of the state legislature.
by a vote of Congress.
by a presidential convention.
on the basis of one state, one elector.