American Political Institutions: A Black Perspective
Quiz 1
1. Government policies pose dilemmas because they almost always require
[A] infringement of the rights of some group.
[B] the triumph of order over freedom.
[C] conflict between the rich and poor.
[D] difficult choices among conflicting values.
2. The broad, basic definition of government given by the text is
[A] legitimate use of force within specified geographic boundaries to control human behavior.
[B] taking from each according to his or her ability and giving to each according to need.
[C] the use of force to benefit an elite.
[D] citizens participating in community decisions.
3. The oldest objective of government is
[A] supporting economic growth.
[B] promoting social equality.
[C] preserving life and protecting property.
[D] preserving the state of nature.
4. In communist political systems, property is
[A] held privately and is protected by government authority.
[B] in private hands but is not actively protected by the state.
[C] held by the state in the name of the people.
[D] not a concern of the government.
5. Services that benefit all citizens but are not likely to result from the voluntary acts of individuals are known as
[A] social welfare.
[B] private benefits.
[C] communism.
[D] public goods.
6. Examples of public goods are
[A] social welfare programs.
[B] hotels.
[C] education, parks, and roads.
[D] groceries at a supermarket.
7. The promotion of equality
[A] is no longer a vital concern of government.
[B] is viewed as being outside the realm of government action.
[C] was not always a government concern.
[D] is one of the original purposes of government.
8. Of the following major objectives of government, the most controversial is
[A] promoting equality.
[B] maintaining order.
[C] maintaining defense against external enemies.
[D] providing public goods.
9. The creation of the welfare state has had the secondary effect of
[A] expanding the role of the national government.
[B] limiting the legitimate scope of the U.S. political system.
[C] reducing the role of the national government in providing public goods.
[D] weakening the power of the national government.
10. U.S. government policies of redistributing income, which emerged in the twentieth century, clash with the value of
[A] protecting personal freedom.
[B] guaranteeing public morality.
[C] maintaining international trade routes.
[D] promoting equality.
11. “Freedom from,” one of the two senses in which the word freedom is used, relates most closely to the concept of
[A] democracy.
[B] liberty.
[C] order.
[D] equality.
12. Government’s authority to maintain order is known as its ________ power.
[A] implied
[B] residual
[C] absolute
[D] police
13. Each citizen having one vote defines
[A] a republic.
[B] equality of opportunity.
[C] political equality.
[D] social equality.
14. Congressional acts prohibiting discrimination in employment, state legislation requiring equal pay for equal work, and court-ordered busing
[A] are proposals that have never been tried in the United States.
[B] limit freedom in the name of social order.
[C] are infringements on freedom in the name of equality.
[D] serve to increase inequality by permitting more freedom.
15. To create social and economic equality, governments must
[A] exercise their police powers.
[B] allow more freedom.
[C] restrict individual freedom.
[D] establish a capitalist economic system.
16. Government’s “original dilemma” is achieving a balance between
[A] order and equality.
[B] equality and freedom.
[C] equality of opportunity and equality of outcome.
[D] freedom and order.
17. An underlying assumption of the text is that perfect freedom, order, and equality can never be achieved because
[A] no government structure is perfectly designed.
[B] some political officials will always be corrupt or incompetent.
[C] these three values are inherently in conflict and cannot be provided simultaneously.
[D] these three terms refer essentially to the same thing.
18. Government’s “modern dilemma” is achieving a balance between
[A] equality of opportunity and equality of outcome.
[B] freedom and equality.
[C] freedom and order.
[D] equality and order.
19. A consistent set of values and beliefs about the proper purpose and scope of government is a(n)
[A] system of government.
[B] original dilemma.
[C] public good.
[D] political ideology.
20. The ideology that advocates government control of all sectors of society is called
[A] libertarianism.
[B] capitalism.
[C] socialism.
[D] totalitarianism.
21. A person who favors government ownership of some basic industries and a strong government role in directing the economy would best be labeled a
[A] capitalist.
[B] socialist.
[C] totalitarian.
[D] libertarian.
22. Which of the following philosophers is usually associated with socialism?
[A] Milton Friedman
[B] John Locke
[C] Montesquieu
[D] Karl Marx
23. Capitalism is best described as a(n)
[A] economic system in which production and property are privately owned with a minimum of government interference.
[B] system in which the use of property is controlled by majority will.
[C] system guaranteeing rights of speech and political participation.
[D] economic system in which the means of production are owned by the state.
24. The United States is best described as having a ________ economic system.
[A] totalitarian
[B] communist
[C] capitalist
[D] democratic socialist
25. An underlying assumption of libertarianism is that
[A] society should be run according to traditional cultural values.
[B] government is a powerful tool for social improvement.
[C] individual citizens make better choices than government does.
[D] many people need to be guided and controlled to make the best choices for themselves.
26. The most extreme political change would be from totalitarianism to
[A] libertarianism.
[B] anarchism.
[C] democratic socialism.
[D] capitalism.
27. A government pursuing laissez-faire policies would
[A] regulate the economy in the interest of efficiency and equality.
[B] promote fairness for the least-advantaged members of society.
[C] take a hands-off attitude toward the economy.
[D] regulate economic competition to ensure basic fairness.
28. A libertarian and a conservative are likely to agree about
[A] opposing food stamp programs.
[B] supporting affirmative action.
[C] supporting government regulation of obscene literature.
[D] supporting mandatory drug tests.
29. Liberals
[A] shy away from using government action.
[B] favor a smaller government than conservatives.
[C] favor the use of government to foster equality.
[D] are most likely to use government power to maintain order.
30. A ________ values freedom more than equality but would restrict freedom to preserve social order.
[A] liberal
[B] libertarian
[C] conservative
[D] communitarian
31. A ________ would most likely oppose laws against abortion because they limit freedom and support the food stamp program because it promotes equality.
[A] conservative
[B] communitarian
[C] liberal
[D] libertarian
32. A person who supports increased expenditures for social welfare programs that promote equality and who favors government regulations that foster law and order can be classified as a
[A] conservative.
[B] liberal.
[C] communitarian.
[D] libertarian.
33. Universal participation refers to
[A] how much one’s vote counts.
[B] whether representation is direct or indirect.
[C] how many votes are needed to reach a decision.
[D] who has a voice in decision making.
34. All of the following are principles of procedural democracy except
[A] minority rights.
[B] government responsiveness to public opinion.
[C] universal participation.
[D] majority rule.
35. The procedural view of democracy is most concerned with
[A] how government decisions are made.
[B] the level of popular participation in decision making.
[C] the impact of government decisions.
[D] the equality of government decisions.
36. Representative democracy is truly democratic only if it follows the principle of
[A] universal participation.
[B] political equality.
[C] government responsiveness.
[D] All of these.
37. For political decision making to be truly democratic, it must follow the four principles of
[A] universal participation, political equality, majority rule, and government responsiveness.
[B] universal participation, representative government, majority rule, and civil rights.
[C] pluralism, political equality, majority rule, and economic equality.
[D] universal participation, political equality, plurality rule, and direct democracy.
38. Direct democracy is rarely practiced in modern societies because
[A] most modern societies are dominated by oligarchies.
[B] citizens of democracies rarely show an interest in politics.
[C] representative democracy is more responsive to majority wishes.
[D] the large size and population of most modern societies make assembling all citizens impossible.
39. Suppose that a majority of properly chosen representatives votes to impose religious observances on all citizens, regardless of their personal beliefs. This action violates the principles of a(n)
[A] procedural democracy.
[B] substantive democracy.
[C] autocracy.
[D] oligarchy.
40. The substantive view of democracy focuses on
[A] the principles and goals embodied in government policies.
[B] the economic success of a political system.
[C] proper procedures for making decisions.
[D] the advantages and limits of democracy.
41. The basic criterion of substantive democracy is that government must guarantee
[A] social equality.
[B] civil rights and civil liberties.
[C] economic rights.
[D] All of these.
42. One of the weaknesses of the procedural model of democracy is that
[A] its reliance on rules may lead to rigidity and inefficiency.
[B] it permits policies that violate standards of substantive democracy.
[C] it neglects the standards of classical Greek democracy.
[D] it does not provide clear criteria to judge whether a government is democratic.
43. In democratic theory, “minority rights” refers to
[A] the absence of racial discrimination.
[B] basic rights that are held by all citizens and cannot be denied by majority decisions.
[C] the protection of those who are not legally adults.
[D] rights that are considered of lesser importance.
44. Under the majoritarian model, the primary mechanism for democratic government is
[A] the referendum.
[B] popular election.
[C] the initiative.
[D] marches and protests.
45. Many observers of U.S. politics contend that the majoritarian model is not a good description of our system because
[A] government officials are rarely concerned about majority opinion.
[B] very little direct democracy exists in the United States.
[C] a majority of American citizens are ignorant of or disinterested in politics.
[D] the United States is ruled by an oligarchy.
46. “Government by the people” means “government by people operating through competing interest groups,” according to
[A] the majoritarian model of democracy.
[B] indirect democracy.
[C] the pluralist model of democracy.
[D] direct democracy.
47. Pluralism is most likely to be found where the government structure is
[A] centralized.
[B] decentralized.
[C] hierarchical.
[D] rapidly changing.
48. The view that the most important government decisions are made by an identifiable and stable minority that shares certain characteristics is called
[A] pluralist theory.
[B] substantive democracy.
[C] the interest group model.
[D] elite theory.
49. According to elite theory, the United States is actually a(n)
[A] aristocracy.
[B] democracy.
[C] monarchy.
[D] oligarchy.
50. The text discredits elite theory as an explanation of U.S. national politics because most studies show that
[A] government and business leaders generally do not cooperate with one another.
[B] too few power positions exist in the United States to constitute an elite.
[C] no one identifiable group regularly prevails on different issues.
[D] elitism cannot coexist with democratic elections.
Reference: 2
[1] [D]
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[2] [A]
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[3] [C]
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[4] [C]
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[5] [D]
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[6] [C]
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[7] [C]
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[8] [A]
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[9] [A]
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[10] [A]
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[11] [D]
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[12] [D]
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[13] [C]
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[14] [C]
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[15] [C]
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[16] [D]
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[17] [C]
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[18] [B]
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[19] [D]
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[20] [D]
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[21] [B]
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[22] [D]
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[23] [A]
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[24] [C]
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[25] [C]
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[26] [B]
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[27] [C]
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[28] [A]
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[29] [C]
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[30] [C]
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[31] [C]
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[32] [C]
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[33] [D]
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[34] [A]
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[35] [A]
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[36] [D]
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[37] [A]
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[38] [D]
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[39] [B]
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[40] [A]
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[41] [B]
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[42] [B]
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[43] [B]
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[44] [B]
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[45] [C]
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[46] [C]
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[47] [B]
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[48] [D]
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[49] [D]
Reference: 24-25
[50] [C]