Midterm Flashcards
(43 cards)
Why did the Framers of the Constitution not create a direct democracy?
a. It was not the best way to resist manipulative politicians.
b. Direct democracy never been used before.
c. The people had expressed support for a government similar to a monarchy.
d. They were worried about the efficiency of ballot-counting.
e. They believed the rights of the minority would be suppressed by the dominating majority.
The people had expressed support for a government similar to a monarchy.
Which of the following best describes the government of the United States?
a. A direct democracy
b. A republic
c. A confederation
d. A constitutional monarchy e. An anarchy
A republic
Which of the following perspectives holds that society is ruled by a small number of people who exercise power to further their self-interest?
a. Creedal passion view
b. Pluralist view
c. Power elite view
d. Bureaucratic view
e. Class view
c
How did Aristotle define democracy?
a. Rule of the few
b. Rule of the one
c. Rule of the powerful
d. Rule of the many
e. Rule of the intelligent
d
In the U.S. political system, which of these most closely approximates Aristotle’s ideal of direct democracy?
a. Trade Unions
b. U.S. House of Representatives
c. New England town meeting
d. Constitutional Convention
e. Southeastern United States before the Civil War
c
Policies aimed at lessening income inequality and addressing the disproportionate power held by individuals with wealth are based on which theory of power?
a. The power elite view
b. The bureaucratic view
c. The pluralist view
d. The creedal passion view
e. The class view
e
Which of the following perspectives holds that society is ruled by a small number of people who exercise power to further their self-interest?
a. Creedal passion view
b. Pluralist view
c. Power elite view
d. Bureaucratic view
e. Class view
c
Which of the following terms is defined as the activity by which an issue is agitated or settled?
a. Government
b. Policy
c. Politics
d. Participation
e. Lobbying
b
In the United States, no government at any level would be considered legitimate if it were not in some sense which of these?
a. Democratic
b. Altruistic
c. Humanitarian
d. Elitist
e. Aristocratic
a
What is the impact of self-interest on the positions people take on important issues?
a. The self-interest of individuals is usually a complete guide to their actions.
b. Economic self-interest may be important, but it is usually not the only guide to people’s actions.
c. Organizational self-interest, rather than economic self-interest, is usually the best guide to people’s actions.
d. Political preferences can be predicted invariably by knowing an individual’s economic or organizational position.
e. Self-interest is rarely an important factor in understanding political attitudes and behavior.
b
According to the class view of power distribution, which of the following groups wields the most power in the United States?
a. Unions and laborers
b. Interest groups
c. Unelected bureaucrats
d. The people
e. Top executives of multinational corporations
c
. Which view about power distribution in the United States attributes the majority of political power to elected politicians?
a. The class view
b. The power elite view
c. The bureaucratic view
d. The creedal passion view
e. The pluralist view
e
Policies aimed at lessening income inequality and addressing the disproportionate power held by individuals with wealth are based on which theory of power?
a. The power elite view
b. The bureaucratic view
c. The pluralist view
d. The creedal passion view
e. The class view
e
Many farmers benefit substantially from agricultural price supports, but many consumers have no idea what these price supports cost them in taxes and higher food prices. Which type of politics does this suggest?
a. Minoritarian politics
b. Interest group politics
c. Client politics
d. Entrepreneurial politics
e. Majoritarian politics
c
The power of the Supreme Court to declare the actions of the other branches of government to be unconstitutional is known as which of the following?
a. Judicial review
b. Judicial activism
c. Judicial ratification
d. The supremacy doctrine
e. Due process
a
In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson’s statement that “all men are created equal” is similar to which of the following theorist’s belief that government is based on the “consent of the governed”?
a. John Locke
b. Aristotle
c. Karl Marx
d. David Hume
e. Montesquieu
a
The Bill of Rights limits the power of which of the following?
a. The government over the rights and liberties of individuals
b. The national government over the rights of the states
c. State governments over the inherent powers of the national government
d. National and state governments to tax individuals
e. State governments to tax the national government
a
The Constitution would not have been ratified in several important states if the Federalists had not assured the states of which of the following?
a. A ban on the importation of slaves would be a focus of the first Congress.
b. Amendments to the Constitution would be passed to protect individual liberties against infringement by the national government.
c. Amendments to the Constitution would be passed to protect the rights of states against infringement by the national government.
d. An amendment would be passed to prohibit the manufacture, sale, and consumption of liquor.
e. Slaves who had escaped to free states would not to be returned to their owners in slave states.
b
During the constitutional deliberations, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison, to sway public opinion, wrote 85 essays known as which of the following?
a. The Antifederalist Papers
b. Common Sense
c. The Federalist Papers
d. The Mayflower Compact
e. The Pluralist Papers
c
In 1776, what was one important reason that colonists regarded independence as desirable?
a. They no longer had confidence that the British government would protect their liberties.
b. They could no longer afford the price of British exports.
c. They had come to reject the philosophy of John Locke.
d. They had come to reject British ideas of individual rights.
e. They were struggling economically.
a
What was the effect of Shays’s Rebellion on the attendance of delegates at the planned Constitutional Convention of 1787?
a. It encouraged attendance because delegates feared the collapse of state governments.
b. It encouraged attendance because delegates feared intervention by the British.
c. It discouraged attendance because delegates feared a public outcry against any strengthening of the Articles of Confederation.
d. It discouraged attendance because delegates feared intervention by the British.
e. It discouraged the attendance of delegates who fought in the Revolutionary War.
a
What was one primary feature of most early state constitutions?
a. A detailed bill of rights
b. A plan for land use and improvement
c. A strong executive branch
d. A disregard for individual rights
e. Economic regulation of free markets
a
How did Pennsylvania’s government, which was considered “radically democratic,” differ from other state governments?
a. It had no constitution.
b. It had no written laws.
c. It had no elected officials.
d. It had no legislature.
e. It had no governor.
e
Madison’s confidence in the usefulness of the separation of powers rested on what assumption?
a. The strongest would survive.
b. Human nature was basically good.
c. No one would purposely seek power.
d. Ambitions would counteract each other.
e. Government would create virtuous citizens.
d