American Democracy Now, 2nd Edition (Harrison)

Chapter 1: People, Politics, and Participation

Multiple Choice Quiz

1
Which of the following is true about citizen activists in the United States?
A)They tend to be rich.
B)They tend to be poor.
C)They believe the government listens to people like them.
D)They are cynical about the influence an individual can have on his or her government.
2
Which of the following is NOT an example of how technology has changed the political process in the last decade?
A)It has changed the way voters and candidates communicate with each other.
B)It has changed how governments provide information to individuals.
C)It has changed how people get their news.
D)It has changed which candidates run for office.
3
During what decade did Americans' faith in their government begin to decline significantly?
A)the 1920s
B)the 1940s
C)the 1970s
D)the 1990s
4
Statistics indicate that during the decade of the 2000s the youngest members of the electorate were ________ politics.
A)cynical about
B)engaged by
C)disengaged from
D)more highly partisan about
5
Which of the following best defines a citizen?
A)a person who lives in a given nation
B)a person who was born in a given nation
C)a person who enjoys the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of membership in a given nation
D)a person who has the right to vote in a given nation
6
According to the Gallup poll in the text, which of the following is true about party identification in the United States?
A)More Americans identify as Democrats than as Republicans among every age group.
B)More Americans identify as Republicans than as Democrats among every age group.
C)Younger voters tend to identify as Democrats, while older voters tend to identify as Republicans.
D)Younger voters tend to identify as Republicans, while older voters tend to identify as Democrats.
7
Which of the following is a distinction between the U.S. election of 2008 and the Afghani elections of 2009?
A)The American election was hotly contested and the Afghani elections were not.
B)Americans accepted the results of their election as the will of the people, while the Afghanis did not.
C)Afghanis accepted the results of their election as the will of the people, while the Americans did not.
D)Afghanis turned out to vote in large numbers while Americans did not.
8
The quality conferred upon government by citizens who believe its exercise of power is right and proper is called
A)legitimacy.
B)rule of law.
C)democracy.
D)None of these answers is correct.
9
Government services are often called public goods
A)because they are provided by the public sector.
B)because they cannot be limited to specific groups or individuals.
C)both because they are provided by the public sector and because they cannot be limited to specific groups or individuals.
D)None of these answers is correct.
10
Which of the following is NOT an example of the socializing functions the United States government performs for young people?
A)funding schools
B)building libraries
C)introducing young people to the "faces" of government
D)collecting taxes
11
Which of the following is true about traditional monarchies?
A)Absolute power is held by one person.
B)Monarchs' rule is largely ceremonial.
C)Monarchs' rule is limited by a constitution.
D)The present monarch picks his successor.
12
Which of the following structures of government allows citizens to enjoy some rights but does not protect those rights?
A)totalitarianism
B)authoritarianism
C)constitutionalism
D)socialism
13
To which of the following can American democracy trace some of its roots?
A)the city-states of ancient Greece
B)the Judeo-Christian tradition
C)English common law
D)All these answers are correct.
14
Which of the following is true about the theory of the divine right of kings?
A)It argues that the king has the responsibility to act as a beneficent and compassionate deity over his subjects.
B)It argues that a king can rule without concern for the will or well-being of his subjects.
C)It argues that a king should be chosen through interpretation of divine signs.
D)It argues that a king should have complete control over the religious life of his subjects.
15
The idea that people could challenge the authority of the crown and church took hold during the
A)English Civil War.
B)French Revolution.
C)Protestant Reformation.
D)Catholic Counter-Reformation.
16
Who was the Enlightenment philosopher that played the largest role in shaping Thomas Jefferson's thinking about government?
A)Thomas Hobbes
B)John Locke
C)Jean-Jacques Rousseau
D)Sir Isaac Newton
17
Which of the following is an example of direct democracy?
A)a New England town meeting
B)the state government of Texas
C)the U.S. federal government
D)the United Nations
18
Core values of American society include all EXCEPT
A)consent of the governed.
B)individualism.
C)collective responsibility.
D)liberty.
19
Which of the following is true about the meaning of liberty?
A)It is fully defined in the Constitution.
B)It is fully defined in the Declaration of Independence.
C)It continues to constantly evolve.
D)Most Americans define it in the same way.
20
The founders' notion of equality was based on
A)equality under the law.
B)equality of opportunity.
C)economic equality.
D)social equality.
21
Which of the following is true about property ownership in the United States?
A)It is considered a right.
B)It is considered a privilege.
C)It is largely unregulated by the government.
D)It is not protected by the Constitution.
22
Emphasis on the ________ is a preeminent feature of American political thought.
A)family
B)individual
C)common good
D)rights of others
23
Which of the following household types makes up a smaller percentage of the American population today than it did in 1970?
A)nonfamily households
B)female householders without spouses
C)male householders
D)nuclear families
24
One of the key differences between modern liberals and conservatives is
A)their view of the role of the individual in society.
B)their view of the role of community in society.
C)their view of the role of government in society.
D)their view of the role of religion in society.
25
Which of the following is an ideology that stresses economic equality?
A)democracy
B)republicanism
C)libertarianism
D)socialism
Harrison: American Democracy Now, 2nd Edition
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