Chapter 1: The Spirit of American Politics

Test Bank

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 1

1) How many public officials, in total, do Americans elect?

Feedback: factual

a. 500,000

b. 300,000

c. 700,000

d. 100,000

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 2

2) On how many occasions did Americans inaugurate presidential candidates who got fewer popular votes than their opponents?

Feedback: factual

a. Ten

b. Five

c. Three

d. Thirteen

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 3

3) How long are the Supreme Court justices’ terms?

Feedback: factual

a. They are elected for a term of two years.

b. They are appointed for life.

c. They are elected every four years.

d. They are appointed for a term of ten years.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 4

4) The Supreme Court in 1857 ruled that black people were

Feedback: factual

a. equal in all respects.

b. inferior.

c. allowed to vote.

d. unable to marry.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 5

5) In a republic, who is in charge?

Feedback: conceptual

a. The people

b. The president

c. The Supreme Court

d. The bureaucracy

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 6

6) Early America did not live up to the ideal expressed in the first three words of the Constitution, “We the People.” Which of the following groups were actually included in government?

Feedback: applied

a. Slaves

b. Women

c. White men

d. American Indians

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 7

7) What percentage of House Members win reelection?

Feedback: factual

a. 85%

b. 78%

c. 95%

d. 23%

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 8

8) What does the term military-industrial complex mean?

Feedback: conceptual

a. A network of influence and money flowing between defense contractors, military figures in the Pentagon, and defense policy officials in Congress and the White House

b. A complex that housed military and industrial officials

c. The collaborative efforts between the military and industrial suppliers

d. A military base located in Virginia

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 9

9) The idea that those who carry out day-to-day operations of government are in control is known as

Feedback: factual

a. pluralist theory.

b. elite theory.

c. social movement theory.

d. bureaucratic theory.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 10

10) The major difference between political theories is

Feedback: conceptual

a. who wrote them.

b. who is in charge.

c. who is elected president.

d. the major institutions at work.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 11

11) Benjamin Franklin believed Americans must be _______ to maintain their republic.

Feedback: applied

a. vigilant and active

b. quiet and inactive

c. willing to run for office

d. willing to serve in the military

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 12

12) What is suggested by pluralist theory?

Feedback: conceptual

a. Multicultural existence

b. People can influence government through interest groups

c. People can influence government through individual advocacy

d. One can believe in numerous religions

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 13

13) Where does pluralist theory say that influence is displayed in government?

Feedback: conceptual

a. Religious groups

b. Interest groups

c. Political groups

d. Unions

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 14

14) According to pluralist theory, where is political power located?

Feedback: conceptual

a. Interest groups

b. Political machines

c. Religious groups

d. Bureaucracy

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 15

15) Where does elite theory place the location of political power?

Feedback: conceptual

a. Richest in government, the judicial branch, and the military

b. Richest in college institutions, businesses, and the Central Intelligence Agency

c. Richest in unions, corporations, and banks

d. Richest in government, corporations, and the military

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 16

16) What is the source of influence according to those who support elite theory?

Feedback: conceptual

a. Status based on economic influence and religious background

b. Status based on economic influence and leadership position

c. Status based on economic influence and academic background

d. Status based on economic influence and party affiliation

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 17

17) Those who support social movement theory believe that the location of political power is

Feedback: conceptual

a. controversial uprisings and movements.

b. religious uprisings and movements.

c. popular uprisings and movements.

d. economic uprisings and movements.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 18

18) According to social movement theory, government is influenced by

Feedback: conceptual

a. strength of persuasion.

b. strength of student demands.

c. strength of union demands.

d. strength of private demands.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 19

19) Which of the following movements was an example of social movement theory?

Feedback: conceptual

a. Tea Party

b. Occupy Wall Street

c. Civil rights movement

d. All of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 20

20) What theory holds that all political outcomes—elections, the passage of a law, even mass rallies—are the aggregate of the public’s individual interests?

Feedback: conceptual

a. Political-choice theory

b. Rational-choice theory

c. Mass-choice theory

d. Public-choice theory

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 21

21) The four “I’s” the textbook focuses on are

Feedback: factual

a. Ideas, institutions, interests, idiosyncrasies

b. Ideas, institutions, intelligence, individuals

c. Ideas, institutions, interest, individuals

d. Internationalism, institutions, interest, individuals

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 22

22) Which person brought forward the idea of a “military-industrial complex”?

Feedback: applied

a. Franklin D. Roosevelt

b. Dwight Eisenhower

c. Harry Truman

d. John F. Kennedy

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 23

23) Which of these persons was an American civilian in Iraq after the United States toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003 and founded a public service organization to provide first aid, food, and health care to ordinary Iraqis hurt in the war?

Feedback: factual

a. Helen Williamson

b. Steven Johnson

c. Marla Ruzicka

d. Henry James

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 24

24) What was the name of Marla Ruzicka’s organization to help Iraqis with first aid, food, and health care?

Feedback: factual

a. Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict, or CIVIC

b. Campaign for Iraqi Victims in Conflict, or CIVIC

c. Campaign for Ideological Victims in Conflict, or CIVIC

d. Campaign for Injured Victims in Conflict, or CIVIC

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 25

25) Patrick Henry, a Virginia politician, made what declaration when he read the new Constitution?

Feedback: factual

a. “I smell a rat.”

b. “As little power to the people as possible.”

c. “This will never work.”

d. “We have a government.”

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 26

26) Who famously said, “Government is not the solution to the problem; government is the problem”?

Feedback: factual

a. Patrick Henry

b. Dwight Eisenhower

c. Richard Nixon

d. Ronald Reagan

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 27

27) Why did Patrick Henry, when he heard about the new Constitution in 1787, make the famous statement “I smell a rat”?

Feedback: factual

a. He believed that the new federal government would be too strong.

b. He was concerned that some members in Congress were unscrupulous.

c. He warned that the new Constitution would produce a new federal government that would be too weak.

d. None of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 28

28) Alexis de Tocqueville, a French visitor to America in 1831–1832, noticed particular ways of thinking in Americans that he called “_______,” or patterns of social interactions that naturally flowed from Americans in their interchanges and mutual problem solving. He believed these patterns formed the foundation of a robust democracy.

Feedback: conceptual

a. habits of the heart

b. instincts for living

c. patterns of life

d. rules of living

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 29

29) _______ are collaborative efforts between business firms and government officials to achieve public ends.

Feedback: applied

a. government-private partnerships

b. private-social partnerships

c. public-private partnerships

d. social-public partnerships

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 30

30) Today, only about _______ percent of Americans trust the national government “to do the right thing most of the time.”

Feedback: factual

a. 17

b. 5

c. 20

d. 17

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 31

31) The fifteen cabinet departments employ how many civilian employees?

Feedback: factual

a. 2.7 million

b. 2,800

c. 280

d. 28

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 32

32) The president’s cabinet has _______ departments.

Feedback: factual

a. Fifteen

b. Twenty

c. Twelve

d. Thirty-three

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 33

33) There are more than _______ active and reserve members of the armed forces.

Feedback: factual

a. 3.5 million

b. 4.5 million

c. 2.5 million

d. 1.7 million

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 34

34) There are nearly _______ million state and local government workers.

Feedback: factual

a. 11.5

b. 15.5

c. 13.5

d. 19.4

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 35

35) Americans give the government high marks for

Feedback: factual

a. responding to natural disasters.

b. growing the economy.

c. preventing poverty.

d. the education system.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 36

36) The Constitution begins by stating

Feedback: factual

a. the basic functions of government.

b. the reasons for revolution.

c. the office of the presidency.

d. a list of grievances.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 37

37) The annual federal government budget, according to the text, is

Feedback: factual

a. $4.8 trillion.

b. $1.5 trillion.

c. $3.3 trillion.

d. $9 trillion.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 38

38) Without the aid of _______ (their first client), the famous Wright brothers would not have been able to develop the airplane.

Feedback: factual

a. the U.S. military

b. their family

c. banks

d. their friends

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 39

39) More than _______ percent of all federal government spending goes to just four programs.

Feedback: factual

a. 65

b. 50

c. 75

d. 80

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 40

40) Which four programs collectively receive the largest share of federal government spending?

Feedback: factual

a. Education, human services, Social Security, and Medicare

b. The military, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid

c. Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and education

d. The military, education, Medicare, and Medicaid

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 41

41) The expenditures of the four largest programs of the federal government total over _______ trillion dollars.

Feedback: factual

a. 3

b. 1

c. 5

d. 7

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 42

42) The U.S. tax burden ranks _______ among the thirty wealthiest nations in the world.

Feedback: factual

a. seventeenth

b. third

c. thirty-second

d. tenth

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 43

43) Cars stop at red lights as a result of

Feedback: applied

a. common law.

b. accepted practice.

c. government rules.

d. interest groups.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 44

44) Who sets the rules for society?

Feedback: factual

a. Governments

b. Interest groups

c. Corporations

d. Religious organizations

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 45

45) What is meant by the expression “The United States is a nation of immigrants”?

Feedback: conceptual

a. America is a country where people from different countries can come to work and vacation and then return home.

b. The United States is a nation where people from a few countries can come to live.

c. The United States is a country where individuals come to reinvent themselves.

d. All of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 46

46) When did the Puritans land in Massachusetts?

Feedback: factual

a. 1700

b. 1597

c. 1802

d. 1630

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 47

47) In the New World, some colonists came up with a remarkable phrase: they considered themselves a community of saints, a “city on a hill.” What is meant by this phrase?

Feedback: conceptual

a. They were a model for the whole world to follow.

b. Their new home was located on a hill.

c. The New World was their Heaven.

d. None of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 48

48) As early European settlers arrived in the New World, different settlers were arriving from Africa, chained in slave ships. Drivers and traders tried to strip Africans of which of the following?

Feedback: factual

a. Their families

b. Their identities

c. Their names and heritage

d. All of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 49

49) When did the first people from Ireland and Germany come to America?

Feedback: factual

a. In the 1770s

b. In the 1840s

c. In the 1900s

d. In the 1890s

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 50

50) When did the first groups of people from Poland and Italy immigrate to America?

Feedback: factual

a. In the 1800s

b. In the 1750s

c. In the 1850s

d. In the 1900s

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 51

51) From which of the following countries are people coming to America today?

Feedback: factual

a. China

b. Mexico

c. India

d. All of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 52

52) Immigrants had to wrestle with what in their new land?

Feedback: factual

a. Parents

b. Welfare programs

c. Identity

d. Children

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 53

53) Studies show that millennials, on average, are more responsible, harder working, and more law-abiding than the generations that came before. Which of the following are they more inclined to do than their predecessors were?

Feedback: applied

a. Volunteer

b. Donate a higher share of their income to charity

c. Start entrepreneurial organizations with social impact

d. All of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 54

54) Millennials were born between

Feedback: applied

a. 1945 and 1965.

b. 1963 and 1973.

c. 1972 and 1982.

d. 1981 and 1996.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 55

55) What is a republic?

Feedback: conceptual

a. A system of government that rests ultimate governing power in its people, who may rule directly or via representatives

b. A system of government that rests most governing power in an elite selected for authority based on superior education

c. A system of government that rests no governing power in its people but instead allows a single individual to exercise sole political control to ensure the well-being of all people

d. None of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 56

56) What is one way in which those with more money can gain greater political influence?

Feedback: conceptual

a. Buy votes

b. Give money to campaigns

c. Pay the salary of elected officials

d. Build new state buildings

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 57

57) Political machines were corrupt parties that ran many city and state governments, most famously in which century?

Feedback: factual

a. The nineteenth

b. The twenty-first

c. The eighteenth

d. None of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 58

58) The principle of checks and balances ensures that which branch of government has the authority to block the other branches?

Feedback: conceptual

a. The executive branch

b. The judicial branch

c. The legislative branch

d. All three branches

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 59

59) When most people talk about politics, who are they thinking of?

Feedback: factual

a. Individuals

b. Institutions

c. Ideas

d. Interests

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 60

60) When did the first Constitutional Convention begin?

Feedback: factual

a. 1787

b. 1878

c. 1856

d. None of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 61

61) Political scientists stress which aspect of government?

Feedback: factual

a. Ideas

b. Institutions

c. Individuals

d. Interests

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 62

62) An example of a government institution is

Feedback: factual

a. The Department of Agriculture

b. The Nevada Legislature

c. The Marine Corps

d. All of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 63

63) A form of government in which the people hold power is a

Feedback: factual

a. republic.

b. democracy.

c. dictatorship.

d. monarchy.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 64

64) The Supreme Court serves as a check on

Feedback: factual

a. The executive branch

b. Congress

c. State governments

d. All of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 65

65) As _______ left the Constitutional Convention in 1787, a woman stopped him. “What kind of government have you given us?” she asked. He responded, “A republic, madam—if you can keep it.”

Feedback: factual

a. Thomas Jefferson

b. Benjamin Franklin

c. John Adams

d. None of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 66

66) _______, a republic that had collapsed during ancient times, was highly influential on the founders of the United States in the development of the Constitution.

Feedback: factual

a. Athens

b. Barcelona

c. London

d. Moscow

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 67

67) The Constitution protected slavery and gave slaveholders _______ of a vote for every person they kept in chains.

Feedback: factual

a. One-third

b. One-fourth

c. Three-fifths

d. None of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 68

68) President Eisenhower was a five-star general who commanded American forces. In which war did he serve in this capacity?

Feedback: factual

a. World War I

b. World War II

c. Vietnam War

d. None of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 69

69) A government in which citizens rule indirectly through elected representatives is a

Feedback: factual

a. democracy.

b. dictatorship.

c. republic.

d. parliamentary system.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 70

70) What does the political term institutions mean?

Feedback: conceptual

a. Organizational establishments

b. The organizations, norms, and rules that structure political action

c. The mindsets of a political environment

d. The establishments of the political elite

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 71

71) Which of the following is an example of an institution?

Feedback: conceptual

a. Congress

b. Red Cross

c. Occupy Wall Street

d. All of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 72

72) Which of the following is an example of an institution?

Feedback: conceptual

a. Little League

b. News media

c. The Daily Show

d. None of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 73

73) Which of the following is an example of an institution?

Feedback: conceptual

a. The Supreme Court

b. United Way

c. Families

d. All of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 74

74) Which of the following is an example of an institution?

Feedback: conceptual

a. Parent-Teacher Association

b. Knights of Columbus

c. Department of Homeland Security

d. All of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 75

75) What is the term for people joining others in order to achieve a common goal?

Feedback: conceptual

a. Civil society

b. Government

c. Sports

d. The military

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 76

76) Which of the following is part of the three sectors of society?

Feedback: conceptual

a. Private life

b. Religious life

c. Civic life

d. None of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 77

77) Which of the following is part of the three sectors of society?

Feedback: conceptual

a. Little League sports

b. Government

c. Reality TV

d. None of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 78

78) What defines private life?

Feedback: conceptual

a. Individuals, families, and friends connecting with one another

b. Individuals’ personal affairs

c. Individuals and their friends, acting on their own

d. All of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 79

79) What defines civil society?

Feedback: conceptual

a. Individuals achieving goals by themselves

b. People joining with others to achieve some goal

c. People joining groups to be entertained

d. None of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 80

80) What defines government?

Feedback: conceptual

a. Informal and formal organizations that make decisions for the whole society

b. Formal organizations that make decisions for the whole society

c. Public and private partnership to make decisions for the whole society

d. None of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 81

81) Which of the following is an example of civil society?

Feedback: conceptual

a. Bowling club

b. Bible study circle

c. Business association

d. All of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 82

82) Which of the following is a good example of a successful public-private partnership?

Feedback: conceptual

a. The chamber of commerce working with the city government to renovate parks

b. Nonprofit organizations working with the school district to launch innovative schools

c. A sports team collaborating with the state to develop a financing scheme to construct a sports arena

d. All of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 83

83) People learn to interact with others and solve problems through

Feedback: factual

a. government programs.

b. the educational system.

c. joining groups.

d. voting.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 84

84) Americans develop their “habits of the heart” through

Feedback: factual

a. working individually.

b. working for the government.

c. joining groups.

d. working with their families.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 85

85) Which of the following is a way for students to engage within our political system?

Feedback: applied

a. Join a Senate campaign

b. Attend a town meeting

c. Run for office

d. All of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 86

86) Which of the following is a way for students to get involved from outside the political system?

Feedback: applied

a. Call media attention to a problem

b. Serve in (or start) an advocacy group

c. Launch an online idea like tracking federal government spending

d. All of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 87

87) The basic building block of a strong democracy is

Feedback: conceptual

a. voting.

b. civil society.

c. protesting.

d. the Constitution.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 88

88) _______ provides health care for people over the age of sixty-five.

Feedback: factual

a. Medicare

b. Welfare

c. Social Security

d. None of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 89

89) _______ provides health care for some poor people; about half of this program’s spending goes to people over the age of sixty-five.

Feedback: factual

a. Financial aid

b. Medicaid

c. Social Security

d. None of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 90

90) A large part of the federal budget is devoted to

Feedback: conceptual

a. welfare programs.

b. infrastructure.

c. older people.

d. elementary education.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 91

91) What does the federal government do when it does not have enough money?

Feedback: conceptual

a. Borrow

b. Print more

c. Cut programs

d. Reduce government salaries

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 92

92) Compared with citizens in many other countries, citizens in the United States pay _______ in taxes.

Feedback: factual

a. more

b. less

c. somewhat similar amounts

d. almost identical amounts

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 93

93) When the federal government allows businesses a tax deduction for offering employee health insurance, the government is working _______ to help citizens.

Feedback: conceptual

a. democratically

b. profitably

c. indirectly

d. directly

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 94

94) When homeowners take mortgage interest tax deductions, they are experiencing

Feedback: applied

a. government interference.

b. government assistance.

c. direct government.

d. indirect government.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 95

95) When the Puritans began affirming who they were and declaring who they were not, they were developing a type of identity that is often known by which name?

Feedback: conceptual

a. Us and them

b. We and they

c. Puritans and others

d. Americans and foreigners

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 96

96) Explain the pluralist theory.

Feedback:

 Interest groups.

 Supports transparency.

 Influence through organization, resources, and connections.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 97

97) Explain elite theory.

Feedback:

 “Power elites” in government, corporations, and military control society.

 Usually hidden or secret.

 Make major decisions for society to advance their own interests.

 Status based on having leading and controlling positions in society.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 98

98) Where does control lie in bureaucratic theory?

Feedback:

 Men and women who carry out day-to-day operations of modern government.

 Establish policy.

 Sideline the influence of most Americans.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 99

99) What is social movement theory?

Feedback:

 Popular uprisings or movements.

 Spontaneous.

 Lower-status people can be a part of them.

 Strength of demands of the masses gives them influence.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 100

100) What did President Eisenhower warn of when he warned against the military-industrial complex?

Feedback:

 Speech in 1961 by retiring President Eisenhower.

 Warning that the military, corporate suppliers, and political friends were creating a permanent self-reinforcing bloc to control government.

 Dangerous for wielding secret influence on government.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 101

101) Describe a successful current public-private partnership and state reasons for its success.

Feedback:

 Name a government institution and a private institution implementing an activity usually done only by government.

 Discuss why the partnership is successful.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 102

102) Explain the distinction between Medicare and Medicaid.

Feedback:

 Medicare is health care for people over the age of sixty-five.

 Medicaid is health care for poor people.

 Medicaid is a program jointly implemented with the states.

 Both were created in 1965 as part of the Great Society federal government efforts to eliminate poverty.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 103

103) Explain the principle of checks and balances.

Feedback:

 No one government institution has the ability to enforce its will in government without the cooperation of the others.

 Separation of powers into judicial, legislative, and executive functions.

 Part of the ideas outlined in Federalist 10 to address the “mischief of factions.”

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 104

104) List the three sectors of society.

Feedback:

 Private life—school, family, work, private activities.

 Civil society—clubs and activities where people join together to achieve a common goal.

 Government—formal organizations that make decisions for all of society.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 105

105) Explain why Patrick Henry, when he heard about the new Constitution in 1787, made the famous statement “I smell a rat.”

Feedback:

 Concern about a new government that would infringe on liberty.

 Supported continuation of the Articles of Confederation and power to the states.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 106

106) Do you believe that an individual can make a difference politically by running for office?

Feedback:

 Provide examples of political offices a person can run for.

 Provide definition of what political offices can do.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 107

107) Explain what Alexis de Tocqueville meant when he talked about “habits of the heart.”

Feedback:

 Idea coined by French political philosopher visiting America in 1830s.

 Particular patterns of interactions used by Americans to resolve issues collectively.

 Strong democratic traditions were a part of American self-identity.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 108

108) More than 65 percent of all federal government spending goes to just four programs. Cite the four programs, and explain what they do.

Feedback:

 Military—national defense.

 Social Security—steady income for people over age sixty-five and people with disabilities.

 Medicare—health care coverage for people over age sixty-five.

 Medicaid—health care coverage for some poor people; half of spending goes to people over age sixty-five.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 109

109) Public opinion data suggest that the millennial generation is less involved and interested in politics. What is your experience? Do you agree or disagree with this assertion?

Feedback:

 Discuss personal experience in politics.

 Discuss observations about politics from peers.

 State an opinion about whether millennial generation is less involved and interested in politics.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 110

110) Polls consistently reflect public disapproval of all aspects of government. What are some things you might suggest that government can do to improve public perception?

Feedback:

 Suggest efforts for those in government to undertake in order for the public to understand and approve of government.

 Discuss whether polls are accurate.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 111

111) The United States is a republic. But do you believe that the power rests with the people? If not, why?

Feedback:

 Explain the ideas of a republic—elected representatives of the people holding power.

 Discuss whether elected representatives reflect the concerns and ideas of the people.

 Provide evidence and/or examples of situations in which elected representatives do not reflect the concerns and ideas of the people.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 112

112) Elaborate on the main tenets of rational-choice theory.

Feedback:

 Discuss the approach to politics that views people as rational and decisive actors who know their political interests and act on them.

 Discuss how the public evaluates costs and benefits of choices.

 See how choices of individuals are expressed through collective action.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 113

113) America has struggled to live up to the founding ideals, to empower “We the People.” What are your ideas on ways to actually empower the people?

Feedback:

 Discuss founding ideals of America.

 Provide examples of situations in which the ideas have been upheld and situations in which they have not.

 Make suggestions on how ideals can be better upheld today.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 114

114) Does the public really rule? Or do the rich and powerful get the most say?

Feedback:

 Discuss ideas of democracy, republic, elite theory, pluralism, and/or social movement theory.

 Express an opinion about these issues.

 Explain the significance of one group ruling as opposed to the other.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 115

115) Give an example of how an ordinary American made a difference in the political structure in your community.

Feedback:

 Provide an example of an individual who made a change (such as Marla Ruzicka).

 Name the change made.

 State the importance of ordinary Americans being able to make a difference.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 116

116) Discuss the paradoxes of democracy.

Feedback:

 Presidential candidates who lost the popular vote.

 Public disapproves of Congress yet votes them back into office.

 Supreme Court justices appointed for life.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 117

117) How do the founding documents of the United States support the rule of the people?

Feedback:

 Franklin statement: “A republic, madam—if you can keep it.”

 Declaration of Independence: “deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

 Constitution: “We the People.”

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 118

118) Discuss popular rule by eighteenth-century standards.

Feedback:

 Did not empower everyone.

 Slavery protected.

 Women could not vote.

 Poor men could not vote.

 American Indians were foreigners.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 119

119) What are two definitions of politics according to your text? Which do you agree with? Are the definitions similar or different? Discuss the similarities or differences.

Feedback:

 Who gets what, when, and how.

 Politics is how a society makes its collective decisions.

 Provide personal opinion backed by factual discussion.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 120

120) Discuss how institutions affect behavior. Discuss the meaning of institutions and their role in government.

Feedback:

 The organizations, norms, and rules that structure political action.

 Various institutions of government can be discussed.

 Examples of how rules change acceptable behavior based on situation.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 121

121) How does the budget show the government’s priorities? Why is this important? What is the effect of the major spending categories on the budget?

Feedback:

 What the government spends money on are the priorities.

 Large share of budget to military and older people.

 85% of budget to major categories.

 One out of every 6.6 Americans is over sixty-five years old, yet this group gets a disproportionately large share of the budget.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 122

122) What is the result of the situation in which Americans do not want taxes but still want government programs?

Feedback:

 Borrowing.

 Interest on national debt (fifth largest spending category).

 Hard to raise taxes, hard to cut programs, must borrow to make up difference.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 123

123) Why do people not see government at work?

Feedback:

 Americans’ antipathy toward “big government.”

 Federal programs work indirectly through the private sector.

 Tax codes that encourage behavior.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 124

124) Discuss the history of immigration.

Feedback:

 Puritans.

 African slaves.

 1840s immigration of Irish and Germans.

 Polish and Italians in 1900s.

 Many immigrants today.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 125

125) According to elite theory, who actually governs in America?

Feedback:

 Discuss those behind elite theory.

 Discuss importance of knowing who governs America.

 Discuss alternative theories.

 Discuss examples of elites.

 Discuss problems with elite theory according to critics.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 126

126) Explain some ways you can be involved in our political system.

Feedback:

 Suggest ways for someone to be involved.

 Explain importance of political involvement.

 Suggest opportunities in civil society vs. government vs. private life.

 Explain importance of particular mode of involvement.

 Suggest ways to increase involvement.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 127

127) As Benjamin Franklin left the Constitutional Convention in 1787, a woman stopped him. “What kind of government have you given us?” she asked. According to legend, the wise old Franklin responded, “A republic, madam—if you can keep it.” Do you believe that we have “kept” the republic?

Feedback:

 Explain what a republic is.

 Discuss the issues facing the Constitutional Convention.

 Explain elements of the Constitution that addressed major issues.

 Explain elements of the Constitution that were not addressed as a government by the people could have addressed them.

 Discuss whether the republic created by the Constitution was “kept.”

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 128

128) Think of a political institution you are involved in. Which institutions does it include, and how do they influence politics?

Feedback:

 Discuss examples of political institutions.

 Discuss how ordinary people are involved with and influence political institutions (voting, paying taxes, serving in the military).

 Discuss the role of political institutions in society.

 Discuss how political institutions influence politics.

 Discuss how to increase involvement of ordinary people in political institutions.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 129

129) Name three types of “interests” that political scientists pay attention to in determining whether political outcomes are interest based.

Feedback:

 Explain the theory of pluralism.

 Discuss the role of interests in establishing government priorities.

 Name three interests that political science is referring to.

 Name other approaches to politics (social movement theory, elite theory).

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 130

130) As a result of our anti-tax spirit, the federal government usually spends more than it takes in. This poses a serious political dilemma. It is hard to raise taxes but it is equally difficult to cut programs. What solution would you offer to reduce the deficit?

Feedback:

 Discuss the role of taxation to fund government activities.

 Discuss the types of programs taxes pay for.

 Discuss reasons to oppose taxation.

 Explain potential solutions that politicians can offer to address this situation.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 131

131) What are some ways in which ideas can affect government and politics positively?

Feedback:

 Suggest major ideas that influence American politics.

 Explain how ideas influence politics.

 Discuss how politicians are impacted by ideas.

 Suggest policies that reflect major ideas.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 132

132) How is the Supreme Court a limit on American democracy?

Feedback:

 Justices not elected.

 Justices appointed for life.

 Court rulings.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 133

133) What are some ways in which an individual can make an impact on the vast U.S. system of government and politics?

Feedback:

 Describe institutions of the U.S. government.

 Document policies that could be impacted by an individual.

 Name ways for an individual to affect policies.

 Suggests ways to increase citizen participation.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 134

134) Discuss the theories political scientists have developed to describe where power lies in American politics and how it is utilized to affect government.

Feedback:

 Pluralist theory: power in the people.

 Elite theory: power in the hands of wealthy and powerful individuals.

 Bureaucratic theory: control lies with those who carry out day-to-day operations of government.

 Social movement theory: citizens wield power when they organize.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 135

135) Discuss the “four I’s” of the text and how they relate to government.

Feedback:

 Ideas.

 Institutions.

 Interests.

 Individuals.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 136

136) Give examples of situations that limit people’s influence over government.

Feedback:

 Checks and balances.

 Political machines.

 Jim Crow.

 Constitution writers.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 137

137) How do institutions affect political behavior?

Feedback:

 Organizations, norms, and rules that structure political action.

 Many different types of institutions; list several different types.

 Institutions make rules that govern behavior.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 138

138) Why did Patrick Henry state “I smell a rat” when reading the Constitution? Who shared this opinion?

Feedback:

 New government too strong.

 President Ronald Reagan agreed.

 Is government too strong or too weak? Defend answer.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 139

139) Discuss how government affects the daily life of Americans.

Feedback:

 Electricity.

 Water.

 Food safety.

 Other items may be considered by students.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 140

140) Why does the United States government borrow money? What is the result of borrowing? How could borrowing be lessened?

Feedback:

 Spend more than is taken in.

 Americans like federal programs but oppose paying taxes to support them.

 Result is high national debt and large interest payments, fifth largest spending category.

 Borrowing can be lessened by raising taxes.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 141

141) Discuss differences between generations on American politics.

Feedback:

 Baby boomers need different government services than others.

 Larger proportion of Americans receive Social Security and Medicare than in the past.

 Younger generations introduce new ideas.

 Generations embrace different values.

 Generations engage in civic life to different degrees.

 Generations access different institutions.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 01 Question 142

142) What are some characteristics of millennials, and how do these characteristics affect politics?

Feedback:

 More responsible.

 Harder working.

 More law-abiding.

 Volunteer more.

 Donate more.

 Start more entrepreneurial organizations with social impact.