Multiple Choice
Identify the
choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
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MAIN IDEAS
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1.
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Locke, Harrington, Hobbes, and Rousseau would most likely agree that
a. | the state developed out of force. | b. | those of royal birth should rule the
state. | c. | the state exists to serve the will of the people. | d. | government should be
eliminated. |
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2.
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The dominant political unit in the world today is the
a. | government. | c. | Constitution. | b. | nation. | d. | state. |
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3.
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A federal government is one in which
a. | all power is concentrated in the central government. | b. | limited powers are
assigned to a central agency by independent states. | c. | power is divided between a central government
and local governments. | d. | powers are divided between a legislative branch
and an executive branch. |
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4.
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Which of the following statements is NOT true of parliamentary
government?
a. | The executive is chosen by the legislature. | b. | The legislature is
subject to the direct control of the executive. | c. | The prime minister and cabinet are part of the
legislative branch. | d. | The prime minister and cabinet must resign if
they lose the support of a majority of the legislature. |
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5.
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Which of the following is among the characteristics of a state?
a. | population | c. | government | b. | territory | d. | all of the
above |
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6.
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All political powers in a state are concentrated at the central level under
which form of government?
a. | federal | c. | unitary | b. | confederate | d. | executive |
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7.
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The Federalist was written to
a. | win support for the Constitution in New York. | b. | expose the lack of
civil liberties protected in the Constitution. | c. | urge ratification of the Constitution in
Virginia. | d. | condemn the Constitution for the absence of any mention of
God. |
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8.
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By the mid-1700s, British rule in the colonies was marked by
a. | allowing a certain degree of self-rule to the colonists. | b. | imposing harsh and
restrictive trade practices. | c. | passing increasingly high
taxes. | d. | forcing the colonies to attack other colonial powers. |
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9.
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What is the most defining characteristic of a dictatorship?
a. | All power is held by one man or woman. | b. | The people do not vote directly for the chief
of state. | c. | Those who rule cannot be held accountable to the will of the
people. | d. | Power is concentrated in the executive branch. |
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10.
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Which of the following is not a synonym for the American form of
democracy?
a. | direct democracy | b. | indirect democracy | c. | representative
democracy | d. | republic (republican form of government) |
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11.
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Which of the following is true concerning a unitary government?
a. | A government in which all of the powers are located in one central agency or
group. | b. | State or local governments are not independent, but created only for the convenience
of the central government | c. | Most governments in the world are
unitary. | d. | All of the above are true. |
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12.
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Which of the following is true concerning a confederate form of
government?
a. | This form of government exists after a rebel army takes over a country in a rebellion
or coup. | b. | This term comes from the Latin “con” meaning “with” &
fed, which is short for federal. So this describes a government similar to a federal form of
government. | c. | This is not really a form of government. The Confederate is a popular
restaurant in Washingtion DC that is frequented by southern Congressmen. | d. | This form of
government is a loose alliance of independent states. |
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13.
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Why is the free enterprise system most often found in democracies?
a. | Most democracies like money, and this financial system brings the most money of all
other competing systems. | b. | Democracies & the free enterprise system
are both founded on the same idea: freedom of choice. | c. | The letters
“D” & “F” (for democracy & free enterprise) are much
closer in the alphabet than “D” & “S” (for democracy &
socialism) | d. | Because John Locke wrote books on both
democratic government & the free enterprise system. |
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14.
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 This cartoon best illustrates which of the
basic concepts of democracy? a. | Worth of the individual | c. | Necessity of
compromise | b. | Majority rule, minority rights | d. | Individual
freedom |
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15.
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“Our government consists of a huge variety of institutions, such as
mayors, managers, legislators, governors, presidents, judges, and bureaucrats. It would be
impossible that no single group could dominate all, or most, of these institutions.”
Which view of governmental power would most likely agree with this statement?
a. | Elitest | c. | Bureaucratic | b. | Pluralist | d. | Marxist |
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16.
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“An identifiable group of persons who possess a disproportionate share of
political power.” This is the best definition of:
a. | political elite | b. | Marxian comrade | c. | The Republican
Party | d. | The Democratic Party | e. | The Democratic Socialist
Party |
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17.
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The New Jersey Plan was a reaction by some states primarily to the fear that
________.
a. | the legislative veto plan called for by the Virginia Plan would seriously undermine
individual states' rights. | b. | the weak central government devised by the
Virginia Plan would grant too much power to the southern, rural states. | c. | the strong central
government devised by the Virginia Plan would grant too much power to the states with a small
population. | d. | the bicameral legislature of the Virginia Plan would give too much power to the
executive. | e. | the Virginia Plan gave too much power to populous
states. |
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18.
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Which of the proposed plans in the Constitutional Convention would simply have
taken the Articles of Confederation and strengthened them?
a. | the Connecticut Plan | b. | the New Jersey Plan | c. | the Maryland
Plan | d. | the Virginia Plan | e. | the "second" Pennsylania
Plan |
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19.
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The Great Compromise finally settled the representation problem by allocating
votes on the basis of
a. | population, in both houses. | b. | equal votes, in both
houses. | c. | equal votes in the one Congressional house permitted in the plan. | d. | equality in the
House and population in the Senate. | e. | equality in the Senate and population in the
House. |
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20.
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Separation of power and federalism were two key principles in the framing of the
Constitution. These two principles are related in that each
a. | requires a strong central government elected by a popular
majority. | b. | invovles a system of checks and balances in which power is dispersed &
divided. | c. | grants power to a political elite that usually acts on behalf of the
people. | d. | reflects the need for "political virtue" at all levels of
government. | e. | requires that most power goes to the states, with a very limited amount of power
allocated to the national government. |
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21.
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Generally, the Anti-Federalists felt that the government created by the
Constitution was
a. | an insufficient check on the power of the states. | b. | too
liberal. | c. | barely strong enough to be effective. | d. | a great government that should be
over-whelmingly supported. | e. | too strong and too
centralized. |
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22.
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The "Three-fifths Compromise" allowed the counting of slaves for the
purpose of
a. | electing the state legislatures. | b. | determining the size of each state
legislature. | c. | apportioning delegates to presidential conventions. | d. | allotting seats in
the Senate. | e. | allotting seats in the House. |
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23.
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How did the Constitutional Convention handle the issue of the importation of
slaves?
a. | It immediately ended the importation of slaves. | b. | It gaves the states
20 years (till 1808) to continue to import slaves. | c. | It completely ignored the issue of slave
importation. | d. | It granted 5 southern states the right to import slaves, but it was forbidden to the
others. | e. | It took the number of slaves imported in the previous year, and then decreased the
approved number of slaves that could be imported by three-fifths. |
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24.
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Why do we concern ourselves with the actions of political elites in a
democracy?
a. | We don’t have elites in a democracy, everyone is equal. | b. | Elites play a very
small role in a democracy, so they must be studied. | c. | Most political decisions in governments are
made by a small, unrepresented group of highly active individuals. | d. | Elite is simply a
term for Constitutional Party in the United States, which descended from the British loyalists in the
Revolutionary War. |
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25.
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Which political theory contends that most government decisions are made by a
non-governmental elite composed of corporate leaders, military leaders, key political leaders, &
(maybe) leaders of communication & leaders of special interest groups.
a. | Marxist | c. | Bureaucratic | b. | Elitest | d. | Pluralist |
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