Government Final Exam – Flashcards
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What is another term for free enterprise in the United States?
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Capitalism
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How are differences usually settled in a democracy?
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By compromise
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What describes an indirect democracy?
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A small group is elected to represent a larger group
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Because the United States has a free enterprise system, the government is NOT likely to to what?
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Set prices and wages
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What is the main goal of businesses that compete in a free enterprise system?
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To make a profit
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What theory holds that God created the state and made it sovereign?
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Divine Right Theory
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The key relationship between democracy and free enterprise is that both are what?
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Based on the concept of individual freedom
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Power resides equally in the central and local governments in what kind of government?
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Federal Government
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The claim that the state developed naturally out of the early family is the heart of what?
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Evolutionary Theory of Government
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Parliamentary government avoids what problem?
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Prolonged conflict between the executive and legislative branches
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In the American concept of democracy, what is true?
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The majority rules, but must be willing to listen to minority arguments
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"When all government, in little as in great things, shall be drawn to Washington as the center of all power, it will render powerless the checks provided of one government on another and will become as venal [corrupt] and oppressive [demanding] as the government from which we separated [Great Britain]" -Thomas Jefferson What point is Jefferson trying to make?
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The national government may become too powerful
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The Framers tried to address concerns such as the one expressed by Thomas Jefferson by doing what?
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Reserving for the United States all powers not expressly granted to the National Government
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What is true about the multiparty system?
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It tends to push parties into forming a coalition government
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How would you describe the era of American Government since 1968?
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An era of divided government
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Who is the leader of a party's national committee?
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The national chairperson
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When minor parties are successful at gaining support for their proposals, what is most likely to happen?
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Their platforms are adopted by one of the major parties
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Between presidential elections, the national committee of each party does what?
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Raises money and recruits new voters
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What describes typical independent voters?
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Well-informed, educated people younger than the average voter
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Two long-term trends in the history of American voting rights include a gradual what?
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Decrease in restrictions and a gradual increase in federal power
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Why do voters have only two choices for most political offices on election day?
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Because of the two-party system
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What is responsible for nominating those who will run for public office?
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Political parties
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Who would be allowed to vote in a Republican closed primary?
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Only registered Republicans
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Advocates of voting by mail believe it what?
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Reduces the cost of conducting elections
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A meeting of a small group of people to select the candidates they will support is called what?
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A caucus
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Supporters of the open primary would most likely argue that it what?
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Gives independent voters more of a voice in the nominating process
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Opponents of online voting argue that it what?
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Voter secrecy can be easily compromised
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How much money must a candidate for a seat in the House of Representatives typically raise and spend for his or her campaign?
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At least $1 million
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What form of mass media is used most widely?
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Television
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What most accurately describes the term public opinion?
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The attitude of many people regarding government and political matters
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What best describes the universe in a scientific poll?
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The whole group that the poll wants to measure
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When evaluating poll results, what is the permanence of a person's opinion called?
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Stability
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How does the mass media influence public opinion?
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It focuses the public's attention on national issues
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What is an example of public opinion that would include the views people have?
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Political parties
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Children first begin to learn about politics and current events from who?
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Their family
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What form of mass media probably is the most influential on public opinion in the U.S.?
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Television
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What is the most widely used source for political news and information? Television and...
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The internet
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Usually the earliest and longest-lasting influences on people's opinions are what?
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Family and School
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The main problem with using internet groups to measure public opinion is that what?
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It is hard to tell how many people are represented by an interest group
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What is an example of an issue a public-interest group might lobby for?
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Cleaning up polluted drinking water
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Economic interest groups that advocate for occupations that require extensive formal training and licensing are called what?
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Professional associations
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What is an example of interest groups acting as educators?
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Providing specialized information to government officials
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Why did the Framers of the Constitution create a bicameral Congress?
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To settle a conflict during the Constitutional Convention
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What is true about most members of Congress?
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They have gone to college
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What was the effect of the Reapportionment Act of 1929 on the House of Representatives?
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It limited the number of seats in the House to 435
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By creating a bicameral Congress, the Framers of the Constitution did what?
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Settled the conflict between the New Jersey and Virginia Plans
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A member of the House must be at least what?
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25 years old and a citizen of the United States for at least 7 years
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What comparisons of the House and Senate is true?
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The House is larger than the Senate
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What is the total number of full-fledged members of Congress?
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535
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More than half of the members of the Senate are what?
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Lawyers
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Who may file a lawsuit to enforce the protections of a copyright?
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The copyright holder
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How are presidential electors chosen within a state?
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Winner-take-all
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What reasoning did Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, and Reagan use when calling for the repeal of the 22nd Amendment?
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The people should determine how long a President should serve
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Prior to the 22nd Amendment, how many terms could a president serve according to the Constitution?
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The Constitution did not limit the number of terms
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The characteristic most common among presidential nominees has been that most have what?
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Held public office
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A major flaw in the electoral college system is that it what?
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The candidate who wins the popular vote might not become president.
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A state's presidential electors are chosen by?
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The state legislature
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If no person receives a majority of the electoral votes for vice president, who chooses the vice president?
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The Senate
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What does it mean when the president greets a foreign leader?
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The United States accepts the legal existence of another country.
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The executive article is ____ of the Constitution
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Article II
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Who has the final authority over all military matters?
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The president
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How has the mass media affected presidential power?
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It has increased presidential power by helping presidents build support for their policies
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What federal workers does the president appoint?
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Top-ranking officers, like ambassadors, Cabinet members, and federal judges
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If the president does not act on a bill within 10 days of receiving it (and Congress has not adjourned) what happens to the bill?
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It becomes a law
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What is part of the executive branch bureaucracy?
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The Cabinet departments
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What are the two main sources of advice for the President?
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The Cabinet and Executive Office of the President
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What is a purpose of the civil service in the Office of Personnel Management?
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To provide a merit system for federal employees
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What executive department is responsible for ensuring border and transportation security?
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The Department of Homeland Security
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What most accurately reflects the role of the Cabinet today?
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Other presidential resources have reduced its importance
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What is true about the Cabinet?
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Its importance has decreased
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In what sense is an independent executive agency "independent"?
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It is independent of the Cabinet departments
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One major concern expressed by critics of independent regulatory commissions is what?
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Government regulations interfere with the free market system
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A proponent of Reaganomics would most likely believe what?
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Tax cuts stimulate the economy
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The creation of the federal budget is initiated by what?
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The president
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What is the final step in the federal budget process?
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The president vetoes or signs each appropriation bill
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The active-duty forces of the Army include the Regular Army, the Army National Guard, and what?
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The Army Reserve
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How do Iran and North Korea threaten the world's security today?
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They want to become nuclear powers
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Which division of the United Nations (UN) has the main responsibility for keeping international peace?
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The Security Council
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What best describes an important purpose of the Joint Chiefs of Staff?
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It advises the Secretary of Defense
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What agency is responsible for handling U.S. foreign aid programs?
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U.S. Agency for International Development
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What branch of the armed forces serves as a combat-ready land force for the Navy?
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The Marines
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Why might a nation in the Middle East be MORE likely to receive U.S. foreign aid than a small African nation?
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The Middle East is considered more critical to U.S. foreign policy objectives
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What agency of the United Nations would be MOST likely to set up a vaccination program for poor children in Latin America?
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WHO (World Health Organization)
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Ultimate authority over military decisions lies in the hands of who?
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President and Congress
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The home of the American Ambassador to France cannot be searched without the ambassador's permission because the ambassador is what?
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Protected by diplomatic immunity
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What is true about U.S. foreign aid?
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Most foreign aid money must be used to purchase American goods and services
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What is true of a mixed economy?
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Government plays a part along with private enterprise
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What action by socialist governments has been popular in developing countries in Africa and Latin America?
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Governments took back industries from foreign owners
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What is profit?
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The earnings of a business, minus its costs
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According to Karl Marx, the value of a product should be determined by what?
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The amount of labor put into it
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In many communist countries, peasant farmers were forced to give up their land because of the policy of what?
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Collectivization
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What argument would most likely be made by a socialist?
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Socialism makes political democracy work more smoothly by meshing it with economic democracy
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What is a true statement about the mayor of in a mayor-council government?
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The mayor is chief executive
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The U.S. Constitution would not allow a state to put a tax on what?
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The operations of a branch of the Federal Reserve Bank
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What is the main advantage of the form of city government?
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An expert is in charge of managing the city
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What type of government is a subdivision of a county?
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Township
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What is the process by which a state legally establishes a city?
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Incorporation
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What is not a typical county responsibility?
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Serve as the government for a Native American nation
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Cities are created by what?
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Residents who want services
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By far, most spending by state and local governments is devoted to what?
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Education
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What kinds of problems do people moving to the suburbs sometimes face?
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Many elements of infrastructure may be lacking and must be built
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Who pays for most highways?
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State governments and the Federal Government together
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Based on Adam Smith's first principle of sound taxation which states that taxpayers should contribute in proportion to their ability to pay, what tax would Smith most likely find to be the fairest tax?
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The Federal Income Tax
