question

The financial position of the state and national governments under the Articles of Confederation could be best described as...?

answer

growing debt at the national level and several states with financial crises

question

Which of the following expressed sincere concern that ratification of the Constitution would result in "an immense increase in taxes"?

answer

Patrick Henry

question

The federal budget initially opposed for 2012 called for almost _____ trillion dollars in spending

answer

4

question

Debates over government finances have often, at bottom, been debates about

answer

all of the above

question

Today, the US federal income tax takes an average of ____ percent of taxpayers' income

answer

21

question

Most people holding national political office are

answer

middle class, middle age, males, Protestant (all of the above)

question

The fact that the rich are taxed more heavily than the poor and that amendments that gave voting rights to minorities were passed by large majorities suggests that

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government does not always adopt policies that are to the narrow advantage of those who hold political offices

question

The text argues that political power is inextricably bound with

answer

political purposes

question

Individuals have power when they are able to

answer

get other to do what they want them to do

question

The text notes a tendency for issues that once were ______ to become _______.

answer

private...public

question

Compared with the 1950s, government's involvement in the everyday lives of Americans in the 1990s is

answer

considerably greater

question

the text suggests that, during the 1950s, the federal government would have taken very little interest in

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a factory closing its doors, a profession not accrediting a member, a university refusing an applicant (a, b, and c)

question

by authority, the author means

answer

the right to use power

question

formal authority refers to the right to exercise power that is derived from a(n)

answer

governmental office

question

Today, a primary source of legitimate political authority in the United States is the

answer

US Constitution

question

The author cites the early presidential administrations, the civil war, and the new deal as examples of struggles over

answer

what constitutes legitimate authority

question

the text suggests that in the united states, no government at any level would be considered legitimate if it were no in some sense

answer

democratic

question

at the time of the constitutional convention, the view that a democratic government was desirable was

answer

far from unanimous

question

which delegate to the constitutional convention was worried that the new government that he helped to create might be too democratic

answer

alexander hamilton

question

the term participatory democracy applies most accurately to which of the following societies

answer

greece in the fourth century BC

question

the greek city-state, or polis, extended the right to vote to everyone except

answer

slaves, women, minors, those without property (all of the above)

question

in recent times, aristotle's ideal of democracy has been most closely approximated by

answer

the new england town meeting

question

democracy was defined as the competitive struggle fro people's votes by

answer

joseph schumpeter

question

representative democracy allows individuals to gain political power through

answer

competitive elections

question

representative democracy is sometimes disapprovingly referred to as the ______ theory of democracy

answer

elite

question

The Framers' concerns about direct democracy are well illustrated by the fact that the Constitution

answer

does not feature the word democracy at all

question

When the Framers of the Constitution wrote "republican form of government," they were firing to

answer

representative democracy

question

All of the following are requirement for representative democracy except that

answer

political resources must be distribute in a roughly equal manner

question

One distinctive feature of many European democracies is that very few offices are

answer

elective

question

Democracy in the US is distinguished from many European democracies by the fact that in the US,

answer

many more officers are elective

question

Variants of direct democracy include program of citizen participation and

answer

community control

question

In a referendum, citizens express their opinion about issues by means of

answer

the ballot

question

Which statement best reflects the views of the Framers of the Constitution?

answer

The government should mediate, not mirror, popular views.

question

The Founders assumed that representative democracy would

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prevent sweeping changes in policy and often proceed slowly (Both A and D)

question

Which of the following thought of democracy as the "rule of the many?"

answer

Aristotle

question

An oligarchy would feature rule by

answer

the rich

question

The text suggests that the writings of ______ were a "decisive influence" on the Founders

answer

John Locke

question

Locke argued that the desire for ______ will lead people to want a government

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self-preservation

question

Hobbes believed the answer to the 'all-out-war" that existed in the state of nature was

answer

an all-powerful government

question

Under what circumstances would majoritarian politics normally not be effective?

answer

When an issue is too complicated or technical for most citizens to understand.

question

A city council representative faces an important vote on how much, if any, money to spend on a new school. The representative relies on a poll of her constituents to make a decision. This is in keeping with the form of politics known as

answer

majoritarian politics

question

Elite theory is not based on the following premise

answer

Despite their small numbers, those who are active participants in politics generally reflect the types of people in the general population and the viewpoints of most citizens

question

Karl Marx is associated with the view that elites reflect

answer

a dominant social class

question

Marx would use the label ______ to identify those who dominated government

answer

bourgeoisie

question

The bureaucratic view of political elites is associated with

answer

Weber

question

In political analysis, the "cause" is also known as the _______ variable

answer

independent

question

The pluralist view of power focuses on

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a large number of governmental interests and organized interests

question

Regarding the role of self-interest in the positions that people take on important issues, it is safest to say that

answer

economic self-interest may be important but is usually not the only guide to people's actions

question

According to Tocqueville, Americans are fond of explaining their actions in terms of

answer

self-interest

question

During the 1920s, the federal government was expected to play a small role in our lives. The fact that there was a dramatic change in expectations from the 1930s to the 1970s suggests that

answer

no simple theory of politics is likely to explain both sets of expectations

question

Which of the following statements is incorrect?

answer

None of the above

question

The text presents the historical involvement of the US in foreign affairs as

answer

alternating between outward and inward movements

question

The text insists that if we wish to understand power, we must also understand

answer

preferences

question

Which of the following statements about political power, or "who governs?" is most accurate?

answer

Most power derives from psychological and social factors such as friendship, loyalty, and prestige

question

The trouble with trying to infer the distribution of political power from examining the laws on the books is that

answer

laws may be enacted in a great variety of circumstances

question

The authors suggest that ____ is arguably one of the best barometers of changes in who governs

answer

the policy process

question

The text suggests politics exists in part because people differ about two things: Who governs? and ______

answer

To what ends?

question

Politics exists because people differ about two things:

answer

Who governs? and To what ends?

question

The relationship between the two central questions addressed by your text can best be described in what way?

answer

They are distinct questions, but each must be considered with the other in mind.

question

The text cites the AFL-CIO's civil rights position in the 1960s as an example of

answer

an organization as a whole acting politically out of considerations broader than its members' individual interests

question

Max Weber and the pluralists would be most likely to agree that

answer

no extra-governmental elite controls politics

question

Which of the following conceptualizes the widest distribution of political power?

answer

Max Weber

question

Which of the following conceptualizes the narrowest distribution of political power?

answer

Karl Marx

question

Those who posses a disproportionate share of political power are defined as

answer

a political elite

question

Wright Mills, Karl Marx, and Max Weber are cited in the text as theorists who attempted to explain the

answer

behavior of political elites

question

Which of the following was not an important source of theories explaining political elites?

answer

Sigmund Freud

question

Marxists claims that, in modern society, the two major classes contending for power are the

answer

capitalists and workers

question

Marx's view of government would dispose one to view an administrations' proposal of a large military budget as a

answer

service to defense corporations

question

Those who believe that government is little more than a front for major corporate interests would most likely be attracted to the thinking of

answer

Karl Marx

question

Wright Mills was concerned that a coalition of three groups dominated politics and government. He labeled the members of this coalition

answer

the power elite

question

Wright Mills suggest the most important policies are set by

answer

All of the above

question

In essence, Max Weber's approach to the study of power suggests we should be careful not too place too great an emphasis on

answer

elected representatives

question

Which statement best summarizes the viewpoint of Max Weber?

answer

Bureaucrats effectively make public policy.

question

According to the text, the pluralist view has many followers in

answer

political science and journalism

question

The pluralist view of political reality emphasizes the ____ of political resources

answer

decentralization

question

The pluralist view holds all of the following except

answer

Political elites do not respond to the interests of their followers

question

Weber and the pluralists would be most likely to agree that

answer

no extra-governmental elite controls politics

question

Critics of rep democracy have pointed out all of the following except

answer

it doesn't adequately protect basic liberties

Chapter 1: The Study of American Government – Flashcards

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