Gov 1 American Political Culture – Flashcards
Unlock all answers in this set
Unlock answersquestion
Since the 196os, Americans trust in their government has generally
answer
fallen sharply
question
Which of the following is _Not_ an accurate statement about the consequences of declining trust in government?
answer
Distrust weakens the governments ability to help people in times of crisis
question
the belief that you can influence how your government acts is called
answer
political efficacy
question
the first requirement for increasing political efficacy is
answer
increasing political knowledge
question
political apathy among Americans hurts which core political value the most?
answer
democracy
question
Survey data shows that the level of Americans political knowledge is
answer
low and spotty
question
what aspect of citizenship was most important for ancient Greeks?
answer
talking and debating
question
In order to be a good citizen, it is most critical to possess
answer
knowledge
question
According to a 2007 poll, compared to readers of major newspaper websites, the audience of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart and the Colbert Report had__ political knowledge.
answer
equal
question
Studies show that an increasing number of young Americans receive their political knowledge from
answer
late night comedy shows
question
Government can best be defined as
answer
the institutions and procedures by which a territory and its people are ruled
question
What is the principle difference between an autocracy and an oligarchy
answer
the number of people in charge
question
A government that accepts no legal limits on its power but may accept the restraint of other social institutions such as churches is known as
answer
Authoritarian
question
if the government were controlled by a small group of wealthy landowners and corporate leaders this would be best described as
answer
an oligarchy
question
a service tat a person needs but is usually unable to provide for him or herself individually is called
answer
a public good
question
who said that the best government was the one that "governed last"
answer
Thomas Jefferson
question
According to the text, what is the main benefit of a constitutional government?
answer
the government is limited by the rule of law
question
which of the following is not an example of a totalitarian regime
answer
UK
question
Before the eighteenth century
answer
governments rarely sought the support of their people
question
The demand that there be no taxation without representation is a good example of what political reform of the 18th century
answer
more popular influence on govenment
question
the key group in Europe that pushed for limited government was
answer
the bourgeoisie
question
what major changed in Western government led to the establishment of constitutional government?
answer
legal limits on government and the right of more people to vote
question
John Locke and John Stuart Mill are important philosophers for which of the following ideologies?
answer
liberty and political rights
question
Who described politics as "Who gets hat, hen, and how?"
answer
Harold Lasswell
question
According to the text, what is the goal of politics?
answer
to have a say in a government's leadership, organization, and policies
question
Direct democracy is best defined as
answer
a system that allows citizens to vote directly for laws and policies
question
A representative democracy is a system of government that
answer
gives citizens a regular opportunity to elect top government officals
question
which of the following is an instrument of direct democracy?
answer
initatives
question
The struggle of competing interest groups for governmental influence is called
answer
pluralism.
question
The is the most important concept for the theory of pluralism.
answer
group
question
The National Origins Quota System
answer
allowed a large quota of new immigrants from northern European countries but only a small quota of new immigrants from eastern and southern European countries.
question
Political culture refers to
answer
the shared values, beliefs, and attitudes that serve to hold a nation and its people together.
question
Throughout American history, the concept of liberty has been linked to
answer
b. the idea of limited government.
question
According to the text, what were the essential documents of the American Founding?
answer
a. the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution
question
What are the three core values in American politics?
answer
liberty, equality, and democracy
question
The Bill of Rights was designed to protect
answer
liberty
question
The Bill of Rights is
answer
the first ten amendments to the Constitution.
question
The term laissez-faire means
answer
leave alone.
question
The Constitution's Preamble, beginning with the words "We the People," is an illustration of what principle?
answer
popular sovereignty
question
Political rights are a protection against
answer
the tyranny of the majority.
question
What is the most important check on majority rule in the United States?
answer
minority rights
question
Which of the following statements concerning political values in the United States is true?
answer
American values often conflict with each other in practice.
question
The belief that political authority should rest with the people themselves is called
answer
popular sovereignty.
question
The separate but equal doctrine was introduced in what Supreme Court case?
answer
a. Plessy v. Ferguson
question
Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education reveal two very different visions of what political value?
answer
equality
question
Affirmative action is very controversial because
answer
a. Americans argue about whether it promotes or restrains equality.
question
What observation did philosopher Immanuel Kant make in his 1795 essay "Toward Perpetual Peace"?
answer
Democratic regimes seldom make war on each other.
question
Which of the following is a common explanation for why the United States should pursue a policy of democratization?
answer
Democratization leads to political stability.
question
Which of the following statements is true?
answer
a. The United States has a greater gap in income between the poorest and richest than any other developed nation.
question
In ______ women were granted the constitutional right to vote.
answer
1920
