US Gov APDC Chapter 16 & 17 – Flashcards

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The Affordable Care Act, colloquially known as Obamacare, deals primarily with what policy area?
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health care
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The American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan aimed to do which of the following?
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supplement education programming at the state level
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Who was John Dewey?
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an education reform advocate in the late nineteenth century
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Medicare is a program in which policy area
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health policy
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Which of the following is a supplement to Social Security?
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Medicare
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How many coverage components does Medicare have?
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4
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Medicare and Medicaid generally fall within which policy area?
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health care
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Medicare is aimed at what group of people?
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people over sixty-five, or disabled
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What period of U.S. history marked a clear change in the federal government's role in domestic policy making?
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the 1930s
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What element of policy making is government recognition that a problem is worthy of intervention?
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agenda setting
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What percentage of taxpayers believe that the Affordable Care Act will improve the health care system?
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30%
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What percentage of Americans account for most healthcare expenditures?
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10%
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The Framers of the Constitution created a decentralized policy-making process with powers shared by Congress, the president, the courts, and the
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states
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Which president helped to create modern welfare policy in the United States?
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Franklin Roosevelt
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Student graduate from college with an average debt of
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$23,000
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Which of the following pieces of legislation is most likely to ensure that people have health insurance?
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the Affordable Care Act
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According to Figure 16.2 which of the following categories has the highest level of expenditures when it comes to health care?
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hospital care
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Which decade is referred to as the "environmental decade"?
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1970s
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Which state in 2002 took the initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions?
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California
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Which of the following pieces of legislation represents an attempt by the federal government to help states with education costs?
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the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
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Which of these was a consequence of the Race to the Top initiative?
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States have begun to adopt a common core curriculum
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The Supreme Court's landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education (1954) ruled that separate educational facilities for black and white students were
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inherently unequal
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Which is a subset of the other?
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Domestic policy is a subset of public policy
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Which of these resulted from President Roosevelt's New Deal?
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The federal government created Social Security and Aid to Families with Dependent Children
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Why is the federal government involved in education?
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Several presidents have pushed for public education reform
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Crises such as Hurricane Katrina or the 2008 financial collapse often result in which action?
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agenda setting
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Which of the following is true in the United States of how government handles ensuring health care to the poor and the elderly?
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Medicare provides health care to the elderly, and Medicaid provides health care to the poor
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What political movement led to reforms in response to the industrial revolution in the United States?
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Progressivism
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Which of the following provides one explanation for why Medicare costs have risen in recent years?
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People live longer today than they did in the past
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Which of the following is true of the federal government's role in education?
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The federal government addresses issues of inequality and ensures that standards are met
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Students in the United States typically
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perform worse on both math and science tests than students in many other countries
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Which of the following is true of Social Security benefits?
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Benefits under Medicare Part A are automatic when a person qualifies for Social Security
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What is the function of Medicaid?
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subsidized medical care for the poor
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Which program is one of the first entitlement programs created under the New Deal?
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Social Security
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Which is true of crisis?
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They can create momentum for an issue
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Which is the following is most accurate about Social Security?
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Social Security qualification triggers Medicare Part A
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The publication of Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring" focused the nation's attention on which of the following?
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environmental damage from toxic and hazardous wastes
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Which of the following is true of gas prices and gas taxes in the United States in comparison to the United Kingdom, Germany, and France?
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Both gas prices and gas taxes are lower in the United States than in the United Kingdom, Germany, and France
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The United States consumes 20% of the world's oil,
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while only containing 2% of the world's oil reserves
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Which is an argument in favor of federal involvement in public policy?
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The federal government can best deal with some problems or matter of concern
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President Theodore Roosevelt embraced which policy area?
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conservation
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Health care costs in the United States
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have risen dramatically in the last few years
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Under which of the following conditions would increasing the age of which people become eligible for Medicare make sense?
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if life expectancy increases
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Which was used as evidence in support of the Affordable Care Act?
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Health care costs have risen substantially over the past few decades
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Which explains why the federal government has been involved in problem solving, following disasters like Hurricane Katrina?
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The federal government has the resources to deal with disaster situations
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What do Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security have in common?
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They are all entitlement programs
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Which statement most closely reflects a laissez-faire attitude?
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The federal government should not intervene, trusting in the market to balance itself
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Entitlement programs such as Social Security and Aid to Families with Dependent Children led to which of the following over time?
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expansion of the federal role in domestic policy
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What is the major source of electrical power in the United States?
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coal
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Which of the following, if true, demonstrates how policy making is decentralized in the United States?
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The states have authority over policy making in areas such as education
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Of the following, which produces the most greenhouse gases, and poses the greatest concerns surrounding climate change?
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coal and oil
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Which of the following explains why some people have suggested reducing our use of coal and oil?
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Oil and coal create greenhouse gases
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Which act reduced automobile emissions?
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Clean Air Act
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If all citizens who are 65 years and older are eligible for Medicare, but only economically disadvantaged citizens are eligible for Medicaid, which of the following is also true?
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Medicare is an entitlement program, but Medicaid is for the poor
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Which of the following is an example of federal involvement in K-12 education?
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Providing monetary incentives for state compliance with standardized goals
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Why has national health insurance not been adopted in the United States?
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Strong opposition by the American Medical Association
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What changed during the 1930s as far as the government's role in domestic policy making?
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the President took a stronger role
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Colleges comply with Title IX of the Educational Amendments Acts of 1972 because
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they have received federal money either directly or indirectly
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Which of the following federalism-related concerns applies to the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)?
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The states view provisions of the NCLB act as a mandate, and they may not have the funds to pay for meeting certain requirements
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Inflation is best understood as the rate at which
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Prices for goods and services increase
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What do economists use gross domestic product to measure?
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The total value of goods and services produced in the economy.
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In the nineteenth century, industrialization worsened the effects of natural __________.
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Business Cycles
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Laissez-faire economics holds which of the following to be true?
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The government should not take an active role in the eceonomy.
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Which of the following is true with respect to the Keynesia economic policy?
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Keynesian exonomic policy relies on taxation and expenditures by government to control inflation and unemployment.
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The size of the national debt is
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Rising
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Which of the following is true about Social Security?
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It is a retirmement benefit program for citizens.
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What is the source for the money in the Social Security Trust Fund?
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Payroll taxes
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One of the biggest concerns surrounding the Social Security Trust Fund is that
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there will not be enough money to pay future retirees
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Which of the following strategies does monetary policy dictate in inflationary periods?
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The Federal Reserve should raise interest rates
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What is a government program called that provides benefits to all citizens who meat elegibility requirements?
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An entitlement program.
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The total market value of all goods and services produced in an area during a year is termed which of the following?
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Gross Domestic Product
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Which of the following constitutes the largest portion of the federal budget?
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Mandatory spending
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Medicare is what type of federal program?
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Social insurance
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What is the primary tool that monetary policy uses to affect the overall economy?
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Interest rates
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Which of the following entities is responsible for setting interest rates in the United States?
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Federal Reserve Board
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Which of the following terms describes U.S. economic policy during the nineteenth century?
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Laissez-faire
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What is the main purpose of monetary policy?
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To affect how much money is available to businesses and banks.
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The main goal of fiscal policy is
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To use taxes and government spending to help stimulate or slow down economic growth.
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What distinguishes a means-tested program from a social insurance program?
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A social insurance program provides benefits based upon lifetime contributions, while a means tested program provides benefits based upon demonstrated need.
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Why are some safety net programs referred to as entitlements?
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Because benefits are distributed automatically to citizens who qualify, based on a set of guidelines.
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Which of the following helps explain the difficulty in solving the long-term debt problem in the United States?
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The rise of extreme partisanship in recent years has made compromise in this area highly unlikely
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What is the purpose of deregulation in the American political economy?
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Deregulation seeks to increase the barriers to economic productivity.
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Regulatory legislation at the start of the twentieth century primarily dealt with __________.
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Labor unions
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The primary purpose of the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) was to __________.
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Bail out the banking sector
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The annual shortfall between federal revenues and expenditures is known as which of the following?
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The budget deficit
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If the Federal Reserve wanted to slow the rate of economic growth, it would most likely __________.
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Increase interest rates
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In general, a recession does which of these?
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Generates a response by the federal government
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Which of the following is true regarding mandatory spending policies?
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They are designed to help states avoid having a budget surplus.
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In a(n) __________ state, the government takes an active role in guiding and regulating the private economy.
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Interventionist
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U.S. monetary policy involves which of the following?
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Interest rates and the money supply
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Which of the following statements regarding the role of the Federal Government in the economy is correct?
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Presidential election outcomes are heavily influenced by the health of the economy.
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Which of these statements best characterizes the effects of the recent economic crisis?
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The overall influence of the federal government in the economy has increased.
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If the Federal Reserve Board needed curb inflation, it would most likely __________.
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Raise interest rates
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Lowering the discount rate would have which of the following effects?
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It would encourage banks to borrow more and to extend more loans at lower rates.
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An entitlement program provides benefits to __________.
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Citizens who meet eligibility criteria
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Which of the following provides the greatest source of revenue for the federal government?
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Income taxes
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In an economic slowdown, Keynesian policy would advocate...
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Increasing government spending.
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Upon taking office in 2009, which of the following did President Obama advocate to deal with the economic crisis?
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Increasing government spending
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If Congress adopts a policy to make cars more fuel efficient, they have adopted a __________.
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Regulatory policy
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Which of the following would indicate that the economy is experiencing inflation?
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Interest rates are increasing.
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Which of these is most consistent with the philosophy of Keynesianism?
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Government provision of the 2008 federal stimulus package
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Which of the following is accurate with regard to the national debt?
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The national debt as a percentage of GDP has drastically increased in recent years?
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Which of the following most accurately describes the recent financial crisis in the United States?
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A severe recession
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If you support laissez-faire economic policies, you would generally favor...
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A reduction in the amount of economic regulation by the government.
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Which of the following would be considered a regulatory policy?
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A food safety policy
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Which of the following is an example of monetary policy?
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Lowering interest rates
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If the Federal Reserve wanted to increase lending by banks, what would it do to reserve requirements?
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Lower the reserve requirements for banks
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Why might some businesses lobby for increased regulation by the federal government?
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To protect themselves from domestic and foreign competitors.
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Which of the following best characterizes the federal budget process?
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Complicated
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Which of these statements best describes the influence of interest rate adjustments by the Federal Reserve?
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They can spur economic growth by increasing the available money supply.
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What is the purpose of government regulation of the economy?
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To minimize the effects of negative externalities
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What is the long-term concern about social Security Trust Fund?
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There will be too few workers contributing to support the increasing number of retirees.
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Which of the following was the biggest contributor to the economic crisis that began in 2008?
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Deregulation of the investment banking industry
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If a government wanted to use monetary policy to increase economic growth, which of the following steps should be taken?
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Decrease interest rates to increase the amount of money in supply.
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According to Table 17.1, the largest number of Americans benefit from which means-tested program?
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Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
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Which of the following is a possible solution to the long-term problem of solvency in the Social Security Program?
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Increase the minimum retirement age
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If you subscribe to Keynesian economic policies, you are most concerned with __________.
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Unemployment
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Dregulation of which of the following industries was probably the biggest factor contributing to the economic crisis that began in 2008?
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The investment banking industry.
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Why is monetary policy often the preferred way to address an economic crisis?
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Because it is both easy to implement and has fewer long-term consequences than deficit spending
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