Professional Documents
Culture Documents
CH/Test-Bank-for-American-Government-
Institutions-and-Policies-13E
CHAPTER 1: The Study of American Government
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. The financial position of the state and national governments under the Articles of Confederation
could be best described as
a. sound, strong, and based on a large surplus of revenue.
b. sound, strong, but uncertain around the edges.
c. uniformly stable at the state level, but the national government struggled with debt.
d. stable at the national level with little cause for concern in any of the states.
e. growing debt at the national level and several states with financial crises.
ANS: E REF: 2 NOT: C
2. Which of the following expressed sincere concern that ratification of the Constitution would result in
an immense increase in taxes?
a. James Madison
b. Alexander Hamilton
c. George Washington
d. Patrick Henry
e. John Jay
ANS: D REF: 2 NOT: F
3. The federal budget initially opposed for 2012 called for almost ____ trillion dollars in spending.
a. 1
b. 2
c. 4
d. 5
e. 7
ANS: C REF: 2 NOT: F
4. Debates over government finances have often, at bottom, been debates about
a. the size of government.
b. the competency of government.
c. the legitimacy of the federal government.
d. how to divide responsibility between state and federal governments.
e. All of the above.
ANS: E REF: 4 NOT: F
5. Today, the U.S. federal income tax takes an average of what percent of taxpayers income?
a. 10
b. 15
c. 21
d. 43
e. 45
ANS: C REF: 5 NOT: F
6. Most people holding national political office are
a. middle class.
b. middle age.
c. males.
d. Protestant.
TRUE/FALSE
1. Under the Articles of Confederation, the state governments paid very little of the monies requisitioned
by the federal government.
ANS: T REF: 2
2. The interest on the national debt is well over $300 billion a year.
ANS: T REF: 2
3. During the early 1930s, very few American families paid income tax.
ANS: T REF: 4
4. The text argues that we can know who governs without knowing to what end.
ANS: T REF: 4
5. Today, the average income tax rate for a family is above 20 percent.
ANS: T REF: 5
6. Most people holding national political offices are middle-class, middle-aged, white Protestant males.
ANS: T REF: 5
7. Government policies do not always favor the people who are in the government.
ANS: T REF: 5
8. The text suggests that presidential speechwriters have the opportunity to exercise power.
ANS: T REF: 5
9. Power is to be found in all human relationships.
ANS: T REF: 5
10. Political power is the ability to influence who rules and how rulers behave.
ANS: T REF: 5
11. Increasingly, matters once thought to be private are becoming objects of governmental action.
ANS: T REF: 5
12. During the 1950s, the federal government would have taken little interest in a factory closing down.
ANS: T REF: 5
ESSAY
1. Explain what power involves and differentiate it from authority.
ANS:
a. Power is the ability of one person to get another to act in accordance with the first persons
intentions.
b. Power may be obvious, or subtle.
c. Power may be found in all human relationships.
d. Authority refers to the right to use power.
e. Power varies from time to time and from country to country.
f. Power is a key feature of the struggles throughout much of American history.
REF: 5
2. Explain what a Democracy is and note some prominent examples of this form of government
throughout history.
ANS:
a. According to Aristotles rule of the many: Democracy is where all or most citizens participate
directly in either holding office or making policy.
b. Examples: Ancient Greece (4th century B.C.); New England town meetings
REF: 7
3. Explain the primary justifications for representative democracy.
ANS:
a. Limits of time, information, energy, interest, and expertise make it impractical for the people to
decide on policies.
b. It is not impractical for them to choose between competing leadership groups.
c. Democracy can lead to bad decisions, because people often decide large issues on the basis of
fleeting passions and in response to popular demagogues.
REF: 7-8
4. Identify the requirements for representative democracy to work.
ANS:
a. There must be an opportunity for genuine competition of leadership.
b. Individuals and parties must be free to run for office.
c. There needs to be freedom of speech and press.
d. Voters much perceive that a meaningful choice exists.
REF: 9
5. Explain the Framers view of democracy and the role of the will of the people in a government with
representative democracy.
ANS:
a. The will of the people and the public good or common interest were not synonymous.
b. Government should mediate, not mirror, public views.
c. Representatives should represent, not register, majority sentiment.
d. Representative democracy may move slow and prevent sweeping change, but it minimizes the
potential abuse of power by self-serving officeholders or tyrannical majorities.
REF: 9
6. Identify, and briefly describe, the basic premises of four elite theories.