Novel Approach To Politics Introducing Political Science Through Books Movies and Popular Culture 5th Edition Belle Test Bank Download

Van Belle, A Novel Approach to Politics 5e
CQ Press, 2018
Test Bank for Novel Approach to Politics Introducing

Political Science through Books Movies and Popular
Culture 5th Edition Belle 1506368654 9781506368658
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Chapter 5: Structures and Institutions

Test Bank
Multiple Choice
1. What is the difference between political structures and political institutions?

A. Political institutions are generic, while structures are specific.
B. Structures pertain to the executive branch of government, while institutions pertain to
the legislative branch.
C. There is no difference; they both refer to the generic branches of government.
D. Political structures are generic, while institutions are specific.
Ans: D
Learning Objective: 5-1: Distinguish between structures and institutions.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Structures or Institutions?
Difficulty Level: Medium
2. Organizational structures through which political power is exercised are ______.

A. political institutions
B. political structures
C. political associations
D. political organizations
Ans: A
3. Which of the following is a political structure?

A. the British House of Commons
B. the U.S. Senate
C. a judicial system
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D. the presidency
Ans: C
Cognitive Domain: Application
Difficulty Level: Easy
4. Which of the following is a political institution?

A. the U.S. Supreme Court
B. the legislature
C. the executive
D. the judiciary
Ans: A
5. The U.S. system, because of its separation of powers, is specifically designed to

make it ______.
A. difficult for the government to infringe on the rights of its citizens
B. as simple as possible for one party to control the government
C. easy for new laws to be passed
D. a unitary system
Ans: A
Learning Objective: 5-2: Describe the role of human nature in the construction of
political institutions.
Answer Location: Human Nature and Political Institutions
6. The text highlights which of the following two of our Founding Fathers and the
authors of sections of The Federalist Papers who have contributed to our understanding
of governmental institutions, with a particular emphasis on separation of power?
A. James Madison
B. Benjamin Franklin
C. Alexander Hamilton
D. Both A and C
Ans: D
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7. Institutions are created or designed ______.

A. from existing frameworks
B. from a blank slate
C. by a hierarchical process
D. by the citizen they govern
Ans: A
Learning Objective: 5-3: Understand the real challenges facing political institutions.
Answer Location: The Reality of Political Institutions
8. Political scientist Sidney Verba uses the term ______ to describe “the system of
empirical beliefs, expressive symbols, and values, which defines the situation in which
political action takes place.”
A. political culture
B. political capital
C. class consciousness
D. form
Ans: A
Learning Objective: 5-5: Identify the basic structures needed by all modern
governments.
Answer Location: Civilization
9. Which of the following forms of government did Aristotle consider to be a “good”

form?
A. democracy
B. aristocracy
C. dictatorship
D. oligarchy
Ans: B
governments.
10. A country that does not have a monarch is, according to one simple definition, which
of the following?
A. a republic
B. a democracy
C. a theocracy
D. an oligarchy
Ans: A
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governments.
11. Which of the following countries does not use a federal system?
A. France
B. United States
C. Germany
D. Canada
Ans: A
governments.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
12. In which of the following systems do local government units have the real power?
A. federal
B. unitary
C. confederal
D. democratic
Ans: C
governments.
13. According to Aristotle, which of the following is a government ruled by the many that
works for the benefit of the ruling class?
A. democracy
B. aristocracy
C. dictatorship
D. polity
Ans: D
governments.
14. Who said, “But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human
nature?”
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A. Bob Vila
B. George Washington
C. James Madison
D. Andrew Jackson
Ans: C
15. Which of the following systems of government is not currently used by any of the
world’s countries, although it is used by the United Nations and the European Union?
A. a federal system
B. a unitary system
C. a confederal system
D. a federal, unitary, or confederal system
Ans: C
governments.
16. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis referred to local governments in the
U.S. federal system as ______.
A. laboratories for social experimentation
B. non-sovereign states
C. the locus of governmental power
D. the last bastion of governmental power
Ans: A
governments.
17. Which of the following does not happen when the Queen of England opens
Parliament by announcing what her Parliament will do?
A. She adds legitimacy to the institution.
B. She informs the public what is happening.
C. She draws attention to the Parliament.
D. She challenges Parliament’s authority because she wields true political power.
Ans: D
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18. The interdependent essential elements of governing that determine, enable, and
limit the form and function of a government are known as ______.
A. government intrusions
B. government infusions
C. government structures
D. government delusions
Ans: C
Answer Location: Structures and Institutions
19. In designing the American Constitution, Madison and his fellow architects built a
system based on ______.
A. a basic mistrust of human nature
B. a basic belief in the goodness of humankind
C. a basic belief in the adage “Live and let live”
D. a basic belief in Americans’ short attention spans
Ans: A
20. According to Aristotle, which of the following is the perverted form of an aristocratic
government?
A. a monarchy
B. an oligarchy
C. a dictatorship
D. a polity
Ans: B
governments.
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True/False
1. The U.S. Supreme Court is an institution of the judicial structure in the United States.
Ans: T
2. As categorized by Aristotle, Democracy is a good form of government.

Ans: F
governments.
3. Institutions are critical and relatively permanent parts of a government.

Ans: T
4. Foundations do not have to share characteristics.

Ans: F
5. Benjamin Franklin was often called the father of the U.S. Constitution.
Ans: F
6. Political institutions always function properly.

Ans: F
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7. Political culture is the political aspect of the human nature of the local populace.
Ans: T
governments.
8. A dictatorship is considered a perverted form of government.

Ans: T
governments.
9. Monarchy is a multiple authority government.

Ans: F
governments.
10. In a unitary system, the national parliament, dictator, dancing llama, or whoever
makes all the decisions for the entire nation.
Ans: T
governments.
11. The least commonly used form is the unitary system.

Ans: F
governments.
12. Federalism allows for differences among the local government units that reflect
differing cultures or traditions.
Ans: T
CQ Press, 2018
governments.
Essay
1. Why is it the case that nations rarely have an opportunity to install their ideal
institutions from scratch?
Ans: According to the author, nations rarely have an opportunity to install their ideal
institutions from scratch. First, most government institutions are not designed or even
intentionally created. Instead, they evolve out of humble and sometimes downright
unusual beginnings. Almost every government’s institutions carry the legacy of
generations.
2. What is political culture and how does it set the boundaries for the type of
government that will work in a given area?
Ans: Political scientist Sidney Verba defines a nation’s political culture as “the system of
empirical beliefs, expressive symbols, and values, which defines the situation in which
political action takes place.” Political culture varies across nations because it can
involve religious values, expectations, morals, ethics, and traditions within the area.
governments.
3. The political system in the United States is founded on a separation of powers, which
makes it difficult for any one faction to enact sweeping changes or infringe significantly
on the rights of the citizens. However, there is at least one major disadvantage to this--
what is it? How are European democracies different, and what are the advantages and
disadvantages of their political systems?
Ans: According to the author, one of the major disadvantages of separation of powers is
the inability to get things done (e.g. passing laws, etc.). The separation of powers
creates a check on each of the institutions, and thus, if institutions are controlled by
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individuals of different parties, then passing legislation becomes extremely difficult in the
United States. In European democracies, the winning party has the ability to make
changes more easily than those who lost. These less restrained forms of governments
also create an increased risk of putting one portion of society or government at the
mercy of another as they swiftly pass laws and make sudden changes to the rules that
define society.
Cognitive Domain: Analysis
Difficulty Level: Hard
4. Discuss how a federal governance system is the best system for a capitalist
economic system.
Ans: According to the author, some argue that federal systems fit in well in countries
with capitalist economic systems because both people and businesses have the
capacity to move and local governments must compete to keep people and jobs within
their borders. Local governments need businesses to pay taxes or to provide jobs to
those who will pay taxes. Competition forces these local governments to optimize the
business environments of their jurisdictions in one way or another. This might mean
maximizing the education system or minimizing regulations. It could mean keeping
taxes as low as possible by being very stingy in the benefits given to citizens--that is,
spending little on welfare, education, health care, and so on. This variety of ways of
competing for wealthy private and corporate citizens can create niches for many
different kinds of business, creating a diverse and healthy economy across the nation.
governments.
Cognitive Domain: Analysis
Difficulty Level: Hard
5. Discuss the differences between political structures and political institutions and
provide examples of each.
Ans: Like structures, institutions are critical and relatively permanent parts of a
government. However, structures are generic whereas institutions are specific. An
example of a structure is the judicial system. The institution would be the U.S. Supreme
Court.
6. Aristotle recognized six basic types of government: polity, oligarchy, aristocracy,

democracy, dictatorship, and monarchy. Briefly explain who rules in each one (one
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person, a few people, many people). For each type, also explain whether Aristotle
believed it to be a good or bad form of government.
Ans:
Polity--ruled by many; good form
Oligarchy--ruled by a few; bad form
Aristocracy--ruled by a few; good form
Democracy--ruled by many; bad form
Dictatorship--ruled by one; bad form
Monarchy--ruled by one; good form
governments.
7. Aristotle recognized six basic types of government and categorized them as either a
good form of government or a perverted form of government. Explain what Aristotle
meant by a perverted form of government and why he classified democracy as a
perverted form of government.
Ans: Per Aristotle, if the government worked for the benefit of the ruling class, he called
it perverted. He labeled democracy as perverted because in his day, democracy was
synonymous with mob rule--that is, everyone acting in her or his own best interest with
little or no regard for the community.
governments.
8. What are the benefits and pitfalls of the monarchy and aristocracy types of
government?
Ans: Monarchy literally means a single authority. During a war, when decisions must be
made quickly and decisively, or when a tough and unpopular choice must be made for
the long-term best interest of the country, having a single decision maker can avoid the
analysis of committees and groups trying to make decisions. The pitfalls to monarchy
are dictatorship.
governments.

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Van Belle, A Novel Approach to Politics 5e

Test Bank for Novel Approach to Politics Introducing

Chapter 5: Structures and Institutions

1. What is the difference between political structures and political institutions?

2. Organizational structures through which political power is exercised are ______.

3. Which of the following is a political structure?

4. Which of the following is a political institution?

5. The U.S. system, because of its separation of powers, is specifically designed to

7. Institutions are created or designed ______.

9. Which of the following forms of government did Aristotle consider to be a “good”

Cognitive Domain: Application

2. As categorized by Aristotle, Democracy is a good form of government.

3. Institutions are critical and relatively permanent parts of a government.

4. Foundations do not have to share characteristics.

6. Political institutions always function properly.

8. A dictatorship is considered a perverted form of government.

9. Monarchy is a multiple authority government.

11. The least commonly used form is the unitary system.

6. Aristotle recognized six basic types of government: polity, oligarchy, aristocracy,

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