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Module 1: Week 1
Quiz: The Study of American Government
28 out of 30
1. The Framers’ concerns about direct democracy are shown by what feature of the
Constitution?
a. The Constitution does not feature the word democracy at all.
2. Which term is used to describe activists, inside or outside of government, who pull
together political majorities on behalf of unorganized interests?
a. Policy entrepreneurs
3. James Madison argued that while the federal government needed its own power of
taxation and collectors of revenue, its overall powers would remain few and defined,
and its taxing power would be used sparingly. Who replied that if given that power,
there would, over time, be an immense increase of taxes spent by an ever-growing
federal government?
a. Patrick Henry
4. Why did the Framers of the Constitution not create a direct democracy?
a. They believed the rights of the minority would be suppressed by the dominating
majority.
5. In ancient Athens, which group had the right to vote?
a. All who served in the military
6. Which sociologist argued that American democracy is dominated by a small “power
elite"?
a. C. Wright Mills
7. Karl Marx believed governments were dominated by whom or what?
a. Business owners
8. Which of the following people is the best-known example of a policy entrepreneur?
a. Ralph Nader
9. The struggle over power or influence within organizations that can grant benefits or
privileges best defines which of the following?
a. Politics
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10. In the United States, no government at any level would be considered legitimate if it
were not in some sense which of these?
a. Democratic
11. How did Aristotle define democracy?
a. Rule of the many
12. Congress’s power to tax, as provided in the Constitution and later amendments, leads
one to conclude that the fundamental government finance problems are not
mathematical. Instead, they are because of which of the following?
a. Politics
13. Which of the following is an example of direct democracy?
a. New England town meetings
14. Which of the following reflects the issues that people believe require governmental
action?
a. The political agenda
15. When policies like the Affordable Care Act delegate decisions, such as whether birth
control should be covered in all insurance plans, to executive agencies like Health and
Human Services, it is an illustration of which theory of power?
a. The bureaucratic view
16. What effect does the national media most likely have on the political agenda?
a. Publicizing issues by giving them attention
17. Which of the following supports the idea that policies should be created to benefit
everyone and require everyone to contribute?
a. Majoritarian politics
18. The term participatory democracy applies most accurately to which of the following
societies?
a. Greece in the 4th century B.C.
19. What is one feature of democracy in the United States that distinguishes it from many
European democracies?
a. In the United States, more offices are elective.
20. The civil rights movement of the mid-20th century is an example of which theory of
power?
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a. The creedal passion view
21. Which of the following is typically absent in a republic?
a. Command economy
22. How can state governments make national policy directly without Congress ever
voting on the matter?
a. The attorneys general of the states may sue a business firm and settle the suit with
an agreement that binds the industry throughout the country.
23. The bureaucratic view of political elites, which argues that appointed officials
dominate the government, is associated with whom?
a. Max Weber
24. Policies aimed at lessening income inequality and addressing the disproportionate
power held by individuals with wealth are based on which theory of power?
a. The class view
25. What method is used by members of Congress to build a winning coalition for their
policies?
a. Log-rolling
26. Which of the following describes a deficit?
a. Spending more than projected government revenues in any given year
27. Which view about power distribution in the United States attributes the majority of
political power to elected politicians?
a. The pluralist view
28. According to the Framers of the Constitution, who is the best judge of the people's
best interests?
a. Elected officials
29. In the U.S. political system, which of these most closely approximates Aristotle’s
ideal of direct democracy?
a. New England town meeting
30. An estate tax that imposes a tax on inherited money in excess of $4.49 million is an
example of this type of policy.
a. Client policy
