Question 1 (1.00 points)
Americans' national identity rests largely upon
a. ethnic kinship.
b. common language.
c. shared political ideals.
d. religion.
e. federal law.
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Question 2 (1.00 points)
The American ideal of equality
a. promotes the idea that all citizens should be equal in their standard of living.
b. is fully consistent with individualism.
c. does not include the idea that everyone is entitled to fair treatment under the law.
d. has helped minority groups to achieve their goals.
e. has always been fully implemented in U.S. history.
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Question 3 (1.00 points)
The American political culture includes all of the following ideals except
a. liberty.
b. equality.
c. self-government.
d. individualism.
e. economic equality.
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Question 4 (1.00 points)
Unalienable rights
a. belong to the government only.
b. belong to individuals but can be denied by government.
c. belong to individuals and cannot be denied by government.
d. do not exist in the United States.
e. are not mentioned in the Declaration of Independence.
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Question 5 (1.00 points)
Citizens of ________ are most likely to believe that personal effort is the key to success.
a. Germany
b. Italy
c. France
d. the United States
e. Great Britain
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Question 6 (1.00 points)
Cultural beliefs are said to be mythic ideas, which means that they are
a. almost completely unreal.
b. perfect representations of reality.
c. symbolic postures that reflect partly what is ideal and partly what is real.
d. perverted images of reality, as in the case of totalitarianism.
e. specifically listed in the U.S. Constitution.
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Question 7 (1.00 points)
Conflict in the practice of America's ideals occurs because these ideals
a. are general principles, not precise rules.
b. conflict somewhat with one another.
c. are only one of the many sources of political action.
d. are enduring and powerful.
e. all of the above.
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Question 8 (1.00 points)
Which one of the following is not widely regarded as a political ideal in America?
a. liberty
b. equality
c. self-government
d. freedom
e. collectivism
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Question 9 (1.00 points)
Until 1965, immigration laws were biased in favor of ________ immigrants.
a. Asian
b. Latin American
c. European
d. African
e. South American
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Question 10 (1.00 points)
The principle of self-government emphasizes majority rule whereas the principle of liberty emphasizes individual rights. These principles
a. are universal and the foundation of all legitimate governments.
b. have no real meaning in practice.
c. have the same meaning for all Americans.
d. are not fully consistent with each other.
e. are not expressed in the Declaration of Independence.
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Question 11 (1.00 points)
Political conflict is rooted in which two general conditions of society?
a. authority and scarcity of resources
b. differing values and scarcity of resources
c. differing values and competition
d. authority and competition
e. authority and differing values
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Question 12 (1.00 points)
Overt discrimination against the Chinese and other Asian groups was eliminated from U.S. immigration laws in ________.
a. 1882
b. 1923
c. 1965
d. 1987
e. 1998
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Question 13 (1.00 points)
The play of politics takes place according to rules that the participants agree to accept. In the American case, the rules of the game include all of the following, except
a. autocracy.
b. democracy.
c. constitutionalism.
d. capitalism.
e. none of the above.
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Question 14 (1.00 points)
In a constitutional system,
a. there are no restrictions on the lawful uses of power, as long as this power is obtained by majority rule.
b. citizens have basic rights which government cannot deny.
c. the economy is based on the free enterprise system.
d. officials govern according to the traditions established by their predecessors.
e. all citizens have absolute free speech rights.
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Question 15 (1.00 points)
The USA Patriot Act was enacted in ________.
a. 1789
b. 1865
c. 1945
d. 1991
e. 2001
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Question 16 (1.00 points)
Which of the following is characteristic of a capitalist economic system?
a. free enterprise
b. self-reliance
c. private property
d. individualism
e. all of the above
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Question 17 (1.00 points)
The statement, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal," can
be found in
a. the Declaration of Independence.
b. the U.S. Constitution.
c. the Federalist Papers.
d. the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
e. the Emancipation Proclamation.
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Question 18 (1.00 points)
According to the historian Louis Hartz, the United States
a. was a corporate dictatorship.
b. was born free.
c. was a perfect union.
d. was a monarchical state.
e. was a socialist democracy.
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Question 19 (1.00 points)
A government's authority
a. is evidenced when government officials exercise political power.
b. is by definition not coercive.
c. does not include the power to arrest and imprison.
d. ensures that lawlessness prevails most of the time.
e. is based on pluralism.
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Question 20 (1.00 points)
The process that determines how a society will be governed refers to
a. politics.
b. government.
c. elitism.
d. socialism
e. communism.
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Question 21 (1.00 points)
________ observed that Americans are a special case in terms of their national identity.
a. James Bryce
b. Alexis de Tocqueville
c. James Madison
d. William James
e. Calvin Coolidge
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Question 22 (1.00 points)
Americans' emphasis on self-sufficiency and material accumulation reflects their belief in
a. liberty.
b. self-government.
c. individualism.
d. diversity.
e. collectivism.
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Question 23 (1.00 points)
Among the following nations, the percentage of people who say that immigrants' influence
has been very good or somewhat good is highest in ________.
a. France
b. Germany
c. the United States
d. Italy
e. Great Britain
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Question 24 (1.00 points)
Since the 1960s the largest number of immigrants have come from
a. Germany.
b. Africa.
c. Ireland.
d. Mexico.
e. Italy.
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Question 25 (1.00 points)
In the Second Treatise on Civil Government, ________ argued that all individuals have
certain natural rights, including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
a. Thomas Hobbes
b. John Locke
c. Thomas Jefferson
d. Jean Jacques Rousseau
e. James Madison
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Question 26 (1.00 points)
Thomas Jefferson believed that his greatest accomplishment was
a. being the third president of the United States.
b. drafting the Declaration of Independence.
c. drafting the Constitution.
d. the creation of the University of Virginia.
e. the purchase of the Louisiana Territory.
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Question 27 (1.00 points)
In Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes argued that life in the state of nature is
a. heavenly.
b. worth protecting so that future generations can enjoy nature's beauty.
c. peaceful but boring.
d. truly equal for all.
e. dangerous and warlike.
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Question 28 (1.00 points)
Which of the following is true about the United States?
a. The candidate with the most popular votes always becomes president.
b. There are forms of direct democracy at the national level.
c. To protect against abuses of power, the Framers of the Constitution devised a system of checks and balances.
d. Majority rule is more direct in the United States than in other European democracies.
e. Senators, representatives, and presidents all have the same terms of office.
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Question 29 (1.00 points)
Which of the following is true of totalitarian governments?
a. Totalitarian governments assert complete dominance over individuals and institutions of society.
b. Totalitarian governments control the mass media.
c. Totalitarian governments use one party rule.
d. Totalitarian governments use violence to subdue their opponents.
e. All of the above.
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Question 30 (1.00 points)
A major criticism of the theory of pluralism is that
a. there are no organized interest groups.
b. majorities always win.
c. only a small number of powerful groups are well organized and highly influential on policy makers.
d. minority groups always win.
e. none of the above.
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Question 31 (1.00 points)
________ Americans are the largest minority in the United States.
a. African
b. Hispanic
c. Asian
d. Native
e. Independent
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Question 32 (1.00 points)
America's pluralism stems from
a. its geographical diversity.
b. its economic complexity.
c. its religious diversity.
d. its ethnic diversity.
e. all of the above.
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Question 33 (1.00 points)
Politics inherently involves
a. conflict.
b. agreement about tax issues.
c. agreement about privacy issues.
d. agreement about war and peace issues.
e. agreement about presidential candidates.
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Question 34 (1.00 points)
In Federalist No. 10, James Madison argued that
a. government is most dangerous when a single group is powerful enough to gain full political control.
b. monarchies are preferable to democracies.
c. America was not diverse enough to prevent powerful interest groups from exercising too much political power.
d. interest groups should be heavily regulated in America.
e. interest groups are less troublesome than political parties are.
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Question 35 (1.00 points)
E Pluribus Unum means
a. government of the people, by the people, and for the people.
b. one out of many.
c. rugged individualism.
d. the people rule.
e. the sovereign is ultimate.
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Question 36 (1.00 points)
Which of the following statements is true?
a. Socialism cannot exist in a political democracy.
b. Sweden is a predominantly communist country.
c. The United States is a predominantly socialist country.
d. Governmental ownership of some industries is a characteristic of socialist countries.
e. True capitalism does not exist anywhere but in the United States.
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Question 37 (1.00 points)
The method of operation of the Federal Reserve Board would best support the theory of
a. majoritarianism.
b. pluralism.
c. elitism.
d. bureaucratic rule.
e. none of the above.
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Question 38 (1.00 points)
The leading proponent of the theory of bureaucratic rule was ________.
a. Franklin Delano Roosevelt
b. Robert Dahl
c. Max Weber
d. C. Wright Mills
e. Alexis de Tocqueville
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Question 39 (1.00 points)
________ is the ability of persons or institutions to control policy.
a. Apathy
b. Politics
c. Power
d. Liberty
e. Political culture
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Question 40 (1.00 points)
The Greek words "demos" and "kratis" together mean
a. majority rule is sacred.
b. the people rule.
c. government is good.
d. politics is immoral.
e. the king is good.
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Question 41 (1.00 points)
According to the sociologist C. Wright Mills, the U.S. governing process is most accurately explained by:
a. pluralist theory.
b. elite theory.
c. majoritarianism.
d. bureaucratic rule.
e. none of the above.
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Question 42 (1.00 points)
One fear about majority rule in a democracy is that it could lead to
a. apathy on the part of elites.
b. tyranny through suppression of the minority.
c. public policies that benefit special-interest groups.
d. control of government by career bureaucrats.
e. all of the above
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Question 43 (1.00 points)
A defining characteristic of the American political system is its enduring and powerful set of cultural ideals. Explain.
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Question 44 (1.00 points)
Define politics, power, and authority.
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Question 45 (1.00 points)
Explain the justification for referring to cultural beliefs as myths.
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Question 46 (1.00 points)
Identify two sources of conflict among America’s political ideals. Illustrate these sources of conflict in the context of a specific political issue.
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Question 47 (1.00 points)
How could one argue that America is not run by a small power elite?
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