Home

Student Resources

Chapter 1: Democracy and American Politics

Multiple-Choice Quiz

Multiple-Choice Quiz
Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question.

This activity contains 26 questions.

	Most African-Americans did not have an effective right to vote until:   the 1850s and "Jacksonian democracy." passage of the Civil War Amendments. 1920 and passage of the Nineteenth Amendment. after 1965. the ratification of the 15th Amendment.

	Democracy in the United States:   is complete. is being threatened by communist forces in Central America. is impossible to achieve because of racial diversity. is incomplete and not operating as it might. is not as important as it once was.

	A central theme of the book is that:   democracy is destined to fail in postindustrial America. capitalism is required if democracy is to flourish. it is a struggle to protect, enrich, and expand democracy. democracy is a relatively simple concept and is for the most part self-executing. true democracy is an outdated goal.

	Which of the following concepts is used as a standard for evaluating the quality of American political life?   democracy liberty constitutionalism freedom capitalism

	Which of the following questions would we ask if we want to evaluate political life in America?   How free is America? How democratic is the American political system? Is communism being arrested around the world? Is capitalism safe from socialism? is democracy an attainable goal?

	Democracy means:   rule by the people. rule by the few. rule by one. rule by those with wealth. rule by the educated.

	What is the major difference between a direct democracy and a representative democracy?   In a direct democracy citizens themselves make decisions, whereas in a representative democracy citizens have intermediaries who make decisions for them. A direct democracy is possible only if citizens participate, whereas in a representative democracy, citizen participation is unnecessary. The only major difference between the two is that direct democracies have been around longer than representative democracies. There is no difference between the two types of democracy. Representative democracy was not practicable in ancient Greece but direct democracy was.

	By "representative" democracy we mean:   policies are made such that all groups in the United States are fairly satisfied with the system. a system in which the people select others to act in their place. that legislators are representative of various groups in society, such as minorities, women, etc. that legislators must vote exactly as their constituents desire. a system in which all people can express their opinions in an open forum.

	What is the definition of popular sovereignty?   political equality political freedom the ultimate source of government authority is the people government is restrained within the limits of the Constitution the right to protest

	The term "deliberative will" refers to which of the following?   the will of representatives of the people the will of the people arrived at after a period of reflection and discussion with others the will of those in government who carry out the law the process used by U.S. Supreme Court justices in their decision making the process of debate in the House and Senate

	Why is participation in the political process an important condition of popular sovereignty?   Without widespread participation, the nature of the popular will can only be guessed at. Without widespread participation, nothing guarantees that officials will respond to the popular will. Participation is essential because the deliberative will of the people can only emerge from a process of reflection and discussion with others. All of the above are important reasons for participation. Representatives need continuous incentives to pay attention to the people.

	In an election, the person who has the most money in the community gets to cast 100 votes; the person considered the most religious in the city gets to cast 50 votes; the person who is considered the most intelligent in the community gets to cast 10 votes; everyone else in the city gets to cast one vote except people who have blue eyes, who do not get to vote at all. This voting scenario violates the principle of:   due process of law. affirmative action. cumulative voting. political equality. majority rule.

	Wealth and income in the United States are distributed:   fairly evenly among all groups. in a highly unequal fashion. fairly evenly among whites, but not between whites and minorities. with little or no gender bias. with incredible gender bias.

	Political equality involves what is referred to in the ____________ to the Constitution as "equal protection," meaning that everyone in a democracy is treated the same by government.   13th Amendment 14th Amendment 15th Amendment 19th Amendment 16th Amendment

	Political liberty refers to:   equality of opportunity. basic freedoms essential to the formation and expression of the popular will. having a written constitution to protect citizens from government. nondiscrimination in employment. the right to vote.

	Why were the Founders of the nation afraid of "majority tyranny?"   They were afraid that the majority might try to undermine the freedoms of minorities and/or threaten individual rights. They mainly feared that their positions of power in society would be undermined. The founders themselves were not that concerned over minority rights. They knew that minorities would be voting in elections and wanted their votes. As members and representatives of the majority in America, they knew that the majority would not tyrannize and were relatively unconcerned with the dangers of majority rule. They were afraid they might have become the minority.

	The landmark civil rights bill that allowed widespread African-American political participation in the South was the:   Civil Rights Act of 1875. Emancipation Proclamation. Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. Voting Rights Act of 1965. Reconstruction Act of 1867.

	The framework advanced by the authors to aid our understanding of American politics suggests that every political actor, institution, and process can be located in one of four categories. Which of the following is NOT one of those sectors?   government system political linkage structure government action

	Which of the following is an example of a government actor or influence?   a political party the president the position of the U.S. in world affairs public opinion political action committees

	Which of the four categories in the analytical framework used in the text has the formal, legal responsibility for making policy?   government political linkage structure all of the above none of the answers is correct

	The term "political linkage" refers to:   formal policy makers. political actors, institutions and processes that transmit the wants and demands of the people and groups to government officials. environmental factors such as the U.S. economy. the allocation of values among population subgroups. US foreign relations.

	The term "structure" refers to:   linkage institutions. formal policy makers. fundamental and enduring factors that influence government, such as constitutional rules. the bureaucracy. the Supreme Court.

	What policy area do the authors use in Chapter 1 to illustrate their four category analytical framework?   foreign policy social policy civil rights legislation regulatory policy welfare policy

	Which of the following was the most significant political linkage influence affecting passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act?   President Johnson the Supreme Court the civil rights movement the U.S. Congress public opinion

	Which of the following was a structure factor contributing to the downfall of "Jim Crow" laws?   African-Americans migrating from the South to the North in search of better jobs political parties beginning to decline in importance Lyndon Johnson's superior legislative skills a Congress controlled by the Democrats the Vietnam War

	The text states that political decisions and policies:   are usually the result of either political linkage or government influences. have multiple causes. are usually the result of structure influences. are usually the result of government influences. are usually the result of structure or government influences.

Copyright © 1995-2008, Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Longman Legal and Privacy Terms