American Political Institutions: A Black Perspective

1. Government policies pose dilemmas because they almost always require [A] infringement of the rights of some group. [B] the triumph of order over freedom. [C] conflict between the rich and poor. [D] difficult choices among conflicting values. 2. The broad, basic definition of government given by the text is [A] legitimate use of force within specified geographic boundaries to control human behavior. [B] taking from each according to his or her ability and giving to each according to need. [C] the use of force to benefit an elite. [D] citizens participating in community decisions. 3. The oldest objective of government is [A] supporting economic growth. [B] promoting social equality. [C] preserving life and protecting property. [D] preserving the state of nature. 4. In communist political systems, property is [A] held privately and is protected by government authority. [B] in private hands but is not actively protected by the state. [C] held by the state in the name of the people. [D] not a concern of the government. 5. Services that benefit all citizens but are not likely to result from the voluntary acts of individuals are known as [A] social welfare. [B] private benefits. [C] communism. [D] public goods. 6. Examples of public goods are [A] social welfare programs. [B] hotels. [C] education, parks, and roads. [D] groceries at a supermarket. 7. The promotion of equality [A] is no longer a vital concern of government. [B] is viewed as being outside the realm of government action. [C] was not always a government concern. [D] is one of the original purposes of government. 8. Of the following major objectives of government, the most controversial is [A] promoting equality. [B] maintaining order. [C] maintaining defense against external enemies. [D] providing public goods. 9. The creation of the welfare state has had the secondary effect of [A] expanding the role of the national government. [B] limiting the legitimate scope of the U.S. political system. [C] reducing the role of the national government in providing public goods. [D] weakening the power of the national government. 10. U.S. government policies of redistributing income, which emerged in the twentieth century, clash with the value of [A] protecting personal freedom. [B] guaranteeing public morality. [C] maintaining international trade routes. [D] promoting equality. 11. “Freedom from,” one of the two senses in which the word freedom is used, relates most closely to the concept of [A] democracy. [B] liberty. [C] order. [D] equality. 12. Government’s authority to maintain order is known as its ________ power. [A] implied [B] residual [C] absolute [D] police 13. Each citizen having one vote defines [A] a republic. [B] equality of opportunity. [C] political equality. [D] social equality. 14. Congressional acts prohibiting discrimination in employment, state legislation requiring equal pay for equal work, and court-ordered busing [A] are proposals that have never been tried in the United States. [B] limit freedom in the name of social order. [C] are infringements on freedom in the name of equality. [D] serve to increase inequality by permitting more freedom. 15. To create social and economic equality, governments must [A] exercise their police powers. [B] allow more freedom. [C] restrict individual freedom. [D] establish a capitalist economic system. 16. Government’s “original dilemma” is achieving a balance between [A] order and equality. [B] equality and freedom. [C] equality of opportunity and equality of outcome. [D] freedom and order. 17. An underlying assumption of the text is that perfect freedom, order, and equality can never be achieved because [A] no government structure is perfectly designed. [B] some political officials will always be corrupt or incompetent. [C] these three values are inherently in conflict and cannot be provided simultaneously. [D] these three terms refer essentially to the same thing. 18. Government’s “modern dilemma” is achieving a balance between [A] equality of opportunity and equality of outcome. [B] freedom and equality. [C] freedom and order. [D] equality and order. 19. A consistent set of values and beliefs about the proper purpose and scope of government is a(n) [A] system of government. [B] original dilemma. [C] public good. [D] political ideology. 20. The ideology that advocates government control of all sectors of society is called [A] libertarianism. [B] capitalism. [C] socialism. [D] totalitarianism. 21. A person who favors government ownership of some basic industries and a strong government role in directing the economy would best be labeled a [A] capitalist. [B] socialist. [C] totalitarian. [D] libertarian. 22. Which of the following philosophers is usually associated with socialism? [A] Milton Friedman [B] John Locke [C] Montesquieu [D] Karl Marx 23. Capitalism is best described as a(n) [A] economic system in which production and property are privately owned with a minimum of government interference. [B] system in which the use of property is controlled by majority will. [C] system guaranteeing rights of speech and political participation. [D] economic system in which the means of production are owned by the state. 24. The United States is best described as having a ________ economic system. [A] totalitarian [B] communist [C] capitalist [D] democratic socialist 25. An underlying assumption of libertarianism is that [A] society should be run according to traditional cultural values. [B] government is a powerful tool for social improvement. [C] individual citizens make better choices than government does. [D] many people need to be guided and controlled to make the best choices for themselves. 26. The most extreme political change would be from totalitarianism to [A] libertarianism. [B] anarchism. [C] democratic socialism. [D] capitalism. 27. A government pursuing laissez-faire policies would [A] regulate the economy in the interest of efficiency and equality. [B] promote fairness for the least-advantaged members of society. [C] take a hands-off attitude toward the economy. [D] regulate economic competition to ensure basic fairness. 28. A libertarian and a conservative are likely to agree about [A] opposing food stamp programs. [B] supporting affirmative action. [C] supporting government regulation of obscene literature. [D] supporting mandatory drug tests. 29. Liberals [A] shy away from using government action. [B] favor a smaller government than conservatives. [C] favor the use of government to foster equality. [D] are most likely to use government power to maintain order. 30. A ________ values freedom more than equality but would restrict freedom to preserve social order. [A] liberal [B] libertarian [C] conservative [D] communitarian 31. A ________ would most likely oppose laws against abortion because they limit freedom and support the food stamp program because it promotes equality. [A] conservative [B] communitarian [C] liberal [D] libertarian 32. A person who supports increased expenditures for social welfare programs that promote equality and who favors government regulations that foster law and order can be classified as a [A] conservative. [B] liberal. [C] communitarian. [D] libertarian. 33. Universal participation refers to [A] how much one’s vote counts. [B] whether representation is direct or indirect. [C] how many votes are needed to reach a decision. [D] who has a voice in decision making. 34. All of the following are principles of procedural democracy except [A] minority rights. [B] government responsiveness to public opinion. [C] universal participation. [D] majority rule. 35. The procedural view of democracy is most concerned with [A] how government decisions are made. [B] the level of popular participation in decision making. [C] the impact of government decisions. [D] the equality of government decisions. 36. Representative democracy is truly democratic only if it follows the principle of [A] universal participation. [B] political equality. [C] government responsiveness. [D] All of these. 37. For political decision making to be truly democratic, it must follow the four principles of [A] universal participation, political equality, majority rule, and government responsiveness. [B] universal participation, representative government, majority rule, and civil rights. [C] pluralism, political equality, majority rule, and economic equality. [D] universal participation, political equality, plurality rule, and direct democracy. 38. Direct democracy is rarely practiced in modern societies because [A] most modern societies are dominated by oligarchies. [B] citizens of democracies rarely show an interest in politics. [C] representative democracy is more responsive to majority wishes. [D] the large size and population of most modern societies make assembling all citizens impossible. 39. Suppose that a majority of properly chosen representatives votes to impose religious observances on all citizens, regardless of their personal beliefs. This action violates the principles of a(n) [A] procedural democracy. [B] substantive democracy. [C] autocracy. [D] oligarchy. 40. The substantive view of democracy focuses on [A] the principles and goals embodied in government policies. [B] the economic success of a political system. [C] proper procedures for making decisions. [D] the advantages and limits of democracy. 41. The basic criterion of substantive democracy is that government must guarantee [A] social equality. [B] civil rights and civil liberties. [C] economic rights. [D] All of these. 42. One of the weaknesses of the procedural model of democracy is that [A] its reliance on rules may lead to rigidity and inefficiency. [B] it permits policies that violate standards of substantive democracy. [C] it neglects the standards of classical Greek democracy. [D] it does not provide clear criteria to judge whether a government is democratic. 43. In democratic theory, “minority rights” refers to [A] the absence of racial discrimination. [B] basic rights that are held by all citizens and cannot be denied by majority decisions. [C] the protection of those who are not legally adults. [D] rights that are considered of lesser importance. 44. Under the majoritarian model, the primary mechanism for democratic government is [A] the referendum. [B] popular election. [C] the initiative. [D] marches and protests. 45. Many observers of U.S. politics contend that the majoritarian model is not a good description of our system because [A] government officials are rarely concerned about majority opinion. [B] very little direct democracy exists in the United States. [C] a majority of American citizens are ignorant of or disinterested in politics. [D] the United States is ruled by an oligarchy. 46. “Government by the people” means “government by people operating through competing interest groups,” according to [A] the majoritarian model of democracy. [B] indirect democracy. [C] the pluralist model of democracy. [D] direct democracy. 47. Pluralism is most likely to be found where the government structure is [A] centralized. [B] decentralized. [C] hierarchical. [D] rapidly changing. 48. The view that the most important government decisions are made by an identifiable and stable minority that shares certain characteristics is called [A] pluralist theory. [B] substantive democracy. [C] the interest group model. [D] elite theory. 49. According to elite theory, the United States is actually a(n) [A] aristocracy. [B] democracy. [C] monarchy. [D] oligarchy. 50. The text discredits elite theory as an explanation of U.S. national politics because most studies show that [A] government and business leaders generally do not cooperate with one another. [B] too few power positions exist in the United States to constitute an elite. [C] no one identifiable group regularly prevails on different issues. [D] elitism cannot coexist with democratic elections. [1] [D] [2] [A] [3] [C] [4] [C] [5] [D] [6] [C] [7] [C] [8] [A] [9] [A] [10] [A] [11] [D] [12] [D] [13] [C] [14] [C] [15] [C] [16] [D] [17] [C] [18] [B] [19] [D] [20] [D] [21] [B] [22] [D] [23] [A] [24] [C] [25] [C] [26] [B] [27] [C] [28] [A] [29] [C] [30] [C] [31] [C] [32] [C] [33] [D] [34] [A] [35] [A] [36] [D] [37] [A] [38] [D] [39] [B] [40] [A] [41] [B] [42] [B] [43] [B] [44] [B] [45] [C] [46] [C] [47] [B] [48] [D] [49] [D] [50] [C]