CHAPTER 1: What Should We Know About American Government?
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which of the following statements regarding circumstances in the late 1700s is incorrect?
a. The federal government was broke.
b. The federal government had no power to tax.
c. Several states had financial crises.
d. The federal government was in debt to foreign nations.
e. None of the above is true.
ANS: E REF: 1 NOT: Factual
2. Who was the chief architect of the Constitution?
a. Thomas Jefferson
b. James Madison
c. George Washington
d. Patrick Henry
e. John Adams
ANS: B REF: 1 NOT: Factual
3. Who predicted ratification of the Constitution would result in the creation of an ever-
growing government that would greatly increase taxes?
a. Thomas Jefferson
b. James Madison
c. George Washington
d. Patrick Henry
e. John Adams
ANS: D REF: 2 NOT: Factual
4. By 2010, the national debt was around ___________ trillion dollars.
a. 2
b. 4
c. 6
d. 10
e. 20
ANS: E REF: 2 NOT: Factual
5. Debates over government finances have generally been debates about
a. the size of government.
b. the role of government.
c. the legitimacy of government.
d. how to divide powers between the federal and state governments.
e. All of the above are true.
ANS: E REF: 2 NOT: Factual
6. Public trust and confidence in the federal government has declined sharply since the
a. 1940s.
b. 1950s.
c. 1960s.
d. 1980s.
e. 1990s.
, ANS: C REF: 2 NOT: Factual
7. The belief that government is run by self-seeking politicians and dominated by special
interest groups is, according to the text,
a. factual.
b. an exaggeration.
c. well documented.
d. self-evident.
e. rarely held.
ANS: B REF: 3 NOT: Conceptual
8. Winston Churchill observed that democracy is
a. “the best government.”
b. “the best of all possible governments.”
c. “the worst form of government for most of the world.”
d. “the worst form of government except for all those other forms that have been tried.”
e. “the only form of government that can succeed in future generations.”
ANS: D REF: 3 NOT: Factual
9. The text suggests that politics is
a. inevitable.
b. optional.
c. counterproductive.
d. a modern idea.
e. largely irrelevant.
ANS: A REF: 3 NOT: Conceptual
10. Government exists to manage
a. values.
b. disagreements.
c. power.
d. attitudes.
e. relationships.
ANS: B REF: 3 NOT: Conceptual
11. The authors suggest politics exists in
a. clubs.
b. families.
c. unions.
d. business firms.
e. All of the above are true.
ANS: E REF: 3 NOT: Conceptual
12. In a direct democracy,
a. political parties select rulers and base decisions on party platforms.
b. citizens are consulted by most leaders before policy is made.
c. unelected officials make decisions in the best interests of the people.
d. voters choose representatives to make policy for them.
e. all or most citizens make government decisions by themselves.
ANS: E REF: 3 NOT: Conceptual
13. When citizens vote on major issues that are put on the ballot, this is an example of a(n)
a. representative democracy.
, b. oligarchy.
c. parliamentary system.
d. republic.
e. direct democracy.
ANS: E REF: 3 | 4 NOT: Factual
14. The United States is a(n)
a. direct democracy.
b. parliamentary-style government.
c. presidential democracy.
d. oligarchy.
e. representative democracy.
ANS: E REF: 4 NOT: Factual
15. The term that the Framers of the Constitution used to describe our form of democracy was
a. publius.
b. polis.
c. pure democracy.
d. confederation.
e. republic.
ANS: E REF: 4 NOT: Factual
16. A government’s legitimacy is based on its
a. willingness to use power.
b. sense of responsiveness and honor.
c. right to use power.
d. disregard of external forces.
e. view of the citizenry.
ANS: C REF: 4 NOT: Conceptual
17. A government whose decisions people will obey because they think the government has the
right to make them is considered
a. authoritarian.
b. legitimate.
c. powerful.
d. institutionalized.
e. bureaucratic.
ANS: B REF: 4 NOT: Conceptual
18. In a parliamentary system, all power is invested in the national
a. executive.
b. judiciary.
c. bureaucracy.
d. legislature.
e. treasury.
ANS: D REF: 5 NOT: Factual
19. The chief executive in a parliamentary system is usually called
a. the president.
b. the prime minister.
c. the CEO.
d. the governor.
, e. the commander in chief.
ANS: B REF: 5 NOT: Factual
20. In a parliamentary system, the prime minister is chosen by the
a. judicial system.
b. elected national legislature.
c. people.
d. electoral college.
e. party representatives.
ANS: B REF: 5 NOT: Factual
21. The prime minister can rule as long as he or she
a. is able to manage the bureaucracy.
b. has the support of the courts.
c. wins a plurality of the popular vote.
d. wins a majority of the popular vote.
e. is supported by a majority of parliament.
ANS: E REF: 5 NOT: Conceptual
22. One notable feature of parliamentary government is that
a. the governor is elected by the legislature.
b. the courts rarely interfere with the other branches.
c. the legislative branch controls the bureaucracy.
d. elections are held every year.
e. power is decentralized.
ANS: B REF: 5 NOT: Conceptual
23. In a presidential system, the bureaucracy reports to
a. Congress and the president.
b. Congress and the courts.
c. the courts.
d. the president.
e. Congress.
ANS: A REF: 5 NOT: Factual
24. The theory underlying the presidential system is that
a. policies should be tested at election time.
b. the courts should not interfere.
c. policies should be tested at every stage of the policy-making process.
d. more power should be vested in the executive branch.
e. More power should be vested in the courts.
ANS: C REF: 5 NOT: Conceptual
25. The text suggests that decisions about public policy usually
a. emerge out of complicated struggles among many different interests.
b. emerge out of complicated struggles between big business and Wall Street.
c. reflect the interests of small groups that have interests in the military.
d. reflect the opinions of the far right and the far left.
e. depend on the relationship between unions and big business.
ANS: A REF: 6 NOT: Conceptual
26. Pluralism asserts that political resources are
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which of the following statements regarding circumstances in the late 1700s is incorrect?
a. The federal government was broke.
b. The federal government had no power to tax.
c. Several states had financial crises.
d. The federal government was in debt to foreign nations.
e. None of the above is true.
ANS: E REF: 1 NOT: Factual
2. Who was the chief architect of the Constitution?
a. Thomas Jefferson
b. James Madison
c. George Washington
d. Patrick Henry
e. John Adams
ANS: B REF: 1 NOT: Factual
3. Who predicted ratification of the Constitution would result in the creation of an ever-
growing government that would greatly increase taxes?
a. Thomas Jefferson
b. James Madison
c. George Washington
d. Patrick Henry
e. John Adams
ANS: D REF: 2 NOT: Factual
4. By 2010, the national debt was around ___________ trillion dollars.
a. 2
b. 4
c. 6
d. 10
e. 20
ANS: E REF: 2 NOT: Factual
5. Debates over government finances have generally been debates about
a. the size of government.
b. the role of government.
c. the legitimacy of government.
d. how to divide powers between the federal and state governments.
e. All of the above are true.
ANS: E REF: 2 NOT: Factual
6. Public trust and confidence in the federal government has declined sharply since the
a. 1940s.
b. 1950s.
c. 1960s.
d. 1980s.
e. 1990s.
, ANS: C REF: 2 NOT: Factual
7. The belief that government is run by self-seeking politicians and dominated by special
interest groups is, according to the text,
a. factual.
b. an exaggeration.
c. well documented.
d. self-evident.
e. rarely held.
ANS: B REF: 3 NOT: Conceptual
8. Winston Churchill observed that democracy is
a. “the best government.”
b. “the best of all possible governments.”
c. “the worst form of government for most of the world.”
d. “the worst form of government except for all those other forms that have been tried.”
e. “the only form of government that can succeed in future generations.”
ANS: D REF: 3 NOT: Factual
9. The text suggests that politics is
a. inevitable.
b. optional.
c. counterproductive.
d. a modern idea.
e. largely irrelevant.
ANS: A REF: 3 NOT: Conceptual
10. Government exists to manage
a. values.
b. disagreements.
c. power.
d. attitudes.
e. relationships.
ANS: B REF: 3 NOT: Conceptual
11. The authors suggest politics exists in
a. clubs.
b. families.
c. unions.
d. business firms.
e. All of the above are true.
ANS: E REF: 3 NOT: Conceptual
12. In a direct democracy,
a. political parties select rulers and base decisions on party platforms.
b. citizens are consulted by most leaders before policy is made.
c. unelected officials make decisions in the best interests of the people.
d. voters choose representatives to make policy for them.
e. all or most citizens make government decisions by themselves.
ANS: E REF: 3 NOT: Conceptual
13. When citizens vote on major issues that are put on the ballot, this is an example of a(n)
a. representative democracy.
, b. oligarchy.
c. parliamentary system.
d. republic.
e. direct democracy.
ANS: E REF: 3 | 4 NOT: Factual
14. The United States is a(n)
a. direct democracy.
b. parliamentary-style government.
c. presidential democracy.
d. oligarchy.
e. representative democracy.
ANS: E REF: 4 NOT: Factual
15. The term that the Framers of the Constitution used to describe our form of democracy was
a. publius.
b. polis.
c. pure democracy.
d. confederation.
e. republic.
ANS: E REF: 4 NOT: Factual
16. A government’s legitimacy is based on its
a. willingness to use power.
b. sense of responsiveness and honor.
c. right to use power.
d. disregard of external forces.
e. view of the citizenry.
ANS: C REF: 4 NOT: Conceptual
17. A government whose decisions people will obey because they think the government has the
right to make them is considered
a. authoritarian.
b. legitimate.
c. powerful.
d. institutionalized.
e. bureaucratic.
ANS: B REF: 4 NOT: Conceptual
18. In a parliamentary system, all power is invested in the national
a. executive.
b. judiciary.
c. bureaucracy.
d. legislature.
e. treasury.
ANS: D REF: 5 NOT: Factual
19. The chief executive in a parliamentary system is usually called
a. the president.
b. the prime minister.
c. the CEO.
d. the governor.
, e. the commander in chief.
ANS: B REF: 5 NOT: Factual
20. In a parliamentary system, the prime minister is chosen by the
a. judicial system.
b. elected national legislature.
c. people.
d. electoral college.
e. party representatives.
ANS: B REF: 5 NOT: Factual
21. The prime minister can rule as long as he or she
a. is able to manage the bureaucracy.
b. has the support of the courts.
c. wins a plurality of the popular vote.
d. wins a majority of the popular vote.
e. is supported by a majority of parliament.
ANS: E REF: 5 NOT: Conceptual
22. One notable feature of parliamentary government is that
a. the governor is elected by the legislature.
b. the courts rarely interfere with the other branches.
c. the legislative branch controls the bureaucracy.
d. elections are held every year.
e. power is decentralized.
ANS: B REF: 5 NOT: Conceptual
23. In a presidential system, the bureaucracy reports to
a. Congress and the president.
b. Congress and the courts.
c. the courts.
d. the president.
e. Congress.
ANS: A REF: 5 NOT: Factual
24. The theory underlying the presidential system is that
a. policies should be tested at election time.
b. the courts should not interfere.
c. policies should be tested at every stage of the policy-making process.
d. more power should be vested in the executive branch.
e. More power should be vested in the courts.
ANS: C REF: 5 NOT: Conceptual
25. The text suggests that decisions about public policy usually
a. emerge out of complicated struggles among many different interests.
b. emerge out of complicated struggles between big business and Wall Street.
c. reflect the interests of small groups that have interests in the military.
d. reflect the opinions of the far right and the far left.
e. depend on the relationship between unions and big business.
ANS: A REF: 6 NOT: Conceptual
26. Pluralism asserts that political resources are
