POLITICAL SCIENCE CHAPTERS 1-6
EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
authoritarian government - answer- a political system in which one person or group
has absolute control over the apparatus of government, and in which popular input in
government is minimal or nonexistent
public goods - answer- goods and services that are enjoyed by all citizens and
unlikely to be provided by any organization other than government
politics - answer- individual and collective efforts to influence the workings of
government
democracy - answer- a form of gov't in which the people rule; can take place directly,
through participation by the people in actual lawmaking, or indirectly through free
elections in which the people choose representatives to make laws on their behalf
autocracy - answer- a form of gov't in which a single person rules with effectively
unlimited power
direct democracy - answer- a form of democracy in which the people themselves
make the laws and set the policies adopted by the gov't
representative democracy - answer- a form of democracy in which the people,
through free elections, select representatives to make laws on their behalf and set
policies adopted by the gov't
constitutional democracy - answer- a form of democracy in which there is a
foundational document (U.S. Const.) that describes the structure, powers, and limits
of gov't
presidential system - answer- a political system in which the head of the executive
branch is selected by some form of popular vote and serves a fixed term of office
parliamentary system - answer- a political system in which the head of the executive
branch is selected by members of the legislature rather than by popular vote
political culture - answer- the values and beliefs of citizens toward the political
system and toward themselves as actors in it
casual question - answer- a question regarding the factors responsible for a
particular outcome
correlation - answer- a relationship between the factors such that change in one is
accompanied by change in the other
, causation - answer- a relationship between variables such that change in the value
of one is directly responsible for change in the value of other
spurious relationship - answer- a relationship between variables that reflects
correlation but not causation
American creed - answer- the dominant political culture in the U.S., marked by a set
of beliefs in individualism, democracy, liberty, property, and religion, tied together by
the value of equality
liberty - answer- the belief that gov't should leave people free to do as they please
and exercise their natural rights to the maximum extent possible
property rights - answer- the belief that people should be able to acquire, own, and
use goods and assets free from gov't constraints, as long as their acquisition and
use does not interfere with the rights of other individuals
religious freedom - answer- a belief that individuals should be free to choose and
practice their religious faith and that government should not establish any particular
religion as the official or preferred religion
limited government - answer- the idea that the scope of the government activities
should be narrow and that gov't should act only when the need is great and other
sectors of society are unable to meet the need
sovereign power - answer- the individual or institution in a political system whose
decisions are binding and cannot be overturned by other individuals or institutions
communitarianism - answer- the view that the needs of the community are of higher
priority in government than the needs of the individual, even if the result is a
restriction of the individual liberties
discrimination - answer- the view that not all groups in society are deserving of equal
rights and opportunities
multiculturalism - answer- the view that group identity influences political beliefs and
that because groups are naturally diverse in their beliefs, the idea of a shared or
dominant political culture merely reflects the imposition of a dominant group's beliefs
on subordinate groups
libertarianism - answer- a view that emphasizes the importance of individual choice
and responsibility, the private sector, and the free market, in which government's
primary obligations are to defend the country militarily, protect individuals from crime,
and ensure that people fulfill contracts entered into freely
Declaration of Independence - answer- document announcing the intention of the
colonies to separate from Great Britain based on shared grievances about the
treatment of the colonists by the British government
EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
authoritarian government - answer- a political system in which one person or group
has absolute control over the apparatus of government, and in which popular input in
government is minimal or nonexistent
public goods - answer- goods and services that are enjoyed by all citizens and
unlikely to be provided by any organization other than government
politics - answer- individual and collective efforts to influence the workings of
government
democracy - answer- a form of gov't in which the people rule; can take place directly,
through participation by the people in actual lawmaking, or indirectly through free
elections in which the people choose representatives to make laws on their behalf
autocracy - answer- a form of gov't in which a single person rules with effectively
unlimited power
direct democracy - answer- a form of democracy in which the people themselves
make the laws and set the policies adopted by the gov't
representative democracy - answer- a form of democracy in which the people,
through free elections, select representatives to make laws on their behalf and set
policies adopted by the gov't
constitutional democracy - answer- a form of democracy in which there is a
foundational document (U.S. Const.) that describes the structure, powers, and limits
of gov't
presidential system - answer- a political system in which the head of the executive
branch is selected by some form of popular vote and serves a fixed term of office
parliamentary system - answer- a political system in which the head of the executive
branch is selected by members of the legislature rather than by popular vote
political culture - answer- the values and beliefs of citizens toward the political
system and toward themselves as actors in it
casual question - answer- a question regarding the factors responsible for a
particular outcome
correlation - answer- a relationship between the factors such that change in one is
accompanied by change in the other
, causation - answer- a relationship between variables such that change in the value
of one is directly responsible for change in the value of other
spurious relationship - answer- a relationship between variables that reflects
correlation but not causation
American creed - answer- the dominant political culture in the U.S., marked by a set
of beliefs in individualism, democracy, liberty, property, and religion, tied together by
the value of equality
liberty - answer- the belief that gov't should leave people free to do as they please
and exercise their natural rights to the maximum extent possible
property rights - answer- the belief that people should be able to acquire, own, and
use goods and assets free from gov't constraints, as long as their acquisition and
use does not interfere with the rights of other individuals
religious freedom - answer- a belief that individuals should be free to choose and
practice their religious faith and that government should not establish any particular
religion as the official or preferred religion
limited government - answer- the idea that the scope of the government activities
should be narrow and that gov't should act only when the need is great and other
sectors of society are unable to meet the need
sovereign power - answer- the individual or institution in a political system whose
decisions are binding and cannot be overturned by other individuals or institutions
communitarianism - answer- the view that the needs of the community are of higher
priority in government than the needs of the individual, even if the result is a
restriction of the individual liberties
discrimination - answer- the view that not all groups in society are deserving of equal
rights and opportunities
multiculturalism - answer- the view that group identity influences political beliefs and
that because groups are naturally diverse in their beliefs, the idea of a shared or
dominant political culture merely reflects the imposition of a dominant group's beliefs
on subordinate groups
libertarianism - answer- a view that emphasizes the importance of individual choice
and responsibility, the private sector, and the free market, in which government's
primary obligations are to defend the country militarily, protect individuals from crime,
and ensure that people fulfill contracts entered into freely
Declaration of Independence - answer- document announcing the intention of the
colonies to separate from Great Britain based on shared grievances about the
treatment of the colonists by the British government
