American Government Test Preparation
Course Introduction
American Government provides a comprehensive overview of the structure, functions, and processes of the United States government. The course explores the foundational principles outlined in the Constitution, the roles of the three branches of government, federalism, civil rights and liberties, political parties, elections, and public policy-making. Students will analyze the dynamic relationships among different institutions, the importance of civic participation, and contemporary issues facing American democracy. Through critical examination, the course fosters an understanding of how government decisions impact society and how citizens can influence governance at the local, state, and national levels.
Recommended Textbook
A Novel Approach to Politics 5th Edition by Douglas
A. Van Belle
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13 Chapters
518 Verified Questions
518 Flashcards
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Chapter
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40 Verified Questions
40 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) While political theory is aimed at developing knowledge,a political ideology is about organizing and directing goal-oriented action.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) Which of the following aim to modify the harshness of capitalism with the infusion of some elements of socialism?
A)Leninists
B)democratic socialists
C)social democrats
D)libertarians
Answer: C
Q3) Which of the following theorists used utopian thought when he offered his harsh and influential critique of capitalism?
A)Aristotle
B)Niccolò Machiavelli
C)Karl Marx
D)Confucius
Answer: C
Page 3
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Chapter 2: Why Government Security, Anarchy, and Some Basic Group Dynamics
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40 Verified Questions
40 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) There is no difference between power and authority.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) The protection of borders and governmental structures from outside threats is defined as ______ security.
A)regime
B)individual
C)state
D)national
Answer: C
Q3) The "rally 'round the flag effect" refers to which of the following?
A)Americans tend to say the Pledge of Allegiance more often than do citizens of other nations.
B)Whenever Americans perceive a threat to the nation,public opinion polls show that there is also an upsurge in the president's approval ratings.
C)Flag production is often associated with national holiday celebrations.
D)Owning a flag is a good indicator of whether someone will be successful.
Answer: B
Page 4
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Chapter
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40 Verified Questions
40 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Leaders can achieve legitimacy in any of the following ways,EXCEPT ______.
A)by a prolonged use of violence
B)by remaining in power for a long time
C)by receiving the approval of a prior leader who was believed to be legitimate
D)by convincing the public that it is in their best interest to accept their leadership voluntarily
Answer: A
Q2) Preference falsification is only limited to totalitarian governments.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) Individuals under panoptic control will exercise ______ as means of preservation.
A)self-policing
B)hermit tendencies
C)paranoia
D)recklessness
Answer: A
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Chapter 4: Governments Role in the Economy: The Offer
You Cant Refuse
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40 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Recount one of the chapter's three examples of the tragedy of the commons and explain why the tragedy is inevitable.
Q2) Which of the following statements about capitalism is false?
A)The driving force in capitalism is the competition between capitalists.
B)Laissez-faire capitalism is an economic system with very little,if any,government involvement in the economy.
C)Another name for capitalism is feudalism.
D)Marx noted both the benefits and the flaws of capitalism.
Q3) Which of the following,in his work The Wealth of Nations,used the example of the manufacture of sewing pins to highlight the benefits of factories?
A)Adam Smith
B)Karl Marx
C)Aristotle
D)Joseph Stalin
Q4) A humanist is an idealist who is interested in and motivated by concern for the broader human condition and the quality of people's lives.
A)True
B)False
Page 6
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Chapter 5: Structures and Institutions
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Sample Questions
Q1) The U.S.system,because of its separation of powers,is specifically designed to make it
A)difficult for the government to infringe on the rights of its citizens
B)as simple as possible for one party to control the government
C)easy for new laws to be passed
D)a unitary system
Q2) Which of the following is a political institution?
A)the U.S.Supreme Court
B)the legislature
C)the executive
D)the judiciary
Q3) Federalism allows for differences among the local government units that reflect differing cultures or traditions.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Which of the following is a political structure?
A)the British House of Commons
B)the U.S.Senate
C)a judicial system
D)the presidency
Page 7
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Chapter 6: El Grande Loco Casa Blanca: The Executive in Bad Spanish
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Sample Questions
Q1) Discuss the difference between a patriarchal and matriarchal hierarchy.
Q2) What state of nature fits the view that the predominant form of the early executive is the warrior king?
A)Hobbesian
B)Machiavellian
C)Lutheran
D)Lockean
Q3) All heads of state ______.
A)are created equal
B)serve as the national symbol
C)have the authority to call for elections
D)cannot add legitimacy to a government
Q4) Which of the following is not a political mechanism put into place to prevent any one governmental branch from becoming too powerful over the others?
A)the veto
B)checks and balances
C)the filibuster
D)separation of powers
Page 8
Q5) Compare and contrast an authoritarian executive to a democratic executive.
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Chapter 7: The Confederacy of Dunces: The Legislative
Function Not in Bad Spanish
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Sample Questions
Q1) The development of organized religion pulled lawmaking power away from kings because ______.
A)of the urge to sacrifice divine leaders
B)religion is the opiate of the masses
C)separate priesthoods developed with substantial influence over acceptable behavior
D)pious behavior is dull
Q2) Gridlock is usually associated with which of the following?
A)policy instability
B)votes of no confidence
C)divided government
D)dictatorship
Q3) A senator from the state of Oregon,knowing the citizens of Oregon support the right to die for the terminally ill,filibustered a vote in the Senate chamber that sought to preempt state right to die laws.This is an example of a ______.
A)delegate model of representation
B)trustee model of representation
C)political model of representation
D)partisan model of representation
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Chapter 8: Brazilian Bureaucracy: Do I Even Need to Bother
With the Jokes
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Sample Questions
Q1) The vast majority of the stuff that governments do is done by bureaucracies.
A)True
B)False
Q2) In an iron triangle,what do interest groups do to ensure that legislation is crafted according to their preferences?
A)legislate
B)raise funds
C)lobby
D)make policy
Q3) Which of the following is not one of the critical elements Max Weber believed necessary for an ideal bureaucracy?
A)flexibility
B)rules
C)hierarchy
D)professionals
Q4) Does a bureaucracy in a federal system,like the United States,meet Max Weber's ideal requirement of clearly assigned roles,to avoid the overlap and duplication of efforts? Explain.
Q5) Discuss the principal-agent model.
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Chapter
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Sample Questions
Q1) When interpreting the language and intent of laws passed by the legislative branch(es),the courts are ______.
A)overreaching
B)policymaking
C)adjudicating
D)interpreting
Q2) Unlike common law,civil law relies predominately on ______.
A)written law
B)religious doctrine
C)judicial review
D)case law
Q3) Describe the difference between criminal and civil law and explain what standard of evidence is used in each.
Q4) Which of the following is not one of the three principal elements of federal law in the United States?
A)constitutional law
B)canon laws
C)treaties
D)congressional statutes
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Chapter 10: Not Quite Right,but Still Good: The Democratic
Ideal in Modern Politics
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39 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The one vote in the exact center of the political spectrum is called ______.
A)the median voter
B)the modal voter
C)the centrist voter
D)the key voter
Q2) Which of the following is a process that provides a mechanism for the people to circumvent the legislature?
A)nomination
B)confirmation
C)initiative
D)reformation
Q3) Winston Churchill once said,"Democracy is the worst form of government,except for all those other forms." Explain some of the criticisms that have been made of democracy (Plato and Aristotle had some good ones),and then explain why,in spite of these issues,democracy remains a very powerful idea and ideal.
Q4) Identify two different methods for counting votes and explain how these methods might lead to different results.
Q5) Why is it highly unlikely that third parties will be successful in the United States?
Page 12
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Chapter 11: Media,Politics,and Government: Talking Heads
Are Better Than None
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following statements about protests is false?
A)Even the biggest protests involve only a tiny portion of the public.
B)Media coverage of protests provides further evidence of a conspiracy between the media and elites.
C)Media coverage of protests can create the perception that the protesters represent a significant portion of the population.
D)For a protest to be effective,the organizers must insert the protest into the political reality of the majority of the population.
Q2) What product do news outlets sell?
A)news
B)entertainment
C)drama
D)people's attention
Q3) Elites do not have the motivation and the resources to actively try to gain beneficial news coverage.
A)True
B)False
Q4) How can a journalist's efforts to provide both sides of a story work to distort reality?
Page 13
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Chapter 12: International Politics: Apocalypse Now and Then
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Sample Questions
Q1) The heart of the Marxist challenge to realism is that the core component of global politics is ______.
A)economics
B)the weaponization of space
C)environmental protection
D)terrorism
Q2) Explain why and how World War I had a dramatic effect on the study of international relations.
Q3) Which of the following is not one of the three fundamental assumptions within the great deal of diversity in realist theories?
A)States are rational unitary actors.
B)World peace is the fundamental resource to be pursued.
C)Rational unitary states interact in an anarchic environment.
D)Power is the fundamental resource to be pursueD.
Q4) What is the predominant theoretical perspective on international politics?
A)Marxism
B)idealism
C)constructivism
D)realism
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Chapter 14: Political Culture: Sex and Agriculture, Getting
Rucked Explains It All
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is offered in the Novel Approach to Politics text as an alternative to culture to explain why New Zealand's TV programming is more sexually permissive than that in the United States?
A)New Zealand was originally a French colony.
B)New Zealanders learn about sex at an earlier age.
C)Cable television has been more readily available in the United States.
D)Broadcast television in the United States is actually more permissive than it is in New ZealanD.
Q2) The process by which a group teaches the shared social context to the members of society is referred to as ______.
A)political processes
B)political socialization
C)political indoctrination
D)political brainwashing
Q3) Which of the following is NOT an example of an agent of political socialization?
A)a political science professor
B)Barack Obama
C)a religious leader
D)yourself
Page 15
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