Contemporary American Democracy
Midterm Exam
Course Introduction
This course examines the structures, processes, and challenges of American democracy in the contemporary era. Students will explore the foundations of the U.S. political system, including the Constitution, federalism, and the separation of powers, while critically analyzing the impact of political parties, interest groups, media, and social movements. Current issues such as polarization, voter participation, civil rights, and the influence of technology on politics will be discussed, providing a comprehensive understanding of how democracy functions and sometimes falters in modern America. Through readings, discussions, and case studies, students will gain insights into both the enduring principles and evolving realities of American democratic governance.
Recommended Textbook Struggle for Democracy 2012 Election Edition 11th Edition by Edward S. Greenberg
Available Study Resources on Quizplus
18 Chapters
1872 Verified Questions
1872 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/study-set/1366
Page 2
Chapter 1: Democracy and American Politics
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
47 Verified Questions
47 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/27235
Sample Questions
Q1) Civil rights are a combination of which of the following?
A) popularity sovereignty and majority rule
B) equal treatment and majority rule
C) political equality and equal treatment
D) majority rule and political liberty
E) civil liberties and equality
Answer: C
Q2) The framework presented in this chapter to understand American politics is a set of interrelated actors and influences that operate in which of the following interconnected realms?
A) institutions, interests, and citizens
B) the media, the courts, and the internecine political institutions
C) composition, opposition, and despotism
D) structural, political linkages, and governmental sectors
E) skill, fortune, and opportunity
Answer: D
Q3) The most obvious sign of popular sovereignty is the existence of a close correspondence between what __________ does and what the people want it to do.
Answer: government
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 3
Chapter 2: The Constitution
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
109 Verified Questions
109 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/27236
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following was most likely to support proposed provisions that strengthened national power?
A) George Mason
B) James Madison
C) James Winthrop
D) Patrick Henry
E) Samuel Adams
Answer: B
Q2) Which of the following best explains why slavery was allowed when the Constitution was written?
A) Many feared that slavery would splinter the convention and doom the Union.
B) No slaves or free blacks were selected to serve as delegates to the convention.
C) The delegates did not believe people of African descent were their equals.
D) There was little public outcry at this time against the institution of slavery.
E) The wealthy elites at the convention could not see beyond their own self-interest.
Answer: A
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 4
Chapter 3: Federalism: States and Nation
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
107 Verified Questions
107 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/27237
Sample Questions
Q1) The __________ Amendment says that says that those powers not given to the federal government and not prohibited to the states by the Constitution are reserved for the states and the people.
A) First
B) Eighth
C) Tenth
D) Eleventh
E) Fourteenth
Answer: C
Q2) What is a mandate?
A) An order from the federal government requiring the states to take a certain action.
B) An order from a state government requiring a federal action.
C) An order from the federal government prohibiting the states to take a certain action.
D) An order from a state government prohibiting a federal action.
E) An order requiring joint state and federal action.
Answer: A
Q3) __________ gives Congress the authority to exercise its enumerated powers.
Answer: Article I, Section 8
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
5
Chapter 4: The Structural Foundations of American
Government and Politics
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
106 Verified Questions
106 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/27238
Sample Questions
Q1) Industrial enterprises grew to unprecedented sizes in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, partly because __________.
A) markets were being closed all over the world
B) new technologies required huge levels of investment and manpower
C) the American economy became isolated and primarily domestic
D) the government required new enterprises to have at least a hundred employees
E) the population began to leave the cities to live in rural areas
Q2) The "Can You Get Ahead in America?" feature shows that in recent decades __________ about their economic prospects.
A) Millennials and seniors were most optimistic
B) Millennials and seniors were most pessimistic
C) no one became more optimistic
D) only 40- to 60-year-olds grew more pessimistic
E) only Millennials grew more optimistic
Q3) Can the United States still be considered the only superpower? Why or why not?
Q4) An American is more likely to live in poverty than is a Frenchman.
A)True
B)False
Q5) What are Americans' concerns about outsourcing? Are they justified?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 6
Chapter 5: Public Opinion
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
109 Verified Questions
109 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/27239
Sample Questions
Q1) Americans are more proud of their country and its political institutions than which nation or nations?
A) the French
B) the French and the British
C) the British and the Germans
D) the Germans and the French
E) the French, the British, and the Germans
Q2) How is political ideology best defined?
A) as a system of words and symbols representing concepts about an individual's long-term potential
B) as a system of class inequalities that focuses on socioeconomic status
C) as a system for arguing about things that most Americans consider vital
D) as a system of guidelines that outlines what is considered moral and acceptable behavior
E) as a system of interrelated and coherently organized political beliefs and attitudes
Q3) Perhaps surprisingly, there is no __________ gap on the issue of abortion.
Q4) Most Americans share certain __________ about the nature of human beings, society, and the political order.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 6: The News Media
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
108 Verified Questions
108 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/27240
Sample Questions
Q1) The media are instruments of democracy in that they __________.
A) provide accurate political information to citizens
B) oppose the policies advocated by the White House
C) make profits for media companies
D) provide information to reinforce the popularity of the incumbent president
E) allow the political process to take place out of public view
Q2) The media are often criticized for __________.
A) biased reporting
B) poor credibility
C) privileging foreign sources
D) deference to politicians
E) focusing on positive stories
Q3) Which of the following statements about the tendencies of the mainstream media in the U.S. is true?
A) They frequently report stories containing detailed policy information.
B) They frequently report stories educate citizens about government policies.
C) They rarely report stories of natural disasters.
D) They rarely report stories of political scandal.
E) They rarely report stories to help citizens contextualize political problems.
Q4) Explain what makes a story "newsworthy."
Page 8
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 7: Interest Groups and Business Organizations
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
109 Verified Questions
109 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/27241
Sample Questions
Q1) Discuss Madison's views on factions, as expressed in Federalist No. 10, and how he would respond to the tremendous growth in the number of interest groups actively lobbying in Washington, D.C., over the past several decades.
Q2) There is wide agreement that the number of interest groups in the United States has grown steadily since the late 1960s. Why is this so? Do you believe the number of interest groups will continue to grow over the next few decades? Why or why not?
Q3) Which of the following raise money from individuals and then distribute it in the form of contributions to political candidates?
A) 527 organizations
B) coordinating committees
C) 501(c)3 organizations
D) political action committees
E) party committees
Q4) How do interest groups evaluate members of Congress? Why is this information valuable?
Q5) Explain how the revolving door works and what kind of effect it has on politics in Washington.
Q6) Discuss the role of interest groups in elections.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 9
Chapter 8: Social Movements
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
104 Verified Questions
104 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/27242
Sample Questions
Q1) The Populist movement occurred after __________.
A) the Great Depression
B) western and southern farmers suffered economically in the late nineteenth century
C) religious and family values declined in America
D) violence was increasingly directed at gays and lesbians
E) women were receiving unequal pay
Q2) According to the box, "How Are People Involved in Politics," in which political activity are those who believe they have a say most likely to participate?
A) signing paper petitions
B) attending city council or school board meetings
C) joining protests or rallies
D) distributing social/political group information
E) giving money to social/political organizations
Q3) What was the "spark" that set off the Occupy Wall Street movement?
A) the election of Barack Obama
B) the Great Recession
C) the rising Christian conservative movement
D) the rising Tea Party movement
E) the rising civil rights movement
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 10
Chapter 9: Political Parties
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
106 Verified Questions
106 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/27243
Sample Questions
Q1) When can a party change its platform?
A) after a federal census
B) at the start of each fiscal year
C) during the national party convention
D) every two years
E) virtually anytime
Q2) The Economist blamed the 2011 Standard and Pour downgrade in America's credit rating on which of the following?
A) bipartisanship
B) incivility
C) moderates
D) partisanship
E) the Tea Party
Q3) The year 1968 in the United States brought the beginning of a new political era and __________.
A) dealignment
B) evenly matched parties
C) "good feelings"
D) realignment
E) the Reagan Democrats
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 11
Chapter 10: Voting, Campaigns, and Elections
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
108 Verified Questions
108 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/27244
Sample Questions
Q1) What are one advantage and one disadvantage of the "first-past-the-post" system of determining electoral winners?
Q2) To win a "first-past-the-post" election, a candidates needs __________.
A) to win a two-thirds majority of votes
B) to win more votes than anyone else
C) more than half of the votes
D) to win with enough votes to ensure victory in the subsequent run-off election
E) a majority of votes from those citizens who are registered with the candidate's party
Q3) Why would a candidate accept public financing, and why would he or she decline it?
Q4) The single best stepping-stone to becoming president has been __________.
A) the Senate
B) a successful acting career
C) a successful business career
D) the vice presidency
E) the House of Representatives
Q5) Why is age an important predictor of whether someone will vote?
Q6) Initiatives are measures placed on the ballot by __________.
Q7) What are the potential problems associated with the retrospective voting model?
Page 12
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 11: Congress
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
108 Verified Questions
108 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/27245
Sample Questions
Q1) The House of Representatives decided that, beginning in 1910, its upper limit would be __________ members.
A) 100
B) 350
C) 435
D) 450
E) 535
Q2) How might a bill become law if it has been pocket vetoed?
A) Congress may override the pocket veto with a three-fourths vote in each chamber.
B) Congress may override the pocket veto with a two-thirds vote in each chamber.
C) The bill can never become law.
D) The bill must be reintroduced in the next session of Congress.
E) The president may sign the bill at his or her discretion.
Q3) __________ is a good example of Congressional casework.
A) Analysis of an incumbent's policy positions prior to a debate
B) Analysis of police force effectiveness
C) Analysis of water quality within a district
D) Assistance to a constituent in obtaining a Social Security check
E) Assistance to a federal agency operating within a member's district
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 13
Chapter 12: The Presidency
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
108 Verified Questions
108 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/27246
Sample Questions
Q1) In which institutional resource are leaders both appointed by the president and approved by the Senate?
A) Executive Office of the President
B) White House staff
C) the Cabinet
D) Council of Economic Advisors
E) Federal Reserve
Q2) What is the role of the National Security Council?
A) to advise the president on national security
B) to keep the president and first family secure
C) to manage and advise the president on the armed forces
D) to provide intelligence on national security to the president and Congress
E) to work independently of the executive on national security
Q3) What makes a great/successful president?
Q4) The Framers placed most national policy-making powers in Congress.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Compare the White House staff and the Cabinet.
Q6) The __________ address has become one of the most important tools a president can use to call attention to the presidential agenda.
Page 14
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 13: The Executive Branch
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
106 Verified Questions
106 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/27247
Sample Questions
Q1) Discuss the role of bureaucratic agencies in adjudication, or quasi-judicial processes.
Q2) Define and give an example of a government corporation. Why are some services provided by government corporations, whereas others are left to the private sector?
Q3) The president and Congress share oversight of the federal bureaucracy.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Consider the "Mapping American Politics" box. Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Department of Homeland Security distributed funds to states in proportion to the size of the state economies.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Under the spoils system, who was awarded jobs in the federal bureaucracy?
A) those who scored highest on aptitude tests
B) those who did not affiliate with a political party
C) those who previously served in the military
D) those who previously held elected office
E) those who helped candidates win election
Q6) Discuss the potential advantages and disadvantages of privatization.
Page 15
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 14: The Courts
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
107 Verified Questions
107 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/27248
Sample Questions
Q1) A lawyer's spoken presentation to the Supreme Court of the legal reasons that his or her client should win is called the __________.
Q2) __________ confers authority to bring legal action because one is directly affected by the issues at hand.
Q3) Courts provide a statement of the legal reasoning behind their decisions in written __________.
A) briefs
B) arguments
C) opinions
D) laws
E) pamphlets
Q4) The United States has a dual system of justice.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Describe governmental influences on the Supreme Court. Why must the Court take other governmental bodies into account with regard to their decisions?
Q6) Describe the difference between civil and criminal law.
Q7) If North Dakota sues South Dakota, the case will be heard by the __________.
Page 16
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 15: Civil Liberties: the Struggle for Freedom
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
108 Verified Questions
108 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/27249
Sample Questions
Q1) During the nineteenth century, the Bill of Rights did not apply to the states.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which of the following is responsible for determining whether enough evidence exists to support a conviction against a criminal defendant?
A) trial court
B) defense attorney
C) prosecutor
D) legislature
E) jury
Q3) According to the Supreme Court, citizens do not have a "reasonable expectation of privacy" that would protect against an unwarranted police search of their
A) hotel room
B) personal residence
C) garbage can on the edge of private property
D) car parked in their driveway
E) laptop computer
Q4) How has the war on terror restricted civil liberties in the United States?
Q5) Discuss how the Supreme Court analyzes obscenity under the First Amendment.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 17
Chapter 16: Civil Rights: the Struggle for Political Equality
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
108 Verified Questions
108 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/27250
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of these does the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ban?
A) poll taxes and grandfather clauses
B) discrimination in public accommodations
C) integration in public transportation
D) discrimination based on sexual orientation
E) nonviolent direct action
Q2) What did Jim Crow laws mandate?
A) voting rights
B) racial segregation
C) poll taxes
D) grandfather clauses
E) black codes
Q3) The Thirteenth Amendment bans slavery. When was it passed?
A) when the South seceded from the Union
B) during the Civil War
C) immediately after the Civil War
D) immediately after Reconstruction
E) during the civil rights movement
Q4) The __________ is the government agency that hears complaints filed by those who believe they have been sexually harassed at work.
Page 18
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 17: Domestic Policies
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
108 Verified Questions
108 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/27251
Sample Questions
Q1) How has welfare been restricted in the past two decades?
Q2) Senior citizens are likely to be concerned about potential cuts to the medical program known as ___________.
Q3) What has been the U.S. government's recent trend regarding budget deficits and the national debt, and what factors are driving this trend?
Q4) Food stamps/vouchers generally fall within which policy area?
A) education
B) criminal justice
C) welfare
D) health care
E) environment
Q5) A severe and persistent drop in economic activity is known as a(n) __________.
A) depression
B) flat line cycle
C) inflationary cycle
D) secession
E) recession
Q6) The money supply __________ when the Federal Reserve Board increases interest rates.
Page 19
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 18: Foreign Policy and National Defense
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
106 Verified Questions
106 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/27252
Sample Questions
Q1) When is the president most likely to pursue foreign policy that is inconsistent with that desired by the public?
A) immediately before an election
B) immediately after an election
C) during divided government
D) when the president's advisors believe doing so is in the national interest
E) when the United States in engaged in asymmetric warfare
Q2) If Congress does not like the way the president is executing foreign policy, Congress can refuse to appropriate money for the president's policies.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Given the size of its economy and increased globalization, U.S. foreign policy toward __________ is motivated primarily by trade policy.
Q4) The secretary of __________ is a civilian and a member of the president's Cabinet who advises the president about military policy.
Q5) How have changes to the world economy affected the United States' approach to foreign policy with China?
Q6) How is terrorism fundamentally different from traditional military action?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 20