Foundations of American Democracy Exam
Answer Key
Course Introduction
Foundations of American Democracy explores the historical, philosophical, and political underpinnings of the United States government. This course examines key concepts such as the social contract, federalism, constitutional principles, and the roles of major institutions including Congress, the Presidency, and the Supreme Court. Students will analyze primary sources like the Declaration of Independence, The Federalist Papers, and the Constitution to understand how democratic ideals were shaped and contested. The course also addresses the evolution of civil liberties, the balance of powers, and the ongoing challenges to democratic governance in America.
Recommended Textbook
American Government 13th Edition by Walter
E. Volkomer
Available Study Resources on Quizplus
14 Chapters
841 Verified Questions
841 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/study-set/2054
Page 2
Chapter 1: Politics, Democracy, and the American People
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
58 Verified Questions
58 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/40879
Sample Questions
Q1) Locke believed that government's primary role was to
A)help individuals fulfill their potential.
B)develop the moral character of its citizens.
C)protect the life, liberty, and property of those it governs.
D)preserve the social morality.
E)create an all-powerful central government
Answer: C
Q2) If citizens obtain enough signatures on a petition, a vote is then held deciding whether or not an official may continue to hold office.This is known as a recall.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q3) A New England town meeting is a form of
A)direct democracy.
B)constitutional democracy.
C)representative democracy.
D)republican democracy.
E)collaborative democracy.
Answer: A
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 3
Chapter 2: From Colonialism to Constitutionalism
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
66 Verified Questions
66 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/40880
Sample Questions
Q1) The Connecticut Compromise was a proposal that called for the number of representatives in the House to be determined by population and giving each state equal representation in the Senate.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) One of the prominent features of the New Jersey Plan was
A)a single-house national legislature based on the population of each state.
B)state representation in a bicameral Congress based on the population of each state.
C)a single house in which all states would be represented equally.
D)a national government composed of legislative, executive, and judicial branches.
E)establishing judicial review for the judicial branch.
Answer: C
Q3) The American Revolution began on April 19, 1775.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 4
Chapter 3: The Federal System
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
61 Verified Questions
61 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/40881
Sample Questions
Q1) A federal system of government gives the:
A)state governments a major role to play in national security.
B)central government exclusive powers in the area of national security.
C)states an equal role in national affairs.
D)state governments the right to declare war.
E)permits the states to regulate interstate commerce.
Answer: B
Q2) National supremacy refers to
A)the national government's ability to tax.
B)state governments' ability to subjugate the national government when policies conflict with the Constitution, constitutional acts of Congress, or national treaties.
C)states not passing laws or establishing policies that conflict with the Constitution, constitutional Acts of Congress, or national treaties.
D)the national government's role in exercising Constitutional mandates concerning state governments' responsibilities for citizens' health, welfare, safety.
E)the United States' status as a global military and economic superpower.
Answer: C
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 5
Chapter 4: Public Opinion and the Mass Media
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
62 Verified Questions
62 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/40882
Sample Questions
Q1) How did the use of focus groups to gather information on public opinion affect the Clinton campaign in 1996?
A)The campaign appealed more to the left to win the support of environmental groups.
B)The campaign became more conservative to appeal to moderate voters.
C)The campaign decided that it needed to solidify its Democratic base.
D)The campaign hired James Carville in an attempt to win the Southern vote.
E)The campaign used more straw polls to gauge public opinion.
Q2) The process by which a society's political culture is transmitted from one generation to the next is known as political socialization.
A)True
B)False
Q3) People in lower economic brackets have the highest voting rate.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The number of people who watched the CBS, NBC, and ABC evening news shows in 2008 was about half that of 1980.
A)True
B)False
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 5: Political Parties and Interest Groups
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
60 Verified Questions
60 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/40883
Sample Questions
Q1) Minor political parties frequently win elections for state and local public offices.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Three major political parties have played an important role in American elections and politics since 1796.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Which one of the following is true of congressional elections?
A)House elections tend to be more competitive than Senate elections.
B)Senate re-election rates are higher than those of House incumbents.
C)In general, few members of either the Senate or the House are re-elected.
D)House and Senate elections are equally competitive.
E)Senate races tend to be more competitive than those of House candidates.
Q4) Which one of the following is true of third political parties?
A)They tend to be competitive with the two major parties.
B)They always form around a specific issue, such as prohibition.
C)They may organize or form around a specific ideology or a specific issue.
D)They are often spoiler parties, influencing the outcomes of elections.
E)They are highly successful at raising money and winning local elections.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 7
Chapter 6: Nominations and Elections
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
61 Verified Questions
61 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/40884
Sample Questions
Q1) The number of delegates attending a party convention is determined by A)a panel of state governors.
B)the party itself.
C)the House of Representatives.
D)the number of members of Congress a state has.
E)the Supreme Court.
Q2) The debates between which presidential candidates marked the first time an incumbent president faced an opponent on television?
A)Nixon and Kennedy
B)Ford and Carter
C)Bush and Clinton
D)Johnson and Goldwater
E)Roosevelt and Hoover
Q3) The gender gap is to be found among older women voters because of issues related to Social Security and Medicare.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Assess the effectiveness of campaign finance legislation in recent decades.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 8
Chapter 7: Congress
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
61 Verified Questions
61 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/40885
Sample Questions
Q1) Which statement is true with respect to the "necessary and proper" clause?
A)It has given presidents broader power to conduct war.
B)It has decreased the amount of time members of Congress devote to casework.
C)it has added significantly to the authority of Congress to act in both domestic and foreign affairs.
D)it has had little effect on legislative powers of Congress.
E)it created the Congressional Budget Office and limited the president's power in the area of federal spending.
Q2) In addition to creating the Congressional Budget Office, the Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 specifically
A)required all tax bills to originate in the House.
B)required authorization bills to originate in the Senate.
C)permitted appropriations without authorizations.
D)required judicial review of the budgetary process.
E)limited executive branch power over government spending.
Q3) Senate rules are many and complex; House rules are short and relatively simple. A)True B)False
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 9
Chapter 8: The Chief Executive
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
59 Verified Questions
59 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/40886
Sample Questions
Q1) The War Powers Resolution has been an effective restraint on presidential power.
A)True
B)False
Q2) If the president does not act on a bill within 10 days after Congress adjourns, the bill
A)becomes law but only if the president signs it.
B)becomes law anyway.
C)becomes law but only if the president returns it to Congress.
D)goes to the Supreme Court for judicial review.
E)dies under a pocket veto.
Q3) The president's power to send and receive ambassadors illustrates his role as A)chief legislator.
B)chief diplomat.
C)chief administrator.
D)commander-in-chief.
E)party leader.
Q4) The pardon power can be used by a president before an individual is tried and convicted of a crime.
A)True
B)False
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 10
Chapter 9: The Federal Bureaucracy
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
61 Verified Questions
61 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/40887
Sample Questions
Q1) The East Wing refers to the
A)Lincoln bedroom.
B)war room.
C)First Lady's office.
D)vice president's office.
E)vice president's residence.
Q2) Senatorial courtesy applies to all federal officials appointed by the president with the consent of the Senate.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Line agencies are those that carry out government policies and provide various types of services.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Which one of the following is an "iron triangle"?
A)Congress, the White House, and the media.
B)Congress, the White House, and the Supreme Court.
C)a government agency, the White House, and Congress.
D)an interest group, political party, and government agency.
E)an interest group, government agency, and congressional committee.
Page 11
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 10: The Judiciary
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
64 Verified Questions
64 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/40888
Sample Questions
Q1) From 1800 until the end of the Civil War in 1865, the Supreme Court was concerned primarily with issues related to A)taxes.
B)federalism.
C)reform legislation.
D)civil rights.
E)foreign policy
Q2) A law that has been formally declared by a legislature is called a A)statute.
B)jurisdiction.
C)constitutional amendment.
D)declaratory judgment.
E)codification.
Q3) Describe the process whereby the Supreme Court sets its agenda, makes its decisions, and delivers them to the public.
Q4) Precedent is based on previous judicial decisions.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Explain the role of standing within the context of the adversary system.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 12
Chapter 11: Civil Liberties
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
67 Verified Questions
67 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/40889
Sample Questions
Q1) The Supreme Court has used the Bill of Rights as a standard in defining the "liberty" that the Fourteenth Amendment protects against infringement by state governments.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Grand juries return indictments in only 10 percent of the cases that they hear.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Which amendment to the U.S.Constitution contains freedom of the press?
A)First
B)Third
C)Fifth
D)Sixth
E)Ninth
Q4) Explain the debate over the rights of habeas corpus with respect to detainees in the war on terrorism.How do the rights of terror suspects differ from the rights of criminal defendants in the United States?
Q5) What is incorporation and how has incorporation affected the application of the guarantees provided in the Bill of Rights over time?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 13
Chapter 12: Civil Rights
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
44 Verified Questions
44 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/40890
Sample Questions
Q1) Title IX makes it legal for any educational institution receiving federal financial assistance to make selections on the basis of race or gender.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Overall, assess the success of the women's rights movement in the United States.In what ways has the movement been successful? In what ways has it fallen short of its goals? What is the state of women's rights today?
Q3) Explain what the Court means by reasonableness, strict scrutiny, sustainability, and skeptical scrutiny in the context of gender discrimination.
Q4) The 1964 Civil Rights Act required schools to provide equal opportunities for all students.This is also known as
A)Title VII.
B)Title IX.
C)Title III.
D)Title XI.
E)Title I.
Q5) Summarize the arguments for and against quota-based affirmative action policies.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 14
Chapter 13: Public Policy: What Government Does
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
60 Verified Questions
60 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/40891
Sample Questions
Q1) What operates mainly through the raising and lowering of tax rates and levels of public expenditure?
A)fiscal policy
B)monetary policy
C)supply-side economics
D)economic regulatory policy
E)political economic policy
Q2) The rational choice model of policy making means problems are approached in a well-ordered sequence.
A)True
B)False
Q3) In 2006, the Congress passed the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Act, which
A)provided more than $100 million in emergency assistance to rural farmers.
B)established new education programs for welfare recipients.
C)required states to increase job participation for those receiving welfare.
D)reflected a dramatic decline in the number of Americans requiring assistance from the federal government.
E)shifted control of welfare administration from the states to the federal government.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 15
Chapter 14: Foreign Policy
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
57 Verified Questions
57 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/40892
Sample Questions
Q1) Neo-liberal institutionalists believe that international institutions or regimes
A)promote harmony among nations.
B)promote cooperation on important global issues.
C)create less impetus for military activity.
D)promote dissatisfaction with uncooperative regimes.
E)seek a relative distribution of payoffs
Q2) Which terrorist group is responsible for attacks on U.S.embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in the 1990s?
A)IRA
B)FARQ
C)Al Qaeda
D)PLO
E)Hezbollah
Q3) Congress can influence foreign policy by
A)signing treaties with affected nations.
B)withholding statutory approval.
C)not conferring nominees.
D)increasing or reducing funding.
E)negotiating with the Supreme Court.
Q4) Describe the governmental sources of American foreign policy.
Page 16
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.