Foundations of American Democracy Exam
Materials
Course Introduction
Foundations of American Democracy explores the philosophical, historical, and institutional origins of the United States government. The course examines key texts such as the Declaration of Independence, the Federalist Papers, and the U.S. Constitution, alongside the political theories that shaped them. Students will analyze the development of democratic principles, the separation of powers, checks and balances, and the roles of federalism and civil liberties. Through discussion of landmark events and influential figures, the course provides a comprehensive understanding of how American democracy was established and continues to evolve.
Recommended Textbook
American Government and Politics Today The Essentials 17th Edition by Barbara A. Bardes
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15 Chapters
1059 Verified Questions
1059 Flashcards
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Page 2
Chapter 1: The Democratic Republic
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70 Verified Questions
70 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The most important feature of Athenian democracy was that
A) everyone could vote.
B) elected delegates made the important decisions.
C) it was an aristocracy.
D) the legislature was composed of all the citizens.
E) women had the right to vote.
Answer: D
Q2) The Founders were wary of direct democracy because
A) the masses were considered too uneducated to self govern.
B) too prone to the influence of demagogues.
C) too likely to subordinate minority rights for majority rights.
D) might resort to mob rule.
E) All of the above are true.
Answer: E
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3
Chapter 2: The Constitution
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70 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Opponents of the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
A) believe that individuals should not be forced to buy health insurance by the government.
B) believe that government will next tax those who are overweight, smoke or buy foreign cars.
C) believe that healthcare is a right.
D) believe that the government does not have the right to impose new taxes.
E) Options A and B are true.
Answer: E
Q2) Taxes were imposed on the colonists to
A) pay for the coronation of King George III.
B) pay for the establishment of more colonies.
C) pay the costs of Britain's defense of the colonies during the French and Indian War.
D) to enrich wealthy British landowners.
E) None of the above is true.
Answer: C
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Chapter 3: Federalism
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69 Verified Questions
69 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Powers held jointly by the national and state governments are called
A) cooperative powers.
B) statutory powers.
C) reserved powers.
D) concurrent powers.
E) inherent powers.
Answer: D
Q2) After early rulings by the Supreme Court increased the power of the national government, states sought a shift back to states' rights due to
A) increasing divisions between the North and the South over the slavery issue.
B) conflict over Congressional passage of a tariff on trade in 1828.
C) concern over expanding power by the federal government in the regulation of commerce.
D) conflict over the role of the national government and that of the states.
E) All of the above are true.
Answer: E
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Chapter 4: Civil Liberties
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70 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The incorporation theory
A) provides for Congressional oversight into multi-national corporations.
B) allows companies to incorporate through government application.
C) provides for government oversight to corporations doing business with the government.
D) is the view that the provisions of the Bill of Rights are extended to individuals for protection against state actions.
E) holds the view that most of the protections of the Bill of Rights apply to foreign government activities through the Fourteenth Amendment.
Q2) The free exercise clause
A) limits the national government from prohibiting people from practicing their religions. B) is part of the First Amendment.
C) allows the national government to exercise control over free speech.
D) helps state governments to provide charter schools.
E) Options A and B are true.
Q3) Explain under what conditions the Supreme Court will consider a restriction on commercial speech.
Q4) What are the Miranda rights? What exceptions have been allowed to these rights?
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6
Chapter 5: Civil Rights
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Sample Questions
Q1) De facto segregation means
A) segregation because of residential racial patterns and concentration of populations, not because of laws.
B) segregation based on different native languages.
C) racial segregation based on law.
D) segregation of southern European immigrants.
E) segregation to a minor degree.
Q2) Today there are __________ Native Americans living in the United States.
A) 30 million
B) 13 million
C) 800 thousand
D) 3.2 million
E) 300 million
Q3) Describe the barriers to voting faced by African Americans after the Civil War.
Q4) Describe the significance of the Dred Scott Case and the legal status of slaves in the United States prior to the Civil War.
Q5) Contrast the approaches of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X.
Q6) Explain the difference between de jure and de facto segregation. Provide examples of each in practice,
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Chapter 6: Public Opinion and Political Socialization
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Sample Questions
Q1) Private opinion becomes public opinion when
A) that opinion, regardless of its subject matter, is publicly expressed.
B) it concerns public issues and is publicly expressed.
C) an individual is polled by a major polling organization.
D) it is not divided.
E) it is articulated to at least ten other people.
Q2) Researchers now believe they can make generalizations about the mood of the country as
A) it swings to the political right or left.
B) it tends to swing in a more liberal direction when the federal government successfully intervenes in difficult economic times.
C) it tends to swing in a more conservative direction when government fails in controlling gas prices or consumer interest rates.
D) the electorate tends to move away from a President who proposes very liberal or conservative policies.
E) All of the above are true.
Q3) Which institutions in the United States hold American's trust and which do not? Explain the reasons why some institutions are held in high esteem and others are not.
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Chapter 7: Interest Groups
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71 Verified Questions
71 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) All of the following statements about the representation of poor people are true \(\bold{except}\)
A) their representation comes largely from business groups.
B) representation is difficult because the poor often cannot afford the time or money needed to join groups.
C) the poor depend largely on indirect representations.
D) most efforts on behalf of the poor come from a policy network of groups.
E) many people who are classified as poor do not have the ability to find out which group might represent them.
Q2) Explain the factors that make an interest group powerful.
Q3) Explain the different incentives Americans have for joining interest groups. What are some examples of the types of groups Americans join?
Q4) Generating public pressure and awareness may
A) convince policymakers that public opinion overwhelmingly supports the interest group's position.
B) mislead the public on environmental issues.
C) bypass the legislative process.
D) force bureaucrats to answer to Congressional committees.
E) lobby lawmakers directly.
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Chapter 8: Political Parties
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72 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Third parties have influenced American politics by
A) refusing to allow their policies to be adopted by a major party.
B) sometimes determining whether the Republicans or Democrats win an election.
C) focusing their efforts on getting judges appointed to the bench rather than winning elections for the executive or legislative branches.
D) winning elections to state legislative bodies.
E) gaining control of several municipal governments.
Q2) Progressivism was
A) a response to the growing power of corporations.
B) embraced by Teddy Roosevelt.
C) a belief that honest, impartial government could regulate the economy.
D) Options A and B are true.
E) All of the above are true.
Q3) Third parties
A) are minor parties.
B) can act as critics of the major parties.
C) can be spoilers in an election.
D) often start because of an idea or person.
E) All the above are true.
Q4) Describe the history of political parties in the United States.
Page 10
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Chapter 9: Campaigns, Elections, and the Media
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Sample Questions
Q1) Becoming a critical news viewer requires that you
A) compare and contrast news from one source.
B) compare and contrast news from many different sources.
C) analyze the news from your ideological vantage-point.
D) analyze the news for foreign influences.
E) compare and contrast the news only from American outlets.
Q2) News blogs
A) are a dangerous new invention.
B) are only produced by paid journalists.
C) can be produced inexpensively.
D) provide the same high quality information as traditional newspapers.
E) are the main source of news to a majority of Americans.
Q3) The number of members each state will have in the electoral college
A) cannot exceed fifty members.
B) cannot be changed without a Constitutional amendment.
C) changes every four years.
D) is determined by adding the number of representatives and the number of senators a state has in Congress.
E) is the same so as to ensure that each state plays an equal role in selecting the president of the United States.
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Chapter 10: The Congress
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Sample Questions
Q1) A representative who is performing the role of an instructed delegate is
A) primarily representing the wishes of his or her constituents.
B) supporting the president on all of his legislative programs.
C) representing the broad interests of the entire society.
D) supporting his or her political party.
E) representing other members of Congress.
Q2) If the race for congressional seats were more competitive
A) candidates would likely become more extreme in their positions.
B) the gerrymandering of district lines would be increased.
C) extreme partisanship would be reduced because winning candidates would need to find a broader appeal to voters outside their party.
D) higher turnover would increase the number of experienced members in the U.S. House of Representatives.
E) incumbents would be able to spend less on campaign ads.
Q3) Explain the functions and rules regarding filibuster, cloture, and reconciliation.
Q4) Compare and contrast the trustee and instructed-delegate theories of representation.
Q5) Explain the different types of committees and their functions.
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Chapter 11: The President
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following statements about presidential elections is true?
A) One can become president without winning the popular vote.
B) The Twelfth Amendment requires that the president and the vice president be chosen separately.
C) Twenty-one presidents have served only one term in office.
D) The electoral college has twice failed to give any candidate a majority and the election was decided in the House of Representatives.
E) All of the above are true.
Q2) Who was the youngest person to be elected president of the United States?
A) Jimmy Carter
B) John F. Kennedy
C) Harry Truman
D) William Clinton
E) Barack Obama
Q3) In most democratic governments, the head of state is
A) the chief executive officer of the nation.
B) an office without any significant duties.
C) the prime minister.
D) someone other than the chief executive.
E) the chief justice or other top judicial official.
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Chapter 12: The Bureaucracy
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is not one of the four major types of structures within the executive branch?
A) Independent regulatory agencies
B) Cabinet departments
C) Privatized bureaucracies
D) Government corporations
E) Independent executive agencies
Q2) All of the following statements about the civil service are true?
A) Civil service positions are filled based on networking and political connections.
B) Civil service jobs are filled based on political party affiliation.
C) Reform of the civil service first began under President Jimmy Carter in 1978.
D) Since 1993, civil service employees are allowed to participate in voter registration drives.
E) Today, civil service employees may make donations to political campaigns.
Q3) Describe the pros and cons of India's biometric ID system.
Q4) Describe the manner(s) in which Congress attempts to control the bureaucracy.
Q5) Describe three of the four following organizations of the executive branch: cabinet departments, independent executive agencies, independent regulatory agencies, or government corporations.
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Chapter 13: The Courts
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71 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) A lawsuit seeking damages for "all persons similarly situated" is called
A) a class-action suit.
B) an amicus curiae suit.
C) a writ of certiorari.
D) a civil suit.
E) a procedural motion.
Q2) The number of cases that the Supreme Court reviews each term has
A) increased dramatically since the early 1950s.
B) hovered around 150 cases since the mid-1980s.
C) remained constant since the Civil War.
D) dropped significantly since the 1980s.
E) increased fifty percent after George W. Bush became president.
Q3) If a case is affirmed, it
A) means all justices unanimously agree on an opinion.
B) is sent back to the court that heard the case.
C) means the decision is valid and must stand.
D) will result in a new trial for the defendant.
E) is accepted as a case that the Supreme Court will hear.
Q4) Is Sharia Law really an issue in the American Court System? Describe states' responses to this issue and provide an example were sharia law is in use.
Page 15
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Chapter 14: Domestic and Economic Policy
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Sample Questions
Q1) Explain the problem of long-term unemployment and the affect on government spending.
Q2) Explain the rising cost of entitlement programs and what should be done in the future.
Q3) Universal health insurance
A) is a new concept that developed within the last 20 years.
B) began in the United States.
C) is, by definition, insurance provided by the central government itself.
D) provides help from the government for businesses.
E) had been adopted by all advanced industrial countries by the twenty-first century except the United States.
Q4) The number of incarcerated persons in the United States
A) includes an equal number of African-American males and females.
B) has increased requiring more prisons to be built.
C) has declined in recent years.
D) is greater in federal prisons than state prisons.
E) is growing mostly due to arrests to prevent terrorism.
Q5) Describe the measures in recent health care reform legislation that was passed by Congress, which takes effect in 2014.
Page 16
Q6) Explain the stages of the policymaking process.
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Chapter 15: Foreign Policy
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Monroe Doctrine stated that
A) the United States would not accept any new European intervention in the Western Hemisphere and the United States would not meddle in European affairs.
B) the United States had the authority to intervene in the affairs of European nations if American interests were at stake.
C) the United States would take action against the Barbary pirates in order to protect American lives and commerce.
D) the United States would not wait to be attacked, but rather would take preemptive action against clear and present dangers.
E) the United States would only conduct business with other nations by employing treaties.
Q2) Describe the difference between moral idealism and political realism and provide examples of each from the history of American foreign policy.
Q3) Explain the role that China has come to play in the world. How should the United States interact with China?
Q4) Describe the various uprisings in the Arab Spring countries and the outcomes of each revolt to date.
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