Modern American Democracy
Midterm Exam
Course Introduction
Modern American Democracy offers an in-depth exploration of the development, structure, and functioning of democratic institutions in the United States from the twentieth century to the present. The course examines key political concepts, the evolution of political parties, electoral processes, public opinion, the influence of media, and the role of interest groups. Through the analysis of landmark legislation, judicial decisions, and transformative political events, students gain an understanding of how democratic values, norms, and practices have shaped and been challenged within contemporary American society. The course encourages critical assessment of current debates, challenges to democratic principles, and the prospects for the future of democracy in the United States.
Recommended Textbook
American Government Power and Purpose 15th Edition by Stephen Ansolabehere
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17 Chapters
2398 Verified Questions
2398 Flashcards
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Five Principles of Politics
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128 Verified Questions
128 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) A legislator who introduces a bill to increase Social Security payments to senior citizens across the country is engaging in __________ politics.
A)retail
B)wholesale
C)systematic
D)local
Answer: B
Q2) The responsibility of the Food and Drug Administration to regulate the marketing of pharmaceuticals is its
A)jurisdiction.
B)decisional alignment.
C)trespass boundary.
D)zoning.
Answer: A
Q3) Elected officials' support of a party "brand name" is an example of a tragedy of the commons.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Page 3
Chapter 2: Constructing a Government: The Founding and the Constitution
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145 Verified Questions
145 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following was NOT one of the sectors of society that was particularly influential in colonial politics?
A)New England merchants
B)suffragettes
C)small farmers
D)shopkeepers
Answer: B
Q2) In the United States, no set of institutional procedures is more important than the A)Constitution.
B)Bill of Rights
C)Articles of Confederation.
D)Declaration of Independence.
Answer: A
Q3) What was the ultimate goal of the radical participants in the Boston Tea Party?
A)rescind the Tea Act
B)rescind the Stamp Act
C)close Boston Harbor to British commerce
D)alienate the British government from its colonial supporters
Answer: D
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Chapter 3: Federalism and the Separation of Powers
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134 Verified Questions
134 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) In addition to the expressed powers granted to the federal government, which powers are derived from the expansive interpretation of delegated powers?
A)implied powers
B)essential powers
C)appropriate powers
D)liberal powers
Answer: A
Q2) The doctrine that allowed the national government to increase the scope of its authority considerably through the Supreme Court's expansive interpretation of delegated powers was based on the __________ clause.
A)full faith and credit
B)advise and consent
C)necessary and proper
D)reserved powers
Answer: C
Q3) In the United States, states have a considerable measure of sovereign power.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Civil Liberties
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122 Verified Questions
122 Flashcards
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Sample
Questions
Q1) Contrast the role of the courts in nationalizing the commerce clause with the role of the courts in nationalizing the Bill of Rights.
Q2) Which constitutional amendment sought to nationalize citizenship and the Bill of Rights?
A)the Eleventh Amendment
B)the Fourteenth Amendment
C)the Eighteenth Amendment
D)the Twenty-Fifth Amendment
Q3) Gonzales v. Oregon affirmed a state's power to prohibit and punish physician-assisted suicide.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Thomas Jefferson's formulation of the wall of separation between church and state is most closely associated with which First Amendment clause?
A)free exercise
B)equal protection
C)freedom of assembly
D)establishment
Q5) Explain due process and the constitutional rights protected under due process.
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Chapter 5: Civil Rights
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105 Verified Questions
105 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Immigration policy has been an increasingly important political issue over the last two decades. What are some of the key immigration issues currently facing the federal government?
Q2) Since the 1970s, school districts must provide education for students whose English is limited.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The doctrine of "separate but equal" was overturned in Brown v. Board of Education.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The Supreme Court's 1857 decision in Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) ruled that slave could not seek his freedom using this government resource?
A)petition to Congress
B)Civil Rights Commission
C)federal court system
D)Presidential pardon
Q5) Should affirmative action be continued? Why or why not?
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Chapter 6: Congress: The First Branch
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154 Verified Questions
154 Flashcards
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Sample
Questions
Q1) Members of Congress may act as delegates or trustees, but they must win the next election to pursue either role. Legislators seeking reelection as a precondition to other goals is an example of which type of action?
A)agency representation
B)collective action
C)instrumental behavior
D)experiential behavior
Q2) Legislators tend to be drawn from the same class of society, and therefore have similar policy preferences and priorities.
A)True
B)False
Q3) In recent elections, over 90 percent of House incumbents running for another term have been reelected.
A)True
B)False
Q4) How do the House of Representatives and the Senate check and balance each other's power?
Q5) Explain how the ambition of legislators influences congressional policy making.
Q6) Explain how bicameralism influences the policy-making process.
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Chapter 7: The Presidency As an Institution
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160 Verified Questions
160 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) While the president remains in office, which of the following is the primary constitutional role of the vice presidency?
A)break tie votes on the Supreme Court
B)preside over the Senate
C)chair meetings of the National Security Council
D)serve as first ambassador of the diplomatic corps
Q2) Though Congress created the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Congress has delegated much of its rule-making power regarding the FDA's function to the executive branch. Occasionally, the president orders the FDA to create new rules to regulate a particular product, such as tobacco, over the objections of Congress. This scenario is an example of which principal-agent problem?
A)instrumental behavior
B)asymmetric information
C)agency loss
D)transaction cost
Q3) In the United States today, Congress continues to be the constitutional source of policy.
A)True
B)False
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Page 9
Chapter 8: The Executive Branch: Bureaucracy in a Democracy
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147 Verified Questions
147 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which agency is responsible for adjusting the supply of money to the needs of banks in different regions and for the commerce and industry in each region?
A)Treasury Department
B)Federal Reserve System
C)Securities and Exchange Commission
D)Internal Revenue Service
Q2) "Bureaucrats are charged with implementing statutes and policies produced by their 'masters,' the elected politicians in the White House and on Capitol Hill. But the relative permanence enjoyed by the bureaucracy is a form of insulation-servants have discretion and masters are limited in their ability to control them." This statement reflects which of the following concepts?
A)agency loss
B)coalitional drift
C)agency representation
D)collective action problem
Q3) Oversight can be carried out by individual members of Congress.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Who controls the bureaucracy?
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Chapter 9: The Federal Courts
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157 Verified Questions
157 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) When the Supreme Court mandated that Yaser Esam Hamdi, an apparent Taliban soldier, was entitled to basic civil rights such as the right to counsel even though the George W. Bush administration had classified him as an enemy combatant, the Court exemplified its power to
A)review actions of Congress.
B)review actions of the president.
C)review actions of state courts.
D)interpret administrative rules.
Q2) Most of the cases filed with the Supreme Court are dismissed without a ruling on their merits.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Under what authority does the U.S. military operate its own court system that governs the behavior of men and women in uniform?
A)Defense Judiciary System
B)Military Tribunal Authority
C)Uniform Code of Military Justice
D)Federal Circuit Court
Q4) How do presidents and Congress influence the Supreme Court's decision making?
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Chapter 10: Public Opinion
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143 Verified Questions
143 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) A person's desire to increase his or her real disposable income is an example of a A)dogma.
B)belief.
C)preference.
D)choice.
Q2) Citizens' attitudes about marriage-and thus public policies-have been fairly constant over the course of American history.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Today in America, there is widespread agreement on fundamental political values such as
A)equality of results, liberty, and democracy.
B)equality of opportunity, community support, and tradition.
C)equality of opportunity, liberty, and democracy.
D)liberty, equality, and fraternity.
Q4) Describe the major methods for measuring public opinion. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each method?
Q5) To what extent can the government manipulate popular sentiment?
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Chapter 11: Elections
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163 Verified Questions
163 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Moral hazard is a problem produced by hidden actions by an agent.
A)True
B)False
Q2) An electoral district from which only one representative is elected is called a(n)
A)single-member district.
B)one-person, one-vote district.
C)equilateral district.
D)unirepresentational district.
Q3) Most Americans identify more or less strongly with one or the other of the two major political parties.
A)True
B)False
Q4) If a candidate promises to convert the federal income tax to a "flat tax" system, what effect would that have on the distribution of taxes?
A)Tax rates would stay the same but tax collection would improve.
B)Tax rates would decrease for the poor and increase for the rich.
C)Tax rates would increase for the poor and decrease for the rich.
D)Tax rates would decrease during recessions and increase during growth years.
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Chapter 12: Political Parties
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153 Verified Questions
153 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) To facilitate collective action, the shape of party organization in the United States has followed which simple rule?
A)For every presidential election, a national committee will select a candidate.
B)For every district where an election is held, some kind of party unit should exist.
C)For every initiative by one political party, an equal but opposing initiative is promoted by the other political party.
D)For every candidate, the party must provide a vigorous campaign.
Q2) Which of these factors contributes most to the ideological gap between the political parties?
A)the role of social media in creating distinct "echo chambers" for members of Congress
B)the dominant role that party activists play in the nominating process of both parties
C)the presidency of Barack Obama
D)the role of the Senate filibuster as a veto on legislative agenda-setting
Q3) Most candidates for office are nominated in primary elections.
A)True
B)False
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14
Chapter 13: Groups and Interests
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140 Verified Questions
140 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The 1995 Lobbying Disclosure Act requires all organizations employing lobbyists to register with Congress and to disclose whom they represent.
A)True
B)False
Q2) As of 1996, members of the U.S. House of Representatives cannot accept cash from lobbyists, but they can accept noncash gifts of any value.
A)True B)False
Q3) Interest groups have declined in influence in recent years.
A)True
B)False
Q4) How did the Black Lives Matter movement begin?
A)a group of classmates in a Howard University dorm
B)as a side project for Oprah Winfrey's charity organization
C)as a Facebook post
D)as a court settlement with the Baltimore Police Department
Q5) Interest groups focus their direct campaign contributions on the president. A)True B)False
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Chapter 14: The Media
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136 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) An effort by a government agency to block the publication of material it deems libelous or harmful is also known as
A)right of rebuttal.
B)equal time rule.
C)prior restraint.
D)fairness doctrine.
Q2) In order to cater to their audience, media outlets tend to cover labor activities, religious affairs, and veterans' interest items.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Which current popular television program presents comedic parodies of political figures and calls itself "America's most trusted name in fake news"?
A)Weekly Update
B)The Daily Show
C)Serious News Central
D)Tomorrow Now
Q4) In a democracy, to whom are the media accountable for the use of their formidable power?
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Page 16
Chapter 15: Economic Policy
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144 Verified Questions
144 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform bill created an agency to protect financial consumers from banks and other financial institutions.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The amount of liquid assets and ready cash that banks are required to hold to meet depositors' demands for their money is called the
A)depositors' allowance.
B)withdrawal protection account.
C)reserve requirement.
D)residual resource fund.
Q3) What is the first feature inherent in the very idea of government?
A)law and order
B)rules for liability
C)creation of a labor force
D)maintenance of a market structure
Q4) How did the Great Depression change how the national government attempts to manage the American economy?
Q5) What are the primary differences between promotional and regulatory policies?
Q6) Why have politicians been reluctant to adopt policy responses to global warming?
Page 17
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Chapter 16: Social Policy
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125 Verified Questions
125 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The adjustment of Social Security benefits to account for changes in living costs is an example of the practice of A)inflation.
B)benchmarking.
C)bracket creep.
D)indexing.
Q2) The first priority of the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act was to reduce poverty.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Federal support for public education did not begin until the twentieth century. A)True
B)False
Q4) An example of a less controversial policy issue that protects against risks and insecurities that most people face is A)food stamps.
B)Social Security.
C)Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC).
D)Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF).
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Chapter 17: Foreign Policy
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142 Verified Questions
142 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Senate has traditionally had a larger role in foreign policy than the U.S. House of Representatives due to its control over
A)declaring war.
B)committing troops.
C)confirming the appointment of senior military personnel.
D)approving treaties.
Q2) When the United States prohibited trade with Cuba under the Castro government, it exemplified the use of
A)a policy of appeasement.
B)a policy of preemption.
C)a sanction.
D)a bilateral treaty.
Q3) Is there a substitute for war?
Q4) This type of interest group uses high-profile protests to influence international politics?
A)national origin
B)trade
C)environmental
D)economic
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