LSU POLI 2051 KENNY EXAM 1
which of the following is a question one could ask in applying the democracy standard to a country? - Answer- how effective are government policies at carrying out the wishes of the citizens?
______________ is usually cited as the purest form of democracy that ever ...
LSU POLI 2051 KENNY EXAM 1
which of the following is a question one could ask in applying the democracy
standard to a country? - Answer- how effective are government policies at carrying
out the wishes of the citizens?
______________ is usually cited as the purest form of democracy that ever existed.
- Answer- Athens of the 5th century BCE
which of the following best contrasts structure with government in the taxonomy of
political life? - Answer- Structure is the foundation on which everything else is built,
and it is the slowest to change. Government encompasses all the institutions and
public officials that have legal responsibilities for forming public policies. (NOT:
structure is the foundation of government. government is the action this structure
takes when enacting or executing laws)
According to John Locke, the absence of a respected social contract is one of the
hallmarks of a society lacking in _____________ - Answer- fundamental freedoms
national parks, highways, and sewage disposals are considered ___________
goods. - Answer- public
which of the following ensures popular sovereignty in the US?
a. checks & balances
b. the supreme court
c. free & fair elections
d. the military - Answer- c. free & fair elections
which of the following methods would best help you analyze the question, "does
government work?" - Answer- examining whether government policies actually
reflect the wishes of the people
Why were the framers of the constitution (like Madison) afraid of a tyranny of the
majority? - Answer- They were afraid that the majority might try to undermine the
freedoms of minorities and threaten individual rights
what mechanism forces leaders to be responsive to the peoples' wishes and to be
responsible to them for their actions?
a. majority rule
b. representative government
c. social contract
d. elections - Answer- d. elections
one of the main reasons that direct democracy is impossible at the national level in
the US is the _______________
a. diversity of interests
b. belief that people would not participate in gov't
c. lack of technology to count every vote
,d. number of people who live in the US - Answer- d. number of people who live in the
US
which of the following sentences best explains how minority opinions are protected in
a democracy from majority tyranny? - Answer- the composition of the majority and
minority is constantly shifting depending on the issue and current social & cultural
climate
A linkage institution is an entity that connects people to their government and
transmit their concern to policymakers. Political parties and interest groups are
examples of such institutions. They connect people to government by
______________ - Answer- working to ensure that policymakers pay attention to
their members' voices
which of the following is considered to be an oligarchy?
a. India
b. Somalia
c. North Korea
d. China - Answer- d. China
Constitutionalism is rooted in the belief that citizens need to be protected from
_____________
a. the unchecked growth of gov't
b. arbitrary decisions by political elites
c. powerful centralized governments
d. excessive taxation - Answer- b. arbitrary decisions by political elites (arbitrary
meaning unrestrained use of authority; autocratic-ruling with absolute power)
The US is generally thought of as representative democracy, but some elements of
direct democracy appear as well. Which is the best example of a feature of the
American system that allows direct involvement of citizens? - Answer- the initiative
process at the state level
what is one of the reasons why amendments to the constitution are relatively rare? -
Answer- the formal amendment process is long and difficult and requires widespread
support in congress as well as the states (not: "the language of the constitution is so
general that there has been little need to revise it as the country has grown &
developed")
The US' first written constitution was known as _______ - Answer- The Articles of
Confederation
Which of the following is generally true about the effect of constitutional amendments
on the American political system? - Answer- amendments have made the country
more democratic and expanded rights to excluded groups.
Why were defects in the Articles of Confederation difficult to correct? - Answer- Any
changes/amendments to the articles required the unanimous approval of the states
(all 13 had to agree)
, The framers were practical politicians. They knew that to prevent tyranny in their
young country, they would have to craft a constitution that "checks power with
power." what does this concept mean? - Answer- Power would need to be distributed
to several branches of government so that the power of one branch could be
checked by other branches
The constitution has much vague language and is often hard to interpret for exact
meaning. The problems created by such language have been solved by the
application of which practice? - Answer- the issues created by the vague language
being processed through state & federal courts and being settled by judicial
interpretation
The Connecticut Compromise ("The Great Compromise") produced _________ -
Answer- a bicameral Congress; solved the problem of the issue of representation in
legislature; (included the 3/5 compromise for slaves)
The separation of powers in the national government outlined in the Constitution is a
foundation of our government. It mandates separate legislative, executive, and
judicial branches. Which of the following is an essential characteristic that makes the
system effect? - Answer- The branches are constitutionally equal & independent.
(NOT: each branch has specific functions that do not overlap with the functions of
the other branches)
The Constitution gave Congress the power to regulate interstate commerce, coin
money & regulate its value, and establish bankruptcy and patent laws. These steps
encouraged ________________ - Answer- the emergence of a national free
enterprise economy
In what ways was the declaration of independence contradictory in what it said about
individual rights & equality and how it treated certain groups? - Answer- it said that
all men are created equal but it did not give slaves the same rights as white men.
How did the different philosophies of the federalists and anti-federalists change the
constitution? - Answer- The anti-federalists' insistence on specific mention of
individual rights forced the federalists to promise to amend the constitution with the
Bill of rights.
The constitution gives the national gov't significant control over interstate commerce.
What is the most likely reason the framers did this? - Answer- such regulation would
decrease competition between states and foster economic growth.
One probable reason that the Constitution's framers included very strong wording
protecting private property and contracts was __________. - Answer- they were
interested in protecting their own wealth
the provisions in the constitution that give each branch of the federal government the
ability to block the actions of the other branches are known as _________. - Answer-
checks & balances
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