1. According to THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY, the term governmental level refers to
a. public officials and official institutions that have formal, legal responsibility in making policy.
b. political actors that do not hold official public office.
c. parties, interest groups, and other institutions that transmit preferences to elected officials.
d. None of the above.
2. According to THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY, the term "structure" refers to
a. linkage institutions.
b. formal policy makers.
c. fundamental and enduring factors that influence government, such as constitutional rules.
d. the bureaucracy.
3. According to THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY, which of the following is an example of a government
actor or influence?
a. a political party b. the president
c. the position of the U.S. in world affairs
d. public opinion
4. What policy area do the authors THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY use in Chapter 1 to illustrate their four
category analytical framework?
a. foreign policy b. social policy c. civil rights legislation d. regulatory policy
5. According to THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY, which of the following was a structure factor contributing
to the downfall of "Jim Crow" laws?
a. African-Americans migrating from the South to the North in search of better jobs
b. political parties beginning to decline in importance
c. Lyndon Johnson's superior legislative skills
d. a Congress controlled by the Democrats
6. According to THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY, the case study "'B-1 Bob' Learns about His District"
illustrates that changes in structural factors may lead to changes in
a. political linkage factors.
b. government factors. c. government action. d. all of the above.
7. According to THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY, much of the growth in the size, reach, and responsibilities
of the federal government is related to
a. government factors. b. political linkage factors. c. structure factors. d. demographic factors
8. According to PRACTICING TEXAS POLITICS, "a community's habits, attitudes, and patterns of
behavior regarding government" is defined as its
a. political culture. b. political socialization. c. political economics. d. political geography.
9. To say that authority is legitimate is to
a. suggest an obligation to comply with decisions.
b. Imply that the ruler has not always been perceived as the legal power.
c. Suggest that decisions are of little practical value.
d. Imply that the person in power does not have the good of the public in mind when making important
decisions.
10. The process that determines “who gets what, when, and how” is known as
a. decision-making. b. political science. c. politics. d. paternalism.
11. Harold Laswell’s definition in question #10 implies that
a. people are in conflict over valued things in society.
b. societies have a set of procedures to resolve the question of “who gets what, when, and how.”
c. individuals are anti-social.
d. both a and b.
12. A central theme of THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY is that
a. democracy is destined to fail in postindustrial America.
b. capitalism is required if democracy is to flourish.
c. it is a struggle to protect, enrich, and expand democracy.
d. democracy is a relatively simple concept and is for the most part self-executing.
13. Which of the following systems model concepts describes social, economic, physical or other sets of
variables that are external to a political system but affect its operation?
a. environments b. input structures c. outputs d. feedback
14. According to systems model terminology, which of the following would be an example of a conversion
structure?
a. the Republican Party b. the National Rifle Association c. the news media
d. the United States Congress
15. Which of the following sets of stages in the policy-making process is listed in the correct logical order?
a. evaluation, adoption, implementation, formulation, designation
b. formulation, adoption, designation, implementation, evaluation
c. agenda-setting, formulation, adoption, implementation, evaluation
d. agenda-setting, adoption, designation, implementation, evaluation
16. In which stage of the policy-making process are problem identification (perception) and priority-setting
important activities?
a. agenda-setting b. designation c. adoption d. formulation
17. A city health director designs an educational program to inform teenagers about the dangers of
“unprotected sex.” The city council must vote next week whether to fund the program. This is an
example of which stage of the policy-making process?
a. implementation. b. formulation. c. adoption. d. evaluation.
18. The board of a Texas school district votes on a proposal to include a course on moral values in the high
school curriculum. This is an example of which stage of the policy-making process?
a. implementation. b. designation. c. adoption. d. formulation.
19. A medical doctor writes an editorial article calling for swifter approval of AIDS drugs by the Food and
Drug Administration. This is an example of which stage of the policy-making process?
a. implementation. b. designation. c. adoption. d. evaluation.
20. Which of the following BEST illustrates implementation?
a. The president gives a speech calling for welfare reform.
b. The Supreme Court upholds a city fire department’s affirmative action program.
c. The Pentagon proposes new procedures for making defense-related purchases.
d. The Occupational Safety And Health Administration (OSHA) inspects a plastics factory looking for
levels of vinyl chloride in excess of federal standards.
21. Which of the following accurately describe American democracy?
1. procedural 2. representative 3. liberal 4. socialist 5. substantive
a. 1, 2, and 3 b. 1 and 2 c. 2, 3, 4, and 5 d. 3 only
22. The requirement that “citizens must participate in the political process” is characteristic of which theory
of democracy?
a. elite theory b. traditional democratic theory c. pluralist theory
d. none of these
23. The process by which citizens propose policies which are approved or rejected by voters in a
subsequent election is called
a. ratification. b. amendment. c. initiative. d. referendum.
24. According to THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY, the modern New England town meeting is very
a. different from American republicanism because it allows everyone to vote, even children.
b. similar to American republicanism because it demands that all citizens obey the law in return for civil
rights.
c. similar to American republicanism because it encourages all citizens to vote for representatives.
d. different from American republicanism because it practices direct participatory democracy.
25. According to THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY, with respect to the distribution of wealth in a nation,
according to Aristotle and Jefferson, the ideal society for the practice of democracy is one
a. where wealth is distributed fairly evenly among everyone.
b. where a small elite controls most wealth.
c. with a large middle class.
d. in which men and women share equally.
26. According to THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY, the heart of democracy lies in:
a. a faith in the collective will of all individuals.
b. a faith in the capacity of ordinary human beings.
c. a faith that God will anoint and ordain leaders of the people.
d. a faith in "chaos theory."
27. According to THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY, "representative" democracy means
a. policies are made such that all groups in the United States are fairly satisfied with the system.
b. a system in which the people select others to act in their place.
c. that legislators are representative of various groups in society, such as minorities, women, etc.
d. that legislators must vote exactly as their constituents desire.
28. According to THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY, what is the definition of popular sovereignty?
a. political equality
b. political freedom
c. the ultimate source of government authority is the people
d. government is restrained within the limits of the Constitution
29. According to THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY, why is participation in the political process an important
condition of popular sovereignty?
a. Without widespread participation, the nature of the popular will can only be guessed at.
b. Without widespread participation, nothing guarantees that officials will respond to the popular will.
c. Participation is essential because the deliberative will of the people can only emerge from a process
of reflection and discussion with others.
d. All of the above are important reasons for participation.
30. According to THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY, wealth and income in the United States are distributed
a. fairly evenly among all groups.
b. in a highly unequal fashion.
c. fairly evenly among whites, but not between whites and minorities.
d. with little or no gender bias.
31. According to THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY, political liberty refers to
a. equality of opportunity.
b. basic freedoms essential to the formation and expression of the popular will.
c. having a written constitution to protect citizens from government.
d. nondiscrimination in employment.
32. According to THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY, the landmark civil rights bill that allowed widespread
African-American political participation in the South was the
a. Civil Rights Act of 1875.
b. Emancipation Proclamation.
c. Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938.
d. Voting Rights Act of 1965.
33. The pluralist theory of democracy
1. is basically the same as traditional democratic theory in its assumptions about the role of citizens in
the political process.
2. sees democracy as operating through competition among groups.
3. suggests that there are several types of political resources which may be effective in influencing
public policy.
4. argues that the only meaningful political resource is money.
5. views public policy as a balance or equilibrium among competing group interests.
a. 1 and 2 b. 2 and 5 c. 2, 3, and 5 d. 1 only
34. With regard to policy change, elite theory holds that
a. changes in policy never occur.
b. changes in policy will occur only when the masses force the power elite to alter the status quo.
c. changes in policy occur only as a result of the elite redefining their own values and interests.
d. changes in policy narrow the gap between the elite and the masses.
35. Which of the following tends to emphasize policy process?
a. substantive democracy b. pluralist theory c. majoritarian democracy
d. elite theory
36. A condition that exists when a private market fails to capture all of the social benefits associated with
the production and consumption of a good or service is known as
a. a negative externality. b. a positive externality. c. adverse selection.
d. the free rider problem.
37. What policy responses might government attempt to counter the condition described in question #36?
a. tax the good or service b. provide the good or service
c. regulate the market d. all of the above
38. Which of the following terms BEST describes the American economy?
a. socialist b. pure capitalism c. laissez-faire d. market capitalism
39. Most of the countries of the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America have __________ economies while
Cuba, North Korea, and the former Soviet Union have [had] ________ economies.
a. market socialism; command socialism
b. market capitalism; command capitalism
c. market capitalism; market socialism
d. command capitalism; command socialism
40. Suppose Congress rewrote the tax code to make the federal income tax more progressive. Such an
action would be an example of
a. government providing a suitable legal framework for the market system.
b. a government effort to modify or supplement the operation of the market system (effort to correct a
perceived flaw of capitalism).
c. government regulation to correct a negative externality.
d. government regulation to correct a positive externality.
41. According to THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY, the distribution of poverty in the United States is not
random, but is concentrated among
a. racial minorities. b. female-headed households. c. children. d. all of the above
42. According to THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY, which of the following is an issue that the authors raise
about democracy being able to survive in a highly unequal society?
a. Those with wealth can make their voices heard better by government than those without wealth.
b. The government might not be able to fund all the programs that it would like to fund because the
wealthy have all the money.
c. Inequality might lead to chaos.
d. Those in the lower class would be forced into a subservient position by those in the upper class.
43. According to THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY, the corporate-dominated economy that we are so
familiar with today emerged
a. at the end of World War II.
b. after the Civil War.
c. in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
d. in the 1960s.
44. According to THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY, the term _______________ refers to the hostility of the
common person to power and the powerful.
a. populism b. progressive
c. egalitarian
d. liberty
45. According to THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY, government actions
a. influence interest rates, inflation, the level of unemployment, and the rate of growth in the economy.
b. have little influence over most macroeconomic indicators.
c. occasionally influence the stock market and interest rates, but usually its actions are ignored by
investors.
d. have little influence over "pocketbook" issues affecting most Americans.
46. According to THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY, the __________ of the 1930s made it clear to most
people that the market economy, if left alone, would suffer periodic collapse.
a. Second World War b. New Deal c. famine d. worldwide Great Depression
47. According to THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY, today, governments in all modern capitalist societies
play a substantial role in managing their national economies. The event that forever changed the role of
government in economic affairs was
a. World War II. b. World War I. c. the worldwide Great Depression of the 1930s.
d. the election of FDR.
48. According to THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY, the federal government is the
a. largest customer in the United States.
b. biggest borrower in the United States.
c. biggest employer in the United States.
d. All of the above.
49. According to THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY, which of the following BEST explains why the relative
spending level of the federal government has increased steadily since the 1930s?
a. mainly the increased costs of running the government (e.g., salaries, pensions, etc.)
b. mainly increases in Congressional salaries
c. the transformation of the role of the federal government in American society
d. the cost of foreign wars
50. According to THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY, macroeconomic policy refers
a. solely to the regulations of financial and investment businesses.
b. to all government policy that influences the economic well-being of citizens.
c. to policies involving foreign exchange rates, international trade, and foreign aid.
d. to fiscal and monetary policies.
51. According to THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY, Keynesianism is consistent with
a. communism. b. theories of small government. c. an activist government role in the economy.
d. the ideas of Milton Friedman.
52. According to THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY, a capitalist economic system is characterized by
a. extensive rules and regulations to protect business from unwarranted interference by the public.
b. government ownership of the means of production and the existence of markets to coordinate
economic activity.
c. private ownership of the means of production and the existence of markets to coordinate economic
activity.
d. extensive rules and regulations to protect the public from mercenary activities of business and
corporations.
53. According to THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY, which of the following was a factor in the "Budget
Chaos in the 104th Congress?"
a. The budget bill fashioned in the House of Representatives included drastic cutbacks in the regulatory
responsibilities of the federal government and a slowdown in Medicare funding.
b. President Clinton did not support the budget bill.
c. A government shutdown for a week in November and three weeks in December and January.
d. All of the above
54. According to THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY, which of the following is the primary objective of
macroeconomic policy?
a. increased foreign trade b. a reduced deficit
c. increased spending d. steady economic growth
55. According to THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY, when government officials change macroeconomic
policy they are
a. trying to finance a foreign war.
b. lowering the national debt.
c. primarily concerned with lowering the interest rate.
d. trying to adjust the money supply, government spending, and taxes to affect the performance of the
economy as a whole.
56. According to THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY, fiscal policy primarily concerns
a. setting the interest rate. b. government spending and taxing levels.
c. determining the "cost" of money. d. paying foreign governments back the money we owe them.
57. According to THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY, government fiscal policies have to do with
a. interest rates and the money supply. b. defense and foreign policy.
c. public restraints on business activities. d. taxing and spending.
58. According to THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY, the institution(s) responsible for monetary policy is (are)
the
a. president and Congress. b. Congressional Budget Office. c. Federal Reserve Board.
d. Office of Management and Budget.
59. According to THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY, monetarists contend that which of the following is the
key to a healthy economy?
a. proper management of the supply of money and credit by central banks
b. proper management of governmental taxing
c. increased international trade competition
d. proper management of governmental spending
60. According to THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY, monetary policy is the responsibility of the
a. Federal Reserve Board. b. president and Congress. c. Monetary Control Board.
d. Secretary of the Treasury.
61. According to THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY, government monetary policy has to do with
a. taxing and spending. b. interest rates and the money supply.
c. unemployment rates. d. the size of the federal bureaucracy.
62. The term effective tax rate
a. is synonymous with the nominal tax rate.
b. is the same for everyone in a progressive tax.
c. is a meaningless concept.
d. refers to the percentage of an individual’s (or household’s) income paid in taxes.
63. A regressive tax is one
a. in which the tax burden falls disproportionately on the lowest income groups.
b. that everyone objectively agrees is unfair.
c. in which the effective tax rate increases as income increases.
d. all of the above.
64. According to THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY, which of the following BEST explains why government
regulates?
a. to redistribute incomes
b. to raise excise taxes
c. because people generally want government to do something to fix the problems caused by market
failures
d. to expand the size of government
65. According to THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY, programs in which individuals contribute to an
insurance trust fund by way of a payroll tax on their earnings and receive benefits based on their
contributions are called
a. IRA programs. b. mutual fund programs. c. means-tested programs.
d. social insurance programs.
66. According to THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY, among industrialized democracies, the United States is
considered to be at the ____________ end of the spectrum in the delivery of social welfare.
a. minimal b. liberal c. developed d. democratic socialist
67. According to THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY, what is one of the reasons why social welfare programs
developed so late in the United States?
a. Because of federalism, it was not clear where the main responsibility for social welfare stood.
b. The United States did not have severe problems that necessitated a welfare system.
c. The high income groups which controlled the government kept welfare programs at a minimum.
d. The Republican party dominated government on the state level for many years.
68. According to PRACTICING TEXAS POLITICS, the traditional state fiscal policy in Texas is the achievement
of a balanced budget through
a. low taxes and low levels of public spending.
b. high taxes and low levels of public spending.
c. high taxes and high levels of public spending.
d. low taxes and high rates of public spending.
69. According to PRACTICING TEXAS POLITICS, which of the following were placing pressures on the state’s
budget at the end of the 20th century?
a. education, legislative operating expenses, and transportation
b. legislative operating expenses, public assistance, and public education
c. education, transportation, and food stamp costs
d. prisons, education, and transportation
70. According to PRACTICING TEXAS POLITICS, the single most important tax in Texas is the
a. general sales tax.
b. selective sales taxes (excise taxes)
c. oil and gas severance tax.
d. gross business receipts tax