Temple College
Government 2302
Exam #1
Summer 1, 1998
: Answer each of the following multiple choice questions by marking the letter on your scan-tron form that corresponds to the BEST response. ?? questions/??? points each/100 points total.
1. Which of the following systems model concepts describes authoritative decisions and actions (generally thought of as benefits or deprivations)? a. environments b. input structures c. outputs d. feedback
2. 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
3. Which of the following is (are) a quality (qualities) of a good theory?
1. explanation 2. prediction 3. parsimony 4. complexity 5. generalization a. 1, 2, and 3 b. 1 and 2 c. 1, 2, 3, and 5 d. all of these
4. Professor Womberg studies presidential elections. He has noticed that candidates of the incumbent party (the party currently occupying the office) are elected when the economy is growing and are defeated when the economy is in recession. He wants to develop a model to explain the relationship between presidential election outcomes and the performance of the economy. Which of the following might be an explanatory (independent) variable(s) that he could include in his model? a. the number of electoral votes the incumbent party’s candidate receives b. the unemployment rate c. the percentage change in gross domestic output d. b and c
5. Professor Ludlow has developed a model to explain congressional election outcomes. She believes that candidates who raise more money in a

campaign are more likely than their opponents to win their races are. Which of the following statements is (are) true?
1. Ludlow believes there is a direct relationship between the amount of money a candidate raises and his/her likelihood of winning the election.
2. She will be able to perfectly predict the outcomes of all congressional elections using her model.
3. The amount of campaign money raised is the independent variable; the likelihood of winning an election is the dependent variable.
4. The relationship between the independent and dependent variables is exact.
5. A graph of the relationship between these two variables would probably be a line that slopes upward to the right. a. 2 and 4 b. all of the above are true c. 3, 4, and 5 d. 1, 2, and 3
6. The relationships among variables that political scientists typically study are best characterized as a. deterministic. b. exact. c. inexact. d. perfect.
7. According to the authors of your AMERICAN GOVERNMENT text, government refers to a. any group of people involved in politics. b. the structured arrangements which produce decisions resolving conflict. c. only a predetermined set of countries that recognize each other as having legal power. d. any person or group of persons who have power but who respect the right of all people to be free.
8. According to the authors of your AMERICAN GOVERNMENT text, one reason that citizens obey laws is that government a. has a monopoly on law-making. b. only passes laws that are acceptable to the majority. c. has legitimate authority to make the laws. d. always protects the minority viewpoint.
9. The process that determines “who gets what, when, and how” is known as a. decision-making. b. political science. c. politics. d. paternalism.
10. Harold Laswell’s definition in question #9 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.
11. Which of the following defines politics ? a. “who gets what, when, and how.” b. “the authoritative allocation of valued things.”

c. “the competitive process engaged in a society to allocate scarce resources and determine priorities.” d. All of the above are definitions of politics .
12. According to the authors of your AMERICAN GOVERNMENT text, decisions which are authoritative are those a. which can be backed up by legitimate power. b. that are made with the approval of a majority of the public. c. which can be repealed in a referendum. d. that are made by a small percentage of society.
13. According to the authors of your AMERICAN GOVERNMENT text, the concept of compliance means a. accepting and carrying out authoritative decisions. b. the ability to cause others to modify their behavior. c. the ability to get others to disobey the dictates of the ruler. d. both b and c.
14. In class, we introduced a public policy classification scheme. Which of the following questions must be answered in order to classify a policy under this scheme?
1. Who is the primary target group?
2. Why is government implementing the policy?
3. What are the goals of the policy?
4. What is the activity of government with respect to the primary target group
[what is government doing to or for the primary target group]?
5. Who are the secondary target groups? a. 1, 3, and 5 b. 1, 2, and 4 c. 2 and 4 d. 1 and 4
15. In which class of public policy does government set standards for behavior, inspect for compliance with the standards, and punish for non-compliance? a. resource extractive b. regulatory c. redistributive d. internal organization and management
16. Under the policy classification scheme introduced in class, which of the following is NOT one of the five activities that government can undertake with respect to a primary target group? a. give b. take c. symbolize d. lie
17. The United States denies the People’s Republic of China most favored nation trading status as a result of China’s alleged human rights violations.
This is an example of which class of policy? a. resource extractive b. symbolic c. regulatory d. resource extractive
18. 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, adoption, designation, implementation, evaluation d. agenda-setting, formulation, adoption, implementation, evaluation
19. 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
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. The stage of the policymaking process that involves “choosing an official course of action from among alternative policy strategies” is a. implementation. b. designation. c. adoption. d. formulation.
22. A medical doctor writes an 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.
23. 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.
24. A condition that exists when a private market fails to capture all of the social costs 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.
25. What policy responses might government attempt to counter the condition described in question #24? a. subsidize the good or service b. provide the good or service c. regulate the market d. all of the above
26. Which of the following is an example of a pure public good/service? a. airplane travel b. an interstate highway c. higher education

d. all of the above
27. In class, we proposed two opposing lines of argument concerning the apparent lack of efficiency and effectiveness of government in the United
States. Which of the following are the proper pair of criticisms? a. incompetent or corrupt politicians AND uninformed voters b. uninformed voters AND the amount of money in election campaigns c. incompetent or corrupt politicians AND a decentralized political system d. none of these
28. The framers of the U.S. Constitution attempted to prevent tyranny by a. requiring that congress defer to the other branches of government. b. not giving congress many powers. c. making tyranny unconstitutional. d. decentralizing political power through institutional mechanisms such as separation of powers.
29. Both politics and policy differ between the American and parliamentary versions of democracy. The form of democracy developed in the United
States is a product of a. its constitutional system. b. the treaty that ended the American Revolution. c. the dominance of strong political parties in the American system. d. the “Connecticut Compromise.”
30. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of the American system, but IS of the parliamentary system? a. The legislature may remove the executive on grounds of policy disagreement. b. The executive and members of the legislature are separately elected. c. Members of the legislature are constitutionally-prohibited from serving in the executive’s cabinet. d. Divided party government is highly probable.
31. In a parliamentary system, the prime minister is usually chosen by the a. nation’s voters. b. legislature’s majority party. c. cabinet. d. ruling monarch.
32. According to Richard Beth (“Principle Characteristics of the Parliamentary
System”), which of the following is NOT a likely feature of politics in a parliamentary system? a. legislative/executive deadlock b. strong political parties c. coalition government d. all of these are likely features.

33. An important implication of our comparison of the parliamentary and
American systems is that the structure of a political system emphasizes some values and not others. Which values are BEST served by the decentralized nature of the American system? a. efficient and effective government b. effective, but prudent government c. circumscribed (limited), deliberate government d. crippled, impotent government
8. According to the authors of your A MERICAN G OVERNMENT text, the founders of the
American republic believed that the bulk of the power that would be exercised by the national government should be in the hands of a. a very powerful chief executive. b. the legislature. c. a secret class of elites that was responsible for protecting the society from anarchy. d. a council of state governors that would meet once a year.
9. The authors of the Constitution were strongly influenced by their fear of a. too much power in the hands of the legislature. b. tyrannical kings and powerful, unchecked rulers. c. judicial review as practiced in England. d. uncontrolled power of state governments.
10. According to the authors of your A MERICAN G OVERNMENT text, the two chambers of
Congress reflected the social class biases of the founding fathers. Which of the following statements is TRUE? a. The House was to be composed of the elite of society while the Senate was meant to represent the lower classes of people. b. The House was meant to represent the people while the Senate was to be controlled by the Whigs, an elitist party that was a carry over from England. c. The House was to meant to represent the people while the Senate was meant to represent the states. d. The House was to meant to represent the states while the Senate was meant to represent religious and ethnic minority groups.
11. Which two basic functions or responsibilities given Congress by the Constitution appear to be inherently at odds with one another? a. oversight and law-making b. law-making and representation c. representation and logrolling d. logrolling and redistricting
12. A fragmented Congress a. is likely to have members with a constituency focus. b. is relatively insulated from interest group pressures. c. is tightly organized around strong political parties. d. all of the above.
13. Which of the following BEST describes the "natural" state of Congress? a. efficient b. integrated c. fragmented d. unprofessional

14. Which of the following would probably NOT be a policy consequence of fragmentation in Congress? a. relatively little concern with oversight b. dramatic change in policy content c. greater emphasis on resource allocation d. all of the above ARE likely consequences of fragmentation in Congress
15. Which of the following would be a supporting condition of greater integration in
Congress?
1. strong presidential leadership 2. power-sharing with the bureaucracy
3. strong party caucuses 4. institutional pride and ambition
5. broad substantive policy commitments by individual members a. 1 only b. 1 and 2 c. 1, 2, 4, and 5 d. 1, 3, 4, and 5
16. According to the authors of your A MERICAN G OVERNMENT text, Congress has reduced over time the role it might otherwise play in national and international affairs by a. continuing to delegate powers to the executive branch. b. never being able to have one party in control of both chambers. c. making major mistakes when it has held power. d. failing to be aware of public opinion.
17. Subgovernment or policy triangle refers to the relationship among federal agencies
(bureaus), interest groups, and __________ in a given area of public policy. a. the news media b. cabinet officers c. the White House staff d. none of these
18. According to the authors of your A MERICAN G OVERNMENT text, most bills that
Congress acts on a. are vetoed by the president unless he has authorized the bill. b. originate in the executive branch. c. are introduced by private citizens or lobbyists. d. both a and b.
19. The concept of LOGROLLING refers to a. action taken by a senator that attempts to prevent a bill from passing in the
Senate. b. a method that is used to keep one bill on the floor for an extended period of time, thus blocking all legislation. c. an arrangement by which two or more members of Congress agree in advance to support each other’s bills. d. a method that the president uses when he wants to prevent the passage of legislation.
20. The "hurdles" which a bill has to clear in the legislative process are called a. "stop-gaps." b. "delay points." c. "veto points." d. "counter-points."
21. A typical bill, complete with appropriations measures and riders (non-germane amendments), would probably have to clear somewhere between _______________ of the "hurdles" alluded to in question #20. a. 5 - 10 b. 20 - 30 c. 50 - 70 d. 10,000 - 20,000

22. A representative who always seeks the mandate of his constituents before voting on legislation is playing the role of a. instructed delegate. b. trustee. c. politico. d. novice.
23. A filibuster is a. an attempt to prevent the passage of a bill by halting action through unlimited debate. b. an attempt to persuade others to vote for a particular bill in return for a favor at a later date. c. a device used to force a bill out of a standing committee. d. a new 3/4 lb. beef sandwich at the Dairy Queen.
24. Which of the following is most likely to use a filibuster? a. a House member who supports a bill that is likely to be passed by the majority. b. a Senator who supports a bill that is likely to be passed by the majority. c. a. a House member who opposes a bill that is likely to be passed by the majority. d. a Senator who opposes a bill that is likely to be passed by the majority.
25. Most of the actual work of legislating is a. performed by interest groups and then acted upon by Congress. b. accomplished in state legislatures and then the more acceptable ideas are acted upon by Congress. c. performed by the president and his staff and then routinely accepted by Congress. d. performed by the committees and subcommittees within Congress.
26. By far, the most important committees within Congress are the a. joint resolution committees. b. special investigative committees. c. standing committees. d. none of these.
27. A conference committee is a. a special committee convened to resolve the differences between the Congress and the president on legislative issues. b. called into session when the president has vetoed an appropriations bill with a pocket veto. c. a special committee convened to reconcile differences between House and
Senate versions of a bill. d. a special committee in the House that assists the Speaker in enacting his party’s legislative agenda.
28. Oversight is the process by which Congress a. investigates the implementation of laws by government agencies that Congress has enacted. b. reviews actions of subcommittees. c. allows meaningful input from common citizens through public hearings. d. supervises the activities of the federal courts.