There are 47 questions on this exam. Chose the best answer to each the following and mark your answer on a scan-tron card which can be purchased at the bookstore. (Please use a skinny green one). This exam is open book and open note; however, you are expected to work on your own and not discuss the test in any with others.
If you do not come to class on Friday, you must email me your answers by class time in order to avoid a late penalty. If you have to do this, simple list the question number and the letter of the correct answer in a single list. ie: 1. a
2. b
3. d
etc.
Copy your answers into the body of your email and send directly to brespini@comcst.net
.
If you have a question about one of the test questions, feel free to email me. I can’t give you “hints” but I may be able to help if you are confused by the wording or meaning in a question.
1. Which is true concerning John Locke’s ideas about government: a. They suggest they we would be better off if we lived in the “state of nature”. b. They form the basis of what is known as “classical liberalism”. c. They were considered completely wrong by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence. d. They emphasize that governments should provide basic services for the poor.
2. Aristotle’s notion of political freedom suggests that: a. Humans were not meant to be free. b. Freedom means having to take action and participate in self-rule c. As long as the government leaders don’t do things you oppose, you are free. d. Having a voice in the decision making process is less important than being free from
government interference.
3. Which of the following is an economic issue rather than a political issue: a. How laws are created. b. Whether or not freedom of speech is unlimited. c. Who has the power to declare war. d. How goods are distributed.
4. American tolerance for economic inequality in the United States is fostered most directly by the belief in: a.. individualism and social mobility. b. a strong national government. c. democracy and federalism. d. redistributive public policies
5. Which of the following is true of the relationship between political and economic systems: a. Command economies such as communism are usually democratic. b. Capitalism is always associated with democracy. c. Socialist countries can be democratic. d. The U.S. is based on laissez faire economy and direct democracy
6. A person who wanted to measure the degree of substantive democracy in a country would most likely examine
____________. a. whom the policies of the government serve b. the frequency of elections c. checks and balances d. the number political parties
7. Compared to a pure direct democracy, a republic ____________. a. gives less power to the majority b. relies less on electing government policy makers c. rejects the concept of that some people are more capable of others d. must be smaller in size
8. Which is considered a basic principle of western liberal democracy: a. majority rule b. minority rights c. freedom of speech d. right to organize in opposition to the government e. all of the above

9. Which best describes major American media: a. ownership tends to be more politically liberal than the journalists b. it is mostly owned by small independent companies c. news coverage tends to steer towards the middle d. ownership is becoming more diverse
10 . A plutocracy is ____________. a. rule by religious leaders b. a society ruled by the many c. a command economy d. rule by the wealthy
11. By definition, capitalism is a system that: a. is based on the free market and private ownership b. supports substantive democracy c. rejects the ideas of laissez-faire d. all of the above
12. Which is a common feature of socialism a. the absence of government run industries b. a high level of government services c. low taxes d. all of the above
13 . Three of the following are true regarding Adam Smith in his book the Wealth of Nations . Which is the
EXCEPTTION: a. He suggested that capitalism would lead to social harmony rather than class war. b. He believed that the “invisible hand” of free market competition was preferable to the visible
hand of the government. c. He suggested that it is okay if people are basically self-interested. d. He rejected the ideas expressed by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence.
14. Which is true of The Declaration of Independence: a. It suggests we have only those rights that governments grant us. b. It is a legal document that lays out how our government will function and operate as well as
the legal constitutional rights we have as citizens. c. It outlines a philosophy about government which has served as a foundation of our political system. d. All of the above.
15. Individualism is a belief system that emphasizes: a. cooperation b. self-expression c. conformity d. self-reliance
16. Which document begins with the words “We the People”: a. the Constitution b. the Federalist Papers c. the Article of Confederation d. the Declaration of Independence
17. Shays’ Rebellion is important because: a. it showed that farmers were still willing to rise up in support of the national government b. it led elites to believe a stronger central government was necessary c. it increased support for the existing form of national government d. it led to the final split with Great Britain
18. Which two were NOT at the Constitutional Convention in 1787: a. George Washington and Alexander Hamilton b. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison c. Alexander Hamilton and James Madison d. Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry

19. Which most accurately describes the U.S. Constitution: a. Compared to the Articles of Confederation, it was based on the philosophy of the revolutionary
era which feared strong government. b. It is one of the world’s most modern constitutions. c. Its contents are the products of political give and take (compromise) rather than eternal truths d. All of the above
20. Compared to the generation who led the Revolutionary movement against England, the generation that wrote our present Constitution were: a. less nationalistic b. more distrustful of central power c. more anti-slavery d. less fearful that strong government would destroy liberty
21. At the constitutional convention, small states were united in arguing for: a. equal representation b. proportional representation c. the presidential veto d. a two house legislature
22. James Madison feared majority rule because he thought it would have which of the following effects: a Majority rule would lead to domination by wealthy elites. b. The majority might threaten the rights of the minority. c. Majority rule would hamper (slow down) swift decision making. d. The majority had no right to make their voices heard.
23. Federalist Paper #10 argued that: a. factions should be eliminated b. the larger the country, the more danger factions posed c. a democracy provides more stability than a republic d. factions are a dangerous result of liberty
24. Which of the following measures was approved at the Constitutional Convention in regards to the institution of slavery: a. A statement that claimed that slavery has positive benefits b. Slavery was antithetical a democratic values c. A portion of the slave population could be used to increase a state’s representation in Congress. d. Three-fifths of each state’s slave population would be freed.
25. Federalists won the ratification fight mainly because ___________. a. The state governments overwhelmingly supported the new Constitution. b. the Constitution was approved in a majority vote of the American people c. They established a process that favored their goal and lobbied hard for approval d. The Federalist Papers failed in their attempt to convince people of the dangers of the
Constitution.
26. Who possesses executive power: a. judges b. senators c. assemblymen d. governors
27. The branch that sees that the law is enforced and carried out is considered _______________. a. executive b. legislative c. judicial d. federal
28. Separation of powers in the U.S. suggests that the legislature primarily: a. makes the laws b. interprets the laws c. enforces the laws d. ignores the laws

29. The power of to regulate interstate commerce is best described as: a. concurrent b. delegated c. reserved d. prohibited
30. Separation of powers in the Constitutions refers to _____________. a. procedures for each branch of the national government to limit the power of the other branches b. a division of powers between states and the central government. c. distinct spheres of responsibility for three branches of the national government, legislative,
executive and judicial. d. a list of powers that are denied to the federal government.
31. The __________ has become one of the foundations for the growth of the federal government in the twentieth century. a. "reserved powers" clause of the Tenth Amendment b. the Rehnquist Court c. elastic clause d. three-fifths compromise
32. In the McColluch decision, the court held that the necessary and proper clause: a. allowed Congress only to pass laws were absolutely necessary b. applied to Congress but not the president c. implied that Congress could pass any law that was not specifically prohibited by the Constitution
as long as the goal was legitimate d. should be interpreted in the way Thomas Jefferson’s understood the Constitution in 1789.
33. The Supremacy Clause of the Constitution holds that: a. The president is the supreme leader of the nation. b. Legitimate laws of the federal government take precedence over state law. c. The Supreme Court has final say on the constitutionality of laws (judicial review). d. The United States will one day be the “Supreme Leader of the World”.
34. Checks and balances in the Constitution refers to ________________. a. requirement that each branch of the national government play a role in the activities of the other
branches b. distinct spheres of responsibility for the three branches of the national government. c. the idea that republican virtues are best nurtured in small states. d. the idea that power leads to virtue
35. Which is true concerning political outlook and religion: a. Catholics are more supportive of the Republican Party than evangelicals b. Jewish Americans are more likely to be Republican than Christians c. Frequent church goers are more likely to vote Republican than those who go to church infrequently d. all of the above
36. The basic purpose of the Bill of Rights is to ____________. a. expand the power of Congress to define rights. b. expand the powers of the federal government c. limit what the federal government may legitimately do. d. all of the above
37. The idea of having two chambers (houses) in Congress was based on the idea: a. Both houses would equally reflect current popular opinion. b. It could be used to solve the big state/small state debate. c. The Senate would reflect the mood of the people more closely than the House. d. All of the above.
38. Amending the U.S. Constitution _________________________: a. requires the president’s approval b. can not be blocked by a collection of state governments c. requires a 2/3 vote of both Houses of Congress plus ratification by ¾ of the states d. can take place only if the amendment does not contradict another part of the Constitution.

39. Originally, who was not directly elected by the people: a. the Senate b. the Supreme Court c. the President d. all of the above
40. Which is true of the ideological spectrum: a. historically liberals associated authority more with God and scripture while conservatives
emphasized secularism and human reason b. liberals tend to emphasize economic equality while conservatives emphasize economic freedom c. it is not possible to be socially liberal but economically conservative d. all of the above
41. A difference between 19 th century classical liberalism and modern liberalism is that: a. today’s liberals want a smaller role for government than did 19 th century liberals b. today’s liberals see change as inherently bad c. today’s liberals are more likely to support the regulation of big business d. today’s liberals are associated with the “right wing”
42. Which is true of regional political alignment: a. urban areas tend to vote Democratic b. the Rust Belt, once a Democratic stronghold, is now up for grabs c. The plains states and the South vote heavily Republican d. all of the above
43. Which is true of party affiliation: a. Women tend to be more supportive of the Democratic Party than men. b. Cuban Americans tend to support the Democratic Party c. Blacks tend to be less supportive of the Democratic Party than Hispanics. d. People with higher income tend to be more supportive of the Democratic Party than the poor e. all of the above
44. Which is true of the distribution of wealth in the U.S.: a. the income gap is larger in the U.S. than in most other industrialized countries b. most American’s believe social mobility is more fluid than it is in reality c. the share of wealth held by the poor has decreased in the last 20 years d. all of the above
45. The "watchdog" role of the media is one in which the press should a. help the president achieve his policy agenda.
b. uncover as much information as possible about the private lives of candidates for public office. c. dig up facts and warn the public when officials are doing something wrong. d. take sides on controversial issues.
46. How does corporate ownership of the media influence the type of news gathered? a. it encourages the network news shows to have a decidedly conservative bias b. it keeps reporters attuned to sensational sources, rather than those
that are most important c. it encourages reporters to provide detailed stories that emphasizes facts over images d. it makes journalists fearful of covering scandals.
47. Which best describes major American media: a. ownership tends to be more politically liberal than the journalists b. it is mostly owned by small independent companies c. news coverage tends to steer towards the middle d. ownership is becoming more diverse