POLS1101 American Government, Short Session 1 MIDTERM EXAM

Question 1

American politics is often framed as debates about the size
of government.

True

False

Question 2

Who gets what, when and how is known as

a) Government

b) Politics

c) Federalism

d) Equity

Question 3

__________________ is the ability to make another person do
what you want, usually through coercion.

a) Justice

b) Authority

c) Power

d) Legitimacy

Question 4

The first stab at a formalized government by the colonists
was the ___________________.

a) Articles of Confederation

b) Constitution

c) Magna Carta

d) Continental Congress

Question 5

________________ is the two-tiered system of government in
which power is divided between a national government and subnational units.

a) Dualism

b) Federalism

c) Cooperatism

d) Despotism

Question 6

In a federal system only the national government, not the
state government, is a sovereign entity.

True

False

Question 7

The explicit powers that are granted to the federal
government are known as _________________ powers.

a) Presidential

b) Reserve

c) Delegated

d) Absolute

Question 8

State constitutions (when compared to federal constitutions)
are more easily amended.

True

False

Question 9

The rule that does not allow the Georgia General Assembly to
pass bills with more than one subject addressed in the bill is the
___________________ rule.

a) Single Subject

b) Plurality Rule

c) Preferred Freedom

d) Home

Question 10

The media has often been charged with having a _____________
bias.

a) Right-wing

b) Liberal

c) Positive

d) Negative

Question 11

The United States is a direct democratic system.

True

False

Question 12

A poll performed by a media organization for the fairly
narrow purpose of determining which candidate in a campaign is ahead is a
_________________.

a) Horserace Poll

b) Benchmark Poll

c) Tracking Poll

d) Straw Poll

Question 13

An approval rating measures the popular approval of
government officials and political figures.

True

False

Question 14

A sample where everyone in a given population has an equal
chance of being included in the poll is a _________________ sample.

a) Biased

b) Random

c) Selective

d) Truncated

Question 15

Groups that pursued a particular political interest were
historically referred to as

a) Organizations

b) Teamsters

c) Factions

d) City-States

Question 16

Political parties are specifically mentioned in the
Constitution as being critical to our functioning democracy.

True

False

Question 17

Political parties are static entities, meaning they have
changed very little over time and are unlikely to adapt to the desires of their
voters.

True

False

Question 18

Voting is the most common form of political participation
due to the low costs associated with voting.

True

False

Question 19

In a ____________ individuals do not directly govern
themselves, we elect representatives to speak on our behalf.

Direct Democracy

Federal System

Republic

Confederal System

Question 20

The governing document that sets forth a country’s basic
rules of government and politics is a _________.

Democracy

Constitution

Fundamental Law

Legitimate Government

Question 21

The group that favored the ratification of the Constitution
was known as ____________.

Anti-Federalists

Federalists

Socialists

The Oligarchy

Question 22

The functional division of power among the legislative,
executive and judicial branches of government is the _________________.

Checks and Balances

Federalism

Republican

Separation of Powers

Question 23

The first __________ amendments are known as the Bill of
Rights

Question 24

What best describes the system of government of the United
States?

a direct democracy

an indirect democracy

an indirect republic

a constitutional republic

Question 25

According to the social contract, what is the source of
government’s legitimacy?

Citizen consent

The divine right of kings

Government’s control of all property

The Catholic Church

Government’s authority over its subjects

Question 26

Why was a government in which citizens choose members of a
legislature to make policy, rather than making it themselves, was favored James
Madison and the other Founding Fathers?

the founders did not think the states would accept direct
public involvement in government.

direct government by citizens was impractical, even though,
in theory, direct democracy was more desirable than representative government.

direct government by citizens was impractical and was
believed to be less likely to produce good public policy.

All of the above

Question 27

The delegates at the Constitutional Convention

encouraged widespread public interest in what was happening
at the convention

actively sought the input of foreign leaders.

met in secret to prevent opponents from organizing against
their actions.

were very open to the press about their daily
accomplishments

Question 28

The Great Compromise

provided strong powers to the state governments

established a legislature with equal state representation in
the Senate and representation by state population in the House

limited the importation of slaves for twenty years

created a confederate system of government

All of the above

Question 29

The constitutional safeguard that places legislative,
executive, and judicial powers in different hands is called

separation of powers

checks and balances

fusion of powers

federalism

Question 30

The founders intended the people to have influence over
public policy through

the House of Representatives

the House of Representatives and the Senate

the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the president

None of the above