Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
40 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
|
What percent of the US's total income is earned by the 20% of the country's households? A) Approx. 20% B) Approx. 30% C) Approx. 40% D) More than 50% E) More than 80% |
D) More than 50% |
|
|
What percent of the US's total income is earned by the poorest 20% of the US households? A) 3% B) 9% C) 15% D) 20% E) 50% |
A) 3% |
|
|
Since 1980, the gap between rich and poor in the US has ... A) decreased a lot. B) decreased a little. C) stayed about the same. D) increased. E) been so difficult to measure that there's no way of knowing |
D) increased |
|
|
Compared to the gap between high and low incomes in the US, the wealth gap is... A) much smaller B) slightly smaller C) about the same D) greater E) so difficult to measure that it's impossible to make such comparisons. |
D) greater |
|
|
In 2011, the top 1% of income earners in the US owned about ______ of the nations wealth. A) 5% B) 25% C) 40% D) 60% E) 80% |
C) 40% |
|
|
Compared with other economically developed countries, the gap between rich and poor in the US is... A) greater B) about the same C) slightly less D) much less E) so difficult to measure it's impossible |
A) greater |
|
|
According to the text (pg 4), the lopsided distribution of income and wealth is or was a central concern of __________. A) the Tea Part movement B) the Occupy Wall street movement C) the Business Roundtable D) the Federalists E) the abolitionist movement |
B) the Occupy Wall street movement |
|
|
According to the text (pg 4), the most powerful predictor of an individual's health and mortality is that individual's __________. A) genetics B) exposure to carcinogens C) smoking D) social class position E) race |
D) social class position |
|
|
As a result of the election of Barack Obama, the country's first black president, people of color now _______. A) earn as much as whites. B) live as long as whites. C) are less victimized by street crime than whites are. D) are as well educated as whites are. E) experience similar conditions as before; the income and wealth of people of color has not significantly improved since the election of Barack Obama. |
E) experience similar conditions as before. |
|
|
According to the text (pg 6), the Titanic offers a powerful metaphor for the U.S society and politics for all of the following reasons except... A) like the Titanic, the US political system is doomed to fail. B) US businesses' concerns with profit resemble the similar concerns of the Titanic's owner. C) the Titanic was the world's most powerful ship, and the US is the world's most powerful nation. D) there was a great economic inequality among the Titanic's passengers, and there is great economic inequality in the US. E) the Titanic's first-class passengers were treated much better than those in steerage, and the US rich have much more of the good things in life that the poor people have. |
A) like the Titanic, the US political system is doomed to fail. |
|
|
All of the following statements about the Bill of Rights are true except... A) it constitutes the first ten amendments of the Constitution. B) it prohibits Congress from designating any religion as an official one. C) it prohibits courts from requiring people to testify against themselves. D) it guarantees all adults over the age of twenty-one the right to vote. E) it reserves to the people or the state any powers not explicitly assigned to the federal government. |
D) it guarantees all the adults over the age of the right to vote. |
|
|
The Declaration of Independence... A) was signed in 1787. B) was written to compensate for the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. C) states that all human beings have certain unalienable right. D) is just another name for what is usually called the Constitution. E) affirmed Great Britain's right to rule the thirteen colonies |
C) states that all human beings have certain unalienable rights. |
|
|
The Articles of Confederation... A) allowed each state to retain its sovereignty and independence. B) were signed in 1787. C) provided for an extremely strong and powerful national government. D) gave the president much more power than it gave Congress. E) is just another name for what is usually called the Constitution. |
A) allowed each state to retain sovereignty and independence. |
|
|
Under the Articles of Confederation, the federal government had the exclusive power to... A) coin money. B) levy taxes. C) raise a militia. D) make rules regarding international trade. E) negotiate treaties with other nations. |
E) negotiate treaties with other nations. |
|
|
The national government is characterized by a system of checks and balances that include all the following except... A) the capacity to govern is shared by the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. B) the president can veto congressional legislation. C) the Senate must approve the key presidential appointments. D) the president can remove Supreme Court justices whose decisions are unconstitutional. E) the Supreme Court can review laws passed by Congress and signed by the president. |
D) the president can remove Supreme Court justices whose decisions are unconstitutional. |
|
|
Federalism is a political system in which... A) national power is limited by the reservation of certain powers to the states. B) the Constitution guarantees citizens certain basic political liberties. C) there are checks and balances among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government. D) state constitutions trump the national constitution if there is a conflict between the two. E) the Constitution outlines the powers of state and local governments. |
A) national power is limited by the reservation of certain powers to the states. |
|
|
According to the Constitution as it was originally ratified... A) members of the House of Representatives would be elected by the people every six years. B) senators would be chosen by the state legislatures. C) the president has the power to declare war. D) Congress is prohibited from regulating interstate commerce. E) justices of the Supreme Court are elected by the House of Representatives and the Senate. |
B) senators would be chosen by the state legislatures. |
|
|
The Great Compromise refers to the Constitutional Convention debate concerning... A) ratification of the Constitution. B) representation in Congress. C) the division of power between the federal government and the states. D) the election of the president. E) the number of justices on the US Supreme Court. |
B) representation in Congress. |
|
|
The number of representatives from each state elected to the House of Representatives is based on... A) the state's population. B) the geographical size of the state. C) the year the state is admitted to the union (older states have greater representation). D) the amount of federal tax revenue generated in that state. E) equal representation of each state. |
A) the state's population. |
|
|
All House of Representatives members are... A) chosen by direct election every 2 years. B) selected by state legislatures every 2 years. C) chosen by direct election every 6 years. D) selected by state legislatures every 6 years. E) chosen by direct election every 4 years. |
A) chosen by direct election every 2 years. |
|
|
The Constitution dealt with slavery by... A) making slaves citizens. B) counting every five slaves as three persons for apportioning seats in the House of Representatives. C) prohibiting Congress from ever passing laws abolishing the important of slaves. D) declaring that a slave would be free however if she or he escaped to a state that prohibited slavery. E) outlawing slavery in the North, but not in the South. |
B) counting every five slaves as three persons for apportioning seats in the House of Representatives. |
|
|
The number of a state's electors in the Electoral College is determined by... A) the state's population. B) the number of members the state elects to the House of Representatives. C) the sum of the state's members in the House of Representatives and the US senate. D) the number of the state's US Senators. E) electoral laws established by Congress. |
C) the sum of the state's members in the House of Representatives and the US Senate. |
|
|
______ is the idea that the ultimate and supreme source of political authority lies not with rulers but with the people, the citizens of the republic. A) The market B) The Bill of Rights C) The separation of powers D) Popular Sovereignty E) Federalism |
D) Popular Sovereignty |
|
|
According to the text (pg 15), the United State's capitalist market system... A) is inherently not democratic. B) is inherently democratic. C) may or may not be democratic depending on who is president. D) may or may not be democratic depending on which party controls Congress. E) may or may not be democratic depending on whether the government officials adhere to the Constitution's basic principles. |
A) is inherently not democratic. |
|
|
According to the text (pg 15), large corporations have disproportionate political power mainly because... A) almost all of their top executives are white men. B) the Constitution prohibits government from regulating business too heavily. C) the well-being of everyone as measured by jobs and income depends on the investment decisions and the profits of private firms. D) most politicians are susceptible to bribes. E) most government leaders were once CEOs of large corporations. |
C) the well-being of everyone as measured by jobs and income depends on the investment decisions and the profits of private firms. |
|
|
When political scientists talk about the "privileged position of business," they mainly mean that... A) business executives are greedy. B) top corporate executives get away with more illegal activity than most other people. C) top corporate executives are admitted to elite private clubs that exclude blue-collar workers. D) top corporate executives get paid much more than factory workers. E) business leaders have an advantage in influencing public policy debates. |
E) business leaders have an advantage in influencing public policy debates. |
|
|
An economic system based on the private ownership of property in which profit is pursued through the investment of capital and the employment of labor is called _____. A) the market B) the corporate complex C) capitalism D) republicanism E) democracy |
C) capitalism |
|
|
The close relationship between business and government is referred to as a... A) market economy. B) constitutional democracy. C) system of checks and balances. D) corporate complex. E) superpower. |
D) corporate complex |
|
|
According to the text (pg 16), the principle of majority rule.. A) is of no relevance in a representative democracy. B) is applied in the US to virtually every important issue. C) is applied in the US only to a confined range of issues. D) is the principle upon which the Declaration of Independence is based. E) is the principle upon which the Constitution is based. |
C) is applied in the US only to confined range of issues. |
|
|
According to the text (pg 16), it is important to consider substantive as well as procedural democracy. If a political scientist were studying the extent to which there is substantive democracy in a political system, she or he would most likely be concerned with... A) what the Constitution said. B) whether the political system had a bill of rights. C) how much federalism existed. D) what the laws said about how members of the legislature are elected. E) how economic inequality affected the operation of the political system. |
E) how economic inequality affected the operation of the political system. |
|
|
Substantive democracy refers to... A) whether all citizens have equitable chances to influence and control the making of decisions that affect them. B) the existence of democratic procedures such as the right to vote. C) the existence of democratic institutions such as a legislative branch elected by the people. D) the existence of a Bill of Rights. E) the right to run for public office regardless of one's race, gender, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation. |
A) whether all citizens have equitable chances to influence and control the making of decisions that affect them. |
|
|
In discussing criteria for consider for assessing how well a representative democracy is working, the text says all of the following except... A) it's important to consider whether representatives are aware of constituents' interests. B) it's important to consider whether representatives are responsive to constituents' interests. C) it's important to consider whether representatives are effective in acting on behalf of constituents. D) it's important to consider whether the representatives live in the same neighborhood as their constituents. E) it's important to consider how inequality of resources affects the operation of the representative democratic. |
D) it's important to consider whether the representatives live in the same neighborhood as their constituents. |
|
|
The US contains about _____% of their world's population, but accounts for about _____% of the world's gross domestic product (GDP). A) 5 ... 13 B) 5 ... 23 C) 5 ... 33 D) 15 ... 33 E) 15 ... 53 |
B) 5 ... 23 |
|
|
A country's combined military and economic strength that results in it having a dominant position in the world is called a _____________. A) democracy B) corporate complex C) superpower D) Titanic E) New World Order |
C) superpower |
|
|
Regarding military spending, the US spends ____. A) about the same as the second-biggest military spending nation, China. B) slightly more than the second-biggest military spending nation, China. C) about the same as the next five highest military spending nations combined. D) more than the next fifteen highest military spending nations combined. E) more than all nations combined. |
D) more than the next fifteen highest military spending nations combined. |
|
|
According to the text (page 22)... A) the world is no more interconnected now than it was a century ago. B) it is only in the twentieth century that US politics have been shaped by war and trade. C) despite increased global interconnectedness, domestic and international affairs remain largely separate from each other. D) as a result of the attacks of 9/11, the US is no longer the world's lone superpower. E) global interdependence increases US power and vulnerability at one and the same time. |
E) global interdependence increases US power and vulnerability at one and the same time. |
|
|
According to the text (page 23), A) contrary to popular belief, politics is less polarized now than it was fifty years ago. B) US politics is more divided by income and social class than it is by race. C) throughout the twentieth century, the vast majority of southern whites voted Republican, D) in the past half-century, differences within the Democratic and Republican parties have gotten larger at the same time as differences between the two parties have become smaller. E) in the past half-century, differences within the Democratic and Republican parties have gotten smaller at the same time as differences between the two parties have become larger. |
E) in the past half-century, differences within the Democratic and Republican parties have gotten smaller at the same time as differences between the two parties have become larger. |
|
|
In the contemporary US... A) the vase majority of Evangelical Protestants vote Republican, as do the vast majority of Catholics and other Protestants. B) the vast majority of Protestants vote Democratic. C) the vast majority of Catholics vote Republican. D) the vast majority of Jews vote Republican. E) roughly half of Catholics vote Democratic and roughly half vote Republican. |
E) roughly half of Catholics vote Democratic and roughly half vote Republican. |
|
|
According to the text (pg 25), the Reagan Revolution... A) resulted in conservatives setting the main terms of public debate. B) pushed conservative ideas further outside of the political mainstream than they had ever been. C) led the Democratic Party to champion the virtues of big government more strongly than ever. D) was a myth manufactured by political pundits. E) was successful at dismantling the welfare state. |
A)resulted in conservatives setting the main terms of public debate. |
|
|
According to the text (pg 25), the recession and global economic crisis of 2008... A) reaffirmed the dangers of too much government regulation of the market. B) called into question the ideology and practice of less-regulated capitalism. C) shows that thee world is less interconnected than is generally believed. D) was predicted a decade earlier by Federal Reserve Chair Alan Greenspan. E) is conclusive proof of the validity of Ronald Reagan's ideas |
B) called into question the ideology and practice of less-regulated capitalism. |
