Unit II Quiz

Mult. Choice Questions:

1. Who wrote Democracy in America?
A. Ben Franklin
B. Benedict Arnold
C. Alex de Tocqueville
D. Richard Hamilton
E. George Bush

2. Which of these is NOT an important element of American political culture?

A. Liberty
B. Economic equality
C. Democracy
D. Civic Duty
E. Individual Responsibility

3. Which of these points was brought up in Democracy in America?

A. Abundant and fertile soil for democracy to grow
B. No feudal aristocracy; minimal taxes; few legal restraints
C. Westward movement; vast territory provided opportunities
D. Nation of small, independent farmers
E. All of the above

4. Which of these is NOT a Puritan stress on personal achievement?
A. Go to church every day
B. Hard work
C. Save money
D. Obey secular law
E. Do good

5. Which of these may be a cause for the increase in mistrust of the government?

A. Bribery
B. Nuclear War
C. George Bush
D. The Watergate scandal
E. None of these

6. Which of these is NOT true about the Swedish political system?

A. Defer to government experts and specialists
B. Rarely challenge governmental decisions
C. Believe in what is best more than what people want
D. Value equality over liberty
E. Want George Bush as their president

7. Which of these is true about the Japanese political system?
A. Value good relations with colleagues
B. Emphasize group decisions and social harmony
C. Respect authority
D. all of these
E. none of these

8. If your family was Protestant, your religious tradition you tend to make you

A. Liberal
B. Conservative
C. Moderate
D. Richer
E. Smarter

9. Women tend to be more liberal than men on which issue?

A. Gun Control
B. Abortion
C. Gay rights
D. Size of Government
E. All of the above

10. Which of these people should be the most liberal?

A. High school dropout
B. Middle-age construction worker
C. Homeless guy in front of the library
D. High School senior
E. Junior in college

11. Which of these in NOT a cleavage in public opinion?

A. Social Class
B. Race
C. Ethnicity
D. Region
E. Gender

12. Which statement about ideological identification is most true?

A. Most people identify themselves as liberal
B. Most people identify themselves as conservative
C. Most people identify themselves as moderate
D. All of the above
E. None of the above

13. Which of the following are traits of pure conservatives?

A. Older citizens
B. High Income
C. White
D. All of the above
E. None of the above

14. Which of these is not a member of the new class?

A. Politicians
B. Bureaucrats
C. Members of the media
D. Interest group leaders
E. Schoolteachers

15. What is the most likely reason for low-voter turnout in elections?

A. Many citizens experience low political efficacy

B. Most of the voting-age population is apathetic on election days

C. Voter turnout is, in fact, not low, but a very healthy high

D. A relatively low percentage of the adult population is registered to vote

E. Americans are in fear of electing an evil dictator

16. How did the Motor-Voter law impact elections?

I. Increased the voting population

II. Increased alcohol related accidents

III. Voter-turnout was not impacted significantly

IV. Increased number of independent registrants

A. I, II, and IV

B. I and III

C. I, III, and IV

D. II

E. I, II, III, and IV

17. All of the following were laws and practices that kept blacks from voting EXCEPT:

A. Poll tax

B. Grandfather clause

C. Literacy test

D. the 15th Amendment

E. terrorism

18. Average Americans consider the following to be important in their lives:

I. Work and career

II. Elections

III. Family and friends

IV. Political leaders and their policies

A. I, III, and IV

B. II and IV

C. I and III

D. I only

E. I, II, III, and IV

19. Nonvoters tend to be NONE of the following EXCEPT:

A. Young

B. Educated

C. White

D. Wealthy

E. Registered voters

20. Though American voter turnout is low, other forms of political participation are still active. Which of the following are NOT examples of political participation?

A. Sit ins

B. Protest marches

C. Playing the lottery

D. Campaigning

E. Contacting government officials

Essay Question:

Evidence has shown that fewer and fewer Americans are participating in presidential elections. Since 1900, not one presidential elections has reached 70 percent in the voter turnout. Over 84 percent participated from 1884 to 1900, yet only 68 percent voted between 1936 and 1960. Give a fully described explanation for this decline.

Essay Question:

Your public opinion can be influenced by many things; explain three factors that can influence your public opinion
Answer key
1. B.
2. E.
3. E.
4. E.
5. C.
6. D.
7. E.

8. C
9. B
10. E
11. A
12. D
13. E
14. D

15. D

16. C

17. D

18. C

19. A

20. C

Essay Question 1:

Your public opinion can be influenced by many things; explain three factors that can influence your public opinion.

Answer:

1. Family- party identification
2. Religion- liberal, conservative
3. Gender- different views

Essay Question 2:

Answer:

Student can answer using the explanation that considers the data real and that the decline in voter turnout has been the result of a decline in popular interest in elections. The weakening of competitiveness among the two major parties after 1896 caused lopsided victories for the Republicans. This caused people to believe that politics no longer seemed relevant to their needs.

Student can also use the viewpoint of an apparent decline rather than a real decline. This states that the numbers may have been incorrect, considering voting fraud was quite common back then. Also, citizens were more easily manipulated. Public voting booths, easily evadable rules of voting, and repeated votes could have all contributed to the apparent decline in voter turnout. If votes had been legally cast and honestly counted, the statistics on voter turnout would be less inflated as it is today.