Lesson 1
What is government?
the services provided to a community, such as police protection, fire protection, and public health programs
the laws that protect peoples’ rights and ensure the safety of a state’s citizens
the institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies
the process by which public officials are elected to and removed from office
the institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies
What is an autocracy?
A government controlled by a single person
A government controlled by a legislative body
A government controlled by the people
A government controlled by the rich
A government controlled by a single person
A government ruled by a dictator is a form of
indirect democracy.
direct democracy.
autocracy.
Oligarchy.
autocracy.
What is another name for the private enterprise system?
Monarchy
Indirect democracy
Capitalism
Communism
Capitalism
According to John Locke, political society is created when individuals voluntarily form a government to create and enforce laws, thereby protecting the people who form that government. In this social contract, people give up some of their power to the government, which then rules in their interest. This is the basis of which of the following concepts?
a. separation of powers
b. government by consent
c. common law
d. absolute monarchy
b. government by consent
Which of the following is the BEST definition of the public policies of a government?
a. everything a government decides to do
b. everything a government does related to public services
c. everything a government does to collect taxes
d. everything a government decides to do regarding foreign affairs
a. everything a government decides to do
Use this excerpt from the text to answer the question. “To many people, the most meaningful of these classifications [of government] is the one that depends on the number of persons who can take part in the governing process.”
Why might this particular classification be most meaningful to people?
a. It indicates the balance of power in a government.
b. It indicates how democratic a government is.
c. It indicates a government’s geographic distribution of power.
d. It indicates how flexible a government’s laws are.
b. It indicates how democratic a government is.
Which of the theories BEST describes the origin of the United States of America?
a. Divine Right of Kings Theory
b. Social Contract Theory
c. Evolutionary Theory
d. Force Theory
b. Social Contract Theory
Which of the following is a core pillar of the free enterprise system?
Everyone is free from wage theft.
Companies must pay reparations.
The government can never interfere with business.
Individual choice and initiative.
Individual choice and initiative.
Use the following quote to answer the question. “The first requisite of a good citizen in our republic is that he should be able and willing to pull his weight.” —President Theodore Roosevelt, 1902
Which of the following BEST summarizes Roosevelt’s statement?
a. In a republic, good citizens fulfill all their obligations by electing a representative to serve their interests in the government.
b. Good citizens should be willing and able to accept the duties and responsibilities of living in a free society.
c. Good citizens should be willing to work hard and earn a living so they don’t become a burden to the state.
d. In a free society, all citizens should be able to freely decide how much or how little they will contribute.
b. Good citizens should be willing and able to accept the duties and responsibilities of living in a free society.
Which of the following lists the three basic powers a government must have?
a. executive power, legislative power, military power
b. legislative power, executive power, judicial power
c. economic power, judicial power, legislative power
d. judicial power, diplomatic power, executive power
b. legislative power, executive power, judicial power
In what way is the United States a representative democracy?
a. Citizens allow a self-appointed elite to make decisions for them.
b. Citizens decide laws and policies directly in mass meetings.
c. Citizens choose small groups of people to make laws and policy for them.
d. Citizens elect a President who has absolute power to make decisions for them.
c. Citizens choose small groups of people to make laws and policy for them.
A legitimate government is
a. one in which government leaders obtain and keep power by using force.
b. one that offers the fastest solutions to a nation’s problems and citizens’ needs.
c. one that is created by a union of many smaller groups that could not obtain power on their own.
d. one that is accepted by its people and other governments as the sovereign authority of a nation.
d. one that is accepted by its people and other governments as the sovereign authority of a nation.
Which of the following is the definition of a citizen?
a. The government limits involvement in economic activities.
b. A person serving time in the military.
c. A person voting in a democracy.
d. A person who holds both rights and responsibilities in a state.
d. A person who holds both rights and responsibilities in a state.
Use the following quote to answer the question. “The right to swing my fist ends where the other man’s nose begins.” —Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes.
What point was Justice Holmes making about the foundations of democracy?
a. Everyone has rights, and they can freely use force to exercise them.
b. Everyone has rights, but only those willing to use force will keep them.
c. Everyone has rights, but the exercise of these rights cannot endanger others.
d. Everyone has rights, and can exercise them in any way they want.
c. Everyone has rights, but the exercise of these rights cannot endanger others.
Use the following quotation to answer the question. “If men were angels, no government would be necessary.” —James Madison, Federalist No. 51
Which of the following BEST summarizes this idea?
a. Government is necessary to make policy, but should not control people.
b. Government is necessary, because people do not always behave perfectly.
c. Government is not necessary, but people are better off when it exists.
d. Government is not necessary, because people are naturally good.
b. Government is necessary, because people do not always behave perfectly.
Use this excerpt from the text to answer the question. “To many people, the most meaningful of these classifications [of government] is the one that depends on the number of persons who can take part in the governing process.”
Why might this particular classification be most meaningful to people?
a. It indicates the balance of power in a government.
b. It indicates how democratic a government is.
c. It indicates a government’s geographic distribution of power.
d. It indicates how flexible a government’s laws are.
b. It indicates how democratic a government is.
In what way was Athenian democracy a direct democracy?
a. The courts were staffed by volunteers who were at least 30 years of age.
b. The Assembly met 40 times a year to debate public matters and make law.
c. The Council of Five Hundred was 500 citizens chosen randomly for one-year terms.
d. The central feature was an Assembly open to all male citizens at least 18 years of age.
d. The central feature was an Assembly open to all male citizens at least 18 years of age.
Use the following excerpt to answer the question. “. . . some activities that might be carried out privately are in fact conducted by government.” Which of the following is an example of this statement?
a. enforcing antitrust laws
b. enforcing building codes
c. creating pure food and drug laws
d. providing fire and police protection
enforcing antitrust laws
What would happen to a state that had population, territory, and government, but did not have sovereignty?
a. That state would not have the power to keep track of its population.
b. That state would not be able to have clearly defined borders.
c. That state would not have elected government representatives.
d. That state would not have the power to make its own foreign policies.
d. That state would not have the power to make its own foreign policies.
Use the Preamble to the Constitution to answer the question.
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” —U.S. Constitution, Preamble
Which statement BEST expresses the concerns of the founders of the American government?
a. Their focus was to create a government that protected the nation from foreign enemies.
b. Their focus was to create a government that protected the nation from domestic threats.
c. Their focus was to create a nation that protected national interests over individual rights.
d. Their focus was to create a government that protected all aspects of the nation and its people
d. Their focus was to create a government that protected all aspects of the nation and its people
What is the difference between a unitary government and a federal government?
a. In a unitary government, power is shared by an alliance of independent states; in a federal government power is divided between a central government and local governments.
b. In a federal government, power is shared by an alliance of independent states; in a unitary government power is divided between a central government and local governments.
c. In a federal government, power is held by a single, central agency; in a unitary government power is divided between a central government and local governments.
d. In a unitary government power is held by a single, central agency; in a federal government power is divided between a central government and local governments.
d. In a unitary government power is held by a single, central agency; in a federal government power is divided between a central government and local governments.
Use the following excerpt to answer the question. “The [Roman] Republic was far from democratic in the modern sense. It did introduce the concept of representation, however.”
Which of the following statements supports this idea?
a. The government of the Roman Republic was centered in the Senate, and consuls presided over the Senate.
b. The Senate could appoint a dictator, but he could not serve for longer than six months.
c. The government of the Roman Republic was centered in the Senate, and Senators were elected by citizens.
d. The two presiding consuls were chosen by the Senate.
c. The government of the Roman Republic was centered in the Senate, and Senators were elected by citizens.
Which of the following is NOT one of the five basic ideas at the heart of democracy.
Government must be a federal system of government.
Each person has worth and dignity.
Majority rule when making decisions.
Each individual must have the widest possible degree of freedom.
Government must be a federal system of government.
What is the relationship between democracy and the free enterprise system?
a. The government determines what is produced, how much of an item is produced, and how much an item will sell for.
b.The government does not decide what is produced, but often reviews the level of production to make sure there are enough products available to the public.
c. The government controls the economy by placing orders with private companies for goods and services the government needs to serve the citizens’ needs.
d. The government does not decide what is produced or what items cost, but does play a role in the economy by protecting the public and preserving private enterprise.
d. The government does not decide what is produced or what items cost, but does play a role in the economy by protecting the public and preserving private enterprise.