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PoliSci 100C
Test 1
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is the only entity that can legitimately use force? | Government |
| According to the U.S. Constitution, What are the purposes of our government? | Establish justice and insure domestic tranquility, Provide for the common defense, Promote the general welfare and to secure the blessings of liberty. |
| What characterizes the democratic ideal of individual dignity? | Liberties are not granted by governments, they belong to every person born into the world. |
| What are the types of governments that we studied? | Totalitarian: Seeks to transform & absorb fundamental aspects of state, society & economy. Authoritarian: Single individual or ruling group that monopolizes all political power. Constitutional: Formal & effective limits placed on the power of government. |
| What is pluralism? | Belief that democracy can be achieved by competition, bargaining and compromise among organized groups for policies that benefit one group to the detriment of another. |
| What is Elitism? | Developed by Sociologist C. Wright Mills. Individuals in a few key top positions in corporations, banks, the government, foundations, and universities control most of the governing decisions. |
| What is equality of opportunity and do most Americans support it? | Elimination of artificial barriers to success in life & the opportunity for everyone to strive for success. Americans are generally willing to support |
| What factors contribute to income inequality? | Decline of the manufacturing economic sector, rise in number of two wage families, larger elderly population and global competition. |
| What is social mobility? | Extent to which people move upward or downward in income and status over a lifetime or generations. |
| Which government has the primary responsibility for immigration policy? | National government |
| What is the only way to reduce illegal immigration? | To control it at the border. |
| What are the characteristics of the political ideology of Conservatives? | Support restrictions on abortion, favor war on drugs & porno, advocate tougher criminal penalties & support a strong military. |
| What are the characteristics of political correctness? | Repression of attitudes, speech & writings that are deemed racist, sexist, homophobic, or otherwise "insensitive". Intimidation is frequent. |
| What are the functions of a constitution? | Establishes government authority, governmental bodies & grants them powers & limits it. Determines how members are to be chosen. Establishes the rules by which decisions are made. |
| What were the characteristics of the national government under the Articles of Conferderation and what powers did it give to the national government? | A single house, with each state having 1 vote. Created & appointed executives, judges & military officers. Gave national government the power to make war & peace, conduct foreign affairs, and borrow and print money. |
| What were the issues the Founding Fathers had a consensus on at the Constitutional Convention? | Liberty & Property: Purpose of government is to protect individual liberty and property. They believed in natural law that endowed each person with ceratin inalienable rights- life, liberty, and property. |
| What were the characteristics of the Virginia Plan? | 1st: Two-house legislature; lower house chosen by the people of the states and an upper house chosen by the lower house. 2nd: proposed a parliamentary form of government. Congress chose executive officers of the government as well as federal judges. |
| What did the Great Compromise create? | Members of the House would be directly elected by each state’s citizens; members of the Senate would be selected by their state legislatures. |
| How did the Founders decide the issue of voter qualifications in the U.S. Constitution? | They approved a constitution w/o any expressed property qualifications for voting and holding office, except those that the states might themselves impose. |
| In its original form prior to any amendments to the U.S. Constitution, who decided who would be in the senate? | State legislatures |
| What prohibitions were put on the powers of the states by the U.S. Constitution | Prohibited states from imposing tariffs on goods shipped across state lines. Prohibited states from issuing their own paper money. Prohibited states from making treaties with other countries. |
| What powers did the U.S. Constitution give to congress? | the power to tax, to spend, and to regulate interstate commerce. The power to declare war, to raise and support military forces and to create a militia. |
| The National Supremacy Clause of Article VI of the Constitution | It has been interpreted to mean that the United States Supreme Court can declare that state laws in violation of the Constitution or of federal laws “made in direct pursuance” of the Constitution should not be enforced. |
| According to the constitution, how do states influence national politics? | apportionment of congressional seats among the states and in the allocation of elected votes for president |
| Seperation of powers | Constitutional division of powers among the 3 branches of the national government- legislature, executive and judicial. S/P created by Articles I,II and III of the constitution. Created to place internal controls on the national government’s power. |
| Checks and balances | Constitutional provisions giving each branch of the national government certain checks over the actions of other branches. C/B ensures each branch must depend on another branch to achieve its goals. |
| What do we call the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution? | The Bill of Rights |
| What was the Bill of Rights originally intended to do? | To limit the national governments power |
| In which of the following ways can the U.S. Constitution be amended? | Formal amendments and informally by Judicial interpretation. |
| How can the U.S. Constitution be amended formally? | Constitutional Amendment or Ratification |
| Judicial Review | The power of the federal courts to declare laws of congress and actions of the president unconstitutional. |
| What is federalism? | A constitutionally created system of dividing power between the national governement and the state governments. |
| What is the only legal source of authority for both the national government and the state governments | The Constitution |
| Unitary system | Formal authority rests with the national government, and whatever powers are exercised by states, provinces, or subdivisions are given to those governments by the national government |
| Confederal system | A system of government in which sovereign states delegate power to a central government for specific purposes. The government of a confederation acts on the member states, not on the citizens of those states. |
| What are the major things the Founding Fathers believed federalism would accomplish? | protect liberty, disperse power and encourage policy innovation. |
| The Necessary and Proper Clause of the U.S. Constitution | Grants Congress the power to enact all laws that are “necessary and proper” for carrying out those responsibilities specifically delegated to it. |
| The Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution | The Constitution, all federal laws and all treaties are the supreme law of the land, and are superior to any state constitution or law, hence, if a state law conflicts with a federal law, the federal law shall prevail. |
| Which clause of the U.S. Constitution, as amended, delegates power to the state governments or to their people? | The reserved powers clause: AKA The tenth amendment |
| The Full Faith and Credit Clause of the U.S. Constitution | Requires states to give legal recognition to actions and decisions taken by other states. Ensures that contracts, property ownership, insurance, civil judgments, marriages and divorces made in one state are recognized in all states. |
| What things can occur as a result of the public being ill informed on political issues? | Allows public officials flexibility when formulating public policy. Allows lobbyists, interest groups, commentators & reporters to have increased influence. Allows the media the opportunity to influence policy indirectly by shaping popular opinion. |
| The Fifteenth Amendment | Gave black men the right to vote. It is the first important limitation on state powers over voting. |
| The Voting Rights Act of 1965 | Made it illegal to interfere with anyone’s right to vote on the basis of race, outlawed the use of literacy tests & allowed federal voter registrars into counties where less than 50% of the voting age population was registered to vote. |
| What is political alienation? | The belief that politics is irrelevant to one’s life and that one cannot personally affect public affairs. |
| What appears to be the essential link between opinion and policy? | Political participation |
| According to the text in Chapter 4, what are the powers the national government uses to deeply involve itself in areas that were once the exclusive domain of the state and local governments? | ? |
| According to the text in Chapter 4, what is the total preemption? | ? |
| The Nineteenth Amendment | Provides women the right to vote in all elections. |
| What are the characteristics of pluralism? | Creates a balance in the system. Effective in organized groups, people can play an influential role in the political process. |
| What are the characteristics of elitism? | Small in number. Decisions affect welfare of all americans. Vast resources used to influence outcome of public policy. Communication flows from elites (top) down to masses (bottom). Masses have only an indirect influence on the decisions of the elites. |
| What are the characteristics of the Democratical ideology of Populists? | Support strong government to regulate business, provide strong security and to closely regulate social conduct. |
| What are the characteristics of the antidemocratic ideology of Fascism? | Opposes rights of liberty or equality & stresses duties of service, devotion and discipline. |
| What are the characteristics of the antidemocratic ideology of Leninism? | Key to success is organization of small, disciplined groups of professional revolutionaries that create a centralized totalitarian party. |
| What are the characteristics of the antidemocratic ideology of Socialism? | System of government involving collective or government ownership of economic enterprise. Goal= Equality of results. |
| What are the characteristics of the antidemocratic ideology of Communism? | Single totalitarian party controls all means of production & distribution of goods & services. |
| What are the characteristics of the Democratical ideology of Libertarians? | Oppose government intervention in both economic affairs and in the private life of citizens. |
| What are the characteristics of the antidemocratic ideology of Marxism? | Views capitalism as an economic system that allows the owning class to exploit the working class. |
| What are the characteristics of the political ideology of Liberals? | Oppose restrictions on abortion. Support gay rights & strive to protect rights of criminal defendents. |
Created by:
Nerdette
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