Quiz 1

Question 1

Define and explain

politics as governance

Answer 1

definition: the art or science of government that deals with the form, organization, and administration of a state or part of a state, and with the regulation of its relations with other states

significance: the organization and operation of the government is essential for the purpose of carrying out its duties and responsibilities, its efficiency, and its response to the needs of its citizens

Question 2

Define and explain

politics as power

Answer 2

definition: the process through which a society settles its conflicts

significance: understanding how certain figures rise to power is essential to understanding the organization of our society

Question 3

List

root of conflict in American politics

Answer 3

• founding of the United States
• distribution of power
• Constitution and its interpretation

Question 4

List

sources/mediators of conflict in American politics

Answer 4

• checks and balances
• courts
• political parties and elections
• public opinion
• mass media

Question 5

Define and explain

government

Answer 5

definition: formal institutions through which a land and its people are ruled

significance: the way society organizes itself has been the study of countless scholars and is yet to be perfected

Question 6

List

purposes of government

Answer 6

• to supply benefits that require coordination and agreement
• to establish and preserve the rights of its citizens
• to secure liberty for all (or some)
• to secure equality for all (or some)

Question 7

List

explanations of government from political science

Answer 7

• state of nature
• social contract
• collective action problem
• tragedy of the commons
• externalities
• uncertainties and crises

Question 8

Explain

Thomas Hobbes’s theory of the state of nature

Answer 8

individuals sacrifice some liberty for the protection of government

everybody would be at war with everyone without any protection

Question 9

Explain

John Locke’s theory of the social contract

Answer 9

“all men” are born free and equal

people create government when law becomes inadequate

contract based on limited political authority and conditional on ruler’s fulfillment to serve public good

contract is rooted in popular sovereignty

Question 10

Define and explain

public good

Answer 10

definition: a benefit that is non-excludable and non-depletable

significance: often undersupplied due to lack of market incentives

Question 11

Define and explain

externalities

Answer 11

definition: “spillover effects” of private commercial activity

significance: the general public is most affected by externalities while lacking any influence over their negotiations

Question 12

Define and explain

positive externalities

Answer 12

definition: when non-market actors enjoy benefits of market activity without paying for it

significance: the government wants to subsidize positive externalities because they are good for general population

Question 13

Define and explain

negative externalities

Answer 13

definition: when non-market actors bear costs of market activity without compensation

significance: government wants to regulate/eliminate negative externalities because they are bad for general population

Question 14

Define and explain

collective action problem

collective action dilemma

free-rider problem

Answer 14

definition: everybody wants benefits without paying for them without government

significance: government is unable to function without resources of its own to carry out its responsibilities – so somebody has to be willing to supply them

Question 15

Explain

solution to collective action problem

Answer 15

governmental power can solve collective action problems through persuasion (selective benefits) or coercion (penalties)

Question 16

Define and explain

tragedy of the commons

Answer 16

definition: the theory that people will use common resources to the point of depletion

significance: access to non-excludible but rivalrous resources leads to overconsumption and ultimately depletion of common resources to the detriment of everybody

solutions include imposition of private property rights, government regulation, or development of collective action arrangement

Question 17

List

variances in governments

Answer 17

• form/structure
• distribution of power
• constraints on state power

Question 18

Define and explain

autocracy

Answer 18

definition: a system of government by one person with absolute power

significance: governments in control of one person without any limits on power often lack accountability on behalf of its citizens

Question 19

Define and explain

oligarchy

Answer 19

definition: a form of government in which power rests with a small number of people

significance: oligarchies, similar to autocracies, greatly lack in accountability on behalf of their citizens

Question 20

Define and explain

democracy

Answer 20

definition: system of government in which political power is vested in the people and citizens play a significant role in the governmental process

significance: democracies grant influence over their leaders, agendas, and functions to their citizens by fulfilling the concept of popular sovereignty

Question 21

Define and explain

popular sovereignty

Answer 21

definition: the principle that the authority of a state and its government are created and sustained by the consent of its people, through their elected representatives, who are the source of all political power

significance: the most fundamental quality of any democracy is the influence of its citizens over the inner-workings of a government

Question 22

List

characteristics of democracies

Answer 22

• popular sovereignty
• equality
• liberty

Question 23

List

2 types of democracies

Answer 23

• direct democracy (pure democracy)
• representative democracy (republic)

Question 24

List

2 dilemmas of representative democracy

Answer 24

• trustees vs. delegates
• principal-agent relationship

Question 25

# List 3 models of power distribution in democracies

Answer 25

* elite model * pluralistic model * hyper-pluralistic model

Question 26

# Define and explain elite model (of power distribution in democracies)

Answer 26

**definition:** the theory that a small minority, consisting of members of the [economic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic) elite and [policy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Policy)-planning networks, holds the most power—and that this power is independent of democratic elections **significance:** built on premises that power is concentrated, elites are unified, the non-elites are diverse and powerless – *fear for your lives!*

Question 27

# Define and explain pluralistic model (of power distribution in democracies)

Answer 27

**definition:** the theory that [politics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics) and [decision-making](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decision-making) are located mostly in the framework of [government](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government) – but that many [non-governmental groups](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-governmental_organization) use their resources to exert influence **significance:** all of the rules of the game are already laid out, but outside forces are responsible for tipping the scale in certain directions

Question 28

# Define and explain hyper-pluralistic model (of power distribution in democracies)

Answer 28

**definition:** theory that the government is unable to function properly when a large number of different groups or factions become so politically influential **significance:** it is essential to prevent the rise of a monopoly on the political culture in order for the government to properly function

Question 29

# List constraints on governmental power

Answer 29

* constitutional * authoritarian * totalitarian

Question 30

# Define and explain Constitutional constraints on power

Answer 30

**definition:** System of government with formal and effective limits on power **significance:** citizens are ensured their clearly laid-out boundaries and know what to expect from their government not all constitutional governments have constitutions

Question 31

# Define and explain authoritarian constraints on power

Answer 31

**definition:** system of rule in which the government recognizes no formal limits on power — but, in practice, power can be constrained by other entities **significance:** able to be constrained by other entities (such as armies, corporations, religious groups, etc.)

Question 32

# Define and explain totalitarian constraints on power

Answer 32

**definition:** system of rule where government recognizes no limits on power **significance:** often involves trying to absorb anything that attempts to place a limit on power

Question 33

# List important guardrails on democracy

Answer 33

* mutual toleration * forebearance

Question 34

# Define and explain mutual toleration

Answer 34

**definition:** tolerating political competitors **significance:** opponents in political discourse mutually benefit from understanding that their interests are the same

Question 35

# Define and explain forebearance

Answer 35

**definition:** respect for institutions of a country **significance:** opponents must agree on the fundamental rules of the game before competing with one another

Question 36

# List key indicators of authoritarian behavior

Answer 36

* rejection of (or weak commitment to) democratic rules of game * denial of legitimacy of political opponents * tolerance or encouragement of violence * willingness to curtail civil liberties of opponents

Question 37

# Define and explain political culture

Answer 37

**definition:** broadly shared, characteristic, and deep-seated values, beliefs, and attitudes about how the government should function **significance:** political culture serves as the battleground for all discourse on the priorities, functioning, and efficiency of the government and its processes

Question 38

# List values that makeup American political culture

Answer 38

* liberty * equality * popular sovereignty * individualism

Question 39

# Explain role of *liberty* in American political culture

Answer 39

spelled out in founding documents probably most central of all American values

Question 40

# Explain role of *equality* in American political culture

Answer 40

flexible concept over time (applied to different groups at different times) both an ideal and a lie

Question 41

# Explain role of *popular sovereignty* in American political culture

Answer 41

enlightened citizens practicing self-government

Question 42

# Explain role of *individualism* in American political culture

Answer 42

commitment to personal initiative and self-reliance uniquely American

Question 43

# List 4 problems of American values

Answer 43

* principle policy paradox * clash of values * values are not guaranteed to all people at all times * differing interpretations/applications of values

Question 44

# Identify source of most conflicts in American political culture

Answer 44

clash of cultural values

Question 45

# list 2 themes of American Revolution

Answer 45

* collective action *despite* *rationality* * expected benefits outweigh expected costs

Question 46

# list characteristics of American political culture after American Revolution

Answer 46

* little sense of national unity * intense distrust of a strong central government * economic divisions among the states

Question 47

# Define and explain Articles of Confederation

Answer 47

**definition:** first written US Constitution that established a confederation of equal states and lasted from 1781 to 1787 **significance:** failed due to lack of independent judiciary and executive branch but provided many lessons for drafting our current Constitution

Question 48

# List governmental powers in the Articles of Confederation

Answer 48

* making war and peace * making and signing treaties * spending money * regulating trade with Native Americans

Question 49

# List weaknesses of government in the Articles of Confederation

Answer 49

* no taxation * limited protection from foreign and domestic threats * inability to regulate commerce * inability to raise revenue * inability to deal with state competition * collective action problem

Question 50

# Define and explain Shay's Rebellion

Answer 50

**definition:** an armed uprising in Massachusetts in opposition to the state government's increased efforts to collect taxes both on individuals and their trades in the midst of a debt crisis amongst the citizenry **significance:** exposed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and led toward a shift in thinking on the power of the federal government when drafting the current Constitution

Question 51

# Identify social class of 1787 Constitutional Convention

Answer 51

elites (wealthy and educated white men)

Question 52

# List conflicting interests at 1787 Constitutional Convention

Answer 52

* property (slavery) * representation

Question 53

# List goals of 1787 Constitutional Convention

Answer 53

* solve collective action problem among states * create a government more compatible with economic interests * find compromise to advance new structure of government

Question 54

# Explain difference between *federalists* and *anti-federalists*

Answer 54

the **federalists** favored a Constitution with a strong central government the **anti-federalists** favored a Constitution that promoted strong state governments

Question 55

# Explain the “great compromise” of the 1787 Constitutional Convention

Answer 55

the **Virginia Plan** would have created a legislature with representation in proportion to each state's population or revenue contribution (good for big states) the **New Jersey Plan** would have created a legislature with equal representation of each state without regard for population or revenue contribution (good for small states) the **Connecticut Compromise** created a bicameral legislature with an upper house (Senate) and a lower house (House of Representatives) to combine the interests of big and small states

Question 56

# Explain three-fifths compromise

Answer 56

agreement reached during the 1787 United States [Constitutional Convention](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutional_Convention_(United_States)) over the counting of [slaves](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_the_United_States) (as three-fifths of 1 person) in determining a state's total population

Question 57

# List key elements of constitution

Answer 57

* compromise between **competing interests** * marriage of **interest and principle** * government based on **popular consent** * separation of powers and federalism **prevent the abuse of power** * vague language allows for **flexibility** * Bill of Rights protects **liberty**

Question 58

# Define and explain Bill of Rights

Answer 58

**definition:** first ten amendments of the Constitution **significance:** protects the liberty of citizens written to address concerns of anti-federalists

Question 59

# Define and explain tyranny of the majority

Answer 59

**definition:** an inherent weakness to majority rule in which the majority of an electorate pursues exclusively its own objectives at the expense of those of the minority factions **significance:** causes certain people to face punishment or unfair treatment because their situation is different from the situation of most of the people in a democratic country

Question 60

# List means of opposing tyranny

Answer 60

* pluralism * separation of powers * federalism

Question 61

# Explain structure of US government as laid out in US Constitution

Answer 61

**Article 1** creates the legislative branch **Article 2** creates the executive branch **Article 3** creates the judicial branch

Question 62

# List reasons for separation of power

Answer 62

* tyranny of the minority * tyranny of the majority * balancing minority rights with majority rights * preventing tyranny

Question 63

# Define and explain necessary and proper clause elastic clause

Answer 63

**definition:** the clause in Article I, Section 8 of the US Constitution that empowers the Congress to make all laws necessary for executing its other powers and those of the federal government as a whole **significance:** broad interpretation used to significantly expand power of federal government over states and legislative branch over executive branch

Question 64

# Define and Explain 10^th Amendment

Answer 64

**definition:** 10^th amendment to Bill of Rights which states that the [federal government](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_government_of_the_United_States) has only those powers delegated to it by the Constitution and that all other powers not forbidden to the states by the Constitution are [reserved to each state](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reserved_powers) **significance:** limits the federal government to work within confines of US Constitution and significantly expands power of states

Question 65

# Define and explain Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Answer 65

**decision:** American courts have the power to strike down laws and statutes that they find to violate the [Constitution of the United States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_the_United_States) **significance:** principle of *judicial review* emerges from this decision even though it is not explicit in Constitution

Question 66

# List provisions of Constitution related to federalism

Answer 66

* Commerce Clause * Necessary and Proper Clause * 10th Amendment * Full Faith and Credit Clause * Comity Clause

Question 67

# Define enumerated powers

Answer 67

powers laid out for the federal government

Question 68

# Define concurrent powers

Answer 68

things both state and federal government can do

Question 69

# Define denied powers

Answer 69

things that state and federal government cannot do

Question 70

# Define implied powers

Answer 70

powers assumed by federal government from the *Necessary and Proper Clause*

Question 71

# Explain McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Answer 71

asked “can Maryland tax a central bank?” created principle of implied powers leads to growth of federal government over time

Question 72

# Explain Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)

Answer 72

asked “can one state tell another state that a steamboat cannot operate in waters between states?” gave federal government power to regulate interstate navigation

Question 73

# Explain Wickward v. Filburn (1942)

Answer 73

asked “are acreage restrictions in violation of limits on Congressional power?” decided that government is allowed to regulate how much crop you grow reasoned that growing your own wheat causes you not to buy wheat from market – so it indirectly related to commerce clause