Foundations of Government: The Role of Government

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  1. Which of the following is NOT one of the four basic characteristics of a state?
  2. Your answer:
    population
    government
    military forces
    territory


  3. Power and authority are not the only reasons people comply with the policies of their government – people most often follow governmental policies because they believe it has _____?_____, and they accept the rule of their government.
  4. Your answer:
    a divine right to rule
    sovereignty
    legitimacy
    allegiance


  5. The beginnings of civilization and organized government took place over five millennia ago. In which of these places did this NOT occur?
  6. Your answer:
    in Mesopotamia, in western Asia
    in the British North American colonies
    on the Yellow River plains in northern China
    along the Indus River Valley in northeast India


  7. The theory of government which holds that royal power comes from God is known as _____?_____.
  8. Your answer:
    sovereignty
    the social contract
    the state of nature
    divine right


  9. The English political philosopher Thomas Hobbes wrote “The Leviathan,” in which he suggested that
  10. Your answer:
    kings and queens have a “divine right” to rule and this kind of government should never be questioned by the mass of people being ruled
    the earliest humans lived in a “state of nature” but came together to create government to improve their “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short” lives
    humans are destined to live in communities governed by those who have the most brute strength
    “life, liberty and property” are rights that cannot be taken away from the people by any government


  11. John Locke is generally most notable because of his belief _____?_____.
  12. Your answer:
    that government is inherently (in and of itself) evil, and should be done away with so that people could enjoy their freedoms
    that people have “natural rights,” including the right to life, liberty and property
    that people do not ever voluntarily take part in creating a state
    that communities of people get together to share the benefits of civilized life


  13. Outlawing slavery or child-marriage is an example of a government policy that _____?_____.
  14. Your answer:
    provides public services
    enforces the social contract
    keeps public order
    promotes social standards


  15. Consistent, uniform policies are the main advantage of _____?_____.
  16. Your answer:
    a confederation
    a unitary government
    a federal system
    a communist system


  17. Under which type of system does each state retain its sovereignty while giving very limited powers to a central government?
  18. Your answer:
    democracy
    oligarchy
    confederation (confederacy)
    federal system


  19. A government that tries to fundamentally reshape society to conform with an idea or master plan and controls the daily lives of its citizens is known as _____?_____.
  20. Your answer:
    authoritarian
    oligarchic
    totalitarian
    autocratic


  21. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a dictatorship?
  22. Your answer:
    suppression of opposition through strict controls of the people’s lives
    acquire and maintain leadership through fear and force
    gain power legally during times of crisis, when people are willing to accept a strong ruler as a necessity
    maintain their power through the people’s acceptance of their legitimacy and a general agreement that the government is supplying “life, liberty and property”


  23. The first recorded example of a democratic form of government was located
  24. Your answer:
    in the ancient Roman empire
    in Beijing (ancient China)
    in Athens (ancient Greece)
    in ancient Missouri


  25. Another term for "equality under the law" is _____?_____.
  26. Your answer:
    civil liberties
    individual worth
    civil rights
    democracy


  27. Which of the following is likely to be MOST restrictive of people’s activities, freedoms and rights?
  28. Your answer:
    an oligarchy
    a totalitarian dictatorship
    a republic
    an autocracy


  29. "A government of laws, and not of men" is a government _____?_____.
  30. Your answer:
    in which public officials receive special treatment
    run by the people
    under which no person is above the law
    in which there is no written constitution


  31. The basic principles of American democracy include all of the following EXCEPT the idea that _____?_____.
  32. Your answer:
    government power must be limited
    the people have the right to elect their representatives
    all citizens must vote
    all citizens abide by majority decisions


  33. The constitutional amendment that granted citizenship to "all persons born or naturalized in the United States" was the _____?_____.
  34. Your answer:
    First
    Fourteenth
    Fifteenth
    Thirteenth


  35. Jus soli is a legal principle meaning that a person's citizenship is determined by _____?_____ .
  36. Your answer:
    a formal declaration of choice
    place of birth
    the citizenship of his or her father
    the citizenship of his or her parents


  37. In order to be eligible for naturalization, immigrants must meet which of the following requirements?
  38. Your answer:
    They must understand the laws of every state.
    They must be free of any medical problems.
    They must be able to speak English.
    They must have at least one immediate relative who is a citizen.


  39. In order to be capable of creating public policies, governments must have three things. Which of the following is NOT one of them?
  40. Your answer:
    d) Territory – a geographic area within a definite, recognizable boundary
    c) Legitimacy – when people accept government’s authority and right to lead them
    a) Authority – the right to make decisions that others will follow
    b) Power – the ability to make decisions that others will follow


  41. Naturalized citizens may lose their citizenship if they _____?_____.
  42. Your answer:
    have lied about themselves during the naturalization process
    leave the United States for a period of ten or more years
    move around from one state to another
    are convicted of felony crimes


  43. Sovereignty is best defined as a _____?_____.
  44. Your answer:
    unitary government
    monarchical form of government
    renunciation of citizenship
    nation-state's right to act independently


  45. In modern times, an independent political unit is called a _____?_____.
  46. Your answer:
    polis
    confederation
    state
    territory


  47. The government of the United States is an example of _____?_____.
  48. Your answer:
    an oligarchy
    a representative democracy
    a direct democracy
    an autocracy


  49. Aristotle was the first person to _____?_____.
  50. Your answer:
    establish an oligarchy
    study the workings of government
    visit the North Polis
    write about ethics and morality


  51. Any course of action directed toward a national goal is called a _____?_____.
  52. Your answer:
    political socialization
    government subsidy
    public opinion
    public policy


  53. A governmental system where political authority is divided between a national government and its political subdivisions is called _____?_____.
  54. Your answer:
    federalism
    socialism
    centralization
    nationalism


  55. A government in which the ruler acquires his or her position through inheritance or family ties is a _____?_____.
  56. Your answer:
    confederation
    democracy
    totalitarian dictatorship
    monarchy


  57. A small group of military officers who seize a state and establish their own government is a _____?_____.
  58. Your answer:
    constitutional democracy
    junta
    republic
    federalist system


  59. Here are three main characteristics of dictatorships. Which of the following is NOT one of them?
  60. Your answer:
    often gain power legally, during times of crisis
    equal rights and equal opportunity for all citizens, under the law
    maintain their power through suppressing opposition and strict controls on people’s lives
    power is sometimes gained and maintained through fear and force


  61. Collective naturalization happens when
  62. Your answer:
    A large group of people are granted civil rights at the same time
    A large group of people are guaranteed life, liberty, and property under the law
    A large group of people are guaranteed the right to vote
    A large group of people are granted citizenship at the same time


  63. Under which of the following examples might a person be “expatriated”?
  64. Your answer:
    All of these are circumstances under which a person might be expatriated.
    when they request a change of citizenship to another nation-state
    when they become a citizen of another country
    when government officials discover they lied on their immigration application papers



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