CHAPTER 1: Introduction: The Citizen and Government
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. The stock market crashed in ________, which plunged the United States into the Great
Depression.
a. 1912 d. 1933
b. 1921 e. 1941
c. 1929
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: Government Affects Our Lives Every Day
OBJ: Explore Americans’ attitudes toward government STA: 8
MSC: Remembering
2. In general, Americans’ trust in their government has ________ since the 1960s.
a. remained stable d. fallen slightly
b. risen slightly e. fallen sharply
c. risen sharply
ANS: E DIF: Easy REF: Government Affects Our Lives Every Day
OBJ: Explore Americans’ attitudes toward government STA: 5
MSC: Remembering
3. The belief that citizens can influence what government does is called ________.
a. political efficacy d. autocracy
b. political saliency e. oligarchy
c. popular sovereignty
, ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: Government Affects Our Lives Every Day
OBJ: Explore Americans’ attitudes toward government STA: 2
MSC: Remembering
4. Today, the federal government is
a. nonexistent in the lives of most Americans.
b. a small institution that enacts a small number of programs that affect a relatively small
number of people.
c. an enormous institution that enacts a large number of programs affecting virtually all
Americans.
d. an enormous institution that enacts a small number of programs affecting a relatively
small number of people.
e. an enormous institution that is constitutionally banned from regulating economic
activities.
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: Government Affects Our Lives Every Day
OBJ: Explore Americans’ attitudes toward government STA: 5
MSC: Understanding
5. What do people expect from the government?
a. security d. information about severe weather
b. education e. all of the above
c. a safe food supply
ANS: E DIF: Easy REF: Government Affects Our Lives Every Day
OBJ: Explore Americans’ attitudes toward government STA: 8
MSC: Applying
,6. How is a decline in political efficacy likely to matter for the health of the American democracy?
a. It is likely to lead to an increase in political participation and a renewed interest in political
life.
b. It is likely to lead to a decline in political participation and a withdrawal from political
life.
c. It is likely to lead to less dishonesty by elected representatives.
d. It is likely to lower the total national debt.
e. It is likely to lead to a stronger belief in the values of liberty and equality.
ANS: B DIF: Medium REF: Government Affects Our Lives Every Day
OBJ: Explore Americans’ attitudes toward government STA: 8
MSC: Understanding
7. Political apathy among Americans hurts which core political value the most?
a. democracy d. equality of opportunity
b. freedom of religion e. equality of outcome
c. economic liberty
ANS: A DIF: Medium REF: Government Affects Our Lives Every Day
OBJ: Explore Americans’ attitudes toward government STA: 5
MSC: Applying
8. The first prerequisite to increasing political efficacy is ________.
a. increasing political knowledge d. reducing trust in government
b. decreasing political knowledge e. increasing political indifference
c. reducing political participation
, ANS: A DIF: Medium REF: Government Affects Our Lives Every Day
OBJ: Explore Americans’ attitudes toward government STA: 7
MSC: Applying
9. Which of the following is NOT an accurate statement about the consequences of declining trust in
government?
a. Distrust threatens the government’s ability to attract good workers to the public sector.
b. Distrust makes people less willing to pay the taxes necessary for public activities.
c. Distrust motivates people to participate in politics through voting, volunteering for
political campaigns, and running for office.
d. Distrust weakens the government’s ability to help people in times of crisis.
e. Distrust weakens the government’s ability to defend our national interest in the world
economy.
ANS: C DIF: Difficult REF: Government Affects Our Lives Every Day
OBJ: Explore Americans’ attitudes toward government STA: 5
MSC: Understanding
10. Which of the following is NOT a reason for the declining levels of trust in the United States in
recent years?
a. revelations about the faulty information that led up to the war in Iraq
b. the government’s inability to get the economy moving following the recession of 2008
c. an increase in the citizens’ knowledge of how the political system operates
d. the bitter congressional battle over raising the national debt limit in 2011
e. the government shutdown in 2013
ANS: C DIF: Difficult REF: Government Affects Our Lives Every Day
OBJ: Explore Americans’ attitudes toward government STA: 5
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. The stock market crashed in ________, which plunged the United States into the Great
Depression.
a. 1912 d. 1933
b. 1921 e. 1941
c. 1929
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: Government Affects Our Lives Every Day
OBJ: Explore Americans’ attitudes toward government STA: 8
MSC: Remembering
2. In general, Americans’ trust in their government has ________ since the 1960s.
a. remained stable d. fallen slightly
b. risen slightly e. fallen sharply
c. risen sharply
ANS: E DIF: Easy REF: Government Affects Our Lives Every Day
OBJ: Explore Americans’ attitudes toward government STA: 5
MSC: Remembering
3. The belief that citizens can influence what government does is called ________.
a. political efficacy d. autocracy
b. political saliency e. oligarchy
c. popular sovereignty
, ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: Government Affects Our Lives Every Day
OBJ: Explore Americans’ attitudes toward government STA: 2
MSC: Remembering
4. Today, the federal government is
a. nonexistent in the lives of most Americans.
b. a small institution that enacts a small number of programs that affect a relatively small
number of people.
c. an enormous institution that enacts a large number of programs affecting virtually all
Americans.
d. an enormous institution that enacts a small number of programs affecting a relatively
small number of people.
e. an enormous institution that is constitutionally banned from regulating economic
activities.
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: Government Affects Our Lives Every Day
OBJ: Explore Americans’ attitudes toward government STA: 5
MSC: Understanding
5. What do people expect from the government?
a. security d. information about severe weather
b. education e. all of the above
c. a safe food supply
ANS: E DIF: Easy REF: Government Affects Our Lives Every Day
OBJ: Explore Americans’ attitudes toward government STA: 8
MSC: Applying
,6. How is a decline in political efficacy likely to matter for the health of the American democracy?
a. It is likely to lead to an increase in political participation and a renewed interest in political
life.
b. It is likely to lead to a decline in political participation and a withdrawal from political
life.
c. It is likely to lead to less dishonesty by elected representatives.
d. It is likely to lower the total national debt.
e. It is likely to lead to a stronger belief in the values of liberty and equality.
ANS: B DIF: Medium REF: Government Affects Our Lives Every Day
OBJ: Explore Americans’ attitudes toward government STA: 8
MSC: Understanding
7. Political apathy among Americans hurts which core political value the most?
a. democracy d. equality of opportunity
b. freedom of religion e. equality of outcome
c. economic liberty
ANS: A DIF: Medium REF: Government Affects Our Lives Every Day
OBJ: Explore Americans’ attitudes toward government STA: 5
MSC: Applying
8. The first prerequisite to increasing political efficacy is ________.
a. increasing political knowledge d. reducing trust in government
b. decreasing political knowledge e. increasing political indifference
c. reducing political participation
, ANS: A DIF: Medium REF: Government Affects Our Lives Every Day
OBJ: Explore Americans’ attitudes toward government STA: 7
MSC: Applying
9. Which of the following is NOT an accurate statement about the consequences of declining trust in
government?
a. Distrust threatens the government’s ability to attract good workers to the public sector.
b. Distrust makes people less willing to pay the taxes necessary for public activities.
c. Distrust motivates people to participate in politics through voting, volunteering for
political campaigns, and running for office.
d. Distrust weakens the government’s ability to help people in times of crisis.
e. Distrust weakens the government’s ability to defend our national interest in the world
economy.
ANS: C DIF: Difficult REF: Government Affects Our Lives Every Day
OBJ: Explore Americans’ attitudes toward government STA: 5
MSC: Understanding
10. Which of the following is NOT a reason for the declining levels of trust in the United States in
recent years?
a. revelations about the faulty information that led up to the war in Iraq
b. the government’s inability to get the economy moving following the recession of 2008
c. an increase in the citizens’ knowledge of how the political system operates
d. the bitter congressional battle over raising the national debt limit in 2011
e. the government shutdown in 2013
ANS: C DIF: Difficult REF: Government Affects Our Lives Every Day
OBJ: Explore Americans’ attitudes toward government STA: 5
