Principles of Government Test

Directions: Mark the correct answer on the Scantron Provided. Marks on this test booklet will
not be graded, only the Scantron will. You may write on this test booklet.

I. Vocabulary (20 pts)

1.

describes a state that has supreme power within its territory.

A. Federal government
B. Sovereign
C. Autocracy
D. Unitary government

2.

is the institution through which society makes and enforces its policies.
A. Dictatorship
B. Democracy
C. Government
D. Oligarchy

3. That which a government decides to do is

A. public policy
B. executive power
C. judicial power
D. democracy
4. An alliance of independent states that expressly delegates limited powers to a central

government is a

A. division of powers
B. unitary government
C. confederation
D. parliamentary government
is a form of government that is often totalitarian and authoritarian; it can
be led by one person or many people.
5.

A. Presidential government

B. Democracy
C. Unitary government
D. Dictatorship
6. In a

, the executive branch of government is led by members of the

legislative branch.
A. unitary government
B. parliamentary government
C. presidential government
D. oligarchy

7. A

is also known as a centralized government.

A. unitary government
B. federal government
C. democracy
D. state
8. The basic structure and principles of a government may be found in its

A. law of supply and demand

B. executive power
C. constitution
D. public policy
9.

is the power to write new laws.

A. Judicial power
B. Legislative power
C. Compromise
D. Division of power

10. Government regulates and promotes businesses in a

A. presidential government

B. parliamentary government
C. free enterprise system
D. mixed economy

II. Reviewing Main Ideas (28 pts)

11. The characteristics that define a state are population, territory, government,

and

A. culture
B. economic prosperity
C. common language
D. sovereignty
12. The four most widely held theories that attempt to explain the origin of the state

include the Force Theory, the Divine Right Theory, the Social Contract Theory,
and
.
A. the Intervention Theory
B. the Evolutionary Theory
C. the Accountability Theory
D. the Theory of Civic Responsibility

13. What theory on the origin of the state was most influential in the founding of the

United States?
A. The Force Theory
B. The Divine Right Theory
C. The Social Contract Theory
D. The Intervention Theory
14. For what reasons do people form governments?

A. To avoid endless conflict between all people

B. To provide for the public welfare

C. To collect taxes
D. To enforce laws
15. The purposes of government set out in the Preamble to the Constitution include to

establish justice, to insure domestic tranquility, to provide for the common defense, to
promote the general welfare, to secure the blessings of liberty, and
.
A. to require the right to bear arms
B. to impose the rule of law
C. to form a more perfect union
D. to guarantee the happiness of the citizens
16. The three questions that can be used to classify governments include who can

participate in the governing process, what is the relationship between the legislative and
executive branches of the government, and
.
A. what is the geographic distribution of governmental power within the state
B. how often free elections are held
C. whether all citizens can run for office
D. whether the economy is based on individual freedoms
17. In a democracy, the government is responsible to

A. itself only
B. the people
C. the president
D. the legislature
18. The difference between an autocracy and an oligarchy is:

A. in an autocracy, power is held by claim of divine right; in an oligarchy, power is a

philosophical principle
B. in an autocracy, the ruler changes frequently; in an oligarchy, power is held by a
ruling class for a long period of time
C. in an autocracy, the leader is chosen by popular vote; in an oligarchy, the leader
is chosen by a legislative body
D. in an autocracy, a single person holds unlimited political power; in an oligarchy,
power is held by a small, elite group

19. The three forms of government that can result depending on how governmental

power is distributed geographically are unitary, confederate, and

A. republican
B. federal
C. representative
D. democratic
20. In a presidential government, power is distributed through

A. the executive and legislative branches coequally

B. the decisions of the president
C. interpretation of laws by the judiciary
D. the will of the people
21. The five basic concepts of democracy include the worth of the individual; equality of

all persons; majority rule, minority rights; individual freedom; and

A. religious freedom
B. the rights of corporations
C. the necessity of compromise
D. the free enterprise system
22. Equality of

holds that each person should be treated as the equal of all

other persons under the law.
A. class
B. citizens
C. condition
D. opportunity
23. What is the relationship between the rights of the individual and the rights of the

overall society?
A. The rights of the individual must always be relinquished if in conflict with the
rights of society.
B. The rights of the individual control the decisions made by the legislature.
C. Majority rule is restrained by minority rights.

D. The rights of the individual provide the controlling reason for public policy
decisions.
24. In a dictatorship, the government is responsible to

A. the military
B. industrialists
C. the United Nations
D. no one outside the government

III. Analyzing Political Cartoons (4 pts)

Using your knowledge of government and this cartoon, answer the questions below.

25. What form of government is represented by the King in the political cartoon above?

A. Federal
B. Democracy
C. Autocracy
D. Republican
26. What does the cartoon above imply about the origins of democracy?

A. Kings were early supporters of democratic principles.

B. Democracy originated in Ancient Greece.
C. Democracy is a recent invention.
D. Democracy is instituted in a society only through war.

IV. Who Said It?

(20 pts)

Who Said It? decide who wouldve said what: Mark the correct response on the Scantron.
A. Hobbes

B. Locke

27. All men are born with a tabula rasa (blank slate)
28. All men are born wicked an cruel
29. You must give up all of your rights in order to have order
30. A monarchy is the best type of government
31. The best type of government is a democracy
32. People are born with natural rights including: life, liberty and property
33. Charles II was an awesome king
34. We should have a Bill of Rights type document
35. Life is short, brutish and cruel.
36. You must be willing to give up some rights for order.

V. Essay Question: Your essay should be on a separate sheet of paper. (10 pts)
The equality of all persons is a basic democratic concept.
(a) Can a democracy possibly exist without both equality of opportunity and equality before
the law?
(b) Is equality of conditions (in income, housing, and the like) a necessary ingredient in
democracy?
*Explain your response to the questions posed above.

VI. Theories of the Origins of the State : MARK ON THIS SHEET Choose the theory
that best fits the pictures below Explain your answer in a sentence or less. (18 pts)
A. Force Theory

37.

B. Divine Right

c. Evolutionary Theory

D. Social Contract

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