Exam 1: Introduction: Making Sense of Government and Politics

The rules and procedures that provide incentives for political behavior (thereby shaping politics)are called:

In addition to competition,politics also involves:

Your instructor decides to give the class one very hard exam question.The entire class may work together to answer the question since the instructor just wants the correct answer;she does not care how the class arrives at the answer or who contributes to answering the question.The final answer that is submitted will be graded,and all students will receive the same grade.In one sense,the exam grade is a ________ since all students will benefit and cannot be denied a grade,regardless of their individual contributions to answering the question.

Your instructor has organized the class into groups of three students each and assigned each group a research project on different aspects of the workings of Congress.Regardless of the individual contributions of each member of the group,all three students of each group will receive the same grade based on the quality of the project.After numerous attempts to organize the group to work on the project,you realize the third student in your group will not participate.Instead,you and the second student get together to finish the project since both of you are very concerned about your final grade in the class.However,you are both angry that the third student is going to benefit from your hard work without contributing.Had the instructor told each group that each student's grade on the project would be based on their individual contributions,which problem would the instructor have avoided?

In American representative democracy,citizens are considered to function as:

Explain why American government is so complex.Can order be found in the apparent chaos of politics?

When a small group of individuals controls most of the governing decisions,a government is said to be an oligarchy.

States and tribal councils are examples of which set of institutions and procedures?

The kind of rule in which the power of government has only minimal legal limits but is effectively restrained by other social,religious,or economic institutions is called:

When a small group of landowners,military officers,or wealthy merchants controls most of the governing decisions,the government is said to be a(n):

Which term describes a system of rule in which formal and effective limits are placed on the powers of government?

Is government a threat to freedom,or is it necessary to protect freedom?

In many nations in Europe,South America,Asia,and Africa,the law imposes few real limits,but the government is nevertheless kept in check by other political and social institutions that it is unable to control but must come to terms with.Examples include autonomous territories,an organized church,organized business groups,or organized labor unions.Such governments are generally called:

The Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin was an example of a totalitarian regime.

When governments are severely limited in terms of what they are permitted to control,these governments are said to have:

The limitation on government power in the United States that prohibits Americans from being forced to quarter troops in their homes is an example of a:

Because the agent's preferences sometimes differ from those of the principal,usually the principal entirely eliminates the agent's prospective deviations by spelling out the agent's actions in a detailed contract.

A good that may be enjoyed by anyone,if provided,and that may not be denied to anyone once it has been provided is called a(n):

Which of the following is NOT a reason that rulers were forced to give ordinary citizens a greater voice in public affairs?

Governments that are generally unrestrained by law but in which leaders are kept in check by other political or social institutions are called authoritarian governments.