Deck 1: Introduction

Question 1

Government ________.

A) always chooses the best public policy option
B) effectively eliminates many social problems like violence and drug use
C) contributes to public welfare by helping resolve some collective dilemmas
D) is unnecessary because individual citizens can easily provide public goods
E) has little influence over public welfare

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The role of a political institution is to provide ________.

A) a physical location for decisions to be made
B) justice for wrongdoing
C) rules to determine collective decisions
D) opportunities for individuals to advance
E) institutionalized punishments for crimes

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Public opinion polls generally indicate that most Americans support high levels of government services and benefits, though they are opposed to raising taxes to pay for them. This pair of stylized facts is most indicative of a/an ________.

A) free-rider problem
B) unstable coalition
C) coordination problem
D) prisoner's dilemma
E) electoral college

Answer 3

A

Question 4

A person who takes advantage of a public good without contributing to it is ________.

A) coasting
B) coordinating
C) protesting
D) free riding
E) voting

Question 5

Which of the following is an example of a private good?

A) computers
B) water
C) police departments
D) clean air
E) television programs

Question 6

Suppose members of the Republican Party prefer that a Republican be elected president in the next election, but they disagree about which particular member of the party would be the best choice. The problem facing members of the Republican Party is best described as a/an ________.

A) coordination problem
B) unstable coalition
C) free-rider problem
D) prisoner's dilemma
E) collective action problem

Question 7

Which term refers to the process of making collective decisions, usually by governments, to allocate public resources and to create and enforce rules for the operation of society?

A) federalism
B) constitutionalism
C) institutionalism
D) politics
E) coordination

Question 8

A collective dilemma represents conflict between ________.

A) political groups attempting to achieve different policy goals
B) two or more individuals with different preferences about what course a group should pursue
C) group goals and individual goals
D) partisan economic interests and partisan moral values
E) information or arguments that suggest different optimal choices for a group

Question 9

Mike and Jim are candidates for city council. Each plans his campaign separately and does not coordinate with his opponent. Mike and Jim must make a choice about whether to bribe voters, as bribing voters is potentially illegal but most likely will allow them to win. Assuming that each candidate believes he needs to win, what is the most likely outcome for their tactics?

A) Neither bribes any voters, and both focus on issues.
B) Mike bribes voters and Jim focuses on issues.
C) Jim bribes voters and Mike focuses on issues.
D) Both bribe voters, rather than focusing on issues.
E) Mike and Jim coordinate with outside bodies.

Question 10

All of the following are examples of informal institutions in American politics EXCEPT:

A) the Democratic Party
B) the press
C) interest groups
D) the Republican Party
E) the electoral college

Question 11

Which of the following is an example of a public good?

A) clean air
B) cell phones
C) washing machines
D) food
E) automobiles

Question 12

The term political system refers to ________.

A) the way a society organizes and manages its politics across various levels of public authority
B) the set of cultural, social, and religious norms and values shared by a group of people
C) a coordinated set of choices or decisions made by individuals in a single community
D) the information and beliefs held by ordinary citizens that structure their orientations toward government
E) a network of activists and organizations that works to produce changes in public policy

Question 13

Which of the following is NOT an example of a collective action problem in American politics?

A) engaging in social protests
B) participating in the armed forces
C) voting in national elections
D) recycling
E) bargaining between political parties

Question 14

Which term best describes the United States' political system, which is composed of multiple levels of government with independent yet overlapping authority over many areas of public life?

A) authoritarian
B) dictatorial
C) unitary
D) federal
E) confederal

Question 15

Suppose a town charges individuals $5 to enter a park to watch its annual New Year's Eve fireworks display. The collected fees pay the cost of the fireworks. Joe parks his car across the street and watches the fireworks display without paying the fee. What is Joe doing?

A) coasting
B) coordinating
C) protesting
D) free riding
E) voting

Question 16

How can political preferences be best described and accounted for?

A) minimizing benefits
B) maximizing costs
C) lowering barriers
D) minimizing benefits and maximizing costs
E) maximizing benefits and minimizing costs

Question 17

Why is government necessary for groups of individuals?

A) Individuals need leaders to generate high-quality ideas.
B) Laws cannot be passed without Congress's approval.
C) Government is not necessary in solving problems.
D) Monarchy will inevitably develop without government.
E) Groups of individuals struggle to overcome collective dilemmas.

Question 18

When the basic dynamics of the prisoner's dilemma play out among many people rather than a pair of individuals, the behavioral pressures that work against the provision of a public good are called a ________.

A) negative dilemma
B) social choice dilemma
C) problem of incomplete information
D) negative externality
E) collective action problem

Question 19

Which of the following is an example of free riding?

A) not voting in an election
B) hitchhiking
C) writing a check instead of volunteering
D) taking a free bus without paying
E) working in a humane society

Question 20

Which is the best example of how an institution shapes outcomes?

A) The end of a concert brings calls for an encore.
B) The thrust of an engine moves a car forward.
C) The force of gravity forces a ball to fall.
D) The rules of legislatures cause a bill to fail.
E) The explosion of dynamite levels a hill.

Question 21

In the United States, important political decisions are typically made by elected representatives of the citizenry rather than directly by the people themselves. The United States' political system may, therefore, be classified as a/an ________.

A) one-party state
B) democracy
C) monarchy
D) dictatorship
E) republic

Question 22

Which of these is the best example of an agent?

A) American voters
B) your roommate
C) your handyman
D) Supreme Court justices
E) homeowners

Question 23

Why is it important to individuals that governments pass regulatory laws?

A) Laws are necessary for individuals to exist.
B) Regulations enable companies to produce profits.
C) Firms are property of government, and regulations generate jobs.
D) Rules guide decisions to do right for everyone.
E) Regulations apply and enforce the same rules for everyone.

Question 24

Why do changes in institutional design alter outcomes?

A) Outcomes are outside the scope of institutions, and thus have no effect.
B) Outcomes are only possible to be changed through elections, and thus changes to election laws will produce much change.
C) Institutions are only collections of rules, and thus have no effect on outcomes.
D) Outcomes are determined by institutional structures and rules, and thus changing the institution changes outcomes.
E) Institutions are equal to outcomes; thus, changing one completely undermines the other.

Question 25

Executive-branch agencies may not always enforce laws as Congress and the president prefer. This is an example of a ________.

A) free-rider problem
B) principal-agent problem
C) prisoner's dilemma
D) social choice problem
E) coordination problem

Question 26

In China, only members of the Communist Party may seek elected office at any level, and other political parties are forbidden to organize. China's political system may, therefore, be classified as a/an ________.

A) one-party state
B) democracy
C) monarchy
D) dictatorship
E) republic

Question 27

What role does reputation have in solving principal-agent problems?

A) There is no effect on reputation.
B) Reputations enable principals to pick better agents.
C) Reputation is the only solution to principal-agent problems.
D) Reputations enable agents to pick better principals.
E) Principals pay no attention to the reputation of agents.

Question 28

Which of the following is a meaningful measurement of democracy?

A) The political system has free and fair elections.
B) The head of state has more political power than other members of the government.
C) The central government is weak.
D) Most residents own property.
E) The bureaucracy is highly successful at solving political problems.

Question 29

________ helps explain why the House has 435 members.

A) Agenda setting
B) Path dependence
C) Institutionalization
D) Collective dilemmas
E) Principal-agent problems

Question 30

How do agenda setters stabilize coalitions?

A) They provide money to help make coalitions larger, and thus more effective.
B) They restrict options to simplify decision making.
C) They hold money to be paid after completion of an agreement.
D) They limit the size of winning coalitions.
E) They serve as both principal and agent for a coalition.

Question 31

Walter offers two dollars to Daisy in exchange for Daisy voting for Walter in the school board election, and Daisy agrees. Daisy is then offered three dollars in exchange for voting for Vernon, and agrees, due to the better offer. Walter then offers four dollars, and Daisy agrees to vote for him again. What is this cycle an example of?

A) free riding
B) agenda setting
C) institutions
D) unstable coalitions
E) coalition government

Question 32

Which of these is the best example of a principal?

A) baseball players
B) writers
C) plant workers
D) company presidents
E) repairmen

Question 33

King Abdullah became the ruler of the country of Jordan following the death of his father, King Hussein, in 1999. Jordan's political system may, therefore, be classified as a/an ________.

A) oligarchy
B) democracy
C) monarchy
D) dictatorship
E) republic

Question 34

Kim Jong-Un is officially the "supreme leader" of North Korea, and all constitutional political authority is vested in him as an individual. North Korea's political system may, therefore, be classified as a/an ________.

A) oligarchy
B) democracy
C) theocracy
D) dictatorship
E) republic

Question 35

Why are most practicing democracies also republics?

A) Republicanism is a popular concept.
B) Democracies are inherently weak due to their tendency to be at war with other states.
C) Democracies are better at making decisions due to the needs of the people and must be slowed.
D) Republics reduce the size of the deciding body and solve the collective dilemma more easily.
E) Democracies are never republics.

Question 36

If a chamber of 435 members passes a bill by a vote of 218 to 217, what could it be said the winning side had?

A) a quorum of members
B) free-rider problems
C) minimum winning coalition
D) maximum turnout
E) coordination problems

Question 37

What is the most accurate statement of the role of government in labor disputes?

A) The government dictates the terms of an agreement unilaterally.
B) The government provides a third party to enforce the agreement.
C) The government must be one of the parties in any dispute.
D) The government plays no role in labor disputes.
E) The government only provides monetary support in labor disputes.

Question 38

A ________ is where people have an equal voice in the political system and a ________ is where one person runs the political system.

A) duopoly; monarchy
B) democracy; dictatorship
C) referendum; duopoly
D) oligarchy; one-party state
E) recall; referendum

Question 39

Why is it unnecessary for an agenda setter to have complete control of debate and proceedings?

A) He or she will be listened to less if he or she has complete agenda-setter control.
B) Members are more likely to proceed quickly without complete agenda-setter control.
C) The agenda setter does need complete control of the proceedings.
D) The agenda setter can veto undesirable options after passage.
E) The available options are limited by the agenda setter before debate begins.

Question 40

A/an ________ is a stable rule that establishes a procedure or process for selecting a/an ________.

A) institution; public policy
B) algorithm; institution
C) political system; algorithm
D) public policy; institution
E) institution; political system

Question 41

How can government improve people's welfare? What might life be like without any government? What are the costs of government? What do people give up in order to gain the benefits of government?

Question 42

Define political institutions. How do institutions influence the process and result of group decision making? What distinguishes more effective institutions from less effective institutions?

Question 43

What distinguishes a democratic political system from an authoritarian political system? What makes a country more or less democratic? What kinds of economic and social benefits are associated with democratic governance?

Question 44

What is the principal-agent problem? Identify a principal-agent relationship in government and discuss how an agent's actions may create difficulties or costs for the principal. Describe at least two ways that institutions can minimize the negative consequences of the principal-agent problem.

Question 45

Define the term free riding. Identify a free-rider problem that people might encounter in their everyday lives. Explain what makes the situation a free-rider problem, or how the key elements of the free-rider problem are present in the situation you describe. Discuss how the free-rider problem is relevant for politics and how government may help mitigate the negative effects of free riding in some situations.