Deck 2: Constitutions and Ideologies

Question 1

A constitution may be though of, in terms of political systems, as a

A) barrier to effective operation.
B) power map.
C) political input structure.
D) philosophical construct.

Answer 1

power map.

Question 2

A key characteristic of a written constitution is that it

A) is formally presented in one written document.
B) was completed at the time of national independence.
C) is ratified by all member states of the political system.
D) is based upon democratic principles.

Answer 2

is formally presented in one written document.

Question 3

The term "constitutional government" can be described briefly as referring to

A) whether a nation has a written constitution or not.
B) whether a nation is a stable democracy or not.
C) limited government.
D) unlimited government.

Answer 3

limited government.

Question 4

An unwritten constitution, as the term is used here, refers to

A) a document that expresses the ideas of the nation.
B) a fundamental set of democratic principles, written or not.
C) an unwritten moral code.
D) a collection of constitutional principles that are not formally approved as law.

Question 5

An amendment clause is important in a constitution because

A) it helps to enforce the written laws of the regime.
B) it is a key structure in determining whether a system is federal or confederal.
C) it permits authoritarian government to flourish.
D) the authors of a constitution cannot predict what changes will be needed in the future.

Question 6

A unitary system of government

A) is a system of shared power between states and a central government.
B) is a system with no local governmental institutions.
C) has three levels of government above the local level.
D) has only one level of government above the local level.

Question 7

Sovereignty in the political system refers to

A) the real power to make political decisions.
B) whether a system is federal or unitary.
C) how foreign policy is made in a political system.
D) whether a political system has local government or not.

Question 8

Confederal political systems are systems in which

A) two levels of government exist above the local level, both with equal sovereignty.
B) there is only one level of government above the local level.
C) a union of sovereign states retain their powers, but agree to coordinate their activitiesin certain respects.
D) a civil war has existed and the confederal states are the southern states.

Question 9

A federal system is one characterized by

A) only one level of government above the local level.
B) two levels of government above the local level, both with equal sovereignty.
C) sovereign states that retain their powers, but agree to coordinate their activitiesin certain respects.
D) no local government, and equally powerful national and state government.

Question 10

In a "maximum" federal system

A) the member governments have the most power and the central government has restricted authority.
B) the central government has the most power and the member governments have restricted authority.
C) local government has the most power and member governments have some power.
D) power is equally divided between national, regional, and local governments.

Question 11

The notion that centralized power is dangerous, and that power must be divided led to

A) the idea of democracy.
B) the idea of anarchy.
C) the idea of a separation of powers.
D) the idea of globalization.

Question 12

Constitutions can be said to help political systems in the function of

A) elections, by providing many candidates for office.
B) socialization, by helping to create federal and national taxes.
C) foreign policy, by providing diplomatic structures.
D) system maintenance, by helping respond to demands and supports.

Question 13

One meaning of the term "ideology" is that it is

A) a political structure in which the nation and the state share power.
B) a set of challenges that the central government face in the economy.
C) a set of concepts through which people view the world and learn about it.
D) an institutional balance of power between the legislature and the executive.

Question 14

On the classic "left-right" ideology spectrum, a "right" ideology would be:

A) radical.
B) liberal.
C) reactionary.
D) anarchy.

Question 15

As a general rule, "isms" refer to ideology and "-ocracy" refers to

A) how voting takes place.
B) governance, how governments operate or behave.
C) how long governments can remain in power.
D) whether all ethnic groups are permitted to participate in elections.

Question 16

Anarchism is

A) An ideology that developed out of the Industrial Revolution advocating governmentalconcern with individuals' quality of life, including education, medical care, andstandard of living.
B) a belief that all forms of government interfere with individual rights and should beabolished.
C) a theory that believes in government ownership and regulation of the major means ofproduction, and that the government should regulate all sectors of the economy.
D) a belief that advocates a close degree of cooperation between the government andlabor and business groups in the formation of economic policy.

Question 17

Communism is

A) a belief that advocates a close degree of cooperation between the government andlabor and business groups in the formation of economic policy.
B) a theory that believes in government ownership and regulation of the major means ofproduction, that the government should regulate all sectors of the economy.
C) a belief that all forms of government interfere with individual rights and should beabolished.
D) an ideology that developed out of the Industrial Revolution advocating governmentalconcern with individuals' quality of life, including education, medical care, andstandard of living.

Question 18

Corporatism is

A) a belief that advocates a close degree of cooperation between the government andlabor and business groups in the formation of economic policy.
B) a theory that believes in government ownership and regulation of the major means ofproduction, that the government should regulate all sectors of the economy.
C) an ideology that developed out of the Industrial Revolution advocating governmentalconcern with individuals' quality of life, including education, medical care, andstandard of living.
D) a belief that all forms of government interfere with individual rights and should beabolished.

Question 19

Feminism is

A) a system of beliefs that has emerged primarily in the West in opposition tooppression of women, and opposition to sexism in general.
B) a theory that believes in government ownership and regulation of the major means ofproduction, that the government should regulate all sectors of the economy.
C) an ideology that developed out of the Industrial Revolution advocating governmentalconcern with individuals' quality of life, including education, medical care, andstandard of living.
D) a belief that all forms of government interfere with individual rights and should beabolished.

Question 20

Socialism is

A) a system of beliefs that has emerged primarily in the West in opposition tooppression of women, and opposition to sexism in general.
B) a belief that all forms of government interfere with individual rights and should beabolished.
C) an ideology that developed out of the Industrial Revolution advocating governmentalconcern with individuals' quality of life, including education, medical care, andstandard of living.
D) a belief that advocates a close degree of cooperation between the government andlabor and business groups in the formation of economic policy.

Question 21

Totalitarianism is

A) a system in which the government controls individual political behavior and politicalthought.
B) a theory that believes in government ownership and regulation of the major means ofproduction, that the government should regulate all sectors of the economy.
C) an ideology that developed out of the Industrial Revolution advocating governmentalconcern with individuals' quality of life, including education, medical care, andstandard of living.
D) a belief that all forms of government interfere with individual rights and should beabolished.

Question 22

Nationalism is

A) an ideology that developed out of the Industrial Revolution advocating governmentalconcern with individuals' quality of life, including education, medical care, andstandard of living.
B) includes identification with a national group and support for actions that will supportand benefit the national group.
C) is a theory that believes in government ownership and regulation of the major meansof production, that the government should regulate all sectors of the economy.
D) a belief that all forms of government interfere with individual rights and should beabolished.

Question 23

Fascism includes principles of

A) identification with a national group and support for actions that will help and benefitthe national group.
B) an ideology that developed out of the Industrial Revolution advocating governmentalconcern with individuals' quality of life, including education, medical care, andstandard of living.
C) irrationalism, Social Darwinism, Nationalism, glorification of the state, the leadershipprinciple, racism.
D) a belief that all forms of government interfere with individual rights and should beabolished.

Question 24

Capitalism refers to

A) an ideology that developed out of the Industrial Revolution advocating governmentalconcern with individuals' quality of life, including education, medical care, andstandard of living.
B) a theory that believes in government ownership and regulation of the major means ofproduction, that the government should regulate all sectors of the economy.
C) a belief in an economic system in which the major means of production are owned byindividuals, not by the government of the state. The economic philosophyemphasizes private ownership and a market economy.
D) a belief that all forms of government interfere with individual rights and should beabolished.

Question 25

A classification of types of governments using the terms "polity," "aristocracy," and "democracy" was first offered by:

A) Aristotle
B) Aristophanes
C) Plato
D) Rousseau

Question 26

A constitution often tells us about the environment within which governments operate.

Question 27

A key characteristic of a written constitution is that it was completed at the time of national
independence.

Question 28

The term "constitutional government" suggests that there are certain actions that the government may not do, whether it wants to or not.

Question 29

An unwritten constitution, as the term is used here, might be illustrated by the assertion that Britain has an unwritten constitution.

Question 30

An amendment clause is important in a constitution because it helps to enforce the written
laws of the regime.

Question 31

A unitary system of government is a system of shared power between states and a central
government.

Question 32

A federal system is characterized by only one level of government above the local level.

Question 33

The first full-scale application of the idea that centralized power can be dangerous was found at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787.

Question 34

One meaning of the term "ideology" is that it is a political structure in which the nation and
the state share power.

Question 35

As a general rule, "isms" refer to ideology and "-ocracy" refers to how voting takes place.

Question 36

Capitalism is a belief in an economic system in which the major means of production are
owned by individuals, not by the government of the state.

Question 37

Communism as an ideology evolved from Marxism, with modifications from the Russian
leader Vladimir Lenin in the early Twentieth Century.

Question 38

Corporatism is an ideology that developed out of the Industrial Revolution advocating
governmental concern with individuals' quality of life, including education, medical care, and standard of living.

Question 39

Feminism is a system of beliefs that first developed in Latin America and South Asia.

Question 40

Totalitarianism is a belief that all forms of government interfere with individual rights and
should be abolished.

Question 41

What is the relationship between a nation's constitution and a nation's ideology?

Question 42

Constitutions can be written or unwritten. Does having a written (or unwritten) constitution affect whether a nation will be democratic or not? Stable or not?

Question 43

If you were evaluating federal and unitary constitutional systems, could you say that one model is more inclined to be stable and democratic and the other is more inclined to be unstable and undemocratic? Why or why not?

Question 44

Is the "left-right" ideological spectrum helpful in explaining the political behavior of individuals in a nation-state? Why? What does the range of labels really describe?

Question 45

Construct a table that shows "isms" in the columns and "ocracy" options in the rows. Fill in each cell with examples of the kind of government that would fit into that space.