Deck 2: The Governments Role

Question 1

Filibusters

A)occur only in the House of Representatives.
B)can be held in either the House or the Senate.
C)occur only in the Senate.
D)can be ended by a majority vote.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Tax deductions and exemptions pose an equity problem because

A)they are complex to administer.
B)they offer greater benefits to affluent taxpayers than to the poor.
C)they are similar to tax credits.
D)they are only applicable to federal income taxes.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The Speaker of the House can influence a bill's vote by

A)holding a filibuster.
B)deciding which committee will hear the bill.
C)invoking "cloture" to end debate.
D)both holding a filibuster and invoking "cloture" to end debate.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

In the U.S., regressive taxes include

A)state income tax.
B)sales tax.
C)payroll tax.
D)both sales and payroll tax.

Question 5

In 2010, the largest single item in the federal budget was

A)Social Security.
B)defense spending.
C)Medicare.
D)interest on the national debt.

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT true of federal expenditures since 1945?

A)The overall federal budget has grown.
B)Education spending has taken a larger share of the federal budget.
C)Social Security expenditures have grown.
D)Expenditures for National Defense have taken a smaller share of the federal budget.

Question 7

The Executive Branch creates policy when it

A)provides benefits.
B)taxes income.
C)spends appropriations.
D)issues regulations.

Question 8

Mary works for a child welfare agency. She was opposed to the privatization of foster care services because she felt it was too difficult to define quality in this type of care. Which of the following conditions does she believe is missing from the foster care market?

A)Assessable product
B)Informed & able consumer
C)Access to diverse providers
D)All of these

Question 9

The goal of grassroots tax protests is generally

A)to lower income tax rates.
B)to eliminate local sales taxes.
C)to reduce property taxes.
D)to increase the progressivity of local tax structures.

Question 10

During the latter half of the 20th century, what sources of federal tax revenues changed?

A)Individual income taxes became a higher proportion of federal revenues.
B)Corporate taxes became a smaller proportion of federal revenues.
C)The proportion of federal revenues drawn from payroll taxes increased.
D)Both corporate taxes became a smaller proportion of federal revenues and theproportion of federal revenues drawn from payroll taxes increased.

Question 11

The annual "Tax Expenditure Budget" outlines

A)how tax revenues are spent.
B)the annual costs of tax deductions and exemptions.
C)the projected impact of proposed tax changes.
D)all of these.

Question 12

The federal rule-making process is governed by the

A)U.S. Constitution.
B)Administrative Procedures Act.
C)Social Security Act.
D)U.S. Regulatory Act.

Question 13

At present, nearly half the world's population lives under democratic rule.

Question 14

The primary source of revenues to local governments is

A)property tax.
B)income tax.
C)fines and fees.
D)payroll tax.

Question 15

A "mark-up" session is held

A)to draft a bill for submission.
B)to determine whether there are enough votes to overturn a presidential veto.
C)after a committee has held hearings on a bill.
D)to bring together advocates and legislators to review a bill.

Question 16

Federal judges can be removed from office through a process called

A)impeachment.
B)termination.
C)election.
D)recall.

Question 17

For federal income tax purposes, a taxpayer's marginal tax rate is

A)the proportion of total income that is subject to tax.
B)the rate applied to income in the taxpayer's highest tax bracket.
C)the amount of tax paid on the first $15,000 in taxable income.
D)the tax rate applied to income derived from margin accounts.

Question 18

The "neo-conservative" approach to government is most characteristic of

A)the Republican Party.
B)the Democratic Party.
C)the Green Party.
D)all of these.

Question 19

Federal grant-in-aid programs

A)are in direct violation of the Constitution.
B)allow the federal government to extend its authority over social programs.
C)do not require state participation.
D)have a 3-year limit for funding any one program.

Question 20

Which perspective on social justice is illustrated by the progressive income tax?

A)Libertarian
B)Utilitarian Liberal
C)Oligarchy
D)Socialism

Question 21

Describe what is meant by the term "grant-in-aid," and give an example of such a grant.

Question 22

The U.S. has had a federal income tax ever since it was founded.

Question 23

Establishment of the TSA is an example of reverse contracting.

Question 24

A bill pertaining to social programs must originate in the House of Representatives.

Question 25

The General Accounting Office (U.S. GAO) helps the president prepare the budget.

Question 26

Health care spending is the largest category in the U.S. budget.

Question 27

The Bush tax cuts shifted much of the nation's tax burden from the rich toward the middle class, and reduced funding available for public programs.

Question 28

What does the term "privatization" mean? Give two examples of privatization in the United States.​

Question 29

In the United States, mandatory spending is a much smaller part of the budget than is discretionary spending.

Question 30

No bill can become federal law until it has received majority votes in both the House and the Senate.

Question 31

How do tax deductions and tax credits differ? Give one example of a tax credit.

Question 32

Governance in the U.S. is shared among three levels of government. List these.

Question 33

Explain why the EITC is called an antipoverty measure embedded in the US tax code.