SAMPLE QUESTIONS FOR FIRST TEST

You should mark the best response, not one that could conceivably be true if the question were looked at from some strange point of view. In other words, use your knowledge of the material and commonsense to pick the best answer.

I have sometimes marked what I consider to be the best response with an asterisk ("*").

1. A major purpose of macroeconomic policy in the U.S. is
1. the regulation of commerce.
2. the regulation of foreign trade.
3. smooth out the business cycle by trying to reduce inflation and recession.*
4. none of the above.

Discussed in class.

2. According to the film on the fourth amendment, a "general warrant" is best described as
1. a police officer's right to stop and search an automobile even if the driver appears to be doing nothing illegal.
2. a general grant of authority to search for contraband (smuggled) goods.*
3. the power to arrest someone who might be a threat to the peace.
4. the power to ban public demonstrations or marches.

Remember this is what the colonists complained about. The film makes this clear but you perhaps could also use your understanding of We the People to figure out the answer.
3. Which of these is characteristic of classical liberals?
1. They favor government regulation of the economy.
2. They generally support increased spending on welfare programs such as food stamps and public housing.
3. They distrust large government.*
4. They distrust small government.

Should be obvious from the notes. Remember that classical liberalism, which "libertarians" approximate, believes in "the less government" the better.

4. If everyone purses his or her self-interest and acts rationally, the result is likely to be
1. the common good will be destroyed.*
2. no individual or group will become too powerful.
3. capitalism will be self-stabilizing.
4. total chaos.

Discussed in class and the essay "An Argument for Government."

5. "Hamiltonians" are __________ about the average person's qualifications and motivation for self-government.
1. optimistic
2. hopeful
3. enthusiastic
4. pessimistic*

I used the term "Hamiltonian" in class. It refers to the opposite of Jeffersonian, a person who is optimistic about human nature and believes that if people are not civic minded, probably institutions contribute to their lack of responsiblity. Hamiltonians are skeptical that the common person is qualified and motivated enough to govern on a daily basis.

6. Which of these statements about the Bill of Rights is true?
1. Its authors clearly intended it to apply to both the national and state governments.
2. For most of the nation's history it applied only to acts of the national government.*
3. Scholars believe that the Fourth Amendment is by far the vaguest and hardest amendment to interpret.
4. The decision Marbury versus Madison extended its provisions to the states.

Should be apparent from the film ("Search and Seizure"), from class discussion, or from the reading.

7. One of the points made in the film on news narrated by Bill Moyers ("Illusion of News") was that
1. both newspapers and television news programs are now gradually starting to emphasize hard news over entertainment.
2. although television stresses entertainment, newspapers continue to present hard news.
3. both television and newspapers stress entertainment over hard news.*
4. despite their shortcomings both television and newspapers supply the public with the information they need to become informed.

We'll see this film Thursday. But here is a good place to make a point about test taking in general. Read a question and before looking at the choices try to think of some reasonable responses. Or at least ask what the term or concept or issue or whatever refers to. In this case, recall that a major theme is that institutions like the media do not help citizens become informed. Thus, it's likely that one of the responses will mention this idea.

8. Most of us have been taught that the national government consists of three branches. The lecturer, however, feels that which of the following should also be considered a "branch" of government? as well?
1. The Federal Reserve system (FED)*
2. The voters
3. The bureaucracy
4. All of the above

I will mention this explicitly in the discussion of the constitution. But I also talked about the FED--the Federal Reserve Bank--in connection with State capitalism and I said that it exerts enormous influence over everyone. Thus, it's likely that the FED would be (in my mind) a branch. But voters are not likely to have that level of power. That should have been clear from our class discussion. So last choice--"All of the above"--can't be right.

9. Studies show that the press in America tends to cover
1. the "horse race" or "game" aspect of elections.*
2. the issue stands of the leading candidates but not the positions of the minor ones.
3. the issues positions of the major parties but not the candidates themselves.
4. the general election but not the primaries.

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Copyright © 1997 H. T. Reynolds