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AP Government / Civics / FSOT Questions - Question List

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51.

According to the European theory, men are divided into classes-some to toil and earn, others to seize and enjoy. According to the Massachusetts theory, all are to have an equal chance for earning. Vast and overshadowing private fortunes are among the greatest dangers to which the happiness of the people in a republic can be subjected. The main idea set forth in the creeds of some political reformers, or revolutionizers, is, that some people are poor because others are rich. This idea supposes a fixed amount of property in the community, which, by fraud or force, or arbitrary law, is unequally divided among men. But education creates or develops new treasures, treasures not before possessed or dreamed of by anyone.

- Horace Mann

Mann suggests that universal public education can prevent the:

  1. accumulation of private wealth
  2. formation of a rigid and permanent class system
  3. need for public charity
  4. formation of stable republican government
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52.

Absolute arbitrary power, or governing without settled laws, can neither of them be consistent with the ends of society and government.

- John Locke

Which of the following statements is most consistent with the Locke quotation above?

  1. Weak government is worse than no government.
  2. Governmental power should be limited.
  3. Laws should never be changed.
  4. Only wise people can exercise power.
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53.

I often wondered whether we do not rest our hopes too much upon constitutions, upon laws and upon courts. These are false hopes; believe me, these are false hopes. Liberty lives in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can save it.

- Judge Learned Hand, 1941

It can be concluded from the quotation that Judge Hand believed it was most important that citizens

  1. vote for candidates who support their views
  2. rely on the courts to safeguard their rights
  3. amend the Constitution whenever necessary
  4. protect their freedoms through political participation
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54. Which statement about the making of United States foreign policy is accurate?
  1. State governments, through their ability to negotiate independent trade agreements, have preeminent authority in making foreign policy.
  2. The Senate, because of its power of treaty ratification, has more power in setting foreign policy than does the President.
  3. The Supreme Court, because it can rule on the constitutionality of executive actions, dominates foreign policy.
  4. Congress and the courts have some authority over foreign policy, but the President and the state department have the greatest authority.
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55.

Most democratic countries elect legislatures through one of two types of electoral systems: single-member district or proportional representation. In single-member district systems, citizens in specific areas vote for candidates who represent their districts. In proportional representation systems, citizens in the country vote for political parties. Parties are then awarded seats in the legislature proportionate to the percentage of the vote they have won. In other words, if a party wins 20 percent of the vote, it receives 20 percent of the seats in the legislature.

Why will countries with proportional representation systems tend to have more political parties than those with single-member district systems?

  1. Only large countries tend to use proportional representation systems, and these countries naturally have more parties.
  2. Countries with proportional representation systems tend to be more sharply divided along ethnic and regional lines, and many parties tend to arise as groups struggle to defend their interests.
  3. Parties in proportional representation systems do not have to win a majority of the vote in any district, so it is easier for smaller parties to gain representation in the legislature.
  4. Countries with proportional representation systems tend to have constitutions that mandate the existence of more than three political parties.
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