Government and the State

What are the four defining characteristics of a state?

• a leader, a legislature, a court system, and a military force

• the force theory, the evolutionary theory, the divine right theory, and the social contract theory

• liberty, justice, laws, and a constitution

• population, territory, sovereignty, and government

Because the United States is a sovereign state, it

• can impose its will on all other nations of the world.

• is subordinate to a higher international authority.

• is made up of fifty smaller sovereign states.

• can determine its own form of government.

Based on the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution, which of the following is the best summary of the purpose of the government of the United States?

• to make the United States the most powerful nation in the world

• to preserve the liberty and rights of the people

• to stay out of people's lives as much as possible

• To tightly control people's lives and behavior so that there would be peace, prosperity, and total equality

Scholars who believe the state originated from one person or a small group claiming control over an area and making people in that area submit to their rule support the __________ theory.

• force

• evolutionary

• divine right

• social contract

Which theory of the origin of the state most strongly influenced the formation of the government of the United States?

• force theory

• evolutionary theory

• divine right theory

• social contract theory

In what way is modern democracy a challenge to the divine right theory?

• Modern democracy is based on the idea that the state developed naturally out of a tribal or family-based system.

• Both modern democracy and the divine right theory state that God created the state, but modern democracy requires a separation of church and state.

• Modern democracy is based on the idea that the people have the right to govern themselves, whereas the divine right theory states that God gave those of royal birth the right to rule.

• Those who created modern democracy wanted common people to become kings and queens; so they challenged the divine right theory, which held that only those of noble birth could rule.

Which of the following is NOT a basic power held by every government?

• legislative power

• democratic power

• executive power

• judicial power

Who holds the supreme authority in a democracy?

• the people

• a single person

• the courts

• the military

Which of the following is an example of a use of a legislative power?

• the President of the United States appointing a new ambassador

• the Supreme Court of the United States ruling that a law is unconstitutional

• Congress passing a law to raise safety standards in new automobiles

• the people of the United States going to the polls to vote

In a __________, there is an absolute ruler who is not held responsible to the will of the people.

• government

• dictatorship

• democracy

• constitution