Unit 1 Foundations of American Government

The best example of a Unitary Government is which country?

• Great Britain

• Canada

• United States

• Russia

This type of government is one in which the powers of government are divided between a central, or national, government and several lower levels of government. These types of governments have a division of powers.

• Unitary Government

• Confederate Government

• Federal Government

• None of the Above

The best example of a federal government is:

• Great Britain

• The United States

• Canada

• Russia

This type of government is an alliance of independent states. The central government, or confederate government, only handles matters that the independent states assign to it. This type of government is usually formed for the purposes of national defense and trade, and these are typically the only powers assigned to it.

• None of the above

• Unitary Government

• Federal Government

• Confederate Government

An authoritarian form of government is often referred to as a dictatorship. Which of the following groups are examples of authoritarian government?

• Autocracy

  Oligarchy

• Federalism

  Voting

In this type of government, the executive and legislative powers are separate and independent from one another and are co-equal. The executive includes the chief executive, the president, and the cabinet. The president is elected by the people.

• Presidential Government

• Parliamentary Government

the executive and legislative are one. The executive is chosen by the legislature. The executive is made up of the prime minister and his or her cabinet. The prime minister and cabinet members are chosen from the members of parliament. The prime minister is chosen from the majority party in Parliament. The executive and cabinet remain in power as long as their policies have the support of the majority of the members of Parliament.

• Parliamentary Government

• Presidential Government

Government system where the will of the people is translated into public policy directly through mass meetings where citizens gather and make decisions regarding policy. Obviously this can only work in smaller communities. Town Hall meetings are an example of this system.

• Direct Democracy

• Republic

• Representative Democracy

Government system that has representatives chosen through elections. A small group is chosen to represent the overall will of the people. This is the type of democracy we have in the United States. The best examples at the national level are Senators and House of Representatives members. These representatives are responsible for carrying out the day-to-day functions of government, such as making laws and focusing on issues that are important to their constituents. At regularly scheduled elections, the people can express their approval or disapproval of their representatives by voting for them or against them. They govern with the consent of the governed.

• Direct Democracy

• Representative Democracy

• Republic

Government system where sovereign power is held by those who are eligible to vote, while political power is exercised by the representatives chosen by the citizens.

• Republic

• Direct Democracy

• Representative Democracy