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Foundations of Government

Total questions: 51

Worksheet time: 31mins

Name
Class
Date
1.
Thomas Hobbes is known for which of the following?
a)
Natural Rights
b)
Divine Right of Kings
c)
Social Contract
d)
Common Law
2.
The idea of Natural Rights can be attributed to who?
a)
George Washington
b)
Adam Smith
c)
John Locke
d)
Thomas Jefferson
3.
What does it mean to say we have "separation of powers?"
a)
We divide power between the three Branches
b)
The President doesn't work with the Courts
c)
Congress doesn't work with the President
d)
We divide the two Houses of Congress
4.
Which of the following is an example of an Autocracy?
a)
The United States
b)
Medieval England
c)
The Vatican
d)
North Korea
5.
What does a government need to be considered legitimate?
a)
A National Flag
b)
A National Mascot
c)
Acceptance by it's people as a sovereign authority
d)
A Congress must ratify a Constitution
6.
What is Popular Sovereignty?
a)
The idea that people empower government
b)
The majority vote for a national election
c)
The concept that populations determine the size of the state
d)
The theory that popular presidents held more power
7.

America's government is most similar to:

a)

the Vatican's Theocracy

b)

Middle Ages Monarchy

c)

Athenian Democracy

d)

Roman Republic

8.
What are the three inalienable rights that all people have?
a)
Food, Shelter, and Clothing
b)
Life, Liberty and Death
c)
Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness
9.
What is the main purpose of government?
a)
To protect the rights of the people
b)
To protect the life of people's things
c)
To give people things
10.
What can people do to government if it violates their rights?
a)
Fix it
b)
change it
c)
move it
d)
rebel
11.
Who believes humans are born poor, nasty, brutish and short?
a)
John Locke
b)
Thomas Hobbes
c)
The English Monarchy
d)
Sir William Jones
12.
What is an agreement between people and the government?
a)
Consent
b)
Natural Rights
c)
Social Contract
d)
Voting
13.
According to the social contract theory, where does the government get its power?
a)
"the legislature"
b)
"the laws of nature"
c)
"the consent of the governed"
d)
the King of England
14.

Most of the ideas and traditions that influenced the American government came from the colonist's British heritage.

a)

True

b)

False

15.

Definition: The people are the source of any and all governmental power.

a)

Limited Government

b)

Rule of Law

c)

Consent of the Governed

d)

Representative Government

16.

Definition: Government is not all-powerful and may do only those things the people have given it the power to do.

a)

Rule of Law

b)

Limited Government

c)

Democracy

d)

Consent of the Governed

17.

Definition: In a representative system of government, the people elect public officeholders to make laws and conduct government on the people’s behalf.

a)

Consent of the Governed

b)

Representative Government

c)

Federalism

d)

Democracy

18.

Definition: System of government in which power rests with the people.

a)

Consent of the Governed

b)

Federalism

c)

Representative Government

d)

Democracy

19.

This document limited the power of the King of England.

a)

Magna Carta

b)

Declaration of Independence

c)

Mayflower Compact

20.

Which political theory held that God created the state, and God had given those of "royal birth" the right to rule?

a)

Force Theory

b)

Evolutionary Theory

c)

Divine Right Theory

d)

Social Contract Theory

21.

Which political theory argues that the state arose out of a voluntary act of free people and that the state exists only to serve the will of the people?

a)

Force Theory

b)

Evolutionary Theory

c)

Divine Right Theory

d)

Social Contract Theory

22.

Which political theory developed naturally out of the evolution of the family?

a)

Force Theory

b)

Evolutionary Theory

c)

Divine Right Theory

d)

Social Contract Theory

23.

Which political theory of government is where a small group forces all people to submit to them?

a)

Force Theory

b)

Evolutionary Theory

c)

Divine Right Theory

d)

Social Contract Theory

24.
According to John Locke, what must people do if their government stops working?
a)
Overthrow the government and live without a government
b)
Overthrow the government and create a new government
c)
Nothing. The people must follow their government-any government is better than nothing at all
25.
According to the Social Contract theory ... 
a)
government emerged when all the people of an area were brought under the control of one person or group
b)
Government emerged from family
c)
People give up some of their natural rights in order to receive protection
d)
A person gains the authority to govern because a god or group of gods gave them that power
26.
What type of government do we have in America?
a)
Direct (pure) Democracy
b)
Republic
c)
Monarchy
d)
Oligarchy
27.
What is a theocratic government?
a)
A government that is dominated or ruled by religion
b)
A government in which a small group of people (wealthy and powerful) rule
c)
A government in which a large group of people have authority
d)
The absence of governemnt
28.
Which of the following philosophers believed in separation of powers?
a)
Montesquieu
b)
Rousseau
c)
Hobbes
d)
Voltaire
29.
Who believed that man is born evil & selfish, and needs to be controlled.  Life without a strong government would be nasty, brutish, and short
a)
Hobbes
b)
Locke
30.

No government. Everyone has the right to everything. People are always at war with each other.

a)

autocracy

b)

state of nature

c)

social contract

d)

natural rights

31.

A king or queen rules the country.

a)

democracy

b)

oligarcy

c)

monarchy

d)

state of nature

32.

An agreement between the people and their government.

a)

social contract

b)

anarchy

c)

rule of law

d)

separation of power

33.

A document that explains what type of government a country has, how the government functions and how laws are made.

a)

oligarchy

b)

social contract

c)

constitution

d)

rights of the minority

34.

A government in which people are personally involved in the decision making of the country. Most countries are too large for this to work.

a)

representative democracy

b)

theocracy

c)

consent of the governed

d)

direct democracy

35.

Life, liberty and property

a)

natural rights

b)

state of nature

c)

separation of power

d)

dictatorship

36.

A government where a religion is the ultimate authority and religious law is used to settle disputes and rule the people.

a)

monarchy

b)

oligarchy

c)

theocracy

d)

democracy

37.

The citizens of the country give permission to the government by voting.

a)

autocracy

b)

anarchy

c)

state of nature

d)

consent of the governed

38.

A small group of people have all the power in a country.

a)

dictatorship

b)

oligarchy

c)

rights of the minority

d)

theocracy

39.

Power is split between branches and each has a function that they perform.

a)

social contract

b)

oligarchy

c)

separation of powers

d)

democracy

40.

North Korea is an example of a ___________ because one person has all the power.

a)

anarchy

b)

democracy

c)

theocracy

d)

dictatorship

41.

The United States federal government (national) is an example of a ______________.

a)

oligarchy

b)

representative democracy

c)

monarchy

d)

dictatorship

42.

The belief that a government gets its power from ____________ is a core principle of a democracy.

a)

A Monarch (King/Queen)

b)

God(s) or a Divine Being

c)

The People

d)

Military Strength

43.

Rulers in an absolute monarchy routinely used this theory to justify their legitimacy as heads of state.

a)

Divine Right

b)

Social Contract

c)

Newton's 3rd Law

d)

Chaos Theory

44.

Which of our P.A.L.S. (Power, Authority, Legitimacy, and Sovereignty) deals with the act of actually governing a state? Think of it as the ability to rule...

a)

Authority

b)

Sovereignty

c)

Legitimacy

d)

Power

45.

If a government's leader(s) has the right to create laws but does not possess the ability to enforce these laws, we could describe that government has having...

a)

Legitimacy but no sovereignty

b)

Sovereignty but no authority

c)

Authority, but no power

d)

Power but no authority

46.

What is the ability to rule absolutely within a territory?

a)

Sovereignty

b)

Power

c)

Authority

d)

Leadership

47.

The people who are members of a state and are protected and recognized by that state's laws and/or constitution.

a)

Soldiers

b)

Administration

c)

Officials

d)

Citizens

48.

Power, Authority, Legitimacy and Sovereignty are foundational features of...

a)

A population

b)

A territory

c)

A committee

d)

A government

49.

A government in which control of the country is in the hands of a small group of people.

a)

Theocracy

b)

Oligarchy

c)

Absolute Monarchy

d)

Representative Democracy

50.

How would a democracy keep its legitimacy?

a)

Through police/military force

b)

Manipulation of the media

c)

A fair and accessible voting process

d)

Corruption of government officials

51.

A government in which the monarch's power is checked by a constitution and governs alongside a parliament is...

a)

Absolute Monarchy

b)

Constitutional Monarchy

c)

Dictatorship

d)

Direct Democracy