Exam 4: The Structural Foundations of American Government and Politics

__________ is an economic system in which most productive assets are in private rather than public hands.

Refer to the "Can You Get Ahead in America?" box. What is the American Dream? How have recent generations differed in their views of the America Dream? Has it been more attainable for some than for others? Explain.

Which of the following candidates is most likely to win an election in the United States?

How do individualism, distrust of government, liberty, religious beliefs, and populism shape American political culture? What are the origins of these core beliefs? Give examples of how these beliefs take form in politics today.

Over the past four decades, median household income in the United States has grown faster than the overall growth of the economy.

Political candidates would be advised to speak of their distrust of government, a strategy sometimes called "running for Congress by running against it."

Which of the following was a major factor contributing to urbanization in America in the early 1900s?

Americans are slightly more likely to believe that immigrants strengthen the U.S. through their work and talent rather than think of them as a burden to society because they take jobs and receive public benefits.

The strongest military power in the world today is __________.

In the last few decades, American corporations have __________.

Following World War II, which of the following events significantly facilitated the suburbanization of America?

A labor union member is likely to dislike globalization because it often leads to cuts in health care benefits.

Over which of the following issues has the United States and the European Union been the most starkly divided?

China currently has the largest economy in the world, as measured by GDP.

If you could change or add one element of American political culture, what would it be and why?

President Ronald Reagan set a precedent in 1986 by granting amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants. What would be the economic and political effects of a new amnesty? Would you support such a move? Defend your position.

Which of the following is a consequence of the suburbanization of America?

Which of the following recent events depleted U.S. resources and harmed the attractiveness of the American economic model?

With the fall of the Soviet Union, and Soviet-style communism in Eastern Europe, the United States could lay claim to the title of the world's only __________.

In the last twenty years, all but the youngest Americans have lost some confidence in the __________, the idea that the next generation will do better than the one before.