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Economics 10th Edition Slavin Test
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Chapter 07 - The Government Sector
Chapter 07
The Government Sector
Multiple Choice Questions
1. The role of government has grown tremendously over the last _____ decades.
A. four
B. six
C. eight
D. ten
2. Each of the following is a basic economic role of the government except

A. tax collection.
B. spending money.
C. regulation of the economy.
D. owning most of the means of production.
3. The federal budget is prepared and passed by

A. the president.
B. Congress.
C. the president and Congress.
D. neither the president nor Congress.
4. Federal spending on defense comes to about _____ per person in the United States.
A. $1,000
B. $1,900
C. $2,700
D. $3,500
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5. Which statement is true?

A. State and local governments are expected to provide more and more services while their
tax bases are limited.
B. State and local governments are expected to provide less and less services while their tax
bases are relatively unlimited.
C. Public education has traditionally been the role of the federal government.
D. None of these statements is true.
6. The largest source of federal tax revenue comes from

A. individual income taxes.
B. social insurance receipts.
C. corporation income taxes.
D. excise taxes.
7. Each of the following is an indirect tax except the _____ tax.

A. gasoline
B. telephone
C. corporate income
D. excise

A. The Kemp-Roth Tax Cut of 1981 and the Tax Reform Act of 1986 both lowered federal
personal income tax receipts.
B. The Kemp-Roth Tax Cut of 1981 and the Tax Reform Act of 1986 raised federal personal
income tax receipts.
C. The Kemp-Roth Tax Cut of 1981 raised federal personal income tax receipts while the Tax
Reform Act of 1986 lowered them.
D. The Kemp-Roth Tax Cut of 1981 lowered federal personal income tax receipts while the
Tax Reform Act of 1986 raised them.
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9. Most poor families pay _____ federal personal income tax.

A. no
B. a little
C. a substantial part of their incomes in
10. The fastest growing source of federal tax revenue is the _____ tax.
A. personal income
B. corporate income
C. payroll
D. excise
11. The key agency in the preparation of the president's budget is

A. the Treasury.
B. the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
C. the Comptroller of the Currency.
D. the Department of the Defense.
12. In 2010, a person earning $300,000 would pay Social Security tax on
A. none of her income.
B. all of her income.
C. nearly all of her income.
D. less than half of her income.
13. The most important source of state tax revenue is the _____ tax.
A. property
B. income
C. excise
D. sales
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14. Which statement is false?

A. About seven percent of federal government spending goes toward interest on the national
debt.
B. Over eighty percent of local taxes comes from property taxes.
C. The federal government will spend over $3.8 trillion this fiscal year.
D. None of these statements is false.

A. The Social Security tax is progressive.
B. An excise tax on cigarettes is regressive.
C. A sales tax is a direct tax.
D. None is true.
16. Which one of these is not an economic function of the federal government?
A. Redistribution of income.
B. Stabilization.
C. Economic regulation.
D. Each is an economic function of the federal government.
17. The sales tax is the most important source of _____ government revenue.
A. federal
B. state
C. local

A. The Social Security tax is an excise tax.
B. A person earning $100,000 pays a higher percentage of her income in Social Security tax
than someone earning $50,000.
C. The Social Security tax is an indirect tax.
D. None is true.
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19. The maximum anyone had to pay in Social Security tax in 2009 was about ____.
A. $850
B. $6,620
C. $8,500
D. $17,000
20. Most sales taxes are ___________; most excise taxes are _________.
A. progressive, progressive
B. regressive, regressive
C. progressive, regressive
D. regressive, progressive
21. The property tax is the most important source of _____ government revenue.
A. federal
B. state
C. local
22. Under the Tax Reform Act of 1986 the maximum rate of the corporate income tax was
A. raised.
B. lowered.
C. not changed.
23. The Social Security tax is

A. direct and progressive.
B. direct and regressive.
C. indirect and progressive.
D. indirect and regressive.
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24. According to Adam Smith, each of these was an economic role of government except
A. protecting society from violence and invasion.
B. protecting individuals from oppression.
C. erecting public works which would not be in the interest of private individuals to erect.
D. redistributing some income from the rich to the poor.
25. Most excise taxes are

A. progressive.
B. proportional.
C. regressive.

A. There are now nine federal personal income tax brackets.
B. Most people pay more in Social Security tax than in personal income tax.
C. We pay more in direct than indirect taxes to the federal government.
D. None is false.
27. A wage earner making $10,000 pays

A. more in Social Security tax than in personal income tax.
B. more personal income tax than in Social Security tax.
C. about the same in Social Security tax as in personal income tax.

A. The corporate income tax now produces only thirteen percent of federal tax revenue.
B. The Tax Reform Act of 1986 took millions of poorer families off the income tax rolls.
C. The Kemp-Roth tax cut of 1981 lowered the average citizen's tax bill by 23%.
D. None is false.
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29. The federal government's fiscal year is _____ months long.

A. 6
B. 9
C. 12
D. 18
E. 24

A. Most federal government revenue comes from the personal income tax.
B. The federal personal income tax puts a greater burden on the poor and middle class.
C. The United States is among the most highly taxed industrial countries.
D. None is true.
31. Compared to people earning $150,000 a year, people earning $300,000 pay _________
Social Security taxes.
A. less
B. the same
C. slightly more
D. twice as much
32. The corporate income tax is

A. direct.
B. indirect.
C. neither direct nor indirect.
D. both direct and indirect.
33. In 1980 the top marginal tax rate was

A. 28 percent.
B. 33 percent.
C. 50 percent.
D. 70 percent.
E. 90 percent.
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34. The economic policy of the U.S. government could have been described as laissez-faire
until about
A. 1860.
B. 1900.
C. 1933.
D. 1945.
E. 1960.
35. Each of the following is a goal of the federal government except

A. fostering competition.
B. price stability.
C. low unemployment.
D. expanding government ownership.
36. The sales tax

A. is a direct tax.
B. is an indirect tax.
C. may be either a direct or an indirect tax.
D. is neither a direct nor an indirect tax.
37. The federal government spends

A. slightly more on defense than on Social Security.
B. slightly more on Social Security than on defense.
C. about the same on Social Security as on defense.
38. Interest payments on the national debt are about _____ percent of total federal
expenditures a year.
A. 2
B. 5
C. 7
D. 11
E. 14
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39. Which of the following statements does not apply to the U.S. tax structure?
A. The individual income tax system is progressive.
B. General sales taxes are regressive.
C. Property taxes are an important source of revenue for the federal government.
D. The major sources of revenue for the federal government differ from the major sources of
revenue for state and local governments.
40. Which of the following pairs represents the chief source of income and the most important
type of expenditure of local governments?
A. Property tax and expenditures for highways
B. Property tax and expenditures for education
C. Sales and excise taxes and expenditures for public welfare
D. Sales and excise taxes and expenditures for police, fire, and general government
41. What proportion of the federal spending is available for discretionary spending?
A. 9 percent.
B. 14 percent.
C. 23 percent.
D. 46 percent.
42. A tax on _____ would be the least regressive.

A. food
B. cigarettes
C. beer
D. luxury cars
43. Mr. Bush earns $1,000,000 and pays $100,000 in taxes. Mr. Gore earns $150,000 and
pays $17,500 in taxes. The tax they pay would be considered
A. progressive.
B. proportional.
C. regressive.
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44. Transfer payments to individuals amount to a little less than _____ of total government
spending.
A. three-quarters
B. two-thirds
C. half
D. one-third
E. one-quarter
45. In modern free enterprise economies, which of the following is not an economic role of
government?
A. Stabilization of national income, employment, and the price level
B. Promotion and maintenance of competitive markets
C. Altering the allocation of resources to provide for public demands efficiently
D. Providing a reasonably certain legal, social, and business environment for stable economic
growth
E. Planning the production and distribution of most economic goods
46. Which of the following accounts for the largest percentage of all federal expenditures?
A. Income security such as Social Security
B. National defense
C. Interest on the public debt
D. Veterans' services
47. In a progressive tax structure,

A. the marginal tax rate exceeds the average tax rate.
B. vertical equity exists.
C. the average tax rate rises as income falls.
D. all the choices.
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48. Which of the following is a transfer payment?

A. The president's salary
B. Veterans' benefits
C. The NASA budget
D. Schoolteachers' salaries
E. Provision of national parks
49. The money that pays Social Security benefits is raised by

A. taxes that workers pay.
B. taxes that employers pay.
C. taxes that both workers and employers pay.
D. the personal income tax.
50. Statement I: Social Security benefits are financed entirely by taxes that workers pay.
Statement II: Social Security benefits are a government transfer payment.
A. Statement I is true and statement II is false.
B. Statement II is true and statement I is false.
C. Both statements are true.
D. Both statements are false.
51. The essential difference between sales and excise taxes is that
A. sales taxes apply to a wide range of products, while excise taxes apply only to a select
group of products.
B. excise taxes apply to a wide range of products, while sales taxes apply only to a select
group of products.
C. sales taxes are consumption taxes, while excise are not.
D. excise taxes are consumption taxes, while sales are not.
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52. Excise taxes are

A. really income taxes in disguise.
B. profits taxes on major corporations.
C. per-unit taxes on specific goods.
D. percentage taxes on sales revenues.
E. the second most important source of federal revenue.
53. Which of the following is NOT an example of a transfer payment?

A. The salaries received by social workers employed by the federal government.
B. Food stamps.
C. Unemployment compensation.
D. Social security payments.
E. Payments under the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program.
54. Statement I: The federal corporate income tax is a direct tax.
Statement II: The Social Security tax is a regressive tax.

55. An excise tax on cigarettes is ________ and _______.

A. regressive, direct.
B. regressive, indirect.
C. progressive, direct.
D. progressive, indirect.
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56. Statement I: Most taxes are proportional, in effect.
Statement II: The federal government gets most of its revenue from indirect taxes.
57. Which of the following statements is true?

A. New Hampshire residents pay a higher percent of their income in taxes than the people in
the province of Quebec, Canada.
B. The top marginal tax rate today is about half of the top marginal tax rate in 1960.
C. Today the overall tax burden is about the same as what it was in 1929.
D. Education in the U.S. is paid for exclusively by local taxes.
58. With respect to local finance, it is correct to say that

A. Sales and excise taxes are the major source of revenue and highway construction and
maintenance the major type of expenditure.
B. Property taxes are the basic source of revenue and education the major type of expenditure.
C. The corporate income tax is the major source of revenue and natural resource development
the major type of expenditure.
D. Estate and gift taxes are the major source of revenue and most expenditures are for
hospitals and health services.
59. During the last half of 2008 and the first half of 2009, the congress passed and the
President signed two bills totaling about _______________ in an attempt to avert the Great
Recession.
A. about $700 billion
B. about $800 billion
C. nearly $1.5 trillion
D. more than $2.0 trillion
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60. Federal government spending on medicare & medicaid have increased by a factor of
_____ between 1969 and 2011.
A. 2
B. 4
C. 5
D. over 7
61. If your taxable income rises from $35,000 to $45,000, and the taxes you pay rise from
$12,000 to $15,000, your marginal tax rate is
A. 10 percent.
B. 20 percent.
C. 30 percent.
D. 40 percent.
E. Impossible to determine.
62. If your taxable income rises from $27,000 to $47,000, and the taxes you pay rise from
$15,000 to $20,000, your marginal tax rate is
A. 15 percent.
B. 25 percent.
C. 35 percent.
D. 45 percent.
63. An example of a tax that is generally regarded to be progressive is

A. the federal income tax.
B. the excise tax on gasoline.
C. the state sales tax.
D. the payroll tax.
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64. Statement I: Most poor people have an average tax rate of 10 percent.
Statement II: In 1992 the maximum federal personal income tax rate was 31 percent.
65. Statement I: Most Americans pay more in Social Security tax than in personal income tax.
Statement II: A tax on cigarettes is more regressive than a tax on long distance phone calls.
66. Statement I: A progressive tax places a heavier burden on the rich than on the poor.
Statement II: The Social Security tax is more regressive than the federal personal income tax.
67. In 2009 the highest federal personal income tax bracket was _____ percent.
A. 28
B. 35
C. 36
D. 50
E. 70
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68. If taxable income is rising and if the marginal tax rate is greater than the average tax rate,
then
A. the average tax rate must be rising.
B. the average tax rate must be falling.
C. the average tax rate may be either rising or falling.
D. the tax is regressive.
69. In 2011 when the "Bush tax cuts" expire the percentage tax rate for the rich will revert
back to the (pre-Bush) rate of ____________ percent if congress doesn't pass a new law.
A. 36.5
B. 39.6
C. 44.0
D. 70.0
70. Which of the following would not be a government transfer expenditure?

A. Contribution of employers to support the Social Security program
B. Social security payments to the aged
C. Unemployment compensation benefits
D. Payments to the widows of war veterans
71. A progressive tax is one where the percentage charged on income ______________ as
income increases.
A. increases and then decreases
B. is constant
C. decreases
D. increases
72. Which of the following federal government expenditures is the largest burden on the
budget?
A. Social security
B. Medicare and medicaid
C. Defense
D. Interest on national debt
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73. In 2010, anyone with an income in excess of $_____________ pays the marginal tax rate
of 35%.
A. 500,000
B. 372,950
C. 296,400
D. 198,200
74. Warren Buffett, the noted stock market investor, and world's second richest man has
noted:
A. his average tax rate is lower than his secretary.
B. his world ranking would increase substantially if taxes were lower $20,000
C. his taxes were so high that he was supporting the government by himself.
D. his wealth was very high because of the low tax rates enjoyed by the rich.
75. A person earning $200,000 a year pays a little over _____ in payroll taxes.
A. $6,000
B. $9,500
C. $12,000
D. $15,000
76. If you had $1,000 of taxable income you would have to pay _____ in federal income tax.
A. 0
B. $100
C. $150
D. Between $150 and $280
E. $280
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77. If you had a total income of $4,000 (including wages, interest, and dividends) you would
have to pay federal personal income taxes of
A. 0.
B. Less than $600.
C. $600.
D. More than $600.
E. It is impossible to answer without more information.
78. If Mr. Perot faces a 90 percent marginal tax rate,

A. his average tax rate must be falling.
B. the next dollar he earns nets him 90 cents.
C. his total tax payments equal 90 percent of his income.
D. he has a strong incentive to work harder.
E. he has a strong incentive to work less.
79. The second largest source of federal revenue is

A. the individual income tax.
B. the corporate income tax.
C. the payroll tax.
D. sales and excise taxes.
80. Under a progressive income tax, as income increases

A. taxes increase at the same rate as income; if income increases by 10%, taxes increase by
10%.
B. taxes decreases as a share of income.
C. absolute tax payments increase, but the average tax rate declines.
D. taxes increase as a percent of income.
81. The tax rates embodied in the federal personal income tax are such that
A. a rising absolute amount, but a declining proportion, of income is paid in taxes.
B. the marginal and average tax rates are equal, making the tax progressive.
C. the average tax rate rises more rapidly than does the marginal tax rate.
D. the marginal tax rate is higher than the average tax rate, causing the average tax rate to rise.
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82. Which statement is the most accurate?

A. The federal government gets much more money from tax revenues than from borrowing.
B. The federal government gets a little more money from tax revenues than from borrowing.
C. The federal government gets a little more money from borrowing than from tax revenues.
D. The federal government gets much more money from borrowing than from tax revenues.
83. Sales and excise taxes tend to be ___________ because low income people tend to spend
a _________ fraction of their income than high income people.
A. progressive; larger
B. regressive; larger
C. progressive; smaller
D. regressive; smaller
84. Statement I: Most taxes are proportional in effect.
Statement II: A tax that is nominally regressive will be regressive in effect.

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85. The tax shown in the graph above is

A. nominally progressive and regressive in effect.
B. nominally progressive and progressive in effect.
C. nominally proportional and progressive in effect.
D. nominally proportional and regressive in effect.
86. In 2009, _____________ of Americans owed no federal income taxes.

A. 60%
B. 47%
C. 38%
D. 26%
87. The Jones family has an average tax rate of 15 percent. Its marginal tax rate is
A. less than 15 percent.
B. 15 percent.
C. more than 15 percent.
D. impossible to find.
88. In 2007, the richest 400 U. S. households earned an average income of $345 million. What
was their average income tax rate?
A. 34 percent.
B. 25 percent.
C. About 17 percent.
D. Less than 12 percent.
89. For a progressive tax the

A. average tax rate exceeds the marginal tax rate as income rises.
B. marginal tax rate declines as income increases.
C. average and marginal tax rates are equal.
D. marginal tax rate exceeds the average tax rate as income rises.
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90. Which of the following is the best example of a government expenditure for goods or
services?
A. Salaries of Supreme Court justices
B. Social security pensions paid to the elderly
C. Welfare payments
D. Unemployment compensation
E. The progressive income tax
91. Social Security benefits are funded by

A. special taxes on corporate profits.
B. property taxes and user taxes.
C. a payroll tax with equal contributions from employer and employees and by self-
employment taxes.
D. a special tax on corporate profits and approximately 10 percent of general sales taxes.
E. a combination of sales taxes, property taxes, corporate profit taxes and user fees.
92. Which of the following statements about the Social Security tax is not true?
A. It is a progressive tax.
B. It came into existence in 1935.
C. It is imposed on employers and employees.
D. It is a payroll tax.
93. Statement I: We have faithfully followed Adam Smith's description of the government's
economic role.
Statement II: The U.S. government's role has grown smaller over the last 70 years.
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94. Statement I: The economic role of government has been growing over the last eight
decades.
Statement II: The economic role of government will definitely be reduced in the coming
years.
95. In recent years our social and economic problems have _____ and government will get
_____ involved in solving these problems.
A. increased, more
B. increased, less
C. decreased, more
D. decreased, less
96. In 2010 Mr. Huckabee paid $500 in personal income tax. His taxable income was
A. $5,000.
B. $10,000.
C. $15,000.
D. $20,000.
97. Mr. Romney paid $300 in personal income tax. His taxable income was
A. $1,000.
B. $2,000.
C. $3,000.
D. $10,000.
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98. "Taxable income" is

A. total income less deductions and exemptions.
B. earned income less property income.
C. all income other than wages and salaries.
D. wage and salary income only.
99. Statement I: The two largest categories of federal spending are Social Security and
defense.
Statement II: The payroll tax is a more important source of revenue for the federal
government than the corporate income tax.
100. The marginal tax rate is calculated by dividing

A. taxes paid by taxable income.
B. taxable income by taxes paid.
C. additional taxes paid by additional taxable income.
D. additional taxable income by additional taxes paid.
101. Statement I: Federal marginal income tax brackets for the wealthy are higher today than
they were in 1980.
Statement II: The highest federal income tax bracket today is 70 percent.
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102. The average tax rate is calculated by dividing

A. taxes paid by taxable income.
B. taxable income by taxes paid.
C. additional taxes paid by additional taxable income.
D. additional taxable income by additional taxes paid.
103. Which of the following schedules represent(s) a progressive tax?
A. I and III
B. I
C. II
D. I and II
E. III
104. Under a proportional income tax, the average tax rate

A. decreases as income increases.
B. increases as income increases.
C. remains constant at all levels of income.
D. initially decreases, then increases, as income increases.
The Joneses have a taxable income of $18,000, all in the form of wages. They have three
children, and they take the standard deduction.

A. The Joneses pay more in Social Security tax than in personal income tax
B. The Joneses pay more in personal income tax than in Social Security tax
C. The Joneses pay about the same amount in Social Security tax and personal income tax
D. It is impossible to determine if the Joneses pay more in Social Security tax than in personal
income tax
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106. The Joneses pay no more than _____ in personal income tax.
A. $5,000
B. $3,000
C. $1,800
D. $750
E. $0
107. Defense is the largest single component of federal government taking ________ cents
our of every government dollar spent.
A. 13
B. 16
C. 20
D. 24
108. Under a progressive income tax, the average tax rate

A. decreases as income increases.
B. remains constant at all levels of income.
C. increases as income increases.
D. initially decreases, then increases, as income increases.
109. The tax represented here is

A. progressive.
B. proportional.
C. regressive.
D. none of the choices.
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110. If your taxable income is $50,000, your average tax rate is

A. 8 percent.
B. 12 percent.
C. 16 percent.
D. 20 percent.
E. 25 percent.
111. If your taxable income increases from $30,000 to $40,000, your marginal tax rate is
A. 10 percent
B. 20 percent
C. 30 percent
D. 40 percent
E. 50 percent
112. When taxable income rises from $40,000 to $50,000,

A. your average tax rate is greater than your marginal tax rate.
B. your marginal tax rate is greater than your average tax rate.
C. your marginal and average tax rates are equal.
D. it is impossible to determine if your average or marginal tax rate is higher.
113. The tax represented here is

A. progressive.
B. proportional.
C. regressive.
D. none of the choices.
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114. If your taxable income increases from $20,000 to $40,000, your marginal tax rate is
A. 5 percent.
B. 7.5 percent.
C. 10 percent.
D. 12.5 percent.
E. 15 percent.
115. If your taxable income is $30,000, how much tax would you owe?
A. $500
B. $1,000
C. $1500
D. $2,000
116. When taxable income rises from $40,000 to $60,000,

A. Your average tax rate is greater than your marginal tax rate.
B. Your marginal tax rate is greater than your average tax rate.
C. Your marginal and average tax rates are equal.
D. It is impossible to determine if your average or marginal tax rate is higher.
117. Statement I: A tax on cigarettes is regressive.
Statement II: The federal personal income tax is more progressive today than it was in 1980.
118. A progressive tax is such that

A. tax rates are higher the smaller one's income.
B. the same tax rate applies to all income receivers, so that the rich pay a greater amount of
taxes than the poor.
C. the greatest burden is on low-income workers.
D. none of the above holds true.
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119. Most U.S. government spending is financed by

A. an expansion of the money supply.
B. taxes.
C. government securities.
D. transfer payments.
E. loans from foreign countries.
120. Ralph earns $40,000 per year. According to the income tax schedule, he must pay $4,000
in income taxes this year. If he had earned $50,000 his tax liability would have been $6,000.
What marginal tax rate does Ralph face?
A. 10 percent
B. 12 percent
C. 20 percent
D. 66 percent
121. Statement I: Foreign aid is the fourth largest federal spending program.
Statement II: Most Americans pay more in Social Security taxes than in federal personal
income taxes.
122. According to the IRS, the average large corporation in the United States paid just less
than _______ percent in 2006.
A. 34
B. 27
C. 24
D. 13
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123. In 2010 the highest marginal tax rate for the federal personal income tax was _____
percent.
A. 28
B. 33
C. 35
D. 50
E. 70
124. Which one of these is the largest?

A. Federal tax receipts
B. Federal transfer payments
C. Federal borrowing
D. Federal purchases of goods and services
125. The federal government gets _____ of its tax revenue from direct taxes.
A. all.
B. nearly all
C. about half
D. less than half
E. none
126. Groucho earns $5 million and pays $2 million in taxes; Harpo earns $300,000 and pays
$80,000 in taxes; Chico earns $25,000 and pays $1,000 in taxes. The tax they pay would be
considered
A. progressive.
B. proportional.
C. regressive.
127. The rich pay a _____ proportion of their income and a _____ dollar amount of federal
income tax than the middle class.
A. higher, higher
B. lower, lower
C. higher, lower
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128. Who, from among the following, said this "In this world nothing can be said to be
certain, except death and taxes."
A. Thomas Jefferson
B. Adam Smith
C. Benjamin Franklin
D. Sir William Petty
E. John Stuart Mill

A. Direct taxes cannot be regressive.
B. Progressive taxes are always direct.
C. The federal personal income tax is more progressive than the Social Security tax.
D. None is true.
130. Government purchases of goods and services do NOT include

A. government input costs.
B. the military payroll.
C. purchases of final products.
D. purchases by state governments.
E. welfare payments.
131. Statement I: Taxes for the rich were raised substantially in 1990 and 1993.
Statement II: Personal income tax rates are much lower today than they were in 1980.
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132. Statement I: Two major personal income tax cuts were passed during the administration
of President Ronald Reagan.
Statement II: The top marginal tax rate for the federal personal income tax was 70 percent in
1980.
133. During the Clinton administration, the marginal tax rate on the rich was:
A. Decreased
B. Stayed the same
C. Increased by about 2 percent
D. Increased by over 7 percent

A. The federal, state, and local governments collect a combined total of over 40 percent of our
GDP in the form of taxes.
B. A rich person has a much lower marginal tax rate on their personal income taxes today
than she did in 1980.
C. The federal government spends more on foreign aid than it does on Medicare.
D. Most Americans pay more in federal personal income tax than they do in payroll tax.
135. Most state revenue comes from the _____ tax and most local revenue comes from the
_____ tax.
A. property, property
B. sales, sales
C. sales, property
D. property, sales
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136. In the United States, federal government tax receipts are somewhat less than _____
percent of GDP.
A. 10
B. 20
C. 30
D. 40
E. 50
137. Which country from the following provides its government with the same percent of its
GDP in taxes as the U.S.?
A. Germany
B. Britain
C. Italy
D. France
E. None of the choices

A. Social Security taxes must be paid on all income.
B. Social Security taxes must be paid on all wages and salaries.
C. Social Security taxes must be paid on interest income unless it is tax-exempt.
D. None is true.

A. A poor person who smokes pays a higher percentage of her income in cigarette excise tax
than a rich person.
B. The cigarette excise tax is a regressive tax.
C. The cigarette excise tax is a direct tax.
D. None is false.
140. Which of the following is a true statement concerning federal transfer payments?
A. Transfer payments ultimately must be repaid to the government by recipients.
B. Transfer payments are included in the imports category of GDP.
C. Transfer payments are included in the net exports category of GDP.
D. Transfer payments are payments made by the government for which no good or service is
currently received in return.
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141. An example of a transfer payment is

A. old-age pensions.
B. a private firm's payments of dividends to stockholders.
C. military expenditures.
D. military aid to a foreign country.
142. The first year of the New Deal was

A. 1929.
B. 1933.
C. 1945.
D. 1952.
E. 1960.

A. The government sector of GDP is larger than the consumption sector.
B. The federal government spends about five percent of our GDP on foreign aid.
C. The federal government spends less on Social Security than it does on defense.
D. None is true.

A. The federal government collects more in Social Security taxes than in personal income tax.
B. The federal government collects more in Social Security taxes than in corporate income
tax.
C. The federal government collects more in personal income tax than in corporate income tax.
D. None is false.
145. Transfer payments are paid mainly to

A. individuals.
B. business firms.
C. foreign countries.
D. government bondholders.
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146. Which one of these people said this? "The art of taxation consists in so plucking the
goose as to obtain the largest possible amount of feathers with the smallest amount of
hissing."
A. John Stuart Mill
B. John Maynard Keynes
C. Milton Friedman
D. Karl Marx
E. Jean Baptiste Colbert

A. The federal government's fiscal year 2006 started on January 1, 2006.
B. The federal government gets most of its tax revenue from the federal personal income tax.
C. Net interest on the national debt is about 15 percent of the federal budget.
D. None is true.
148. After the major income tax decrease for the high income earners in 1981, the federal
deficit _______ by 1990.
A. had not changed
B. tripled
C. cut by half
D. doubled
149. The federal personal income tax is

A. direct and regressive.
B. direct and progressive.
C. indirect and regressive.
D. indirect and progressive.
150. The federal tax on cigarettes is

A. direct and regressive.
B. direct and progressive.
C. indirect and regressive.
D. indirect and progressive.
7-34

A. Our foreign aid to our friends, allies, and many of the poorer countries of the world comes
to nearly five percent of our GDP.
B. Total federal government spending (purchases plus transfer payments) totals almost $1
trillion.
C. Defense spending accounts for about one out of every three dollars the federal government
spends.
D. Our foreign aid to our friends, allies, and many of the poorer countries of the world comes
(according to the Author) to "chump change".
152. A couple with two dependent children with a taxable income of $12,000 will
A. definitely pay some personal income tax.
B. probably pay some personal income tax.
C. pay no personal income tax.
D. There is not enough information to make any of these statements.

A. The federal personal income tax is a proportional tax.
B. The cigarette tax is an excise tax.
C. The tax on gasoline is a direct tax.
D. None is true.
154. Statement I: The primary income sources of the rich are dividends, interest, and profit,
none of which is subject to the Social Security tax.
Statement II: The payroll tax is the federal government's fastest-growing source of revenue.
7-35
155. In 2010, a married couple with one child earning $32,000 would pay $2,448.00 in
payroll tax and $__________ in federal income taxes.
A. more than $2,000
B. about $1,000
C. more than $750
D. 0

A. The federal government collects much more in direct taxes than in indirect taxes.
B. The federal government collects much more in indirect taxes than in direct taxes.
C. The federal government collects about the same amount in direct taxes as in indirect taxes.

A. The government sector of GDP is larger than the consumption sector.
B. The federal government spends about five percent of our GDP on interest on the debt.
C. The federal government spends more on Social Security and Medicare (combined) than it
does on defense.
D. None is true.
158. Who said this? "The government is best which governs least".
A. Thomas Jefferson
B. Sir William Petty
C. John Stuart Mill
D. Benjamin Franklin
E. John Maynard Keynes
159. Who, among the following, said this? "It is generally allowed by all, that men should
contribute to the public charge but according to the share and interest they have in the public
peace; that is, according to their estates or riches".
A. Benjamin Franklin
B. Sir William Petty
C. Jean Baptiste Colbert
D. Adam Smith
E. John Stuart Mill
7-36
160. Who said this? ". . . the sovereign has only three duties to attend to. . . . first, the duty of
protecting the society from violence and invasion . . .; secondly, the duty of protecting . . .
every member of the society from the injustice or oppression of every other member of it all;
and thirdly, the duty of erecting and maintaining certain public works and public institutions,
which it can never be for the interest of any individual . . . to erect and maintain. . . "
A. Adam Smith
B. John Stuart Mill
C. Sir William Petty
D. Franklin Roosevelt
E. Thomas Jefferson
161. Statement I: We could make the Social Security tax less regressive by lowering the
wage-base limitation to $25,000.
Statement II: The highest marginal tax rate on the federal personal income tax is 31 percent.
162. An average tax rate of 1% on the poor and 20% on the rich would be
A. progressive.
B. proportional.
C. regressive.
163. An average tax rate of 20 percent on the poor and 1 percent on the rich would be
A. progressive.
B. proportional.
C. regressive.
164. Which is the most accurate statement?

A. The cigarette tax is progressive.
B. Gasoline taxes in the U.S. are higher than in most other industrial countries.
C. The taxes on cigarettes and gasoline are excise taxes.
D. The corporate income tax is the federal government's largest source of tax revenue.
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165. The tax on cigarettes is

A. regressive and indirect.
B. regressive and direct.
C. progressive and indirect.
D. progressive and direct.
166. In the Netherlands and Germany a gallon of gasoline costs a little over
A. $7.00.
B. $4.
C. $3.
D. $2.

A. Americans pay higher taxes on gasoline than do the people in most other industrial
countries.
B. In general, excise taxes tend to be regressive.
C. The projected 2011 total federal tax revenue is more than federal government spending.
D. The new tax rates in the tax cut of 2003 are permanent.

A. The tax burden of Americans is about the lowest of the industrial countries.
B. Americans pay more in state and local taxes than they do in federal taxes.
C. The federal government takes in more revenue from indirect taxes than from direct taxes.
D. State and local tax receipts have declined as a percentage of GDP since 1945.
169. From the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s, the federal government ran a _____ and the state
and local governments ran a ____.
A. deficit, deficit
B. deficit, surplus
C. surplus, surplus
D. surplus, deficit
7-38

A. The federal government gets most of its tax receipts from the corporate income tax.
B. Nearly one third of all federal expenditures go toward paying interest on the national debt.
C. The largest two federal spending categories are defense and Social Security.
D. About 3 percent of federal government spending is on defense.
171. The top federal personal income tax bracket is now _______ percent.
A. 25
B. 35
C. 55
D. 70
E. 85

A. State and local government spending is almost half the level of federal spending.
B. Defense spending is much higher today than it was in 1990.
C. Most members of Congress have agreed to vote to cut Social Security benefits to bring
down the federal budget deficit.
D. Direct benefit payments to individuals now account for 25 percent of all federal
government spending.

A. Defense spending as a percent of the federal budget has steadily fallen since 1990.
B. Today we spend as more on defense than the rest of the world combined.
C. The largest federal government purchase is education.
D. State and local government spending has been declining since the mid-1980s.
174. Mr. and Mrs. Jones have three children, earn $22,000 at their jobs, and have no other
income. We may conclude that they
A. probably pay more payroll tax than federal personal income tax.
B. definitely pay more payroll tax than federal personal income tax.
C. probably pay more federal personal income tax than payroll tax.
D. definitely pay more federal personal income tax than payroll tax.
7-39
175. Ms. Rockefeller has an income of $200 million. If her income is in the form of wages
and salary, then most of her income is taxed at __________ percent.
A. 15 percent
B. 27 percent
C. 30 percent
D. 35 percent
E. 38.6 percent
176. Statement I: Compared to citizens of other leading industrial countries, Americans are
overtaxed.
Statement II: We could make the payroll tax less regressive by raising the wage-base
limitation to $200,000.
177. Services the federal government provides include

A. building and maintaining the interstate highway system.
B. bank inspections.
C. environmental protection.
D. the carrying out of scientific research.
E. all the choices.
178. K – 12 public education in the U.S. is paid for mainly by the _____ tax.
A. income
B. sales
C. excise
D. property
7-40

A. Most public goods and services could be provided more profitably by private companies.
B. Nearly all of the money that the federal government redistributes goes from the rich and
the middle class to the poor.
C. One of the ways the federal government stabilizes our economy is by placing a floor under
our economy's purchasing power.
D. The total federal budget today is less than 5 percent of GDP.
180. Pei Chen has a federal personal income marginal tax rate of 28 percent. His average tax
rate
A. is more than 28%.
B. is also 28%.
C. is less than 28%.
D. is zero.
181. Mr. and Mrs. Nakama were paying $6,000 taxes on a combined taxable income of
$40,000. When they both received pay increases, they found themselves in a higher tax
bracket-28 percent. Their average tax rate
A. fell.
B. rose to 15%.
C. rose to between 15% and 28%.
D. rose to 28%.
E. rose above 28%.
182. Claire Quinn has a marginal tax rate of 33 percent on her federal personal income tax.
Her average tax rate is
A. more than 33%.
B. also 33%.
C. less than 33%.
D. zero.
7-41

A. Foreign aid is the fourth largest spending item in the federal budget.
B. Nearly half of federal government spending goes for direct payments to individuals.
C. Over half of all federal tax receipts comes from the personal income tax.
D. Defense spending per capita is less than most other industrial countries.

A. Most taxes are proportional taxes.
B. Poor people bear most of the burden of progressive taxes.
C. John Stuart Mill was the first to make the distinction between direct and indirect taxes.
D. President Reagan was largely responsible for raising personal income tax rates.

A. A person earning $100,000 pays $10,000 in payroll tax.
B. Most taxpayers pay more in payroll tax than in personal income tax.
C. The Medicare tax rate is 6.2%.
D. There is no such thing as a regressive tax.
186. In the 1950s the top marginal federal personal income tax rate was
A. 91%.
B. 70%.
C. 50%.
D. 31%.
E. 28%.
187. Statement I: The top marginal rate of the federal personal income tax is much lower
today than it was in the 1950s.
Statement II: The Social Security system will run out of money by the year 2013.
7-42
188. Statement I: The average tax rate is found by dividing taxable income by taxes paid.
Statement II: Rich people generally pay a higher marginal tax rate than their average tax rate.
189. Statement I: The highest marginal federal personal income tax rate is 30 percent.
Statement II: The marginal tax rate is found by dividing additional taxes paid by additional
taxable income.
190. The excise tax on gasoline is

A. a direct tax.
B. an indirect tax.
C. a direct tax and an indirect tax.
D. neither a direct tax nor an indirect tax.
191. The federal personal income tax is

A. a direct tax.
B. an indirect tax.
C. both a direct tax and an indirect tax.
D. neither a direct tax nor an indirect tax.
7-43
192. The Tea party in the United States in 2009-2010 unlike the Boston Tea party is not
demonstrating against taxation without representation but
A. taxation with representation
B. the unwarranted increase in the economic role of the federal government.
C. the election of a President who they do not believe was a born citizen of the U. S.
D. the use of Keynesian economics to avoid a depression $0.
193. Which of the following is true?

A. The role of government grew most rapidly from 1920 to 1933.
B. The role of government grew most rapidly during Franklin Roosevelt's Administration
from 1960 to 1975.
C. The seeds of the expansion of the federal government's economic role were sown during
the Nixon Administration from 1933-1945.
D. The seeds of the expansion of the federal government's economic role were sown during
the Roosevelt Administration from 1933-1945.
194. Compared to state and local spending, federal spending is

A. twice as large.
B. about the same.
C. half as large.
D. one-quarter as large.
195. Which of the following is false?

A. The federal government's fiscal year begins on October 1.
B. The largest federal government purchase of final goods and services is Social Security.
C. The corporate income tax is a direct tax.
D. The federal government planned to spend over $3.9 trillion in 2010.
7-44
196. Suppose Bartles earns $10,000 and James earns $200,000. Which of the following
statements is false concerning their Social Security taxes?
A. Both will pay a Social Security tax.
B. Bartles will pay Social Security tax on all of his income.
C. James will pay Social Security tax on the majority of her income.
D. James will pay Social Security tax at a higher average rate than will Bartles.
197. Which is true?

A. The federal personal income tax is a regressive tax.
B. The poor are hurt more than the rich by progressive taxes.
C. The most important source of federal tax revenue is the payroll tax.
D. Until 1981 the maximum marginal tax rate on the federal income tax was 70 percent.
198. Statement I: The most important source of state tax revenue is the property tax while the
most important source of local tax revenue is the sales tax.
Statement II: As a share of federal spending, Social Security and Medicare will continue to
grow.
A. Statement I is true and Statement II is false.
B. Statement II is true and Statement I is false.

A. Compared with citizens of other industrial countries, Americans are not as heavily taxed.
B. Public goods are usually not provided by private enterprise because they would not be
profitable.
C. Public education is traditionally funded largely by local property taxes.
D. In 1990 and in 1993 taxes for the rich were increased substantially.
E. All the choices.
7-45
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
die jong kaptein, wat aanstap met sy ma, haar arm in syne. En,
dinkend aan Alida, laat Paula op haar vraag volg, so by haarself:
—Alte ryk, en te min moed.
Marcel sien die rytuig wat vir hulle wag, en roep:
—Daar is ons ou rytuig!
—Die enigste wat ons oorgehou het, sê mevrou Kibert, net of sy
om verskoning vra daarvoor.
By sy vrolike uitroep het die jonkman so ’n antwoord nie voorsien
nie. Die ou rytuig het hom laat dink aan sy kinderjare, en kyk, nou is
dit die teken van die agteruitgang van die famielie. Sy gesig betrek:
hy begryp meteens hoe moeilikhede van stoflike aard nog die rou en
ellende in Maupas vererger het. Sonder self persoonlike behoeftes
te gevoel, want hy is gewend om met min klaar te kom, voel hy vir sy
moeder en sy suster om die agteruitsetting, wat hy nou begryp. En
mevrou Kibert sê by haarself:
—Ons moes ’n rytuig by die stasie geneem het om hom eer aan te
doen.
Marcel asem met genot die lug weer in van sy geboorteplek. ’n
Swerm herinneringe kom hom weer te binne, terwyl hulle deur die
dorp ry. Die veld is weer ontwaak in ’n gelukkige hartstogtelike jeug.
Half teen die hoogte op, sag genestel in die groen bome, lê die
kerkie, soos ’n skaap in ’n vet weiland. Die fris, vreedsame groen op
die hang versag die ruwe en strenge indruk van die dreiende
rotskranse bo. As hulle naby Maupas kom, sien Marcel dat die
landelike huis nog soos vroeër half begrawe lê in rose en ander
blomme; dat nog soos altyd die aandskemering aan die bome in die
laan ’n aansien gee van stille afgeslotenheid. Hy spring die eerste af
van die rytuig. Die sand maak onder sy voete die welbekende
geluidjie. By die stoep help hy sy ma die treedjies op. En as hulle
eers binne is, druk hy die wenende ou moeder aan sy hart.
En eindelik gee Paula, wat sterker is, haar ook oor aan haar
ontroering. Die hoof van die huis makeer, en op die drumpel van die
deur het sy seun hulle weer sy kragtige persoonlikheid te binne
gebring, sy vriendelike glimlag, sy vertroue.
En noudat hulle mekaar weer gevind het, smaak die drie, in ’n
mengeling van vreugde en smart, die hele inhoud van die menslike
lewe. . . .
In een en dieselfde eersteklas rytuig het plaas geneem die

famielie Delourens, mevrou Orlandi met haar dogter, en luitenant
Marthenay. Isabella sit in ’n hoekie en kon met moeite ’n plekkie
oophou vir haar „flirt,” Jan Berlier. Hy stap op die laaste oomblik in,
as die trein al in beweging is, en Isabella ontvang hom bra
onvriendelik:
—Bly maar liewers daar buite om al die mans hand te gee wat
verbykom.
Jan glimlag:
—Ek gee die dames ook hand.
Isabella bly op haar perdjie:
—Wat ’n vertoning het jy gemaak met al daardie Kiberts—dit was
belaglik.
Alida Delourens, wat ’n beskaafde inbors het, kry ’n rooi kleur,
maar sy durf nie teen Isabella opkom nie. Die jonkman laat hom nie
so gou uit die veld slaan nie. Hy het ’n manier om by sy flirtery ’n
spotagtige toon aan te neem, wat die meisie kwaad maak, maar
darem ook aantreklik is vir haar—so ’n mooi en vreeslik verwende
kind.
—Ja, dis waar, sê hy nadat die Kiberts drie jaar lank geskeie
gewees het in rou, en nou weer mekaar kry, het hulle so skoon
vergeet om te probeer of hulle nie vir jou aangenaam kan wees nie.
En selfs die mooi kaptein het jou nie eens aangekyk nie!
—Loop met jou mooi kaptein!
—Hy is kaalkop, sê luitenant Marthenay, wat ’n digte haarbos het,
net soos ’n borsel.
—Ja, sê Jan, hy het kaalkop geword in die kolonies; het hy liewers
tuisgebly en hier vredesoldaatjie gespeel, dan het hy vandag seker
nog baie hare gehad.
Isabella hou nog maar aan. Al sê sy dit nie, sy voel ’n afkeer teen
die vriende van Jan en val hulle aan—ja, sy weet nou nie meer waar
sy moet ophou nie:
—Maar hoor, daardie offisier het ’n spektakel van ’n ou moeder. Sy
was nog nooit in ’n komedie nie. Watter soort lewe moet sy dan wel
gely het?
Jan Berlier het eerbied vir mevrou Kibert, en word nou bitter:
—Sy het gedaan, juffertjie, wat jy nooit sal regkry nie: sy het vir
ander gelewe.
—Dis geen lewe nie.
—So, dink jy so? Ek glo dat sy meer gelewe het dan vir jou ooit
moontlik sal wees, al sou jy honderd jaar oud word.
—Verbeel jou! Ek daag enigeen uit om meer lewe te verlewe as
ek.
—Ja, jy is altyd in opwinding, maar dis nie dieselfde nie. Maar wat
is jy in staat om te doen?
En om nou ’n end te maak aan die prekery, laat die jonkman daar
met ’n lag op volg:
—Is jy selfs in staat om ’n huwelik te sluit uit liefde?
—Welseker nie! En sonder geld, nè? Nee, dankie, hoor! Om in
trane ’n stukkie droë brood te eet en linneklere te dra!
En sy laat haar mooi blinkende tande sien, skerp en vraatsugtig.
—Kom, sê Jan, troos jou nou maar en gee my jou hand.
Sy gee hom haar fyn hand, waarvan sy die handskoen uitgetrek
het. Hy maak of hy die hand met aandag beskou.
—Ek sien in die lyne van jou hand dat jy met ’n lelike veertigjarige
ou rykaard sal trou. Maar ná die huwelik sal sy ware geaardheid
uitkom, vrekkerige skraapsug. ’n Mens word altyd gestraf volgens
jou oortreding.
Op ’n grapperig-nadruklike preektoon het hy dit gesê, tot vermaak
van almal in die rytuig.
Die gesprek begin weer algemeen te word, en Isabella sê op
lughartige toon aan iemand wat regoor haar sit:
—Dit sal die ryk ou vrek dan wel berou, want ek sal hom fop!
—Deur met my te „flirt,” nè? sê Jan, laggend.
—Miskien met jou, ja. En sy bars daarby weer in ’n skaterlag uit en
laat haar mooi wit tande sien, wat so sterk is as dié van ’n jong hond;
en brutaalweg kyk sy daarby die jonkman aan, omdat hy haar geval.
Alida is heeltemal ontdaan deur die onbeskaamde woorde en
bloos vir haar metgesel. Dit duur nie lank of sy praat nie meer met
die ander nie; sy sit half in slaap en droom van die huwelik uit liefde,
waar Isabella nie van wil hoor nie, en waarvan sy die beeld aanskou
in verband met ’n seker ontmoeting van dié dag.
Mevrou Delourens dink en praat van die partytjies wat sy wil gee,
en sê aan iemand naas haar:
—Dit lyk of hy ’n held is. Ons sal hom dus vra om te kom.
En haar man knik mevrou Orlandi toe dat hy dit heeltemal goed
vind.
—Maar veral moet ’n mens sorg dat jou rus versekerd bly. Daarin
lê tog maar die hele geheim van die lewe. . . .
II.
BROER EN SUSTER.
Die vriendskap tussen broer en suster het iets sag-gemakliks en

eenvoudigs, wat dit heeltemal laat verskil van enige ander gevoel.
Vanself is so ’n vriendskap gevrywaar van die heftige
liefdesopwindinge en van die hartstogtelike opwellinge wat te
bedwelmend is om lank te duur. Maar dis tog onderskeie van
gewone vriendskap (soos tussen man en man of vrou en vrou) deur
iets bedeks, deur ’n beskeidenheid en teerheid wat uitgaan van die
vrou. Wat aan so ’n vriendskap nog meer iets aparts bysit, is die
wonderlike gemak waarmee die twee gelykdinkend en gelykvoelend
kan wees, deurdat hulle ’n gemeenskaplike oorsprong en kindsheid
gehad het; dit stel hulle in staat om reeds deur ’n halwe woord te
verstaan, op dieselfde oomblik aan iets terug te dink, en altyd weer,
by elke asemhaling die ou tuisplek se lug gewaar te word, ook uit die
verlede.
Die liefde selfs mis hierdie eienskap, en mag daar wel spyt van hê.
...
Soos hulle daar sit in die tuin van Maupas, in die tuinstoele, merk
Marcel en Paula met vreugde op—sonder te veel onnodige gepraat
—dat, solank as hulle so vér was van mekaar, hulle tog op dieselfde
manier deur die lewe geryp en gevorm was. Hulle voel wel anders as
eers, maar hulle voel tog nog eners.
—Ek voel so lekker hier, sê die jonkman, dat ek vandag niks wil
doen nie
Hy is maer. Hy het rus nodig.
Al is hy so gesond, hy het iets oorgehou van die oorlog in die
kolonies. Nou en dan kry hy nog koors, maar die aanvalle word
minder. Hy reken daarop om hier weer heeltemal te herstel.
Dis een van die kalm someragtermiddae dat ’n mens hom kan
verbeel die trilling van die lug te hoor. Geen windjie stryk daar langs
hul gesigte nie. Net die dun toppies van die lindebome word nou en
dan geroer deur ’n lui windjie wat die blaartjies laat fladder, sodat
beurtelings die donkergroen bokante en die liggroen onderkante
gesien word.
Op die ronde klip-tuintafel lê koerante en briewe deurmekaar.
Paula maak dié oop, want haar broer laat hulle maar lê:
—Die koerante praat nog maar altyd oor jou. Wil jy nie lees nie?
—Nee tog, asseblief nie! sê die kaptein.
—Hier is uitnodiginge, sê Paula weer; daar word ’n eetmaal gegee
tot jou eer. ’n Kaartjie vir die konsert in die stad. Barones Vittos
ontvang Dinsdags geselskap . . .
—Dit gaan my alles niks aan nie. Ek wil niemand sien, glad geen
een nie!
—Ja, jy is nou in die mode. Jy moet daar maar jou deel van neem.
Daar word inbreuk gemaak op jou vrye tyd. So wil die mense in jou
roem deel.
—Kyk, sussie, nou praat ons daar nie meer oor nie, hoor.
—Maar almal maak so. Roem is teenswoordig in die mode. Een
van die dae sal die famielie Delourens ons kom opsoek en nog
ander mense ook, wat ons tot nou toe nie gesien het nie van dat ons
die geld verloor het!
Haar gladde voorhoof, oorskadu deur haar swart hare, het van die
beproewingstyd af ’n plooitjie van bitterheid oorgehou.
In dié tyd is die geld ook verloor wat sy sou kry as sy sou trou, en
so is haar kanse op ’n huwelik ook verminder. Haar broers reken op
haar toewyding aan hul moeder op haar ou dag, net of sy maar altyd
haar eie lewe moet vergeet en tevergeefs die teer verlange na liefde
in haar hart moet voel opkom.
Marcel kyk haar lank aan. Met liefderyke eerbied bewonder hy
haar rank liggaamsbou, wat lenigheid aandui, en toekomstige krag,
haar gelaatskleur, waarvan die suiwerheid nog beter uitkom deur
haar swart klere, haar diepsinnig-sombere en tog sagte oë—oë van
’n vrou wat die lewe ken, wat daar stryd mee gevoer het en nie bang
is daarvoor nie—Hy sien haar in haar geheel soos sy is: ’n
bekoorlike maag, fier en deugsaam. Hoe sou dit kan wees dat
iemand haar nie eendag sal lief kry nie!
Langsaam, vashoudend aan die tralies en elke keer met albei
voete op ’n treedjie stappend, kom mevrou Kibert die stoep af na
haar kinders toe. Soos ’n najaarsblom wat ’n verlate tuin versier, so
verhelder ’n flou glimlaggie mevrou Kibert haar gesig vandat Marcel
terug is. Hy loop haar tegemoet en bring haar op ’n plekkie waar sy
in die koelte kan sit.
—Sit ma nou lekker so?
Die glimlag versprei hom oor haar hele gesig:
—My groot seun! Jy lyk tog so baie na hom.
Die jonkman se gelaat word ernstig toe hy sê:
—Dis nou al agtien maande dat hy ons verlaat het. O, die aand
daar vér in Madagaskar! Ek sal dit nooit vergeet nie. Ek het
rondgeloop om die kamp, ek het hom geroep, en het jul almal se
name genoem, ek het die dood naby my gevoel . . .
Ná ’n oomblik van diepe stilte sê mevrou Kibert weer:
—Agtien maande! Is dit moontlik! . . . . Ek het die maande tog
darem deurleef. En dit het ek aan hierdie een te danke. My liewe
kinders, so lank as ek nog leef, sal ek God dank vir die man wat Hy
my gegee het, en vir seuns en dogters soos myne!
Sy droog haar oë af en begin die droewige verhaal te doen wat
haar seun al lank verwag het:
—Die ongeluk van jul oom Markus was die begin van al ons
ellende. Ons was alte gelukkig, Marcel. Jou vader was die krag, die
vertroue, die arbeidsaamheid in persoon. Ná sy swaarste dae het hy
nog altyd vrolik tuisgekom. En julle het almal goed geslaag in jul
lewenswerk.
—Almal was jaloers op julle, sê Paula.
En haar broer, fier soos sy, voeg daarby:
—Dis beter om beny as bejammer te word.
Die ou vrou gaan aan:
—Dit het baie goed gegaan met jou oom se bank. Iemand wat àl
sy vertroue gehad het, het toe weggeloop met die papiere en die
geld. Die storm wat daarop gevolg het, kon hy in die eerste
oomblikke van verslaendheid nie weerstaan nie. Hy het homself van
sy lewe beroof. God gewe dat hy nog tyd gehad het vir berou! Jou
pa het dadelik daarnatoe gegaan, het alles oombliklik begryp. Alles
het hy toe betaal—kapitaal en rente—maar ons moes self die
grootste deel van ons fortuin afstaan. Maar Maupas het ons darem
tog gehou—dis famieliegoed.
—Ja, sê Marcel, Maupas is vir ons almal die lewende beeld van
ons kinderjare.
—Maar voor hy sy besittinge afgestaan het, sê mevrou Kibert
verder, het hy julle almal gevra om toe te stem.
—Ja, dit onthou ek nog goed, sê Marcel, die veldtog sou net
begin. Ek het in dié versoek van pa niks meer gesien as
oorbeleefdheid nie. Geldsake is my so vreemd en onverskillig.
—Ons het Paula ook gevra.
—Ons naam moes gered word en ons eer, sê Paula.
—Jou huweliksgeld moes ook afgegee word, my kind . . . . . Die
droewige lot van jou pa se broer was vir hom ’n sware slag. Sy
opgewektheid was weg vir altyd; maar sy ywer en werkkrag het hy
verdubbel. By die uitbreek van die koorssiekte het hy homself nie
genoeg gespaar nie. Laaste van almal, toe hy uitgeput was van
vermoeienis, het die siekte hom aangepak. Van die begin af het hy
gevoel dat hy verlore was, maar hy het daar niks van laat blyk nie.
Naderhand het ek hom begryp; Hy het self die gang van sy siekte
gevolg. Eendag sê hy aan my: Moenie ongerus wees nie: God sal
jou help. En het ek geantwoord: Ja, Hy sal ons help. Hy het toe geen
antwoord meer gegee nie. Sonder vrees het hy die dood afgewag.
Nog heeltemal by sy verstand het hy in ons arms gesterwe.
—Net ek was nie hier nie, sê Marcel.
—Etienne was by hom—hy was terug van Tonkin—, Frans, Paula,
en Louise Saudet, die verloofde van Etienne.
—En Margreta?
—Sy kon nie kom nie, sê mevrou Kibert sonder bitterheid, maar
nie sonder droefheid nie. Sy is te vér. Sy behoort aan God. Vandat
sy sendelinge is, het ons haar nie meer gesien nie.
Hulle is stil, en dink al drie aan die verlede. Rondom hulle, wat so
aan die dode dink, is alles lewe en lig. ’n Blaartjie, reeds deur die
son verskroeid, vroeë voorloper van die verre najaar, val langsaam
af van een van die bome, as gedra op die loue lug. Paula wys haar
broer daarop, en sê:
—Alreeds verlep!
In sy droefgeestige stemming sien Marcel daar ’n teken in.
—Hy het gewag vir die somer, ander vergaan al in die voorjaar.
Hy dink aan sy vroeg-gestorwe suster, Thérèse; hy dink aan
homself, wat al meer as eenkeer deur die dood genader is. Maar die
somber gedagte aan ’n voorteken skud hy van hom af, en sê:
—Of dit nou kort duur of lank, ons moet ons lewenstaak dapper ter
hand neem. So het pa gedoen. In plaas van my af te skrik, moedig
sy nagedagtenis my aan.
Mevrou Kibert vertel hom hoe Etienne toe weer terug is na Tonkin,
om sy werk daar weer aan te vat.
Marcel vra:
—En is Louise gewillig met hom meegegaan na die verre land?
—Louise is net so dapper as wat sy kalm is. Ag dae na hul huwelik
is hulle weg. Nou het hulle ’n seuntjie, wat ek nie ken nie, maar wat
ek liefhet.
Paula voeg daarby:
—Dit was ’n hele opskudding in Chamberie toe Louise getrou het.
Al die vrouens het Louise haar ma bekla: hoe kon sy tog haar dogter
so vér weg laat gaan? Hulle het haar beskuldig van onvergeeflike
koudhartigheid. Maar mevrou Saudet het gesien dat Louise gelukkig
was, en dit was vir haar genoeg. Al dié wat so baie gepraat het, dink
net aan hulself en aan hul eie gemoedsrus. Meneer Delourens sê
ook altyd: Voor alles moet ’n mens rustig wees.
Dit lyk somtyds of ’n losweg uitgesproke naam diegene aanbring
wat die naam dra. Sulke heeltemal toevallige gebeurtenisse het selfs
’n spreekwoord laat ontstaan. Voor die ope hek, in die laning van
kastaiingbome, hou ’n rytuig stil, en Paula sien dat dit die rytuig is
van die famielie Delourens.
—Hulle het al heeltemal nie meer na ons toe gekom nie, sê
mevrou Kibert, en haar gesig word rooi. Sy is ’n heldin in die lewe,
maar bangerig voor die mense.
—A, dis omdat ons ’n held hier het, sê Paula, om haar broer te
pla. Hul staan aldrie op en gaan die besoekers tegemoet. Mevrou
Delourens het die eerste afgeklim, en haar eerste woorde doel al op
die kaptein, want die eerste wat sy aan mevrou Kibert sê is:
—O, mevrou, hoe trots moet u tog wees op so ’n seun!
Mevrou Delourens is van adellike geboorte en vergeet dit nooit
nie; daardeur dink sy dat al sulke bemoeiinge, van haar kant, uit hoë
genade geskied, en selfs ’n soort van welwillende beskerming is van
alle verdienste en heldedade, wat eintlik alleen die voorreg van die
adel behoort te wees, maar waarvan die adel darem die eer kan
bemagtig deur daar maar baie lawaai oor te maak.
Heeltemal agter sy vrou verdwene, maak meneer Delourens ’n
bevestigende buiging sonder opgemerk te word. Van kop tot teen,
van hoed tot skoene, is hy in ’n grys pak gekleed. Instinkmatig het hy
ontdek dat so ’n kleur by iemand pas wat op die agtergrond staan.
Hy het ’n vreesagtige bewondering vir sy vrou, wat met hom getroud
is ondanks sy burgerlike afkoms, omdat hy ryk was; maar deur haar
houding teenoor hom laat sy hom altyddeur voel wat ’n opoffering dit
van haar kant was. Hy dank sy ydelheid en sy politieke opienies aan
hierdie huwelik, wat hom met diepe eerbied vervul vir die adellike
stand, waarvan hy ’n persoonlike voorstelling sien in sy mooi vrou,
groot en swaar van liggaam, met ferm, gebiedende gelaatstrekke en
’n gesagvoerende, selfs knorrige stem.
Alida is die laaste van almal van die rytuig afgestap. Sy dra ’n
ligblou rok, bekoorlik soos die fyn kleur wat die see smôrens vertoon;
die tint pas goed by haar gelaatskleur en verhoog nog die sagte
skoonheid daarvan. Sy kom nader met ’n bangerige bevalligheid,
wat aan haar skoonheid ’n aansien van swakkerigheid gee. Dadelik
kyk Marcel na niemand meer as na die jongnooi. Sonder dat dit hom
plesier doen, bedank hy vir die komplimentjies wat almal hom maak;
sy nederigheid en militêre eergevoel maak dit vir hom ondraaglik.
Sonder enige twyfel is hierdie besoek op hom gemunt—hy is
daarvan die beweegrede en doel. Die adellike mevrou Delourens
betoon wel enige beleefdheid, en selfs lieftalligheid, aan mevrou
Kibert en Paula, maar dis ’n hooghartige beleefdheid en ’n
neerbuigende lieftalligheid, wat deur die moeder nie raak gesien
word nie, dog wat nie ontsnap aan haar dogter nie, wat fyner sien en
die ou wêreld beter ken. Maar onophoudelik draai mevrou Delourens
haar na Marcel se kant toe, net of sy die jonge beroemdheid somaar
wil steel en wegneem in haar rytuig.
—Nou wel, jonkman, sê sy aan die end brutaalweg, u is nou al ’n
paar dae terug, maar ’n mens sien u nêrens nie. ’n Mens sou sê u
kruip weg. Dis tog nie u gewoonte nie. Die vyande weet dit wel goed.
Meneer Delourens het baie bewondering vir mense wat werkkrag
en moed besit, en wil die woorde van sy vrou krag bysit:
—O, maar dit was ’n swaar veldtog . . . . U het seker nie dikwels
rus gehad nie?
Paula bars amper uit van die lag. Almal is al so gewend aan
meneer Delourens se praatjie oor rus, dat hy al die bynaam het van
die Rustige Ridder—’n gelukkig gekose naam wat sy adellike
neiginge en sy liefde vir vreedsaamheid mooi saamvat.
Mevrou Delourens neem nou weer die woord:
—Al ons vriende wil graag met u kennis maak. My huis is vir u
oop, as u maar net wil kom.
En, net of sy meteens vir Paula sien, sê sy daarby:
—Natuurlik, met u suster.
Die suster moet ook maar by, omdat dit nie anders kan nie—dis
duidelik.
En dis Paula wat antwoord gee:
—Dank u, mevrou; maar ons is nog in die rou.
—Halwe rou. Na agtien maande mag jongmense al uitgaan, veral
agtermiddags.
En sy sê aan die jong offisier:
—Ons gaan Maandag na die stad om deel te neem aan die
blommefees. Gaan nou met ons saam. In die aand eet ons almal
saam. U sal daar vriende ontmoet: graaf Marthenay, luitenant Berlier,
u vriend van lank al. U weet sy huwelik met die mooie Isabella
Orlandi word nou bekend gemaak.
Sy vertel die leuen, so op die oomblik bedag, om die trotse Paula
te tref, wat haar planne so dwarsboom. Vrouens het ’n voorgevoel
(niemand weet hoe nie), wat ingegee word deur ’n begeerte om te
behaag sowel as om seer te maak—’n voorgevoel van die
geneëntheid wat daar bestaan tussen geeste en harte wat mekaar
soek en uitkies. Is daar nie vrouens wat tog so goed weet hoe om ’n
sukses te maak van ’n eetmaal, deur mense naas mekaar te plaas
aan tafel van wie hul veronderstel dat hul goed met mekaar sal
klaarkom nie? So gee hul selfs dikwels aanleiding tot toenadering.
Paula laat niks merk nie, dit sy dat sy betyds klaar was om haar te
beheers, dit sy dat die nuus haar heeltemal onverskillig is.
—Ons kan dus op u reken, nie waar nie? hou mevrou Delourens
aan, net of sy van Marcel self antwoord wil hê.
Alida kyk die jong offisier vriendelik aan met haar ligblou oë. Paula
het ook haar oog op hom. Hy lyk somber. Hy het goed gevat dat
mevrou Delourens hom wil aftrek van sy suster, en, gelei deur die
famieliegees wat dr. Kibert aan al sy kinders ingeprent het, weier
Marcel:
—Dank u, mevrou, my terugkoms lê nog te na aan ons droewige
herinneringe; ek wil liewer op Maupas bly.
Daar straal blydskap uit Paula haar swart oë, terwyl die lang
oogwimpers neerval oor die half geslote blou oë van Alida.
—Hy moet rus hê, sê mevrou Kibert.
Alida, nog altyd met haar oë op die grond gerig, bloos ’n bietjie,
terwyl sy sê:
—Dis u vader, meneer, wat my gesond gemaak het. Vroeër het u
ons dikwels opgesoek. Paula was my beste vriendin. Ons moenie
van mekaar vervreem nie.
As sy eindelik haar hemelblou oë opslaan, ontmoet sy die blik van
Marcel, en sy glimlag. Dan bloos sy weer: haar bloed volg die
geheime roeringe van haar hart.
—Seker sal hulle u kom sien, juffrou, sê mevrou Kibert, ’n bietjie
verwonderd oor Paula se teenstribbeling.
—Waarom juffrou gesê? U het my vroeër altyd Alida genoem.
—Dis lank gelede: u was toe nog klein.
—Ag, ek is nog maar ’n bietjie klein.
Mevrou Delourens kan dit nie reg verkrop dat sy so uit die veld
geslaan is nie. Sy dink aan die naam wat sy met haar partytjies sal
maak. As sy hierdie held van Madagaskar kan beetkry, dan kan sy
haar teenstander, barones Vittos, ’n mooi vlieg afvang, want
laasgenoemde spog nou met ’n ontdekkingsreisiger wat sy in die
hande gekry het.
Ja, sy het Jan Berlier goed verstaan; die jong kaptein het ’n
skitterende verlede. Aan sy vasberadenheid en moed is dit
grotendeels te danke dat die oorlog in Madagaskar ’n sukses was.
Aldag word nog van hom gepraat. Hy het die erekruis ontvang en
nog meer erkenningstekens van sy verdienste. Hy is dus net
uitgeknip om tot pronk van die ydelheid te dien. En ’n strydlustige
vrou soos mevrou Delourens het aan so ’n held meer as aan ’n
letterkundige of wetenskaplike beroemdheid. En daarby is die
teenwoordigheid van die jong kaptein by haar huis nodig om graaf
Marthenay ’n bietjie bang te maak, want hy is tog alte stadig om
Alida ten huwelik te vra.
—Ek glo nog nie dat u weier nie, sê sy aan die jonkman, terwyl sy
klaarmaak om te vertrek, ons verwag u in die stad by die
blommefees. Sy verander werktuiglik haar manier van praat toe sy
mevrou Kibert groet, en sê, op ’n soet-salwende toon wat heeltemal
in stryd is met haar aard:
—Ag, al die moeders beny u, mevrou!
Alida is oordadig vriendelik by haar afskeid van Paula, wat haar
nog maar ewe koel hou. Die rytuig is al lank die hek uit toe Marcel
nog altyd na die ope hek staan en kyk. Hy is so in gedagtes verlore
dat hy nie merk hoe sy suster hom staan en aankyk met liefderyke
droefgeestigheid nie.
—Waaraan dink jy tog? vra sy.
Hy keer hom na haar kant toe met ’n half swaarmoedige
glimlaggie, net of hy hom skuldig voel aan ’n swakheid.
—Ons gaan tog eendag by hulle kuier, nie waar nie?
Hy is ’n bietjie verwonderd oor die uitwerking van sy vraag, want
Paula haar gesig betrek en haar oë is neergeslae:
—Jy het alreeds nie genoeg aan ons nie, sê sy saggies.
Oombliklik oorwin sy haar, en sê met vaster stem:
—Wat my betref, ek gaan nie. Hulle het my nie gevra nie.
—Maar seker, sê Marcel.
—Ja, ja, soos ’n handjievol op die koop toe! Mevrou Delourens het
my dit goed laat voel.
—Paula, ou sus, jy weet ek gaan nie sonder jou nie.
—Nou kom, ons gaan glad nie. Laat ons hier bly. Ma en ek is so
bly dat jy hier is by ons; ons wil jou vir ons hou. Die huis was so lank
stil en onder ’n wolk. Maar jou aankoms het ’n sonnetjie daarin
gebring.
—Ja, my kind, sê mevrou Kibert, bly tog maar by ons.
Marcel se voorhoof lyk somber. Hy hou daar nie van dat sy vryheid
aan bande gelê word nie, en hy verdra dit sleg selfs van dié wat hy
die liefste het. Bowenal is hy ontevrede met homself. Hy het
teruggekom met die vaste besluit om hom in Maupas af te sonder,
om die lug van sy ou tuis in te asem tot hy daar genoeg van sou hê,
om te lewe in die herinnering van dié wat oorlede is, en om ook sy
moeder en suster ’n bietjie op te vrolik—en kyk, die besoek van
daardie noointjie was genoeg om al sy planne te bederwe, om sy
trots en sy wil te breek.
Ondanks hul mooi-praat bly hy stil. Paula kan die somber
stemming van haar broer nie lank verdra nie:
—Nou kyk, sê sy, jy gaan alleen daarnatoe; ek kan nie gaan nie;
ek het nie klere nie.
Sy antwoord is maar alte gou klaar en toon aan hoe erg hy op die
besoek gesteld is:
—Ek sal vir jou ’n rok bestel, ou sus: ek het nog geld.
—Jy het ons reeds gehelp, sê mevrou Kibert, en liefderyk kyk sy
haar seun aan, net of sy nog nie heeltemal gewend is om hom so
naby haar te sien nie.
Laat in die aand, terwyl mevrou Kibert met stadige stappies
rondgaan om, soos al dae, te kyk of die huis goed toe is, sien Paula
vir Marcel weer in gedagtes verlore staan, in die voorkamer; sy
nader hom en lê haar hand saggies op sy skouer:
—Jy staan nou te dink aan mooi Alida? Sy sê dit op so ’n
vriendelike manier, dat hy glimlag:
—Nee, sê hy, en verloën so sy swakheid. Maar dadelik erken hy
dit deur te sê:
—Maar sy is darem regtig mooi. Hou jy van haar?
—Ons het saam skoolgegaan, soos jy weet. Sy is ’n bietjie ouer as
ek; sy het my altyd liefgehad soos ’n ouer suster, want sy is
sagaardig, onderdanig, bangerig: sy laat liewer iemand anders
voorgaan as dat sy dit self doen.
—Vir ’n vrou is dit mooi, sê hy.
Paula lê haar hand op haar broer se voorhoof en sê:
—Alida is nie ’n vrou vir jou nie.
Sy antwoord is vinnig:
—Ek het daar nog nooit aan gedink om met haar te trou nie.
Maar Paula ken sy gedagtes:
—Sy het geen moed nie. En dan, sy behoort nie tot ons kring nie.
—Nie tot ons kring nie? Omdat die famielie Delourens meer geld
het as ons? Gelukkig bepaal die rykdom hier nog nie ’n mens se
maatskaplike standpunt nie!
Paula het spyt dat sy hom ’n bietjie kwaad gemaak het.
—Dit wou ek ook nie sê nie. Dié mense neem die lewe anders op
as ons. Hulle maak daar ’n vertoning van en verwar bogterige dinge
met sake van belang. Ek kan my nie duidelik maak nie, maar dit was
nie my plan om jou kwaad te maak nie.
—Jy wil vir my preek oor die wêreld; voordat jy dit self ken, wil jy
daaroor oordeel!
Geraak deur die kwetsende toon van sy stem, draai Paula haar
om, en stort nou al die bitterheid uit wat in haar jong hart is.
—Dink jy waarlik dat ek nie onderskeid kan sien tussen ’n gryns
en ’n glimlag, en leuentaal nie kan onderskei nie? Daardie mense
verafsku ons en sou ons éénkant wil laat lê. Maar hulle haal jou aan
om hul ydelheid te voed; en vir ma en my stoot hul opsy, omdat ons
maar arme vroumense is. Alida is toegewys aan ’n seker graaf
Marthenay en is nie vir jou bestemd nie.
As die laaste woorde nie gespreek was nie, sou Paula se
uitstorting, so vol verontwaardiging, seker uitwerking gehad het. Wat
Paula so ronduit gesê het, voel Marcel self al, hoewel minder
duidelik. Sy trots en die liefde wat hy voel vir sy moeder en suster,
sou hom teruggehou het. Maar Paula se laaste woorde het alles
oorstem wat sy die eerste gesê het. Die gedagte alleen dat hierdie
voorkamer-offisiertjie in sy pad gegooi word as ’n teenstander, seker
van oorwinning, wakker meteens sy veglus aan, sy behoefte om
baas te wees en te heers. Hy is al jaloers voordat hy bemin.
III.
DIE BLOMMEFEES.
—Daar kom hulle! Daar kom hulle! sê Jan Berlier, en hy wys na

die bo-end van die baan.
—Daar kom hulle, sê ook Isabella Orlandi, en sy klap haar hande.
Die rytuie, met blomme opgemaak, kom aan om verby te gaan
voor die tribunes wat beset is met ’n skaar van mooi aangeklede
mense. Die toeskouers trappel van geesdrif toe hul die rytuie sien
aankom en maak meteen allerhande beweginge soos ’n klomp
gekke of ’n werksame bye-swerm, neem die mandjies vol blomme
aan van die blommeverkopers wat verbygaan en sit dit voor hulle
neer; dis hul ammuniesie; en as inleiding op die komende slag, laat
hul uitroepe van opgewondenheid hoor, soos soldate maak voor ’n
aanval.
In die helder sonlig, van vér, lyk die naderende rytuie net soos
opmekaarvolgende helder lig-vlekke, met oral tussenin uitskietende
blitsies van die blinkende tuie en wiele. Hulle kom nader. Dit lyk soos
’n skitterend-ryke oosterse optog.
Voor op die groot tribune het die famielie Delourens en hul
uitgenooide vriende plaasgeneem: Jan Berlier naas Isabella, Marcel
Kibert tussen mevrou Delourens en Alida. Paula wou nie met haar
broer meegekom het nie, en Marcel staan swygend voor die
kleurryke skouspel en sien in sy verbeelding twee bedroefde
vrouegesigte; hy verlang na die stille vrede van Maupas en begin die
inwendige vernederinge te voel wat die liefde meebring.
Die musikante begin dansmusiek te speel. Op die ligte tone,
verlore in uitroepe en gelag, begin die blommeslag.
Op die grasperke oorkant hardloop die mense toe wat wil
deelneem en nie te laat wil kom nie, en dis daar ’n lewendige
geharwar van kleurige rokke en sambreeltjies.
Die voorste van die optog is kinders, en die eerste bossies
blomme word na hulle gegooi. Hulle is self bekoorlike blommetjies
van die menslike lewe.
Met sierlik bedwonge gang volg die rytuie mekaar op, en
langsaam verbygaande kry ieder sy beurt om deel te neem aan die
aangename stryd. Die bevalligste wat die aarde besit, is in die rytuie
aanwesig; vroueskoonheid en blommegeur. Die siel van die
beroofde blomtuine leef nog in hierdie bewegende tuine. Rytuie van
allerhande soort en fatsoen verdwyn onder ’n blommereën van
duisende helder kleure. En die jongnooiens in die rytuie glimlag vol
vertroue, wetende dat hulle die skoonste en verleidelikste blomme
van almal is.
—Ere aan die blomme! Ere aan die blomme! roep al die mense vol
geesdrif.
Isabella Orlandi en Jan Berlier het in uitgelate vrolikheid met hul
blomme gegooi tot hul mandjies leeg is.
Alida Delourens het ’n pers rok aan, opgemaak met wit kant—dit
verhoog nog haar dromerige bevalligheid. Naas haar voel Marcel
Kibert hoe sy standvastigheid langsamerhand padgee en sy
droefgeestigheid verdwyn. So baie kleure en geure oorrompel en
bedwelm hom. Hy sien nog net blomme op sy toekomstige
lewensweg. Nou en dan kom daar herinneringe in hom op aan
skooltonele uit sy kindsheid, en tot sy spyt moet hy ondervind dat sy
gehegtheid daaraan hom ontval, hoe hy ook al teenstribbel. Maar
hoe kan hy nog by die verlede stilstaan as die teenwoordige so veel
aantrekliks het? Met die gevoel van triestigheid wat die ontluikende
liefde kenmerk, kyk hy na die blanke hals van die jongmeisie, wat
vooroor buie om te kan sien of haar sleggemikte blombossies hul
doel tref.
Alida kyk nou om na hom: sy spraakloosheid druk haar; en net
een opslag van haar hemelblou oë is genoeg om sy gedagtes te
verhelder. Sy wys hom, met haar fyn handjie, op die mandjie wat al
leeg begin te word.
—Daar is nog blomme. Waarom gooi jy nie?
Sy bloos by die eenvoudige woorde, en die oordrewe verleëntheid
maak haar nog mooier.
Daar kom ’n rytuig aan met offisiere in uniform. Luitenant
Marthenay—’n bietjie dikkerig van postuur, omdat sy eerste jeug al
verby is—is die enigste wat regop staan in die rytuig. In sy hand hou
hy ’n bossie duur en seldsame blomme. Dit lyk of hy na iemand soek
op die tribunes. Hy sien nou vir Alida, en glimlaggend en langsaam
mik hy sy gooi na haar toe. Die brutale manier om die aandag van
almal op die jongnooi te vestig, is vir Marcel te veel: hy buk skielik na
Alida haar mandjie, en met snelle beraad val hy die eerste aan op sy
teenstander. Die doel was mooi berekend, maar nie die krag van die
gooi nie. Hy raak die offisiertjie hard in die middel van sy
glimlaggende gesig. Heeltemal uit die veld geslaan laat
laasgenoemde die kosbare blomme somar op die grond val.
Kwaadaardig kyk hy rond tussen die mense op die tribune, en sien
net vir Isabella Orlandi, wat haar hande klap en uitroep:
—Goed geraak! Die skerpskutters bo!
Jan Berlier juig haar toe: die uitbundige vrolikheid is vir hom mooi.
Luitenant Marthenay steur hom nie aan hulle spotterny nie. Naas
Alida, ’n bietjie na agter toe, sien hy eindelik die baasagtige en
minagtende gesig van Marcel Kibert. Hy is nog vol kwaadaardigheid
en nyd as die rytuig met hom en die ander offisiere weer aanry en
weggaan.
Elke keer as hy weer verbykom voor die famielie Delourens en hul
geselskap, sien hy hoe Alida heeltemal vergeet om deel te neem
aan die slag, en net staan en gesels met sy teenstander; en sy lyk
heeltemal van gedaante verander, vol aandag, opgefleur. En elke
keer het Isabella en haar vryer ’n ondeunde plesier daarin om hom in
sy waarneming te steur deur hom aanhoudend met blomme te
bombardeer.
Die mense begin nou genoeg van die fees te kry, en die geveg
verflou.
Die aand begin al te daal op die vlakte. Tere tinte, ’n mengeling
van rose kleur, violet, pers en goud, verdof die gesigseinder soos ’n

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Economics 10th Edition Slavin Test

Multiple Choice Questions

2. Each of the following is a basic economic role of the government except

3. The federal budget is prepared and passed by

5. Which statement is true?

6. The largest source of federal tax revenue comes from

7. Each of the following is an indirect tax except the _____ tax.

8. Which statement is true?

9. Most poor families pay _____ federal personal income tax.

11. The key agency in the preparation of the president's budget is

14. Which statement is false?

15. Which statement is true?

18. Which statement is true?

23. The Social Security tax is

25. Most excise taxes are

26. Which statement is false?

27. A wage earner making $10,000 pays

28. Which statement is false?

29. The federal government's fiscal year is _____ months long.

30. Which statement is true?

32. The corporate income tax is

33. In 1980 the top marginal tax rate was

35. Each of the following is a goal of the federal government except

36. The sales tax

37. The federal government spends

42. A tax on _____ would be the least regressive.

47. In a progressive tax structure,

48. Which of the following is a transfer payment?

49. The money that pays Social Security benefits is raised by

52. Excise taxes are

53. Which of the following is NOT an example of a transfer payment?

54. Statement I: The federal corporate income tax is a direct tax.

Statement II: The Social Security tax is a regressive tax.

55. An excise tax on cigarettes is ________ and _______.

56. Statement I: Most taxes are proportional, in effect.

57. Which of the following statements is true?

58. With respect to local finance, it is correct to say that

63. An example of a tax that is generally regarded to be progressive is

70. Which of the following would not be a government transfer expenditure?

78. If Mr. Perot faces a 90 percent marginal tax rate,

79. The second largest source of federal revenue is

80. Under a progressive income tax, as income increases

82. Which statement is the most accurate?

84. Statement I: Most taxes are proportional in effect.

Statement II: A tax that is nominally regressive will be regressive in effect.

85. The tax shown in the graph above is

86. In 2009, _____________ of Americans owed no federal income taxes.

89. For a progressive tax the

91. Social Security benefits are funded by

98. "Taxable income" is

100. The marginal tax rate is calculated by dividing

102. The average tax rate is calculated by dividing

103. Which of the following schedules represent(s) a progressive tax?

104. Under a proportional income tax, the average tax rate

105. Which statement is true?

108. Under a progressive income tax, the average tax rate

109. The tax represented here is

55. An excise tax on cigarettes is __ and _.