COMPARATIVE GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS QUIZ

United States: Political Culture and Society

INSTRUCTIONS: Read and answer the following items carefully. Shade the letter of the
correct answer in your ZipGrade answer sheet.
The quiz that you are about to take is TEXT-DEPENDENT, meaning the items are
constructed based from the readings that have been provided and assigned to you. Specifically,
the main text is Cases in Comparative Politics by O’Neil, Fields and Share

1. Which country has the world's largest c. 45%

national economy, second only to the d. 50%
combined economies of the European
5. Where does the U.S. economy rank in
Union?
terms of global economic freedom
a. China according to studies?
b. United States
a. Top 10
c. Japan
b. Top 20
d. India
c. Top 50
2. What percentage of the world's d. Top 100
economic output does the United States
6. Which administration deregulated
contribute with less than 5% of the global
many sectors of the U.S. economy in the
population?
1980s?
a. 10%
a. Bush
b. 20%
b. Obama
c. 30%
c. Clinton
d. 40%
d. Reagan
3. During which decade did the United
7. What is a notable characteristic of the
States enjoy the longest period of
U.S. welfare system in terms of benefits
sustained economic growth in its history?
distribution?
a. 1960s
a. Focused on the wealthy
b. 1970s
b. Publicly funded
c. 1980s
c. Supported by direct state expenditures
d. 1990s
d. Relies heavily on tax breaks
4. What is the approximate percentage of
8. Which president saw the size of the U.S.
GDP spent by the U.S. state?
state grow rapidly, primarily due to
a. 20% military spending?
b. 35%

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a. George Bush c. Fluctuated widely
b. Bill Clinton d. Increased significantly
c. Ronald Reagan
14. What has been a major source of
d. Barack Obama
funding for the U.S. budget deficit?
9. What is a major challenge the United
a. Increased taxation
States faces in the twenty-first century
b. Foreign borrowing
related to economic issues?
c. Reduced defense spending
a. Decreasing inflation rates d. Lower social expenditures
b. Growing inequality
15. Which president signed the North
c. Reduced taxation
American Free Trade Agreement
d. Increased social welfare spending
(NAFTA)?
10. Which measure of inequality has
a. George Bush
dramatically increased in the United
b. Bill Clinton
States over the past two decades?
c. Ronald Reagan
a. Gini index d. Barack Obama
b. Unemployment rate
16. How have Democrats viewed NAFTA
c. GDP per capita
in terms of its impact on the U.S.
d. Poverty rate
economy?
11. Approximately what percentage of the
a. Cause of job losses
U.S. population lives below the poverty
b. Economic stimulant
line?
c. Trade booster
a. 5% d. Poverty reducer
b. 10%
17. What has both political parties
c. 15%
frequently pointed to as a cause of
d. 20%
American economic woes?
12. What is one of the greatest challenges
a. European Union
to reducing inequality in the United
b. China
States?
c. Russia
a. Economic growth d. India
b. Military spending
18. What challenges does globalization
c. Racial divisions
pose to the U.S. economy?
d. Globalization
a. Reduced international trade
13. How has the budget deficit in the
b. Increased job opportunities
United States grown over the past two
c. Economic decline
decades?
d. Enhanced economic growth
a. Decreased steadily
b. Stayed constant

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19. How have both Democrats and 20. In what ways might global economic
Republicans generally viewed world difficulties affect the United States?
trade?
a. Increase in social expenditures
a. Restrictive b. Reduction in taxation
b. Protectionist c. Growth in poverty
c. Freer d. Impact on economic relations
d. Isolationist

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Answer Key
1. b. United States
2. b. 20%
3. d. 1990s
4. b. 35%
5. a. Top 10
6. d. Reagan
7. d. Relies heavily on tax breaks
8. a. George Bush
9. b. Growing inequality
10. a. Gini index
11. d. 20%
12. c. Racial divisions
13. d. Increased significantly
14. b. Foreign borrowing
15. b. Bill Clinton
16. a. Cause of job losses
17. b. China
18. c. Economic decline
19. c. Freer
20. d. Impact on economic relations

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