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| 1 | Signs that the media was losing its liberal bias were apparent in the 1980s, Fred Barnes explains, as indicated by all of the following except |
 | A) | a pro-Reagan outlook. |
| B) | extensive financial news coverage. |
| C) | an emphasis on traditional family values. |
| D) | the rise of conservative columnists. |
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| 2 | In order to explain President Bush’s re-election, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. notes, political pundits cited the |
| A) | current economic boom. |
| B) | rise in religious fundamentalism. |
| C) | successes in foreign policy. |
| D) | rising U.S. reputation abroad. |
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| 3 | Consumerism, some sociologists argue, has a profound psychological impact on people as it can have a significant impact on their sense of: |
| A) | security. |
| B) | comfort. |
| C) | belonging. |
| D) | self-esteem. |
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| 4 | Gary Gutting, argues that capitalism is necessary, because no other economic system: |
| A) | offers a level playing field for all participants. |
| B) | can produce sufficient goods to meet essential material needs. |
| C) | allows for a comprehensive taxation system to meet the needs of government. |
| D) | facilitates the establishment of international treaties. |
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| 5 | Aaron Smith, who believes that social media has largely positive impacts on its users, reports that the major reason given by the majority of people responding to a survey for using social media was: |
| A) | connecting with old friends. |
| B) | staying in touch with current friends. |
| C) | making new friends. |
| D) | finding potential romantic or dating partners. |
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| 6 | Janna Quitney Anderson and Lee Rainie, who do not believe that social media has largely positive impacts on its users, report on a survey of technology experts who were asked to imagine the potential impact of technology on the young by the year: |
| A) | 2020. |
| B) | 2050. |
| C) | 2075. |
| D) | 2100. |
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| 7 | From the mid-twentieth century, the rate of divorce in the United States climbed steadily before leveling off in the 1990s, largely because: |
| A) | religious beliefs declined along the same time period and were then revived. |
| B) | social expectations began changing to include divorce as a natural outcome of some marriages. |
| C) | divorces became easier to obtain beginning in the 1950s. |
| D) | the children raised by divorced parents were far less likely to get divorced themselves. |
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| 8 | According to Isabel V. Sawhill, the sharpest recent declines in marriage rates for both blacks and whites can be seen among: |
| A) | the least educated in both groups. |
| B) | those who were raised by single parents. |
| C) | college-educated liberals. |
| D) | the long-term unemployed. |
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| 9 | One key reason why married women increasingly enter or stay in the workforce is that: |
| A) | they enjoy the challenges of a career. |
| B) | divorce rates are high and they desire financial security. |
| C) | they do not feel life as a stay-at-home wife and mother is fulfilling. |
| D) | purchasing a home often requires two incomes. |
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| 10 | The greatest increase in higher education for women in recent decades can be seen in advanced degrees in: |
| A) | education. |
| B) | law. |
| C) | business. |
| D) | engineering. |
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| 11 | In general, polls show that a large majority of Americans believe that homosexuals should have equal rights with heterosexuals with regard to: |
| A) | military service. |
| B) | federal benefits. |
| C) | job opportunities. |
| D) | marriage and relationships. |
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| 12 | According to Peter Sprigg, Social Security survivors’ benefits were originally intended to assist: |
| A) | elderly homeowners. |
| B) | stay-at-home mothers. |
| C) | surviving spouses. |
| D) | orphaned children. |
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| 13 | In suggesting that the United States establish a flat tax for personal income, former Republican presidential candidate Steve Forbes argued that while the rich would pay less tax than they do under current law, the entire economy would improve because the wealthy would then: |
| A) | spend more on personal acquisitions and services. |
| B) | hire more household and child care help. |
| C) | devote some of the saved money to philanthropic endeavors. |
| D) | shift their money into productive investments. |
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| 14 | The commitment to political equality in the United States is stronger in principle than in practice because the political system is tilted in favor of: |
| A) | candidates who come from wealthy or well-connected backgrounds. |
| B) | special interest groups. |
| C) | campaign advisors and media outlets. |
| D) | incumbent politicians and their appointees. |
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| 15 | Alvin Poussaint, who believes that America is moving toward a post-racial society, was once a script consultant for |
| A) | Sanford and Son. |
| B) | The Jeffersons. |
| C) | The Cosby Show. |
| D) | All in the Family. |
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| 16 | Lawrence D. Bobo, who does not believe that America is moving toward a post-racial society, notes that March 7, 1965, known as Bloody Sunday, led to the |
| A) | march from Selma to Montgomery. |
| B) | Woolworth’s lunch counter sit-in by students in Greensboro, North Carolina. |
| C) | bombing of a Baptist church in Birmingham, Alabama. |
| D) | Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott. |
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| 17 | Both Lips and Shackleton agree that |
| A) | the gender wage gap has decreased over the past 25 years. |
| B) | the gender wage gap has remained the same over the past 25 years. |
| C) | there is still a gender wage gap today. |
| D) | the gender wage gap has become nominal. |
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| 18 | Shackleton suggests that the primary explanation for the gender wage gap is differences in |
| A) | levels of education. |
| B) | employer discrimination. |
| C) | perceived value of work performed. |
| D) | employee’s choices. |
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| 19 | After the U.S. Civil War, the People’s Party, also known as the Populists, were motivated by the all of the following except |
| A) | government corruption. |
| B) | industrial monopolies. |
| C) | increasing immigration. |
| D) | economic hardship for western farmers. |
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| 20 | A frequently cited example of the negative aspect of minority rule used by pluralists is the |
| A) | write-in political candidate. |
| B) | Senate filibuster. |
| C) | union strike. |
| D) | appeal to the Supreme Court. |
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| 21 | According to Jerry Z. Muller, if left unaddressed, rising inequality and economic insecurity can eventually lead to: |
| A) | political volatility. |
| B) | a populist backlash against the capitalist system at large. |
| C) | the dissolution of families as the center of national life. |
| D) | violent political protests. |
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| 22 | Within the top 10 leading companies in terms of innovation identified by FastCompany, as put forth by Chris Berg, all but two of them were: |
| A) | involved in manufacturing. |
| B) | in the services industry. |
| C) | primarily focused on financial services. |
| D) | involved in the digital sector. |
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| 23 | Joshua Holland, who believes that stimulus is the best way to get America back on its feet, quotes Paul Krugman’s assertion that income inequality marches hand in hand with: |
| A) | the growth of protest movements. |
| B) | government austerity programs. |
| C) | greater need for social safety-net programs. |
| D) | political polarization. |
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| 24 | Dwight R. Lee, who does not believe that stimulus is the best way to get America back on its feet, says that the problem with Keynesian economics is that it is focused almost entirely on short-run, demand-side concerns while almost entirely ignoring the long-run importance of: |
| A) | economic productivity. |
| B) | supply-side trickle-down benefits. |
| C) | political support. |
| D) | trade imbalances. |
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| 25 | David Coates, who believes that welfare reform has benefited the poor, points out that the earliest welfare state in the modern world was developed in |
| A) | France. |
| B) | Italy. |
| C) | Germany. |
| D) | Canada. |
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| 26 | Stephanie Mencimer, who does not believe that welfare reform has benefited the poor, maintains that the welfare system today is |
| A) | dying a quiet death. |
| B) | still the polarizing, racially tinged political issue it was when Ronald Reagan attacked “welfare queens.” |
| C) | on the verge of a revolution. |
| D) | showing signs of rejuvenation. |
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| 27 | The main feature of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act is: |
| A) | standards-based education. |
| B) | a federally-established curriculum. |
| C) | teacher mentoring. |
| D) | scholarships for successful students. |
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| 28 | Jal Mehta argues that U.S. education suffers from a system that is too hierarchical and is based on teachers with too little training because their jobs are seen as: |
| A) | only temporary. |
| B) | inexpensive. |
| C) | fairly simple. |
| D) | based mainly on innate talent. |
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| 29 | The members of the President’s Council on Bioethics, who believe that biotechnology should be used to alter and enhance humans, note that at first glance, a memory-altering drug would seem ideally suited for the prevention of: |
| A) | post-traumatic stress disorder. |
| B) | combat fatigue. |
| C) | schizophreniform disorder. |
| D) | delusional recall. |
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| 30 | At the end of Goethe’s Faust tale, Faust finds a moment of perfect contentment and happiness in: |
| A) | contemplating his wealth. |
| B) | imagining his own death. |
| C) | helping others. |
| D) | enjoying the company of friends. |
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| 31 | The word “crime” entered the English language from Old French, when it was identified with: |
| A) | evil. |
| B) | victimhood. |
| C) | witchcraft. |
| D) | sinfulness. |
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| 32 | For most Americans today, the word “crime” is synonymous with: |
| A) | violence. |
| B) | gangs. |
| C) | street crime. |
| D) | politics. |
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| 33 | There are several variations of the definition of legalization of drugs. Kleber and Califano argue that legalization policy proposals are: |
| A) | establishing an open and free market for drugs. |
| B) | making drugs legal for the adult population, but illegal for minors. |
| C) | having only the government produce and sell drugs. |
| D) | barring any private market in drugs. |
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| 34 | Jacob Sullum describes a recently published book Marijuana Legalization by four established drug-policy specialists, in which the authors imply that the war on marijuana is: |
| A) | an important health-policy practice. |
| B) | largely a matter of taste. |
| C) | fundamentally a moral issue. |
| D) | a substitute for addressing more pressing social concerns. |
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| 35 | Brian Michael Jenkins, who believes we are headed toward a nuclear 9/11, asserts that terrorism has increasingly become |
| A) | the subject to avoid in high places. |
| B) | an effective strategic weapon. |
| C) | a media favorite. |
| D) | “uninteresting” news. |
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| 36 | Graham Allison, who does not believe we are headed toward a nuclear 9/11, makes a case for the creation of |
| A) | a network of bomb-proof underground shelters. |
| B) | a global alliance against nuclear terrorism. |
| C) | an international military team trained in catastrophic first response. |
| D) | an alliance of Western scientists for the development of anti-nuclear systems. |
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| 37 | Robert Lynch and Patrick Oakford maintain that, within five years of immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship, currently undocumented immigrants would see their earnings rise by: |
| A) | 5 percent. |
| B) | 10 percent. |
| C) | 25 percent. |
| D) | 25 percent. |
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| 38 | Steven A. Camarota, who does not believe that immigration benefits the economy, want people to understand that an increase in the size of the economy: |
| A) | is not, by itself, a benefit to the entire population. |
| B) | benefits everyone in the population, to varying degrees. |
| C) | would have to represent extraordinary growth before any benefit would be appreciable. |
| D) | is a purely subjective concept. |
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| 39 | In the 1960s, much of the literature on socioeconomic development was premised on the assumption of inevitable material progress for all and generally presumed that there would never be a problem with the availability of: |
| A) | fresh, potable water. |
| B) | arable land. |
| C) | medications and healthcare for all. |
| D) | raw material resources. |
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| 40 | Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring addressed the impact of the indiscriminate use of pesticides on: |
| A) | human health. |
| B) | the bird population. |
| C) | small mammals and rodents. |
| D) | butterflies. |
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| 41 | The core principle of globalization, according to the IMF staff, is the |
| A) | protection of intellectual property. |
| B) | free exchange of ideas and culture. |
| C) | unhindered exchange of international goods and services. |
| D) | commitment of governments to greater openness and transparency. |
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| 42 | The push to reduce trade barriers after World War II was an effort by nations to |
| A) | prevent future wars. |
| B) | undertake the massive reconstruction effort needed after the war. |
| C) | share new technologies for the good of humanity. |
| D) | enable their corporations to become multinational institutions. |
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| 43 | Joseph E. Stiglitz, who believes that government should intervene in a capitalist economy, makes the simple statement that information is |
| A) | cheap. |
| B) | a public good. |
| C) | overrated. |
| D) | a rare commodity. |
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| 44 | Walter Williams, who does not believe that government should intervene in a capitalist economy, maintains that most of what America’s Founders understood as legitimate powers of the federal government are enumerated in |
| A) | Article 3 of the Articles of Confederation. |
| B) | the Bill of Rights. |
| C) | the Declaration of Independence. |
| D) | Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution. |