GOVT 350 Reading Quizzes
Quiz 1:
Prompt: In Chapter 1 of his book, Richards discusses the alleged communism of the early church in Acts 4. Explain the differences between what the early church did in distributing “to each as any had need” (v. 35) and communism. A good answer will normally have 200 words or more.
Quiz 2:
Prompt: The Food and Drug Administration’s regulations require that new drugs be subjected to a costly testing process by the administration to determine if they are safe and effective, before releasing the drugs to the public. Describe the opportunity costs of this drug testing. Could the FDA policy be hurting more people than it helps? A good answer will normally have 200 or more words.
Quiz 3:
Prompt: Many people are upset about payday lenders, check advance providers, and other lenders who charge very high interest rates for small loans. What would happen if governments limited interest rates on loans? Use what you have learned from the readings on price controls (e.g., Miller et al. chs. 10, 13) in your answer. Good answers will normally be 200 words or more.
Quiz 4:
Prompt: Chapter 31 in Miller et al. discusses trade restrictions. 1) If protectionist policies are so expensive, why do politicians often support them? 2) Can you think of any reasons you would support restrictions on imports?
Quiz 5:
Prompt: In chapter 6 of Money, Greed, and God, Richards discusses the concern with usury. Christian scholars in the early and medieval church thought that charging interest was sinful. How, according to Richards, did changes in banking and finance eventually become reflected in the church’s stance on usury? Does Richards think it’s wrong to charge interest? Explain.
Quiz 6:
Prompt: Choose a government intervention on an environmental issue, perhaps one from the readings from last week, and discuss whether the intervention is making matters better or worse.