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Segregation in southern states during the early 1900s was legislated and institutionalized, and not all acts of discrimination were as obvious as housing, economic disparities, etc. Segregation in reality, as it is sometimes called, is known legally as A.de jure […]

Constitutional powers that are shared by both the federal and state governments are called A.enumerated powers. B.reserved powers. C.concurrent powers. D.moderate powers. E.constituent powers. Television was available to consumers by the mid-1930s, but when did it become widely adopted as […]

Individual income tax with a rate that increases as the amount of income gets larger is a(n) A.regressive tax. B.progressive tax. C.tax credit. D.income tax surcharge. E.income penalty. One disadvantage of federalism is the lack of accountability. Why would this […]

If someone’s two-year-old son enthusiastically says, “Obama! Change!” whenever he sees Barack Obama on television, his response is a result of A.values acquiescence. B.public opinion. C.deliberative democracy. D.political socialization. E.social capital. How many presidents have voluntarily resigned? A.none B.one C.two […]

The president may refuse to act upon or sign a bill with which he/she is opposed. If Congress passes a bill and sends it to the president within 10 days of the end of a congressional session and the president […]

Which of the following is NOT a duty or responsibility of the Speaker of the House? A.appointing all committee members B.acting as arbiter and interpreter of House rules C.recognizing members who speak in the House D.assigning bills to committees for […]

In very limited cases, the courts may impose a limit on publication before certain material has actually been published, based on the argument that the material will be libelous if published. This order not to publish is called A.judicial censorship. […]

The Fourth Amendment has had a very strong impact on the American legal system and has been a source of many Supreme Court rulings. The Fourth Amendment deals with A.the right to bear arms. B.the right to peaceably assemble and […]

Through what structure or organization did the 13 British colonies in America cooperate with each other prior to the American Revolutionary War? A.The colonies worked together as a single legislative entity under the British crown. B.Several individual colonies, especially those […]

According to John Locke, a primary function of government is to A.protect private property. B.promote human rights. C.produce employment opportunities. D.prevent poverty. E.provide economic equality. Which of the following was NOT a provision of the 1973 War Powers Resolution? A.The […]

Which event helped shape the political climate for dual federalism? A.Revolutionary War B.Civil War C.The Great Depression D.World War I E.Cold War Through as late as the first half of the twentieth century, voter turnout for African American citizens was […]

The Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution are commonly referred to as A.the middle amendments. B.the Civil War amendments. C.the Bill of Rights. D.the Southern amendments. E.the franchise. The media is a powerful avenue for expression of […]

The federal government frequently enacts legislative directives that require the states to perform regulatory tasks at their own expense. These laws are often referred to as A.conditional legislation. B.unrestrained regulation. C.unfunded mandates. D.load sharing. E.accountability. In the United States a […]

Why did the Literary Digest fail to accurately predict the outcome of the 1936 presidential election? A.biased question wording B.self-selection C.a small sample size D.under-sampling of wealthy voters E.over reliance on scientific principles and under-reliance on common sense Approximately ________ […]

Thomas Paine is credited with irrevocably turning the tide of popular support toward the cause of American independence with publication of his 1776 booklet entitled A.War and Peace. B.Of Mice and Men. C.The Pilgrim’s Progress. D.Common Sense. E.On Liberty. The […]

Every four years, the major parties nominate their presidential candidates through A.party platforms. B.ballot initiatives. C.national conventions. D.conference committees. E.election committees. The concept of strict constructionism requires that the Constitution A.may be changed by the formal amendment process and not […]

The end of the Cold War brought an end to direct tensions between the two superpowers. In its place arose an initiative characterized by conflicts in Third World countries, a war on terrorism, and threats of nuclear attack from rogue […]

During the administrations of the first president, George Washington, and the second president, John Adams, A.Supreme Court rulings had a tremendously negative effect on presidential and other federal powers. B.state governments willingly surrendered powers to the federal government as recognition […]

How many senators represent the District of Columbia in the U.S. Senate? A.none B.one C.two D.three E.five Thomas Jefferson helped to create the Democratic-Republican Party in the 1790s. He criticized then-President George Washington as A.being weak on illegal immigration. B.being […]

Which of the following terms best describes Hobbes’ image of society without government? A.peaceful B.stable C.harmonious D.nefarious E.all of the above David Baldus studied the death penalty and its impact on minorities in the early 1990s. What was the most […]

The term “laissez-faire” refers to an economic doctrine that was popular in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The French term literally means A.”remove the government.” B.”the government is the father.” C.”tax cut.” D.”leave us alone.” E.”life is a circus.” Which […]

Which of the following would NOT be included in a list of “new media”? A.cell phones B.DVDs C.fax machines D.cable television E.magazines If a young child is asked to identify a photograph of the current President of the United States, […]

The administration of President George W. Bush advocated a significant change in the management of the social security trust fund in 2000, and again in 2005. What was his recommendation at both times? A.that Social Security taxes be doubled to […]

Following the Reconstruction era many southern states legislated restrictions on voter eligibility that were designed to have a negative effect on voting powers for African Americans. Which of the following was NOT one these restrictions? A.documentation of ownership of property […]

The first woman to be speaker of the U.S. House is A.Shirley Chisholm. B.Kay Bailey Hutchinson. C.Nancy Pelosi. D.Olympia Snow. E.Dianne Feinstein. What is the purpose of the Federal Communication Commission’s “equal time rule”? A.It mandates the amount of time […]

A state law that grants a local government the authority to provide public services, enact and enforce regulations, and raise revenue to support its operations is called a(n) A.charter. B.referendum. C.local adoption. D.appropriation. E.initiative. Which of the following is NOT […]

Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978) was a Supreme Court case that A.created affirmative action quotas for all medical schools. B.rejected the outright use of racial quotas in college admissions but allowed race to be used as […]

________ theorized that deficit spending by a government could supplement the total demand for goods and services and help maintain high levels of spending, production, and employment. A.Franklin D. Roosevelt B.John Maynard Keynes C.Milton Friedman D.Adam Smith E.John Locke Which […]

Political scientist V.O. Key argued that voters behave about as rationally and responsibly as we should expect. His rationale was A.that political leaders are to blame because they don”t rationally discuss the issues or provide a framework for voters to […]

The target of the complaint, who normally responds to the complaint with a formal written defense prior to appearing formally in court, is called the A.recipient. B.plaintiff. C.defendant. D.counsel. E.adjudicated party. What is isolationism? A.The reluctance to become involved in […]

Different methods of achieving civil rights have been advocated over the years. Booker T. Washington was one of the most prominent African American leaders in the decades immediately following the emancipation of slaves. Washington opposed confrontation with the white power […]

Most cases that come before the U.S. Supreme Court are discretionary, meaning the Court chooses to hear the case. They are “called up” from the lower courts using a legal process referred to as A.writ of habeas corpus. B.writ of […]

Which of the following demographic groups is most likely to consistently vote in elections? A.young adults under 25 years old B.men in general C.women in general D.racial minorities E.men and women of retirement age Throughout American history, how many times […]

What is the relationship of cities and towns to the state governments? A.Local governmental bodies are completely autonomous and function independently. B.State governments must approve all budgets and ordinances of local governments. C.While local governments have some autonomy, they are […]

In recent decades many federal judges have been accused of “legislating from the bench” by departing from judicial precedent in favor of social policies that they favored. Critics, who complain that such action circumvents the legislative function, refer to this […]

Which term was coined to describe the low cost of distributing newspapers in the early 1800s? A.cheap news B.abundant return C.fluid news D.cost dissemination E.the “penny press” In the case of Barron v. Baltimore (1833)a private citizen attempted to apply […]

When one private party contests another and the lawsuit or action is brought before a judge in a court of law, the process is referred to collectively as A.prosecution. B.indictment. C.litigation. D.appeal. E.civil discourse. __________ includes codes of behavior related […]

In presidential elections the winner is often a strong enough candidate that his success has positive results for his party all the way to the various state and local races. This phenomenon is called the A.coattail effect. B.trickle-down theory. C.subordinate […]