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The modern Republican Party was founded when the issue of ______ divided both
existing political parties.
a. income taxation
b. export taxation
c. slavery
d. the stagnant domestic economy
e. government response to public health issues
Which of the following statements about the early Republican Party is false?
a. Thomas Jefferson initially led it.
b. It favored a strong national government.
c. Artisans and farmers supported the party.
d. It was a staunch advocate of states' rights.
e. When it was in office, its members acquired the Louisiana Territory and established a
national bank.
Authoritarianism differs from totalitarianism in that
a. freedom of speech is allowed.
b. the leaders may be voted out of office.
c. it is considered a legitimate form of government.
d. only the government itself is fully controlled by the ruler.
e. all aspects of political, social, and economic life are controlled by the ruler.
The "speech or debate" clause in Article I, Section 6, of the Constitution means that a
member of Congress
a. may make any allegations in connection with official duties and normally not be sued
for defamation.
b. cannot be arrested for misdemeanors while Congress is in session.
c. must agree to public debates with announced opponents during the campaign.
d. cannot engage in foreign diplomacy without the approval of the administration.
e. cannot be served with parking tickets issued within the District of Columbia.
Politics is
a. the struggle over power or influence within organizations or informal groups.
b. becoming an increasingly low-stakes game.
c. a type of antisocial behavior by individuals.
d. fundamentally irrelevant.
e. the equitable distribution of power among organizations or informal groups.
All of the following statements about public-interest groups are true EXCEPT
a. a variety of lobbying organizations have been formed "in the public interest."
b. the best-known and perhaps most effective public-interest groups are those founded
under the leadership of consumer activist Ralph Nader.
c. public-interest groups work for issues that will benefit only the narrow interests of a
particular group.
d. public-interest groups are concerned with the overall community.
e. conservative public-interest groups have formed in response to Nader organizations.
Legitimacy in government is
a. the condition of having no government.
b. only applicable to democratic governments.
c. popular acceptance of the right and power of a government or other entity to exercise
authority.
d. only needed in times of emergency.
e. useful to control immigration.
The supremacy clause of the Constitution means that
a. the original Constitution is superior to any amendment.
b. the original states have a superior status when dealing with states created after 1789.
c. states cannot use their powers to thwart national policies.
d. Congress cannot pass legislation that would violate state laws or constitutions.
e. treaties with foreign governments cannot overturn state laws.
Policy implementation is
a. concerned with how policies are carried out by bureaucrats, the courts, police, and
individual citizens.
b. the process of making the media aware of an issue.
c. the discussion of proposals between governmental officials and the public.
d. concerned with a specific strategy for a proposal.
e. a study conducted to see what happens after a policy is first established.
In the pluralist view, politics is
a. only useful for the wealthy in society.
b. the struggle among groups to gain benefits for their members.
c. insignificant at the lower levels of government.
d. marked by the division of society into two great classes.
e. the major problem in modern society.
Which of the following best describes political trust?
a. People identifying themselves as Democrats, Republicans, or independents
b. Degree to which individuals express trust in political institutions
c. Everyone having the right to vote
d. People's thinking about somethings.
e. Huge majority of Americans demanding the nation do something about a given issue
The Social Security payroll tax can best be described as a
a. state tax.
b. victimless tax.
c. excise tax.
d. regressive tax.
e. progressive tax.
All of the following developments took place in the colonial period EXCEPT
a. the colonists developed a concept of limited government.
b. the colonists exercised a large measure of self-government.
c. the colonists passed the Pennsylvania Frame of Government, which foreshadowed
our modern Constitution.
d. Louisiana was established as the last of the thirteen colonies.
e. the colonists acquired crucial political experience.
Which of the following happens when the president signs a bill?
a. He or she cannot include any instructions as to how to administer the law.
b. He or she is exercising the right to a pocket veto.
c. It goes back to the Senate for ratification.
d. It goes back to Congress, which has ten days to modify it.
e. It becomes law.
Which of the following statements best generalizes United States foreign policy during
the 1800s?
a. The United States mostly stayed out of European conflicts and politics, but pursued
an expansionist policy in the Western Hemisphere.
b. The United States expanded around the globe.
c. The United States intervened in Europe, but stayed isolated from the Western
Hemisphere.
d. The United States acted completely isolationist.
e. The United States did not engage in any wars in the 1800s.
Slander is
a. an attempt to do bodily harm.
b. the public uttering of a false statement that harms the good reputation of another.
c. printed material that cannot be proven true.
d. a law that prohibits the public from making negative statements about elected
officials.
e. a criminal offense.
The necessary and proper clause
a. has provided the basis for an expanded role of the national government.
b. has greatly expanded the presidential powers.
c. was in the original Constitution, but was eliminated as a consequence of the
Twenty-Seventh Amendment.
d. has served to limit the expansion of national authority.
e. is located in the Constitution in the text of the Tenth Amendment.
Americans are most likely to call for the benefits of big government when they are
a. uneducated.
b. experiencing low levels of unemployment.
c. concerned about their perception abroad.
d. experiencing an economic upturn.
e. reacting to a crisis.
Expanded authority of the national government has traditionally been preferred by
a. liberals.
b. conservatives.
c. libertarians.
d. social conservatives.
e. southern conservatives.
A poll tax was used to
a. prevent northern immigrants from moving to the South and voting in local elections.
b. determine who was intelligent enough to vote.
c. exclude poor African Americans, as well as poor whites, from voting.
d. force individuals to buy property in order to be eligible to vote.
e. raise funds for voter registration among the minority community.
The process of electing members of Congress is
a. conducted at the national level by the federal government.
b. conducted at the local level by municipal governments.
c. decentralized and conducted by individual state governments.
d. not subject to any national statutes.
e. not mentioned anywhere in the Constitution.
The Australian ballot is best described as a
a. secret ballot prepared, distributed, and tabulated by government officials at public
expense.
b. color-coded ballot made by the political parties to show poll watchers who a voter is
voting for.
c. ballot manufactured in Geneva, Switzerland.
d. voice vote, in lieu of a secret ballot.
e. ballot used by the Democratic Party only.
In the context of civil rights, ______ is the transportation of public school students from
areas where they live to schools in other areas.
a. educational exchange
b. busing
c. de jure segregation
d. de facto segregation
e. redistricting
Which of the following Cabinet departments is not headed by a Secretary of that
department?
a. Defense.
b. State.
c. Justice.
d. Treasury.
e. Interior.
The generational effect in politics refers to
a. the way in which political socialization produces opinions.
b. the increased tension between the two major political parties.
c. the tendency for persons to become more conservative as they grow older.
d. the long-lasting effect of the events of a particular time on the political opinions of
those who came of age at that time.
e. the way in which the family influences voting.
Which types of interest groups are defined as economic interest groups?
a. Business, labor, and public-interest groups
b. Labor, agriculture, and single-issue groups.
c. Business, labor, and professional organizations.
d. Business, labor, and foreign governments.
e. Professionals, agriculture, and foreign governments.
In 2012, total campaign spending for ______ reached $2.6 billion.
a. the presidential candidates alone
b. the presidential and congressional candidates
c. all national and state candidates for office combined
d. all national, state, and local candidates for office combined
e. the candidates for governor of California
Who was the youngest person to be elected president of the United States?
a. John F. Kennedy
b. George W. Bush
c. Theodore Roosevelt
d. Ronald Reagan
e. Abraham Lincoln
The Government in the Sunshine Act required that
a. all federal agencies headed by committees hold their meetings regularly in public
session.
b. all federal agencies terminate after five years unless Congress grants the agency an
extension.
c. all federal agencies hold at least half of their public meeting outside of Washington,
D.C.
d. at least forty percent of upper level positions within an agency be filled by females or
ethnic minorities.
e. all federal agency meetings on personnel problems or court proceedings be held in
public session.
All of the following is widely considered to be an informal method of amending the
Constitution EXCEPT
a. Supreme Court decisions.
b. Congressional legislation.
c. Presidential action.
d. interpretation, custom, and usage.
e. the formal amendment process.
Standing to sue is
a. determined by whether or not a court has jurisdiction over the matter.
b. determined by whether or not the Supreme Court will hear a case.
c. determined by whether or not a person or group has suffered a harm or has been
threatened harm as a result of the action that led to the dispute in question.
d. the decorum that is expected in dealing with the Supreme Court during trial.
e. also known as stare decisis.
With regard to candidates for office, all of the following are true EXCEPT
a. until recently, women were considered to be appropriate candidates only for
lower-level offices.
b. today, only 35 percent of Americans say they would vote for a qualified woman for
president.
c. most candidates are white and male.
d. the number of women running for office is increasing.
e. candidates are likely to be professionals.
The difference between the percentage of women who vote for a particular candidate
and the percentage of men who vote for the candidate is called
a. the feminization of politics.
b. political socialization.
c. the ideology spectrum.
d. an opinion poll.
e. the gender gap.
Although larger than any other federal department, the Department of Defense
a. declined in size after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.
b. declined in size after the end of World War II.
c. significantly increased in size with the election of Barack Obama.
d. significantly increased in size after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
e. declined significantly in size after the withdrawal of troops from Iraq in 2011.
Which of the following best describes patronage?
a. The practice of rewarding faithful party workers and followers with government
employment and contracts
b. Putting family members in government jobs
c. Committing to voting for something in exchange for a favorable vote in return
d. Equal opportunity without regard to race, creed, gender, national origin, or sexual
orientation
e. Giving people a reason to do something
Describe health care's role in the American economy, including recent trends in
coverage and costs.
Answer:Students' answers may vary.
Explain how and where a bill can be stopped in the legislative process.
Answer:Students' answers may vary.
Contrast the various economic interest groups that exist in the nation. Does one group
(or groups) stand a better chance of success than others to succeed in influencing public
policy? Why or why not?
Answer:Students' answers may vary.
Identify and describe the different types of committees and their functions, and assess
their function in the lawmaking process.
Answer:Students' answers may vary.
Describe the budget cycle.
Answer:Students' answers may vary.
Describe the effects of the Civil War on states' rights and the size of the national
government.
Answer:Student's answers may vary.
Explain the roles played by the members of the House and Senate leadership.
Answer:Students' answers may vary.
In what ways have women been discriminated against in the workplace? What court
rulings or legislation have tried to address this discrimination?
Answer:Students' answers may vary.
Explain the goals of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and
the Civil Rights Act of 1968. Have these goals been realized?
Answer:Students' answers may vary.
When conducting a public opinion poll, what things must be taken into consideration
and what problems might there be? What measures help ensure accurate results?
Answer:Students' answers may vary.
Should federal judges be elected, as in other branches of the Federal Government? Why
or why not?
Answer:Students' answers may vary.
How can the continued existence of a representative democracy be guaranteed?
Answer:Students' answers may vary.
Examine the president's role as chief diplomat.
Answer:Students' answers may vary.
Describe the manner(s) in which Congress attempts to control the bureaucracy.
Answer:Students' answers may vary.
Explain the difference between loose and tight monetary policy, and describe when they
would be appropriate policy options.
Answer:Students' answers may vary.
