In a typical survey, who is more likely to support the use of military force?
a. Germans
b. the French
c. Russians
d. Italians
e. Americans
Which of the following statements regarding turnout of the youth vote (those under
thirty) in 2008 is correct?
a. It was the highest in any election since 1972.
b. It was the lowest in any election since 1972.
c. It increased for the third consecutive election and was fairly high.
d. It increased for the third consecutive election but remained fairly low.
e. It remained about the same as it had over the last three elections.
If you wished to study the real leadership office in the Senate, you would most likely
focus on the
a. president pro tempore.
b. majority leader.
c. party whip.
d. chairperson of the Policy Committee.
e. chairperson of the Judiciary Committee.
Soft money is money that is obtained by
a. political parties.
b. incumbents.
c. challengers.
d. party leaders.
e. party leaders’ PACs.
Richard F. Fenno described this paradox about Congress.
a. The lack of power in Congress when it comes to budget
b. The lack of support for Congress, but the presence of strong support among the
public for congressional actions
c. The public disapproving of Congress, but on average, approving of their
representatives and senators
d. The strong power of Congress in foreign affairs.
e. None of the above is true.
When Congress passed laws (in 1798) to punish newspaper editors who published
stories critical of the federal government, these two political leaders suggested in the
Virginia and Kentucky resolutions that the states had the right to nullify a federal law
that, in the state’s opinion, violated the Constitution.
a. James Madison and Thomas Jefferson
b. John Adams and Alexander Hamilton
c. John Dickinson and George Clinton
d. Samuel Adams and John Hancock
e. John Jay and John Marshall
A 2006 study found that the highest number of unfunded mandates concerned
a. intrastate commerce.
b. the Internet.
c. civil rights.
d. the environment.
e. education policy.
The sociologist __________ argued that American democracy is dominated by a small
“power elite.”
a. C. Wright Mills
b. Karl Marx
c. David B. Truman
d. Max Weber
e. Samuel P. Huntington
The executive agency in charge of economic forecasting and preparing the president’s
annual economic report to Congress is the
a. Council of Economic Advisers.
b. Treasury Department.
c. Office of Management and Budget.
d. Federal Reserve Board (Fed).
e. National Security Agency.
When researchers compare how identical twins (who are genetically the same) think
about politics with how fraternal twins (who share only half of their genes) think about
politics, they found
a. that both groups held similar political opinions.
b. fraternal twins held similar political opinions to one another, compared to identical
twins.
c. identical twins are much more likely to have similar political views than fraternal
twins.
d. the partisan view of the parents make up more than genes.
e. None of the above is true.
There are more than __________ local governments in the United States.
a. 875,000
b. 87,500
c. 8,750
d. 875
e. None of the above
The historical reference to a “wall of separation” between religion and the state can be
found in
a. the Bill of Rights.
b. a series of debates in the First Congress.
c. the writings of Thomas Jefferson.
d. twentieth-century Supreme Court decisions.
e. the Federalist papers.
The citizens of ________ do not agree that success in life is determined by forces
outside an individual’s control.
a. the United States
b. Canada
c. Britain
d. France
e. Germany
Which of the following allows national governments the right to alter or even abolish
local government?
a. A constitutional government
b. Federalism
c. A unitary system
d. Socialism
e. A confederation
Cleavages in public opinion are more common in the United States than in many other
countries because the United States
a. has a socially diverse population.
b. is a relatively classless society.
c. has a high degree of religious freedom.
d. places a high value on social equality.
e. is more protective of freedom of press.
Today, only about __________ of American workers are covered by unions.
a. 12 percent
b. 25 percent
c. 35 percent
d. 45 percent
e. 55 percent
Of the following, which is an example of a select committee?
a. Aging
b. Ethics
c. Indian Affairs
d. Options A, B, C, and D are true.
e. None of the above is true.
Which groups of people were referred to as “red-diaper babies” by commentators in the
1960s?
a. College radicals who were the children of radicals
b. Republicans whose parents were communists
c. Democrats who opposed the use of force in all circumstances
d. High school students who supported the war in Vietnam
e. Newspaper editors who were critical of Richard Nixon
Which of the following statements regarding cap and trade is incorrect?
a. It passed in the House of Representatives.
b. It was similar to requirements imposed by the Kyoto Treaty.
c. Liberals argues it was not an effective way to reduce pollution.
d. Conservatives argued that it called for unrealistic decreases in carbon dioxide.
e. The Senate failed to pass the legislation by a single vote.
A policy in which one small group benefits and another small group pays.
a. Interest group politics
b. Majoritarian politics
c. Client politics
d. Entrepreneurial politics
e. Logrolling politics
Which statement bestdescribes the tax burden in the United States?
a. It is lower than it is in most other democratic nations.
b. It is about the same as it is in most other democratic nations.
c. It is slightly higher than it is in most other democratic nations.
d. It is much higher than it is in most other democratic nations.
e. It has fluctuated considerably, but just about always remained higher than in most
other democratic nations.
Which of the following statements concerning the enormous expansion of the scope and
goals of the federal government is incorrect?
a. It has not been random or unguided.
b. Power has been enlarged in some directions more than others.
c. Certain goals have been served more frequently than others.
d. The selection of goals has been shaped by our political culture.
e. None of the above is true.
Although early studies of American public opinion and voting found low information
levels, they also found that Americans were pretty good at
a. working the system to get the policies that they desired.
b. contacting candidates on a regular basis.
c. discussing complex political issues.
d. employing cues to select policies, parties, and candidates that most nearly reflected
their values and interests.
e. explaining the workings of government and major currents in law.
If one examines the education, gender, race, and social origins of the federal civil
service as a whole,
a. it is clear that females are overrepresented.
b. it is clear that there are more minorities than whites.
c. it is clear that no attempt has been made to make it look anything like a cross section
of American society.
d. it looks very much like a cross section of American society.
e. it is clear that wealth is a prerequisite for employment.
In the Old System, discussed by the text, a new federal proposal was debated based on
a. legitimacy.
b. transparency.
c. duplication.
d. effectiveness.
e. justiciability.
Which amendment was passed so a citizen could not sue a state in federal court?
a. Ninth Amendment
b. Tenth Amendment
c. Eleventh Amendment
d. Thirteenth Amendment
e. Sixteenth Amendment
This Founding Father stated that, “We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists”?
a. Washington
b. Adams
c. Jefferson
d. Madison
e. Hamilton
The text suggests that Americans have a “preoccupation” with
a. law.
b. rights.
c. order.
d. conflict.
e. commerce.
One bureaucratic pathology described by the text is imperialism, meaning the tendency
of agencies to
a. work at cross purposes with one another.
b. spend more than is necessary to buy some product or service.
c. grow, irrespective of the benefits and costs of their programs.
d. generate complex and sometimes conflicting rules.
e. complicate matters that are better left to commonsense solutions.
One unintended consequence of the Supreme Court’s heavy caseload is an increase in
the influence wielded by
a. the chief justice.
b. associate justices.
c. the attorney general.
d. the deputy attorney general.
e. law clerks.
Scholars refer to a period when a major, lasting shift occurs in the popular coalition
supporting one or both parties as
a. a critical election or realignment period.
b. a transitional phase.
c. an era of discontent.
d. an era of good feelings.
e. a period of nonpartisanship.
The Bush administration held that those who were captured in Afghanistan and detained
in military bases at Guantnamo are
a. citizens.
b. soldiers.
c. unlawful combatants.
d. diplomats.
e. spokesmen.
If you, as a private individual, are grievously harmed by the statements of someone who
can also prove that the statements are true, you
a. can sue that person for libel.
b. can collect damages if you demonstrate malice.
c. cannot collect damages from that person.
d. can collect for slander, but not for libel.
e. can collect for libel, but not for slander.
When U.S. Nazis sought to parade in Skokie, Illinois, where many Jews lived, the
courts
a. found them a clear and present danger.
b. upheld their right to parade peacefully.
c. refused to rule one way or another.
d. allowed the police full discretion.
e. allowed their arrests and convictions.
When a district is drawn in a bizarre or unusual shape to assist a candidate, it is
a. malapportioned.
b. reapportioned.
c. regressed.
d. gerrymandered.
e. disbarred.
The text says, “Devolution did not become a revolution.” Explain.
Findings from social science studies on the impact of segregation on black children
influenced the Supreme Court’s ruling in Brown.
The disengagement view of foreign policy resulted from the experience of the younger
foreign policy elite that came to power in the 1970s.
Discuss how presidential candidates have to fundraise more today than in the past. Be
sure to reference the 2012 election.
The National Security Act of 1947 created the Department of Defense.
In the 1930s, newspaper reporters broke the story that President Franklin Roosevelt was
having anaffair.
Discuss the tools that Congress has to influence the economy.
The Supreme Court has not ruled on the constitutional significance of signing
statements.
Compare the competing views of federalism held by Hamilton and Jefferson.
The phrase revolving door refers to interest-group contributions to congressional
candidates.
Congress was very supportive of Franklin Roosevelt’s court-packing plan.
What are some formal mechanisms that some state constitutions employ in order to
incorporate direct democracy into the governmental process?
Great Britain had national systems of old-age pensions, health insurance, and
unemployment insurance long before the United States did.
Explain how the environmental movement was created by entrepreneurial politics.
To qualify for the presidency, an individual must be a natural born citizen and 40 years
old.
Describe the various ways that members of Congress cast their votes.
Solidary incentives are the sense of pleasure, status, or companionship that arises out of
meeting together in small groups.
The tendency to “rally “round the flag” helped Reagan when he invaded Grenada, but
not Clinton when he sent troops to Bosnia or launched bombing attacks on Iraq.
Americans say they don”t like divided government.