The rights to collect taxes, to spend, and to regulate commerce are
a. powers that have only recently been granted to Congress.
b. powers reserved exclusively for the states.
c. powers reserved for the president.
d. the most important domestic powers of Congress.
e. the most important foreign policy powers of Congress.
Redistricting is
a. the allocation of seats in the House to each state after each census.
b. the redrawing of district boundaries within each state.
c. a court order to hold new elections because of voting irregularities.
d. altering a legislative formula that apportions spending among the states.
e. an illegal method used by parties to gain political advantage.
In order for the President to veto a law, he
a. must propose an alternative bill to Congress.
b. cannot veto again until ten days have passed.
c. must have the approval of the leadership of both houses of Congress.
d. must return the bill to Congress with a veto message.
e. does it free of being overridden by Congress.
As chief executive, the president is constitutionally bound to
a. enforce the acts of Congress, treaties signed by the United Staes, and judgments of
federal courts.
b. submit a balanced budget to Congress.
c. engage in preemptive military action.
d. oversee actions of state governments.
e. honor pronouncements of the United Nations.
Which Presidential power or duty is most likely to give the president tremendous public
exposure, which can be an important asset in a campaign for reelection?
a. Chief oversight officer
b. Chief legislator
c. Independent status
d. Head of state
e. Resident of the White House
The colonists’ fury over taxation reached its peak over
a. the French and Indian War.
b. the repeal of the Stamp Act.
c. the passage of the Pennsylvania Charter of Privileges.
d. the Boston Tea Party.
e. the Mayflower Compact.
Which of the following is true regarding political socialization?
a. Older Americans tend to be more liberal than younger Americans.
b. The experience of marriage and raising a family has a measurable liberalizing effect.
c. A more important factor than age is the impact of momentous political events that
shape the political attitudes of an entire generation.
d. Voters who grew up during the Great Depression were likely to form lifelong
attachments to the Republican Party.
e. The years of economic prosperity under Ronald Reagan in the 1980s led many young
people to identify with the Democratic Party.
During its first term, the Roberts Court
a. accepted few controversial cases for review.
b. accepted many controversial cases for review.
c. began a leftward drift.
d. struck down a federal law banning partial-birth abortion.
e. struck down the use of lethal injection as an execution method.
Ratification of the Constitution was to occur when it was approved by
a. the thirteen state legislatures.
b. nine out of thirteen states.
c. the thirteen state legislatures and two-thirds of Congress.
d. popular vote in nine states.
e. popular vote in all thirteen states.
The “surge” in April 2007
a. was probably perpetrated by Iraqi Kurds.
b. greatly increased the number of casualties among coalition troops.
c. killed Saddam Hussein.
d. was a major turning point in the insurgency in Iraq.
e. ended the war in Iraq.
The federal system in the United States occurred because of
a. disputes involving freedom of religion.
b. consensus that unitary government threatens liberty.
c. unitary failure.
d. a series of compromises.
e. copying the continental European political model.
According to the Constitution, impeachment
a. cannot be used against an incumbent president.
b. can only be applied to a president who has committed treason.
c. can only be used against a president who has committed a violation of criminal law.
d. charges are voted on by the House of Representatives and, if approved, go to the
Senate for a trial.
e. has been used against only one president.
Agency capture is when
a. an agency takes over an industry.
b. the industry that is being regulated gains control over the agency that is supposed to
regulate it.
c. the agency completely ignores an industry that it is supposed to regulate.
d. the agency abolishes a private corporation and merges it with itself.
e. pork-barrel spending occurs.
The most common occupational background of Supreme Court justices at the time of
their appointment has been
a. U.S. attorney general.
b. U.S. senator.
c. professors of law.
d. federal executive posts.
e. private legal practice or state or federal judgeship.
Which of the following best describes the President’s appointment power?
a. The President has executive power to enforce the laws.
b. The President appoints cabinet and subcabinet jobs, federal judgeships, agency
heads, and several thousand lesser jobs.
c. The President can veto laws.
d. The President can terminate appointments with a three-quarter Congressional
approval.
e. The President can receive ambassadors or other foreign officials.
Most interest groups form to represent __________ interests.
a. economic
b. agricultural
c. foreign
d. environmental
e. professional
The Brown decision applied to
a. public and private schools.
b. public schools and public buses.
c. public schools and interstate railways.
d. public schools and government offices.
e. only public schools.
When or why were primary elections were first mandated?
a. Primary elections were mandated by President Andrew Jackson.
b. Primary elections were conducted to eliminate the practice of “beauty contests.”
c. Primary elections strengthen the influence of party bosses.
d. Primary elections started in 1968 in Chicago.
e. Primary elections started in 1904 in Wisconsin.
A nonviolent, public refusal to obey allegedly unjust laws is called
a. pacifism.
b. civil disobedience.
c. criminal disobedience.
d. defensible criminality.
e. taking the moral high ground.
The Virginia Plan
a. called for a bicameral legislature.
b. worked to the advantage of small states.
c. provided for the direct election of a president by the people.
d. settled all controversy at the Constitutional Convention.
e. lacked the creation of a national judiciary.
Provisions of the Fifteenth Amendment
a. outlaw slavery.
b. provide equal protection under the law.
c. make it illegal to deny housing to citizens of any race.
d. state that the right to vote shall not be abridged on account of race.
e. say that the right to vote shall not be abridged on account of gender.
A majority vote means the support of
a. two-thirds of the voters.
b. more voters than any other alternative.
c. three-fifths of the voters.
d. more than 50 percent of the voters.
e. the voters from the major ethnic group.
After the Speaker of the House, the next person in the line of succession to the
presidency is the
a. Senate president pro tempore.
b. Secretary of State.
c. Chief of Staff.
d. Attorney General.
e. Secretary of Homeland Security.
Which of the following factors BEST influenced the taxation of the British colonies
after 1763?
a. The coronation of King George III
b. The establishment of more colonies
c. The costs of defending the colonists during the French and Indian War
d. The purchase of Canada (Quebec) from the French
e. The Revolutionary War
The people represented by a legislator or other elected or appointed official are called
a. delegates.
b. trustees.
c. constituents.
d. representatives.
e. members.
Today, ______ of Americans use television news as their primary source of information.
a. less than 10 percent
b. 25 percent
c. 55 percent
d. 78 percent
e. 69 percent
Inherent powers derive from the fact that the United States is
a. a democratic republic.
b. a confederation formed by state governments.
c. a sovereign power among nations.
d. a federal system.
e. explicitly entitled by the Constitution to annex new territory.
The Federalists advocated
a. preserving the status quo.
b. returning to the Articles of Confederation.
c. ratifying the new Constitution.
d. a strong state government system.
e. constitutional monarchy.
After each presidential election, all of the jobs that usually go to the politically
well-connected are listed in what is informally known as the
a. Most Wanted List.
b. Beige Book.
c. Congressional Quarterly.
d. Federal Register.
e. Plum Book.
Determining which public policy questions will be debated or considered is the process
of _____.
a. oversight
b. filibustering
c. casework
d. agenda setting
e. logrolling
Totalitarianism as a concept means
a. that every aspect of political, social, and economic life is controlled by the
government.
b. the condition of having no government and no laws.
c. that ultimate political authority is vested in the people.
d. a limited republic where people elect officials to make decisions for them for a
specific period of time.
e. a unified government.
To say that authority is legitimate is to
a. state the obvious.
b. say that authority is broadly accepted.
c. imply that the ruler has not always been perceived as the legal power.
d. suggest that decisions are of little practical value.
e. imply that those in power do not have the good of the public in mind when making
important decisions.
The Hatch Act of 1939 is best known for
a. facilitating the growth of political action committees.
b. placing no limit on overall campaign spending.
c. restricting the political activities of civil servants.
d. being the first law designed to regulate campaign financing.
e. its many loopholes and general ineffectiveness.
Explain the constitutional clash of powers between the president and Congress in the
area of foreign policymaking.
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
How has 9/11 affected reforms such as sunshine laws and the Freedom of Information
Act?
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
Compare and contrast the trustee and instructed-delegate theories of representation.
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
Did the founders intend the United States to be a Christian nation? Describe both sides
of the argument.
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
Describe the structure of the federal court system by describing the three levels of
courts and what happens at each level.
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
Since the ratification of the Constitution, there has been controversy between the
federal government and state governments about the appropriate division of power.
Explain how the federal government has gained power at the expense of state
governments. Indicate what state governments could do to regain power from the
federal government.
Answer:Student’s answers may vary.
Contrast the various sources of American law. Which of them can be said to prevail
over all the others? Why?
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
Examine the federal budget deficit, why it occurred, and what measures should be taken
to bring it down.
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
Analyze the president’s functions as party chief and superpolitician.
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
Compare the two impeachment occurrences in U.S. history with the near-impeachment
of President Nixon. Should any of the three Presidents involved have been impeached
and convicted? Why or why not?
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
Explain the important issues in McCulloch v. Maryland and Gibbons v. Ogden. What
has been the impact of these decisions on the relationship between the federal and state
governments?
Answer:Student’s answers may vary.
Describe the two schools of thought concerning the importance of low voter turnout.
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
Explain the arguments both for and against affirmative action.
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
What institutions had the most impact on the founding of state governments and the
Federal Government of the United States of America?
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
At the Constitutional Convention, several compromises were made to garner the
support of various states. Describe these compromises and the debates that surrounded
them.
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
Provide an example of media “spin” about a current political issue or campaign. What
tactics have been most effective in shaping public opinion?
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
What impact did the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments have on the
United States?
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.