Which test examines the constitutionality of religious establishments?
a. Orange
b. Lemon
c. Free Exercise
d. Prior Restraint
e. Due Process
One of the primary dangers of the nomination campaign is that __________.
a. candidates can become overly cautious and not talk about issues
b. many candidates ignore their party’s base
c. candidates raise too much money
d. candidates get too much media attention
e. candidates can become too ideologically extreme
Which one of the powers listed below is a constitutional power that the president shares
with the Senate?
a. making treaties
b. commissioning officers
c. granting pardons
d. receiving foreign ambassadors
e. replacing Cabinet heads
Under the system created by the Framers, the national and state governments share
power and derive all authority from __________.
a. the Bill of Rights
b. the Constitution
c. the people
d. the President
e. the Declaration of Independence
In order to overcome the free rider problem, many interest groups offer material
benefits. What are material benefits?
a. the policies that interest groups help to bring about
b. gifts given to members of Congress in return for their support on legislation
c. benefits given only to group members
d. campaign contributions to elected officials
e. bonuses given to the most effective lobbyists
If a judge believes that she should only strike down laws that clearly violate the
Constitution, she likely believes in which of the following?
a. judicial activism
b. judicial conservatism
c. judicial originalism
d. judicial restraint
e. judicial construction
In what types of cases has Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 helped women
achieve key victories?
a. sexual harassment, inclusion, and affirmative action
b. right to control reproductive health and right to abortion
c. affirmative action and inclusion in areas of education, work, and social clubs
d. right to marry interracially and to control reproductive health
e. sexual harassment, domestic violence, and rape
A campaign manager who was attempting to make clear that his candidate was suitable
for the presidency would most likely __________.
a. prepare his candidate very well for televised debates
b. launch a series of negative ads about the candidate’s opponent
c. prevent his candidate from going on comedy shows
d. prepare an inoculation ad to stress the candidate’s integrity and positions on issues
e. attack his candidate’s opponent in press releases
Whom did the Framers expect to be the first president of the United States?
a. Benjamin Franklin
b. George Washington
c. John Adams
d. Patrick Henry
e. Thomas Jefferson
Which of the following can modify a decision of the Supreme Court?
a. executive order
b. federal statute
c. lower court decision
d. constitutional amendment
e. writ of certiorari
Deregulation of which of the following industries was probably the biggest factor
contributing to the economic crisis that began in 2008?
a. the airline industry
b. the energy industry
c. the investment banking industry
d. the litigation industry
e. the medical technology industry
In an economic slowdown, Keynesian economic policy would advocate __________.
a. decreasing inflation
b. increasing government spending
c. increasing the money supply
d. increasing the unemployment rate
e. raising interest rates
Although national committee activities attract most of the media attention, the roots of
the party lie in __________.
a. the House of Representatives
b. the Oval Office
c. the Senate
d. the states and localities
e. Washington, D.C.
In general, a recession does which of these?
a. generates a response by state governments
b. generates a response by the federal government
c. lasts at least a year
d. leads to higher inflation
e. reduces the unemployment level
What kind of speech is by its very utterance intended to inflict injury or incite an
immediate breach of peace?
a. hate speech
b. symbolic speech
c. political speech
d. fighting words
e. obscenity
Which of the following would George Washington most likely approve of?
a. containment
b. the Truman Doctrine
c. isolationism
d. NAFTA
e. NATO
What is the main purpose served by government corporations?
a. generating profit for the federal government
b. providing services not fully trusted to the private sector
c. breaking up monopolies
d. expanding international trade
e. regulating sectors of the economy
The primary purpose of the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) was to
__________.
a. bail out the auto industry
b. bail out the banking sector
c. reduce the annual budget deficit
d. reduce the national debt
e. respond to rising unemployment
Which of the following is an example of procedural due process?
a. the right to bear arms
b. the right to a speedy trial
c. the right to free speech
d. the right to practice religion
e. the right to vote
What role does a president play when celebrating a national holiday?
a. chief of state
b. chief of staff
c. chief diplomat
d. chief legislator
e. chief executive
Shouting profanities in public is an example of __________, which is not protected
speech.
a. hate speech
b. fighting words
c. obscenity
d. libel
e. slander
Under what circumstance are bureaucrats most likely to exercise discretion?
a. when an agency is creating environmental regulations
b. when an agency is under congressional investigation
c. when an agency is implementing a law that contains ambiguity
d. when an agency is elevated to the status of a Cabinet department
e. when an agency is proposing legislation
Which of the following is an example of a trade association?
a. the AFL-CIO
b. the National Association of Manufacturers
c. the American Association of Retired People (AARP)
d. the National Rifle Association
e. the National Wildlife Federation
__________is the only formal method for ending a filibuster, and requires the approval
of __________ senators.
a. abrogation, fifty-one
b. abrogation, sixty
c. censure, sixty
d. cloture, fifty-one
e. cloture, sixty
In what year did the Supreme Court first rule that the use of confessions obtained after
physical beatings were unconstitutional?
a. 1906
b. 1976
c. 1946
d. 1936
e. 1956
The Supreme Court’s decision in Lawrence v. Texas (2003) primarily enhanced the civil
liberties of __________.
a. African Americans
b. Asians
c. American Indians
d. gays and lesbians
e. disabled Americans
Which of the following religious groups maintains the most consistent voting patterns?
a. Buddhist voters
b. Catholic voters
c. Jewish voters
d. Muslim voters
e. Protestant voters
Which of the following is true in the United States of how government handles ensuring
health care to the poor and the elderly?
a. Medicare provides health care to the poor, and Medicaid provides health care to the
elderly.
b. Medicare provides health care to the elderly, and Medicaid provides health care to the
poor.
c. Medicare and Medicaid provide health care to all Americans regardless of wealth or
age.
d. Medicare replaced Medicaid in order to provide health care to poor people as well as
the elderly.
e. Medicaid replaced Medicare in order to provide health care to poor people as well as
the elderly.
In cases like Dred Scott v.Sandford (1857), the Supreme Court’s decision___________
the scope of national power, while it ___________ that of the states.
a. limited; also limited
b. broadened; also enhanced
c. enhanced; narrowed
d. narrowed; enhanced
e. limited; interfered with
How does Congress exercise control over agencies and departments in the federal
bureaucracy?
a. by issuing executive orders
b. by issuing reports through the Office of Management and Budget
c. by nominating appointees to key positions in federal agencies
d. by confirming appointees to key positions in federal agencies
e. by confirming appointees to key judicial positions
The Affordable Care Act deals primarily with what policy area?
a. education
b. health care
c. welfare
d. economics
e. criminal justice
Discuss how the devolution revolution impacted social service policy and legislation in
the 1990s.
In your opinion, what is the best way for congressional members to represent the
interests of their constituents? What factors do you think should influence members of
Congress most strongly when they make decisions?
__________ include profanity, obscenity, and threats.
What are three ways in which Congress can exercise influence over the president’s
foreign policy?
Describe the meaning and purpose of the Ninth Amendment.
What did the Supreme Court decide in Korematsu v. United States? What does this
decision suggest about the Court’s willingness to protect civil rights during wartime?
Explain the purpose that policy coordinating committees serve in the federal
bureaucracy, and provide one example.
The __________ led to the creation of a bipartisan commission to oversee appointments
to the federal bureaucracy.
__________ is an entitlement program for the elderly and disabled.
What is a midterm election? What effect can midterm elections have on the president’s
party?
If political scientists are correct, what are the effects of a college education on a
citizen’s voting choices?
When President Obama succeeded in getting Congress to pass the Affordable Care Act
(signed into law on March 23, 2010, with the goal of improving the health care system
of the U.S. and of protecting those with health insurance), what presidential roles did he
fulfill?