While there are multiple possibilities to formally amend the Constitution, the most
common method has been for __________ to propose new amendments and for
_________ to ratify them.
a. the people; Congress
b. a national convention; state legislatures
c. Congress; state legislatures
d. a national convention; special state conventions
e. Congress; special state conventions
The factions among delegates at the Constitutional Convention
a. wanted a strong central government.
b. were concerned about claims to western lands.
c. had republican leanings.
d. had nationalist leanings.
e. All of the above are true.
Explanations for the decline in crime rates since 1995 include all of the following
except
a. a booming economy.
b. increased federal expenditures to combat crime.
c. an increase in the prison population.
d. the legalization of abortion.
e. a lack of concern about crime among American citizens.
The concept that all people are of equal worth
a. was fixed at the time of the Constitutional Convention of 1787.
b. expanded in the nineteenth century but narrowed in the twentieth century.
c. was extended and elaborated over time.
d. has been limited in recent years.
e. was extended only in the last twenty years.
The U.S. Supreme Court
a. has the final say on constitutional issues.
b. plays a significant role in determining the line between federal and state powers.
c. has given increased emphasis to state powers under the Tenth Amendment.
d. All of the above are true.
e. None of the above is true.
Opening new areas for oil and gas drilling has in recent years
a. been strongly supported by the Republican Party.
b. been strongly supported by the Democratic Party.
c. faced controversy due to major oil spills.
d. Both A and C.
e. Both B and C.
In an attempt to achieve integration
a. students were sent to the school that was near to where they lived.
b. busing students across neighborhoods was ordered by the courts.
c. methods were determined by local committees of parents.
d. busing was peacefully accomplished in many big cities.
e. All of the above are true.
The New Jersey Plan called for all of the following except
a. Congress would elect several people to form an executive office.
b. the elimination of a Supreme Court.
c. the ability of Congress to regulate trade and impose taxes.
d. acts of Congress would be the supreme law of the land.
e. the principle of one state, one vote.
Minority-majority districts
a. are unconstitutional.
b. were allowed after the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
c. are districts in which a racial minority is the majority of the voting population.
d. decrease the voting power of minority groups.
e. Options B and C are true.
One potential congressional tool for ending a war is
a. cutting funding for the war.
b. negotiating peace treaties.
c. replacing the secretary of defense.
d. canceling weapons system orders.
e. sending an ultimatum with unanimous signatures to the president.
The founders of the American republic believed that most of the power that would be
exercised by a national government should be in the hands of
a. the chief executive.
b. the legislature.
c. the electoral college.
d. the bureaucracy.
e. the judiciary.
The amending of the Constitution to include an Equal Rights Amendment for women
a. has never made it through the congressional amendment proposal process.
b. has passed through Congress, but failed ratification in the states.
c. was proposed as a part of the Bill of Rights, but failed to be ratified.
d. was ratified by the states in 1972, after passing through Congress.
e. is largely seen as unnecessary, now that women’s incomes are equal to those of men.
In the United States, we have religious freedom, both to practice a religion of our
choosing and to be free of state-imposed religions. This idea is one of many freedoms
known as
a. civil liberties.
b. civil rights.
c. citizenship rights.
d. Democratic freedoms.
e. Republican liberties.
All of the following are true of the filibuster except
a. it may be ended by invoking cloture.
b. it can sometimes be bypassed by the reconciliation process.
c. the House can overrule a filibuster by a two-thirds supermajority vote.
d. traditionally, filibusters were rare.
e. we have seen a rise in twenty-first-century filibustering.
In most states, congressional district lines are drawn
a. by a small group of party leaders in the state legislature.
b. by a non-partisan state panel of commissioners.
c. by a non-partisan panel elected in special elections.
d. by a group of retired judges elected by political party leaders.
e. at a forum chaired by the state’s U.S. Senators.
The U.S. war in _____________ was fought against _______________.
a. Afghanistan; al Qaeda and the Taliban regime
b. Iraq; al Qaeda and the Taliban regime
c. Syria; the Hussein regime
d. Iraq; the Assad regime
e. Afghanistan; the Hussein regime
The U.S. Supreme Court has overturned as unconstitutional __________, but has not
overturned ___________.
a. California’s ban on same-sex marriages; a federal ban on same-sex marriages
b. all state bans on same-sex marriages; a federal ban on same-sex marriages
c. state bans on same-sex civil unions; state bans on same-sex marriages
d. a federal ban on the recognition of same-sex marriages; state bans on same-sex
marriages
e. Both A and B.
All of the following are true of the Freedom of Information Act except
a. requests for information can come from news organizations as well as from
individuals.
b. reporters have gotten information that has uncovered waste, scandals, and
incompetence.
c. since the 9/11 terrorists attacks the government has been even more open about
giving out information so that people will know of terrorist threats.
d. information on Internet sites, in public libraries, and from the reading rooms in
various federal government departments have been removed since the 9/11 terrorists
acts.
e. the removal of information by state and local governments may be challenged in
court once the threat of terrorism has decreased.
Since 1999, the number of states allowing same-sex marriages has _________, through
actions by _________.
a. increased; a combination of state and federal courts, state legislatures, and citizen
votes
b. increased; state legislatures alone
c. increased; federal courts alone
d. decreased; a combination of state and federal courts
e. decreased; a combination of state legislatures and federal courts
Healthcare spending
a. by the government in 2010 constituted about 50 percent of healthcare spending in the
United States.
b. by private insurers in 2010 made up about 30 percent of healthcare spending in the
United States.
c. through Medicare and Medicaid cover about one-third of all Americans.
d. is higher in the United States as a percentage of the gross domestic product than
many European countries.
e. All of the above are true.
The two-party system
a. emerged as a consequence of the form of government created by the Constitution.
b. is a requirement in the Constitution.
c. emerged in the twentieth century.
d. was favored by George Washington.
e. Options A and D are true.
In the election of 2010
a. some voters likely blamed Democrats for the continued poor state of the economy.
b. independents turned away from Democrats due to the expanding size of government.
c. Republicans took back the House of Representatives.
d. Democrats held their majority in the U.S. Senate.
e. All of the above.
Tight monetary policy theory dictates that when the economy is faced with inflation, the
government should
a. increase the supply of credit.
b. increase taxes.
c. decrease the supply of credit.
d. decrease taxes.
e. take complete control of the economy.
Functions of political parties in the United States include all of the following except
a. operating the government.
b. acting as an organized opposition to the party in power.
c. signing up large numbers of dues-paying committed members.
d. recruiting candidates for public office.
e. presenting alternative policies to the electorate.
The free exercise clause
a. limits the national government from prohibiting people from practicing their
religions.
b. is part of the First Amendment.
c. allows the national government to exercise control over free speech.
d. helps state governments to provide charter schools.
e. Options A and B are true.
A constitutional amendment to clarify the way votes are cast in the electoral college
was necessary because
a. there was no way to tell which votes were for president and which were for vice
president.
b. there was a tie in the electoral votes in the election of 1800.
c. large states did not have fair representation in the electoral college.
d. in three elections no candidate received a majority of votes for the president.
e. Options A and B are true.
The process of political socialization often includes all of the following except
a. acquiring political values.
b. acquiring political beliefs.
c. identifying with a political party.
d. officially joining a political party.
e. All of the above are true.
The distribution of public opinion on an issue can tell us how
a. divided the public is on that issue.
b. possible compromise is on that issue.
c. to fashion a consensus opinion on that issue.
d. Both A and B.
e. Both A and C.
A key difference between the Cold War and current animosity between the United
States and Russia is
a. the lack of a major ideological divide.
b. that Russia’s actions seem to be nationalist in nature.
c. that Russia is more economically entangled with the West than during the Cold War.
d. Both A and B.
e. All of the above.
To generate public pressure, interest groups may
a. use advertisements in national magazines and newspapers.
b. generate mail to elected officials.
c. organize rallies.
d. work with like-minded organizations.
e. All of the above are true.
Which part of the federal government employs most of the government’s staff?
a. judiciary
b. legislative branch
c. federal courts
d. executive branch
e. Internal Revenue Service
The central government setup by the Constitution was seen to be likely
______________ by an Anti-Federalist butas______________ by a Federalist.
a. necessary; dictatorial
b. overbearing and burdensome; necessary
c. corrupt; benevolent
d. authoritarian; libertarian
e. Both C and D.
An opinion leader is
a. one who is able to influence the opinions of others because of position, expertise,
orpersonality.
b. a pollster.
c. always someone whose job is to sway public opinion, such as a member of Congress.
d. a public relations expert.
e. someone who relies on position or expertise, rather than something like personality.