When the president receives a bill
a. he or she can do nothing and in ten days the bill becomes a law without his or her
signature.
b. it automatically becomes a law.
c. the bill goes back to Congress to make sure it is good enough to become a law.
d. he or she can sign it and it will become law.
e. Options A and D are true.
The principle concern about a new cold war is that
a. Europe might abandon its alliance with the United States.
b. Russia might ally itself with China.
c. Russian aggression might lead to a third world war.
d. communism could reassert itself as a major ideology.
e. None of the above.
As originally presented in the Constitution, the Bill of Rights
a. limited only the power of the national government, not that of the states.
b. protected citizens from all forms of government.
c. protected citizens from the national and state governments, but not from local
governments.
d. limited only the power of state governments.
e. contained no language on religion.
U.S. foreign policy may be carried out through
a. diplomacy.
b. economic aid.
c. technical assistance.
d. military intervention.
e. All of the above are true.
In a recent study, high school students most often said they base their views on
information they obtained from
a. mass media.
b. family.
c. peers.
d. school.
e. church.
If a Federal Circuit Court declares a law unconstitutional, the ruling applies
a. only to that specific case.
b. only within that court’s jurisdiction.
c. only at the federal level.
d. only at the state level.
e. to all applications of the law in the entire country.
In January 2006, __________ won a majority of the seats in the Palestinian legislature,
an alarming development since it has called for the destruction of Israel.
a. the militant group Hamas
b. the Kurdish People’s Liberation Front
c. the militant group Hezbollah
d. the Palestine Liberation Organization
e. the extremist group Free Jerusalem Now
The Obama administration defended the NSA’s surveillance programs as
a. having been authorized by secret courts.
b. having been authorized by Congress.
c. only targeting suspected terrorists.
d. only targeting foreign nationals.
e. Both B and C.
In a parliamentary system
a. the chief executive has little real power.
b. the chief executive rotates between the heads of the major parties.
c. a monarch chooses the chief executive.
d. chief executives are chosen through a popular vote of the people.
e. the legislature chooses the chief executive.
Government strives to protect members of society from
a. violence.
b. criminal activity.
c. instability.
d. insecurity.
e. All of the above are true.
The organization created by President Franklin Roosevelt to assist in carrying out major
presidential duties is
a. the Executive Office of the President.
b. the Presidential Bureaucratic Office.
c. the Administrative Office of the Executive.
d. the Office of Executive Action.
e. None of the above.
Foreign and domestic policies designed to protect the independence and political
integrity of a country is
a. a military alliance.
b. collective defense.
c. statesmanship.
d. foreign policy.
e. national security policy.
Public opinion in the United States tends to be more _____________ than political
elites in areas such as religion in public schools, but more ______________ in areas
such as Social Security spending.
a. conservative; liberal
b. liberal; conservative
c. secular; liberal
d. conservative; libertarian
e. libertarian; centrist
A nation’s external goals and the techniques and strategies to achieve them are through
a. foreign policy.
b. diplomacy.
c. aid.
d. technical assistance.
e. None of the above.
A vice president may become president
a. when a president resigns.
b. when a president is impeached and convicted.
c. when a president dies.
d. after winning a presidential election.
e. All of the above.
The United States was the only major country to emerge from World War II with
a. an addition to its territory.
b. operational nuclear weapons.
c. the same leader of government that it had when it started World War II.
d. a weakened economy.
e. an intention to expand its role in the world.
The president of the United States is chosen by
a. a popular vote of the people.
b. the U.S. Senate.
c. the House and Senate combined.
d. the electoral college.
e. the governors of the states.
The civil rights movement led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was based on the
philosophy of
a. non-violent civil disobedience.
b. divide and conquer.
c. “equality for all, through strong force when necessary.”
d. equality of practice that did not have to exclude racial segregation.
e. equality “by any means necessary.”
Theft rates in the United States
a. have declined substantially during the last two decades.
b. are at their highest levels ever.
c. have declined moderately since 1995 after rising rapidly for two decades.
d. have remained constant for thirty years.
e. have risen moderately since 1995 after declining rapidly for two decades.
Agenda building
a. is making Congress aware that a problem requires congressional action.
b. may occur as a result of a crisis.
c. may occur as a result of a technological change.
d. may occur through a mass media campaign.
e. All of the above are true.
All are true of concurrent powers except that they
a. are generally not listed specifically in the Constitution.
b. are expressly written in the Constitution.
c. include the power to borrow funds, pass laws, and levy taxes.
d. are generally limited to state borders.
e. include the power to establish courts and charter banks.
The Whistleblower Protection Act
a. allows whistleblowers to take time off from their jobs if they are concerned with
actions of their supervisors.
b. allows the government to prosecute whistleblowers whose accusations have
beenunfounded.
c. penalizes federal bureaucrats who participate in political activities.
d. prohibits reprisals against whistleblowers by their superiors.
e. for the first time established a relatively swift method for firing civil servants.
Regarding immigration, which of the following is true?
a. Most immigrants come from Latin America or Asia.
b. Hispanics have overtaken African Americans as the largest minority group in the
UnitedStates.
c. By 2050, collectively, minority groups will become the majority in the United States.
d. If minority groups grow and form coalitions, their political power will also grow.
e. All of the above are true.
As a result of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Massachusetts v. EPA, all of the following
are true except
a. the EPA has lost some authority to regulate the emission of greenhouse gases.
b. President Obama proposed EPA rules to cut emissions from existing plants by 30
percent.
c. the EPA ruled that greenhouse gases threaten public health.
d. the construction of coal-based powerplants became nearly impossible.
e. All of the above are true.
Today, there are approximately __________ unauthorized immigrants living in the
United States.
a. 11 million
b. 111 million
c. 200 million
d. 1 million
e. 35 million
When no presidential candidate receives a majority of the electoral vote, the
a. current president serves two more years and another general election is held.
b. candidate who receives a plurality of the popular vote is elected.
c. electors cast a second ballot to determine who will be elected.
d. election is decided in the House of Representatives.
e. Options B and D are true.
The real leadership power in the Senate rests in the hands of the
a. president of the Senate.
b. president pro tempore of the Senate.
c. senator designate selected by the president.
d. Senate majority leader.
e. speaker of the Senate.
Most candidates for public office in the United States are chosen
a. by party “bosses.”
b. by dues-paid party members.
c. as a result of the candidate’s hard work and personal organization.
d. at party conventions.
e. in such a way that the party leadership can be sure that the candidates will support the
party’s platform.
The incorporation theory
a. provides for congressional oversight into multi-national corporations.
b. allows companies to incorporate through government application.
c. provides for government oversight to corporations doing business with the
government.
d. is the view that the provisions of the Bill of Rights are extended to individuals for
protection against state actions.
e. holds the view that most of the protections of the Bill of Rights apply to foreign
government activities through the Fourteenth Amendment.
A random sample means that
a. every person in the target population has an equal chance of being selected.
b. there is no pre-planning in the selection process.
c. every person in the target population who is encountered is selected.
d. researchers decide how many persons of certain types they need in the survey.
e. the poll is unscientific.
According to the Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade, which of the following
restrictions may the state place on abortions?
a. During the first trimester, the state can prevent some abortions for reasons relating to
the mother’s health.
b. During the second trimester, the state can prevent all abortions.
c. During the third trimester, the state cannot regulate abortion except to require that it
be performed by a doctor.
d. During the third trimester, the state may regulate or outlaw abortions except when
necessary to preserve the life or health of the mother.
e. The states may place no restrictions on abortions.
After early rulings by the Supreme Court increased the power of the national
government, states sought a shift back to states’ rights due to
a. increasing divisions between the North and the South over the slavery issue.
b. conflict over congressional passage of a tariff on trade in 1828.
c. concern over expanding power by the federal government in the regulation of
commerce.
d. conflict over the role of the national government and that of the states.
e. All of the above are true.
A signing statement
a. is a written declaration that a president may make when signing a bill into law.
b. usually points to sections of a law that the president thinks may be unconstitutional.
c. must accompany treaties submitted to the Senate by the president when seeking
advice andconsent.
d. Options A and B are true.
e. All of the above are true.
The 1996 Telecommunications Act
a. ended a rule prohibiting the merging of media from two different domestic markets.
b. ended a rule prohibiting foreign ownership of any media in the United States.
c. ended a rule prohibiting telephone companies from entering the cable business.
d. created a rule prohibiting foreign ownership of any media in the United States.
e. created a rule to create a publicly owned cable television provider.
Any practice, policy, or procedure that denies equality of treatment to an individual or
to a group because of gender
a. is sexual harassment.
b. is gender discrimination.
c. violates Title IV.
d. violates the Civil Rights Act of 1968.
e. is considered illegal if engaged in by a private corporation but acceptable if engaged
in by the government.