The judiciary has the authority to rule on whether the president has acted within the law.
As noted in Table 8.1, according to the Hatch Act, federal employees may make
campaign speeches for candidates in partisan elections.
U.S. involvement in Vietnam was largely driven by the philosophy of containment.
Studies show that legislators vote in conformity with the prevailing opinion of their
district constituents about two-thirds of the time.
Article I describes the powers of the president.
Legislators typically eschew casework, as it is burdensome to the staff and emphasizes
benefits for individuals over the good of the whole district.
Strict constructionists believe that the Constitution should be interpreted in light of
modern values.
The necessary and proper clause allows Congress to increase the scope of its authority.
The Framers made Congress a bicameral body because they were concerned that too
strong a legislative branch would lead to tyranny.
The Judiciary Act of 1789 established the federal circuit courts and district courts.
Most developed countries use some form of the death penalty.
The Three-Fifths Compromise specified that only three-fifths of slaves could vote.
If a small newspaper writes an incendiary expos about a candidate, the person on staff
who most needs to be made aware of it is the communications director.
President Gerald R. Ford was able to pardon President Richard M. Nixon to release him
from impeachment.
The U.S. Supreme Court did not attempt to explain the right to privacy until the 1960s.
Each independent agency in the executive branch is headed by a Cabinet secretary.
A winner-take-all primary is the most representative way of allocating delegates in the
nomination process.
A pluralist would view the presence and activities of lobbyists in Washington, D.C., as
harmful to the functioning of our political system.
The Supreme Court has prohibited school districts from using race when determining
which students will attend which schools.
Slander is a false written statement that defames the character of a person.
Writs of habeas corpus are laws declaring an act illegal without a judicial trial.
The recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were quick and decisive military and
diplomatic victories for the United States.
The president may grant pardons to anyone convicted of a federal crime for any reason.
Joan O”Leary wants to run for president. She is a natural-born citizen of the United
States. She is 45 years old. She has been a resident of the United States for 10 years.
Therefore, she meets the requirements to become president.
Regulatory activities exist to help control the negative effects of economic activity.
Political leaders, given their access to the media, rarely attempt to use the media to
drum up support for their programs.
Monetary economic policy uses the money supply to affect growth in the U.S.
economy.
All U.S. citizens are guaranteed to receive Medicaid, regardless of their level of
income.
When a bill is sent to Congress, the president is not allowed to encourage specific
members of Congress to vote for the bill.
In Reed v. Reed, the Supreme Court established the strict scrutiny test for determining if
gender discrimination is constitutionally permissible.
Precinct and ward committees are important components of a political party’s
organization at the state level.
Since World War II, the United States has created and supported a protectionist trade
policy.
Which of the following is an implied power of the federal government?
a. admitting new states
b. coining money
c. creating banks
d. establishing federal courts
e. levying taxes
The United States was the __________ nation to adopt a federal system of government.
a. first
b. second
c. third
d. tenth
e. last
Which of the following is a true statement about moderates?
a. They are most aligned with the views of Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter.
b. They comprise over half of the U.S. population.
c. They largely support an overhaul of the welfare system.
d. They believe that a temperate view is the best approach to politics.
e. They created the Tea Party movement.
The reason that some pro-choice conservative voters may choose pro-choice liberal
candidates over other conservatives is most closely related to which of the following
functions of ideology?
a. explanation
b. evaluation
c. orientation
d. political programs
e. conservative ideals
If you subscribe to Keynesian economic policies, you are most concerned with
__________.
a. exports
b. imports
c. inflation
d. money supply
e. unemployment
A __________ results after fissures develop in each party’s coalition, which begins to
fracture after new issues appear, dividing the electorate.
a. dealignment
b. national party convention
c. nonpartisan election
d. critical election
e. secular realignment
Which of the following would have been expected of the federal government 200 years
ago?
a. regulating business
b. providing national defense
c. providing poverty relief
d. inspecting food
e. advocating social reform
Max Weber identified which of the following as a characteristic of bureaucracy?
a. inefficiency
b. transparency
c. consensus-making
d. task specialization
e. red tape
Decreasing numbers of __________ have been identified as one cause of increasing
polarization.
a. East Coast conservative Democrats
b. Midwest independents
c. northern liberal Republicans
d. southern conservative Republicans
e. West Coast liberal Republicans
How many constitutions has the United States had in its history?
a. three
b. five
c. one
d. two
e. four
The U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims is an example of which type of court?
a. constitutional
b. Article III
c. legislative
d. Article I
e. original
During the __________, national power was significantly expanded.
a. Revolutionary War
b. Civil War
c. World War I
d. World War II
e. Vietnam War
Which of the following voter profiles most strongly suggests that an individual will
identify with the Republican Party?
a. Hispanic, female, Catholic
b. Protestant, male, annual income over $75,000
c. senior citizen, Jewish, from the Midwest
d. white, Catholic, from the Northeast
e. white, female, Evangelical Christian
Which is an example of logrolling in Congress?
a. awarding a government contract to a campaign supporter
b. introducing and sponsoring a bill
c. sponsoring a bill in exchange for federal monies
d. supporting a bill in exchange for support of one’s own bill
e. working to get federal monies for an interstate highway
One example of the Framers’ intent to insulate the Senate from the tyranny of the
majority was to __________.
a. give members lifetime appointments
b. give the Senate authority to overturn a presidential veto without House ratification
c. give the Senate authority to overturn a Supreme Court decision
d. have members appointed by incumbent senators
e. have members appointed by their respective state legislatures
The Constitution specifically provides for both the election and the removal of which of
the following?
a. secretary of defense
b. president
c. secretary of state
d. chief justice
e. Speaker of the House
A member of the Electoral College is known as a(n) __________.
a. collegian
b. elector
c. partisan
d. selector
e. surrogate
The Constitutional Convention resulted in what form of legislature?
a. bicameral
b. direct
c. trilateral
d. unicameral
e. unified
What was the basis for the Supreme Court’s decision in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) that
upheld the constitutionality of a state law requiring segregated railroad facilities?
a. Former slaves are not entitled to full citizenship rights because they did not
immigrate to the United States willingly.
b. Former slaves are not entitled to full citizenship rights because they were considered
property under the law.
c. The Constitution does not prohibit segregation; it only mandates equal protection
under the law.
d. Railroad transportation involves interstate commerce, which is regulated by
Congress; there is no provision in federal law that prohibits segregation.
e. Each state has the right to interpret the Constitution as it sees fit, as long as the
interpretation is “reasonable and without malice.”
If you are competing for your party’s nomination for office, you must first participate in
a(n) __________.
a. initiative election
b. caucus election
c. leadership election
d. primary election
e. referendum election
According to Isaiah Berlin, a noted historian and philosopher, which two factors, above
all, have shaped human history in the twentieth century?
a. science and technology, and ideology
b. science and technology, and religion
c. science and technology, and trade
d. religion and ideology
e. trade and ideology
What strategy did the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
(NAACP) use most effectively to advance civil rights for African Americans?
a. boycotts
b. protests
c. litigation
d. nonviolent direct action
e. marches and rallies
Which of the following specifies the procedure for amending the Constitution?
a. Article I
b. Article III
c. Article V
d. Article VI
e. Article IX
What is the function of Medicaid?
a. federal funding of state medical programs
b. state funding of federal medical programs
c. subsidized medical care for the poor
d. a supplement for Medicare
e. prescription drug plan for Medicare
__________ is the process of allotting congressional seats to each state according to its
proportion of the population.
a. Apportionment
b. Appropriations
c. Delegation
d. Gerrymandering
e. Redistricting
Which of the following rights has the Supreme Court found to be one of the penumbra
of unstated liberties linked to explicitly stated rights?
a. right to marry
b. right to travel
c. right to vote
d. right to privacy
e. right to have a family
Which of the following limits judicial power?
a. judicial review
b. judicial activism
c. stare decisis/precedent
d. constitutional courts
e. senatorial courtesy
Why is it easier for the president to influence foreign and defense policy than it is for
Congress to do so?
a. The president has a larger group of foreign and defense policy advisors.
b. The president has unlimited appropriations for foreign and defense policy.
c. The president has the power to approve treaties.
d. The president can pass laws that require Congress to act.
e. The president cannot use the military without prior approval from Congress.
The war in Iraq began under __________ and ended under __________.
a. Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush
b. Bill Clinton, George W. Bush
c. George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush
d. George W. Bush, George W. Bush
e. George W. Bush, Barack Obama
The USA PATRIOT Act enhances the government’s ability to do which of the
following?
a. examine private records
b. take personal property
c. imprison citizens without trial
d. indict foreign enemies
e. control public schooling
Which of the following best describes the United States’ policy as a superpower since
the end of World War II?
a. The United States has refused to enter security alliances with countries around the
globe, as that policy might offend other countries and reduce trade with them.
b. The United States has focused on policies of democratic enlargement to promote
expansion of democracies and free markets throughout the world.
c. The United States began decreasing its military budget once the Cold War ended, so
it could focus on other matters such as promoting democracy around the world.
d. The United States has focused primarily on stomping out communism wherever it
exists.
e. The United States has focused primarily on economic enlargement to promote
increase in trade with all countries throughout the world, regardless of their form of
government.
Which of the following raise money from individuals and then distribute it in the form
of contributions to political candidates?
a. 527 organizations
b. coordinating committees
c. 501(c)3 organizations
d. political action committees
e. party committees
What is the president’s power to convene Congress? Why would this be more
significant in the early years of the presidency?
Describe the framing process. Why is it important? Select and discuss an example of
how the media has framed a recent event. Analyze how such coverage influences the
public’s interpretation of the event.
Define “muckraking,” and find an example of it in today’s news. What purpose does
muckraking serve? Do you feel it is as important today as it was in the early twentieth
century?
When the Environmental Protection Agency sets standards for air pollution, it is
fulfilling the __________ function of the federal bureaucracy.
The justices meet in a closed conference __________ a week when the court is hearing
oral arguments.
Before there can be a campaign, there must be a(n) __________.
What roles do the Department of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff play in advising
the president on military policy? Describe how these advisors provide the president
with different perspectives.
Discuss the relationship between lobbyists and members of Congress in terms of what
each offers the other.
Explain Madison’s defense of the Constitution in Federalist No. 10.
Describe the Equal Pay Act of 1963. To what extent has this law resulted in men and
women earning equal salaries? How do Lilly Ledbetter’s experiences highlight the
difficulties women continue to face in the workforce? What is your overall assessment
for why women continue to earn less than men?
The Senate can influence foreign policy by approving (or refusing to approve)
__________ negotiated by the president.
Explain what the Framers meant by ‘securing the blessings of liberty” and discuss how
far a government should go to ensure citizens’ liberty.
The constitutionality of a law establishing a public elementary school open only to
African American students from poor neighborhoods would be determined by the
Supreme Court’s application of the __________ standard of review.
Write a summary of the key government regulations mentioned in your book. Do you
think they help or hinder democracy? Why or why not?