Under what circumstance might a president set up a policy coordinating committee
(PSC)?
a. when a cabinet member wants to enlarge his or her sphere of influence
b. when citizens want to intervene in an agency’s rule-making procedure
c. when funding is short and two agencies can be merged to create one agency
d. when two different agencies can”t agree on how to approach the same issue
e. when various agencies need to work together to ensure consistent policies
Which statement best characterizes the hearing process of a formal bill?
a. A formal bill receives a hearing and goes to the floor when the vice president requests
it.
b. A formal bill receives a hearing or floor time only when extensively marked up.
c. A formal bill receives a hearing when pocket vetoed, but seldom goes to the floor.
d. Few formal bills receive a hearing, but many are marked up and sent to the floor.
e. Most formal bills receive a hearing, but few are marked up and sent to the floor.
In the event of a major scandal, which kind of committee would be convened to
conduct a special investigation?
a. a conference committee
b. an investigative committee
c. a joint committee
d. a select/special committee
e. a standing committee
Suppose you are a candidate and you want to re-craft your campaign message. With
which of the following staff members would you MOST likely work closely to create a
compelling and effective message?
a. communications director
b. press secretary
c. volunteers
d. finance chair
e. Internet team
How are committee chairs selected in the House?
a. a subject knowledge test
b. interviews to determine party loyalty
c. joint decision of the majority and minority leaders
d. seniority within the committee
e. seniority within the party
In the first civil rights movement, the abolitionist movement and the early women’s
movement were tied together. When did this movement take place?
a. in the Progressive era
b. during the Civil War
c. during Reconstruction
d. in the early 1800s
e. in the early 1900s
Which best describes the event or events that sealed the fate of the system of dual
federalism in the United States?
a. Congress approved the very unpopular Alien and Sedition Acts in 1798.
b. The Supreme Court ruled that Dred Scott was not a citizen of the United States.
c. The Sixteenth and Seventeenth Amendments were ratified and economic events led
up to the Great Depression.
d. The national government enacted a tariff act, most commonly referred to as the
“Tariff of Abominations in 1828.
e. Toward the end of the nineteenth century, the Sherman Anti-Trust Act allowed
Congress to establish itself as the supreme player in a growing national economy.
What would be different, with respect to the institution of the presidency, if Franklin D.
Roosevelt had not won the 1932 election?
a. The institution of the presidency would be less connected to the people.
b. The federal bureaucracy would have grown faster.
c. The president would have greater influence over the creation of new programs.
d. The president would have less influence on the conduct of war.
e. The public would have greater expectations that the president is responsible for
policy initiatives.
Why are some people concerned about electronic voting?
a. Electronic voting could increase election costs to the states.
b. Electronic voting could increase election fraud.
c. Electronic voting could increase the amount of uniformed voters.
d. Electronic voting could increase the influence of special interests in elections.
e. Electronic voting could increase the probability that the working poor will vote.
Married voters today are most likely to identify as __________.
a. apathetic
b. Democrats
c. independents
d. Republicans
e. Republicans or Democrats
Why are isolationists dissatisfied with contemporary U.S. foreign policy?
a. because the United States does not do enough to address human rights abuses
b. because the United States has ignored atrocities in Africa and other developing
countries
c. because the United States has allowed China to catch up economically
d. because the United States has refused to work with its allies to address terrorism
e. because the United States actively inserts itself into world affairs
What distinguishes modern presidents from early presidents?
a. Modern presidents are much more liberal than early presidents.
b. Modern presidents are much less active in the formulation of policy than early
presidents.
c. Modern presidents are much more active in the formulation of policy than early
presidents.
d. Modern presidents are much less prone to engage in international conflicts than early
presidents.
e. Modern presidents are much more conservative than early presidents.
The civil service system was introduced following passage of what law?
a. the Hatch Act
b. the Pendleton Act
c. the Administrative Procedures Act
d. the Freedom of Information Act
e. the Ethics in Government Act
Which campaign consultant might be asked by a candidate to conduct a public opinion
survey?
a. campaign manager
b. pollster
c. Internet expert
d. press secretary
e. vote canvasser
Americans are likely to have the most difficulty forming opinions on which of the
following topics?
a. topics involving bread-and-butter issues, such as jobs and unemployment
b. topics involving moral issues, such punishments for hate crimes
c. topics involving tax deductions for home mortgages
d. topics involving the European Central Bank and creditor nations
e. topics involving single-payer health care mandates
What factor was influential in driving expansion of the federal bureaucracy in the
post”Civil War era?
a. the expansion of voting rights to African American men
b. a high rate of unemployment
c. a series of poor harvests and agricultural distribution problems
d. the growing incidence of price fixing and other unfair business practices
e. the elimination of the spoils system
Which is an argument in favor of federal involvement in public policy?
a. The states have a long-standing tradition of extending rights to citizens.
b. The states are often viewed as laboratories of democracy.
c. The federal government can best deal with some problems or matter of concern.
d. Federal legislation often increases inequality.
e. Federal power is usually transferred to the states.
Which of the following statements best reflects the Framers’ attitudes about public
opinion?
a. Public opinion is the best measure of the soundness of government policy.
b. Public opinion is potentially divisive and should, therefore, be encouraged.
c. Public opinion is potentially counterproductive and should, therefore, be tempered.
d. Public opinion should be monitored closely in election years.
e. Public opinion should be represented in government by lobbyists.
Which of these does the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ban?
a. poll taxes and grandfather clauses
b. discrimination in public accommodations
c. integration in public transportation
d. discrimination based on sexual orientation
e. nonviolent direct action
What typically precedes a major party realignment?
a. a caucus
b. censure
c. a critical election
d. economic crises
e. a key nomination
The president addresses the nation directly during a __________.
a. penny press
b. press background
c. press briefing
d. press conference
e. press release
Who heads the U.S. intelligence community?
a. the director of the Central Intelligence Agency
b. the director of National Intelligence
c. the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
d. the vice president
e. the National Security Agency
__________ are rules created by government agencies that determine how laws are
implemented.
a. Policies
b. Procedures
c. Regulations
d. Standards
e. Statutes
Which of the following would the president be most likely to consult to determine the
best way to use the military to destroy North Korea’s nuclear capabilities?
a. the secretary of defense
b. the secretary of Homeland Security
c. the secretary of state
d. the director of National Intelligence
e. the national security advisor
According to the “How Big Is the World’s Stockpile of Nuclear Weapons?” feature box,
which of the following countries has the most nuclear weapons after the United States?
a. Israel
b. China
c. Russia
d. North Korea
e. Iran
__________, President Nixon, and President Reagan achieved success in molding the
federal judiciary to their own political beliefs.
a. Chief Justice Warren
b. President Hoover
c. Chief Justice Marshall
d. President Roosevelt
e. President Wilson
During the colonial era, the colonists retained the right to do which of the following?
a. wage war
b. regulate trade
c. negotiate treaties
d. levy taxes
e. require compulsory tithing
Which of the following cases involved the commerce clause?
a. McCulloch v.Maryland
b. U.S. v.Lopez
c. Brown v.Board of Education
d. Marbury v.Madison
e. Tinker v.Des Moines
As the cost of campaigns has risen and fund-raising has become more important, the
staff position of __________ has also grown in prestige and significance.
a. campaign manager
b. press secretary
c. communications director
d. finance chair
e. campaign consultant
What is a goal common to both the Pendleton Act and the Hatch Act?
a. reducing the exercise of administrative discretion
b. reducing the influence of partisan politics on the federal bureaucracy.
c. increasing presidential control of the federal bureaucracy
d. increase congressional control of the federal bureaucracy
e. streamlining the policy implementation process
What is the status of affirmative action in college admissions after the Supreme Court
decisions in the two cases involving the University of Michigan, Gratz v. Bollinger
(2003) and Grutter v. Bollinger (2003)?
a. Affirmative action policies are generally permissible, but they cannot involve
race-based quotas or numerical point systems.
b. Affirmative action policies are assumed to be unconstitutional unless the university
can demonstrate the need to promote racial tolerance.
c. Affirmative action policies are assumed to be constitutional unless an applicant can
demonstrate that race affected the admissions decision.
d. Affirmative action policies must ensure that all racial and ethnic groups are
represented in accordance with the population of the nation as a whole.
e. All forms of affirmative action are unconstitutional because they unfairly favor some
people over others based on the color of their skin.
Information provided to a journalist that will not be attributed to any source is
__________.
a. agenda setting
b. deep background
c. narrowcasting
d. off the record
e. yellow journalism
Compare judicial restraint, judicial activism, and strict constructionist philosophies.
Because of the struggle by groups to achieve their civil rights, the __________ has
generated more litigation to determine and specify its meaning than any other provision
of the Constitution.
Cloture is the only way to end a(n) __________.
How was the Cold War fundamentally different from the war in Afghanistan?
Define infotainment, and give an example. What are the positive and negative
implications of infotainment? Do you prefer to consume infotainment? Why or why
not?
Describe how the New Deal coalition realigned/transformed American political parties.
What makes a great/successful president?
Describe the ways in which the Constitution addresses the role of religion.
What is the scare-off effect, and how does it help incumbents?
Public ___________ refers to an intentional course of action or inaction followed by
government in dealing with some problem or matter of concern.
If you were an incumbent and had the choice of running either positive or negative ads,
which type of ad would you feel served your campaign best, and why?
__________ refers to communicating with government officials to persuade them to
support a particular policy decision.
What is the role of executive agreements in foreign policy? When are they used?
The Department of __________, developed after World War II, is the chief executive
branch department responsible for formulation and implementation of U.S. military
policy.
Why did the Supreme Court briefly end capital punishment in 1972?