What is the major purpose of an independent regulatory commission?
a. to generate profit
b. to increase productivity
c. to oversee the executive branch
d. to perform services
e. to regulate commerce
Which program is one of the first entitlement programs created under the New Deal?
a. food stamps
b. Social Security
c. Medicaid
d. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
e. Medicare
What precipitated the Montgomery Bus Boycott?
a. the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech
b. the Greensboro, N.C., lunch counter sit-in
c. the arrest of Rosa Parks in Montgomery, Ala.
d. the Supreme Court’s decision in Plessy v. Ferguson
e. the assassination of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.
What is the most serious common threat posed to the United States by both Iran and
North Korea?
a. terrorism
b. trade wars
c. economic embargos
d. nuclear ambitions
e. communism
As discussed in the “Take a Closer Look” box, what has a significant impact on a news
agency’s ability to influence what is discussed at a White House press briefing?
a. the time of day when the briefing occurs
b. the agenda set forth by the press secretary
c. seat assignments in the briefing room
d. the number of reporters permitted in the briefing room
e. whether the president attends the briefing
__________ grants typically allocate federal dollars based upon population.
a. Block
b. Categorical
c. Commerce
d. Federal
e. Unified
What old practice did the Twelfth Amendment replace?
a. Presidents had no term limit.
b. Presidents were elected by popular vote.
c. Presidents were appointed by a vote of the state legislatures.
d. The president and vice-president were elected by party delegates.
e. The president and vice-president were elected from the same pool of candidates.
Which of these statements best describes the influence of interest rate adjustments by
the Federal Reserve?
a. They always lead to lower rates of marginal taxes.
b. They can lead to higher unemployment in years of budget deficits.
c. They can spur economic growth by increasing the cost of money for business.
d. They can spur economic growth by increasing the available money supply.
e. They increase corporate profits by making money more available.
According to Figure 8.1, when did the largest growth in the federal workforce occur?
a. after the introduction of Johnson’s Great Society program
b. after the introduction of FDR’s New Deal programs
c. during the Civil War period
d. during World War I
e. during World War II
The double jeopardy clause prevents an individual who is acquitted of a crime from
which of the following?
a. media coverage
b. being tried again
c. going free
d. asserting innocence
e. seeking the assistance of an attorney
What does the Twenty-Second Amendment do?
a. requires that presidents are natural born citizens
b. requires that presidents serve only two terms
c. requires the president to be a resident of the United States for two years
d. requires the president to be at least thirty-five years old
e. requires the president to have a college degree
Which of the following countries would have been most opposed to the policy of
containment?
a. United Kingdom
b. France
c. Soviet Union
d. United States
e. Canada
Which of the following debated and drafted the Declaration of Independence?
a. Constitutional Congress
b. Continental Congress
c. Revolutionary Congress
d. American Congress
e. Liberty Congress
Before 1883, how were government jobs awarded?
a. Jobs were awarded based on applicants’ expertise.
b. Jobs were awarded based on applicants’ personal wealth.
c. Jobs were awarded based on applicants’ performance on entrance exams.
d. Jobs were awarded based on applicants’ loyalty to the party in power.
e. Jobs were awarded through a lottery system.
If a police officer has a reasonable belief that someone is committing or about to
commit a crime, that officer can stop and frisk the suspect without __________.
a. their consent
b. arresting them
c. a warrant
d. a witness
e. evidence
According to Table 11.2, women voters today are most likely to identify as
__________.
a. apathetic
b. Democrats
c. independents
d. Republicans
e. Republicans or Democrats
What distinguishes a means-tested program from a social insurance program?
a. A means-tested program extends benefits based upon age categories, while a social
insurance program provides benefits based upon immediate need.
b. A means-tested program only extends to benefits for the elderly, while a social
insurance program extends benefits to everybody.
c. A social insurance program extends benefits only to the working poor, while a
means-tested program extends benefits to everyone, regardless of social class.
d. A social insurance program provides benefits based upon demonstrated need, while a
means-tested program provides benefits based upon lifetime contributions.
e. A social insurance program provides benefits based upon lifetime contributions,
while a means tested program provides benefits based upon demonstrated need.
Under the Constitution, the president is elected by which of the following?
a. Election College
b. Congressional College
c. Electoral College
d. Presidential College
e. State College
Which of the following is characteristic of negative ads?
a. They attack only an opponent’s positions, never his or her character.
b. They most frequently compare and contrast candidates’ issue positions.
c. They are on the decline as a whole.
d. They are almost always successful with the electorate.
e. They sometimes do not even mention the sponsor of the ads.
Who instituted the Marshall Plan and who benefited directly from it?
a. The Soviet Union instituted the Marshall Plan to benefit Eastern Europe.
b. Germany instituted the Marshall Plan to benefit the United States.
c. Italy instituted the Marshall Plan to benefit Western Europe.
d. Eastern Europe instituted the Marshall Plan to benefit Western Europe.
e. The United States instituted the Marshall Plan to benefit Eastern Europe.
Describe the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). Why were some opposed to the ERA?
Compare and contrast the ERA and the Nineteenth Amendment. How has the ERA
impacted civil rights in the United States?
How is a vice presidential vacancy filled?
a. The Cabinet nominates a new vice president, to be approved by Congress.
b. The president appoints a new vice president.
c. The president appoints a new vice president, to be approved by Congress.
d. The Senate appoints a new vice president.
e. The Senate nominates a new vice president, retained by general election.
Of the 112 justices who have served on the U.S. Supreme Court, the overwhelming
majority have been of which faith?
a. Muslim
b. Catholic
c. Protestant
d. Jewish
e. Hindu
What role did Afghanistan play in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks?
a. Most of the terrorists were from Afghanistan.
b. Osama bin Laden trained some of the terrorists in Afghanistan.
c. The al-Qaeda”led government of Afghanistan funded Osama bin Laden.
d. The 9/11 terrorists hijacked airplanes originating from Afghanistan.
e. The government of Afghanistan actively plotted the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Which Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence?
a. Second
b. Third
c. Fourth
d. Fifth
e. Tenth
What is the term for change in public opinions and voting preferences caused by media
coverage?
a. agenda setting
b. media effects
c. media aspiration
d. political bias
e. framing
How do interest groups lobby the courts?
a. through letter-writing campaigns addressed to particular judges
b. by publishing editorials in major newspapers stating their views on cases
c. by bringing lawsuits to the courts on behalf of classes of citizens
d. by testifying before congressional committees
e. by meeting with judges to express their views on cases
New Federalism favors which type of government grant?
a. block grants
b. business grants
c. categorical grants
d. programmatic requests
e. unfunded mandates
The power to regulate immigration is best described as a(n) __________ power.
a. concurrent
b. enumerated
c. implied
d. limited
e. reserved
How does the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) define a disabled person? What
rights are guaranteed to disabled people under the ADA? What infrastructure must be
created to ensure these rights?
Which of the following accommodations would an employer most likely have to make
to be in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act?
a. hiring a disabled person instead of an equally qualified person without a disability
b. providing better medical insurance for employees who have a disability
c. lowering expectations for the quality of work performed by employees with
disabilities
d. ensuring that employees who use a wheelchair have jobs that shield them from public
contact
e. installing a ramp and other physical accommodations for someone who uses a
wheelchair
Modern national party conventions serve what ends?
a. They assemble delegates who will be assessed for their future political potential
based on their writing of a largely inconsequential party platform.
b. They mobilize supporters for the nominee, who has basically already been decided.
c. They deliberate on the party’s choices for presidential and vice-presidential nominees.
d. They hold elections to determine the new party leaders.
e. They write the party platform, which will be crucial over the next four years.
Describe the Equal Rights Amendment. What lesson might the gay rights movement
take away from the efforts to adopt the Equal Rights Amendment?
Congress has three broad mandates: make laws, control the budget, and oversee the
executive branch. List the main features of the oversight function. How does oversight
tie into Congress’s other mandates?
How have changes to the world economy affected the United States’ approach to
foreign policy with China?
Because of the Supreme Court’s decision in Regents of the University of California v.
Bakke, an affirmative action program that uses racial __________ would likely be
deemed unconstitutional.
Describe the impact on a candidate of a long nomination and general election
campaign. What physical and mental stresses result from such a campaign? How might
these impacts ultimately affect the election?
Analyze the roles that different sourceson the record, off the record, on background and
deep background play in the general functioning of the media? Categorize the different
types of source attributions in terms of positive or negative consequences on
information that is reported.
Outline an affirmative action program for public university admissions that would pass
constitutional muster.
Discuss the differences in philosophy, key actors, and tools of fiscal and monetary
policy. Should the federal government give preference to one to the other? Why or why
not?
How have Americans’ expectations of their government changed over time, and why?
A proponent of monetary policy would argue that the most effective way to stimulate
economic growth is by ___________ the money supply in the economy.
What was Reconstruction? How did its ending open the door for the adoption of Jim
Crow laws?
Describe the balance of power between the three branches of government as intended
by the Framers of the Constitution.