The __________ proposed proportional representation in both the House of
Representatives and the Senate.
a. Ohio Plan
b. Virginia Plan
c. New Jersey Plan
d. Massachusetts Plan
e. Pennsylvania Plan
What is the primary responsibility of the secretary of state?
a. national defense policy
b. homeland security
c. intelligence
d. diplomacy
e. military policy
What proportion of the total economy did the government consume in 2012?
a. one-sixth
b. one-fifth
c. one-fourth
d. one-third
e. one-half
All federal judicial nominations are first referred to which of the following for a
hearing?
a. House Judiciary Committee
b. Senate Nominations Committee
c. Supreme Court
d. Senate Judiciary Committee
e. attorney general
Why was the spoils system ultimately replaced by the policy coordinating committee
system?
a. due to growing concerns about a poorly functioning federal bureaucracy
b. due to public pressure to shrink the size of the federal bureaucracy
c. due to a Supreme Court decision ruling the spoils system unconstitutional
d. due to the diversification of federal bureaucracy following the Civil War
e. due to congressional demands for greater control over the federal bureaucracy
For which of the following would the Supreme Court most likely apply an intermediate
standard of review to determine whether the policy is an unconstitutional violation of
the equal protection clause?
a. preventing whites from attending schools designed to serve African American
students
b. prohibiting those over seventy years old from working in law enforcement
c. prohibiting gays and lesbians from serving in the military
d. requiring government contractors to have a racially diverse workforce
e. having different minimum ages for men and women to marry
In which case did the Supreme Court first recognize the exclusionary rule, which bars
the use of illegally seized evidence at trial?
a. Weeks v. U.S.
b. Gideon v. Wainwright
c. Furman v. Georgia
d. House v. Bell
e. Griswold v. Connecticut
The total market value of all goods and services produced in an area during a year is
termed which of the following?
a. greatest national product
b. gross domestic product
c. maximum national product
d. minimum domestic product
e. national income product
Which of the following is an example of grassroots/outside lobbying?
a. a petition sent to representatives in Congress
b. an organization asking members for donations to support the group’s work
c. a meeting held with a legislator in the legislator’s home district
d. a group submitting written testimony in a congressional hearing
e. a group forming a coalition with another group that has similar policy goals
Amanda is white, 30 years of age, married, and a resident of Indianapolis, Indiana. She
regularly attends services at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. What major
demographic characteristics would opinion poll researchers associate with Amanda?
The main difference between a press briefing and press conference is the level of what?
a. intelligence
b. attendance
c. restriction
d. bias
e. technology
One of the biggest concerns surrounding the Social Security Trust Fund is that
__________.
a. the benefits being paid out are too low
b. the FICA contribution is currently too high
c. there is not enough money to pay current retirees
d. there will not be enough money to pay future retirees
e. wealthy citizens are denied access to payments
What procedure or process limits debate of budget controversies to twenty hours,
thereby ending the threat of a filibuster in the Senate?
a. caucus
b. cloture
c. party conference
d. programmatic requests
e. reconciliation
The rise of Spanish language television and news programming is an example of
__________.
a. narrowcasting
b. the fairness doctrine
c. public broadcasting
d. the equal time rule
e. media consolidation
The prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment comes from which of the following?
a. Native American principles
b. French civil law
c. English common law
d. German criminal codes
e. Spanish jurisprudence
Proponents of which of the following believe that judges should use their power
broadly to further justice?
a. judicial restraint
b. judicial constructionism
c. judicial activism
d. judicial originalism
e. judicial implementation
In a __________ system, local and regional governments derive authority from the
national government.
a. unitary
b. bi-cameral
c. confederate
d. constitutional
e. federal
An interest group filing an amicus curiae brief is an example of __________.
a. grassroots or outside lobbying
b. how interest groups influence elections
c. lobbying an executive branch agency
d. how groups influence the president
e. lobbying the judicial branch
What is the typical trajectory of a bill in the House of Representatives?
a. introduction, committee referral, subcommittee, full committee report, rules
committee, conference committee, send to president, full House vote
b. introduction, committee referral, subcommittee, full committee report, rules
committee, full House vote, conference committee, send to president
c. introduction, committee referral, subcommittee, rules committee, full committee
report, conference committee, full House vote, send to president
d. introduction, committee referral, rules committee, subcommittee, full committee
report, full House vote, conference committee, send to president
e. introduction, subcommittee, committee referral, full committee report, rules
committee, full House vote, conference committee, send to president
What is the role of the National Security Council?
a. to advise the president on national security
b. to keep the president and first family secure
c. to manage and advise the president on the armed forces
d. to provide intelligence on national security to the president and Congress
e. to work independently of the executive on national security
What has become the most powerful predictor of congressional voting in recent years?
a. economic stance
b. campaign finances
c. hot-button issues
d. party labels
e. trust
How many amendments have been made to the Constitution since its ratification?
a. twenty-seven
b. ten
c. thirty-six
d. twelve
e. fifteen
What has to happen in Congress before the president can be impeached?
a. The House can impeach the president by a simple majority; the Senate does not have
a vote.
b. The Senate can impeach the president by a simple majority; the House does not have
a vote.
c. The House can impeach the president by a simple majority; the Senate needs a
two-thirds majority.
d. The Senate can impeach the president with a two-thirds majority; the House does not
have a vote.
e. The House and Senate must both have a two-thirds majority.
The press has the greatest impact on public opinion regarding __________.
a. national disasters
b. events in foreign countries
c. elections and campaigns
d. crime and punitive law
e. local corruption
One of the primary purposes of the war in Afghanistan was to __________.
a. prevent the spread of communism
b. remove the Taliban-led government
c. protect religious freedom
d. retaliate for the bombing of the USS Cole
e. protect Iraq from Afghani military attacks
When might citizens be particularly concerned about an expansion of presidential
power?
a. when they support the president’s agenda
b. in times of economic crisis
c. during presidential election years
d. when they oppose the president’s agenda
e. in times of relative peace and prosperity
Which of the following was a powerful economic group during the colonial era?
a. Massachusetts clergy
b. southern fisherman
c. New England merchants
d. Pennsylvania miners
e. northern farmers
Which of the following is the authority vested in a particular court to hear and decide
the issues in a particular case?
a. jurisdiction
b. judicial review
c. jurisprudence
d. confirmation
e. filibuster
Why is the adjective cold used to describe the Cold War?
a. It began with a shortage of coal and heating fuel in Europe.
b. It hindered the spread of democracy in Western Europe.
c. It was a tense period of time without much use of direct combat.
d. It was a period of time in which there was no interaction between major world
powers.
e. It froze military alliances in their pre”World War II configurations.
The __________ Act of 1789 established the basic three-tiered structure of the federal
court system.
a. Federal Courts
b. Appellate
c. Confirmation
d. Interpretation
e. Judiciary
How do political scientists define political socialization?
a. as the process through which individuals self-select themselves to participate in
public opinion polls
b. as the process through which individuals acquire status as opinion leaders
c. as the process through which individuals seek out new polling technologies
d. as the process through which individuals seek out the beliefs and values of their peer
groups
e. as the process through which individuals acquire their political beliefs and values
U.S. foreign policy toward North Korea is largely driven by its __________ ambition.
Describe the differences between the First and Second Continental Congress.
How did President Johnson’s Great Society program use categorical grants?
According to the box, “Where Do You Get Your Political News,” __________ help
explain why Americans prefer certain news sources over others.
The __________ Clause guarantees that the citizens of each state are afforded the same
rights as citizens of other states.
What economic challenges has the United States faced in the early twenty-first century?
How has the rise of China and India as economic powers with global influence affected
the U.S. economic situation? Explain the U.S. relationship with each country.
Identify the major functions of political parties.
List and explain the differences between the theories of public policy formation.
Discuss the evolution of the Supreme Court’s case law regarding homosexuality.
Discuss the role of interest groups in elections.
The Constitution has been amended __________ times.
Which do you think make presidents more effective: their formal powers, or their
informal powers? Be sure to cite specific presidential powers to support your argument.
Include a conclusion that summarizes your argument.
Critics argue that the Supreme Court’s decision in Korematsu v. United States infringed
on the civil rights of __________.
When members of Congress talk about the ___________, they are talking about the
difference between annual government expenditures and revenues.
What was the problem with the original design of the Electoral College? How was this
problem corrected?
Explain the justification of federalism from the Framers’ point of view.