For a member of Congress, casework is
a. logrolling.
b. personal work for constituents.
c. lawmaking.
d. oversight.
e. an enumerated power.
A representative who is performing the role of a trustee is
a. mirroring the views of the majority of the constituents who elected him or her.
b. supporting the president on all of his or her legislative programs.
c. acting according to the broad interests of the entire society.
d. supporting his or her political party.
e. representing other members of Congress.
Political culture, to some extent, consists of symbols, such as
a. the American flag.
b. the Liberty Bell.
c. the Empire State Building.
d. Both options A and B are true.
e. None of the above is true.
Which of the following is the largest and most famous government corporation?
a. Amtrak
b. The Department of Homeland Security
c. The U.S. Postal Service
d. The Reconstruction Finance Corporation
e. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Which of the following best defines deficit spending?
a. When the government receives more than it spends.
b. When the government spends more than it receives
c. When the government controls the amount of money in the economy
d. When the government buys Treasury securities
e. When the government decreases marginal tax rates
Which type of interest group has probably been more successful in obtaining U.S.
government subsidies than any other?
a. Public safety
b. Environmental
c. Professional
d. Economic
e. Agricultural
All of the following are true EXCEPT that
a. civil liberties and civil rights are the same thing.
b. civil rights refer to the rights of Americans to equal protection under the law.
c. civil liberties are limitations on the governmentwhat government cannot do.
d. civil rights specify what government must do to ensure freedom from discrimination.
e. most minorities in this nation have suffered from discrimination.
The plan known as the Great Compromise
a. was advanced by the delegates from Georgia.
b. proposed a bicameral legislature.
c. was presented too late to be considered.
d. was proposed by Texas.
e. proposed a unicameral legislature in which each state would have one vote.
A defendant’s pretrial rights include all of the following EXCEPT
a. to be informed of the charges.
b. the right to legal counsel.
c. the right to remain silent.
d. negotiable bail.
e. prompt arraignment.
By far, the greatest number of radio and television hours are dedicated to
a. identifying public problems.
b. reporting the news.
c. entertaining the public.
d. providing a political forum.
e. educating the public.
According to the Constitution, the minimum age to be President is
a. twenty-five years.
b. thirty years.
c. thirty-five years.
d. forty years.
e. forty-five years.
With regard to the issue of oil and energy,
a. President Obama has not been active in supporting new policies.
b. the world’s largest oil exporters are all friends of the United States.
c. President Obama opposes using nuclear power.
d. in recent years, the practice of fracking stands to reduce America’s dependence on
foreign oil.
e. the government mandated a requirement that cars and trucks to have a maximum rate
of 100 miles per gallon by 2016.
Which of the following statements best describe why lawyers are more likely to
campaign for and hold political office?
a. They have more flexible schedules, and political involvement can make a valuable
contribution to their careers.
b. The patients they see can wait for them, or see other professionals.
c. They usually have summers off, which aids in campaigning.
d. The money they make in political office is usually far more than what they make as
blue collar workers.
e. The connections they make in politics allow them to easily become CEOs when they
eventually leave.
All of the following are true of relations between China and the United Sates EXCEPT
a. since 1972, American policy has been to gradually engage the Chinese in diplomatic
and economic relationships in the hope of turning China in a more pro-Western
direction.
b. there are large and growing trade ties between the United States and China.
c. instead of goods and services, China has imported U.S. securities.
d. China exports substantially more goods and services to the United States than it
imports.
e. China was denied normal trade relations (NTR) status by the United States, which
has hurt their relationship.
The assumption the government couldn”t (or shouldn”t) do anything about the division
of society between rich and poor began to lose its force in the
a. 1500s.
b. 1600s.
c. 1700s.
d. 1800s.
e. 1900s.
The people who wanted to be the Republican candidate in the 2012 presidential
campaign first needed to raise enough funds to
a. win the title of highest-funded candidate.
b. put up billboards in urban areas.
c. run for local office.
d. tour the nation to see if they had enough local supporters.
e. air attack ads on television.
A political culture is a
a. written set of codes that dictate political action.
b. club that attempts to influence governmental decisions.
c. major problem for rulers of stable forms of government.
d. patterned set of ideas, values, and ways of thinking about government and politics.
e. manifestation of pluralism.
A political system in which only two parties have a reasonable chance of winning is
called
a. a bipartisan government.
b. a two-party system.
c. a bicameral system.
d. bifurcated government.
e. representative democracy.
Which of the following is true regarding Barack Obama’s appointments to the Supreme
Court?
a. The appointments were Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.
b. The appointments changed the ideological balance of the Court.
c. The appointments included the third Hispanic on the Court.
d. The appointments were made possible by the retirements of Sandra Day O”Connor
and David Souter.
e. The appointments were unable to be confirmed by the Senate.
The Audubon Society and the National Wildlife Federation are examples of
__________ interest groups.
a. environmental
b. economic
c. agricultural
d. relatively ineffective
e. professional
How best to protect our environment and what the speed limit should be on interstate
highways are both
a. foreign policy questions.
b. domestic policy questions.
c. insoluble questions.
d. local questions.
e. questions for the courts.
In 1973, Congress passed the War Powers Resolution, which
a. required congressional approval before the president could dismiss the Secretary of
Defense.
b. limited the president’s use of troops in military action without congressional
approval.
c. expanded the president’s power over the military.
d. was necessary because of the increased threat of nuclear war.
e. allowed the president to declare an unlimited national emergency.
The supremacy doctrine asserts the priority of
a. large states over small states.
b. non-slave states over slave states.
c. national law over state laws.
d. natural law over man-made laws.
e. the legislative body over the chief executive.
A special category of national powers that is not implied by the necessary and proper
clause consists of what have been labelled _____ powers of the national government.
a. the inherent
b. the enumerated or expressed
c. reserved
d. concurrent
e. in the necessary and proper clause.
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
a. gave the states more control of their schools.
b. established a school voucher system.
c. increased the local school boards’ freedom in evaluating student achievement.
d. increased federal control over education.
e. was enacted by Congress under Democratic President Bill Clinton.
The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 banned
a. soft money contributions to national parties.
b. campaign ads by special interest groups.
c. independent expenditures by special interests.
d. the practice of lobbying.
e. interference in presidential elections by the Federal Election Commission.
What do tax loopholes allow individuals and corporations to do?
a. They allow them to reduce their tax liabilities legally.
b. They choose the state where they pay taxes.
c. They complain to the IRS.
d. They only pay taxes on investment income.
e. They commit crimes without getting tried.
Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique
a. provided the credo for the National Federation of Business and Professional Women’s
Clubs.
b. focused national attention on the unequal status of women in American life.
c. argued that women should not work outside the home.
d. advocated Marxism as a solution to women’s problems.
e. acknowledged that birth control should not be readily available because it would
encourage women to engage in marital infidelity and premarital sex.
As commander in chief, the president is
a. only a symbolic leader of the military.
b. the ultimate decision maker in military matters.
c. allowed to make military decisions, but only with the approval of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff.
d. not responsible for military decisions.
e. one of five people with the power to order the use of nuclear force.
Which of the following is NOT a member of the National Security Council?
a. The president of the United States
b. The vice president of the United States
c. The secretary of state
d. The director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
e. The secretary of defense