Segregation in southern states during the early 1900s was legislated and
institutionalized, and not all acts of discrimination were as obvious as housing,
economic disparities, etc. Segregation in reality, as it is sometimes called, is known
legally as
A.de jure segregation.
B.de facto segregation.
C.case law segregation.
D.geographic segregation.
E.regional inequality.
The role of mayor varies between states and localities. Many cities have a ‘strong
mayor” system, which means
A.the mayor has veto power that cannot be overridden.
B.the elected council members are subordinate to the mayor.
C.the mayor is directly elected by the voters of the locality and has true executive
authority.
D.the mayor cannot be removed for any reason other than a vote of the people.
E.the mayor makes all hiring decisions.
Several presidents have been elected using a campaign promise to reduce the size of
what they perceive to be a bloated federal government. Ronald Reagan was one such
campaigner. What is the usual outcome of the administrations of these successful
candidates?
A.The new presidents normally succeed in reducing the size of the federal government,
but the next president usually returns to the excessive spending.
B.Presidents with such tight-fisted policies are never successful.
C.Upon realizing that they will not be able to deliver on their promises, the new
presidents normally admit their mistakes and change the direction of their policies.
D.The new presidents usually realize quickly that, in order to accomplish other
promises, they will ultimately leave office with a federal budget much larger than when
they arrived.
E.The American voters love conservative fiscal policies and the new presidents are
usually quite successful because of this.
At the time of the 2006 elections, there were _____ elected members of the 50 state
legislatures across the nation.
A.1,883
B.5,112
C.6,383
D.7,382
E.11,444
Which of the following is NOT a critical and legitimate function of an American
political party?
A.providing an organizational coherence to the operations of popular elections
B.assisting in the management of government
C.contesting elections on behalf of the electorate
D.recruiting and nominating candidates for public office
E.blocking as much legislation as possible from the opposing party in Congress
An unscientific poll that gathers the opinions of people who are conveniently available
in a particular gathering place is called
A.a straw poll.
B.an election.
C.a drill.
D.a public opinion poll.
E.a generalized public survey.
The 1857 Supreme Court landmark ruling in Dred Scott v. Sandford stunned
abolitionists. Addressing the issue of racial equality, Chief Justice Roger Taney wrote
A.that slavery could end, but African Americans must gain their rights incrementally.
B.that economic equality was acceptable, but political equality was immoral.
C.that slavery was immoral and equality was tantamount to a healthy and moral society.
D.that slavery must be abolished with reasonable speed and effectiveness.
E.that blacks were ‘so far inferior that they had no rights which the white man was
bound to respect.”
Sets of legislative codes, laws, or rules that are enacted by duly authorized lawmaking
bodies or offices are broadly known as
A.civil law.
B.martial law.
C.case law.
D.common law.
E.executive law.
Brown v. Board of Education overturned
A.Cooper v. Aaron.
B.Muller v. Oregon.
C.Plessy v. Ferguson.
D.Sweatt v. Painter.
E.Missouri v. Gaines.
The legal procedure by which a current court ‘stands by the decision” of a previous
court that has already settled the issue is referred to as
A.amicus curiae.
B.habeas corpus.
C.certiorari.
D.stare decisis.
E.concurrence.
Why did the Framers include life-long tenure for federal judges?
A.It would make the judiciary more powerful than Congress or the president.
B.It was a measure intended to make the process of locating and agreeing on good
candidates more difficult.
C.It was a measure intended to make judges more independent and free from political
pressures.
D.It was believed that no one would take the responsibility without a strong sense of
job security.
E.It was believed that this would ensure that judges would remain ethical while in
office.
In his dissenting opinion in Abrams v. United States in 1919, then-Justice Oliver
Wendell Holmes coined the term “free marketplace of ideas” as an argument for a free
press. What is meant by this statement?
A.Allowing people to freely communicate their ideas will provide a variety of ideas to
consider.
B.People and the media should be free to benefit financially from the marketability of
media.
C.The press should support our economic system of capitalism.
D.In the open market the top retailers will put the smaller retailers out of business.
E.All forms of media should be disseminated without cost.
The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996
implemented the most significant reforms of the welfare system in more than 40 years.
Which of the following was NOT a result of this legislation?
A.scaling back the food stamps program
B.requiring welfare recipients to work
C.devolving much of the administration duties of the welfare system from the federal
government to the state governments
D.having no impact on the actual number of persons receiving assistance
E.limiting the receiving of benefits to a five-year period
In recent years the amount of interest that the federal government pays on its debt
obligations comes to about how much for every man, woman, and child in the United
States?
A.50 cents
B.$300
C.$1,000
D.$100,000
E.$1 million
The U.S. government is increasingly turning to __________ to complete military tasks
in Iraq.
A.gay and lesbian soldiers
B.untrained soldiers
C.convicted felons who were previously ineligible for military service
D.private contractors
E.diplomatic immunity
State laws vary in regard to mandatory union membership for certain categories of
workers. Laws that allow an employee the option of joining a union are called
A.open shop laws.
B.closed shop laws.
C.compulsory laws.
D.union buster laws.
E.voluntary association laws.
The process of acquiring political values, beliefs, and opinions begins
A.at birth.
B.during childhood.
C.at around 18 to 21 years old.
D.around middle age.
E.in retirement years for many individuals.
During the Progressive era of the early 1900s, the direct primary was created and
implemented. What was the purpose of this direct primary?
A.It bypassed the voters and placed the election of candidates in the hands of the
governor.
B.It cut out the campaign phase and proceeded directly to the voting phase.
C.It gave voters the opportunity to select party candidates rather than party leaders
choosing the person who would represent the party.
D.It eliminated the power of the political parties.
E.It eliminated the voter registration process so voters had less chance of losing their
right to vote.
Since the end of World War II presidents have acted much more independently in
committing American troops to combat situations. In 1973 Congress attempted to
severely limit the power of the president to deploy troops without Congressional
approval. Then-president Nixon vetoed the legislation, but his veto was overridden.
What was this legislation called?
A.the Monroe Doctrine
B.the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance
C.the Presidential Control Act
D.the War Power Resolution
E.the Pentagon Papers
In 1993 Congress enacted, with approval of the Clinton Administration, the North
American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Though it has been politically controversial
at times within the United States, what is the purpose of NAFTA?
A.to lift trade barriers such as protective tariffs and investment restrictions between the
United States, Canada, and Mexico
B.to strictly guard American economic interests in the global market
C.to form economic alliances that would later lead to cooperative military cooperation
against common threats
D.to lift trade barriers to China and East Asian markets in order to increase American
exports into those regions
E.to force American companies to increase trade with Mexico
A ________ is a live event where the president addresses the nation directly.
A.press release
B.press briefing
C.press conference
D.penny press
E.press backgrounder
The major parties were weakened by
A.urbanization.
B.the large number of lobbyists.
C.the Progressive movement.
D.the presence of labor unions.
E.welfare reform.
_________ believed that a legitimate government must have the consent of the people.
A.Leon Trotsky
B.Thomas Hobbes
C.John Locke
D.Friedrich Nietzsche
E.Niccolo Machiavelli
What is the executive body, headed by a civilian presidential appointee, that plays a
critical role in helping to formulate and implement U.S. foreign policy through
management of the nation’s military?
A.Joint Chiefs of Staff
B.Department of State
C.Department of the Army
D.Department of Defense
E.United Nations
Which of the following is NOT a limitation on the powers of the judicial branch?
A.Federal courts cannot initiate or maintain lawsuits.
B.Federal courts can only hear lawsuits that constitute true cases or controversies.
C.Federal courts can provide only a limited scope of relief.
D.Federal courts must rely on other branches of government for enforcement.
E.Federal courts may not hear cases that arise out of state court cases.
Which of the following was the primary purpose of the Freedom to Farm Act of 1996?
A.to reduce farm subsidies and provide fixed payments to farmers
B.to issue interest-free loans to farmers
C.to increase the efficiency of farming techniques and profitability
D.to reduce Americans’ dependence on agriculture
E.to retrain farmers for industrial jobs
Created in 1949, which alliance bound the United States to the military defense of
Western Europe and placed it squarely at odds with the Soviet Union?
A.Warsaw Pact
B.North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
C.League of Nations
D.Strategic Air Command (SAC)
E.Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
Since 1940, what has been the trend in labor union membership as a percentage of the
total workforce?
A.It has sharply increased.
B.It has slowly increased.
C.It has remained about the same.
D.It has slightly decreased.
E.It has significantly decreased.
The head of the national party is the
A.party’s most recently defeated presidential candidate.
B.secretary of the party.
C.national convention chair.
D.party’s most recent former president of the United States.
E.chairperson of the national committee.
The First Amendment also guarantees freedom of the press. The press is considered
speech but it does have some limitations. One such exception of speech or press that is
restricted is in the case of libel, which is defined as
A.the crime of printing or disseminating false statements that harm someone.
B.the unethical action of making light of someone in the presence of others.
C.the crime of lying in a public document.
D.any behavior that offends or creates an uncomfortable relationship.
E.the crime of embezzling readers with false information.
The Constitutional Convention convened in Philadelphia in May 1787 and had as its
original purpose
A.to abolish the Articles of Confederation.
B.to discuss amendments to the Articles of Confederation.
C.to return the young nation to a monarchy.
D.a complete overhaul of the American system of government.
E.a covert plan to invade Canada.
The international organization created to keep the peace after World War I was the
A.World Peace Federation.
B.International Peace Council.
C.Carnegie Endowment for Peace.
D.League of Nations.
E.United Nations.
Which of the following is not a presidential power?
A.the power to convene Congress
B.the power to declare war
C.the power to pardon
D.the power to veto legislation
E.the power to command the military
Identify and describe the roles of the leaders within each chamber of Congress. How do
these leaders obtain their positions? How are leadership positions of the House and
Senate similar? How are they different?
Answer:
Answers may vary.
Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of democracy over other forms of
government. To what extent is the United States a democracy? To what extent does the
United States embody other forms of government?
Answer:
Answers may vary.
More Americans are getting political information from the Internet and from television
shows like the Daily Show than ever before. At the same time, Americans’ knowledge of
politics is fairly low. Evaluate whether these two trends are related.
Answer:
Answers may vary.
How do interest groups differ from political parties? How are they similar? Give some
examples.
Answer:
Answers may vary.
Compare and contrast containment and the Bush Doctrine of preemption.
Answer:
Answers may vary.
What rights are guaranteed in the Ninth Amendment? What well-known social and
political issue has been argued for decades, based on the rights provided by this
Amendment? Discuss the pros and cons of this issue. Then describe several additional
issues that have recently been debated based on the Ninth Amendment.
Answer:
Answers may vary.
The right of any woman to have an abortion was first established in the 1973 Supreme
Court ruling in Roe v. Wade. The Constitution says nothing about abortion, so it is not
an enumerated right. Where in the Constitution did the Supreme Court base its rationale
for legalized abortion? What have been some of the most recent challenges to Roe v.
Wade?
Answer:
Answers may vary.
The writers of the U.S. Constitution intentionally created an amendment process that
was difficult and infrequently used. The Equal Rights Amendment was originally
presented for ratification in 1972. Discuss the outcome of this proposed constitutional
amendment. Did it pass in Congress? The states? Was it ever ratified and enacted? If
not, what were some of the reasons? Describe the process for amending the U.S.
Constitution and discuss some of the hurdles that the ERA advocates encountered in the
process.
Answer:
Answers may vary.
Discuss three ways in which an individual is influenced in the development of his or her
political orientation. What groups, factors, or institutions are important in this
development?
Answer:
Answers may vary.
Discuss efforts to promote universal suffrage. Have efforts to expand the franchise been
effective? What issues persist over time? How can they be resolved in the future?
Answer:
Answers may vary.
States differ in the options and prerogatives they give to citizens to directly impact their
governments. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of the voter initiative, the
referendum, and the recall election as means for voter impact.
Answer:
Answers may vary.
Describe the policy and philosophy behind the Monroe Doctrine, and explain how it
fundamentally opposed the concept of isolationism.
Answer:
Answers may vary.
How has the Internet changed how interest groups function?
Answer:
Answers may vary.
What are some errors or oversights that may contribute to inaccurate interpretations of
public opinion polls?
Answer:
Answers may vary.
While most Americans would like for their government to be clear and decisive in its
policy making, the reality is that we are a nation of diverse opinions and desires. Yale
Professor Charles Lindblom described the American policy making process as the
‘science of muddling through.” Explain what is meant by this statement and give an
example to support it.
Answer:
Answers may vary.
Discuss the pros and cons of modern education policy. How does No Child Left Behind
address critical issues in education? What are its shortcomings?
Answer:
Answers may vary.
Discuss the key differences between the powers granted to the House of
Representatives and the Senate.
Answer:
Answers may vary.