Individual income tax with a rate that increases as the amount of income gets larger is
a(n)
A.regressive tax.
B.progressive tax.
C.tax credit.
D.income tax surcharge.
E.income penalty.
One disadvantage of federalism is the lack of accountability. Why would this be
included as a disadvantage?
A.When citizens want to sue the government, it is often confusing as to which one
should be targeted, state or federal.
B.Since two governments are dually providing services, there is the tendency to shift
the blame or to procrastinate and wait for the other government to provide the service.
C.In an era of cutting taxes, there are less combined resources for the governments to
use.
D.The Constitution requires that the federal government is supreme and therefore
should ultimately be held accountable for failed policies. However, in a federalist
arrangement the federal government can delegate blame to the states.
E.In actuality, there is more accountability in a system of federalism since the duties of
both state and federal governments are clearly defined.
Under a laissez-faire system, which of the following policies is the government most
likely to pursue?
A.Social welfare programs
B.Banking regulations
C.High-speed rail transportation
D.Health care for the elderly
E.Deregulation
Growing in popularity and use is the “Missouri Plan” for selecting judges at the state
level. What are the steps in this process?
A.A non-partisan commission appoints the judge, and after a two-year trial service the
governor may appoint for life.
B.A judge is appointed by the governor through a partisan process but later must run for
reelection as a non-partisan candidate.
C.A judicial nominating committee chooses three judicial candidates based on merit,
the governor appoints one from the list, and after two years the judge stands for election
by the voters.
D.The state supreme court convenes a committee comprised of three of its justices, who
then choose the new judge based on merit issues.
E.The legislature chooses the judge by a three-fourths vote and the judge is then
appointed for a life term.
Most organizations have a common set of rules for carrying out functions that
characterize the operations. These formal rules are called
A.statutes.
B.recommendations.
C.bureaucratic guidelines.
D.standard operating procedures.
E.standardized commands.
Power
A.always has negative results.
B.is not conducive to democracy.
C.does not exist in a democracy.
D.is necessary in any government in order that it may enforce its rules.
E.is necessary in a democracy in order that anti-government forces may be kept quiet
and under control.
Why was the 1815 invention of the rotary press so important to news efforts?
A.It enabled the mass production of newspapers.
B.It enabled the creation of electronic transmission of news.
C.It had no significant effect on news production.
D.It improved objectivity in reporting.
E.It allowed the printing of newspapers in multiple languages.
In 1941 then-President Franklin Roosevelt was faced with an enormously deadly attack
on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii by what group or power?
A.the Russian Empire
B.the Republic of China
C.Muslim fanatics of Al Qaeda
D.the Empire of Japan
E.the government of North Korea
In political theory a social contract is
A.an agreement people make with one another to form a government and abide by its
rules and laws.
B.a civil agreement.
C.a peace accord.
D.an alliance of racial and ethnic groups within a society with the goal of keeping
social order.
E.a mediated peace.
Hundreds of new federal agencies were created to regulate business practices and
various aspects of the economy in an attempt to mitigate the effects of the Great
Depression during the administration of President
A.Theodore Roosevelt.
B.Franklin Roosevelt.
C.James Garfield.
D.Lyndon Johnson.
E.Herbert Hoover.
Medicaid was designed to provide healthcare to the
A.aged and ill.
B.poor.
C.working class.
D.bureaucrats.
E.farmers and ranchers.
The party that chooses to initiate formal legal proceedings is called the
A.initiator.
B.defendant.
C.plaintiff.
D.barrister.
E.counsel.
The president has constitutional power to veto legislation passed by Congress.
However, the Congress also has constitutional powers to override the veto. How is the
veto overridden?
A.The Senate has the sole power to override the veto but it must have a three-fourths
vote of all senators.
B.A simple majority of both houses of Congress is required for override.
C.A simple majority of both houses plus approval of the Supreme Court is required for
override.
D.A three-fourths majority vote of both houses of Congress is required for override.
E.A two-thirds majority in each house of Congress is required for override.
Which of the following is NOT a method that interest groups use to lobby for their
causes?
A.litigating
B.supporting candidates
C.grassroots lobbying
D.persuasive campaigning
E.boycotting their own businesses
How long do justices of the U.S. Supreme Court serve?
A.four-year terms with no reappointment
B.four-year terms but may be reappointed
C.eight-year terms
D.20-year terms
E.appointed for life
In the 1900s a number of states included provisions in their state constitutions creating
a method to allow a state’s voters to pass laws directly without having to go through the
state legislature. These measures are referred to as
A.referendum.
B.veto.
C.canvass.
D.solicitation.
E.legislation override.
Which of the following is NOT a Cabinet department of the executive branch?
A.Department of Defense
B.Department of Education
C.Department of Justice
D.State Department
E.Judicial Branch
The Executive Office of the President is a large bureaucracy of currently more than
2,000 employees who work for the president to carry out management and
administrative functions. The head of this bureaucracy and a very close advisor to the
president is the
A.Vice President of the United States.
B.Speaker of the House.
C.White House Chief of Staff.
D.Attorney General.
E.National Party Chairman.
Every _______ years, ______ of the Senate is up for re-election.
A.two/one-quarter
B.two/one-third
C.six/one-third
D.six/one-half
E.six/three-quarters
Woodrow Wilson in 1912 was the only Democratic presidential candidate to win an
election between 1896 and 1932. To what do most experts credit Wilson’s win?
A.Wilson’s promise of neutrality in WWI
B.Wilson’s education and credentials
C.the demise of the Republican Party
D.the Great Depression, which had seriously damaged the government’s credibility
among citizens
E.a strong third-party campaign by former Republican president Theodore Roosevelt,
which had clearly siphoned votes away from the unpopular current president, Howard
Taft
Politicians and presidential advisors who call for aggressive military action wherever
hostile forces may be found are often referred to as
A.doves.
B.hawks.
C.realists.
D.precursors.
E.pacifists.
Political scientist Phillip Converse refers to a “normal vote.” In the context of the
political party, what is meant by this term?
A.There are no controversies involved in the electoral outcome.
B.The election has one Democrat and one Republican, with no third party candidates.
C.A certain number of Democratic votes will be cast by Democrats and a certain
predictable number of Republican votes will be cast by Republican voters.
D.In this type of vote, a predictable amount of voters turn out and participate.
E.The results of the election are not dramatic or realigning.
What is the only restriction placed on a state constitution by the U.S. Constitution?
A.The state may not have royal titles.
B.The state must guarantee allegiance to the Untied States.
C.Neither the state constitution nor the state’s laws can conflict with the U.S.
Constitution.
D.The state may not raise an army.
E.There are no restrictions since the state is sovereign.
What was the biggest weakness of the Articles of Confederation?
A.Lack of a national court in which British loyalists could sue Americans.
B.An overly powerful Congress and an anemic president.
C.The inability to maintain low taxes.
D.Lack of a strong national government.
E.Citizens trusted the national government more than the state governments.
The concept of individualism is a collective American value meaning that
A.citizens are primarily responsible for their lot in life.
B.court rulings are custom-made to suit the individual.
C.the rights of the individual outweigh the rights and powers of the government.
D.in essence, the individual is expected to look after his/her own interests and is not
responsible for others.
E.”my rights are more important than your rights.”
___________ marked the start of the National Supremacy Period.
A.The Civil War
B.Marbury v. Madison
C.United States v. Lopez
D.The Great Depression
E.Alien and Seditions Act of 1798
Ballots for elections are structured differently according to state. In one option for
structuring a ballot, the name of the political party appears at the top of the column and
candidates for the office appear below, thus cuing the voter to the partisan affiliation.
This method of ballot structure is called
A.the party primary.
B.the forced-choice ballot.
C.filtering.
D.the Indiana ballot.
E.the third-party ballot.
Authority to delete part of a bill without vetoing the entire bill is known as a
A.pocket veto.
B.partial veto.
C.line-item veto.
D.princess veto.
E.presidential disapproval veto.
The “war on poverty” created many federal social programs, one of which is the
well-known food stamp program. In what year was the food stamp program initiated?
A.1880
B.1910
C.1935
D.1964
E.1993
Which of the following is an important difference between interest groups and political
parties?
A.Interest groups tend to have a narrow focus on special issues, while major political
parties are generally all-encompassing with more broad ideological approaches.
B.Interest groups are for-profit organizations, whereas political parties are non-profit
entities.
C.Interest groups are heavily regulated by federal election laws, whereas political
parties enjoy considerable freedoms and prerogatives.
D.Interest groups may contribute unlimited and unreported amounts of money to
political campaigns, whereas political parties have strong restrictions.
E.Approved interest groups receive funding from the federal government, whereas
political parties must raise their funds privately.
In writing the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson stated that human beings
are endowed with certain “inalienable rights.” What did he mean by this statement?
A.The rights cannot be extended to noncitizens.
B.Any person who is in the country illegally is ineligible for legal protection.
C.The government “endows” certain rights so it can also deny them.
D.The rights cannot be denied by the government.
E.Only the state governments can guarantee rights to citizens.
Which bureaucracy was created to regulate the rates charged by railroads for shipping
freight?
A.the Railroad Commission
B.Amtrak
C.the Interstate Commerce Commission
D.the Agency on Shipping and Freight
E.the Northern Pacific Railroad Association
What is the measurement of the public’s evaluation of the economy determined by using
a public opinion poll that gauges feelings about personal income and financial security?
A.census
B.consumer willingness pricing
C.consumer confidence index
D.the NASDAQ
E.Standard & Poor’s 500 Index
Televised presidential debates have been held every election year since
A.1960Kennedy/Nixon.
B.1964Johnson/Goldwater.
C.1976Ford/Carter.
D.1988Bush/Dukakis.
E.1992Clinton/Dole.
Based on data from presidential elections throughout American history, an individual
who is currently holding which of the following positions is the least likely to become
the next president?
A.a state governor
B.a vice president of the United States
C.a member of the U.S. House of Representatives
D.a member of the U.S. Senate
E.a general in the U.S. Army