If someone’s two-year-old son enthusiastically says, “Obama! Change!” whenever he
sees Barack Obama on television, his response is a result of
A.values acquiescence.
B.public opinion.
C.deliberative democracy.
D.political socialization.
E.social capital.
How many presidents have voluntarily resigned?
A.none
B.one
C.two
D.three
E.five
What is an initiative?
A.Laws that do not require funding
B.Laws directly created by the governor
C.Laws which can be executed by the courts
D.Laws that are enacted by the public
E.The process for starting a lawsuit
Multipurpose local governments are chartered in order to manage and regulate local
services. Examples of multipurpose governments range from large cities to counties to
small rural towns. Which of the following is NOT one of the services that are normally
provided in a multi-purpose government?
A.fire and police protection
B.local roads
C.parks and recreation
D.public universities
E.water and sewer services
Approximately how long after the creation of social security were Medicare and
Medicaid added to the American social welfare system?
A.10 years
B.20 years
C.30 years
D.40 years
E.50 years
Sociologist Max Weber, an early student of bureaucratic organizations, identified
several common characteristics of effective bureaucracies. Which of the following
would NOT be on Weber’s list?
A.hierarchical arrangement with a clear chain of command from top to bottom
B.a focus on the professionalism of all employees
C.hiring and promotional decisions that are normally influenced by local politicians
D.organization based on a division of labor, expertise, and specialization
E.a common set of rules and regulations for carrying out organizational functions
President George W. Bush
A.holds the record for the fewest press conferences.
B.has the record for most press conferences.
C.held about the same number of press conferences monthly as did his father.
D.held about the same number of press conferences as Bill Clinton.
E.was criticized for not personally appearing at any press conferences
What is a health care arrangement in which pre-paid group arrangements limit costs
through flat monthly rates? These arrangements were widely used in the 1980s and
1990s but have increasingly come under stricter legislative control.
A.Aid to Dependent Families
B.pay-as-you-go plans that charge premiums only when used
C.Medicaid
D.state-funded children’s care plans
E.health maintenance organizations (HMOs)
At one time, the nominating convention was the place where the party platform was
hammered out and party bosses negotiated for candidates. With the advent of television
and the early primary elections in the states, what currently is the principle use of the
convention?
A.drafting of proposed legislation that will be introduced upon the party’s success
B.fundraising advertisements
C.week-long media forums that are used as the formal kick-off of the general election
campaign
D.selection of the vice presidential candidate
E.appointment of cabinet leaders
Article VI of the U.S. Constitution contains the supremacy clause. What is the
importance of this clause?
A.It requires that the individual state constitutions will be the ‘supreme law of the land”
and that the national constitution may not override them.
B.It creates the standard that no other law, state constitution, or government action may
override the U.S. Constitution, which is considered the ‘supreme law of the land.”
C.It states that Congress is supreme over the other two branches of government.
D.It provides that no single government has supremacy over another.
E.It establishes the supremacy of the American citizen as the ultimate power.
A current controversy involving allegations that police in the United States stop or
interrogate minorities at a disproportionate rate is called
A.social engineering.
B.racial profiling.
C.plea bargaining.
D.criminal overcharging.
E.court stacking.
In today’s American society, what is the primary purpose of the national party
conventions that are held in the summer prior to the presidential elections?
A.To showcase the party’s presidential candidate and garner momentum for the
upcoming election.
B.To interview and narrow the field of candidates for the upcoming primary elections.
C.To appoint cabinet members and other officeholders in case the party’s candidate
wins the election.
D.To seek balance and a cooperative spirit between the two major parties on major
issues prior to the election.
E.To introduce new legislation to Congress in order to satisfy campaign promises.
Which term is used to describe how interest groups go about influencing government
officials?
A.networking
B.negotiating
C.associating
D.lobbying
E.campaigning
Approximately what percentage of overall revenues are collected through the social
security tax?
A.less than 1 percent
B.5 percent
C.15 percent
D.35 percent
E.55 percent
The amount of money spent by the government over and above what it collects in taxes
and other revenue in a single year is referred to as
A.budget surplus.
B.budget deficit.
C.federal deprofiting.
D.Deflation.
E.positive retail impact.
The Stamp Act Congress was
A.an early attempt to write a constitution.
B.the first official meeting between the colonies.
C.a failed attempt in the colonies at a representative government.
D.evidence of direct democracy in the colonies.
E.evidence of indirect democracy in the colonies.
Article IV, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution is referred to as the privileges and
immunities clause. What does this section guarantee to American citizens?
A.The citizens of one state are immune to the civil laws of another state.
B.Citizens have privileges and not rights, which means that they are not immune to
losing the privileges.
C.Every citizen has the right to travel through other states, reside in any state, and
participate in business in any state.
D.Citizens are bound by the privileges in the state constitution, not the national
constitution (U.S. Constitution).
E.Citizens are bound by the privileges in the national constitution (U.S. Constitution),
not the constitutions of the states.
What is meant by “delegated congressional power”?
A.Congress delegates limited powers of lawmaking to the president.
B.Congress chooses how it wishes to enforce particular laws and states decide whether
to support these decisions.
C.Congress surrenders its lawmaking powers to the state legislatures.
D.Though Congress has the constitutional power to make laws, it gives an agency the
effective power to make laws related to the agency’s particular sphere of influence.
E.The Supreme Court takes the authority to make laws from Congress and delegates it
instead to the agencies.
Which of the following is NOT an example of an opinion in which the Supreme Court
ruled in favor of religious groups using the First Amendment’s free exercise clause?
A.It ruled that the state of Wisconsin cannot require Amish children to attend school
beyond the eighth grade.
B.It required the state of South Carolina to pay unemployment benefits to a Seventh
Day Adventist who refused to work on Saturdays.
C.It refused to recognize a claim by a Mormon in 1878 of his right to practice
polygamy.
D.It ruled that the state of North Carolina could require students to participate in public
school prayer.
E.It refused to recognize the right of two Oregon Native Americans to ingest the drug
peyote as part of a religious ritual after the two had been fired from their jobs as drug
rehabilitators.
For elections to be considered free and fair, there must be
A.very long intervals between elections.
B.very short intervals between elections.
C.restricted suffrage.
D.voting by secret ballot.
E.access to polling places according to one’s social class.
Politics
A.denotes the nasty, ruthless side of political campaigns in which candidates launch
personal attacks on other candidates.
B.refers to campaigns for elected office.
C.is always used with a negative connotation.
D.is the way in which the institutions of government are organized and influenced.
E.always corrupts.
A seat in the U.S. House of Representatives may be considered a ‘safe seat.” In the 2006
mid-term election about what percentage of the entire 435 seats was considered as
having a probability of either party winning the seat?
A.less than 5 percent
B.15 percent
C.30 percent
D.50 percent
E.80 percent
Between 1960 and 2000, the number of official associations (interest groups) increased
by about
A.20 percent.
B.60 percent.
C.150 percent.
D.300 percent.
E.400 percent.
American schools contribute to political socialization by
A.teaching about the virtues of socialism.
B.requiring students to take on the partisan affiliation of their teacher.
C.reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to help instill patriotism.
D.teaching students that war is evil.
E.teaching students to love your enemies.
During major historical events such as the attacks on Pearl Harbor in 1941 and on the
World Trade Center and Pentagon in 2001, why does the role and position of president
become so important?
A.The Constitution requires that Americans follow the president’s advice.
B.The president becomes a strong voice to command the nation’s attention, calm fears,
provide direction, and employ resources.
C.Congress is often unwilling to lead during emergencies so the president’s role and
authority increases.
D.The states have sole power to respond to threats against them by foreign powers but
they rely on the president for guidance.
E.Congress is incapable of taking any type of action against foreign enemies so this
responsibility is left to the president.
President Bill Clinton vowed to
A.”end welfare as we know it.”
B.”end the national healthcare system.”
C.”end the military career of any gay or lesbian soldiers.”
D.expand the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program.
E.privatize Social Security.
In approximately the past 30 years, the percentage of state legislators who are women
has increased to
A.2 percent.
B.8 percent.
C.22 percent.
D.48 percent.
E.60 percent.
Throughout American history, the most significant influences on the formation of public
policy have been
A.government agencies.
B.influential members of Congress.
C.state governments.
D.leagues of municipal governments.
E.private special interest groups.
Which term applied to the variety of laws enacted by state and local governments
across the South in the late 1800s and early 1900s that required and enforced racial
segregation, while prohibiting service in state militias and admission to colleges?
A.Jim Crow laws
B.Tuskegee laws
C.equality statutes
D.racial ordinances
E.race protection acts
Discuss the evolution of the women’s suffrage movement. What lessons can be derived
from the drive to ratify the ERA.
Answer:Answers may vary.
In order to appeal a case beyond the state supreme court directly to the U.S. Supreme
Court, a losing party
A.must gain approval of its respective state senators.
B.must have approval of the federal court.
C.need not have filed the case in the state courts.
D.must have exhausted all remedies available at the state level.
E.must show that the U.S. Supreme Court has addressed similar cases in the past.
The Supreme Court uses the ruling from __________ as test in dealing with religious
establishment cases.
A.Cantwell v. Connecticut
B.Lemon v. Kurtzman
C.Engel v. Vitale
D.Near v. Minnesota
E.Reynolds v. Sims