In very limited cases, the courts may impose a limit on publication before certain
material has actually been published, based on the argument that the material will be
libelous if published. This order not to publish is called
A.judicial censorship.
B.cease and desist.
C.prior restraint.
D.judicial discretion.
E.libel diversion.
What is the central tenant of the Americans with Disabilities Act?
A.Government subsidies for vocational education.
B.Strict quotas on the number of legislative seats held by disabled citizens.
C.Workplace accommodations for disabled citizens.
D.Guaranteed enlistment in the armed forces.
E.Housing assistance for disabled citizens.
What was the impact of the invention and distribution of radio in the early twentieth
century?
A.It reached the first truly mass media audiences.
B.It improved commercial marketing for advertisers.
C.It proved problematic in that enemy nations could monitor American transmissions.
D.It exposed an income gap in that most Americans could not afford the device.
E.It was a nice invention but was overshadowed by the power of the printed media.
Presidents frequently issue rules and regulations that carry the force of law, ranging
from orders to the armed forces to designation of public lands. Such actions, once
thought to be unconstitutional, are called
A.civil prosecution.
B.executive orders.
C.diplomacy.
D.enforcement prerogative.
E.executive negotiation.
The U.S. Constitution allows some powers while denying others. Such explicitly stated
powers are referred to as
A.constitutionally mandated powers.
B.amended powers.
C.natural rights.
D.enumerated powers.
E.inherent powers.
The process of voters enacting laws directly is called a/an
A.caucus.
B.direct election.
C.initiative.
D.referendum.
E.recall.
In the wording of the U.S. Constitution, the process by which the Congress may remove
a sitting president from office
A.was not originally written into the Constitution but was created by later Supreme
Court opinions.
B.is designed to be exceptionally easy if the proper procedure is followed.
C.is clear but is intentionally designed to be an extremely difficult endeavor.
D.is very vague and controversial.
E.is dependent upon interpretation by the state courts.
How did railroad expansion impact the news in the mid-1800s?
A.Railroads owned the newspaper so the increased profits of the railroads allowed
expansion of the new outlets.
B.Railroads opened up remote areas, but the areas were controlled by non-American
forces and the impact on news dissemination was negative.
C.Railroads had no impact on the media.
D.Expansion of railroads into frontiers and remote areas allowed for mass distribution
of newspaper and mail.
E.Railroads were controlled by the dominant political party, which also controlled how
and if the news was distributed to remote areas.
Which federal regulatory agency, created in 1934 as a direct response to the stock
market crash of 1929, is responsible for rulemaking with respect to the stock market
and corporate bookkeeping practices?
A.Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
B.Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
C.Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
D.Federal Reserve Board
E.U.S. Treasury
Open market operations are when the Federal Reserve Bank buys or sells
A.credit card debt.
B.subprime mortgages.
C.defaulted loans.
D.government securities.
E.mutual funds.
In the 1800s and early 1900s, many Americans viewed the nation’s defining ideology as
acquiring lands and occupying the entire continent from ocean to ocean. What was this
ideology commonly called?
A.expansionism
B.manifest destiny
C.continentalism
D.blitzkrieg
E.isolationism
Which of the following is an example of how the concept of natural law could be
applied?
A.The city government prevents a developer from destroying a wooded area.
B.A totalitarian ruler exercises power over citizens by eliminating private ownership of
property.
C.Nearly all citizens realize that every child has a right to live free from abuse, and the
governing body enacts a law to protect that right.
D.Laws are abolished and each person is free to determine his or her own moral
compass and destiny.
E.Capitalism is abolished.
If the Supreme Court decides to allow law enforcement officials to use electronic data
scanners for surveillance purposes because it has previously allowed the use of thermal
imaging cameras in criminal investigations, it is applying the doctrine of
A.amicus curiae.
B.stare decisis.
C.fortuna opes auferre.
D.per curiam.
E.seriatim.
Which of the following is a system of justice used in the American legal system in
which opposing parties contend against each other for a result favorable to themselves,
while judges act as independent referees overseeing the contest?
A.adversarial system
B.inquisitorial system
C.civil system
D.criminal system
E.appellate system
How are housing starts, or new construction, used to gauge the national economy?
A.Construction of apartments instead of single family homes indicates less money
available in the economy.
B.Declines in housing starts are often one of the first signs of an approaching economic
downturn.
C.Building supplies are the most profitable industry in the nation.
D.Decreases in demand for single-dwelling homes usually indicates a higher demand
for condominiums and other multi-unit construction.
E.Decreases in the average price of new homes indicates a strong economy.
Since 1913, this agency has acted as the regulator of monetary policy in the United
States.
A.New York Stock Exchange
B.World Bank
C.Office of Management and Budget
D.U.S. Treasury
E.Federal Reserve System
Which country has the smallest percentage of citizens covered by health care plans that
are government run or government supported?
A.France
B.Canada
C.England
D.Cuba
E.United States
The United States has witnessed several presidential elections in which one candidate’s
campaign platform was built on a promise to reduce the size of the federal government
and cut taxes. The first successful campaign to use this platform was
A.George Washington in 1788.
B.Thomas Jefferson in 1800.
C.Franklin Roosevelt in 1932.
D.Ronald Reagan in 1980.
E.Bill Clinton in 1992.
An example of a powerful interest group that advocates for Second Amendment rights
is the
A.National Rifle Association (NRA).
B.American Association for Retired People (AARP).
C.People for the American Way.
D.Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA).
E.Halliburton Corporation.
Following the Plessy case the Supreme Court did not issue a landmark case concerning
racial segregation until its 1954 ruling in Brown v. Board of Education. This case
involved segregated school districts in Topeka, Kansas but had very broad impact. What
was the decision of the Court in Brown?
A.In future cases the federal government, not the states, would decide issues of race
relations.
B.Segregated schools may exist so long as the teaching staff is integrated.
C.Southern states have a history and tradition of segregation, so they may retain
segregated schools, but other states must enforce integration.
D.Segregated schools were “inherently unequal” and all public schools must admit
African American children “with all deliberate speed.”
E.Segregation is constitutional in high schools only.
The power to raise armies, punish maritime crimes, regulate commerce, and fund wars
is the exclusive authority of
A.the President of the United States.
B.Congress.
C.the state governments.
D.the Secretary of State.
E.the Secretary of Defense.
The federal bureaucracy currently employs thousands of people. Comparatively, during
the administration of President George Washington the total number of agencies was
_____ and the total number of federal employees was _____.
A.two; ten
B.three; about fifty
C.four; about one hundred and eighty
D.six; more than one thousand
E.twelve; more than fifteen thousand
In its original language, the U.S. Constitution stated in Article I that the number of
members in the U.S. House of Representatives should not exceed one for every ____
citizens.
A.100
B.10,000
C.30,000
D.100,000
E.1,000,000
History has shown that ethnic and racial diversity in our nation
A.has weakened our social fabric.
B.has eliminated racial tensions.
C.has actually enhanced the quality of our culture and helped to guarantee the fairness
of the government.
D.has led to a society in which it is necessary to have multiple layers of government,
each serving a different racial constituency.
E.has weakened religious purity.
The rules and regulations that declare what types of conduct constitute an “offense
against society” and prescribe the punishment to be imposed for such conduct are
collectively referred to as
A.case law.
B.civil law.
C.constitutional law.
D.precedent.
E.criminal law.
The first sitting president to visit a foreign country on official business was
A.George Washington in 1790.
B.Abraham Lincoln in 1865.
C.Theodore Roosevelt in 1906.
D.Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1943.
E.John Kennedy in 1961.
In Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that slaves were
A.to be counted as three-fifths of a person in the 1860 census.
B.not U.S. citizens.
C.allowed to own property in Southern states.
D.prohibited in the North.
E.allowed to bring suits in federal courts.
The crime of advocating the overthrow of the existing system of government is called
A.revolution.
B.anarchy.
C.internment.
D.tribunal.
E.sedition.
A scientific sample is
A.a group of representatives from the population who are chosen based on their
understanding of the process.
B.a system that uses probability theory as a guide to selecting people from the
population who will comprise the selected group.
C.a group of representatives from the population who have knowledge of scientific
methods, thus creating a more reliable result.
D.a group of people intentionally and specifically selected from a population to be
surveyed.
E.the study of political activists and the impact of political activity on character
development.
Monetary policy refers to government control of
A.the banking and computer industries.
B.the money supply and interest rates.
C.taxing and spending policies.
D.equities and securities.
E.bonds and deficits.
Describe the principles of separation of powers and checks and balances. How have
they evolved? How have they been incorporated into the Constitution?
Answer:
Answers may vary.
How has the Supreme Court interpreted the Second Amendment? Do you agree with
their interpretation? Why or why not?
Answer:
Answers may vary.
Describe the differences between a progressive tax, a regressive tax, and a flat tax. Give
examples of the individuals or groups that benefit most from each of these taxing
formats.
Answer:
Answers may vary.
Describe how presidents have attempted to use public opinion, from the early days of
the nation to modern times.
Answer:
Answers may vary.
In 1776, delegates to the Second Continental Congress appointed a committee to draft a
document that would state their list of grievances and articulate their new intention to
seek independence. List the writers of the Declaration of Independence, and name the
primary writer and the reasons for (and objections to) his prominence. Discuss the
philosophies and theories embodied in this revolutionary document.
Answer:
Answers may vary.
In light of the recent economic downturn spurred in part by risky mortgages, evaluate
the proper role of government in regulating the financial industry.
Answer:
Answers may vary.
A core value in American political culture is the concept of majority rule, however,
another core value is minority rights. Describe how the American constitutional form of
government can protect both core values.
Answer:
Answers may vary.
The debate over civil liberties in the United States often becomes very passionate and
heated. The issue of prayer in public school classrooms has raised many such emotions.
Discuss the constitutionality issues regarding prayer in school, a “moment of silence” in
school, and prayer at school events or athletic competitions. How has the Supreme
Court ruled on these issues in the past and what is the most recent stance of the Court in
this debate?
Answer:
Answers may vary.
How did the early leaders of the United States, such as George Washington and
Alexander Hamilton, view political parties? Did their views persist over a long period
of time or have a significant impact?
Answer:
Answers may vary.
Compare and contrast the platforms, strengths, weaknesses, and strategies of the
Republican and Democratic Parties.
Answer:
Answers may vary.
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of judicial activism and judicial restraint.
Answer:
Answers may vary.
Discuss the major arguments for and against the progressive movement. Which do you
support?
Answer:
Answers may vary.
Compare and contrast the efficacy of the Gay Rights and Disability Rights movements.
How successful have each of these groups been?
Answer:
Answers may vary.
Historically the office of vice president has not been a statistically good position from
which to launch a bid for the office of president. What are some reasons for the low
number of vice presidents who have later been elected president? In contrast, which
previously held political offices are most commonly represented among all the
individuals who have served as president?
Answer:
Answers may vary.
Assume a scenario in which the House of Representatives has considered the president’s
spending bill and has authorized military funding of $8 billion. After consideration of
the same legislation, the Senate recommends authorization of $12 billion for military
expenditures. Describe the process that the two chambers of Congress will utilize to
come to consensus on this spending issue.
Answer:
Answers may vary.