Studies of how casualty rates affect public opinion show that as death rates rise, people
a. develop more favorable attitudes toward the war.
b. support withdrawal from the war.
c. support surrender.
d. support escalation in the fighting to defeat the enemy more quickly.
e. support withdrawal after a series of powerful strikes.
This presidential election year witnessed the lowest level of voter turnout since 1924.
a. 2008
b. 2012
c. 2004
d. 1996
e. 1992
A diversity case is one involving
a. the jurisdiction of more than one appellate court.
b. the jurisdiction of more than one district court.
c. citizens of different states.
d. a writ of certiorari.
e. a writ of mandamus.
Generally, the Antifederalists felt that the government created by the U.S. Constitution
was
a. an insufficient check on the power of the states.
b. too strong and too centralized.
c. too liberal.
d. barely strong enough to be effective.
e. overprotective of individual rights.
Which candidate distinguished himself by raising an extraordinary amount of money
via the Internet?
a. Al Gore
b. John Kerry
c. Howard Dean
d. Al Sharpton
e. Bill Bradley
Which of the following statements is incorrect?
a. Democratic members of Congress tend to be consistently liberal.
b. Republican members of Congress tend to be consistently conservative.
c. Democratic members of Congress tend to be more liberal than Democratic voters.
d. Republican members of Congress tend to be more conservative than Republican
voters.
e. The policy preferences of Democratic and Republican voters are generally the same.
Today, the federal government contains how many cabinet departments?
a. 10
b. 12
c. 14
d. 15
e. 20
For representative democracy to work
a. there must be an opportunity for genuine competition of leadership.
b. individuals and parties must be free to run for office.
c. there needs to be freedom of speech and press.
d. voters must perceive that a meaningful choice exists.
e. All of the above are true.
The liberal Daily Kos and the conservative Power Line are examples of
a. blogs.
b. newspapers.
c. magazines.
d. cable news stations.
e. old media.
Mayer’s analysis of the dominance of conservative talk radio emphasizes all of the
following exceptthat
a. there are more self-described conservatives in America than liberals.
b. conservatives see radio as an alternative to other forms of media that do not reflect
theirviewpoints.
c. much of the liberal audience is broken up into distinct racial and ethnic minorities.
d. few members of racial and ethnic minorities listen to radio.
e. liberals think their views are encouraged by newspapers and television stations.
Federal courts can hear all cases
a. that the judges would like to hear.
b. that state legislators ask them to hear.
c. arising under the Constitution, the laws of the United States, and treaties.
d. required of them by state governments.
e. required of them by the president.
This rebellion occurred in January 1787 when a group of ex-Revolutionary War
soldiers, fearful of losing their property to creditors and tax collectors, forcibly
prevented the courses in western Massachusetts from sitting.
a. Shays’s Rebellion
b. Bacon’s Rebellion
c. Whiskey Rebellion
d. Clarke’s Rebellion
e. None of the above is true.
By the time the 2012 presidential election was completed, the Obama campaign and the
Romney campaign, together with a dozen other contenders for the presidency, had
raised and spent approximately
a. $600 million.
b. $4 billion.
c. $1.3 billion.
d. $800 million.
e. $500 million.
Under the Old System, power was somewhat centralized in the hands of
a. party and Congressional leaders.
b. party activists.
c. interest group leaders.
d. voters in primary elections.
e. PACs.
In the 1980 presidential election, many people voted for Ronald Reagan over Jimmy
Carter as a vote against Carter, not out of loyalty to Reagan. Such a vote is referred to
as a(n)
a. spin vote.
b. “clothespin” vote.
c. prospective vote.
d. informed vote.
e. inclined vote.
The Court’s decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission allowed
__________ to fund “electioneering communications” within 30 days of a primary
election.
a. business corporations
b. nonprofit organizations
c. unions
d. Options A, B, C, and D are true.
e. None of the above is true.
In about half of the states, voters can use this procedure to place legislative measures
directly on the ballot by getting enough signatures.
a. Initiative
b. Referendum
c. Recall
d. Logrolling
e. Rollback
The difference between de facto and de jure segregation is that
a. the former results from private choices, the latter from public law.
b. the former results from public law, the latter from private choices.
c. the former existed in the past, the latter continues in the present.
d. the former continues in the present, the latter existed in the past.
e. the former deals with perceptions, the latter deals with verified facts.
According to the text, African Americans are
a. somewhat Republican.
b. largely Republican.
c. generally Independent.
d. somewhat Democratic.
e. overwhelming Democratic.
President __________ declared, in a State of the Union Address, that the era of big
national government was over.
a. Bush
b. Reagan
c. Nixon
d. Eisenhower
e. Clinton
Studies show that Americans support constitutional freedoms under what conditions?
a. Only for people who agree with them
b. During times of peace, but not necessarily during war
c. In the abstract, but not always in the concrete
d. For all groups at all times
e. In the aftermath of war
Between 1860 and1900, the percentage of eligible voters participating in presidential
elections
a. was rarely above 30 percent.
b. was rarely above 40 percent.
c. was usually around 50 percent.
d. was generally comparable to vote turnout today.
e. ranged between 65 and 80 percent.
The text suggests that today’s lobbying laws are
a. more lax than ever.
b. tighter than ever.
c. less relevant than ever.
d. too complex to have any particular impact.
e. completely without teeth.
The text argues that the democratic political culture of Sweden differs from that of the
United States because the Swedes
a. integrate religion more successfully into their politics.
b. insist on greater citizen participation in government.
c. allow greater economic inequalities to exist.
d. resist tendencies toward socialism.
e. are more deferential than participatory in their politics.
Which recent Supreme Court nominee became the object of a notable Senate rejection?
a. Antonin Scalia
b. Robert Bork
c. Clarence Thomas
d. Samuel Alito
e. Anthony Kennedy
A coherent and consistent set of beliefs about what policies government ought to pursue
is referredtoas
a. political efficacy.
b. public opinion.
c. pragmatism.
d. realism.
e. political ideology.
The disadvantage of the new primary system that has developed in the United States is
that it
a. increases the role of rank-and-file party members to exert an influence over the
party’s candidate choice.
b. increases the chances that the party will nominate a candidate who is unappealing to
the average voter.
c. decreases the opportunity for those with strong policy preferences to play a role in
theparty.
d. decreases the likelihood that one party or the other will gain control of the presidency
for several terms.
e. increases the likelihood of interest groups supporting candidates who are appealing to
single-issue voters.
The effect of Shays’s Rebellion on attendance by delegates at the planned Constitutional
Convention of 1787 was to
a. encourage attendance by delegates fearing the collapse of state governments.
b. encourage attendance by delegates fearing intervention by the British.
c. discourage attendance by delegates fearing a public outcry against any strengthening
of the Articles of Confederation.
d. discourage attendance by delegates fearing intervention by the British.
e. discourage attendance by delegates who fought in the Revolutionary War.
The Bill of Rights has come to apply to the states through the interpretation of
a. the Fourteenth Amendment.
b. the Tenth Amendment.
c. the commerce clause.
d. Article III.
e. the necessary and proper clause.
Which of the following statements about revenue bills is correct?
a. They must originate in the House.
b. They must originate in the Senate.
c. They must originate with the president.
d. They can originate in either the House or the Senate.
e. They must originate in the Senate Finance Committee.
Since the 1970s, the Supreme Court has tended to apply this judicial standard to cases
of gender discrimination.
a. Reasonable standard
b. Intermediate scrutiny
c. Strict scrutiny
d. None of the above is true.
e. Options A, B, C, and D are true.
The reason given by the text for the United States’ failure to disarm after the Korean
War was
a. the possibility of renewed fighting in Korea.
b. our containment policy toward the Soviet Union.
c. fear of losing the cold war.
d. public opinion in favor of our being the world’s policeman.
e. All of the above are true.
Certiorari is a Latin word meaning, roughly,
a. “beyond all uncertainties.”
b. “certified.”
c. “to be heard.”
d. “rule of four.”
e. “made more certain.”
The Founding Fathers believed that most average citizens lacked the time, information,
energy, interest, and experience to decide on public policy.
Identify some of the ways that African-Americans were discouraged from participating
in elections.
Explain how the U.S. Supreme Court through “incorporation” has applied most of the
Bill of Rights to the states.
In the early years of the republic, newspapers were commonly sponsored by the
political parties.
What information must all registered lobbyists report twice a year?
Today, bureaucrats have less discretion than they did several decades ago.
The circular method of organizing the White House staff has the virtue of giving the
president a great deal of information.
What four factors account for the increase in interest groups in recent years?
Discuss some of the differences between the president and prime ministers.
The greatest source of presidential power is found in politics and public opinion.
One way in which the family forms and transmits political beliefs is by its religious
tradition.
When a recession and an older population occur together, our national debt tends to
increasesignificantly.
A social movement need not have liberal goals.
Civil rights is an issue on which the labor movement followed the attitudes of the rank
and file in its lobbying activities.
The president may negotiate treaties, but the Senate must ratify these by a three-fourths
vote.
Describe the constitutional powers held by the president and Congress in the area of
foreign policy.
Discuss the manner in which elite opinion influences (or is not likely to influence)
public opinion.