Oversight is
a. the process by which Congress follows up on the laws it has enacted.
b. the process by which Congress reviews the actions of subcommittees.
c. the time of the year that Congress chooses its leadership.
d. when the President supervises the activity of the judicial branch.
e. when Congress passes legislation.
Aristocracy means rule by
a. the majority.
b. the “best.”
c. the “few.”
d. those who can read and write.
e. religious leaders.
A _________ is a voluntary agreement among individuals to secure their rights and
welfare by creating a government and abiding by its rules.
a. confederation
b. social contract
c. unitary govenrment
d. constitution
e. carte
Through negotiated rulemaking, federal agencies have begun encouraging businesses
and public-interest groups to become directly involved in
a. taking responsibility for their own self-regulation.
b. drafting the regulations that affect them.
c. lobbying Congress to relax regulations.
d. lobbying the president concerning bureaucratic reorganization.
e. administering regulations.
A closely linked set of beliefs about politics is called
a. a political culture.
b. a dogma.
c. a political ideology.
d. the political spectrum.
e. political science.
Governments have authority
a. when they are first organized.
b. when they are popular.
c. when they are internationally recognized.
d. when they have the right and power to enforce their decisions.
e. when people choose to obey the laws they create.
The most likely determinant of how people vote is
a. party identification.
b. perception of the candidates.
c. issue preferences.
d. litmus tests on the abortion issue.
In the Everson v. Board of Education case, the Supreme Court held that
a. school prayer is legal.
b. no tax can be levied to support any religious activities or institutions.
c. government-funded schools may support religion.
d. states may take action against people practicing their religion.
e. state or federal government authorities may participate in the affairs of religious
groups.
Although larger than any other federal department, the Department of Defense
a. declined in size after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.
b. declined in size after the end of World War II.
c. significantly increased in size with the election of Barack Obama.
d. significantly increased in size after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
e. declined significantly in size after the withdrawal of troops from Iraq in 2011.
State and national candidates are typically nominated through a
a. general election.
b. primary election.
c. judicial appointment.
d. runoff election.
e. party leader appointment.
Each state must do all of the following concerning other states EXCEPT
a. give full faith and credit to one another’s public civil acts.
b. enforce each other’s laws.
c. give full faith and credit to each other’s public records.
d. gve full faith and credit to one another’s public legal proceedings.
e. return people fleeing from justice to the state where the crime occurred.
The ______ of the Senate is mostly a ceremonial position.
a. president pro tempore
b. majority leader
c. minority leader
d. majority whip
e. minority whip
The colonists’ fury over taxation reached its peak over
a. the French and Indian War.
b. the repeal of the Stamp Act.
c. the passage of the Pennsylvania Charter of Privileges.
d. the Boston Tea Party.
e. the Mayflower Compact.
Which Supreme Court ruling limited the amount that candidates could spend on their
own campaigns, but was later found unconstitutional?
a. Citizens United v. FEC (2010)
b. Buckley v. Valeo (1976)
c. The Hatch Act of 1939
d. The Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971
e. The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002
George Washington viewed political parties as a
a. necessity for the functioning of democracy.
b. tradition from colonial times that would always exist.
c. threat to national unity and the concept of popular government.
d. legitimate means for interest groups to attempt to gain control of the government.
e. vestige of politics under Great Britain and thus a thing of the past.
Many people contend that the media’s influence on public opinion
a. has remained constant.
b. is decreasing.
c. has grown to equal the influence of the family.
d. is negligible.
e. is not, nor has it ever been, a significant factor.
The section of the Constitution in which Congress is given the authority to regulate
trade among the states and with foreign countries is called the
a. oversight clause.
b. commerce clause.
c. supremacy clause.
d. necessary and proper clause.
e. interstate compact clause.
Monetary policy includes
a. using changes in the amount of money in circulation to alter credit markets,
employment, and the rate of inflation.
b. using changes in the size of the federal budget deficit to alter national economic
variables.
c. regulating tax rates to ensure controlled growth and low inflation.
d. continually increasing the size of the national debt.
e. linkage of the consumer price index and the gross national product.
During his campaign, Barack Obama supported reforms that would
a. automatically grant citizenship to all illegal immigrants currently in the United
States.
b. give illegal immigrants a path toward citizenship.
c. eliminate crackdowns on employers who hire illegal immigrants.
d. automatically send all illegal immigrants currently in the United States back to their
home countries.
e. close the U.S.”Mexico border.
Starting with ______, all presidents have interpreted their authority as “Commander in
Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States” dynamically and broadly.
a. John F. Kennedy
b. Franklin D. Roosevelt
c. George Washington
d. Abraham Lincoln
e. Theodore Roosevelt
Members of Congress are granted generous franking privileges that
a. permit them to mail letters to their constituents for free.
b. allow them to charge items to a special expense account.
c. allow members unlimited phone calls to their district without charge.
d. permit them to receive four, round-trip airfares to their district.
e. allow them to hold events such as barbeques in their districts at taxpayer expense.
________ have traditionally favored the allocation of power to the states.
a. Liberals
b. Conservatives
c. Libertarians
d. Civil rights activists
e. Political independents
Politics is
a. the struggle over power or influence within organizations or informal groups.
b. becoming an increasingly low-stakes game.
c. a type of antisocial behavior by individuals.
d. fundamentally irrelevant.
e. the equitable distribution of power among organizations or informal groups.
The Fourteenth Amendment does all of the following EXCEPT
a. proclaims that all persons born in the United States are citizens of the United States.
b. provides that no state shall make any law that abridges the privileges or immunities
of citizens of the United States.
c. states that the right to vote shall not be denied or abridged on account of race.
d. dictates that no state shall deny any person of life, liberty, or property without due
process of law.
e. provides that no state shall deny any person equal protection of the laws.
Interest groups recognize that the greatest concern of legislators is to
a. support the principles of their political party.
b. be reelected.
c. vote for the ideas of the constituents.
d. be totally informed on issues requiring their vote.
e. please the congressional leadership.
Which of the following factors BEST influenced the taxation of the British colonies
after 1763?
a. The coronation of King George III
b. The establishment of more colonies
c. The costs of defending the colonists during the French and Indian War
d. The purchase of Canada (Quebec) from the French
e. The Revolutionary War
A _______ is formed by the concurrent action of both chambers of Congress and
consists of members from each chamber.
a. legislative union
b. select committee
c. standing committee
d. joint committee
e. conference committee
The two most important sources of political socialization are
a. the American Socialist Party and the Democratic Party.
b. the rapid growth of the federal deficit and uncontrolled immigration.
c. the family and the educational system.
d. direct payments to individuals from Social Security and 401Ks.
e. the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.
The major beneficiaries of the Freedom of Information Act have been
a. members of Congress.
b. people with criminal records.
c. news organizations.
d. nonprofit organizations.
e. health insurance companies.
“Umbrella groups” represent
a. collections of businesses or other entities.
b. umbrella manufacturers.
c. only small businesses.
d. only manufacturing businesses.
e. only international entities looking to do business with U.S. companies.
The controversy over slavery that led to the Civil War took the form of a dispute over
a. national government supremacy versus the rights of the separate states.
b. interstate commerce.
c. the application of the Bill of Rights to the states.
d. taxation.
e. the admission of Texas into the Union.