The expressed or enumerated powers include the ability of the federal government to
a. coin money, set standards for weights and measures, and determine rules for
citizenship.
b. declare war and establish post offices.
c. increase the number of federal courts.
d. set up the national central banking system.
e. Options A and B are true.
Some observers believe the following about low voter turnout:
a. Too few individuals are wielding too much political power.
b. Low turnout is a sign of satisfaction with the status quo.
c. Low turnout is a sign of political apathy in the voting public.
d. Potential voters do not want to take the time to learn about the issues.
e. All of the above are true.
All of the following are true of reconciliation except
a. traditionally, the use of reconciliation is rare.
b. budget bills can be handled under special rules that prevent filibusters.
c. reconciliation can be used to circumvent the Constitution.
d. reconciliation is sometimes used when the majority party in the U.S. Senate does not
have sixty votes on a measure.
e. under the rules, reconciliation is only to be used on budget matters.
Politics is
a. a process that resolves conflict within a society.
b. a struggle over power or influence within organizations or informal groups.
c. a type of anti-social behavior by individuals.
d. fundamentally irrelevant.
e. Options A and B are true.
The Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009
a. specifies penalties to employers for discrimination based on gender.
b. resets the statute of limitations for filing an equal-pay lawsuit each time an employer
issues a discriminatory paycheck.
c. reaffirms the decision in the Supreme Court case, Ledbetter v. Goodyear.
d. defines fair pay standards for different job classifications.
e. was passed in response to employers dismissing female employees when becoming
pregnant.
All of the following are true of women in the workplace today except
a. the glass ceiling refers to the fact that only a small percentage of the top corporate
officer positions are held by women.
b. for every dollar earned by men, women earn about 59 cents.
c. jobs that are traditionally held by women pay more than those traditionally held by
men.
d. pay discrimination is still an issue in the workplace for women.
e. the Equal Pay Act states that there should be equal pay for equal work.
All of the following are reasons why many candidates for office are lawyers except
a. they have a more flexible work schedule.
b. holding office is good publicity for their law practice.
c. political connections can help them later in their career.
d. they have trouble finding work in most states.
e. they may have long-term career aspirations for positions that require political
appointment such as judgeships or jobs in federal agencies.
Becoming a critical news viewer requires that you
a. compare and contrast news from one source.
b. compare and contrast news from many different sources.
c. analyze the news from your ideological vantage point.
d. analyze the news for foreign influences.
e. compare and contrast the news only from American outlets.
Interest groups often hire former government employees or former members of
Congress as lobbyists for all of the following reasons except that these
a. lobbyists “know their way around Washington.”
b. individuals often retain friendships with former colleagues.
c. groups cannot possibly be effective if they do not hire these people.
d. lobbyists often have expert knowledge.
e. lobbyists often understand the regulatory process.
All are true of federal grants except that they
a. increased significantly during the twentieth century.
b. have been used for education, pollution, and highway construction.
c. have quadrupled in the amount of dollars given by the national government.
d. are given by the states for national projects.
e. have given the national government a much greater role in state governments.
Third parties
a. are minor parties.
b. can act as critics of the major parties.
c. can be spoilers in an election.
d. often start because of an idea or person.
e. All of the above are true.
Prior to ratification, support for the Constitution was probably
a. widespread across both rich and poor classes.
b. widespread among the rich, but unpopular among the poor.
c. widespread among the poor, but unpopular among the rich.
d. unpopular across both rich and poor classes.
e. something only considered by a very small group of politically elite.
Public confidence in
a. the military has increased likely due to the military’s role in the war on terrorism.
b. religion has decreased due to sex scandals.
c. Congress has increased due to the passage of healthcare reform.
d. Options A and B are true.
e. All of the above are true.
Informal methods of constitutional change include
a. Congress proposing an amendment with a three-fourths majority of both houses.
b. state governments changing their constitutions to give them supremacy.
c. the use of judicial review by the courts.
d. state governments agreeing to hold conventions to amend the Constitution.
e. All of the above are true.
To ensure that majority rule does not become oppressive, modern democracies
a. limit political participation to individuals who are properly educated.
b. guarantee the rights of minorities.
c. embrace the concept of majority rule.
d. apply term limits to elected officials.
e. require two-thirds support of the legislature before a law can be enacted.
Critics of the Bush Doctrine
a. believed that a pre-emptive attack was better than what President Bush had proposed
as part of his new doctrine.
b. cited the damage it would do to the domestic economy.
c. pointed out that pre-emptive wars against other nations have traditionally been waged
by dictator and rogue states, not democratic nations.
d. claimed that launching pre-emptive war would allow the United States to pursue
world peace by eliminating terrorism.
e. believed that by endorsing such a policy, the United States could argue against
decisions of other nations to do the same when they felt threatened.
During the 1800s, the United States generally
a. stayed out of European conflicts and politics but pursued an expansionist policy in
the westernhemisphere.
b. pursued an expansionist and activist policy in both European conflicts and matters in
this hemisphere.
c. pursued an expansionist policy in European conflicts but stayed out of matters in this
hemisphere.
d. stayed out of both European conflicts and matters in this hemisphere.
e. has been characterized as Pax Americana.
Which government system is used most in the world today?
a. unitary system
b. confederate system
c. federal system
d. bicameral system
e. None of the above is true.
By 2008, the major political parties no longer exhibited any significant ideological
overlap, as conservatives came to dominate the Republican Party and
liberals/progressives the Democratic Party. This move in the parties toward ideological
purity has resulted in all of the following except
a. the dismantling of parties as insignificant.
b. political polarization.
c. an increased discipline in the two parties.
d. an increase in political rhetoric in media outlets.
e. a decline in trust between ideologies.
During the Cold War, there was (were)
a. continuous conversation betweenU.S. and Soviet military advisors.
b. no direct military conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union.
c. an occasional exchange of artillery fire across the East German/West German border.
d. direct fighting between U.S. and Soviet ground troops during the Korean War.
e. occasional dogfights between U.S. and Soviet fighter planes over Europe.
Assistance to other nations in the form of grants, loans, or credits to buy the assisting
nation’s products is called
a. an in-kind subsidy.
b. a tariff.
c. exports.
d. economic aid.
e. military aid.
All of the following statements are true about Sunset legislation except
a. all federal legislation must incorporate Sunset provisions of ten years.
b. legislation with Sunset provisions must be reauthorized at the end of the designated
period or the program created by the legislation will end.
c. Sunset provisions were first recommended during the creation of President
Roosevelt’s New Deal agencies.
d. many state governments have adopted Sunset provisions in legislation.
e. Sunset provisions allow Congress and state legislatures to revisit legislation at a later
date to determine if the legislation needs revision or should be abandoned.
With regard to constitutions
a. the U.S. Constitution is the supreme law of the land.
b. state constitutions are supreme within state borders, unless they conflict with the U.S.
Constitution.
c. the state constitution of one state may affect law in another state.
d. Both A and B.
e. Both A and C.
A _____________ system of government is one in which the central government has
______________.
a. federal; almost all the power
b. confederal; equal power with the states/provinces
c. unitary; equal power with the states/provinces
d. federal; almost no real power
e. confederal; almost no real power
Which of the following is true about third parties?
a. The Green Party favors globalization.
b. The Libertarian Party favors governmental intervention into overseas conflicts.
c. The Progressive Party was an advocate of federal regulation to protect consumers.
d. The Socialist Party favors small business interests and is growing in size.
e. The Populist Party was initiated by businessman Ross Perot in an effort to combat
federal budget deficits.
The power of the courts to determine the constitutionality of a law or action is called
a. judicial review.
b. appellate review of fact.
c. precedent.
d. the writ of judicial appeal.
e. habeas corpus.
The FISA court can
a. issue warrants without revealing the information used to justify the warrant.
b. deprive American citizens of their citizenship.
c. rule laws enacted by Congress to be unconstitutional.
d. strike certain provisions from the Constitution.
e. direct the president to take certain actions in order to protect national security.
Which of the following are important requirements that must be met before a case can
be brought tocourt?
a. issues must be political questions
b. jurisdiction and standing to sue
c. precedents and stare decisis
d. judicial maxims
e. requirements for legislation
In 2002, President George W. Bush enunciated a new foreign policy doctrine, the “Bush
Doctrine,” which held, in part, that
a. the United States was prepared to wage preemptive war against perceived threats,
with or without allies.
b. the United States would go to war with any country that attacked it.
c. Islamists would not be allowed to take power in any additional nations.
d. America would leave the United Nations if that body did not support its military
initiatives.
e. the United States would no longer participate in the World Trade Organization or in
the World Bank.
To become a critical news viewer, you must
a. develop a critical eye for stories given prominence at the top of newspaper websites.
b. visit the sites of publications with specific contrasting points of view.
c. investigate the source of information in blogs.
d. analyze news programs for time spent on news versus happy talk.
e. All of the above are true.
All of the following are true about religious displays on public property except
a. court cases over these issues have been ruled upon under the establishment clause.
b. religious displays have been allowed in certain situations.
c. displays of a crche at Christmastime may be allowed if non-secular displays are also
being shown.
d. nativity scenes have been allowed to be displayed by themselves.
e. displays such as lights, Santa Claus, and reindeer have been allowed.
Which of the following is not a regressive tax?
a. Social Security tax
b. Medicare tax
c. state sales tax
d. federal income tax
e. local real estate tax