One explanation given by the text for the decline in U.S. voter participation in
presidential elections after 1900 is that
a. parties began functioning to mobilize mass voter turnout.
b. fewer citizens were directly affected by the outcome of presidential elections.
c. other forms of political participation became more accessible to citizens.
d. election fraud was rampant during the nineteenth century.
e. the Republican Party began to attempt to mobilize individuals who were least likely
tovote.
A public opinion pollster might need to make as many as __________ phone calls just
to get about one thousand respondents for a survey.
a. 2,000
b. 4,000
c. 6,000
d. 10,000
e. 15,000
In a(n) __________ primary, you can vote for candidates of either party.
a. blanket
b. open
c. closed
d. runoff
e. static
Typically, the economic adviser with the closest link to the financial community is the
a. chairperson of the CEA.
b. secretary of the Treasury.
c. director of the OMB.
d. chairperson of the Fed.
e. deputy director of the OMB.
When Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein wrote the stories that broke the Watergate
scandal, the reporters were acting as ___________.
a. gatekeepers.
b. scorekeepers.
c. watchdogs.
d. ombudsmen
e. whistle blowers
In 2012, a U.S. Senate campaign cost on average around
a. $1.6 million.
b. $9 million.
c. $10.5 million.
d. $20 million.
e. $3 million.
During the Old System, discussed in the text, most members of Congress
a. served many terms.
b. did not serve more than one or two terms.
c. ran for the presidency.
d. enjoyed the power of an activist federal government.
e. All of the above are true.
President Reagan’s approach to his program was to
a. have a policy on almost everything.
b. rely heavily on his predecessor’s program.
c. concentrate on only a few issues at a time.
d. rely on his cabinet.
e. rely on congressional leaders.
Reagan’s strategy in the budget battle of 1981 was to
a. focus on specific controversial programs and leave remaining programs at current
spending levels.
b. pass a May budget resolution that called for further cuts in most programs.
c. form a consensus of liberals and conservatives.
d. get Congress to vote for a total package of cuts before it voted for particular cuts.
e. reduce party leaders to a subordinate role in the process by insisting on particular cuts
on the front end of the process.
You must declare in advance that you are a registered member of a political party in
a(n) __________ primary.
a. blanket
b. open
c. closed
d. runoff
e. static
An obvious and important difference between a president and a prime minister is that
the latter alwayshas
a. interest group support.
b. support in the cabinet.
c. support in the military.
d. majority support in parliament.
e. executive powers.
In the __________ decision, the Supreme Court ruled that “separate-but-equal”
facilities were constitutional.
a. Plessy v. Ferguson
b. Brown v. Board of Education
c. Loving v. Virginia
d. Cumming v. Richmond County Board of Education
e. Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education
Jimmy Carter courting the major newspapers during the 1976 Democratic primary is an
example of a candidate understanding the role of the media as a(n) __________.
a. arbiter
b. watchdog
c. scorekeeper
d. mediator
e. regulator
Which of the following statements about congressional oversight of Central Intelligence
Agency (CIA) covert activities is true?
a. Congress has no authority to disapprove of such activities.
b. Congress must approve of activities that involve political assassination.
c. Congress must approve of activities that involve military expenditures.
d. Congress has blanket authority to approve or disapprove of such activities.
e. Congress must approve those activities that will extend more than sixty days.
Equality was a goal of
a. the French Revolution.
b. the American Revolution.
c. both the French and the American revolutions.
d. neither the French Revolution nor the American Revolution.
e. the French, American, and Russian revolutions.
A dramatic increase in size of the federal bureaucracy occurred during the twentieth
century, largely as a consequence of
a. the growth of patronage and the rise of political parties.
b. the Sixteenth Amendment and the Social Security Act.
c. a desire for limited government and an end to earlier regulatory practices.
d. the Great Depression of the 1930s and World War II.
e. the rise of special-interest groups and unions.
Which interest group is an example of an institutional interest?
a. League of Women Voters
b. Boy Scouts
c. Sierra Club
d. National Association of Counties
e. National Rifle Association
It is now easier to gain access to the courts, and once there, one is more likely to
encounter judges who believe that
a. precedent should be adhered to as closely as possible.
b. courts should avoid political questions.
c. the Constitution should be interpreted broadly to permit particular goals.
d. the executive branch should dominate the legislative branch.
e. state laws are superior to federal laws.
Courts do not issue _________ opinions.
a. advisory
b. diverse
c. unanimous
d. contentious
e. multiple
When the government is out of sync with the popular views on an issue, there is
a. opinion curiosity.
b. opinion-policy congruence.
c. opinion stability.
d. opinion saliency.
e. opinion agreement.
The nature of the amendment process has probably kept the amendments added to the
U.S.Constitution
a. relatively simple in nature.
b. legally complex in nature.
c. relatively few in number.
d. extremely controversial.
e. somewhat redundant.
Which of the following statements about political power, or “who governs?” is most
accurate?
a. The key to understanding power is to understand the monetary costs of different
political decisions.
b. Political power can usually be inferred by knowing what laws are on the books.
c. Political power can usually be inferred by knowing what administrative actions have
beentaken.
d. Power cannot be realized without institutional arrangements.
e. Most power derives from psychological and social factors such as friendship, loyalty,
andprestige.
The doctrine of nullification refers to
a. the power of Congress to veto state laws that violate the U.S. Constitution.
b. the claimed authority of the states to declare a federal law void for violating the
U.S.Constitution.
c. the power of the president to veto state laws for violating the U.S. Constitution.
d. the authority of the president to dissolve Congress and to call for new elections.
e. the power of the federal government to invalidate state laws on matters of commerce.
Relaxed constraints on federal action means all of the following EXCEPT
a. a citizen can use the federal courts to alter state policy.
b. people began demanding federal policies regarding civil rights and consumer safety.
c. the number of interest groups has decreased.
d. political resources have become more widely distributed.
e. All of the above are true.
Public distrust of the media
a. appears to be growing.
b. has remained about the same for three decades.
c. appears to be decreasing.
d. has never been studied in any rigorous manner.
e. has decreased for persons who read magazines of opinion.
Which of the following was created in 1978 in an attempt to give the president more
flexibility in dealing with high-level bureaucrats?
a. Civil Service Reform Commission
b. Merit System Protection Board
c. Senior Executive Service (SES)
d. Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
e. Presidential Task Management Board (PTMB)
Ancient political philosophers, such as Aristotle, held that the first task of any
government was to
a. cultivate virtue among the governed.
b. represent the will of the people.
c. exalt those who were wise above all others.
d. protect and enlarge the aristocracy.
e. build and maintain a conquering army.
The origin of the movement to give more rights to women was probably the
a. Rights Manifesto.
b. Seneca Falls Convention.
c. Nineteenth Amendment.
d. “Rosie the Riveter” worker.
e. Equal Rights Amendment.
Which statement regarding the voting habits of men/women is incorrect?
a. Both men and women voting reflect distinct differences in points of view.
b. The gender gap that is evident between their points of view is not new.
c. Men have forsaken the Democratic Party.
d. Women have forsaken the Republican Party.
e. Women have forsaken the Green Party.
Studies have shown the ideology of judges
a. determines behavior for most decisions.
b. does not entirely determine behavior.
c. is predictable based on the party of the president that nominated them.
d. is not well-known.
e. None of the above is true.
During his presidency, Kennedy mostly picked __________ to fill key economic
positions.
a. supply-siders
b. monetarists
c. keynesians
d. central planners
e. libertarians
The __________ manages the day-to-day work of the party.
a. precinct captain
b. national chairman
c. national selectman
d. national alderman
e. organizational deputy
The Supreme Court denied the Hazelwood High School student newspaper the right to
print certain stories, using the argument that
a. young people do not have First Amendment protection against libel.
b. the exercise of free expression by students is in violation of state educational codes.
c. schools that allow free expression by students can legally be denied federal funding.
d. incitement is never protected speech, even if it originates in a school newspaper.
e. the exercise of free expression by students cannot impede the educational mission of
the school.
Which of the following statements regarding the Australian ballot is incorrect?
a. It is printed by the government.
b. It appeared first in the states.
c. It appeared in the late 1800s.
d. It is cast in secret.
e. It eliminated vote fraud.
Max Weber argued that the modern state is controlled by appointed bureaucrats.
“Floaters” were good for political parties and democracy.
Log-rolling is when a legislator supports a proposal favored by another in return for
support of his orhers.
Discuss the cases of Myron Farber and Judith Miller to illustrate how the courts have
ruled on confidentiality of sources.
Until 1967, 16 states outlawed marriages between whites and nonwhites.
Today, the nation’s 53 million African Americans represent about 17 percent of the U.S.
population.
What are the four types of minor parties identified by the authors?
Today, popular confidence in political institutions remains higher in America than in
many placesabroad.
In many European nations, voters get to vote just once every four or five years.
Public-interest groups often do better when the government is in the hands of an
administration that is hostile to their views.
When it came to civil liberties and civil rights, Madison and the other Framers were not
willing to empower even persistent majorities or subject fundamental freedoms to a
popular vote.
Bureaucracy is an outgrowth of representative democracy.
How have appropriations committees lost power over government agencies in recent
years?
Discuss six effects, discussed in your text, that the Internet has made politics easier.
In United States v. Nixon, the Supreme Court rejected Nixon’s claim of absolute
executive privilege.
Many experts see Congress as the “broken branch.”
Blacks did not begin to vote in large numbers until passage of the Voting Rights Act of
1965.
Thomas Jefferson generally thought the powers of the federal government should be
narrowly construed and strictly limited.
What were the findings of the National Performance Review and its suggestions for
reform?