Strings attached to federal grants are
a. called federal mandates.
b. designed to force states to comply with federal policies.
c. designed to force states to save money.
d. called federal rules.
e. Options A and B are true.
The advent of broadband Internet access has led to the rise of
a. a single ISP with a national monopoly.
b. a great deal of competition in the broadband market.
c. ISPs with local monopolies.
d. a single ISP with a national monopoly.
e. None of the above.
The doctrine of containment set forth by George F. Kennan
a. proposed that the United States should seek to “roll back” Communism in Eastern
Europe.
b. was expressed in the Truman Doctrine enunciated by President Harry Truman in
1947.
c. called for the United States to initiate arms reduction talks.
d. said that the United States should seek to block the spread of Communism to
additionalcountries.
e. Options B and D are true.
The real world effect of voter ID laws in the 2012 election was that
a. voter turnout was down across the board.
b. they did not work and vote fraud was rampant.
c. they had no measurable effect.
d. turnout was down primarily among minorities, who were adversely affected by the
laws.
e. minorities felt their voting rights were under attack and turned out in higher than
usual numbers.
In the case of Gibbons v. Ogden
a. the national government lost the power to regulate intrastate commerce.
b. state governments won the right to control navigation in interstate waters.
c. the power to regulate interstate commerce was determined to be an exclusive national
power of the federal government.
d. the ruling provided the national government with decreasing power over economic
affairs throughout the land.
e. the Supreme Court found that commerce was defined as the exchange of goods and
not navigation or transport of people.
One of the ways in which lobbyists make themselves valuable to decision makers is by
a. threatening to campaign against them in upcoming elections.
b. providing bribes.
c. threatening to withhold campaign contributions.
d. providing information and expertise whenever asked.
e. inviting them to parties.
The Twenty-Sixth Amendment to the Constitution
a. effectively established the national voting age at eighteen years.
b. allowed states to set a voting age between eighteen and twenty-one years.
c. expanded due process protections to the states.
d. abolished slavery.
e. Both C and D.
The periods after the Pearl Harbor attack and the September 11, 2001 terror attacks are
similar in that
a. calls were made to enhance security at the expense of civil liberties.
b. liberties were largely maintained at the expense of national security.
c. the United States declared a war on terrorism.
d. the U.S. government suffered a loss of legitimacy.
e. Both A and C.
Tipping takes place
a. when a substantial group of voters switches party allegiance.
b. when increasing numbers of voters call themselves “independents.”
c. when a group that is becoming more numerous over time grows large enough to
change the political balance in a state.
d. as a result of immigration or differential birth rates.
e. only in countries that employ a multi-party system.
The concept of separation of powers was included in the Constitution to prevent
a. disputes between the federal and state governments.
b. the imposition of export taxes.
c. a major dispute over power between the House and the Senate.
d. disputes over power between Congress and the president.
e. tyranny by either the majority or the minority.
All of the following statement are true about cabinet departments except
a. there are fifteen cabinet departments.
b. new cabinet departments are created by the president.
c. cabinet departments perform government functions such as printing money and
trainingtroops.
d. the most recent department to be created was the Department of Homeland Security.
e. All of the above are true.
The Supreme Court’s decision to take a case is based on the following factor:
a. if there is disagreement between how different lower courts decided the legal
question
b. if a lower court’s ruling conflicts with a previous ruling by the Supreme Court
c. if the Court determines the issue has significance beyond the parties in the dispute
d. if the solicitor general, representing the president, requests that the Court hear the
case
e. All of the above are true.
All of the following are a part of parties’ role in organizing and running elections except
a. organizing voter registration drives.
b. recruiting volunteers to work at the polls on election day.
c. providing much of the campaign activity to stimulate election interest.
d. working to increase voter participation.
e. articulating policies and opposing the majority party.
One example of realignment was when
a. anti-slavery Republicans left to join the Democratic Party before the Civil War.
b. working-class voters abandoned the Republican Party in 1896 due to the
Republicans’ populist politics.
c. the New Deal Democratic Coalition brought African Americans and ardent
segregationists into the same party in 1932.
d. cultural conservatives abandoned the Republicans in 1968, especially in the South.
e. evangelical Christians abandoned the Republican Party and voted for Jimmy Carter
in1976.
All of the following statements about the early Democratic Party are true except that it
a. was an anti-slavery party.
b. favored federal spending on internal improvements.
c. was the party of the wealthy elites.
d. was a branch of the Anti-Federalist Party
e. None of the above is true.
Which of the following statements regarding incarceration is true?
a. Incarceration does not prevent average predatory street criminals from committing
additional crimes once they are out of prison.
b. The majority of prisoners are incarcerated for their full sentence.
c. Incarceration rates for African Americans are much lower than for any other ethnic
group.
d. The majority of people arrested and sent to jail have committed the crime of theft.
e. Overcrowding is not an issue in prisons.
A question that has to do with the U.S. Constitution, acts of Congress, or treaties is
known as a __________ question.
a. justiciable
b. political
c. federal
d. national
e. legal
Jewish voters tend to
a. vote for candidates who are politically conservative.
b. vote at a lower rate than Protestants.
c. focus almost totally on domestic issues.
d. be more liberal than average on economic and cultural issues.
e. be similar to the overall population in political preferences.
Which is true in regard to cultural politics?
a. Economic conservatism is associated with higher incomes.
b. Social conservatism is more common among lower income groups.
c. Cultural conservatives view themselves as embattled “ordinary Americans” under
threat from liberal, cosmopolitan elites.
d. The election of President Obama and a Democratic Congress magnified
conservatives fear, resulting in the Tea Party movement.
e. All of the above are true.
Which of the following is true?
a. A recession is defined as two or more successive quarters in which the economy
shrinks instead of grows.
b. A recession is defined as two or more quarters in which unemployment rates are
above 7percent.
c. Unemployment is defined as the total number of workers who are not in the
workforce in any given quarter.
d. Inflation is defined as a sudden rise in prices for hot commodities such as gasoline
andelectronics.
e. All of the above are true.
The transfer of political values
a. is more likely to occur from children to parents.
b. is more likely to occur from parents to children.
c. is just as likely to occur from children to parents as it is to occur from parents to
children.
d. is exceptionally rare in families.
e. never occurs from children to parents.
If a candidate is a highly visible incumbent seeking reelection
a. the strategy will be to get the incumbent’s name before the voters as much as
possible.
b. a front porch campaign has been proven most effective.
c. there may be little need for campaigning except to remind the voters of the
officeholder’s good deeds.
d. the strategy will be to keep as low a profile as possible.
e. the incumbent must devote almost every moment to campaigning to avoid seeming
overly confident and arrogant.
A political party is a group of individuals who
a. agree on all policy issues.
b. organize to win elections and operate the government.
c. pay monthly dues to an ideological organization.
d. have been elected to office and have obtained positions of power.
e. accept the decisions of the party’s leaders.
The monopolistic model of bureaucracy states that
a. bureaucracies have no competitors and are therefore inefficient.
b. decision making should be a rational process.
c. advancement should be based on merit.
d. bureaucracies seek expanded budgets and increased size.
e. bureaucracies should apply similar decisions to similar situations.
Many political scientists contend that third parties
a. have consistently failed because they never reflect the political mood of the nation.
b. serve as a safety valve for dissident political groups, preventing major confrontations
and political unrest.
c. can only come into existence if they are organized around a single charismatic leader.
d. can only come into existence if they split off from one of the major political parties.
e. are incapable of being formed from scratch by individuals who are committed to a
particular issue or ideology.
Most of the meaningful resistance to sanctioning Iran for its nuclear program comes
from
a. Israel.
b. Saudi Arabia.
c. Iraq.
d. Great Britain.
e. China.
Outcomes of the Civil War included
a. a dramatic increase in the federal budget.
b. the implementation of the first income tax on citizens.
c. the end of slavery.
d. new amendments to the Constitution that allowed African American males the right
tovote.
e. All of the above are true.
Usually, the Gallup or Roper polls interview
a. people three to four times to ensure accuracy.
b. about 1,500 people in a nationwide sample.
c. over 100,000 people in each random sample for presidential elections.
d. people who have been selected based on their intelligence.
e. using quota samples.
Priming can be defined as a way in which the media
a. limits access to opinionated information.
b. sets the public agenda of what government ought to do.
c. alters public perceptions of an issue by embedding that issue in particular stories.
d. seeks to make a profit.
e. socializes new generations about major political issues.
The values that shape American political culture include all of the following except
a. freedom.
b. liberty.
c. equality.
d. property.
e. government control of the economy.
In order to insulate the courts from ____________, the founders ensured that federal
judges are _____________.
a. popular passions; chosen in a secret process
b. popular passions; appointed for life
c. Congress; elected by the people
d. the President; chosen by Congress
e. corruption; accountable for their decisions through re-appointment
Describe the significance of the Dred Scott Case and the legal status of slaves in the
United States prior to the Civil War.
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
Explain the arguments both for and against affirmative action.
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
Explore the strategies devised by interest groups and parties to get around campaign
finance reformlegislation.
Answer:
Students’ answers may vary.
Explain the ways in which new media (Internet, blogs, podcasts) are used in campaigns.
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
Describe three of the four following organizations of the executive branch: cabinet
departments, independent executive agencies, independent regulatory agencies, or
government corporations.
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
Discuss the obstacles faced by third-party and independent candidates in the American
two-party system as well as their successes in impacting American elections.
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
Describe the evolution of campaign regulation in the United States. Include details
about efforts by Congress to reform the ways in which campaigns are financed.
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
Explain the difference between progressive and regressive taxes. Would we be better
served by simply employing a flat tax across the board?
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
Explain the impact of Keynesian economics on fiscal policy in the United States.
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
What are the differences between a social movement and an interest group? How are
they related?
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
Why do we only have two major parties? Explain the circumstances that have
perpetuated the two-party system.
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
Explain the phenomenon of “wave elections” and provide examples.
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
Evaluate the role of profit in the news industry. What effects might it have on the
reporting of news for these organizations to be for-profit? Assess whether this is
positive or negative.
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
Explain how demographic influences shape voting behavior.
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
Examine the federal budget deficit, why it occurred, and what measures should be taken
to bring it down.
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
Detail the reasons and ways in which a vice president may assume the presidency,
without actually winning election to that office.
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
Discuss the effects of voter identification laws and argue whether these laws are a
benefit or a harm to U.S. elections.
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
Explain both sides of the issue of the privatization of government. Provide examples of
ways privatization might make government more efficient and some of the unintended
consequences ofprivatization.
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
Describe the evolution of the civil service with particular emphasis on legislation that
implemented reforms in government employment policies.
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.