Through what structure or organization did the 13 British colonies in America cooperate
with each other prior to the American Revolutionary War?
A.The colonies worked together as a single legislative entity under the British crown.
B.Several individual colonies, especially those less populated, formed loose alliances to
share resources.
C.The colonies were 13 sovereign nations.
D.Each colony acted independently, having its own court system, legislative body, and
governor.
E.Each colony was controlled totally by British government and had no individual
decision-making authority.
Up to and including President George W. Bush, how many individuals have held the
office of President of the United States?
A.25
B.42
C.83
D.120
E.251
The District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.) does not lie within a state; therefore, in
the U.S. Constitution its citizens did not originally have a vote for president nor did
they have any electoral votes. How was this changed in 1961 to allow residents of the
District to cast votes for president?
A.The citizens of the District of Columbia held violent protests and government
officials succumbed.
B.The District of Columbia became a state and then assumed the right to extend voting
privileges to its citizens.
C.The U.S. Constitution was amended to include the District of Columbia in the
Electoral College.
D.The District of Columbia’s representatives in the U.S. House and Senate introduced
legislation to make the change.
E.A federal law was created that extended the right to vote.
What were the “Black Codes” in the southern states following the Civil War?
A.They were federal laws that censured the press in an attempt to limit influence from
northern states.
B.They were federal laws designed to assist many economically depressed areas to
improve their economies.
C.They were laws passed in most southern states, which denied African Americans
numerous rights as an attempt to resist the new freedoms given them by the federal
government.
D.They were state laws that were designed to assist freed slaves to assimilate into
society.
E.They were local laws that punished white citizens who assisted black citizens with
economic goals.
An economic slowdown characterized by higher unemployment, reduced productivity,
or some other negative economic indicators is
A.inflation.
B.recession.
C.stigmatization.
D.economic morbidity.
E.stagnation.
As one of the Framers of our Constitution, Alexander Hamilton was very vocal in his
fear of “tyranny of the masses,” which he believed could lead to instability in
governance. Hamilton’s answer to this challenge was
A.a republican form of government in which the public chooses leaders who run the
government, rather than a direct democracy in which the public rules directly.
B.to limit the right to vote to a representative number of citizens.
C.to limit the number of political parties that were allowed to function in the political
arena.
D.a single, unified political party in which the party leaders were actually the elected
officials, thereby bringing consistency and continuity to governance.
E.a return to a monarchy as the form of government.
The American welfare state began in the
A.1910s.
B.1930s.
C.1950s.
D.1970s.
E.1990s.
In the most recent year reported, the federal government’s cost on interest alone for its
outstanding debt was about
A.$3 million.
B.$125 million.
C.$1 billion.
D.$350 billion.
E.$10 trillion.
What does the U.S. Constitution say about political parties?
A.The Constitution makes no mention of political parties.
B.The Constitution recognizes political parties but they are treated with suspicion and
distrust.
C.The Constitution says that political parties are private organizations, but that due to
their public importance the government must regulate them.
D.The Constitution originally banned political parties.
E.The Constitution says that political parties are subordinate to the executive branch.
Ralph Nader ran for president in 2000 as a third-party candidate and is widely believed
to have cost Democrat Party candidate Al Gore the election. What was Nader’s party
called?
A.Reform
B.Green
C.Christian
D.Constitutional
E.Populist
In a system of federalism, in which sovereign government does the individual hold
citizenship?
A.The individual is considered only as a citizen of the national government and simply
a resident of the state.
B.The state holds the individual’s citizenship.
C.Some states allow dual citizenship while others do not.
D.The individual is a citizen of both the state and the national governments.
E.The individual must choose his/her citizenship.
Which of the following is NOT true in considering the influence of money and wealth
on the political system?
A.Many Americans believe that corporations and wealthy citizens hold a
disproportionate amount of political influence.
B.The influence of money on voting and politics has been evidenced since colonial
times.
C.George Washington was accused on buying votes during his first elective campaign
in 1758.
D.It has been proven that every elected official is disproportionately influenced to vote
in favor of wealthy and powerful corporations.
E.The most successful lobbying and special interest groups in the United States have
the financial support of wealthy individuals.
Compared to most other countries that also have two chambers in the legislative body,
one significant characteristic of the U.S. Congress is that
A.the U.S. Constitution grants powers to each branch that are just about equally
divided.
B.its members are better paid.
C.the U.S. Congress may remove the president from office.
D.it works at a rapid pace in enacting important legislation.
E.it has total control over the executive branch.
What do Title VII and Title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 guarantee?
A.legal protection for women against discrimination and an avenue to pursue legal
action against a violator
B.affirmative action policies for women in schools and places of employment
C.half of all admissions slots to law schools and medical schools awarded to females
D.equal pay for equal work
E.the right of women to vote
The bulk of the work and the machinery for carrying out an election is normally
handled at what level?
A.by neighborhood
B.nationally by a federal elections agency
C.at the county and local level
D.at the state level
E.by monitoring boards in geographical regions created by Congress
Which is a widely-used retirement investment plan that is similar to the IRA but differs
in that the employer provides the plan to its employees and often matches any
contributions?
A.Roth IRA
B.mutual fund
C.stock option
D.401(k)
E.Social Security Plus
The concept of _____ advocates that the ultimate source of power rests with the people.
A.federalism
B.humanism
C.constitutionalism
D.popular sovereignty
E.politics
How do you end debate on a bill in the Senate before everyone is ready to do so?
A.with a three-fifths vote of all House members
B.with a discharge petition
C.with a cloture motion
D.through senatorial privilege
E.a filibuster cannot be stopped, which is why they are so powerful
There are still a handful of rights and issues in the Bill of Rights that the Supreme Court
has not, by court ruling and opinion, required that the state governments recognize. One
of the most well-known rights that serves as such an example is
A.the First Amendment’s freedom of speech.
B.the First Amendment’s freedom of religion.
C.the Second Amendment’s right to bear arms.
D.the Sixth Amendment and the speedy trial requirement.
E.the Sixth Amendment and the right to an attorney.
Political parties select individuals to serve the parties as presidential and vice
presidential candidates. This duo is referred to as
A.the force.
B.the executive branch.
C.the “party ticket.”
D.democracy.
E.plurality.
In creating legislation, the U.S. Congress has a reputation for
A.taking decisive action that clearly addresses the problem.
B.moving at a glacial pace, which often takes years for a decision.
C.demonstrating an inability to take any type of action.
D.taking the wrong paths and creating much more serious problems.
E.catering to the liberal core instead of the mainstream.
While membership numbers are important to an interest group, the wealth of its
members is also important. Why?
A.Wealth always has more influence than numbers.
B.Wealth of membership impacts the level of financial contributions to campaigns for
elected officials, thus balancing the offset of membership numbers.
C.Wealth is a reflection of the profession of the membership.
D.”Money speaks louder than words.”
E.It is impossible to influence legislation without wealth.
The 1819 Supreme Court ruling in McCulloch v. Maryland seemed like a minor issue,
but the ruling had a long-lasting impact. What was the primary impact of this ruling?
A.A national bank was unconstitutional.
B.The state of Maryland had every right under the Constitution to tax the federal
government’s property and assets in the state.
C.In some cases certain powers that are not explicitly given to the government in the
Constitution may be considered “necessary and proper” and thus they are legitimate
under the concept of the “living Constitution”
D.Congress acted improperly in creating the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
E.In ruling on matters involving the Constitution, the Supreme Court must adopt a
‘strict constructionist” approach and not read anything into the Constitution that is not
explicitly stated.
Noneconomic interest groups that exist to promote the broad, collective good of citizens
and consumers are called
A.collective bargaining groups.
B.professional associations.
C.public interest groups.
D.ideological groups.
E.issue groups.
As a compromise to the prayer in schools ban, many districts instituted “moments of
silence.” The 1985 Supreme Court case of Wallace v. Jaffree addressed this issue. What
was the Court’s ruling?
A.Moments of silence are fine so long as students are not coerced into participating.
B.Moments of silence are an acceptable alternative to prayer in school since there is no
coercion toward a certain religion.
C.Moments of silence are unconstitutional because they are mandatory and are usually
authorized in order to encourage religious prayers.
D.The Court skirted the issue and left the matter to the discretion of each state’s courts.
E.Moments of silence are acceptable if led by a student rather than a school official.
Which type of law, passed in southern states during Reconstruction, required a payment
to the government before an individual could be allowed to vote? These laws had the
worst impact on poor citizens, of which African Americans were disproportionately
represented.
A.literacy test
B.poll tax
C.property tax
D.fine
E.race tax
What provisions or requirements does the U.S. Constitution make concerning the
federal bureaucracy?
A.The bureaucracy must be in tune with the needs of the citizenry and must be
structured in a way to meet those needs.
B.The bureaucracy must be separate from political parties in order that it not fall prey to
political pressures.
C.The Constitution places the president as head of the bureaucracy.
D.The bureaucracy must not be allowed to grow larger than the military.
E.The bureaucracy is an important reality in American federal government, though the
Constitution makes no mention of it.
What role does the U.S. Senate play in the appointment of Supreme Court justices?
A.The Senate selects and appoints Supreme Court justices.
B.The Senate appoints, and the president must then confirm, all nominations to the
Court.
C.The president appoints all Supreme Court justices but they may not assume the
position unless and until they are confirmed by the Senate.
D.The Senate appoints a committee to present the president with a candidate that he/she
must nominate.
E.The Senate has no role in the process.
Agenda setting is
A.the ability of the media to influence which issues the public thinks government
should address.
B.the tendency to remember only those news stories that are consistent with one’s
predispositions.
C.the ability of the media to influence the public’s opinions on issues.
D.the media’s focus on scandal and corruption.
E.the public’s ability to determine what issues the media covers.
Which of the following is NOT one of the environmental initiatives enacted by
Congress in the past century?
A.the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
B.the U.S. Forest Service and its acquisition and management of millions of acres
C.the Environmental Protection Agency
D.the Clean Air Act
E.the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Oil Exploration Initiative
President ________ led the U.S. into World War I.
A.Roosevelt
B.Wilson
C.Harding
D.Coolidge
E.Hoover
Which nation currently holds the largest number of nuclear warheads in its arsenal?
A.Russia
B.United States
C.Iran
D.North Korea
E.China
Throughout history which of following has been true regarding American federalism?
A.Federalism has proven to be rigid and unchanging in the face of an ever-changing
world.
B.The role and powers of the federal government have evolved as undisputed.
C.The powers of the state governments have become almost non-existent in light of
national government powers.
D.Through several eras the pendulum has tended to swing between preferences for state
versus federal powers and prerogatives.
E.American federalism has become almost non-existent.