According to John Locke, a primary function of government is to
A.protect private property.
B.promote human rights.
C.produce employment opportunities.
D.prevent poverty.
E.provide economic equality.
Which of the following was NOT a provision of the 1973 War Powers Resolution?
A.The president generally cannot wage war without congressional approval.
B.The president must seek congressional approval no later than 60 days after
committing troops in an emergency.
C.The role as commander-in-chief of the armed forces was passed to the Speaker of the
House of Representatives.
D.The president may commit troops to combat in emergency circumstances.
E.The president must report any hostile military actions directly to Congress.
In a 1992 longitudinal study, Page and Shapiro studied public opinion by reviewing
decades of poll data. Which of the following is NOT one of the findings of their study?
A.Over the long haul, pubic opinion on many issues remains fairly stable.
B.When public opinion does change, it moves in logical directions.
C.Public opinion generally reflects a lackluster or lazy attitude among many voters.
D.Decades of poll data show a pattern of sensibility and rationality on the part of public
opinion.
E.Public opinion tends to form meaningful patterns consistent with a set of underlying
beliefs and values.
The goal of campaign finance laws is to
A.create equality in funding.
B.make campaigns affordable.
C.limit the influence of individuals or groups over public officials.
D.promote freedom of speech.
E.increase public interest in politics.
The drafters of the U.S. Constitution, in order to ensure that the new deliberative Senate
would be “most careful” when considering an issue of such importance as removal from
office, required that any removal of officials be accompanied by
A.approval of the Supreme Court.
B.two votes taken on different days in which the Senate is in session.
C.a three-fifths vote of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
D.a vote of registered voters.
E.a supermajority consisting of two-thirds of all senators.
Which of the following would NOT be a consideration for a presidential candidate in
choosing his or her vice presidential running mate?
A.geographical and regional balance
B.ideological balance
C.balance of party affiliation between the two candidates
D.character and personal demeanor
E.balance of experience
Which term refers to a document, or official statement, that outlines the political party’s
position on important policy issues?
A.statute
B.party platform
C.amicus curiae
D.declaration of intent
E.pre-emptive legislation
Under the Articles of Confederation the number of votes for each state in the
Continental Congress was determined by
A.the population of the state.
B.a pro-rated formula that took into account population and taxes paid.
C.the method of one vote for each state delegation regardless of population.
D.a system whereby northern states had two votes while southern states had one vote.
E.the president.
According to Article IV, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, when a fugitive from one
state is apprehended in another state, what may the apprehending state do with the
prisoner?
A.It has no authority over the prisoner.
B.It must turn the prisoner over to the federal government for arbitration.
C.It must retain the prisoner in the apprehending state so as to protect his or her rights
from the abusive state.
D.It must retain the prisoner in the apprehending state until his or her sentence is
completed.
E.It must extradite the prisoner to the original state for disposition.
Which term describes a characteristic of public opinion in which political preferences
remain very stable over time?
A.intensity
B.direction
C.continuity
D.randomization
E.generalization
Liberals and conservatives actually do agree on many ideals, though they differ on how
these values and beliefs should be written into policies. Which of the following is NOT
an ideal that tends to be mutually accepted by liberals and conservatives?
A.the rule of law
B.majority rule
C.the rights of minorities
D.the free enterprise system as a process that will generally guarantee the most robust
economy
E.socialized health care
The 1792 election was the first presidential race following the initial election of George
Washington as first president, and Washington ran unopposed for his second term.
Which of the following is true concerning this election?
A.Washington was the only candidate because he did not allow anyone to oppose him.
B.This was the first and the last presidential election in which there was no political
party competition.
C.It was later learned that Britain’s king was supportive of Washington’s candidacy.
D.Political parties were illegal during this time so no legitimate competition could be
formulated.
E.It marked the beginning of a long era of the one-party system of government in the
United States.
Article IV, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution contains the full faith and credit clause.
What does this clause guarantee?
A.The states must have full faith that the federal government’s decisions are correct.
B.The federal government is a guaranteed lender to the state governments for
operational funds.
C.Each state will abide by the decisions of other state and local governments, including
their judicial decisions, and will respect the civil laws of each state.
D.The federal government has the power to mediate disputes among states regarding
religion.
E.The federal government is committed to matters of faith and must ensure that the
right to religious faith is upheld.
The Executive Office of the President is an agency of the federal bureaucracy that is
managed by the White House Chief of Staff. Which of the following positions or units
is NOT included in this agency?
A.White House Press Secretary
B.Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
C.National Security Council (NSC)
D.U.S. Secretary of State
E.White House Counsel
Historically, what has been the effect on civil liberties in the United States during times
of war?
A.The U.S. Constitution calls for martial law and suspends the Bill of Rights.
B.All civil protections are eliminated for any aliens or noncitizens.
C.Balancing civil liberties and national security has proven difficult, but normally
citizens lose or surrender at least some of their rights in exchange for security.
D.There is no difference between times of war and peace regarding the granting of civil
liberties.
E.The U.S. Constitution strictly regulates civil liberties and there is never room for
discretion by government officials, in times of peace or times of war.
What is a core principle underlying representative democracy whereby the choice
supported by the most voters is the choice that prevails, regardless of whether everyone
favors or agrees with the choice?
A.elections
B.majoritarianism
C.rule of law
D.free will
E.realism
Political action committees (PAC) contribute
A.about as much to presidential candidates as they do to congressional candidates.
B.about half as much to presidential candidates as they do to congressional candidates.
C.much more to congressional candidates than they do to presidential candidates.
D.most of their money to presidential candidates and almost nothing to congressional
candidates.
E.more money to challengers than they do to incumbents.
Which of the following is NOT considered a form of media?
A.television
B.newspapers
C.the Internet
D.telephone canvassing
E.books and periodicals
Only Congress has the power to create a federal Cabinet-level department. The most
recent federal Cabinet to be created was the
A.State Department.
B.Department of Education.
C.Department of Homeland Security.
D.Department of Justice.
E.Attorney General’s Office.
Under the _________, a bankruptcy recognized by the state of New York would be
recognized by Texas.
A.privileges and immunities clause
B.supremacy clause
C.takings clause
D.interstate commerce clause
E.full faith and credit clause
When asked about their views concerning American ideas of democracy, which of the
following nations reported the lowest support?
A.Canada
B.Britain
C.China
D.France
E.Russia
While expanded federal programs are often popular for Americans, this much larger
bureaucracy suffers during a downturn in economic growth, such as was experienced in
the 1970s. Why does an economic downturn create such challenges?
A.There are fewer citizens for the bureaucracy to serve.
B.Economic downturns often create federal budget deficits that make it very difficult to
continue supporting a large bureaucracy.
C.State governments begin to take away the federal government’s role in providing
social benefits.
D.Downturns in the economy always create international tensions that require a
stronger military presence, which in turn drains off available resources.
E.Since the U.S. Constitution requires a balanced budget, the federal government must
eliminate agencies when income decreases.
Franklin Roosevelt believed that the best way to get the country out of the Great
Depression was
A.through a hands-off approach.
B.through a laissez-faire approach.
C.through far-ranging government intervention in the economy.
D.by taxing unemployed Americans in order to provide an incentive for them to find
work.
E.massive grants to private corporations so that they could afford to hire unemployed
Americans.
What is the term used for the vast network of defense industries in the United States,
such as manufacturers of weapons, missiles, aircraft, submarines, and their bureaucratic
allies? As a whole it maintains a keen interest in foreign policy making that is
concerned with defense and national security.
A.civilian military influence
B.AFL-CIO
C.military-industrial complex
D.aerospace industry
E.academic/industrial alliance
In 1883 Congress passed the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act. The act instituted a
system of hiring federal employees based on qualifications such as experience,
education, and standardized testing. This procedure is referred to as
A.patronage.
B.partisanship.
C.the merit system.
D.field screening.
E.managerial discretion.
How many presidents have been unmarried while serving as president?
A.none
B.one
C.two
D.four
E.six
According to social contract theory, a social contract is an agreement between
A.two or more citizens.
B.two or more governments.
C.two or more political parties.
D.state governments and the federal government.
E.the people and their government.
The issue of prayers at school graduations and ball games has also been addressed by
the Supreme Court as recently as 2000 in Santa Fe v. Doe. What is the stance of the
Court in regard to prayers at such events where attendance is voluntary?
A.Since attendance is voluntary and the participation in the prayer is not required, then
the prayers do not violate the Constitution’s protections.
B.The prayers are allowed because these events are attended by more adults than
minors.
C.The Court failed to rule on the specific issue of prayer but discouraged it because of
the public nature of the event.
D.Even though attendance is voluntary, the prayer is unconstitutional because the
attendees are forced to participate and because it appears to be a state endorsement of
religion.
E.The prayers are unconstitutional because not all religions have equal time allotted to
offer their prayers.
Popular sovereignty is the belief that
A.authority in society ultimately rests with the people.
B.natural rights can be sacrificed for political rights.
C.citizens are ill prepared to participate in government.
D.direct democracy is superior to indirect democracy.
E.indirect democracy is superior to direct democracy.
In times of political unrest or when a major political party splits, smaller parties will
often arise and gain limited influence for a short period. Which of the following is NOT
an example of a legitimate historical political party that existed and successfully
participated in American politics?
A.Free Soil
B.Know-Nothing
C.Populist
D.Socialist
E.Nazi
How are interest groups different from political parties?
A.They are not recognized by the federal government.
B.They rarely participate in the political process.
C.There are very few differences.
D.They do not directly run candidates for public office.
E.They are not concerned with “collective goods.”