Thomas Paine is credited with irrevocably turning the tide of popular support toward
the cause of American independence with publication of his 1776 booklet entitled
A.War and Peace.
B.Of Mice and Men.
C.The Pilgrim’s Progress.
D.Common Sense.
E.On Liberty.
The selection of party candidates through the ballots of qualified voters is called a
A.direct primary.
B.state convention.
C.local caucus.
D.party conference.
E.party referendum.
One of the most well-known interpretations of the Fifth Amendment by the Supreme
Court is the case of Miranda v. Arizona in 1966. The “Miranda warning” is often quoted
in popular media. Which of the following is NOT a right that is advised during the
Miranda warning?
A.the right to remain silent
B.surrender of the right to remain silent, which may result in statements being used as
evidence against accused
C.the right of the suspect to be released from jail or police custody if an attorney is not
readily available
D.the right to an attorney during questioning
E.the right to an appointed attorney free of charge if the suspect cannot afford to retain
one
What is the level that the unemployment rate in the United States rarely exceeds in any
given year?
A.2 percent
B.4 percent
C.10 percent
D.25 percent
E.40 percent
Which term refers to a government with split party control of the presidency and
Congress?
A.realignment
B.party identification
C.divided government
D.party majority
E.multi-party management
Which of the following is an example of an authoritarian form of government?
A.The government does not provide for the physical needs of its citizens.
B.One person or one political party maintains complete control and suppresses all other
political parties and interests.
C.Literacy is non-existent among the common citizens.
D.Diverse religions are normally tolerated and encouraged.
E.Alliances and interactions among other nations are commonplace.
Throughout the history of the United States, the number of sitting presidents who have
been impeached by the House of Representatives is
A.zero.
B.one.
C.two.
D.three.
E.five.
President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal programs were created to counter the negative
effects of the Great Depression. Which of the following was NOT one of the federal
agencies that Roosevelt was instrumental in creating during his 13-year tenure?
A.Social Security Administration
B.Securities and Exchange Commission
C.Department of the Treasury
D.Civilian Conservation Corp
E.Widow’s Benefits
Considering the 2000 presidential election crisis, which of the following is NOT true?
A.It was the first time in history that a candidate had taken office without winning the
popular vote.
B.It was the first time in history that the U.S. Supreme Court had intervened in a
presidential election.
C.The election exposed a sometimes sharp ideological divide in our nation.
D.George Bush lost the popular vote but was awarded the most votes in the Electoral
College.
E.The 2000 election was not the first time that a candidate took office without having
received the most popular votes nationwide.
Which of the following would NOT be a circumstance in which a case would originate
in the federal courts?
A.The lawsuit requires interpretation of the U.S. Constitution.
B.The lawsuit or action requires application or interpretation of federal law or treaty.
C.The federal government is suing or prosecuting someone or is itself being sued.
D.The lawsuit is between two citizens of different states.
E.The lawsuit or case involves a violation of a state’s civil process.
Which of the following is NOT a legitimate method of voting that is currently used in
the United States?
A.hand-counted paper ballots
B.mechanical lever machines
C.optical scan cards
D.show of hands
E.computer punch cards
Who were the “muckrakers”?
A.A group of journalists in the 1900s who constantly attacked and harassed the
government, causing unnecessary distrust among the citizens
B.Corporate newspaper editors of the early 1900s who accepted bribes for favorable
reporting
C.Corporate executives during the years prior to the Great Depression who received
prison sentences for their roles in corrupt corporate practices
D.A group of journalists in the late 1800s who investigated and exposed corporate and
political corruption in American life
E.Journalists who reported on the questionable underworld environment
Which of the following is NOT one of the reasons that the Social Security system is
currently experiencing challenges in meeting its financial obligations?
A.Since inception the program has been broadened to include many more recipients.
B.The huge baby boom population is beginning to retire and draw benefits and it is
more numerous than the current working population.
C.Americans in general are living longer.
D.Congress has reduced the amount of social security tax that workers now pay into the
trust fund.
E.The system lost much income in the high inflation era of the 1970s.
An ongoing debate in American government is the question of which level of
government should have the authority to provide programs and services to citizens.
Beginning in the 1980s many of the services provided by the federal government were
relinquished to the state governments. This process is known as
A.deregulation.
B.devolution.
C.privatization.
D.reinvention.
E.revolution.
In the 1960s, President Lyndon Johnson attempted to resurrect the successes of Franklin
Roosevelt’s New Deal initiatives by implementing more than 60 social reform
measures, including Medicare and Medicaid, federal aid for education, and voting
rights for African Americans. Collectively, these reforms came to be known as
Johnson’s
A.Great Society.
B.Second New Deal.
C.Square Deal.
D.New World.
E.Corollary.
Which of the following is an example of urban policy?
A.farm subsidies
B.disaster relief
C.emergency response
D.road construction
E.tariffs
Alexis de Tocqueville in his 1835 book Democracy in America addressed, among other
things, the existence of interest groups in America. What was Tocqueville’s opinion of
interest groups?
A.Tocqueville praised the extent to which interest group activity underpins the
American democracy.
B.Tocqueville was very critical of interest groups and saw them as undermining the
democratic process.
C.Tocqueville viewed interest groups as creating a para-democratic force that could
work for good or bad.
D.Tocqueville viewed interest groups as nothing more than political parties.
E.Tocqueville was shocked at the negative influences and forces that these groups had
over innocent citizens.
Though the Supreme Court often lacks enforcement power for its decisions, it has
historically issued a number of very influential and powerful rulings. One such ruling
was Brown v. Board of Education (1954). What was the effect of this ruling?
A.All slaves born within the borders of the United States were free.
B.The southern states in the confederacy during the Civil War did not have the legal
standing or authority to withdraw from the Union.
C.All children received the right to a free education.
D.Compulsory education was considered unconstitutional.
E.”Separate but equal” school facilities for black and white children were
unconstitutional and must desegregate immediately, thus breaking down legal
segregation overall.
Which of the following is an advantage of a being a Supreme Court clerk?
A.Clerks receive the same salary that justices receive.
B.Clerks can be the deciding vote if the Court is tied.
C.Clerks are the only people who can listen to oral arguments.
D.Clerks decide which cases the justices will hear.
E.Former clerks are highly recruited by law firms and often receive large salaries.
Which of the following is a foreign policy power held by Congress?
A.Ordering troops into combat
B.Signing treaties
C.Funding the army
D.Appointing ambassadors
E.Nominating the defense secretary
Member banks who borrow money from their Federal Reserve Bank are charged
interest at the
A.subprime rate.
B.federal rate.
C.discount rate.
D.bond rate.
E.austere rate.
In 1824 Andrew Jackson won the popular vote for president but did not receive enough
electoral votes to win outright. The vote was constitutionally thrown to the U.S. House
of Representatives, which chose John Quincy Adams, the “number two” candidate. This
outcome was a catalyst for Jackson to do what?
A.assume the office of president by force
B.run for a House of Representatives seat in the hopes of reforming the chamber
C.split from his party to create the new Democratic Party, and then win the 1828
election
D.fight for the remainder of his life for the abolition of political parties
E.fight for the abolition of the Electoral College
What is the single most important characteristic of American democracy?
A.personal liberty
B.the right to bear arms
C.innocence until proven guilty
D.separation of church and state
E.economic equality
What does the U.S. Constitution say about the choosing of candidates or the process by
which individuals become candidates for president?
A.The Constitution restricts the number of political parties that can be active in an
election.
B.The Constitution requires that an individual file as a candidate for president at least
two years before the election.
C.Beyond setting eligibility requirements, the Constitution has nothing to say about
choosing candidates or the process of becoming a candidate.
D.The Constitution sets high filing fees for the office of president in order to keep the
field of candidates at a moderate level.
E.The Constitution requires that political parties hold their presidential primary
elections in the same year as the general election.
Modern grassroots lobbying most often involves
A.political protests.
B.using the Internet.
C.freedom rides.
D.campaign contributions.
E.drafting legislation.
Which of the following would NOT be one of the common themes of most state
constitutions and the U.S. Constitution?
A.Power emanates from the people.
B.The people have the power to change the constitution.
C.The Constitution can be amended.
D.The power to raise and equip armies is a given.
E.Early state constitutions placed greater power in the legislative branch than the
executive branch.
What is the federal program that provides health insurance for the elderly in general?
A.Medicare
B.Medicaid
C.Prudential
D.Aid to Dependent Families
E.Social Security
The sponsors of the 2002 campaign finance reform bill were
A.Mitch McConnell and John Edwards.
B.John McCain and Russ Feingold.
C.John Edwards and John McCain.
D.Russ Feingold and Mitch McConnell.
E.Mitch McConnell and John McCain.
When the organized anti-slavery movement in the United States began in the late 1700s,
what was meant by the concept of progressive elimination?
A.Progressive elimination was meant to give the freed slaves plenty of time to
assimilate into society by gradually releasing them from property status.
B.Progressive elimination was the idea of a gradual abolition as opposed to outright
abolition, considered to be a less confrontational and more rational approach.
C.Progressive elimination referred to outright abolition of slavery but only in one state
at a time.
D.Progressive elimination meant a quick and decisive abolition of slavery, and was
called “progressive” because it indicated an immediate step forward.
E.Progressive elimination meant that the states, due to their inability to eliminate
slavery, would surrender sovereignty to the federal government in order to abolish
slavery.
In a federal system of government what is role of the national government when
disputes arise between states?
A.The federal government is powerless in disagreements between states.
B.The federal government has legislative powers to arbitrate disagreements between
states.
C.Disagreements between states are arbitrated by a council of state executives; the
federal government has no role.
D.The federal government has an equal vote and stake, as do the two or more states that
are disagreeing.
E.The high courts of the states in disagreement arbitrate the dispute without interference
of the federal government.
Which of the following is NOT considered a weakness of the Articles of
Confederation?
A.The creation of a nationwide postal service
B.The federal government’s lack of authority to raise troops
C.The executive branch’s lack of authority to enforce laws
D.The sovereignty of states in relations with the federal government
E.The inability of Congress to raise an army by its own power
The Judiciary Act of 1789
A.created the Supreme Court and its jurisdiction.
B.established the state court systems.
C.established the basic structure of the federal court system.
D.granted the Supreme Court the power of judicial review.
E.established local court systems within the 13 states.