Every four years, the major parties nominate their presidential candidates through
A.party platforms.
B.ballot initiatives.
C.national conventions.
D.conference committees.
E.election committees.
The concept of strict constructionism requires that the Constitution
A.may be changed by the formal amendment process and not by discretionary
Congressional actions or judicial rulings.
B.remain a flexible and fluid document that changes with the times.
C.may be modified only by rulings of the Supreme Court.
D.remain true to the intent of the writers of the Constitution, that it remain rigid and
without any amendments.
E.should be modified as popular opinion changes.
Judge-made law handed down through judicial opinions, which establish slowly
evolving precedents over time, is referred to as
A.civil law.
B.common law.
C.legislative law.
D.pre-emptive law.
E.martial law.
In nearly all American elections, the level of voter turnout rarely exceeds
A.10 percent.
B.30 percent.
C.50 percent.
D.60 percent.
E.80 percent.
California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was born in Austria but has been a United
States citizen for nearly 25 years. Why can he not serve as President of the United
States?
A.He is a sitting governor from California.
B.Austria was an enemy of the United States in World War II, so by law no one from
that country can serve as president.
C.Only persons having become citizens in the last 10 years may be elected as president.
D.The California state constitution prohibits its governors from serving as president.
E.Article II of the U.S. Constitution states that only natural born citizens are allowed to
hold the office of president.
How is the number of U.S. Senators from each state determined?
A.The president appoints the number of senators every four years.
B.Article I requires that there be two senators from each state.
C.The number is based on the population of the state.
D.The number is determined by the state’s legislature.
E.The number is determined by the U.S. Supreme Court.
According to the Articles of Confederation, which level of government prevailed?
A.City governments
B.Local governments
C.County governments
D.State governments
E.The national government
Ross Perot made a significant third-party run for president in 1992. Though
unsuccessful, his candidacy had a major impact on the outcome. What was Perot’s party
called?
A.Democratic-Republican
B.Socialist
C.Green
D.American Independent
E.Reform
In Myers v. United States (1926) the U.S. Supreme Court addressed the issue of a
president’s power to remove an appointed official from office. In the case of Cabinet
members such as secretary of state, what power does the president have in removing
him or her from office?
A.The president may not remove an appointee without Congressional approval.
B.The U.S. Senate confirmed the appointment and has sole power to remove the
appointee.
C.Though the U.S. Senate must confirm the original appointment, the president has the
power to remove such an appointee without Congressional approval.
D.The appointee may not be removed from office without a hearing before the Supreme
Court.
E.The president has no discretion in removing the appointee.
Education has traditionally been whose responsibility in the U.S.?
A.Until the second half of the twentieth century, most education was church-centered.
B.City and county governments are primarily responsible for education policy and
funding.
C.The federal government determines educational policy but leaves total funding to the
state governments.
D.Historically education has been a state and local government responsibility,
minimizing the federal role.
E.The federal government has always assumed primary oversight of public education.
Which federal regulatory agency was created to help administer the Civil Rights Act of
1964 by investigating violations of the act?
A.Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
B.Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
C.Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
D.Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
E.U.S. Department of Justice
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was created by the National Security Act of
1947. Which of the following is NOT an official duty of the CIA?
A.coordinating worldwide intelligence information affecting national security
B.performing public relations functions for the U.S. government
C.disseminating propaganda on behalf of the U.S. government
D.engaging in covert activities at the direction of the president
E.assassinating rogue dictators
That “the will of people” ought to guide public policy is a concept that is defined as
A.liberty.
B.pluralism.
C.plurality.
D.majority rule.
E.politics.
The U.S. Constitution requires that all appropriations legislation must originate
A.at the state level.
B.with the president.
C.with the Congressional Budget Office.
D.in the U.S. House of Representatives.
E.in the Supreme Court.
The original stated purpose of the Annapolis Convention in September 1786 was
A.to abolish the Articles of Confederation and form a new government.
B.to discuss interstate commerce, which was a weakness under the Articles of
Confederation.
C.to declare independence from England and King George III.
D.to declare war on England.
E.to elect the first president of the United States.
Which of the following would be an example of fiscal policy?
A.intentionally running a budget deficit to spur economic growth
B.cutting the prime interest rate to encourage investment
C.engaging in open market operations
D.inflating the value of government assets to increase real estate prices
E.purchasing consumers’ credit card debt to prevent personal bankruptcies
How can objectivity be defined within the context of the media?
A.Equity is the only real consideration, meaning that each outlet receive equal time.
B.The media allow the government to present its version of events.
C.The media report events fairly, factually, and equitably while providing perspectives
from all sides of an issue or debate.
D.The media advocate for the government’s role in the democratic process.
E.The government is kept completely out of the debate.
A typical low-level federal civilian employee gets his or her job by
A.helping the president win election or reelection.
B.knowing the right person.
C.doing well enough on a civil service exam.
D.bribing the correct person.
E.giving sufficient campaign contributions.
Throughout history the most common occupation of United States presidents prior to
holding the office has been
A.military commander.
B.corporate executive.
C.attorney.
D.career bureaucrat.
E.university professor.
Each state is guaranteed a minimum of how many seats in the U.S. House of
Representatives, regardless of population?
A.one
B.two
C.three
D.five
E.ten
In 1932 Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis coined a metaphor that is still used
frequently by describing creative federalism as encouraging “laboratories of
democracy.” What is meant by this concept?
A.States can be used to test new policies and the states also absorb the accountability if
the efforts fail, thereby protecting the federal government’s integrity.
B.Courageous states can try social and economic experiments without risk to the rest of
the country, and if they are successful, other states can duplicate their efforts.
C.The federal government can use states as laboratories for trying new policies.
D.States are obligated to test the federal government’s policies since they are most
accountable to the citizens.
E.As “laboratories” one state could have a democracy while other states experimented
with other forms of government, such as monarchy.
Which of the following is NOT an accurate comparison of American political parties to
parties from most other democratic countries?
A.American parties have strong, clear, and focused ideological platforms.
B.American parties tend to alienate themselves to the ideological extremes during
elections.
C.Parties in most democracies are strong and well organized, while American parties
tend to be weaker organizationally.
D.American parties have strong, clear constituencies based along religious, social, and
regional differences.
E.Unlike some European counterparts American parties cannot depend on unwavering
support from their constituents.
State judges are most commonly selected by
A.the governor.
B.the president.
C.judicial election.
D.appointment through the state legislature.
E.the Supreme Court.
Approximately how many cases do the state courts process each year?
A.100,000
B.500,000
C.1 million
D.35 million
E.2 billion
England has a strong elected Parliament that serves as the central government. All local
governments are subordinate to Parliament and the monarch is, in actuality, a
figurehead. This governmental arrangement is an example of
A.a confederation.
B.an anti-monarchial system.
C.a federation.
D.a unitary system.
E.a constitutional system.
Theodore Roosevelt was the youngest president in history when inaugurated in 1901 at
the age of
A.29.
B.35.
C.42.
D.50.
E.55.
The federal bureaucracy that develops workplace safety regulations and enforces them
is the
A.Environmental Protection Agency.
B.Department of Commerce.
C.American Federation of Labor.
D.Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
E.Employment Security Commission.
Often an issue will gain significant support from across the spectrum of interest groups
to the point that it becomes known as a movement. Which of the following would NOT
be considered a social movement in American history?
A.women’s rights
B.civil rights
C.child labor laws and child protection
D.prohibition of alcohol
E.upgrading of the military
Though the balance of powers between the legislative and executive branches has been
the source of controversies, there are positives to having a presidential dominance over
foreign policy. Which of the following is such a positive element?
A.The president has the ability to act quickly and unilaterally to stop the formation of
upstart governments that are hostile to U.S. interests.
B.A presidential dominance allows for the U.S. government to act immediately and
decisively in response to developments abroad.
C.A large body such as Congress is rarely capable of reaching a suitable solution in the
necessary amount of time.
D.Congress rarely gets beyond partisan politics in making decisions on foreign policy,
so a strong president needs to act in the place of Congress.
E.Allowing Congress to override presidential prerogatives only serves to encumber the
process of responding decisively.
Of the thousands of elected members of the 50 state legislatures, how many are
independents, that is, members of a third party?
A.none
B.20
C.47
D.111
E.more than 400
How does a presidential candidate win in the Electoral College?
A.The candidate must have a plurality of the electoral votes.
B.The candidate must win a simple majority of the 538 electoral votes.
C.The candidate must win a majority of the electoral votes in two-thirds of each of the
states.
D.The candidate must receive at least one-third of the electoral votes coupled with a
simple majority of the popular vote.
E.The candidate must win a three-fourths majority of all electoral votes.
Pertaining to the First Amendment, the Supreme Court has ruled that
A.the use of hallucinogenic tea for religious purposes was permissible.
B.flag burning was unconstitutional.
C.killing animals was unconstitutional.
D.fighting words are protected.
E.public schools must teach creationism and evolution.
A handful of states do not hold elections for individual parties to select their candidates.
Instead, the party members are invited to attend local meetings at which they choose
delegates who make a commitment to a candidate for the party nomination. This
process is called
A.open primary.
B.closed primary.
C.caucus.
D.referendum.
E.sifting.
Through its practices of buying and selling government securities, the Federal Reserve
controls the money supply in the United States. This process is referred to as
A.profit control.
B.open market operations.
C.capitalism.
D.socialism.
E.forced fiscal policy.
How does a merit system differ from a system of patronage in the selection of
government employees for the civil service?
Answer:
Answers may vary.
Describe the racial, ethnic, and gender makeup of the federal courts. Does it matter that
some groups are underrepresented and other groups are overrepresented? Why?
Answer:
Answers may vary.
What are the differences between an executive order and a law?
Answer:
Answers may vary.
Most Americans like to think of themselves as objective persons who can weigh and
balance complex issues, yet several factors seem to be consistent throughout all
elections. Discuss the concepts of candidate familiarity, party identification, issue
voting, retrospective voting, and candidate image voting. Briefly define these concepts
and explain how they affect the individual voter.
Answer:
Answers may vary.
What is the purpose of a federal regulatory agency? Give three examples of regulatory
agencies and briefly describe the primary role of each agency.
Answer:
Answers may vary.
Discuss the incumbency advantage in congressional elections. Would we end up with an
improved legislature if congressional elections were more competitive? Why?
Answer:
Answers may vary.
Describe the ways in which provisions of the Patriot Act and the Military Commissions
Act may be unconstitutional. Does there have to be a trade-off between security and
civil liberties, or can the United States ensure both?
Answer:
Answers may vary.
In 1968 Herbert Packer defined two very different models of criminal justice policy
making. Identify these two models and describe the differences between them. What is
the primary focus of each? Are they mutually exclusive or can they co-exist in the same
democracy?
Answer:
Answers may vary.
The office of president has changed significantly since the administration of George
Washington. One example is in the arena of relationships with other nations. Beginning
with the Theodore Roosevelt administration in 1901, describe how the role of the
president in foreign policy matters and global relationships has evolved over the past
century. Give some examples.
Answer:
Answers may vary.
What are the historical roles and functions of political parties in America? Do parties
play a worthwhile role in the modern American political system?
Answer:
Answers may vary.
A number of minority groups other than African Americans and women have struggled
for citizenship, suffrage, equality, and civil rights in the United States. Name five of
these groups and the barriers and successes they have experienced over the years. What
are some of the unique circumstances of each group, when compared to other groups?
Answer:Answers may vary.
Explain the influences on party identification. To what extent have those influences
impacted your life?
Answer:
Answers may vary.
What was the Cold War and how did it originate? Who were the major players in this
era? What roles did NATO and the Warsaw Pact play? How did the Cold War end?
Answer:
Answers may vary.
As an elected member of Congress prepares to vote on a proposed bill, he/she is
influenced by a number of factors. List at least five modern factors and describe how
they may affect the legislation process.
Answer:
Answers may vary.
Discuss evidence that suggests the media may have a liberal bias. Discuss evidence that
suggests the media may have a conservative bias. Which criticism do you find most
persuasive toward contemporary media outlets?
Answer:
Answers may vary.
Discuss the major differences between the state and national Constitutions and why
those disparities exist.
Answer:
Answers may vary.
Describe how the following positions and groups have historically served the president
and helped him to perform his duties: First Lady, White House Chief of Staff, White
House Press Secretary, Director of Communications, Cabinet.
Answer:
Answers may vary.
Describe the constitutional provisions given to each branch of government in regard to
foreign policy.
Answer:
Answers may vary.