How many senators represent the District of Columbia in the U.S. Senate?
A.none
B.one
C.two
D.three
E.five
Thomas Jefferson helped to create the Democratic-Republican Party in the 1790s. He
criticized then-President George Washington as
A.being weak on illegal immigration.
B.being weak with our enemy.
C.assuming greater powers than those granted to the federal government by the
Constitution.
D.being opposed to the military.
E.being a tax-and-spend liberal.
What evidence is used by those who contend that the media has a liberal bias?
A.Most journalists vote for Democrats.
B.Those who own media outlets are typically liberal.
C.Those who purchase advertising are typically liberal.
D.Newspapers are more likely to endorse Democratic presidential candidates than
Republicans.
E.Most Democratic candidates have been employed by media outlets.
Which of the states listed below have a history of being dominated by a strong governor
rather than the legislature?
A.Alaska and Hawaii
B.Wyoming and Oregon
C.Vermont and South Carolina
D.New York and Maryland
E.Illinois and Indiana
Article II of the U.S. Constitution requires that the president will each year advise the
Congress about the condition of the nation. This constitutional requirement is now a
formal speech before Congress and is called
A.the Annual Performance Review.
B.the State of the Union address.
C.the Appeal to the Nation.
D.Review of Congress.
E.Face the Nation.
Which branch of the government funds, creates, sets rules for, and provides oversight of
the bureaucracy?
A.Executive
B.Legislative
C.Judicial
D.Presidential
E.all of the branches listed above share these responsibilities equally
The Pendleton Act established that civil servants would be selected on the basis of
A.their qualifications.
B.the spoils system.
C.patronage.
D.seniority.
E.party affiliation.
The voting age was lowered to 18 by the ____________ Amendment.
A.Twenty-seventh
B.Twenty-sixth
C.Twenty-fifth
D.Eighteenth
E.Seventeenth
The primary purpose of the Constitution’s system of checks and balances is
A.to ensure that no one interest or faction could easily dominate the government.
B.to ensure that the people do not become too powerful and attempt to control the
government.
C.to protect the executive branch from abuses of the judicial branch.
D.to allow the president to be removed from office.
E.to ensure that the government remains powerful and supreme.
The person who is responsible for presenting the president in a favorable light and for
proactively creating favorable media events for, and images of, the president is
A.the White House Press Secretary.
B.the White House Chief of Staff.
C.the White House Director of Communications.
D.the head of a major news organization.
E.the national party chairman.
In order to be successful and effective, a democracy relies upon which of the following
important assumptions?
A.that political parties will always serve the best purpose of the people with the best
motives
B.that citizens have the necessary information and skills to be able to understand
political issues and provide informed input
C.that citizens do not know what they want, therefore political parties are formed to
structure the decisions for the voters
D.that most citizens are incapable of making clear and rational choices in elections
E.that only those citizens who are literate and have shown that they understand the
issues should be allowed to vote
As a bureaucratic agency under direction of Congress, what is the purpose of the
General Accounting Office (GAO)?
A.it manages the U.S. Treasury
B.it is an auditing agency that investigates the actions or inactions of other agencies
C.it is an enforcement arm of Congress that prosecutes criminal activity among agency
employees
D.it acts as a liaison between the president and Congress concerning the federal budget
E.it is an agency that lobbies Congress for favorable funding or legislation for the
executive branch
The president has a very important power to appoint judges, justices, and cabinet-level
officials. However, the Constitution requires that this power be checked through
A.approval of the Supreme Court for all appointees.
B.a successful background check for all appointees by the FBI prior to taking office.
C.approval of three-fourths of the state legislatures for all appointments.
D.confirmation by the U.S. Senate for all political appointments.
E.a thorough security clearance by the CIA.
The penny press
A.typically cost about 10 cents.
B.attempted to attract more readers by being nonpartisan.
C.focused on serious news and avoided publishing political scandals.
D.were owned and operated by political parties.
E.were tools used by political machines to reward their supporters and punish their
detractors.
The most recently developed and widely used forms of Internet media for disseminating
personal opinion and information have been
A.email lists.
B.blogs.
C.listservs.
D.online newspapers.
E.mass mailings.
How is “consent of the governed” determined in a representative democracy?
A.True consent can never be determined.
B.Majority rule is determined by an election.
C.It is determined by proclamation of the president.
D.It is determined by a ruling of the Supreme Court.
E.It is determined by the wishes and desires of Congress.
On September 11, 2001 President George Bush was faced with a deadly and horrific
attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon by which group or power?
A.the government of Russia
B.fundamentalists from Israel
C.Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi military
D.Yasser Arafat and the Palestinians
E.Al Qaeda led by Osama bin Laden
What is the term for an item on a state or local ballot that seeks to determine accurate
public opinion for use in resolving a pressing political issue without creating
widespread public dissatisfaction?
A.public opinion poll
B.solicitation
C.referendum
D.political canvass
E.survey
Which of the following is NOT one of the purposes and functions of a grand jury?
A.It receives complaints from the prosecutor.
B.It hears evidence from the prosecutor.
C.It determines whether a trial jury is justified.
D.It has a greater number of jurors than a trial jury and often uses them for a much
longer time.
E.It determines guilt or innocence of the defendant in the action.
President Johnson’s Great Society programs in the 1960s built upon President
Roosevelt’s New Deal programs of the 1930s as they responded to the growing
prosperity in the American economy. Which of the following was NOT a goal of
Johnson’s policies?
A.to promote social justice
B.to create a safety net for the poor
C.to guarantee health care for the elderly
D.to greatly expand educational opportunities for all Americans
E.to force the state governments to assume the responsibility for social assistance
Which case established the precedent of “actual malice” for prosecution of libel?
A.McCulloch v. Maryland
B.Gibbons v. Ogden
C.NY Times v. Sullivan
D.McClesky v. Kemp
E.Furman v. Georgia
Who or what body has sole authority to ratify treaties with foreign countries?
A.the President of the United States
B.the U.S. House of Representatives with a majority vote
C.the Secretary of State
D.the U.S. Senate with a two-thirds majority vote
E.the U.S. Supreme Court after a majority vote of the Congress
Campaign contributions that go directly to the candidate are called
A.bribes.
B.influence maneuvers.
C.hard money.
D.soft money.
E.high profile money.
Researchers such as Samuel Kernell have investigated the indirect links between public
opinion and public policy. According to Kernell, when the president is seeing a high
level of positive public opinion, what is the link in regard to policy development?
A.Congress will attempt to damage this high approval level by refusal to enact any
policies favorable to the president.
B.The opposition party will become more aggressive and committed to bringing down
the president.
C.There is no discernable link.
D.Congress will enact legislation that the president wants but will attempt to paint the
president in a very unflattering light so as to undermine his/her support.
E.It is far more likely that the president is able to get his/her favored legislation passed
since Congress does not want to move against strong public support.
A number of tactics are used by civil rights advocates and other legitimate protesters to
bring attention to a cause and force action without causing harm or violating any law.
Which of the following refers to the organized refusal to buy, sell, or use certain goods
as a method of waging an economic battle?
A.civil disobedience
B.retribution
C.litigation
D.legal boycott
E.lobbying
Which of the following is NOT a sub-unit of the Department of Defense?
A.U.S. Army
B.U.S. Navy
C.U.S. Marines
D.U.S. Coast Guard
E.National Guard
In 1968, Herbert Packer defined two different models of criminal justice policy making.
Which of the two models advocates that control of criminal behavior is the most
important function of the criminal justice system?
A.crime control model
B.due process model
C.innocence model
D.guilt assumption model
E.Pennsylvania model
The nomination campaign is a state-by-state process over several months. What is the
primary goal of the candidate during this part of the campaign?
A.to illustrate the ability to garner support
B.to raise the most money
C.to complete the process and enter the national convention with the largest number of
delegates committed to support his/her campaign
D.to win the general election
E.to emerge as a front-runner
The U.S. Senate plays a pivotal role in the selection of cabinet officers and federal
judges. What is this role?
A.The Senate recommends all appointees to the president.
B.Each senator must be consulted by the president during the confirmation process.
C.The president is required to appoint any candidate recommended by the Senate.
D.The president chooses the appointee but the Senate must confirm that appointment
before the candidate assumes the office.
E.The Senate recommends the nominee and the president confirms the appointment.
What is the role of a conference committee?
A.To set the congressional agenda.
B.To ensure ethical behavior by members of Congress.
C.To hear testimony from citizens and interest groups.
D.To reach a compromise on a bill after both chambers have passed similar versions.
E.To reach a compromise on a bill after is has been referred from standing committees
and before it is referred to a select committee.
Which state was the last to ratify the Constitution?
A.Connecticut
B.South Carolina
C.Maryland
D.Rhode Island
E.Georgia
In the late 1790s the Federalist Party had, among other things, sought to build a trade
alliance with Britain. The Anti-Federalists were distrustful of Britain, especially in light
of the war we had just fought. Instead the Anti-Federalists sought alliance and favorable
relations with which country?
A.Germany
B.Japan
C.Canada
D.France
E.South Africa
The translation of values and beliefs into a systematic way of assessing the political
environment is referred to as
A.political isolation.
B.political orientation.
C.ideological interpretation.
D.religion.
E.the electoral process.