Which of the following terms best describes Hobbes’ image of society without
government?
A.peaceful
B.stable
C.harmonious
D.nefarious
E.all of the above
David Baldus studied the death penalty and its impact on minorities in the early 1990s.
What was the most frequently quoted finding of his study?
A.The use of the death penalty was proportionate to the racial mix of society as a
whole.
B.Killers of whites are 4.3 times more likely to be sentenced to death than killers of
blacks.
C.Blacks commit murder more frequently than whites.
D.A killer of a white victim is less likely than a killer of a black victim to receive the
death penalty.
E.Blacks are more heavily represented on death row than whites, but more whites are
actually executed.
The best example of a regressive tax is
A.individual income taxes.
B.sales tax.
C.tax credits.
D.admission charges to state and federal parks.
E.corporate income tax.
The federal bureaucracy currently employees approximately how many civilian
personnel?
A.150,000
B.600,000
C.1.2 million
D.2.7 million
E.12 million
A U.S. House of Representatives member may occasionally vote a certain way on one
bill in exchange for a favorable vote on another bill. This process as known as
A.logrolling.
B.cloture.
C.gerrymandering.
D.lobbying.
E.overriding a veto.
Since the early 1900s presidential authority has been greatest in the area of
A.crime and punishment.
B.health care.
C.domestic policy.
D.the environment.
E.national security.
The Whig Party was a major and dominant party for the 20 or so years immediately
preceding the Civil War, even to the point of winning the presidency. By the 1850s the
Whig Party began to witness very serious party divisions that led to its demise. What
was the basis of this split?
A.serious differences over the legality and morality of slavery
B.differences over the relationship of the United States with the Republic of Texas
C.the Mexican War
D.disagreements over alliances with France
E.relations with Native American people as the nation expanded westward
The key elements of the New Jersey Plan excluded which of the following?
A.Strengthening the Articles of Confederation, not replacing them.
B.Giving Congress the ability to raise revenue from duties on imports and a postal
service.
C.Creating a stronger executive branch and a weaker legislative branch than existed
under the Articles of Confederation.
D.Creating a Supreme Court.
E.Creating a unicameral legislature with one vote for each state and representatives
chosen by the states.
The primary concern of the Federalist Party in the late 1700s was
A.a strong national government.
B.powerful state governments.
C.alliances and peace with Native Americans.
D.state control of the military.
E.westward expansion.
The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, often referred to as the
McCain-Feingold Act, places strict limitations on campaign contributions to parties and
candidates. What impact does this law have on state-level party functions and state
elections?
A.State-level functions are not as strictly limited but they are controlled.
B.It has no impact because the law pertains only to federal candidates and party
functions at the federal level.
C.The same limitations apply at the state level.
D.Each state must restrict contributions but the dollar amounts may differ.
E.It has no impact because such a law would be ruled as unconstitutional by the U.S.
Supreme Court.
What level does the federal government consider a realistic minimum unemployment
rate nationwide?
A.0.5 percent
B.1 percent
C.5 percent
D.12 percent
E.20 percent
In the post-Civil War economic boom, Samuel Gompers helped to create and lead the
American Federation of Labor (AFL). What was the impact of this interest group on
labor relations?
A.The AFL turned public sentiment toward the corporate owners and ultimately
damaged worker morale.
B.The government rejected the legitimacy of the AFL as well as that of any other labor
union.
C.The government responded to the labor union movement by protecting the corporate
interests and banning the unions.
D.The AFL brought many smaller worker trade unions into a large interest group with
increased political clout and ultimately won support in Congress for dozens of worker
benefits.
E.Gompers and most of his supporters were eventually imprisoned.
There are approximately ________ political action committees (PAC) registered with
the Federal Election Commission.
A.2,000
B.4,000
C.6,000
D.8,000
E.10,000
Which of the following, according to recent surveys, are more likely to be active
voters?
A.individuals with no formal schooling
B.college graduates with undergraduate degrees
C.high school graduates
D.high school dropouts
E.those who did not complete high school but have stable work records
Another Civil War Amendment was the Fifteenth Amendment, which guaranteed
A.the right to vote regardless of race.
B.the right to vote regardless of race or gender.
C.the right to veterans’ benefits regardless of which side they served in the Civil War.
D.the abolition of slavery only in new states that were added to the Union after the Civil
War.
E.prohibition against Jim Crow laws and racial segregation.
What is the significance of the “New Federalism” era, which began in the 1990s?
A.It has opened a new era of liberalism in our nation.
B.It has acted as a balance between conservatism and liberalism.
C.It has represented an era in which the U.S. Constitution was rewritten in favor of a
more conservative governmental structure.
D.It appears that a significant counterthrust has occurred which has favored a return to
states’ rights.
E.It has represented an era in which the Supreme Court clearly reiterated the power of
the federal government over the states.
Federal spending that is not controlled by annual budget decisions, such as entitlements,
is referred to as
A.outlays.
B.budgetary lay-asides.
C.non-discretionary revenues.
D.mandatory spending.
E.discretionary funds.
A trend has emerged in the last 20 years or so in which states move their primary
elections or caucuses earlier in the presidential election year in order to increase their
significance nationwide. This process has become known as
A.frontloading.
B.leap-frogging.
C.intensifying.
D.opening the process.
E.narrowing the field.
What is the underlying goal of protesters who use civil disobedience as a tactic?
A.They want to create a sharp divide and create tensions in order to bring attention to
the cause.
B.They want to use passive resistance to disobey what they believe to be an unjust law
and to bring attention to a cause.
C.They want to challenge the legal system by flooding the courts with arrests and minor
criminal cases.
D.They want to illustrate their desire to overthrow the American system, which they
believe to be thoroughly flawed.
E.They intend to frustrate the citizens as a form of retribution against them for
discriminatory practices.
What are “civil liberties”?
A.They are freedoms that can be taken during wars, if deemed necessary by Congress.
B.They are rights that are extended by state governments at the expense of the federal
government.
C.They are religious-based freedoms.
D.They are specific individual rights which cannot be taken away by government and
are guaranteed by the Constitution.
E.They are laws that enforce civility between citizens and are designed to also enforce
the peace.
What is meant by the term “administrative judge”?
A.It is a judge that does not preside in a courtroom but handles court-related paperwork.
B.It is a judge who serves as a magistrate.
C.It is a judge who works within a federal agency to hold hearings and make judgments
on cases related to that agency.
D.It is a lower court judge who determines guilt but not punishments.
E.It is another name for an appellate court judge, such as those on the Court of Appeals.
In a series of well-publicized Supreme Court rulings in 2005, Kentucky was required to
remove the Ten Commandments posted in some of its county courtrooms. However,
Texas was allowed to keep a monument on the state capital grounds that had the Ten
Commandments listed. How did the Supreme Court rationalize the Kentucky
circumstance as unconstitutional, but not the Texas case?
A.Texas was a sovereign nation prior to becoming a state and was allowed to retain
some of its religious sovereignty.
B.Kentucky did not have the level of adequate legal representation during the
proceedings as did Texas.
C.The Texas case used a newer, more modern interpretation of the Ten Commandments
that was considered less controversial by the Supreme Court.
D.The Kentucky case involved religious displays inside of public courtrooms that are
involuntarily visible to anyone, whereas the Texas case involved a monument with a
historical context that is located on the grounds of the capitol building.
E.The Supreme Court showed its bias toward western states.
Currently in the United States the only group of adult citizens who are legally denied
the right to vote in any election are
A.those living in the District of Columbia.
B.citizens of Puerto Rico.
C.naturalized citizens.
D.individuals who are in jail awaiting trial.
E.convicted felons.
In 1868 Judge John Dillon from Iowa issued a ruling which has become known as
Dillon’s Rule. The ruling considered the relationship of local and state governments.
What does this “rule” provide?
A.State governments have clear authority over the local governments that they have
created.
B.Local governments have considerable autonomy from state intervention.
C.Local governments, once created, become sovereign.
D.If a local government has taxing power, then it has the right of self-determination.
E.Public education priorities and decisions must be made at the local level.
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives are elected every two years. Voters
normally return _____ of their elected members (incumbents) to office.
A.none
B.less than three
C.about half
D.nine of ten
E.all
Political philosopher John Locke proposed that people are born with natural rights and
that government cannot violate these rights. Locke argued that the basis for
government, or human laws, is
A.that Congress has a moral obligation to protect green space.
B.that in Locke’s view the government has full powers to control the people.
C.that religious thought is greater than human thought.
D.the right and privilege of the elected officials.
E.consent of the governed.
John Locke argued in his theory of social contract that
A.the power of the king was supreme.
B.while citizens sacrifice certain rights and then consent to be governed, they retain
other inalienable rights.
C.both parties agree upon conditions of the social order, in this case that England’s
Parliament would agree on rights for the colonial citizens.
D.citizens sacrifice certain rights upon consent of the king or Parliament.
E.Parliament rightly held veto power over the Continental Congress.
Which of the following is NOT a right guaranteed by the Eighth Amendment?
A.the right to bail that is not excessive
B.freedom from excessive fines
C.freedom from cruel and unusual punishment
D.the right to a jury trial
E.the ability to reasonably obtain release from secure confinement, pending disposition
of the criminal charges
The presiding officer in the U.S. Senate is
A.the majority whip of the Senate.
B.the president pro tempore of the Senate.
C.the vice president of the United States.
D.the clerk of the Senate.
E.the secretary of state.
Which of the following, detailed in all state constitutions, is NOT a component of state
government?
A.provision and procedure by which citizens can veto legislation
B.structure and power of the state legislature
C.structure and power of the governor
D.structure and powers of the state court system
E.process for amending the state constitution