The term “laissez-faire” refers to an economic doctrine that was popular in the
eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The French term literally means
A.”remove the government.”
B.”the government is the father.”
C.”tax cut.”
D.”leave us alone.”
E.”life is a circus.”
Which of the following illustrates use of the global perspective in policymaking?
A.The president’s press office authorizes a public opinion poll to gauge support.
B.Congressional hearings focus upon similar situations from the recent past.
C.The president’s administration is concerned about the perception and impact of the
decision among allied countries.
D.United States policymakers fear a terrorist attack by American citizens within our
borders and launch a preemptive military attack on another country.
E.The president’s Cabinet decides that the policy will not move forward unless public
opinion polls indicate support of more than 50 percent.
Which president was the first to use modern mass media to directly address the people
through his “fireside chats”?
A.Abraham Lincoln
B.Calvin Coolidge
C.Franklin D. Roosevelt
D.John F. Kennedy
E.Richard M. Nixon
Germany has a strong central government but the country is also made up of
Bundeslander, the plural term for the regions that are very similar to American states.
Each Bundesland has its own strong local government which shares power with the
central government. This government system is an example of
A.federalism.
B.democracy.
C.humanitarianism.
D.secularism.
E.unity.
The Supreme Court issued its 1919 ruling in the case of Schenck v. United States.
Charles Schenck, a leader of the American Socialist Party, was jailed for distributing
anti-draft leaflets during time of massive military build-up in the early months of
American involvement in World War I. The Supreme Court rejected Schenck’s request
for release and in doing so established what precedent as a test of free speech?
A.During war, a citizen is forbidden to criticize the government’s actions.
B.Speech may be restricted when a “clear and present danger” exists that the words will
have a broad negative effect on the citizenry.
C.During times of war, the president’s administration approves all exceptions to free
speech.
D.The issue of restricting free speech is a state issue and is therefore out of the
jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.
E.When state court rulings and the Supreme Court rulings are in conflict, the state
ruling will become law since states are closer to the people.
Many of the most ardent abolitionists who advocated an end to slavery still saw a
distinction between economic rights, to which they felt African Americans were
entitled, and political rights. How did they justify such a distinction in their minds?
A.Economic rights provided the necessities of life such as food, shelter, and basic
freedoms, however, the concept of white supremacy was still widespread even in the
North and these abolitionists did not see a role for freed slaves in lawmaking, voting, or
serving on juries.
B.Economic factors made money for the abolitionists while political factors did not.
C.Many abolitionists believed that economic freedom would come first, then political
freedom would follow.
D.The abolitionists believed that slaves should be free to determine basic destinies,
such as where they live and work, but they believed that African Americans would
never win a political office and should be denied the right to vote.
E.The abolitionists really only wanted partial freedoms for the slaves.
The Department of Commerce and Labor was established by Theodore Roosevelt to
A.regulate labor practices and employer-employee relations.
B.promote economic development in the South.
C.implement the rural electrification program.
D.collect taxes from businesses and oversee mergers and acquisitions.
E.promote the rail industry.
Who started the Reform party during the 1992 presidential campaign season?
A.Bill Clinton
B.Ralph Nader
C.Ross Perot
D.Bob Dole
E.Jimmy Carter
In recent decades the Supreme Court has become rather evenly divided ideologically.
What effect, if any, has this divide had on Senate confirmation hearings for potential
justices?
A.The Senate is highly respected for its non-partisan approach to the hearings.
B.The Senate, in an attempt to block public opinion from influencing the nominee’s
proceedings, has held the hearings behind closed doors.
C.Because of the controversial nature of the hearings, the Senate has often relinquished
its confirmation authority to the House of Representatives.
D.The Senate has tended to use the confirmation hearings as confrontational public
forums in which many individuals and groups have a chance to publicly express their
support or displeasure with the nominee and his/her ideology.
E.The Senate very rarely confirms any of the nominees presented to them.
What is an economic theory, widely accepted prior to the 1930s, that advocates the
economy is a self-adjusting mechanism that works best without government
interference of any kind?
A.trickle-down theory
B.laissez-faire theory
C.Keynesian economics
D.Roosevelt theory
E.capitalism
Those who think the media has a conservative bias point to
A.the fact that most journalists are registered Republicans.
B.the corporate interests of the companies who own the media outlets.
C.the influence of Hollywood elites on broadcast news and Rupert Murdock on print
media.
D.the fact that those who write the stories are usually conservative.
E.the influence of Fox News.
The government established in the colonies after the Declaration of Independence was
the
A.Constitution.
B.Federation Treaty.
C.Articles of Confederation.
D.Magna Carta.
E.Declaration of the Rights of Man.
In the years immediately preceding the American Revolution and the creation of our
Constitution, the king and the Parliament of England
A.had never considered the possibility of revolutionary fervor in the colonies.
B.feared that the colonies would attempt to overthrow their governments and had the
resources and the capability to do so.
C.feared that other European powers would attempt to encroach on their American
holdings far more than they feared any form of colonial uprising.
D.entered into agreements with other European powers to share the resources of their
colonial holdings in exchange for shared protection.
E.actually sought to sell the colonies.
What is the primary benefit for a candidate who emerges as a front-runner in a political
party’s campaign for president?
A.The federal government increases the amount of funding for the campaign.
B.Media coverage of the candidate tends to increase significantly.
C.The candidate could experience an increase in support in the public opinion polls.
D.It guarantees the candidate a spot on the general election ballot.
E.State governments are required at this point to contribute campaign funding for the
candidate.
Which of the following has run as a third-party candidate?
A.Lyndon Johnson
B.Ralph Nader
C.Herbert Hoover
D.Ronald Reagan
E.Dwight Eisenhower
Because of Franklin Roosevelt’s tenure as president, the Twenty-second Amendment
was ratified and enacted in 1951. This amendment places what restriction on
presidents?
A.The person seeking the office of president must have been a citizen of the United
States for at least 10 years.
B.The person seeking the office of president must first have served at least one term in
either the U.S. House of Representatives or the U.S. Senate.
C.Any one person may only serve one term as president.
D.Any one person may be elected as president no more than twice.
E.The president must have a college degree.
Currently the population of the average congressional district is
A.less than 10,000.
B.about 50,000.
C.roughly 136,000.
D.approximately 646,000.
E.more than one million.
What effect did President Reagan have on the U.S. Supreme Court?
A.During the Reagan era, the Supreme Court invalidated many of the president’s
policies, so Reagan had little effect on the Supreme Court.
B.During his tenure, President Reagan had the opportunity to appoint four justices to
the Supreme Court who were generally supportive of state powers, so the trend of
devolution was strengthened in the judicial branch.
C.President Reagan appointed only one justice to the Supreme Court, an action that
ultimately had little impact on the Court.
D.During his tenure, President Reagan was able to appoint several justices with liberal
ideologies to the Supreme Court.
E.President Reagan arbitrated a stronger relationship between the Supreme Court and
Congress whereby they worked cooperatively and in unison to implement policies.
What is meant by the term “battleground state”?
A.The state cannot be considered safely Democrat or Republican so either party has a
chance of winning that state in the presidential election.
B.Party politics are so strong in the state that nearly all efforts to move forward are met
with huge battles.
C.The majority of the voters in the state are ideologically moderate.
D.A state that splits its distribution of votes in the Electoral College.
E.Election results in such states are normally decided within the courts weeks after the
election.
What role does the House of Representatives play in the impeachment and/or removal
of the president or federal judges from office?
A.The House may bring formal impeachment charges against the individual, but such
charges do not automatically remove the official from office.
B.Only the House of Representatives may vote to remove the official from office.
C.The House of Representatives has sole responsibility to both impeach and remove the
official.
D.The House of Representatives can only recommend actions to the Senate.
E.The House of Representatives does not have a role in impeachment and/or removal
proceedings.
The Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments were collectively known as the
A.Civil Liberties Amendments.
B.Bill of Rights.
B. Anthony Amendments.
C.Susan
D.”Frederick Douglass” Amendments.
E.Civil War Amendments.
During confirmation hearings what authority does the Senate have in regard to
examining a nominee’s personal background?
A.The U.S. Constitution prohibits the Senate from delving into or divulging personal
matters of the nominee prior to his/her nomination.
B.The Senate has no Constitutional restrictions on examining personal issues in the
nominee’s past.
C.The Senate may investigate a personal matter of a nominee only if it is directly
related to his/her prior judicial experience.
D.The Senate may question the president concerning the nominee’s past history but the
nominee may not be questioned directly in the hearings.
E.An informal agreement has emerged over the decades in which the president’s
Supreme Court nominees are generally approved without challenge in the Senate.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was created in 2002. Which of the
following federal agencies is NOT subordinate to this department?
A.U.S. Coast Guard
B.U.S. Border Patrol
C.Federal Emergency Management Agency
D.U.S. Foreign Embassy Service
E.U.S. Secret Service
Small towns in New England developed a particular form of local government that
involves a pure form of direct democracy. The form of government is called the
A.town meeting.
B.council-mayor form.
C.council-manager form.
D.Athens format.
E.congregational style of government.
Though the state court systems vary widely and have different levels of courts, what is
the one commonality that all fifty state court systems possess?
A.All states now have drug courts.
B.All states have intermediate appellate courts.
C.Counties no longer have any control or duties in the state court systems.
D.Every state has a supreme court.
E.Every state court is well-funded due to the nationwide increase in crime.
The Nineteenth Amendment granted women the right to vote in
A.1776.
B.1800.
C.1865.
D.1920.
E.1970.
The federal government enacted the income tax
A.because it had no other means of raising revenue except for voluntary contributions
from the states.
B.so that the federal government and the state governments would be using similar tax
mechanisms, which would facilitate tax collection.
C.to pay for an expanding role for government.
D.to ensure that businesses paid their fair share of taxes.
E.to simplify the labyrinth of sometimes contradictory tax structures that had been
enacted.
Which of the following is NOT a power held by the national legislature under the U.S.
Constitution?
A.To lay and collect taxes
B.To raise and support armies and navies
C.To declare war
D.To coin money
E.To provide for the health, safety, and welfare of citizens
What is an economic theory that is based on the principle that taxation, government
spending, and other forms of intervention in the economy can help spur the economy
forward, even during bad economic times?
A.trickle down theory
B.laissez-faire economics
C.Keynesian economics
D.open economy theory
E.progressive taxation
Recently, Congress has been concerned with
A.regulating nudity in art exhibits.
B.public affection in national parks.
C.profanity in movies.
D.sexually explicit materials on the internet.
E.limiting the paparazzi.
Social Security was created in the
A.1790s.
B.1860s.
C.1930s.
D.1960s.
E.1970s.
On behalf of the Continental Congress, the actual wording of the Declaration of
Independence was written by
A.Thomas Jefferson.
B.John Adams.
C.Benjamin Franklin.
D.George Washington.
E.King George III.
Which of the following would NOT be considered a type of social policy?
A.crime policy
B.health policy
C.military policy
D.social security
E.relationship of religion and public policy.
The wording the Declaration of Independence drew heavily upon John Locke’s theories
of
A.natural rights and social contract.
B.royal prerogative.
C.anarchy and self-actualization.
D.religion as a counterweight to reason.
E.self-fulfillment.