The administration of President George W. Bush advocated a significant change in the
management of the social security trust fund in 2000, and again in 2005. What was his
recommendation at both times?
A.that Social Security taxes be doubled to compensate for the baby boom surge of
retirees
B.that benefits be reduced by 25 percent beginning in 2010
C.that management of the fund be transferred to a private contracted financial company
D.that Americans should be allowed to privatize their social security by investing in
stocks and bonds
E.that the retirement age be lowered to 55 years old
What is the process of polling in which each possible respondent in the survey target
population has an equal and known chance of being selected for participation?
A.equitable sampling
B.public polling
C.posturing
D.random sampling
E.scientific sampling
Though they do not report news, how can media organizations such as The History
Channel and The Biography Channel add to the overall delivery of information?
A.These channels now report current and updated news and events.
B.These outlets offer viewers a historical context to local, national, and international
events.
C.These organizations add competition to the media industry.
D.These channels actually offer no meaningful weight to news coverage.
E.At the risk of being confusing, these outlets are designed to support and follow the
lead of the major news outlets.
A constitutionally protected proceeding which allows a prisoner to question the legality
of his/her detention is called
A.sedition.
B.trial.
C.indictment.
D.subpoena.
E.habeas corpus.
In 2002, what were the circumstances of California Governor Gray Davis being
removed from office?
A.He was impeached.
B.He lost the general election.
C.He was forced out via referendum.
D.He was recalled by the constituents.
E.He became ill.
Which term often carries negative connotations of overgrown government, excessive
rules and paperwork, and a burdensome process?
A.civil service
B.populism
C.communism
D.bureaucracy
E.Washington
Though religious groups in America have tended to purposely remain out of the realm
of government policy making, these groups have nonetheless taken active roles
throughout U.S. history. Which of the following was NOT one of the historical
movements in which religious groups played a role and held influence?
A.abolition of slavery
B.enactment of child labor laws
C.support of widows and poor women
D.enactment of military draft
E.temperance
As one of four national defense acts passed by Congress in 1798, what was the effect of
the Alien Enemies Act?
A.It allowed the president to declare a disloyal citizen as an alien enemy, to strip the
citizen’s rights, and to deport the individual.
B.It declared as enemies any undocumented aliens in the United States at the time of
passage.
C.Enacted during a time of increasing tensions between the United States and France, it
allowed the president during wartime to arrest and imprison aliens subject to an enemy
power.
D.It declared that any illegal alien was an outlaw and subject to martial law.
E.It created and extended constitutional protections for aliens in the United States.
While presidents for many years have held press conferences and answered reporters’
questions, it was President Eisenhower who changed the format. How did Eisenhower
hold his press conferences?
A.Eisenhower invited reporters to the White House for the first time.
B.Eisenhower allowed a press pool which included any reporter of a major newspaper
who wished to attend.
C.Eisenhower was the first president to use the radio as a medium to reach Americans.
D.Eisenhower was the first to hold regular televised news conferences with unscripted
questions.
E.Eisenhower was televised, but the questioning was very rigid and the answers had to
be preapproved, since he was U.S. military general.
Why could the United Nations be considered a confederation?
A.It is a league of sovereign countries that work together to enforce various
international laws.
B.The United Nations cannot be considered a confederation.
C.It is bound by a constitution to perform certain powers.
D.When nations join they become subordinate to the United Nations governing body.
E.Member nations are subordinate to the European community.
During the twentieth century African Americans, their supporters, and other
organizations and groups unified to overcome the discrimination and inequalities of that
era. In doing so, several tactics were utilized. Which of the following is NOT one of the
tactics used by formal and legitimate advocacy groups, now and in the past?
A.civil disobedience
B.litigation
C.legal boycotts
D.riots
E.working within the political system
How does a flat tax differ from a regressive tax?
A.Flat taxes are illegal in the United States but are widely used in Europe.
B.Flat taxes are attached only to the sale of goods and services.
C.Flat taxes tax all entities at the same rate as a proportion of income, whereas with
regressive taxes the rate changes according to income level.
D.Flat taxes bring in far less revenue than do regressive taxes.
E.Flat taxes are very popular with Americans, whereas, regressive taxes are not.
Who served as secretary of state under George H.W. Bush and later as chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff (the highest military position in the United States.) under George
W. Bush? In the latter position, this individual advocated military action only as a last
resort when faced with overwhelming force.
A.Madeline Albright
B.Colin Powell
C.Condoleeza Rice
D.George Schultz
E.Hugh Robinson
What was the “Reagan Revolution”?
A.It was a period in the 1960s when militant radicals on college campuses revolted
against the fiscal and social policies of President Reagan.
B.It was a period of planned and rapid growth in the impact and reach of the federal
government during the 1980s.
C.It was a term used to describe the administration of President Reagan during the
1980s as he aggressively sought to reduce the burden of government, a policy that was
popular with voters at the time.
D.It referred to a voter uprising in California while Ronald Reagan was governor, aimed
at dramatically changing the course of that state’s government.
E.It referred to President Reagan’s focus on moral and social issues during his
administration.
Our legislative branch consists of two chambers: the U.S. House of Representatives and
the U.S. Senate. This arrangement is referred to as
A.congressional redistricting.
B.congressional reapportionment.
C.the system of checks and balances.
D.pro tempore.
E.a bicameral legislature.
The United States Constitution allows for removal of the president by the process of
A.recall election.
B.impeachment.
C.congressional declaration.
D.criminal conviction only.
E.a vote of the state legislatures.
The suffrage movement
A.promoted a broad array of social justice issues.
B.had racist overtones.
C.promoted voting rights for blacks.
D.advocated equal rights for women.
E.led to passage of the Eighteenth Amendment.
Which of the following is an example of using nonviolent protest to advance civil
rights?
A.filing lawsuits
B.the Montgomery Bus Boycott
C.passing Jim Crow laws
D.lynching
E.cross burning
What was the “Contract with America” in 1994?
A.It was a series of initiatives during the 1994 midterm elections that helped the
Republican Party take control of both houses of Congress on a platform of devolution.
B.It was a rather liberal agenda that was adopted by President Clinton to offset the
conservative trend that was gripping the nation.
C.It was a political campaign that was adopted by the Supreme Court to strengthen the
citizens’ support of its rulings.
D.It was an attempt by the Republicans to consolidate all educational policies into one
strong and effective federal Department of Education, as a remedy for a patchwork of
state policies.
E.It was President Clinton’s political agenda to counter a surge in Republican support.
Social security is one of the topics which legislators from both major political parties
are rarely interested in challenging. Why is this?
A.The topic is far too complicated.
B.Most realize that nothing would be done anyway so they are not willing to attempt
any solutions.
C.Often referred to as the “third rail,” to challenge social security in its current form is
often politically fatal.
D.The current system works well.
E.The Social Security Administration is the largest contributor to political campaigns in
the United States.
How does front-loading affect the nomination process?
A.It has a negative impact on voter perceptions.
B.It makes fundraising easier.
C.It benefits the front-runners.
D.It attracts more public scrutiny.
E.It makes the process more democratic.
Article II of the United States Constitution requires what minimum and/or maximum
age for a person to serve as president?
A.no minimum or maximum age
B.minimum age of 25, maximum age of 70
C.minimum age of 18
D.minimum age of 25
E.minimum age of 35
Though newspapers were very partisan in the early 1800s, by about 1850 they began to
distance themselves from particular partisan positions. What was the result of this
decision?
A.Readership suffered considerably.
B.Political parties removed all financial support from newspapers, which had a negative
effect on growth for nearly 30 years.
C.Readership declined because the news was considered boring without the heated
twist of partisanship.
D.Readership increased.
E.Advertisers withdrew support and profitability declined.
The National Security Council (NSC) was established in 1947. What is its purpose?
A.It is an advisory body to the president, coordinating information about foreign,
military, and economic policies that affect national security.
B.It is an advisory board to the United Nations on issues related to U.S. interests.
C.It is a division of the Department of Homeland Security that is charged with tracking
terrorist cells in the U.S.
D.It is a military advisory body to the president, making recommendations on military
strategy and use of military resources to meet U.S. objectives.
E.It is a federal auditing agency that ensures the military is at peak performance and is
utilizing resources appropriately.
In recent years the trend has been to make voter registration much more accessible and
easier. Voter registrations have increased nationwide. What has been the subsequent
result in voter turnout?
A.Voter turnout has sharply increased.
B.Voter turnout has increased at almost the same rate as voter registrations.
C.There has been no noticeable increase in voter turnout.
D.The effect on voter turnout actually appears to be negative.
E.Voter ideology has become much more liberal.
How has the Supreme Court consistently used the Fourth Amendment in applying the
Bill of Rights to the state governments?
A.President Lincoln interpreted that the amendment required states to observe the “due
process” clause and by executive order required states to abide by it, which the
Supreme Court has since upheld.
B.Congress passed an “enforcement statute” that forced the Supreme Court to begin
recognizing the due process clause.
C.The Bill of Rights does not apply to state governments and their actions so the
Supreme Court has not referred to it in this regard.
D.The Supreme Court has applied the “due process” clause, ruling that the failure to
recognize any right in the Bill of Rights is a violation of this clause.
E.The Fourteenth Amendment explicitly requires that states recognize and enforce the
Bill of Rights in the U.S. Constitution, which the Supreme Court has upheld.
The U.S. Constitution does not explicitly state that all citizens have the right to vote;
therefore, we have seen an historic battle to grant these rights. The right of all citizens
to vote is commonly referred to as
A.the franchise.
B.patronage.
C.universal suffrage.
D.specific suffrage.
E.naturalization.
When the U.S. Supreme Court interprets and makes a ruling concerning a question
involving the U.S. Constitution
A.that ruling has no bearing on the state governments.
B.the ruling only applies to an agency or official of the federal government.
C.the supremacy clause applies only to the Constitution and not to Supreme Court
actions.
D.that ruling may be overridden by a state’s supreme court.
E.any state legislature or state court must also abide by the interpretation of the U.S.
Constitution by the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court has ruled that the police cannot use thermal imaging to look for
indoor marijuana greenhouses because doing so violates the
A.First Amendment.
B.prohibition against unreasonable search and seizures.
C.right to doctor/patient confidentiality.
D.protection against self-incrimination.
E.exclusionary rule.
In policy development the popular perspective is very much dependent upon
A.historical facts.
B.support from other countries.
C.funding.
D.public opinion.
E.belief in fairness.