Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978) was a Supreme Court case that
A.created affirmative action quotas for all medical schools.
B.rejected the outright use of racial quotas in college admissions but allowed race to be
used as one of several factors in admissions.
C.required that a quota for white students be used if there is also an existing quota for
non-whites.
D.required racial quotas for all college admission procedures.
E.identified and prohibited the process of “reverse discrimination.”
When the call went out to all 13 state governments seeking their attendance at the
Annapolis Convention in September 1786, how many states sent delegations?
A.none
B.two
C.five
D.ten
E.all 13
Building upon research from the early twentieth century that indicated a lack of an
informed public, Philip Converse in the 1970s used scientific surveys to research public
opinion in regard to voting. This research indicated
A.that ordinary citizens are generally very knowledgeable about political issues and
candidates.
B.that a very positive and upbeat mood exists among potential voters concerning
candidates and issues.
C.that a very high percentage of eligible voters do vote.
D.that ordinary citizens are ill-informed about political issues, ill-equipped to
understand politics, and quite fickle in how they stand on issues.
E.that ordinary citizens are very stable in their opinions and their votes indicate that
stability.
For the purpose of determining representation in the new Congress the slave-holding
southern states
A.were opposed to any enumeration of slaves.
B.wanted to count each slave as a whole person.
C.refused to ratify the new constitution if slavery was acknowledged.
D.demanded extra representation to protect them from slave uprisings.
E.wanted additional representation to protect their interests from northern intrusion.
The final determination of which candidate wins the presidential election is based upon
A.a determination of the U.S. Supreme Court.
B.the actual number of states that each candidate wins.
C.the official results of the votes cast by electors in the Electoral College.
D.a review and vote in the U.S. House of Representatives.
E.certification of the election results by the two major political parties.
Criminal laws that are retroactively applied to those who engaged in activities when
they were not yet illegal are called
A.backdoor laws.
B.fascist laws.
C.civil subpoenas.
D.bill of attainder.
E.ex post facto laws.
Unlike our current constitution, the Articles of Confederation could be amended
A.only with the unanimous consent of the states.
B.by an affirmative vote of three-fourths of the state legislatures.
C.only after abolishing the original document and rewriting it.
D.at any time with assent of at least two state legislatures.
E.only upon the collapse of the government.
Which of the following is NOT considered a realistic factor in the creation and
implementation of social and public policy?
A.timing
B.luck
C.opportunity
D.skill
E.rigid deadlines
Which of the following is NOT a duty of a state governor?
A.to act as ceremonial head of state government to greet dignitaries, etc.
B.to head the state’s political party of which he/she is a member
C.to serve as commander-in-chief of military forces assigned within the state
D.to execute and manage the state budget
E.to coordinate and direct official response to emergency and natural disasters
What is a federal social program that provides limited health care services to the poor?
A.Medicare
B.Medicaid
C.Salvation Army
D.Aid to Dependent Families
E.Welfare
In McCulloch v. Maryland, the Supreme Court
A.established per curium opinions.
B.eliminated per curium opinions.
C.declared Congress would be the final arbiter of constitutionality.
D.declared States would be the final arbiter of constitutionality.
E.broadly interpreted the necessary and proper clause.
What is the term used for the laws and rules that address disputes in which the
government is acting in its official capacity upon individuals?
A.private law
B.case law
C.administrative law
D.public law
E.martial law
What was the importance of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Marbury v. Madison
(1803)?
A.It established voting rights for women and freed slaves.
B.It overruled the Constitution by allowing state governments to enact laws that
contradict the Constitution.
C.It established the power of the Supreme Court to review all acts of Congress for their
constitutionality.
D.It ruled that Congress was subordinate to the judicial branch.
E.It established that the judicial branch could preapprove actions by the executive
branch.
The President cannot veto
A.tax legislation.
B.spending legislation.
C.social welfare legislation.
D.budget legislation.
E.constitutional amendments.
In recent years, members of political action committees and political parties have
presented themselves as legitimate pollsters when in fact they have attempted to plant
subtle facts in the minds of the respondents. These activities are referred to as
A.straw polls.
B.scientific polls.
C.pseudo-polls.
D.political filtering.
E.campaigning.
The sub-agency of the U.S. Department of Labor that develops standards to promote
safe workplace environments and implements regulations to enforce these standards
with employers is the
A.Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS).
B.Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
C.Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
D.Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
E.Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS).
Which Amendment provides the basis for the incorporation doctrine?
A.12th Amendment
B.14th Amendment
C.16th Amendment
D.18th Amendment
E.20th Amendment
What would be a good description of the role of vice presidents in the past 30 years?
A.Vice presidents continue to have little visibility or power.
B.Vice presidents have an increased presence in presiding in the Senate but little else.
C.Presidents have delegated the powers as commander-in-chief to their vice presidents.
D.Vice presidents have been given some token roles as party leaders or chairs of cabinet
meetings.
E.Vice presidents have increasingly taken on major responsibilities and more visible
roles, including advising and policy development.
What is the minimum age for becoming a U.S. Senator?
A.no age limit
B.18 years old
C.25 years old
D.30 years old
E.40 years old
According to most research, how long is the process of acquiring political values,
beliefs, and opinions?
A.at least one month
B.about one year
C.a generation
D.until retirement age, though this is rarely the case
E.a lifelong process that begins in childhood
The U.S. Constitution declares that the Constitution is supreme law. The reality of this
pronouncement can be quite complicated. But in theory, what impact does this have on
state-level courts?
A.The federal courts have full authority over the state criminal and civil laws as well as
the state courts.
B.All decisions by the state courts must be reviewed by the federal courts.
C.This is actually a common law statement from the 1700s that now has no meaning.
D.State courts must comply with pronouncements from the U.S. Supreme Court over
the meaning of the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
E.All state courts are subordinate to the federal court system and Congress.
The president exercises many powers and/or roles that are not explicitly stated in the
Constitution. These are referred to as implied powers. Which of the following is NOT
an example of an implied power of the president?
A.crisis manager
B.national leader for his/her political party
C.focal point in national emergencies, such as natural disaster or terrorist attacks
D.commander-in-chief
E.foreign diplomat
The Telecommunications Act of 1996 abolished the older “fairness doctrine” that had
been in effect since 1950. The ruling deregulated the information industry. What effect
did this deregulation have on the Federal Communications Commission?
A.The FCC was no longer needed and was disbanded.
B.It transformed the FCC into a law enforcement agency.
C.It transformed the FCC from a regulator of the industry into an aggressive supporter
of competition within the industry.
D.The FCC became a moderator of disputes between media outlets.
E.The FCC was transformed into a labor union of sorts which acted as an advocate for
customers of the media.
Members of which of the following groups are most likely to be Democrats?
A.the working class
B.the wealthy
C.men
D.middle-aged Americans
E.Asians
Which of the following is NOT a primary unit of the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security?
A.Emergency Preparedness and Response
B.Science and Technology
C.the Secret Service
D.the United States Military
E.Border and Transportation Security
Which of the following is NOT an example of electronic media?
A.the Internet
B.television
C.radio
D.telephone
E.movies
In several landmark cases in 1962, 1963, and 1985, the Supreme Court addressed the
issue of prayer in public school classrooms. What is and has been the opinion of the
Supreme Court in this matter?
A.Each school district must look to its community standards concerning religion and
follow the majority of public opinion.
B.Community religious leaders have a limited right to advise school officials on
religious activities and teachings in the public schools.
C.Public schools may not allow any activities or speech that would advocate or advance
a particular religious belief, but instead the schools must act with a secular purpose.
D.Elementary schools may not advocate or require participation in prayer or bible
study, but high schools are exempt because of the maturity level of the students.
E.Though such prayer was once disallowed, the conservative sweep of the Supreme
Court after the 2004 presidential elections has led to its overturning the ban on school
prayer.
What was the significance of Shay’s Rebellion in Massachusetts in early 1787?
A.A centralized arsenal was needed for the new federal army.
B.The Revolutionary War did not end all hostile actions in the new colonies.
C.Daniel Shay was a powerful military leader who was well-organized.
D.A weak and unresponsive federal government carried with it the danger of violence
and disorder.
E.Whiskey would prove problematic for the new nation.
A set of laws, regulations, and rules that affect the whole of society is referred to as
A.Keynesian principle.
B.dominance code.
C.statutory control.
D.federalist code.
E.public policy.
Surveys were taken in several foreign countries between the years of 2000 and 2005 in
an effort to gauge whether citizens of these countries had a favorable view of the United
States. Which of the following is true concerning these findings?
A.There was no discernable difference in favorable opinion.
B.Since Britain is a military ally in the war in Iraq, the rate of favorable opinion in that
country has actually increased.
C.Support has decreased in nearly every country polled, with the decrease more
pronounced in some Islamic and Arab nations.
D.Canada’s support has increased.
E.Russia has been a consistently strong supporter of American democratic values.