The target of the complaint, who normally responds to the complaint with a formal
written defense prior to appearing formally in court, is called the
A.recipient.
B.plaintiff.
C.defendant.
D.counsel.
E.adjudicated party.
What is isolationism?
A.The reluctance to become involved in military conflicts in the remote corners of the
world
B.America’s willingness to intervene in the foreign affairs of rogue nations even if other
countries are unwilling to participate
C.A national policy of avoiding participation in foreign affairs
D.The belief that the best way to counter terrorism is to improve the economic
well-being of foreign nations
E.The position of the United States as the only surviving superpower
What is the psychological connection that voters have with a political party that
influences other attitudes as well as voting behavior?
A.party unity
B.party identification
C.issue attachment
D.anomie
E.electoral bonding
Which of the following is NOT an official duty of the state governments concerning
elections and voting?
A.creating regulations for voter registration
B.setting the minimum age limit for voter eligibility
C.choosing methods for casting ballots
D.choosing formats and setting restrictions for a candidate to appear on a ballot
E.tallying and reporting official election results
The Senate has the sole power to
A.declare war.
B.approve major presidential appointments.
C.regulate the District of Columbia.
D.issue patents and copyrights.
E.establish post offices and post roads.
One of the most important reasons for the strength and endurance of the U.S.
Constitution is
A.its flexibility.
B.its rigidity.
C.the ability of ordinary citizens to change it.
D.its declaration that the power of government is supreme.
E.that it is steadfast and cannot change.
George W. Bush used ________ to defeat John McCain in the 2000 primary.
A.legal soft money
B.illegal hard money
C.contributions from Buddhist monks
D.federal campaign contributions
E.illegal soft money
Which demographic group is least represented in Congress?
A.male
B.female
C.African-American
D.Hispanic
E.millionaires
At the height of the Cold War, to what percentage of the overall federal budget did
defense spending increase?
A.10 percent
B.15 percent
C.40 percent
D.60 percent
E.90 percent
Which of the following terms have the most similar meanings?
A.aristocracy, monarchy, and theocracy
B.civil society, social contract theory, and social capital
C.government, politics, and democracy
D.sovereignty, personal liberty, and freedom
E.political ideology, political culture, and political equality
One major result of President John Adams’s tenure was the appointment of John
Marshall as Chief Justice of the United States. Marshall shared Adams’s ideologies and
believed in a __________ doctrine of federalism.
A.national supremacy
B.state supremacy
C.Supreme Court supremacy
D.military
E.states’ rights
In Plessy v. Ferguson, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that
A.’separate but equal” was constitutional.
B.’separate but equal” was unconstitutional.
C.state and local governments must integrate.
D.the federal government must integrate.
E.private businesses must integrate.
A government is viewed as legitimate when
A.there is no opposition to its policies.
B.all officials are elected with a majority of the popular vote.
C.the affected people recognize the government and allow it to exercise control over
them.
D.it attempts to make all citizens happy.
E.it takes the form of a democracy.
What is the purpose of the establishment clause of the First Amendment?
A.It requires Congress to establish a national religion to be used as a foundation for
other religious efforts.
B.It prohibits the display of any religious symbols, gestures, or thoughts at any level of
government.
C.It prohibits the government from enacting any law “respecting the establishment of
religion.”
D.It establishes Christianity as the national religion, in keeping with the beliefs of the
founding fathers.
E.It ensures that any and all religious beliefs have equal and full support of the federal
government.
When considering the history of the federal government’s powers over the states, what
generally happens with the federal power during major economic depressions or world
wars?
A.The powers of the federal government usually increase and state prerogatives
decrease.
B.The federal government usually loses powers because it is perceived that it created
the problem.
C.The federal government usually loses powers because of its inability to create
solutions.
D.State powers increase because states are more able to generate consensus.
E.Federal powers increase because the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution
creates a status similar to martial law during crises.
The rules and judicial interpretations of rules found in the fundamental law of a nation
or state, such as the Constitution of the United States, are collectively called
A.criminal law.
B.civil law.
C.constitutional law.
D.negotiated law.
E.case law.
As president, Theodore Roosevelt has many credits. Which of the following is NOT an
achievement of his term of office?
A.He encouraged a revolution in Panama.
B.He began building of the Panama Canal.
C.He aggressively pursued an interventionist stance in Europe that led to World War I.
D.He won a Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating a war settlement between Japan and
Russia.
E.He increased national park lands fivefold.
In Buckley v. Valeo, the Supreme Court ruled that
A.public financing of political campaigns was unconstitutional.
B.political action committees (PAC) are unconstitutional.
C.campaigns do not need to identify contributors.
D.campaign spending is legally considered freedom of speech.
E.documented immigrants may run for political office.
How does a candidate win in the Electoral College?
A.He/she must receive an outright majority of all electoral votes.
B.He/she must receive two-thirds of the electoral votes.
C.The results of the Electoral College are considered and another vote is then taken in
Congress to confirm the votes.
D.He/she must receive three-fourths of all electoral votes.
E.The Electoral College is symbolic and is no longer used in presidential elections.
In surveys gauging support for American ideas of democracy, the lowest levels of
dislike were registered from nations in which region?
A.South America
B.Europe
C.Asia
D.Africa
E.Russia and Eastern Europe
The Great Compromise, (or the Connecticut Compromise) of the Constitutional
Convention of 1787 in essence saved the convention and created a new federal
government. This compromise created a two-chamber legislature with
A.equal representation in both chambers from each state.
B.representation in both chambers determined by population of the state.
C.representation in one chamber determined by population of the state and in the other
chamber by equal representation.
D.one chamber that had effective powers and the second chamber that acted as a
figurehead for nobility.
E.each state determining the number of representatives that it will send.
Which nation controls a land mass of nearly six million square miles and maintains one
of the world’s most powerful military threats due to its nuclear arsenal?
A.China
B.the Russian Federation
C.Iran
D.Iraq
E.Brazil
Which of the following was a goal of the Progressive movement?
A.Directing voter involvement in primary elections
B.Increased support for social welfare programs
C.Decreased support for social welfare programs
D.Stronger political parties
E.Weaker political parties
When considering public policy the president and other elected officials utilize several
perspectives. The ____ perspective considers prior decision as a precedent for the
current situation.
A.historical
B.global
C.popular
D.common
E.anticipative
What was a tactic used for nearly one hundred years following the Civil War that
required that a citizen prove he/she could read and write as a prerequisite to voting? It
was intended as a method to deny suffrage to most African-Americans and other poor
citizens.
A.literacy test
B.poll tax
C.General Equivalency Exam
D.naturalization exam
E.standardized testing
A federal case that is appealed from the U.S. District Court may be appealed to one of
13 regional courts before it is presented to the U.S. Supreme Court. These 13 courts are
referred to as
A.the U.S. Magistrates Court.
B.the U.S Court of Appeals.
C.the state supreme court.
D.the Superior Court.
E.the administrative court.
In the 1970s, a period of somewhat eased tensions between the United States and the
Soviet Union led to several strategic arms treaties. This period of eased tension was
referred to as
A.demilitarization.
B.perestroika.
C.dtente.
D.delimited nuclear treaty.
E.manifest destiny.
Noneconomic interest groups that focus on specific and sometimes very narrow
perspectives and issues, such as abortion or capital punishment, are referred to as
A.public interest groups.
B.issue or ideological groups.
C.business groups.
D.opinion associations.
E.environmental advocacy groups.
Most states have
A.a unicameral legislature.
B.a bicameral legislature.
C.a tricameral legislature.
D.a weak legislative branch.
E.two supreme courts.
Libel is
A.the ideological opposition to conservative.
B.bias in the news favoring Democrats.
C.verbal defamation of character.
D.written defamation of character.
E.is protected under the First Amendment.
In his farewell address, ___________ warned the nation against entanglement in
foreign alliances.
A.John Adams
B.Thomas Jefferson
C.Abraham Lincoln
D.George Washington
E.Theodore Roosevelt
An alternative theory to “muddling through” is the concept of “punctuated equilibrium.”
In the context of policy making, what is the meaning of this concept?
A.progress that is abruptly halted
B.long periods of stability that are broken up by sudden and abrupt change
C.policy making in the United States that is rigidly guarded as a process that always
balances both sides of the debate
D.stability that suddenly goes awry
E.policy making as an intentional and well-planned legislative exercise
Thomas Jefferson described the concept of limited government with which words?
A.”The state government is limited in its ability to tax its citizens.”
B.”No federal government can circumvent the power of the states.”
C.”The government that governs least governs best.”
D.”The state government is subservient to the federal government.”
E.”There are limits to the powers that the state can exercise.”
Which of the following is a policy that refuses to sanction any military conflict and
opposes all war making?
A.isolationism
B.pacifism
C.expansionism
D.libertarianism
E.agnosticism