Most cases that come before the U.S. Supreme Court are discretionary, meaning the
Court chooses to hear the case. They are “called up” from the lower courts using a legal
process referred to as
A.writ of habeas corpus.
B.writ of mandamus.
C.writ of certiorari.
D.subpoena.
E.warrant.
In order to maintain itself, federalism
A.must be ordered by a court with proper jurisdiction.
B.must be voted into existence by the people.
C.cannot coexist within a democracy.
D.generally requires the existence of a central government tier and a subnational tier,
with each tier assigned its own significant powers.
E.must coexist within a monarchy.
Party competition can influence the competitiveness of state legislative elections. For
example, what percentage of the 2004 state legislative races had seats that were
uncontested by the opposition party?
A.2 percent
B.15 percent
C.35 percent
D.50 percent
E.70 percent
The federal bureaucracy is made up of a variety of agencies. The 15 major
administrative organizations within the bureaucracy that report directly to the president
are called
A.mini-bureaucracies.
B.state governments.
C.judicial branches.
D.Cabinet departments.
E.administrative units.
The Civil Rights Act of 1875 was a bold attempt by Congress to rectify discrimination
through federal legislation. The Supreme Court in 1883 issued a ruling concerning this
law in The Civil Rights Cases. What was the Court’s conclusion?
A.That the legislation was constitutional and valid as well as necessary to advance full
and equal civil rights
B.That the legislation was unconstitutional because it usurped state powers, so it could
not be enforced
C.That the legislation was valid but should have included a right to vote for the affected
individuals
D.That the Court had full authority to override state laws and traditions
E.That the U.S. Constitution was a living document that must frequently be amended to
meet contemporary challenges
Who was the D.C. Lobbyist who pled guilty to conspiracy, fraud, and tax evasion in
2006?
A.Tom DeLay
B.Robert Ney
C.Conrad Burns
D.Jack Abramoff
E.Robert Putnam
The federal bureaucracy that is charged with regulating air and water quality standards
is the
A.National Park Service.
B.Department of the Interior.
C.Environmental Protection Agency.
D.Sierra Club.
E.Occupational Health and Safety Administration.
Which of the following would NOT be considered an advantage of federalism?
A.accommodation of diversity
B.division of powers
C.encouragement as laboratory of democracy
D.adaptability to changing circumstances
E.assurance of effective and efficient government
Which of the following would serve as an example of limited government?
A.In administering Medicare benefits, the federal government imposes mandates upon
the states.
B.The government refuses to intervene in a corporate merger that some argue would
create a monopoly.
C.The president appoints a conservative Supreme Court justice.
D.Congress limits funding for the war in Iraq as a political counteraction to the
president’s powers as commander-in-chief.
E.State governments are not subordinate to the federal government.
Until the mid-1700s the 13 colonies often had diverse histories and economies, which
provided
A.a strong national unity built upon diversity.
B.a unique political environment in which one state’s weaknesses were supported by the
strengths of another state.
C.an environment that was free of jealousies between states.
D.little incentive for them to join together to meet shared goals.
E.common ground upon which to build consensus.
During the first three decades of the twentieth century, how many African Americans
served in either chamber of Congress?
A.0
B.5
C.10
D.22
E.143
Candidates seeking a political party’s nomination often battle each other for months
while vying to achieve “front-runner” status. This process is often referred to as
A.the primary election.
B.the screening process.
C.the debate process.
D.self-identification.
E.the invisible primary.
Which of the following is the correct chronological order of journalistic eras?
A.Muckraking, yellow journalism, the penny press, the partisan press
B.The partisan press, yellow journalism, the penny press, muckraking
C.Yellow journalism, the penny press, muckraking, the partisan press
D.The penny press, muckraking, the partisan press, yellow journalism
E.The partisan press, the penny press, yellow journalism, muckraking
James Madison, speaking at the 1787 Constitutional Convention,
A.argued that without provisions for presidential impeachment, the chief executive
might, among other things, betray his trust to foreign powers.
B.argued against a presidential impeachment procedure.
C.represented a minority of delegates who believed that an impeachment procedure was
contrary to democracy.
D.argued that impeachment of the executive should be left to the courts.
E.argued that impeachment and removal of the president should be allowed only after
criminal conviction in the courts.
Which of the following is most closely aligned with contemporary liberal ideology?
A.prefers states’ rights over the rights of the federal government
B.prefers that government take a more assertive role in the redistribution of economic
resources and individual freedoms
C.in the United States, is more closely aligned with the Socialist Party
D.strongly advocates governmental regulation of morality
E.advocates that government take a hands-off approach to economic matters
Which president pledged that the United States would oppose any attempt by European
states to extend political control into the Western Hemisphere?
A.Thomas Jefferson
B.John Adams
C.James Monroe
D.Andrew Jackson
E.George Washington
In exercising its oversight function, Congress is most likely to
A.hold hearings.
B.conduct impeachment hearings.
C.issue executive orders.
D.go to court to get executive documents.
E.override a president’s veto.
Which of the following is NOT a commonly-advanced criticism of interest groups?
A.Using interest groups to make public policy is unfair because many groups are
supported by the wealthy, making their influence disproportional.
B.The system of interest groups promotes the advancement of interests that do not
always strive for the common good.
C.Interest groups involve too many people in the democratic process.
D.Too many groups are operating within interest groups, slowing down the
policymaking process to a state of gridlock in many areas.
E.Interest group dominance of the political system is an affront to democracy.
What is the most frequently expressed complaint about the use of the exclusionary rule?
A.The federal government exerts too much power over the state governments.
B.The judiciary branch is attempting to circumvent and impose its preferences over the
legitimate powers of the elected legislature.
C.Allowing the use of the exclusionary rule opens the door to far too much discretion
on the part of the individual judges.
D.Even though the police may have erred in seizing the evidence, a potential criminal is
freed.
E.The Supreme Court has not clearly defined the conditions in which the rule is to be
used.
What is meant by the designation of “red states” and “blue states”?
A.It symbolically refers to the religious divide within the nation.
B.It refers to the recent Electoral College map and the states’ presidential election
results, which according to many observers indicates a sharp regional and ideological
divide in our nation.
C.It indicates support or lack of support for the military in certain states.
D.On the Electoral College map the red states are in the warmer and more temperate
regions while the blue states are in the colder regions.
E.Red states indicate an ideological leaning toward socialism while blue states indicate
a broad support of democracy.
Currently, the most powerful economic interest groups are
A.labor unions.
B.farmers associations.
C.public interest groups.
D.business groups.
E.governmental units.
Passive resistance to a law that is perceived as unjust by refusing to obey it.
A.strike
B.work stoppage
C.litigation
D.legal boycott
E.civil disobedience
What is the purpose of “exploratory committees”?
A.They seek negative publicity on electoral opponents.
B.They are part of a money-making ploy used by politicians.
C.Potential presidential candidates use them to assess the feasibility of making a formal
declaration of official candidacy.
D.They represent the electoral equivalent of an ethics investigation.
E.They are committees appointed by Congress to assess the needs of Americans.
Over time, Presidents Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush appointed
several justices to the Supreme Court who have created a new ideological majority. This
new majority has tended to
A.staunchly guard the right of the national government to dictate policies that were
traditionally held by the states.
B.strike a perfect balance between state and national government interest.
C.trample on the rights and prerogatives of state governments.
D.shift the Supreme Court to a stance much more favorable to states’ rights.
E.move the Supreme Court away from states’ rights.
Why do the media typically have little influence on public opinion?
A.because the media are required to present both sides of a story, leaving little room to
influence public opinion
B.because the media are owned by the same corporations who conduct public opinion
polls
C.because people tend to ignore all political information from the media due to its
well-known biases
D.because public opinion is static and seldom changes
E.because people typically pay attention only to media coverage that is consistent with
their political preferences
A common and effective method for Congress to enforce its oversight of a federal
agency with which it is dissatisfied is to
A.abolish the agency.
B.transfer the agency to the executive branch.
C.hold extensive Congressional hearings.
D.reduce or eliminate the agency’s budget.
E.prosecute the agency’s officials.
This group now represents a majority of the electorate because they are a majority of
the population.
A.White men
B.Women
C.African Americans
D.Hispanics
E.Senior citizens
At the head of each Cabinet department is a secretary. How does a secretary obtain
his/her position?
A.nominated by and answers directly to the Senate
B.nominated by and is subordinate to the judicial branch
C.nominated by Congress and ratified by three-fourths of the state governments
D.appointed by the president but must be confirmed by the Senate
E.appointed by the president at his/her discretion without oversight
During which presidential administration did the United States witness its first
substantial creation of federal welfare programs as it actively expanded the welfare
state to include education, health care, and assistance to the poor?
A.Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal era of the 1930s
B.Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society era of 1960s
C.the Carter administration in the late 1970s
D.the Reagan administration in the 1980s
E.the Bush administration beginning in 2001
Robert Dahl, in his book A Preface to Democratic Theory describes a number of
“access points” for special interest groups to influence policy. Which of the following is
NOT one of these access points?
A.courts
B.executive branch offices
C.political party organizations
D.Congress
E.news media