Which of the following demographic groups is most likely to consistently vote in
elections?
A.young adults under 25 years old
B.men in general
C.women in general
D.racial minorities
E.men and women of retirement age
Throughout American history, how many times has the son of a former United States
president been elected as president?
A.none
B.one
C.two
D.four
E.eight
The second most common form of local government structure attempts to remove
politics from the management of the city and place it in the hands of a professional,
non-elected employee. This structure is the
A.mayor-council form.
B.council-manager form.
C.town hall form.
D.New England style.
E.professional form.
Local government entities in the United States include cities, towns, counties, school
districts, and special governing districts such as transit systems. How many individual
local government entities currently exist in the United States?
A.approximately 1,000
B.approximately 15,000
C.approximately 90,000
D.approximately 500,000
E.more than 1,000,000
In its history of more than 225 years, the U.S. Constitution has never been amended to
restrict anyone’s right to vote, but it has been amended ____ to extend voting rights.
A.one time
B.two times
C.six times
D.ten times
E.twenty-seven times
Every president since Eisenhower has used what medium to address the nation at least
weekly?
A.newsletters
B.mass mailings
C.live television
D.radio
E.email
President Franklin Roosevelt’s “New Deal” policies did NOT include which of the
following?
A.creation of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to protect deposits in
commercial banks during the Great Depression
B.creation of federal jobs by hiring the Depression-era unemployed to perform various
public works
C.creation of a social security program that provided old-age benefits
D.creation of free trade zones with Mexico and Canada
E.creation of unemployment insurance benefits
When anti-discrimination legislation failed to provide the necessary and desired results,
civil rights leaders often turned to the courts for relief and support. In the first half of
the twentieth century litigation efforts culminated in the 1954 landmark Supreme Court
case of Brown v. Board of Education. What did this ruling require?
A.freedom for all slaves in the southern states
B.reparations for descendants of former slaves
C.free college tuition at all state universities
D.desegregation of all public schools
E.creation of affirmative action programs for all employers and college admission
offices
What effect did the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1868,
have on former slaves?
A.recognized them as three-fifths of a person in the determination of representation in
the U.S. House of Representatives
B.granted them full citizenship and its rights
C.upheld slavery as an institution in the southern states
D.gave the right to state governments to determine if slavery is legal within their
borders
E.granted reparations for their former enslavement
What is a statewide election that selects delegates who will represent a state at the
party’s national convention? In this election, voters choose among delegates who are
committed to a particular candidate.
A.general election
B.presidential primary
C.referendum
D.political party survey
E.party appointment
The Sugar Act of 1764 placed tariffs and duties on goods imported into the colonies by
England. However, its political significance was that
A.sugar was a vital staple of all colonists and the tariffs made it much more expensive
and inaccessible for the average household.
B.as the first law passed by parliament for the purpose of raising money for England at
the expense of the colonies it opened the debate by the colonists of taxation without
representation.
C.the law created a state of sovereignty in the colonies.
D.it unified England’s alliances with sugar-producing Caribbean island colonies.
E.it unified alliances between the American colonies and the Caribbean nations that also
produced and exported sugar.
Permanent committees existing in both the House and Senate that deal with constant,
recurring issues are called
A.standing committees.
B.select committees.
C.conference committees.
D.compromise committees.
E.joint committees.
How did President Kennedy change the way in which the executive branch used
television?
A.Kennedy ran advertisements that advocated for his programs.
B.Kennedy used television to address Congress.
C.Kennedy gave the first televised State of the Union address.
D.Kennedy was the first to use live television during a press conference, which
increased his approval ratings.
E.Kennedy used television to address his foreign opponents.
One frequent challenge with a unitary system of government is hypercentralism, which
means that
A.an unhealthy and unusually excessive level of control exists in the central
government.
B.multiple layers of government exist at the central level.
C.a multi-chambered parliament is unable to respond to needs of the constituency.
D.there is complete reliance on the central government and the extinguishing of
individual state differences, which hampers local officials from appropriately
responding to needs.
E.the elected officials who serve the central government exert abusive authority over
the citizens.
What is an economic system in which all or most of the means of production are
privately owned under competitive conditions?
A.welfare state
B.police state
C.capitalism
D.socialism
E.communism
As the first president of the United States, George Washington is often credited with
establishing many presidential standards and precedents that are still in effect today.
Which of the following is NOT one of Washington’s precedents?
A.He avoided entrapments of royalty by rejecting references such as “Your Majesty.”
B.He was very aggressive in establishing a global military presence by basing American
military personnel in volatile foreign arenas.
C.He consulted often with other branches of government, especially Congress.
D.He established the influence of the executive in crafting public policy.
E.He established and preferred the reference of “Mr. President.”
The process that allows citizens to propose legislation and submit it to the electorate for
popular vote is called a/an
A.referendum.
B.recall.
C.initiative.
D.plebiscite.
E.caucus.
The _____ measures the sum of the money gained in a given economy by selling
exports, minus the cost of buying imports.
A.international confidence rating
B.balance of trade
C.national debt
D.consumer confidence rating
E.federal budget
The practice by which victorious parties offer loyal party members jobs in government
is called
A.political screening.
B.party proliferation.
C.the bureaucracy.
D.patronage.
E.spoilage.
Which of the 13 original states was so opposed to the Constitutional Convention in
Philadelphia in 1787 that it refused to send a delegate, so the U.S. Constitution was
written without its participation?
A.New York
B.Virginia
C.Pennsylvania
D.Rhode Island
E.California
In the U.S. Constitution, powers that are not expressly given to Congress but are
retained by the state governments are called
A.enumerated powers.
B.reserved powers.
C.concurrent powers.
D.federal powers.
E.decentralized powers.
The first presidential election in which political parties played a role was
A.the first election in 1788.
B.1792.
C.1860.
D.1912.
E.1960.
Approximately 95 percent of the criminal and civil matters in the United States are
handled by
A.state courts.
B.federal courts.
C.the federal appellate courts.
D.administrative hearing units.
E.plea bargains.
Since the second half of the twentieth century, the person most responsible for the
public face of the presidential administration in the media and the daily direct
interaction with the media has been
A.the White House Chief of Staff.
B.the White House Press Secretary.
C.the Vice President of the United States.
D.the head of a major network.
E.a person designated by a majority of the major news organizations.
According to the principles of dual federalism, the national government should not
A.impose income taxes.
B.regulate interstate commerce.
C.exceed its enumerated powers.
D.inhibit economic development.
E.promote economic development.
What is a public interference into the economy that seeks to settle disputes that arise
between competing private companies and is designed to break market dominance by
one or more companies?
A.public policy
B.antitrust legislation
C.capitalist projection
D.monopoly advocacy
E.economic interdiction
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is a primary unit of which
agency?
A.Department of Homeland Security
B.Department of Defense
C.Department of Commerce
D.Congressional Budget Office
E.Federal Bureau of Investigation
Which group has historically been underrepresented in public opinion polls?
A.the wealthy
B.the poor
C.the middle class
D.men
E.protestants
Which of the following is the largest of the regulatory agencies, one that enforces
regulations and rules concerning air and water quality as well as hazardous materials?
A.Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
B.Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
C.Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
D.Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
E.Department of the Interior
A system of government in which representatives of the people are chosen by election
is called
A.hegemonic democracy.
B.tutelary democracy.
C.indirect democracy.
D.direct democracy.
E.constitutional democracy.
Currently the United States is considered the only true superpower in the world arena.
However, from the close of World War II until the late 1980s another superpower
existed that often opposed the United States and consumed much of the president’s
energies. This superpower was
A.the People’s Republic of China.
B.Great Britain.
C.the Soviet Union (USSR).
D.Cuba.
E.Israel.
How did the U.S. Supreme Court eventually aid in the advancement of civil rights for
African Americans in the 1950s and 1960s?
A.The Supreme Court utilized the procedure of judicial review, which may invalidate a
state or federal statute if that statute is found by the Court to be contradictory to the
U.S. Constitution.
B.The Supreme Court initiated martial law.
C.The Supreme Court enacted litigation that would clog the lower courts but have a
trickle-down effect on the efficiency of the state governments to do business.
D.The Supreme Court granted the resolution to appoint new lawmakers who would
abide by the Constitution.
E.The Supreme Court authorized the demands of the NAACP and other activists
regarding the federal takeover of the southern states.