In recent decades many federal judges have been accused of “legislating from the
bench” by departing from judicial precedent in favor of social policies that they
favored. Critics, who complain that such action circumvents the legislative function,
refer to this procedure as
A.precedent raiding.
B.amicus curiae.
C.judicial activism.
D.judicial restraint.
E.judicial prejudice.
Public opinion exists at three basic levels. One of the highest levels of public opinion is
seen in the beliefs of the American people. In this sense, how is the term “beliefs”
defined?
A.laws and statutes of the American government
B.religious denominational understandings
C.facts that derive from values that people take for granted about the world
D.vague feelings that people perceive as applying to the world at large
E.political orientations and preferences
The impressions and information that are acquired while the individual is younger, and
which tend to be most influential and last the longest, are referred to by psychologists
as
A.branding.
B.initialization.
C.primacy tendency.
D.coding.
E.politicalization.
Laws used by some southern states that required segregation of blacks and whites in
public schools, railroads, buses, restaurants, and other public facilities.
A.Black Codes
B.Jim Crow laws
C.racial reorganization
D.Slaughterhouse Codes
E.purge rules
The “father of the U.S. Constitution,” James Madison, referred to Congress as
A.the first branch of government.
B.the most dangerous branch of government.
C.a corrupt and evil force.
D.subordinate to the judicial and executive branches of government.
E.ineffective and self-serving.
Which of the following is NOT a duty of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)?
A.identification and regulation of environmental risks
B.creation of regulations to protect wildlife
C.creation of environmental standards that must be enforced
D.oversight of the National Park Service
E.specialized law enforcement
What was the impact on gay and lesbian rights in the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in
Lawrence v. Texas (2003)?
A.The ruling brought the rights of gays and lesbians on par with those of women and
African-Americans.
B.The ruling established sexual orientation as a protected class under the Civil Rights
Act of 1964.
C.The ruling invalidated a Texas law that criminalized certain intimate relations
between gay couples.
D.The ruling established affirmative action quotas for gays and lesbians.
E.The ruling barred homosexuals from serving in the military.
A psychological attachment to a political party that tends to be very stable and
long-term once it is formed is called
A.political dependence.
B.electoral addiction.
C.party identification.
D.patriotism.
E.party pride.
The enumerated powers of Congress are provided in
A.Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution.
B.Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution.
C.Article III, Section 3 of the Constitution.
D.Article IV, Section 9 of the Constitution.
E.Article VI, Section 1 of the Constitution.
Prior to the Revolutionary War, many citizens of the American colonies aligned
themselves with the Whig Party, an organization that continued well into the 1800s.
What was the primary stance of the colonial Whigs?
A.loyalty to the King of England
B.a new and independent American nation
C.world military dominance
D.abolition of slavery
E.control of the international shipping market by creation of a powerful navy
What is meant by the term ‘social capital”?
A.the potential taxing power of the federal government
B.the extent to which individuals are socially integrated into their communities
C.the level of corporate income in the United States
D.the level at which most Americans cooperate with one another
E.the power of society to change itself through voting
Newly drafted legislation submitted directly to a popular vote as an alternative to
adoption by a legislature is referred to as a(n)
A.referendum.
B.recall.
C.initiative.
D.civil action.
E.ordinance.
The values and beliefs toward government and its operations and institutions, widely
held among its citizens in a society, are often referred to as
A.political culture.
B.political leaning.
C.partisanship.
D.collective ideology.
E.politics.
Unique to the 2008 presidential campaign was the fact that neither an incumbent
president nor vice president ran for the office. The last time that this occurred was
A.1992.
B.1976.
C.1960.
D.1928.
E.1860.
Which of the following interest groups was the most instrumental in electing
Republican members of Congress in 1994 and in electing George W. Bush?
A.the National Association of Catholics
B.the National Association of Protestants
C.the National Association of Baptists
D.the Organization of Christian Nations
E.the Christian Coalition
Which of the following is generally agreed to be an appropriate cause for a federal
budget deficit?
A.temporary unexpected surge in spending due to a national emergency
B.increase is social entitlement programs for the poor
C.long-term subsidies for farmers
D.permanent increase in student tuition assistance
E.creating permanent tax cuts for all income brackets
What role has the U.S. Supreme Court played in the last 15 years or so in the debate
over federalism?
A.The Supreme Court has consistently opposed any attempts to curtail federal powers
over the states.
B.The Supreme Court has stated that it has no powers to intervene in the debate and, in
effect, has left all control in the hands of Congress.
C.Congress has consistently stripped the powers of the Supreme Court so that the Court
has played a very minimal role.
D.The Supreme Court has worked hand-in-hand with Congress to compromise and to
devise legitimate tactics to reduce the powers of the federal government.
E.As Congress has clearly moved to reduce federal powers since the 1990s, the
Supreme Court has supported that role in many opinions but appears to be less willing
to wholeheartedly support the efforts of Congress.
In 2008, young voters typically relied more heavily on ________ for news about the
campaign?
A.Newsweek
B.penny press
C.PBS
D.the Internet
E.conversations with family members
The ultimate authority for enacting new laws lies with
A.Congress.
B.the president.
C.the Supreme Court.
D.state governments.
E.state courts.
Which of the following is included in nearly every state constitution?
A.a citizens’ bill of rights
B.a provision for free college education
C.a provision for construction of adequate prisons and jails
D.a provision for capital punishment
E.popular election of judges
In the 2000 presidential election,
A.George Bush received fewer votes nationwide than Al Gore yet won in the Electoral
College and was named president.
B.Al Gore garnered less votes than did George Bush.
C.Al Gore lost in both the Electoral College and the popular vote.
D.there was no clear winner in the popular vote.
E.the U.S. Supreme Court refused to intervene.
Which of the states listed below have two state supreme courts?
A.California and Texas
B.Texas and Oklahoma
C.Alaska and Georgia
D.New Hampshire and Vermont
E.Kentucky and West Virginia
The section of the U.S. Constitution commonly referred to as the Bill of Rights consists
of
A.the powers of the president to curtail individual rights.
B.the amendments to the Constitution, added in 1791 following ratification, that
guarantee individual rights.
C.Article III, which sets up the judicial branch.
D.voluntary measures to ensure domestic tranquility.
E.police powers that are designed to control citizen uprisings.
History views most of the presidents from the two decades prior to the Civil War as
A.highly efficient and proactive in addressing the major events of that era.
B.activists regarding sensitive issues such as the abolition of slavery.
C.ineffective in addressing major issues of the day and failing to avert tensions that led
to the Civil War.
D.effective in social issues but lacking in proper use of the military.
E.politically powerful beyond what is accepted in modern times.
Identify the question with the most biased wording.
A.”Is smoking a public health risk that government should address?”
B.”Do you favor or oppose government efforts to reduce smoking?”
C.”Do you favor criminalizing smokers or do you support the principles of individual
liberty as expressed in the Constitution?”
D.”Should the federal government discourage smoking in order to improve public
health?”
E.”Do you support government efforts to reduce smoking?”
During the 2008 presidential campaign, Americans were the most skeptical about John
McCain’s
A.experience.
B.military background.
C.patriotism.
D.Jewish ancestry.
E.ability to relate to ordinary Americans.
The textbook describes the post-New Deal era as
A.Cooperative federalism
B.Dual federalism
C.Layer cake federalism
D.Marble cake federalism
E.State-centered federalism
As one of the first broad-based social policies, the Social Security Act was enacted
A.shortly after the creation of United States.
B.in the social imbalance following the Civil War.
C.during the economic stresses of the Great Depression of the 1930s.
D.as part of the Johnson administration’s Great Society initiatives of the 1960s.
E.during the Clinton administration of the 1990s.
In what year was the U.S. Constitution amended to guarantee voting rights to African
American males?
A.1789
B.1840
C.1870
D.1920
E.1964
Due to the role of the president to receive and meet directly with dignitaries and rulers
of other countries on behalf of the United States, the president is designated as
A.head of state.
B.head of government.
C.commander-in-chief.
D.governmental designee.
E.chief negotiator.