When one private party contests another and the lawsuit or action is brought before a
judge in a court of law, the process is referred to collectively as
A.prosecution.
B.indictment.
C.litigation.
D.appeal.
E.civil discourse.
__________ includes codes of behavior related to business relationships between
groups and individuals.
A.Criminal Law
B.Civil Law
C.Family Law
D.Natural Law
E.Constitutional Law
How many voters, based on a poll taken during the campaign, indicated that they were
“very interested” in following the 2004 presidential election?
A.one in two
B.one in three
C.fewer than one in five
D.fewer than one in 10
E.fewer than one in 20
What is meant by “administrative law”?
A.ethical standards for agency employees including all managers and administrators
B.laws that relate specifically to the authority of an administrative agency, are created
by that agency, and carry the enforceability of law
C.laws in which Congress dictates how an agency head will conduct his or her business
D.laws created by the president that all federal agencies must follow but state agencies
may disregard in certain cases
E.court opinions that carry the weight of law based on Supreme Court rulings that have
stood over time
With the original Constitution completed on September 12, 1787, how many states were
needed to ratify the new governmental structure in order for it to become operative?
A.zero
B.three
C.six
D.nine
E.thirteen
Which of the following is not a requirement of the Temporary Assistance for Needy
Families (TANF) program?
A.Single mothers with children over five must work within two years of receiving
benefits.
B.Single mothers under 18 must work at least 30 hours a week to receive benefits.
C.Unmarried mothers under the age of 18 must live with an adult and attend school.
D.Mothers must provide information on the fathers of their children to get benefits.
E.There is a five-year lifetime limit for aid from block grants.
Three sets of actors interact to produce policy: congressional committees, executive
agencies of government, and private interest groups. This grouping of actors and
interests is referred to as the
A.impenetrable alliance.
B.congressional bond.
C.divine design.
D.iron triangle.
E.American brotherhood.
Which of the following would have the least impact on the development of political
attitudes, beliefs, and values in most individuals?
A.co-workers
B.family
C.personal friends
D.school
E.religion
State legislatures lost their control over the selection of senators when the _______
Amendment was ratified in 1913.
A.Fifteenth
B.Seventeenth
C.Nineteenth
D.Twenty-First
E.Twenty-Third
What is one practical use by the federal government for the Consumer Price Index
(CPI)?
A.A decrease in CPI means that the government must cut salaries.
B.It helps determines the cost of living increases in federal employee salaries and social
security benefits.
C.It helps determines whether to raise taxes.
D.It determines whether the government is paying too much for services.
E.An increase in CPI triggers an increase in the regulation of the largest private
companies.
An estimate of the total money value of all of the goods and services produced in a
given one-year period is the
A.inflation rate.
B.tax base.
C.gross domestic product.
D.foreign product ratio.
E.ratio of goods to services.
A monarchy is government ruled by
A.the elites on behalf of the public.
B.the church on behalf of the public.
C.one person on behalf of the public.
D.the people on behalf of themselves.
E.the wealthy on behalf of themselves.
As one of the so-called Civil War Amendments, the Thirteenth Amendment served what
purpose?
A.freedom of speech to all Americans
B.forgiveness for southern soldiers
C.reconciliation of northern and southern states
D.the right to vote for all citizens, including women
E.the abolishment of the institution of slavery in the United States
The U.S. Supreme Court is the highest judicial body in the nation. In regard to states,
why is this important?
A.It allows for the federal courts to take over the state courts when the states fail to act
properly.
B.It gives the Supreme Court the authority to settle disputes between states, such as
ownership of or jurisdiction over disputed property.
C.It allows Congress to pass laws that will control states that have gotten out of control.
D.It gives the nation a place to determine the winner of an election.
E.It takes power away from a potentially abusive Congress.
The first nation to adopt social insurance policies was
A.the United States.
B.France.
C.England.
D.Sweden.
E.Germany
The 1971 Supreme Court ruling in Lemon v. Kurtzman created what is often referred to
as the Lemon test in determining the appropriate level of separation of church and state.
Which of the following is NOT a standard or condition of the Lemon test?
A.The statute must have a secular purpose.
B.The statute’s principal effect must be one that neither advances nor inhibits religion.
C.The statute must not foster excessive entanglement with religion.
D.The role of state governments does not apply under the Lemon test, therefore, states
may authorize religious cooperation.
E.The role of the government is to ensure that it takes a neutral stance regarding
religion, so it does not prohibit it but also does not advocate for it.
Some federal agencies are given bureaucratic powers to adjudicate cases on behalf of
the United States government. Which of the following is NOT a federal agency with
adjudication powers?
A.Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
B.National Labor Relations Board
C.Federal Communication Commission
D.Environmental Protection Agency
E.National Park Service
The rule of law is a strong value in American opinion. Which of the following is NOT
an element of the rule of law?
A.that there is a strong belief in the legitimacy of the U.S. Constitution
B.that elections act as an important way to configure government
C.that minority rights are not important and the minority should not be allowed to
challenge the majority
D.that the opinion of the majority should prevail
E.that those accused of a crime should be entitled to fair procedures
Beginning in the 1980s, the federal government has used a variety of methods to reduce
the size and tax burden of the federal bureaucracy. One such method is privatization.
Which of the following does NOT describe an intended purpose of privatization?
A.to increase the number of employees supported by the federal government
B.to replace government-provided services with services provided by the private sector
C.to keep costs for services lower than those provided by government agencies
D.to allow for less government red tape and fewer civil service restrictions
E.to allow private companies to have more flexibility to compete and adapt to changing
circumstances
John Marshall’s interpretations demonstrated his ideology was consistent with that of a
A.Tory.
B.Whig.
C.Federalist.
D.Anti-Federalist.
E.Son of Liberty.
Outside parties with an interest in the case may file “friend of the court” briefs, which in
legal terminology are referred to as
A.concurring opinions.
B.dissenting opinions.
C.amicus curiae briefs.
D.rallying briefs.
E.solicitations.
The Republican Party was established in
A.1776.
B.1837.
C.1854.
D.1891.
E.1902.
Which of the following is NOT one of the most common criticisms of the news media?
A.Large conglomerates such Knight Rider risk monopolizing the news outlets.
B.Private ownership means that profits are the primary goal, which results in truth and
responsibility becoming secondary.
C.Increased profit-seeking increases the likelihood of sensationalism.
D.News outlets tend to be politically biased, and that bias shows in their programming
and reporting.
E.News media have a right to report on personal matters of the president if those events
have a public impact.
The core principles of the Virginia Plan were
A.a strong central government and a bicameral legislature.
B.a unicameral legislature with representation by population.
C.strong state governments and popular election of Supreme Court justices.
D.the ideal of one state having one vote and the addition of four new states.
E.economic and political features that replicated the European nation-state model.
Which of the following is NOT an example of a president committing American troops
into combat without congressional approval?
A.Roosevelt in Europe and the Pacific Theaters, 1945
B.Truman in Korea, 1950
C.Reagan in Grenada, 1983
D.Bush in Panama, 1989
E.Clinton in Haiti, 1994
Though originally opposed to political parties, many Framers of the U.S. Constitution
ultimately became strong party participants. This phenomenon is often considered to be
proof of the
A.necessity of political parties in American government.
B.inconsistency of the early founders.
C.dishonesty of the early leaders.
D.power of the political parties to control thought.
E.weaknesses of the early founders.
Devolution is a term that is used to describe a system of federalism
A.in which state power is significantly weakening.
B.in which new states are being created.
C.in which the central government voluntarily transfers powers to the state and local
governments.
D.in which the judicial branch assumes a dominant role as in policy making.
E.in which the powers of the president are considerably reduced.
Political scientist John Mueller assessed the role of the military in foreign relations and
the public’s acceptance of that role. Which of the following is Mueller’s argument in this
regard?
A.The isolationist vein that runs predominantly through American collective ideology is
contrary to the American practice of using its troops as international peacekeepers.
B.The public pays little attention or shows little concern regarding military
deployments.
C.Americans have a strong tolerance for all types of military action.
D.If they are not being killed, American troops can remain in peacekeeping or other
ventures virtually indefinitely with little public criticism.
E.The American public has very low tolerance for long-term deployment of troops in
any situation.
Which of the following is unique concerning the current Speaker of the House Nancy
Pelosi?
A.She is the youngest member of the House.
B.She is the first openly gay member of the House.
C.She has served longer than any other current House member.
D.She is the first woman ever to serve in the House of Representatives.
E.She is the first woman ever to serve as Speaker of the House and to hold a top
leadership post in any of the three branches of government.
A power that is not stated explicitly in the Constitution but is considered to reasonably
flow from a power stated in Article I, Section 8, is called a(n)
A.explicit power.
B.enumerated power.
C.implied power.
D.stolen power.
E.concurrent power.
________ was a well-known abolitionist who started a newspaper called The Liberator.
A.William Lloyd Garrison
B.Lucretia Mott
C.Frederick Douglas
D.Elizabeth Cady Stanton
E.Harriet Beecher Stowe
Define public opinion and discuss early efforts to measure it.
Answer:
Answers may vary.
How has the government regulated media throughout American history? Describe the
role of the Federal Communications Commission in this process of regulation.
Answer:
Answers may vary.
Define and discuss deregulation. Why did it become popular? What impact has it had?
Considering the effect of deregulation on the radio industry and the airline industry, has
deregulation been good public policy? Why or why not?
Answer:
Answers may vary.
In regard to interest groups, what is the “iron triangle” of policy making? What
constitutes the three groups and what is the role of each group?
Answer:
Answers may vary.
How do interest groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) use
litigation and the courts to advance their goals?
Answer:
Answers may vary.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a comprehensive piece of federal legislation that
addresses inequities in voter access to registration and the polling places. Two of the
issues addressed by the act were poll taxes and literacy tests. Describe these two tactics,
how they were used to defer certain voters from the polls, and the possible impact they
had on election results.
Answer:
Answers may vary.
What is the difference between enumerated and implied powers? How can these
different concepts of political power impact the balance of power within the federal
system of governance?
Answer:
Answers may vary.
How does the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina underscore some of the disadvantages of
federalism system of governance?
Answer:
Answers may vary.
Legitimacy is the extent to which the people (or the “governed”) afford the government
the authority and right to exercise power. Contrast the current government in the United
States with that of Iraq. Do the two differ significantly in their level of legitimacy? If
so, why do you feel that there is a difference, and what could be done to make the two
countries more similar in regard to legitimacy?
Answer:
Answers may vary.