The 1995 case, ______, marked the first time in sixty years that the Supreme Court had
placed a limit on the national government’s authority under the commerce clause.
a. McCulloch v. Maryland
b. Roe v. Wade
c. Gibbons v. Ogden
d. United States v. Lopez
e. Brown v. Board of Education
Perhaps the closest the United States and the Soviet Union came to a nuclear
confrontation was the
a. Cuban missile crisis.
b. Battle of the Bulge.
c. Tet Offensive.
d. Khmer Rouge massacre.
e. Warsaw standoff.
Which of the following statements best defines executive privilege?
a. The President can withhold some information from Congress or the courts.
b. Members of the executive branch are free from prosecution.
c. The President employs the pocket veto at will.
d. The president makes political appointments.
e. It stipulates that requests from the President has the force of law.
The ideological, political, and economic confrontation between the United States and
the Soviet Union following World War II was called
a. the Iron Curtain.
b. the Red Scare.
c. the Orange Revolution.
d. East-meets-West.
e. the Cold War.
Which of the following agencies is the initial central personnel agency of the national
government?
a. The Civil Service Commission
b. The Office of Personnel Management
c. The Department of Social Services
d. The Plum Agency
e. Department of Human Resources
The major beneficiaries of the Freedom of Information Act have been
a. members of Congress.
b. people with criminal records.
c. news organizations.
d. nonprofit organizations.
e. health insurance companies.
In 2004, the legislature established the ______ to oversee the intelligence community.
a. Department of Homeland Security
b. National Security Council
c. vice presidency
d. Office of the Director of National Intelligence
e. State Department
The ______ of the Senate is mostly a ceremonial position.
a. president pro tempore
b. majority leader
c. minority leader
d. majority whip
e. minority whip
A _______ is formed by the concurrent action of both chambers of Congress and
consists of members from each chamber.
a. legislative union
b. select committee
c. standing committee
d. joint committee
e. conference committee
A committee set up by and representing a corporation, labor union, or special interest
group to raise campaign donations is a
a. focus group.
b. political action committee.
c. volunteer clearinghouse.
d. special interest committee.
e. political party organization.
Divided government is best understood as
a. the situation when a person votes for candidates of two parties for different offices.
b. the situation when the presidency and Congress are controlled by different parties.
c. another name for federalism.
d. increasing the control of the winning party in an election.
e. the indication of a strong party identification among voters.
The media tends to depend on ______ for their income.
a. subscriptions
b. Internet taxes
c. government spending
d. advertisers
e. contributions
In regard to control over the foreign policy process, Edwin S. Corwin once observed
that the U.S. Constitution created between the president and Congress a(n)
a. “unchecked union.”
b. “patriotic display of cooperation.”
c. “symbiotic partnership.”
d. “opportunity for compromise.”
e. “invitation to struggle.”
Which of the following statements best describes the role of the National Security
Council?
a. It is an advisory body to the president on foreign policy matters.
b. It works for the State Department.
c. It serves as a Congressional standing committee.
d. It is a military advisory body.
e. It is a private research council that provides analysis of world events to businesses
and individuals.
In the Everson v. Board of Education case, the Supreme Court held that
a. school prayer is legal.
b. no tax can be levied to support any religious activities or institutions.
c. government-funded schools may support religion.
d. states may take action against people practicing their religion.
e. state or federal government authorities may participate in the affairs of religious
groups.
The two most important sources of political socialization are
a. the American Socialist Party and the Democratic Party.
b. the rapid growth of the federal deficit and uncontrolled immigration.
c. the family and the educational system.
d. direct payments to individuals from Social Security and 401Ks.
e. the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.
The division of a legislature into two separate assemblies is called
a. representative democracy.
b. checks and balances.
c. a two-party system.
d. bicameralism.
e. dual executives.
Jurisdiction refers to
a. rules and principles announced in court decisions.
b. the authority of a court to hear and decide certain cases.
c. the constitutionality of a law.
d. statutory law.
e. the common law.
Jewish voters are notably
a. more likely to vote for candidates that are politically conservative.
b. more liberal than members of other groups on cultural issues, but more conservative
on economic issues.
c. focused almost totally on domestic issues.
d. more liberal than members of other groups on both economic and cultural issues.
e. similar to the overall population in their political preferences.
The part of the policymaking process that involves choosing a specific policy from
among the proposals that have been discussed is known as policy _____.
a. formulation
b. implementation
c. adoption
d. choices
e. consultation
Which of the following documents contained the phrase: “That to secure these rights,
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of
the Governed…”?
a. Constitution of the United States of America
b. Declaration of Independence
c. Magna Carta
d. United Nations Charter
e. Bill of Rights
When an interest group and its lobbyists approach officials personally to present their
case, they are engaging in
a. closed-door negotiations.
b. a breach of trust.
c. illegal fraternizing.
d. indirect techniques.
e. direct techniques.
The concept of cloture refers to
a. a method used to defeat legislation in Congress.
b. a process that shuts off discussion on a bill in the Senate.
c. closed meetings held by both parties to elect their leadership or resolve other
important issues.
d. action taken by the House Rules Committee that must be approved by the Speaker.
e. the resolution that adjourns Congress.
In United States v. Nixon, the Supreme Court ruled that
a. a sitting president cannot be sued in civil court for offenses that occurred before the
president took office.
b. executive privilege could not be used to prevent evidence from being heard in
criminal proceedings.
c. congressional approval must be granted before presidents make use of executive
privilege.
d. the president is immune from criminal prosecution except for impeachable crimes.
e. members of the Secret Service cannot be required to testify against the president.
Some claim that the United States did not achieve true freedom of ______ until 1969,
when the Supreme Court overturned the conviction of a Ku Klux Klan leader in
Brandenburg v. Ohio.
a. symbolic speech
b. commercial speech
c. hate speech
d. political speech
e. the press
Critical consumers should watch out for surveys with ______ and other types of skewed
samples.
a. margins of error greater than one percent
b. large numbers of respondents
c. quota-sampled respondents
d. randomly-sampled respondents
e. self-selected respondents
The president, in the role of head of state, is responsible for
a. determining which countries the United States will have diplomatic relations.
b. acting as the ceremonial head of the government.
c. conducting the foreign policy of the country.
d. leading the legislative process by submitting legislation.
e. administering the laws.
Which of the following best defines statutory power?
a. Powers that are given to the President by the Constitution
b. Powers that are given to the Congress
c. Power created for the president through laws enacted by Congress
d. Temporary powers
e. Inherent powers
In the Regents of the University of California v. Bakke case, the Supreme Court held
that
a. affirmative action programs were allowable in business schools but not in law
schools.
b. race cannot be the only factor in an admissions decision.
c. affirmative action was ruled unconstitutional.
d. race cannot be considered as a factor in making admissions decisions.
e. quotas are legal.
Under the 2010 Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. FEC,
a. corporations and unions are allowed to make direct contributions of $100,000 or less
to candidates.
b. corporations and unions are allowed to make direct contributions of any amount to
candidates.
c. corporations and unions are banned from spending money on issue ads.
d. corporations and unions are limited to spending $100,000 per issue ad.
e. corporations and unions are allowed to spend whatever they wish on issue ads.
Polls consistently report that the majority of Americans support
a. “big government.”
b. “less government.”
c. removing protections for endangered species.
d. defunding Medicare.
e. eliminating most social programs.
How was the promise of equality enshrined in the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth
Amendments consistently denied to African Americans for over a century? Include
examples in your answer.
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
Explain the role that China has come to play in the world. How should the United States
interact with China in the future?
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
In what ways is the government involved in one’s daily life?
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
Why do you think that socialism has made little headway in the United States, despite
its popularity in other parts of the world?
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
What rights do immigrants have? Address both legal and illegal noncitizens. How have
these rights changed in recent decades?
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
How do demographic influences shape voting behavior? Use specific examples in your
answer.
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
Explain how a bill becomes a law.
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.