Which of the following statements about the early Republican Party is false?
a. Thomas Jefferson initially led it.
b. It favored a strong national government.
c. Artisans and farmers supported the party.
d. It was a staunch advocate of states’ rights.
e. When it was in office, its members acquired the Louisiana Territory and established a
national bank.
According to the Separatists, the Mayflower Compact was necessary because it
a. limited the power of women in the colonies.
b. imposed some form of public authority on the colonists.
c. protected the colonists from England.
d. protected the colonists from other foreign governments.
e. imposed religious order on the colonies.
For a member of Congress, casework is
a. logrolling.
b. personal work for constituents.
c. lawmaking.
d. oversight.
e. an enumerated power.
In order for a treaty to go into effect, it must be
a. signed by the members of the UN Security Council.
b. approved by three-fourths of the state legislatures.
c. passed by a Supreme Court majority.
d. approved by a two-thirds vote in the Senate.
e. approved by a majority vote in both houses of Congress.
The “surge” in January 2007
a. was probably perpetrated by Iraqi Kurds.
b. greatly increased the number of casualties among coalition troops.
c. killed Saddam Hussein.
d. was a major turning point in the insurgency in Iraq.
e. ended the war in Iraq.
Which of the following happens when the president signs a bill?
a. He or she cannot include any instructions as to how to administer the law.
b. He or she is exercising the right to a pocket veto.
c. It goes back to the Senate for ratification.
d. It goes back to Congress, which has ten days to modify it.
e. It becomes law.
The Government in the Sunshine Act required that
a. all federal agencies headed by committees hold their meetings regularly in public
session.
b. all federal agencies terminate after five years unless Congress grants the agency an
extension.
c. all federal agencies hold at least half of their public meeting outside of Washington,
D.C.
d. at least forty percent of upper level positions within an agency be filled by females or
ethnic minorities.
e. all federal agency meetings on personnel problems or court proceedings be held in
public session.
The heart of ________ theory is the proposition that in a democracy, the government
ought to do what the majority of the people want.
a. elite
b. majoritarian
c. pluralism
d. aristocracy
e. game
Out of more than 11,000 amendments to the Constitution that have been considered by
Congress, only ______ have been ratified.
a. 10
b. 12
c. 18
d. 27
e. 33
When the Supreme Court heard cases involving federalism in the last decade, the
rulings they gave can best be perceived as
a. in line with decisions of previous decades.
b. unconstitutional.
c. supporting a strong federal government.
d. supporting states’ rights.
e. sending mixed messages.
The Virginia Plan
a. called for a bicameral legislature.
b. worked to the advantage of small states.
c. provided for the direct election of a president by the people.
d. settled all controversy at the Constitutional Convention.
e. lacked the creation of a national judiciary.
The actual passage of a spending bill specifying the amount of authorized funds that
will be allocated for an agency’s use is called
a. authorization.
b. appropriation.
c. allocation.
d. reconciliation.
e. consolidation.
Which of the following statements best describe how much the President has changed
the structure and function of the bureaucracy?
a. Presidents have been somewhat able to do this.
b. Presidents have been very reluctant to change anything, much less the bureaucracy.
c. Presidents have not tried to do so.
d. Presidents have changed the structure and function of the bureaucracy significantly.
e. Presidents have not changed the structure and function of the bureaucracy.
According to the Constitution, impeachment
a. cannot be used against an incumbent president.
b. can only be applied to a president who has committed treason.
c. can only be used against a president who has committed a violation of criminal law.
d. charges are voted on by the House of Representatives and, if approved, go to the
Senate for a trial.
e. has been used against only one president.
Which of the following best describes the people who have been elected president?
a. Older and from western states
b. Primarily Catholics and Jews
c. Military commanders from the South
d. White, male, Protestants
e. California natives
The qualifications for state legislators are
a. set by the state constitutions.
b. set by the U.S. Constitution.
c. usually higher for those in the lower chamber of the legislature.
d. usually much more stringent than the legal qualifications for serving as governor.
e. usually just an age requirement.
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
Because of the decline in the ______ sector of the economy, national unions are looking
to nontraditional areas for their membership.
a. nonprofit
b. migrant worker
c. agricultural
d. industrial
e. service
Which of the following is true concerning presidential popularity?
a. President Bush enjoyed high popularity ratings throughout his presidency.
b. President Obama’s approval numbers have always been lower than President Bush’s.
c. President Obama’s approval ratings peaked in August 2010.
d. President Bush had only a 25 percent public approval rating by the time he left office.
e. President Bush’s approval ratings in 2004 were the highest ever recorded.
In health-care reform, the requirement that all citizens obtain health-care insurance
coverage from some source, public or private, is called a(n)
a. mixed system.
b. dual mandate.
c. federal monopoly.
d. single-payer system.
e. individual mandate.
The concept that all people are of equal worth is called
a. popular sovereignty.
b. equality.
c. fraternity.
d. liberty.
e. liberalism.
In 2012, most Republican Party presidential primaries and caucuses allocated delegates
a. in a 70/30 split between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
b. on a winner-take-all basis.
c. on a proportional basis.
d. according to the results of “beauty contests.”
e. according to the results of a poll among superdelegates.
When the Supreme Court decides an issue, ______ are obligated to abide by the Court’s
decision.
a. only other federal courts
b. only individual state supreme courts
c. all of the nation’s courts
d. all courts in every country with a common law tradition
e. only Washington, D.C. courts
A practice, policy, or procedure that denies equality of treatment to an individual or to a
group because of gender
a. is sexual harassment.
b. is gender discrimination.
c. is feminism.
d. violates the Civil Rights Act of 1968.
e. is considered illegal if engaged in by a private corporation but acceptable if engaged
in by the government.
In 1973, Congress passed the War Powers Resolution, which
a. required congressional approval before the president could dismiss the Secretary of
Defense.
b. limited the president’s use of troops in military action without congressional
approval.
c. expanded the president’s power over the military.
d. was necessary because of the increased threat of nuclear war.
e. allowed the president to declare an unlimited national emergency.
During the Jacksonian era (1829″1837), a shift toward ______ began.
a. a service sector-based economy
b. women’s suffrage
c. more activist international intervention
d. a strong national government
e. states’ rights
One of the important differences between public bureaucracies and private corporations
is that government bureaucracies
a. are not organized to make a profit, whereas private corporations are.
b. have a single set of leaders, whereas private corporations do not.
c. are much larger than private corporations.
d. are not intended to serve the citizenry as private corporations are.
e. present an opportunity for career advancement, whereas private corporations do not.
______ are a shorthand way of describing congressional members’ voting records for
interested citizens.
a. Newspaper op-eds
b. Official legislator evaluations
c. Ratings
d. “Astroturf lobbying” activities
e. Power rankings
When it comes to influencing the U.S. government, foreign governments
a. only engage in lobbying when the nation they are representing is large.
b. frequently hire former members of Congress to promote their positions on Capitol
Hill.
c. engage only in official diplomatic processes.
d. are rarely interested in policy debates concerning trade issues.
e. are prohibited by law from attempting to influence U.S. policy.
The “speech or debate” clause in Article I, Section 6, of the Constitution means that a
member of Congress
a. may make any allegations in connection with official duties and normally not be sued
for defamation.
b. cannot be arrested for misdemeanors while Congress is in session.
c. must agree to public debates with announced opponents during the campaign.
d. cannot engage in foreign diplomacy without the approval of the administration.
e. cannot be served with parking tickets issued within the District of Columbia.