According to the text, block grants have enjoyed only marginal success, in part because
a. the federal government steadily increased the number of strings attached to such
grants.
b. money from categorical grants shrank so low as to make these other grants essential.
c. these grants were based on local priorities rather than on the needs of the nation as
awhole.
d. these grants discouraged federal control over how the money was to be used.
e. these grants were not attractive to members of Congress.
Of the following, which one affects the political agenda?
a. Shared political values
b. The weight of custom and tradition
c. The impact of events
d. Changes in the way political elites think
e. All of the above are true.
The American public and foreign policy leaders are most divided on the issue of
a. expanding economic aid to other countries.
b. taking the side of Israel in conflicts with Palestinians.
c. combating international terrorism.
d. supporting U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
e. protecting the jobs of American workers.
Marginal districts are ones where
a. the winner is newly elected.
b. the incumbent has served for years.
c. the incumbent has little power in the House.
d. the winner gets more than 55 percent of the vote.
e. the winner gets less than 55 percent of the vote.
In this type of political meeting, the adult citizens of a community gather in a common
area to vote directly on all major issues and expenditures of the town.
a. A meeting of the Board of Alderman
b. A meeting of City Council
c. A New England town meeting
d. A meeting of the general assembly
e. A meeting of the forum
Regarding the exclusionary rule, more recent decisions of the Supreme Court seem to
be
a. modifying the rule to make it less cumbersome for law enforcement.
b. abandoning the rule to make any evidence admissible.
c. continuing the rule as before.
d. making the rule stricter to discourage police misconduct.
e. expanding the rule so as to restrict the efforts of law-enforcement officers.
The earliest incorporations of portions of the Bill of Rights relied on
a. the notion of a reasonable person.
b. the shock-the-conscience test.
c. a rational basis standard.
d. the due process and equal protection clauses.
e. the notions of ordered liberty and fundamental rights.
How many members are there in the U.S. House of Representatives?
a. 400
b. 435
c. 535
d. 100
e. 200
The text suggests that, as government gets bigger, its members spend less time
__________ and more time __________.
a. debating; managing
b. campaigning; advertising
c. managing; assessing
d. credit claiming; debating
e. governing; contemplating
The steady decline in U.S. voter turnout appears to be the unintentional result of
a. strict voter-registration procedures.
b. the poll tax.
c. the fraudulent reporting of election results.
d. literacy testing.
e. media campaigns.
The Sedition Act of 1798 was, in part, the result of strained relations between the
United States and
a. Spain.
b. England.
c. France.
d. Italy.
e. Germany.
In 2010, about __________ Americans received Social Security benefits.
a. 25 million
b. 20 million
c. 60 million
d. 54 million
e. 50 million
Which of the following are statutory requirements for naturalization?
a. Five years’ residency (three, if married to a citizen)
b. Good moral character
c. Attachment to constitutional principles
d. Disposition to the good order of the United States
e. All of the above are true.
Of the following, which is not a means tested program?
a. Medicare
b. Supplemental Security Income
c. Food Stamps
d. Medicaid
e. Earned Income Tax Credit
In this landmark case, the Supreme Court ruled that Congress has broad discretion to
tax and spend “in the aid of the “general welfare.””
a. United States v. Butler
b. Helvering v. Davis
c. South Dakota v. Dole
d. Baker v. Carr
e. Marbury v. Madison
In this decision, the Supreme Court ruled that sending Japanese Americans to relocation
centers during World War II was based on an acceptable military justification.
a. Curtiss-Wright Export Corp. v. United States
b. Korematsu v. United States
c. Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer
d. Hamdi v. Rumsfeld
e. Rasul v. Bush
Under the Old System, people voted
a. at a high rate.
b. at a low rate.
c. for radical candidates.
d. for national elections more than state and local ones.
e. for candidates supportive of social programs.
Some have argued that democracy flourished early in America because of
a. the lack of a national army.
b. strict immigration laws.
c. low population levels.
d. moderate temperatures.
e. the availability of land.
In __________ the Supreme Court for the first time, in a decision authored by Chief
Justice John Marshall, held that the Court could declare an act of Congress
unconstitutional.
a. Marbury v. Madison
b. Gibbons v. Ogden
c. Georgia v. U.S.
d. Dred Scott
e. None of the above is true.
To be a member of the House of Representatives, a person must be
a. 20 years old.
b. 25 years old.
c. 30 years old.
d. 35 years old.
e. 40 years old.
If you, as a public figure, are grievously harmed by the written statements of someone
who cannot prove that they are true, you
a. can sue the person for libel.
b. can collect damages if you demonstrate malice.
c. cannot sue the person.
d. can collect damages for slander, but not for libel.
e. can collect damages for libel, but not for slander.
In recent decades, the two key issues that presidents have focused on in planning and
developing new programs have been
a. military spending and social welfare programs.
b. inflation and the environment.
c. military spending and the environment.
d. taxes and the federal budget deficit.
e. the economy and foreign affairs.
In September of 2002, President George W. Bush issued a document formally
announcing that the doctrine of __________ would guide American foreign policy in
regard to the war on terror.
a. exclusion
b. preemption
c. unilateralism
d. hegemony
e. exceptionalism
Today, voter turnout in midterm national elections has
a. averaged below 50 percent.
b. increased compared to the 1800s.
c. stayed about the same as the mid-1900s.
d. ranged between 65 percent and 80 percent.
e. averaged below 25 percent.
When the USA Patriot Act was renewed in 2006,
a. Democrats in Congress made sure there were major overhauls.
b. almost all of its provisions were made permanent.
c. so many changes were made that its original supporters opposed its passage.
d. no changes were made to the original act.
e. its major provisions were extended for two additional years.
Each state is entitled to two U.S. Senators that serve __________ terms.
a. six-year
b. two-year
c. four-year
d. five-year
e. life
According to Table 3.1 in the textbook, this program represented the largest federal
grant to state and local governments for fiscal year 2011.
a. Medicaid
b. Income security
c. Education and training
d. Transportation
e. Community development
One way that whites prevented blacks from voting prior to passage of the Voting Rights
Act of 1965 was by requiring them to
a. meet qualifications found in Article III of the Constitution.
b. register six months in advance of an election.
c. become U.S. citizens.
d. memorize the Bill of Rights.
e. pass a literacy test.
The Framers of the Constitution generally expected that the __________ would
ultimately decide the winner of presidential elections.
a. electoral college
b. congressional delegations
c. Senate
d. House
e. Supreme Court
The launching of the Chamber of Commerce was an example of an interest group that
formed as a result of
a. government policy.
b. the emergence of talented leadership.
c. the enlargement of governmental responsibilities.
d. broad economic developments.
e. legislative capitulation.
Who decides the number of U.S. House of Representatives?
a. Congress
b. The Supreme Court
c. The President
d. State legislatures
e. Party leaders
Under what circumstances would majoritarian politics normally not be effective?
a. When a political leader feels sharply constrained by what most people want
b. When an issue is sufficiently important to command the attention of most citizens
c. When an issue is too complicated or technical for most citizens to understand
d. When an issue is sufficiently feasible so that what citizens want done can in fact
bedone
e. All of the above are true.
PACs are created by __________ groups.
a. business
b. labor union
c. trade association
d. ideological
e. All of the above are true.
Which of the following statements about the opinions of political elites is correct?
a. They may shape economic policies, but they do not define economic problems.
b. They may shape foreign affairs policies, but they do not define foreign affairs
problems.
c. They both define the problems and shape the policies on social issues such as crime
anddrugs.
d. They tend to reflect the views of a single, unified elite.
e. They tend to reflect the views of middle America.
Summarize the qualifications for members of the House and Senate.
In recent decades, most successful presidential candidates were former governors.
Perhaps the most significant constraint on bureaucratic power is the necessity to follow
procedures set down in laws.
A modern example of the Aristotelian ideal of the rule of the many is a New England
town meeting.
The text suggests that the abandonment of the fairness doctrine gave rise to
controversial talk-radiohosts.
The Virginia Plan called for a strong national government.
The outcome of the 1964 election helped the civil rights forces.
The Audubon Society can be considered an interest group.
The only official task of the vice president is to preside over the Senate and to vote in
cases of a tie.
What are four consequences of the enlarged scope of governmental action?
The Constitution has been amended 25 times in more than 225 years.
Safe districts are House seats where the winner won with 60 percent or more of the
vote.
Compare and contrast the following two kinds of federal controls on state governments:
conditions of aid and mandates. Be sure to list examples of each.
The British constitution was a single written document that was a model for the
colonists.
Medicaid provides health coverage for people receiving TANF or SSI payments.
The New Deal coalition was not preceded by a third-party movement.
True unified government is achieved only when the same ideological wing of the same
party is in control of both the presidency and Congress.
What are some examples of bureaucratic pathologies discussed in the text?