The doctrine of containment set forth by George F. Kennan
a. proposed that the United States should seek to “roll back” Communism in Eastern
Europe.
b. was expressed in the Truman Doctrine enunciated by President Harry Truman in
1947.
c. called for the United States to initiate arms reduction talks.
d. said that the United States should seek to contain Communist power by invading the
Soviet Union.
e. was discredited by NATO.
One element of the Mayflower Compact’s historical and political significance was that
it
a. served as a prototype for many similar compacts.
b. shunned all previous forms of government.
c. did not depend on the consent of the affected individuals.
d. established the colony of Massachusetts.
e. was a constitution.
The Flag Protection Act of 1989
a. is the constitutional amendment that prohibits flag burning.
b. was a Texas state law prohibiting the burning of the American flag.
c. is an example of legislation made possible by the establishment clause.
d. was a bill that failed to pass in Congress.
e. was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
Which of the following best defines symbolic speech?
a. Vaguely worded speech
b. Unprotected speech
c. Nonverbal expression
d. Obscenity
e. Hate speech
The system of interest group politics has been accused of leaving out which of the
following groups?
a. The middle class
b. The unorganized poor
c. Professionals
d. The public sector
e. Consumers
All of the following are true about religious displays on public property EXCEPT that
a. court cases over these issues have been ruled upon under the establishment clause.
b. religious displays have been allowed in certain situations.
c. displays of a crche at Christmastime may be allowed if secular displays are also
being shown.
d. nativity scenes have been allowed as stand-alone displays.
e. acceptability of displays of the Ten Commandments depends on whether the context
is overtly religious.
A group or bloc in a legislature or political party acting in pursuit of some special
interest or position is called a(n)
a. minority opinion.
b. independent party.
c. exclusive committee.
d. interest group.
e. faction.
All of the following is true about a confederal system EXCEPT
a. it is opposite of a unitary system.
b. it was the form of government used in the United States under the Articles of
Confederation.
c. the central government has only those powers granted to it by the states.
d. it is the form of government used in the United States today.
e. few, if any, true confederations exist.
Through negotiated rulemaking, federal agencies have begun encouraging businesses
and public-interest groups to become directly involved in
a. taking responsibility for their own self-regulation.
b. drafting the regulations that affect them.
c. lobbying Congress to relax regulations.
d. lobbying the president concerning bureaucratic reorganization.
e. administering regulations.
A court rule bearing on subsequent legal decisions in similar cases is called a
a. precedent.
b. criminal law.
c. judicial maxim.
d. common law.
e. statutory law.
Since 1977, four out of five immigrants to the United States come from
a. Latin America or Europe.
b. Asia or Africa.
c. Latin America or Asia.
d. Europe or Asia.
e. Africa or Latin America.
The body of judge-made law that originated in England from decisions shaped
according to prevailing custom is known as
a. administrative regulations.
b. criminal law.
c. judicial maxims.
d. common law.
e. statutory law.
Explain the problem of nuclear proliferation in relation to Iran and North Korea.
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
In 1789, the government’s bureaucracy was
a. nonexistent.
b. miniscule.
c. about half the size it is today.
d. organized around five departments.
e. funded privately by wealthy politicians.
Those personal freedoms, including freedom of religion and of speech, that are
protected for all individuals in a society are called
a. civil liberties.
b. human rights.
c. God-given rights.
d. American ideals.
e. libertarian principles.
A lawsuit seeking damages for “all persons similarly situated” is called
a. a class-action suit.
b. an amicus curiae suit.
c. a writ of certiorari.
d. a criminal suit.
e. a procedural motion.
Throughout the twentieth century, most economically advanced nations adopted ______
systems.
a. self-pay health-care
b. Medicaid
c. Medicare
d. employer-sponsored health insurance
e. universal health insurance
Why do interest groups play an important role in our judicial system?
a. They veto judicial nominations.
b. They fund federal judges’ campaigns.
c. James Madison defined what they do in The Federalist, No. 10.
d. They bring to trial cases of discrimination, civil liberties cases, and more than
one-third of cases involving business matters.
e. They frequently are defendants in class-action suits.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was
a. passed in the House but died in the Senate.
b. vetoed by President Obama, but the veto was overridden by Congress.
c. signed into law by President Reagan.
d. signed into law by President Bush.
e. signed into law by President Obama.
Monetary policy includes
a. using changes in the amount of money in circulation to alter credit markets,
employment, and the rate of inflation.
b. using changes in the size of the federal budget deficit to alter national economic
variables.
c. regulating tax rates to ensure controlled growth and low inflation.
d. continually increasing the size of the national debt.
e. linkage of the consumer price index and the gross national product.
During the 1800s, certain American newspapers and magazines spiced up their political
coverage by
a. letting a coin flip determine the outcome of elections.
b. republishing the poll results of the magazine Literary Digest.
c. conducting face-to-face polls or mail surveys of readers’ opinions.
d. fabricating poll results.
e. conducting accurate representative surveys of Americans’ opinions.
Supreme Court justices are
a. appointed by the Senate.
b. elected every ten years.
c. appointed by the president.
d. confirmed by the House of Representatives.
e. elected in the same manner as federal court judges.
Which of the following best describes President Obama’s original stand on gay men and
lesbians in the military?
a. He promised to repeal the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.
b. He stood against gays and lesbians in the military.
c. He supported the Defense of Marriage Act.
d. He advocated not questioning gay and lesbian recruits about their sexual orientation.
Political socialization is
a. what people think about something.
b. the process by which people acquire political beliefs and attitudes.
c. when people’s beliefs and attitudes give politicians an idea of when to address those
issues.
d. when people are categorized based on what they believe.
e. when people generally agree on an issue.
The U.S. Supreme Court in 1962 made the redistricting of state legislative seats
a. illegal.
b. a justiciable question.
c. unable to be reviewed in court.
d. legal only in Illinois.
e. the sole power of the President.
A brief, memorable comment that can easily be fit into news broadcasts is a
a. falsehood.
b. story line.
c. multimedia platform.
d. sound bite.
e. unit of analysis.
______ controlled the Iraqi government under Hussein.
a. Kurds
b. Sunnis
c. Shiites
d. Sunnis and Shiites
e. al Qaeda
Blogs and the Internet have
a. improved candidates’ management of sound bites.
b. made it more difficult for candidates to manage the news coverage of their
campaigns.
c. prevented news organizations from using video clips and other online materials.
d. had little effect on campaigns.
e. made it more difficult for campaigns to raise funds.
The right to privacy is
a. an unimportant liberty.
b. an agreed-upon part of American political culture.
c. a particularly controversial liberty.
d. explicitly stated in the Bill of Rights.
e. a central concept of democracy.
Which of the following statements best describes political realism?
a. This philosophy views nations as normally willing to cooperate and agree on moral
standards for conduct.
b. This philosophy is a neo-isolationist one.
c. This philosophy wants to create a single world government.
d. This philosophy views each nation as acting in its own interest regardless of moral
considerations.
e. This philosophy advocates the spread of Islam.
Studies of bias in the media have reached
a. different conclusions: some found a liberal bias, whereas others found a conservative
bias.
b. a clear conclusion: there is a liberal bias in the media.
c. a clear conclusion: there is a conservative bias in the media.
d. a clear conclusion: there is no bias in the media.
e. the conclusion that it is impossible to test for bias.
The doctrine of ______ rests on the assumption that the courts should defer to the
decisions made by the legislative and executive branches.
a. judicial restraint
b. judicial activism
c. habeas corpus
d. the rule of four
e. stare decisis
Which Supreme Court ruling limited the amount that candidates could spend on their
own campaigns, but was later found unconstitutional?
a. Citizens United v. FEC (2010)
b. Buckley v. Valeo (1976)
c. The Hatch Act of 1939
d. The Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971
e. The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002
A complete collapse of order and security is
a. a disturbingly common event.
b. actually an uncommon event.
c. much more common than the reversetoo much government control.
d. a part of every nation’s political development.
e. a problem usually confined to highly urbanized countries.
The two major parties prefer a(n) ______ ballot because it encourages straight-ticket
voting.
a. absentee
b. oral
c. open
d. party-column
e. office-block ballot
Why is there a concern in some states with the full faith and credit provision of the
Constitution if some states allow gay marriages?
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
How important is the relationship between the United States and Russia compared to
other countries today?
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
Compared to past campaigns, how different is campaigning in the twenty-first century?
Use specific examples in your answer.
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
How does the filibuster affect the workings of Congress, positively and negatively?
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
Voter fraud has been considered by some to be a serious issue. What reforms are
needed, in your opinion, to set both qualifications for voting and deter or prevent
fraudulent voting?
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
Identify the functions performed by the mass media in the United States. Are certain
functions more important than others? Why or why not?
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
Compare and contrast the theories of judicial activism and judicial restraint, and
theories of strict construction and broad construction.
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
Analyze the provisions of full faith and credit, privileges and immunities, and
extradition in the U. S. Constitution. What do they have in common? How are they
different?
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
Describe the president’s role as chief executive, and outline any Constitutional
limitations of this power.
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
Explain what symbolic speech is and give examples of Supreme Court decisions on this
type of speech.
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
How important is it that newspapers are struggling? Are online sources of news such as
blogs a good replacement for print news? Why or why not?
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
Describe the evolution of political parties in the United States.
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
Compare and contrast the categorical and block grants. How do federal mandates have
an impact on the states? How can different types of federal grants be used to influence
states’ policies?
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
Many states have prohibited convicted felons from voting. Should this practice be
continued, in your opinion? Why or why not?
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
Describe the factors that influence political preferences. Which appear to be the most
important? Why might this be?
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
What significance does the Declaration of Independence have to Americans today,
relative to the Constitution or other famous American documents?
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.