The State of the Union message is
a. delivered by the president to the General Assembly of the United Nations at least
once every four years.
b. a policy statement of Congress over which the president seldom has influence.
c. required by the Constitution and gives a broad view of what the president wishes the
legislature to accomplish during its session.
d. an effective tool used by the president to limit other countries’ foreign policy
endeavors in this hemisphere.
e. constitutionally limited to reviewing the events of the last year.
The Supreme Court’s ruling in the Civil Rights Cases of 1883 meant that
a. discriminatory official actions taken by the states were not illegal.
b. discriminatory acts of private citizens were not illegal.
c. interfering with a citizen’s right to vote was now a federal offense.
d. interfering with a citizen’s right to vote was still illegal, but could only be punished
with a small fine.
e. it was only illegal to discriminate against minors.
The doctrine of dual federalism receded into the background as the nation attempted to
deal with
a. growing international pressure.
b. the aftermath of World War I.
c. the aftermath of the Civil War.
d. the Great Depression.
e. rampant political corruption.
Sampling error occurs when
a. a whole generation of voters uniformly believe that something is based on a
commonly shared experience.
b. socioeconomic status influences what types of answers are given in a survey.
c. an interviewer presents survey questions with a good deal of bias.
d. there is a difference between the sample result and what the sample really responded.
e. there is a difference between a sample result and the true result if the entire
population had been interviewed.
Which of the following statements about political officeholders is true?
a. Officeholders represent the general public.
b. Officeholders are fairly evenly divided between men and women.
c. Officeholders are mostly white and male.
d. Officeholders are diverse, racially and ethnically speaking.
e. Officeholders are Roman Catholics.
The controversy over slavery that led to the Civil War took the form of a dispute over
a. national government supremacy versus the rights of the separate states.
b. interstate commerce.
c. the application of the Bill of Rights to the states.
d. taxation.
e. the admission of Texas into the Union.
A Supreme Court justice who disagrees with the majority opinion may
a. ask the Court to hear the case again.
b. send the case back to a lower court.
c. may ask that the case be put aside to be reviewed at a later time.
d. write a dissenting opinion.
e. file an amicus curiae brief.
States may NOT
a. license marriages.
b. pass laws regulating contracts.
c. regulate divorce.
d. negotiate treaties with foreign nations.
e. impose taxes on income.
Which of the following is true regarding politics and the Great Depression?
a. The Great Depression shattered the working-class belief in Democratic economic
competence.
b. Hoover supported federal relief for the unemployed and the destitute.
c. Roosevelt’s relief programs were generally not available to African Americans,
resulting in African Americans’ antagonism toward the Democratic Party that lasted for
decades.
d. The Great Depression shattered the working-class belief in Republican economic
competence.
e. The Republican ascendancy lasted from the early 1930s until the late 1960s.
Negative political ads can backfire when
a. there are only two candidates in the race.
b. there are three or more candidates in the race.
c. they mention atomic attacks.
d. they decrease the profitability of television station owners.
e. they are run by Democratic candidates.
The responsibilities of the State Department include
a. formulating defense policy.
b. appointing the Secretary of State.
c. directly overseeing U.S. intelligence agencies.
d. staffing U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide.
e. overseeing U.S. military operations.
A temporary funding law that Congress passes when an appropriations bill has NOT
been passed by the beginning of the fiscal year is
a. the Emergency Revenue Generation Act.
b. a continuing resolution.
c. an Emergency Fall Review.
d. a Second Temporary Budget Resolution.
e. a spring review.
The type of media that has the least First Amendment protection is
a. motion pictures.
b. radio and television broadcasting.
c. newspapers.
d. magazines.
e. self-published pamphlets.
The job of a political consultant may include all of the following EXCEPT
a. choosing the candidate’s official portrait.
b. choosing campaign colors.
c. overseeing campaign advertising.
d. nominating a candidate for office.
e. devising a campaign strategy.
Which of the following best describes an opinion poll?
a. The amount of deviation in the sample of the population chosen from the real opinion
b. A method of systematically questioning a small, selected sample of respondents who
are deemed representative of the total population
c. The total number of people surveyed
d. When the people surveyed have an inherent bias that affects the results of the poll
e. When pollsters take voter information and analyze it to predict other trends than
simple opinions
All are true of federal grants EXCEPT
a. that they increased significantly during the twentieth century.
b. that they have been used for education, pollution control, recreation, and highway
construction.
c. that they quadrupled in dollar amount in the 1960s.
d. that they are given by the states for national projects.
e. that they have been accompanied by a multitude of restrictions and regulations.
The public tends to emphasize problems that are
a. long-term.
b. immediate.
c. education-related.
d. easily solved.
e. most likely to affect future generations.
Policy formulation is
a. the process of making the government aware that an issue requires action.
b. the discussion of proposals between governmental officials and the public.
c. choosing a specific policy proposal from among the alternatives that have been
discussed.
d. concerned with the implementation of policy by bureaucrats, the courts, police, and
individual citizens.
e. the process of examining how a policy has worked in practice.
In 2003, the United States Supreme Court considered two different admissions polices
adopted at the University of Michigan and
a. for the first time, ruled that affirmative action was unconstitutional.
b. ruled that “diversity” could not be a compelling government interest.
c. approved affirmative action plans that took race into consideration as part of a
complete examination of the applicant’s background.
d. approved a plan that automatically awarded a substantial number of points to
applicants based on minority status.
e. ruled that the time had come for all affirmative action programs to end, since
government could do nothing more to alleviate the effects of past discrimination.
The Bill of Rights was important for ratification of the Constitution because
a. state constitutions already had such rights.
b. such rights were stipulated in the Articles of Confederation.
c. some states would not have voted to ratify the Constitution without the promise of
amendments to protect individual liberties.
d. the colonists wanted to conform to international standards.
e. the Federalists were wary of a strong central government.
All of the following statements about the early Democratic Party are true EXCEPT
a. it came into existence when the Republican Party split in two.
b. it was organized by supporters of Andrew Jackson.
c. it favored personal liberty and opportunity for the “common man.”
d. its hostility toward African Americans was an important force holding it together.
e. it supported a policy of federal spending on “internal improvements” such as roads.
Those who were born on foreign soil now constitute about ______ of the U.S.
population.
a. 1.5 percent
b. 6 percent
c. 13 percent
d. 23 percent
e. 46 percent
Which of the following best describes the Supreme Court’s rationale for deciding to
hear a particular case?
a. They must select from a list of acceptable reasons for refusing a case, due to an act of
Congress.
b. They have to explain their reasons to the President, but do not have to do so publicly.
c. They explain their reasons through press statements.
d. They must reveal their reasoning.
e. They never explain their reasons.
Describe the ways in which the government is involved in regulating the media. Why is
regulation necessary? What effects does it have on what information we receive?
Answer:Students’ answers may vary.
Which of the following BEST defines civil liberties?
a. Civil liberties are not particularly important.
b. Civil liberties restrain the actions of government against individuals.
c. Civil liberties allow the government the liberty to do what it likes.
d. Civil liberties are values that libertarians do little to try to defend.
e. Civil liberties are guaranteed at the state level, but not the federal level.
State and local attempts to forbid the teaching of evolution in schools
a. have not passed constitutional muster in the eyes of the Supreme Court.
b. are a recent development, occurring only in the past decade.
c. have been successful about half of the time.
d. have been permanently halted by the Epperson v. Arkansas Supreme Court case.
e. are brought about by concerns over shortages of science teachers.
Which of the following statements is true regarding foreign policy?
a. The United States used to be guided by a mix of political realism and moral idealism,
but is now guided solely by political realism.
b. The United States used to be guided solely by moral idealism, but is now guided
mostly by political realism.
c. The United States used to be guided solely by political realism, but is now guided
mostly by moral idealism.
d. The United States has always been guided solely by political realism.
e. The United States has always been guided by a mix of moral idealism and political
realism.
Which of the following was NOT a compromise made in the Constitution?
a. There was no ban on the importation of slaves before 1808.
b. Only a Supreme Court was mandated, and the establishment of lower courts was left
up to Congress.
c. Slavery was outlawed.
d. Representation in the House of Representatives was based on a state’s population.
e. States were equally represented in the Senate.
Which of the following best describes the realignment of 1968?
a. After 1968, the country was much less divided than before.
b. After 1968, the country shifted to a majority of independents.
c. After 1968, the country shifted to a Democratic majority.
d. After 1968, the country shifted to a Republican majority.
e. After 1968, there was a slow-motion realignment that left the nation almost evenly
divided in politics.
The group that officially elects the president of the United States is called
a. the Presidential Election Commission.
b. the Congressional Election Forum.
c. the Association of State Legislatures.
d. the Electoral College.
e. the Electorate at Large.
Tracking polls are
a. taken on a nearly daily basis as the election approaches.
b. used by the government to determine if candidates receive illegal contributions.
c. only relevant early in the campaign.
d. usually not reliable sources of information.
e. taken only by the regular pollsters (such as Roper, Harris, and Gallup).
The largest occupational group among members of Congress is
a. lawyers.
b. educators.
c. businesspersons.
d. lobbyists.
e. clergy.
The process by which states carry on political relations with each other is called
a. interventionism.
b. diplomacy.
c. economic policy.
d. The Geneva Convention.
e. development efforts.