SOC 72474 | Course Paper

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The two-party system has dominated the American political landscape for all of the

following reasonsexcept

a. political socialization and practical considerations.

b. the winner-take-all electoral system.

c. state and federal laws favor the two major parties.

d. historical foundations of the system.

e. third parties are illegal in many jurisdictions.

A campaign might prefer coverage by the news media to political advertising because

news coverage is

a. free.

b. seen as neutral.

c. more effective in persuading voters.

d. easier to control.

e. None of the above

The tests commonly administered as a precondition for voting were called

a. poll tests.

b. constitutional exams.

c. literacy tests.

d. primary tests.

e. registration tests.

All of the following are true of the death penalty except

a. the Supreme Court struck down all existing death penalties in 1972 but invited the

states to pass new legislation that would apply the penalty more consistently.

b. the death penalty is supported by a majority of Americans, though support has

recentlyfallen.

c. thirty-four states permit the punishment.

d. in 2002, the Court ruled that only juries, not judges, could impose the penalty.

e. in 2002, the Court ruled that persons under the age of nineteen cannot be put to death.

The concept of cloture refers to

a. a method used to defeat legislation in Congress.

b. a process that attempts to limit debate on a bill in the Senate.

c. closed meetings held by both parties to elect their leadership or resolve other

importantissues.

d. action taken by the House Rules Committee that must be approved by the Speaker.

e. the resolution that adjourns Congress.

In the presidential elections

a. electors meet in the state’s capital in December to cast their votes for the president.

b. a joint session of Congress meets in early January (after the presidential election) and

the electoral votes are counted.

c. one can win the majority of the popular vote and not become president.

d. one can win the electoral college vote without winning the majority of the popular

vote.

e. All of the above are true.

National authority has traditionally been preferred by

a. liberals.

b. conservatives.

c. libertarians.

d. those who are culturally conservative but economically liberal.

e. the southern states.

A unicameral legislature is one with

a. only one body or house.

b. only one major political party.

c. the power to choose the chief executive.

d. no limits on its powers.

e. Both B and D are true.

After the Civil War, a candidate for office who supported currency inflation as a way to

bring down the value of people’s debts was likely a

a. Republican.

b. Federalist.

c. populist.

d. progressive.

e. None of the above.

A federal grant that funds a general functional area with fewer restrictions on the states

is a

a. matching grant.

b. program grant.

c. federal mandate.

d. block grant.

e. waiver.

Right-to-life advocates

a. continue to push for laws restricting abortion.

b. endorse candidates who support their views.

c. organize protests.

d. argue that bans on specific procedures are not effective.

e. Options A, B, and C are true.

State laws that have legalized the medical or recreational uses of marijuana conflict

with federal law and may be invalidated because of

a. the necessary and proper clause.

b. the supremacy clause.

c. the commerce clause.

d. reserved powers.

e. Both A and C.

The fertility rate of 2.1, with which populations are expected to eventually stabilize, is

known as

a. the plateau rate.

b. the reproductive stabilization rate.

c. the short-term replacement rate.

d. the long-term replacement rate.

e. None of the above.

Newspapers online

a. sell enough advertising to cover their costs.

b. cover all of their costs by requiring all viewers to buy a subscription.

c. lose advertising revenue to services such as Google and Yahoo.

d. provide content for free to services such as Google and Yahoo.

e. All of the above are true.

The State Department is

a. directly responsible to Congress.

b. not involved in short-term foreign policy.

c. the executive agency that is most directly concerned with foreign affairs.

d. responsible for making foreign policy, not the president.

e. one of the largest cabinet departments.

The Supreme Court’s recent ruling on the Voting Rights Act

a. overturned parts of the act, taking power away from the states.

b. overturned parts of the act, making for a major states’ rights victory.

c. upheld the act, taking power away from the states.

d. upheld the act, making for a major states’ rights victory.

e. opened the way for voting by non-citizens.

States may enter into agreements called interstate compacts

a. with congressional approval on major matters.

b. without congressional approval on minor matters.

c. to settle matters in chronic dispute between two or more states.

d. to manage water resources that cross state lines.

e. All of the above are true.

Naturalized citizens are constitutionally barred from running for the office of

a. U.S. senator.

b. U.S. representative.

c. U.S. president.

d. governor.

e. chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

“Going public”

a. means that presidents take their case to the public to persuade members of Congress

to support their agenda.

b. was rarely used by presidents in the 1800s.

c. allows a president to explain complicated or controversial topics to voters directly.

d. forces Congress to support presidential priorities.

e. Options A, B, and C are true.

Categorical grants are

a. federal grants to state or local governments for specific programs.

b. emergency grants to states for unforeseen circumstances.

c. a very recent form of national government support to school districts.

d. unconstitutional because of separation of powers.

e. None of the above is true.

Thomas Paine’s pamphlet Common Sense advocated

a. the formation of a new government that would still be loyal to the king.

b. the establishment of a government that would limit further immigration.

c. an end of hostilities toward Britain.

d. the idea that the formation of the country’s own government was a “natural right.”

e. the repeal of all taxes, including those the colonists had imposed on themselves.

The percentage of the total U.S. workforce that is employed by local, state, and federal

governments is

a. 10 percent.

b. 25 percent.

c. 16 percent.

d. 50 percent.

e. 6 percent.

In United States v. Lopez (1995), the Supreme Court

a. held that Congress exceeded its constitutional authority.

b. said that Congress, in passing the Gun-Free School Zones Act, attempted to regulate

an area that had nothing to do with commerce.

c. placed a limit on national government authority under the commerce clause.

d. All of the above are true.

e. None of the above is true.

The Constitution protects interest groups through the

a. First Amendment’s right to “petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

b. First Amendment’s right to “peaceably assemble.”

c. Fourth Amendment’s protection against illegal search and seizure.

d. Fifth Amendment’s right against self-incrimination.

e. Options A and B are true.

American women are more likely to support

a. capital punishment.

b. restrictions on access to abortions.

c. social welfare programs.

d. military interventions abroad.

e. legislation restricting the rights of homosexuals.

The act of retreating behind a paywall describes

a. newspapers charging for online access.

b. the news industry’s efforts to increase advertising revenues.

c. the news industry’s efforts to decrease reporters’ salaries.

d. newspapers seeking unpaid contributions from non-staff reporters.

e. Both C and D.

The primary purpose of 1946 legislation that targeted lobbying was to

a. prohibit all lobbying activities.

b. restrict lobbying to the legislative branch.

c. heavily regulate lobbying.

d. improve public disclosure of lobbying.

e. create an agency that would oversee lobbying.

Which of the following statements about presidential elections is true?

a. One can become president without winning the popular vote.

b. The Twelfth Amendment requires that the president and the vice president be chosen

separately.

c. Twenty-one presidents have served only one term in office.

d. The electoral college has twice failed to give any candidate a majority and the

election was decided in the House of Representatives.

e. All of the above are true.

People who become members of interest groups for purposive incentives are joining

a. for a sense of belonging to the group.

b. as free riders.

c. for ethical beliefs or ideological reasons.

d. to improve their economic opportunities.

e. because they have been pressured to do so.

_____________ is an example of a progressive tax, while ____________ is an example

of a regressive tax.

a. The Medicare tax; the state sales tax

b. The Social Security tax; the state sales tax

c. The state sales tax; the Social Security tax

d. The Federal income tax; the Medicare tax

e. None of the above.

In the Bakke case, the Supreme Court ruled that

a. affirmative action programs were allowable in law schools, but not to be utilized in

medical schools.

b. race cannot be the sole factor in admissions decisions.

c. all affirmative action programs were ruled unconstitutional.

d. race cannot be considered as a factor at all in making admissions decisions.

e. quota systems are constitutional.

When the industry that is being regulated gains control over the agency that is supposed

to regulate it, the process is called

a. cooption.

b. capture.

c. complacency.

d. collusion.

e. pork.

All of the following are true of lobbyists except that they

a. may help draft legislation for public officials.

b. may be members of some of Washington, DC’s law firms that specialize in providing

services to government officials.

c. fabricate the truth when providing information to public officials.

d. meet with public officials to inform them of the interests of their clients.

e. may testify before congressional committees.

Describe the enumerated or expressed power of Congress.