Gerrymandering
a. is typically used by congressional and state political party leaders to shape voting
districts in such a way as to increase the chances of winning more seats.
b. employs two main techniques: packing and cracking.
c. is even more accurate due to the advances of computer technology.
d. helps protect the seats of incumbents.
e. All of the above are true.
Prior to the __________ and the process of incorporation, ______________.
a. Fourteenth Amendment; citizens of different states had different sets of civil liberties
b. First Amendment; most states were officially Roman Catholic
c. Second Amendment; all firearms were owned by the state governments
d. Third Amendment; most American households quartered one or more soldiers
e. Sixth Amendment; most criminal convictions were done without a trial
The Monroe Doctrine stated that
a. the United States would not accept any new European intervention in the western
hemisphere and the United States would not meddle in European affairs.
b. the United States had the authority to intervene in the affairs of European nations if
American interests were at stake.
c. the United States would take action against the Barbary pirates in order to protect
American lives and commerce.
d. the United States would not wait to be attacked, but rather would take pre-emptive
action against clear and present dangers.
e. the United States would only conduct business with other nations by employing
treaties.
Candidates for president face obstacles to winning for all of the following reasons
except that they must
a. have great personal wealth in order to win.
b. be able to garner enough support to win the early primaries.
c. be able to organize, staff, and fund a campaign organization.
d. be able to find local volunteers in each state to win primary votes.
e. All of the above are true.
After the Civil War, civil rights legislation was passed by Congress
a. but much of it was very ineffective and parts were declared unconstitutional by the
Supreme Court.
b. and it played a major role in creating equality for African Americans.
c. and was accepted by the American public.
d. that prevented African Americans from being extended equal public
accommodations.
e. All of the above are true.
The most important committees in Congress are _________ committees, permanent
bodies that possess an expertise resulting from their jurisdiction over certain policy
areas.
a. standing
b. select
c. joint
d. conference
e. legislative
State governments have the ________________ but lack the ___________________.
a. enumerated powers; reserved powers
b. reserved powers; concurrent powers
c. concurrent powers; reserved powers
d. reserved and concurrent powers; enumerated and inherent powers
e. reserved and enumerated powers; inherent powers
Ethanol is a fuel that is
a. made from corn.
b. subsidized by the government.
c. criticized as inefficient to produce.
d. related to rising food costs.
e. All of the above.
The use of the party-column ballot has been shown to ________________________.
a. increase the coattail effect.
b. decrease the coattail effect.
c. decrease straight-ticket voting.
d. increase voter turnout.
e. Both B and C.
Some criticism of the Patriot Act’s strengthening of governmental investigatory powers
reflects
a. the framers’ desire to encourage general searches.
b. the fear that the increased powers may be used to silence government critics.
c. concern about the right to bear arms as provided in the Second Amendment.
d. strong public support of warrantless surveillance.
e. defendant rights stemming from Miranda v. Arizona.
An opinion prepared by a judge who supports the court’s decision but wishes to in some
way clarify, emphasize, or offer different reasons is
a. a majority opinion.
b. a dissenting opinion.
c. a concurring opinion.
d. a plurality opinion.
e. a unanimous opinion.
The part of the policymaking process that involves choosing a specific policy from
among the proposals that have been discussed is known as
a. policy formulation.
b. policy implementation.
c. policy adoption.
d. policy choices.
e. policy determination.
The organizations that came to be known as “527s”
a. have become eclipsed in importance since the rise of super PACs.
b. were set up by political parties for anonymous donors’ contributions.
c. run ads that are coordinated with the candidate’s campaign ads.
d. are more powerful than super PACs.
e. Options B and C are true.
Which of the following statements about the electoral college is true?
a. Although it is theoretically possible for a candidate to win the electoral vote while
losing the popular vote, this has never happened in U.S. history.
b. The framers ensured that it would be impossible for a candidate to win the electoral
vote without also winning the popular vote.
c. The Constitution requires that the members of the electoral college vote in a manner
consistent with their states’ popular vote.
d. The only way that the United States could cease to use the electoral college is
through the process of constitutional amendment.
e. The members of the electoral college are required by the Constitution to be at least
thirty-five years old and of good moral character.
When William Rehnquist was appointed chief justice in 1986
a. Supreme Court decisions had always been in line with conservative ideology.
b. justices became even more fixed in their ideological orientations.
c. the commerce clause was struck down by liberal justices.
d. the Supreme Court began a shift toward greater conservatism.
e. the Supreme Court lost its swing votes.
The constitutional amendment process was designed to be __________ in order to
________________.
a. easy; let the majority direct the country
b. easy; allow the document to change with the times
c. difficult; promote a competition of ideas
d. difficult; preserve the original vision of the founders
e. difficult; prevent tyranny of the majority
That women could vote in Wyoming in 1870, but not nationwide until 1920, is
reflective of
a. the national government imposing conflicting election laws on the states.
b. states admitted later to the union having more power over elections.
c. the willingness of states to violate national laws.
d. the writers of the Constitution allowing states to decide who can vote.
e. Both A and B.
The populations of many economically advanced nations are expected to
a. be smaller in 2050 than they are today.
b. remain the same size in 2050 as they are today.
c. be slightly larger in 2050 than they are today.
d. be many times larger in 2050 than they are today.
e. be more ethnically homogenous in 2050 than they are today.
An interest group is
a. any association of individuals.
b. a group of people who want to gain control of the government.
c. an organization that actively attempts to influence government policy.
d. any organization that requires members to pay dues.
e. an organization setup to support a specific candidate for public office.
President Woodrow Wilson’s proposal for _______________ was in line with
_______________.
a. the League of Nations; moral idealism
b. the League of Nations; political realism
c. the NATO alliance; moral idealism
d. the NATO alliance; political realism
e. Both A and D.
The committee in the House that proposes time limitations on debate for bills is called
the
a. Debate Committee.
b. Rules Committee.
c. House Ways and Means Committee.
d. Debate and Censure Committee.
e. Issues Committee.
News blogs
a. are a dangerous new invention.
b. are only produced by paid journalists.
c. can be produced inexpensively.
d. provide the same high-quality information as traditional newspapers.
e. are the main source of news to a majority of Americans.
The Tea Party movement began as
a. a grassroots conservative movement.
b. a re-branding of national conservative politics.
c. a grassroots liberal movement.
d. a PAC dedicated to the election of Barack Obama.
e. a group dedicated to celebrating the history of the American Revolution.
Talk radio is almost completely dominated by
a. liberals.
b. conservatives.
c. moderates.
d. libertarians.
e. socialists.
During his first campaign for president, Barack Obama proposed
a. English as the national language, to discourage illegal immigration.
b. ending birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants.
c. a new minimum wage that would apply only to illegal immigrants.
d. giving illegal immigrants a path to citizenship.
e. Both A and B.
Which of the following statements are true about federal spending?
a. The Social Security Administration administers Social Security and Medicare
benefits.
b. The U.S. Postal Service employees comprise 50 percent of the federal workforce.
c. The U.S. Postal Service has been self-supporting for decades.
d. About 50 percent of all government spending goes to the elderly each year.
e. Veteran’s services make up about 5 percent of annual federal spending.
Unlike liberals or conservatives, socialists advocate
a. personal liberties.
b. private property rights.
c. market capitalism.
d. private investment in governmental systems.
e. replacing investor ownership of businesses by government ownership.
Holders of political office in the United States today are usually
a. representative of the general public.
b. evenly divided between men and women.
c. white and male.
d. younger than the candidates elected in the 1800s.
e. Roman Catholics.
The Bill of Rights provided for
a. the protection of individual liberties from state governments.
b. the protection of individual liberties from the national government.
c. equal protection under the law.
d. protection against state infringements on the freedoms of conscience, the press, and
jurytrial.
e. Options B and D are true.
As a result of the Civil War crisis, the Supreme Court
a. was drastically reduced in influence.
b. voted exclusively against the Civil War.
c. gained additional power, along with the state governments.
d. ruled that the initial plan of Congress to reconstruct the South was unconstitutional.
e. None of the above is true.
Which statement about primaries is true?
a. Candidates for the presidency go through two electionsthe primaries and the
generalelection.
b. Most delegates to the national party conventions are chosen in primary elections.
c. Most primaries are winner-take-all.
d. In recent years, the Democrats have used a proportional system in the
presidentialprimaries.
e. All of the above are true.
The process of suspending the rules of the Senate, thus ending the threat of a filibuster
a. has always been favored by Democrats.
b. has always been favored by Republicans.
c. is known as the nuclear option.
d. is very popular with the public at large.
e. Both B and C.
Federal mandates are
a. rules for operation in the Supreme Court.
b. requirements attached to state laws to dispense state grants.
c. requirements in federal legislation that force states to comply with federal rules.
d. always accompanied by ample federal funding to cover costs of the mandate.
e. unconstitutional.
The Defense of Marriage Act of 1996 was passed in response to
a. a ruling by the Hawaii Supreme Court that might have allowed same-sex couples to
marry.
b. the passage of Vermont’s civil union law.
c. the legalization of same-sex marriages in Massachusetts.
d. the Supreme Court’s striking down of anti-sodomy laws in Lawrence v. Texas.
e. the establishment of civil unions in Minnesota.
Identifying and making legislative earmarks public was a key feature of
a. the 1946 lobbying reforms.
b. the 1995 lobbying reforms.
c. the 1995″96 rules of the House and Senate.
d. the 2007 lobbying reforms.
e. Both A and D.