A republic is
a. a conservative form of government.
b. a direct democracy.
c. a government in which sovereign power rests with the people, not a monarch.
d. a totalitarian state.
e. a government in which the people directly elect the president.
Americans are most likely to call for the benefits of big government when they are
a. uneducated.
b. experiencing low levels of unemployment.
c. concerned about their perception abroad.
d. experiencing an economic upturn.
e. reacting to a crisis.
Which of the following statements best explain the use of Presidential popularity as it
affects the legislative process?
a. It is irrelevant to Congress or bureaucrats.
b. It is rarely measured by pollsters.
c. It is of little concern to second-term presidents.
d. It is required before a president may claim executive privilege.
e. It is an extra resource to use to persuade Congress to pass legislation.
When Sonia Sotomayor was appointed to the Supreme Court,
a. she became the second female Supreme Court justice ever appointed to the Court.
b. justices became more conservative in their ideological orientations.
c. the commerce clause was struck down by liberal justices.
d. she became the first Hispanic Supreme Court justice.
e. the Supreme Court lost its swing votes.
Their ________ power enables states to pass laws governing such activities as
marriage, contracts, education, and land use.
a. commerce clause
b. enumerated
c. emergency
d. necessary and proper
e. police
Critical consumers should watch out for surveys with ______ and other types of skewed
samples.
a. margins of error greater than one percent
b. large numbers of respondents
c. quota-sampled respondents
d. randomly-sampled respondents
e. self-selected respondents
The fighting between Israel and the Hamas-run Gaza Strip resulted in all of the
following EXCEPT
a. almost two thousand casulaties suffered by Palesinians.
b. light Israeli casulaties.
c. the expulsion of Hamas from Gaza by Israel.
d. condemnation of Israel by many nations worldwide.
e. continued support of Israel by the United States.
The Brown decision applied to
a. public and private schools.
b. public schools and public buses.
c. public schools and interstate railways.
d. public schools and government offices.
e. only public schools.
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.
______ forbade discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, or national
origin.
a. Plessy v. Ferguson
b. The Civil Rights Act of 1964
c. The Fourteenth Amendment
d. The Civil Rights Act of 1968
e. The Equal Opportunity Act
During his first two years in office, President ______ attempted to steer a national
health-insurance proposal through Congress, but his plan failed.
a. Jimmy Carter
b. Franklin D. Roosevelt
c. Ronald Reagan
d. Barack Obama
e. Bill Clinton
Which of the following best describes de facto segregation?
a. Segregation that occurs because of patterns of racial residence and similar social
conditions
b. Segregation based on laws
c. Segregation that happens because of administrative decisions
d. Segregation based on physical characteristics
e. Partial segregation
Which of the following statements best describe why lawyers are more likely to
campaign for and hold political office?
a. They have more flexible schedules, and political involvement can make a valuable
contribution to their careers.
b. The patients they see can wait for them, or see other professionals.
c. They usually have summers off, which aids in campaigning.
d. The money they make in political office is usually far more than what they make as
blue collar workers.
e. The connections they make in politics allow them to easily become CEOs when they
eventually leave.
Justiciable controversies are those which
a. are no longer valid.
b. are real and substantial, as opposed to hypothetical or academic.
c. arise when the opinions on the Supreme Court are unanimous.
d. can be found in a case’s dissenting opinion.
e. are hypothetical or academic questions, as opposed to controversies that are real and
substantial.
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.
Government spending in 2007 increased mostly due to legislation designed to address
a. infrastructure spending.
b. education spending cuts.
c. foreign aid.
d. the “Great Recession.”
e. the stock market crash of 1929.
Reapportionment is
a. the allocation of seats in the House to each state after each census.
b. the redrawing of district boundaries within each state.
c. a court order to hold new elections because of voting irregularities.
d. altering a legislative formula that apportions spending among the states.
e. a budget procedure used in the House.
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
Gerrymandering is
a. legislation passed in southern states to limit African American participation in
elections.
b. the drawing of legislative district boundary lines to give the dominant party an
advantage.
c. known to give the minority party an electoral advantage at the expense of the
dominant party.
d. a process that attempts to limit debate on a bill in the Senate.
e. a method used by the president when he wants to prevent the passage of legislation.
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.
An attempt to maintain white supremacy included
a. lynching.
b. the Civil Rights Act of 1866.
c. the Civil Rights Act of 1875.
d. the Civil Rights Cases of 1883.
e. the Enforcement Act of 1870.
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.
The three-fifths compromise illustrates the power of ______ at the Constitutional
Convention.
a. the southern states
b. the northern states
c. the small states
d. the large states
e. women
With regard to physician-assisted suicide, the Supreme Court has said that
a. the liberty interest does not include a right to commit suicide.
b. states have a right to protect the families of those who choose physician-assisted
suicide.
c. doctors must comply if a terminal patient asks for physician-assisted suicide.
d. the Constitution protects a person’s right to make all decisions regarding his or her
death.
e. it is permissible in all jurisdictions.
Sources of American law include all of the following EXCEPT
a. the U.S. Constitution and state constitutions.
b. case law.
c. statutes passed by legislatures.
d. administrative law.
e. the charter of the United Nations.
The Audubon Society and the National Wildlife Federation are examples of
__________ interest groups.
a. environmental
b. economic
c. agricultural
d. relatively ineffective
e. professional
The concept of separation of powers was included in the Constitution to prevent
a. disputes between the federal and state governments.
b. the imposition of export taxes.
c. a major dispute over power between the House and the Senate.
d. disputes over power between Congress and the president.
e. the imposition of tyrannyeither by the majority or by a minority.
All of the following statements about public-interest groups are true EXCEPT
a. a variety of lobbying organizations have been formed “in the public interest.”
b. the best-known and perhaps most effective public-interest groups are those founded
under the leadership of consumer activist Ralph Nader.
c. public-interest groups work for issues that will benefit only the narrow interests of a
particular group.
d. public-interest groups are concerned with the overall community.
e. conservative public-interest groups have formed in response to Nader organizations.
The original government bureaucracy included the Attorney General’s Office and the
departments of
a. Security, Treasury, and the Interior.
b. State, War, and Energy.
c. State, War, and Treasury.
d. Treasury and Transportation.
e. Defense and Education.
Which of the following is NOT a member of the National Security Council?
a. The president of the United States
b. The vice president of the United States
c. The secretary of state
d. The director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
e. The secretary of defense
Which of the following is true regarding presidential election campaigns?
a. One can become president without winning the popular vote.
b. So far, all of the presidents have had a majority of the popular vote when elected.
c. A third candidate for the presidency has never had any impact on the outcome of the
election.
d. The House of Representatives is incapable of making a decision on who will be
president.
e. There have not yet been any occasions on which the Electoral College has failed to
give any candidate a majority.
Which of the following statements about appointments to federal appeals courts is true?
a. Appeals court judges are far more numerous than federal district court appointments.
b. Appeals court judges are usually selected because of their important position in state
governments.
c. Appeals court judges are usually Senators.
d. Appeals court appointments are often “steppingstones” to the Supreme Court.
e. Appeals court judges are less influential than federal district judges.
Constitutionally, which two sets of powers do state governments have?
a. Enumerated and expressed powers
b. Reserved and concurrent powers
c. Direct and inherent powers
d. Expressed and implied powers
e. Inherent and police powers
The Anti-Federalists advocated
a. altering the Constitution to include guaranteed personal liberties.
b. a strong central government.
c. ratifying the new Constitution.
d. an end to slavery.
e. rule by the aristocracy.
Which of the following is an argument against federalism?
a. That too much inequity exists between states in a federal system
b. That it prevents creation of a strong party system
c. The rigidity of the national government in confronting change
d. That it is difficult for governors to become president
e. That it is too simplistic for a nation with a large geographic area and population