Progressivism was
a. a response to the growing power of corporations.
b. embraced by Teddy Roosevelt.
c. a belief that honest, impartial government could regulate the economy.
d. Options A and B are true.
e. All of the above are true.
In the 2003 decision of Lawrence v. Texas, the U.S. Supreme Court
a. upheld a Texas law that made homosexual conduct a crime.
b. overturned laws against sodomy between consenting adults in private to be
unconstitutional.
c. invalidated anti-discrimination laws that protect homosexuals.
d. upheld the Court’s previous decision in Bowers v. Hardwick.
e. indicated that states could declare homosexuality a crime.
A doctrine holding that the courts defer to the decisions of elected officials is called
a. judicial activism.
b. judicial restraint.
c. strict construction.
d. broad construction.
e. conservative activism.
Since 1960, the greatest growth in unionization has occurred among
a. military personnel.
b. professional athletes.
c. public employees.
d. private sector employees.
e. information technology employees.
Online fundraising, political blogs, and podcasts all represent
a. a threat to traditional media sources.
b. a brand of politics that will likely fade quickly.
c. minimally effective changes to politics.
d. All of the above.
e. None of the above.
After a bill has been introduced and referred to a committee, the committee
a. to which it has been referred is required to pass the bill on to the entirehouse.
b. is not allowed to make changes in the wording of the bill.
c. may hold hearings and discussions to explore the merits of the bill.
d. may give some bills to a subcommittee, although the Constitution requires that
subcommittee involvement in legislation not exceed 25 percent of the total
congressional workload.
e. is required by the Constitution to consult with the president of the United States or
the president’s officially designated legislative liaison.
When reaching the age of majority
a. a person is entitled to handle one’s own affairs without parental interference.
b. an individual is not legally liable for contracts signed.
c. a person may be subject to more serious penalties for crimes committed.
d. an immigrant is eligible to become an American citizen.
e. Options A and C are true.
All of the following are true of emergency powers except
a. they have allowed presidents to exercise their powers during times of crisis,
particularly in foreign affairs.
b. they were used by President Truman when he authorized the seizure of steel plants
during the Korean War.
c. the Supreme Court ruled against President Truman’s use of the emergency powers
when he seized the steel plants during the Korean War.
d. the Supreme Court upheld Truman’s seizing of the steel plants in the Korean War.
e. emergency powers were used by Lincoln during the Civil War.
Which of the following was a weakness of the Articles of Confederation?
a. Congress lacked the power to collect taxes directly from the people.
b. Any amendments to the Articles required unanimous consent of the Congress and
confirmation by every state legislature.
c. Congress lacked the power to demand funds for the militia.
d. Each state had one vote regardless of size.
e. All of the above are true.
The use of media by candidates for public office is part of the media’s role in
a. entertainment.
b. providing a political forum.
c. earning profits.
d. reporting the news.
e. political socialization.
Advocates of the teaching of intelligent design alongside or in place of evolution have
had some success in ____________ but have had very little success in ____________.
a. persuading teachers; persuading school administrators
b. convincing the scientific community; convincing the public
c. winning court cases; getting laws passed by state legislatures
d. getting laws passed by state legislatures; winning court cases
e. Both A and B.
An interpretation of campaign events or election results that is favorable to a candidate’s
campaign strategy is called
a. partisan framing.
b. selective interpretation.
c. campaign framing.
d. the political twist.
e. spin.
The line-item veto
a. allows the veto of specific spending provisions in legislation.
b. was found to be an unconstitutional delegation of legislative powers to the executive
branch by the U.S. Supreme Court.
c. was used by President Bill Clinton from 1996 to 1998.
d. Options A and B are true.
e. Options A, B, and C are true.
A previous court decision that influences and is the basis for deciding later, similar
cases is called
a. a precedent.
b. criminal law.
c. a judicial maxim.
d. common law.
e. statutory law.
All of the following are true of global warming except
a. in the 1990s, scientists working on climate change began to conclude that the average
world temperatures would rise significantly in the twenty-first century.
b. in an effort to stop global warming, the government allowed filling or dredging of
wetlands without a permit.
c. global warming has become a major political issue between conservatives and
liberals.
d. former Vice President Al Gore won a Nobel Peace Prize for his work on
environmentalissues.
e. a major share of the American electorate does not believe that global warming is
happening, or if it is happening, that it is caused by human activities.
All of the following are true of public opinion polls except
a. poll results are not equally good or equally believable.
b. knowing what makes a poll accurate is not as important as the results of the poll.
c. polls based on scientific or random samples are the most valid.
d. polls that consist of shopping mall interviews may produce inaccurate results.
e. well-designed polls based on probability samples may result in 95 percentaccuracy.
English philosopher John Locke believed that the main purpose of government was to
a. defend against foreign enemies.
b. protect man’s natural rights of life, liberty, and property.
c. raise taxes to build an army.
d. promote equality under the law.
e. promote religious separatism.
The national government cannot create a national divorce law system because
a. certain powers are reserved for the states.
b. the Constitution prohibits a number of powers to the national government.
c. the regulation of marriage is explicitly reserved for state governments in the
Constitution.
d. Options A and B are true.
e. All of the above are true.
The people whom a legislator represents and spends considerable time and effort
serving are called
a. delegates.
b. trustees.
c. constituents.
d. representatives.
e. members.
All of the following are concerns about healthcare in the United States except
a. in 2010, more than 49 million Americans did not have health insurance.
b. in 2011, employer-provided health insurance cost $5,429 for single coverage and
$15,073 for family coverage.
c. younger workers find it harder to get coverage because they are employed in
entry-level jobs without benefits.
d. the cost of healthcare has been growing at a rapid pace, especially for those over age
sixty-five.
e. new medical technology and services have made healthcare less expensive.
The Bill of Rights
a. protects individual religious freedom.
b. allows state government to regulate religion.
c. allows the national government to regulate religion.
d. provides for an official state religion.
e. provides protection for street drug use in religious ceremonies.
As a result of 1946 lobbying legislation and Supreme Court’sUnited States v. Harriss
decision, you have to register as a lobbyist if you work
a. for any group trying to influence government.
b. directly to influence the bureaucracy.
c. directly to influence Congress.
d. directly to influence the executive.
e. All of the above.
Despite the lack of federal government action, in 2011
a. CO2 emissions in the United States were down due to newer fuel-efficient cars.
b. CO2 emissions in the United States were down due to newer power plants coming on
line that used natural gas instead of coal.
c. CO2 emissions in the United States were down due to tougher emissions laws passed
bystates.
d. CO2 emissions in the United States were down due to a colder winter.
e. Options A and B are true.
African Americans today tend to be
a. more conservative than whites on all issues.
b. less liberal than whites on all issues.
c. supportive of the Republican Party.
d. somewhat conservative on certain cultural issues such as gay marriage and abortion.
e. independents and not supportive of either Republicans or Democrats.
Chief Justice Burger’s test of obscenity, as articulated in Miller v. California, included
that
a. the average person finds that it violates contemporary community standards.
b. the work as a whole appeals to a prurient, excessive interest in sex.
c. the work shows patently offensive sexual conduct.
d. the work lacks serious redeeming merit.
e. All of the above.
With regard to presidential pardons, all of the following statements are true except
a. the Supreme Court has ruled that presidents can grant pardons or reprieves for all
offenses.
b. presidents may grant a pardon only if the person to be pardoned has been convicted
of acrime.
c. President Ford pardoned President Richard Nixon for his role in the Watergate affair.
d. President Carter issued a blanket pardon for Vietnam War-era military draft resisters.
e. the Constitution gives the president the power to grant reprieves and pardons.
Some of the most successful minor parties have been __________, which have split off
from a major party.
a. ideological parties
b. environmentalist parties
c. splinter parties
d. religious parties
e. anti-war parties
Fox News is an example of a
a. successful news organization.
b. news organization with a clear liberal bias.
c. news organization with a clear conservative bias.
d. Both A and B.
e. Both A and C.
The government of the United States is best described as
a. a direct democracy.
b. a confederation.
c. a constitutional monarchy.
d. an anarchy.
e. a democratic republic.
Controversy arose during the Bush administration when _____________ refused to
issue regulations to implement _____________.
a. the Department of Education; No Child Left Behind
b. the Environmental Protection Agency; the Clean Air Act
c. the Department of Labor; card check legislation
d. the U.S. Postal Service; fiscal sustainability
e. None of the above.
Politics exists
a. only in government institutions.
b. in every community that makes decisions.
c. in schools, social groups, and organized groups of individuals.
d. only in formal settings.
e. Options B and C are true.
The Speaker of the House and the Senate majority leader
a. influence committee assignments and schedule legislation for debate.
b. are elected to these constitutional jobs by the entire House and Senate.
c. are the longest-serving members of the Senate and House.
d. are symbolic positions.
e. All of the above are true.
Devolution is defined as
a. the transfer of government power from the national government to state governments.
b. the transfer of power from state governments to local governments.
c. the transfer of government from federalism to confederalism.
d. the process of moving from dual federalism to cooperative federalism.
e. None of the above.
Following Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health
a. living wills became common.
b. it was established that life-sustaining treatment can be withdrawn from comatose
patients at the simple request of the closest relatives.
c. living wills became unconstitutional.
d. it was established that patients cannot refuse treatment that might save their lives.
e. parents, rather than spouses, were given responsibility for medical decisions
regarding comatose persons.
The two houses of Congress are
a. able to assume executive authority in the absence of a president.
b. perfectly equal in their powers.
c. organized by political party.
d. organized by seniority.
e. None of the above.