A rise in party unity is indicative of __________.
a. cooperation across party lines
b. cooperation between Congress and the executive branch
c. decreasing party polarization
d. high bipartisanship levels
e. low bipartisanship levels
The Sixth Amendment sets out basic requirements for which type of due process?
a. civil
b. substantive
c. criminal
d. procedural
e. constitutional
Which of the following countries is a permanent member of the United Nations
Security Council?
a. Germany
b. India
c. Spain
d. Italy
e. the United States
Which of the following nominates U.S. federal judges?
a. president
b. vice president
c. chief justice
d. Senate
e. Supreme Court
Miranda rights include the right to which of the following?
a. a phone call
b. due process
c. a jury trial
d. be free from search and seizure
e. counsel
Which of the following is comprised of a broad array of the president’s foreign policy
advisors and is housed within the White House?
a. the Department of State
b. the Department of Homeland Security
c. the Warsaw Pact
d. the National Security Council
e. the Central Intelligence Agency
What were Black Codes?
a. segregation laws that discriminated in housing
b. laws that denied rights to African Americans
c. laws requiring a poll tax or literacy test to vote
d. proposed racial quota affirmative action programs
e. unwritten norms of discrimination in the South
The __________ is the bureaucratic agency in charge of monitoring campaign activity.
a. Federal Election Board
b. Election Finance Commission
c. Federal Voting Committee
d. Voter Regulation Board
e. Federal Election Commission
Why was the War Powers Resolution (1973) adopted by Congress?
a. to expand the powers of the president in the conduct of war
b. to limit the powers of the military-industrial complex in influencing foreign policy
c. to reinvigorate the role of Congress in the conduct of war
d. to empower the president to act unilaterally when American troops are in harm’s way
e. to make Congress the sole actor in the conduct of war
How do government corporations differ from private companies?
a. Government corporations perform activities that private companies cannot.
b. Government corporations cannot borrow money, whereas private companies can.
c. Government corporations cannot sell stock, whereas private companies can.
d. Government corporations can borrow money, whereas private companies cannot.
e. Government corporations need less government oversight than private companies.
Because of NAFTA, an American business owner may be able to save money through
which of the following?
a. by setting up a shell corporation in the Cayman Islands to avoid U.S. taxes
b. by moving a manufacturing plant from the United States to Mexico, where labor is
cheaper
c. by purchasing cheap goods from China without paying taxes or tariffs
d. by outsourcing customer service jobs to India
e. by purchasing government-issued bonds to cover basic business expenses
The brief, clever quotes that candidates hope will be replayed after media events are
known as __________.
a. sound bites
b. bon mots
c. adages
d. pearls of wisdom
e. spin text
Members of Congress differ from the larger American population in they are
disproportionately__________.
a. socially conservative and fiscally liberal
b. socially liberal and fiscally conservative
c. socially and fiscally moderate
d. white, upper-middle-class, middle-aged, and male
e. white, upper-middle-class, Protestant, and female
Nullification was particularly prominent during which era in American history?
a. the colonial era
b. the Revolutionary War
c. the Civil War
d. Reconstruction
e. the Great Depression
In court rulings, reliance on past decisions to formulate decisions in new cases is known
as which of the following?
a. per curiam
b. stare decisis
c. coram nobis
d. amicus curiae
e. common law
What is the primary responsibility of the secretary of defense?
a. foreign policy
b. intelligence
c. diplomacy
d. homeland security
e. military policy
Federal judges are appointed to __________ terms.
a. two-year
b. three-year
c. life
d. ten-year
e. twenty-year
The idea that governments draw legitimacy and power from the governed is referred to
as which of the following?
a. majority rule
b. direct democracy
c. capitalism
d. popular consent
e. popular control
Health care costs in the United States __________.
a. have lowered dramatically in the last few years
b. have risen dramatically in the last few years
c. have risen slowly in the last few years
d. are influenced by science research funding
e. reflect the excellence of U.S. health care
What can Congress do to influence foreign and defense policy if it is not satisfied with
the way the president has handled foreign policy?
a. Congress can fire ambassadors who are not executing foreign policy according to
Congress’s wishes.
b. Congress can reduce appropriations for executing the president’s foreign and defense
policy.
c. Congress can command the military to execute foreign policy according to
Congress’s wishes.
d. Congress can change foreign policy with a joint declaration of two-thirds of each
chamber, which does not require the president’s signature.
e. Congress can appoint a new secretary of state who will implement foreign policy
according to Congress’s wishes.
Which presidential power is balanced by required approval of the Senate with a
two-thirds vote?
a. extending diplomatic recognition to foreign governments
b. terminating relations with other nations
c. negotiating treaties with other nations
d. negotiating executive agreements with foreign heads of state
e. resolving funding for budget agenda
Only a(n) __________ court can review the decisions of a lower court.
a. trial
b. original
c. administrative
d. constitutional
e. appellate
Roughly what percentage of Americans rarely or never vote?
a. 15 percent
b. 25 percent
c. 35 percent
d. 45 percent
e. 50 percent
Which of the following remains a compelling source for determining the intent of the
Framers?
a. Minutes of the Constitutional Convention
b. The Federalist Papers
c. Common Sense
d. Treatise on Government
e. Declaration of Independence
According to the “Take a Closer Look” feature box, which of the following books
helped inspire abolitionists?
a. Grapes of Wrath
b. Uncle Tom’s Cabin
c. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
d. Wick Wo Hopkins
e. Enough Is Enough
__________ refers to the authority of administrators in the federal bureaucracy to make
choices concerning the best way to implement policies.
a. Adjudication
b. Discretion
c. Division of labor
d. Independence
e. Rule-making
You are the leader of a consumer rights group that has been unable to get a meeting
with your elected representative in Congress. How could you get the attention of your
legislator on the issues your group cares about?
a. Organize a demonstration in the representative’s district and invite the media.
b. File an amicus curiae brief.
c. Draft a bill and introduce it in Congress.
d. Form a political action committee.
e. Contact the Consumer Products Safety Commission.
Why does the perception of a mandate matter in presidential politics?
a. Since public approval has become much more important to modern presidents, most
presidents rely on the mandate and the polls to measure their popularity and increase
their approval ratings.
b. The presidential mandate claimed by modern presidents makes it easier for them to
get their choices of Supreme Court justices approved than in the past.
c. Because Congress sees the president as holding a mandate of the people, the
legislators do not block the president’s agenda as vehemently as legislators in the past
did.
d. The president’s mandate consists of the modern perception among members of
Congress that, by virtue of having been elected, the president has the ability to manage
the bureaucracy.
e. Because modern presidents are more dependent on the people for election and more
involved in policy making than early presidents, they are prone to claim the mandate of
the people when governing.
Convicted criminals whose sentences increase during their prison term due to a change
in the law have been illegally subjected to what kind of law?
a. cruel and unusual
b. habeas corpus
c. ex post facto
d. bill of attainder
e. writ of certiorari
Medicare is what type of federal program?
a. discretionary
b. means-tested
c. social insurance
d. TANF
e. arbitrary
The size of the national debt is __________.
a. declining
b. rising
c. marginal
d. stagnating
e. unchanged
Which of the following arguments would most likely be made by an opponent of
affirmative action policies?
a. Affirmative action helps to compensate for past discrimination.
b. Discrimination is a natural part of the human experience.
c. Affirmative action discriminates on the basis of race.
d. Diversity helps Americans better understand each other.
e. Unaddressed past discrimination causes perpetual inequality.
Which of the following factors was instrumental in bringing about the first national
interest groups in the United States?
a. improvements in communication networks
b. an increase in crime
c. an increase in poverty
d. industrialization
e. the development of political parties
Discuss the developments that led to the American Revolution.
Explain the significance of Marbury v.Madison.
Political rhetoric in campaigns often includes a challenger attempting to disparage the
incumbent by labeling him or her a “Washington insider.” Does being an incumbent
make a politician more or less effective or corrupt? Be sure to weigh the pros and cons
of incumbency on politicians and society.
__________ occurs when a national law or regulation takes precedence over a
conflicting state or local law or regulation.
In the United States, the mechanism for deciding the president is the __________.
Describe the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.
The circuit courts hear appeals from the __________ courts.
What kind of demographic-related voting blocs would you expect to emerge in
elections about delayed eligibility for Social Security retirement benefits and in
elections to increase taxes to fund cost-of-living increases for Social Security
recipients?
The power to regulate commerce within a state belongs to the __________
government(s).
Courts can only decide cases that present __________ controversies.
What are the historical roots of the right to bear arms?
The __________ faith is the most cohesive faith when it comes to voting.
Monetary policy regulates the nation’s supply of money and influences __________ to
promote economic policy.
The __________ is the international organization created after World War II to promote
global peace and security.
The __________ is an advisory group chosen by presidents to help them make
decisions and execute laws.
Discuss the recent economic crisis and recession. What happened and why? Should
they take any steps to prevent this from happening again? If so, what steps? If not, why
not?
Describe the “dual system” of justice in the United States.