SSCI 84161 | Course Paper

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The de facto power in the Senate belongs to

a. President of the Senate.

b. President pro tempore of the Senate.

c. Senator designate selected by the president.

d. Senate majority and minority leaders and their respective whips.

e. the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

A special provision in legislation to set aside funds for projects that have not passed an

impartial evaluation by agencies in the executive branch is called a(n)

a. unfunded mandate.

b. backdoor clause.

c. amendment.

d. rider.

e. earmark.

In 2000, the Supreme Court addressed the abortion issue directly when it reviewed a

Nebraska law banning

a. first trimester abortions.

b. “partial-birth” abortions.

c. abortions in cases of incest or rape.

d. abortions for women under the age of eighteen.

e. the “morning-after” pill.

According to the Constitution, if a state or local law conflicts with a national law,

a. the law must be put to a popular vote.

b. the law is null and void.

c. the local law prevails.

d. the national law supercedes the state or local law.

e. the state law will prevail.

Which of the following statements about Arizona’s 2010 immigration law is false?

a. Other states made tougher immigration laws soon afterward.

b. Opponents of the law claimed the act would lead to harassment of Latinos.

c. It required police to stop and question anyone suspected of being in the country

illegally.

d. It criminalized the failure to carry immigration documents.

e. The decision that the Supreme Court made about it left the door open for future

challenges to the law based on equal protection principles.

Capitalism is

a. a political theory developed by Karl Marx.

b. an economic system marked by the private ownership of wealth-creating assets, free

markets, and freedom of contract.

c. incompatible with property rights, including personal possessions and

wealth-creating assets.

d. named for the centralization of economic power in the capitol.

e. unpopular in the United States.

The foremost power holder in the House of Representatives is the

a. President of the House.

b. majority leader.

c. president pro tempore.

d. Speaker of the House.

e. chief whip.

Alexis de Tocqueville, a commentator on American society in the 1800s, noted that

Americans rely on courts

a. to resolve most political questions.

b. to a much lesser degree than Europeans.

c. only if there is no other alternative.

d. to resolve economic questions, but not political ones.

e. to provide a form of entertainment.

The number of members each state will have in the Electoral College

a. cannot exceed fifty members.

b. cannot be changed without a constitutional amendment.

c. changes every four years.

d. equals that state’s number of senators plus its number of representatives.

e. is the same so as to ensure that each state plays an equal role in selecting the

president of the United States.

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 _________ is a voluntary agreement among individuals to secure their rights and

welfare by creating a government and abiding by its rules.

a. confederation

b. social contract

c. unitary govenrment

d. constitution

e. carte

Private opinion becomes public opinion when

a. that opinion, regardless of its subject matter, is publicly expressed.

b. it is publicly expressed and concerns public issues.

c. an individual is polled by a major polling organization.

d. it is not divided.

e. it is articulated to at least ten other people.

Advertising statements are known as

a. unprotected speech.

b. commercial speech.

c. symbolic speech.

d. profit-seeking speech.

e. public speech.

“Soft money” in political campaigns is best described as

a. campaign contributions made by foreigners.

b. matching grants made by the federal government.

c. small campaign donations.

d. campaign contributions to political parties that escaped limits of federal or state

election law.

e. money obtained from illegal sources.

The whips assist the party leaders by

a. voting to support the party platform at the national convention.

b. attempting to convince the general public that congresspersons should vote the party

line.

c. passing information down from the leadership to party members and ensuring that

members cast their votes on important issues.

d. gathering research information.

e. pressuring them to take positions popular among the party rank-and-file.

From which of the following sources do American policymakers get a great deal of

their information?

a. Academia

b. Local leaders

c. Family

d. Close associates

e. The media

Before 1868, The Bill of Rights

a. applied to people’s rights relative to the Federal Government, but not to people’s

rights relative to the states wherein they resided.

b. applied to people’s rights relative to the Federal Government as well as the states.

c. applied to people’s rights relative to the states.

d. limited the power of state governments.

e. included two amendments that were proposed but never ratified.

About 13 percent of all U.S. oil imports come from

a. Venezuela and Iran.

b. Argentina.

c. Canada and Mexico.

d. Russia.

e. Brazil.

Laws requiring that existing programs be reviewed regularly for their effectiveness and

be terminated unless specifically extended are called

a. trial legislation.

b. interim legislation.

c. sunshine legislation.

d. termination legislation.

e. sunset legislation.

The organization established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to assist the president

in carrying out major duties is called

a. the kitchen cabinet.

b. the cabinet.

c. the Executive Office of the President.

d. the Council of Presidential Advisors.

e. the system of checks on executive power.

People in large cities tend to be

a. evenly split between Republican and Democratic voters.

b. conservative and Republican.

c. liberal but vote Republican.

d. conservative but vote Democratic.

e. liberal and Democratic.

Which of the following BEST defines the spoils system?

a. Using civil service exams to hire qualified individuals

b. The brainchild of President Abraham Lincoln

c. Making the impounding of federal spending illegal

d. The awarding of government jobs to political supporters and friends

e. Cutting entire agencies that are considered “spoiled” by corruption

The Pendleton Act established

a. federal civil service protections to the states.

b. the judicial appointment system.

c. the maximum number of government employees selected by the spoils system.

d. the principle of employment on the basis of open, competitive examinations.

e. a merit system during the Civil War.

On December 20, 1860, ______ formally repealed its ratification of the Constitution

and withdrew from the Union.

a. Alabama

b. South Carolina

c. Louisiana

d. Georgia

e. Virginia

Regarding direct democracy, James Madison and other politicians of his time

a. believed it would lead to a more educated population.

b. believed it was the safest and most stable system of government.

c. feared it would lead to a tyranny of the minority.

d. championed it as the only acceptable form of government.

e. feared it would deteriorate into mob rule.

Which of the following best describes indirect techniques employed by an interest

group?

a. Testifying before a Congressional committee

b. Lobbying for legislation that the members of a group might not approve of

c. Using the general public or individual constituents to influence government officials

d. Approaching officials personally to try to influence them

e. Suggesting nominations for federal appointments

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.

Usually, the Gallup and Roper polls interview

a. 3 percent of the U.S. population.

b. about 1,500 individuals.

c. over 100,000 individuals in each random sample for presidential elections.

d. people who have been selected based on their intelligence.

e. using quota samples.

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 “stepping-stones” to the Supreme Court.

e. Appeals court judges are less influential than federal district judges.

________ have traditionally favored the allocation of power to the states.

a. Liberals

b. Conservatives

c. Libertarians

d. Civil rights activists

e. Political independents

Liberals typically endorse all of the following EXCEPT

a. civil rights.

b. improving the welfare of individuals.

c. a limited role for the government in helping individuals.

d. government regulation of the economy.

e. greater tolerance for social change.

Categorical grants are

a. federal grants to states or local governments for specific programs or projects.

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. federal grants to states or local governments for general operating expenses.

Some observers argue that an excessive concern with voting fraud makes it harder for

a. Republicans to get voted into office.

b. tracking polls to accurately predict election results.

c. people to take election results seriously.

d. women to vote.

e. minorities and poor people to vote.

Harold Lasswell defined politics as

a. a necessary evil.

b. the way conflict in society is perpetuated.

c. who gets what, when, and how.

d. promoting equality among citizens.