Appointments to the federal courts of appeal are
a. far less numerous than federal district court appointments.
b. usually selected because of their important position in state government.
c. less important than federal district court appointments.
d. often “stepping-stones” to the Supreme Court.
e. Options A and D are true.
In Webster v. Reproductive Health Services and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the
Supreme Court ruled that states may
a. ban the use of public hospitals for abortions and require a twenty-four-hour waiting
period.
b. require public employees to assist in abortions and require taxpayer money to
provideabortions.
c. ban second trimester abortions even if the woman’s life is at risk and require
spousalconsent.
d. not prevent abortions that use tax-funded facilities and allow all abortions.
e. None of the above is true.
The _____________ is the legally permissible amount of debt that the federal
government can take on.
a. national debt
b. debt ceiling
c. budget deficit
d. debt limit
e. None of the above.
The following two presidents are the only ones in American history to have actually
been impeached:
a. Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton
b. Richard Nixon and Franklin Roosevelt
c. Andrew Johnson and William McKinley
d. Thomas Jefferson and Martin Van Buren
e. Andrew Johnson and Jimmy Carter
Voter fraud
a. is regularly suspected but seldom proved.
b. was more common in the 1800s when votes were openly purchased than today.
c. is the argument frequently cited by supporters of voter ID laws.
d. may be overstated by some.
e. All of the above are true.
In cases where the goal of an interest group can be described as having concentrated
benefits and dispersed costs, there tends to be a(n) ___________ between supporters
and opponents.
a. long, drawn-out political battle
b. period of political gridlock
c. enthusiasm gap
d. willingness to compromise
e. None of the above.
The 2010 Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. FEC allows
a. corporations, unions, and individuals to donate unlimited funds to presidential
campaigns.
b. corporations, unions, and individuals to donate unlimited funds to entities that are
“independent” of the candidates.
c. corporations, unions, and individuals to donate unlimited funds to political parties.
d. political parties to create special funds to donate to candidates from federal monies.
e. Options A and B are true.
The theory that large-scale realignments in political party support are no longer likely is
known as
a. dealignment theory.
b. electoral stability theory.
c. voter stability theory.
d. rigidity theory.
e. volatility theory.
The term Hispanic is used by the U.S. federal government to describe anyone
a. who can claim heritage from a Spanish-speaking country.
b. from a country in Central or South America.
c. from parts of the United States that used to belong to Mexico.
d. from the American Southwest.
e. from Puerto Rico.
The Jamestown colony was established as
a. a trading post.
b. a military fort.
c. a settlement in Maryland.
d. the first French settlement in the New World.
e. a settlement for religious Separatists.
A voluntary agreement among individuals to secure their rights and welfare by creating
a government and abiding by its rules is called
a. a confederation.
b. a social contract.
c. a syndicate.
d. a constitution.
e. a natural law.
The Great Compromise
a. was advanced by the delegates from Georgia.
b. proposed a bicameral legislature with equal representation in the Senate.
c. was presented too late to be considered.
d. was proposed by Texas.
e. proposed a unicameral legislature in which each state would have one vote.
The Three-Fifths Compromise did all of the following except
a. illustrate the power of the southern states at the convention.
b. partially apportion the House of Representatives and the electoral college on the
basis ofproperty.
c. give African Americans representation that was equal to what free whites received.
d. give more voting power to southern slave owners.
e. fail to address the slave trade directly.
If a U.S. president supports an allied foreign regime, even when that regime is
non-democratic or oppressive of its people, that president is acting in line with
a. humanitarian assistance.
b. collective security.
c. political realism.
d. moral idealism.
e. Both B and D.
Political parties have
a. difficulty finding candidates for some local offices.
b. difficulty finding candidates to run for office in some regions of the country.
c. difficulty finding candidates when winning that office is unlikely.
d. an easier time finding candidates when the office has prestige.
e. All of the above are true.
If Congress disagrees with a decision of the Supreme Court concerning the
interpretation of the U.S. Constitution, it can do all of the following except
a. not fund the decision.
b. require that the president veto the decision.
c. pass a new law that negates the Court’s ruling.
d. propose an amendment to the Constitution that would negate the Court’s ruling.
e. amend an existing law that negates the Court’s ruling.
Interest groups attain a reputation for being powerful through all of the following
except
a. their membership size.
b. their financial resources.
c. cohesiveness.
d. charismatic leadership.
e. their willingness to formally link themselves to a specific party.
To say that authority has legitimacy is to
a. say that authority is recognized by a few.
b. say that authority is broadly accepted.
c. imply that the ruler has not always been perceived as the legal power.
d. suggest that decisions are of little practical value.
e. imply that those in power do not have the good of the public in mind when making
important decisions.
The Anti-Federalists
a. lived in urban areas.
b. attended the Constitutional Convention.
c. supported a strong central government.
d. opposed the new Constitution.
e. Options A and B are true.
For a public figure to obtain a damage award under libel laws, he or she must
a. show that he or she has access to the public medium to disprove the charge.
b. show that the statement in question contained a reckless disregard for the truth.
c. prove that he or she suffered from the falsehood just as much as a private person.
d. prove the case beyond a shadow of a doubt.
e. Options A and B are true.
Public opinion polling shows that more of the public believe the media to be
_________ than ___________.
a. reporting too much serious news; too entertainment driven
b. too entertainment driven; reporting too much serious news
c. too liberal; too conservative
d. too conservative; too liberal
e. independent and neutral; ideologically biased
Which of the following is true of the Soviet bloc?
a. Its formation was the turning point in World War II.
b. It helped to improve relations between the Soviet Union and the United States.
c. It consisted of the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries with Communist
regimes.
d. It was designed to prevent supplies from entering West Berlin in 1948.
e. It was the alliance setup by the United States and Western Europe to counter the
SovietUnion.
To influence government and policy, lobbyists commonly engage in all of the following
except
a. meeting privately with public officials.
b. testifying before congressional committees.
c. assisting in the drafting of legislation.
d. running for Congress.
e. suggesting nominations for federal courts.
Foreign governments
a. often contribute large sums of money to key members of Congress.
b. sometimes hire former members of Congress as lobbyists.
c. provide expensive gifts to members of Congress who travel to a country on official
government business.
d. are rarely interested in the policy debates concerning trade issues.
e. are prohibited by law from attempting to influence U.S. policy.
The term amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief refers to
a. arguments by those interested in the outcome of a case but who are not parties to the
case.
b. a request that the Supreme Court order a lower court to send up the records of a case.
c. a Supreme Court order barring further testimony during oral arguments.
d. the belief that the Supreme Court should actively practice judicial review.
e. None of the above is true.
All of the following are true of China and the United Sates except
a. since 1972, American policy has hoped to gradually engage the Chinese in diplomatic
and economic relationships to move China in a pro-western direction.
b. there are large and growing trade ties between the United States and China.
c. instead of goods and services, China has imported U.S. securities.
d. China exports substantially more goods and services to the United States than it
imports.
e. in 1980, China was not given most-favored-nation status by the United States and
this has hurt their relationship.
Groups recognize that the greatest concern of legislators is to
a. support the principles of their political party.
b. be reelected.
c. vote for the ideas of the constituents.
d. be totally informed on issues they will have to vote on.
e. please the congressional leadership.
In the winner-take-all system
a. the candidate who gets the most votes wins.
b. one must get a majority of votes cast to win.
c. votes are allocated on a proportional basis.
d. only parties receiving more than 5 percent of the vote are allocated seats.
e. a party must have competed in a previous election to be placed on the ballot.
Compared to other racial minorities, Asian Americans are
a. better integrated into American society, with higher incomes.
b. better integrated into American society, but still largely impoverished.
c. poorly integrated into American society, but economically prosperous.
d. poorly integrated into American society, and largely impoverished.
e. None of the above.
In many European parliamentary systems, prime ministers are elected by __________,
whereas in the United States, presidents are elected ___________.
a. the legislature; through the electoral college
b. a popular vote of the people; through the electoral college
c. the legislature; by a popular vote of the people
d. the aristocracy; by a popular vote of the people
e. the aristocracy; through the electoral college
Cruel and unusual punishment is prohibited by
a. the separation of powers.
b. judicial review.
c. the Fifth Amendment.
d. the Eighth Amendment.
e. the Tenth Amendment.
The advisory group selected by a president to give counsel and aid in decision making
is
a. the locker.
b. the executive advisory board.
c. the executive council.
d. the cabinet.
e. None of the above.
All of the following are true except
a. since 1994 the number of people who read a daily newspaper has dropped.
b. more people now obtain their national and international news from the Internet.
c. what you see online is very different from what you see in print.
d. some major newspapers have gone bankrupt in recent years.
e. if newspapers disappear, people will get their news from cable stations and the
Internet.