1. Which of the following statements best reflects
the pluralist theory of American politics?
(A) American politics is dominated by a
small elite.
(B) ... [Show More] Public policies emerge from cooperation
among elites in business, labor, and
government.
(C) Public policies emerge from compromises
reached among competing groups.
(D) American politics is dominated by cities at
the expense of rural areas.
(E) The American political arena is made up of
isolated individuals who have few group
affiliations outside the family - ANSWER-(C) Public policies emerge from compromises
reached among competing groups.
Which of the following statements best reflects
the pluralist theory of American politics? - ANSWER-Public policies emerge from compromises
reached among competing groups.
pluralist theory - ANSWER-Pluralism summarized:
A. citizens are not politically motivated or self interested
B. elections are not the only or the most important means of linking citizens to government
C. citizens participate widely in the interest group system by virtue of their economic , social, religious, and political interests
D. political action by interest groups is costly
E. despite the costs of participation, the group system is reasonably inclusive and balanced in the interests it represents before government
F. So, government power should be dispersed and fragmented.
***GROUPS***
2. Which of the following is generally the most
significant influence on an individual's
identification with a particular political party?
(A) Religious affiliation
(B) Family
(C) Level of education
(D) Television
(E) The party identification of the incumbent
president - ANSWER-(B) Family
Which of the following is generally the most
significant influence on an individual's
identification with a particular political party? - ANSWER-Family
3. Which of the following committee assignments
would confer the most power and influence on
members of the House of Representatives?
(A) Agriculture
(B) Ways and Means
(C) Veterans' Affairs
(D) Armed Services
(E) Education and Labor - ANSWER-(B) Ways and Means
Which of the following committee assignments
would confer the most power and influence on
members of the House of Representatives? - ANSWER-Ways and Means
Ways and means - ANSWER-methods and resources for accomplishing something and especially for defraying expenses;
methods and resources for raising the necessary revenues for the expenses of a nation or state;
a legislative committee concerned with this function
4. Which of the following statements about Brown
v. Board of Education of Topeka is correct?
(A) It declared segregation by race in the public
schools unconstitutional.
(B) It established the principle of one person,
one vote.
(C) It required that citizens about to be arrested
be read a statement concerning their right to
remain silent.
(D) It declared Bible reading in the public
schools unconstitutional.
(E) It declared segregation by race in places of
public accommodation unconstitutional. - ANSWER-(A) It declared segregation by race in the public
schools unconstitutional.
Which of the following statements about Brown
v. Board of Education of Topeka is correct? - ANSWER-It declared segregation by race in the public
schools unconstitutional.
5. Prior to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, literacy
tests were used by some southern states to
(A) determine the educational achievement of
potential voters
(B) prevent African Americans from exercising
their right to vote
(C) assess the general population's understanding
of the Constitution
(D) hinder the migration of northerners
(E) defend the practice of segregation - ANSWER-(B) prevent African Americans from exercising
their right to vote
Prior to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, literacy
tests were used by some southern states to - ANSWER-prevent African Americans from exercising
their right to vote
6. The practice whereby individual senators can
veto federal judicial nominations in their
respective states is called
(A) logrolling
(B) preferential treatment
(C) senatorial prerogative
(D) senatorial courtesy
(E) judicial selection - ANSWER-(D) senatorial courtesy
The practice whereby individual senators can
veto federal judicial nominations in their
respective states is called - ANSWER-senatorial courtesy
logrolling - ANSWER-the exchanging of assistance or favors; specifically: the trading of votes by legislators to secure favorable action on projects of interest to each one
preferential treatment - ANSWER-If you get preferential treatment, you are treated better than other people and therefore have an advantage over them.
senatorial courtesy - ANSWER-a custom of the U.S. Senate of refusing to confirm a presidential appointment of an official in or from a state when the appointment is opposed by the senators or senior senator of the president's party from that state
judicial selection - ANSWER-Though each state has a unique set of guidelines governing how they fill their state and local judiciaries, there are five main methods:
Partisan elections: Judges are elected by the people, and candidates are listed on the ballot alongside a label designating political party affiliation.
Nonpartisan elections: Judges are elected by the people, and candidates are listed on the ballot without a label designating party affiliation.
Legislative elections: Judges are selected by the state legislature.
Gubernatorial appointment: Judges are appointed by the governor. In some cases, approval from the legislative body is required.
Assisted appointment, also known as merit selection or the Missouri Plan: A nominating commission reviews the qualifications of judicial candidates and submits a list of names to the governor, who appoints a judge from the list. After serving an initial term, the judge must be confirmed by the people in a yes-no retention election to continue serving.
7. Differences between House and Senate versions
of a bill are resolved
(A) in a conference committee
(B) by the Rules committees of both chambers
(C) in subcommittee hearings
(D) by the president before the bill is signed
into law
(E) during the bill's markup phase - ANSWER-(A) in a conference committee
Differences between House and Senate versions
of a bill are resolved - ANSWER-in a conference committee
8. Which of the following principles protects a
citizen from imprisonment without trial?
(A) Representative government
(B) Separation of powers
(C) Due process
(D) Checks and balances
(E) Popular sovereignty - ANSWER-(C) Due process
Which of the following principles protects a
citizen from imprisonment without trial? - ANSWER-Due process
Popular sovereignty - ANSWER-a doctrine in political theory that government is created by and subject to the will of the people;
a pre-Civil War doctrine asserting the right of the people living in a newly organized territory to decide by vote of their territorial legislature whether or not slavery would be permitted there
Checks and balances - ANSWER-a system that allows each branch of a government to amend or veto acts of another branch so as to prevent any one branch from exerting too much power
Due process - ANSWER-a course of formal proceedings (such as legal proceedings) carried out regularly and in accordance with established rules and principles — called also procedural due process;
a judicial requirement that enacted laws may not contain provisions that result in the unfair, arbitrary, or unreasonable treatment of an individual — called also substantive due process
Separation of powers - ANSWER-The Separation of Powers devised by the framers of the Constitution was designed to do one primary thing: to prevent the majority from ruling with an iron fist. Based on their experience, the framers shied away from giving any branch of the new government too much power. The separation of powers provides a system of shared power known as Checks and Balances.
Representative government - ANSWER-An electoral system where citizens vote to elect people to represent their interests and concerns. Those elected meet to debate and make laws on behalf of the whole community or society, instead of the people voting directly on laws and other debates.
9. The passage of legislation in Congress often
depends on mutual accommodations among
members. This suggests that, to some extent,
congressional behavior is based on
(A) ideological divisions
(B) partisan division
(C) the principle of reciprocity
(D) deference to state legislatures
(E) norms of seniority - ANSWER-(C) the principle of reciprocity
The passage of legislation in Congress often
depends on mutual accommodations among
members. This suggests that, to some extent,
congressional behavior is based on - ANSWER-the principle of reciprocity
deference to state legislatures - ANSWER-humble submission and respect to state legislatures
the principle of reciprocity - ANSWER-in many social situations we pay back what we received from others. In other words, if John does you a favor, you're likely to return it to him
10. Which of the following statements accurately
describes the president's veto power?
I. A president sometimes threatens to veto a
bill that is under discussion in order to
influence congressional decision making.
II. A president typically vetoes about a third of
the bills passed by Congress.
III. Congress is usually unable to override a
president's veto.
(A) I only
(B) III only
(C) I and III only
(D) II and III only
(E) I, II, and III - ANSWER-(C) I and III only
I. A president sometimes threatens to veto a
bill that is under discussion in order to
influence congressional decision making.
III. Congress is usually unable to override a
president's veto.
Which of the following statements accurately
describes the president's veto power? - ANSWER-A president sometimes threatens to veto a
bill that is under discussion in order to
influence congressional decision making.
Congress is usually unable to override a
president's veto.
11. All of the following issues were decided at the
Constitutional Convention of 1787 EXCEPT
(A) representation in the legislature
(B) voting qualifications of the electorate
(C) the method of electing the president
(D) congressional power to override a
presidential veto
(E) qualifications for members of the House and
Senate - ANSWER-(B) voting qualifications of the electorate
All of the following issues were decided at the
Constitutional Convention of 1787 EXCEPT - ANSWER-voting qualifications of the electorate
Constitutional Convention of 1787 - ANSWER-in Philadelphia met between May and September of 1787 to address the problems of the weak central government that existed under the Articles of Confederation.
Oliver Ellsworth and Roger Sherman, among others, in what is sometimes called the Connecticut, or Great, Compromise, proposed a bicameral legislature with proportional representation in the lower house and equal representation of the states in the upper house. All revenue measures would originate in the lower house. That compromise was approved July 16.
the creation of a new form of government that allowed for several types of representation for the states. this resulted in the constitution.
12. Which of the following is an example of soft
money?
(A) Money that is given to a member of the
House of Representatives for a reelection
campaign
(B) Money that is given to a major party
candidate running for president
(C) Money that is given to a minor party
candidate running for Senate
(D) Money that is given to candidates for
Congress during primary campaigns
(E) Money that is given to a political party for
advertisements about the party's goals - ANSWER-(E) Money that is given to a political party for
advertisements about the party's goals
Which of the following is an example of soft
money? - ANSWER-Money that is given to a political party for
advertisements about the party's goals
soft money - ANSWER-a contribution to a political party that is not accounted as going to a particular candidate, thus avoiding various legal limitations.
13. The usefulness to the president of having cabinet
members as political advisers is undermined by
the fact that
(A) the president has little latitude in choosing
cabinet members
(B) cabinet members have no political support
independent of the president
(C) cabinet members are usually drawn from
Congress and retain loyalties to Congress
(D) the loyalties of cabinet members are often
divided between loyalty to the president and
loyalty to their own executive departments
(E) the cabinet operates as a collective unit and
individual members have no access to the
president - ANSWER-(D) the loyalties of cabinet members are often
divided between loyalty to the president and
loyalty to their own executive departments
The usefulness to the president of having cabinet
members as political advisers is undermined by
the fact that - ANSWER-the loyalties of cabinet members are often
divided between loyalty to the president and
loyalty to their own executive departments
14. All of the following are constitutional rights that
neither the federal government nor the states can
restrict EXCEPT the right to
(A) remain silent during questioning
(B) be represented by counsel
(C) be indicted by grand jury
(D) not be tried for the same offense twice
(E) receive a trial by jury in a criminal case - ANSWER-(C) be indicted by grand jury
All of the following are constitutional rights that
neither the federal government nor the states can
restrict EXCEPT the right to - ANSWER-be indicted by grand jury
be indicted by grand jury - ANSWER-formally accuse of or charge with a serious crime by the grand jury
grand jury - ANSWER-a jury, normally of twenty-three jurors, selected to examine the validity of an accusation before trial
15. In the electoral history of the United States,
third parties have been effective vehicles of
protest when they
(A) aligned themselves with one of the
major parties
(B) presented innovative programs in Congress
(C) dramatized issues and positions that were
being ignored by the major parties
(D) chose the president by depriving either of
the major parties of an electoral college
victory
(E) supported a political agenda that appealed
especially to women - ANSWER-(C) dramatized issues and positions that were
being ignored by the major parties
In the electoral history of the United States,
third parties have been effective vehicles of
protest when they - ANSWER-dramatized issues and positions that were
being ignored by the major parties
16. Which of the following best defines the term
"judicial activism"?
(A) The tendency of judges to hear large
numbers of cases on social issues
(B) The efforts of judges to lobby Congress
for funds
(C) The unwillingness of judges to remove
themselves from cases in which they have a
personal interest
(D) The attempts by judges to influence election
outcomes
(E) The attempts by judges to influence public
policy through their case decisions - ANSWER-(E) The attempts by judges to influence public
policy through their case decisions
Which of the following best defines the term
"judicial activism"? - ANSWER-The attempts by judges to influence public
policy through their case decisions
17. High levels of political participation have been
found to be positively associated with which of
the following?
I. A high level of interest in politics
II. A sense of political efficacy
III. A strong sense of civic duty
(A) III only
(B) I and II only
(C) I and III only
(D) II and III only
(E) I, II, and III - ANSWER-(E) I, II, and III
I. A high level of interest in politics
II. A sense of political efficacy
III. A strong sense of civic duty
High levels of political participation have been
found to be positively associated with which of
the following? - ANSWER-A high level of interest in politics
A sense of political efficacy
A strong sense of civic duty
18. In the past 30 years, the single most important
variable in determining the outcome of an
election for a member of the House of
Representatives has been
(A) incumbency
(B) the candidate's personal wealth
(C) the previous political office the candidate
held in the district
(D) the candidate's membership in the political
party of the president
(E) the candidate's positions on key social issues - ANSWER-(A) incumbency
In the past 30 years, the single most important
variable in determining the outcome of an
election for a member of the House of
Representatives has been - ANSWER-incumbency
Incumbency - ANSWER-the holder of an office or ecclesiastical benefice;
one that occupies a particular position or place;
***the period during which someone has a particular official position***
19. Which of the following best describes the
concept of federalism embodied in the United
States government?
(A) The Constitution divides power between a
central government and its constituent
governments, with some powers being
shared.
(B) The Constitution grants all governmental
powers to the central government, which
may delegate authority to state governments.
(C) State governments join together and form a
central government, which exists solely by
approval of the state governments.
(D) The central government creates state
governments.
(E) State governments are sovereign in all
matters except foreign policy, which is
reserved to the central government. - ANSWER-(A) The Constitution divides power between a
central government and its constituent
governments, with some powers being
shared.
Which of the following best describes the
concept of federalism embodied in the United
States government? - ANSWER-The Constitution divides power between a
central government and its constituent
governments, with some powers being
shared.
federalism - ANSWER-the distribution of power in an organization (such as a government) between a central authority and the constituent units [Show Less]
