Which of the following best explains the consistent growth of the federal bureaucracy over the past hundred years?
(A) Increases in federal income tax
... [Show More] since 1925
(B) The inability of Congress to cut programs
(C) The success of Democratic presidents in promoting their policies
(D) Public demand for, and expectation of, social services
(E) United States Supreme Court rulings requiring Congress to assist those living in poverty - Answer- Public demand for, and expectation of, social services
Public opinion is given a lot of attention in democracies because the democratic form of government rests on
(A) underwriting by the wealthy
(B) access to politicians
(C) the consent of the governed
(D) mobilization of the poor
(E) the capabilities of bureaucrats - Answer- (C) the consent of the governed
3. An oral statement that is false and intended to damage an individual is known as
(A) slander
(B) libel
(C) testimony
(D) argument
(E) free speech - Answer- (A) slander
4. Which of the following is clearly a task charged to the Federal Reserve as a regulatory agency?
(A) Protecting market users and the public from fraud, manipulation and abusive practices related to the sale of commodity and financial futures and options
(B) Eliminating and preventing what regulators perceive to be harmfully anticompetitive business practices, such as coercive monopolies
(C) Disclosing campaign-finance information and overseeing the public funding of presidential elections
(D) Developing government-wide, cost-minimizing policies and offering superior workplaces, expert solutions, acquisition services and management policies
(E) Providing financial services to depository institutions, the United States government and foreign institutions, as well as playing a key role in operating the nation's payments system - Answer- (E) Providing financial services to depository institutions, the United States government and foreign institutions, as well as playing a key role in operating the nation's payments system
Although the Constitution does not explicitly give Congress the right to enact a military draft, which clause in the Constitution allows Congress to do so?
(A) Necessary and proper clause
(B) Take care clause
(C) Taxing and spending clause
(D) Due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment
(E) Equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment - Answer- (A) Necessary and proper clause
The formation of numerous interest groups during the post-Civil War industrialization shows the
(A) influence of debates about slavery on the public
(B) growing influence of women's rights groups
(C) minimal influence of the federal government on group formation
(D) influence of social tensions and economic stress on group formation
(E) shift in federal government funding for interest groups - Answer- (D) influence of social tensions and economic stress on group formation
Which of the following statements best reflects the pluralist theory of American politics?
(A) American politics is dominated by a small elite.
(B) 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 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 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 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
. 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
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
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
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.
The power of the Rules Committee in the House of Representatives primarily stems from its authority to
(A) choose the chairs of other standing committees and issue rules for the selection of subcommittee chairs
(B) initiate all spending legislation and hold budget hearings
(C) limit the time for debate and determine whether amendments to a bill can be considered
(D) determine the procedures by which nominations by the president will be approved by the House
(E) choose the president if no candidate wins a majority in the electoral college - Answer- (C) limit the time for debate and determine whether amendments to a bill can be considered
An election is a realigning or critical election if
(A) one party controls the Congress and the other controls the presidency
(B) voter turnout is higher than expected
(C) it occurs during a major war
(D) there is a lasting change in party coalitions
(E) the same party controls both Congress and the presidency - Answer- (D) there is a lasting change in party coalitions
Which of the following Supreme Court cases involved the principle of one person, one vote?
(A) Baker v. Carr
(B) Roe v. Wade
(C) Mapp v. Ohio
(D) Korematsu v. United States
(E) Gideon v. Wainwright - Answer- (A) Baker v. Carr
A theoretical explanation of the operation of diverse interests in American politics is found in
(A) the Virginia Plan
(B) John Stuart Mill's On Liberty
(C) The Federalist papers
(D) the Declaration of Independence
(E) John Locke's Two Treatises of Government - Answer- (C) The Federalist papers
The framers of the original Constitution thought that which of the following would best protect judicial independence?
(A) Presidential nomination and senatorial confirmation
(B) The circuit-riding system
(C) An odd number of Supreme Court justices
(D) Judicial impeachments
(E) Life tenure during good behavior - Answer- (E) Life tenure during good behavior
Which of the following best describes the relationship between socioeconomic status and participation in politics?
(A) The lower one's socioeconomic status, the more likely it is that one will run for public office.
(B) The higher one's socioeconomic status, the greater the probability of active involvement in the political process.
(C) Adults who are unemployed have a greater personal interest in policy and tend to participate more actively in politics than do employed adults.
(D) People in the lower socioeconomic status are the most likely to vote.
(E) There is no relationship between socioeconomic status and political participation. - Answer- (B) The higher one's socioeconomic status, the greater the probability of active involvement in the political process.
One important change in political culture since the Second World War is that United States citizens have become
(A) less trusting of governmental institutions and leaders
(B) less likely to think of themselves as ideologically moderate
(C) less likely to support civil rights
(D) more likely to believe that their actions can influence government policy
(E) more trusting of non governmental institutions and leaders - Answer- (A) less trusting of governmental institutions and leaders
. All of the following statements correctly describe judicial appointments at the federal level EXCEPT:
(A) Congress nominates and confirms all appointments to the federal judiciary
(B) Federal judicial appointments are typically evaluated by the American Bar Association or the Federalist Society.
(C) If a senator is a member of the president's party, tradition may allow the senator to exercise an informal veto over an individual being considered from the senator's state.
(D) Presidents seldom recommend for judicial appointment individuals from the opposition political party.
(E) Federal judgeships are often considered by presidents as patronage positions [Show Less]