Based on his conception of responsible citizenship, John Stuart Mill felt that the best form of government was:
a. Authoritarianism
b. Anarchism
c.
... [Show More] Communism
d. Democracy
e. Socialism - ANSWER-Democracy
According to the Declaration of Independence, governments get their "just powers" from:
a. God Almighty
b. the consent of the governed
c. the various factions
d. the teachings of Jesus Christ
e. the benevolence of a just king - ANSWER-the consent of the governed
Which of the following is NOT one of the core values of American political culture:
a. individualism
b. equality
c. cooperation
d. liberty
e. self-government - ANSWER-cooperation
Prussian-military theorist Carl von Clausewitz referred to politics as:
a. like making sausage
b. the burden of citizens
c. a means to an end
d. war by other means
e. a necessary evil - ANSWER-war by other means
The Bill of Rights:
a. reduced the restrictiveness of constitutionalism
b. enhanced the powers of the executive
c. further checked the power of the majority
d. enhanced the majoritarian nature of government
e. restricted the power of corporate influence in the government - ANSWER-further checked the power of the majority
Roughly two-thirds of all lobbyists in the nation's capital represent:
a. activist organizations
b. labor unions
c. business firms
d. foreign-based political action groups
e. nonprofit organizations - ANSWER-business firms
The United States has certain rules in place to keep politics within peaceful bounds. These rules include all of the following EXCEPT:
a. autocracy
b. democracy
c. constitutionalism
d. free markets
e. none of these answers is correct - ANSWER-autocracy
Compared to two decades ago, contemporary Americans are, on average:
a. far better informed about political affairs
b. at about the same level of being informed about political affairs
c. getting most of their news from traditional media sources such as newspapers
d. much more knowledgeable about the functioning of America's political institutions
e. paying more attention to news sources that have an obvious ideological bias - ANSWER-paying more attention to news sources that have an obvious ideological bias
Which of the following is an accurate description of the prevalence of college education in the United States?
a. Among adults twenty-one years of age and older, roughly half are college graduates
b. Among adults twenty-one years of age and older, roughly one in four is a college graduate
c. Every US state has at least twenty colleges or universities within its borders
d. Despite having a much higher rate of colleges and universities per capita than European countries; the US has a lower rate of college graduation per capita
e. Although the US has a lower number of colleges and universities per capita than Europe, it has a much higher rate of college graduation per capita - ANSWER-Among adults twenty-one years of age and older, roughly one in four is a college graduate
To the framers, the great danger of democratic government was the risk of:
a. tyranny of the majority
b. elite rule
c. special-interest politics
d. a weak presidency
e. judicial imperialism - ANSWER-tyranny of the majority
President John Adams publicly indicated that:
a. the federal government would not use force against common people that were simply seeking their unalienable rights
b. the Constitution was designed for a governing elite
c. dissent against the federal government would be welcomed as part of the birthing pangs of a republic
d. he disagreed with the concept of a republic and preferred more direct democratic rule
e. he felt he was the president of the "common folk" - ANSWER-the Constitution was designed for a governing elite
Progressive reforms included:
a. primary elections
b. direct election of US senators
c. the initiative and referendum
d. recall elections
e. all these answers are correct - ANSWER-all these answers are correct
Edmund Burke's idea of representatives as trustees was based on the claim that:
a. representatives should follow their own judgment of the public interest
b. representatives should follow the voters' judgment of the public interest
c. indirect election is a more trustworthy means of discovering the public interest
d. direct election is a more trustworthy means of discovering the public interest
e. none of these answers is correct - ANSWER-representatives should follow their own judgement of public interest
Where is the Bill of Rights found in the Constitution?
a. Article 1, Section B
b. Article II
c. the first ten amendments
d. amendments 17 through 26
e. Article III - ANSWER-the first ten amendments
Marbury v Madison was an ingenious decision because it:
a. turned a case that involved the issue of states' right into one that asserted national power
b. redefined the constitutional relationship between the president and Congress
c. asserted the power of the judiciary without creating the possibility of its rejection by either the executive or the legislative branch
d. turned a case that involved the issue of states' rights into one that asserted judicial power of the institutions of society
e. gave more power to the presidency at the expense of Congress - ANSWER-asserted the power of the judiciary without creating the possibility of its rejection by either the executive or the legislative branch
Which of the following aspects of US government might be used as part of an argument that the US is less democratic than some other democracies?
a. the extension of popular direct election to office
b. the frequency of election of its larger legislative body
c. its extensive reliance on primary elections
d. the frequency of election of its chief executive
e. its staggered terms of office of members of the legislature - ANSWER-its staggered terms of office of members of the legislature
In his criticism of the Constitution, the economist Charles Beard argued that:
a. the Constitution's elaborate systems of power and representation were designed to protect the interests of the rich
b. the Constitution failed to protect the economic interests of the poorer states
c. the Constitution's commerce clause was inadequate to meet the nation's economic needs
d. the Constitution did not provide for sufficient protection of property
e. the Constitution gave too much power to the illerate - ANSWER-the Constitution's elaborate systems of power and representation were designed to protect the interests of the rich
The enumerated powers in Article I of the Constitution were intended to:
a. limit the powers of the state governments
b. ensure that neither small nor large states would be at a disadvantage
c. ensure that neither norther nor southern states would be at a disadvantage
d. establish a government strong enough to forge a union that was secure in its defense and stable in its economy
e. limit the power of the presidency - ANSWER-establish a government strong enough to forge a union that was secure in its defense and stable in its economy
The doctrine of nullification is most closely associated with:
a. Thomas Jefferson
b. Andrew Jackson
c. Roger B Taney
d. John C Calhoun
e. John Marshall - ANSWER-John C Calhoun
Which of the following statements is true?
a. the federal government raises roughly as much revenue from taxation as all state and local governments combined
b. the federal government raises significantly more tax revenue than all state and local governments combined
c. state and local government combined raise twice as much revenue from taxation as the federal government
d. state and local governments combined raise three times as much revenue from taxation as the federal government
e. state and local governments combined raise six times as much revenue as the federal government - ANSWER-the federal government raises roughly as much revenue from taxation as all state and local governments combined
During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the national government:
a. provided vast sums to business firms to keep them out of bankruptcy
b. provided health care to Americans on a temporary basis as a means of alleviating economic hardships
c. asserted the power to regulate the nation's economy
d. provided vast sums to the states so they could meet their citizens' welfare needs
e. utilized laissez-faire capitalism in its policies - ANSWER-asserted the power to regulate the nation's economy
Which decision is indicative of how the Supreme Court interpreted the Fourteenth Amendment and state discretion in civil rights matters in the decades after the Civil War?
a. Brown vs Board of Education
b. the Dred Scott decision
c. Plessy vs Ferguson
d. McCulloch vs Maryland
e. Gibbons vs Ogden - ANSWER-Plessy vs Ferguson
The "separate but equal" standard was created by:
a. Congress
b. the Supreme Court
c. the state supreme court of Virginia
d. President Ulysses S Grant
e. Justice John Marshall Harlan - ANSWER-the Supreme Court
In Lochner vs New York (1905), the Supreme Court ruled that:
a. the doctrine of separate but equal was constitutional
b. state regulation of labor practices violated firms' property rights
c. the Fourth Amendment did not apply to interstate commerce
d. factory practices could only be regulated by the states
e. factory practices could only be regulated by the federal government - ANSWER-state regulation of labor practices violated firms' property rights
Which of the following has democracy come to mean in practice?
a. pluralistic government through the combination of popularly elected representatives and the influence of interest groups
b. oligarchic government through a legislature chosen through popular election
c. elitist control through interest group politics
d. pluralism through the election of representatives and the influence of corporate interests
e. majority rule through the free and open election of representatives - ANSWER-majority rule through the free and open election of representatives
In a constitutional system:
a. there are no restrictions on the lawful uses of power, as long as this power is obtained by majority rule
b. there are lawful restrictions on a government's power
c. the economy is based on the free enterprise system
d. officials govern according to the traditions established by their predecessors
e. all citizens have absolute free speech rights - ANSWER-there are lawful restrictions on a government's power
According to political scientist Louis Hartz, the United States
a. constitutes a "corporate dictatorship"
b. was "born free"
c. formed a perfect union
d. is basically a monarchial state
e. "perfected" socialist democracy - ANSWER-was "born free"
From 1945 until the late 1960s, there was the highest degree of bipartisanship in the area of:
a. economic regulation
b. taxation levels
c. civil rights
d. foreign affairs
e. environmental policy - ANSWER-foreign affairs
What new policy was established by the US Supreme Court's landmark Gideon vs Wainwright ruling?
a. the right to trial by jury
b. the need to charge an arrested suspect with a specific crime within 24 hours of arrest
c. the requirement that police read a suspect his rights before or during arrest
d. government provision of free legal counsel to the accused if they are too poor to hire a laywer
e. the practice of allowing a suspect out on bail until the time of the trial - ANSWER-government provision of free legal counsel to the accused if the are too poor to hire a lawyer
Research suggests which of the following is primarily to blame for misinformation about political affairs spreading easily?
a. lack of exposure to other sources of information
b. a failure by the news media to cover both sides of a story fairly
c. a growing disinterest in seeking out news items
d. the growing public gap in access to more advanced forms of medial transmission, such as the internet
e. the increasing political polarization of elected politicians - ANSWER-lack of exposure to other sources of information
____________ is the ability of persons, groups, or institutions to influence political developments:
a. Apathy
b. Politics
c. Power
d. Liberty
e. Political culture - ANSWER-Power
As described in the text, "political thinking"
a. is the reflection of an individual's ideological position when applied to political issues
b. results from an individual allowing personal bias to inform all thoughts about political issues, instead of doing objective learning or research to form an opinion
c. involves the careful gathering and sifting of information in the process of forming a knowledgeable view about a political issue
d. is the result of an individuals attempts to seek out news media that reinforce a pre-existing political bias
e. is a strategy taken by those seeking election to public office in which their publicly stated positions are designed to maximize their attractiveness to the widest voting block - ANSWER-involves the careful gathering and sifting of information in the process of forming a knowledgeable view about a political issue
The person who was the chief architect of the United States Constitution and also one of America's top political scientists:
a. James Madison
b. Andrew Jackson
c. Woodrow Wilson
d. Benjamin Franklin
e. John Adams - ANSWER-James Madison
During the debates over the ratification of the Constitution, most people assumed that this person would be the first president:
a. James Madison
b. George Washington
c. Thomas Jefferson
d. Alexander Hamilton
e. Benjamin Franklin - ANSWER-George Washington
The direct election of US senators came about due to:
a. passage of the Second Amendment
b. political pressure from the Progressives
c. Jeffersonian democracy
d. Jacksonian democracy
e. the fact that state legislators no longer desired to select them - ANSWER-political pressure from the Progressives
A contemporary legislator who voted for a bill because of a belief in its benefit, even though his constituents back home overwhelmingly opposed the bill, would be performing the Edmund Burke role of:
a. trustee
b. deleate
c. statesperson
d. politician
e. oversight - ANSWER-trustee
The Constitution forbids Congress from:
a. proposing constitutional amendments
b. passing ex post facto laws
c. declaring war
d. proposing the repeal of constitutional amendments
e. creating a national university - ANSWER-passing ex pos facto laws
Marbury vs Madison is a landmark Supreme Court decision because it:
a. established national supremacy
b. set the precedent for judicial review
c. defined the scope of state powers under the Tenth Amendment
d. affirmed the necessary and proper clause
e. helped to end Thomas Jefferson's political career - ANSWER-set the precedent for judicial review
Which of the following was an argument in favor of federalism at the time of the writing of the Constitution?
a. Federalism will protect liberty
b. Federalism will force officials to be more responsive to the people
c. Federalism will provide for a stronger national government than existed under the Articles of Confederation
d. Federalism will be less likely to produce an all-dominant faction
e. all of these answers are correct - ANSWER-all of these answers are correct
___________ opposed the ratification of the US Constitution
a. George Washington
b. Patrick Henry
c. James Madison
d. Benjamin Franklin
e. John Adams - ANSWER-Patrick Henry
Which of the following is almost exclusively a state power?
a. chartering banks
b. delivering mail
c. law enforcement
d. registering voters
e. loaning money - ANSWER-registering voters
The only counterforce that was potentially strong enough to control the business trusts of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was:
a. government
b. the buying public
c. organized labor
d. business competitors
e. farmers - ANSWER-government
The 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act:
a. was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 2012
b. initially had the support of nearly every single state
c. was passed by strong bipartisan majorities
d. is a voluntary program with no penalties for nonparticipation
e. none of these answers is correct - ANSWER-none of these answers is correct
Through its Dred Scott decision, the Supreme Court:
a. ruled that "free land" made "free men"
b. upheld free blacks' rights of citizenship
c. upheld the principles of the Missouri Compromise
d. soothed sectarian tensions
e. ruled that Congress could not outlaw slavery anywhere in the United States - ANSWER-ruled that Congress could not outlaw slavery anywhere in the United States
The individual right that is widely regarded as the most basic of individual rights is:
a. the right to an attorney
b. freedom of expression
c. the right to a jury trial
d. the right to an adequate education
e. protection against illegal searches and seizures - ANSWER-the freedom of expression
Which of the following, relative to the others, is typically more protective of individual rights?
a. the US Congress
b. the general public
c. public opinion
d. the presidency
e. the judiciary - ANSWER-the judiciary
According to the Supreme court, prayer in public schools violates:
a. the free exercise clause
b. the establishment clause
c. the exclusionary rule
d. procedural due process
e. the clear and present danger test - ANSWER-the establishment clause
The inclusion of certain provisions of the Bill of Rights through the Fourteenth Amendment, so that these rights are protected from infringements by the state governments, is called:
a. the preferred position doctrine
b. procedural change
c. selective incorporation
d. the absorption doctrine
e. prior restraint - ANSWER-selective incorporation
Which of the following amendments contains a due process clause?
a. First
b. Tenth
c. Third
d. Fourteenth
e. Twenty-first - ANSWER-Fourteenth
Which country has the highest proportion of women serving in its national legislatures?
a. Sweden
b. United States
c. Japan
d. Germany
e. Canada - ANSWER-Sweden
Of the following states, which one has the LOWEST percentage of Hispanics in its population:
a. Washington
b. New Mexico
c. California
d. Arizona
e. Texax - ANSWER-Washington
The first large and well-organized attempt to promote women's rights came in 1848 in:
a. Boston, Massachusetts
b. San Francisco, California
c. Minneapolis, Minnesota
d. Seneca Falls, New York
e. Madison, Wisconsin - ANSWER-Seneca Falls, New York
Which of the following had the GREATEST impact on increasing voting rates by African Americans?
a. Nineteenth Amendment
b. Twenty-fourth Amendment
c. the ending of whites-only primaries
d. the Civil Rights Act of 1964
e the Voting Rights Act of 1965 - ANSWER-The Voting Rights Act of 1965
Which of the following groups is LEAST likely to identify with the Democratic party?
a. Hispanics
b. African Americans
c. white women
d. white southerners
e. white liberals - ANSWER-white southerners
Regarding same-sex marriages, it is true that:
a. the Supreme Court upheld the Defense of Marriage Act in 2013
b. several states have recently reversed earlier legal approval of the practice
c. younger people are more likely to approve of it than older people are
d. it first became legal in New York
e. it is a state issue that is beyond federal control or influence - ANSWER-younger people are more likely to approve of it than older people are
Selective perception is primarily a result of:
a. economic class
b. religion
c. partisanship
d. race and ethnicity
e. age and generational beliefs - ANSWER-partisanship
Sources of polling error can include:
a. question order
b. unrepresentative samples
c. respondents' lack of knowledge or interest in the issue
d. question wording
e. all of these answers are correct - ANSWER-all of these answers are correct
According to a recent Pew Research Center poll, young adults are substantially more likely than senior citizens to support:
a. stronger environmental regulations
b. affirmative action
c. religious teaching in public schools
d. strengthening social security
e. the use of military force - ANSWER-stronger environmental regulations
Each of the following statements could be considered true of either economic or social liberals, EXCEPT that:
a. they favor government activism in the area of distribution of economic benefits
b. they prefer a smaller role for government in upholding social and cultural traditions
c. they favor more government spending for the poor
d. they believe lifestyle choices should be left to the individual
e. they believe that government should be used to promote traditional values - ANSWER-they believe that government should be used to promote traditional values
The Tea Party's key initial issue was:
a. support for American military involvement in Iraq
b. support for American military involvement in Afghanistan
c. opposition to President Obama's climate change policies
d. opposition to high taxes
e. opposition to the Occupy Wall Street movement - ANSWER-opposition to high taxes
Which of the following countries has had the LOWEST estimated voter turnout in major national elections in recent decades?
a. Denmark
b. Germany
c. United States
e. Belgium
f. Canada - ANSWER-United States
One's sense of civic duty and sense of apathy are attitudes that are usually acquired from one's
a. economic status
b. community
c. education
d. parents
e. experience with voting - ANSWER-parents
African American men technically gained suffrage with the passage of the _______ Amendment
a. Fifteenth
b. Nineteenth
c. Twenty-First
d. Twenty-Third
e. Twenty-Sixth - ANSWER-Fifteenth
Which of the following is an accurate representation of the public's opinion about leaders and their accountability?
a. Most citizens have a high opinion of Congress as a whole but say they have little confidence in their local representative in Congress
b. Most citizens have a high opinion of both Congress as a whole and their local representative in Congress
c. Most citizens have a low opinion of Congress as a whole but say they have confidence in their local representative in Congress
d. Most citizens have a low opinion of Congress as a whole and also of their local representative in Congress
e. Most citizens do not feel that their local representatives in Congress should be held accountable for the votes they have to make in order to stay in line with their party's platform - ANSWER-Most citizens have a low opinion of Congress as a whole but say they have confidence in their local representative in Congress
National party organizations can dictate the day-to-day decisions of:
a. local party organizations only
b. state party organizations only
c. local and state party organizations
d. neither local nor state party organizations
e. party leaders in Congress - ANSWER-neither local nor state party organizations
Some analysts predict that soon the most important medium of election politics will be:
a. television
b. the internet
c. radio
d. newspapers
e. magazines - ANSWER-the internet
Which institution receives the most news coverage from the national press?
a. the Presidency
b. US House of Representatives
c. US Senate
d. the Supreme Coury
c. the federal bureaucracy - ANSWER-the Presidency
Daily Kos and the Drudge Report are most similar to:
a. news programs
b. talk shows
c. entertainment shows
d. reality TV
e. weekly news magazines - ANSWER-talk shows
One of the reasons the reporting of national news is relatively uniform among news sources is that:
a. the government dictates much of what is reported
b. there are only a few important events each day that merit news coverage
c. the network newscasts are brief and the day's top stories tend to dominate
d. reporters are not given much freedom by their editors
e. modern journalists have become fairly lazy and use mostly wire reports to create news copy for the network newscasts - ANSWER-the network newscasts are brief and the day's top stories tend to dominate
The theory that society's interests are most effectively represented through group action is:
a. republicanism
b. constitutionalism
c. elitist theory
d. pluralist theory
e. interest-group liberalism - ANSWER-pluralist theory
James Madison's solution to the problem of factions (special interests) has, in the modern policy process, actually contributed to the problem by:
a. suppressing the claims of special interests, thereby making it more difficult for them to get their opinions heard by officials
b. resulting in a fragmentation of authority among policymakers, thereby providing groups more opportunities to get their way
c. eroding the strength of political parties, thereby increasing the opportunity for group influence
d. weakening the legislative branch, thereby allowing groups to bully Congress into accepting their demands
e. eroding the power of the mass media, thereby increasing the opportunity for group influence - ANSWER-resulting in a fragmentation of authority among policymakers, thereby providing groups more opportunities to get their way
Political scientist Theodore Lowi has questioned pluralist theory by suggesting that:
a. special interests should never receive benefits from government
b. there is no concept of the public interest in a system that gives special interests the ability to determine the policies affecting them.
c. policies that favor a series of minorities are inherently fairer than policies that ignore small groups in favor of a majority
d. the sum of people's special interests is a rough approximation of society's collective interests
e. Madisonian theory has created a perfect bdlance of special interest and common good - ANSWER-there is no concept of the public interest in a system that gives special interests the ability to determine the policies affecting them
In acknowledging the dilemma inherent in group activity, James Madison:
a. argued that the free-rider problem would hurt some groups more than others
b. claimed that government could listen to all groups, but should only enact policies that promote the interests of majority groups
c. worried that government would be overly dominated by groups, but recognized that a free society is obliged to permit the advocacy of self-interest
d. argued that government must restrict the activities of groups, so that political parties could act as the major instrument of democracy
e. all of these answers are correct - ANSWER-worried that government would be overly dominated by groups, but recognized that a free society is obliged to permit the advocacy of self-interest
An informal group of officials, lobbyists, and policy specialists who come together temporarily around a policy problem is:
a. an iron triangle
b. an issue network
c. a caucus
d. a policy system
e. an ideological network - ANSWER-an issue network
Grassroots lobbying is based on the assumption that officials will respond to:
a. well-reasoned policy arguments
b. the opportunity for extensive medial publicity
c. moral pleas
d. the efforts of party organizations
e. pressure from constituents - ANSWER-pressure from constituents
A main difference between iron triangles and issue networks is that:
a. an iron triangle includes members of the legislature, executive, and judicial branches, while issue networks bypass the judicial branch
b. issue networks involve a stable group of bureaucrats, legislators, and lobbyists, while iron triangles exclude lobbyists in an attempt to reach impartial decisions
c. issue networks are generally less stable than iron triangles, in that the members of an issue network may change as the issue delveops
d. issue networks, being less formal, rely on outside lobbying only, while iron triangles use inside lobbying only
e. all of these answers are correct - ANSWER-issue networks are generally less stable than iron triangles, in that the members of an issue network may change as the issue develops
The term iron triangle refers to:
a. a tightly-knit set of lobbying groups
b. the relationship among the Congress, the military, and defense contractors
c. a small and informal but relatively stable set of bureaucrats, legislators, and lobbyists who are concerned with promoting a particular interest
d. the strategy of lobbying all three branches of government simultaneously
e. a corrupt relationship among the president, Congress, and the Supreme Court - ANSWER-a small and informal but relatively stable set of bureaucrats, legislators, and lobbyists who are concerned with promoting a particular interest
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, what was roughly the amount spent on lobbying in the United States in 2009?
a. $250 billion
b. $10 billion
c. $350 million
d. $35 billion
e. $3.5 billion - ANSWER-$ 3.5 billion
"Agency capture" occurs when
a. a regulatory agency funnels money back into the lobbying organizations that are seeking policy changes
b. regulatory agencies side with the industries they are supposed to regulate rather than with the public
c. the executive branch takes back control of a regulatory agency
d. a regulatory agency must be dismantled because it has become corrupted
e. an election results in the replacement of an agency's leadership through appointive positions under a new president - ANSWER-regulatory agencies side with the industries they are supposed to regulate rather than with the publi
Most lobbyists receive support from elected officials in direct exchange for:
a. money
b. information
c. bribery
d. coercion
e. deception - ANSWER-information
PAC contributions account for about ________ percent of total contributions to congressional campaigns
a. 6
b. 11
c. 25
d. 41
e. 60 - ANSWER-25
Super PACs have been criticized primarily for
a. being a tool that provides unfair advantages to liberal Democrats
b. leveling the playing field for monetary influence in federal elections
c. making it more likely that minor parties will gain control of government
d. giving too much influence to the wealthy
e. refusing to abide by FEC regulations - ANSWER-giving too much influence to the wealthy
The framers of the Constitution saw the _______ as the preeminent component of the federal government
a. Supreme Court
b. bureaucracy
c. Congress
d. president
e. None of these are correct - ANSWER-Congress
What percentage of state legislators are women?
a. less than 5 percent
b. more than 20 percent
c. about 50 percent
d. about 60 percent
e. more than 40 percent - ANSWER-more than 20 percent
In which of the following legislative sessions did Democrats have the majority in the House of Representatives?
a. 2003-2004
b. 2005-2006
c. 2009-2010
d. 2011-2012
e. 2013-2014 - ANSWER-2009-2010
The trading of votes between members of Congress so that each gets the legislation he or she wants is called
a. gerrymandering
b. pandering
c. logrolling
d. pork-barreling
e. cloturing - ANSWER-logrolling
Redistricting
a. happens every 4 years
b. is conducted by state legislatures
c. must be approved by Congress
d. must be approved by the highest court in each state
e. has little appreciable effect on who wins or loses congressional races - ANSWER-is conducted by state legislatures
The scheduling of bills in the Senate is left up to
a. the Senate Scheduling Committee
b. the Senate majority leader
c. each of the Senate committees
d. the Senate historian
e. the Senate parliamentarian - ANSWER-the Senate majority leader
The oversight responsibility of Congress is
a. relatively easy to carry out
b. becoming less and less important to the nation
c. empowered by control of yearly budgets
d. the most time-consuming task for most legislators
e. none of these answers is correct - ANSWER-empowered by control of yearly budgets
A standing committee in the House or Senate
a. is a permanent committee
b. has jurisdiction over a particular policy area
c. has authority to draft, amend, and recommend legislations
d. is usually organized according to the seniority principle
e. all of these answers are correct - ANSWER-all of these answers are correct
Defining the conditions and scheduling a bill for floor debate in the House of Representatives is the responsibility of the
a. Ways and Means Committee
b. Rules Committee
c. Budget Committee
d. Appropriations Committee
e. Judiciary Committee - ANSWER-Rules Committee
Committee staffs within Congress
a. concentrate on constitutency relations
b. perform an almost entirely legislative function
c. concentrate on public relations
d. split their time between legislative functions and public relations
e. are devoted to logistical functions and committee public relations - ANSWER-perform an almost entirely legislative function
Approximately ___________ percent of Senate incumbents win reelection
a. 57
b. 65
c. 74
d. 84
e. 98 - ANSWER-84
The second-most powerful federal official (after the president) is often said to be the:
a. chair of the House Appropriations Committee
b. president pro tempore of the US Senate
c. Speaker of the US House of Representatives
d. chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
e. Senate majority leader - ANSWER-Speaker of the US House of Representatives
Which of the following is true of the vice presidency?
a. Presidents in the nineteenth century paid more attention to their vice presidents and granted them more authority
b. The Constitution assigns no executive authority to the vice president
c. Jimmy Carter reduced the power of the vice presidency by removing the vice president's office from the White House
d. The constitutional powers of the vice presidency have been increased by Congress twice during US history
e. Daniel Webster and Henry Clay accepted nominations to the vice presidency as stepping stones to the presidency - ANSWER-the Constitution assigns no executive authority to the vice president
Congress has formally declared war ________ times in US history
a. 2
b. 5
c. 55
d. almost 200
e. close to 350 - ANSWER-5
The only two states that are exceptions to the unit rule are:
a. Michigan and Montana
b. New Hampshire and Vermont
c. Maine and Nebraska
d. Georgia and Louisiana
e. Rhode Island and Oregon - ANSWER-Maine and Nebraska
Why did President Obama sign the 2014 farm bill?
a. He wanted the support of farm states for his reelection bid
b. It was almost exactly the bill he wanted
c. It was close to the bill he wanted, with a few exceptions
d. He recognized he had no chance of getting a better farm bill
e. None of these answers is correct - ANSWER-He recognized he had no chance of getting a better farm bill
Which of the following states is MOST likely to be a battleground state in the next presidential election?
a. North Dakota
b. New York
c. Alabama
d. Colorado
e. California - ANSWER-Colorado
Congress oversees the bureaucracy by using
a. sunset provisions
b. the Government Accounting Office
c. oversight hearings
d. all of these: sunset provisions, the Government Accounting Office, and oversight hearings
e. None of these answers is correct - ANSWER-all of these: sunset provisions, the Government Accounting Office, and oversight hearings
In the late 1800s, rapid economic growth placed new demands on the federal government and led it to:
a. create new federal departments build around economic interests
b. establish the Senior Executive Service
c. reorganize the cabinet in order to make it the center of economic policy making
d. both create new federal departments built around economic interests, and establish the Senior Executive Service
e. None of these answers is correct - ANSWER-create new federal departments built around economic interests
Which of the following agencies or departments is likely to have strong allies from a group of particular states in Congress?
a. the Department of State
b. the Central Intelligence Agency
c. the Environmental Protection Agency
d. the Department of Agriculture
e. the Federal Trade Commission - ANSWER-the department of Agriculture
Amtrak is an example of a(n)
a. cabinet department
b. government corporation
c. independent agency
d. regulatory agency
e. presidential commission - ANSWER-government corporation
The facts of a case
a. are largely irrelevant, in that the judiciary has wide freedom with decisions
b. affect which law or laws will apply to the case
c. are important only if the case involves a statutory dispute
d. are important only if the case involves a constitutional dispute
e. are important about 50 percent of the time - ANSWER-affect which law or laws will apply to the case
Compared to Supreme Court nominations, those for the lower federal courts
a. are, although much greater in number, irrelevant to a president's policy agenda
b. are not subject to partisan consideration
c. have typically involved nominees who held elective office, particularly a seat in the US Senate
d. are not subject to the senatorial courtesy
e. none of these answers is corect - ANSWER-none of these answers is correct
The long-serving chief justice that established the principle of judicial review was
a. Charles Evans Hughes
b. Hugo Black
c. Clarence Thomas
d. John Marshall
e. Benjamin Card - ANSWER-John Marshall
With regard to public opinion, the Supreme Court
a. ignores it in order to make decisions that are based on enduring values rather than the public's passing whims
b. remains uninformed about it because justices stay on the bench for life and never face the public scrutiny of an election
c. attempts to stay close enough to public opinion so as to avoid outright defiance of its decisions
d. attempts to follow it very closely in order to create public enthusiasm for its rulings
e. none of these answers is correct - ANSWER-attempts to stay close enough to public opinion so as to avoid outright defiance of its decisions
If the economy is sluggish, with low productivity and high unemployment, the fiscal policy action on the demand side would be to:
a. increase taxes
b. cut business taxes
c. increase government spending
d. decrease government spending
e. none of these answers is correct - ANSWER-increase government spending
The Federal Reserve plays a large part in establishing _________ policy
a. monetary
b. military
c. fiscal
d. budgetary
e. security - ANSWER-monetary
The primary purpose of the Troubled Asset Relief Program was to
a. quickly provide jobs to the unemployed
b. shore up shaky financial institutions
c. lower the rate of inflation
d demonstrate that only the Fed controlled economic policy
e. help out the European economy and boost demand for American exports - ANSWER-shore up shaky financial institutions
What happened after Lehman Brothers went out of business in September of 2008?
a. the stock market rose dramatically
b. the stock market rose slightly
c. the stock market was essentially unchanged
d. the stock market dropped slightly
e. the stock market dropped dramatically - ANSWER-the stock market dropped dramatically
Who among the framers of the Constit [Show Less]