AP Gov MC Questions

A tax whereby poor citizens pay a higher percentage of their incomes compared with wealthier citizens is known as a: A.) regressive tax B.) progressive tax C.) proportional tax D.) graduated income tax E.) flat tax

A

Which of the following is true of both members of the House of Representatives and senators? A.) They must be citizens of the United States. B.) They serve two-year terms of office C.) they can have their election chances directly affected by reapportionment D.) They must be at least thirty years of age. E.) They must have statewide appeal in order to get elected

A

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an example of: A.) a regulatory agency B.) an independent agency C.) a government corporation D.) a government department E.) a federal board

B

The Primary function of the White House staff is to: A.) initiate policy B.) Advise the president C.) represent the bureaucratic agencies D.) provide information to the Office Management and Budget E.) act as liaison with members of Congress

B

The number of justices on the United States Supreme Court is set by: A.) national convention B.) Congress C.) the president D.) the United States Constitution E.) the American Bar Association

B

The president's role as chief diplomat is derived from A.) informal powers B.) delegated powers C.) concurrent powers D.) reserved powers E.) expressed powers

B

The tree points of an iron triangle include A.) an independent agency, a state, and a member of Congress B.) administrative agency, and interest group, and a congressional committee C.) a cabinet department, an interest group, and the House majority leader D.) a regulatory commission, a corporation, and the White House Office E.) the ExecutiveOffice of the President, an interest group, and a Senate committee

B

Which of the following best defines civil liberties?: A.) The freedom to refuse to obey laws an individual considers to be immoral violation of civil rights. B.) Provisions in the Bill of Rights that provide guarantees against arbitrary interference by government C.) Precedents pertaining to criminal procedure that are set by the Supreme Court that are upheld in the lower courts. D.) Those features of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the Constitution that pertain to the actions of individuals and groups E.) Laws passed by Congress to define the powers and privileges of individuals

B

A referendum can best be described as a vote to: A.) choose party nominees B.) choose a candidate if no single candidate has a majority after the initial election C.) determine whether citizens support an action by their state legislature D.) remove elected officials from office E.) confirm political appointees

C

All of the following United States Supreme Court decisions strengthened the power of the federal government EXCEPT: A.) Gibbons v. Ogden B.) Marbury v. Madison C.) Dred Scott v. Sandford D.) McCullough v. Maryland E.) Korematsu v. United States

C

One example of constitutional checks and balances is: A.) the president declares war, but Congress appropriates military funds B.) the president nominates cabinet members and the House holds confirmation hearings C.) The House can impeach federal judges and the president, and the Senate holds the impeachment trial D.) Congress can override United States Supreme Court decisions on the constitutionality of laws E.) presidential vetoes of laws can be overridden by a simple majority vote in both the House and the Senate

C

The Bipartisan Campaign ReformActof 2002 (McCain-Feingold) did which of the following?: A.) It created interest groups known as 527s. B.) It made it illegal for unions to donate to presidential campaigns. C.) It banned soft money donations to national parties D.) It banned candidates from running negative advertisements. E.) It banned third-parties from federal funding.

C

The process known as front-loading refers to: A.) presidential candidates raising funds far in advance of the first presidential primary B.) a presidential candidate seeking endorsements before officially declaring candidacy C.) the tendency of states to choose an early date on the primary calendar D.) political action committees (PACs) contributing money to candidates at least one year before the first presdiential primary or caucus E.) The winner-take-all principle of the electoral college

C

the term "party machine" usually refers to a: A.) large national party organization that is hierarchically structured B.) local party organization relies heavily on the voluntary labor of all its members. C.) local party organization that is tightly disciplined and well staffed and relies on patronage to create party loyalty. D.) party organization in which political favors are distributed by national leaders in repayment for large contributions. E.) party organization in which major platform decisions are made behind closed doors rather than at national conventions

C

The government depicted above is best described by which of the following terms? A.) Nonpartisan government B.) Unicameral government C.) Unitary government D.) Divided government E.) Dealigned government

D

Which of the following is filed when an imprisoned person wants to be brought before a judge so that the judge can determine whether his or her imprisonment is legal? A.) Bill of attainder B.) Ex post facto petition C.) writ of certiorari D.) Habeas corpus petition E.) Amicus curiae brief

D

An election in which there is a significant shift in the bases of electoral support from one political party to another is called a: A.) deviating election B.) maintaining election C.) dealigning election D.) primary election E.) realigning election

E

In The Federalist papers, James Madison argues that political liberty is best protected by A.) a written constitution B.) a small republic with a parliamentary system C.) a small democracy with a unitary government D.) well-regulated militias controlled by state governments E.) the fragmentation of political power in a large republic

E

Which of the following is true of the seniority system of Congress in relation to committee leadership and committee staffing? A.)Members of Congress with the longest continuous service are assured the chairmanship of major congressional committees. B.) Members of Congress must be elected from safe seats to accrue committee seniority. C.) Members of congressional committees are the most senior members of the body's majority party. D.) The oldest members of Congress have the most seniority E.) The chairs of congressional committees tend to be senior members of the body's majority party

E

Which of the following most accurately describes media coverage of elections? A.) Coverage of presidential primaries gives relatively equal power to states regardless of when they hold their primaries B.) Coverage tends to focus on issues rather than on which candidate is ahead in public opinion polls C.) Reporters who use secret sources in their campaign coverage are shielded by federal law from having to reveal those sources D.) Radio and television stations must provide on their news broadcasts equal time for and equal coverage of major party candidates. E.) Network news coverage is usually dominated by reporters who offer relatively short sound bites from the candidates

E

the franking privilege is one example of: A.) logrolling B.) soft money C.) a legislative privilege D.) an election law violation E.) an incumbency advantage

E