AP Government Questions

in Plessy v. Ferguson, the united states supreme court ruled that state-imposed racial segregation is constitutional, based on the

"separate but equal" doctrine

to which of the following congressional committees would a proposal to reform that national income-tax system initially be sent?

House Ways and Means Committee

a primary election in which voters are required to identify a party preference before the election and are not allowed to split their ticket is called

a closed primary

a corporate lobbyist would be LEAST likely to have an informal discussion about a pending policy matter with which of the following?

a federal judge in whose court a case important to the corporation is being heard

the Americans with Disabilities Act, which provides protections for the disabled is an example of

a federal mandate

an election involving more than two candidates in which the person who receives the most votes is the winner is called

a plurality election

when selecting a vice-presidential candidate, a presidential nominee is usually concerned primarily with choosing a running mate who

adds balance and appeal to the national ticket

which of the following generalizations about group voting tendencies is true?

african american democrats tend to support the more liberal candidates within their party

one of the formal tools used by Congress for oversight of the bureaucracy is

authorization of spending

which of the following is NOT a way in which the federal government regulates campaigns?

by prohibitions on negative advertising

which of the following is a result of the electoral college system?

candidates focus on "swing" states

discrimination in public accommodations was made illegal in the united states as a direct result of the

civil rights act of 1964

in 1987 the cooperation among the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the National Organization for Women (NOW), and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to defeat Robert Bork's nomination to the united states supreme court was an example of

coalition building

which of the following statements about voting behavior in the united states is correct?

college graduates are more likely to vote than are those who have at most a high school diploma

all of the following are ways that the legislative branch can check the powers of the executive branch EXCEPT

congress may pass a law declaring a presidential action unconsitutional

the term"horse-race" journalism refers to the tendency of the media to

cover campaigns by emphasizing the relative standings of the candidates in the polls rather than the issues they discuss

the largest amount of political coverage in newspapers during presidential campaigns is devoted to

day-to-day campaign activities

cooperative federalism can best be described by which of the following statements

different levels of government are involved in common policy areas

the "wall of separation" doctrine refers to the

division of church and state

which of the following is a fundamental element of the United States Constitution

division of government authority across political institutions

an electoral system based on single-member districts is usually characterized by

domination of the legislature by two political parties

following the civil war, the fourteenth amendment to the united states constitution was designed to overturn the

dred scott decision

unlike the articles of confederation, the constitution does which of the following

emphasizes both national sovereignty and federalism

which of the following form an "iron triangle"?

executive department, congressional committee, interest group

the terms "fiscal federalism" and "cooperative federalism refer to situations in which

federal, state, and local governments work together to complete a project, with the federal government providing much of the project funding

Both Gitlow v. New York and New York Times v. Sullivan are United States Supreme Court cases that dealt with which of the folowing amendments to the United States Constitution

first amendment

most of the individual protections of the Bill of Rights now apply to the states because of the Supreme Court's interpretation of the Constitution's

fourteenth amendment

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954) was a significant supreme court ruling because it

held the "separate but equal" concept to be a violation of the equal protection clause of the fourteenth amendment

which of the following is an example of congressional oversight?

holding hearings for review of an executive agency's activities

to which of the following congressional committees would a proposal to reform the national income-tax system initially be sent

house ways and means committee

the advantages of incumbency in congressional elections include which of the following? I. incumbents receive more campaign contributions than do challengers II. incumbents are able to provide important services for individual voters III. the government provides campaign funds for incumbents IV. the President usually endorses incumbents for reelection V. most american voters believe Congress does a good job

i and ii only

public monies are used to help finance which of the following campaigns? I. presidential II. congressional III. gubernational

i only

registered voters directly elect which of the following? I. the president and vice president II. supreme court justices III. members of the senate IV. members of the house of representatives

iii and iv only

which of the following is a provision of federal election laws?

in areas with significant populations of linguistic minorities, voting materials must be made available in the preferred languages of the population

the process of extending the protections of the bill of rights by means of the fourteenth amendment to apply to the actions of state governments is known as

incorporation

the main intent of "motor voter" laws is to

increase voter registration

which of the following is a significant trend in the presidential nominating process over the past three decades

increasing importance of presidential preference primaries rather than state caucuses and conventions

the framers of the united states constitution left decision on voting eligibility to thr

individual states

the supreme court established the incorporation doctrine when the court

interpreted the fourteenth amendment as extending most of the requirements of the Bill of Rights to the states as well as the federal governmetn

which of the following statements about gerrymandering is true?

it can be used by a political party to draw boundary lines to control as many districts as possible

which of the following is generally true of the gerrymandering of congressional districts

it creates districts that favor one political party over another

which of the following best explains the principle of stare decisis?

it encourages judges to follow precedent when deciding cases

which of the following is true of the Voting Rights Act of 1965?

it has been a major instrument for increasing the number of African American and other minority voters

which of the following is true about the pocket veto?

it occurs when the President takes no action on a bill for ten days during which Congress is adjourned

Which of the following is true about the right of free speech, as currently interpreted by the Supreme Court?

it protects the right to express opinions even without the actual use of words

the most important source of the supreme court's caseload is

its appellate jurisdiction

supreme court justices were given tenure subject to good behavior by the framers of the constitution in order to ensure that

justices are free from direct political pressures

explanations for low voter turnout include all of the following EXCEPT

laws protecting voting rights for minorities

the role congress plays in ensuring that executive branch agencies are carrying out their legislated responsibilities is known as

legislative oversight

interest groups and political parties both promote united states democracy by

linking citizens to the political process

which of the following united states supreme court cases established the principle of judicial review

marbury v. madison

compared to the general population, delegates to presidential nomination conventions are

more ideological (i.e. more liberal or conservative)

in the Federalist No. 10, James Madison argued that factions in a republic are

natural but controllable by institutions

which of the following best describes the difference between an open and closed primary

only voters who register as members of a political party may vote in that party's closed primary, while independents and others may be eligible to vote in open primaries

which of the following is the most important influence on the choice made by voters in presidential elections

partisan identification (Party ID)

the concept of "critical elections" is most closely associated with

party realignment

congressional standing committees are best described as

permanent subject-matter committees

in Miranda v. Arizona, the United states supreme court declared that

police must inform criminal suspects of their constitutional rights before questioning suspects under arrest

political socialization is the process by which

political views are passed to the next generation

a major reason why the majority of supreme court justices have had political experience prior to appointment to the court is that

presidents seek to place individuals on the court whose policy views are similar to their own

the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that upheld a woman's right to secure an abortion was based on the right to

privacy implied in the Bill of Rights

the establishment clause in the first amendment does which of the following?

prohibits the setting up of a state church

the term "pork barrel" refers to legislation specifically designed to

provide funding for local projects that are intended to benefit constituents

lobbyists try to influence legislators mainly through

providing legislators with information on technical issues

the primary function of political actions committees (PAC's) is to

raise campaign funds to support favored candidates

the role of a conference committee in Congress is to

reconcile differences in bills passed by the House and Senate

the congressional power that has been contested most frequently in the federal courts is the power to

regulate interstate commerce

which of the following actions by the federal government best illustrates the concept of unfunded mandates

requiring states and municipalities to provide certain services for their citizens without providing resources to pay for those services

the difference between an appellate court and a district court is that an appellate court

reviews previous court decisions

the franking privilege refers to the

right of members of congress to send mail to their constituents at the government's expense

Griswold v. Connecticut and Roe v. Wade are similar Supreme Court cases in that both cases are based on the

right of privacy

which of the following committees of the House of Representatives sets the conditions for debate and amendment of most legislation?

rules

nominations to the supreme court must be approved by a

simple majority vote in the senate only

which of the following is an accurate statement about committees in Congress

standing committees oversee the government bureaucracy;s implementation of legislation

congressional district boundaries are usually redrawn every ten years by the

state legislatures

In McCulloch v. Maryland, the supreme court established which of the following principles?

states cannot interfere with or tax the legitimate activities of the federal government

how is the president chosen when none of the candidates receives a majority of the electoral college vote?

the House chooses a new president by a majority vote of its state delegations

the committee system if more important in the House than in the Senate because

the House is so large that more work can be accomplished in committees than on the floow

which of the following statements about rules of procedure in the House and Senate is correct?

the House operates more by formal rules, while the Senate operates more on informal understandings

the supreme court's power of judicial review permits the Court to overrule all of the following EXCEPT

the bill of rights

of the following, which has been used most to expand the power of the national government

the commerce clause of the constitution

which of the following was the most important effect of replacing the articles of confederation with the constitution of 1787?

the creation if a strong national government

the supreme court has ruled which of the following concerning the death penalty

the death penalty is not necessecarily a cruel and unusual punishment

a state has 11 electoral votes. in a presidential election, the democratic candidate receives 48 percent of that state's popular cote, the Republican candidate receives 40 percent of the vote, and an independent candidate receives 12 percent of the vote. If the state is similar to most other states, how will the electoral votes most likely be allocated?

the democratic candidate will receive all 11 electoral votes

of the following, the most important role in the political socialization of children is played by

the family

the procedure for formally amending the united states constitution best illustrates which of the following

the federal structure of the united states government

which of the following statements about political parties and the united states constitution is true

the issue of political parties is not addressed in the Constitution

considering all elections at all levels of government, which of the following best describes electoral behavior in the united states?

the majority of the electorate does not vote in most elections

the doctrine of original intend holds that

the meaning of the constitution depends on the intention of the framers

which of the following is an example of checks and balances, as established by the constitution?

the requirement that presidential appointments to the Supreme Court be approved by the Senate

which of the following is one of the central concerns of the first amendment

the right of citizens to petition the government for redress of grievances

which of the following is true under the system of checks and balances

the senate must ratify treaties negotiated by the president before they become law

of the following, which is the most powerful figure in congress?

the speaker of the house

the boundaries of united states congressional districts are usually determined by

the state legislatures

which of the following is true under the system of checks and balances?

the supreme court can overrule the president's actions

which of the following did most to expand civil rights in the 1950's?

the supreme court decision declaring state-mandated school segregation to be unconstitutional

which of the following statement about writs of certiorari is accurate

the supreme court grants certiorari for less than 5% of the cases appealed to it

which of the following statements accurately describes the selection of the caseload for the united states supreme court?

the supreme court is free to choose the cases it hears with only a few limitations

when a lower court decision is appealed to the supreme court, which of the following is the most likely to occur?

the supreme court will not hear the appeal

the constitution states that all revenue bills must originate in

the united states house of representatives

all of the following serve as checks on the power of the federal courts EXCEPT

the voters can oust federal judges in national elections

which of the following took place after presidential candidates Truman in 1948, Nixon in 1968, and Clinton in 1992 won only pluralities of the popular vote?

the winning candidate took office after receiving less than 50% of the popular votes cast

which of the following describes a consequence of the growing concentration of ownership of the news media?

there is increased similarity of network news coverage

a major difference between the House of Representatives and the Senate is that

there is unlimited debate in the Senate but not in the House

which of the following is true of amicus curiae briefs?

they are used by interest groups to lobby courts

which of the following statements about motions for cloture is true?

they are used by senators to end a filibuster and bring a bill to a vote

which of the following is true of most federal judges appointed by the president

they serve for life on good behavior unless impeached and convicted by congress

which of the following actions can Congress take if the Supreme Court finds a federal law unconstitutional?

try to amend the Constitution

which of the following actions can congress take if the supreme court finds a federal law unconstitutional

try to amend the constitution

when 18 to 21 year olds received the right to vote in 1971, in the 1972 national elections they did which of the following

turned out at a lower rate than the rest of the electorate

the "Miranda Warning" represents an attempt to protect criminal suspects against

unfair police interrogation

presidents have had the most success in changing the direction of decisions of the federal judiciary by

using the appointment process to select judges with judicial philosophies similar to those of the president

the supreme court ruled the legislative veto unconstitutional on the grounds that such vetoes

violated the principle of separation of powers

the free-exercise clause protects

voluntary prayer by student groups before school

critical elections in the united states typically have occured

when groups of voters have changed their traditional patterns of party loyalties