Midterm
Which of the following can be said about amendments to the U.S. Constitution?
They are difficult to ratify.
What is the legal status of Native-American nations within the United States?
They are regarded as sovereign foreign nations.
The inclusion of the Bill of Rights in the U.S. Constitution is a result of
a victory of the Anti-Federalists.
The United States has
a written constitution.
What are the three conditions necessary for political participation?
resources to participate, interest in the political process, and being asked to participate
The major vehicle for applying cooperative federalism was
grants-in-aid.
What is the term for an electorate's right to draft legislation?
initiative
An instance in which one segment of society manages to push through a law in one session, only to have another segment build enough support to overthrow the law in the next session, would best be defined as an example of
pluralism
Amendment 16 (1913): The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.
policies
Amendment 15 (1870): The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
Liberties and Right
Unlike in many other democracies, elections in the United States are traditionally held on
Tuesday
What is a monarchy?
a government ruled by a king or queen
Who was responsible for governing the American colonies by the early 1700s?
both Great Britain and the colonies
An ABC News poll predicting the outcome of a race for a Texas state senate seat on election day is an example of a(n)
exit poll
Interest groups serve to
perform electoral functions such as endorsing candidates. provide the average citizen with a way of participating in politics. All these answers are correct. educate policy makers and the public about policy issues.
According to polls, the "most important problem" for Americans (since April 2008) is
the economy
Who benefits from a politically active populace?
the entire nation
Most people in the United States live under the jurisdiction of
three or more governments.
Which of the following acts is not protected by the First Amendment?
throwing a rotten tomato at a performer
What is the most commonly cited reason that citizens between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four fail to vote?
too busy
What is the single largest sector of the interest-group community?
trade associations
What pushed Great Britain into enacting new legislation that eventually incited the American colonies to rebel and declare independence?
the cost of war with France and Native Americans
In Plessy v. Ferguson, the U.S. Supreme Court claimed that separate but equal facilities did not disregard
the equal protection clause.
Which of the following is a civil right?
the right to equal protection under the law
The primary goal of the first wave of the women's rights movement was to secure
the right to vote for women
Which of the following groups is most likely to vote?
young African Americans
In informing suspects of their right against self-incrimination, the Miranda warning protects their
Fifth Amendment rights.
Which of the following statements about Native Americans' struggle for civil rights is LEAST accurate?
Since the founding of the American republic, Native Americans have formed formal political and social movements to protest their mistreatment.
Which organization(s) played an active role in the civil rights movements in the second half of the twentieth century?
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) National Organization for Women (NOW) All the answers are correct. American Indian Movement (AIM)
The right to privacy is explicitly guaranteed by
None of the answers is correct.
Unlike European immigrants, Asian immigrants were for many years denied the right to
become citizens
Congress cannot summarily declare an American citizen guilty of a crime because of the Constitution's ban on
bills of attainder.
In 2008, among all racial and gender groups, __________ had the highest turnout rate.
black females
Which of the following is NOT a direct form of political participation?
blogging on local politics
What types of opportunities do elections offer for citizen involvement?
candidate recruitment, volunteering activities, and GOTV activities
A term that expresses the notion that little is required of citizens beyond their cash is known as
checkbook democracy
What tactic did Martin Luther King, Jr., use to advocate for civil rights?
civil disobedience
Which document(s) convinced many colonists to rebel against Great Britain?
common sense
Advocates of which political ideology emphasize maintaining the status quo?
conservatism
Major characteristics of citizenship today include
dwindling citizen involvement in the life of their communities. being in a precarious state. voter turnout well below that of other advanced democracies. record-low levels of trust between citizens and elected national leaders
What influence do first-generation political activists identify as significant in motivating them to become involved in civic activity?
e-school, the media, friends, and public policies
Which of the following is not a value central to the political culture of the United States?
economic equality
Inducements to join an interest group, such as hotel or retail discounts, are considered
economic incentives.
The United Auto Workers is an example of a(n)
economic interest group.
Among generalizations of the voting public, the best predictor of whether a person will vote is
education level
When an interest group pays for a television advertisement that supports a political candidate, it is called
electioneering.
Before the states agreed to adopt the U.S. Constitution, compromises had to be reached between
enforce the law
The U.S. president has the power to
enforce the law
What two institutions have historically had the greatest impact on an individual's political values and practices?
family and school
The United States today is an example of a(n)
federal system
Which social agents tend to reinforce political values individuals already hold?
friends
Asking interest group members to write to their representatives in Congress about an issue is an example of
grassroots lobbying.
People living in different parts of the United States
have different legal rights and responsibilities.
What attribute is most closely associated with high levels of interest group participation?
higher education
Political socialization impacts all of the following except
how well a person gets along with others.
Democratic values and patriotism are learned primarily
in school
In The Federalist No. 10, James Madison famously argued that
interest group influence must be diluted by countering their ambitions with the ambitions of others.
An interest group is more likely to be successful if it
is large
Based on Article IV of the U.S. Constitution, a same-sex marriage contract issued by one state
is legally binding in all other states.
If police officers gather evidence illegally,
it cannot be used in any court or in any state.
Which of the following groups lacks legal protection of equal access to employment, housing, and public accommodation?
lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered citizens
Advocates of which political ideology support government intervention to ensure that individuals enjoy equal opportunities?
liberalism
Amendment 19 (1920): The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
liberties and rights
Amendment 26 (1971): The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.
liberties and rights
What type of government(s) carries out U.S. government policies?
local, state, and federal governments
Frequent elections can result in
lower voter turnout
Which of the following tactics would be best suited to an inside strategy?
meeting with a congressional staffer
Studies indicate that children whose parents participate in civic life are ________ to do so themselves.
more likely
The authors of the Declaration of Independence viewed life, liberty, and property as
natural rights.
Which amendment states that any rights not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution are reserved for the people?
ninth
What is the most common reason given for not voting?
not enough time
The Court applies the Miller test to determine if speech is
obscene.
Amendment 17 (1913): The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote.
operation
Amendment 22 (1951): No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once.
operation
Amendment 27 (1992): No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened.
operation
How did the political attitudes of young people change following 9/11?
Young people's trust in and support for the government increased.
Which of the following individuals is most likely to hold conservative beliefs?
a Protestant who goes to church twice a week
What type of government is a democracy?
a constitutional form of government
Medicaid is an example of
a grant from the federal government to states.
What form of government did the founders establish in the United States?
a representative democracy
Which of the following individuals is protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act?
a shopper in a wheelchair
Amendment 18 (1919, overturned 1933): The manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited.
policies
The political knowledge an individual possesses concerning political issues, political figures, and the workings of the political system is known as
political information.
A skillful lobbyist would abide by all the following guidelines EXCEPT
seek out and win over ideological opponents.
One of the functions served by interest groups in American politics is
serving as a check on the actions of policymakers.
Which political ideology advocates economic equality?
socialism
Who can ratify amendments to the Constitution?
state legislatures
After studies suggested that the sedative used in lethal injections can leave individuals conscious and in agony but paralyzed while they are dying, the Supreme Court ruled in 2008 that
states were under no obligation to provide pain-free executions.
The most commonly used interest-group tactic is
testifying at hearings.
Which of the following events was followed by a general increase in the public's trust of government?
the 9/11 terror attack
The first constitution of the United States was called
the Articles of Confederation.
Which of the following may be in violation of the full-faith-and-credit clause of Article IV of the Constitution?
the Defense of Marriage Act
Which of the following stipulations within the U.S. Constitution originally created an indirect democracy?
the Electoral College All the answers are correct. the Connecticut Compromise the Three-Fifths Compromise
At what gathering did representatives of the colonies meet to create a list of their rights to send to the king?
the First Continental Congress
Which amendment defines citizens as "all persons born or naturalized in the United States" and guarantees the same privileges and immunities for all citizens?
the Fourteenth Amendment
Which of the following would be considered an interest group?
the National Rifle Association
At what gathering did the representatives of the colonies write and sign the Declaration of Independence?
the Second Continental Congress
Who or what has the power to determine whether an action taken by any government official or governing body violates the Constitution?
the Supreme Court
The ultimate responsibility for interpreting which civil liberties are guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution falls to
the Supreme Court.
Which of the following is not an act that incited the colonists to rebel?
the Tobacco Act
Civil liberties are protections given to people, opinions, and property as mandated by
the U.S. and state constitutions.
Aristotle, Thomas Jefferson, and John Stuart Mill all agreed that
the citizenry must remain politically active.
What radical principle lay behind the Declaration of Independence's premise that the people have a right to abolish a government?
the consent of the governed
In the case of Gibbons v. Ogden (1824), the Supreme Court decided that
the federal government's authority to regulate international and interstate commerce bestowed on it some power to regulate intrastate commerce.
Which amendment laid the groundwork for applying the Bill of Rights to the actions of state governments?
the fourteenth
Which of the following prevented African Americans from exercising their right to vote?
the grandfather clause
Which of the following socialization agents best explains the dominance of the Democratic Party in the South in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century?
the impact of events
At the time of the American Revolution, state constitutions placed the majority of power in
the legislative branch.
Which of the following plays an ever-increasing role in the political socialization of individuals?
the media
In today's political climate, women are more likely than men to
vote
Women are more likely than men to
vote for a democrat
A contributing factor in lower voter turnout in the United States may be the number of opportunities to vote, a phenomenon known as
voter fatigue
The condition in which voters simply grow tired of all candidates by the time Election Day arrives and may thus be less likely to vote is known as
voter fatigue
Freedom of speech can be silenced
when it is highly likely that immediate harm will result from the speech.
The U.S. Constitution endows Congress
with specific powers that are listed in the document and powers that it needs to carry out its duties.
Interest groups advocate for specific issues by
working with members of Congress on legislation. All these answers are correct. initiating or supporting litigation. lobbying bureaucrats.
Which of the following groups is most likely to participate in political protests?
young Latinos
Which of the following statements about PACs is LEAST accurate?
A political organization can evade the limits on PAC contributions simply by creating several new PACs, each of which can individually contribute up to the official limit.
Which of the following is a standard method of random sampling?
using random-digit dialing for phone polling
All of the following are considered social networks EXCEPT
study groups
Which amendment defines citizens as "all persons born or naturalized in the United States" and guarantees the same privileges and immunities for all citizens?
14th
All the following amendments EXCEPT the ________ had a significant impact on the power connection between the state and national governments.
15th
Native Americans were granted the rights of United States citizens in
1924.
The gender gap has been a significant factor in every American presidential election since
1980
By 2050, what percentage of the American population will be over the age of sixty-five?
20
Approximately what percentage of the American public currently lives in suburbs?
55
The percentage of Americans who belong to a voluntary group or organization is ________ percent.
80 percent
More than any other group, ________ prefer Democratic candidates.
African Americans
Discrimination against citizens of Latin American descent was similar to the discrimination faced by
African Americans following Reconstruction.
What obligations do state governments have to each other?
All the answers are correct. They must guarantee citizens living or visiting from other states the same privileges and immunities they provide their own citizens. They must recognize the legality of all public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of other states. They must send individuals back to states that accuse the individuals of having committed a crime.
Families influence whether individuals
All the answers are correct. are politically engaged. have a particular philosophical outlook. have specific viewpoints about political candidates.
Which of the following became governor as the result of a special recall election?
Arnold Schwarzenegger of California
Which article of the Constitution defines the amendment process?
Article V
What was the first successful challenge to the separate but equal doctrine established by the Supreme Court?
Brown v. Board of Education
________ are a new kind of opinion research that involves inviting all interviewees to gather for several days to discuss the issue in question, and providing carefully balanced briefing materials.
Deliberative polls
In 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court dramatically changed the meaning of the Second Amendment with its decision in which of the following cases?
District of Columbia v. Heller
Which of the following presidents suspended the writ of habeas corpus, the right protecting an individual in custody from being held without trial?
George W. Bush
What was the outcome of the Dred Scott v. Sanford decision?
It denied African-American slaves the rights of citizens.
Amendment 13 (1865): Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
Liberties and Rights
Which of the following statements about John Locke's political philosophy is LEAST accurate?
Locke believed that the primary role of government was to ensure an equal distribution of property.
The case that established the Supreme Court's power to interpret the U.S. Constitution was
Marbury v. Madison.
In recent years, a number of key trends have emerged regarding participation, including which of the following?
Men contact political leaders more often than women, but women now vote at higher levels than men. Men contribute significantly more money to political leaders than women. Women now vote at higher levels than men. All these answers are correct. Men contact political leaders more often than women.
The principle of separation of powers, particularly with regard to an independent judiciary, is primarily associated with the writings of which political philosopher?
Montesquieu
Over the past twenty years, what shift has taken place in the U.S. population?
More people are living in the West and the South.
Which event best showcased the inadequacies of the Articles of Confederation?
Shays' Rebellion
What is the most likely reason a candidate for the office of Texas governor would receive half a percent fewer votes than an exit poll predicts?
The exit poll had a one-percent margin of error.
In our current system of government, which of the following is true?
The federal government has supremacy over state governments.
Why did the leaders of the young American nation draft and adopt a second constitution?
The first constitution did not create a strong central government.
Which of the following statements about political participation in the United States over the past fifty years is LEAST accurate?
The generation of Americans that is just coming of voting age is less optimistic about their own future and the future of the nation.
Why did the first presidential poll fail to make an accurate prediction?
The polling organization did not use a random sample.
Which of the following is true regarding the power relationship between the federal government and the states?
The power of the federal government over state governments has increased over time.
Who drafted the Declaration of Independence?
Thomas Jefferson
The "Bonus Army" that marched on Washington to demand benefits from the federal government consisted primarily of veterans of
WWI
Since the 1960s, most new interest groups have been
advocacy groups.
When was the Bill of Rights added to the Constitution?
after some states refused to ratify the Constitution
The U.S. Bill of Rights limits which branch(es) of government?
all three branches of government
Which of the following has had the greatest impact on the relationship between the federal and state governments?
amendments to the U.S. Constitution
What demographic change places an increased burden on the Social Security and Medicare healthcare systems?
an aging population
In the 1790s, despite a lack of specific constitutional authority to do so, Congress chartered a national bank, arguing that the institution was necessary to regulate the value of currency, a power that the Constitution did grant to Congress. The chartering of a national bank was therefore an example of
an implied power
A person who attends church regularly is more likely to be
conservative
The Supreme Court temporarily suspended the use of the death penalty in 1972 because its implementation
constituted cruel and unusual punishment.
The practice of making a political or social statement with one's buying power is known as
consumer activism
"Marble cake" federalism is also known as
cooperative federalism.
People who criticize interest groups often argue that interest groups
corrupt or appear to corrupt the government.
Between 1789 and 1932, when the federal government enacted laws that states claimed infringed on their powers,
courts typically found in favor of the states.
Whites, African Americans, Latinos, and Asian Americans hold ________ political views.
different
The policy of affirmative action requires organizations to
diversify their workforces.
What are two democratic principles central to the Constitution?
popular sovereignty and natural rights
What types of powers does the U.S. Constitution grant to state governments?
powers listed in the document as well as all powers that are not delegated to the federal government
Campaign contributions by interest groups often
provide access to the policymaker by the group's lobbyists.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest is an example of a(n)
public interest group.
According to most interest group leaders, which type of incentive draws in the most members?
purposive
Persons who join an interest group because they have an earnest desire to change the world for the better are responding to
purposive incentives.
Civil rights prevent discrimination on the basis of
race. religion. All the answers are correct. gender.
Which of the following conditions is LEAST essential in compelling a citizen to participate in politics?
receiving immediate and tangible gains from one's participation
According to the U.S. Constitution, state governments do not have the authority to
regulate interstate commerce.
Which of the following is not necessarily a function of government in a democracy?
regulate the economy
Which of the following would be most likely to influence an individual's political views?
the president of the U.S.
Which of the following procedure(s) establish checks and balances within the federal government? the presidential veto
the presidential veto All the answers are correct. judicial review advice and consent
In the case of Korematsu v. United States, the Supreme Court decided that
the summary internment of Japanese Americans was a constitutional measure.
In 2008, the Obama campaign demonstrated that large amounts of money could be raised through
the use of the Internet.
A basic reason for the existence of so many interest groups in the United States is
the wide diversity of interests that exist in American society.
Amendments to the U.S. Constitution can only be ratified if approved by
three-fourths of state legislatures or three-fourths of special state conventions.
Initially, colonial governors appointed by the British monarch enforced laws dealing with
trade
President Franklin D. Roosevelt infringed on states' rights by instituting policies that involved
transferring money to state governments through grants.
Which of the following elements is not central to the government created by the U.S. Constitution?
unicameral legislature