ORDER: 1-55 (TEST 1), 56-115 (TEST 2),
8. Based on the information in the line graph, which of the following is the most likely implication of entitlement and defense spending as a portion of the federal budget? has a graph - PERCENT OF FEDERAL BUDGET ENTITLEMENT PROGRAMS AND DEFENSE SPENDING
(A) Changes in entitlement spending put pressure on discretionary spending.
wave of MONEY - unlimited special-interest cash 20. Which of the following best describes the message in the political cartoon?
(A) Contributions from special interests have undermined fair and competitive political campaigns.
—Alexander Hamilton, The Federalist paper number 84 12. Which of the following constitutional provisions limits the power of the national government in Hamilton's argument?
(A) Enumerated powers in Article I
28. Members of the United States House of Representatives Committee on Veterans Affairs are concerned about the quality of services at hospitals run by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Which of the following is an action the committee can take to address the problem?
(A) Holding a hearing and subpoenaing high-level officials in the Department of Veterans Affairs to testify
10. Based on the data shown in the table, which of the following statements is true about the electoral college? has a table - UNITED STATES PRESIDENTIAL GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS
(A) It can work against the principle of popular sovereignty when a candidate wins without winning the most votes nationwide.
19. Which of the following is a consequence of the way the district is drawn on the map? picture - 4TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS
(A) It will likely lead to a less competitive general election, which could lead to increased partisanship.
35. The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 authorized the government to deny income tax deductions for employer health plans that did not offer employees the option of keeping their health insurance after leaving the job. Which enumerated power allowed Congress to make the law?
(A) Regulating commerce among the states
—Alexander Hamilton, The Federalist paper number 84 13. Supporters of Hamilton's view that a bill of rights could be dangerous to liberty could point to which of the following cases?
(A) Schenck v. United States (1919)
26. Which of the following clauses in the Constitution justifies the "implied powers doctrine" ?
(A) The necessary and proper clause
41. Senator Smith votes her conscience on bills that her constituents care little about, but she votes according to the wishes of the majority of her constituents on other bills. Which model of representation do her actions embody?
(A) The politico model
42. A recent poll indicates that 60 percent of all people in the United States support a flat tax system. Which of the following supports the credibility of the poll result?
(A) The poll reported a sampling error.
40. A nonprofit advocacy group seeks to block an expensive subsidy to what it believes is an environmentally destructive project. Which of the following accurately depicts the free-rider problem in this scenario?
(A) The public can expect to reap the benefits of blocking the subsidy without making any contribution to the nonprofit group.
infographic - VOTERS WITHOUT A GOVERNMENT-ISSUED PHOTO ID 22. Based on the infographic, which of the following claims would an opponent of state voter-ID laws most likely make?
(A) Voter-ID laws are likely to decrease turnout among African American voters because they are less likely to have government-issued IDs.
24. Congress has the constitutional power to control the judicial branch by
(A) determining the size of the Supreme Court
17. The term "bicameralism" refers to the
(A) establishment of two legislative chambers that have different structures and rules
13. The supremacy clause in the Constitution states that
(A) federal law takes precedence over state law when the laws conflict
7. Much of the steady increase in federal government expenditures since 1960 has been caused by
(A) increases in entitlement programs
22. The expansion of the executive branch since 1939 has affected the separation of powers by
(A) increasing presidential control over the legislative process
18. Children are most likely to adopt the party identification
(A) of their parents
14. A policy that sets emission standards for automobiles is an example of
(A) regulatory policy
50. Which of the following measures would a president adhering to Keynesian economic principles most likely employ during an economic recession?
(B) A budget with significant increases in spending for unemployment benefits and public works projects
wave of MONEY - unlimited special-interest cash 21. Which of the following Supreme Court cases is most relevant to the topic of the cartoon?
(B) Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission (2010)
24. Which of the following important functions of democracy would most likely be more difficult without political parties?
(B) Educating the public about upcoming elections
45. Which of the following is an accurate comparison of constitutional provisions?
(B) Enhance Federal Power : Commerce clause Enhance State Power : Tenth Amendment
7. Which of the following is an accurate statement about the information in the line graph? has a graph - PERCENT OF FEDERAL BUDGET ENTITLEMENT PROGRAMS AND DEFENSE SPENDING
(B) Entitlement spending has steadily become a larger portion of the federal budget.
32. Interest groups are protected under the Constitution by the
(B) First Amendment
31. Which of the following best accounts for the lack of success generally encountered by minor political parties in electing members to the House or Senate?
(B) General elections in the United States are based on the winner-take-all principle.
21. The doctrine of stare decisis is significant for which of the following reasons?
(B) It is the principle that affirms that courts are bound by prior decisions.
4. Which of the following describes the president's Cabinet?
(B) Its members have varying levels of influence on presidential decisions.
52. Appointments to the federal judiciary are often contentious for which of the following reasons?
(B) Life terms for federal judges mean that presidential appointments will continue to have influence long after the president's term is over.
—Alexander Hamilton, The Federalist paper number 84 11. Which of the following statements best summarizes Hamilton's argument?
(B) Listing rights will lead some to assume that government may regulate those rights.
38. A new president has been elected and has a number of positions to fill within the federal bureaucracy. Which of the following is an example of filling a position based on political patronage?
(B) Nominating a high-level campaign fund-raiser to serve as an ambassador to New Zealand
26. Which of the following may the president do to limit the Supreme Court's power?
(B) Refuse to enforce a ruling by the Court
25. Which of the following is most important for getting an accurate measure of public opinion in a survey?
(B) Selecting a random sample
43. The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (McCain-Feingold) was designed to curtail which of the following?
(B) Soft money
40. Which of the following amendments to the Constitution most likely provides the basis for a driver to challenge the constitutionality of police use of sobriety checkpoints in enforcing drunk driving laws?
(B) The Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable search and seizure
29. The application of the death penalty has been limited in recent decades and cannot be applied to minors and people who are found to be mentally incompetent. Which of the following is a reason for this?
(B) The Supreme Court changed its interpretation of what constitutes cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment.
11. Which of the following best explains why the winner of a presidential election usually claims to have a mandate from voters?
(B) The allocation of electoral votes in the winner-take-all system exaggerates the margin of victory.
29. The framers of the Constitution designed which of the following to be LEAST responsive to public opinion?
(B) The courts
49. Which of the following is contained in the Fourteenth Amendment and was likely an inspiration for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from a Birmingham Jail"?
(B) The principle that all people should be equal under the law, as embodied in the equal protection clause
55. The president is most likely to use an executive order to make important policy when
(B) a compromise cannot be reached with Congress
12. Typically, presidential candidates implement their campaign strategies by
(B) focusing on larger, competitive states, because they might tip the balance of the electoral college
53. Bureaucratic rule-making is best defined as
(B) guidelines issued by government agencies, which provide specific details about how a policy will be implemented
27. The legislative process at the national level of government reflects the intent of the framers of the Constitution to create a legislature that would be
(B) slow and deliberate in the law-making process
6. The concept of realignment refers to changes in
(B) the social bases of the parties' voting support
34. Based on previous court rulings, which of the following scenarios would most likely violate the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment?
(C) A public school system uses race-based segregation.
51. Which of the following scenarios would be considered an unconstitutional use of state power?
(C) A state places a tax on furniture made overseas.
37. Which of the following scenarios would most likely be considered a violation of the Fourth Amendment?
(C) A suspect's cell phone is analyzed by police before a warrant is issued.
33. Which of the following statements describes a difficulty presidents face in the policy implementation process?
(C) Because of civil service laws, it is not easy for the president to remove professional bureaucrats when they disagree with the president's agenda.
34. If Congress wanted to effect a change in the Social Security payroll tax, to what congressional committee would the task initially be assigned?
(C) House Ways and Means Committee
46. Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the House of Representatives and the Senate?
(C) House of Representatives : Members are elected by constituents in a local district based on population Senate : Members are elected by constituents of an entire state
—Milton Friedman, Free to Choose (1980) 16. Which of the following ideological perspectives is most consistent with the passage?
(C) Libertarian
infographic - VOTERS WITHOUT A GOVERNMENT-ISSUED PHOTO ID 23. Based on the infographic, which of the following strategies would a group seeking to increase turnout likely pursue?
(C) Lobby state legislatures to overturn voter-ID legislation
44. Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the two court cases?
(C) McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) : Led to an increase in power for the national government United States v. Lopez (1995): Established limits to Congress' power under the commerce clause
14. Based on the text, which of the following statements would the author most likely agree with?
(C) The Bill of Rights could potentially be used to limit civil liberties.
6. Which of the following best explains the difference in the number of bureaucrats employed by the Department of Education and the Department of Homeland Security? has a graph - WHERE DO BUREAUCRACIES WORK? (pie graph)
(C) The Department of Education primarily addresses state issues, whereas the Department of Homeland Security primarily addresses national issues.
30. Which of the following best illustrates the concept of iron triangles?
(C) The long-term relationships between agencies, congressional committees, and interest groups in specific policy areas
54. During the Civil War, President Lincoln suspended the right of habeas corpus and detained thousands of citizens who protested the war. Which of the following statements best illustrates this scenario?
(C) There is a tension between civil liberties and public order.
—Milton Friedman, Free to Choose (1980) 15. Which of the following statements is most consistent with the author's argument in this passage?
(C) Undermining freedom will extinguish both freedom and equality.
28. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service will spend money appropriated by Congress to maintain wildlife refuges. This action is an example of
(C) bureaucratic implementation of law
19. The media's effect on public opinion can best be described as
(C) influencing which issues the public sees as important
15. The idea that judges ought to freely strike down laws that are inconsistent with their understanding of the Constitution is known as
(C) judicial activism
37. The practice in Congress whereby Representative A promises to vote for Representative B's legis-lation, provided that Representative B will support Representative A's legislation, is referred to as
(C) logrolling
27. Interest groups use political action committees (PACs) to
(C) raise and spend money on election campaigns
43. Which of the following is an accurate comparison of Federalist and Anti-Federalist views on government?
(D) Federalist: Believed a large republic ensured the best protection of individual freedoms Anti-Federalist: Believed only a small republic could best ensure protection of individual freedoms
41. Which of the following is the main reason interest groups are often successful in getting legislation passed to benefit their members?
(D) A narrow constituency derives the benefits from such legislation but the costs are spread broadly across the population.
32. Based on previous rulings, the Supreme Court is most likely to view a case concerning which of the following as a right-to-privacy case?
(D) A woman who is prevented from an abortion
—Milton Friedman, Free to Choose (1980) 17. Which of the following governmental policies would the author most likely support?
(D) Allowing individuals to purchase marijuana for recreational use
25. Which of the following is a consequence of candidate-centered campaigns?
(D) Candidates' ability to appeal to voters can outweigh the importance of experience and policy positions.
30. Which of the following identifies the formal procedure for ending a filibuster?
(D) Cloture
47. Which of the following is an accurate comparison of conservative and liberal views concerning social policy?
(D) Conservative : Individuals should not rely on government aid for their economic well-being Liberal : The government should be responsible for helping to improve the economic position of low-income people
9. Congress is most likely to exert oversight of the executive bureaucracy in which of the following ways?
(D) Controlling an executive agency's annual budget
31. A member of the House of Representatives has introduced a bill to raise the minimum wage, but it has been in committee for 36 days and is unlikely to make it to the floor. Which of the following is the best course of action for the representative to take to get a vote on the bill?
(D) Filing for a discharge petition
48. Which of the following policies is most likely to cause tension between the competing values of individualism and equality of opportunity?
(D) Implementing affirmative action programs
18. The map shows the outline of a congressional district. Which of the following statements best explains the motivation behind the way in which it is drawn? picture - 4TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS
(D) It has likely been drawn to pack together voters who are registered with the same party
42. The Connecticut (Great) Compromise drafted at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 is significant for which of the following reasons?
(D) It proposed a Senate with equal representation for each state and a House of Representatives with membership established according to the population of each state.
35. Which of the following statements is supported by the information in the table? (PERCENT VOTING FOR OBAMA MCCAIN)
(D) Partisanship was a good predictor of the way a person voted.
2. Which of the following types of committee deals with broad areas of public policy and can be found in both houses of Congress?
(D) Standing
9. Based on the results shown in table, which candidate won the election? has a table - UNITED STATES PRESIDENTIAL GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS
(D) The Republican Party candidate
5. Which of the following accurately describes the information presented in the pie chart? has a graph - WHERE DO BUREAUCRACIES WORK? (pie graph)
(D) The United States Postal Service has the largest number of employees within the federal bureaucracy(
In a public opinion poll of a representative sample of a population, 1,200 people were asked to agree, disagree, or express neutrality toward the following statements. Statement A: The government should spend more money on welfare. Result: 35·percent of the respondents agreed. Statement B: The government should spend more money on helping the poor. Result: 60·percent of respondents agreed. 39. Which of the following most likely accounts for the different results?
(D) The questions contained a difference in wording.
3. Which of the following explains why any attempt to reduce Social Security benefits is difficult?
(D) There are many voters who support Social Security.
36. Which of the following actions by public school students would most likely be protected symbolic speech based on the precedent established by Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969)?
(D) Wearing t-shirts objecting to a school board decision
33. The Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution, the Equal Rights Amendment, and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 were all directed toward the goal of
(D) equality for women
8. Establishing the boundaries of United States congressional districts to give one party an advantage over another party is referred to as
(D) gerrymandering
5. The development and persistence of the two-party system in the United States is best accounted for by
(D) single-member legislative districts
20. When people vote for some candidates from one party and other candidates from another party, it is called
(D) ticket splitting
36. Which of the following concepts refers to the beliefs about government and politics that people in the United States hold most deeply?
(E) Political culture
10. Which of the following statements about voting behavior in national elections is most accurate?
(E) Senior citizens are more likely to vote than are college students.
39. Which of the following is true of voter turnout in the United States?
(E) The voter-participation rate is one of the low-est of any industrialized nation.
45. If legislation passes in both the House of Representatives and the Senate but each version is slightly different, the conflicting bills are sent to
(E) a conference committee for review and compromise
1. Congress adopted the War Powers Resolution to
(E) limit the president's authority to commit troops overseas
16. Of the following, the most significant difference between the Constitution of 1787 and the Articles of Confederation was that the Constitution
(E) provided for a strong national government with many powers, while the Articles created a weak central government with few independent powers
44. The Americans with Disabilities Act was widely unpopular with governors and mayors because it
(E) required that states and cities pay for federally mandated construction and remodeling
23. The most significant trend in federal-state relations during the 1980s was
(E) shifting the responsibilities and costs for many programs to state governments
38. A writ of habeas corpus refers to
A) a person's right to know the reasons for his or her imprisonment
1. Which of the following statements is reflected in the data in the chart? has a graph - REGISTERED VOTERS IN THE UNITED STATES FOLLOWING POLITICAL FIGURES ON SOCIAL MEDIA IN 2010 AND 2014
Among registered voters, there was a steep increase in social media usage to follow political figures across all age groups and party affiliations.
2. Which of the following is a potential consequence of the trend illustrated in the bar chart? has a graph - REGISTERED VOTERS IN THE UNITED STATES FOLLOWING POLITICAL FIGURES ON SOCIAL MEDIA IN 2010 AND 2014
Elected officials and candidates running for office are increasingly using social media to reach out to voters and constituents.
4. Which of the following is an accurate conclusion based on a comparison of the trends in the line graph above and your knowledge of voter behavior? has a graph - NATIONAL ESTIMATED OF VOTER TURN OUT RATES IN UNITED STATES ELECTION 1916-2016
More citizens vote in presidential elections because there is more media coverage of presidential elections than midterm elections.
3. Which of the following best describes a trend in the line graph above? has a graph - NATIONAL ESTIMATED OF VOTER TURN OUT RATES IN UNITED STATES ELECTION 1916-2016
Voter turnout in midterm elections generally decreased between 1966 and 2014.
