POL 1 Midterm

The minimum age for House members is [1] years and the minimum age for senators is [2] years.

1-25 2-30

The United States has moved from a system of [1] federalism to a system of [2] federalism.

1-duel 2-cooperative

Match the action to the minimum number of votes needed in the Senate: Pass a bill

51

Match the action to the minimum number of votes needed in the Senate: Sustain a cloture motion (end a filibuster)

60

Match the action to the minimum number of votes needed in the Senate: Override a presidential veto

67

There are two models of representation. Match the model with the appropriate description: Trustee-style representation

A style that allows representatives use their own principled judgment when casting votes.

There are two models of representation. Match the model with the appropriate description: Delegate-style representation

A style which binds legislators to constituent demands.

Three men wrote the Federalist Papers. They are: James Madison, [a], and [b].

Alexander Hamilton & John Jay

One major difference between the House of Representatives and the Senate is which of the following?

The House allocates seats by population; the Senate is composed of two members from each state.

In distributing power between the House and the Senate, the final compromise regarding the authority to raise or spend money required that bills raising revenue originate in which of the following?

The House, with the Senate having an unrestricted right to amend them

The President's role in 19th-century politics was which of the following?

The focus was during presidential election years as presidents pulled the party train but receded into the background during midterm election years.

Thomas Jefferson articulated the real rationale for throwing off British rule in the Declaration of Independence as

The fundamental right of self-governance.

The Articles of Confederation had many problems. Match each provision of the Articles with the reason why it was problematic: It did not allow the federal government the power to levy taxes.

The government needed money to pay off debt and function.

The Articles of Confederation had many problems. Match each provision of the Articles with the reason why it was problematic: The Articles of Confederation required a supermajority (and often unanimity) to pass legislation.

The government was slow and unproductive.

The term "gerrymander" refers to which of the following?

The manipulation of the shape of a legislative district to benefit a certain incumbent or party.

Match the Founding Father with the modern interpretation of federalism with which they are associated: states rights

C. Jefferson

Assigning authority to make and implement decisions to a small number of persons who are expected to act on behalf of the larger group's interest is an example of which of the following?

Delegation

Which president set the 100-day standard for judging new presidents?

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Bonus: What other president did not receive a mandate when they were first elected president?

George W. Bush

Match the Founding Father with the modern interpretation of federalism with which they are associated: Big government

Hamilton

Which of the following statements about the President's veto is accurate?

It allows presidents a clear, self-enforcing means of asserting their preferences.

In short, which of the following is true about Federalist No. 51?

It deals with the delegation problem of keeping the citizenry's agents honest.

Which of the following best describes the language of the Bill of Rights?

It seems generally clear and unequivocal but sometimes is ambiguous.

Which of the following thinkers' work did NOT inspire some element of the Constitution?

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

The ____________ Plan called for equal representation irrespective of the population of the state.

Jersey

Which was the last of these groups to be granted the full protection of the Constitution?

Native Americans

The power to levy taxes

New Jersey & Virginia plan

Limited federal authority

New Jersey plan

A simple majority is defined as:

One-half plus one

The Madisonian view of democracy often is referred to as which of the following?

Pluralism

The three authors of the Federalist Papers all wrote under the same pseudonym: ________.

Publius

The Articles of Confederation had many problems. Match each provision of the Articles with the reason why it was problematic: The Articles of Confederation did not have a judicial system.

The national government needed to be able to enforce laws.

Did Trump receive a mandate from the people in the 2016 election?

no

"A president's power is the power to _________." - Richard Neustadt

persuade

During the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s the _______ Party became associated with "states' rights."

republican

The checks and balances contained within the Constitution result in which of the following?

some capacity of each of the three branches to limit the power of the other two

The Antifederalists argued that:

the United States was too large and too diverse to be ruled by a single set of laws.

The free-rider problem describes:

the ability of an individual to gain a benefit while not contributing to collective action.

The most successful objection the Antifederalists raised against the proposed Constitution was:

the absence of a Bill of Rights that would protect individuals.

What are the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution called?

the bill of rights

Executive orders are to bills, as executive agreements are to ___________.

treat

After bills have been referred to committee, the most common outcome is that nothing happens (the bill dies).

true

Congress is not perfectly representative of the American people in terms of demographics.

true

Many of the rights protected by the Amendments to the Constitution were drawn from British common law.

true

Since 1989, U.S. armed forces have almost been continuously engaged somewhere in the world.

true

The U.S. Constitution was negotiated secretly to increase the chances of bargaining and compromise.

true

The elastic (or "necessary and proper") clause undermines the restrictive purpose of the carefully worded list of enumerated powers.

true

The majority party's power in congress is dependent on the internal dynamics and agreement of the party's members.

true

The next presidential election year (2020), will mark the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment, which gave women the right to vote in presidential elections.

true

The federal government requires that state public school systems meet certain requirements (i.e., Common Core Standards, and before that benchmarks set by the No Child Left Behind Act), but K-12 education is almost entirely paid for by state and local governments. As such, the federal standards could be considered a(n):

unfunded mandate

A bicameral legislature

virginia plan

A unitary executive

virginia plan

In a federal system, the constitution divides authority between which of the following?

Two or more distinct levels of government

A "logroll" refers to which of the following?

a standard bargaining strategy in which two sides swap support for dissimilar policies

Veto threats:

are generally ineffective because members of Congress do not like presidents trying to tell them how to do their job.

The relationship between members of Congress and their districts:

involves a great deal of responsiveness on issues as well as soliciting and processing casework, which enables them to keep in touch and stay visible.

The short, 2-year terms in the House of Representatives were designed by the Framers of the Constitution to:

keep the House as close to the people as possible.

Presidents face, in general, any of three outcomes to their commands. They are:

-Backlash -Overshoot and collapse -Front-lash

Select all of the true statements about committees:

-Committees make collective action possible by providing opportunities for logrolling. -Committee membership is generally stable, but changes occur when legislators seize opportunities to move up to committees they deem more important and desirable. -Committees allow congress members to specialize, providing informational benefits to fellow members and tangible benefits to constituents.

The Framers chose to create a unitary executive in order to: (select all that apply)

-Increase accountability -Allow for speed -Create a figurehead for international affairs

The First Amendment protects which of the following freedoms:

Assembly Petition Religion Speech Press

Which of the following statements about executive orders is accurate?

Executive orders are not laws because they are confined by the scope of discretion delegated to the President.

The Articles of Confederation had many problems. Match each provision of the Articles with the reason why it was problematic: The Articles of Confederation did not allow for a standing army.

The country was new and needed to defend itself.

In the case of McCulloch v. Maryland, the Supreme Court led by Chief Justice John Marshall upheld the right of the national government to create a bank based on which of the following?

The elastic ("necessary and proper") clause in the Constitution

What is the fundamental dilemma that all U.S. presidents face?

They have too little authority to satisfy the expectations for their performance.

To keep the amendment of the Constitution from being too easy an option for a popular majority to accomplish, the Framers did which of the following?

They imposed heavy transaction costs on changing the Constitution that required support of Congress and the states.

For the purposes of representation in the House of Representatives, slaves would be:

counted as three fifths a citizen.

At least in part because of cable television, from 1965 to 2015 the percentage of households that watch the State of the Union address has [1].

decreased

The President's leadership of public opinion:

depends on the public's appraisal of him as president, and appeals from unpopular presidents are likely to be ignored.

In Federalist 10, Madison identifies _________ as a threat to democracy.

faction

What might Madison have called interest groups or political parties?

factions

All presidential failure is a result of prerogative (command).

false

Coordination problems decrease as the size of the group increases.

false

Only the president can propose bills.

false

We know exactly who authored each Anti-Federalist paper.

false

Floor debates in Congress are:

for public consumption so members can make arguments justifying their votes to constituents, guide administrators and courts when interpreting legislation, and legitimizing policy choices.

Extra Credit: The American Revolution was nearly undermined by what collective action problem when the states failed to contribute their promised money and supplies or soldiers enlisted and quickly deserted with their new booty?

free riding

If the president is successful in his command, which of the above outcomes should he expect to see?

frontlash

Political parties in Congress:

have grown more unified with higher levels of support on party unity votes as well as becoming more polarized along ideological lines.

Debates over federalism:

have not been fully resolved as debates over the Affordable Care Act, the legalization of marijuana, and recognition of same-sex marriages demonstrate.

What was the name of the practice where Britain ceded control to the colonists to manage their own domestic affairs including taxation?

home rule