POL140
TRUE OR FALSE: Politics is inevitable.
False
TRUE OR FALSE: The right to privacy is today settled law.
False
The Constitution explicitly enshrines federalism as a fundamental feature of the constitutional order.
False
King Caucus refers to which of the following?
When presidential candidates were subservient to the members of their party in Congress, who selected them.
In 1960, what was the percentage of female members in state legislatures?
0 percent
How many congressional offices did Jack Abramhoff claim to have influence over?
100
How has support for the media changed?
It is not trusted by most Americans.
What's the problem with natural liberty according to Winthrop?
It makes people slaves to their instincts, like animals rather than human beings.
Why might a justice want to write a broader majority opinion?
It serves as a precedent for future cases.
Why did the Supreme Court strike down the Texas abortion clinic law?
It would place an undue burden on women's constitutional right to abortion.
The poll tax, literacy tests, and grandfather clauses were all formal mechanisms by which
African Americans were deprived of the right to vote after the end of Reconstruction.
Why does Mr. Horowitz believe that so many millennials distrust the media?
Political coverage has too much he-said-she-said and no deep questions about core issues.
Which of the following was the first civil rights movement in the United States?
American Revolution
The enumerated powers of Congress are found in _______________ of the U.S. Constitution.
Article I, Section 8
Which demographic group had the largest wage gap between male and female workers?
Asian American
The veto (SELECT ALL THAT APPLY)
arguably makes the president the most important legislative leader.
What is the most common news source for Americans?
TV
What was the key piece of advice Mr. Weinstein had for politicians using social media?
be authentic
What role did the New Deal play in changing the relationship between the states and the federal government?
The New Deal signaled the rise of a more active federal government that worked with states to achieve national goals.
Why are battles over Supreme Court appointments so intense?
Because the Court makes important policies and its power is not effectively checked by the other branches
How do checks and balances work?
Branches of government are supposed to compete for power with each other.
Congressional staff members today serve the following functions: (SELECT ALL THAT APPLY)
develop policy ideas help draft legislation influence the legislative process
The term gender gap refers to
differences in political opinion between men and women.
Which of the following liberties protect every individual against arbitrary action by national or state governments?
due process laws
Which of the following is established by the Fifth Amendment?
The courts cannot hold trials for serious offenses without provision for a grand jury.
How do civil rights differ from civil liberties?
Civil rights require the government to take action while civil liberties generally do not.
Which of the following statements is true about diversity in the U.S. Congress?
Congress is becoming more diverse in a very slow but steady manner.
What is the difference between constitutional interpretation and statutory interpretation?
Constitutional interpretation is saying what the Constitution means while statutory interpretation is saying what a specific law passed by Congress means
The following items require you to match the concepts or names of the Supreme Court case to the definition or precedent it set. Barron v. Mayor & City Council of Baltimore Griswold v. Connecticut McCulloch v. Maryland Brown v. Board of Education The Federalist Papers
Declared that the Bill of Rights' protections did not apply to state governments. Decided that the Constitution protects a right to privacy. Upheld the supremacy of the federal government over the states in carrying out its functions. Struck down Plessy vs. Ferguson. Series of newspaper articles defending the Constitution of 1787.
Which of the following states benefitted the most from the Great Compromise?
Delaware
Which of the following were the two main components of the social and political order of white supremacy we call Jim Crow? PICK TWO OF THE FOLLOWING
Disenfranchisement Segregation
Arbitrary rule is when
governments do not follow their own rules and use power unconstrained by law and at the discretion of current office holders.
Which of the following regulatory policies is no longer in effect?
Fairness doctrine
TRUE OR FALSE: Political ideologies are never a product of coalitional politics.
False
True or False: According to Jack Abramhoff, corruption works by lobbyists providing checks to politicians in exchange for favors.
False
What problem confronts anyone seeking to organize an interest group?
The free-rider problem
A libertarian is someone who
has conservative views on the regulation of the economy and on the social safety net but liberal views on social and identity issues.
Which of the following statements is true based on the data presented in the figure?
In the early 1970s, women made up about 2 percent of all members of Congress.
_____ is the judicial philosophy whose adherents refuse to go beyond the clear words of the Constitution in interpreting the document's meaning.
Judicial restraint
Which Supreme Court justice was considered the swing vote when this case was decided?
Justice Anthony Kennedy
How do political parties differ from interest groups?
Parties aim to win office while interest groups do not
Civil liberties are
limitations on government action.
Which of the following statements about the efforts to pass an Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is accurate?
The amendment passed Congress easily but fell three states short of the requirement for ratification by the deadline.
What is the myth of legalism?
The fiction that courts do not make law, but only interpret it.
What is the state of descriptive representation in Congress?
There are some women and people of color in Congress but their numbers fall far short of descriptive representation.
Which of the following is NOT one of the vital functions interest groups serve in democracy?
They are a better way than elections for controlling what representatives are doing.
Which of the following statements is NOT true about newspapers?
They are still read on a daily basis by almost all Americans.
TRUE OR FALSE: Parties must allow for the possibility that they might lose the next election.
True
TRUE OR FALSE: Party leadership is stronger in the House than in the Senate.
True
The United States before 1789 was what kind of regime?
confederation
Which group is least populous today?
liberals
According to Senator Kaine, which aspect of the War Powers Resolution of 1973 has President Obama violated?
the deadline for requiring congressional authorization
"Apportionment" refers to
the distribution of political power to different communities.
The Bill of Rights consists of
the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
In a federal system, the constitution divides authority between which of the following?
two distinct levels of government
The 46 individuals who were issued commutations were serving sentences of at least ____ years for non-violent drug offenses.
20
What strategies do presidents use to persuade others to support his policy proposals? MARK ALL THAT APPLY
Bargaining Going public
Why do courts try to hide the fact that they make law and policy?
Because it raises the Countermajoritarian Dilemma.
Why have most efforts to amend the Constitution failed?
Because they were simply attempts to use the Constitution as an alternative to legislation for dealing directly with a specific public problem.
Why is it wrong to say that "America is a republic, not a democracy?"
Because to the founders, a republic meant a representative democracy
How is civil liberty similar to moral liberty, as described by Eric Foner?
Both ideas say we are only free when we live according to a set of rules, rather than when we can just do whatever we want.
Which combination of costs and benefits do members of Congress most like to enact?
Concentrated benefits and diffuse costs
According to Professor Turley, the Supreme Court's ruling on the Voting Rights Act can be viewed as a criticism of
Congress.
Which of the following are functions that interest groups can potentially serve in democracy? (MARK ALL THAT APPLY)
Discover information about policies and issues and convey it to representatives Monitor executive agencies and other government bureaucracies Monitor representatives
TRUE OR FALSE: All groups in society can find news in the media that reflects their concerns.
False
What is the larger concern about creating a "master key" for the iPhone?
Foreign governments may require the program to sell iPhones in their country.
What is a reason that incumbents are re-elected at such high rates?
Incumbents usually raise more money than do challengers.
Which of the following was the largest partisan group in 2018?
Independents
Which Supreme Court justice wrote the majority opinion in this case?
Justice Stephen Breyer
Judicial review was established in the case of
Marbury v. Madison.
______ had the fewest representatives in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Rhode Island
The supremacy clause contained in Article IV of the Constitution declares which of the following?
That national laws take precedence over state laws when both properly discharge their government's respective responsibilities.
What was the first Constitution of the United States called?
The Articles of Confederation
How did incorporation of the Bill of Rights' protections come to be extended to the states?
Via accumulated case law.
In the first Congress, ______ had the most members in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Virginia
Iron triangles enable
rent-seeking, whereby small groups capture rewards for themselves at the cost of society.
Article III of the Constitution concerns
the judiciary.
The contemporary United Kingdom is what kind of regime?
unitary system
Why does change in the composition of the Supreme Court affect trends in the protection of civil liberties, among other things?
All of these.
Why are iron triangles bad?
Because participants in the triangle secure resources for themselves at the cost of society as a whole.
Party line votes are
votes where all the members of the parties vote together against the other party.
Between 1979 and 2014, the wage gap approximately
was cut in half.
With one exception, all presidents have been ___________.
white
In 1789, which of the following groups was eligible to vote in national elections?
white men over the age of 21 who owned property
Most national campaigns in America are conducted through which kind of politics?
wholesale
The Republican leaders that were interviewed said they will vote for ________ rather than support Trump.
write-in candidates
Which of the following is a simple definition of public opinion proposed by the political scientist V. O. Key Jr.?
"Those opinions held by private persons which governments find it prudent to heed"
Which is an instance of agenda-setting?
A newspaper investigates and reports on major wrongdoing by a public official, the story is widely reported by other papers and in broadcast media, and the public comes to demand the official's resignation.
What is an iron triangle?
An arrangement between interest groups, executive bureaucracies, and lawmakers in which each mutually supports the others with funding, government contracts, or political support.
Which of the following differentiates an interest group from a political party?
An interest group seeks to influence government policies, whereas a party attempts to win elections.
Why do free and fair elections make public opinion important?
Because elections require those who want power to pay attention to ordinary citizens, not just military or economic elites.
In June 2019, the following survey question was posted on Donald Trump's official Facebook page: Which of the following are reasons NOT to rely on the accuracy of the results of this poll? (Mark ALL that apply)
Because it was posted on Facebook, anybody could choose participate so the sample isn't random.
Why did the Civil Rights Movement change strategies following the success of Brown v. Board of Education?
Because nearly a decade after Brown, very few schools had been successfully desegregated.
Why have the reforms enacted after Abramhoff's fall not changed the system of influence peddling, according to Abramhoff?
Because the new rules are written by those inside the system.
Which of the following is NOT a job of the presidency? MARK ALL THAT APPLY
Chief Justice The government's chief communications officer
What was the impact of Barron v. Baltimore?
It rendered the Bill of Rights inapplicable to the state governments.
What is "moral liberty?"
Living according to a moral code.
Potholes and issues with sidewalks are most often considered a:
Local issue.
What is the key to scientific polling?
Random sampling
Who is the ultimate arbiter of controversies involving American federalism?
The U.S. Supreme Court
Which of the following is the most important single development affecting American federalism?
The growth and development of a national economy
Lobbying occurs at which of the following levels?
The national, state, and local levels.
What role does a whip play in the House of Representatives?
The whip keeps members informed of what party leadership thinks about issues.
How do constitutional courts differ from non-constitutional courts?
They exercise the power of judicial review
It is essential that representatives are ____________ to the people who elected them.
accountable listening responsive
In order for the time, manner, or place of one's freedom of assembly to be restricted, the restriction must be
content neutral.
Voting is generally seen as a fundamental building block of _____________ because it is the method by which Americans choose their elected leaders.
democratic citizenship representative democracy citizenship
Private corporations
have fewer obligations than the government to respect a person's freedom of speech.
If someone tries to bring a lawsuit without having suffered actual damages, the case may be dismissed due to which of the following concerns?
standing
When it comes to the relationship between public opinion and public policy
studies have demonstrated that public opinion significantly affected public policy in three-quarters of instances.
The term gerrymander refers to which of the following?
the manipulation of the shape of a legislative district to benefit a certain party or incumbent.
The "strict constructionists" on the Supreme Court are generally committed to
the principle of judicial restraint.
Laws and cases involving the right to privacy are often difficult to decide because
they are not directly mentioned in the Bill of Rights but rather inferred from them.
For the purposes of representation in the House of Representatives, slaves would be counted as _______________ of a citizen.
three fifths
African Americans and Latinos currently compose about ______ percent of all members of Congress.
15
How big a sample size is sufficient to have a reasonably accurate poll?
1500
Between 1960 and 2010, what is the increase in percentage of women who are college students?
17 percent
Which era had the most activism regarding civil rights?
1960s
Women currently compose about ______ percent of all members of Congress.
20
What was the difference in percentage of Americans earning less than $50,000 and those earning more than $100,000 who reported the government needs to do more to close the income gap?
20 percent
In which year did the media earn the most combined (print and online) advertising revenue?
2005
When was the Voting Rights Act renewed?
2006
How many presidents have a background in law?
25
In 2014 about _____ of Americans identified themselves as liberal.
25 percent
What percentage of Americans were Hispanic in 1960?
3.5
Print advertising revenue is now currently at about ______ of its peak level?
33 percent
The white percentage of the American population is projected to decrease by how much between 1960 and 2050?
38 percent
How many justices currently make up the liberal wing of the Supreme Court?
4
How many justices need to support hearing a case in order for it to be granted a writ of certiorari?
4
What percentage of Americans earning more than $100,000 reported the government needs to do more to close the income gap?
45 percent
In the Supreme Court decision, how many justices ruled in favor of the Affordable Care Act?
6
As of 2015 when this video was produced, President Obama had issued a total of ___ commutations, including those being discussed in the video.
90
The first American Constitution created a confederation, which can best be described as which of the following?
A highly decentralized governmental system in which the national government derives limited authority from the states rather than directly from the citizens.
In short, what is the main argument of Federalist No. 10?
A large republic encompassing many interests who compete with each other for influence prevents any single faction from dominating government.
Match the plan with the appropriate description. New Jersey Plan Virginia Plan British Plan
A unicameral legislature and equal representation of the states, benefitting small states. A bicameral legislature in which representation is proportional to population, empowering big states. A bicameral legislature where upper house's members serve for life; executive serves for life.
What is federalism?
A way to structure power that augments its centralization
What change did the civil rights struggle kick off?
All of these.
What makes deciding who gets what in politics especially difficult?
Americans disagree disagreement people disagree Disagreement
Which article of the Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war?
Article I
How would delegates to the Constitutional Convention have viewed the document they created?
As a product of political compromises none of the delegates entirely favored or even considered at the outset of the convention.
How has the rise of the internet and new media put pressure on many forms of traditional media?
As online news and ads have replaced newspapers for many Americans, revenue to support their journalistic investigations has dried up.
Which demographic group has the lowest level of representation as a judge in the federal courts?
Asian American women
Why is it easier for the Supreme Court to ignore the principle of stare decisis than lower courts?
Because it is the highest court from which there is no appeal, the Supreme Court can ignore or contradict past precedents without worrying about being reversed by a higher court.
What is the difference between democratic and authoritarian governments with respect to the segment of the population whose opinions they must listen to?
Because of elections, democracies must pay attention to everyone, whereas authoritarian governments only have to heed key supporters like the military.
In which of the following ways is social media problematic?
Because social media companies make their money from advertising and because there is no requirement to disclose who pays for ads online, political campaigns paid for by foreign entities can influence US elections. By removing gatekeepers (via disintermediation), social media allows misleading stories and incorrect information to spread.
Why do we have parties even though the founders feared them?
Because they accomplish several tasks essential for democracy
Why was the Democratic Party the party of civil rights?
Because they controlled both houses of Congress and the presidency, so they controlled the legislative agenda and could have kept the bills from even coming up for a vote.
Why do interest groups often harm equal representation?
Because they disproportionately represent the rich and business interests.
Given the configuration of ideology in America, which group should presidential candidates appeal to?
Both liberals and conservatives need to appeal to moderate voters.
Which Supreme Court case established the constitutional principle that separate is NOT equal in public education?
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka
Based on Senator Kaine's statements in the video clip, which of the following statements best characterizes his comments on Congress's handling of the war against ISIS?
By avoiding responsibility for the war, Congress is failing to act according to its constitutional role.
How does Congress get things done?
By creating institutions and delegating authority to them.
How do interest groups make use of public opinion?
By publicizing their perspective, interest groups can seek to persuade the public to support their stance on issues important to them.
Although the two concepts are often used interchangeably, the difference between civil liberties and civil rights is which of the following?
Civil liberties are the Constitution's protections "from" government power while civil rights are the Constitution's protections provided "by" government power.
Why are civil liberties important for democracy? CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY
Civil liberties protections of press freedom and free speech are necessary for the people to learn what their elected representatives have been doing and hold them accountable. Civil liberties create a space beyond the control government in which citizens form judgments about how to use their political voice.
Which presidential administration nominated the highest percentage of African American men to the federal court system?
Clinton
What two institutions help Congress overcome collective action problems associated with legislating and oversight?
Committees and parties/party leaders
Which of the following does Congress rely on to overcome collective action problems?
Committees and party leadership
Which ideological label is most closely associated with distrust of government?
Conservatism
How did the struggle over civil rights help polarize the political parties in the following decades?
Conservative southern Democrats gradually joined the Republican Party, making it uniformly conservative, while liberal Republicans who supported civil rights gradually became Democrats, making the party less conservative.
What differentiates constitutional government from authoritarian and totalitarian ones?
Constitutional governments place formal, effective limits on government power, while authoritarian or totalitarian systems give governments free rein.
Which of the following groups have powerful interest groups representing them? Choose all that apply.
Corporations and business interests More wealthy citizens Those with higher educational attainment
Which of the following were seen as problems with the Articles of Confederation? SELECT ALL THAT APPLY.
Couldn't raise funds to operate government A race to the bottom for foreign trade Couldn't execute national laws
What is the Countermajoritarian Dilemma?
Courts having the power of judicial review often force a choice between the rule of law and the democratic principle of majority rule.
Which of the following is probably the most common form of bias in the media today according to the video?
Coverage that emphasizes conflict
Which of the following statements about the Civil Rights Movement's shift from litigation to mass demonstrations and civil disobedience is most accurate?
Despite winning impressive judicial victories, the litigation strategy had not resulted in gains on the ground so the movement changed its strategy to influence public opinion.
What is "natural liberty" according to Winthrop?
Doing whatever you want
Please match the model of federalism with the appropriate description. dual federalism cooperative federalism regulated federalism new federalism
Each level of government has its own distinct areas of authority that do not overlap. The two levels of government work together without coercion to achieve goals set by the federal government. Increased federal power over the states using tools like mandates, cross-over sanctions, and preemption starting in the 1960s/70s. Tries to return power to the states using tools like block grants and devolution.
Americans' trust in government has remained stable since the 1960s.
False
TRUE OR FALSE: All social groups are equally represented in the competition for political influence that occurs by means of organized interest groups.
False
TRUE OR FALSE: All the protections of the Bill of Rights now bind the state governments.
False
TRUE OR FALSE: American history has been an uninterrupted march toward the ideals of equal rights and democracy.
False
TRUE OR FALSE: Americans basically invented modern ideas of liberty and equality through the world-historical importance of the American Revolution, which were afterward exported to Europe.
False
TRUE OR FALSE: Black Americans were evenly split between the Democratic and Republican parties before the Civil Rights Act of 1964, after which they became heavily Democratic.
False
TRUE OR FALSE: Cases appealed to the Supreme Court have a reasonable chance of being granted cert and heard by the Court.
False
TRUE OR FALSE: Civil liberties protections are flexible and can be set aside when the situation requires it.
False
TRUE OR FALSE: Congress is just one co-equal branch of government along with the presidency and the judiciary.
False
TRUE OR FALSE: Everyone agrees that the constitutional interpretations generated by the Supreme Court are objective.
False
TRUE OR FALSE: Interest groups are mostly dedicated to public interest issues like civil rights and environmental protection.
False
TRUE OR FALSE: Interest groups are quite different from what Madison meant by "factions" in Federalist No 10.
False
TRUE OR FALSE: Interest groups have very little in common with factions, as Madison wrote about them in Federalist No. 10.
False
TRUE OR FALSE: Judicial review applies only to the federal government, not state governments.
False
TRUE OR FALSE: Money plays no role in direct lobbying of members of Congress.
False
TRUE OR FALSE: Most Americans have a political ideology that they use to form their political opinions and guide their behavior.
False
TRUE OR FALSE: Polarization has increased in the House, but not in the Senate, suggesting gerrymandering helps drive polarization.
False
TRUE OR FALSE: Presidents become more popular during good economic times, even if they are not responsible for economic success.
False
TRUE OR FALSE: The Constitution clearly grants constitutional courts the power of judicial review.
False
TRUE OR FALSE: The Electoral College was a carefully crafted institution designed to select the most qualified person to be president.
False
TRUE OR FALSE: The federal government has a great deal of power to regulate the media.
False
TRUE OR FALSE: The federal judiciary closely approximates the ideal of descriptive representation.
False
TRUE OR FALSE: The president in the 19th century was an immensely powerful office, as in the 20th century and today.
False
TRUE OR FALSE: Women have largely achieved descriptive representation in Congress.
False
The struggle to make real the principles of the founding era has been an uninterrupted triumph throughout American history.
False
How does federalism affect lobbying?
Federalism requires understanding which level of government controls an issue a lobbyist wants to influence.
For whom did Mitt Romney say he wouldn't rule out voting for president?
Gary Johnson
What is the MOST COMMON way interest groups seek to use elections to advance their interests? Choose the best answer.
Giving financial support to political parties or candidates
Civil liberty is similar to which of the following?
Groups of people collectively making the rules that govern them.
Which statement best characterizes the nature of political ideology over time?
Ideology is stable but does shift over time.
How does the distribution of government spending between levels of government differ between unitary and federal systems?
In unitary systems, the central government often spends between two and eight times as much as state and local governments, whereas the two levels often spend similar amounts in federal systems.
How do new formats like social media make consumption of news different for millennials?
It creates a feedback loop that establishes relationships with politicians.
How did the Great Migration affect the political power of black Americans?
It increased the power of black Americans by moving them into non-southern states where they could vote.
Which is true about the document produced by the Constitutional Convention?
It is a product of political compromises no delegate favored or even could have imagined on the opening day of the convention.
What is the delegation problem?
It is difficult for the people to know whether their representatives are acting as faithful agents advancing the public interest.
Which of the following explanations can account for Virginia having produced eight presidents?
It was historically the most-populous state and had the most representatives in government.
Which demographic group had the smallest wage gap between male and female workers?
Latino
Which ideological label is most closely associated with the goal of combating climate change?
Liberalism
Polarization in Congress is NOT caused by which of the following?
Members of the parties disliking each other personally.
Which of the following is NOT one of the principles guiding American government?
Minority rule
The fact that the framers did not agree about the intention of specific constitutional provisions is an argument for which of the following?
Non-originalism
According to the 1790 Census, North Carolina has more residents than Massachusetts. Yet, Massachusetts has more representatives in Congress than North Carolina. What does this tell us about the impact of the Three-Fifths Compromise?
North Carolina had more slaves than Massachusetts.
Which presidential administration has nominated the most diverse field of candidates to the federal court system?
Obama
In 2015 the Supreme Court fully clarified that the Equal Protection Clause applies to same-sex marriages in which of the following landmark cases?
Obergefell v. Hodges
On which point did the legal analyst agree with Edward Snowden?
Once a technology is created, it is difficult to control.
Which of the following represent some of the essential functions of parties in democracy? (MARK ALL THAT APPLY)
Organize power in Congress Arrange nominations for elected offices Mobilize voters Recruit and vet candidates
What is one reason print media is more important than it might seem even today?
Other media sources often rely on print sources to break news stories and provide information they incorporate into their coverage.
Which of the following is NOT an effect of polarization?
Partisan news networks
Which of the following most powerfully affects individuals' political opinions?
Partisanship
What does Donald Trump's victory in the 2016 presidential election suggest about the power political parties have over their candidates and fellow party members?
Party leaders are limited in their abilities to choose and control their nominees.
Which of the following statements about parties in Congress is accurate?
Party leaders assemble and maintain party coalitions, but they need tools to encourage cooperation, and members have to sacrifice some independence.
Match the concept with its description below: framing sampling error measurement error
Practice of highlighting different dimensions, concepts, or ideas to form an opinion about a political issue or phenomenon. Bias in a poll caused by some people having a higher likelihood of being sampled. Bias in a poll caused by confusion question wording or response categories that do not reflect the way people think about an issue.
What is the main implication of the paradox of the presidency?
Presidents are always looking for more authority and power.
Why is going public usually incompatible with bargaining?
Presidents going public often question the standing of members of congress and take inflexible positions.
Fill in the blanks with one of the pairs of options below: ______ elections are held to select a party's candidate for the ______ elections.
Primary; general
The following items require you to match the concepts or names of the Supreme Court case to the definition or precedent it set. Elastic Clause 10th Amendment Pluralism Enumerated powers 9th Amendment
Provision in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution granting Congress the power to make laws necessary and proper to exercising its powers. Suggesting that powers not expressly given to the federal government are reserved to the states. A specific list of abilities given to the federal government in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution. The theory that factions or interests would check on each other by competing for power. Suggests that the Constitution protects rights that are not explicitly mentioned in it.
Which two models of federalism define the politics of federalism today?
Regulated federalism and new federalism
What type of regime is American government?
Representative democracy
Which political party has produced the most presidents?
Republican
Which political party was formed from a coalition of antislavery forces?
Republican party
Match the doctrine of media regulation with its description: fairness doctrine equal time rule right of rebuttal
Required broadcasters covering controversial issues to provide time for opposing views. Requires that broadcasters provide candidates for an equal opportunity to communicate with the public. Requires that individuals have the opportunity to respond to personal attacks made on a radio or television broadcast.
Which justice wrote the dissenting opinion against the ruling?
Scalia
Which section of the Voting Rights Act was Chief Justice Roberts most critical about?
Section 5
What are two common causes of inaccuracy in polling?
Selection bias and measurement error
Match the Supreme Court case with the precedent it set. McCulloch v. Maryland Gibbons v. Ogden National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius Shelby County v. Holder
States cannot tax the federal government, and the Elastic Clause allows many exercise of federal power within its enumerated functions. The federal government is supreme in all matters of interstate commerce. Ruled that making all Medicaid funding contingent on expanding the program is unconstitutionally coercive upon the states. Struck down the preclearance criteria of the Voting Rights Act.
How did Supreme Court's view of the Tenth Amendment change following the New Deal?
The Court reversed its view of the Tenth Amendment, seeing it as a 'truism' with little meaning.
Which of the following was NOT a reason the Southern states were successful in stripping away the civil rights of African Americans in the creation of Jim Crow?
The Supreme Court overturned federal laws that sought to protect them.
Who does the Army Corps of Engineers consider their client, according to Brad Walker? Who do they think they work for?
The barge companies
Which of the following is true?
The constitution contains provisions restraining both Congress and the states
Which of the following is one of the general conditions of a federal system?
The constitution protects units at each level of government from encroachment by the other units.
What rationale was offered by Chief Justice Roberts to support the court's ruling?
The law was intended to improve the conditions in health insurance markets.
What is incorporation?
The process of extending the protections of the Bill of Rights to the states through the 14th Amendment's incorporation clause.
Which of the following is true about the committee systems in Congress?
They are an institutional pillar enabling Congress to solve collective action problems.
What role do gatekeepers play?
They filter unreliable reports out of news coverage.
Commutations, like pardons and amnesties, are a presidential check on other branches of the government. What justification did President Obama give for using this checking power in commuting these specific cases?
They had been convicted under older, harsher drug laws that have since been softened.
What is the fundamental paradox that all U.S. presidents face?
They have too little authority to satisfy the expectations for their performance.
Why did the Court decide that there was a constitutionally protected right to privacy?
They reasoned that a right to privacy was implicit in many other rights protections in the Constitution.
The Framers of the Constitution believed which of the following about the state constitutions of the revolutionary period?
They were too democratic because they responded too readily to the desires of ordinary citizens.
Which income group is the least likely to turn out to vote?
Those making around $5,000 per year
Why are civil rights essential for democracy? MARK ALL THAT APPLY
Those without civil rights protections are vulnerable to gross human rights abuses. Widespread participation, secured by the right to vote, is necessary for democracy to protect the rights and interests of all citizens. Civil rights prevent any citizens from being marked as inferior.
How many levels are there in the federal judicial system?
Three
What percentage of a full human being did the framers of the Constitution agree to count black people as?
Three-Fifths
Why is it important for citizens to understand how Congress works?
To be able to hold their representatives accountable for what they do (or fail to do) while in office.
What is the purpose of going public?
To convince members of the public to pressure their members of Congress to support the president's policy.
What was the Civil Rights Movement's new strategy?
To engage in civil disobedience that would bring out the manifest injustice of how blacks are treated in the South and sway public opinion to pressure elected representatives.
What does it mean to "work the refs?"
To manipulate the media to report on one's side favorably and/or report critical stories about one's opponent.
Why did the British seek to increase taxes in the lead-up to the American Revolution?
To provide for the defense of the colonies, which had grown very expensive.
What is the media's main role does in democracy?
To provide the information citizens need to hold their representatives accountable.
The framers of the Constitution were worried mainly about what feature of state governments?
Too much democratic control over the government
Public opinion is the aggregation (or adding up) of individuals' opinions on particular political issues which those who want power find it useful to listen to.
True
TRUE OR FALSE: Popular presidents are more likely to go public.
True
TRUE OR FALSE: The Supreme Court largely prevented the federal government from taking any actions to protect the civil rights of black Americans during the Jim Crow era.
True
TRUE OR FALSE: The civil liberties protections in the Bill of Rights often state general principles with unclear application, which gives the Supreme Court enormous discretion to make whatever decisions about them that they want.
True
TRUE OR FALSE: The framers of the Constitution would be puzzled about why Congress would surrender so much power to the presidency.
True
TRUE OR FALSE: The supreme law of the land in the United States denied the fundamental humanity of black Americans before the Civil War.
True
Which of the following best describes the paradox of the presidency?
What people expect from presidents is often more than they can deliver.
What is gerrymandering?
When political parties in control of state government draw maps to keep themselves in power even when voters vote against them.
What tradeoff do presidents face when deciding whether to delegate to staff, like you had to when deciding whether to deal with the crisis situation yourself or not?
When presidents delegate, they get time to concentrate on other tasks, but then they have less control over and knowledge about the situation.
Match the concept with its definition: agenda-setting priming framing
When the media changes what the public thinks by covering some stories rather than others. When the media's focus on the topic encourages the public to assess candidates on their performances on that topic. When the politicians or the media talk about an issue in a way that suggests some specific considerations.
Why did the power of the presidency increase?
When the role of the federal government grew to meet new national problems, the workload was too large for Congress, so it passed general directives for executive agencies to work out the details of, giving presidents lots of power in making policy.
Did Abramhoff think he was behaving ethically while he was a lobbyist?
Yes
A central feature of the Great Compromise was which of the following?
a bicameral legislature with the upper chamber representation equal for all states and the lower chamber representation based on population
If the Supreme Court grants a case a writ of certiorari, it has
accepted and will hear the case.
Complete this sentence: More than half of all interest groups
advocate for corporations, occupational associations, or trade groups.
Which federal judges are appointed for life?
all Article III judges
Most Americans
are not very ideological and do not think about politics in terms of liberal and conservative policies or ideas.
How did the FBI attempt to compel Apple to cooperate in its investigation?
by obtaining a search warrant
The racial composition of the American electorate is
changing, with racial and ethnic minorities and immigrant groups growing while the white share of the population declines.
The government is the organization in society whose decisions are ultimately enforced by
coercion.
Which clause has the federal government utilized to expand its jurisdiction over policy making as the scope of economic transactions has increased?
commerce
Justices appointed by presidents Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush have moved the Court in a more ____ direction on issues, including affirmative action and abortion.
conservative
Selective incorporation
considered the provisions of the Bill of Rights one by one and selectively applied them as limits on the states through the Fourteenth Amendment.
The administrative strategy for presidents exercising power includes (SELECT ALL THAT APPLY)
controlling federal agencies' budget requests to Congress through the OMB regulatory review using executive orders to essentially govern by decree
The net effect of the Supreme Court decisions in McCulloch v. Maryland and Gibbons v. Ogden was
creating a powerful precedent that allowed future national policy to develop free of the constraints of state prerogatives.
President Obama issued these commutations mostly in the service of what broader agenda?
criminal justice reform
Supporters of federalism argue that
decentralization of authority leads to greater government innovation and policies that better suit the preferences of the residents of each state.
Balancing the desires of the majority of the population against the freedoms of the minority of the population is part of which trade-off?
democracy versus liberty
Transitions in the party systems that occur over time are sometimes called
electoral realignments.
Which of the following principles/ideals captures the idea that all people should have the freedom to use their talents and resources to reach their full potential?
equality of opportunity
The MOST dramatic restraint imposed on police by the Bill of Rights, which can free those people who are known to have committed the crime of which they have been accused, is the
exclusionary rule.
The Supreme Court ruled in Lawrence v. Texas that the right to privacy
extends to gay and lesbian citizens.
Justice can mean a kind of meta-value, referring to everyone getting what they deserve, but it is frequently used in politics to refer to the value of
fairness
Discussing climate change in terms of economic growth and jobs rather than as an existential threat to the human race is an example of what?
framing
The commerce clause of the Constitution
gave Congress the authority to regulate commerce with foreign nations and among the several states.
Presidential approval by the public (SELECT ALL THAT APPLY)
generally decreases when a major personal or political scandal implicating the president breaks. increases when the country goes through crises involving foreign countries. goes down during bad economic times and up when the economy booms. goes down when the president makes a major policy move.
What is the name of the strategy presidents use to promote their policies through engaging in intensive public relations to induce cooperation from other elected officeholders by appealing to their constituents?
going public
The Necessary and Proper Clause
grants the federal government the power to do things not explicitly mentioned by the Constitution.
The modern presidency
has accumulated power due to the changing place of Washington in national and international affairs.
What did former First Lady Barbara Bush cite as her main concern with Donald Trump?
his comments about women and the military
Looking at the entire set of results, one can conclude that
income inequality is a concern for most Americans.
Since 2004 online advertising revenue has ____________, while print advertising revenue has declined. On the whole, this shift has led to ____________ levels of total advertising revenue.
increased; decreasing
Because the fit between the words and concepts used in polling questions and how people actually think about issues is never perfect, even the most carefully designed question
is subject to some measurement error.
Original jurisdiction is
is the authority to initially consider a case, whether in state or federal cases.
The president plays all of the following roles except
judge on constitutional issues.
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.
Which movement is tied to the rights of workers and was most prominent in the 1930s?
labor movement
At its highest levels, online advertising revenue is __________ print advertising revenue at its lowest level.
less than
The Bill of Rights includes things such as the right to bear arms and freedom of speech. These are examples of which American value?
liberty
Party leaders in Congress are which of the following?
members' agents, not their bosses
In 1869, which of the following groups was eligible to vote in national elections?
men over the age of 21
Justice Kennedy's replacement on the court, Brett Kavanaugh, is has generally been
more conservative than Kennedy.
Which of the following values does security most often conflict with in American politics?
negative liberty
Which constitutional amendment extended the right to vote to nearly all adults?
nineteenth
Nineteenth century presidents spent most of their time
on foreign policy and doling out federal patronage to supporters.
Which of the following is NOT a problem that pollsters encounter?
only getting a 75 percent response rate
In general, FCC regulations apply only to
over-the-air broadcast media
In Rucho v. Common Cause, the Supreme Court decided that
partisan gerrymandering is a "political question" and so not something the courts should weigh in on.
Politics is difficult because
people disagree about how benefits and burdens should be divided.
The Madisonian view of representative democracy articulated in Federalist No. 10 is referred to as what?
pluralist politics
Federalist No 10 describes
pluralist politics.
A _______ is a nonprofit independent group that receives and disburses funds to influence elections.
political action committee
Which democratic value does money being essential for winning elections most clearly threaten?
political equality
The process of acquiring political attitudes is known as
political socialization.
Which principle captures the idea that the people are the ultimate source of legitimate authority?
popular sovereignty
Which of the following is LEAST important to a member of Congress when deciding how to vote on a bill?
previous court decisions
If the ability of presidential candidates to handle massive public health crises affects elections in 2020 and later, it would be an example of which of the following?
priming
The FBI's request for access to Apple's encryption code is part of the legal war between
privacy and security.
Which of the following had the lowest percentage of Americans who reported the government needs to do more to close the income gap?
republicans
The grants-in-aid/categorical grant money provided through programs created under the Great Society
required state and local authorities to follow detailed programmatic guidelines prescribing how the funds were supposed to be spent.
Complete this sentence: The 10th Amendment
reserves powers not given to the federal government to the states or people.
What is the democratic principle that requires governments to follow their own rules in, and set procedures for, exercising power?
rule of law
The 9th Amendment
says that there are rights the people have and that the Constitution protects even though they aren't spelled out.
Because the Supreme Court has so much influence over American law and politics, virtually all presidents have made an effort to select justices who
share their political philosophies.
Duverger's Law states that
single-member plurality electoral systems tend to lead to two-party systems.
The top government lawyer in all cases before the Supreme Court where the government is a party is the
solicitor general.
The checks and balances contained within the Constitution result from which of the following?
some capacity of each of the three branches to limit the power of the other two
Turnout for midterm elections in the United States is generally
substantially less than for presidential elections.
The President is commander in chief of the nation's armed forces because
the Constitution declares it.
Presidential nominations go where for confirmation?
the Senate
Which region of the country has been attempting to circumvent the Voting Rights Act?
the South
What does Senator Kaine argue is Congress's proper role in the war against ISIS?
to authorize the conflict and define the mission