test history tmr
Currently, the average monthly social security payment is approximately _____ per month
$1,400
Which of the following would be a good example of a government program that provides an "indexed" social benefit?
A federally run program that provides $750 to low-income families in the first year of implementation and that increases payments by 1.5 percent in each subsequent year of the program's operation
When a president "recognizes" a country it means that the United States
Acknowledges the legitimacy of that country's government and territorial claims
Who were the only two presidents to be impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives?
Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton
The chief justice of the Supreme Court
Presides over the Courts's public sessions and private conferences
the 2015 house of representatives committee that held hearings to investigate Hilary Clintons use of private email -______
SELECT
_____ protects federal judges from political pressure by granting them life tenure
Article III of the US Constitution
Poor Americans had strong incentives to establish their eligibility for Aid to families with Dependent Children (AFDC) benefits in the 1970s because AFDC recipients
Automatically received Medicaid and food stamps
The presidents partisan ties are MOST important in
Dealing with Congress on legislative matters
Section 1983 of the US Code is significant because it
Encourages individuals and groups to bring their problems to the courts rather than to Congress or the executive branch
The essence of the rule of law is
Ensuring that the "state" and its officials are judged by the same laws as the citizenry
________ powers are specifically established by the language of the Constitution.
Expressed
The jurisdiction of the federal courts is determined
For the most part by geography
Which of the following groups is more than twice as likely as other Americans to be below the poverty line
Single mothers
Aside from the justices themselves, who or what has the greatest power in shaping the flow of cases to the Supreme Court?
Solicitor general
When a justice agrees with the majority decision but disagrees with the rationale presented in the majority opinion, he or she may write a
Special concurrence
Congress's tendency in recent years to give executive agencies fewer clear guidelines for implementing laws is the results of
The greater scope and complexity of the tasks that the federal government has undertaken
Cabinet Secretaries
The president has the power to appoint which of the following positions?
The power of the Supreme Court to review state actions and legislation is implied by
The supremacy clause of Article VI
How does an entitlement differ from a right?
Unlike an entitlement, a right cannot be taken away by an act of congress
the presidents group of advisers and analysts is collectively called the
White House staff
private bill
a bill proposed in Congress to provide a specific person with some kind of relief, such as a special exemption from immigration quotas
plea bargain
a defendant's admission of guilt in exchange for a less severe punishment
Which of the following statements best describes the difference between a congressional hearing and a congressional investigation?
a hearing is held in order to analyze a specific bit that has already been proposed while an investigation examines a broad problem and concludes with reccomentadtions for a proposed bill
The written options of appellate courts have been described as halfway between ______ law and ________ law
common; statuory
the Supreme Court struck down state laws in cases brown v board of education and pavon v smith because the statues in question
denied citizens equal protection of the law
An emergency declaration relating to foreign threats allows the president to
embargo trade, seize foreign assets, and prohibit transactions with whatever foreign nations are involved
The wartime interment of Japanese Americans was the result of an
executive order
Activist judges beleive that federal judges should
go beyond words of a constitution or statue to consider the broader societal implication of their decision
The role that the U.S. House of Representatives plays in impeachments can best be compared with that of a
grand jury.
The number of cases filed in the Supreme Court
has increased dramatically since 1940.
the requirement of standing means the parties in a case must
have a concrete injury or interest at stake
impeachment offenses are charged by the
house and tried in the senate with the chief justice presiding and a two thirds vote needed for conviction
must state the constitutional or staturatory basis for their use of executive orders
in general presidents ....
A class-action suit is a legal action
in which a group of individuals with common interests can file a suit on behalf of everyone who shares that interest.
Roe v. Wade is a good example of
judicial activism because it was based on a constitutional right to privacy that is not found in the actual words of the Constitution.
through he exercise of ______ of the Supreme Court has held actions or laws of the executive and legislative branches unconstitutionally
judicial review
The solicitor general is the
lawyer who represents the United States before the Supreme Court in cases where the federal government is a party.
The goals of the War War Powers Resolutions was to
limit the power of the president to commit American troops to military action without authorization from congress
Who has the most real power in the Senate?
majority and minority leaders
president Clinton was unusual among modern presidents because he left the White House
more popular than he entered
When President Clinton ordered the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to develop rules designed to restrict the marketing of tobacco products to children, it was an example of how presidents
now use the rule-making process as a quasi-legislative mechanism through which they can engage in lawmaking without the interference of the legislature.
The National Defense Education Act
offered low-interest loans to college students.
A ________ veto occurs when Congress adjourns during a 10-day period after presenting the president with a bill and he or she takes no action.
What are the three "streams" in political scientist John Kingdon's model of the policy-making process?
problems, policies, and politics
The federal government spends far more on
programs for the elderly than on programs for veterans and on unemployment insurance benefits.
Charter schools are best described as
public schools that are free to design special curricula
The House of Representatives and the Senate come closest to providing sociological representation on which of the following characteristics?
religion
The delegate model of representation requires that
representatives remain in constant touch with constituents and that constituents follow each policy issue very closely.
In United States v Nation (1974), the supreme court justices
required Nixon to turn over the secret tapes to Congress
The Great Depression changed American attitudes about welfare by
revealing that poverty could be caused by a flawed economic system, not just by personal irresponsibility.
An executive-congressional agreement is a contract between two countries that can be approved with a
simple majority vote in both house
Which of the following statements about congresses delegation of power to the executive is MOST accurate
since the new deal, the courts have not struck down any congressional delegation of power to the executive branch as impermissibly broad.
during the past several years decades , the _____ and the _____ have benefited most from apportionment
south;west
When a justice agrees with the decision but not the reasoning of the decision, he or she writes a __________________.
special concurrence
a legislative "hold " is a
stalling tactic used in the US SENATE TO delay debate on a bill
The doctrine of ________ requires courts to follow authoritative prior decisions when ruling on a case.
stare decisis
A writ of habeas corpus declares that
the government must show a legal cause for holding someone in detention.
Congress's tendency in recent years to give executive agencies fewer clear guidelines for implementing laws is the result of
the greater scope and complexity of the tasks that the federal government has undertaken.
implied powers can be traced to the powers expressed in the actual language of the constitution while inherent power derive from national sovereignty
the main different between inherent and implied powers are
The "individual mandate" of the Affordable Care Act refers to
the requirement that uninsured individuals purchase health insurance.
a member of congress who feels only loosely contained by the police preferences of his or her constitutional best is acting as a
trustee
what is required for congress to override a president veto
two thirds vote of both houses on congress
The federal government's spending on AFDC fell after the mid-1970s because
unlike Social Security, the program was not indexed to inflation.
are not protected by the constitution from salary reduction
unlike judges of article lll courts , the judges of courts created under congress article 1 power
The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits provided by state governments ________ the federal poverty line.
vary widely across states but are always below
Cases ________ are NOT part of the original jurisdiction of the U.S. Supreme Court.
where more than $1 million is at stake
who decides to run for office incumbency and the drawing of district lines
which three factors related to the American electoral system affect who is elected to office in this country and what do they do when they get there
The US Public Health Service was founded in
1798
Marbury v. Madison was declared in
1803
Medicare was established in
1965
In most states, unemployment benefits last for a maximum of ________ weeks.
26
Each Supreme Court justice is assigned _____ law clerks
4
About ________ percent of the current federal budget is spent on entitlement programs.
65
In each House district there are approximately ______ people.
700,000
How many vice presidents have taken over the Presidency as a result of death, resignation, or was voted in as President after formerly serving as vice-president?
8
Approximately ________ percent of members of Congress have university degrees.
90
There are ________ U.S. district courts.
94
which two Supreme Court cases have affirmed the presidents power to remove executive branch appointees
Myers v United States and bowser v synar
the first female speaker of the house was
Nancy Pelosi
If a defendant is found not guilty in a criminal case, the government is
Not entitled to appeal the verdict
After more than four decades, President ________ restored the American diplomatic ties with Cuba that were severed by President ________.
Obama; Eisenhower
In a typical tort case
One individual charges that he or she has been injured by another's negligence or malfeasance
A person, agency, or interest group not directly a party to a case but with an interest in its outcome may file an _____ brief
amicus curiae
Cabinet members must
be approved by the Senate but are not responsible to the Senate or to Congress at large.
The written document in which attorneys explain why the court should rule in favor of their clients is called a
brief
Congress
can terminate a state of emergency declared by the president only with a joint resolution of the two houses
In _____. cases, the losers cannot be fined or incarcerated by the state
civil law
a(n) _____ benefit is one where potential recipients must document their genuine need
Means-tested
Which federal program poses the biggest budget challenge for the federal government in the coming years?
Medicaid
___ is the single-largest medical insurance program in the United States
Medicaid
Which of the following is a program of forced savings?
Medicare
Which of the following cases would always be heard in federal court?
. a case involving the state of New York suing the state of New Hampshire over state highway maintenance
A bill's supporters in the House of Representatives generally prefer ________, while opponents generally prefer a(n) ________.
. a closed rule; open rule
In the last few decades, executive orders have
. become routine instruments of presidential governance rather than emergency wartime measures.
Which of the following groups receives the LEAST benefits from government's social policies?
. children and the working poor
The powers of Congress have declined dramatically in which of the following areas during the last 50 years?
. national defense and the federal budget
The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 provided 12 weeks of unpaid leave each year to employees of firms with at least 50 workers to care for
. their own health or that of a qualifying family member.
In 2018, each individual's required contribution to Medicare was ________ percent of all earnings.
1.45
In 2018, each individual's required contribution to medicare was _____ percent of all earnings
1.45
There are ________ federal government departments and each is led by a ________ who is a member of the president's cabinet.
15; secretary
In all of American history, the Supreme Court has concluded that fewer than ________ acts of Congress have directly violated the Constitution.
160
The first federal government assistance in education came in
1785, when the federal government set aside land for public schools.
in schutte v coalition to defend affirmative action the justices ruled on ____ ballot initiative establishing that _____ constitutional
Michigan; a ban on racial preferences in college admissions was
President _____ vowed "to end welfare as we know it"
Bill clinton
In 1862, Congress established land-grant colleges with the
Morrill Act.
Which of the following statements about the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is most accurate?
Congressional tax legislation is specific and detailed, leaving little to the discretion of IRS administration
If a man is arrested because his home was searched by a police without a legal warrant, he could argue in court that he had been denied
The due process of law
Which of the following statements best characyerizes the structure of the federal judiciary?
The entire federal judiciary is composed of 94 district courts, 12 circuit courts, one Supreme Court and numerous specialized courts that have nationwide original jurisdiction in certain types of cases
Which of the following statements best describes the representation of women and minorities in the U.S. Congress?
a.Representation of women and minorities has increased during the past two decades but is not comparable to their proportions in the general population.
The Every Student Succeeds law enacted by Congress in 2015 returned control for school performance to ________ testing results by race and ethnicity.
state governments but maintained the federal requirement that schools provide
The constitution attempts to restrain the presidents use of domestic force by
stating that a government must request federal troops before the president can deploy them with in that state to provide public order
The Constitution attempts to restrain the president's use of domestic force by
stating that a state government must request federal troops before the president can deploy them within that state to provide public order.
When members of Congress delegate power to the executive branch, it
substantially enhances the importance of the presidency.