AP Gov First Semester Final
In which year did Congress pass all stand-alone appropriations (spending) bills on time?
1977
In the passage, Hamilton is concerned that under the Articles of Confederation, the federal government does not have sufficient constitutional powers to gain compliance from state governments. Which of the following is a way that the Constitution allows the federal government to address this problem?
A Bill of Rights was added to the United States Constitution to protect individual civil liberties.
Which of the following scenarios, related to the First Amendment, best illustrates the "right . . . to petition the Government . . ." ?
A citizen calls a member of Congress to persuade her to vote yes on a bill.
Which of the following is most likely an effect of the trend in the line graph?
A decrease in congressional oversight as a mechanism to control the bureaucracy
Which of the following scenarios illustrates an action that would be protected by the free exercise clause in the First Amendment?
A person wears a necklace bearing a Christian cross to work.
Which of the following scenarios illustrates how social media has changed the way presidents relate to the public?
A president announcing a major policy initiative via the Internet rather than calling a press conference
Which of the following would most likely be protected by the First Amendment?
A student wears a black armband at school to protest government involvement in a war.
The decision in United States v. Lopez (1995) reflected new ideas about federalism at the time that can be best characterized by which of the following?
Acknowledgement of the limitations of national power and a recognition of the reserved power of the states.
Which of the following sections of the United States Constitution most concerns Madison according to the passage?
Article I, Section 2—"The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature."
Which of the following sections of the United States Constitution is most related to the case Marbury v. Madison (1803)?
Article III
Based on The Federalist 21, which of the following arguments about government would Hamilton likely agree with?
As a practical matter, the laws of the national government ought to have supremacy over state laws.
Which of the following could be used as evidence to support the author's claim?
At the time the Constitution was written, laws in the states required able-bodied individuals to serve in militias.
Which of the following statements accurately summarizes the reasoning for the decision in Baker v. Carr (1962)?
Because rural districts had fewer people, representation was unevenly distributed; thus, Baker was denied equal protection under the law.
Which of the following forms of financial aid from the national government gives the states the broadest discretion in the spending of money?
Block grants
A school district in Seattle used the race of students as a tie-breaking factor to determine which students would be admitted to the more popular schools in an attempt to maintain racial diversity. In the case Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1 (2007), the Supreme Court ruled this plan unconstitutional under the Fourteenth Amendment. Which of the following statements offers the most accurate comparison between this case and the decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)?
Both cases ruled against the school district based on the equal protection clause.
In the case Boynton v. Virginia (1960), the Supreme Court ruled that segregation at a bus stop restaurant was illegal based on the Interstate Commerce Act. Which of the following explains how this case is similar to Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954) ?
Both cases struck down local ordinances that prescribed segregation.
Which of the following is true according to the diagram?
Both chambers make use of a system of majority and minority whips.
Which of the following best explains how the view of the author of the passage compares with The Federalist 51 regarding separation of powers and checks and balances?
Both the author of the passage and The Federalist 51 assert that the structure of government helps control ambitions among the branches in such a way as to promote effective government.
In the case Guey Heung Lee v. Johnson (1971), the parents of Chinese American students who attended a primarily Asian American school challenged San Francisco's effort to desegregate the public schools, arguing that their culture and language would be diluted if their children were dispersed from their local school. The Supreme Court denied the challenge from the parents basing their decision on the Fourteenth Amendment. Which of the following cases was most likely used in the decision as a precedent?
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)
In which case did the Supreme Court hold that race based school segregation violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment?
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)
In The Federalist 10, James Madison argued that the new constitution would help control faction by doing which of the following?
By creating a large republic, the new constitution made it less likely that a faction could gain enough power to completely dominate.
Which of the following best explains why cabinet secretaries might not aggressively pursue the president's policy agenda?
Cabinet secretaries may develop strong loyalty to their departments.
According to the quote, what was the likely effect of the Court's ruling in the Bakke case?
Colleges could have considered race but could not use strict racial quotas in admission practices.
The number of justices on the United States Supreme Court is set by
Congress
Which of the following explains an action Congress can take that would have the most influence on the data on the graphs?
Congress can pass legislation that influences the federal salary structure.
In 1998, Goodyear employee Lilly Ledbetter filed suit against her employer for pay discrimination based on her gender. Though Ledbetter was initially successful, Goodyear appealed the decision and the case went to the Supreme Court. In Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. (2007), the Supreme Court ruled that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires that sex discrimination complaints must be made within 180 days "after the alleged unlawful employment practice occurred," which Ledbetter had failed to do. Which of the following actions could be taken to reverse the impact of the decision?
Congress could enact legislation to amend Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
Which of the following possible actions illustrates a way Congress interacts with the bureaucracy to address the problem shown in the infographic?
Congress could have members of the Department of Transportation testify before a committee to discuss the issue and potential solutions.
Which of the following explains how Congress would most likely respond if it were concerned about the slight increase in spending over time, as indicated by the bar chart?
Congress could vote to reduce spending on the Department of Homeland Security in the next year's budget.
Which of the following scenarios best illustrates delegated discretionary authority?
Congress giving the Environmental Protection Agency the power to establish national pollution standards
Which of the following correctly identifies an implication of the line graph?
Congress is more likely to act on a president's policy proposal at the beginning of a first term than at the end of a second term.
The mission of the Department of Transportation is to ensure the safety and efficiency of the transportation system. The Department of Transportation has accepted public comments regarding the safety of automated vehicles in the United States in order to establish standards and guidelines for this new technology. Which of the following concepts is most related to the scenario?
Delegated discretionary authority
The government depicted above is best described by which of the following terms?
Divided government
In 2005, the Utah legislature passed a law that allowed school districts to ignore parts of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), a law passed by Congress in 2001 that supported standards-based education reform. Utah did this despite the fact that it endangered losing $76 million in federal aid to Utah public schools. Which of the following statements best explains why Utah took this action?
Educational policy is not mentioned in the Constitution, which has created debate about the proper role for the national government in educational policy.
Which of the following is a consequence of the dynamic competition among branches of government described in the passage?
Effective policy change among governmental levels and branches occurs with little long-term abuse of authority.
The issues identified in the passage reflect a failure to uphold which of the following constitutional clauses?
Equal protection clause
Which of the following statements is true based on the bar graph?
From 2011 to 2016, no stand-alone appropriations bills were passed on time.
Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the rules for debate used by the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate?
House of Representatives - Debate is limited. Senate - Members can filibuster.
Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate?
House of Representatives - Debate on bills is limited Senate - Debate on bills can be unlimited
Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate?
House of Representatives - The Constitution's framers intended it to reflect the will of the people. Senate - The Constitution's framers designed it to represent the interests of the states.
Under the Articles of Confederation, which of the following were true? I. Congress could not tax the states directly. II. The executive branch of government exercised more power than Congress. III. Congress was a unicameral body. IV. States were represented in Congress proportionally according to population.
I and III
Which two principles are addressed in the excerpt above? (Mapp v Ohio) I. The incorporation doctrine II. The concept of eminent domain III. The exclusionary rule IV. The "wall of separation" doctrine
I and III
In the case Twining v. New Jersey (1908), the Supreme Court held that the Fifth Amendment's protection against self-incrimination is not applicable to the states. In 1964 the Supreme Court overruled the decision in Malloy v. Hogan (1964) and held that the right was incorporated to the states. This scenario illustrates which of the following?
Ideological changes to the Supreme Court can lead to the overturning of precedent.
Which of the following expresses the most significant political concern in the passage?
Increased awareness of citizen inequalities that need to be addressed
In Engel v. Vitale (1962), which of the following provides the legal reasoning behind the Supreme Court's ruling?
It ruled that the state had no justifiable interest to compel students to listen to a nondenominational prayer led by public school teachers, finding a clear establishment clause violation.
Which of the following statements best relates to the information shown in the infographic?
Like most businesses, the federal government has to seek out well-qualified and diverse job candidates.
In 1974, the House of Representatives approved a resolution granting the Judiciary Committee authority to investigate impeachment of President Nixon for obstruction of justice, abuse of power, and contempt of Congress. Which constitutional ideal of democracy is demonstrated in this scenario?
Limited government
Which of the following categories accounted for the majority of spending in 2017, according to the chart?
Mandatory
In The Federalist 78, Alexander Hamilton states, "A constitution is, in fact, and must be regarded by the judges, as a fundamental law. It therefore belongs to them to ascertain its meaning." Which of the following Supreme Court cases is most relevant to this statement?
Marbury v. Madison (1803)
Which Supreme Court case is most aligned with Justice Alito's reasoning to treat gun ownership for self-defense as a fundamental liberty?
McDonald v. Chicago (2010)
Which of the following Supreme Court cases is most relevant to the topic of the article?
McDonald v. Chicago (2010)
Shortly after the 2008 election, President Obama appointed outspoken and controversial House member Rahm Emanuel to lead his White House as chief of staff, the head of the Executive Office of the President. The selection drew criticism from Republican leaders, including House minority leader John Boehner, who remarked that the selection "is an ironic choice for a president-elect who has promised to change Washington, make politics more civil, and govern from the center." Which of the following explains how Congress could legitimately respond to the appointment?
Members of Congress could issue statements opposing the appointment but have no formal power to block it.
Which of the following best describes pork barrel politics?
Members of Congress negotiate bills so that individual districts get money for projects that do not benefit the nation as a whole.
Which of the following statements reflects a pattern in the line graph?
Most presidents exit office with lower approval ratings than when they entered office.
Which of the following statements best describes the information in the map?
Most states in the South and West allow capital punishment.
The facts of which of the following cases are most related to the political cartoon?
New York Times Co. v. United States (1971)
A United States Supreme Court justice has announced his retirement at the end of the current Supreme Court term. What is the most likely presidential action in response to this announcement?
Nominate a federal judge who shares the president's ideology
Which of the following best reflects the holding in the case Baker v. Carr (1962)?
Opened the door to Equal Protection Clause challenges to redistricting by deciding that such cases could be reviewed by federal courts.
Which of the following statements best reflects James Madison's beliefs about political representation as expressed in the passage?
People are best represented by a few politicians chosen to voice their issues.
If Congress adjourns during the ten days the president has to consider a bill passed by both houses of Congress, but which the president has not yet signed, what is the result?
Pocket veto
Both cases ruled against the school district based on the equal protection clause.
Popular sovereignty
Which of the following statements describes the author's main argument in the passage?
Presidential power in foreign policy has expanded since the beginning of the twentieth century.
In November 2014, President Obama announced an expansion of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program through an executive order. The policy would protect over 700,000 more children of undocumented immigrants from deportation. Republican members of Congress denounced the order as an abuse of executive power. Previously, members of the House of Representatives had voted to defund the program. This scenario best illustrates which of the following?
Presidents exert informal powers when their policy agenda conflicts with that of Congress.
Which of the following is a difference between the power of nineteenth-century presidents and that of the modern president according to the passage?
Presidents in the nineteenth century had to contend with congressional committees, which had significant powers in foreign affairs.
Which of the following best defines civil liberties?
Provisions in the Bill of Rights that provide guarantees against arbitrary interference by government
Which of the following is the best conclusion that can be drawn from the data in the table?
Public concern over the Vietnam War led Congress to hold more hearings to consider using the power of the purse to influence the conduct of the war.
Which of the following describes the ruling in Shaw v. Reno (1993) ?
Racial gerrymandering was ruled unconstitutional.
The author explains that the powers given to each branch "sometimes appear to swing like a pendulum" from one branch to another. Which of the following best describes how these shifts ensure that constitutional government is functional?
Separation of powers divides responsibilities and authority between branches, which allows each branch to be checked by the other two branches to ensure accountability.
In Gideon v. Wainwright, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the
Sixth Amendment right-to-counsel provision applies to those accused of major crimes under state laws
Which of the following is an accurate conclusion based on the pattern shown in the bar chart?
Special circumstances in 2005 and 2018 led Congress to approve supplemental appropriations.
The Supreme Court upholds a law passed by Congress as constitutional. The chief justice states in the majority opinion that previous decisions supporting Congress' power to make laws based on the commerce clause of the Constitution were the basis for the decision. Which of the following legal concepts did the chief justice apply in writing the opinion?
Stare decisis
Which of the following headlines is most relevant to the political cartoon?
Supreme Court Refuses to Stop the Presses for National Security
A newly elected president faces a Senate controlled by the opposition party. Which of the following presidential appointments is the most likely to encounter difficulty with confirmation by the Senate?
Supreme Court justice
Which of the following pieces of legislation was most likely a result of the passage?
The Civil Rights Act of 1964
Which of the following explains how the bureaucracy can address a problem shown in the infographic?
The Department of Transportation can write stronger regulations on freight volume.
Which of the following scenarios best illustrates the process of bureaucratic?
The Department of Veterans Affairs rewrites its regulations regarding compensation and pensions into plain language that is easier for beneficiaries to understand.
The Supreme Court's decision in Marbury v. Madison (1803) relates to foundational documents in which of the following ways?
The Federalist 78 is about the power and role of the federal courts, and in Marbury v. Madison, Madison expands that role by giving the courts the power to determine whether laws or executive actions conflict with the Constitution.
The Court pointed to which of the following amendments to the United States Constitution to achieve this ruling?
The Fourteenth Amendment
The United States Supreme Court has used which of the following to incorporate the Bill of Rights into state law?
The Fourteenth Amendment
Which of the following is an accurate description of the decision in United States v. Lopez (1995)?
The Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990 was struck down as unconstitutional because it exceeded the commerce clause.
The quote points to which of the following amendments to the United States Constitution as a basis to limit state action?
The Second Amendment
Which of the following scenarios best illustrates the concept of a case being decided based on precedent?
The Supreme Court bases its decision in a case involving the commerce clause on one of its earlier decisions involving the commerce clause.
Which of the following did the Supreme Court establish in Marbury v. Madison?
The Supreme Court can declare federal legislation invalid if the legislation violates the Constitution.
Which of the following explains why the author believes presidential power has expanded?
The United States has emerged as a global power, which has enhanced the power of the president in foreign affairs.
Which of the following is a unique power held by members of the Senate?
The ability to filibuster
Which of the following is true of the seniority system of Congress in relation to committee leadership and committee staffing?
The chairs of congressional committees tend to be senior members of the body's majority party.
In McDonald v. Chicago (2010), the United States Supreme Court held that the Constitution protects the right to keep and bear arms for the purpose of self-defense and that the Second Amendment applied to the states through which of the following constitutional clauses?
The due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment
Which of the following provisions of the United States Constitution did the Supreme Court use to strike down racial segregation in state public schools?
The equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment
Which of the following was a likely result of the decision in Wickard v. Filburn that contributed to the Court's later decision in United States v. Lopez (1995)?
The expansive interpretation of the commerce clause by the Supreme Court which greatly extended the power of Congress drew criticism that eventually led to a narrower interpretation.
Which of the following attributes of the political cartoon would best represent the government's use of prior restraint?
The fallen pillars
Which of the following scenarios illustrates a solution for the problem of getting states to comply with federal government policies, as described in the passage?
The federal government can withhold highway funds from states that do not raise the age to drink alcohol to 21.
Which of the following is an accurate description of the decision in McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) ?
The federal government had the authority to establish a national bank, and Maryland's tax was unconstitutional.
In the early part of the twenty-first century, public opinion polls showed that a majority of Americans believed it should be illegal to burn the American flag. As a result, many members of Congress introduced amendments to make it illegal to burn or desecrate the American flag. However, these efforts have been unsuccessful. Which of the following statements best explains why these efforts have been unsuccessful?
The framers made the amendment process difficult in order to protect individual rights.
Which of the following is true based on the data in the line graph?
The number of bills passed by Congress decreased under G. H. W. Bush.
Which of the following trends is best supported by the information in the table?
The number of executive agreements has increased over time.
Which of the following statements is best supported by the line graph?
The number of vetoes has generally decreased since 1945, but so has the number of bills passed by Congress.
Which of the following best describes gerrymandering?
The party in control of the state legislature draws district boundaries in such a way as to favor its own candidates in subsequent elections.
Which of the following enumerated powers would permit Congress to stimulate the economy by hiring unemployed citizens?
The power to pass a federal budget
Members of Congress who have adopted the delegate role of representation normally cast their votes based on which of the following?
The preferences of the majority of their constituents
Which of the following is an example of how the innovation of social media can influence presidential behavior?
The president announces the nomination of a cabinet secretary on the Internet.
In Baker v. Carr (1962), the Supreme Court ruled that a state legislature would have to redraw their representative districts in order to comply with the Constitution. Which of the following potential difficulties could have resulted from this decision?
The state legislature could have seen this decision as too controversial, leading to questions about the appropriate level of power for the Supreme Court.
Which of the following features of the United States Constitution would most concern the author of Brutus 1?
The supremacy clause, which gives the federal government supremacy over states
Concurrent powers have which of the following effects on the United States political system?
They make it possible for the states and the national government to simultaneously exercise influence in the same areas of public policy.
Which of the following best describes Madison's primary concern about representative government?
Those who seek to represent the people may be tempted to act in their own interests instead.
Which of the following best describes how a president can influence the data in the graphs?
Through the role of chief executive officer of the executive branch, the president can determine salary grades of federal employees.
In Worcester v. Georgia (1832), the Supreme Court used the power of judicial review established in Marbury v. Madison (1803) to strike down a Georgia state law that regulated the relationship between citizens of Georgia and members of the Cherokee Nation. President Andrew Jackson opposed the decision and challenged the Supreme Court to enforce it. This example illustrates which of the following?
Unpopular Supreme Court decisions can lead to debate about the court's power.
Which of the following is an action a president can take to rally public support for the administration's legislative agenda?
Use the State of the Union Address to pressure Congress to pass a bill lowering income taxes.
The Senate must confirm all of the following presidential appointments EXCEPT
White House staff
Which of the following cases decided whether a state could compel children to attend school beyond eighth grade even if it violated the students' sincerely held religious beliefs?
Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)
Which of the following cases examined a state law that required all children to attend school through the twelfth grade in order to promote the general welfare of its citizens?
Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)
The Connecticut (Great) Compromise provided for
a bicameral legislature with one house's composition based upon state population and another's on equal state representation
The Supreme Court addressed the admissions policy of the University of Michigan Law School in Grutter v. Bollinger (2003). Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote for the court, "in the context of its individualized inquiry into the possible diversity contributions of all applicants, the Law School's race-conscious admissions program does not unduly harm nonminority applicants." The primary issue in the Grutter v. Bollinger decision involves
affirmative action
Brutus was an example of an Anti-Federalist because he
believed a centralized government posed a major threat to individual rights
The committee that resolves differences between House and Senate versions of a bill is called a
conference committee
The constitutional powers of the president include all of the following EXCEPT
declaring war
Congressional legislative powers include all of the following EXCEPT
pardoning felons
The theory that all interests are and should be free to compete for influence in government, resulting in healthy democratic compromise and balance, is called
pluralism
The Supreme Court issued a ruling that was unpopular with a majority of Americans. The president and Congress might be able to lessen the impact of the decision by
refusing to actively enforce the decision
Enumerated powers of the federal government include all of the following EXCEPT the power to
regulate intrastate commerce
Fiscal policies refer to the government's power to
tax and spend
One example of constitutional checks and balances is
the House can impeach federal judges and the president, and the Senate holds the impeachment trial
In The Federalist papers, James Madison argues that political liberty is best protected by
the fragmentation of political power in a large republic
Throughout most of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, most African Americans were prevented from voting in many Southern states despite the Fifteenth Amendment, which extended the right to vote to African American males. Southern states were able to take this action because
the framers allowed the individual states to create voting processes and voter qualifications
The author's main argument is that the Second Amendment
was added to the Constitution to ensure that militias would have arms
According to the clear and present danger test, speech may be restricted
when it incites violent action