AP Gov Unit 3 Quiz and Khan Academy Questions

Which of the following measures would a president adhering to supply-side economic principles most likely employ during an economic recession?

A budget that cuts individual and corporate income tax and decreases government regulation of the economy

The majority party in the Senate wants to vote on a bill that would change requirements for granting citizenship, but a member of the minority party has the floor and continues to debate the bill. Which of the following may a senator of the majority party do to stop debate on the bill?

A cloture vote would stop a filibuster or lift a legislative hold. If three-fifths of the Senate (60 votes) votes for cloture, debate stops and the bill can be voted on

Which of the following statements explains how an executive order can cause conflict between the president and Congress?

An executive order enhances the power of the president because it create laws without congressional approval

Which of the following measures would a president adhering to Keynesian economic principles most likely employ during an economic recession?

An executive order that built three solar panel farms and two wind-powered generators in rural areas to decrease unemployment

Which statement accurately summarizes the impact of the Shaw v. Reno (1993) decision?

It created a strict standard of scrutiny when creating new legislative districts, ruling that race cannot be the predominant factor

Which of the following statements explains how social media has enhanced the power of the presidency?

It gives the president a direct line of communication to the national constituency to influence national policy

Which of the following statements best explains the impact the necessary and proper clause has had on congressional power?

It has broadened the power of Congress to enact legislation addressing a wide range of economic, environmental, and social issues

Which of the following explains how modern technology has changed the president's ability to respond to political issues?

It has made it easier for the president to rapidly respond to political issues by appealing directly to the public

"That unity is conducive to energy will not be disputed. Decision, activity, secrecy, and despatch will generally characterize the proceedings of one man in a much more eminent degree than the proceedings of any greater number; and in proportion as the number is increased, these qualities will be diminished . . ." -Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 70, "The Executive Department Further Considered," 1788 Which of the following scenarios would be considered an example of how unity is conducive to energy in the executive branch, as defined by the author of the passage?

John F. Kennedy's secret negotiations ending the Cuban Missile Crisis

"That unity is conducive to energy will not be disputed. Decision, activity, secrecy, and despatch will generally characterize the proceedings of one man in a much more eminent degree than the proceedings of any greater number; and in proportion as the number is increased, these qualities will be diminished . . ."-Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 70, 1788 Which of the following scenarios would be considered an example of how unity is conducive to energy in the executive branch, as defined by the author of the passage?

John F. Kennedy's secret negotiations ending the Cuban Missile Crisis

Use the excerpt to answer the question below."The defeat of Robert Bork's 1987 Supreme Court nomination was a watershed event that unleashed what Stephen Carter has called 'the confirmation mess.' There was no question that Bork was a highly qualified nominee. He was rejected not because of any lack of qualification, or any impropriety, but because of his stated judicial philosophy: how he would vote as a judge."-John Maltese, "Anatomy of a Confirmation Mess: Recent Trends in the Federal Judicial Selection Process," 2004 Based on the text, which of the following statements would the author most likely agree with?

Judicial nominations can be contentious because of the lasting influence the people in those positions have after a president's term

Pork barrel legislation is best defined as which of the following?

Laws that include federally-funded local projects that benefit a specific district

If Congress adheres to a liberal economic policy, which of the following measures would it most likely employ during an economic recession?

Legislation to increase corporate income tax rates and increase regulation of the economy

Senator Ramirez listens to her constituents' wishes on every piece of legislation, but always votes her conscience, even if it goes against her constituents' wishes on pieces of legislation they care about.

trustee

If Congress adheres to a libertarian economic policy, which of the following measures would it most likely employ during an economic recession?

A constitutional amendment that prohibits the federal government from creating government subsidies and bailouts to businesses

The president wants Congress to pass a new tax to help raise funds for a high-speed transcontinental train. Which of the following is the first step in the process of passing the bill?

A member of the House must introduce the bill to the House floor

Which of the following scenarios would be considered logrolling?

A senator agrees to vote on another senator's bill, provided that the senator will support their own legislation

Which of the following scenarios would most likely be considered a violation of the Twenty-second Amendment?

A sitting president runs for a third term in office after overwhelming support from the American public

Which of the following policies would a libertarian politician most likely support?

Abolishing death penalty

Which of the following statements explains how the structural differences between the House and Senate affect the policymaking process?

Because members of the House have shorter term lengths, they are more likely to be influenced by demands from their constituents

"And the closer the 2006 midterm elections got, the more nervous congressional Republicans could be expected to get. Republican leaders in the House of Representatives sought to have the Senate move first, not wanting to have their members go out on a limb with a series of potentially costly party-line roll call votes that would have no policy payoff if Republicans in the Senate decided not to move a bill because they did not have the votes needed to pass it." Martin A. Levin, et. al, Building Coalitions, Making Policy: The Politics of the Clinton, Bush & Obama Presidencies, 2012 How might term-length differences have contributed to the lack of support from House Republicans?

Because members of the House have two-year terms, they are unlikely to support a piece of legislation that may upset their constituents

Which of the following statements explains why Congress gives the federal bureaucracy discretionary authority to implement public policy?

Bureaucrats are experts and can make the best choices on how to implement policy.

Appointments to the president's cabinet are sometimes contentious for which of the following reasons

Cabinet-level officials are responsible for implementing the laws created by Congress, while still advocating for the president's agenda

Which of the following identifies the formal procedure for ending a filibuster?

Cloture

Which of the following is an intended consequence of ideological divisions within Congress?

Compromise between the two parties on congressional legislation

When a bill passes the House and the Senate in different versions, the bill is resolved by which of the following types of committee

Conference

Which of the following is an enumerated power Congress has in making foreign policy?

Confirming ambassadors to foreign countries

"Size explains much about why the two chambers differ. Because it is larger, the 435-member House . . . is a more structured body than the 100-member Senate. Indeed, the restraints imposed on representatives by rules and precedents are more severe than those affecting senators . . . The Senate is more involved than the House in cultivating national constituencies, forming questions for national debate, and gaining general public support for policy proposals." -Walter J. Oleszek, Congressional Procedures and the Policy Process Which of the following statements is most consistent with the author's argument in the passage?

Different chamber sizes and constituencies influence the formality of debate in each chamber

Which of the following statements about congressional reapportionment and redistricting is true?

Districts must be drawn so that, within a state, every person's vote is roughly equal to every other person's vote.

Which of the following statements describes a difficulty the federal government faces in policymaking when there is a divided government?

Divided government may result in the delay or death of major policy because of ideological clashes between parties

Which of the following actions by a state government would most likely violate the precedent established by Shaw v. Reno (1993)?

Drawing new congressional district lines in a city that grouped people based on race; The decision in Shaw v. Reno (1993) was that redistricting plans based on race must be held to a strict standard of scrutiny and that states could not create legislative districts with race solely in mind.

Which of the following scenarios would be considered a constitutional use of executive power?

The president confers diplomatic recognition on the new nation of South Sudan

Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the enumerated and implied powers of Congress?

Enumerated: Establishing post offices Implied: banning mailing of dried ice

Which of the following statements best explains how rule differences in the House of Representatives and the Senate can affect the policymaking process?

Even though the House may pass a bill, the Senate can kill the bill with a filibuster

Which of the following is an enumerated power of Congress?

Generating a budget that addresses both discretionary and mandatory spending

which of the following is a consequence of the merit system in the bureaucracy?

Greater professionalism in the bureaucracy

Which of the following is a consequence of holds applied to a bill in the Senate?

Holds can be placed on any bill or presidential appointment and are a political tactic meant to slow down the legislative process in the Senate

The House Committee on Veterans Affairs, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) work together to achieve policies that benefit veterans. This is an example of which of the following?

Iron triangles

In 1972, Congress passed the Clean Water Act, which regulates the amount of pollutants there can be in waters of the United States and the quality standards for surface waters. Which of the following constitutional provisions granted Congress the power to pass environmental protection laws like the Clean Water Act?

Necessary and proper clause in Article I

On the last day of its session, Congress passes a law that the president strongly opposes. What can the president do to stop the bill from becoming a law?

Neither sign nor veto the bill, allowing it to die

Which of the following may the president do to limit the power of Congress?

Neither sign nor veto the bill, allowing it to die (pocket veto)

Representative Siddiqui introduces a bill that would reform campaign finance in the House of Representatives. After the bill is assigned a number, which of the following describes the next step of the lawmaking process?

Once a bill is introduced on the House floor, the Speaker is responsible for sending the bill to a committee so that members can review the bill and make changes as necessary.

"That unity is conducive to energy will not be disputed. Decision, activity, secrecy, and despatch will generally characterize the proceedings of one man in a much more eminent degree than the proceedings of any greater number; and in proportion as the number is increased, these qualities will be diminished . . ." -Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 70, "The Executive Department Further Considered," 1788 Which of the following statements best summarizes Hamilton's argument?

One person should run the executive branch because they will be able to act swiftly, decisively, and discreetly, which is necessary for the presidency

What role do coalitions play in the policymaking process?

Politicians create coalitions to enact policy that has broad support from the public

Congress member Chidi Anagonye has proposed an Agriculture Appropriations bill that would fund important agricultural food programs and food services. While the bill was in committee, Congress member Eleanor Shellstrop added an amendment to the bill that would send $250,000 to her district in Arizona for an Arizona Fried Shrimp Institute. She says she will only vote for the bill if it includes the funds for her district. This is an example of which of the following?

Pork barrel legislation

Which of the following House committees is responsible for setting the agenda for legislation coming to the floor?

Rules Committee

"The president may be convinced that a piece of legislation is unwise. But his judgment as to its un-wisdom is not a legal reason for his declining to execute it. (It may be a reason to veto it, and one of the objections to signing statements is that they are vetoes not subject to override.) And the president may have a definite view as to what the legislation means, and that view might include conclusions as to its constitutionality, but his is not the view that counts. He may be the commander in chief, but he is not the interpreter in chief." -Stanley Fish, "Who's Afraid of Presidential Signing Statements?" Source: New York Times Which of the following statements best summarizes Fish's argument?

Signing statements go beyond the president's expressed constitutional powers

"The president may be convinced that a piece of legislation is unwise. But his judgment as to its un-wisdom is not a legal reason for his declining to execute it. (It may be a reason to veto it, and one of the objections to signing statements is that they are vetoes not subject to override.) And the president may have a definite view as to what the legislation means, and that view might include conclusions as to its constitutionality, but his is not the view that counts. He may be the commander in chief, but he is not the interpreter in chief."-Stanley Fish, New York Times Which of the following statements best summarizes Fish's argument?

Signing statements go beyond the president's expressed constitutional powers

"Amid this much-changed communication landscape, the lingering question of whether the untapped wisdom of the public should be harnessed in governmental decisions suddenly commanded a fresh look, as social media increased the capability of governments worldwide to more fully involve ordinary citizens in policymaking." -M. Barris, A. Jain, and J. Katz, The Social Media President: Barack Obama and the Politics of Political Engagement, 2013 Based on the text, which of the following statements would the authors most likely agree with?

Social media has changed the president's relationship with the national constituency by involving more citizens in policymaking decisions

The president wants Congress to pass a new tax to help raise funds for a high-speed transcontinental train. Which of the following is the first step in the process of passing the bill?

The Constitution requires that all taxation bills originate in the House of Representatives.

Which of the following scenarios is an example of a bureaucratic agency using its discretionary authority?

The Environmental Protection Agency issues a fine to a company for violations of the Clean Air Act.

In 1971, President Nixon signed the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) into law. It required candidates for federal office to disclose who contributed to their campaigns and how much. Congress put the Federal Election Commission in charge of implementing the law. Which of the following most likely occurred first after Congress gave the Federal Election Commission discretionary authority over the law?

The Federal Election Commission enforced the law by creating a series of rules for candidates.

Which of the following describes the role of the House Rules Committee?

The House Rule Committee is responsible for scheduling and managing the flow of legislation on the floor to make the process more efficient and manageable. The committee can also make it easier or more difficult for a bill to pass depending on the rules they create.

Ohio has 16 representatives in the House of Representatives, but only two representatives in the Senate. Which of the following statements best explains the reason for this difference in representation?

The House represents states according to the size of their population, while the Senate represents the states equally

"The mystique of inside information—"if you only knew what we know"—was a most effective way to defend the national-security monopoly and prevent democratic control of foreign policy . . . "The power to leak meant the power to tell the people what it served the government's purpose that they should know . . . "The power to withhold and the power to leak led on inexorably to the power to lie. The secrecy system instilled in the executive branch the idea that foreign policy was no one's business save its own, and the uncontrolled secrecy made it easy for lying to become routine." -Arthur Schlesinger, The Imperial Presidency, 1973 Based on the text, which of the following statements would the author most likely agree with?

The executive branch has too much power in implementing foreign policy

Which of the following statements best explains an advantage the majority party in the House of Representatives has in lawmaking?

The majority party in the House of Representatives nominates the Speaker of the House. The Speaker of the House is responsible for assigning bills to committees.

Which of the following is an accurate conclusion based on a comparison of the trends in the chart above and your knowledge of presidential appointments?

The potential for conflict with the Senate depends upon the type of executive branch appointment

President Bellingham's administration wants to limit the development of chemical weapons in key nations in the Middle East, but Congress is unlikely to back a formal treaty. Which of the following is an action the president may take to accomplish their policy agenda?

The president has the informal power to negotiate executive agreements with the heads of other governments. Executive agreements do not require Senate ratification.

"Size explains much about why the two chambers differ. Because it is larger, the 435-member House . . . is a more structured body than the 100-member Senate. Indeed, the restraints imposed on representatives by rules and precedents are more severe than those affecting senators . . . The Senate is more involved than the House in cultivating national constituencies, forming questions for national debate, and gaining general public support for policy proposals." -Walter J. Oleszek, Congressional Procedures and the Policy Process Which of the following statements is most consistent with the author's argument in the passage?

The size of the House compared to the size of the Senate and the size of constituencies in the House and the Senate influence the formality of debate in both chambers.

Senator Leslie Knope plans to vote in favor of two major bills. The first bill is about buying some land in Indiana and turning it into a national park. The second bill will ban any fast food restaurant from serving a 128-ounce soft drink. 21,000 constituents have called her asking her to vote against the second bill, but no constituents have called her about the national park bill. Senator Knope decides to vote in favor of the first bill, but listens to her constituents and votes against the second bill. Which model of representation do her actions embody?

This is an example of a member of Congress acting as a politico because Senator Knope is acting as a delegate on an issue her constituents care about (the soft drink bill), but acting as a trustee on an issue they don't care about (the park bill).

Every ten years congressional redistricting occurs for which of the following reasons?

To divide a state into new political districts after changes in population

Every year, the Seafair Air Show performance takes place in Lake Washington in Seattle, Washington. To protect guests who are attending the festival, Congress passed a law designating the area a safety zone. In response, the Department of Homeland Security created a regulation requiring the Coast Guard to enforce the boundaries of the safety zone from 8 am to 4 pm. The action taken by the Department of Homeland Security is an example of which of the following?

a guideline issued by government agencies, which provide specific details about how to implement policies

In 1975, Congress passed the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act, which gave the Department of Transportation the power to regulate the transport of potentially hazardous materials, like radioactive waste. In response, the Department of Transportation set regulations, such as requiring additional labels on shipment trucks that warn other vehicles that there is hazardous material in the truck. The action taken by the Department of Transportation is an example of which of the following?

a rule issued by an executive agency that lists specific regulations about how to implement a policy

Which of the following policies would a conservative politician most likely support?

allowing voluntary prayers in schools

Which of the following sets of policies appears to be most influenced by a conservative ideology?

ban the use of books in public schools that have dangerous or controversial themes

"In addition to educating the country, [President Barack Obama's] goal is to frame the political debate and set an agenda that the next Democratic presidential nominee can run on next year—an agenda that Obama hopes will put opposition Republicans at a big disadvantage. Obama has been getting lots of attention for bypassing the Republican-controlled Congress and using his unilateral powers, such as executive orders, to get his way. But his power to persuade is another vital weapon in the president's arsenal, since he can command media and public attention almost whenever he wants." -Kenneth T. Walsh, U.S. News & World Report, 2015 The strategy described in the passage above is an example of which of the following?

bully pulpit

"In addition to educating the country, [President Barack Obama's] goal is to frame the political debate and set an agenda that the next Democratic presidential nominee can run on next year—an agenda that Obama hopes will put opposition Republicans at a big disadvantage.Obama has been getting lots of attention for bypassing the Republican-controlled Congress and using his unilateral powers, such as executive orders, to get his way. But his power to persuade is another vital weapon in the president's arsenal, since he can command media and public attention almost whenever he wants."-Kenneth T. Walsh, U.S. News & World Report, 2015 The strategy described in the passage above is an example of which of the following?

bully pulpit

The Environmental Protection Agency issues a fine to a factory that is not complying with federal regulations on the maximum number of pollutants it can release into the atmosphere. This is an example of which of the federal bureaucracy's responsibilities?

enforcement

Establishing the boundaries of United States congressional districts to give one party an advantage over another party is referred to as

gerrymandering

Senator Jon Snow has proposed a bill to increase funds to the military to fight the White Walkers threatening to invade the North. He hasn't received enough support to get the bill to pass, so he reaches out to Senator Daenerys Targaryen for her support. She agrees to support his bill as long as Senator Snow supports her legislation that allows public schools to teach High Valyrian as an elective language. This is an example of which of the following?

logrolling

President Meredith Palmer has several positions to fill within the federal bureaucracy. Which of the following is an example of filling a position based on political patronage?

nominating a member of her political party as the secretary of state after he offered political support during the campaign

Senator Leslie Knope plans to vote in favor of two major bills. The first bill is about buying some land in Indiana and turning it into a national park. The second bill will ban any fast food restaurant from serving a 128-ounce soft drink. 21,000 constituents have called her asking her to vote against the second bill, but no constituents have called her about the national park bill. Senator Knope decides to vote in favor of the first bill, but listens to her constituents and votes against the second bill.Which model of representation do her actions embody

politico model

President Dwight Schrute has several positions to fill within the federal bureaucracy. Which of the following is an example of filling a position based on merit?

promoting the Deputy Attorney General to Attorney General after four years of strong service

Which of the following policy positions is most associated with the libertarian political ideology in the US?

removing any legal punishment for gambling

Bureaucratic discretionary authority is best defined as which of the following?

the ability of executive agencies to decide the literal interpretation of the law and to take courses of action

In 2010, Congress passed the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which gave the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) more power to regulate and enforce securities laws. In response, the Securities and Exchange Commission created the Office of the Whistleblower, which is responsible for gathering information from people who know of a company committing securities fraud. The Securities and Exchange Commission's ability to decide how much money it awards to whistleblowers is an example of which of the following?

the power that individual bureaucrats and agencies have to make choices about how to implement existing laws

Bureaucratic rulemaking is best defined as which of the following?

the power to make legally binding standards that all persons under the agency's authority must follow