borrowed: Government AP Final

In Plessy v Ferguson, the United States Supreme Court ruled that state-imposed racial segregation is constitutional, based on the

"separate but equal" doctrine

A corporate lobbyist would be LEAST likely to have an informal discussion about a pending policy matter with which of the following?

A federal judge in whose court a case important to the corporation is being heard

Which of the following generalizations about group voting tendencies is true?

African American Democrats tend to support the more liberal candidates within their party.

In which of the following did Congress move to regain powers previously lost to the executive branch?

Budget and Impoundment Control Act

Discrimination in public accommodations was made illegal in the United States as a direct result of the

Civil Rights Act of 1964

All of the following are ways that the legislative branch can check the powers of the executive branch EXCEPT:

Congress may pass a law declaring a presidential action unconstitutional

Which of the following is a fundamental element of the United States Constitution?

Division of government authority across political institutions

Which of the following constitutional principles most directly addresses the relationship between the national and state governments?

Federalism

Both Gitlow v. New York and New York Times v. Sullivan are United States Supreme Court cases that dealt with which of the following amendments to the United States constitution?

First Amendment

Most of the individual protections of the Bill of Rights now apply to the states because of the Supreme Court's interpretation of the Constitution's

Fourteenth Amendment

Which of the following is an example of congressional oversight?

Holding hearings for review of an executive agency's activities

The data displayed in the table above best support which of the following statements?

House seats are safer from election turnover than are Senate seats.

The advantages of incumbency in congressional elections include which of the following? I. Incumbents receive more campaign contributions than do challengers. II. Incumbents are able to provide important services for individual voters. III. The government provides campaign funds for incumbents. IV. The President usually endorses incumbents for reelection. V. Most American voters believe Congress does a good job.

I and II only

Public monies are used to help finance which of the following campaigns? I. Presidential II. Congressional III. Gubernational

I only

Registered voters directly elect which of the following? I. The President and the Vice President II. Supreme Court justices III. Members of the Senate IV. Members of the House of Representatives

III and IV

Which of the following is a significant trend in the presidential nominating process over the past three decades?

Increasing importance of presidential primaries rather than state convention

Which of the following statements about the Senate is true?

Individual senators can exercise substantial influence over the legislative process

Which of the following statements about gerrymandering is true?

It can be used by a political party to draw boundary lines to control as many districts as possible.

Which of the following best explains the principle of stare decisis?

It encourages judges to follow precedent when deciding cases

Which of the following best describes the concept of political efficacy?

It is the belief that one can make a difference in politics by expressing an opinion and acting politically

Which of the following is true about the right of free speech, as currently interpreted by the Supreme Court?

It protects the right to express opinions even without the actual use of words.

Which of the following is articulated in the War Powers Resolution?

Lobbyists and political action committees (PAC's) successfully induce most members of Congress to trade their votes for campaign contributions.

Which of the following United States Supreme Court cases established the principle of judicial review?

Marbury v Madison

Which of the following best describes the difference between an open and closed primary?

Only voters who register as members of a political party may vote in that party's closed primary, while independents and others may be eligible to vote in open primaries.

Which of the following is the most important influence on the choice made by voters in presidential election?

Partisan identification

The graph above supports which of the following statements?

People with higher incomes are more likely to think of themselves as conservative than are those with lower incomes.

Which of the following is an accurate statement about committees in Congress?

Standing committees oversee the bureaucracy's implementation of legislation.

In McCulloch v. Maryland, the Supreme Court established which of the following principles?

States cannot interfere with or tax the legitimate activities of the federal government.

A state has 11 electoral votes. In a presidential election, the Democratic candidate receives 48 percent of that state's popular vote, the Republican candidate receives 40 percent of the vote, and an independent candidate receives 12 percent of the vote. If the state is similar to most other states, how will the electoral votes most likely be allocated?

The Democratic candidate will receive all 11 electoral votes.

How is a president chosen when none of the candidates receives a majority of the electoral college vote?

The House chooses a new president by a majority vote of its state delegations.

Which of the following statements about rules of procedure in the House and Senate is correct?

The House operates more by formal rules, while the Senate operates more on informal understandings.

Which of the following procedures results in the removal of the President from office?

The House votes for impeachment, and the Senate conducts a trial and reaches a guilty verdict.

Which of the following did the most to expand civil rights in the 1950s?

The Supreme Court decision declaring state-mandated school segregation to be unconstitutional.

Which of the following statements about writs of certiorari is accurate?

The Supreme Court grants certiorari for less than 5% of the cases appealed to it

Which of the following statements accurately describes the selection of the caseload for the United States Supreme Court?

The Supreme Court is free to choose the cases it hears with only a few limitations.

Which of the following statements about political parties and the United States Constitution is true?

The issue of political parties is not addressed in the Constitution

Which of the following statements about Congress is true?

The legislative process is frequently lengthy, decentralized, and characterized by compromise and bargaining.

Which of the following is the most accurate statement about political parties in the United States?

The percentage of voters identifying themselves as either Democratic or Republican has been declining since the 1970s.

Which of the following is an example of checks and balances, as established by the Constitution?

The requirement that presidential appointments to the Supreme Court be approved by the Senate.

Which of the following conclusions about income distribution during the Reagan administration is supported by the table above?

The share of income received by the highest fifth increased, whereas the share received by the lowest fifth increased.

Which of the following statements about motions for cloture is true?

They are used by senators to end a filibuster and bring a bill to vote

Which of the following is true of PACs?

They make campaign contributions to gain access to legislators

Which of the following is an example of presidential use of inherent powers?

Thomas Jefferson's Louisiana Purchase

Which of the following actions can Congress take if the Supreme Court finds a federal law unconstitutional?

Try to amend the Constitution.

A primary election in which voters are required to identify a party preference before the election and are not allowed to split their ticket is called

a closed primary.

The Americans with Disabilities Act, which provides protections for the disabled, is an example of

a federal mandate

An election involving more than two candidates in which the person who receives the most votes is the winner is called

a plurality election.

A fundamental source of power for the federal bureaucracy lies in its

ability to set specific guidelines after receiving a general mandate from Congress

When selecting a vice-presidential candidate, a presidential nominee is usually concerned primarily with choosing a running mate who

adds balance and appeal to the national ticket.

One of the formal tools used by Congress for oversight of the bureaucracy is

authorization of spending

Since 1972, voters in presidential elections have

become more focused on individual candidates

Which of the following is NOT a way in which the federal government regulates campaigns?

by prohibitions on negative advertising

In 1987 the cooperation among the NAACP, the NOW, and the ACLU to defeat Robert Bork's nomination to the United States Supreme Court was an example of

coalition building.

The largest amount of political coverage in newspapers during presidential campaigns is devoted to

day-to-day campaign activities

Which of the following is the most likely consequence of divided government?

delays in confirmation of federal court nominess

A President attempting to influence Congress to pass a legislative program might employ all of the following strategies EXCEPT

denying campaign reelection funds to legislators who oppose the President's policy stand.

Cooperative federalism can best be described by which of the following statements?

different levels of government are involved in common policy areas

In a federal system of government, political power is primarily

divided between the central government and regional governments.

Which of the following form an "iron triangle?"

executive department, Congressional committee, interest group

Diversity of public policy throughout the United States is primarily a consequence of

federalism

All of the following powers are granted to the President by the Constitution EXCEPT

forming new cabinet-level departments.

The process of extending the protections of the Bill of Rights by means of the Fourteenth Amendment to apply to the actions of state government is known as

incorporation

The main intent of "motor voter" laws is to

increase voter registration

The importance of Shays' Rebellion to the development of the United States Constitution was that it

indicated that a strong, constitutionally designed national government was needed to protect property and maintain order.

The framers of the United States Constitution left decisions on voting eligibility to the

individual states

Decisions reached by the Supreme Court under the leadership of Chief Justice Earl Warren (1953-1969) did all of the following EXCEPT

invalidate state abortion statutes.

The most important source of the Supreme Court's caseload is

its appellate jurisdiction

Supreme Court justices were given tenure subject to good behavior by the framers of the Constitution in order to ensure that

justices are free from direct political pressures.

Explanations for low voter turnout include all of the following EXCEPT

laws protecting voting rights for minorities

All of the following have contributed to an increase in presidential power in the post-1945 era EXCEPT

legislation granting the President the power to impound funds appropriated by Congress

Interest groups and political parties both promote United States democracy by

linking citizens to the political process.

In the 1992 election, the membership of Congress was altered significantly by an increase in the number of

minorities and women.

In the process and structure of public policy-making, "iron triangles" refer to the

networks of congressional committees, bureaucratic agencies, and interest groups that strongly influence the policy process

The reserved powers of the state governments can best be described as those powers

not specifically granted to the national government or denied to the states.

Congressional standing committees are best described as

permanent subject-matter committees

Political socialization is the process by which

political values are passed to the next generation.

Cabinet members often do not have a dominant influence on presidential decision-making because

presidential goals often conflict with the institutional goals of individual cabinet-level agencies

The establishment clause in the First Amendment does which of the following?

prohibits the setting up of a state church.

The term "pork barrel" refers to legislation specifically designed to

provide funding for local projects that are intended to benefit constituents.

The primary function of political action committees (PAC's) is to

raise campaign funds to support favored candidates.

The role of a conference committee in Congress is to

reconcile differences in bills passed by the House and Senate.

The congressional power that has been contested most frequently in the federal courts is the power to

regulate interstate commerce.

The difference between an appellate court and a district court is that an appellate court

reviews previous court decisions

Griswold v. Connecticut and Roe v. Wade are similar Supreme Court cases in that both cases are based on the

right of privacy.

The request of recent Presidents for the line-item veto is a challenge to which of the following principles?

separation of powers

When independent regulatory agencies make rules, enforce those rules, and adjudicate disputes arising under those rules, they risk violating the constitutional concept of

separation of powers

Which of the following best describes the primary formal role of the attorney general?

serving as the chief executive officer of the Department of Justice

The Supreme Court's power of judicial review permits the Court to overrule all of the following EXCEPT

the Bill of Rights

The differences shown in the table demonstrate which of the following?

the gender gap

The committee system is more important in the House than in the Senate because

the house is so large that more work can be accomplished in committees than on the floor

Which of the following is a member of the White House Staff?

the national security adviser.

The debates between Federalists and Anti-Federalists were primarily about which of the following issues?

the scope of power of the central government

One reason for the persistence of a two-party system in the United States is

the single-member district electoral system

The boundaries of United States congressional districts are usually determined by

the state legislatures

Which of the following describes a consequence of the growing concentration of ownership of the news media?

there is increased similarity of network news coverage

When 18 to 21 year olds received the right to vote in 1971, in the 1972 national elections they did which of the following?

turned out at a lower rate than the rest of the electorate.

The "Miranda warning" represents an attempt to protect criminal suspects against

unfair police interrogation.

Presidents have had the most success in changing the direction of decisions of the federal judiciary by

using the appointment process to select judges with judicial philosophies similar to those of the President.

The free-exercise clause protects

voluntary prayer by student groups before school

Critical elections in the United States typically have occured

when groups of voters have changed their traditional patterns of party loyalties