POS 2041 American Government
Congressional caucuses are formed around
- Ideological points of view such as the Tea Party and the Progressive Caucus - Special agricultural interest such as potatoes and corn growers - Racial or ethnic interests *** All of the above
After early rulings by the Supreme Court increased the power of the national government, states sought a shift back to states' rights due to
- Increasing divisions between the North and the South over the slavery issue - concern over expanding power by the federal government in the regulation of commerce - Conflict over the role of the national government and that of the states *** All of the above
The term civil rights refers to
- The rights of all Americans provided for in the Fourteenth Amendment's equal protection clause - What the government must do to ensure freedom from discrimination
Which is true
A lobbyist is hired to influence political officeholders
If the president vetoes a bill
Congress may override the veto with a two-thirds vote in both chambers
The Three-Fifths Compromise did all of the following except
Give African-Americans representation that was equal to what free whites received
In that case, the Supreme Court ruled that requiring payment of a poll tax in order vote in an election at any level was unconstitutional
Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections (1966)
The Supremacy doctrine asserts the superiority of
National law over state law
President Teodore Roosevelt's concept of the bully pulpit was the office's
Premier position to pressure through public appeal
President Theodore Roosevelt's concept of the bully pulpit was the office's
Premier position to pressure through public appeal
Which of the following is NOT true about going public?
Presidents FDR and Truman rarely used it
A government action that stops someone from doing something before they are able to do it
Prior restraint
It was NOT one of the voting barriers used to prevent African American men from exercising the right to vote granted by the Fifteenth Amendment.
Property ownership standard
It is a Supreme Court case whose decision limiting the power of the states to regulate abortion.
Roe v. Wade
After being reported by a committee but before being sent to the House floor, bills are given to the ______, which defines the conditions under which the bills are to be considered by the House
Rules Committee
The Federalists
Supported the new Constitution and a strong federal government with a bicameral legislature
State cannot use their reserved or concurrent powers to thwart national policies due to the
Supremacy Clause
It is a form of expression that does not use writing or speech but nonetheless communicates an idea (e.g., wearing an article of clothing to show solidarity with a group)
Symbolic speech
It is NOT one of the three Reconstruction Era amendments
The Sixteenth Amendment
All of the following statements regarding the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives are true except
The Speaker must be an elected of the House
It regulates relationships between the federal and state governments by declaring that the Constitution and federal law supersede any conflicting state law.
The Supremacy Clause
Which of the following is true of spending in politics?
The Supreme Court has opposed restrictions on spending on politics
The civil rights amendments prevent both the states and the federal government from abridging citizens' right to vote based on race, sex, and age. The constitutional amendments include all of the following except for
The Thirteenth Amendment
It granted Congress a vast source of discretionary power to achieve its constitutional responsibilities.
The doctrine of implied powers
The clause in the Constitution that grants Congress the power to do whatever is necessary to execute its enumerated or expressed powers is called
The elastic or necessary and proper clause
All of the following are true of lobbyists except that they
The fabricate the truth when providing information to public officials
The founders of the American republic believed that most of the power that would be exercised by a national government should be in the hands of
The legislature
Many at the Continental Congress were skeptical of allowing presidents to be directly elected by the legislature because
They were worried about giving the legislature too much power
It authorizes the federal government to withhold federal grants as well as file lawsuits against state and local officials for practicing racial discrimination
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution
abolished slavery
A mandate that threatens civil and criminal penalties for state and local authorities that fail to comply with them across the board in all programs, while another provides for the suspension of federal grant money if the mandate is not followed
crosscutting mandates
The idea that media affect a citizen's worldview through the information presented is known as
cultivation theory
The First Continental Congress
developed a declaration of rights and grievances
Which of the following is the best example of a solitary benefit?
joining a group to be with others like you
The beliefs and preferences that people are not deeply committed to and that change over time are known as
latent preferences
In that case, the Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional state laws that criminalized sexual intercourse between consenting adults of the same sex
lawrence v. Texas (2006)
As originally presented in the Constitution, and as decided in Baron v. Baltimore, the Bill of Rights
limited only the power of the national government, not that of the states
The tests called on the prospective voter to demonstrate his (and later her) ability to read a particular passage of text
literacy tests
The people who make up the modern president's cabinet are heads of the major federal departments and
must be confirmed by the Senate
The people who make up the modern president's cabinet are the heads of the major federal departments and
must be confirmed by the Senate
The members of Congress are
not representative of the voting population in terms of gender
The Anti-Federalists
opposed the new Consittution
Issuing press releases, placing stories and articles in the media, entering coalitions with other groups, and contacting interest group members are examples of
outside lobbying
When the Congress investigates federal agencies to make sure that they are following US laws, it is exercising its
oversight function
The Bill of Rights
protects individual freedoms and the States from the federal government
The Bill of Rights
protects the states and individuals from the federal government
The Thirteenth Amendment
provides that neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall exist in the United States
In the 1964 New York Times v. Sullivan case, the Supreme Court decided that
public figures needed to demonstrate not only that a negative press statement about them was untrue but also that the statement was published or made with either malicious intent
The Supreme Court ruled in the Bakke v. California (1978) case that
race cannot be the sole factor in admissions decisions
The Miranda rule
requires that suspects be read their rights before questioning
Cruel and unusual punishment is prohibited by
the Eighth Amendment
the equal protection clause became part of the Constitution as a result of
the Fourteenth Amendment
Gerrymandering
- Is typically used by congressional and state political party leaders to shape voting districts in such a way as to increase the chances of winning more seats - Employs two main techniques; packing and cracking - Is even more accurate due to the advances of computer technology - Helps protect the seats of incumbents ***All of the above
What changes have occurred in the lobbying environment over the past three of four decades?
- There is more professional lobbying - Many interest groups lobby both the national government and the states - A fragmentation of interests has taken place *** All of the above
The Constitution states that the required minimum age for the presidency is
35
Political Action Committee (PAC)
A committee set up by a corporation or interest group to raise and funnels money to political candidates. Donation amounts to PACs are limited by FECA rules (hard money).
All of the following are true of a confederation or confederate political system Except
A confederate system is the same things as a federal system
The policy in admissions of hiring that gives special consideration to traditionally disadvantaged groups to overcome the present effect of past discrimination is known as
Affirmative Action
The policy in admissions or hiring that gives special consideration to traditionally disadvantaged groups to overcome the present effect of past discrimination is known as
Affirmative Action
An agreement between two or more states is
An interstate compact
The Virginia Plan
Called for a bicameral legislature
The Trail of Tears is the name given to the forced removal of this tribe from Georgia to Oklahoma
Cherokee
Those are guarantees of equal treatment by government authorities
Civil Rights
The expressed or enumerated powers of Article I, Section 8, include the ability of the federal government to
Coin money, set standards for weights and measures, and determine rules for citizenship
Constitutional powers shared by the federal government and state government over particular jurisdictions are known as
Concurrent powers
Which of the following is NOT correct under the concept of separation of powers?
Congress has the right to interpret the law
Which of the following was a weakness of the Articles of Confederation?
Congress lacked the power to collect taxes directly from the people Any amendments to the articles required unanimous consent of the Congress and confirmation by every state legislature Congress lacked the power to demand funds for the militia Each state had one vote regardless of size
The twelfth Amendment
Couples a particular presidential candidate with that candidate's running mate in a unified ticket
During the New Deal era, it was a plan of FDR that would add one new justice for each one over the age of seventy, thus allowing the president to make a maximum of six new appointments
Court-Packing
The 1995 Lobbying Disclosure Act
Defined who can and cannot lobby, and requires lobbyists and interest groups to register with the federal government
These four departments have been referred to as the inner cabinet, while the others are called the outer cabinet
Departments of Defense, Justice, State, and the Treasury
During the era of New Federalism, the federal government sent power back to the states through a process known as
Devolution
It is a type of federalism in which the states and national government exercise exclusive authority in distinctly delineated spheres of jurisdiction.
Dual Federalism
The First Continental Congress
Encouraged the colonists to petition King George III to express their grievances
The free exercise clause, protecting freedom of religious practice is found in the
First Amendment
Which of the following is a way George Washington expanded the power of the presidency?
He appointed the heads of various federal departments as his own advisors
It is the idea that information is placed in a citizen's brain and accepted
Hypodermic theory
The increasing value constituents have placed on descriptive representation in Congress has had the effect of:
Increasing the number of minority members in Congress
The Speaker of the House and the Senate majority leader
Influence committee assignments and schedule legislation for debate
All of the following are true of interest groups EXCEPT
Interest groups only seek to influence government through campaign contributions
Which of the following is NOT true of the Declaration of Independence?
It established a constitutional government
The right to privacy has been controversial for all the following reasons except
It has been interpreted to take away from the states the authority to regulate sexual morality and privacy issues
Based on the Miller test (1973), which of the following is one of the requirements that must be met in order to consider a work obscene?
It must lack serious redeeming literary, artistic, political, or scientific merit.
All of the following are true of bicameralism EXCEPT
It set up different ways to amend the Constitution
he was one of the leading supporters of the doctrine of nullification - that states had the right to reject national laws they deemed unconstitutional
John Calhoun
In this case, the Supreme Court ruled that the free exercise and free speech clauses protect an individual engaging in personal religious expression from government reprisal
Kennedy v Bremerton School District
The districts in which African Americans became the majority and thus gained the electoral power to send representatives to Congress are known as
Majority-Minority districts
The necessary and proper clause of the Constitution was first used by the Supreme Court in what case to develop the concept of implied powers?
McCullock v. Maryland
It is a style of federalism premised on the idea that the decentralization of policies enhances administrative efficiency, reduces overall public spending, and improves outcomes
New Federalism
The civil rights movement led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was based on the philosophy of
Nonviolent civil disobedience
One of the most powerful agencies in Washington, the _______ assists in the preparation of the federal budget and monitors federal agencies throughout the year
Office of Management and Budget
Strings attached to federal grants
Options A and B are true. (are called federal mandates & designed to force states to comply with federal policies)
What is a difference between a PAC and a Super PAC?
PAC's can contribute directly to candidates, but Super PAC's cannot
What goods are available to all without direct payments?
Public goods
In that case, the Supreme Court ruled that people encouraging young men to dodge the draft could be imprisoned for doing so, arguing that recommending that people disobey the law was tantamount to "falsely shouting fire in a theater and causing a panic" and this presented a clear and present danger to public order
Schenck v. United States (1919)
It is a small legislative committee created to fulfill a specific purpose and then disbanded. It is also called an ad hoc, or special committee
Select Committee
The real leadership power in the Senate rests in the hands of the
Senate majority leader
According to research, why might a woman decide not to run for office?
She fears the media will criticize her family
It is a statement a president issues with the intent to influence the way a specific bill the president signs should be enforced
Signing Statement
Which of the following is an unintended consequence of the rise of the primary and caucus system?
Sometimes candidates unpopular with the party leadership reach the top
The most powerful person in the House of Representatives is the
Speaker of the House
The Federal Communications Commission oversees the programming of which entities
Television, radio, satellite, and cable
It is NOT an example of an executive order
The US Congress passing the USA Patriot Act in 2001
Which of the following is NOT a defense of federalism?
The national government has all the power so states play a small role
It was NOT a weakness of the government under the Articles of Confederation
The national government was too powerful and violated state rights
It was a doctrine that argued that states had the right to reject national laws they deemed unconstitutional.
The nullification doctrine
Which of the following is an example of an executive agreement?
The president signs legally binding nuclear arms terms with Iran without seeking congressional approval
The Bill of Rights provided for
The protection of individual liberties from the national government
How did the election of 1824 change the way presidents were selected?
The selection of the candidate with fewer electoral votes triggered the rise of party control over nominations
Which of the following statements about the president's veto power is most accurate?
The threat of a veto gives the president significant influence over Congress and legislation
Federal laws and regulations that impose obligations on state and local governments without fully compensating them for the administrative costs they incur
Unfunded mandates
It is a Supreme Court case that struck down the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990, which banned gun possession in school zones.
United States v. Lopez
The colonists' fury over taxation led to
a boycott of British goods. the formation of the Stamp Act Congress. the closure of Boston Harbor. the Boston Tea Party.
When the Constitution was approved in 1787, it included
a federal system separation of powers popular sovereignty, or control by the people a representative government
Direct Democracy is
a form of government where people participate directly in making laws
A constitutional amendment can be proposed by
a national convention called by Congress at the request of two-thirds of the state legislatures, and/or a two-thirds vote in each chamber of Congress. a two-thirds vote in each chamber of Congress
a constitutional amendment can be proposed by
a national convention called by Congress at the request of two-thirds of the state legislatures. a two-thirds vote in each chamber of Congress.
A Constitutional amendment can be ratified by
a positive vote in conventions in three-fourths of the states, and/or a positive vote in the legislatures of three-fourths of the states.
The double jeopardy rule in the Bill of Rights forbids which of the following?
a second prosecution only at the same level of government (federal or state) as the first
A select committee is different from a standing committee because
a select committee is convened for a specific and temporary purpose, while a standing committee is permanent
A signing statement is
a statement a president issues with the intent to influence the way a specific bill the president signs should be enforced
The Constitution included all of the following except
a unicameral legislature
The term confederation or confederal refers to
a voluntary association in which states have most of the power
A Signing statement
a) is a written declaration that a president may make when signing a bill into law b) usually points to sections of a law that the president thinks may be unconstitutional A and B are TRUE
A local station that broadcasts national network programming is called an ______ station
affiliate
In 1896, the United States Supreme Court case of Plessy v. Ferguson
agreed that separation of races is not a violation of the Constitution
A Fillibuster is
an attempt to prevent the passage of a bill through the use of unlimited debate
According to John Locke, the social contract is
an implicit agreement between a people and their government
Someone who lobbies on behalf of a company that he or she works for as part of his or her job is ________.
an in-house lobbyist
Taxes that the British attempted to impose on the American colonies in the years leading up to the Revolutionary War included all of the following except
an income tax
An interest group is
an organization that actively attempts to influence government policy
Ratification of the Constitution required the
approval by nine out of thirteen state conventions.
Civil liberties
are limitations of government power, intended to protect freedoms that governments may not legally intrude on
In a unitary system of government, ultimate government authority is located
at the national or central level
African American leader Malcom X
believed in "black power" and racial separation
A Federal grant that funds a general functional area with fewer restrictions on the states is a
block grant
In an attempt to achieve integration
busing students across neighborhoods was ordered by the courts
The Fifteenth Amendment provides that
citizens will not be denied the right to vote based on skin color
Polls show that
congress as a whole has very low approval ratings AND most individual members of congress receive high ratings from voters in their district
A mandate that threatens civil and criminal penalties for state and local authorities that fail to comply with them across the board in all programs, while another provides for the suspension of federal grant money if the mandate is not followed. According to the textbook, what is the name of these mandates.
crosscutting mandates
When acting as an agenda setter, the media
decides which issues deserve public attention
It is a form of government where political power rests in the hands of the people
democracy
It is one of the main outcomes of the first continental congress
developed a declaration of rights and grievances
The concept of checks and balances allows
each branch of the government to be able to check the actions of the others.
The Constitutional Convention in 1787 was brought on by the
failure of the Articles of the Confederation
Categorical grants are
federal grants to states or local governments for specific programs
People who become members of interest groups for purposive incentives are joining
for ethical beliefs, moral principles, or ideological reasons
The exclusionary rule is a policy
forbidding the admission of illegally seized evidence at trial.
In 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery march was an important milestone in the civil rights movement because it
galvanized support in Congress for a follow-up bill solely dealing with the right to vote, which led to the passing of the Voting Rights Act
The Mayflower Compact was written to
govern themselves according to the laws created by the voters.
The Civil Rights movement
has benefited many different minority groups
In 1965, in Griswold v. Connecticut, a case involving the legality of contraceptives, the Supreme Court
held that the law violated the right to privacy
The Fourteenth Amendment was critically important for civil liberties because it
helped start the process of selective incorporation of the Bill of Rights
In Gideon v Wainwright the Supreme Court ruled that
if one cannot afford an attorney, the government must provide one
All of the following are true EXCEPT
in federal systems, the power is held by the national government.
Muckraking occurs when newspapers
investigate problems in government and business
Any practice, policy or procedure that denies equality of treatment to an individual or to a group because of gender
is gender discrimination
All of the following are true of Congress Except:
it is held in high esteem by the public.
If the president uses a veto, he or she
must return the bill to Congress with a veto message
Cable programming is often
national
The framers of the Constitution set
no time limit for the ratification process.
A very challenging job for new presidents is to
nominate and gain confirmation for their cabinet and hundreds of other officials
In the 2003 decision of Lawrence v. Texas, the United States Supreme Court
overturned laws against sodomy between consenting adults in private to be unconstitutional
Taxes were imposed on the colonists to
pay for the cost of Britain's defense of the colonies during the French and Indian War
It is a set of bliefs and ideals about government that help to shape political opinion and eventually policy
political ideology
The elite theory of government claims that
political power rests in the hands of a small group of people who advance their own interests
With regard to presidential pardons, all of the following statements are true EXCEPT
presidents may grant a pardon only if the person to be pardoned has been convicted of a crime.
Revolving door laws are designed to do which of the following?
prevent lawmakers from utilizing their legislative relationships by becoming lobbyists immediately after leaving office
The job of a conference committee is to
reconcile House and Senate versions of a bill
A regime in which the people, not a monarch, hold power and elect representatives to govern according to the rule of law is called
republic
For a public figure to obtain a damage award under libel laws, he or she must
show that the statement in question contained malicious intent or a reckless disregard for the truth
The Fifteenth Amendment
states that the right to vote shall not be abridged on account of race
A group of African American students believes a college admissions test that is used by a public university discriminates against them. What legal standard would the courts use in deciding their case?
strict scrutiny standard
The passage of the Tenure of Office Act of 1867 was just one instance in a long line of
struggles for power between the president and the congress
The Federalists
supported the new Constitution and a strong federal government with bicameral legislature
The Court has based the right to privacy on
the First Amendment, the Third and Fourth Amendments, the Fifth Amendment, and the Ninth Amendment
The concept of checks and balances allows
the President to veto legislation he/she does not support
All of the following are true of the Senate Except
the Senate cannot pass budget bills without first allowing a fillibuster
All of the following are true of the Great Compromise except
the Three-Fifths Compromise allowed the immediate ban on the importation of slaves
If a Congressional district is challenged based on evidence that the lines were drawn as a racial gerrymander
the U.S. Supreme Court will determine whether the evidence is sufficient to order the district lines to be redrawn
The judicial review power is
the ability of the courts to declare acts of the legislative and executive branches of government unconstitutional.
The seniority system provides that
the committee member of the majority party with the longest continuous service normally becomes the committee chairperson
The controversy that led to the Civil War was
the dispute over states' rights and national supremacy
The group that actually elects the president of the united states is called
the electoral college
The New Jersey Plan called for all of the following except
the elimination of a Supreme Court
In Korematsu v. United States (1944), the Supreme court ruled that
the executive order of President FDR for the internment of the Japanese Americans was constitutional
Some criticism of the Patriot Act's strengthening of governmental investigatory powers reflects
the fear that the increased powers may be used to silence government critics and opponents
All of the following are enumerated or expressed powers Except
the power to create a national bank
The Bill of Rights provided for:
the protection of individual liberties from the national government Equal protection under the law
Slander is
the public uttering of a false statement that harms the good reputation of another, a defamation of someone's character
Which of the following provisions is NOT part of the First Amendment?
the right to keep and bear arms
One of the main actions of the Second Continental Congress was
to establish an army and appoint a commander in chief
People who become members of interest groups for material incentives are joining
to gain tangible benefits, i.e. improving their economic opportunities
English philosopher John Locke believed that the main purpose of government was
to protect man's natural rights of life, liberty, and property
The Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution to
to protect the states and individuals from the federal government
The New Jersey Plan called for the following:
unicameral legislature following the principle of one state, one vote.
Newspapers during the Revolutionary War period tended to
unite the colonists and provide information about the British
In Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the Supreme Court
upheld some state restrictions on abortion, including a required waiting period between arranging and having an abortion, parental consent for minors, and the requirement that women be informed of the health consequences of having an abortion.
In midterm congressional elections
voter turnout falls sharply
The Bill of Rights
was a result of the Federalists v. Anti-Federalists debate outside of the Constitutional Convention
Obscenity
was effectively defined by the Supreme Court in Miller v. California
It is sensationalized coverage of scandals and human interest stories by the media
yellow journalism
