AP Gov Final Practice

When the effects of income and education are eliminated, which of the following statements about voting rates is true? A) black citizens vote at a higher rate than white citizens B) black citizens vote at a rate about half of white citizens C) individuals from all races vote at about the same rate D) Asian Americans voters have the highest voting rates E) there is no change in voting rates

A) black citizens vote at a higher rate than white citizens

Members of Congress who have adopted the delegate role of representation normally cast their votes based on which of the following? A) preferences of the majority of their constituents B) their judgment of what's best for their constituency C) instructions of party leadership D) political party's most recent policy E) The advice of confessional staffers and political consultants

A) the preferences of the majority of their constituents

The primary function of the White House staff is to?

Advise the president

What demographic group has voted most consistently for the Democratic Party? A) African Americans B) Hispanics C) Protestants D) Wealthy White Males E) Southern White Males

African Americans

The three points to an iron triangle include what?

An administrative agency, an interest group, and a congressional committee

When a child's parents both identify strongly with the same political party, the child will most likely: A) ID opposing party B) ID with parents party C) Have low political efficacy D) become independent E) become alienated from the political system

B) ID with the parents party

Which of the following best defines civil liberties? A) the freedom to refuse to obey laws an individual considers to be immoral violations of civil rights B) provisions of the bill of rights that guarantees against arbitrary interference by government C) Precedents pertaining to criminal procedure that are set by the Supreme Court that are upheld in lower courts D) features of the 14th & 15th amendments that pertain to actions of individuals and groups E) laws passed by congress to define the powers and privileges of individuals

B) provisions of the bill of rights that guarantees against arbitrary interference by government

What is pork barrel politics? A) the OMB negotiates with congress to get the pres' budget proposal passed B) senators from states with agricultural economies promote farm price supports C) voters in rural areas to support different issue positions than do voters in metro areas D) members of congress negotiate bills so that individual districts get money for projects that's don't benefit nation as a whole E) members of senate judiciary committee refuse to endorse the president's nominees to the federal courts

B) senators from states with agricultural economies promote farm price supports

The constitutional powers of the president DON'T include which of these? A) head of military B) vetoing legislation C) declaring war D) granting pardons E) appointing ambassadors

C) Declaring war

Party Machine A) large national party organization that's hierarchically structured B) local party organization that relies heavily on voluntary labor of its members C) Local party organization that is tightly disciplined and we'll staffed and relies on patronage to create party loyalty D) Party organization in which political favors are distributed by national leaders in repayment for large contributions E) Party organization in which major platform decisions are made behind closed doors rather than at national conventions

C) Local party organization that is tightly disciplined and we'll staffed and relies on patronage to create party loyalty

Which of the following best describes gerrymandering? A) The party in power wins 4 or 5 surrounding districts by very small margins B) the Supreme Court requires that state legislators must adopt the doctrine of one person one person one vote C) The party in control of the state legislature draws district boundaries in such a way as to favor its own candidates in subsequent elections D) by polling voters, party officials are able to determine how citizens will vote

C) The party in control of the state legislature draws district boundaries in such a way as to favor its own candidates in subsequent elections

The bipartisan campaign reform of 2002 did which of the following? A) it creates interest groups known as 527's B) it made illegal for unions to donate to presidential campaigns C) it banned soft money donations to national parties D) it banned candidates from running negative advertisements E) it banned 3rd party from federal funding

C) it banned soft money donations to national parties

The War Powers resolution does which of the following? A) gives pres power to declare war B) requires that congress report to the president before it cuts military appropriations C) requires that the president notify congress within 48 hours of deploying of troops D) allowed NSC to conduct military operations if the pres is incapacitated

C) requires that the president notify congress within 48 hours of deploying of troops

An example of constitutional checks and balances is A) the president declares war, but congress appropriates military funds B) the president nominates cabinet members, and the house holds confirmation hearings C) the House can impeach federal judges and the president and the senate holds the impeachment trial D) congress can override US Supreme Court decisions of constitutionality of laws E) presidential vetoes of laws can be overridden by a simple majority vote in the house & senate

C) the House can impeach federal judges and the president and the senate holds the impeachment trial

Under the Articles of Confederation, which of the following were true?

Congress could not tax the states directly & congress was a unicameral body

Which of the following forms of financial aid from the national government gives the states the broadest discretion in money spending? A) categorical grants B) foreign aid C) unfunded mandates D) block grants E) military funding

D) Block grants

When no presidential candidates receive a majority of the votes in the electoral colleges the winner is chosen by who? A) Federal Elections committee (FEC) B) Supreme Court C) the House of Representatives only D) senate only E) majority of house & senate combined

D) the house only

What's ticket splitting?

D) voting for candidates of different parties on the same ballot

A referendum can best be described as a vote to

Determine whether citizens support an action by their state legislature

#32 The government depicted here is described as what?

Divided government

The Great (Connecticut) Compromise provided for A) all revenue bills to originate in the senate B) all judicial appointments to be nominated by president C) elimination of importance of slaves D) an electoral college and rules for the removal of the president E) Bicameral legislature with one house's composition based upon state population and the other on equal state rep

E) Bicameral legislature with one house's composition based upon state population and the other on equal state rep

Which of the following most accurately describes media coverage of elections? A) coverage of pres primaries gives relatively equal power to states regardless of when they hold their primaries B) coverage tends to focus on issues rather than on which candidate is ahead in public opinion polls C) reporters who use secret sources in their campaign coverage are shielded by federal law from having to reveal those sources D) radio and TV stations must provide on their news broadcasts equal time for and equal coverage of major party candidates E) network news coverage is usually dominated by reporters who offer relatively short sound bites from candidates

E) network news coverage is usually dominated by reporters who offer relatively short sound bites from candidates

An election in which there is a significant shift in the bases of electoral support from one political party to another is called a A) deviating election B) maintaining election C) dealigning election D) primary election E) realigning election

E) realigning election

When contributing to congressional campaigns, PACs are most likely to contribute to A) incumbents of both major parties B) third party challengers C) republican challengers D) state party organizations E) national party organizations

Incumbents of both major parties

Citizens who believe that their votes will have no effect on the outcome of an election have a what?

Low level of political efficacy

The free rider problem occurs when

People benefit from an interest group's efforts without making any contributions

The theory that all interests are and would be free to compete for influence in government, resulting in healthy democratic compromise and balance is called?

Pluralism

If congress adjourns within 10 days the president has to consider a bill passed by both houses of congress but which the president has not signed, what is the result?

Pocket veto

A major difference between political parties and interest groups is

Political parties seek to gain control of government, while interest groups seek to influence public policy

ENUMERATED powers of the federal government include all of the following except the power to

Regulate INTRAstate commerce

What was established in the case of Marbury vs. Madison? A) The Supreme Court can declare federal legislation invalid if the legislation violates the constitution B) each state has the right to set up and run its own court system C) All powers that aren't explicitly given by the constitution to congress belong to states D) any president who commits high crimes can be impeached E) the constitution can be amended by 2/3 vote of the house

The Supreme Court can declare federal legislation invalid if the legislation violates the constitution

Which of the following describes the result of a winner take all, single member district plurality system?

The candidate who receives most votes on the election wins

Which of the following is a unique power held by members of the senate?

The filibuster

Front loading is what?

The tendency of states to hold their primaries earlier on the calendar for more media attention

Which of the following is true of both members of the House of Representatives AND senators A) they must be citizens of the U.S. B) the serve 2 year terms C) they can have their elections chances directly affected by reapportionment D) they must be 30 E) they must have statewide appeal in order to get elected

They must be citizens of the United States

The senate confirms all of the following presidential appointments EXCEPT A) US Attorneys B) Supreme Court justices C) White House staff D) executive agency heads E) federal judges

White House staff