AP GOV Practice Exam 1 MCQ
D
A public school district implemented a policy that instructed students to recite a common, district approved meditation at the beginning of the school day. This policy was later found to be unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court. Which of the following clauses did the policy most likely violate? Responses A The interstate commerce clause B The free exercise clause C The supremacy clause D The establishment clause
C
A voter's decision to support the incumbent president in an upcoming election is based on recent economic growth and record low unemployment. Which of the following models of voting behavior best characterizes this voter's decision? Responses A Prospective voting B Straight ticket voting C Retrospective voting D Rational choice voting
D
An important Senate race takes place in the state of Georgia. Rather than focus on the issue positions taken by the candidates, a 24-hour cable news station instead focuses primarily on poll results and campaign strategies using a "big board" to show the counties where each candidate has the most support. Which of the following is an effect of this type of new coverage? Responses A The electorate will be increasingly divided along partisan lines. B The electorate will be more likely to turn out to vote on Election Day. C The electorate will be more likely to have expanded knowledge of the electoral process. D The electorate will be less able to accurately compare the policy platforms of candidates running in the election.
Formal
Both the choice to veto and the choice to delay action on a bill (pocket veto) to prevent it from becoming law are ___________ powers of the presidency under the United States Constitution. Formal or Informal?
D
In a public opinion poll, a polling company used an online survey tool to randomly contact respondents who did not have telephone lines in addition to contacting people over the phone. Which of the following best explains this decision? Responses A The company saved money because it did not need to hire as many telephone interviewers to conduct the poll. B The company was establishing a benchmark poll at the beginning of a campaign. C The company was interested in asking different questions to different individuals. D The company wanted to ensure that the sample of the population was truly random.
Sure, why not?
Study Supreme Court Cases
D
The clause of the United States Constitution that was used in the Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954) was Responses A The due process clause B The necessary and proper clause C The free exercise clause D The equal protection clause
D
Which of the following Supreme Court cases established that those accused of felonies who cannot afford legal counsel are entitled to legal counsel provided by the state? Responses A United States v. Lopez (1995) B McDonald v. Chicago (2010) C Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972) D Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)
D
Which of the following congressional plans to create new district maps would most likely face a challenge in the Supreme Court based on precedent? Responses A A state legislature hires a private consulting group to fairly balance districts according to political ideology with the unintended consequence of having no districts that are majority Hispanic. B A district is drawn by a panel of judges to ensure more competitive elections but inadvertently creates more districts that are majority White than majority African American. C A square-shaped contiguous district in which the majority of voters are African American is drawn in a state, using similarity in geographic size as the predominant factor in its creation. D A district that has a majority of African American residents is drawn in a state, using race as the predominant factor in its creation.
C
Which of the following scenarios best illustrates a member of Congress supporting pork-barrel legislation? Responses A A senator from a coal-producing state voting against a job-training program for coal miners B A member of the House voting for urban renewal in exchange for increased funding for roads C A senator from an agricultural state amending legislation to establish a potato research institute in his or her state D A member of the House Armed Services Committee marking up a bill that will increase funding for military bases
Influence policy, recruit candidates
Interest groups seek to __________ __________ while political parties seek to _____________ __________.
C
Which of the following scenarios is an example of the trustee model of representation? Responses A The NAACP leadership sends representatives to Washington to lobby for changes to the Voting Rights Act. B Congress passes a bill allocating money to clean up nuclear waste sites after a wave of large-scale peaceful protests. C A member of Congress votes to close a popular tax loophole based on the belief that the money would be better spent paying down the national debt. D A presidential candidate advocates using an executive order to increase the minimum wage for federal contractors.
D
Which of the following scenarios best illustrates the concept of concurrent powers? A The president negotiates a treaty regarding climate change with foreign governments, but for the treaty to take effect, it requires approval by the Senate. B As commander-in-chief of the military, the president orders troops to a foreign nation to address a potential threat to national security. C A Senate committee holds a hearing to discuss potential misuse of funds by the Department of Veterans Affairs. D The federal government provides about 25% of the total funding for highways and transit in the United States, while the other 75% of the funding comes from states.
