Government Final Exam
According to the text, what is the minimum amount a challenger for a House seat must be able to spend to unseat an incumbent?
$1 million
An individual making less than approximately what amount is considered below the poverty line as a single person?
$10,000
The amount of money raised during the 2012 election totaled more than:
$6 billion.
In what percentage of cases submitted to the Supreme Court does the Court grant a hearing and submit a decision?
1 percent
There are currently ________ cabinet-level executive departments in the federal government.
15
Approximately what percentage of the nation's population is in poverty?
15 percent
Because of severe economic conditions, the federal government began enacting policies to ensure the well-being of the American public starting in the:
1930s.
Private charities, churches, and families played a larger role than the government in providing social welfare in the:
2000s.
Economists consider the natural rate of unemployment to be around:
5 to 5.5 percent.
Which type of group is NOT allowed to participate in any political activities or lobbying except for certain limited exceptions?
501(c)(3) organizations
A vote of cloture requires approval by how many senators?
60
Turnout among registered voters in presidential elections is generally between:
60 and 65 percent.
The Social Security Administration trust fund will not be able to keep up with demand. Projections suggest the program will only be able to pay about ________ of its obligated expenditures in 2037.
75 percent
As head of the executive branch, the president controls about:
8,000 positions, with about 1,200 requiring Senate confirmation.
Why are monopolies a problem sometimes?
A business can raise prices without fear of losing customers to competitors.
Why did the Justice Department drop its 1998 antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft?
A new president was elected and he decided not to press the case.
According to political scientists Donald Green, Bradley Palmquist, and Eric Schickler, how do group identities shape the decision someone makes when choosing between being a Republican and a Democrat?
A person picks the party that has more members from the groups with whom the person identifies.
What is the relationship between the relative strength of the dollar and imports and exports from the country?
A stronger dollar means more imports and less exports.
What is the most likely way that a presidential candidate would win the presidency without winning a majority of the popular vote?
A third party candidate wins enough votes to deny any one candidate a majority.
All of the following federal policies support education EXCEPT:
Aid to Families with Dependent Children.
The ________ is an interest group that represents the interests of senior citizens, the elderly, and other older individuals.
American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)
An interest group that lobbies Congress to provide more military aid to Israel and to strengthen sanctions against Iran is:
American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
Which of the following statements best characterizes public attitudes toward Congress?
Americans like their own legislators but not Congress.
What is the purpose of submitting an amicus curiae brief?
Amicus curiae briefs allow interest groups and other organizations to convey their opinions to the Court.
Which two presidents were crucial in the formation of the Democratic Party?
Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren
Which group pushed for the concept of reserved powers?
Antifederalists
________ of the U.S. Constitution created the U.S. Supreme Court.
Article III
Which article of the Constitution describes the procedures for ratification?
Article VII
What is the link between campaign donations and influence with elected officials?
At most, campaign donations might buy a donor access to see an elected official.
Which president proposed the Race to the Top program to provide competitive grants to schools, encouraging them to adopt better methods of teaching and assessment?
Barack Obama
Which political thinker argued that in order to preserve liberty, one branch of government should be able to check the excesses of the other branches?
Baron de Montesquieu
________ was the Federal Reserve chairman during the 2008-2009 banking crisis.
Ben Bernanke
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) was signed by which president?
Bill Clinton
Which president was impeached by the House of Representatives?
Bill Clinton
Which party's members do not always agree on all the issues?
Both parties have issues on which their members do not agree.
The theory of bureaucratic capture holds that:
Bureaucrats own goals are in danger of being replaced by those of the groups they regulate
How can Congress use its power of the purse as a check over the other two branches?
By freezing judges' salaries or cutting funding for federal agencies, Congress can then give the money directly to the states.
How might a candidate's issue positions in the primaries differ from the general election?
Candidates tend to have more ideologically extreme positions during primaries.
What does it mean to be a "representative" democracy?
Citizens have an indirect say on policy by voting in elections.
Who was the first group to receive substantial financial support from the federal government?
Civil War veterans and their families
Which of the following is a limit on a president's ability to issue executive orders?
Congress can pass a law changing policy.
How can Congress undo a president's unilateral action?
Congress can pass new legislation.
The president is considered to have a "first mover" advantage when involved in treaty making because:
Congress cannot initiate treaties and can only consider them once they have been negotiated by the president.
The commerce clause specifically gives:
Congress the power to regulate economic exchange between the states.
Congress has various powers at its disposal to force the president to compromise with the legislative branch when their policy goals are in conflict. These powers include all of the following EXCEPT:
Congress's power to send military forces into combat without presidential approval through the War Powers Resolution Act.
While debating the budget, Congress often seeks advice from an independent agency called the:
Congressional Budget Office.
Which economist expanded on the idea of trade and protectionism in an 1817 book?
David Ricardo
While the ________ use(s) proportional allocation rules in all primaries and caucuses, the ________ uses a combination of proportional allocation and winner-take-all to determine convention delegates.
Democratic Party; Republican Party
What factor contributed to the transition from the fifth to the sixth party system?
Democratic candidates and party leaders, particularly outside the South, came out against the "separate but equal" system of racial discrimination.
Research on poverty has found:
Democratic presidencies generally see a larger reduction in the poverty rates than Republican presidencies.
Which parties were part of the first party system?
Democratic-Republicans and Federalists
The concept of dual federalism envisions what relationship between the federal and state governments?
Each has distinct areas of authority with very little overlap.
The ________ helps poorer people move from welfare to a working income by providing tax credits to those who cannot afford to pay income taxes.
Earned Income Tax Credit
Which executive branch organization is most directly responsible for helping the president achieve policy initiatives?
Executive Office of the President
Early studies from the 1950s found overwhelming evidence that the public's political opinions were internally consistent and stable over time.
False
Public opinion polls taken right after the Newtown shooting incident showed that Americans' views had not shifted much because of the incident.
False
Sampling error in surveys increases when the survey questions are misleading.
False
Scholars have shown that even in the aftermath of major events, such as the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, people rarely revise their opinions on such issues as civil liberties.
False
Some beliefs, such as party identification or ideology, can change quickly in response to external events.
False
The United States has experienced a significant increase in ideological polarization in the past thirty years.
False
Who is responsible for regulating the financing of campaigns?
Federal Election Commission
How did the Articles of Confederation limit government?
Federal power was given to the legislative branch, where each state had one vote.
Which party most strongly supported a national bank?
Federalist Party
Which government organization negotiates economic agreements with foreign countries on behalf of the president?
Foreign Relations Council
Why do lobbying firms often hire former members of Congress?
Former members of Congress can provide the group with important information, such as what kinds of policies individual legislators will support.
The Medicare Part D expansion, which partially covers prescription drugs, was passed during whose presidency?
George W. Bush
Which court case strengthened Congress by providing for a broad interpretation of the commerce clause?
Gibbons v. Ogden
Why might we want to regulate the use of the revolving door?
Government officials might give lobbyists what they want in exchange for a future job.
Which agreement gave the legislature two houses?
Great Compromise
The Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 were all programs to improve social well-being under the:
Great Society.
Andrew Jackson was important to the development of American political parties because:
He helped build Democratic Party organizations at the state and local levels, which helped to mobilize citizens and bind them to the Democratic Party.
Why was the election of Franklin Roosevelt in 1932 significant?
His victory led to the expansion of the federal government, which increased presidential power.
Which federal government agency was created out of the Great Society and is responsible for, among other things, managing public housing?
Housing and Urban Development.
Which of the following is NOT a major question raised by globalization?
How does America prevent foreign governments from having undue lobbying influence?
How is party identification different from formal membership in a party?
Identifying with a party does not give someone any direct influence over what that party does.
What is the "individual mandate" as it applies to health care?
If individuals are not covered by their work, they are required to purchase a personal policy.
According to some legal scholars, why is the living document argument problematic for interpreting the Constitution today?
Ignoring the framers' intent can allow for arbitrary law based on the individual preferences and biases of judges.
Why do election rules and their implementation matter?
In close races, small changes to rules can change electoral outcomes.
How do interest groups and political parties influence government policy?
Interest groups have indirect influence, while political parties have direct influence.
What does it mean when someone describes the United States as an interest group state?
Interest groups influence most public policy decisions.
Which of the following is NOT a regulation that interest groups must follow?
Interest groups who intend on lobbying Congress must receive a permit from the Supreme Court first.
When Congress and the president agree on federal budgets that run significant deficits over many years, what are the likely economic consequences?
Interest rates might have to increase to attract investors to buy government bonds and securities.
________ commerce refers to economic activity between states that ________ be regulated by the federal government.
Interstate; can
Which state traditionally holds the first caucus in the nation?
Iowa
Which of the following is the appropriate order of events in presidential elections?
Iowa caucus, Super Tuesday, national conventions, electoral college vote
What is a serious technical error of the Constitution, according to the authors?
It accords electors two votes each.
What was the result of the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921?
It allowed the president to play a central role in the budget process.
Which of the following is an advantage of giving states flexibility in making policy instead of the federal government imposing policy?
It allows for policy experimentation, providing new ideas about how to solve problems.
Why is venue shopping important?
It allows individuals and groups to seek a court where they might receive a more favorable ruling.
Why is standing an important criterion for the Supreme Court?
It allows the Supreme Court to duck hearing politically sensitive cases by ruling that the plaintiff does not have standing.
Why is the filibuster/vote of cloture an important legislative strategy for the minority party?
It allows the minority party to stop legislation with as few as 41 votes.
After the Cold War, how did U.S. involvement in foreign affairs change?
It became more centered on human rights and nation-building efforts.
The U.S. economy relies heavily on trade with other nations. What is a negative consequence of this?
It becomes more difficult to shield the U.S. economy from the effects of another nation's hard times.
Why does the United States provide foreign aid?
It can help facilitate international agreements.
Which of the following is a limitation on soft money?
It can't be used to elect or defeat a specific candidate.
What effect did Hurricane Katrina have on social policy making?
It caused a reexamination of readiness for national emergencies and the social safety net.
How did the Supreme Court's ruling in United States v. Nixon affect presidential power?
It confirmed that executive privilege exists, but it is not absolute.
Which of the following was a part of the Judiciary Act of 1789?
It created both federal circuit and district courts.
Why might we NOT want to prevent people from using the revolving door?
It ensures that those with policy knowledge stay involved in government.
How does the logic of the prisoner's dilemma apply to interest groups?
It explains why forming and maintaining interest groups is difficult.
Which of the following is a concern about how interest groups use the ballot initiative process?
It favors groups with many monetary resources.
What was the principal effect of Marbury v. Madison (1803) on the Supreme Court?
It gave the Court the ability to rule on whether laws violated the Constitution.
How has the Tea Party Caucus changed in recent congressional sessions?
It has been more defined by its opposition to existing policy than a coherent agenda of policy proposals.
Why is Barron v. Baltimore important?
It helped establish dual federalism as a guiding judicial principle to settle questions concerning state and national power.
Why is the Securities and Exchange Commission important in a free-market economy?
It helps provide oversight to ensure transparent capital markets.
Which of the following is an argument in favor of state supremacy?
It is a check on tyranny because people can "vote with their feet."
What is the likely future of Obamacare?
It is likely to survive and be strengthened.
Why does a low level of trust in government matter?
It leads to high voter turnout.
What was significant about the disintegration of the Federalist Party?
It led to the Era of Good Feelings and eventually to the second party system.
What does the Supreme Court say about race and the redistricting process?
It may be a factor but may not be the predominant factor in the redistricting process.
What is an advantage of using the Missouri Plan?
It mitigates the effects of partisanship in judicial selection and holds judges accountable to the people.
What did The Truman Doctrine accomplish?
It outlined a containment policy against communism.
How much detail does the Constitution provide about the requirements for federal judicial service compared to the requirements to serve as president or in Congress?
It provides less detail about federal judicial service.
How does new and additional political information affect an individual's party identification?
It reinforces existing party loyalties, which explains why party identification is generally stable over time.
How does the Supreme Court gain compliance with the decisions it issues?
It relies mainly on the cooperation of Congress and the president.
Why is the supremacy clause important?
It resolves conflicts between national and state laws.
Why is Social Security called an "intergenerational transfer of wealth"?
It takes money from current workers' paychecks to support current retirees.
Which of the following is NOT a reason that the framers of the Constitution chose the electoral college as the method for selecting the president?
It was a system that had worked well in other democracies.
In the post-World War II era, how has the disparity between poor people and wealthy people changed?
It's gotten larger.
The authors of the Federalist Papers included:
James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay.
Countercyclical taxing and spending policy is known as:
Keynesian economics.
Medicare was one of the most significant social policies passed during whose presidency?
Lyndon Johnson
The Great Society was a social plan developed by which president?
Lyndon Johnson
An example of a president who exercised his power with success was:
Lyndon Johnson and his push for civil rights for African Americans.
Of the thousands of cases submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court each year, why does the Court—aside from obvious workload considerations—hear only a small minority of them?
Many of the submitted cases are frivolous.
Which early court case reinforced the power of the supremacy clause?
McCulloch v. Maryland
Over 70 million Americans receive health care coverage through:
Medicaid.
Which of the following is NOT a form of income support?
Medicare
Which of the following is NOT a social program passed under the New Deal?
Medicare
Which of the following is NOT an example of a welfare, or income support, program?
Medicare
Which of the following lists is correctly ordered?
Member introduces a bill; one chamber takes floor action; conference committee version is approved.
Which of the following is a characteristic of mass associations?
Members are individuals who often pay dues.
Which of the following is NOT a factor in the increased number of interest groups and lobbyists over time?
Members of Congress run for reelection and spend more time in office than ever before, making Congress more susceptible to lobbyists.
Which of the following best describes the liberal-conservative profile of the American public?
Most Americans are neither strongly conservative nor strongly liberal.
What does it mean that most political judgments are latent opinions?
Most Americans form their opinions only as needed.
Which of the following statements best characterizes the influence of interest groups?
Most groups are only successful some of the time, regardless of their resources.
Which of the following best describes the contemporary political science perspective on public opinion?
Most people's political opinions are latent and are only formed when needed.
Why is it challenging for interest groups to use people as a resource?
Motivating members to participate can be difficult.
What alliance, organized by the United States, was formed in 1949 to provide military security to all of its members?
NATO
Which agency is housed in the executive branch and advises the president on economic policy making?
National Economic Council
Who participates in the payment and eventual collection of Social Security?
Nearly all working U.S. citizens must participate.
Which states do NOT allocate all of their electoral college votes to the winner of the state's popular vote?
Nebraska and Maine
The ________ was the name given to a group of government-sponsored social and economic programs developed by Franklin Roosevelt to combat the Great Depression.
New Deal
Which state traditionally holds the first primary in the nation?
New Hampshire
Why did the New Jersey Plan contain a proposal for a legislature with equal representation per state?
New Jersey had relatively little population and would therefore gain more representation under an equal system.
What led to the development of a new theory of public opinion?
New research rejected the old premise that citizens' beliefs had to be internally consistent, stable, and based on a rationale that citizens could explain.
Who is in charge of an American political party?
No single person is in charge of the party.
As of 2014, which country is believed to have nuclear weapons without approval from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty?
North Korea
During the third and fourth party systems the Republican Party had significant strength in the ________, while the Democratic Party had significant strength in the ________.
Northeast; South
Which international agreement aims to stop the spread of nuclear weapons?
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is often referred to as:
Obamacare.
Which agency works with the president to compose the nation's annual budget?
Office of Management and Budget
Which of the following organizations is a part of the Executive Office of the President?
Office of Management and Budget
Who prepares the president's annual budget proposals for federal agencies and departments with foreign policy responsibilities?
Office of Management and Budget
What is the current policy mood?
Opposition to government action is as high as it has been since World War II.
Which state holds their elections entirely by mail?
Oregon
Democrats in Congress have been divided on issues such as immigration and domestic surveillance. What concept does this demonstrate?
Parties in government include a mixture of ideologies.
Which aspect of the committee system does NOT support members' reelection prospects?
Party leaders can raise money to funnel to other legislators.
What does it mean that people often form opinions on the spot?
People are sensitive to, and form their opinions based on, what they have recently
Which of the following is NOT a consequence of being exposed to television advertising in political campaigns?
People become likely to change their minds.
What does it mean that party identification is "a running tally?"
People update their views in response to political events.
Why do interest groups sometimes form coalitions to work for the same policy goal?
Policy makers are more likely to respond to large coalitions with a diverse membership.
What is a common reason that foreign policy making does not always mirror public opinion?
Political knowledge among the public on international affairs is low.
What does it mean when Social Security is called the "third rail" of politics?
Politicians do not like to propose changes because they would be unpopular with voters.
What is the significance behind the fact that politicians, journalists, and researchers spend a lot of money and time on public opinion polls?
Polling matters in the governing of the country.
An example of a president who exercised his power without success was:
President Richard Nixon and his efforts to force the North Vietnamese to end their plans to unify North and South Vietnam.
Why did Brown v. Board of Education eventually lead to school desegregation?
Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy were willing to federalize the National Guard to enforce the ruling at schools and universities.
How are presidential primaries different from presidential caucuses?
Primaries involve voting by ballot, whereas caucuses take place in a local meeting.
What is a common criticism of regulation?
Regulations limit job growth.
Which political party prefers giving the states flexibility in spending federal money?
Republican Party
Which modern major political party is the Tea Party most closely affiliated with?
Republicans
To combat the problem of stagflation in the 1970s, President Richard Nixon implemented a policy of wage and price controls. While Nixon's actions ultimately failed, they illustrate a larger point, which is that:
Republicans are generally more concerned about inflation than full employment.
Which of the following is a problem with mass surveys?
Results are often inadvertently influenced by how questions are worded in the survey.
________ involves candidates reaching out to voters directly; ________ involves candidates contacting voters indirectly through mass media.
Retail politics; wholesale politics
Why is the retirement of the baby-boom generation considered a problem for the future of Social Security?
Retiring baby boomers will reduce the number of workers per retiree and strain the financial resources of the program.
The last scandal that had a significant lasting impact on a president's popularity was:
Richard Nixon's Watergate.
Which of the following statements is true?
Sampling error decreases as the size of the sample gets larger.
Why did the Founders believe that the Senate would be more responsive to national interests than the House?
Senators were indirectly elected and served longer terms.
Which of the following events exposed discontent with the new government and led to the Annapolis Convention?
Shays's Rebellion
Which of the following was NOT a part of the lead-up to the Revolutionary War?
Shays's Rebellion
Which of the following is an example of a "pay-as-you-go" system?
Social Security
Which of the following constitutes the highest portion of expenditures in the national budget?
Social Security and Medicare combined
The U.S. economy relies heavily on trade with other nations. What is a positive consequence of this?
Some American companies have the ability to increase their profits.
Why is the necessary and proper clause often a source of controversy and political disagreement?
Some argue that the U.S. Congress has abused its power through an overly broad interpretation of the necessary and proper clause.
The head of the majority party in the House of Representatives is called the:
Speaker of the House.
Which of the following is given in the text as a reason one might support a strong state role in federalism?
States are laboratories of democracy.
Which program provides government-issued coupons that may be used like cash to purchase groceries?
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
Because the Constitution only sets broad boundaries for state and federal powers, the ________ is very important in resolving disputes over powers in specific instances.
Supreme Court
Which of the following explains why cooperative federalism emerged in the United States?
Supreme Court decisions that broadly interpreted the commerce clause
Which social policy program is the successor to Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC)?
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
Which of the following programs provided states with significant flexibility in spending federal welfare dollars?
Temporary Assistance to Needy Families
If a state wished to challenge the constitutionality of a federal law, which amendment would it be most likely to cite?
Tenth
The idea of reserved powers is found in which amendment?
Tenth
Which amendment says that "the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people"?
Tenth
Which of the following addressed Antifederalist concerns about the absence of limits on national governing power?
Tenth Amendment
What does the "clash of civilizations" hypothesis suggest?
Terrorism is motivated by hatred of the Western world.
Which of the following is the most severe restriction on the Supreme Court's policy-making role?
The Court cannot set the judicial agenda and can only choose from cases appealed to it.
What is a major criticism of the Fed?
The Fed can make decisions that damage the economy, and voters have little recourse to hold members of the Fed accountable.
What happens if no presidential candidate receives a majority of the electoral college votes?
The House of Representatives decides who wins, with each state getting one vote, and voting continues until someone gets a majority of the votes.
________ assists countries in managing budget deficits and currency values.
The International Monetary Fund
How has the political landscape of the South changed in the last 50 years?
The South has gone from being solidly Democratic to solidly Republican.
What was the justification for refusing to issue Marbury his commission in Marbury v. Madison (1803)?
The Supreme Court could not issue the order to someone holding federal office because it was not part of the Supreme Court's original jurisdiction outlined in the Constitution.
Which of the following would be an isolationist objection to the United States intervening in Syria?
The United States should not be interfering in the affairs of other nations.
________ provides financial support for economic development projects in developing countries.
The World Bank
What do most policy experts say about the future of the Social Security system?
The amount of money coming into the system will decrease, because the number of people retiring is increasing dramatically.
Why is social desirability bias a problem for surveys?
The answers from respondents are not truthful.
Why did the Articles of Confederation fail?
The document placed too many limits on governmental power.
Which of the following is the main argument behind the Tea Party movement?
The expansion of the federal government has grown beyond what the founding fathers intended.
What is one advantage of a confederal group structure?
The group can find out what members want more easily.
What was a reason for the rise of the Republican Party?
The issue of slavery split the second party system.
Which of the following statements best describes American political parties over the last 60 years?
The magnitude of ideological differences between the parties in Congress has increased.
Which of the following is NOT a reason why incumbent politicians work so hard to raise campaign funds?
The money increases their personal worth because they are allowed to keep whatever they don't spend.
Which of the following is an example of fiscal federalism?
The national government issues federal funds to state governments to encourage states to meet certain policy requirements.
Which of the following statements would fall under the principle of coercive federalism?
The national government uses mandates or regulations without giving states the money to execute and enforce the mandates or regulations.
Which of the following describes coercive federalism?
The national government uses regulations and mandates to make state governments change their policies.
What was the result of the passage of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913?
The popular election of senators was allowed.
What does the vesting clause stipulate?
The president is the head of government and head of state.
Why does a president typically use partisanship as a criterion in selecting nominees to the Supreme Court?
The president wants to choose a nominee with similar political views to advance the president's legacy.
Why are Internet polls unreliable?
The sample is not random.
Why has the number of interest groups gone up dramatically in the pasty 50 years?
The size of the federal government and the types of issues it has involved itself in has increased substantially.
Which of the following is a difference between criminal and civil cases?
The standard of proof is lower in civil cases.
Which statement is true about Independents?
Their voting decisions are more sensitive to things that happen during political campaigns.
Which of the following is NOT a reason that the Constitution continues to be a "living document"?
There is a consensus among Americans that the Constitution should be strictly followed.
What is a disadvantage of a unitary system?
There is no competition between different political units in unitary systems, which can stifle policy development.
What marked the Era of Good Feelings?
There was only one political party.
Which of the following was NOT a tactic used by the Federalists to refute Antifederalist claims during the ratification debate?
They agreed to public debates with the Antifederalists.
Which of the following is true about mass opinion surveys?
They are a powerful tool for measuring public opinion but should be
What is true of most nominees for presidential appointments that require Senate approval?
They are approved without much debate or controversy.
Which best defines the situation of local governments in the American federal system?
They are created by state governments.
How are judges selected under the Missouri Plan?
They are nominated by the governor from a list approved by a nonpartisan committee.
Why are swing states so important to a campaign strategy?
They can potentially be won by either major party candidate.
Which of the following was true about the Antifederalists?
They generally favored relatively strong state governments.
Which of the following describes issue voters?
They have a high interest in politics and are knowledgeable about candidate positions.
Why are focus groups helpful in understanding public opinion?
They provide deep insights into why people hold the views that they do.
Why are local governments still considered important to citizens?
They provide services such as police and fire departments.
Which of the following is true about Independent voters?
They say they do not belong to a political party.
What is an argument in favor of earmarks?
They secure the passage of larger bills.
What is the most common relationship between parents and children when it comes to political ideology and partisanship?
They tend to share the same political ideology and partisanship; family is a strong and early force in political socialization.
Which influential thinker's writings led many of the Constitution's framers to reject monarchy as a method of self-rule?
Thomas Paine
Who authored the influential pamphlet Common Sense in 1776?
Thomas Paine
Which of the following is a reason given in the text to support a limited state role in federalism?
Too much state power can create a "race to the bottom."
Those colonists who remained supportive of the British monarchy during the Revolutionary War were called:
Tories
What is a major critique of partial and full privatization of Social Security?
Transition to privatization would be expensive.
Although political scientists used to believe that the public had almost no meaningful opinions, they now believe that these opinions are based on a combination of principles and the information people have "on the top" of their heads.
True
An individual would be expressing what scholars call a "latent opinion" if asked for the first time to state a position on a complicated issue such as deficit reduction.
True
Despite general dissatisfaction with the American health care system, there is no clear alternative that wins large amounts of support in public opinion surveys.
True
Most people have political opinions that are similar to those of their parents.
True
People who give answers that they believe interviewers want to hear are a problem for survey research because this can lead to social desirability bias.
True
Support for gay marriage and/or civil unions has doubled in recent decades, at least in part because more survey respondents say that they know someone who is gay or lesbian.
True
The main reason that few people have consistent, stable beliefs is because they are forming opinions on the spot.
True
reduction.
True
During the Cold War, the United States' shift toward a foreign policy rooted in the principle of internationalism was evident in actions that included all of the following EXCEPT:
U.S. efforts to follow and enforce the Monroe Doctrine.
What is the primary difference between a traditional political action committee (PAC) and a 527 organization?
Unlike PACs, 527s are not subject to contribution limits and spending caps.
All of the following groups were a part of the New Deal Coalition EXCEPT:
Wall Street bankers.
All of the following are consequences of the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission EXCEPT:
Wealthy individuals are now allowed to give unlimited amounts of money directly to a candidate running for federal office.
The Republican Party formed when which major political party dissolved?
Whigs
The Fourteen Points was a plan developed by ________ to prevent future conflict in Europe by establishing secure borderlines and promoting democratic principles, among other provisions.
Woodrow Wilson
Which of the following is a case that would bypass the appeals courts and go directly to the Supreme Court?
a case involving a foreign ambassador
That respondents may provide answers they believe the interviewer wants to hear is
a common problem with surveys.
What does the gross domestic product (GDP) measure?
a country's economic output and activity
An issue that splits the political party coalitions is known as:
a cross-cutting issue.
The chair of the Federal Reserve System serves:
a four-year term that can be renewed by the president and the Senate.
Public approval of the president is:
a generally reliable indicator of whether a president will be reelected.
Astroturf lobbying occurs when:
a group organizes a contacting effort directed at policy makers, but it tries to make the effort look spontaneous.
A special concurrence is one in which:
a justice agrees with the outcome but not with the rationale.
For a group to take advantage of grassroots lobbying, which of the following characteristics is essential?
a large number of members
Which of the following is an example of Mayhew's phenomenon of credit claiming?
a legislator explaining the legislator's role in securing funds for a local highway
Cases heard by the Supreme Court under its appellate jurisdiction arrive there because:
a litigant who lost in a lower appellate court has convinced the justices to hear the case.
What does the "size principle" refer to?
a natural limit on majority tyranny where a large, diverse public would be more divided than unified
What kind of election is it when legislative reelection rates are high and the issues are relatively local?
a normal election
A form of government in which the leader is chosen by the legislature is called:
a parliamentary system.
Which of the following describes the top policy priorities among a political party, politicians, or a coalition of politicians?
a policy agenda
What is the Bush Doctrine?
a policy that dictates preemptively striking a nation that threatens the security of the United States
What is "unilateral action"?
a president changing policy without consulting Congress
What is precedent?
a previously decided case that other courts use as a guide
What is an executive order?
a proclamation made by the president that changes government policy without congressional approval
According to the monetarist theory of macroeconomic policy:
a recession can result when there isn't enough money in the system.
In recent years, what has been the status of the U.S. trade balance?
a record-setting deficit
What do opinions on Obamacare most closely align with?
a respondent's ideology and party identification
When someone votes against an incumbent House member or senator because of a failure to provide federal funds to the district, it is an example of using ________ to make a voting decision.
a retrospective evaluation
What is a filibuster?
a senator's attempt to kill a bill by continuing to speak in order to prevent a vote
To remove the president or vice president from office through the impeachment process, there must be support from:
a simple majority in the House and a two-thirds majority in the Senate.
The health care reform signed into law by President Barack Obama includes all of the following EXCEPT:
a single-payer plan.
What is a negative externality?
a situation in which a firm produces more of an unwanted good than is socially desirable
Two events that will often increase a president's popularity are:
a strong economy and major domestic legislation passing.
All of the following describe omnibus legislation EXCEPT:
a supermajority is required for passage in both houses.
The National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) is an example of:
a trade association.
President Obama sent American aircrafts and ships to support a NATO action in Libya in 2011. He did this without approval from Congress. What is this an example of?
a unilateral action
Which key part of the government was formed under the Articles of Confederation?
a weak national government
Which of the following is NOT one of the built-in advantages that incumbents have over challengers?
ability to purchase low-cost advertising from local television
One major change between Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is that TANF:
adds a lifetime limit on benefits.
When parties decide on their legislative priorities for the year they are engaged in:
agenda setting.
Which of the following is one of the "Big Five" personality traits that political psychologists believe may affect political socialization?
agreeableness
The significance of the Court asserting its power to review the constitutionality of laws passed by Congress is that it:
allowed the Court to become an equal partner in the institutional balance of power.
What is an example of mandatory spending in the federal budget?
an entitlement program such as Social Security
Which of the following describes a situation in which a president negotiates a deal directly between the executive branch and a foreign government?
an executive agreement
What is it called when a district has no sitting legislator running for reelection?
an open seat
What is a writ of mandamus?
an order issued to a lower court, government official, or agency to perform acts required by law
Which of the following is NOT a factor that voters typically focus on to make their decisions?
anti-party-in-power cue
Who can a president pardon?
any person except someone impeached or convicted by Congress
A Pew Research Center survey of 1,500 randomly selected people, with a sampling error of +/-3 percent, showed that 52 percent of the respondents viewed the military effort in Afghanistan to be going well. Based on this result, what percentage of the population views the military effort in Afghanistan to be going well?
anywhere from 49 to 55 percent
The intermediate federal courts that hear appeals from district courts are known as:
appeals courts.
According to David Mayhew's work, advertising in the House of Representatives refers to:
appeals without issue content that get a member's name in front of the public.
The process of determining how many House districts each state gets is known as ________, while the process of determining how those districts look within the states is called ________.
apportionment; redistricting
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Republican National Committee (RNC):
are both unable to force state and local parties to share their positions on issues.
Unfunded mandates:
are regulations that require state action but provide no money.
Concurrent powers are those that:
are shared by state and national governments.
Intergovernmental organizations exist primarily to:
assist member nations seeking to coordinate their policies.
How is the party platform approved?
at the nominating convention, held every four years
Lyndon Johnson's "Daisy Girl" was an example of a(n):
attack ad.
Candidates who are behind in election polls often use ________ as a way to gain momentum and make the race competitive.
attack ads
The ________ process limits the amount of money that could be spent on a bill, but the ________ process determines how much money is actually assigned to be spent.
authorization; appropriation
What is it called when government spending is equal to its revenue?
balanced budget
The reserve requirement requires:
banks to have a certain amount of money on hand to back up their assets.
To be a part of the party in the electorate, one must:
be a citizen who identifies with a political party.
No Child Left Behind is an example of education policy:
becoming more controlled by the federal government.
A mass survey that seeks to understand public opinion toward President Obama's health care reform legislation would likely rely on a random sample of:
between a few hundred and several thousand individuals.
Shuttle diplomacy is negotiation:
between two countries who refuse to meet face-to-face.
Gondor and Rohan sign a treaty saying that they will come to each other's aid if attacked. This is an example of what kind of agreement?
bilateral
President Reagan favored block grants over categorical grants because:
block grants give states more power.
People tend to have similar political views as their parents:
both because they share a genetic makeup and because of the environment.
One way that the United States helped to end the Cold War was by:
building up the U.S. military, which helped bankrupt the Soviet Union.
Regulatory "capture" refers to instances in which:
bureaucratic agencies are controlled by the industries they directly affect.
The theory of bureaucratic capture holds that:
bureaucrats' own goals are in danger of being replaced by those of the groups they regulate.
Huawei's complaints to the United States demonstrate the trade-off between:
business interests and national security.
Groups such as the Stop Kony organization try to influence foreign policy:
by bringing increased public attention to a problem.
When policy mood leans in a liberal direction, how does government tend to respond?
by expanding the federal government's role in different programs
The main way that American candidates reach the electorate is through:
campaign ads.
In April 2014, President Obama signed an order barring federal contractors from retaliating against employees who disclose their salaries as part of a lawsuit claiming that women are underpaid. This order:
can be overturned by Congress.
Which of the following groups is most likely to run positive campaign advertisements?
candidates
When legislators help constituents with problems they have with government agencies and programs, legislators are engaged in:
casework.
The group of Democratic legislators in the U.S. House is called a ________, while the Republicans call their group a ________.
caucus; conference
When an interest group's leadership is concentrated in its headquarters, it has a ________ organizational structure.
centralized
The president's personal aide, who coordinates White House staff is known as the:
chief of staff.
The Family Research Council, which lobbies on behalf of a wide range of policies from gay marriage to estate taxes, is an example of a(n):
citizen group.
Although there is some variation, Medicare is a government-sponsored health care program for:
citizens 65 and older.
When the parties select their nominees for president:
citizens vote for delegates at a national nominating convention, which then
Which of the following is an example of an issue or event that caused a realignment?
civil rights in the 1960s
Because the president, senior leaders in the Defense Department, and Congress formulate military policy, the U.S. military is said to be under:
civilian control.
When a president claims that the president's discussions, decisions, and documents can be shielded from other branches of government, the president is:
claiming executive privilege.
A primary where only those voters registered with a party can vote is known as what kind of primary?
closed
When a bill comes to the floor of the House under ________, it cannot be amended.
closed rules
A vote of ________ will limit the amount of time spent debating a bill in the Senate.
cloture
In the 1990s, the Republican Party primarily drew support from evangelical voters, white southerners, and the wealthy. This is an example of a party:
coalition.
The groups that identify with a party are said to make up its:
coalition.
What is it called when a popular presidential candidate generates additional support for legislative candidates and helps them gain office?
coattails
One of the most effective ways that labor unions overcome the free rider problem is through:
coercion or laws requiring workers to pay union dues as a condition of employment.
Using federal regulations, mandates, or conditions to force states to act in a certain way is part of what kind of federalism?
coercive
When the national government gives the states money to entice them to change state laws to match national goals or policies established by Congress, such as what happened with the Affordable Care Act and the expansion of Medicaid, it is an example of what?
coercive federalism
The modern-day Republican Party is a coalition of many different types of voters. Republicans tend to attract a greater share than Democrats from all of the following groups EXCEPT:
college graduates.
Which of the following are constitutional criteria for determining when the Supreme Court will hear a case?
collusion, mootness, and standing
The privileges and immunities clause was originally meant to promote:
commerce and travel between states.
The distributive theory of legislative organization argues that:
committee views are respected over what the entire House wants.
Which of the following terms describes power exercised by federal, state, and local governments who share responsibilities for particular policy areas, such as transportation?
concurrent powers
An opinion written by a Supreme Court justice who agrees with a case but does not agree with its legal logic is called a:
concurring opinion.
Which of the following is NOT an informal norm that influences the structure of Congress?
conditional party government
The National Independent Automobile Dealers Association (NIADA) comprises 50 largely independent state-level organizations that provide membership benefits to car dealers. NIADA is an example of a group with a ________ organizational structure.
confederal
What was the policy mood during the late 1970s and early 1980s?
conservative
Pieces of relevant information such as ideology, party identification, religious beliefs, and personal circumstances that come to mind when an opinion is requested are known as
considerations
The president's ________ is derived from the provisions of the Constitution, whereas the president's ________ comes from laws that give the president additional authority.
constitutional authority; statutory authority
The notion that the United States should use military, diplomatic, and economic means to stop the spread of communism is called:
containment.
During the Reagan presidency, taxes and spending fell as a share of the overall economy. What was the result?
continued budget deficits and a significant increase in the nation's federal debt
To deal with the problem of factions, James Madison proposed:
controlling them through checks and balances.
Block grants and general revenue sharing are most closely aligned with what type of federalism?
cooperative
Imagine a situation in which the national and state governments work closely together to solve a problem. They share resources and knowledge until the issue is resolved. This is most closely aligned with which type of federalism?
cooperative
Advocates of ________ federalism prefer giving money to the states through ________.
cooperative; block grants
Who spends the most on lobbying?
corporations like General Electric and other business groups
The Three-Fifths Compromise referred to:
counting slaves as three-fifths of a person when determining state population.
To combat income inequality, the Republican Party generally seeks to:
create jobs and lower taxes for everyone.
What did the Employment Act of 1946 do?
created the Council of Economic Advisers and made full employment a goal of economic policy
Slavery in the second party system was an example of a(n):
cross-cutting issue.
The balance between a nation's receipts and its payments in international trade and investment is called a(n):
current account.
When Ronald Reagan became president, what did he seek to do to many of the Great Society programs?
cut or eliminate them
Although the increase in the number of people who identified as Independents was initially considered evidence of ________, a more recent interpretation is that many of these voters actually have ________.
dealignment; weak partisan attachments
All of the following are responsibilities of the party caucus or conference EXCEPT:
deciding the party's national presidential platform.
Under a protectionist policy of importing and exporting goods, the United States would:
decrease the number of imports by implementing trade sanctions, tariffs, and quotas.
If a neighbor accidentally backed his car into the fence that divides your property, destroying a large section of it, and you sued your neighbor in court for damages, your neighbor would be the:
defendant.
What is the National Security Council responsible for?
developing foreign policy options and presenting them to the president
What are generational effects?
differences in opinion that vary by age
What are school vouchers?
direct government aid to families to assist with private school education costs
Inside strategies usually involve which of the following tactics?
direct lobbying
The specific interest rate that banks pay to the Federal Reserve Bank for short-term loans is called a(n):
discount rate.
Which theory of legislative politics holds that committee assignments are based on legislators trying to best serve their districts and that the entire legislature therefore respects the committee's interests?
distributive theory
Which of the following correctly orders courts from lowest to highest?
district courts, appeals courts, Supreme Court
The group of cases submitted to the Supreme Court for its consideration is called its:
docket.
Which of the following is a doctrine that stipulates that if the national government passes an unconstitutional law, the people of the states can declare the law void?
doctrine of interposition
Largely associated with the Vietnam War, the ________ theory argued that if South Vietnam fell under communist control, then other nations in Southeast Asia would also fall under communist control.
domino
Which of the following are tactics used by a group conducting an inside strategy?
drafting legislation, conducting research, and working with other groups
Following the Civil War, the Constitution was amended to ensure that states could not deny any citizen:
due process or equal protection of the laws.
The 1972 Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty, which limited the growth of U.S. and Soviet missile forces, was a consequence of:
détente.
Under President Richard Nixon, the United States and the Soviet Union opened relations with each other. This process was called:
détente.
The difference between __________ of public opinion and __________ is that the former argued that political opinions did not exist and the latter argued that people's opinions matter.
early theories; contemporary theories
Which of the following is a recent trend in American general elections?
early voting
When the economy goes into a deep, widespread, and prolonged downturn, it is called an:
economic depression.
Although a centralized group can employ its resources ________, it can face significant challenges in ________.
efficiently; learning what its members want
Astroturf lobbying is sometimes ineffective because:
elected officials do not believe it reflects the mainstream views of their constituents.
Which of the following are tactics used by a group conducting an outside strategy?
electioneering, grassroots lobbying, and using the initiative process
Groups who donate money to candidates for office are engaged in:
electioneering.
Which of the following is NOT a recommendation made by public policy experts to keep the Social Security system working effectively?
eliminate Social Security benefits for those over 90 years old
In November 2013, Democrats sped up the confirmation process of federal judges (except for those to the Supreme Court) by doing what?
eliminating the filibuster for such positions
In Federalist 57, James Madison wrote that legislators were to:
encompass the common good and represent their local constituents.
The purpose of the War Powers Resolution is to:
encourage the president to seek congressional approval for large military action.
The power to veto legislation:
encourages legislators to negotiate with the president.
When the Supreme Court resolves conflicts among lower courts in the interpretation of the law, the principal effect is to:
ensure consistent application of the law across the United States.
Which three principles stated in the Declaration of Independence were generally agreed upon by the Constitution's framers?
equality under the law, self-rule, and natural rights
The purpose of the Land Grant College Act was to:
establish colleges that would promote education in areas such as agriculture and mechanical arts.
In 1997, the Supreme Court struck down the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. This ruling was significant because it:
established a new standard to justify remedial legislation.
The fact that people are socialized into politics by their family and community means that:
events early in life can affect one's sense of civic duty into adulthood.
After the Sandy Hook shooting, President Obama signed a document that directed the Consumer Product Safety Commission to develop new requirements for gun locks. This is an example of a(n):
executive actions.
Lobbyists contact executive branch bureaucrats because:
executive branch bureaucrats change the ways regulations are written and policies are implemented.
President Baggins refuses to turn over e-mails he exchanged with a staffer relating to the theft of certain valuables. Which presidential power is he using?
executive privilege
What are the three branches of the federal government?
executive, judicial, and legislative
Unlike the first hundred years of the Supreme Court's history, more recent Supreme Courts have displayed an increased tendency toward:
expressing minority views through dissents.
People who share a common political interest are best known as:
faction
Modern-day interest groups such as the National Rifle Association and Emily's List are examples of what concept?
factions
Which of the following describes a situation in which a president negotiates a treaty that must be ratified by a majority of both the House and the Senate?
fast-track authority
The ________ is the total accumulation of money borrowed by the government.
federal debt
The specific interest rate that banks pay each other for emergency overnight loans is called a(n):
federal funds rate.
What were the two parts of the "double protection" that James Madison believed would protect against minority and majority tyranny?
federalism and separation of powers
A form of government that divides sovereign power across at least two political units is called:
federalism.
Most proponents of strict constructionism, including Justice Scalia, argue that if the text of the Constitution is ambiguous, then a judge should:
figure out what the words generally meant to people at the time they were written.
When members of Congress wait until there is a crisis before taking action in addressing problems in the bureaucracy, they are engaged in:
fire alarm oversight.
Taxing and spending decisions are known as ________ policy.
fiscal
Franklin Roosevelt's court-packing plan was designed to:
force the Supreme Court to rule in favor of his New Deal legislation.
Public opinion research shows that broad beliefs such as what a person wants from government:
form early in life
Even when there is a group of people who share policy goals, it is possible that there is no interest group representing them. This usually occurs because:
forming and maintaining a group presents numerous hurdles and obstacles.
The term "franking privilege" refers to:
free postage on mail that legislators send to their constituents.
The purpose of a focus group is to:
gain deep insights into why people hold the opinions they do.
Which of the following terms describes a situation in which the national government provides funds to state governments with no strings attached on how that money is spent?
general revenue sharing
In a survey about 9/11, pollsters found that the percentage of Americans aged 50 and over who believed that luck was the major reason there had not been another large attack since 9/11 was nearly double the percentage of Americans aged 18 to 29 who expressed the same belief. What is this an example of?
generational effects
The process of drawing legislative districts for political advantage is known as:
gerrymandering.
What is mobilization?
getting supporters to turn out and vote on Election Day
Which of the following describes a situation in which a president uses the media attention given to the president's office to build support for policy proposals?
going public
Since the 1950s, trust in government has:
gone down significantly
"Corporate welfare" is a term used to describe:
government assistance programs for job creation and growth.
The term "fiscal federalism" refers to:
grants of money from national to state governments.
What is it called when Congress is unable to pass important legislation because of partisan conflict?
gridlock
The most significant economic differences among the framers of the Constitution were:
grounded in regional differences, with the South favoring free trade and the North preferring tariffs on foreign goods to protect domestic industries.
Coalitions sometimes present problems for groups because:
groups may agree on general goals but disagree on specifics.
Lobbying in general is anti-majoritarian because:
groups tend to lobby for changes that help a small fraction of the population.
What kind of campaign funds are subject to clear limits on how much can be raised but not on how much is spent?
hard money
A voter who uses a personal vote cue supports a candidate because the candidate:
has provided the voter with assistance in the past.
The practice of judicial review:
has spread throughout so-called "third wave" democracies around the world.
Recent vice presidents like Dick Cheney have been different from earlier vice presidents in that they:
have become more influential in the president's policy-making decisions.
In recent years, Democrats and Republicans in Congress:
have disagreed on many issues but still occasionally can find compromise.
As ________, the president has authority over the executive branch; as ________, the president acts as the symbolic and political representative of the nation.
head of government; head of state
Political parties are generally recognized by scholars as good for democracy because they accomplish all of the following EXCEPT:
helping to ensure that the majority of the public is satisfied with the performance of the government.
The Supreme Court's decision involving the constitutionality of some portions of the Americans with Disabilities Act illustrated:
how the Court is reshaping federalism in the direction of state power.
What does the strategic model of Supreme Court decision making emphasize?
how the justices account for the views of other justices when deciding how to act
What foreign policy philosophy contends that the United States' self-interest is not (or should not be) its only motivating factor in its international decision-making process but that larger moralistic goals such as democratic principles are also to be (or should also be) pursued?
idealism
Following World War II, some American politicians and scholars argued that the United States would need to be more involved in world affairs specifically because the United States had a moral obligation to preserve world peace. This argument is an example of:
idealism.
Organizations such as Freedom House and Amnesty International seek to publicize human rights violations. The foreign policy positions of Freedom House and Amnesty International would likely be supported by a(n):
idealist.
When many citizens take on strongly conservative or strongly liberal identities, it is called:
ideological polarization.
Public opinion is considered __________ when many citizens have positions toward either end of the political spectrum.
ideologically polarized
There is a high correlation between both the party identification of parents and their children and the __________ of parents and their children.
ideology
When we describe where someone falls on the conservative-moderate-liberal spectrum, we are referring to their:
ideology
One of the surest signs that the Supreme Court is going to agree to hear a specific case is:
if the solicitor general is a party to the case.
The ability to remove someone because of corruption or abuse of power is called:
impeachment
What are two important negative checks that Congress can exercise over both the executive and the judicial branches?
impeachment and the power of the purse
When President Obama extended the deadlines for people to purchase new health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, this was an example of him acting in what role?
implementation of laws
Which of the following is part of the president's job as head of the executive branch?
implementing the law
The authors of the textbook conclude that presidential power is:
important but limited by the necessity of working with Congress and of maintaining public approval.
High tariffs raise the prices of ________, making ________ more attractive to the consumer.
imported goods; domestic products
Which of the following slavery issues was dealt with via logrolling?
importing slaves from other nations and dealing with runaway slaves
A trade deficit is determined by measuring the difference between a nation's ________ and its ________.
imports; exports
When presidents offer interpretations of new laws before those laws are implemented, they typically do so:
in a signing statement.
The doctrine of interposition was first used:
in response to the Alien and Sedition Acts.
The concept of shared powers means that:
in some areas of governmental action no branch has exclusive control.
To decrease sample error, a pollster must __________ the number of respondents.
increase
To combat income inequality, the Democratic Party generally seeks to:
increase funding for social and welfare programs and tax wealthier individuals.
If inflation starts to increase, the Federal Reserve is likely to:
increase interest rates.
The logic behind lowering interest rates is to:
increase the amount of money being borrowed.
Incumbency safety has ________ in the past two decades.
increased
Since the 1970s, party unity in the legislature has:
increased.
While the number of cases submitted to the Supreme Court has ________, the number of opinions the Court issues has ________.
increased; declined
Research shows that growing up in a homogeneous community:
increases an adult's sense of civic duty.
Which of the following is NOT a role of money in congressional elections?
increasing a legislator's personal wealth
The term "New Federalism" refers to:
increasing state discretion in spending by using block grants.
If your senator decides to run for reelection, then he or she would be considered the ________ in that election.
incumbent
________ refers to the relative infrequency with which members of Congress are defeated in their attempts for reelection.
incumbent advantage
What is an advantage that larger committee staffs give members of Congress?
independent sources of information and expertise with which to challenge the president
Which of the following is the most significant source of revenue for the federal government?
individual income taxes
Cohort effects exist because:
individuals learn about politics from the people around them.
When there is too much money flowing and too few goods, it is likely to lead to:
inflation.
When an interest group puts a policy proposal on a general election ballot at the state level, it is using the ________ process.
initiative
A(n) ________ focuses on tactics used in Washington, while a(n) ________ focuses on working outside of Washington to accomplish policy goals.
inside strategy; outside strategy
What does the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) do?
insures all bank deposits up to $250,000
Where do most people's political opinions and ideologies start forming?
interactions with their parents and families
Which of the following would submit an amicus curiae brief?
interest group
What foreign policy philosophy contends that it is in the United States' best interests to pursue foreign relations with other nations out of both self-interest and a moral obligation to intervene during international crises?
internationalism
Following World War II, some American politicians and scholars argued that the United States would need to be more involved in world affairs to deter future international conflicts. This argument is an example of:
internationalism.
The National Security Agency:
is a foreign policy agency that gathers intelligence and advises the president.
One advantage of decentralized power in a federal system is that it:
is a natural check on the power of the federal government.
An omnibus reconciliation bill:
is a single, comprehensive budget bill that cannot be filibustered in the Senate.
The president has an important influence on the legislative process because he or she:
is often able to persuade legislators to accept the president's point of view.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) plays an important role in the federal budget-making process because it:
is ultimately responsible for putting together the president's budget.
Although judicial review is an accepted part of the U.S. political system, critics of judicial review contend that it:
is undemocratic because it gives nine unelected judges enormous power.
What foreign policy philosophy contends that the United States' best interests are served by avoiding formal agreements and activity with other nations?
isolationism
The Monroe Doctrine followed the foreign policy principle of:
isolationism.
The most direct action the Supreme Court can take to gain compliance is to:
issue narrowly written opinions on visible cases.
Voting based on the trustee model can harm a Congress member's political career because:
it can go against the views of constituents back home.
One major critique of relying on the GDP to measure economic success is that:
it fails to capture a decline in well-being, as measured by sales of such products as alarms in our homes.
The vesting clause is important to understand because:
it is a major reason that presidential power is vague and often subject to interpretation.
An idealist reason for supporting U.S. action against Syria for human rights violations might be:
it is consistent with U.S. moral principles to defend human rights.
One of the practical reasons that virtually all prominent candidates for the presidency and Congress run as Democrats or Republicans is that:
it is easier to get on the general election ballot as a major party candidate.
The tension between being responsive to constituents but responsible to national interest contributes to Congress's image problem. This is because:
it is interpreted as gridlock, and expectations are often impossible to meet.
When a president takes his or her case directly to the public, it carries all of the following risks EXCEPT:
it is unlikely to attract significant attention from most major media outlets.
McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) is an important Supreme Court ruling because:
it limited state government power by declaring that Maryland could not tax a
Inflation can become a major economic problem for all of the following reasons EXCEPT:
it makes it more difficult for people to repay their debts.
The Supreme Court's endorsement of laissez-faire capitalism in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was significant because:
it prevented Congress from regulating any economic activity that occurred within a state.
Astroturf lobbying is sometimes effective because:
it sometimes involves large numbers of participants, forcing elected officials to pay attention.
The Supreme Court waited two years to issue its opinion in Brown v. Board of Education because:
it was sensitive to how the public would react to its decision.
A reason that realists opposed the invasion of Iraq is that they believed:
it would harm U.S. relations with other Middle Eastern countries.
According to the text, what has allowed the Constitution to remain so relevant today?
its ability to change with the times and reflect its citizens' values
The principal impact of McCulloch v. Maryland was:
its expansive interpretation of implied powers and the supremacy clause in favor of the national government.
Which branch of government did NOT initially have a negative power over the other branches of government?
judicial
In Brown v. Board of Education (1954), the Warren Court moved aggressively to protect minority rights even though its actions were opposed by many state legislatures. The Warren Court's ruling in Brown is an example of:
judicial activism.
Which part of government was considered the weakest because it did not have "power of the purse or sword"?
judicial branch
Which of the following is NOT an enumerated power of Congress?
judicial review
The decision in United States v. Lopez (1995) was particularly important because it required Congress to:
justify how laws they pass are a legitimate exercise of commerce clause powers.
Regarding trade policy, Democrats generally represent ________, while Republicans generally represent ________.
labor; capital
Large federal budget deficits are a concern for all of the following reasons EXCEPT:
large deficits discourage people from spending money, which slows the economy.
For James Madison, the problem associated with a tyranny of the majority was that:
large factions might capture control of the government and ignore the rights of those in the minority.
In 2002, Congress decided not to honor the pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) procedure because:
large funds were needed for the war on terror and the Iraq war.
Maria is asked to take a survey. One of the questions asks her about her views on the new head of the Federal Reserve. While Maria had not really thought about it before, she was able to come up with an answer. This is an example of a(n):
latent opinion
What is the proper term for an opinion constructed on the spot?
latent political judgment
The theory of dual federalism is most consistent with the concept of:
layer cake federalism.
An idealist would argue that the United States should remain in Afghanistan because leaving the nation could:
lead to a full-fledged Afghani civil war that results in significant suffering for the Afghan people.
American critics of globalization contend that it has:
led to significant losses in U.S. manufacturing jobs.
Which branch of government has the longest and most specific list of powers?
legislative
The key to direct lobbying is to focus on:
legislators who already share the group's policy goals.
Interest groups sometimes draft legislative proposals. They are most likely to give these proposals to:
legislators who already support their cause and who have significant influence in Congress.
A weak U.S. dollar makes U.S. goods ________, which, in theory, should ________ the U.S. trade deficit.
less expensive; reduce
What kind of government action suits the policy mood in Obama's second term?
less government action
As a percentage of gross national income (GNI), how much does the United States give in foreign aid as compared to the rest of the developed world?
less than others
All of the following media influences contribute to lower public approval of Congress EXCEPT:
letters to the editor.
When an issue or topic is salient, the survey respondent is:
likely to express thoughtful and accurate opinions.
When Congress passed the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996, it was trying to:
limit the interpretation of the full faith and credit clause.
The huge variation in resources that each state has is an argument in favor of:
limiting how much power is given to the states.
While a strict constructionist takes a(n) ________ view of the Constitution, a justice who believes in ________ focuses on the perspective of the Founders at the time that they wrote the Constitution.
literal; original intent
When an interest group files an amicus curiae brief, it is trying to influence policy through:
litigation
The biggest drawback for an interest group in pursuing litigation is that:
litigation is often time-consuming and costly.
Reports, protests, and informal meetings are all examples of what?
lobbying
When an interest group contacts a public official and tries to influence public policy, it is engaged in:
lobbying.
Which of the following most directly contributes to an incumbent president facing competition for the party's nomination during a reelection bid?
low approval ratings
Most interest groups prefer what kinds of issues?
low-salience
Which of the following positive trade-offs do people usually associate with free trade?
lower prices on consumer goods
The principal qualification for a president's appointees in the Executive Office of the President is:
loyalty to the president
Which of the following describes a peak association?
made up of businesses or other organizations rather than individuals
In the fictional country of Atlantis they use a system of elections where if no one gets more than 50 percent of the votes they eliminate everyone but the top two contenders and then vote again. This is an example of what kind of election system?
majority with run-off
The main reaction to the failure of the Articles of Confederation was to:
make the national government stronger.
Common law is a system by which a court:
makes legal decisions on the basis of earlier decisions by other courts.
Early public research came to startling conclusions about public opinion, including:
many citizens held inconsistent opinions.
Minor-party candidates have a difficult time winning office because:
many people consider a vote for a minor-party candidate to be a wasted one.
The Livestock, Rural Development, and Credit Subcommittee of the House Agriculture Committee meets to determine the final language of a bill on regulations affecting livestock in the United States. This process is an example of what?
markup
The process by which bills are rewritten and amended in a committee is known as:
markup.
The Sierra Club, which has more than 750,000 members who each pay annual dues of about $30, is an example of a(n):
mass association.
The purpose of a mass survey is to
measure the attitudes of a particular population.
Who sets policy for the DNC and RNC?
members from the 50 states
Congress often resists taking action to limit presidential power because:
members of Congress from the president's party may want the president to have the authority because they hold similar policy goals.
The term "substantive representation" refers to ________, while the term "descriptive representation" refers to ________.
members serving constituent interests; shared traits between members and constituents
The 2014 election was a ________ election; the 2012 election was a ________ election.
midterm; presidential
Which attribute do Americans place the most value on when selecting a presidential candidate?
military experience
A faction is a group of ________ that seek to control government power to ________.
minority or majority interests; pursue their own interests
An important activity of any campaign is ________, which most directly involves ________.
mobilizing supporters; the ground game
What are independent expenditures?
money that must not be controlled, directed, or approved by any candidate's campaign
Face-to-face interviews are the __________ sampling technique.
most expensive
Self-identified Republicans and Democrats judge government spending differently depending on whether a Republican or Democrat made the proposal. This demonstrates that:
most people form their opinions on the spot using a wide range of considerations.
When the United States places the lowest possible tariff on imported goods from a particular country, it bestows on that country:
most-favored-nation status.
What does the term "revolving door" refer to?
movement of personnel between the government and interest groups
Overall, America spends ________ on health care compared to the rest of the world.
much more
Numerous nations have coordinated their efforts to deter pirate attacks against civilian shipping. This is an example of:
multilateral action.
NATO is an example of a:
multilateral agreement.
Which of the following is less common in the Senate than in the House?
multiple referral
Which of the following restrictions on voter eligibility is true for all Americans regardless of what state they live in?
must be 18 years or older
During the Cold War, what doctrine of military strategy and national security toward the Soviet Union involved the United States maintaining a strong military presence and building a stockpile of nuclear weapons?
mutually assured destruction
The principal body in each party organization is the ________, which consists of representatives from ________.
national committee; state party organizations
The ________ clause is vague but gives the national government a very broad grant of power to carry out its responsibilities.
necessary and proper
Market failures sometimes lead to social regulation, particularly when the costs of a firm's behavior are not entirely borne by the firm but are passed on to other people. These failures are known as:
negative externalities.
During the health care reform debate in 2009, many Democrats supported ________, while many Republicans supported ________.
new regulations on private insurance companies; market-based approaches
How many states were needed to ratify the Constitution?
nine out of thirteen
A president can counter the influence of a Court decision by:
not allocating the resources necessary for enforcing that decision.
Decisions made by the Federal Reserve System (or the Fed) are:
not politically influenced because the agency is independent.
The authors of the textbook argue that interest groups are:
often a source of policy expertise.
On issues like climate change, health care, immigration, gay marriage, and stem-cell research states have:
often taken the lead on trying to address the issues.
The Sherman Antitrust Act was passed in 1890 to break up which corporate monopoly?
oil
A vice president who becomes president before the midterm elections can, if reelected, serve:
one more full term.
When can the vice president cast a vote in the Senate?
only when there is a tie vote on a piece of legislation
If you are registered as a Democrat but on primary election day you show up and your state allows you to vote in the Republican primary, what kind of primary system does your state have?
open
An election in which any registered voter can participate in selecting a party nominee is
open primary.
In an effort to raise doubts about their opponents, almost all candidates use ________ as a key part of their campaign strategy.
opposition research
Based on how scholars describe a party organization, the Tea Party closely resembles:
organizations loosely affiliated with a party, such as 527 organizations.
By November 2013, polling on gun control had returned to its pre-Newtown levels. This shows us that:
other cues such as partisanship were more important than the Newtown
Presidential approval is mostly about ________, not a president's ________.
outcomes; policies
How is America's trade deficit primarily financed?
overseas borrowing
As commander in chief of the military, the president has the undisputed ability to:
oversee the day-to-day operations of the military.
The House and Senate Intelligence Committees are in charge of:
overseeing the CIA and the NSA.
A social policy vision such as George W. Bush's, in which citizens take responsibility for their own social well-being, is called:
ownership society.
The loyalty that people have to one party is called:
party identification.
Elected officials holding national, state, and local office make up the:
party in government.
Republican members of the House of Representatives and Senate are examples of the Republican:
party in government.
The Business Industry Political Action Committee (BIPAC), which is an association of several hundred businesses and trade associations, is an example of a(n):
peak association.
Although there is some variation, Medicaid is a government-sponsored health care program for:
people living below the poverty line.
Economist Arthur Laffer, who developed the Laffer curve, believed that if taxes are raised drastically:
people will work less because too much of their income will go to the government.
Which of the following groups do not typically turn out in large numbers to vote?
people with less than a high school education
Any unsigned opinion submitted by the entire Supreme Court is called a:
per curiam opinion.
The individual or group that appeals the decision of a lower court is the:
petitioner.
What did the No Child Left Behind legislation do?
placed national accountability and testing requirements in every school district
Which of the following is an example of gerrymandering?
placing two incumbents of the same party into one district
If a neighbor accidentally backed his car into the fence that divides your property, destroying a large section of it, and you sued your neighbor in court for damages, you would be the:
plaintiff.
Which of the following is NOT a function of the whip system in Congress?
planning overall party strategy
In 2012, Mitt Romney said that if elected he would work to ensure no tax increases. President Barack Obama said that if he were reelected he would support marriage equality for same-sex couples. These are examples of the candidates':
platforms.
What modern political philosophy is based in part on James Madison's "size principle"?
pluralism
One view of American government is that Americans participate in politics primarily through interest groups. This is known as:
pluralism.
A voting system in which the candidate with the most votes wins is called:
plurality voting.
Congress passes a bill banning the use of cell phones while driving. The bill passes both chambers in the last week before the session ends for the year. The president does not sign the bill and because of this it does not become a law. This is an example of a(n):
pocket veto.
The picket fence metaphor is an apt description of current American federalism because:
policy makers mainly interact with others in the same policy area, regardless of whether they are federal or state employees.
Americans' collective demands for government action on domestic policies are measured by:
policy mood
When we want to know the level of public support for expanding the government's role in society, what do we measure?
policy mood
A group that can raise money for the purpose of contributing to candidates or spending on campaigns is known as a(n):
political action committee.
Generally the public looks to __________ who agree with them when they look for political information.
political actors
Which of the following factors influence which justice will be assigned the task of writing a majority opinion?
political factors, such as how others might respond to the opinion
In America ________ run candidates for office, while ________ do not have an official position on the ballot.
political parties; interest groups
When the Supreme Court refuses to take actions that are outside of the judicial domain and should be decided by elected officials, they are avoiding what are known as:
political questions.
When the geographical region that you grow up in affects which party you vote for, what is it called?
political socialization
An example of the "________ model of representation" is a situation in which a legislator acts as though the legislator gives an electoral mandate on salient issues but looks after broader interests on complex issues.
politico
Legislators who make public statements demonstrating how they share priorities with the groups in their district are engaged in:
position taking.
When Congress authorizes an agency to spend money it is using its:
power of the purse.
Which of the following is an example of a negative externality?
power plants producing pollution as a side effect of energy production
In 2003, the federal government passed a new component to Medicare. This component, identified as Part D, covers:
prescription drugs.
Which of the following is NOT a party position in the House?
president pro tempore
While the ________ can make decisions about how to use armed forces, only the ________ can make decisions about funding such actions.
president; Congress
The thesis of the "two presidencies" predicts that:
presidents prefer to focus on foreign policy because they can often act without congressional consent or public scrutiny.
Economic sanctions are often used for the purpose of:
pressuring a country's leaders to change their behavior.
A vote to select a party's nominee is known as a:
primary election.
Which of the following was a component of President George W. Bush's plan to scale back social programs?
privatize portions of Social Security
Which of the following is NOT part of an acceptable process for amending the Constitution?
proposal; approval by three-fourths of Congress
Since the 1990s, the Supreme Court's principal role has been to:
protect state power.
Which of the following concepts reflects the need to balance the principle of self-government against the rights of specific groups?
providing for majority rule while protecting minority rights
A dissenting opinion is often written by a Supreme Court justice for the purpose of:
providing the basis for reversing a poorly reasoned case.
Which aspect of the Constitution points toward a nation-centered perspective?
provisions for national security
The free rider problem is a problem with the provision of what kinds of goods?
public
You are working on a group project with three other students. The instructor has announced that everyone in the group will get the same grade. One student, Patrick, decides not to do the work and to instead rely on the rest of you to get a good grade. In this case the grade is an example of a(n) ________, while Patrick is an example of a(n) ________.
public good; free rider
A president who attempts to shape public opinion will generally
publicize opinions that people already hold.
The process by which policy agendas appear and disappear quickly on the national stage has been called ________ by some political scientists.
punctuated equilibrium
If the Fed wanted to put downward pressure on the FFR, it would likely:
purchase government bonds from banks.
Allan volunteers for an interest group because he believes in the group's cause and he feels good helping them try to achieve it. This is an example of what?
purposive benefits
Rory and Amelia are running against each other for a seat in the Senate. Rory's campaign calls voters under the guise of doing a poll and asks "would you be more or less likely to vote for Amelia for Senate if you knew that she took campaign funds from terrorists?" This is an example of a(n):
push poll.
Which of the following best describes the context in which the Constitution was created?
quarrels among the states and the growing perception of the collapse of the rule of law
What is one way to get a good sample for a mass survey?
random digit dialing
A ________ is a subsection of a population chosen to participate in a survey through a selection process in which every member of the population has an equal chance of being chosen.
random sample
A(n) ________ is defined as a large number of people who change from identifying with one political party to identifying with the other.
realignment
Which of the following terms describes a situation in which the issues that divide the political parties change in a way that cuts across existing political coalitions?
realignment
What foreign policy philosophy contends that the motivating factor of a nation's international decision-making process is (or should be) that nation's own interests?
realism
The president often uses the State of the Union address to:
recommend policies to Congress.
If an election is close enough, usually within 1 percent, a state may allow a(n):
recount.
The process of determining the boundaries of House districts every 10 years is known as:
redistricting.
Recent Supreme Court rulings concerning the Fourteenth Amendment have had the effect of:
reducing the power of the federal government.
Which of the following has NOT been suggested as a means of congressional reform?
reducing the size of the House of Representatives
Which of the following negative trade-offs do people usually associate with free trade?
reduction in American jobs
The legislature of your state would like to pass a tax increase. The legislature decides to put the tax increase on the ballot in November for all registered voters to consider. This is an example of a(n):
referendum.
What are market-based solutions?
reform options, such as tax credits and free-market investments, that substitute government-sponsored social programs
Which of the following is NOT a way that Congress can check the power of the courts?
refusing to enforce a decision
A tax that takes a larger share of poor people's income than wealthy people's income is known as a ________ tax.
regressive
For most people, broad-based beliefs such as ideology and partisanship tend to:
remain stable over time.
Slave states wanted slaves counted for the purposes of ________ but did not want slaves counted when it came to the issue of ________.
representation; determining taxes
When the interests of the people are represented through their elected leaders, it is an example of what kind of government?
republic
Political scientists became critical of public opinion research conducted in the 1950s because:
researchers had an overly narrow view of what public opinion should be.
Members of Congress are primarily guided by a desire to ________, while being subject to the constraints of ________.
respond to constituent interests; institutional structures
The individual or group that defends the decision of a lower court on appeal is called the:
respondent.
The election of state judges can make courts more ________, but it potentially undercuts their role in ________.
responsive to public opinion; protecting minority rights
Term limits are a type of reform that:
restricts the number of times House members can run for reelection.
What is it called when candidates spend a great deal of time meeting voters face-to-face?
retail politics
Michelle is running for Congress. She spends a lot of her time attending town halls and meeting with individual voters to talk about their concerns. These are examples of:
retail politics.
Voters hold incumbents accountable through which kind of evaluation?
retrospective
When Bob goes to vote, he often thinks about questions like "Has my current member of Congress done a good job?" and "Does my current member of Congress handle issues I care about properly?" This is an example of what kind of evaluation?
retrospective
Presidents can avoid ratification of a treaty by simply announcing that the United States will comply. The disadvantage of this strategy is that it:
risks the treaty being easily undone by future presidential administrations.
The federal courts influence foreign policy by:
ruling that certain laws or presidential actions are unconstitutional.
What does a political party do?
runs candidates for political office and coordinates the actions of officials elected under the party banner
Issues that attract little public attention are said to have "low" what?
salience
The Democrats and the Whigs competed in which party system?
second
A 527 organization:
seeks to influence elections through voter mobilization efforts and issue ads that do not directly endorse or oppose a candidate.
A ________ committee is created to deal with a specific policy topic, while a ________ committee is created to resolve differences between House and Senate versions of the same bill.
select; conference
Which of the following is NOT a responsibility of the national conventions?
selecting the party's congressional nominees
By joining the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), you receive travel and insurance discounts. These discounts are an example of what?
selective incentives
Before nominating someone for an open seat on a federal district court in Wisconsin, the president consults with the senator from Wisconsin who shares the president's party label. This is an example of what?
senatorial courtesy
Generally speaking, Medicare provides insurance for ________, while Medicaid provides insurance for ________.
senior citizens; the poor
How did the framers design the Constitution to protect minority rights?
separation of powers and checks and balances
Which of the following was implemented in order to protect minorities from majority tyranny?
separation of powers between three branches of government
The Federal Reserve Board has ________ members, who are appointed by the president.
seven
Scholars have found that congressional actions, on the whole, are:
shaped by constituent opinion because to do otherwise would place elected officials in jeopardy of losing their next elections.
What is "descriptive representation"?
shared demographic traits between legislators and constituents
The war powers held by the president and Congress are best an example of:
shared powers.
While ________ powers are not held exclusively by any branch of government, ________ powers are those that one branch can exercise over the other.
shared; negative
In the immediate wake of the Newtown shooting in January 2013, public opinion:
shifted in favor of stricter gun control
By embracing the concept of dual federalism throughout the nineteenth century, the Supreme Court:
showed that it was unwilling to use judicial review to overrule states.
North and South Atlantis refuse to negotiate directly with each other, so Quirm negotiates with each separately in an attempt to find an agreement that both North and South Atlantis can live with. This is an example of what?
shuttle diplomacy
The authors of the textbook conclude that, in the main, interest groups:
simply reflect the conflictual nature of American politics.
Because of the ________, only ________ of the Senate is up for reelection in every even-numbered year.
six-year term; one-third
A pollster will ask a question indirectly in an attempt to avoid __________ in respondents' answers.
social desirability
What did the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act eliminate?
soft money contributions
A 527 organization can accept unlimited amounts of ________ but cannot use that money on behalf of a specific ________.
soft money; candidate
The person responsible for litigating on behalf of the federal government is the:
solicitor general.
Which types of benefits can a group provide to overcome the free rider problem?
solidary, purposive, or selective benefits
What is a "constituent"?
someone living in a member's district
The image of Justice as a blindfolded woman holding a set of scales is:
somewhat misleading because politics still affects everything from the selection of judges to the decisions they make.
Which part of the national government was formed under the Articles of Confederation?
special panels of judges to resolve disputes between states
A key part of an incumbent's success is the incumbent's home style, which is developed by:
spending more time in their district than in Washington.
Jaime votes for a Democrat for president but a Republican for Senate. This is an example of a(n):
split ticket.
What kind of ballot lets voters select candidates from more than one political party?
split-ticket voting
Which of the following methods of political compromise were used at the Constitutional Convention?
splitting the difference and logrolling (vote trading)
Any group of legislators with a continuing membership and policy jurisdiction is known as a:
standing committee.
Who administers welfare expenditures?
state and local governments
In which of the following is it possible for judges to face election?
state courts
When the Supreme Court interprets a law passed by Congress, it is engaged in:
statutory interpretation.
Which of the following is most likely to influence trade policy and balance?
strength of the dollar compared to other currencies
All of the following are common criticisms of strict constructionism EXCEPT:
strict constructionism stifles any meaningful debate about the Constitution.
The Federalists, led by George Washington, John Adams, and Alexander Hamilton, favored a(n) ________ national government, while the Democratic-Republicans, led by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, favored ________ power.
strong; state
Despite significant agreement on the need for a ________ national government at the Constitutional Convention, there was serious division about ________.
stronger; how much stronger the federal government should be
In 2010 and 2011, financial institutions such as Sallie Mae and Citibank worked together to lobby against reform of what industry?
student loans
Which of the following lists accurately describes the order in which the Supreme Court acts?
submission of briefs, oral argument, conference, writing of opinion
Which of the following does NOT help a candidate survive early primary contests?
superdelegates
The theory that lowering taxes will stimulate the economy because of increased investment and spending among the public is called:
supply-side economics.
The Federalists generally:
supported increasing the authority of the national government.
During the nation's recent economic crisis, what would a proponent of Keynesian economics have done?
supported the government's entire $787 billion stimulus plan of tax cuts and government spending
During the nation's recent economic crisis, what would a proponent of supply-side economics have done?
supported the stimulus plan's tax cuts but not the increases in government spending
Which of the following concepts applies most directly to the balance of power between state and national governments?
supremacy clause
Which of the following is NOT a way for Congress to engage in oversight of the bureaucracy?
suspending rules
Globalization leads to increases in all of the following EXCEPT:
tariffs.
Tax policy is inherently conflictual because:
tax policy often involves redistributing money from one group to another.
Conference committees are ________ and negotiate differences between ________.
temporary; the House and the Senate
Outside of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, how many rotating nations serve on the council?
ten
The Clinton presidency revealed that public approval of the president:
tended to be more sensitive to the state of the economy than it was to scandal.
Many states have laws that mandate ________, preventing people from serving in the legislature for more than a certain number of years.
term limits
What is a party system?
term used to describe different periods of time in which parties and issues are stable
What does the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993 require?
that agencies report strategic plans and performance evaluations
Which of the following illustrates the importance of ballot design?
the "butterfly" ballot in Florida in 2000
George W. Bush's approval ratings changed significantly after the September 11 attacks. This phenomenon is an example of what some scholars call:
the "rally 'round the flag" effect.
Which of the following reinforced the role of the national government beginning in the late 1960s?
the "rights revolution"
What is an example of a class action lawsuit?
the 1.5 million current and former female Walmart employees who recently sued Walmart for sex discrimination
Cooperative federalism emerged during:
the 1930s.
One of the first social welfare programs enacted by the federal government was financial assistance to veterans of:
the Civil War.
Some scholars argue that presidents dominate foreign policy as a result of unilateral presidential power. This theory rests on the fact that:
the Constitution does not set explicit limits on what the president can do.
When U.S. Navy ships were sent to monitor North Korea's attempt to launch a satellite into orbit or when the United States launches ongoing drone attacks against Al Qaeda, which foreign policy department is most actively involved in the military action?
the Department of Defense
Medicare and Medicaid are administered by state governments as well as by:
the Department of Health and Human Services.
What is the principal foreign policy department in the executive branch?
the Department of State
Which aspect of the Constitution points toward a state-centered perspective?
the Eleventh Amendment
All of the following statements about the Fed are true EXCEPT:
the Fed's primary directive is to keep interest rates low.
Which important political event led to the New Deal Coalition?
the Great Depression
Which legislative institution did the Founders believe would be most responsive to the public?
the House of Representatives
The early details of the Supreme Court, including setting the number of justices at six and determining its internal organization, were established in:
the Judiciary Act of 1789.
The Dred Scott case ruled that:
the Missouri Compromise deprived slave owners of property without due process of law.
The New Deal policy guaranteeing the right to organize a union and set regulations for collective bargaining is known as:
the National Labor Relations Act.
Which part of the legislature did the Founders believe would be the least responsive to the general public and most attentive to national interests?
the Senate
The Senate's confirmation hearings for Judge Robert Bork's appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court were notable because:
the Senate aggressively attacked Bork's character and record in a public way.
What element of the Constitution affirms state sovereignty?
the Tenth Amendment
Although Americans generally tend to dislike ________, they are relatively happy with ________.
the U.S. Congress as a whole; their own representatives
Isolationism was a dominant foreign policy principle in the United States before World War I for all of the following reasons EXCEPT:
the U.S. Constitution originally stipulated that the United States remain neutral in foreign affairs.
Even though presidents have significant powers over foreign policy, President Clinton opted not to submit the Kyoto Protocol to Congress in the 1990s because:
the U.S. Senate was unlikely to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, illustrating how the legislative branch can check presidential power.
Although the League of Nations was not successful, it led to the creation of:
the United Nations.
The authors of the textbook argue that America's early foreign policy was never completely isolationist. All of the following examples support this contention EXCEPT:
the United States engaged in the Civil War in the 1860s.
A realist is likely to argue that the United States should avoid intervening in foreign nations to protect human rights for all of the following reasons EXCEPT:
the United States has a moral duty to ensure human rights for all.
Funding for the Great Society was quickly threatened by:
the Vietnam War.
President Hoovervelt sends U.S. armed forces into Atlantis on an issue of national security. Forty-three days later he asks Congress for its approval even though he is not convinced Congress supports the military action. The reason he asked Congress for its permission to continue the military action is:
the War Powers Act requires a president to gain congressional approval for the use of force within 90 days.
What alliance, organized by the Soviet Union, was formed in 1949 to provide military security to all of its members?
the Warsaw Pact
Which of the following is a power that party leaders in the House and Senate can use to influence the legislative process?
the ability to control the timing of when bills come up for a vote
Which of the following is a check that the president holds over the judicial branch?
the ability to nominate judges for the federal courts
Which of the following powers is NOT exclusive to the legislative branch?
the ability to send troops into armed conflict
The process of sharing evidence before a trial, known as discovery, is a key part of:
the adversarial system.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) provides income support for:
the aged, blind, and disabled with limited income.
What does the word "Super" refer to in "Super PAC"?
the amount of money the group takes in and spends
A president can temporarily dodge the Senate confirmation process through a recess appointment. However, a recess appointment comes with the limitation that:
the appointment lasts only for the rest of the legislative term.
What is a court's appellate jurisdiction?
the authority of a court to review decisions from lower courts and change or uphold them
What is a pocket veto?
the automatic death of a bill if the president does not sign it in the last ten days of a session
Which of the following describes the group of Americans born between 1946 and 1964 who will be retiring in large numbers over the next 20 years?
the baby-boom generation
Which of the following was NOT a principal concern the Antifederalists had about the Constitution prior to ratification?
the bicameral legislature
What is the ground game?
the campaign's effort to get out the vote on Election Day
A "natural" monopoly occurs because:
the costs are so high to enter a specific business that only one company in the market can be profitable.
The separation of powers in U.S. government refers to:
the division of governing authority among the presidency, the Congress, and the Supreme Court.
The one issue that is almost always among the top three in surveys asking Americans about the most important problem facing the country is:
the economy.
The major unifying belief of the Tea Party is:
the federal government should be smaller.
What is "bicameralism"?
the governmental structure, which includes two different houses in the legislature
Many mass organizations, such as MoveOn.org, try to get their members involved in the lobbying process through:
the group's Web page that helps people send letters to the editor of various national and local newspapers.
What is the party principle?
the idea that parties are organizations distinct from their elected officials
What is at the center of the debate around executive privilege?
the importance of holding the president and his or her staff accountable versus the need for the president and his or her staff to be able to communicate freely
Which of the following is an example of a progressive tax?
the income tax
Theodore Roosevelt's actions on conservation and regulation of business and Abraham Lincoln's issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation are a few examples of:
the increase and expansion of presidential power.
What is frontloading?
the increasingly early scheduling of primaries and caucuses
Effective home style helps to explain the rise of:
the incumbent advantage.
Political scientist John Zaller showed that opinion changes generated by an event or some other piece of new information are more likely when:
the individual does not have a set of preexisting principles with which to interpret the event.
Who had executive power under the Articles of Confederation?
the legislature
Which of the following is a key factor in determining a group's success in the policy process?
the level of salience surrounding its policy request
President Obama's public speeches and pronouncements on immigration and gun control demonstrate:
the limitations of "going public."
Woodrow Wilson's attempt to get the United States to participate in the League of Nations illustrated:
the limits of presidential power.
Strong party leadership only occurs when:
the members of the party give their consent.
Under the U.S. system of federalism, who or what is responsible for the conduct of foreign policy and defense?
the national government
Which of the following is NOT a constitutional compromise that created incentives for legislators to compromise between local and national interests?
the necessary and proper clause
Which of the following was NOT an idea discussed by John Locke?
the need for rule by a strong monarch
Privatizing social security is an example of:
the ownership society.
Jennifer wonders whether or not to vote because the chances of her vote being the decisive one is so small. What does Jennifer's consideration exemplify?
the paradox of voting
People often go to vote on Election Day even though their individual vote stands little chance of affecting the outcome. What is this called?
the paradox of voting
When President Bush commuted a 30-month jail term of Lewis "Scooter" Libby, a former aide of Vice President Cheney's, which of his presidential powers was he using?
the pardon
The leaders and workers of a party at the national, state, and local levels are known as:
the party organization.
Three months after getting elected to Congress, Congressman Bergkamp is already out publicizing his works on behalf of the district. What is this an example of?
the permanent campaign
The actions officeholders take throughout the election cycle to build support for their reelection is called:
the permanent campaign.
The balanced perspective of the Constitution reflects all BUT:
the political ideas and economic interests of average citizens.
What does the attitudinal model of Supreme Court decision making emphasize?
the political views of conservative and liberal judges
The distinction between intrastate and interstate commerce became blurred by the Supreme Court because of:
the politics of the New Deal.
It is widely believed that politicians seem to be less interested in social policies concerning the poor and disadvantaged because:
the poor and disadvantaged are not politically active.
Which vote is cast by citizens during a general presidential election?
the popular vote
The elastic clause refers to:
the power of Congress to make laws necessary for executing its members' enumerated powers.
Which of the following is an exclusive power of the legislative branch?
the power to declare war
Who is responsible for enforcing most court decisions?
the president
The president is considered the dominant actor in American foreign policy for all of the following reasons EXCEPT:
the president can declare wars against foreign nations.
The term "senatorial courtesy" refers to:
the president deferring to members of the president's party from each state in choosing nominees to district courts.
The Twenty-Fifth Amendment allows:
the president to nominate a new vice president if the sitting vice president can no longer perform the duties of office.
The executive power of the United States is given by the Constitution to:
the president.
One issue that started in 1973 with an embargo and was exacerbated by OPEC in 1979 was:
the price and security of the world's oil supply.
What is political socialization?
the process by which an individual's political opinions are shaped by others
Which issue split the major parties in the third, fourth, and fifth party systems and still remains relevant today?
the proper size and role of the federal government
Survey results are most likely to be accurate when:
the questions are based on a topic familiar to most Americans.
The Supreme Court found that which component of the Affordable Care Act was unconstitutional?
the rationing of medical care
The term "states' rights" refers to:
the right of the states to determine their own laws without interference from the federal government.
Voters who are angry with the government have all of the following EXCEPT:
the right to picket inside a polling place.
You spend the year working on a candidate's presidential campaign. After that candidate wins, she appoints you to a federal job. This is an example of what?
the spoils system
Rewarding party supporters with benefits, like government jobs, is known as:
the spoils system.
The power of local governments depends on charters granted to them by:
the state governments.
The Misery Index is based on:
the sum of the inflation rate and the unemployment rate.
Since 1933, money is based on:
the trust and confidence in the banking system.
The Antifederalists argued that the power of ________ was "a political error of the greatest magnitude."
the veto
If the Fed provided additional credit when the economy was expanding and reduced credit when businesses were not expanding, the result would be:
the worsening of the economy, because it would choke off the supply of money when it was needed most.
The manner in which members of the House relate to their districts is called:
their home style.
The fact that parties have brand names means:
their names evoke certain positions or issues.
A normal election takes place when ________, while a nationalized election takes place when ________.
there are high reelection rates; reelection rates are relatively low and there is an important national issue or issues
Although judges are bound to follow previous legal interpretations, their political views still matter because:
there are often multiple legal justifications for any decision in a case.
Some political observers argue that interest group activities have a major effect on policy making. The evidence shows that:
these claims are not fully supported.
Party platforms are important documents because:
they provide a general guide for the types of policies winning candidates are likely to vote for if elected.
American political parties have been criticized for all of the following reasons EXCEPT:
they sometimes fail to follow the spirit of the Constitution and the Founders' desire for civil discourse in American politics.
George Wallace and Ross Perot are examples of:
third party candidates who attracted significant numbers of votes.
The party in government comprises:
those politicians who have been elected into office under a party label.
The party organization, the party in government, and the party in the electorate are considered:
three separate and largely independent pieces that compose American political parties.
Which condition would likely increase presidential approval?
times of national crisis
Which of the following is a responsibility of the Treasury Department?
to collect taxes, duties, and money due to the United States
What are the responsibilities of the Department of Homeland Security?
to coordinate intelligence gathering, secure U.S. borders, and prevent terrorist attacks
What is a common goal of mass protests?
to draw media attention to help publicize the group's goals
Following the Civil War, why were the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments added to the Constitution?
to ensure that the Union's views on states' rights were the law of the land
A candidate's platform is important for all of the following reasons EXCEPT:
to gain ballot access.
Interest groups often prepare research reports for all of the following reasons EXCEPT:
to help raise money for the group.
Why are senior judges used in appellate cases?
to help reduce the appellate court system's overall workload
According to the Constitution, what is the vice president's job?
to preside over the Senate
What does an issue scale ask people?
to state how close they are to one of several policy options
The elastic clause in Article I of the Constitution created a situation in which Congress:
took a lead role in the early American constitutional system.
A ________ is an agreement between two nations to work together on economic or security issues, whereas a(n) ________ is an agreement that commits nations to security guarantees.
treaty; alliance
An interest group is best defined as an organization that:
tries to influence public policy for a group of people with common interests.
According to the text, Americans are more likely to:
trust their local and state governments over the federal government.
America's electoral rules are most likely to result in how many major parties?
two
According to the Constitution, how many times can a person be elected president of the United States?
two times
Although presidents can negotiate treaties, they require approval of ________ in order to take effect.
two-thirds of the Senate
Which of the following concepts best describes the problems associated with the Articles of Confederation?
tyranny of the minority
Which of the following is NOT a part of the structure and functioning of Congress?
unicameralism
When one party controls both the legislature and the presidency, it is called:
unified government.
U.S. antiterror actions that are not coordinated with other nations are an example of:
unilateral action.
President Bush argued that Congress could not defund the war in Iraq because the vesting clause gave him authority as commander in chief to order American troops to continue fighting. This is an example of what theory?
unitary executive
Which term defines the belief that the Constitution's vesting clause allows the president to issue orders that cannot be undone by Congress?
unitary executive theory
Which system is most common among democracies in the world?
unitary system
Legislators spreading benefits as widely as possible is called ________; trading their support on a bill for someone's support on a different bill is an example of ________.
universalism; reciprocity
When the flow of money is tight, the price of short-term loans will be bid ________ and the federal fund rate (FFR) will ________.
up; rise
After the 1980s, the Republican view on federal grants was to:
use block grants to give local politicians more control over how money was spent.
Which of the following is NOT a deviation from the standard path of the lawmaking process?
use of conference committees
What is grassroots lobbying?
using group members to contact legislators
The president pro tempore of the Senate is:
usually held by the most senior member of the majority party.
Which of the following is a power the president can use to check the legislative branch?
veto
Which of the following is part of the president's legislative powers?
vetoing legislation
What is the proper order of succession if a president dies in office or becomes incapacitated?
vice president, Speaker of the House, president pro tempore of the Senate
When California passed a law in 1992 that limited the cash welfare benefit to new residents to the same level of benefits they had been receiving in the state from which they moved, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the law:
violated the privileges and immunities clause.
Which of the following is NOT a social policy usually associated with the "social safety net"?
voting
According to political science research, what helps make something a "reasonable vote"?
voting cues
A confederal system of government has a ________ central government. A unitary system has a ________ central government.
weak; strong
What would be the result of conducting a "means test" for Social Security?
wealthy individuals receiving lower benefits
Nuclear bombs, nerve gas, and anthrax are all examples of what?
weapons of mass destruction
Government assistance—usually financial assistance—to individuals in need is called:
welfare.
Rule 10 of the Rules of the Supreme Court of the United States says that a case is more likely to be heard under all of the following conditions EXCEPT:
when a lower court decision is inconsistent with or contrary to the original intent of the framers of the Constitution.
When is a signing statement issued?
when a president signs a bill
Which of the following conditions make vetoes more likely?
when there is divided government
Under what conditions is the chief justice more likely to set aside the chief justice's own policy views and assign an opinion to a justice with different ideological views?
when there is fragile support for a majority position favored by the chief justice
Duverger's Law holds that there will only be two political parties:
when we have single-member districts and plurality voting.
Which of the following was NOT a contentious issue in the debate over the executive branch?
whether or not the president should be allowed to serve more than two terms
Which of the following was NOT a source of significant conflict at the Constitutional Convention?
whether to throw out or amend the Declaration of Independence
The president in his or her role as party leader usually has a large say over:
who will serve as party chairperson in his or her party.
The rise in the use of television advertising in campaigns is an important component of what kind of politics?
wholesale
A caucus (political) or conference is an organization:
within government that meets to discuss party positions on issues.
Groups such as the Young Democrats and Young Republicans:
work to support party candidates in elections.
What do the Committee on Foreign Affairs in the House and the Foreign Relations committee in the Senate do?
write legislation that deals with foreign policy