POLS FINAL EXAM

Despite the hopes of party leaders and campaign promises, President Trump and a fully Republican-controlled Congress did not manage to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA, popularly known as "Obamacare") during his first two years in office. Since the time of that legislative failure, however, the president has nonetheless changed the ACA dramatically. For instance, in 2017, Trump issued an executive order aimed at expanding the availability of short-term health insurance policies, thus overturning an Obama-era rule prohibiting them. These are exempted from ACA regulation, meaning that they need not be comprehensive and can exclude treatment for preexisting conditions. Trump's actions here are an example of governing by A) extraconstitutional power B) use of emergency powers C) executive privilege D) administrative strategy

Administrative strategy

The legislature is composed of A) ​80 members in the Senate and 40 in the Assembly B) ​120 members in a single body C) ​60 members in each body D) ​80 members in the Assembly and 40 in the Senate

80 members in the Assembly in the Senate

In recent years, the rate of reelection for representatives seeking to return to service in the U.S. House of Representatives has been about ________ percent A) 35 B) 55 C) 75 D) 90

90

A policy or program designed to redress historic injustices committed against specific groups by making special efforts to provide members of these groups with access to educational and employment opportunities is known as A) reparations B) affirmative action C) quota systems D) supportive redistribution

Affirmative action

In 2013, President Barack Obama nominated Chuck Hagel as secretary of defense to lead the Defense Department. There was substantial controversy in the Senate regarding some of Hagel's policy positions, and a number of senators attempted to block Hagel's confirmation as secretary, although he was eventually approved by a vote of 58 to 41. This attempt to block Hagel's confirmation is an example of which type of control to address the principle-agent problem? A) a before-the-fact control mechanism B) an after-the-fact control mechanism C) a control against coalitional drift D) oversight control

A before-the-fact control mechanism

Term limits have resulted in which of the following: A) an increase in expertise among legislators, who have only a few years to make a name for themselves B) ​an increase in citizen legislators, people with little or no political experience who are able to run because seats are open C) ​an increase in staff members, who are needed to help legislators lacking experience D) a decline in the knowledge needed to pass good-quality legislation

A decline in the knowledge needed to pass good-quality legislation

When members of the Senate prevent action on legislation they oppose by continuously holding the floor and speaking until the majority backs down, which tactic are they using? A) cloture B) advise and consent C) a blockade D) a filibuster

A filibuster

Your instructor has organized the class into groups of three in a project involving reaction to presidential election debates. Regardless of the individual contributions of each member of the group, all students in each group will receive the same grade, based on the project quality. After several attempts to organize the group, you realize that the third student in your group will not participate. Instead, you and the second student, who like you is motivated by a concern about his final grade, work together on the project. Meanwhile, you are both angered by how you third peer has shirked his duties. What problem does the group have here? A) a normative problem B) an empirical problem C) a free rider-problem D) a principle-agent problem

A free-rider problem

When Jason Rae worked for the Democratic Party for several years on get-out-the-vote drives, attended their meetings, and supported party efforts, he behaved as a party A) activist B) ideologue C) extremist D) reformer

Activist

In contemporary American times, as political parties have become weaker and the media landscape more diverse and fractured, making popular presidential appeals less effective, presidents have increasingly relied on ________ as a means of gaining and using power A) personal charisma B) campaign fund-raising C) covert surveillance D) administrative strategies

Administrative strategies

What are precedents? A) cases whose underlying issues involve the powers of government or rights of citizens B) cases whose underlying issues involve disputes between individuals and the government C) cases that determine whether or not a violation of laws protecting the health, safety, and welfare of the community can proceed D) cases whose principles are used by judges as the bases for their decisions in present cases

Cases whose principles are used by judges as the bases for their decisions in present cases

The legislative process is most biased in favor of A) ​issues generally favored by the public B) the status quo C) ​changes that interest groups favor D) ​legislation proposed by the governor, who can introduce a limited number of bills directly to both houses, bypassing some of the steps of the legislative process

Changes that interest groups favor

The Constitution empowers each branch of government to participate in and influence the activities of the other branches, a strategy known as A) cooperative governance B) federalism C) interstate relations D) checks and balances

Checks and balances

The justice on the Supreme Court who presides over the Court's public sessions is the ________ justice A) supreme B) chief C) senior D) high

Chief

Most nationwide radio talk shows tend to support causes and candidates who are A) liberal B) apolitical C) moderate D) conservative

Conservative

The contemporary political ideology that is generally supportive of maintaining social and cultural traditions, limiting the role of government in economic life, and ensuring a strong military defense is most accurately classified as A) liberal B) socialist C) conservative D) libertarian

Conservative

A government with specific limits on what governments control and how political power is exercised is called a A) theocracy B) constrained system C) divided government D) constitutional government

Constitutional government

An individual who offers his or her lobbying services to multiple clients at the same time is called a(n) A) ​contract lobbyist B) ​"hired gun" C) ​citizen lobbyist D) ​in-house lobbyist

Contract lobbyist

________ federalism has existed since the New Deal era and uses grants-in-aid strategically to encourage states and localities (without commanding them) to pursue nationally defined goals A) dual B) welfare C) cooperative D) commercial

Cooperative

Political parties organize because of three problems with which politicians and other political activists must cope: collective action in the electoral process, collective choice of policy, and political A) drift and decay B) oversight and management C) organization and paperwork D) ambition and competition

Ambition and competition

What is the fastest growing racial or ethnic group in America? A) non-Hispanic Whites B) African Americans C) Native Americans D) Asian Americans

Asian Americans

A financial services company that supports legislation making it more difficult for investors to sue for fraud hires a Washington-based firm to generate and mail thousands of letters of support to members of Congress. This strategy is known as A) Astroturf lobbying B) advertising C) grassroots lobbying D) protesting

Astroturf lobbying

The principal function of an interest group is to A) ​provide its members with educational and social opportunities B) ​contribute money to candidates for public office who favor its programs ​C) ​attain favorable decisions from government on issues that it supports D) ​seek to inform the public on the role of interest in the economy

Attain favorable decisions from government on issues that it supports

The electoral format that presents the names of all candidates for any given office on the same ballot, allowing voters to select any candidate of their choice for each office, is called the ________ ballot. A) American B) Australian C) ticket-splitting D) partisan

Australian

The kind of rule in which the power of government has only minimal legal limits but is effectively restrained by other social, religious, or economic institutions is called A) autocratic B) totalitarian C) constitutional D) authoritarian

Authoritarian

Which of the following is a plausible motivation for explaining the budget-maximizing behavior of bureaucrats? A) Bureaucrats want to help the agency hire better lobbying firms and make contributions to members of Congress B) Many agencies strive to attract budget resources that would otherwise go to their rival agencies C) Bureaucrats want to help the department secretary finance a campaign for the presidency D) Bureaucrats believe in the importance of fulfilling the mission of the bureaucracy and helping people in their community

Bureaucrats believe in the importance of fulfilling the mission of the bureaucracy and helping people in their community

Which of the following describes the process of obtaining ideas, fund-raising contributions, or policy support by enlisting online a large group of people? A) ​direct appeal ​ B) ​crowdsourcing ​ C) ​web-based business pattern ​ D) ​outsourcing

Crowdsourcing

Under what circumstances is the U.S. Supreme Court able to claim jurisdiction over cases originally heard in state courts? A) if the losing litigant claims to be owed over $75,000 by the state B) if the losing litigant raises a federal question involving federal law or the Constitution, which often involves civil liberties C) if the losing and winning parties live in separate states D) if the solicitor general is willing to write an amicus brief for the appellant

If the losing litigant raises a federal question involving federal law or the Constitution, which often involves civil liberties

Proposition 28 changed the legislature in all the following ways except: A) ​It allowed legislators to specialize more than the Proposition 140 limits did B) It has produced a more experienced leadership C) ​It allows legislators to serve more years in a single chamber D) ​It has eliminated interest group power in both chambers

It has eliminated interest group power in both chambers

In September 2017, President Donald Trump issued executive orders to end an administrative program called ________, which allowed some undocumented immigrants to remain in the United States A) Relief Initiative for Undocumented Children (RIUC) B) Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) C) Children of Undocumented Persons Program (CUPP) D) the National Refugee Survival Act (NRSA)

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)

The powers given to the president by Congress are called A) delegated powers B) expressed powers C) transferred authorities D) invested powers

Delegated powers

Representatives who believe that they were elected in order to mirror the preferences of those who sent them to the legislature are considered to be serving as A) trustees B) politicos C) delegates D) tools

Delegates

A system of rule that permits citizens to play a significant part in the governmental process, usually through the selection of key public officials, is called A) democratic B) pluralistic C) oligarchic D) constitutional

Democratic

In American presidential elections, women are somewhat more likely to support the A) Democrats B) Libertarians C) Republicans D) Green Party

Democrats

Which term refers to downsizing the federal bureaucracy by delegating the implementation of programs to state and local governments? A) devolution B) outsourcing C) agentic shift

Devolution

The defense bureaucracy ensures political support among elected officials by allocating military bases, contracts, facilities, and jobs to the various states and districts from which the legislators are elected according to the A) distributive tendency B) fertilizer principle C) law of benefit dispersion

Distributive tendency

On most matters that come before the government, the public A) holds a single view and has great expertise B) does not hold a single view and has great expertise. C) holds a single view and does not generally have great expertise. D) does not hold a single view and does not generally have great expertise

Does not hold a single view and does not generally have great expertise

The system of government that prevailed in the United States from the writing of the Constitution to approximately the Great Depression could be most accurately characterized as ________ federalism A) dual B) triple C) separate but equal D) principle-agent

Dual

The notion that each American is a citizen of the national government and separately a citizen of one of the states is known as A) double jeopardy B) dual federalism C) dual citizenship D) dual nationality

Dual citizenship

The requirement that the judicial system must proceed according to law and with adequate protection for individual rights is known as the A) due process of law B) fairness clause C) equal protection clause D) habeas corpus rule

Due process of law

Many Americans use the term bureaucracy when referring to government actions that they don't like, but they use administration when referring to government actions that they do like. Even so, bureaucracy is often essential to good governance because A) governments cannot complete tasks without the stamping of many pieces of paper B) it provides clear channels for needed communication between congressional committees, government workers, and organized interests C) it provides time-tested ways to get people to work in a coordinated fashion and accomplish gals more efficiently and effectively than would otherwise be possible D) without a clear chain of command, even the smartest and most talented people have trouble getting work done

It provides time-tested ways to get people to work in a coordinated fashion and accomplish gals more efficiently and effectively than would otherwise be possible

Article IV of the U.S. Constitution calls for "full faith and credit," meaning that A) each state is expected to honor the public acts of other states, such as marriages B) a state cannot discriminate among its citizens based on religion or income C) the laws passed at the national level are superior to state laws D) states have the power to regulate the health, welfare, and morals of their citizens

Each state is expected to honor the public acts of other states, such as marriages

Most people's initial orientation to politics comes from which source? A) families B) exposure to news media C) membership in social groups D) educational background

Families

Which term commonly describes the apportionment of voters in districts in such a way as to give unfair advantage to one political party? A) pork barreling B) gerrymandering C) party mongering D) line drawing

Gerrymandering

What is the general term used to describe the formal political arrangement by which a land and its people are ruled? A) authoritarianism B) government C) autarky D) monarchism

Government

Which term describes federal subsidies for state and local governments on the condition that they be used for a specific purpose? A) mandates B) grants-in-aid C) appointments D) bonus payments

Grants-in-aid

Mobilizing ordinary citizens to write to their representatives in support of a group's position is a specific example of a(n) A) media blitz B) direct group representation C) insider strategy D) grassroots lobbying effort

Grassroots lobbying effort

Compared to the confederation principle of the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution's balance of federal and state power represented A) greater centralization of power B) eliminating the power of state governments C) weakening the power of the national government D) increasing the separation of federal and state duties

Greater centralization of power

In recent years, campaign spending in judicial elections A) has increased B) has decreased C) has remained the same D) cannot be determined

Has increased

Why was the proposal for a bill of rights turned down with little debate in the waning days of the Philadelphia Constitutional Convention in September 1787? A) The delegates believed that a Bill of Rights would discourage a strong and healthy central government B) The delegates thought that a Bill of Rights was not necessary for a government with such limited powers C) The delegates came from the wealthy elite social class and were, on the whole, opposed to individual rights D) The delegates thought the proposed Bill of Rights imposed too many limits on the federal government

The delegates thought that a Bill of Rights was not necessary for a government with such limited powers

Which term best describes the power of the courts to declare actions of the legislative and executive branches, as well as state government, invalid due to a violation or conflict with the Constitution or federal law? A) judicial review B) judicial activism C) judicial restraint D) judicial rule making

Judicial review

Compared to members of the House of Representatives, most senators serve constituencies that are A) larger and more diverse B) smaller and more diverse C) smaller and more homogeneous D) larger and more homogeneous

Lager and more diverse

The Federalists understood that temporary majorities could abuse their power in a democracy, but Madison argued that such an outcome will be less likely if the nation is A) large and has diverse interests B) small and has diverse interests C) small and has common interests D) large and has common interests

Large and has diverse interests

In the 2016 presidential election, newspaper endorsements A) were split evenly between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump B) leaned heavily toward Donald Trump C) leaned heavily toward Hillary Clinton D) illustrated the history principle, with nearly every outlet endorsing the candidate of the same party it endorsed in 2012

Leaned heavily toward Hillary Clinton

In today's terms, someone who generally supports extensive government intervention in the economy is known as a A) liberal B) populist C) conservative D) libertarian

Liberal

Today, someone who generally favors expansion of federal social services is known as a A) libertarian B) Tory C) conservative D) liberal

Liberal

Alexander Hamilton argued that adding a bill of rights to the Constitution would be unnecessary because A) a list of vague rights would ultimately be too difficult for courts to interpret B) limited powers plus checks and balances already constrained the national government and would prevent tyrannical conduct C) there was no need to include protections from government in a system in which the people selected their leaders through the ballot box D) strongly motivated leaders and powerful interests were bound to violate peoples' rights anyway unless people paid close attention and held such forces accountable

Limited powers plus checks and balances already constrained the national government and would prevent tyrannical conduct

Proposition 140 A​) ​limits the time that legislators can serve in Sacramento B) ​limits the power of the legislature to raise property taxes C) ​sets aside 40 percent of the budget for education purposes D) requires the speaker to assign staff to the minority party

Limits the time that legislators can serve in Sacramento

Which of these powers does the governor have that the president does not have? A) ​legislative veto ​ B) ​line-item veto ​ C) ​power to appoint the secretary of state ​ D) ​power to appoint judges

Line-item veto

In the past, many states imposed which of the following to keep immigrants, Blacks, and other groups out of the electorate? A) closed primaries B) literacy tests C) campaign finance regulations D) machine-style politics

Literacy tests

An attempt by a group to influence the policy process through the persuasion of government officials is known as A) whipping B) lobbying C) media management D) going public

Lobbying

The responsibility for registering voters, printing ballots, and overseeing the voting process on Election Day lies with A) Congress B) executive agencies C) the Federal Elections Commission D) local election offices

Local election offices

Compared to other Western democracies, how extensive is voter turnout in the United States? A) low B) about average C) just above average D) well above average

Low

Political parties can help overcome a free-rider problem inherent in voting, which in the United States can be inconvenient for many, through A) providing noncash incentives to people who vote, such as retail coupons and travel points B) the camaraderie that comes from being a part of a social organization C) mobilizing voters and, more specifically, getting them to support party candidates D) negative campaign advertising, which can be attention-getting

Mobilizing voters and, more specifically, getting them to support party candidates

How many state boards and commissions are there? A) ​fewer than 50 ​ B) ​between 50 and 150 ​ C) ​between 150 and 300 ​ D) ​more than 300

More than 300

All of the following are true of the governor's appointments to the cabinet except: A) ​Most cabinet appointments are routine, usually given to the governor's political supporters and campaign contributors B) ​The cabinet as a whole has no official policy function, unless the governor wants to give it a role C) ​Some cabinet and subcabinet positions require an appointment of someone with qualifications that are spelled out in law D) ​The superagency heads are usually considered part of the governor's cabinet

Most cabinet appointments are routine, usually given to the governor's political supporters and campaign contributors

That lawmakers often end up passing what the public seems to support, at least as shown through surveys, does not necessarily mean that the will of the people consistently influences what Congress does. This is because A) lawmakers are more influenced by campaign contributions from interest groups and wealthy individuals B) most citizens do not have strong policy preferences and lack knowledge about issues or government C) elected officials consistently manipulate Americans into supporting policies that they and other national elites support D) media and survey firms often manipulate opinion polling results through question wording and survey design

Most citizens do not have strong policy preferences and lack knowledge about issues or government

Political action committees (PACs) A) ​have declined in popularity in recent years B) ​must disclose campaign contributions and expenditures in connection with state and local elections C) ​may make unlimited contributions to political candidates D) ​provide candidates with public funding for their campaign

Must disclose campaign contributions and expenditures in connection with state and local elections

The framers intended to create an active and powerful government, so they included language to ensure that Congress could take any step to achieve its enumerated responsibilities. This elastic clause is most commonly known as the ________ clause A) necessary and proper B) separation of powers C) privileges and immunities D) national supremacy

Necessary and proper

Which term defines congressional efforts to exercise control over the activities of bureaucratic agencies in the executive branch through hearings, investigations, and other techniques? A) oversight B) regulation C) superintendence D) macromanagement

Oversight

Which term describes efforts by Congress to monitor the way bureaucrats implement policies? A) post hoc authority B) administrative vetoes C) enforcement authority D) oversight

Oversight

The greatest achievement of the movement for rights for people with disabilities was A) a provision of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act that outlawed discrimination against individuals with disabilities B) passage of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act C) the Wheelchair Access Act of 1982 D) passage of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act

Passage of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act

In 1954, the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education overturned the infamous "separate but equal doctrine" articulated in which earlier case? A) Mapp v. Ohio B) Plessy v. Ferguson C) Dred Scott v. Sandford D) Lawrence v. Texas

Plessy v. Ferguson

What is the fastest growing news medium in the United States, including for political news, with the percentage of the population using it monthly growing from 8 to 22 percent from 2008 to 2016? A) Myspace B) satellite television C) podcasts D) documentary movies

Podcasts

Which form of speech is the most consistently protected? A) religious B) political C) commercial D) individual

Political

Legislation that captures federal projects and funds for a congressional representative's own district is described as ________ legislation A) monkey-barrel B) pickle-barrel C) whiskey-barrel D) pork-barrel

Pork-barrel

Federal judges are nominated by the A) president B) supreme court C) Senate Judiciary Committee D) chief justice

President

Why can presidents not rely on their own parties as a reliable tool in policy making, even though they may be valuable? A) Presidents do not control members of their own party in Congress; on the contrary, members of Congress have considerable autonomy B) Members of Congress generally believe that their electoral prospects are unrelated to presidential success or popularity C) Congressional leaders often try to sabotage their own party's presidents so that they can defeat them in the next presidential primary contest D) The parties are unpopular with the public at large, with increasing numbers of voters describing themselves as independents

Presidents do not control members of their own party in Congress; on the contrary, members of Congress have considerable autonomy

Which of the following is the best explanation as to why presidents usually become quite unpopular over the course of their terms? A) Presidents generate popular support by promising to undertake important programs but presidential performance often falls short of those promises B) At some point in their terms, most presidents will have been impeached by Congress, with a resulting drop in the polls C) Reporters typically turn against second-term presidents, providing a steady stream of negative coverage D) Once reelected, presidents often lose interest in their duties and begin planning for their career after leaving office and setting up a presidential library

Presidents generate popular support by promising to undertake important programs but presidential performance often falls short of those promises

Why do reporters write stories from press releases issued by campaigns, business organizations, governments and the like even though they know that press releases tend to be self-serving? A) The reporters select stories that conform to their biases B) The reporters select stories that conform to the biases of their editors and publishers C) Press releases allow a newspaper to present more stories with fewer employees D) Press releases often come with monetary incentives for their publication

Press releases allow a newspaper to present more stories with fewer employees

In recent years, ideological polarization has undermined the ability of American political parties to bridge elections and governance because A) infighting within both the Democratic and Republican parties has left them dysfunctional B) interest groups feel pressured to pick one party over the other in campaign finance efforts, making it harder for parties to build broad policymaking coalitions C) Republicans and Democrats have been less likely to work together and make compromises in finding solutions to national problems D) the two parties have been increasingly less likely to come up with new and workable policy ideas, given a lack of internal competition

Republicans and Democrats have been less likely to work together and make compromises in finding solutions to national problems

The court case of Marbury v. Madison established the legal power of the Supreme Court to A) amend the Constitution B) review acts of Congress C) force parties in a legal conflict to settle prior to trial

Review acts of Congress

Instead of surveying the entire population, public-opinion polls ask a randomly selected subset of the population known as a A) representative group B) target population C) focus group D) sample

Sample

How, according to economist Mancur Olson, can interest groups best address the free-rider problem? A) selective benefits B) selective activities C) selective action D) selective membership

Selective benefits

In the early twenty-first century, the Supreme Court declared for the first time in its history that individuals had a Second Amendment right to own a handgun for the purpose of self-defense. In 2010, it applied this ruling—which was first used in a case involving the District of Columbia—to the states. In so doing, the Court provided an example of how ________ works A) intermediate scrutiny B) prior restraint C) substantive due process D) selective incorporation

Selective incorporation

The piecemeal application of the Bill of Rights to the states is known as A) sequential appropriation B) selective incorporation C) intermittent incorporation D) gradual adaptation

Selective incorporation

An example of an outsider strategy that an environmental interest—such as, say, the Sierra Club—would use as a means of furthering it policy goals would be A) providing testimony on new environmental rules B) bringing a lawsuit under the Endangered Species Act C) supporting candidates who promote environmental protection D) lobbying members of Congress to support legislation to protect the environment

Supporting candidates who promote environmental protection

Article VI of the Constitution states that all laws passed by the national government and all treaties are superior to laws adopted by any state. This has come to be known as the ________ clause A) supremacy B) judicial review C) necessary and proper D) full faith and credit

Supremacy

A two-thirds vote is needed to pass A) ​appropriation bills B) ​budget bills C) ​tax bills D) ​all of the above

Tax bills

What makes the relationship between federal elected officials (principle) and an executive branch bureaucracy (agent) different from other principle-agent relationships, particularly those between bosses and employees in most businesses? A) The American public is the ultimate boss of the agents in this relationship B) There is really not much difference, given that Congress is akin to a meddling corporate board here C) The agent in this relationship has to please multiple disagreeing principles with conflicting or confusing wishes, needs, and orders to interpret D) The agents have more power, since their bosses tend to have shorter tenures than those in business

The agent in this relationship has to please multiple disagreeing principles with conflicting or confusing wishes, needs, and orders to interpret

Chief Justice Rose Bird and associate justices Cruz Reynoso and Joseph Grodin were voted out by citizens who were angry about the judges' decisions concerning A) same-sex marriage B) the death penalty C) Proposition 13 D) term limits

The death penalty

The group Black Lives Matter emerged in the mid-2010s amid protests that mainly focused attention on A) continued de facto segregation in American public schools B) what its leaders called the Supreme Court's gutting of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 C) the disproportionately high rates at which Black men are the victims of police violence D) conservative and legal attacks on affirmative action in higher education

The disproportionately high rates at which Black men are the victims of police violence

The Bill of Rights is basically a series of amendments on what A) citizens must do B) citizens must not do C) the federal government must do D) the federal government must not do

The federal government must not do

In 2010, two members of Congress held a colorful press conference, with goats in tow, to announce their intention to try to end federal mohair (a fabric made from goat hair) subsidies. These subsidies, long the target of presidents and members of Congress from both parties, dated from the mid-1950s, when Congress decided to support mohair production as a precaution against wool shortages. The subsidies were cut in 1995, but reemerged a few years later. The efforts of Chaffetz and Weiner to end the estimated $750,000 in subsidies, meanwhile, failed. Why might programs such as the mohair subsidy be so difficult to end? A) Most longtime programs, no matter how small, have broad support from the American people B) Clientele agencies lobby for their survival, on behalf of the people and industries they serve-such as, in this case, the Department of Agriculture, which lobbied on behalf of the mohair producers C) The few who benefit from a program will intensely fight elimination or fight to reinstate cut programs, while most taxpayers are unlikely to care, being largely unaffected D) Congress prefers an incremental approach to cutting governmental services, even relatively small ones

The few who benefit from a program will intensely fight elimination or fight to reinstate cut programs, while most taxpayers are unlikely to care, being largely unaffected

Which choice best describes the relationship between the government and broadcast media? A) The government controls media content B) The government owns the broadcast media but does not control content C) The government does not own the communications networks but does regulate broadcast media D) The government does not own the communication networks and does not regulate broadcast media

The government does not own the communications networks but does regulate broadcast media

A line-item veto allows A) ​the governor to reject any single item in an appropriations or budget bill B) ​the speaker or the president pro tempore to pull any single item from the agenda C) ​a single member to block a single piece of legislation by signing a written objection D) ​a petition by a group of 10 legislators to block any single piece of legislation

The governor to reject any single item in an appropriations or budget bill

The California governor is "invisible" under normal conditions for all of the following reasons except: A) ​California's governors appear in events where they are visible to the public, but for the most part there is little public interest in those events B) ​For almost every recent governor, there has been little media interest in Sacramento C) ​The governor splits his or her power with other state executives, who are also trying to attract the media D) ​The governor's star power is of interest only to those who like superhero movies

The governor's star power is of interest only to those who like superhero movies

The powers of the speaker of the California Assembly include all of the following except: A) the power to assign parking spaces B) the power to assign office space C) ​the power to select the president pro tempore of the state Senate D) the power to assign a member to a committee against both the member's wishes and the wishes and needs of his or her constituency

The power to select the president pro tempore of the state Senate

The framers assumed members of Congress would seek to preserve and expand their own power, thereby creating incentives for the other two branches to resist the expansion of legislative power. This assumption is based on which of the five principles of politics? A) the rationality principle B) the institution principle C) the policy principle D) the history principle

The rationality principle

The power of eminent domain refers to A) the right of the federal government to take any property it deems desirable without compensation B) the right of state governments to take private property for public use with compensation for the loss C) the right of state governments to take private property for private use by elected officials D) the right of state governments to take private property for public use without compensation for the loss

The right of state governments to take private property for public use with compensation for the loss

In Brown v. Board of Education (1954), the Supreme Court ruled that schools that were segregated by race were unconstitutional. In response, some states that were opposed to desegregation passed laws to prevent the desegregation of schools. However, the Supreme Court again ruled in Cooper v. Aaron (1958) that its 1954 decision was binding on all states, regardless of conflicting state laws. Which clause in the Constitution allowed the Supreme Court to make this 1958 ruling? A) the full faith and credit clause B) the supremacy clause C) the privileges and immunities clause D) the necessary and proper clause

The supremacy clause

Duverger's Law suggests that a two-party system is inevitable in a country with single-member districts and plurality winners, including the United States, because A) the system of elections creates no incentive for politicians to form third parties B) all third parties tend to be formed by irrational extremist politicians C) two major parties can reinforce their dominance over time through legislative rules that favor them D) voters in countries with plurality election systems, including the United States, come to think of issues in either-or or bifurcated fashion

The system of elections creates no incentive for politicians to form third parties

In the post-Reconstruction South, the White Primary, literacy tests, and redistricting were all tactics used to deprive African Americans of which basic civil right? A) trial by jury B) eligibility for office C) owning property D) voting

Voting

Between 1890 and 1910, what were termed progressive movement reforms included the creation of state voter registration requirements. These reforms, like others, were justified on the grounds that they would reduce corruption and voter fraud, such as fraud associated with urban political machines. Even so, voter registration systems were instituted with the goal of A) weakening urban factions within parties, while keeping immigrants and Black people from voting B) increasing turnout as a means of gaining seats for candidates associated with progressivism C) eliminating centralized national party control over presidential candidate nominations D) professionalizing elections, since it was thought that registration would help officials keep better track of voting across different jurisdictional lines

Weakening urban factions within parties, while keeping immigrants and Black people from voting

Advertisers are particularly interested in the news and public affairs programming audience because that audience tends to be A) a cross section of Americans B) younger individuals C) wealthier D) liberal

Wealthier

Interest group politics tend to reflect most the bias of A) religious activists B) low-wage service employees C) well-educated, upper-income professionals D) unionized workers

Well-educated, upper-income professionals

Which former speaker of the California Assembly said, "Money is the mother's milk of politics"? A) ​Jesse Unruh ​ B) ​Willie Brown ​ C) ​Antonio Villaraigosa ​ D) ​Fabian Nuñez

​Jesse Unruh

Which of the following is not true about Proposition 34, which deals with campaign finance? A) ​The League of Women Voters and Common Cause supported Proposition 34 B) ​Proposition 34 increased allowable individual contributions to candidates to $21,200 C) ​Proposition 34 has resulted in less control of campaign financing D) ​Proposition 34 replaced the stricter campaign-finance law enacted through Proposition 208

​The League of Women Voters and Common Cause supported Proposition 34

Of California's 40 million people, approximately how many are registered to vote? A) ​30 million ​ B) ​25 million ​ C) ​5 million ​ D) ​22 million

22 million

One method of removing judges in the state of California is ​ A) ​removal by the governor. B) ​censure by the state legislature. C) ​agreement between the speaker of the Assembly and the attorney general. D) ​a recall election

A recall election

Agencies that deviate from Congress's preferences run the risk of having their budgets cut or having conditions attached to their annual spending. This is an example of what kind of strategy? A) before-the-fact control B) ex post facto laws C) regulatory review D) after-the-fact control

After-the-fact control

Political campaigns are so expensive in California because A) ​campaigns need to hire political consultants B) ​campaigns need to spend a substantial amount of money on media advertising C) ​political parties are not very involved in the planning and running of campaigns D) ​all of the above

All of the above

Which of the following activities of the governor would be considered part of his or her role as head of government? A) ​proposing a budget ​​ B) vetoing legislation ​ C) ​proposing new air quality standards ​ D) ​all of the above

All of the above

The top-two primary includes which of the following features: A) The candidates still run in parties in the primary election, and the top two candidates in terms of votes go on to the November election, with one chosen from each of the top scoring parties B) ​All of the candidates run on one list in the primary election, and the top two, even if they are of the same party, go on to the November election C) The candidates run on one list in the primary election, but voters can vote only for the candidate in the political party in which they are registered D) ​The top two candidates in the primary go on to the November election, but if the top two are both in the same political party, the candidate with the next highest number of votes goes on also, provided that person is from a different political party

All of the candidates run on one list in the primary election, and the top two, even if they are of the same party, go on to the November election

In addition to expanding absentee and mail-in ballots, what is a commonly adopted way to make voting easier? A) providing ballots that are already filled out B) offering digital ballots with video statements from candidates C) paying voters for coming to the polls D) allowing "early voting" or voting a certain number of days before an official election day

Allowing "early voting" or voting a certain number of days before an official election day

In November 1777, the Continental Congress adopted the United States' first written constitution, which was known as the A) Virginia Plan B) Declaration of Independence C) Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union D) Seneca Falls Declaration

Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union

Although the securing of the expansion of civil rights protections for Black Americans required actions of Congress and favorable rulings from federal courts, these governmental actions would have been next to unthinkable or impossible without A) the training and hiring of professional lobbyists and attorneys by major civil rights organizations B) affirmative action programs C) preferential treatment of minorities within higher education, businesses, and government D) an organized civil rights movement that engaged in widespread protest and took direct action against legal segregation

An organized civil rights movement that engaged in widespread protest and took direct action against legal segregation

Which choice best describes the practice of going public? A) introducing new legislative ideas to the president's Cabinet B) leaking information about a potential policy in order to gauge public support C) appealing to the citizenry to support a policy D) revealing truths about an opposing candidate's criminal record

Appealing to the citizenry to support a policy

The largest components of the executive branch, which are those that are given their designation by Congress, are cabinet departments. These include departments covering the major areas of administration, such as organizing military and defense efforts (Defense) and printing money and collecting revenue (Treasury). But many departments created since that time are referred to as clientele agencies; these range from older ones such as the Agriculture, Labor, and Commerce departments to newer ones such as the Education and Transportation departments. They are described in tis fashion because they A) do not cover major, basic areas of government, but instead reflect and serve the interests of individual members of Congress and their constituencies B) tend to respond not to presidential direction, but rather to the concerns of particular interest groups and constituencies or "clients" C) are directed by law to support and foster the interests of a particular clientele, with many having field offices to work with them directly D) are authorized by Congress to make rules governing the conduct of clients within particular jurisdictions

Are directed by law to support and foster the interests of a particular clientele, with many having field offices to work with them directly

Most of the cases filed with the Supreme Court A) affirm lower-court decisions B) overturn lower-court decisions C) are dismissed without rulings on their merits D) are remanded to lower courts after oral arguments

Are dismissed without rulings on their merits

The empirical study of U.S. House elections has shown that gerrymandering A) bias exists but has decreased since the 1960s B) bias exists and has increased since the 1960s C) does not affect election outcomes D) does not change the voting behavior of representatives

Bias exists but has decreased since the 1960s

A legislative assembly such as the Congress that is divided into two chambers (or houses) is best described as A) bipolar B) dual-bodied C) bicameral D) bipartisan

Bicameral

Which term best describes a legislative assembly, such as the Congress, that is divided into two chambers or houses? A) bipolar B) bicameral C) bilateral D) bipartisan

Bicameral

Legislatures must make collective decisions despite divergent interests among legislators. Which of the following tools inhibits collective action among members of Congress? A) the organization of committees to produce policy information B) the delegation of agenda power to legislative leaders C) logrolling D) bicameralism

Bicameralism

This advocacy group helps to bring focus on law enforcement and criminal sentencing policies A) ​#MeToo ​ B) ​Black Lives Matter ​ C) ​Extinction Rebellion ​ D) ​Fridays for Future

Black Lives Matter

California presently operates under which of the following primary election systems? A) ​open primary ​ B) ​blanket primary ​ C) ​modified closed primary ​ D) ​fully closed primary

Blanket primary

Political parties effectively lower the information costs of voter participation because they provide A) a media blitz for each candidate B) a forum for candidates to debate issues C) brand-name recognition D) a clearinghouse for disseminating position papers and policy analyses

Brand-name recognition

Voters in California are highly informed about the candidates running in judicial elections A) true B) false

False

Lilly, a 29-year-old woman from Los Angeles, records video via her smartphone of what she believes to have been unjustifiably rough treatment of peaceful protestors by federal law enforcement. More specifically, she suggests that police began firing tear gas at and beating protestors in unprovoked fashion toward the end of a rally against racism and police brutality. Afterward, she posts the video to the social media service Instagram, where it is found by a news producer for a major cable news service. Lilly is then paid $300 for the video, which is shown dozens of times on national television over the next week. This illustrates an increasingly common interplay between traditional media and A) people on the far left, who share the political beliefs of most traditional media staff B) people known by media to be biased citizen activists C) social media companies, largely D) citizen journalism

Citizen journalism

Cases involving disputes among individuals or parties (organizations such as businesses or governments) in which the losers may be required to pay monetary damages for their actions but not sent to jail or prison are classified as ________ law A) civil B) public C) criminal D) natural

Civil

Superior courts in California adjudicate which of the following types of actions? A) civil and criminal cases B) only civil cases C) only criminal cases D) only appeals

Civil and criminal cases

Which term defines the protection of citizens from improper governmental action? A) civil rights B) civil liberties C) civic duties D) civic entitlements

Civil liberties

What term describes governmental guarantees of equal entitlement to certain privileges? A) civil actions B) civil liberties C) civil duties D) civil rights

Civil rights

Which of these is a principal-agent relationship? A) client-attorney B) inmate-prison guard C) U.S. ambassador-King of Sweden D) horse-jockey

Client-attorney

A department or bureau of government whose mission is to promote, serve, or represent a particular political or economic interest is called a(n) _______________ agency A) welfare B) revenue C) clientele D) interest

Clientele

A primary election in which voters can participate in the nomination of candidates only for the party in which they have previously registered is called a(n) ________ primary. A) open B) run-off C) closed D) exclusive

Closed

Because individuals involved in the decision-making process often have different goals and preferences, it can be very difficult to orchestrate A) policy analysis B) collective action C) constituent service D) committee work

Collective action

The pooling of resources and coordination of effort and activity by a group of people to achieve common goals is called A) free riding B) collective action C) informal bargaining D) formal bargaining

Collective action

Individuals are most likely to pay high levels of attention to hard news if their level of educational attainment is A) college graduate B) some college C) high school graduate D) not a high school graduate

College graduate

According to the pluralist doctrine, competing interests will lead to A) corporatism B) consumerism C) consolidation D) compromise

Compromise

The framers of the Constitution clearly intended that the most powerful political institution would be the A) judiciary B) presidency C) Congress D) national military

Congress

The specific number of justices who sit on the U.S. Supreme Court is determined by A) the U.S. attorney general B) congress C) the president D) the supreme court

Congress

Special-interest groups often use the initiative process to achieve their policy objectives A) ​true ​ B) ​false

True

California has some of the largest legislative districts in the nation. This means that A) ​elections in California tend to be expensive B) ​citizen access to legislators is unusually good because legislators need to face the voters so often C) legislators appear in the media more often because they represent so many people D) ​California has an unusually large number of legislators

Elections in California tend to be expensive

The framers designed a republican scheme of presidential selection through an indirect election, in which state legislators would select electors to participate in the A) state caucus B) Electoral College C) national primary D) presidential referendum

Electoral College

Colonial society was made up of conflicting economic and political interests that made British rule possible. The Stamp Act and the Tea Act altered the interests of certain key sectors of colonial society, creating incentives to A) engage in collective action based on common goals B) delegate authority to the radicals C) resolve jurisdictional conflicts in the Continental Congress committee system D) form a coalition with the royalists

Engage in collective action based on common goals

Which clause of the Fourteenth Amendment has become the basis for civil rights claims concerning the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual preference? A) privileges and immunities B) equal protection C) birthright citizenship D) due process

Equal protection

An organization created in 1939, the ________, is a set of permanent agencies (such as the Office of Management and Budget) that perform defined management tasks for the president and comprise a major part of the so-called institutional presidency A) White House staff B) kitchen cabinet C) Executive Office of the President D) National Security Council

Executive Office of the President

The idea that the federal government can exercise only the powers specifically articulated in the Constitution is known as the doctrine of ________ powers A) implied B) expressed C) necessary and proper D) separation of

Expressed

Over the past 15 years, the number of newspapers across the United States has , and newspaper circulations have in every recent year as well A) ​risen, increased ​ B) ​remained the same, increased ​ C) ​risen, declined ​ D) ​fallen, declined

Fallen, declined

Bill passage requires the majority of those present and voting in the state Assembly and Senate A) true ​ B) false

False

In running for the state legislature, incumbents and challengers spend nearly the same amount of money on their political campaigns A) ​true ​ B) ​false

False

In the 2020 general election, 18- to 29-year-olds voted at a lower rate than they did in 2016 A) ​true ​ B) ​false

False

Initiatives passed in California are not subject to either judicial interpretation or judicial A) true B) false

False

Term-limited legislators are less dependent than their predecessors on large donations from special interests A) ​true ​ B) false

False

The California Supreme Court is similar to the U.S. Supreme Court in that it has nine justices A) true B) false

False

The line-item veto allows the governor to adjust any appropriations item up or down, including reducing it to zero A) ​true ​ B) ​false

False

The number of voters who decline to state a party affiliation at the time they register is declining A) ​true B) ​false

False

The system of government in which a constitution divides power between a central government and regional governments is known as A) bicameralism B) federalism C) separation of powers D) split government

Federalism

An agency that fails to actively monitor the businesses it regulates and instead waits for private citizens or interest groups to raise questions about the actions of the businesses can be said to use _______________ oversight A) fire-alarm B) police-patrol C) no D) last-minute

Fire-alarm

When President George W. Bush's approval ratings dropped from over 70 percent down to the upper 30s, this A) illustrated the effect of the sharp stock market drop of September 2008 B) conformed to the expectation that approval surges after a change in party control of the presidency C) followed the nearly inevitable pattern of declines in popular approval during a president's term in office D) showed popular disapproval of the president's response to the Arab Spring

Followed the nearly inevitable pattern of declines in popular approval during a president's term in office

Which amendment contains the equal protection clause? A) First Amendment B) Twelfth Amendment C) Fourteenth Amendment D) Fifteenth Amendment

Fourteenth Amendment

Which constitutional amendment sought to nationalize citizenship and the Bill of Rights? A) Eleventh Amendment B) Fourteenth Amendment C) Eighteenth Amendment D) Twenty-Fifth Amendment

Fourteenth Amendment

The clause in the Bill of Rights that protects a citizen's right to believe and practice whatever religion he or she chooses is known as the ________ clause A) establishment B) free exercise C) conscience D) elastic

Free exercise

Differences in voting behavior and in public opinion between American men and women have come be to be described by the term A) gender gap B) masculine-feminine rift C) feminist effect D) battle of the sexes

Gender gap

A middle-aged, married southern White man who regularly attends services at a Protestant church and has a higher-than-average income, is more likely to vote for A) candidates who are Protestant southerners like himself, regardless of party. B) Republican candidates. C) independent candidates. D) Democratic candidates.

Republican candidates

Political parties developed in the United States, and continue to play an important role in democratic governance, because they A) are encouraged under the Constitution, despite all its checks and balances B) help solve problems related to collective action and ambition in the electoral process, as well as providing collective choice in legislating and policy making C) are relatively weak, and do not get in the way of good governance, even while providing politicians with useful "brand names" under which to run D) are benevolent organizations that make democracy work

Help solve problems related to collective action and ambition in the electoral process, as well as providing collective choice in legislating and policy making

Which of the following groups of employees are under administrative control and report ultimately to the governor? A) ​legislative aides ​ B) ​supreme court clerks ​ C) ​highway patrol ​ D) ​professors at California State University, Fullerton

Highway patrol

Over the past three decades, interest-group expenditures in California have ​ A) ​declined B) ​increased C) ​remained relatively the same D) ​fluctuated from year to year

Increased

Selective benefits provided by interest groups, especially professional association such as physicians or attorneys, that include journals or publications, conferences, and training programs are known as __________ benefits A) solidary B) material C) informational D) purposive

Informational

__________ strategies that interest groups use as a way to meet their goals can include gaining access to key decision makers and using the courts A) Insider B) Grassroots C) Outsider D) Astroturf

Insider

Which term best describes an organized group of people that attempts to influence governmental policies? A) 527 group B) lobbying firm C) political action committee D) interest group

Interest group

The term third house refers to which of the following entities? A) ​judicial branch ​ B) ​executive branch ​ C) ​interest groups D) media

Interest groups

How did media ownership in the United States change after the passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996? A) It became more regulated B) It became more concentrated C) It became more educational D) It became more decentralized

It became more concentrated

According to Madison, the government of the new American republic could best deal with the "evils" or problems associated with factions, such as an ignoring of the public good in conflict between them or tyrannical rule by a powerful minority, by A) exercising its coercive powers to control group activities that become violent or subversive B) placing limits on the number of interest groups allowed in society C) never trying to strictly regulate or ban factions or interests, instead allowing them to freely develop and compete with one another D) placing strict limits on the amount of money factions could contribute to political campaigns

Never trying to strictly regulate or ban factions or interests, instead allowing them to freely develop and compete with one another

Which of the following is one of the president's expressed powers? A) nominate federal judges B) select candidates for Congress from his or her political party C) declare war D) raise taxes

Nominate federal judges

The process by which a party selects a single candidate to run for each elective office is known as A) enlistment. B) recruitment. C) appointment. D) nomination.

Nomination

The fate of most House and Senate bills is to die in committee. This means that they will A) be placed in legislative archives at the Library of Congress B) not be sent to the full House or Senate for consideration C) be shredded by committee staff D) typically have their content end up in another bill at some point

Not be sent to the full House or Senate for consideration

On average, older Americans tend to get their political news from different sources than younger ones, on average at least. Which statement best characterizes this difference? A) Younger Americans are more likely to get their news from print media than older Americans B) Older Americans tend to get their political news from television, while younger Americans prefer news from the internet or digital sources C) Older Americans get most of their news from radio while younger Americans get most of their news from television D) Younger Americans get political news mainly from the internet, on average, while those over 55 get most of their political news from reading traditional, printed newspapers

Older Americans tend to get their political news from television, while younger Americans prefer news from the internet or digital sources

When a small group of landowners, military officers, or wealthy merchants controls most of the governing decisions, the government is said to be a(n) A) autocracy B) oligarchy C) meritocracy D) democracy

Oligarchy

News reported ________ reaches more Americans than from any other source A) via radio B) on television C) on the internet D) in newspapers

On TV

In order to attract members, most interest groups appeal to potential members not only by advertising their political goals but also by A) offering jobs to all members in their Washington, D.C., offices B) providing direct economic and social benefits to group members C) lobbying state legislatures to make group membership mandatory for affected citizens D) advertising their organizers' personal ambitions

Providing direct economic and social benefits to group members

The framers of the American Constitution sought to prevent the perceived threat of excessive democracy through a number of institutional innovations. Which of these constitutional provisions most effectively prevents the threat of excessive democracy? A) requiring each state to have a "republican form of government" B) requiring all tax and spending bills to originate in the U.S. House of Representatives C) tying citizens' eligibility to vote with that of state legislative bodies D) providing for a judicial branch that is selected indirectly, with judges serving life terms

Providing for a judicial branch that is selected indirectly, with judges serving life terms

A good that, if provided, may be enjoyed by anyone and that may not be denied to anyone once it has been provided is called a(n) A) public good B) private good C) externality D) universal good

Public good

The term used to denote the of citizen attitudes and views of political issues, personalities (including public officials), institutions and events is A) civic attention B) public opinion C) community spirit D) popular culture

Public opinion

Groups that lobby for influence and policy change in issue areas not covered by traditional business, industrial, or labor groups, such as consumer protection and environmental policy, are known as __________ groups A) grassroots B) public-interest C) protest D) third-party, or independent

Public-interest

As bureaucracies develop, their organizational system often approximates the shape of a A) pyramid B) square C) rectangle D) pentagon

Pyramid

The saying, "All political behavior has a purpose," is an expression of the ________ principle. A) institution B) rationality C) collective action D) history

Rationality

The process that allows voters to remove governors and other state officials from office prior to the expiration of their terms is called A) recall. B) conviction C) impeachment D) referendum

Recall

The type of federalism that occurs when the national government actually threatens to withhold grant money unless state and local governments conform to national standards on issues like civil rights and environmental protection is known as ________ federalism A) hostage B) regulated C) contingent D) competitive

Regulated

When President Bill Clinton ordered the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to craft rules to restrict the marketing of tobacco products to children, he used the power of A) regulatory review B) executive privilege C) commander in chief D) presidential purview

Regulatory review

In Brown v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court overturned Plessy v. Ferguson under the rationale that A) the federal government had no authority to enforce either political or social equality B) Linda Brown was a child and up to that time no tests of the "separate but equal" doctrine had involved a minor C) separate educational facilities did not deprive children of adequate educational opportunities D) separate educational facilities are inherently unequal

Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal

It would be extremely difficult for most candidates to win elected public office these days without the support of political parties, given that their organizations have become so adept at A) providing all the financing a campaign can need or want B) serving recruits and nominees by providing donor information and polling services, and even helping to develop campaign staff C) providing candidate "surrogates," or designated spokespersons, with consistent, media-geared talking points about various issues and controversies D) having poll-tested sets of issues on which candidates must run if they want to win

Serving recruits and nominees by providing donor information and polling services, and even helping to develop campaign staff

Why do people take political cues from others rather than studying the issues themselves? A) Most people lack the ability to understand most political issues B) Shortcuts help people make good decisions while relieving them of having to gather their own information C) They feel compelled to vote like their peers D) Most people cannot afford the fees to pay for political news

Shortcuts help people make good decisions while relieving them of having to gather their own information

An electoral district from which only one representative is elected is called a(n) ________ district. A) single-member B) one-person, one-vote C) equilateral D) unirepresentational

Single-member

How long is the term of office for a U.S. senator? A) two years B) four years C) six years D) life

Six years

What was the most difficult issue faced by the framers of the Constitution? A) taxes B) slavery C) foreign trade D) religion

Slavery

According to the text, all of the following factors are involved in the media's decision not to cover more political and governmental news except: A) ​Californians are not that interested in political and governmental news B) ​The ratings for political and governmental news are lower than other kinds of news, such as the weather, consumer news, and sports coverage C) ​So many news programs cover California political and governmental news that there is little for each station to report D) ​Political and governmental news, except during election campaigns, does not lend itself to sensational coverage

So many news programs cover California political and governmental news that there is little for each station to report

Ten years after Brown v. Board of Education, only 1 percent of Black school-aged children in the Deep South attended school with White children because A) successive presidents refused to enforce judicial segregation orders B) southern school districts engaged in delaying tactics that left the federal courts playing a cat-and-mouse game with them when attempting to end segregation C) the Supreme Court allowed de facto segregation, which was the type of segregation that existed in most of the South D) the Court refused to allowing school busing, which would have solved the problem of southern de facto segregation

Southern school districts engaged in delaying tactics that left the federal courts playing a cat-and-mouse game with them when attempting to end segregation

Imagine that, in the 2020 election, a voter decides to vote for the Democrat running for president. However, this voter likes the incumbent Republican senator who is running for reelection and decides to vote for her. This type of voter is also known as a ________ voter. A) most likely B) sophisticated C) split-ticket D) straight-ticket

Split-ticket

What is the name of the judicial practice in which a court ruling applies as a precedent in future similar case, at least until the ruling is overturned? A) common law B) path dependency C) habeas corpus D) stare decisis

Stare decisis

Nearly 99 percent of all court cases are heard in which of the following venues? A) the Supreme Court B) state and local courts C) federal appellate courts D) federal district courts

State and local courts

For nearly 150 years after the ratification of the federal Constitution, most of the major policies affecting Americans' lives came from A) a much stronger federal government than the one that existed under the Articles of Confederation B) Congress and state legislatures, in a typically balanced manner that gave birth to the term dual federalism C) state legislatures, despite a stronger federal government than the one that existed under the Articles of Confederation D) Congress, with the exception of the decade or two prior to the Civil War

State legislatures, despite a stronger federal government than the one that existed under the Articles of Confederation

Congress may pass legislation to explicitly reverse a court ruling if it is unhappy with a specific A) judicial ruling B) treaty interpretation C) constitutional interpretation D) statutory interpretation

Statutory interpretation

Which political institution in the American system of government did the framers intend to be the closest to the people? A) the Senate B) the president C) the House of Representatives D) the Supreme Court

The House of Representatives

Why did the British government impose taxes such as the Stamp Act specifically on the American colonies instead of in England only? A) influential interest groups supported the colonial taxes B) increased taxes were politically unpopular in England, so the government chose to raise taxes on the colonists instead C) the British government had spent large sums of money on defending the colonies and sought to recapture that revenue from the colonists D) money raised from the taxes was intended to be used to pacify revolutionary citizens in the colonies

The British government had spent large sums of money on defending the colonies and sought to recapture that revenue from the colonists

Judges selected by the governor to serve on the supreme court and the courts of appeal in California must be approved by ​ A) ​the state legislature. B) ​the attorney general. C) ​the Commission on Judicial Appointments D) ​none of the above

The Commission on Judicial Appointments

Which convention states that people who are under arrest must be informed of their legal rights, including their right to counsel, before undergoing police interrogation? A) the Gideon rule B) the Miranda rule C) the Mapp standard D) the Palko standard

The Miranda rule

Who is the chief presiding officer in the U.S. House of Representatives? A) the Speaker of the House B) the majority leader C) the president pro tempore D) the House clerk

The Speaker of the House

What is party identification? A) the "brand name" effects of a political party; that is, the issues and positions most voters identify each party as having B) the process by which political scientists determine which social groups have grown large enough to be better categorized as political parties C) the attachment an individual has to a particular party, based on factors like issues, ideology, and past experience D) the process through which individuals deliberately weigh and consider each party's issues and candidates before identifying which party they will support in each election

The attachment an individual has to a particular party, based on factors like issues, ideology, and past experience

The governor manages the executive branch, but this power is limited by all of the following except: A) ​There are many appointees of the governor, many of whom belong to agencies the governor doesn't know much about B) ​Some of California government is outside the governor's power to supervise, such as the University of California and California State Universit C) ​The boards and commissions whose members the governor appoints are mostly, except in extreme cases, outside of the governor's power D) ​The attorney general must approve appointments to many boards and commissions, and that appointment approval is difficult for the governor to obtain

The attorney general must approve appointments to many boards and commissions, and that appointment approval is difficult for the governor to obtain

Why do newspapers remain an important source of news? A) The broadcast media largely cover stories already broken by major newspapers B) People generally read them at least once each week C) They are usually the first to cover breaking news, such as the events of September 11, 2001 D) Most individuals prefer reading a paper to watching television

The broadcast media largely cover stories already broken by major newspapers

Which of the following is not part of the plural executive? A) The chancellor of the California State University B) ​the secretary of state ​ C) ​the attorney general ​ D) ​the controller

The chancellor of the California State University

In United States v. Lopez, the Supreme Court struck down a federal law that barred handguns near schools on the grounds that the law exceeded Congress's legislative authority under A) Article 1, Section 8 B) the commerce clause C) the supremacy clause D) the implied powers doctrine

The commerce clause

When the Supreme Court ruled that the federal government had the power to create a national bank because it had other specific powers enumerated in the Constitution, it did so by invoking A) the necessary and proper clause B) expressed powers C) the comity clause D) the full faith and credit clause

The necessary and proper clause

An individual in opposition to the war in Iraq illegally obtains and distributes secret Defense Department documents to a national newspaper. According to the Supreme Court ruling in NewYorkTimesv.United States (1971), which of the following is mostly likely to occur? A) The federal government can prevent the publication of the documents B) The newspaper must wait at least 30 days before publishing the documents C) The newspaper can publish the documents, even without the consent of the federal government D) The newspaper can publish the documents, but only with the consent of the federal government

The newspaper can publish the documents, even without the consent of the federal government

The committee system of both houses of Congress is organized by A) the parties B) the executive bureaucracy C) Article I, Section 9, of the U.S. Constitution D) Joint Congressional Rule 5

The parties

Suppose in the run-up to state elections you want to try public-opinion polling for yourself. Candidate A in the election has promised to increase funding for education; her opponent, Candidate B, swears that taxes are too high and that universities will need to do more with less. In order to get a sense of how the election might go, you send a survey to everyone who has taken an American government course at your school in the last four terms: nearly 1,000 students. Your survey finds that 77 percent of respondents say they will vote for Candidate A. Your poll predicts that she will win in a landslide. On election night, however, it is revealed that Candidate B has won in a 55 percent-to-45 percent vote. What was wrong with your poll? A) It was too broad; too many people responded to provide an accurate result B) The sample was too random; you should have focused on students who took the course in the last year, when they were paying more attention to politics and were better informed C) The poll was tainted by selection bias; the responses of students of American government are not necessarily representative of the population at large D) The sample size created a very large sampling error; the sample should have been bigger to reduce the margin of error

The poll was tainted by selection bias; the responses of students of American government are not necessarily representative of the population at large

If the president vetoes a bill, A) any member of Congress can reintroduce it in the next session, but a new version of the bill cannot pass in the session during which it was vetoed B) the veto can be overridden by a simple majority vote in both the House and Senate C) the veto can be overridden by a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate D) the veto can be overridden by a two-thirds vote in either the House or Senate

The veto can be overridden by a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate

The 2015 Supreme Court case of Obergefell v. Hodges clearly decided that A) there are due process and equal protection rights to same-sex marriage B) the onset of a disability is an impermissible basis for firing an employee C) statistical evidence may be used in court to demonstrate a pattern of gender discrimination D) universities can ensure diversity in their student body by admitting a fixed percentage of the top students from every high school in their state

There are due process and equal protection rights to same-sex marriage

Most civil cases in California are resolved before going to trial A) true B) false

True

Most of the Democratic counties encompass major urban areas, whereas most of the Republican counties are more rural in nature A) ​true B) ​false

True

A common refrain of American politicians in recent times—most notably among them former President George W. Bush—is that the only polls that matter are elections. Much like Bush, however, elected officials—especially officials working at the national level—nonetheless relied on public-opinion surveys in carrying out their work. Why might this be the case? A) Elected officials have little contact with constituents, so they have no way of judging what constituents' opinions are outside of opinion polls B) The outcome of elections is never easy to interpret, except in landslide elections C) They want to anticipate the effects of their decisions, develop ways to minimize objections to them, and to identify opportunities to change opinions D) They know that voters would frown upon their use of polling in developing means of manipulating public opinion

They want to anticipate the effects of their decisions, develop ways to minimize objections to them, and to identify opportunities to change opinions

The job of the lieutenant governor, one columnist wrote not entirely in jest, consists of getting up in the morning, checking that the governor is still alive, and then making arrangements for lunch! A) ​This statement is probably true B) ​This statement is probably false

This statement is probably false

The issue of counting enslaved people for purposes of representation was settled by the A) Great Compromise B) Virginia Plan C) Seventh Amendment D) Three-Fifths Compromise

Three-Fifths Compromise

In the years leading up to World War II, the National Socialist German Workers' Party, or Nazi Party, rose to power in Germany and consolidated its hold on political institutions by effectively striking down any significant opposition through violence and intimidation. Nazi Germany achieved almost absolute control over every facet of its citizens' lives. In terms of limits on governmental power, the political system of Nazi Germany would most accurately be categorized as A) totalitarian B) monarchical C) constitutional D) authoritarian

Totalitarian

One of the most notorious collective action problems involves the overconsumption of a shared resource and is called the A) demise of the surplus B) candy box phenomenon C) tragedy of the commons D) Hawthorne effect

Tragedy of the commons

The court that initially hears a criminal or civil case is the ________ court A) trial B) circuit C) appellate D) original

Trial

All death-penalty sentences are automatically appealed directly to the California Supreme Court for review A) true B) false

True

Democrats are the plurality party in California A) ​true ​ B) ​false

True

Representatives who believe that they have been selected by their fellow citizens in order to do what the legislator thinks is "right" act as A) delegates B) politicos C) guardians D) trustees

Trustees

In examining elections, the number of people who vote in a given election divided by the number of people who are allowed to vote is called the ________ rate. A) fall-off B) turnout C) turnover D) roll-off

Turnout

If Shays' Rebellion had not taken place, the Constitutional Convention of 1787 in Philadelphia might have never happened, because the rebellion showed that A) under the Articles of Confederation, the president and the judiciary were too weak B) under the Articles of Confederation, Congress could not act decisively in a time of crisis C) beyond all doubt, elite groups could not trust radical forces D) letting problems such as farm foreclosures fester was not a strategy for national success

Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress could not act decisively in a time of crisis