PS103 EXAM 2
It takes at least __________ to make a credible challenge in a political campaign to unseat an incumbent in most districts, and in many areas with expensive media markets, the minimum price tag for such a campaign is __________.
$1 million; $2 million
The Great Society saw bureaucratic expansions into which of the following areas?
-Health care for the elderly and poor -Education -Civil rights for minorities
What is a class action lawsuit?
A civil lawsuit brought by a group of individuals
If a plaintiff and defendant settle a case before it goes to trial or a verdict is reached, this is called a
A plea bargain
How is extended debate in the U.S. Senate terminated?
Cloture
The method of oversight whereby members of Congress respond to complaints about the bureaucracy or problems of implementation only as they arise is known as __________ oversight.
Fire Alarm
The Federal Reserve and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) are examples of what?
Independent Agencies
Congress's bicameral structure reflects an attempt to reconcile which competing interests of the early nation?
Large states versus Small states
What is the source of the president's statutory authority?
Laws enacted by Congress
Modern vice presidents are __________ than their predecessors.
More Influential
The spoils system was characterized by placing priority on __________, which was particularly useful to __________.
political loyalty; party organizations
In response to demands for more professionalism in the delivery of government services, Congress enacted ___________ in 1883.
the Pendleton Civil Service Act
Choose all of the following statements about opinion writing that are true.
-If the Chief Justice is in the majority, he or she assigns the person who writes the majority opinion. -If the Chief Justice is not in the majority, the most senior member of the Court in the majority assigns the majority opinion.
Choose all of the following opinions that might be written by someone on the winning side of a Supreme Court case.
-Majority opinion -Concurring opinion
Choose all of the following tasks that bureaucracies routinely do.
-Purchase goods and services for the American government -Develop and enforce regulations that shape choices made by individuals -Deliver services to Americans
Juan goes into his college's advising office to ask a question about a course. Before he can ask that question, he is told he must fill out an advising template. Juan believes this is a bit foolish as he is just there to ask a simple question, but he is told that everyone who wishes to speak with an adviser must have a completed template. This is an example of what? Choose all that apply.
-Standard operating procedure -Red tape
About how many Senate seats are in contest in any given election?
33
Jurisdiction refers to
A Courts area of authority
What is markup as it relates to Congress?
A collaborative process in which the final wording of a bill is determined
Which of the following events is likely to most positively influence a president's popularity?
A national security crisis
A negotiated agreement in a criminal case in which a defendant agrees to tell the court that he or she is guilty in return for the state's agreement to reduce the severity of the criminal charge or prison sentence the defendant is facing is known as a
A plea bargain
What is an executive order?
A proclamation by the president that changes policy without congressional approval
A document explaining the president's interpretation of a new law is referred to as
A signing statement
In Lawrence v. Texas the Supreme Court struck down a law banning sodomy in Texas. This is an example of judicial __________.
Activism
Choose all of the following categories that David Mayhew described as part of Congress's "electoral connection."
Advertising, Credit Claiming, and Position Taking
Recess appointments
Allow the president to bypass Senate confirmation
Who is most likely to submit an amicus curiae brief?
An interest group
What constitutes the president's tactic of "going public"?
Appealing directly to the American people to gain support for his or her programs
The doctrine of stare decisis
Applies only to criminal law
Which one of the following is NOT a way that Congress exerts control over the bureaucracy?
Appointing Important Bureaucrats
Federal Judges
Are appointed for life
The Supreme Court's power of judicial review was established
As a result of Marbury v. Madison.
What the public refers to as gridlock and bickering is often a manifestation of representatives dealing with the dueling demands that they
Be responsible national leaders and responsive to local concerns
What is regulatory capture?
Bureaucrats favor the interests of the groups or corporations they are supposed to regulate at the expense of the general public.
The 15 executive department heads who help the president implement policy make up what office?
Cabinet
Some government agencies have the reputation of being "turkey farms," meaning that
Campaign workers and donors are rewarded for their service by being appointed to these agencies.
Kevin is having trouble with his social security checks arriving on time, so he contacts the office of his member of the House. His representative's office then gets in touch with the Social Security Administration and straightens out the issue for Kevin. This is an example of
Casework
When representatives help constituents interact with government programs or agencies, they are engaging in
Casework
In many parts of the bureaucracy, hiring is done at least in part by how people score on an examination. This is best described as an example of what?
Civil Service Regulations
A(n) __________ is a legal action by which a group of individuals with common interests can file a suit on behalf of everyone who shares that interest.
Class-Action Suit
If needed, differences in House and Senate bills are resolved by
Conference Committee
A high presidential approval rating produces which of the following consequences?
Congress is more likely to support the president's programs
The Judiciary Act of 1789
Created a system of federal courts.
What is the function of the Office of Management and Budget?
Creating the president's annual budget proposal to Congress, reviewing proposed rules, and other budget-related tasks
In __________ cases, the government is always the plaintiff.
Criminal
Since the 1960s, the number of marginal seats in Congress has
Decreased Consistently
Marcy lives in a district where her member of the House is the same race and religion as she. Seeing someone in the House who shares her background helps build her trust in the government. This is an example of the argument for what kind of representation?
Descriptive
Officially, state legislatures redraw district boundaries every 10 years to ensure that
Districts are approximately equal in population
Much of what made Congress the "first branch" of national government in the early days of U.S. history are powers grounded in the
Elastic clause of the U.S. Constitution (Article I, §8, clause 18).
________ take place between the executive branch and a foreign government. They can be reversed by subsequent presidents.
Executive Agreements
Proclamations that unilaterally change government policy without subsequent congressional consent are
Executive Orders
The vesting clause of the Constitution states that
Executive power is to be vested in the president of the United States.
The Great Society ______ voting rights and civil rights laws.
Expanded
The president negotiates a free-trade treaty with Colombia. The treaty then goes to the Senate for approval. The Senate cannot force the president to negotiate with a country if the president does not desire to do so. What is this an example of?
First Mover Advantage
James Monroe's "Monroe Doctrine" demonstrates the important role that early presidents played in what area?
Foreign Policy
Which president threatened to pack the Court with justices who would support his policies?
Franklin D. Roosevelt
One of the biggest expansions in presidential power came in the 1930s under whose leadership, especially as part of his New Deal initiatives?
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
The incumbency advantage specifically refers to incumbent politicians'
Frequency of Re-Election
Which of the following is an example of the "rally 'round the flag" effect?
George W. Bush's high approval ratings following the 9/11 attacks
Attempts to use the redistricting process for political advantage are called
Gerrymandering
The president's attempts to gain support for his programs by appealing directly to the American people is called
Going public
Over the course of American history, presidential power has generally tended to
Grow
Appellate jurisdiction refers to the Court's power to
Hear appeals from lower courts
The burden of proof is __________ in criminal cases than in civil cases.
Higher
If a legislator is elected with less than 55 percent of the vote, he or she is said to
Hold a marginal seat. A marginal seat is any seat where the winner received less than 55 percent of the vote in a two-person race.
The whip system has all of the following functions
Information gathering, Building a party coalition
Which of the following is an example of a member of Congress performing police patrol oversight?
Interviewing senior bureaucratic personnel
How is a Senior Executive Service position different from other bureaucratic positions?
It does not have civil service protections.
Why is promoting descriptive representation valuable in itself?
It encourages trust in the system among various demographic groups
The __________ approach to deciding Supreme Court cases says that justices should attempt to defer to the elected branches of government and not contradict their actions.
Judicial Restraint
As the power of _______ has evolved, it has become a central part of the system of checks and balances.
Judicial Review
When the Supreme Court strikes down a congressional or state law, it engages in
Judicial Review
Urban voters tend to expect what of their representatives?
Less direct contact and more policy explanations
For most people appointed to the Executive Office of the President (EOP), the primary consideration in selecting them is their
Loyalty to the President
Judicial review was established in the case of
Marbury vs. Madison
What is fire alarm oversight in Congress?
Members of Congress respond to complaints about the bureaucracy or problems of implementation only as they arise rather than exercising constant vigilance
The Senate must confirm __________ presidential appointments to federal positions.
Most
The Founders viewed the Senate as the more likely of the two houses to debate and act for
National Interests
Fears about the courts' role as a protector of minority rights are most likely under which judicial selection system?
Non-Partisan election
The Federal Register publishes proposed new regulations before taking effect. This procedure is known as
Notice and Comment
Which group is responsible for monitoring government spending and preparing the president's annual spending proposal?
Office of Management and Budget
The Constitution gives the Supreme Court __________ jurisdiction in cases involving foreign ambassadors and issues in which a state is a party.
Original
Why are presidential pardons sometimes controversial?
Pardons may allow executive branch appointees to pursue the president's objectives with impunity.
What marked a shift in the history of the bureaucracy from the spoils system predominating to the widespread use of the merit system?
Passage of the Pendleton Act in 1883
Congress passes a bill, adjourns, and the president does not respond to the bill. The bill then dies. What is this called?
Pocket Veto
Under the spoils system, what were the highest priorities of the bureaucracy?
Political and party loyalty
Most politicians are likely to describe their representational style as that of a(n)
Politico
Which of the following is closely associated with credit claiming?
Pork-Barrel Policies
In a civil case, what standard of proof is necessary to establish guilt?
Preponderance of the evidence
Since the founding of the nation, what has been the trend in presidential power?
Presidential power has greatly expanded since the time of George Washington
What are legal precedents?
Prior cases whose principles are used by judges as the basis for their decision in a present case
Congressman Ramsey votes for a farming bill that Congressman Walcott cares about in exchange for Congressman Walcott voting for a housing bill that Congressman Ramsey supports. This is an example of what norm?
Reciprocity
The distributive theory of congressional committees is most closely related to the __________ norm, while the informational theory of congressional committees is most closely related to the __________ norm.
Reciprocity; Specialization
Many critics of the modern bureaucracy cite the abundance of __________, which refers to the unnecessarily complex procedures that lower-level bureaucrats must follow when implementing policies, regardless of whether they are applicable to the situation at hand.
Red Tape
While not universally true, a president's approval rating is likely to be highest when?
Right after the initial election
Which of the following is a cabinet position that is subject to Senate approval?
Secretary of Defense
Which body has the authority to give "consent" to a president's appointments such as an ambassador or judge?
Senate
A result of the "permanent campaign" is that
Senators are less insulated from electoral forces than previously
What does the franking privilege allow representatives to do?
Send mail at no cost
Choose all of the following that are norms of how Congress functions.
Specialization, Universalism, Seniority
At the outset of a case, judges determine whether the person filing the case has a legitimate basis for bringing it; this is called
Standing
Laws enacted by Congress provide the president with __________ authority.
Statutory
Executive agreements
Take place between the executive branch and a foreign government and can be reversed by subsequent presidents.
What do we call laws that prevent politicians from serving more than a certain number of years in a given elected position?
Term limits
Bilbo is arrested for theft. He is charged by the courts and the case goes to trial. In this example, Bilbo is the
The Defendant
What is an example of an independent agency?
The Federal Reserve
Which of the following statements about the presidential impeachment process is true?
The House votes to impeach the president, and the Senate conducts a trial to decide if the president should be removed from office.
Basic details about the federal court system, such as the creation of district courts and the size of the Supreme Court, are found in what document?
The Judiciary Act of 1789
After the Court ruled on Brown v. Board of Education, who enforced the controversial decision?
The President
Which house of Congress did the Founders envision as being the more responsible one, with the greater concern about national, rather than local, interests?
The Senate
How has the Supreme Court's case load changed over time?
The Supreme Court hears fewer cases now than it did 40 years ago.
Congress may change all of the following except
The Supreme Court's original jurisdiction
Many bureaucratic failings can be explained by
The complexity of the tasks the bureaucracy undertakes.
Choose all of the following correct paths that a bill can take in becoming a law.
The following two answers are correct: Subcommittee -> Floor -> Conference Committee -> President Floor -> Conference Committee -> Floor -> Veto. Remember that once a bill goes to the president, it will not go back to conference committee.
What trend has allowed the president to assume a more central policy-making role?
The increasing importance of national security issues
What does the term standing refer to?
The legitimate justification for bringing a civil case to court
What is the purpose of the president's using the veto as threat?
The president can influence the legislative process in Congress.
The interaction between the president, who needs something done, and a bureaucrat, who is responsible for carrying out the president's orders, is called
The principal-agent game
Which of the following is a major goal for all staffers of the Executive Office of the President in his first term?
The re-election goals of the president
It has been argued that the size of the federal bureaucracy can be attributed to
The tendency for bureaucrats to be budget maximizers.
The term "bully pulpit" was first associated with which President?
Theodore Roosevelt
Which president expanded use of the spoils system as the federal government began to perform more tasks?
Thomas Jefferson
Choose all of the following reasons given in the text for why a president might use a signing statement.
To influence the way the bureaucracy implements the law To counter congressional interpretation of the law To guide court interpretations in the event of a legal challenge
Most members of Congress lack policy expertise. Why do bureaucrats respond to political pressures from Congress?
To protect their budgets, bureaucrats will be responsive to political pressures from Congress.
How many presidents have been impeached by the House?
Two- Andrew Jackson and Bill Clinton
The American Congress has how many houses?
Two- Senate and House of Representatives
Madison saw the relatively short two-year House term as a means of accomplishing what?
Tying representatives to public sentiment
Which of the following is a common strategy for preventing bureaucratic drift?
Using standardized procedures in the monitoring of agency behavior
What was the name of the legislation that required presidents to seek congressional approval for major military operations around the world?
War Powers Resolution
The complexity of the tasks the bureaucracy undertakes explains
Why Americans are frustrated with government in general.
Which of the following is the most common path that a case takes to get to the Supreme Court?
Writ of certiorari
