Straighterline Final Exam

Which of the following states is MOST likely to be a battleground state in the next presidential election?

a. North Dakota b. New York c. Alabama *d. Colorado* e. California

In terms of holding the bureaucracy accountable, the MOST important unit within the Executive Office of the President is the...

a. Office of Policy Development. *b. Office of Management and Budget.* c. Council of Economic Advisors. d. White House Office. e. Office of the Vice President.

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

a. Political parties are unimportant in the organization of the U.S. Congress. b. Party-line voting rarely occurs in Congress. *c. Party-line voting has increased in recent years.* d. Partisanship makes virtually no difference in the votes cast in Congress. e. None of these answers is correct.

The first woman ever to serve on the US Supreme Court was appointed by

a. President Truman b. President Eisenhower c. President Kennedy *d. President Reagan* e. President Carter

The most powerful religious force in contemporary American society is the

a. Protestants *b. religious right* c. Catholics d. Jews e. Muslims

Approximately ________ percent of House incumbents win reelection.

a. 57 b. 65 c. 74 d. 82 *e. 92 *

The right to privacy was instrumental in which decision?

*A. Roe v. Wade* b. Mapp v. Ohio c. Schenck v. United States d. Miranda v. Arizona e. New York Times Co. v. United States

Congress typically takes presidential proposals

*a. only as a starting point* b. only if the dominant party is the same as the president's party. c. and most often fast-tracks them into law. d. and tables them until they expire. e. None of these answers is correct.

The appointment of federal judges is influenced MOST substantially by

*a. partisanship.* b. logrolling. c. pork barreling. d. affirmative action. e. personal friendships.

Legislation whose tangible benefits are targeted solely at a particular legislator's constituency is often criticized as

*a. pork.* b. logrolling. c. gerrymandering. d. private legislation. e. public interest legislation.

The term of office for a US Senator is ______ years, while that of a member of US House is ________ years.

*a. six; two* b. four; two c. six; four d. four; four e. eight; four

According to the Declaration of Independence, governments get their "just powers" from:

a. "God Almighty." *b. "the consent of the governed."* c. "the various factions." d. "the teachings of Jesus Christ." e. "the benevolence of a just king."

How many presidents have been impeached in U.S. history?

a. 0 b. 1 *c. 2* d. 3 e. 4

The only presidential election in which the Gallup poll erred badly was

a. 1928 Hoover-Smith. b. 1936 Roosevelt-Landon. *c. 1948 Truman-Dewey.* d. 1964 Johnson-Goldwater. e. 2000 Bush-Gore.

Television first became a major medium for campaign ads during the

a. 1940s. b. 1950s. *c. 1960s.* d. 1970s. e. 1980s.

Abraham Lincoln was first elected in 1860 with __________ percent of the popular vote

a. 20 *b. 40* c. 50 d. 60 e. 80

According to Gunnar Myrdal, what is America's curse?

a. greed *b. racial discrimination* c. obesity d. street violence e. religious intolerance

In America today, public education is primarily the responsibility of...

a. the national government. *b. state and local governments.* c. the National Education Association (NEA). d. the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). e. the U.S. Department of Education.

Party identification refers to

a. the percentage of polled individuals that claim membership in a particular party. b. formal membership in a political party. *c. an emotional attachment to a political party.* d. a political party's platform—the stances on issues that define its beliefs. e. the ability of individual citizens to identify the major issue positions of the major political parties.

The individual right that is widely regarded as the most basic of individual rights is:

a. the right to an attorney. *b. freedom of expression.* c. the right to a jury trial. d. the right to an adequate education. e. protection against illegal searches and seizures.

What new policy was established by the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark Gideon v. Wainwright ruling?

a. the right to trial by jury b. the need to charge an arrested suspect with a specific crime within 24 hours of arrest c. the requirement that police read a suspect his rights before or during arrest *d. government provision of free legal counsel to the accused if they are too poor to hire a lawyer.* e. the practice of allowing a suspect out on bail until the time of the trial

The federal government has assumed a permanent, strong role in the economy, contributing to its stability and efficiency, since the

*a. 1930s.* b. 1860s. c. 1960s. d. 1980s. e. 2000s.

What did political scientist Larry Bartels demonstrate in his book "Unequal Democracy?"

*a. Elected officials are substantially more responsive to the concerns of their more affluent constituents than to those of their poorer constituents.* b. Elected officials are substantially more responsive to the efforts of lobbyists than to the concerns of their constituents. c. Elected officials do not tend to respond to the efforts of social movements or protests when casting votes or forming policy. d. Elected officials tend to ignore the interests of their constituents when they make policy or cast votes, until just before they are up for reelection. e. Incumbents hold so much power in the United States and are so difficult to unseat that they have disenfranchised much of the voting population of the U.S.

Which of the following states is a competitive stat, meaning that it could potentially vote either Democratic or Republican?

*a. Florida* b. California c. Massachusetts d. Maine e. Vermont

This person was the chief architect of the US Constitution and also one of America's top political scientists

*a. James Madison* b. Andrew Jackson. c. Woodrow Wilson. d. Benjamin Franklin. e. John Adams.

Which country has the highest proportion of women serving in its national legislatures?

*a. Sweden* b. United States c. Japan d. Germany e. Canada

How many lawyers does the US have in comparison to Britain, Germany and Italy?

*a. The U.S. has twice as many lawyers on a per capita basis.* b. The U.S. has roughly the same amount of lawyers on a per capita basis. c. The U.S. has roughly twice as many lawyers, in terms of total numbers. d. The U.S. has roughly five times as many lawyers on a per capita basis. e. The U.S. has roughly half as many lawyers on a per capita basis.

Which of the following statements is true?

*a. The federal government raises roughly as much revenue from taxation as all state and local governments combined.* b. The federal government raises significantly more tax revenue than all state and local governments combined. c. State and local governments combined raise twice as much revenue from taxation as the federal government. d. State and local governments combined raise three times as much revenue from taxation as the federal government. e. State and local governments combined raise six times as much revenue as the federal government.

What is a major limit on majoritarianism suggested by the text?

*a. The public as a whole takes an interest in only a few of the hundreds of policy decisions that U.S. officials make each year.* b. The public lacks access to the information required to take informed political action on most issues dealt with by the government each year. c. The actions of special interest groups are ultimately more influential than the voting power of the public. d. The rapid turnover of government officials and members of the legislature prevents the majority public from making a sustained effort for any single issue. e. The most power tends to reside with a wealthy minority of the voting public, preventing the majority public from setting the issue agenda.

Historically, the American press has shifted from

*a. a political to a journalistic orientation* b. objectivity to subjectivity. c. a journalistic to a political orientation. d. partisan to very partisan. e. negative to positive.

The term stare decisis refers to

*a. adherence to precedent.* b. judicial activism. c. judicial restraint. d. judicial review. e. excessive partisanship.

The Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)

*a. allows corporations and labor unions to spend unlimited funds on campaigns.* b. limits PACs by reducing the amount of money they can raise through contributions by small donors. c. has forced candidates for office and elected officials to make public the amounts of campaign contributions they have received from PACs and which PACs make those donations. d. has strengthened the argument that PACs constitute a better system of campaign finance than one based on wealthy donors. e. has forced corporations and labor unions to legally divorce themselves from the PACs they sponsor.

The United States has certain rules in place to keep politics within peaceful bounds. These rules include all of the following EXCEPT:

*a. autocracy* b. democracy. c. constitutionalism. d. free markets. e. None of these answers is correct.

Many white, working-class citizens failed to vote in the 1968 and 1972 elections because they felt alienated by the certainty of which political issue?

*a. civil rights* b. the Vietnam War c. the economy d. immigration e. youth protest

Judicial review is the power of the American courts to

*a. declare a law unconstitutional* b. suspend the writ of habeas corpus. c. impeach the president. d. give advisory opinions to Congress. e. give advice and counsel to the president.

According to the Anti-federalists, too strong of a national government meant

*a. eventual encroachment upon the sovereignty of the states.* b. that a new constitutional convention would have to convene every few years. c. that a monarchy was preferable to a republic. d. that effective commerce between and among the states was an impossibility. e. that slavery would be abolished immediately.

The United States' economy operates primarily as a

*a. free-market system.* b. free-market system with major elements of socialism. c. socialist system with some free-market elements. d. socialist system. e. communist system.

The only counterforce that was potentially strong enough to control the business trusts of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was::

*a. government* b. the buying public. c. organized labor. d. business competitors. e. farmers.

A government's authority

*a. is evidenced when government officials use their right to exercise power.* b. is by definition not coercive. c. does not include the power to arrest and imprison. d. ensures that lawlessness prevails most of the time. e. is based on pluralism.

Culminating in a historic victory in 1954, black activists in the early twentieth century generally pursued civil rights through..

*a. legal action*. b. legislative action. c. pressure for presidential decree. d. bureaucratic action. e. campaigning through mass media.

Candidate strategy in the early presidential nominating contests is designed chiefly to gain

*a. momentum.* b. the support of the party's organizational leaders. c. the support of the party's congressional leaders. d. the endorsement of the mass media. e. the support of partisan rivals.

Edmund Burke's idea of representatives as trustees was based on the claim that

*a. representatives should follow their own judgment of the public interest.* b. representatives should follow the voters' judgment of the public interest. c. indirect election is a more trustworthy means of discovering the public interest. d. direct election is a more trustworthy means of discovering the public interest. e. None of these answers is correct.

In his criticism of the Constitution, the economist Charles Beard argued that:

*a. the Constitution's elaborate systems of power and representation were designed to protect the interests of the rich.* . the Constitution failed to protect the economic interests of the poorer states. c. the Constitution's commerce clause was inadequate to meet the nation's economic needs. d. the Constitution did not provide for sufficient protection of property. e. the Constitution gave too much power to the illiterate.

A major point of debate surrounding the Federal Reserve's role in economic policy is

*a. the Fed's political accountability.* b. whether the president should be able to veto the Fed's decisions. c. the issue of competence. d. whether Congress should be able to reject the Fed's decisions. e. None of these answers is correct.

Which institution receives the most news coverage from the national press?

*a. the Presidency* b. U.S. House of Representatives c. U.S. Senate d. U.S. Supreme Court e. the federal bureaucracy

A flaw in pluralism theory is the fact that...

*a. the interest group system is unrepresentative because some interests are far better organized and more powerful than others.* b. the public interest is never served by policies that promote special interests. c. larger groups always prevail politically over smaller groups. d. political parties better represent different interests than do interest groups. e. All of these answers are correct.

Occupy Wall Street's main issue has been

*a. the power and wealth of the wealthiest Americans* b. the undue influence of the Tea Party in national politics. c. the high taxes paid by America's poor. d. the need to have better regulation of stock trading. e. the necessity of overthrowing capitalism and replacing it with socialism.

In midterm elections,

*a. the president's party usually loses seats.* b. voter turnout is substantially higher than in presidential elections. c. half the House is up for reelection. d. voters are more likely to have weaker ties to political parties. e. All of these answers are correct.

To the framers, the great danger of democratic government was the risk of

*a. tyranny of the majority* b. elite rule. c. special-interest politics. d. a weak presidency. e. judicial imperialism.

Which of the following is the measure of success in an unconventional war?

*a. winning the support of the people* b. territory gained c. enemy soldiers killed d. combat units destroyed e. enemy soldiers wounded

Today, women currently hold about _____ of the seats in the House of Representatives

a. 7 percent *b. 19 percent* c. 28 percent d. 37 percent e. 49 percent

About what percentage of the annual federal budget is accounted for by the interest paid on the national debt?

a. 50 percent b. 5 percent c. 25 percent *d. 15 percent* e. 2 percent

Where is the Bill of Rights found in the constitution

a. Article I, Section 8 b. Article II *c. the first ten amendments* d. amendments 17 through 26 e. Article III

The major emerging voting blocs are

a. Asians and the elderly. *b. Hispanics and young people.* c. whites and the urban educated. d. people with college educations and city dwellers. e. environmentalists and Tea Party supporters.

__________ presided over the Philadelphia convention of 1787

a. Benjamin Franklin b. Gouverneur Morris c. Edmund Randolph d. James Madison *e. George Washington*

Which decision is indicative of how the Supreme Court interpreted the Fourteenth Amendment and state discretion in civil rights matters in the decades after the Civil War?

a. Brown v. Board of Education b. the Dred Scott decision *c. Plessy v. Ferguson* d. McCulloch v. Maryland e. Gibbons v. Ogden

Of the following states, which tends to have larger numbers of Caribbean Hispanics

a. California b. Texas *c. New York* d. New Mexico e. Arizona

The "separate but equal" standard was created by

a. Congress. *b. the Supreme Court* c. the state supreme court of Virginia. d. President Ulysses S. Grant. e. Justice John Marshall Harlan.

In 2002, President George W. Bush labeled ________ "the axis of evil."

a. Cuba, China, and Vietnam b. Ethiopia, Somalia, and Libya c. Russia, China, and North Korea d. Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Jordan *e. Iraq, Iran, and North Korea*

Which of the following is true of federal employees and labor unions?

a. Federal employees are prohibited from forming labor unions. *b. Federal employees can form labor unions, but their unions by law have limited authority.* c. There are no restrictions on the creation and powers of labor unions by federal employees. d. Among federal employees, only employees of government corporations can legally form labor unions. e. Federal employees can form labor unions but are not allowed to participate in collective bargaining.

Which of the following was an argument in favor of federalism at the time of the writing of the Constitution

a. Federalism will protect liberty. b. Federalism will force officials to be more responsive to the people. c. Federalism will provide for a stronger national government than existed under the Articles of Confederation. d. Federalism will be less likely to produce an all-dominant faction. *e. All these answers are correct.*

18-20 year old Americans were granted the right to vote by the passage of the ________ amendment?

a. Fifteenth b. Nineteenth c. Twenty-First d. Twenty-third *e. Twenty-sixth*

Which constitutional amendment protects the individual against self-incrimination?

a. First b. Second c. Fourth *d. Fifth* e. Ninth

Which of the following amendments contains a due process clause?

a. First b. Tenth c. Third *d. Fourteenth* e. Twenty-first

Starting in the 1990s, the Supreme Court has rolled back some of the power of the national government, basing its decisions primarily on interpretations of which two amendments?

a. First and Fourth b. First and Fourteenth c. Tenth and Fourteenth d. Eleventh and Fourteenth *e. Tenth and Eleventh*

In the Constitution, procedural due process is protected by the

a. Fourth Amendment. b. Fifth Amendment. c. Sixth Amendment. d. Eighth Amendment. *e. All these answers are correct*

____ opposed the ratification of the US Constitution

a. George Washington *b. Patrick Henry* c. James Madison d. Benjamin Franklin e. John Adams

Why did President Obama sign the 2014 farm bill?

a. He wanted the support of farm states for his reelection bid. b. It was almost exactly the bill he wanted. c. It was close to the bill he wanted, with a few exceptions. *d. He recognized he had no chance of getting a better farm bill.* e. None of these answers is correct.

Which of the following groups is MOST likely to identify with the Democratic Party?

a. Hispanics *b. African Americans* c. white women d. white men e. white southerners

Which of the following groups is LEAST likely to identify with the Democratic party

a. Hispanics b. African Americans c. white women *d. white southerners* e. white liberals

Which of the following states is solidly democratic?

a. Idaho b. Georgia c. Utah *d. Washington* e. Texas

Which of the following states has relatively low turnout in elections?

a. Idaho b. Maine c. Minnesota *d. Indiana* e. These four states have similar turnout rates compared to the national average.

How has the Government Accountability Office's role changed?

a. It has acquired wide judicial and adjudication powers to deal with inter-agency disputes. b. It has changed from a presidential-executive support agency to largely a congressional support agency. c. It has been given broader powers over time to actually grant additional funds or take away funds directly from agencies. d. It has had its broad powers limited from general oversight down to keeping track of agency spending. *e. It has moved from a limited role of keeping track of agency spending to also monitoring whether the agency is implementing policies in the way Congress intended.*

According to Freedom House, which of the following countries has the highest degree of freedom?

a. Japan b. Mexico c. Guatemala d. Russia *e. United States*

Who among the framers of the Constitution noted that no issue was more likely to provoke conflict that how society's resources are distributed?

a. John Adams b. Alexander Hamilton c. Benjamin Franklin *d. James Madison* e. Thomas Jefferson

_________________ was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence

a. John Locke *b. Thomas Jefferson* c. James Madison d. George Washington e. Alexander Hamilton

Overall, poverty rates are HIGHEST in the

a. Midwest. b. West. *c. South.* d. Northeast. e. Middle Atlantic.

Which of the following is an accurate representation of the public's opinion about leaders and their accountability

a. Most citizens have a high opinion of Congress as a whole but say they have little confidence in their local representative in Congress. b. Most citizens have a high opinion of both Congress as a whole and their local representative in Congress. *c. Most citizens have a low opinion of Congress as a whole but say they have confidence in their local representative in Congress.* d. Most citizens have a low opinion of Congress as a whole and also of their local representative in Congress. e. Most citizens do not feel that their local representatives in Congress should be held accountable for the votes they have to make in order to stay in line with their party's platform.

Which of the following Supreme Court justices was appointed during the Clinton administration?

a. Sandra Day O'Connor b. Clarence Thomas *c. Ruth Bader Ginsburg* d. Robert Bork e. John Paul Stevens

What was politically significant about Geraldine Ferraro in 1984?

a. She became the first woman to be elected governor of a state. *b. She became the first woman to run on the national ticket of a major political party.* c. She became the first woman to serve as attorney general of the United States. d. She was the first woman to hold the top position in the U.S. House of Representatives. e. She was the first person to hold the top position in the U.S. Senate.

Which of the following countries comes closest to the United States in terms of the percentage of its citizens who are behind bars?

a. Singapore B. Japan c. Great Britain d. Romania *e. Russia*

The Supreme Court's ruling in the Swann case on busing differed from the Brown decision in that Swann

a. addressed the problem of de facto discrimination. b. applied to many northern communities in addition to communities in the South. c. sanctioned the use of busing in desegregation. d. dealt specifically with the issue of busing. *e. all these answers are correct*

The framers of the Constitution saw the ________ as the preeminent component of the federal government.

a. Supreme Court b. bureaucracy *c. Congress* d. president e. None of these answers is correct.

Which of the following is true of the appeal process?

a. The Constitution guarantees at least one appeal after conviction, but many states continue to challenge this guarantee in court. b. Both the federal and all state constitutions guarantee an appeal after conviction. *c. The Constitution does not guarantee an appeal after conviction, but the federal government and all states permit at least one appeal.* d. There are no guarantees of appeal at the federal or state level, but the appeal process has been effectively certified through common practice. e. The guarantee of appeal in the states was established as part of selective incorporation as applied to the Fourteenth Amendment.

Which of the following is true about the trade imbalance in the United States?

a. The United States has not had a trade surplus since 1975. b. Over the past decade, the U.S. trade deficit has exceeded $300 billion every year. c. The United States has the largest trade deficit of the top three economic centers. *d. All of these are true: The United States has not had a trade surplus since 1975; over the past decade, the U.S. trade deficit has exceeded $300 billion every year; and the United States has the largest trade deficit of the top three economic centers.* e. None of these answers is correct.

Why was the 2014 G7 summit held in Brussels?

a. The major European powers wanted a more convenient location for the meeting. *b. The participants wanted to emphasize their displeasure at Russian annexation of the Crimean Peninsula.* c. The choice of Brussels emphasized that the summit was about western European issues, not global issues. d. Brussels is the headquarters of the European Union. e. The participants wanted to highlight that Belgium is an important economic power.

The Federalist Papers were written by

a. Washington, Adams, and Jefferson. b. Franklin, Washington, and Lee. c. Jefferson, Locke, and Montesquieu. *d. Madison, Hamilton, and Jay.* e. Marshall, Jefferson, and Adams.

The term iron triangle refers to...

a. a tightly-knit set of lobbying groups. b. the relationship among the Congress, the military, and defense contractors. *c. a small and informal but relatively stable set of bureaucrats, legislators, and lobbyists who are concerned with promoting a particular interest.* d. the strategy of lobbying all three branches of government simultaneously. e. a corrupt relationship among the president, Congress, and the Supreme Court.

The individual freedoms in the Bill of Rights were extended by the Fourteenth Amendment to include protection from deprivation of due process rights by:

a. actions of the president. b. the actions of individuals. c. actions of the federal government. *d. actions of state and local governments* e. actions of the U.S. military.

Roughly two-thirds of all lobbyists in the nation's capital represent..

a. activist organizations. b. labor unions. *c. business firms.* d. foreign-based political action groups. e. nonprofit organizations.

Women are less likely than men to favor...

a. affirmative action. b. abortion rights. c. higher levels of education spending. *d. the use of force to settle international disputes.* e. All these answers are correct.

James Madison argued...

a. against all interest groups. b. for the advocacy of self-interest free from all systems of restraint. *c. for regulation of interests through a governing system of checks and balances.* d. for the replacement of interest groups by formal political parties. e. for a powerful judiciary.

An informal grouping of officials, lobbyists, and policy specialists who come together temporarily around a policy problem is

a. an iron triangle. *b. an issue network.* c. a caucus. d. a policy system. e. an ideological network.

In initiating broad legislative proposals, the president enjoys all of the following advantages over Congress EXCEPT

a. being more likely to take a national perspective on policy issues. *b. being granted more authority by the Constitution in the area of lawmaking.* c. being assisted by literally hundreds of policy specialists. d. having the authority to make policy decisions even when there are conflicting views within the executive branch, while congressional leaders cannot impose their views on other members who disagree with them. e. a lack of fragmentation.

Which of the following groups is overrepresented in Congress?

a. blue-collar workers b. homemakers c. clerical workers d. women *e. lawyers*

What type of government suppresses individuality, forcing people to think and act in prescribed ways or risk punishment?

a. communistic b. socialistic *c. authoritarian* d. egalitarian e. republican

Through a vote for cloture, the Senate

a. confirms presidential appointees. *b. can end a filibuster.* c. overrides a presidential pocket veto. d. accepts the House version of a bill. e. closes its legislative session for the year.

The citizens of __________ are MOST likely to participate as campaign volunteers during an election

a. the Netherlands b. Great Britain *c. the United States* d. Germany e. France

A federal system is one where...

a. constitutional authority is centralized in a national government. b. constitutional authority is decentralized, only residing in state governments. *c. constitutional authority is divided between a national government and state governments.* d. constitutional authority is unlimited. e. constitutional authority is divided between multiple branches of the national government.

Pluralism contends that, on most issues:

a. corporate elites have more control over economic policy than do "the politicians in the visible government." b. the will of the majority of the voting public determines government policy. *c. it is the preferences of special-interest groups that largely determine what government does.* d. true authority lies with the elected politicians, and not with the public that put them in office. e. the diverse nature of the citizenry enhances the democratic process in policymaking.

Public support for same-sex marriage has

a. decreased significantly since the 1990s. *b. increased significantly since the 1990s.* c. remained steady since the 1990s. d. increased slightly since the 1990s. e. decreased slightly since the 1990s.

In an effort to overcome the free-rider problem, noneconomic groups have

a. deliberately restricted the size of their membership. b. joined up with economic groups. c. convinced government to limit the distribution of public goods to those who have contributed to the group's efforts. *d. used Internet resources and computer-assisted mailing lists to target potential donors.* e. adopted taxes for nonmembers.

In general, public opinion

a. determines specific government actions. b. is unrelated to government action. *c. sets limits on government action.* d. generally affects government action only on election issues. e. is strongest during a presidential election.

Compared to two decades ago, contemporary Americans are, on average,

a. far better informed about political affairs. b. at about the same level of being informed about political affairs. c. getting most of their news from traditional media sources such as newspapers. d. much more knowledgeable about the functioning of America's political institutions. *e. paying more attention to news sources that have an obvious ideological bias*

The US Courts of Appeals..

a. hear new evidence in appealed cases. *b. review trial court decisions.* c. are the highest courts to use juries. d. decide for the Supreme Court the cases it will review. e. None of these answers is correct.

A conservative is opposed to government intervention

a. in both the economic and social spheres. *b. in the economic but not the social sphere.* c. in the social sphere, but not the economic sphere. d. in neither the social nor the economic spheres. e. only with regard to affirmative action.

The Edward Snowden leaks about the NSA surveillance program...

a. indicated that the NSA was listening to all American cell phone conversations. b. showed that the NSA was diligent about getting court orders to monitor electronic communications. c. led President Obama to quickly terminate the program. *d. brought changes in how Americans' phone data was stored for NSA retrieval.* e. in reality shared little or no new information.

The Whig theory holds that the presidency

a. is a shared office, where the president and the cabinet are equally powerful. *b. is a limited office whose occupant is confined to the exercise of expressly granted constitutional powers.* c. is the office most representative of the people. d. should provide strong leadership in the area of foreign policy but not in domestic policy. e. is subordinate to the Supreme Court.

The fed chair...

a. is appointed by the president, with no approval from the Senate. *b. serves a four-year term.* c. rarely cares about monetary policy. d. has absolute authority over the Fed. e. All of these answers are correct.

In which of the following ways is the U.S. free-market system distinct from European economies?

a. its lack of regulatory intervention b. its lack of intervention through taxation c. its lack of intervention through spending policies *d. the extent to which private transactions determine the allocation of economic costs and benefits* e. the extent to which it exercises regulatory intervention by altering interest rates

What percentage of state legislators are women?

a. less than 5 percent *b. more than 20 percent* c. about 50 percent d. about 60 percent e. more than 40 percent

A person who favors government intervention in both social and economic affairs is a(n)

a. libertarian. b. liberal. *c. populist.* d. social conservative. e. economic conservative.

French philosopher Michel Foucault referred to politics as:"________."

a. like making sausage b. the burden of citizens c. a means to an end *d. war by other means* e. a necessary evil

The Term "framing" is used to describe...

a. media's ability to influence what is on people's minds. *b. process of selecting certain aspects of reality and then crafting news stories around those aspects.* c. media's obligation to convey a uniform and standard interpretation of a situation. d. nature of media reporting when objectivity has weakened and the system has tilted in favor of yellow journalism. e. primary right of the media that is protected by the First Amendment.

Roughly how many American workers currently belong to unions?

a. one in two b. one in four c. one in six *d. one in eight* e. one in ten

The direct election of US Senators came about due to

a. passage of the Second Amendment. *b. political pressure from the Progressives.* c. Jeffersonian democracy. d. Jacksonian democracy. e. the fact that state legislators no longer desired to select them.

In contrast with the Speaker of the House, the Senate majority leader

a. plays a key role in formulating the majority party's legislative positions. b. seeks to develop influential relationships with his/her colleagues. *c. is not the presiding officer of his/her chamber.* d. holds a position that is defined in the Constitution. e. None of these answers is correct.

Progressive reforms included

a. primary elections. b. direct election of U.S. senators. c. the initiative and referendum. d. recall elections. *e. all these answers are correct*

All but one state constitution formed after the American Revolution

a. provided for choosing governors in direct annual elections. b. provided for a less direct form of self-government than the national-level framers intended. *c. provided for annual legislative elections.* d. included more severe checks and balances than the U.S. Constitution. e. drastically limited the power of the executive in comparison to the legislature.

The theory that society's interests are most effectively represented through group action is

a. republicanism. b. constitutionalism. c. elitist theory. *d. pluralist theory.* e. interest-group liberalism.

The National Performance Review addressed which of the following issues about the bureaucracy?

a. responsiveness b. accountability c. efficiency d. the need to reduce red tape *e. All of these answers are correct.*

In the twenty-first century, voting rates in the US have

a. shown little difference from those of the late twentieth century. *b. remained lower than in nearly every other democracy.* c. demonstrated that the apathy of young citizens has worsened considerably since the early 1990s. d. increased in all elections. e. none of the above.

The largest number of PACs are those associated with

a. single-issue groups, such as environmental groups and right-to-life groups. b. labor. *c. business.* d. agriculture. e. foreign governments.

The Tea Party's key initial issue was

a. support for American military involvement in Iraq. b. support for American military involvement in Afghanistan. c. opposition to President Obama's climate change policies. *d. opposition to high taxes* e. opposition to the Occupy Wall Street movement.

Which of the following is NOT a typical interest group function?

a. supporting candidates for public office *b. addressing a broad and diverse range of public issues* c. working to influence policymakers d. promoting public policies e. working to influence legislators

James Madison's solution to the problem of factions (special interests) has, in the modern policy process, actually contributed to the problem by

a. suppressing the claims of special interests, thereby making it more difficult for them to get their opinions heard by officials. *b. resulting in a fragmentation of authority among policymakers, thereby providing groups more opportunities to get their way.* c. eroding the strength of political parties, thereby increasing the opportunity for group influence. d. weakening the legislative branch, thereby allowing groups to bully Congress into accepting their demands. e. eroding the power of the mass media, thereby increasing the opportunity for group influence.

Today, most union members work as

a. teachers and farm laborers. b. farm laborers. c. factory laborers. *d. teachers, police, and civil servants.* e. transportation workers.

Some analysts predict that soon the most important medium of election politics will be

a. television *b. the internet* c. radio d. newspapers e. magazines

In the 2014 case of Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, the Supreme Court ruled that...

a. the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act does not require employers to provide insurance for employees. *b. companies with only a few owners can refuse, on religious grounds, to include contraceptives in employees' health coverage.* c. businesses can decide which employees deserve employer-paid health insurance based on employee performance. d. the free exercise of religion clause in the First Amendment does not apply to the secular business practices of corporations. e. All of these answers are correct.

The scheduling of bills in the Senate is left up to

a. the Senate Scheduling Committee. *b. the Senate majority leader.* c. each of the Senate committees. d. the Senate historian. e. the Senate parliamentarian.

Which of the following, relative to the others, is typically more protective of individual rights?

a. the U.S. Congress b. the general public c. public opinion d. the presidency *e. the judiciary*

Which of the following aspects of US. government might be used as part of an argument that the US is less democratic than some other democracies?

a. the extension of popular direct election to office b. the frequency of election of its larger legislative body c. its extensive reliance on primary elections d. the frequency of election of its chief executive *e. its staggered terms of office of members of the legislature*

The Supreme Court has ruled that...

a. the federal government must provide at least half the cost of educating each child through public education systems. b. the federal government is responsible for ensuring that each state provides an adequate education for each child. c. states have no official responsibilities in the field of education. d. states are obliged to give all children an education that is "equal" across communities. *e. states are obliged to give all children an "adequate" education.*

One of the reasons the reporting of national news is relatively uniform among news sources is that

a. the government dictates much of what is reported. b. there are only a few important events each day that merit news coverage. *c. the network newscasts are brief and the day's top stories tend to dominate.* d. reporters are not given much freedom by their editors. e. modern journalists have become fairly lazy and use mostly wire reports to create news copy for the network newscasts.

Why have issue networks become more prevalent?

a. the increasing power of corporate lobbying b. the increasing diversity of interest groups c. the increasing influence of PACs d. the instability of candidates' positions *e. the increasing complexity of policy problems*

What aspect of America were William Watts and Lloyd Free referring to when they labeled it "the country of individualism par excellence"?

a. the majoritarian nature of the voting and election system b. the ability of any individual to aspire to high political office c. the judicial nature of American politics, in which any individual can challenge powerful interests *d. the emphasis that Americans place on economic self-reliance and free markets* e. the ability of the individual to join in labor unions and interest groups to pursue his or her political and financial self-interests

All of the following statements about Hispanic Americans are true EXCEPT that....

a. they are the fastest-growing minority in the United States. b. they have made major political gains in terms of electing local officials, particularly in the southwestern states. c. Hispanics are healthier and have a longer life expectancy than would be expected from their education and income levels. *d. their average annual income is relatively close to the national average.* e. they are one of the nation's oldest ethnic groups.

Each of the following statements could be considered true of either economic or social liberals, EXCEPT that...

a. they favor government activism in the area of distribution of economic benefits. b. they prefer a smaller role for government in upholding social and cultural traditions. c. they favor more government spending for the poor. d. they believe lifestyle choices should be left to the individual. *e. they believe that government should be used to promote traditional values.*

The 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

a. was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 2012. b. initially had the support of nearly every single state. c. was passed by strong bipartisan majorities. d. is a voluntary program with no penalties for nonparticipation. *e. None of these answers are correct.*

Grassroots lobbying is based on the assumption that officials will respond to

a. well-reasoned policy arguments. b. the opportunity for extensive media publicity. c. moral pleas. d. the efforts of party organizations. *e. pressure from constituents.*