United States Government and Politics

32) In The Federalist 70, Alexander Hamilton states that "energy in the executive is a leading character in the definition of good government." In this statement, Hamilton is arguing in favor of the need for

A) a single executive who can respond quickly to crises

18) Which of the following statements best describes the information in the map?

B) Most states in the South and West allow capital punishment.

35) Which of the following scenarios best illustrates a member of Congress supporting pork-barrel legislation?

C) A senator from an agricultural state amending legislation to establish a potato research institute in his or her state

43) Which of the following is an accurate comparison of rights protected and not protected by the First Amendment?

C) The right to burn a flag and obscenity

8) Which of the following is most likely responsible for the increase in the number of southern African American state legislators between 1960 and 1992 as shown in the graph?

C) The voting rights act of 1965

26) Which of the following describes an effect of the Twenty-Fouth Amendment?

D) It eliminated poll taxes

37) During his confirmation hearing, Chief Justice John Roberts stated that Roe V. Wade (1973) "is the settled law of the land." This statement suggests that in a case that challenges the constitutionality of legislation restricting privacy and reproductive rights, which of the following should be a key factor in the court's ruling?

D) Reliance on legal precedent

42) In a public opinion poll, a polling company used an online survey tool to randomly contact respondents who did not have telephone lines in addition to contacting people over the phone. Which of the following best explains this decision?

D) The company wanted to ensure that the sample of the population was truly random

29) Which of the following best describes an exit poll?

A) A poll that asks voters at randomly selected voting places whom they voted for so that election results can be predicted more quickly

40) Which of the following scenarios best reflects ine process of political socializanion?

A) An individual takes a civics course in beliefs tor school and develops opinions about politics.

46) Which of the following makes a correct comparison between political parties and interest groups in the United States?

A) Political parties recruit and run candidates in elections/ Interest groups seek to influence public policy

12) In what respect does the Constitution address Washington's concern regarding the "spirit of encroachment" expressed in the excerpt?

A) The Constitution distributes power across national institutions.

6) Which of the following represents a reason that a president might use a signing statement to express displeasure with a bill as opposed to issuing a veto?

A) The president may have objections to provisions of a bill but does not want to risk Congress overriding a veto.

14) By using the phrase "creative federalism," President Johnson is most likely referring to which of the following features of the American system?

A) The relationship between the federal and state governments evolves over time and is flexible enough to permit new forms of interaction.

23) Based on your knowledge and the diagram, which of the following is true regarding the leadership structure of Congress?

A) The role of the minority leader in both the House of Representatives and the Senate is to coordinate a strategy for the minority party.

1) Given the information in the graph, in which of the following states would an individual's vote likely have more influence?

A) Wyoming

15) Which of the following actions did President Johnson suggest he would take to address problems in public schools?

B) Calling on experts to advise the federal government in finding ways to improve public education

10) Which of the following correctly identifies an implication of the line graph?

B) Congress is more likely to act on a president's policy proposal at the beginning of a first term than at the end of a second term.

31) Which of the following provides the most accurate explanation of how consumer-driven media increases partisan polarization?

B) Consumer-driven media reinforces existing political biases in individuals.

2) The data in the graph best illustrate which of the following common criticisms of the electoral college?

B) Individuals in small-population states have a greater impact on the electoral college than individuals in large-population states.

38) Which of the following sets of policies appears to be most influenced by a libertarian ideology

B) Legalize the commercial sale of marijuana and reduce government spending on prisons.

9) Which of the following statements reflects a pattern in the line graph?

B) Most presidents exit office with lower approval ratings than when they entered office.

25) The majority party in the Senate is concerned that the Supreme Court has made a number of ideologically dangerous and controversial rulings. Which of the following actions would the Senate take in their attempt to limit the Supreme Court's power?

B) Pass legislation that would limit the impact of the Supreme Court's recent rulings

16)Which of the following explains President Jakenson's motivation for the speech in relation to his role as the head of the executive branch?

B) Pesident Johnson is seeking to use the bully pulpit as a means of promoting his agenda on public education.

41) Which of the following scenarios best illustrates a formal check on the power of the bureaucracy?

B) The secretary of defense being called to testify before a congressional committee

7) Which of the following statements presents the most important limitation of the data in the graph?

B) There is no information about the total number of state legislators.

3) According to the bar graph, which of the following statements will be true in the year 2060?

B) Those identifying as White alone will remain a majority.

11) Which of the following newspaper headlines best summarizes the excerpt from Washington's Farewell Address?

B) Washington Warns of Dangerous Party Factions

5) Which of the following statements is most accurately supported by the data in the table?

B) While President George W. Bush issued fewer signing statements than President Clinton, his included more objections than President Clinton's.

39) A state government places Secunty cameras facing a popular site of protest in a public square in front of its statehouse. This scenario illustrates

B) the balance of promoting stability and ensuring civil liberties

45) Which of the following accurately compares the formal and informal powers of the president?

C) Acting as commander in chief of the military/Signing executive agreements with foreign nations

21) Which of the following policies would the states most likely prefer according to the political cartoon?

C) Block grants

13)Which of the following scenarios illustrates Washington's concerns?

C) Ideological divisions within Congress can lead to partisan gridlock.

20) Which of the following is the most accurate interpretation of the political cartoon?

C) State governments prefer federal funding but do not want federal oversight over how the money is spent.

4) Which of the following is a likely effect of the trend depicted in the bar graph on voting and elections?

C) The Democratic Party will win more elections, based on current voting trends.

28) Which of the following is likely to occur as a result of new legislation regarding automobile safety?

C) The Department of Transportation will be given discretionary authority to create auto regulations.

36) If voters are acting according to the retrospective model of voting, which of the following will be the most important consideration in their decision?

C) The effect of recent economic conditions on the voters

27) Which of the following enumerated powers would permit Congress to stimulate the economy by hiring unemployed citizens?

C) The power to pass a federal budget

33) Which of the following Supreme Court decisions allows public school students to wear T-shirts protesting a school board decision that eliminates funding for high school arts programs?

C) Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969)

44) Which of the following is the correct pairing of powers found in the Articles of Confederation and powers found in the Constitution?

C) Unicameral legislature and Bicameral legislature

17) A liberal response to the "strained resources" of local government most likely would include

C) an increase in federal spending on public education and more programs aimed at helping lower-income communities

22) Which of the following is true according to the diagram?

D) Both chambers make use of a system of majority and minority whips.

19) Which of the following constitutional principles best explains why there is variation among states on the use of capital punishment?

D) Federalism

24) In the 1780s, proponents of the new Constitution cited Shays' Rebellion as an example in support of which of the following criticisms of the national government under the Articles of Confederation?

D) There was a lack of a national military power to address security concerns.

34) Concurrent powers have which of the following Effects on the United States political system?

D) They make it possible for the states and the national government to simultaneously exercise influence in the same areas of public policy.

30) The Supreme Court issued a ruling that was unpopular with a majority of Americans. The president and Congress might be able to lessen the impact of the decision by

D) refusing to actively enforce the decision