Ap Gov Winter Final MC
The United States national government spends about ________ a year.
$2.8 trillion
Americaʹs party nomination system could best be described as
) open and entrepreneurial.
Campaigns strengthen voter commitment to the usual party or the candidate they previously supported by emphasizing ________ as part of their campaign strategy.
) reinforcement
Many elite and class theorists believe that ________ of Americans control most government policy decisions.
1 percent
Today, roughly ________ of the gross domestic product is spent by state and local governments.
1 percent
In public opinion polling, a sample as small as about ________ people can faithfully represent the ʺuniverseʺ of Americans.
1,500
Hispanics comprise approximately what percent of the American population?
13 percent
The first census in the United States was conducted in
1790
Federal aid to state and local governments accounts for how much of federal spending?
18 percent
The Republicans emerged as a powerful political party in the
1850s.
One survey of journalists in 2002 found that ________ were Republican.
19 percent
Television became extremely important in political campaigns beginning in
1960.
The Democratic National Convention in ________ led to serious reforms in the methods it used to choose its convention delegates.
1968
Approximately ________ of eligible voters cast ballots in presidential primaries.
20 percent
Today, the national government spends roughly ________ of the gross domestic product.
20 percent
Approximately what percent of African Americans live below the poverty line?
25
About ________ of the funds state and local governments spend comes from the federal government.
25 percent
In 1980, about what percentage of the American public thought they could trust government most of the time or always?
25 percent
National, state, and local governments in America spend almost ________ of the gross domestic product.
30 percent
One survey of journalists in 2002 found that ________ were Democrats.
37 percent
Approximately what percent of Asian Americans hold a college degree?
49
A random sample of 1500-2000 respondents will produce results far off the mark about ________ of the time.
5 percent
In most caucus states, about ________ of the registered voters typically show up for party presidential caucuses.
5 percent
In the presidential election of 2004, ________ of Americans voted.
55 percent
Approximately ________ of presidential campaign spending is for TV ads. A) 40 percent
60 percent
Todayʹs massive media conglomerates control newspapers with over ________ of the nationʹs daily circulation.
80 percent
Which of the following statements about a governmentʹs policy agenda is FALSE?
A governmentʹs policy agenda tends to remain constant over time.
________ is the process by which policy comes into being and evolves over time.
A policymaking system
The Virginia and New Jersey Plans introduced at the Constitutional Convention differed mainly over whether
A) states should send equal numbers of representatives to Congress.
How has the electoral college changed from the original intent of the framers?
Almost all electors now vote for the presidential candidate who wins the most popular votes in their state.
As the framers wrote the Constitution they had no practical choice but to adopt a federal system for all but which of the following reasons?
America had always had a federal system and it would have been too radical and disruptive a change to adopt another system.
The term ʺminority majorityʺ refers to the fact that
America will soon cease to have a white majority and together the minority groups will become a majority.
The Republican party rose to prominence in the late 1850s as the
Anti-slavery party.
Beginning in 1781, the United States was governed under the
Articles of Confederation.
Which of the following statements is FALSE?
As the country became more industrialized and urbanized, economic interest groups turned to the state governments rather than the federal government for help.
The people who keep the party running between elections and make its rules are members of which ʺheadʺ of the party?
C) party as an organization
During the military campaign in Afghanistan, President Bush and the White House frequently watched ________ to see events as they happened.
CNN
About which state has it been said that the political parties are so weak as to be almost nonexistent?
California
Which of the following states has increased its representation in the House from just seven in 1900 to 53 today?
California
In Saenz v. Roe, the Supreme Court ruled that
California could not require a new resident to wait one year before being eligible for welfare benefits.
Which one of the following countries has federalism as its method of governing?
Canada
In what major way do presidential campaigns serve to stimulate big government?
Candidates make promises to particular groups and states so much on different campaign stops, and many of the promises involve more government spending and new or bigger programs.
Which of these is NOT a criterion of traditional democratic theory, as formulated by Robert Dahl?
Citizens must make rational choices.
Which of the following is NOT a linkage institution?
Congress
An example of public policymaking would be
Congress and the president deciding not to act on the AIDS crisis.
Which of the following statements about federal block grants is FALSE?
Congress has established an unlimited number of block grants to support narrowly defined programs.
The framers of the Constitution gave the chief economic policymaking role to
Congress.
What view of human nature did the delegates at the Constitutional Convention have?
Cynical view: human beings are selfish and greedy.
Who was the president who brought together the original New Deal coalition in support of his candidacy?
D) Franklin D. Roosevelt
Andrew Jackson was the first president identified as a(n)
Democrat.
The dominant political party in Americaʹs first party system was the
Democratic-Republicans.
In the second party system in United States history, the election contests were between which two major parties?
Democrats and Whigs
A 2002 survey of 1,149 journalists found that, compared to the general public, journalists were twice as likely to consider themselves
Democrats.
The New Deal coalition was responsible for electing and reelecting
Democrats.
The American Revolution was based upon the ideas of
European political thinkers.
The administration of the campaign finance laws and the enforcement of compliance with their requirements is handled by the
Federal Election Commission
The group responsible for administering and enforcing the Federal Election Campaign Act is the
Federal Election Commission (FEC).
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
Federal grants can put an unwanted financial burden on states.
Which of the following statements is FALSE?
Federalism reduces the opportunities for political participation.
Which of the following statements about federalism is FALSE?
Federalism was hotly debated at the Constitutional Convention.
Americaʹs first and shortest-lived major political party was the
Federalist party.
The first party system in the United States consisted of the
Federalists and Democratic-Republicans.
In what was a very different era, the press chose not to point out to readers or to photograph the fact that President ________ was confined to a wheelchair.
Franklin Roosevelt
Which president held one thousand press conferences, far more than any other?
Franklin Roosevelt
The first president to manipulate media politics with many press conferences and fireside chats successfully was
Franklin Roosevelt.
The first president to successfully utilize media politics was
Franklin Roosevelt.
The first true anti-slavery party was the
Free Soil party.
Public opinion polling was first begun in 1932 by
George Gallup.
An example of a splinter party would be
George Wallaceʹs American Independents.
Why did President Roosevelt become silent during the last minute of a radio address during a reelection campaign?
He wanted to reduce the size of his opponentʹs audience.
The largest component of the minority majority is the
Hispanic population.
The most recent wave of immigration since World War II has consisted primarily of
Hispanics and Asians
Which of the following statements is FALSE?
Hispanics are primarily concentrated in the rural areas.
The 2000 census indicated that the largest minority population is comprised of
Hispanics.
The largest racial/ethnic minority group in the United States is
Hispanics.
The one element of government that Madisonʹs plan placed within direct control of the voters was the
House of Representatives.
Which of the following is TRUE about the presidential nomination process?
In most states, presidential primaries are held with the national convention delegates allocated to each candidate in rough proximity to their percentage of popular vote.
In 2004, Americans were most likely to consider themselves ________, and least likely to consider themselves ________.
Independents; Republicans
10) Which of the following statements about public goods is FALSE?
Individuals have powerful incentives to provide public goods.
The first presidential caucus of the campaign season is traditionally held in
Iowa
The first presidential caucus is held in
Iowa.
As originally established by the Constitution, the House of Representatives had how many members from each state?
It depended on the stateʹs population.
Which of the following is FALSE about the Constitution?
It discourages hyperpluralism.
What was the significance of the Annapolis meeting?
It issued the original call for the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia.
Which of the following is NOT an effect of federalism?
It simplifies the governmental system.
What was the main criticism of the national bank created by the United States government?
It was an instrument of the elite and gave the national government too much control of the economy.
The Democratic-Republicans were also known as the
Jeffersonians.
The most liberal religious group in America are
Jews.
The last Federalist president was
John Adams.
The justification for separation from England in the Declaration of Independence was based heavily on the ideas of the English philosopher
John Locke.
According to Thomas Jefferson, which of the following is an inalienable right?
Liberty
The Declaration of Independence says that ʺall men are created equal.ʺ Which aspect of the American creed does this suggest?
Liberty
The most famous practitioner of civil disobedience in the United States during the twentieth century was this Nobel Peace Prize winner,
Martin Luther King, Jr.
The principle of the supremacy of federal law over state law was affirmed in
McCulloch v. Maryland.
The principle that the national government has certain implied powers that go beyond its enumerated powers was first elaborated in the Supreme Courtʹs decision in
McCulloch v. Maryland.
Which of the following is TRUE in regard to the voting habits of African Americans and Hispanic Americans?
Members of these groups are more likely to vote than whites of the same income level.
Which of the following statements about the American people is FALSE?
Most Americans view cultural diversity as one of the least appealing aspects of their society.
Which of the following is FALSE about the United States government under the Articles of Confederation?
Most authority rested with the United States Congress rather than the state governments.
Which of the following is NOT true about exit polls?
Most people are contacted by the random digit dialing method.
Which of the following was NOT a characteristic of the 55 delegates who attended the Constitutional Convention?
Most were residents of the western frontiers.
Which of the following is typical of most adult Americans when it comes to political participation?
Most will vote in an election, but only a minority of people do more than that politically.
Which of the following situations was NOT considered an economic problem by the writers of the Constitution?
National taxes were too high.
The least healthy, poorest, and least educated racial/ethnic group in the United States is
Native Americans
The worst off of Americaʹs minority groups are
Native Americans.
The least-healthy, the poorest, and the least-educated group in the American mosaic are the
Native-American Indians.
The state that has disproportionate power because it holds the first presidential primary each election year is
New Hampshire
The ________, offered as a proposal at the Constitutional Convention, called for each state to be equally represented in Congress.
New Jersey Plan
Which of the following is NOT true?
No unitary governments are democratic.
Which of the following is established by the written Constitution?
None of these are mentioned in the written Constitution
Which of these is TRUE about the United States Constitution?
None of these are true.
Which of the following statements about taxes is TRUE?
One out of every three dollars earned by an American citizen is used to pay taxes.
Which fo the following is true about cable newscasts?
Only about 11% of the time was used for written and edited news stories.
Which of the following statements about policy agendas is FALSE?
Only government officials develop policy priorities.
Critics of the PAC system are concerned that
PACs may control what the electoral winners do once in office.
Almost all definitions of political parties have which of the following in common?
Parties try to win elections.
Which of the following statements about party realignment is FALSE?
Party realignments were associated with the Civil War and with the Great Depression.
________ has some of the strongest parties in America.
Pennsylvania
The authors of The American Voter would agree with each of the following statements EXCEPT
People who think in ideological terms are most likely to switch parties from one election to the next.
PAC stands for
Political Action Committee.
Which of the following statements about political participation is FALSE?
Political activity is an important part of the everyday life of most Americans.
________ arise when people disagree about a problem or a public policy choice made to combat a problem.
Political issues
Which of the following is NOT a criticism of modern polling?
Polls are subject to very wide margins of error, yet are treated as accurate measurements of public opinion.
The Republicans lost the election of 1932 primarily due to
President Herbert Hooverʹs handling of the Depression.
In 1968 the Democratic party was torn apart, leaving the door to the presidency open for Republican Richard Nixon primarily due to
President Johnsonʹs Vietnam War policies.
_______ is the distribution of the populationʹs beliefs about politics and policy issues.
Public opinion
Which of the following statements about public opinion polling is FALSE?
Public opinion polling is a uniquely American phenomenon.
Which of the following statements about the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is FALSE?
Public opinion polls showed little support for the ERA after 1960.
________ occurs after every census to reallocate the 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives, reflecting shifts in the population of the states and, thus, how many seats each state is allotted.
Reapportionment
The New Deal coalition made the ________ party the minority party for decades.
Republican
Which state boycotted the Constitutional Convention?
Rhode Island
In a famous, televised speech in 1952 to save his vice-presidential candidacy, ________ denied having received illegal gifts and payments, and declared that the family dog, Checkers, though a gift, would not be returned.
Richard Nixon
Which of the following individuals have suggested that pluralist theory is less descriptive of American politics than in the past?
Robert Putnam
A small band of farmers in western Massachusetts took up arms in what is remembered as
Shaysʹ Rebellion.
The ________ Act required that as of 1987, employers document the citizenship or legal immigrant status of their employees, or face substantial criminal penalties for failing to do so.
Simpson-Mazzoli
In what way do weak political parties affect the scope of government?
Since it is harder for them to enact legislation, it is hard for them to either expand or decrease the scope of government.
Which of the following categories is the largest expenditure in the federal budget?
Social Security
The largest item in the United States government budget, consuming more than one-fifth of spending, is
Social Security payments.
________ resulted from an amendment in 1979 to the original Campaign Reform Act, which allows parties to raise and spend money on voter registration and other campaign materials without limits on spending or the size of contributions that they can accept.
Soft money
Which of these was NOT a principle established in the case of McCulloch v. Maryland?
State governments are forbidden spending more money than they raise each year, while there is no such requirement on the national government.
Which of the following statements about television news is FALSE?
Television analysis of news events has been rapidly increasing.
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
The American states have unitary governments.
Which of the following statements about federalism is false?
The American system has always been neatly separated into purely state and purely national responsibilities.
Which of the following statements about the Anti-Federalists is FALSE?
The Anti-Federalists were basically unpatriotic and un-American.
For most newspapers in medium-sized cities and small towns, their principal source for reporting national and world news is
The Associated Press.
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels published
The Communist Manifesto.
The nationʹs most influential newspaper and its unofficial ʺnewspaper of recordʺ is
The New York Times.
Which of the following statements best describes voter turnout in the United States?
The United States has one of the lowest voter turnout rates in the world.
Which of the following is NOT true about categorical grants?
The federal government is less likely to apply conditions to these grants today than in the 1970s.
Which of the following statements about Political Action Committees (PACs) is FALSE?
The influence of PACs is particularly important in presidential campaigns.
Which of the following is NOT a criticism of the current system of presidential primaries and caucuses?
The media do not have enough of a role in this process.
How is a unitary system different from a federal one?
The national government can change the boundaries of states, or abolish them.
Which of the following statements about judicial interpretation is FALSE?
The power of judicial interpretation is explicitly stated in the Constitution
Which of the following statements about Franklin Roosevelt and the news media is FALSE?
The press often reported on Rooseveltʹs health and confinement to a wheelchair.
Which of the following is NOT true about the media in America?
Their skepticism about governmental honesty and efficiency leads them to oppose giving government greater responsibilities.
Which of the following is TRUE about most third-party campaigns in American history?
They almost never win office.
Which of the following is TRUE about most liberals in American politics?
They believe we should guard carefully the rights of defendants in criminal cases.
Which of the following statements about the state governments is accurate?
They carry out virtually all the functions they always have, while the national government has taken on new functions.
88) Which of the following is TRUE of most conservatives in American politics?
They favor free market solutions to problems rather than looking to the government for regulating business.
Which of the following is TRUE about PACs?
They must report their contributions to the Federal Election Commission.
Which of the following statements about third parties in the United States is FALSE?
Third parties are a rare phenomena in American history.
The primary author of the Declaration of Independence was
Thomas Jefferson.
Which of the following is TRUE of political parties in the United States?
To be a member of a party, all you have to do is claim to be one.
Which of these is a linkage institution?
USA Today
Which of the following statements is FALSE?
Voters in primaries and caucuses tend to be representative of voters at large.
What sort of realignment has occurred in the current party era?
a Southern realignment
A political ideology is
a coherent set of values and beliefs about public policy.
A form of governmental structure in which the national government is weak and most or all power is in the hands of its components (e.g., states) is known as
a confederation.
According to G.K. Chesterston, the United States is the only country in the world that is founded on
a creed.
A party era begins, or is made more certain, with
a critical election.
In recent elections, the trends in party identification in the United States have been
a decrease in the percentage of Democrats and an increase in the percentage of Independents.
Right after the Revolutionary War, a dramatic change swept through the new country resulting in
a dramatic increase in democracy and freedom
Television news programs are tailored to
a fairly low level of audience sophistication.
Medicaid is an example of
a federal grant program that puts an economic strain on the states.
129) Today, the national government spends about
a fifth of our gross domestic product.
During the second party system in United States history, Martin Van Buren argued that
a governing party needed a loyal opposition party to represent parts of society that it could not.
If the allocation of power under dual federalism were compared to a cake it would be most like
a layer cake, with two distinct layers.
The policy agenda is
a list of priorities to which government officials address their time and energies.
Realignments are typically associated with
a major crisis or trauma in the nation.
Party outsiders have ________ getting elected in the United States than in other countries.
a much easier time
The failure of the Equal Rights Amendment showed that
a national majority in favor of an amendment is not sufficient to add it to the Constitution.
Unlike Hispanics who have come to America to escape poverty, the recent influx of Asians has been driven by
a new class of professionals looking for greater opportunity.
A partyʹs endorsement to officially run for office as the candidate of that party is called
a nomination.
Ross Perotʹs candidacies for president in 1992 and 1996 were an example of what type of third-party campaign?
a party serving as an extension of one individualʹs candidacy
Nomination for public office is
a partyʹs selection of a candidate
A party era refers to
a period of history in which there is one dominant majority party that wins most elections.
The Declaration of Independence was primarily
a polemic, announcing and justifying a revolution.
The process from above is
a policymaking system.
High-tech politics refers to
a politics in which the behavior of citizens and policymakers is shaped by technology.
At the end of the Revolutionary War,
a postwar depression severely hurt small farmers and many others.
Over the last 125 years the people of the United States have turned increasingly to the national government to solve problems or provide assistance because
a problem or policy often requires the authority and resources of the national government.
Poll results can vary widely if
a question is altered, even slightly.
An interest group so single-minded that its members often vote on only one issue, ignoring a politicianʹs stand on everything else, is known as
a single-issue group.
The McCulloch v. Maryland case dealt with what specific grievance?
a state taxing a national bank
The requirement of a drinking age provision before states can receive federal highway aid is an example of
a string attached to categorical grants.
In general, liberal ideology supports
a strong central government that sets policies to promote equality.
According to Frederick Jackson Turner, the existence of the frontier in American history most directly resulted in
a strong preference for limited government.
Federalism is
a system of shared power by the state and national governments.
Which of the following is LEAST likely to fascinate television news viewers?
a talking head
A political party is best defined as
a team of men and women seeking control of the governing apparatus by gaining office in a duly constituted election.
A political party is
a team of men and women with similar beliefs seeking legitimate control of the government by through elections.
African Americans comprise what proportion of the American population?
about 12 percent
The final major event of each partyʹs national convention, during the last hour or so on the fourth and final night, is the
acceptance speech by the presidential candidate.
The ʺBig Moʺ refers to
achieving momentum in the nomination campaign
Conservatives would tend to favor each of the following EXCEPT
affirmative action.
A very important ground rule concerning the behavior of political action committees is
all expenditures must be meticulously accounted for to the FEC
Iowa and New Hampshire have been especially important in the nomination process over the past several decades because they help candidates to
all of the above
Native Americans tend to be
all of the above
Elite and class theory holds that
all societies are divided along class lines and that an upper-class elite will rule.
Public opinion polls are only estimates because
all surveys have a sampling error.
The separation of powers and the checks and balances established by the Constitution
allow almost all groups some place in the political system where their demands for public policy can be heard.
The impact of TV news is that it
alters the priorities Americans attach to a circumscribed set of problems.
For ________, voting places are randomly selected around the country, and interviewers ask every tenth person how they voted.
an exit poll
One type of linkage institution is
an interest group.
Political culture refers to
an overall set of values widely shared within a society.
Shaysʹ Rebellion was
an uprising by farmers to prevent judges from foreclosing on farms.
Thomas Patterson found that media coverage of presidential candidates changed from a descriptive framework to a(n)
analytical framework.
Most people pay little attention to campaigns,
and have a selective perception about events and candidates.
Project grants
are awarded on the basis of competitive applications.
In most advanced industrialized countries, national campaigns
are limited by law to no more than two months
In setting the broad rules of the game of politics, constitutions
are never neutral; they give some participants advantages over others.
Party realignments in the United States
are rare events in the United States, usually associated with a major national crisis or trauma, in which one partyʹs majority domination is replaced with anotherʹs.
Political issues
arise when people disagree about a problem or public policy choices made to combat a problem.
Federal regulation of state governments is usually accomplished through
attaching conditions to grants it gives them.
A project grant is
awarded on the basis of competitive application.
Most delegates to the Constitutional Convention believed that the secret of good government is a
balanced government.
Serious magazines of political news and opinion are
basically reserved for the educated elite in America.
Most news organizations assign their best reporters to particular ________, which are specific locations where news frequently emanates.
beats
The Declaration of Independence
became one of the most important statements of American political philosophy.
American political parties tend to take middle-of-the-road stands on major issues
because most of the American electorate are centrist.
Over the years, television coverage of national party conventions has
been scaled back.
The partyʹs platform is drafted
before the convention, by a committee whose members are chosen in rough proportion to each candidateʹs strength
At the center of all theories of elite domination of politics is
big business.
The Declaration of Independence was a
bitter attack against the British king for abuses said to have been done to the colonists over a long period of time.
A broad program for community development would most likely be supported through a(n)
block grant
Grants that are given more or less automatically to states or communities, which have discretion in deciding how to spend the money are called
block grants
In contrast to the Democratic Congress of recent decades, the new Republican majority in Congress is passing more federal aid in the form of
block grants
In response to complaints from state and local governments about the paperwork and requirements attached to most grants, Congress has established ________ to support programs in areas like community development and social services.
block grants
Compared to men, women are more likely to
both A and B
In 2000, exit polls received much of the blame for the mediaʹs inaccurate call of the Florida result, but blame could also be placed on
both A and B
A disadvantage of telephone public opinion surveys is
both B and C
Federalism is a way of organizing a nation so that
both national and state levels of government have authority over the same land and people.
________ have usually found the individual state governments to be more sympathetic than the national government to their demands.
business interests
Most polling today is done
by phone.
News coverage of presidential campaigns tends to emphasize
campaign strategies and poll results.
The way in which candidates attempt to manipulate money, the media, and momentum to achieve the nomination is through
campaign strategy
Reapportionment
can dramatically shift political power between the regions.
Most PACs give money to
candidates who already agree with them in the first place.
The main type of federal aid to state and local governments is in the form of
categorical grants
The principal type of federal aid for states and localities is
categorical grants.
The most valuable method for understanding demographic changes in America is the
census.
The system of checks and balances in the Constitution means that
change usually comes slowly, if at all, and moderation and compromise are typical in our political system.
The Supreme Court in Marbury v. Madison (1803) asserted the power of the Court to
check the actions of the other branches through judicial review.
Which of these was NOT among John Lockeʹs key philosophical concepts?
checks and balances
The Madisonian requirement that each branch of government acquire the consent of the others for many of its actions created a system of
checks and balances.
Public policy is defined as
choice that government makes in response to an issue.
Precinct-level presidential caucuses
choose delegates to county caucuses/conventions where delegates to the state convention are selected, then the state convention chooses national convention delegates.
________ is consciously breaking a law that is thought to be unjust.
civil disobedience
In the 1950s and 1960s, the proclamation of statesʹ rights was usually made by those opposing the national governmentʹs efforts in the area of
civil rights for African Americans.
In evaluating American democracy, hyperpluralists
claim that too many influential groups cripple governmentʹs ability to govern.
In the United States, to become a member of a political party you need to
claim to be a member.
Every political party depends upon what the text calls a ________ , meaning a set of individuals or groups supporting it.
coalition
PACs are
committees organized by interest groups to channel money to parties and candidates
After the Persian Gulf War, fifteen major news organizations sent a letter
complaining that the Pentagonʹs rules for reporting the war were designed to control the news.
Many politicians believe that single-issue groups
complicate efforts to seek the middle ground on various issues.
Madisonian principles in the Constitution were based on
concern that government would be dominated by a majority or minority faction.
Which of the following is an example of civil disobedience?
consciously breaking a cityʹs law by purposely blocking entrance to a legally operating abortion clinic
Civil disobedience necessarily involves
consciously breaking a law thought to be unjust.
Informal changes to the Constitution have reflected changes in all of the following EXCEPT
constitutional amendments.
Sidney Verba and his colleagues found that while voter turnout declined between 1967 and 1987,
contacting government officials and giving money to candidates increased.
In ________ federalism, the powers and policy assignments of different levels of government are like a marble cake, with mingled responsibilities and blurred distinctions between layers of government.
cooperative
Over time, there has been a gradual change from a dual federalism to a(n) ________ federalism.
cooperative
The National Defense Education Act, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and the Interstate Highway System are all examples of
cooperative federalism
Federal support for public education is an example of a
cooperative federalism.
Funding for the interstate highway system is an example of
cooperative federalism.
From the late-nineteenth century through the New Deal years, many of Americaʹs largest cities were dominated by
corrupt but popular party machines.
In determining congressional representation and taxation, the Constitution
counted slaves as three-fifths of a person.
A major purpose of the economic provisions in the Constitution was to
create a strong national government so as to bring stability out of economic chaos.
Todayʹs news people work in an environment of ________ toward government.
cynicism
People gradually moving away from both parties is referred to as
dealignment.
Most political coverage by the media during a presidential campaign
deals with the campaign game: whoʹs ahead in the polls, what candidate Xʹs new strategy will be, and speculation.
In terms of organizational structure, American political parties are
decentralized and fragmented.
The federal system
decentralizes our politics.
Regarding the right to vote in national elections, the framers of the Constitution
decided to leave it up to the individual states to determine voter qualifications in their own states.
Loyalty to a political party has ________ over the past thirty years.
decreased
The funds allocated to public financing of presidential campaigns based on income tax check-offs have
decreased substantially.
According to Marc Hetherington, what is the largest impact of declining political trust?
decreased support for programs that address poverty and racial inequality
Since the 1960s, Americansʹ trust in government has
decreased.
Party dealignment means the
decreasing influence of both parties on voters and government.
The British levied new taxes on its North American colonies in the eighteenth century in order to pay for
defending new territories obtained after the French and Indian War.
The Supreme Court case of Gibbons v. Ogden
defined commerce as virtually every form of commercial activity.
In determining the power of Congress to regulate commerce in the case of Gibbons v. Ogden (1824), the Supreme Court
defined commerce very broadly, encompassing virtually every form of commercial activity.
A means of selecting policymakers and or organizing government so that policy represents and responds to the publicʹs preferences is
democracy
Which of the following is NOT a contemporary theory of democracy?
democratic centralism
The science of population changes is
demography
The science of population changes is called
demography.
The foundation of John Lockeʹs philosophy was that human beings
derive their rights from nature.
One way in which conventions are more important than they once were is that they
develop the partyʹs policy positions.
The American Revolution
did not drastically alter the colonistsʹ way of life.
One of the most effective methods of raising money for an election campaign has been the use of
direct mail.
Providing select information and a request for money to lists of people who have supported candidates of similar views in the past is a frequently used political technique known as
direct mail.
According to the Federal Election Campaign Act, candidates must
disclose who contributed to their campaigns, and how the money was spent.
Public opinion analysts agree that the level of public knowledge about politics is
dismally low.
Which of the following is NOT a standard operating procedure of cooperative federalism today?
distinctly separated powers of state and national governments
Since 1968, American politics has been characterized by
divided government.
John Locke believed in each of the following EXCEPT
divine right of kings.
The United States Constitution
does not prescribe the function and structure of government in detail.
For a candidate, the most important and desirable result of the early nomination contests is
doing better than expected, thus winning an image as the partyʹs frontrunner and holder of momentum.
he overriding bias in the news is toward stories that
draw large audiences.
Public opinion polls can weaken democracy by
drowning out election issues with a steady flood of poll results.
In ________ federalism, the powers and policy assignments of the different levels of government are distinct, like a layer cake.
dual
The national government has exclusive control over foreign and military policy, the postal system, and monetary policy, while the states have exclusive control over other specific areas. This division of responsibilities reflects
dual federalism
Since the ratification of the Constitution, American federalism has gradually changed from
dual to cooperative federalism.
If the United States had a multiparty system,
each party would have more distinct policy positions.
In achieving ʺmomentum,ʺ nothing helps a candidate more than
early unexpected primary and caucus victories
Which of the following is NOT one of the cornerstones of an ideal democracy? A) a constitution
economic equality
At the top of the political agenda during the period of the Articles of Confederation was
economic issues.
States are responsible for most public policies dealing with each of the following issues EXCEPT
economic issues.
The Constitutionʹs provision that Congress has the right to ʺmake all laws necessary and proper for carrying into executionʺ its powers is often referred to as the
elastic clause.
Which of the following is most fundamentally critical of American democracy?
elite and class theory
The theory that sees wealth as the basis of power is the
elite and class theory.
The work of the McGovern-Fraser Commission appointed during the turbulent Chicago Convention of 1968 was a reflection of concern over
elite control of the party.
A new approach to reporting introduced during the 2003 Iraq war was to
embed reporters with troops.
Blanket primaries
encourage party loyalty.
Closed primaries
encourage party loyalty.
The media usually report on Americaʹs social problems in a manner that
encourages government to take on more and more tasks.
Political parties perform all of the following tasks EXCEPT
enforce rigid adherence to their policy positions.
To a large extent, television networks define news as what is ________ to viewers.
entertaining
The Constitution states that Congress has the power to establish post offices. This is an example of
enumerated powers.
In 2000, Green party candidate Ralph Nader forced more attention on ________ issues and drew away a small percentage of votes from Al Gore.
environmental
Which of the following federal policies exemplifies the implied powers of Congress?
environmental protection law
The Federalist Papers were
essays in support of ratification of the constitution.
The supremacy clause
establishes the Constitution, laws of the national government, and treaties as the supreme law of the land.
The Constitution prohibited the states from doing each of the following EXCEPT
establishing a republican form of government.
Random sampling in public opinion polling operates on the principle that
everyone should have an equal probability of being selected.
The most important effect of the constitutional amendments has been to
expand liberty and equality.
News management in the Reagan White House operated on each of the following principles EXCEPT
expand reportersʹ access to the president.
Television coverage of the war in Vietnam had the effect of
exposing governmental naivete ́ and lies about the progress of the war.
The constitutional requirement that the states return a person charged with a crime in another state to that state for trial or imprisonment is known as
extradition.
Most of the delegates at the Constitutional Convention regarded what as the greatest threat to government?
factions
Which of the following is most equitably distributed in America?
federal aid to states and cities
Standard operating procedures in cooperative federalism include each of the following EXCEPT
federal funding with no strings attached.
All of the following are examples of how federalism decentralizes our policies EXCEPT
federal income tax.
If the allocation of power in a cooperative federal system were compared to a cake it would be most like
fifty marbled cupcakes.
The media inevitably encourage the growth of government when they
focus on injustice in society.
In cooperative federalism, in order to qualify for federal grant money, cities and states must
follow federal guidelines for adopting and enforcing federal laws.
Soft money consists of money
for voter registration drives and campaign material at the grass-roots level
The election of 1828 that brought Andrew Jackson to the presidency was significant because it
forged a new political coalition.
ʺCritical electionsʺ always result in the
formation of new coalitions for each political party.
Grants for specific programs distributed according to community demographic factors, such as population or income, are
formula grants
Medicaid and Aid for Families with Dependent Children are examples of
formula grants
Programs such as Medicaid and Aid for Families with Dependent Children, where applicants automatically qualify for aid if they meet the requirements, are examples of
formula grants.
Political knowledge
fosters political tolerance
Since 1960, newspaper circulation has declined from one newspaper for every two adults to slightly more than one newspaper for every ________ adults.
four
Each party holds a national convention every
four years.
Power in the major United States political parties is
fragmented among local, state, and national party organizations.
Some scholars have suggested that a consequence of separation of powers and checks and balances has been
fragmented policymaking processes.
After the Revolution, power in the state legislatures shifted
from the wealthy to those with more moderate incomes.
The Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution
fter the ratification process was complete, and partly to fulfill a promise to those who supported ratification.
The Constitution requires that states give ________ to the public acts, records, and civil judicial proceedings of every other state.
full faith and credit
A marriage license issued in one state is valid and honored in all states under the constitutional provision of
full faith and credit.
Contracts between business firms can be enforced across state boundaries as part of the constitutional provision of
full faith and credit.
The fact that a driverʹs license from one state is valid in other states is an example of
full faith and credit.
President Ronald Reagan argued that
government was not the answer to the nationʹs problems, government was the problem.
The main instrument the national government uses to influence state governments is
grants-in-aid
A proportional representation system for electing members to a nationʹs legislature is more likely to lead to a
greater number of political parties holding seats.
According to the classic study, The American Voter, done in the 1950s, most Americans fell into the category of
group benefits voters.
The American Voter study on ideological sophistication among voters in the 1950s showed that a plurality of Americans were
group benefits voters.
Hyperpluralists believe that the dominant player in American politics is
groups.
As one becomes more socialized with age, oneʹs political orientations
grow firmer.
Since 1929, the national governmentʹs share of American governmental expenditures has
grown rapidly
Abraham Lincoln announced in his 1861 inaugural address that he would willingly support a constitutional amendment to
guarantee slavery.
The American Voter study on ideological sophistication among voters in the 1950s showed that only a small percentage of Americans
had a coherent political ideology.
The McGovern-Fraser Commission
had a mandate to make the Democratic party conventions more democratic.
The Madisonian system
has a conservative bias favoring the status quo.
Cable News Network (CNN)
has brought television into a new era of bringing the news to people and political leaders as it happens.
The upsurge of partisan independence among Americans since 1952
has come mostly at the expense of the Democrats.
The average amount of air time that a presidential candidate has been given to talk uninterrupted on the TV news
has declined dramatically since the 1960s.
Since 1960, state party organizations
have become much more powerful and organized.
Superdelegates
have helped restore an element of peer review to the process of choosing a presidential candidate.
Single-issue groups
have little sympathy for compromising.
Running for the Republican presidential nomination in 1980, George Bush, announced in the early going that he had the ʺbig MOʺa reference to the fact that
he had the momentum having won in Iowa
Richard Nixon believed he lost the 1960 presidential election because
he was sweating and had an ugly beard stubble during a debate with Kennedy.
The largest percentage of federal grants to states and localities is in the area of
health
Media coverage of a candidateʹs campaign is a function of
how candidates spend their advertising budget and the ʺfreeʺ attention they get as newsmakers.
Sampling error describes
how close a sample estimate is to the real population value.
The media seem to have the least effect in terms of
how people vote.
A tuition difference between in-state and out-of-state students is an example of
how states make exceptions to the privileges and immunities clause.
The political ʺparty-in-the-electorateʺ is defined as people who
identify with a party.
Donating $200,000 to a political party to help its presidential nominee in somewhat indirect ways is
illegal under the McCain-Feingold Act.
Federal policies to regulate food and drugs, build interstate highways, protect consumers, try to clean up dirty air and water, and do many other things are all justified as ________ of Congress.
implied powers
Federal policies to regulate food and drugs, build interstate highways, and protect consumers are all justified as
implied powers of Congress.
According to the text, public opinion polls are
important because policymakers can keep in touch with changing opinions on the issues.
In John Lockeʹs philosophy, the requirements that standing laws be known and private property be preserved
impose two major limits on government.
The Republicans had a long period as the countryʹs dominant majority party, which ended
in 1932.
Over the last fifty years much of Americaʹs population growth has occurred
in the West and South.
One of the provisions of the McCain-Feingold Act of 2002 was to
increase the limit on individual contributions from $1,000 to $2,000.
Concerns about reliance of pollsters on telephone surveys have recently been caused by
increased use of cell phones.
The proportion of the United States gross national product spent by state and local governments has ________ since 1929.
increased, but not nearly as fast as the national governmentʹs
114) Federalism is advantageous for democracy for each of the following reasons EXCEPT
increases the number of decisions and compromises made at the national level.
Who opposes public financing of campaigns the most?
incumbents
More than any other development in the twentieth century, the rise of television broadcasting has reinforced ________ in the American political process.
individualism
One of the primary reasons for the comparatively small scope of American government is A) liberalism.
individualism.
Which of these is NOT among the factors that tend to lead to the creation of a federal form of government in a country?
industrialization
A study by Shanto Iyengar and Donald Kinder suggested that television news can
influence the criteria by which the public evaluates political leaders.
Trial balloons refer to
information leaked to the media to see what the political reaction will be.
Government is defined as the
institutions and processes through which public policies are made for society
The workings of the federal system are sometimes called
intergovernmental relations.
The use of detective-like reporting methods to unearth scandals is known as
investigative journalism.
The Federal Election Commission
is a bipartisan body responsible for administering campaign finance laws and enforcing compliance with those laws.
Protest
is designed to achieve policy change through dramatic and unconventional tactics.
The weakening of party control over American politics
is in part due to the increasing influence of the media.
Civil disobedience
is intentionally violating a law believed to be unjust in order to bring about change.
According to political scientist Gary Jacobsonʹs research, a Congressional incumbent who spends a tremendous amount of money to get reelected
is more likely to lose.
News is what
is timely and different.
Delegates to the Constitutional Convention generally agreed on each of the following EXCEPT
issues of equality.
Increased technical expertise is a challenge to democracy because
it goes against the tenets of pluralist political theory.
Escalating campaign costs are a challenge to democracy because
it is believed that PAC contributions affect the way members of Congress vote on single issues.
The New Hampshire primary is important because
it is the first primary.
Critics of polling think
it makes politicians more concerned with following than leading.
The American Revolution was different from the French, Russian, and Iranian revolutions in that
it produced little societal change.
The news does not mirror reality because
journalists must select stories that will draw the largest audience.
Two key elements of the Madisonian model were to
keep most of the government beyond the control of a popular majority and separate the powers of different institutions.
One of the major functions of policy advisors in a campaign is to
keep the candidate informed on the issues.
The party national committees
keep the party operating between conventions.
One can predict how the majority of young people will vote simply by
knowing the political leaning of their parents.
Which of the following was NOT one of the economic difficulties the writers of the Constitution attempted to address?
lack of unemployment compensation and welfare payments
Television news coverage characteristically
lacks in-depth analysis.
Four out of five newspaper readers in America read papers owned by
large corporate chains located out of town.
Most television news analysis reports
last less than a minute.
The debate at the Philadelphia Convention over eligibility to vote was resolved by
leaving it up to the individual states.
In proportional representation systems,
legislative seats are allocated according to each partyʹs percentage of the nationwide vote.
Constitutional amendments are usually ratified by
legislatures of three-fourths of the states.
Proponents of a national primary argue that it would do each of the following EXCEPT
lengthen the time of the campaign.
As technology has enabled the media to pass along information with greater speed, news coverage has become
less complete.
The use of PAC money in presidential campaigns is
less important than in Congressional campaigns
Individuals aged 29 and under are
less likely than older individuals to learn about the presidential campaign from a daily newspaper.
In 2004, the average sound bite of a presidential candidate shown talking on the nightly news averaged
less than ten seconds.
In most advanced industrialized countries, election campaigns are
limited by law to no more than two month
In 1995, the Republican majority in Congress, in contrast to previous Democratic Congresses,
limited use of unfunded mandates.
A political party is a key ________ in Americaʹs democratic system.
linkage institution
As ________, political parties serve the role of translating inputs from the public into outputs from policymakers.
linkage institutions
n a democratic society, parties, elections, interest groups and the media are all examples of ________ between the preferences of citizens and the governmentʹs policy agenda.
linkage institutions
American national parties are best described as
loose aggregations of state parties.
The Constitutionʹs supremacy clause
made the Constitution, the laws of the national government, and the national governmentʹs treaties the supreme law of the land.
Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress had the power to
maintain an army and navy.
All of the following are ingredients of a pluralistic democracy EXCEPT
majority rule.
The most fundamental element of democratic theory is
majority rule.
One advantage of the Internet for democracy is that it
makes it easier for citizens to communicate directly with government.
Pluralist theory contends that in the United States
many groups vie for power with no one set of groups dominating.
Which of the following are NOT normally policy entrepreneurs?
mass media
A ________ is staged by a campaign primarily for the purpose of being covered on television and in the press.
media event
Purposely staged activities held in front of the media are called
media events.
Narrowcasting refers to
media programming aimed at a particular (narrow) audience.
There is evidence that when incomes and educational levels are equal
members of minority groups tend to participate more than members of the majority.
A trial balloon is a
method used by public figures of leaking certain stories to reporters to see what the political reaction will be.
Under the Articles of Confederation, power in the states began to shift to the hands of
middle-class farmers and craft workers.
One of the reasons why the participation gap between minority groups and the national average is no longer enormous is because
minorities have a group consciousness that gives them an extra incentive to vote.
Two of the most important principles of democratic theory are majority rule and A) the plurality rule.
minority rights.
A political figure who is in favor of increased military spending, supported freedom of choice on abortion, opposed affirmative action programs, wanted to tax the rich more, and felt the courts should stop coddling criminals is a
mixture of liberal and conservative.
Americaʹs ________ society makes it more sensible to have Social Security administered on a national rather than a state-by-state basis.
mobile
Most Americans are
moderate.
The American two-party system promotes
moderation in conflict and ambiguous policy positions.
Soft money is
money donated to parties rather than candidates, thus not subject to contribution or spending limits.
Throughout American history, presidential campaigns have become
more and more democratic.
According to the text, Ronald Reaganʹs presidency was characterized by
more concern and energy devoted to the presidentʹs media appearances than in any other administration.
Compared to the government under the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution gave the central government
more economic powers.
The amendments that have been added to the Constitution have made it
more egalitarian and democratic.
In a 2002 survey of 1,149 journalists,
more were found to identify themselves as Democrats than as Republicans.
The rapid growth of the national government is largely due to the fact that
most problems and policies require the authority and resources of the national government.
With the advent of television
multiballot conventions died
Extradition is the requirement that states
must return a person charged with a crime in another state to that state for trial or imprisonment.
Under the Madisonian model, people desiring change
must usually have a sizable majority.
The day-to-day activities of the national party are the responsibility of the
national chairperson.
Keeping the party operating between conventions is the job of the
national committee.
From clean-air legislation to welfare reforms, the states constitute a ________ to develop and test public policies and share the results with other states and the national government.
national laboratory
The Democratic and Republican candidates for president are formally nominated by the
national party conventions.
John Lockeʹs ideas on natural rights were related to human law in that
natural rights were considered higher than human law.
Ratification of the Constitution
needed the approval of nine states.
Since Kennedy,
news coverage of presidential candidates has become increasingly less favorable.
Critics of a national primary argue that
no candidate would receive a majority, thus a run-off election would be needed
According to the categories used in the classic study, The American Voter, those who voted for a party out of routine, or judged candidates strictly by their personalities were classified as
no-issue-content voters.
A(n) ________ is a partyʹs official selection of a candidate to run for office
nomination
Liberals tend to
none of the above
The McCain-Feingold Act of 2002 did all of the following EXCEPT
none of the above
Which is a linkage institution?
none of the above
Which of the following statements about the New Hampshire presidential primary is FALSE?
none of the above
In general, magazines are
not a major source of news in the United States.
By eighteenth-century standards, life was ________ for most people in the United States at the time of the Revolution.
not bad
The fact that candidates must tailor their appeals to the particular interest of each major state tends to result in
numerous campaign promises adding up to new government programs.
The familyʹs role in political socialization is central because
of its monopoly on time and emotional commitment.
Voters in presidential primaries and caucuses tend to be
older and more affluent than the United States population as a whole
An exit poll is taken
on election day, by interviewing voters as they leave the polling place.
By custom, the vice-presidential nominee is chosen
on the basis of the presidential nomineeʹs recommendation
Party eras in American politics are periods of time in which
one party dominates.
Over a third of Americaʹs wealth is owned by
one percent of the population.
Of all the funds spent by state and local governments, federal aid accounts for about
one-fourth.
The United States government owns ________ of the land in the United States
one-third
If the exact same methods are used to update the analysis of The American Voter study, one finds
only some increase in the percentage of ideologues in 1988 compared to 1956.
The government designed at the Constitutional Convention allowed the voters to directly elect
only the House of Representatives.
In closed primaries,
only voters who have registered in advance with the party can vote.
Today, state presidential caucuses are
open to all registered party voters, or those who claim party allegiance in states with no party registration.
Following the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 1968, the party chose to
open up its process of choosing delegates to the national convention in order to respond to demands for greater inclusion from women, minorities, youth, and other groups.
Recent public opinion polls have shown that most Americans
oppose the idea of big government in principle, but favor it in practice.
The first American political party evolved
out of Alexander Hamiltonʹs efforts to get Congress to establish a national bank.
How many governments are there in the United States?
over 100,000
Critics of the primary and caucus system point to the fact that
participation in primaries and caucuses is unrepresentative of the public at large.
At the beginning of party development in the United States,
parties sought to destroy each other.
Over the past thirty years, there has been a marked rise in
party neutrality.
A critical election involves and accelerates a process called
party realignment.
According to the ʺthree-headed political giantʺ model of political parties, the largest component of an American party is the
party-in-the-electorate.
Party machines in large cities relied primarily on ________ to reward friends and punish enemies.
patronage
The selective perception of most voters means that they
pay most attention to things they already agree with, and interpret events according to their own predispositions.
Public opinion polls have shown that
people are more likely to recognize slogans from TV commercials than famous political figures.
The view of human nature most prevalent among the Founding Fathers was that
people are self-interested in acquiring wealth and power.
The Declaration of Independence argued that
people should revolt when they suffer deep injustices.
Research has shown that the cost of American election campaigns is
per person, about the same as a DVD movie.
The 1974 Federal Election Campaign Act
placed legal limits on presidential campaign spending.
Robert Putnamʹs claim that Americans are now ʺbowling aloneʺ is a criticism
pluralism.
American government is viewed most positively by the
pluralist theory
Which of the following takes the most positive view of democracy in the United States? A) democratic centralism
pluralist theory
The theory that argues that group competition results in a rough approximation of the public interest in public policy is
pluralist theory.
A system in which many groups make themselves heard and felt somewhere in the policy process is
pluralistic.
Those who argue that the United States is in the midst of a culture war argue that Americans are becoming increasingly
polarized.
The ________ is the list of subjects or problems to which government officials, and people outside of government closely associated with those officials, are paying some serious attention to at any given time.
policy agenda
The list of problems to which political leaders are paying serious attention is a(n)
policy agenda.
People who invest their political ʺcapitalʺ in a particular issue are often called
policy entrepreneurs.
According to the text, the diversity of political interests in America is resulting in
policy gridlock.
The ability of groups to prevent the government from taking actions adverse to their interests leads to what the text calls
policy gridlock.
The effects a policy has on people and problems is called
policy impacts.
PAC is an acronym for
political action committee.
The overall set of shared values in a society is known as
political culture.
A ________ is a coherent set of values and beliefs about public policy.
political ideology
One of the effects of growing older on political learning and political behavior is that
political participation increases with age.
The policymaking institutions of the American national government include all of the following EXCEPT
political parties.
The development of the two-party system is an example of informal constitutional change through
political practice.
The presidential primary was begun in the early twentieth century, most strongly pushed by
political reformers who wanted to take nominations out of the hands of party bosses
Governments throughout the world use the schools to help with the ________ of young people.
political socialization
The process through which an individual acquires his or her particular political orientations, including his or her knowledge, feelings, and evaluations regarding his or her political world, is known as
political socialization.
Agenda setting effects are especially strong for the
politically knowledgeable who trust the media.
Many political scientists believe that
politicians overestimate the power of how important a good campaign is to victory
Voter turnout matters because
politicians pay more attention to those who vote than to those who do not vote
Which of the following groups would be LEAST likely to vote in a typical election?
poor white voters
Among the factors that contributed to economic turmoil under the Articles of Confederation was the
postwar depression that left many small farmers unable to pay their debts and threatened mortgage foreclosures.
A unitary system is a way of organizing government so that
power is concentrated in a central government.
The 1960 presidential debate between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy illustrates the
power of television in American politics.
Each of the following is considered a disadvantage of federalism for democracy EXCEPT
powerful interests in a state can use the state as a power base to promote their interests
Federalism is
practiced by fewer than 20 nations worldwide.
The ʺresponsible partyʺ model holds that parties should
present clear alternatives to voters.
John Locke believed that the ʺend of governmentʺ was
preservation of property.
The first televised ________ occurred during the 1960 presidential campaign.
presidential debate
Today, a majority of the delegates to the national convention are selected through
presidential primaries.
The member of a presidential campaign who helps reporters make their deadlines with stories that the campaign would like to see reported is the
press secretary
The Republican party began as the
principal anti-slavery party.
The first daily newspaper in America was
printed in Philadelphia in 1783.
The bottom line that shapes how journalists define the news, where they get the news, and how they present it is
profits.
The most common type of categorical grant is
project grants.
Thomas Jeffersonʹs phrase ʺlife, liberty, and the pursuit of happinessʺ was a modification of John Lockeʹs phrase ʺLife, liberty, and ________.ʺ
property
In many other democracies, the system of awarding seats in the national legislature, unlike in the United States, is one of
proportional representation.
The sole purpose of government, according to John Locke, was to
protect natural rights.
Governments in the modern world, whether democratic or not, are similar in doing all of the following EXCEPT
protecting citizensʹ civil liberties.
Opposition to ratification of the Constitution was based on the belief that it would
provide for elite control, endanger liberty, and weaken the states.
Which of the following did the Federal Election Campaign Act NOT do?
provide public financing of House and Senate races
All governments
provide public goods and socialize citizens into the political and social system.
All governments...
provide services.
Federalism contributes to democracy by each of the following ways EXCEPT
providing a means for unified public policy.
All of the following are parts of the policymaking system EXCEPT
public goods.
Things that are indivisible, nonexclusive, and that everyone can share are called
public goods.
A choice that government makes in response to some issue on its agenda is called
public policy.
Following the 1964 election,
public trust in government dropped significantly.
Media events are
purposely staged events held in front of the media.
Caucuses are usually organized like
pyramids
Samples of public opinion today are usually selected through
random digit dialing.
Today, most polling is done through
random digit dialing.
The key to the accuracy of public opinion polls is
random sampling.
The theory that seeks to explain political processes and outcomes as consequences of purposive behavior is called the
rational-choice theory.
Demographic changes in the United States population could translate to political consequences through the process of
reapportionment.
The Constitutional Convention dealt with slavery by
recognizing it by providing for the return of escaped slaves.
During the 1992 election campaign, CBS News promised to ________, but then changed its policy when it proved to be unworkable.
reform the sound bite process
The watchdog orientation of the press can be characterized as
reformist.
Only the national government is allowed to
regulate commerce with foreign nations.
Which of the following have been found to be most successfully affected by campaigns?
reinforcement and activation
Campaigns are most effective in
reinforcing existing preferences toward candidates
n order to put the national economy on sound footing, the Constitution obligated the new government to ________ all the government debts incurred under the Continental Congress.
repay
Up until the presidency of Franklin Roosevelt,
reporters submitted their questions to presidents in writing.
The Simpson-Mazzoli Act
represented a crackdown on illegal aliens by requiring that employers document the citizenship or legitimate immigrant status of workers or pay stiff fines.
The Federal Election Campaign Act
required all candidates for federal office to disclose all contributions made to their campaigns.
The Simpson-Mazzoli Act
required employers to document the citizenship of their employees.
The Connecticut Compromise at the Constitutional Convention
resolved the impasse between those who favored the New Jersey Plan and those who preferred the Virginia Plan.
In cooperative federalism,
responsibilities are mingled and distinctions are blurred between the levels of government.
Advocates of the ________ believe that parties should present distinct, comprehensive programs for governing the nation and carry them out.
responsible party model
The primary goal of the American Revolution was to
restore rights the colonists felt were already theirs as British subjects.
The watchdog orientation of the press helps to
restrict politicians.
Presidential nominating conventions have not required more than one ballot to choose the partyʹs official nominee since 1952, largely due to the
role of television, and the desire of both parties to unite behind one candidate in advance in order to present a show of harmony, rather than bickering, to those who tune in.
One recently controversial application of the ʺfull faith and creditʺ provision of the Constitution is for
same gender marriages.
Because it would be prohibitively expensive to ask every citizen his or her opinion on a whole range of issues, polls rely on what is called a(n) ________ of the population.
sample
A relatively small proportion of people who are chosen as representative of the whole is called a(n)
sample.
The level of confidence about a public opinion poll is referred to as
sampling error
The most obvious intrusion of the government into Americaʹs socialization is through
schooling.
The vice-presidential nominee is usually
selected by the delegates as something of a formality, as the vast majority always vote for whomever the presidential nominee picks.
Which of the following factors weaken political campaignsʹ effects on voters?
selective perception, party identification, and incumbent name recognition
Which of the following does NOT characterize the standard operating procedure of cooperative federalism today? A) federal guidelines
separate and distinct roles for the national and state governments
Critics of the ʺminimal effects hypothesisʺ about the mediaʹs effect on public opinion point to the mediaʹs role in
shaping what priority Americans attach to problems.
The election of 1896 is considered a watershed because it
shifted the party coalitions and entrenched the Republicans in power for another generation.
Sound bites are
short clips of a political speech lasting fifteen seconds or less.
draw large audiences.
shot of a person speaking directly into the television camera.
After the American Revolution, state legislatures were composed of
significantly more middle-class representatives and fewer wealthy members compared to before the war.
In 2004 almost three-fourths of the Republican and Democrat delegates were chosen within ________ of the New Hampshire primary.
six weeks
A policy entrepreneur is
someone who works to get ideas on the governmentʹs policy agenda.
A public good is defined as
something in which any member of society can share.
A catchy line is what is most important for a
sound bite.
Rather than cover entire speeches by political figures, television news typically provides ________ of fifteen seconds or less.
sound bites
The Constitution was ratified by
special conventions in each of the states.
Ratification of the Constitution was done by
special conventions in each state.
he enumerated powers of Congress and the national government are those
specifically spelled out in the Constitution.
The relationship between campaign spending and electoral success is that
spending more than your opponent does not assure victory
The term gender gap refers to
stable pattern where women tend to be more likely than men to vote Democratic.
A media event is
staged primarily for the purpose of being covered by the press.
Expansions of mandated programs by the national government present especially difficult funding problems for
state and local governments.
26) The supremacy clause of the Constitution states that all of the following are the supreme law of the land, EXCEPT
state constitutions.
Sometimes states tackle problems that are generally considered national problems. This is most likely to occur when the federal government acts in a way that most state residents do not like. An example of this is
state funding for stem cell research in California.
Business interests have traditionally found their demands received most favorably by
state governments
The dates of the different presidential primaries and delegate allocations are established by
state laws.
The rules determining the way in which the primaries are set up and the delegates are allocated are made by
state legislatures and state parties.
In post-Revolutionary America, state governors were often selected by
state legislatures.
Under the Articles of Confederation, most power rested with the
state legislatures.
Today, most delegates to each major partyʹs national convention are chosen by
state presidential primaries
Enumerated powers are those that are
stated in the Constitution.
The Supreme Court case of McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
stated that the Constitution gave Congress implied powers.
In dual federalism,
states and the national government each remain supreme within their own spheres.
The primary thrust of the original intent and wording of the Tenth Amendment is that
states have certain powers that the national government cannot encroach upon.
The Tenth Amendment
states that powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by the states, are reserved for the states.
When journalists select stories to cover, the overriding bias is toward
stories that will draw the largest audience.
The nature of groups and the government in hyperpluralist theory is
strong groups and weak government.
In Buckley v. Valeo (1976), the Supreme Court
struck down the part of the Federal Election Campaign Act that restricted the amount individuals could contribute to their own campaign.
Most news coverage is perhaps best described as
superficial.
News coverage by the print and broadcast media is generally
superficial.
Lockean thought and the Declaration of Independence are similar in that both
support the concept of natural rights and the idea that government be built on the consent of the governed.
In states with caucuses
supporters of candidates try to get elected as delegates through a pyramid of meetings
Each of the following violations of individual rights is forbidden in the original Constitution EXCEPT
suspension of freedom of speech.
Reporters and their official sources usually have a(n) ________ relationship.
symbiotic
A shot of a personʹs face speaking directly into the television camera is known as a
talking head.
Which of the following was NOT a source of revenue for the United States government under the Articles of Confederation?
taxes levied by the Continental Congress
The ʺpower of the fewʺ in the United States today is likely to refer to
technical experts.
The largest expenditure in a campaign budget for the presidency or a statewide office today would almost certainly be
television advertising
A study of major party platforms by Gerald Pomper found that the parties broke their promises
ten percent of the time.
By constitutional requirement, the government conducts the United States Census every
ten years
The United States Constitution requires that the government conduct an ʺactual enumerationʺ of the population every
ten years.
Compared to most other democratic systems, nominations and campaigns in the United States
tend to be more open.
PACs may control what the electoral winners do once in office.
tend to support those who agree with them in the first place.
Political candidates make many promises when running for office. In electing one, the public can expect
that for every broken promise, many more will be kept.
What bothers politicians most about the rising costs of high-tech campaigning is
that fund-raising has come to take up so much of their precious time, distracting them from legislation
On the issue of slaves, the Constitution specified
that slaves would count as three-fifths persons for counting the nationʹs population and determining seats in the House.
Recent presidential elections have shown
that voters are less interested in ideology or issue positions than in candidate traits such as competence and integrity.
With over 2,700 reporters, photographers and editors, ________ has more news gathering ability than any other news organization.
the Associated Press
Who issued the Declaration of Independence?
the Continental Congress
The Articles of Confederation were adopted by
the Continental Congress.
The British government stepped up its controls over the American colonies with new taxes and stronger commerce regulations right after
the French and Indian War.
Reapportionment occurs after every census to reallocate seats in
the House of Representatives.
During the colonial period,
the King and Parliament generally confined themselves to governing the coloniesʹ foreign and trade policies.
The opening up of the process to choose delegates to the Democratic National Convention in the immediate aftermath of 1968 was spearheaded by
the McGovern-Fraser Commission.
The Depression of the 1930s gave rise to what is called
the New Deal coalition.
From 1968 to 1992,
the Republicans dominated the presidency while the Democrats dominated Congress.
In elections since 1968,
the Republicans have dominated the presidency, while the Democrats have dominated the Congress.
Between 1990 and 2000,
the Sunbelt continued to experience rapid population growth.
Which of the following is an example of a confederation?
the United Nations
In our federal system, the powers of the state governments are ultimately granted by
the United States Constitution.
Television became especially important in bringing the reality of ________ home to America as its first heavily televised war.
the Vietnam War
The cozy relationship between politicians and the press ended when
the Vietnam War and Watergate soured the press on government.
The cozy relationship between politicians and the press in the twentieth century lasted until
the Vietnam War and Watergate.
The efforts of Candy Lightner and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) to raise the legal drinking age to 21 are an example of
the ability of the national government to influence state policy.
The principal source of news and information for most Americans today is
the broadcast media.
The principle source of news and information in the United States is
the broadcast media.
Who is the most likely to visit a candidateʹs web site?
the candidateʹs supporters
People who worry about PACs are most especially concerned about
the close connection between money and politics.
Reflecting the natural rights philosophy, the Declaration of Independence stated that governments derive their just powers from
the consent of the governed.
Representation refers to
the correspondence between the few leaders and the many followers in a democracy.
According to Russell Neuman, the paradox of mass politics is that the American political system works as well as it does given
the discomforting lack of public knowledge about politics.
Public opinion is defined in the text as
the distribution of the populationʹs beliefs about politics and policy.
Spending on public education illustrates
the diversity in the quality of education among states as a result of federalism.
The first party system (1796-1824) was characterized by
the dominance of the Democratic-Republican party.
According to hyperpluralists, the increasing caseloads of federal and state courts demonstrate
the expanding scope of government in the United States.
A number of states have sued the federal government for reimbursement of funds on the grounds that
the federal government isnʹt preventing illegal immigration into their states.
Which of the following was NOT a reason for the Democratic party adding superdelegates to its national nominating conventions?
the insistence of the McGovern-Fraser Commission to have superdelegates play a major veto-like role
Random sampling is considered
the key to the accuracy of opinion polls.
Which of the following was NOT a problem with the national government under the Articles of Confederation?
the lack of power given to state legislatures
If public opinion analysts agree about anything it is that
the level of public knowledge about politics is dismally low.
In the 1976 case of Buckley v. Valeo, the Supreme Court ruled that
the limitation on the amount of money persons could contribute to their own election campaigns violated free speech, and was unconstitutional.
According to many observers, ʺthe new parentʺ in the socialization process has become
the mass media.
Most of the money spent on presidential campaigns these days is spent on
the media
Agenda-setting effects on public opinion are an example of how
the media cue individuals about what political issues are important to think about. D) the media have a liberal bias.
Critics of primaries and caucuses contend that the presidential ʺkingmakersʺ are now
the media.
The earliest survey studies of the effect of the media on public opinion, which evaluated its impact on voting behavior, offered
the minimal effects hypothesis.
The supreme power within each of the parties is
the national convention.
In the Constitution, the powers to coin money, to enter into treaties, and to regulate commerce with foreign nations and among the states were given to
the national government.
The first two weeks of the Constitutional Convention were spent debating
the nature of republican government.
The key spokespersons for political parties come from which of its major components?
the party-in-government
The largest segment of an American political party is described as
the party-in-the-electorate.
In the description of political parties as ʺthree-headed political giants,ʺ which of the following is NOT considered one of those three heads?
the party-out-of-power
Fiscal federalism is
the pattern of spending, taxing, and providing grants in the federal system.
Populism emphasizes
the people.
The process of selecting Americaʹs leaders has almost no downtime before it revs up all over again. This is referred to as
the permanent campaign
Prior to the 1930s,
the president was rarely directly questioned by the media.
The chairperson of the party that controls the White House is normally selected by
the president.
In Annapolis, Maryland, in 1786, delegates from five states met to discuss
the problems of the national government under the Articles of Confederation.
Political socialization is defined as
the process through which an individual acquires his or her particular political orientations.
Few developments have changed American politics as much as
the proliferation of presidential primaries.
A pollster using a representative sample of 1,500 Americans finds that 52 percent support candidate X and 48 percent support candidate Y. The pollsterʹs conclusion should be that
the race is too close to call because of a possible sampling error.
Party dealignment is symbolized by
the recent pattern of divided government.
The McGovern-Fraser Commission was set up to reform
the rules for selecting delegates to the Democratic National Convention.
The 1936 Literary Digest poll underestimated the vote for President Franklin Roosevelt by 19 percent because
the sample was drawn from telephone books and motor-vehicle records.
Under the Articles of Confederation most governmental power rested in
the state governments.
Almost every policy the national government has adopted has originated with
the states.
Laws that directly regulate abortion, drinking ages, marriage and divorce, or sexual behavior are policy prerogatives that belong to
the states.
In its McCulloch v. Maryland decision, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of
the supremacy of the national government over the states.
Which of these is NOT considered a challenge to democracy by the textbook?
the tendency of the American political system to change rapidly
Which of the following would NOT be considered a contemporary challenge to American democracy?
the threat of communism
An issue that became controversial regarding the 1990 census was
the undercount of minority groups.
Political protest is
the use of unconventional and dramatic actions to achieve policy change.
After the Revolution, James Madison observed that ʺthe most common and durable source of faction has been
the various and unequal divisions of property.ʺ
Rational-choice theory asserts that
the wise party selects policies that are widely favored.
Voters and coalitions of voters are attracted to different parties largely by
their performance and policies.
The American political parties fall far short of the responsible party model for all of the following reasons EXCEPT
their presidential candidates ignore the party platform.
Compared to 1952, recent polls on party identification have shown that
there are more independents than there are Democrats or Republicans.
According to Herbert Alexanderʹs ʺdoctrine of sufficiency,ʺ
there is a minimum amount of money that candidates must spend to have a chance at winning.
When the First Amendment was written guaranteeing freedom of the press,
there was virtually no daily press in this country.
When people vote according to the nature of the times,
they are more interested in results than ideology and judge presidents by results
The delegates to the Constitutional Convention did not worry about preserving individual rights for all of the following reasons EXCEPT
they included a bill of rights in Article V.
In 1936, the Literary Digest wrongly predicted the defeat of President Franklin Roosevelt, having polled over two million people. The problem was
they polled too many people who were not an accurate representation of the American electorate.
The fact that the former Republican majority in Congress prefers block grants to categorical grants indicates that
they want the federal government to exercise less authority over the states.
Critically affecting the electoral college vote, bringing new issues to the public agenda, and venting popular discontent are important roles played by
third parties in a two-party system.
Nationwide, the fastest growing age group is composed of
those over 65 years old.
The addition of superdelegates to the Democratic national conventions was spearheaded by
those who felt the McGovern-Fraser Commission had opened up the delegate selection process too much.
Following the first Nixon-Kennedy presidential debate of 1960, opinion polls showed that
those who watched on television thought Kennedy had won, while those who listened over the radio thought Nixon won.
The hydraulic theory says that money always finds a way to get around legal obstacles. Thus, when the soft money loophole was closed, how did money continue to find its way into political campaigns?
through 527 Groups
The primary goal of the American Revolution was
to restore the colonistsʹ rights as British subjects.
What was the original, sole, and express purpose of the convention in Philadelphia?
to revise the Articles of Confederation
The power to directly regulate such things as drinking ages, marriage and divorce, and sexual behavior has been granted
to state governments.
Hyperpluralists would argue that
too many influential groups cripple governmentʹs ability to govern.
Linkage institutions
translate inputs from the public into outputs from the policymakers.
Public officials often leak ________ to reporters to see what the political reaction will be.
trial balloons
A study by the Los Angeles Times in the mid-1980s found that reporters were ________ as likely to call themselves liberal as the general public.
twice
According to the Constitution, each state was entitled to how many senators?
two
o propose a formal amendment to the Constitution, one needs to have a
two-thirds vote in Congress.
The governmentʹs responses in the wake of Hurricane Katrina
underscores the complexity of American federalism.
The Founding Fathers believed that a major source of political conflict was the
unequal distribution of property.
According to James Madison and many of the delegates at the Constitutional Convention, what is the primary source of political conflict?
unequal distribution of wealth
Most of the governments in the world today are ________, in which all power resides in the central national government.
unitary
On the whole, federal grant distribution follows the principle of
universalism.
In a winner-take-all system,
unless a party wins, there is no reward for the votes it gets.
Political parties are an important example of the
unwritten constitution.
Which of the following was NOT occurring in the states during the time of the Articles of Confederation?
upper-class dominance
Between the 1930s and the 1960s, people attracted to the Democratic party included
urban working classes and intellectuals.
A party machine is a kind of local party organization that
uses specific and material inducements to win party loyalty and power.
As a result of our federal form of government, the death penalty in the United States
varies substantially by state.
The policy positions stated in party platforms are
very important because nearly three-fourths of them result in policy action when the party is in power.
The Supreme Court case of Printz v. United States
voided the congressional mandate in the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act requiring local community officials to conduct background checks on prospective gun purchasers.
There is a tremendous gap between youth and the elderly in all of the following EXCEPT
volunteering
Historically disadvantaged groups tend to
vote Democratic.
When compared with the rest of the world, America has a relatively low
voter turnout in elections.
In open primaries,
voters may choose on election day which party primary they want to participate in.
In blanket primaries,
voters may vote for candidates from either party.
Ticket-splitting refers to
voting for one party for one office, and another party for other offices.
The most common form of political participation in the United States is
voting in presidential elections.
Ticket-splitting is best understood as
voting with one party for one office and another for other offices.
The Anti-Federalists believed that the new constitution
was an enemy of freedom and designed to give control of the government to a rich elite.
The American Revolution
was an essentially conservative movement that did not drastically alter the colonistsʹ way of life.
Patronage
was an inducement of jobs and financial rewards given for political reasons by party machines.
At the time of the constitutional convention, slavery
was illegal only in Massachusetts.
The Whig party
was only able to win the presidency when it nominated aging, but popular, military heroes.
Conventions are not as important as they once were in that
we know who is going to win the presidential nomination before the convention meets.
The United States government under the Articles of Confederation can best be described as
weak and ineffective.
The McGovern-Fraser Commission made the delegate selection process of the Democratic party more democratic by
weakening the power of party leaders to choose convention delegates.
Which of the following groups was NOT part of the New Deal coalition?
wealthy New Englanders
After the Revolution, a major power shift occurred in the states from ________ to ________.
wealthy individuals; broad middle class
Those who met at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 were
wealthy planters, lawyers, and merchants.
During the first Persian Gulf War, reporters
were denied freedom of movement and had only limited access to accurate military information on a timely basis.
The writers of the United States Constitution A) were distrustful of democracy.
were distrustful of democracy.
A key question that confronts government regarding different public policy choices is A) whether an appropriate linkage institution is willing to frame a policy.
whether or not government should do anything about them.
Which of these was NOT one of the big three disagreements at the Constitutional Convention?
whether the courts should have the power of judicial review
Politics is defined by Harold Lasswell as
who gets what, when, and how.
To be the presidential candidate of a major political party, a person must
win a majority of the delegates at the partyʹs national convention
The specific goal of the presidential nomination game is to
win the majority of delegate votes in order to win the party nomination
The ʺparty-in-governmentʺ refers to
winning candidates who become the main spokespersons for the party that nominated them.
The Associated Press is an example of a
wire service.
Parties and interest groups
work hard to get the issues they want on the policy agenda.
At the turn of the century, newspaper magnates Joseph and William Randolph Hearst ushered in the era of
yellow journalism.
Newspaper magnates Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst tried to outdo one another in sensational reporting of wars, violence, corruption, and gossip around the turn of the twentieth century in what is now remembered as the era of
yellow journalism.
Both authoritarian and democratic political systems seek to teach citizens, especially youth, the positive aspects of their political systems because
youth will then grow up to be supportive citizens.
During the American Revolution, Patrick Henry said
ʺGive me liberty or give me death.ʺ
