GOV SEMESTER 1 REVIEW

Brutus 1

(Anti Federalist) - Objects to the Constitution. The Constitution gives immense power to the Federal government, which requires the people to sacrifice liberties. Argues that a Bill of Rights is necessary

Federalist #78

(Hamilton) - Argues that the Federal Courts have the duty to determine whether acts of Congress are constitutional - Judicial Review

Federalist #51

(Madison) - "The Structure of the Government Must Furnish the Proper Checks & Balances Between the Branches of Government"

Federalist #10

(Madison) - Argues that a larger representative government will be able to control the damaging effects of factions

Brown v. Board of Edu.

14th Amendment (equal protection clause) - "separate but equal" has no place in education

Engel v. Vitale

1st Amendment (Establishment Clause). It is unconstitutional for state officials to compose an official school prayer & encourage its recitation in public schools

Wisconsin v. Yoder

1st Amendment (Free Exercise Clause) Prohibited the state of Wisconsin to require Amish children to attend public school past 8th grade

Tinker v. Des Moines

1st Amendment (Free speech/expression) Public schools cannot block students 1st amendment rights unless it creates a "substantial disruption"

NY Times v. U.S.

1st Amendment (Press) Limited 'prior restraint" of the press

Schenck v. U.S.

1st Amendment (Speech) Limited free speech in times of war. Created a precedent that 1st guarantees were not absolute

Citizens United v. FEC

1st Amendment - Laws preventing corporations & unions from using their general treasury funds for independent "electioneering communications" violated the 1st Amendment

McDonald v. Chicago

2nd & 14th Amendments - The right of an individual to "keep and bear arms" is incorporated by the due process clause of the 14th.

Gideon v. Wainwright

6th Amendment (right to counsel) "Gideon rule" guarantee of counsel for all felony cases

Roe v. Wade

9th Amendment - State may not deny a woman an abortion in the 1st 3 months of pregnancy

Which of the following public policies is best supported by the notion of free enterprise?

After a review, the Federal Trade Commission approving a corporate merger of cable providers

Which of the following is the best example of devolution?

Block grants, by which money from the national government is given to the states for discretionary use with broad guidelines

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates delegated discretionary authority?

Congress giving the Environmental Protection Agency the power to establish national pollution standards

McCulloch v. Maryland

Congress has implied powers from those listed in Article I section 8. National powers supreme over states

Which of the following is an example of Congress using its implied powers?

Congress passing occupational safety regulations for the private sector

A public school district implemented a policy that allowed students to vote on whether they wanted a student-led prayer to be read at football games. This policy was later found to be unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court. Which of the following clauses did the policy most likely violate?

Establishment clause

Which of the following Supreme Court cases established that those accused of felonies who cannot afford legal counsel are entitled to legal counsel provided by the state?

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

Which of the following ideals of democracy is reflected in the procedure for apportionment in the House of Representatives?

Government is based on the consent of the governed.

Lopez v. U.S.

Gun-Free School Zone Act is unconstitutional. Congress had exceeded its authority under the Commerce Clause

Federalist #70

Hamilton) - Argues for a strong executive leader as opposed to the weak executive under the Articles of Confederation. "Energy in the Executive is the leading character in the definition of good government"

Which of the following is an example of congressional oversight?

Holding hearings for review of an executive agency's activities

A member of Congress who advocates for a more Keynesian approach to solving a recession will likely support which of the following policies?

Increasing federal spending on infrastructure programs

Advocates of shifting the task of drawing United States House districts from state legislatures to independent commissions are likely to claim which of the following as an advantage of independent commissions?

Independent commissions significantly reduce the influence of partisan gerrymandering in the redistricting process.

Which of the following best describes the federal budget?

It is a document that announces how much the government expects to collect in taxes and how expenditures will be allocated on various programs.

On November 2, 2014, a Gallup poll reported that 51 percent of Americans support legalizing marijuana, while 47 percent oppose legalization. The reported margin of sampling error was +/- 4 percent. Which of the following inferences can be made from the poll?

It is unclear whether more people support marijuana legalization than oppose it.

In May of 2015, a federal appeals court ruled that the National Security Agency's collection of Americans' phone records was in violation of the USA PATRIOT Act. Which of the following core values are involved in the national debate regarding the surveillance program referred to in this scenario?

Liberty versus stability and order

Which of the following is the best example of a categorical grant?

Money given to states for special education programs

Jim Crow laws, still in place in the early 1960s in the South, were outlawed by the

Passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act

Which of the following describes the ruling in Shaw v. Reno (1993) ?

Racial gerrymandering was ruled unconstitutional.

Baker v. Carr

Redistricting issues present justiciable questions. Thus enabling Federal courts to intervene and decide redistricting

The voters in Country A elect legislators who make policy decisions on their behalf. Which of the following terms best describes Country A?

Representative democracy

Shaw v. Reno

Ruled that race cannot be the predominant factor in creating districts

Which of the following is most important for getting an accurate measure of public opinion in a survey?

Selecting a random sample

In Gideon v. Wainwright, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the

Sixth Amendment right-to-counsel provision applies to those accused of major crimes under state laws

What was the result of the Great Compromise?

States were represented in the Senate, and individuals were represented in the House of Representative

How did the Antifederalists differ from the Federalists?

The Antifederalists believed that a strong central government would be too distant from the people.

In America, a good deal of funding for local public schools is tied to those schools' ability to follow guidelines and requirements established by the Department of Education. This arrangement is likely to raise fears about which of the following?

The power of the national government

Concurrent powers have which of the following effects on the United States political system?

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

Which of the following is true of independent regulatory agencies?

They tend to be freer from presidential control than are cabinet departments.

According to James Madison, which of the following best controls the effects of faction?

a large republic

One of the formal tools used by Congress for oversight of the bureaucracy is

authorization of spending

The activities of the Federal Reserve Board have the most direct influence on

bank interest rates

The primary responsibility for determining monetary policy in the United States rests with the

board of governors of the federal reserve system

Candidates for political office use public opinion polls for all of the following purposes EXCEPT to

bring the opposition's opinions into alignment with those of the candidate

Which term refers to protected freedoms of minority groups against discrimination?

civil rights

A member of Congress votes in favor of a bill as a result of receiving many letters of support for the bill from constituents. Which form of democratic representation best describes this voting decision?

delegate

The House Rules Committee is an important part of the legislative process because it

determines the terms and conditions of debate when a bill goes to the House floor

Which of the following policies involves more state spending than federal spending

education

Marbury v. Madison

established judicial review

Funds for the Social Security program created in 1935 were to come from

federal payroll taxes

Which of the following is not one of the top five major expenditure categories in the federal budget?

foreign aid

When a child's parents both identify strongly with the same political party, the child will most likely

identify with parents' party

An important change in political culture since 1950 is that United States citizens have become

less trusting of governmental institutions and leaders

Written defamation of character is known as

libel

All of the following involve a means test except

medicare

The Civil Rights Act of 1964

outlaws discrimination in public accommodations and hiring practices

Political socialization is the process by which

political values are passed to the next generation

An example of a welfare policy in which most or all people benefit is

social security temporary assistance for needy families

Most of the work of legislating in Congress takes place in

standing committees

According to the clear and present danger test, speech may be restricted

when it incites violent action

Which of the following rulings is most likely to cite the Supreme Court's decision in Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969) as a legal precedent in support of the decision?

A ruling in favor of students to print their opinions in a school newspaper

Which of the following would most likely be protected by the First Amendment?

A student wears a black armband at school to protest government involvement in a war.

Based on previous rulings, the Supreme Court is most likely to view a case concerning which of the following as a right-to-privacy case?

A woman who is prevented from an abortion

Which of the following statements accurately summarizes the reasoning for the decision in Baker v. Carr (1962) ?

Because rural districts had fewer people, representation was unevenly distributed; thus, Baker was denied equal protection under the law.

"...If we resort to violence then one of two things will happen: either the violence will be escalated and there will be many injuries and perhaps deaths on both sides, or there will be total demoralization of the workers. Nonviolence has exactly the opposite effect. If, for every violent act committed against us, we respond with nonviolence, we attract people's support. We can gather the support of millions who have a conscience and would rather see a nonviolent resolution to problems. We are convinced that when people are faced with a direct appeal from the poor struggling nonviolently against great odds, they will react positively. The American people and people everywhere still yearn for justice. It is to that yearning that we appeal....When victory comes through violence, it is a victory with strings attached. If we beat the growers at the expense of violence, victory would come at the expense of injury and perhaps death. Such a thing would have a tremendous impact on us. We would lose regard for human beings. Then the struggle would become a mechanical thing. When you lose your sense of life and justice, you lose your strength.... "César Chávez, "He Showed Us the Way," 1978 Which of the following is a similarity between the views expressed in the excerpt above and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail"?

Both César Chávez and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. argued for the continued use of nonviolence to further their causes.

In the case Guey Heung Lee v. Johnson (1971), the parents of Chinese American students who attended a primarily Asian American school challenged San Francisco's effort to desegregate the public schools, arguing that their culture and language would be diluted if their children were dispersed from their local school. The Supreme Court denied the challenge from the parents basing their decision on the Fourteenth Amendment. Which of the following cases was most likely used in the decision as a precedent?

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)

The Constitution states that all revenue bills must originate in

House of Rep

"Just as the Fourth Amendment's right to privacy has been declared enforceable against the states through the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth, it is enforceable by the same sanction . . . as is used against the federal government. Were it otherwise, . . . the assurance against unreasonable searches and seizures would be 'a form of words,' valueless . . . 'in the concept of ordered liberty." Justice Tom Clark, Mapp v. Ohio (1961) Which two principles are addressed in the excerpt above? I. The incorporation doctrine II. The concept of eminent domain III. The exclusionary rule IV. The "wall of separation" doctrine

I and III

Which of the following is generally true of the gerrymandering of congressional districts?

It creates districts that favor one political party over another.

In 2015, the United States Supreme Court decided the case Obergefell v. Hodges (2015), which ruled that states must recognize same sex couples' right to marry. Which of the following ideals of democracy would the attorneys for the same sex couple most likely put forth as their argument?

Natural rights of life and liberty include the right to marry whom you choose.

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

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

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates the process of bureaucratic rule making?

The Department of Veterans Affairs rewrites its regulations regarding compensation and pensions into plain language that is easier for beneficiaries to understand.

The United States Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka was based on which of the following?

The Fourteenth Amendment's guarantee of equal protection

Which of the following is an accurate description of the decision in United States v. Lopez (1995)?

The Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990 was struck down as unconstitutional because it exceeded the commerce clause

Cabinet departments differ from independent regulatory agencies in which of the following ways?

The President can dismiss cabinet officers, but not commissioners of independent regulatory agencies.

The application of the death penalty has been limited in recent decades and cannot be applied to minors and people who are found to be mentally incompetent. Which of the following is a reason for this?

The Supreme Court changed its interpretation of what constitutes cruel and unusual punishment under the 8th Amendment

Of the following, which has been used most to expand the power of the national government?

The commerce clause of the Constitution

A state is in the process of redrawing its congressional districts following the most recent census. Republicans in the state feel that two districts have been drawn specifically to give the Democratic Party an easy victory, so they challenge the district division in court. What will be the court's decision?

The courts refuse to hear the case since the courts do not rule on purely political disputes

In McDonald v. Chicago (2010), the United States Supreme Court stated, "that the [Constitution] protects the right to possess a handgun in the home for the purpose of self-defense" and that the Second Amendment applied to the states through which of the following constitutional clauses?

The due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment

The Commerce Clause has frequently been the subject of controversy for which of the following reasons?

The federal government often interprets "commerce" very broadly in justifying its actions

The Washington Post receives a top secret report that details how the executive branch mishandled a deal made with a foreign nation regarding nuclear weapons. The executive branch attempts to stop the publishing of the report, but the publishers cite the precedent in New York Times Company v. United States (1971) establishing which of the following legal rules?

The heavy presumption against prior restraint

Members of Congress who have adopted the delegate role of representation normally cast their votes based on which of the following?

The preferences of the majority of their constituents

Which of the following is an example of checks and balances in action in the United States government?

The president vetoes a bill passed by Congress.

Which of the following is contained in the 14th Amendment and was likely an inspiration for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from a Birmingham Jail"?

The principle that all people should be equal under the law, as embodied in the equal protection clause

Which of the following explains why any attempt to reduce Social Security benefits is difficult?

There are many voters who support Social Security.

Which of the following statements best represents pluralist theory?

There are so many groups that none of them can dominate the political process.

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

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

Which of the following cases decided whether a state could compel children to attend school beyond eighth grade even if it violated the students' sincerely held religious beliefs?

Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)

The Americans with Disabilities Act, which provides protections for the disabled, is an example of

a federal mandate

A committee chair in the House of Representatives is always

a member of the majority party in the chamber

A fundamental source of power for the federal bureaucracy lies in its

ability to set specific guidelines after receiving a general mandate from Congress

A first term member of the House of Representatives from North Dakota who wished to maximize opportunities for constituent service would be most likely to seek placement on which of the following committees?

agriculture

The United States Constitution says that Congress has the power to coin money. This is an example of

an enumerated power

Brutus was an example of an Anti-Federalist because he

believed a centralized government posed a major threat to individual rights

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service will spend money appropriated by Congress to maintain wildlife refuges. This action is an example of

bureaucratic implementation of law

Both state governments and the national government have the constitutional authority to tax and spend. Therefore, the power to tax and spend is an example of which of the following?

concurrent powers

When a bill passes the House and the Senate in different versions, the bill is resolved by which of the following types of committee?

conference

Which of the following was the largest economic concern under the Articles of Confederation?

congress lacked the ability to tax

Which of the following groups would be most likely to support a constitutional amendment banning all abortions?

conservatives

Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution declares that Congress has the authority to coin money. Coining money is an example of which of the following?

enumerated powers

The Founding Fathers devised a federal system for all of the following reasons except

federal systems were common throughout the world and were proven to be effective

Lobbyists from the Airlines for America, an advocacy group that represents commercial airlines, work with members of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and officials from the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to discuss a new policy that addresses issues of airline safety. This scenario best illustrates

iron triangle

The practice in Congress whereby Representative A promises to vote for Representative B's legislation, provided that Representative B will support Representative A's legislation, is referred to as

logrolling

Constitutional checks and balances, especially applied to the president, are designed to

minimize the threat of tyranny from any one branch of government

In Article I, Section 8, the Constitution grants Congress authority to "regulate commerce among the several states." Congress passes legislation establishing regulations for interstate trucking, including safety standards for trucks and drivers. Which of the following constitutional provisions or principles gives Congress the authority to set standards for trucks and truck drivers?

necessary and proper clause

In the process and structure of public policymaking, "iron triangles" refer to the

networks of congressional committees, bureaucratic agencies, and interest groups that strongly influence the policy process

To get an important bill passed in the House, a provision is added that allocates $500 million to study the impact of global climate change on manatees in Florida. This is an example of

pork barrel legislation

Most of the bills introduced in the House and the Senate are then

referred to committee but never sent to the full Congress

A policy that sets emission standards for automobiles is an example of

regulatory policy

The Three-Fifths Compromise most directly impacts which of the following?

representation in the house

The Tenth Amendment to the Constitution has been interpreted by the Supreme Court to

reserve powers to the states

The Supreme Court ruled in McDonald v. Chicago (2010) that a citizen's right to keep and bear arms at home for self-defense is protected from state and federal infringement. Which of the following is most relevant to that decision?

selective incorporation

When independent regulatory agencies make rules, enforce those rules, and adjudicate disputes arising under those rules, they risk violating the constitutional concept of

separation of powers

According to James Madison, what constitutional principle was designed to prevent the concentration of power in the hands of one government official or set of officials?

separation of powers with checks and balances

The most significant trend in federal-state relations during the 1980s was

shifting the responsibilities and costs for many programs to state governments

Which of the following types of committee deals with broad areas of public policy and can be found in both houses of Congress?

standing

The boundary lines of congressional districts are drawn by

state legislatures

A man publicly burns an American flag to protest American involvement in a war. According to Texas v. Johnson, this is an example of

symbolic speech

Fiscal policies refer to the government's power to

tax and spend

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." This statement is known as

the Establishment Clause

In Roe v. Wade, the majority of Supreme Court justices determined that

the United States Constitution implies a right to privacy and thus made abortions legal

Which of the following is a unique power held by members of the Senate?

the ability to filibuster

All of the following make it difficult for presidents to control the actions of federal agencies EXCEPT

the appointment of cabinet heads

Which of the following is an accurate description of the decision in McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)?

the federal government had the authority to establish a national bank, and Maryland's tax was unconstitutional

The United States Supreme Court has used which of the following to incorporate the Bill of Rights into state law?

the fourteenth amendment

If the United States were operating today under the Articles of Confederation, issues such as the effect of acid rain on the environment would be handled by

the individual states

All of the following were weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation except

the national government had too much power

Which of the following Constitutional provisions has been interpreted as weakening the Tenth Amendment?

the necessary and proper clause

Of the following, which is the most powerful figure in Congress?

the speaker of the house

The voting patterns of members of Congress correlate most strongly with

their political party affiliation

A major difference between the House of Representatives and the Senate is that

there is unlimited debate in the senate but not in the House

An advantage that bureaucrats in federal government have over the President in the policymaking process is that bureaucrats

usually have a continuity of service in the executive branch that the President lacks