Govt 2305 Exam 2
Scholars estimate that turnout would be roughly ________ percentage points higher in the United States if the U.S. had European-style registration.
10
The expansion of national authority in the 20th century first became evident in which decade?
1930s
The election of ________ was a realigning election.
1932
Television first appeared as a tool for campaign ads during the
1950s.
Ticket splitting was most recently prominent during which decade?
1970s
In what decade did federal grants-in-aid NOT expand significantly?
1980s
At the worst depths of the Great Depression, approximately ________ of workers were unemployed.
25 percent
What percentage of states hold their gubernatorial elections in nonpresidential years?
75 percent
In order for the Constitution to go into effect, at least ________ states would need to ratify it.
9
The limits of interest groups' use of extreme tactics might be gauged by the congressional Democratic backlash against the ________, which tried to block the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1993.
AFL-CIO
Which of the following groups is most closely aligned with the Democratic Party, voting more than 80 percent Democratic in presidential elections?
African Americans
Which of the following is a reason that Americans are more likely to work for a political campaign than are citizens in Europe?
America's federal system provides more campaign opportunities.
Which of the following organizations is NOT an example of a single-issue group?
American Conservative Union
Which of the following chronologies correctly lists events from first to last?
Boston Tea Party; First Continental Congress; beginning of the American Revolution
When democratic governments came into existence, tax and food riots and other forms of protest greatly diminished. Why?
Citizens had less-disruptive ways to express themselves.
The Democratic Party's long-time regional stronghold, "the Solid South," stemmed from a realignment during which historical period?
Civil War era
What did political scientist Larry Bartels demonstrate in his book Unequal Democracy?
Elected officials are substantially more responsive to the concerns of their more affluent constituents than to those of their poorer constituents.
Which of the following was an argument in favor of federalism at the time of the writing of the Constitution?
Federalism will be less likely to produce an all-dominant faction. Federalism will protect liberty. Federalism will moderate the power of government. Federalism will provide for a stronger national government than existed under the Articles of Confederation.
African American men technically gained suffrage with passage of the ________ Amendment.
Fifteenth
________ warned Americans of the "baneful effects" of factions (political parties) in his 1797 farewell address.
George Washington
During the debates over the ratification of the Constitution, most people assumed that this person would be the first president
George Washington.
Political parties in the United States originated partly as a political feud between
Hamilton and Jefferson
Which of the following states had its voter ID law upheld by the Supreme Court despite the Court's admission that the law was created with partisan intentions?
Indiana
What was the impact of the Industrial Revolution on the concept of dual federalism?
It created dominant business interests that raised questions about the suitability of dual federalism as a governing concept.
Who was serving as chief justice of the Supreme Court when it decided the case of Marbury v. Madison?
John Marshall
The words of the Declaration of Independence reflected
Locke's philosophy of inalienable rights.
The European philosopher whose concept of natural rights had a great impact on American politics is
Locke.
________ is an illustration of cooperative federalism.
Medicaid
Which of the following nations is often noted as an example of a government that has a system of checks and balances but is often plagued by political extremes?
Mexico
The origin of the concept of separation of powers is most associated with
Montesquieu.
In which of the following states was the vote for the ratification of the Constitution very close?
New York
The 2010 Affordable Care Act
None of these answers is correct.
The Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution
None of these answers is correct.
Which of the following is true of political campaigns and party politics in the United States?
Party organizations are less powerful than they used to be in part because of the rise of television advertising.
________ opposed the ratification of the U.S. Constitution.
Patrick Henry
Which of the following states had the lowest percentage of African Americans in 1790?
Pennsylvania
Which decision is indicative of how the Supreme Court interpreted the Fourteenth Amendment and state discretion in civil rights matters in the decades after the Civil War?
Plessy v. Ferguson
What was especially unusual about the "Era of Good Feeling"?
President Monroe ran unopposed in 1820.
________ advocated a "new federalism."
President Ronald Reagan
The issue of slavery gave birth to the ________ Party as a major political party.
Republican
Voter identification cards find the most support among
Republicans.
All of the following individuals embraced a "nationalist view" of federalism EXCEPT
Roger Taney.
Volunteer activity in the United States is LOWEST in the
South.
The "separate but equal" standard was created by
Supreme Court
The document explaining the ideas of the Constitution and urging its ratification is
The Federalist Papers.
________ does NOT have a competitive multiparty system.
The United States
Which of the following statements is true?
The federal government raises roughly the same amount of revenue from taxation as all state and local governments combined.
The most recent party realignment had a realigning election in ________.
The most recent party realignment had no single realigning election.
Which of the following statements would NOT be accepted by supporters of the pluralist view of interest groups?
The opinion of the majority should always prevail, in a policy dispute, over the opinion of a more intense and directly affected minority.
Which of the following would one NOT expect to apply to a state's active poverty relief program that can be classified as cooperative federalism?
The state government provides most of the general administration, and a federal agency does most of the provision of relief to individuals.
From President Abraham Lincoln's perspective, the decision to wage a civil war against the southern states is best summarized in what fashion?
The union was older than the states.
What does it mean when the text suggests that parties are "linkage institutions"?
They connect citizens with government.
Which of the following statements about political participation and lower-income Americans is true?
They need the most government help but are least likely to engage in collective action to seek it.
________ referred to his victory in the presidential election as the "Revolution of 1800."
Thomas Jefferson
________ was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence.
Thomas Jefferson
Eighteen-, nineteen-, and twenty-year-old Americans were granted the right to vote by the passage of the ________ Amendment.
Twenty-Sixth
Citizens in which of the following countries are most likely to talk to people about politics?
United States
In which of the following countries are rates of protest the LOWEST?
United States
Which of the following countries had the LOWEST estimated voter turnout in major national elections in recent decades?
United States
The Federalists finally gained the votes of New York and Virginia for ratification of the Constitution when they promised
a bill of rights to be quickly added to the Constitution.
To have great influence, an outside lobbying group must generally have one of two things: a lot of money or
a committed membership
Which of the following is an interest group more likely to champion than a political party?
a controversial issue
As distinct from alienation, apathy is
a general lack of interest in politics
Dual federalism held that
a precise separation of national and state authority was both possible and desirable.
The term iron triangle refers to
a small and informal but relatively stable set of bureaucrats, legislators, and lobbyists who are concerned with promoting a particular interest.
Which of the following is NOT an interest group function?
addressing a broad and diverse range of public issues
McCulloch v. Maryland
affirmed that national law is supreme to conflicting state law.
The Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)
allows corporations and labor unions to spend unlimited funds on campaigns as long as there is no coordination with the candidate.
Which of the following was NOT provided for by the Articles of Confederation?
an independent federal executive
Political protests
are seen by most Americans as something to be accepted but not admired.
Local party organizations
are still important, but their role in congressional, statewide, or presidential campaigns is secondary to that of candidates.
During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the national government
asserted the power to regulate the nation's economy.
Voter registration in the United States
began as a way of preventing voters from casting more than one ballot on election day.
According to John Locke, inalienable rights in a social contract
belong to individuals and cannot be denied by government.
Through the grants of power in the Constitution, the framers sought to
both empower government and limit it.
The most numerous economic groups are
business groups.
The period of dual federalism (1865-1937) was marked by ________ in the area of commerce.
business supremacy
The largest number of PACs are those associated with
business.
James Carville and Roger Ailes are both examples of
campaign strategists who have earned legendary reputations.
Some groups pursue collective goods. A collective good is one that
cannot be selectively granted or denied to individuals; it belongs to all.
Federal grants-in-aid used only for a designated activity are called
categorical grants.
Prospective voting is characterized by
choices based on what candidates promise to do if elected.
The second-largest number of PACs are those associated with
citizens' groups.
The air we breathe is an example of a
collective good
If a state accepts a federal grant-in-aid, it must
comply with federal restrictions on its use
Which choice describes the American change in governmental structure in 1787?
confederal to federal
The first plan of government for the United States was a
confederation.
Viewed in historical terms, federalism has been a
contentious and dynamic system that has adapted to the needs of the time.
Shays' Rebellion
convinced many political leaders that the national government was too weak.
A public policy program on which national, state, and local policymakers collaborate is an example of
cooperative federalism.
A blending of state and national authority is associated with ________ federalism, while a separation of national and state authority is associated with ________ federalism.
cooperative; dual
Judicial review is the power of the American courts to
declare a law unconstitutional.
The Affordable Care Act
decreased state control over health insurance.
Literacy tests were used to
disenfranchise African Americans in the South.
Voting
does not offer as full an opportunity for political participation as some other activities. provides citizens with a regular way to express themselves politically. is the most widespread form of political participation. is a limited form of political participation.
Women gained the right to vote
early in the 20th century.
Which of the following actions by Andrew Jackson contributed to a late-stage fulfillment of Jefferson's "Revolution of 1800"?
encouraging states to grant presidential elector votes based on popular vote
The federal government's power to tax, regulate commerce among the states, and declare war are all examples of ________ powers.
enumerated
The enumerated powers in Article I of the Constitution were intended to
establish a government strong enough to forge a union that was secure in its defense and stable in its economy.
According to the Anti-Federalists, too strong of a national government meant
eventual encroachment upon the sovereignty of the states.
Fiscal federalism refers to the
expenditure of federal funds on programs run in part through state and local governments.
In 20th-century American history, the most important minor parties were ________ parties.
factional
Roughly one in every ________ dollars spent by local and state governments in recent decades was raised not by them but by the government in Washington.
five
James Madison argued
for regulation of interests through a governing system of checks and balances.
Which of the following groups is NOT typically a part of the Democratic coalition?
fundamentalist Christians
Super PACs have been criticized primarily for
giving too much influence to the wealthy
The Constitution allows states to
govern intrastate commerce.
The only counterforce that was potentially strong enough to control the business trusts of the late 19th and early 20th centuries was
government.
The elastic clause is related to which of the following concepts?
implied powers
The frequency of elections in the United States reduces voter turnout by
increasing the personal effort needed to participate in all elections.
PACs tend to contribute the most money to
incumbents.
In the United States, the primary responsibility for registration of the individual voter rests with the
individual.
In significant decisions early in the New Deal era, the Supreme Court
invalidated key pieces of FDR's New Deal legislation.
Voter participation in the United States
is lower than in nearly every other democracy.
An informal grouping of officials, lobbyists, and policy specialists who come together temporarily around a policy problem is a(n)
issue network.
Which of the following aspects of U.S. government might be used as part of an argument that the U.S. is less democratic than some other democracies?
its staggered terms of office for members of the legislative houses and presidency
The Constitution guarantees individuals the right to a writ of habeas corpus, meaning that the government cannot
jail a person indefinitely without a court hearing to determine the legality of his or her imprisonment.
Which of the following developments in the national political system did NOT provide for more popular control?
judicial review
Which of the following is an example of checks and balances?
judicial review approval of treaties the veto the impeachment process
The chief obstacle to Americans' participation in community activities is the
lack of personal motivation to get involved.
Education and income affect voter turnout
more in the United States than in Europe.
According to a study by the Center for Responsive Politics, what was roughly the amount spent on lobbying per hour that Congress was in session?
more than $1 million
Compared with U.S. citizens of higher incomes, those of lower incomes are
much less likely to vote in elections.
Which of the following is a national power only?
national defense
Which of the following is most closely related to the concept of implied powers?
necessary and proper clause
National party organizations can dictate the day-to-day decisions of
neither local nor state party organizations.
Negative television campaign ads
now constitute the largest share of political ads.
Roughly how many American workers currently belong to unions?
one in nine
When the nation was founded, who was eligible to vote?
only males who owned property
The Tea Party's key initial issue was
opposition to high taxes.
Devolution is the
passing of authority from the national government to the state and local levels.
The main reason for the high cost of American political campaigns is the cost of
paying for television ads.
Most Anti-Federalists feared that the new government would be dominated by
political elites.
A sustained action taken by citizens disenchanted with government in order to express their opposition and work to bring about social or political change is a
political movement.
The direct election of U.S. senators came about due to
political pressure from the Progressives.
The principle of checks and balances is based on the notion that
power must be used to offset power.
Which of the following is NOT among the checks Congress has on the executive?
power to declare an executive action unlawful
Grassroots lobbying is based on the assumption that officials will respond to
pressure from constituents.
Which of the following was NOT part of the Democratic Party platform in the 2018 midterm elections?
privatizing social security
The writers of the Constitution justified different methods of selection and varying terms of office for the president, Senate, and House as a means of
protection against rapid control by an impassioned majority.
At the state level the central committees
provide only general policy guidance for the state organizations.
All but one of the state constitutions formed after the American Revolution
provided for annual legislative elections.
Effective inside lobbying is based upon
providing useful and persuasive information to key officials.
Which of the following is NOT an enumerated power?
public education
Which of the following is almost exclusively a state power?
registering voters
Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress had the power to
regulate commerce between states.
"Agency capture" occurs when
regulatory agencies side with the industries they are supposed to regulate rather than with the public.
The writers of the Constitution used the term ________ for a form of government that consists of carefully designed institutions that are responsive to the majority but not captive to it.
republic
James Madison's solution to the problem of factions (special interests) has, in the modern policy process, actually contributed to the problem by
resulting in greater divisions of power that allow special-interest groups more points of access and outsized influence in the policy process.
Under the new constitution, presidents would be
selected by electors appointed by the states.
The term of office for a U.S. senator is ________ years, while that of a member of the U.S. House is ________ years.
six; two
The first American political parties emerged from the conflict between
small farmers and states' rights advocates, and those favoring commercial and wealthy interests.
In America today, public education is primarily the responsibility of
state and local governments.
Regarding state party organizations, the day-to-day operation is usually the responsibility of the
state chairperson.
The framers entrusted the selection of U.S. senators to
state legislatures.
In Lochner v. New York (1905), the Supreme Court ruled that
state regulation of labor practices violated firms' property rights.
Regular voters tend to be characterized by a
strong sense of civic duty.
Sovereignty refers to
supreme and final governing authority
In recent decades, lobbyists in Washington, D.C., have increasingly
targeted the executive branch in their efforts to influence policy decisions.
Which of the following is a concurrent power held by both the national government and state governments?
taxation
The principal medium for election politics is
television.
The writers of the Constitution devised the Electoral College as the method of choosing presidents because
that method would shield executive power from direct linkage to popular majorities.
What did Newt Gingrich declare about federalism in 1994?
that the 1960s-style federalism was dead
The dominant labor interest group is
the AFL-CIO.
President John Adams publicly indicated that
the Constitution was designed for a governing elite.
In his criticism of the Constitution, the economist Charles Beard argued that
the Constitution's elaborate systems of power and representation were designed to protect the interests of the rich.
Some analysts predict that soon the most important medium of election politics will be
the Internet.
Presidential power to make treaties and appoint high-ranking individuals is subject to approval by
the Senate.
States in which of the following regions receive more of their revenue from the federal government than do most other states?
the South
The citizens of ________ are most likely to take an active part in campaigns during an election.
the United States
Which of the following represents the greatest blow to the organizational strength of U.S. parties?
the direct primary
Negative campaigning in presidential elections was first used in
the early years of the country.
A basic reason for the existence of so many interest groups in the United States is
the extent of diverse interests in American society. America's federal system of government. the American tradition of free association. the separation of powers in American government.
Where is the Bill of Rights found in the Constitution?
the first ten amendments
Why have issue networks become more prevalent?
the increasing complexity of policy problems
A flaw in pluralism theory is the fact that
the interest group system is unrepresentative because some interests are far better organized and more powerful than others
About 95 percent of all political activists in the United States work at
the local level.
Occupy Wall Street's main target has been
the private wealth of the wealthiest Americans.
A purposive incentive is defined as
the satisfaction of contributing to a worthy goal or purpose.
The Constitution was ratified by
the states.
What did Reagan promote as part of his version of "new federalism"?
the use of block grants over categorical grants
Democrats and Republicans have endured as the two major U.S. parties primarily due to
their ability to adapt to changing circumstances.
Early Americans' preference for limited government was strengthened by
their exposure to life under the British Parliament and some of the "rights of Englishmen." Britain's treatment of the colonies after the French and Indian War. Lockean philosophy. taxation without representation.
Political scientist Theodore Lowi has questioned pluralist theory by suggesting that
there is no concept of the public interest in a system that gives special interests the ability to determine the policies affecting them.
Economic groups have an advantage over noneconomic groups in part because
they have greater access to financial resources.
To the framers, the great danger of democratic government was the risk of
tyranny of the majority.
In 1787, most countries in the world had a ________ form of government.
unitary
Unlike other democracies, the United States
uses primaries to select political candidates.
In comparison with citizens in western European democracies, Americans are LESS likely to
vote in national elections.
In the United States,
voter registration requirements have usually been set by the states.
The TANF aspect of the Welfare Reform Act
was a block grant that, among other aspects, restricted a family's access to federal assistance to five years.
The Tea Party
was able to develop an enduring institutional base within the Republican Party.
From 1789 to 1865, the most significant issue of federalism was
whether the states would respect the sovereignty of neighboring states.
The adoption of voter identification card requirements by states
will likely cause a decline in voter turnout.
Proportional representation systems encourage the formation of smaller parties by enabling parties to
win legislative seats even though they do not receive a majority of votes in elections.
Voter turnout is LOWEST in which age group?
young adults
What demographic is most likely to support the new party during a major party realignment?
younger voters
