Into American Gov. Midterm study

The fact that Americans today are likely to follow the news by briefly reading multiple headlines online rather than by reading longer news articles is referred to as

A. "browsing and breezing." B. "searching and sampling." C. "receiving and accepting." D. "skimming and scanning." D

Women won the right to vote in

A. 1790. B. 1920. C. 1865. D. 1965. B

Large media conglomerates, such as the Hearst, McClatchy, and Gannett corporations, own approximately ________ of daily newspapers.

A. 25% B. 55% C. 75% D. 40% C

During early national periods of American history, suffrage was generally restricted to White males over the age of

A. 30 B. 25 C. 18 D. 21 D

Which of the following statements about women's suffrage is most accurate?

A. A number of state and territorial governments adopted women's suffrage before the federal government granted women the vote through the Nineteenth Amendment. B. Women were given the right to vote under the Articles of Confederation, but not under the Constitution. C. Every state and territorial government adopted women's suffrage before the federal government granted women the vote. D. The federal government adopted women's suffrage via the Nineteenth Amendment before any state or territorial government granted women the vote. A

A majority of the foreign-born population living in the United States today come from

A. Africa. B. Asia. C. Latin America and the Caribbean. D. Europe. C

During the 1980s, the Republicans added ________ to their coalition.

A. African Americans and upper-class intellectuals B. Jews and unionized workers C. religious conservatives and working-class Whites D. Latinos and the business community C

Today, most print newspapers are owned by just a few large corporations because of

A. All of these answer choices are correct. B. relaxation of government regulations in the 80s and 90s. C. a wave of company mergers. D. the 1996 Telecommunications Act. A

The United States' first written constitution was called the

A. Articles of Confederation. B. Bill of Rights. C. Magna Carta. D. Declaration of Independence. A

Which of the following statements about the scope of personal liberties in the United States is most accurate?

A. Far more restrictions exist today on the press, political speech, and individual behavior than in the early years of the nation. B. Far fewer restrictions exist today on the press, political speech, and individual behavior than in the early years of the nation. C. Ever since the ratification of the Bill of Rights, there has been a stable number of strict regulations on the press, political speech, and individual behavior. D. Ever since the ratification of the Bill of Rights, there have been no restrictions on the press, political speech, and individual behavior. B

Which amendment to the Constitution guarantees voting rights for African American men?

A. Fifteenth B. Thirteenth C. Fourteenth D. Seventeenth A

"Commerce among the several states" was first defined in

A. Gibbons v. Ogden. B. McCulloch v. Maryland. C. Printz v. United States. D. Marbury v. Madison. A

What is the significance of the 1937 Supreme Court case Palko v. Connecticut?

A. It established the principle of selective incorporation. B. It asserted that the First Amendment applied only to the national government and not to state governments. C. It protected the right of habeas corpus. D. It upheld the constitutionality of bills of attainder. A

________ described politics as "who gets what, when, and how."

A. James Madison B. Abraham Lincoln C. Harold Lasswell D. John Locke C

________ defended the British soldiers who were involved in the Boston Massacre.

A. John Hancock B. John Adams C. Samuel Adams D. Thomas Jefferson B

Which of the following is an example of a media outlet that receives funding from the government?

A. National Public Radio (NPR) B. the National Broadcasting Network (NBC) C. the New York Times D. the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) A

During the 2020 Democratic presidential primary elections, candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden received favorable national coverage showing his lead in the South Carolina polls. Despite losses in the previous four states, Biden went on to become the party's presumptive nominee in weeks. The increased public support for Biden is partly explained by

A. the bandwagon effect. B. data mining. C. social desirability bias. D. push polling. A

Despite its widespread availability, ________ typically report(s) on the narrowest range of topics and provide(s) the least depth of news coverage.

A. radio B. newspapers C. the internet D. television D

Americans' sense of political efficacy has

A. remained relatively constant between 1960 and 2015. B. increased dramatically between 1960 and 2015. C. decreased dramatically between 1960 and 2015. D. decreased between 1960 and 1975 but increased between 1975 and 2015. C

A ________ is a system of government in which member states retain almost all of their sovereign authority and delegate limited powers to a weak central body.

A. republic B. bicameral state C. unitary state D. confederation D

During the 2016 campaign, Hillary Clinton received

A. roughly the same amount of media coverage as Donald Trump. B. double the amount of media coverage as Donald Trump. C. 1/10th the amount of media coverage as Donald Trump. D. half the amount of media coverage as Donald Trump. D

The right to vote is also called

A. suffrage. B. open primary. C. campaign. D. electoral college. A

In the United States, freedom of the press is protected by

A. the Declaration of Independence. B. Article I of the Constitution. C. the Freedom of the Press Act of 1790. D. the First Amendment of the Constitution. D

In 2017, the North Carolina law requiring transgender individuals to use public bathrooms that correspond to their gender designated at birth was repealed due to

A. the Department of Justice's request. B. President Trump's actions on transgender rights. C. lawsuit by the EEOC. D. pressure from the business community. C

Which government agency is placed in charge of prohibiting false and misleading advertising?

A. the Federal Communications Commission B. the Federal Trade Commission C. the Federal Bureau of Investigation D. the Department of Justice B

Which of the following laws passed by the Congress of the Confederation compelled states to surrender their western land claims?

A. the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 B. the Navigation Act of 1818 C. the Alien and Sedition Acts D. the Land Ordinance of 1785 A

A reason civil rights issues have varied for Latinos by group and place is

A. the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. B. Latinos encompass a wide range of groups. C. Latinos are a homogeneous group. D. civil rights do not extend to immigrants. B

Which of the following statements about public opinion in America is most accurate?

A. Politically knowledgeable citizens are more likely to consider themselves independent and not have a liberal or conservative ideology. B. Citizens with high levels of knowledge are generally better able to evaluate new information to determine its relevancy to their beliefs. C. Citizens with low levels of knowledge are generally better able to evaluate new information and determine its relevancy to their beliefs. D. Political knowledge is fairly high in America. B

Which statement about "fighting words" is most accurate?

A. Since the 1950s, the Supreme Court has reversed almost every conviction based on arguments that the speaker used "fighting words." B. Since the 1950s, the Supreme Court has been inconsistent in its rulings on "fighting words" cases and chosen to overturn convictions only when they involve "hate speech." C. Since the 1950s, the Supreme Court has never reversed a conviction based on arguments that the speaker used "fighting words." D. "Fighting words" have been considered protected speech throughout American history, and the Supreme Court has always reversed convictions based on arguments that the speaker used "fighting words." A

Which of the following statements about the 1964 Civil Rights Act is most accurate?

A. The 1964 Civil Rights Act effectively ended all de facto forms of segregation and racial discrimination. B. The 1964 Civil Rights Act addressed, to varying degrees of success, discrimination in public accommodation, segregation, and discrimination by employers. C. The 1964 Civil Rights Act barred literacy and other tests as a condition of voting and gave the federal government oversight of elections in certain jurisdictions. D. The 1964 Civil Rights Act was mostly symbolic and did little to address any legal forms of racial discrimination. B

Which of the following statements about national defense under the Articles of Confederation is most accurate?

A. The Articles of Confederation required that at least 50% of the national government's budget be devoted to military expenditures. B. There was no national army and the armed forces were composed entirely of state militias. C. The Supreme Court was given the power to veto all declarations of war. D. The president served as commander in chief of the nation's armed forces. B

How did dual federalism help to establish a "commercial republic"?

A. The function of the federal government was to promote and assist commerce. B. The federal government sold many natural resources from publicly owned lands. C. The federal government was originally designed to regulate and control the marketplace. D. The federal government passed laws forbidding any regulation of capitalism. A

Which of the following best describes the relationship between the government and the media in the United States today?

A. The government controls most media content through regulations and tightly controlled press briefings. B. The government owns, but does not control, the major sources of media. C. The government does not own but regulates the content and ownership of broadcast media. D. The government heavily regulates print media but imposes no regulations on radio and television broadcasts. C

Which of the following statements about how voters decide is most accurate?

A. When voters are dissatisfied with their economic prospects, they tend to vote for Democratic candidates. B. When voters are dissatisfied with their economic prospects, they tend to vote for Republican candidates. C. Economic considerations do not affect the decisions that voters make about whom to vote for. D. When voters are satisfied with their economic prospects, they tend to vote for the party in power. D

Which of the following statements best characterizes the traditional news media's relationship to objectivity?

A. While completely objective reporting is unattainable because people inevitably have biases that shape their understanding of events, journalists attempt to be objective by reporting both sides of a story. B. Given that completely objective reporting is unattainable because people inevitably have biases that shape their understanding of events, journalists do not attempt to be objective and instead report only one side of a story. C. The Federal Communications Commission requires that all journalists sign a "pledge of objectivity" before being employed at a media company. D. Journalists are trained to be objective in their reporting, so their personal biases rarely matter and their coverage of events almost always succeeds in objectively presenting both sides of a story. A

Which statement about White Americans' participation in the 2016 presidential election is accurate?

A. White Americans make up nearly half of the people who voted. B. Most White Americans supported Republican candidates. C. White Americans with a college degree were more likely to vote for Republican candidates. D. Most White Americans supported Democratic candidates. B

What is a media monopoly?

A. a media outlet, whether print, digital, or on television, exclusively focused on a particular type of news, usually political B. nationalized ownership of mass media C. the concentration of media ownership by a few large corporations D. a media outlet that is all or mostly funded through public funds C

Strict scrutiny refers to

A. a test used by the Supreme Court that places the burden of proof on the government rather than on the challengers to show that the law in question is constitutional. B. the apportionment of voters in districts in such a way as to give unfair advantage to one racial or ethnic group or political party. C. a test used by the Supreme Court that places the burden of proof partially on the government and partially on the challengers to show that the law in question is unconstitutional. D. a set of regulations determining which schools receive grants-in-aid from the federal government. A

What is turnout?

A. activities designed to influence government B. assemblies or crowds out in public to confront a government or other official organization C. the right to vote D. the percentage of eligible individuals who actually vote D

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963) established the right

A. against self-incrimination. B. to legal counsel in felony cases. C. against suspicionless searches and seizures. D. to an open trial before a judge. B

In an iron triangle, the interest group

A. files formal lawsuits and amicus briefs against administrative agencies and congressional incumbents. B. organizes grassroots mobilizations against administrative agencies and congressional incumbents. C. provides campaign contributions to members of Congress and lobbies for larger administrative agency budgets. D. is legally excluded from any interactions with congressional committees and administrative agencies. C

The National Origins quota system

A. allowed a large quota of new immigrants from northern European countries but only a small quota of new immigrants from eastern and southern European countries. B. allowed only a small quota of new immigrants from northern European countries but a large quota of immigrants from eastern and southern European countries. C. significantly liberalized immigration laws and allowed for an increase in immigration from countries around the world. D. outlawed all immigration from European countries. A

Lobbying is

A. an attempt by an individual or group to influence the passage of legislation by exerting direct pressure on members of Congress or a state legislature. B. an attempt by an individual or group to influence the passage of legislation by exerting indirect pressure, through advertisements and media coverage, on members of Congress or a state legislature. C. an attempt by an individual or group to influence the passage of legislation by exerting indirect pressure, through phone calls or emails, on members of Congress or a state legislature. D. the act of working on a reelection campaign. A

What are agents of socialization?

A. an influencer or politician who seeks to promote a socialist ideology B. the general process of introducing a person into a political culture C. the public forums in which beliefs and ideas are exchanged and compete for influence D. social institutions, like family and school, that shape an individual's basic political beliefs and values D

If the federal government passed a law that did not provide money to state and local governments but required them to construct wheelchair lifts at all train stations, it would be an example of

A. an unfunded mandate. B. a block grant. C. a regressive tax. D. a progressive tax. A

The fact that Americans strongly support minimal governmental interference with individuals' lives and property illustrates their commitment to

A. anarchy. B. socialism. C. liberty. D. democracy. C

If a national survey finds candidate A leads candidate B by 5% in the upcoming election and the margin of error in the survey is 3%, it means that

A. candidate A and candidate B are statistically tied. B. candidate A leads candidate B by anywhere between 2 and 8 percentage points. C. candidate A leads candidate B by exactly 3 percentage points. D. candidate A leads candidate B by exactly 5 percentage points. B

Which of the following is an example of the process of direct democracy?

A. citizens in a state approving the use of medical marijuana through a popular referendum B. a citizen calling her representative to complain about potholes on local roads C. a group of citizens coming together to debate the pros and cons of higher taxes D. a citizen deciding to contribute money to his preferred presidential candidate A

The difference between a political value and a political attitude is that values are

A. conservative, while attitudes are liberal. B. basic principles, while attitudes are specific preferences. C. liberal, while attitudes are conservative. D. held for a short term, while attitudes are held for a long term. B

To create the New Deal coalition, President Franklin Roosevelt

A. continued Hoover's economic policies. B. decreased the size of the national government. C. excluded the upper-middle class. D. expanded the Democratic Party's base. D

The 1898 decision in United States v. Wong Kim Ark is important because it

A. denied the right to own property to Japanese immigrants. B. allowed Chinese immigrants re-entry after 1943. C. secured the right of citizenship to American-born Chinese children. D. declared the Chinese Exclusion Act unconstitutional. C

The gap in access to the internet due to differences in education, income, age, geographic location, and race/ethnicity is known as

A. digital citizenry. B. the digital divide. C. citizen journalism. D. the digital monopoly. B

Activities designed to influence politics using the internet are best described as

A. digital political participation. B. grassroots campaigns. C. open primaries. D. closed primaries. A

A ________ is the best example of an informational benefit provided by many interest groups.

A. discount on museum tickets B. newsletter C. free T-shirt D. health insurance program B

Different countries have different sets of shared values that they prioritize. In some countries that could be the well-being of the community and equality of outcomes, whereas in other countries it might be individualism and liberty. These are examples of how different countries can have different

A. economic systems. B. political cultures. C. government systems. D. conceptions of popular sovereignty. B

All of the following are important roles for the media in American democracy EXCEPT

A. enabling privately owned companies to advertise their products to the public. B. providing a forum through which candidates, politicians, and even the public can debate policies and issues. C. serving as a watchdog on the actions of politicians and other political actors. D. helping inform the public about current political issues and events. A

In 2011, the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights issued a "Dear Colleague" letter to the more than 7,000 colleges and universities receiving federal funding that told colleges to

A. end all affirmative action programs. B. institute affirmative action policies that take race, gender, and sexual orientation into account during the admissions process. C. shift the burden of proof away from the accuser and toward the accused in cases of sexual assault and harassment on campus. D. shift the burden of proof away from the accused and toward the accuser in cases of sexual assault and harassment on campus. C

Imagine a country designs a system of government where the legislature can remove the chief executive if it loses confidence in her, while the chief executive can choose whether or not to veto legislative acts. This would be an example of

A. federalism. B. autocratic government. C. a bicameral system. D. checks and balances. D

When radicals won control of Pennsylvania's government and redistributed land from large landowners to small farmers, the national government under the Articles of Confederation

A. filed a lawsuit against the state in the Supreme Court. B. passed a law making all such future redistributions illegal. C. issued an injunction to return the land to the original owners. D. did nothing because the government had no powers allowing them to intervene. D

In the 70 years following the Civil War, the Supreme Court interpreted the Constitution in a way that

A. forced entrepreneurs to closely follow regulations that protected consumers and workers lest they be cut off from national policies that promoted commerce. B. prohibited entrepreneurs from opening new businesses in the United States. C. outlawed states from imposing corporate taxes on any new businesses, based on an interpretation of the Constitution that gave the sole power of taxation to the federal government. D. allowed entrepreneurs to benefit from policies promoting commerce but shielded them from regulations that protected consumers and workers. D

The ________ clause of the First Amendment protects an individual's right to believe and practice whatever religion he or she chooses.

A. free exercise B. religious freedom restoration C. free association D. establishment A

The Thirteenth Amendment

A. guaranteed equal protection of the laws. B. guaranteed voting rights for African American men. C. abolished slavery. D. granted women the right to vote. C

What is it called when a state grants a city the ability to govern its own local affairs?

A. home rule B. city governance C. dual federalism D. separation of powers A

A person files for a patent for a new invention they have come up with. The federal government grants them a patent using the power vested in it by Article I, Section 8 of the constitution. This is an example of what kind of power?

A. implied power B. police power C. concurrent power D. expressed power D

"Marble cake federalism" is associated with the

A. increasing political power of local governments over the last two decades. B. pattern of intergovernmental cooperation that has blurred the lines between the states and the national governments. C. confusion that emerged during the 1960s about which layer of government is actually responsible for regulating the national economy. D. practice of federal officials bribing their state counterparts with various gifts in order to convince them to follow national standards. B

A criticism of interest group pluralism is

A. its inherent propensity for compromise, the character of which tends to be antidemocratic. B. that its ideals are too closely associated with Marxist-Leninist ideology and aretherefore unacceptable to the majority of Americans. C. that it gives too much influence to religious organizations and therefore threatensthe separation of church and state. D. not all interests are equally represented in debates over government and policy. D

Which of the following is important and beneficial resource that lobbyists provide government officials?

A. legal assistance B. campaign workers C. information D. money C

Public funding for use in campaigns in the United States is

A. limited. B. extremely generous. C. widely used. D. not available. A

The Articles of Confederation were concerned primarily with

A. limiting the powers of the central government. B. creating a unitary form of government. C. creating a federal form of government. D. creating a government in which the states were largely subservient to the national government. A

American democracy rests on the principle of

A. majority rule with majority rights. B. minority rule with minority rights. C. minority rule with majority rights. D. majority rule with minority rights. D

The idea of general revenue sharing is most consistent with

A. new federalism B. dual federalism. C. regulated federalism. D. concurrent federalism. A

The Populist Party appealed to which of the following groups?

A. northern bankers, landowners, and factory workers B. eastern industrialists, southern merchants, and small farmers C. eastern bankers, southern planters, and wealthy merchants D. western mining interests, small farmers, and urban workers D

Near v. Minnesota (1931) established the principle that

A. only under the most extraordinary circumstances could the government prevent the publication of newspapers and magazines. B. the news media could not publish obscene material. C. news articles that were not truthful received no First Amendment protection. D. the government could block publication of newspapers during a time of crisis such as the Cold War. A

In an iron triangle, the congressional committee

A. opposes the agency's budgetary requests and the programs the interest group favors. B. files formal lawsuits and amicus briefs against administrative agencies and interest groups. C. supports the agency's budgetary requests and the programs the interest group favors. D. is legally excluded from any interactions with interest groups and administrative agencies. C

The term "eminent domain" describes the

A. power of state governments to ignore a law enacted by the federal government. B. power of the government to seize private property for public use. C. right of individuals not to have their private property seized by the government. D. power of the Supreme Court to declare the meaning and scope of all civil liberties. B

The principle that the states should oppose the increasing authority of the national government is referred to as

A. preemption. B. stare decisis. C. states' rights. D. caveat emptor. C

In Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court

A. prohibited states from making abortion a criminal act prior to the point at which the fetus becomes viable. B. prohibited states from making abortion a criminal act at any point in a woman's pregnancy. C. prohibited states from covering the costs of an abortion through government-subsidized health insurance programs. D. prohibited states from instituting the death penalty for doctors who provide abortions. A

Television, radio, and digital media that receive partial funding from license fees and government subsidies is known as

A. public broadcasting. B. digital divide. C. media monopoly. D. broadcast media. A

The traditional news media aims to provide objective reporting on current events by

A. quoting only nongovernment sources in their coverage. B. excluding the personal views of reporters or editors from their coverage. C. quoting only official government sources in their coverage. D. including the personal views of reporters and editors in their coverage. B

What is the gender gap?

A. the differences in political beliefs between White and non-White women B. the differences in the number of women who hold elective office in America versus women in other developed democracies C. the differences in political beliefs between younger women and older women D. the difference in support for Republicans and Democrats among men and women D

The BBC in Britain is owned by

A. the government but allowed to report whatever it wants. B. a private corporation but not allowed to report anything without first receiving government approval. C. a private corporation and allowed to report whatever it wants. D. the government and not allowed to report anything without first receiving government approval. A

The First Continental Congress was

A. the meeting arranged between British and colonial forces to negotiate the end of the Revolutionary War. B. a group of colonial delegates assembled in 1774 that called for a total boycott of all British goods. C. a loose affiliation of small farmers and artisans that organized protests against British rule between 1770 and 1774. D. the British government's lawmaking body for the colonies prior to 1776. B

The "traditional system" of American federalism refers to a period when

A. the national government and state governments both had laws requiring prayer in schools. B. the national government was quite small and carried out only a narrow and very specialized set of responsibilities. C. the national government did not yet exist as the country lived under the Articles of Confederation. D. the national government was quite large and carried out nearly all important governmental responsibilities. B

Google News, Reddit, and Real Clear Politics are good examples of

A. the penny press. B. nonprofit journalism. C. news aggregators. D. niche journalism. C

A person's political party preferences are primarily acquired through the influence of

A. the person's education. B. the region of the country the person inhabits. C. the media. D. the person's family. D

During the early nineteenth century, the main base of strength for the Jeffersonian Republican Party under Andrew Jackson was in

A. the western territories. B. the West. C. New England. D. the South. D

The Supreme Court has not given full protection to fighting words because

A. they are a form of obscenity. B. such words are not part of the essential exposition of ideas. C. they are a form of sedition. D. they are necessarily slanderous. B

The media are sometimes referred to as the "fourth branch of government" because

A. they could not do their job without cooperation from the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. B. they are explicitly discussed in Article IV of the Constitution. C. they provide a check on the power of government and political leaders. D. they receive a number of subsidies paid for through tax revenue. C

During the ratification debates, who were the Antifederalists?

A. those who supported the Constitution because it did not provide women with the right to vote B. those who opposed the Constitution because it did not create a strong enough national government C. those who supported the Constitution because it contained a strong national government D. those who opposed the new Constitution because they wanted a weaker national government D

The decline in political efficacy in the United States is

A. unlikely to matter at all for the functioning of American democracy because America's constitutional form of limited government is so well established. B. likely to have negative effects on American democracy because it will lead to less citizen participation in government. C. likely to have negative effects on American democracy because it will lead to more citizen participation in government. D. likely to have positive effects on American democracy because it will lead to more citizen participation in government. B

In Shelby County v. Holder (2013), the Supreme Court

A. upheld the 1965 Voting Rights Act's formula for determining whether a jurisdiction needed federal preclearance before making any changes to its voting laws or practices. B. struck down the 1965 Voting Rights Act's formula for determining whether a jurisdiction needed federal preclearance before making any changes to its voting laws or practices. C. struck down all state laws that required voters to show photo identification before casting a ballot. D. struck down an Arizona law requiring that individuals produce proof of U.S. citizenship in order to register to vote. B

The American population

A. used to be heavily rural and is now heavily urban. B. used to be heavily urban and is now heavily rural. C. has long been balanced between rural and urban areas, though of late it is becoming more rural. D. has long been balanced between rural and urban areas, though of late it is becoming more urban. A

The small group selected by pollsters to represent the entire population is called a

A. validity quotient. B. sample. C. reliability quotient. D. quota. B

Democrats generally oppose voter ID laws because

A. voter ID laws prevent noncitizens from voting. B. voter ID laws increase turnout overall, but particularly among those groups that most often vote Republican. C. voter ID laws are more likely to depress turnout among minorities. D. voter ID laws were declared unconstitutional in 2008. C

If public support for same-sex marriage increased significantly after a court decision legalizing marriage between couples of the same sex, it would be an example of

A. voting correctly. B. policy feedback. C. online processing. D. rational political interest. B

The takings clause states that the government may not seize private property

A. without returning it in due time. B. without just compensation. C. without prior notification. D. for any reason. B