American Federal Government Final Exam

________ warned Americans against the dangers of political parties in his farewell address

a) George Washington

The fact that interest groups favor the wealthy and well educated can be understood as a reflection of what dilemma in American politics?

a) Liberty is often inconsistent with equality

Which of the following statements best describes the changing ownership patterns in the American media?

a) There has been a recent trend toward homogenization of national news, as conglomerates have come to own a larger percentage of media outlets.

A liberal would most likely support

a) an expansion in governmental social services

A proposed law or policy change that is placed on the ballot by citizens or interest groups for popular vote is called a

a) ballot initiative

Which of the following is a theoretical assumption of pluralism?

a) competition among interests will produce balance, with all interests regulating each other

Interest groups are permitted to spend as much money as they want on issue advocacy during a campaign season, as long as they

a) do not coordinate their efforts with a candidate's own campaign organization

The first party system was characterized by conflict between the _______ and the _______

a) federalist; Jeffersonian Republicans

The power to raise or lower the tax rate is part of

a) fiscal policy

When did the Cold War begin?

a) in the 1940s, soon after World War II

Part of the reason welfare programs became so unpopular was that

a) many Americans came to believe that welfare recipients did not want to work

An officially expressed purpose or goal backed by a sanction is a

a) public policy

The Supreme Court's decision in Buckley v. Valeo (1976), was significant because it

a) rejected the idea that the federal government could place any limits on campaign contributions or spending

Which of the following is NOT a reason that many Americans appear to prefer online news?

a) the accuracy and objectivity compared to traditional media outlets

Who is an incumbent?

a) the current officeholder, running for reelection

Dealignment refers to

a) the decline of partisan attachment within the electorate, the growth in the number of voters identifying themselves as independents, and the rise in split-ticket voting.

Which of the following statements about K-12 education spending is most accurate?

a) the vast majority of spending for K-12 education comes from the state and local governments, while the federal government contributes a relatively small amount

Public interest groups differ from other types of interest groups in that

a) they claim to serve the common good, not just their own particular interests

Which of the following statements about age and political participation is true?

a) young people are far less likely to participate in politics than older people.

Generally speaking, a recall effort begins with a

a)petition campign

In 2016, each individual's required contribution to Medicare was _______ percent of all earnings

b) 1.45

Currently, the United Nations has _____ member states

b) 193

Approximately ______ percent of eligible voters turn out for midterm congressional elections.

b) 35

The Fairness Doctrine required that

b) Broadcasters who aired controversial issues provide time for opposing viewpoints

Which of the following statements about the political opinions of Democrats and Republicans in the public is the most accurate?

b) Differences between the political opinions of Democrats and Republicans are greater today than during any other period in the last 40 years.

The fact that journalists referred to the Obama administration's health care initiative as "reform" instead of as "health care rationing" is an example of

b) Framing

The old adage "politics stops at the water's edge" means that

b) all Americans will suffer if we fail to work together to protect out nation's political, economic, and security interests in the wider world

Lobbying is

b) 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.

James Madison called an interest group a

b) faction

Which of the following is the strongest factor in predicting which groups in society receive the most benefits from government's social policies?

b) groups that are the most politically powerful

The periodic adjustment of benefits or wages that takes into account the increased cost of living is called

b) indexing

The nineteenth-century policy of ______ was based on the geographic distance of the United States from other countries

b) isolationism

Research into public opinion and public policy has shown that

b) more affluent and more educated citizens have a disproportionate influence over politics and public policy decisions.

The Tea Party Movement is an

b) organized challenge to incumbents in the Republican Party by the most conservative wing of the Republican Party

A frequent cause of measurement error in polls is due to

b) poorly worded quesitons

The fact that the United States remains silent in the face of human rights violations by a number of countries illustrates that

b) protecting human rights is less important to American foreign policy than security concerns and economic interests

A cost-of-living adjustment is based on the

b) rate of inflation

A _______ nation is one with unstable leadership, whose policies are driven by ideology rather than by economic or human costs and benefits.

b) rogue

There are considerable disparities in benefits from state to state in noncontributory programs because

b) state governments are given grants-in-aid from the federal government to establish and operate their own programs rather than having one uniform national program

For the first 150 years of American history, Congress's role in foreign policy was limited because

b) the United States' role in world affairs was very limited

The concept of a marketplace of ideas refers to

b) the competition between varying opinions and ideas that are aired in public forums

Which of the following statements about the ideological preferences of Americans is true?

b) the percentage of Americans identifying themselves as liberals has increased significantly since the 1990s.

It is difficult for political scientist to categorize unrepresented interests because

b) there are no organizations that can present their identities and demands

The five permanent members of the UN Security Council have more influence over the Security Council's decisions than other countries because

b) they are given a "veto" that is sufficient to reject any substantive proposal

The final collapse of the Soviet Union occurred in

c) 1991

In 2016, each individual's required contribution to Social Security was

c) 6.2 percent of his or her first $118,500 of income

The Supreme Court ruled that the government could not restrict independent expenditures by corporations or unions to political campaigns in

c) Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)

Which of the following is an accurate description of the United Nations?

c) It lacks enforcement power to implement its rules and resolutions

How did the Great Depression change American attitudes about welfare?

c) It revealed that poverty could be caused by a flawed economic system, not just by personal irresponsibility

What is one of the main differences between those who have gone to college and those who have not?

c) There is a higher level of political participation among those with a college education.

The power of the media to draw public attention to particular issues and problems is called

c) agenda-setting

In a proportional representation electoral system

c) every candidate that receives above a certain percentage of the vote (usually set at 20 percent) is awarded a seat in the legislature

If a person enjoys the benefits of a group's collective efforts but does not contribute to those efforts, he or she is called a

c) free rider

The greatest challenge for journalism organizations today is

c) generating enough revenue to finance traditional investigative journalism

What was the key to American security during the nineteenth century?

c) geographical isolation

The Monroe Doctrine refers to the

c) idea that foreign powers should not meddle in the Western Hemisphere

The major organizational factors shared by most interest groups are

c) leadership, money, an agency or office, and members

A(n) _______ benefit is one where potential recipients must document their genuine need

c) means-tested

In public-opinion surveys, a sample of the total population.

c) must be representative in that the views of those in the sample must accurately and proportionately reflect the views of the whole population.

Which three types of factors influence the decisions of voters at the polls?

c) partisan loyalty, issues, and the characteristics of candidates

Conservatives are more likely than liberals to support

c) school prayer

A political party is an organization

c) that tries to influence the government by getting its members elected to office

When did the American welfare state begin?

c) the 1930s

Which of the following is true if trust in government?

c) very low trust in government is a reality in contemporary politics.

The Earned Income Tax Credit allows

c) working people whose annual income falls below a certain level to file for an income supplement through their tax returns

Large media conglomerates own approximately ________ percent of daily newspapers

d) 75

Monthly Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits

d) do not exceed the amount of the federal poverty line in any state

Organized interest groups enhance American democracy by

d) representing the interests of large numbers of people and encouraging political participation