American Government test 3 study set

In 2016, Hillary Clinton selected ________ as her vice presidential running mate. a. Mike Pence b. Bernie Sanders c. Gary Johnson d. Tim Kaine e. Jill Stein

d

The president is LEAST likely to get his way with a. the courts. b. the bureaucracy. c. the Executive Office of the President. d. Congress. e. his or her chief of staff.

d

The president's constitutional roles, such as chief executive and commander in chief, a. are based on very precise constitutional grants of power. b. are rooted in tradition only; they have no basis in the language of the Constitution. c. are not subject to check by Congress. d. have expanded in practice to be more powerful than the writers of the Constitution intended. e. are absolute powers under the Constitution.

d

What did Alexander Hamilton argue about war in Federalist No. 69? a. Congress is the only body with enough deliberative powers to be able to justly declare war. b. War under any circumstances is unjust, even in self-defense. c. A president should be allowed to declare war, because only the executive can react quickly enough. d. A surprise attack on the United States is the only justification for war by presidential action. e. Building a strong military for engagement in foreign wars would be a key ingredient to establishing executive authority.

d

Which region of the country overall has the LOWEST connectivity to the Internet? a. West Coast b. Northeast c. Midwest d. South e. Plains states

d

The federal government's fiscal year starts on a. January 1. b. March 1. c. April 15. d. July 1. e. October 1.

e

Congress typically takes presidential proposals a. only as a starting point. b. only if the dominant party is the same as the president's party. c. and most often fast-tracks them into law. d. and tables them until they expire. e. None of these answers is correct.

a

During the era of objective journalism, the commitment of newspapers to two-sided news reporting a. did not extend to their editorializing. b. was enshrined in the editorial section. c. was uniform throughout the sections of a newspaper. d. deteriorated democracy in the United States. e. All of these answers are correct.

a

Most of the work on legislation in Congress is done a. by committees and their respective subcommittees. b. on the floor of the House and Senate. c. by conference committees. d. by the president. e. by bureaucratic agencies.

a

Of the following television networks, which is typically considered the MOST partisan? a. Fox News b. ABC c. NBC d. CBS e. PBS

a

One special contribution of Internet-based news is that it a. provides the ordinary citizen with an opportunity to be part of the news system. b. provides slower, more deliberative reporting. c. offers more unbiased reporting. d. prevents rampant editorializing. e. None of these answers is correct.

a

The media perform the signaling role by a. informing the public of breaking events and new developments. b. serving as an open channel for leaders to express their opinions. c. exposing officials who violate accepted performance and moral standards. d. acting as the public's representative. e. All of these answers are correct.

a

The rise of the Internet as a news source has a. substantially increased the partisan divide. b. led to a small but significant increase in the partisan divide. c. led to a small but significant decrease in the partisan divide. d. substantially decreased the partisan divide. e. had no appreciable impact on the partisan divide.

a

What aspect of presidential election did Andrew Jackson try but fail to achieve? a. elimination of the Electoral College b. elimination of candidate selection by primary c. elimination of the unit rule d. the equalization of Electoral College votes, eliminating population as a factor e. an increase in the number of presidential candidates per party

a

Which institution receives the most news coverage from the national press? a. the presidency b. U.S. House of Representatives c. U.S. Senate d. U.S. Supreme Court e. the federal bureaucracy

a

About three in every five managerial and professional positions in the federal bureaucracy are held by a. women. b. white males. c. African Americans. d. Latino Americans. e. Asian Americans.

b

According to the U.S. Constitution, if no one candidate receives a majority vote of the Electoral College, who chooses the president? a. the U.S. Senate b. the U.S. House of Representatives c. both the Senate and House in joint session d. the Supreme Court e. the people, in a runoff election

b

Committee staffs within Congress a. concentrate on constituency relations. b. perform an almost entirely legislative function. c. concentrate on public relations. d. split their time between legislative functions and public relations. e. are devoted to logistical functions and committee public relations.

b

Defining the conditions and scheduling a bill for floor debate in the House of Representatives is the responsibility of the a. Ways and Means Committee. b. Rules Committee. c. Budget Committee. d. Appropriations Committee. e. Judiciary Committee.

b

Political scientist Richard Neustadt argues that the most important presidential power is the power to a. threaten. b. persuade. c. veto. d. make war. e. appoint Supreme Court justices.

b

Regarding the educational background of bureaucrats, high-ranking civil servants in continental Europe, compared to American bureaucrats, tend to have a college major specializing in a. natural sciences and engineering. b. law. c. social sciences and the humanities. d. business management. e. journalism.

b

Since the founding of the United States, the debate over the representation function of Congress has centered on whether a. key decisions should be made by a small number of representatives in committee or by the whole membership in floor debate. b. the primary concern of a representative should be the interests of the nation or of his or her constituency. c. congressional or presidential authority should dominate on broad issues. d. the House or the Senate is more responsive to the public. e. the House or the Senate should take the lead on foreign policy issues.

b

The courts have tended to support administrators as long as their agencies a. choose rules that save money. b. can apply a reasonable interpretation of a statute. c. follow what the president demands of them. d. have adequate funding. e. don't come into conflict with state governments.

b

The term "framing" is used to describe the a. media's ability to influence what is on people's minds. b. process of selecting certain aspects of reality and then crafting news stories around those aspects. c. media's obligation to convey a uniform and standard interpretation of a situation. d. nature of media reporting when objectivity has weakened and the system has tilted in favor of yellow journalism. e. primary right of the media that is protected by the First Amendment.

b

The yellow journalism of the late nineteenth century was characterized by a. its appearance solely in weekly and monthly magazines. b. the emphasis on sensationalism as a way of selling newspapers. c. prejudice against Asian people and countries. d. an unwillingness to take editorial positions because of a fear of losing circulation. e. the desire to present the news in an objective manner.

b

Which of the following states gives one Electoral College vote to the winner of each congressional district and two Electoral College votes to the statewide winner? a. Texas b. Maine c. New York d. New Hampshire e. Iowa

b

Bureaucrats tend to follow a. the wishes of the president. b. the wishes of Congress. c. their own agency's point of view. d. the expectations of the general public. e. the wishes of federal judges.

c

One must be ________ years of age to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives, and ________ years of age to serve in the U.S. Senate. a. 18; 21 b. 21; 25 c. 25; 30 d. 35; 45 e. 40; 50

c

Scholarly research has shown that, overall, the traditional media have a. a strong liberal bias. b. a slight liberal bias. c. no substantial bias. d. a slight conservative bias. e. a strong conservative bias.

c

The Senior Executive Service (SES) a. is composed of civil employees that can be fired more easily than normal career civil servants. b. was designed to combat abuse of the patronage system. c. is composed of civil employees that can be assigned by the president to any position within the bureaucracy. d. has been more successful in practice than its proponents anticipated. e. assigns most of its senior executives to work within a different agency than the one in which they originally worked.

c

What happens to the president's budget if it is approved by a vote of the House and Senate? a. It is reviewed by the Office of Management and Budget. b. It has reached its final approval and is implemented. c. It is sent to the president to sign or veto. d. It is given to the president for any further executive changes to be added. e. It is referred to the House and Senate appropriations committees for implementation.

c

What is the congressional equivalent of the Office of Management and Budget? a. House Appropriations Committee b. Senate Appropriations Committee c. Congressional Budget Office d. House Sergeant at Arms e. General Accounting Office

c

Which one of the following did NOT serve as a state governor prior to being president? a. Ronald Reagan b. Bill Clinton c. John F. Kennedy d. George W. Bush e. Jimmy Carter

c

________ is/are most likely to understand trade issues in the United States. a. The president b. Members of the Senate c. Career bureaucrats in the Department of Commerce and the Federal Trade Commission d. Members of the House e. Federal mediators

c

Congress oversees the bureaucracy by using a. sunset provisions. b. the Government Accounting Office. c. oversight hearings. d. all of these: sunset provisions, the Government Accounting Office, and oversight hearings. e. None of these answers is correct.

d

In 2010, the average Senate race saw about ________ dollars in campaign spending. a. 2 million b. 4 million c. 8 million d. 15 million e. 34 million

d

A standing committee in the House or Senate a. is a permanent committee. b. has jurisdiction over a particular policy area. c. has authority to draft, amend, and recommend legislation. d. is usually organized according to the seniority principle. e. All of these answers are correct.

e

Approximately ________ percent of House incumbents win reelection. a. 57 b. 65 c. 74 d. 82 e. 92

e

Incumbents may have some problems in reelection campaigns if a. disruptive issues such as general public discontent with Congress become prominent. b. the incumbent is tainted with charges of personal misconduct or corruption. c. the election is a midterm election, and the incumbent is of the same party as the president. d. they appear vulnerable, and contributors from outside the state or district might target the race and donate money to the challenger. e. All of these answers are correct.

e

Which of the following states is MOST likely to vote Republican in the next presidential election? a. Pennsylvania b. New York c. Vermont d. Colorado e. Texas

e