American Politics

Today, there are approximately __________ unauthorized immigrants living in the United States.

11 million

It is estimated that about ____________ of voters who identify as "independent" still lean toward either the Republican or the Democratic Party.

75 percent

Ethanol is a fuel that is

All of these choices are true

Lobbying reforms made in 1995 and 1996, both through legislation and congressional rules, included

All of these options are true.

What can be said of agricultural interest groups in the United States?

Although farmers represent less than 1 percent of the population, they have very strong interest groups.

After the Great Depression, the __________ became the party of the working class.

Democratic Party

The federal healthcare program that covers U.S. residents over the age of sixty-five is

Medicare.

A law that inflicts punishment without a trial is

a bill of attainder.

In polling, the difference between the sample's results and those that would have been obtained had the entire population been interviewed is

a sampling error.

The estimated cost to deport all unauthorized immigrants is

about $400 billion.

All of the following are true of the Supreme Court's opinions on affirmative action EXCEPT

affirmative action programs may continue indefinitely, even after achieving their goals.

A latent interest is

an interest not recognized or addressed by a group at a particular time.

Single-issue interest groups

are narrowly focused, usually on just one issue, and have members who tend to care intensely about their issues.

All of the following are true of social movements EXCEPT that they

are usually orchestrated by pre-existing interest groups.

Jewish voters tend to

be more liberal than average on economic and cultural issues.

Under Woodrow Wilson, the Democratic Party

began a radical change by endorsing the idea that government should become involved in the economy.

Which types of interest groups are defined as economic interest groups?

business, labor, and professionals

The existence of interest groups

can be problematic for democracy because members of the middle or upper classes often dominate interest groups.

Public opinion polls

can set informal limits on government action.

Public relations efforts aimed at improving the public image of an industry or group are called

climate control.

Legislators and government officials are often more impressed by contacts from

constituents than interest groups

Legislators and government officials are often more impressed by contacts from

constituents than interest groups.

Each of the following statements about incarceration is true EXCEPT

despite the large population of prisoners, the prison system is below capacity.

Historically, __________ have been among the most powerful influences on public opinion.

economic concerns

Divided government

exists when the presidency and Congress are controlled by different parties.

All of the following are true of lobbyists EXCEPT that they

fabricate the truth when providing information to public officials.

people who become members of interest groups for solidary incentives are joining

for a sense of belonging to the group.

Today, crime rates are

generally lower than they were in the mid 1990s.

The primary goal of an American political party is

getting the party's candidates elected to office by winning elections.

The final dollar value of all goods and services produced in a one-year period is the

gross domestic product.

the hiring of illegal immigrants

has only been against the law since 1986.

In 1965, in Griswold v. Connecticut, a case involving the legality of contraceptives, the Supreme Court

held that the law violated the right to privacy.

Since 1965, the share of the U.S. national income spent on healthcare has

increased almost every year.

Fiscal policy

is an approach to stabilizing the economy through government spending and taxing.

Any practice, policy, or procedure that denies equality of treatment to an individual or to a group because of gender

is gender discrimination.

The ability to monitor any form of communication by a suspect

is known as a roving wiretap.

A two-party system

is one in which only two parties have a reasonable chance of winning.

On the issue of sexual harassment, the Supreme Court has ruled that

it is considered sexual harassment when words or actions of a sexual nature interfere with the employee's work or create a "hostile environment."

In Engel v. Vitale, the Supreme Court held that

it violates the establishment clause for government to compose official prayers.

All of the following are true of the 2010 Arizona immigration law EXCEPT

it was fully upheld as constitutional by the United States Supreme Court.

The age of automation and the rise of the service sector have

led to attempts to unionize migrant farm workers, service workers, and public employees.

The new forms of media

like blogs, talk radio, and cable news channels have increased political polarization.

People can designate their wishes regarding life-sustaining procedures in a/an

living will.

Following Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health

living wills became common.

In some states, __________, it is prohibited to bargain with public sector unions.

mostly in the South

An opinion leader is

one who is able to influence the opinions of others because of position, expertise, or personality

All elected and appointed officials who identify with a political party are the

party-in-government.

All of the following are true of public opinion and polls EXCEPT

polls show that people give Congress a high rating.

During which period is public opinion most likely to shift toward conservatism?

poor Democratic governance

Since 1960, the greatest growth in unionization has occurred among

public employees.

The type of policy that seeks to define what is and is not legal is

regulatory policy.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce

represents millions of domestic businesses to the U.S. government.

Most Americans believe that the problem of illegal immigration is

serious, but not a priority issue for government.

Many political scientists contend that third parties

serve as a safety valve for dissident political groups, preventing major confrontations and political unrest.

​The Federal Reserve System was created by Congress to

serve as the nation's central banking organization.

Functions of political parties in the United States include all of the following EXCEPT

signing up large numbers of dues-paying committed members.

African Americans today tend to be

somewhat conservative on certain cultural issues such as gay marriage and abortion.

John frequently supports Democratic candidates for national office but usually votes for Republicans in state and local elections. John is best described as a/n

split-ticket voter.

Key factors to an interest group's success include all of the following EXCEPT

sponsorship by a major political party.

Over time, most voters

support both the cultural and economic positions of their party.

Realignment

takes place when a substantial group of voters switches party allegiance.

All of the following environmental actions occurred during the Obama administration EXCEPT

the EPA was captured by interests of the coal and oil industries.

Cruel and unusual punishment is prohibited by

the Eighth Amendment.

The party most likely to support states rights in 1800 would have been

the Jeffersonian Republicans.

All of the following are true EXCEPT

the Republicans turned to supporting states' rights after the Civil War.

With regard to the issue of oil and energy

the United States' dependence on foreign oil is down sharply from just a few years ago, and a new technology called fracking is allowing more oil to be extracted from domestic and Canadian sources.

In the period leading up to the Civil War

the Whig Party split over the issue of slavery and anti-slavery factions of many parties coalesced to form the Republican Party.

The basis of freedom of religion is found in which two principles in the Bill of Rights?

the establishment clause and the free exercise clause

If two polling firms asked identical questions of the same group of 1,000 people, yet reported different results, this difference would likely be caused by

the house effect.

The party-in-the-electorate is made up of

the members of the general public who identify with a political party.

Feminism is

the movement that supports political, economic, and social equality for women and is a movement that began with the founding of the National Organization for Women (NOW) in 1966.

All of the following are major events in the women's equality movement EXCEPT

the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment.

For the defendant, an arraignment is

the right to be brought before a court to hear the charges and enter a plea of guilty or not guilty.

All of the following statements about demonstrations are true EXCEPT

they are organized refusals to buy the products of a particular company

All of the following are techniques used by interest groups to involve the general public EXCEPT

violently protesting so officials will know the unhappiness of the public.

"Don't ask, don't tell," the policy of requiring gay men and lesbians in the U.S. military to hide their sexual orientation

was first implemented during the Clinton administration and did not end expulsion of gay and lesbian military personnel.

From the late 1960s, many southern Democrats in Congress

were conservatives who commonly voted with Republicans and were replaced by Republicans as they retired.

A court case dealing with the minimum age requirement to purchase tobacco products would be treated

with rational basis review.

The theory that large-scale realignments in political party support are no longer likely is known as

​dealignment theory.

On the issue of global warning, many Americans

​do not believe it is occurring and do not believe that it is caused by human actions.

​In 2013, it was revealed that the NSA was collecting

​information on every call made in the United States and metadata, which included the number of the caller, time of call, and number called.

All of the following are true of the history of Asian Americans EXCEPT

​they are currently among the poorest racial minority groups