ap us gov midterm theilke

the constitutional powers of the president include:

"inherent powers"

in the McCulloch vs MAryland decision, the supreme court favored

cooperative federalism

the _________has the power to ratify treaties

senate only

a minority public could also be called a

special interest group

which of the following is NOT a part of DUAL federalism

the constitution was ratified by the people of the US not the states

a supporter of states' rights would argue that:

the national gov.'s powers should be interpreted "narrowly"

one recent criticism of referenda and initiative is that:

they crate an expensive "industry" of professionals and lobbyists who spend millions of dollars to get the result they want

which political philosopher said that life in a state of nature would be "slitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short"?

thomas hobbes

the concept that everyone in a democracy should be allowed to participate in governmental decision-making is:

universal participation

the idea that all adults within the boundaries of a political community should be allowed to vote is known as

universal participation

a congressional representative is following the "trustee" philosophy when he or she:

votes according to his or hr conscience, even when doing so means going against the wishes of the majority back home

the constitutional requirement that the president faithfully execute the laws even if he disagrees with the purpose of those laws is the:

"take care" clause

federalist no. 10 and federalist no. 51 each make the argument that the constitution combats:

"tyranny" by the national government

the hispanic population has not benefited as much as African Americans from the creation of majority-minority districts because:

37 percent of adult Hispanics living in the US are not american citizens and of the dispersion of the hispanic population (C and E)

in today's congress the mere threat of a senate filibuster is extremely common, which means that almost any bill often needs the support of ________instead of simply majority

60 senators

which political philosopher inspired the phrase "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" in the Declaration of Independence

John locke

John Locke's views on government are expressed in:

Two Treatises on Government

a confederation is:

a loose association of independent states

which of the following stories is most likely to make the televised evening news in the US

a murder in the city from which the broadcast originates

national sovereignty is defined as

a political entity's externally recognized right to exercise final authority over its own affairs

in political science, "party identification" refers to:

a sense of psychological attachment to a particular party

according to the theory of DUAL federalism

a wall separates the "spheres of issues controlled by the national gov. and the states

every two years,_________of the house is up for re-election

all

"groupthink" happens when:

all members of the group ignore reality and irrationally agree that their plan is fool-proof

regarding the principle of "civilian control over the military" all of the following are correct EXCEPT:

all military personnel owe their allegiance to the constitution NOT the president or any other person

a major reason for the use of committees in congress is that they:

allow members of congress to develop and use expertise in certain policy areas

according to your textbook, political liberals fear stronger states' rights because in the past, stronger states' rights have:

allowed racial inequality and segregation

which of the following best describes a "critical election"

an electoral realignment occurs

if your were in charge of a corporate PAC, you would most likely give campaign contributions so:

an incumbent who is a member of a congressional committee that handles issues important to your PAC

the constitutional amendment process requires

approval by the national government and the states

the content of a proposed bill in congress can be changes:

at any stage of the legislative process in either the house of the senate

most democratic theorists agree that a modern nation cannot have "legitimate" democracy without:

at least two political parties regularly contesting elections

the framers of the constitution intended that the power of the presidency would

be slightly less than the power of congress

if the president neither signs nor vetoes a bill within 10 days while congress is in session, the bill:

becomes law

a ________survey result on a political issue can be a big problem for a politician who does not know how to vote on that issue

bimodal

what kind of federal gran-in-aid allows the recipient state the most discretion in determining how to spend the money?

block grant

a group of presidential advisors who are the heads of the fifteen executive departments are called:

cabinet secretaries

which of the following variables is frequently used to explain the likelihood of interest group formation?

change in the environment (a distribution of status quo), leadership issues, socioeconomicstatus of potential members, and activities of "interest groups entrepreneurs" (all of the above)

separation of powers allows the US system to keep power among the branches balances by enabling one branch to counter the actions of another through the use of:

checks and balances

the power of the president to veto bills passed by congress is an example of

checks and balances

the basic standard of substantive democracy is that government must guarantee:

civil rights and liberties

public opinion in the

collective attitudes of citizens concerning a specific issue

according to the text, only libertarians and __________ are consistent in their attitude toward the scope of government activity

communitarians

the most important norm of behavior in congress is that individual members should be willing to:

compromise

all of the following statements regarding the "new deal" era are correct EXCEPT

congress unconstitutionally overstepped its scope of powers to meet the national emergency

the manipulation of federal highway funds by congress to compel states to change state law is an example of:

cooperative federalism

the purpose of the president's three fundamental foreign relations objectives is to

create and maintain peace and prosperity

congress giving the president additional powers is called:

delegation of power

a politician who appeals to, and often deceives the masses by manipulating their emotions and prejudices is a

demagogue

under section 5 of the voting rights act several states are required to submit redistricting plans to the:

department of justice

according to procedural theory, the government should

do whatever the majority wants

someone who believes that the "elastic" clause of the constitution should be "narrowly" interpreted is a ________federalist

dual

someone who believes that the "elastic" clause of the constitution should be "narrowly" interpreted is most likely to endorse the concept of _________federalism

dual

the great depression caused a shift away from _______ and toward_________

dual federalism;cooperative federalism

the standard socioeconomic model of participation refers to

education income and occupation

liberals are more likely to favor generous government support for

education, housing, public transportation, and a whole range of social programs

what term do we use to describe a change in voting patterns after a critical election?

electoral realignment

the idea that the most important government decisions are made by an identifiable and stable small group that shares certain characteristics- particularly wealth and business connections- is called

elite theory

each of the 435 congressional districts in the house of representatives must be:

equal in population (as close as possible)

when one person has the same chance to succeed in life as another this is called

equality of opportunity

social order is usually defined as

established patterns of authority and traditional modes of behavior

an arrangement between the US president and the head of state of a foreign country that does not require senate approval is called:

executive agreement

the right of the president to keep his official communications (discussions, etc.) confidential, especially if they relte to national security.

executive privelege

most political opinion polls and surveys in the US are very accurate because the large majority of Americans pay attention to the political news on a reg day basis and they are familiar w the issues

false

political socialization is usually a simple process of how children learn the political attitudes of their parents and that process is usually complete by age 6

false

which presidential appointees usually have a significant political impact that lasts well beyond the four or eight-year term(s) of the President who appointed them?

federal judges

the "general election: is a __________election, not a ___________election.

federal; popular

supporters of the constitution named themselves

federalists

the senate delay tactic of "talking a bill to death" is called

filibustering

the supreme court has ruled that donations to a political campaign are a form of:

free speech

the growth of PACs, and the increasing demand to regulate PACs brings into conflict which two political values?

freedom and equality

the media executives, news editors and prominent reporters who decide which events to report and how to report them are known as:

gatekeepers

in the first election cycle following the US census, incumbents typically get the advantage of:

gerrymandered districts

the trend in the ownership of mass media in the US has been toward

greater concentration of ownership

the american emphasis on freedom over equality in political participation works to the benefit of

groups with greater resources (wealth, education)

since the 1970s (due to re-districting for "safe" seats), partisan voting in the House of Representatives:

has increased

the war powers resolution:

has not been put into effect by congress yet

one criterion that must be met for a country to be "democratic" is it must

have more than one political party that contest in elections

when comparing PAC contributions to congressional votes, political scientists:

have not been able to find any consistent line between contributions and votes on bills

it is most likely that _______groups will reinforce extreme political and social attitudes for each other

homogeneous

during a presidential election, the tendency of journalits to limit coverage of campaign events to coverage of the candidate who is leading in the polls at the time is known as:

horse race journalism

a key difference between the house and the senate concerning the path that a bill takes on the way to becoming a law is the

house rules committee

a power not expressed in the constitution but "necessary" for another specific grant of power to be carried out is called an _________ power

implied

political parties argue that they do all of the following positive things EXCEPT:

increase the cumber of candidates on the ballot to offer voters more choices

the effect of national emergencies and judicial rulings on federalism has been to

increase the power of the national gov over the states

the supreme court's rulings on the "commerce clause" have historically

increased the power of the national gov. over the states

gerrymandering contributes to the:

increasing pattern of ideological polarization between the two parties in the house

when making contributions to candidates for congress, PACs donate more to:

incumbents

the primary goal of interest groups is to

influence public policy

third part candidates, especially in national elections:

influence the issues (agenda) discussed in the campaign, split coalitions created by the major parties, and act as a "safety valve" for voters who feel that their concerns are not met by the major parties (all of the above)

The supreme court has ruled that the president has "exclusive" power over:

international relations

the presence of multiple (more than two) successful political parties:

is the only guarantee of a truly stable democratic system

the "television hypothesis" is the belief that television:

is to blame for the low level of citizens' knowledge about public affairs

an incumbent president running for re-election:

is usually not challenged by anyone in his own party for the nomination

one of the weaknesses of the procedural model of democracy is that:

it does not provide clear criteria on which to judge whether a government is democratic

the main drawback of protest activity as a tool in influencing the policy making process is that:

it is basically a short-term tool, whereas policy making is a long-term process

how did the twelfth amendment solve the original constitutional problems in the method of electing the president and vice president

it required each party's nominees for president and vice president to be together on one "ticket"

whether a political system is democratic is chiefly defined by

its amount of participation, its political equality and majority rule, government responsiveness to public opinion, and its tolerance for freedom of speech and association (all of the above)

research on how public policy is made suggests that much of the elite's power comes from the ability of elites to

keep issues off the political agenda and out of the media attention

a congressional committee that holds a hearing to determine whether the department of agriculture is administering the food stamp program as congress intended is engaging in

legislative oversight

the broad, basic definition of government given by the text is:

legitimate use of force within specified geographic boundaries to control human behavior

characteristics frequently associated with nonvoter are

low education, low income, and being relatively young

the most powerful person in the senate is the

majority leader

elections, as an institutional mechanism:

make the power and authority of the government "legitimate"

states' rights supporters believe that congress should restrict itself to:

making laws in areas not specifically "reserved" to the states

why might survey results NOT be reliable for Reps and senators to follow?

many people who answer surveys actually do not know anything about the issues in the survey questions

interest groups often provide better representation for their members than members of congress do for their constituents because

members of congress are pressured by many different groups and opinions; interest groups are more focused

it is often difficult for congressional party leader to control rank-and-file members of congress because of the following:

members of congress have independent bases of support in their districts and states

an underlying assumption of the concept of "descriptive representation" is that:

minorities can be effectively represented only by people with their own demographic characteristics

all of the following are principles of "procedural" democracy EXCEPT:

minority rights

an important problem with procedural democracy is that it's results could violate:

minority rights

"hard money" is:

money that is donated to a specific candidate's campaign for campaign activities

amendments to the constitution may pass the proposal (first) phase by getting a two-thirds "yes" vote in both the house and the senate or through it

national convention

all of the following are functions of interest groups EXCEPT:

nominating candidates for public office

the text of the constitution deals with slavery by:

not mentioning it directly

where in the constitution are political parties discussed

nowhere in the constitution

an autocracy is a political system ruled by

one individual

each of the following is one of the six basic principles in the constitution EXCEPT:

one person one vote

every two years______of the 100 senate seats are up for re-election at the same time

one-third

in general libertarians

oppose all government action except that which protects life and property

what do we call the official statement of policies adopted by each party at their national convention

party platform

in recent polls,_________is a main reason for the American public's low approval ratings of congress

persistent partisan disagreements within congress

according to the US supreme court's decision in McCulloch vs Maryland the elastic clause allows congress to take a particular action that is not expressed in the constitution if that action is:

plainly adapted to achiechving a legitimate (expressed) constitutional power

"majority rule" is defined as decision-making by 50% plus one person/vote __________ is defined as a decision-making by the largest group whether is is a majority or not

plurality rule

federal communication commissioners can be removed from office only through impeachment and conviction, thus the commissioners are "insulated" from:

political control

a country that follows the principle "one person one vote" is practicing

political equality

each citizen having one vote is

political equality

a consistent set of values and beliefs about the proper purpose and scope of government is a

political ideology

the text defines ________ as the "actions of private citizens by which they seek to influence or support government politics"

political participation

which of the following contributes to the dominance of the two-party system?

political socialization in the family

the key feature of the great compromise was its provision for:

population-based representation for states in the house and equal representation for states in the senate

when congress enacts a law giving the national gov the authority to take over complete or partial responsibility for a state gov function, the federal gov is using

preemption

a "direct primary" is a

preliminary election to choose party candidates/nominees

in a democracy, the mass media's function is to

promote two-way communication between government and citizens

the primary goal of the drafters of the Article of Confederation was to

protect states' rights and autonomy

in the united states today, the mass media:

provide a two-way channel of communication between the people and he government

services that benefit all citizens, and are not likely to be produced by the voluntary acts of individuals, are called:

public goods

which of the following is a major difference between "public" interest groups and other lobbies?

public interest groups do not generally pursue the economic self-interests of their own members

in Shaw vs Reno the supreme court ruled in a split decision that a North Carolina district that meandered 160 miles from Durham to Charlotte to increase minority representation in Congress violated the rights of whites. Drawing congressional districts this way is known as:

racial gerrymandering

all of the following are among the four most important functions of political parties in the US EXCEPT:

raising money for candidates

samples that have all the characteristics of the population are called

representative

cabinet positions are created by congress to:

respond to new problems that arise as life in the US becomes more complex and the voters ask for more gov. services

a __________committee would handle a temporary issue or problem that would not fall under the jurisdiction of a standing committee

select

the advantage of incumbency may be weaker for senators than Representatives because:

senate races attract higher-quality challengers than house races

the assignment in the constitution of law making, law enforcing, and law interpreting functions to the legislative, executive, and judicial branches is known as:

separation of powers

most politicians and many scholars believe that the media's greatest influence on politics is its ability to:

set the political agenda

the framers of the constitution intended that the power of the presidency would:

slightly surpass the power of the supreme court

the "state of nature" refers to:

society without government

a political party's main purpose is to:

sponsor candidates from their party in elections

the tenth amendment gives__________gov. broad unwritten (non-expressed) powers

state

because of electoral balloting the________ elect the president

states

all of the following are reasons that have improved their ability to govern capably over the last few decades EXCEPT

states have increased their own power to ignore federal mandates

among the most undemocratic feature of the US constitution is the

states' representation of the senate

over the years, the federal gov. has become more involved in the economy social issues and "crisis management". This has ____________the power of the presidency

strengthened

which of the following is the most distinguishing feature of the American political parties?

stronger organizations at the state level than the national organizations

typically,____________are the dominant force(s) in the shaping of the content of a bill

subcommittee members

the bill of rights is the basis of

substantive theories of democracy

____________ is political action that expresses allegiance to country and government

supportive behavior

statistical sampling is

surveying a representative sample of a population and prediction the collective opinion of the population

research indicates that one important reason for the decline of "third-party" voting that started in the 1930s might be:

that the democratic party was "co-opting" issues raised by popular third-parties

parties developed new methods for nominating presidential candidates as a result of:

the "expansion of the electorate"

the idea that governmental authority comes from the "consent of the governed" is based on:

the "social contract" theory

the increase in the president's power over the many years (compared to the power of congress) has occurred mostly because:

the US has become the most important player in international affairs, and the president controls foreign policy

conflicts over power-sharing between states and the national gov are often decided by

the US supreme court

all of the following have been a major factor in increasing presidential power EXCEPT:

the abolishment of the electoral balloting system of electing presidents

the broad, basic definition of politics given by the text is:

the authoritative allocation of values for a society

which document proclaimed "we hold these truths be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights"

the declaration of independence

one reason for the media's huge impact as a socialization agent is:

the fact that the average American chilld has watched about 19000 hours of television bv tje end of high school

all of the following are parts of the "cooperative" federalism EXCEPT

the functions and responsibilities of the national and state govs. are clearly separated

in nearly every other democratic country, the burden of registration is placed on

the government

the president controls foreign policy. The constitution gives the president authority over the two major Executive Branch instruments of foreign policy:

the military and the diplomats (ambassadors)

antifederalists attacked the proposed constitution on the grounds that

the national government it created was too strong

the main federalist argument against the need for a bill of rights was that:

the national government would be weakened of limits on its power were listed

the primary objection to ratification of the constitution by the states was:

the omission of a bill of individual rights and liberties

a vote on a bill in the senate results in a tie. What would likely be the official outcome of the vote on the bill?

the presidents party would win the vote

any increase in lobbying regulations conflicts with:

the right to "petition" the gov. that is part of the first amendment

all of the following statements concerning the speaker of the house are correct EXCEPT:

the speaker's duties are "expressed" in the constitution

often, we learn new information about something and then compare and organize all later incoming information against first information this is an example of:

the structuring principle

a supporter of states' rights would use_______ as the basis for his/her argument

the tenth amendment

_________occurs when a specialized media outlet informs a relatively small number of group leader who follows news in specific area, and those leaders in turn mobilize their followers to put pressure on public officials

the two-step flow of communication

perfect freedom and order can never be achieved because

these two values are inherently in conflict and cannot be provided simultaneously

the articles of confederation failed because

they did not give the national government authority to raise money, they did not include an independent executive to direct government they did not give the national government the power to regulation commerce with uniform nation laws (all of the above)

the general intent of the bipartisan campaign reform act was:

to regulate political donations to make contests more fair

some of the statements in the constitution that describe the powers of the presidency are ambiguous. Presidents since FDR have used this:

to strengthen the presidency by "pushing the limits" of residential authority

anarchism is the political opposite of

totalitarianism

a political action committee of a special interest group is allowed to make donations to a political campaign

true

a president's approval rating usually rises immediately after beginning a military action and then falls as the situation continues

true

according to the US constitution the president is both "head of state" and "head of Government"

true

an election could be interpreted as a public opinion poll

true

campaigns are called "decentralized" because they are run state-by-state, not by the national committees

true

candidates for President must first win the nomination of their party to get on the ballot for the "general election"

true

if a population is homogeneous a sample from that population will have less variation

true

if a population is very diverse (heterogeneous) a researcher should use a larger sample to get as much of that population's demographics variation as possible in the sample

true

in the U.S., political donations are "public record"

true

in the federalists papers Alexander Hamilton argued that an "electoral college" system would be harder to corrupt than a popular vote method of electing a president

true

mid-term elections for house and senate are a test of how popular the president is.

true

parties might allow "open or "modified closed" primaries to allow "independent" voters to participate

true

presidents usually have more success in foreign relations than with domestic problems

true

presidents who serve in times of crisis (war, depression, etc.) usually have more public support than presidents who serve during tranquil times when there are no real challenges

true

primary voting attract voter who are no "representative: of the average party member. They are usually more conservative (for republican primaries) and more liberal (for democratic parties) than the average party member who waits until the general election to vote

true

public opinion can tell gov officials how wide the scope of gov involvement in society should be

true

public opinion can tell gov officials what purposed the gov should be involved in

true

the fec has no authority of groups that are "non-connection" with a political campaign

true

the federal election commission enforces laws regarding political donations to candidates

true

the president is the leader of the federal bureaucracy and can guide the way laws are enforced and how programs are carried out

true

the president may pardon almost anyone who has been convicted of a federal crime

true

the president negotiates treaties with foreign countries, but the senate must ratify those treaties to make them law

true

the basic premise of federalism is that:

two or more government levels share power and authority over the same land and people

sometimes congress passes a law forcing a state to take an action but does not give the state money to do it is called an

unfunded mandate

compared o citizens in other nations, Americans are more likely to

value freedom of speech more than order

legislators are________the opinions expressed in letters from constituents

very concerned about

the text defines suffrage and franchisee as the right to:

vote

all of the following statements concerning the legislative process are correct EXCEPT:

when the bill has a sponsor in the house and in the senate, it will always be passed quickly

how is the cabinet different from the president's white house advisors?

white house advisors serve the president, not department constituents

the _________ is considered a president's most loyal assistant

white house chief of staff