Final Exam
A candidate who received 20 percent of the overall vote could
win the election only if the election were held in a plurality system.
A key power of the Fed is to
expand and contract the amount of credit available in the United States.
A closed or an open rule refers to congressional provisions regarding
floor debate on a bill
"Packing" occurs when
legislative districts are redrawn in a way that concentrates members of a particular party in as few districts as possible, thereby limiting the overall number of seats that party might win.
"Cracking" occurs when
legislative districts are redrawn in a way that disperses members of a particular party across multiple districts, thereby reducing that party's chances of winning any seats.
A senator who agrees to vote for a tax-cut bill with which he or she disagrees in order to receive another senator's vote on a climate change bill that he or she has proposed is engaged in
logrolling
A ________ is an incentive in the tax code for individuals and corporations to invest their money in ways that government officials desire in exchange for a reduction in tax liabilities.
loophole
A 501(c)(4)
may not spend more than half its revenue for political purposes.
A(n) ________ benefit is one where potential recipients must document their genuine need.
means-tested
A system that allows voters to rank candidates from the most preferred to the least preferred on the ballot is called
ranked-choice voting.
A cost-of-living adjustment is based on the
rate of inflation.
A $0.25 per gallon tax on gasoline is an example of a ________ tax.
regressive
A ________ nation is one with unstable leadership, whose policies are driven by ideology rather than by economic or human costs and benefits.
rogue
A sole executive agreement is a
simple understanding between the president and a foreign state that is not submitted to Congress for approval.
A U.S. senator has a ________-year term.
six
"Me too" Republicanism refers to
the tendency of Republican politicians during the New Deal to support popular programs such as Social Security rather than advocate alternative policies.
"King Caucus" refers to
the use of each party's congressional caucus to nominate presidential candidates during the early nineteenth century.
A major risk of the delegate model of representation is that
the voices of only a few active and informed constituents will be heard because most people do not pay close attention to every issue.
A congressional caucus is a(n)
unofficial group of representatives or senators sharing similar interests or opinions.
A homeowner who owes more on his or her mortgage than the mortgaged property is worth is referred to as owning a home that is
"underwater."
A citizen can currently give no more than ________ per candidate for federal office per election in a given two-year election cycle.
$2,700
A majority system, which is used on a limited basis in the United States, requires that a candidate must win ________ to win an election.
50 percent plus one of all votes cast
A bill's supporters in the House of Representatives generally prefer ________, while opponents generally prefer a(n) ________.
a closed rule; open rule cloture; filibuster
A runoff election is MOST likely to occur in which kind of electoral system?
a majority system
A pocket veto is a
a presidential veto that is automatically triggered if the president does not act on a given piece of legislation passed during the final 10 days of a legislative session
527 committees are an important part of the American political system because they
are able to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money as long as they do not coordinate their activities with a political party.
A proposed law or policy change that is placed on the ballot by citizens or interest groups for a popular vote is called a
ballot initiative
A state with a roughly equal number of Democrats and Republicans in the population is often referred to as a ________ state.
battleground
A ________ is an effort by political candidates and their staffs to win backing and support by voters in the quest for political office.
campaign
A member of the House of Representatives who helps a constituent apply for Social Security benefits is engaging in
casework.
A federal government program that gives money to state and local governments to spend on educational and nutritional assistance for low-income families would be an example of a(n)
categorical grant.
A ________ is a meeting of a political group's members who gather to determine strategy and select candidates.
caucus
A member of Congress who votes for a bill with which he or she disagrees because a majority of his or her constituents favor it is acting as a
delegate
A major benefit of ranked-choice voting is that it
eliminates the "spoiler" effect that occurs when votes for a third-party or minor candidate are discarded.
A presidential emergency declaration remains in force
for only one year unless it is renewed by the president.
A major cause of political polarization in Congress is
gerrymandering.
"Right to work" laws
guarantee that a worker does not have to belong to a union or pay union dues as a condition of employment.
A serious candidate for a U.S. House of Representatives race must raise at least several ________ dollars, while a serious candidate for a U.S. Senate race must raise at least several ________ dollars.
hundred thousand; million
A senator or representative running for re-election is called the
incumbent
A party's platform is best understood as a
negotiated agreement among the various factions in the party.
A party activist is an individual who
not only votes but also contributes time, energy, effort, and financial resources to party affairs.
A(n) ________ occurs when a voter can wait until the day of the primary to choose which party to enroll in to select candidates for the general election.
open primary
A party's ________ contains its philosophy, principles, and policy positions.
platform
A ________ veto occurs when Congress adjourns during a 10-day period after presenting the president with a bill and he or she takes no action.
A tax designed to reduce the disparities in wealth between the rich and poor is called a(n)
policy of redistribution.
A referendum is the
practice of referring a proposed law passed by a legislature to the vote of the electorate for approval or rejection.
A filibuster allows members of the Senate to
prevent a vote on a bill by speaking continuously on the floor.
A bill proposed in Congress that grants citizenship to a specifically named individual from a foreign country would be an example of a(n)
private bill
A ________ specifies general rules and categories of behavior, people, and institutions, while a ________ bill grants a relief, special privilege, or exemption to a particular individual.
public bill; private
A "second-round" election in which voters choose between the top two candidates from the first round is called a
runoff election.
A legislative "hold" is a
stalling tactic used in the U.S. Senate to delay debate on a bill.
A number of states have responded to concerns about partisan gerrymandering by
taking redistricting power away from their state legislature and giving it to independent commissions.
A tax of $30 levied on every pound of cheese imported from France would be an example of a
tariff
"Self-sorting" refers to the
tendency of individuals to segregate themselves by choosing to live in liberal or conservative geographic areas.
A policy of deterrence may fail against terrorist groups because
terrorist groups are nonstate actors who may believe that their lack of a fixed geographic location prevents their targets from retaliating militarily.
A major factor in John F. Kennedy's 1960 presidential victory over Richard Nixon was
that Kennedy had a much stronger performance than Nixon during televised debates.
A political party is an organization
that tries to influence the government by getting its members elected to office.
A signing statement is an announcement
the president makes about his or her interpretation of a congressional enactment he or she is signing into law.
A member of Congress who feels only loosely constrained by the policy preferences of his or her constituents and empowered to make the decisions he or she thinks best is acting as a
trustee.
"Dark money" comes from
"Dark money" comes from
