POL 201 EXAM 1 HW questions
Which of the following is an argument in favor of a strong national government
A. A strong national government increases the number of spillover effects between states. B. A strong national government means less political corruption. C. A strong national government provides a strong system of public education. D. A strong national government ensures consistent standards on key issues affecting the entire country.
Which is true of a high quality scientific survey?
A. It can be conducted in person or over the phone, usually by a group of volunteers. B. It typically consists of at least 5,000 Americans chosen for their varying demographics. C. It consists of systematic interviews conducted by trained professionals. D. It includes a broad bank of questions that the interviewer can select to ask when speaking with the interviewee
Which of the following is argued to be a central component of the social contract?
A. Rebellion is never an option once a Constitution is agreed upon. B. A just government is one that derives its power from the consent of the people. C. Rights are socially constructed and do not exist outside of a legitimate government. D. Everyone in a society explicitly agrees to live by the laws set forth by the government.
Ratification of the Constitution required approval of how many of the 13 original states?
A. Seven B. 11 C. Nine D. All 13
Which document describes the president's understanding of a law and how executive branch officials should carry it out?
A. Signing statement B. Executive order C. Declaration of intent D. Executive agreement
Which of the following describes current population trends in the United States?
A. Some current increase but predictions of long-term stagnation B. Growth and projection of continued growth C. Stagnant growth D. Comparable with trends in other wealthy democracies
How many amendments does the Constitution now have?
A. 21 B. 25 C. 19 D. 27
Why did the Obama Administration argue that the agreement with Iran was not a treaty?
A. A treaty would have required a vote in the House of Representatives based on the Constitution's Advice and Consent Clause. B. A treaty would have required approval from the United Nations. C. A treaty would have required approval from the Supreme Court based on the Constitution's Advice and Consent Clause. D. A treaty would have required a vote in the Senate based on the Constitution's Advice and Consent clause.
An American voter rejects the idea of Environmental Protection Agency regulation of the fossil fuel industry but supports candidates who advocate laws limiting fracking (a drilling technique used for extracting oil) on the basis that it puts nearby residents' health at risk. This is an example of which perspective on Americans' collective approach to government action?
A. Americans fear a lack of government involvement in key issues and thus overlook the public's historic distrust of centralized power. B. Americans are conservative on policy but liberal in ideology. C. Americans' suspicion of excessive governmental regulation prevents widespread support of hands-on policies. D. Americans generally distrust the government but support programs aimed at safeguarding the public.
Which of the following is a problem that pollsters have when conducting telephone surveys?
A. Americans will always lie to a pollster unless they are speaking with them face to face. B. Americans are inundated by telephone surveys and often refuse to participate. C. It is too difficult to contact enough people to make the sample truly random. D. Telephone surveys are more expensive than face-to-face surveys.
From which two geographic regions do most people who emigrate to the United States come?
A. Asia and Africa B. Africa and Latin America C. Asia and Europe D. Asia and Latin America
Why is public opinion central to the idea of democracy?
A. Because democracy is fundamentally about the rule of the people B. Because grave doubts about the wisdom of the public would otherwise be ignored C. Because the public's passions are capable of infringing on others' liberties D. Because political attitudes expressed by ordinary people are unusually coherent
Why does the meaning of the Constitution often change over time?
A. Because of changing judicial interpretations B. Because of actions of state legislatures alone C. Because of national referenda D. Because of presidential proclamations
Why did Boeing threaten to move production of their 777X plane out of Everett, Washington?
A. Because the state of Washington had enacted laws pertaining to social issues with which Boeing disagreed. B. Because there was no longer demand for their product in Washington C. Because the facility is too far from where the manufacturers of specialty airplane parts are made. D. To force the state into granting them special subsidies and the workers into reducing their pay.
Which best explains why fast-growing capitalist economies are likelier than others to have great income and wealth inequality?
A. Capitalist economies historically fluctuate between periods of high and low economic growth. B. Those who are wealthy keep financial stability within their families and economic stability is not widespread enough for other individuals to experience it. C. Where there are "winners" there are also "losers". In an economy that financially rewards those who do well in the market, it is inevitable that there are individuals or corporations that do not do well financially. D. The government actively alters the distribution of wealth amongst individuals and corporations by imposing high tax rates on those with less economic gains.
What organizational form of government did the leaders of the American Revolution have in mind during the war?
A. Confederation B. Two-party system C. Unitary system D. Federal government
Which of the following is an example of how popular culture can affect the process of political socialization?
A. Dinner table conversations between parents and children promote a consistent family political identity. B. The celebration of national symbols such as the American flag in school classrooms inspires a sense of patriotism passed down to future generations. C. Growing up during a time of economic depression informs views on the role of government during times of national distress. D. Recurring themes of corrupt politicians may undermine trust in government.
_______ is a type of government in which a few people rule, such as the elite of the Communist Party in China.
A. Direct Democracy B. Kleptocracy C. Monarchy D. Oligarchy
Which of the following statements about direct democracy is true?
A. Direct democracy involves elected officials making policy decisions directly. B. Direct democracy requires one representative for every thousand citizens. C. Direct democracy is difficult to implement in its purest form a large country. D. Direct democracy is the most common form of democratic government in today's world.
Which core belief leads Americans to look favorably on government programs that try to equalize opportunity but less favorably on welfare-style programs?
A. Distrust of government B. Populism C. Religiosity D. Individualism
Why do federal systems tend to be found in nations comprised of regions that are distinctive economically and culturally?
A. Federal systems give these distinctive regions the local authority that is necessary to maintain their identity while allowing them to benefit from the resources of the entire country. B. Federal systems tend to be the result of civil wars. C. They do not. Federalism is more common in nations without distinctive regions. D. Countries with distinctive regions owe their differences to periods of colonialism.
Which of the following is a priority of economic conservatives?
A. Guarantees of government services to people in need B. Direct government investment in private industry C. Progressive tax policies D. Economic liberty and freedom from government interference
How has the level of trust that Americans have in government changed since the 1960s?
A. Increased substantially B. Increased only slightly C. Declined substantially D. Shifted up and down decade by decade
Why did President Obama and the Iran government sign on to an "international agreement" in 2015?
A. Iran wanted economic sanctions lifted and the U.S. wanted Iran to end its production of enriched uranium. B. The Iranians were worried about a military strike by the U.S. C. The U.S. feared Iran would align with Russia and destabilize the region. D. The countries were both concerned about the situation in Iraq.
Which of the following is a feature of the Connecticut Compromise?
A. It established a council for the executive branch and stipulated that foreign policy decisions would be based on a majority vote of the chief executive. B. It established a two-chamber legislative branch, with each chamber based on a different principle of representation. C. It established a Supreme Court and most of the entire federal judiciary, with the exception of the District of Columbia Circuit Court and the specialized federal tax courts. D. It established a formula for how to count slaves, ended the slave trade, and explicitly mentioned that slaves could not be considered persons in a court of law.
What does the supremacy clause state?
A. It states that the national government can make all laws that are necessary to protect the health and safety of the citizenry of the United States. B. It states that each state reigns supreme within its borders. C. It states that the Constitution and national government laws are to be treated as the supreme law of the land. D. It states that the Supreme Court has the power to review all actions taken by Congress and the president and to rule on their constitutionality.
Why is the supremacy clause important for federalism?
A. It ultimately gives the states the final say on most issues. B. It ultimately gives the national government the final say on most issues. C. It gives states authority to exercise police powers. D. It establishes the system under which people may challenge federal issues in state courts.
Which of the following is a true statement about the Articles of Confederation?
A. It was the first governing document of the United States. B. It could be amended by a majority vote, which was seven of the 13 original colonies. C. It provided for a strong central government with broad war powers. D. It was created after the American Revolution.
What term describes the Supreme Court's right to declare the actions of the other branches of government null and void if they are contrary to the Constitution?
A. Judicial review B. Judicial activism C. Judicial oversight D. Judicial interpretation
The cultural celebration of the "self-made man," the person who advances in society by virtue of hard work and perseverance, is an example of which core American political belief?
A. Love of freedom B. Distrust of government C. Individualism D. Populism
Who were delegates to the Constitutional Convention?
A. Mainly wealthy men B. Mainly common folk C. Mainly small landowners D. A mixture of small landowners, wealthy men, racial minorities, and women
What is the significance of the McCulloch v. Maryland decision (1819)?
A. McCulloch v. Maryland affirmed the authority of the national government over the states by saying that the federal government did not have to pay state taxes on a national bank. B. McCulloch v. Maryland was the last time the Supreme Court offered a vigorous defense of states' rights, asserting that states had the right to impose taxes on federal entities within their borders. C. McCulloch v. Maryland established judicial review, allowing the Court to determine a law's constitutionality. D. McCulloch v. Maryland invalidated the necessary and proper clause which had endorsed the power and flexibility of Congressional authority.
__________ are less likely to identify with a political party than other groups in the United States.
A. More educated citizens B. African Americans C. Higher income Americans D. Younger citizens
How do the economic policy preferences of African Americans compare with those of other races?
A. More liberal than those of other races B. More conservative than those of other races C. More moderate than those of other races D. More detailed than those of other races
Which of the following statements about the meaning of the rational public is true?
A. Most individuals have rational, stable political preferences, but only about national matters. B. The public almost always supports programs where the government rations out services. C. The attitudes of the American public as a whole appear to be rational. D. Most individuals have rational, stable preferences, but only about local policy matters.
Which term pertains to the descriptive characteristics of a population?
A. Nativist B. Populist C. Demographic D. Civic
George was laid off from his loan appraiser's job at First National and cannot find a new position. American political culture leads people to lay the blame for George being laid off on whom?
A. Nobody B. The government C. George D. His employer
__________ is the term coined to describe cases where a citizen lacks a meaningful position on a policy.
A. Nonattitudes B. Apathy C. The Lippman Gap D. Core beliefs
Which of the following helps account for why the power of the national government has increased over time?
A. Persistent periods of peace throughout the twentieth century have allowed the national government to solidify its power. B. The Supreme Court has historically supported the national government's efforts to solve national problems via the Fourteenth Amendment. C. The Supreme Court has actively discouraged efforts by the states to expand their own powers. D. Under constitutional amendment, the shared powers of the federal government and the states have to be curtailed during times of national crisis.
Which of the following defines the term political ideology?
A. Political ideology is a coherent system of interlocking attitudes and beliefs about politics. B. Political ideology is knowledge about which party has a majority in Congress. C. Political ideology is a reference to the rhetoric that candidates use during general elections. D. Political ideology is the systematic bias in media coverage of politics.
Under the Articles of Confederation, most policy decision making was done by what or by whom?
A. President of the United States B. The U.S. Congress C. Local judges D. State legislatures
What were the Articles of Confederation intended to do?
A. Provide for basic governmental organization and preserve the power of state governments B. List the grievances of the colonists and provide the justification for independence from England C. Create a government that represented the interests of the states in the international community D. Increase the power of the central government relative to the governments of the
Which of the following is an argument in favor of strong state governments?
A. Strong state governments facilitate a strong national military. B. Strong state governments allow for policy innovation and experimentation. C. Strong state governments ensure that policies are consistent across the country. D. Strong state governments offer divergent regulations, promoting consistency across state lines.
What does the opening story about Boeing and its 777X assembly operation tell us about the American economy?
A. That Americans manufacturing jobs that do not require a college education are key to the country's long-term economic prosperity B. That unions continue to have a strong influence on corporate decision making C. That middle class manufacturing jobs are increasingly under threat from global sourcing and technological advancements D. That the decline in global air travel is making it increasingly difficult for plane manufactures to stay in business
Opposition to the Constitution was based on which of the following fears?
A. That it gave too much power to large states B. That it gave too much power to state governments C. That it gave too much power to small states D. That it gave too much power to the national government
What did the Supreme Court rule in NFIB v. Sebelius about the Medicaid expansion in the Affordable Care Act?
A. That the expansion of Medicaid was constitutional because it falls well within the scope of the "Necessary and Proper Clause". B. That the expansion was unconstitutional because Article II of the Constitution specifically forbids the expansion of programs that are partially funded by state governments without the consent of two-thirds of state legislatures. C. That the expansion was unconstitutional because it was a coercive use of Congress' spending power that put states in the unfair of position of implementing the Medicaid expansion or losing all their federal Medicaid funding. D. That only states with historically low health insurance enrollment rates were required to comply with the Affordable Care Act.
Which of these groups supported ratification of the Constitution?
A. The Anti-Federalists B. The Whigs C. The Democratic-Republicans D. The Federalists
Which statement accurately reflects the original Constitution's stance toward slavery?
A. The Constitution contained a provision describing how each state added to the Union would use a popular sovereignty mechanism in deciding if it would allow slavery or not. B. Slaves were counted as three-fifths of a person when population for the House of Representatives was calculated. C. The concept of slavery was never addressed in the Constitution. D. The Constitution immediately abolished the slave trade and set regulations for the buying and selling of slaves within the United States.
What is one of the most important effects of constitutional design?
A. The Constitution provides for the direct election of senators. B. It is very difficult for the majority to govern in the United States. C. Representation in the Senate is biased toward the large states. D. There is an imbalance of power between the federal government and the states.
The states' rights position contends that the framers of the Constitution intended the states to be coequal with the national government. Which of the following statements do advocates of this position use to support this claim?
A. The Constitution's preamble begins with "We the People." B. The Constitution's supremacy clause endorses the precedence of state constitutions over the federal government. C. The Constitution was ratified by the states, not by a vote of the public. D. The Tenth Amendment reserves powers not given to the states to the national government.
What happens if the Electoral College fails to give a majority to any candidate for president?
A. The Supreme Court chooses the president based on a majority vote of the justices. B. Congress chooses the president based on a majority vote of both chambers. C. The House of Representatives chooses the president. D. The top two candidates run another campaign and whoever wins that second race becomes president.
Which of the following statements describes the ultimate aims of the American Revolution?
A. The colonists were mainly unhappy about the restrictions on trade and other impositions on liberty that they had enjoyed. B. The colonists wanted to be an equal power in the international community, and to be so required independence from England. C. The colonists were mostly concerned about the imposed taxes on tea, and the American Revolution was an escalation of the Boston Tea Party. D. The colonists wanted to rule themselves; they were primarily concerned about self-government and popular sovereignty.
A pool of young people reaches voting age when an extremely popular Republican president is in office. Most of this group ends up identifying with the Republican Party. Which political socialization effect is at work in this example?
A. The identity politics effect B. The party mobilization effect C. The generational effect D. The media effect
What political linkage helps to explain why no major government programs to seriously reduce poverty have been enacted since the 1960s?
A. The people who live in the wealthiest states don't support poverty-reduction policies. B. Congress has run out of ideas for reducing poverty. C. The percent of Americans living in poverty has steeply declined over the last several decades. D. The poor are politically invisible.
Which of the following statements about the Constitution's ratification process is true?
A. The president had the final say on the ratification of the new Constitution. B. Ratification was completed with relative ease. C. Ratification was strongly opposed by many influential citizens. D. Ratification was done by the U.S. Senate.
Which of the following is a characteristic of the government created by the Articles of Confederation?
A. There was a chief executive, the president, who would continue to wage war with England. B. There was a central government that could declare war and peace but could do very little else. C. There was a process for amending the Articles of Confederation that required the approval, by vote, of two-thirds of all state delegations. D. There was a Supreme Court and several lower courts to ensure the protection of rights.
Which is true regarding capitalist economies?
A. They are quite stable, rarely having periods of high or low growth or significant fluctuation. B. They always go hand-in-hand with democratic governments and appear only in the West. C. They tend to produce high standards of living with the potential for income inequality. D. They are less productive than command economies in terms of gross domestic product (GDP).
Why did the Federalists believe the addition of the Bill of Rights was unnecessary to the Constitution?
A. They did not see the value in a compromise with the Anti-Federalists as the Anti-Federalists had fewer resources and less organization. B. They opposed the powers some of the amendments granted to states and individual citizens at the expense of the federal government. C. They rejected the notion of a Bill of Rights in general fearing that too much empowerment of the masses would result in majority tyranny. D. They cited protections in existing state constitutions and limits imposed on the federal government by the Constitution.
What effect have immigrants had on the aging of the overall U.S. population?
A. They have slowed the rate of overall aging in the country. B. They are younger but have had little impact on an aging native-born population. C. They have increased the rate of aging in the overall population. D. Their age rates are comparable to those of native-born Americans.
What do pollsters who use probability sampling do to identify representative samples of the public?
A. They survey as many respondents as possible. B. They try to ensure that each individual has an equal chance of being surveyed. C. They ask only questions about popular government programs. D. They exclude respondents with low levels of education.
Generally which of the following statements about Hispanic Americans is accurate?
A. They vote and engage in politics at higher rates than other Americans. B. They consistently support Republican candidates. C. They are consistently more liberal than other Americans. D. They tend to be more conservative than other Americans on the issue of abortion.
According to the Declaration of Independence, what is the primary purpose of a government?
A. To guarantee happiness B. To negotiate an international community of nations C. To facilitate open trade D. To protect people's unalienable rights
What was the purpose of the part of the Affordable Care Act that forced states to expand Medicaid by increasing the income level at which people qualify?
A. To make sure that all senior citizens are covered by health insurance. B. To force the Supreme Court into ruling on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. C. To provide health insurance to those whose incomes were too high to qualify for Medicaid but not high enough to afford their own health insurance. D. To make sure that those with pre-existing medical conditions get health insurance.
Which is a negative consequence of hypercompetition?
A. Trust in government falls to all-time lows. B. Consumer goods are generally more expensive. C. Companies get by with fewer employees. D. Innovation stagnates.
Which of the following statements about the gender gap is true?
A. Women, as opposed to men, only lean Democratic; they rarely identify with either party. B. Women identify as Democrats and support Democratic candidates more than men do. C. Women, as opposed to men, see Democrats and Republicans as ideologically distinct. D. Women identify as Republicans and support Republican candidates more than men do.
James Madison's argument in The Federalist No. 10 reflects which of the following?
A. a rebuke of the federal system of government B. an acceptance of unitary government C. a rejection of political difference in a young, fragile nation D. an embrace of an expanded and diverse United States
What is federalism?
A. a system of government in which smaller units of government, such as states or provinces, are sovereign and have authority over the central government B. a system of government under which powers are divided between multiple branches that have the ability to check one another C. a system of government in which the constituent states get together for certain common purposes but retain ultimate individual authority D. a system of government under which powers are divided between the central government and smaller units, such as states or provinces
The Declaration of Independence was written ______________ the war between the colonists and Great Britain.
A. after B. before C. during D. without consideration of
Close ended questions __________.
A. are also known as true/false questions B. are questions that ask respondents to "fill in the blank" C. allow respondents to explain their feelings about a matter so long as they do it within a pre-defined amount of time—usually 30 seconds D. ask respondents to choose their response from a pre-defined list of options
How can federalism reduce the risk of bad public policy and the rejection of the popular will?
A. direct voting by the people ensures that the voices of all Americans are heard when it comes to the most vital of issues B. the presence of multiple governments at various levels increases the likelihood that progress can be made at one level even if it is stifled on another C. the federal government weeds out corruption at the state levels by imposing police powers D. state governments can nullify laws at the federal level if they believe it is necessary to prevent tyranny of the majority
States are expected to accept contractual and financial agreements made in other states, according to which constitutional power or provision?
A. full faith and credit B. reserved power C. precedent D. enumeration
In explaining the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, the "Great Migration" of African Americans from the rural South to the urban North—which increased the political power of African Americans—is an example of which category of the analytical framework?
A. government action B. political linkage C. government D. structure
Long-term trends show that regional differences in many core beliefs and political attitudes are ___________.
A. growing B. making it impossible for states to enact new laws C. shrinking D. essentially unchanged
Which type of grant gives money to the states for general purposes (such as secondary education) with few rules attached?
A. growth grants B. categorical grants C. general grants D. block grants
Many of the policies enacted by states in the areas of civil rights and the environment are the result of federal __________.
A. mandates B. treaties C. executive agreements D. court rulings
While the program was short-lived, general revenue sharing reflected the conservative belief that __________.
A. national policies should be carried out using state funding B. states should use federal funding as they deem necessary C. states should cooperate with the federal government on how policies should be implemented D. the federal government should maintain authority over all aspects of grants to states
Prior to the twentieth century, federal grants to the states were primarily used to __________.
A. offer widespread medical care B. confront crime and issues of law and order C. promote internal improvements D. address issues of social welfare
The tendency of political candidates in America to portray themselves as ordinary folks, with tastes and lifestyles very much like everyone else's, is a prime example of
A. pandering to populist sentiment. B. trying to assuage people's distrust of government. C. heightening conflict in electoral campaigns. D. encouraging individualism.
The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is an example of which category of the analytical framework for examining how government and politics work?
A. political linkage B. government action C. structure D. government
If people are the ultimate source of government authority in a particular representative democracy, that government is said to be meeting the ____________ benchmark.
A. political socialization B. popular sovereignty C. political equality D. political liberty
What are concurrent powers?
A. powers held only by the national government B. powers held by both the national government and the states C. powers that both the national government and the states are forbidden from exercising D. powers held only by state governments
When the Supreme Court ruled that many civil liberties in the Bill of Rights also provided protections against the power of the states, what legal principle was it upholding?
A. preemption B. equal protection C. nullification D. due process
The process by which citizens acquire core beliefs and values is known as
A. primary education. B. cultural assimilation. C. political cultivation. D. political socialization.
Which of the following could be a Congressional power under the "necessary and proper" clause?
A. regulation of interstate commerce B. imposition of taxes C. creation of a national bank D. declaration of war
What constitutional principle allows the national government to have an impact on state-level civil rights violations under the Civil Rights Act of 1964?
A. regulation of interstate commerce as a federal power B. lifetime tenure for Supreme Court justices C. the right to free speech established in the First Amendment D. cooperative federalism between the states and the national government
The process of globalization accelerated beginning in the late 1970s due in large part to ______________.
A. regulation of key American industries B. technological innovation and the digital revolution C. higher transportation costs for raw materials D. tariff legislation
Public support for the Vietnam War _______________.
A. remained high throughout the war B. changed in response to information about how the war effort was going C. changed seemingly at random D. was low throughout the war
Which of the following describes the role of the states in a federal system of government?
A. supremely empowered components with the potential to override federal influence B. minimally effective entities with no Constitutional authority C. vital political entities with constitutionally designated powers D. marginal components of the national system with little role in the broader political system
The goal of the Voter Education Project was to_____.
A. teach grade school students about American politics B. offer job training to poor voters C. teach high school teachers how to register their students to vote D. end black powerlessness in the Deep South
What does an anarchist believe?
A. that government is not necessary for people to live in harmony B. that democracy is the most just form of government C. that government should provide only for the basic needs of people, such as law and order D. that direct democracy better upholds the benchmark of popular sovereignty than representative democracy
What term is used to describe the period in U.S. history during which African Americans were treated as second-class citizens and were officially segregated in the South?
A. the "Red Scare" B. Reconstruction C. Jim Crow D. Cold War
Which constitutional amendment states that those powers not given to the federal government and not prohibited are reserved to the states and to the people?
A. the Ninth Amendment B. the Tenth Amendment C. the Fourth Amendment D. the Eighth Amendment
While federalism is designed to prevent abuses of power, some political scientists contend that the system has at times allowed for the ease of such abuse. Which of the following is an historical example of this?
A. the Supreme Court's support of the National Bank in the case of McCulloch v. Maryland B. Southern imposition of slavery and discrimination of African Americans without interference from the North C. the passage of the Interstate Commerce Act over the objection of big business D. the country's entry into the War of 1812 despite the opposition of New England merchants
Advocates of strong state governments emphasize the geographic proximity citizens have to local politicians. Believers in strong national government contend that this physical closeness is insignificant because __________.
A. the national government is still more responsive to citizens calls for action B. Americans are unaware of the impact of politics at either level C. state governments lack the ability to innovate the way politicians do at the national level D. state politicians are unaware of the dynamics within their respective states
In a confederation, ultimately power rests with __________.
A. the states B. the national government C. the President D. Congress
Why does the federal government provide grants to states?
A. to reduce the federal government's role in national affairs B. to expand national policy influence over state and local activities C. to allow the federal government to cancel state policy prior to implementation D. to encourage states to match federally appropriated tax revenues
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution that authorized the early stages of the Vietnam War ______.
A. was never acted on B. barely passed the Senate C. was never passed by the Senate D. was passed overwhelmingly by the U.S. Senate
Robert Moses wanted to ensure that all black Americans ________.
A. were paid a fair wage B. could vote C. could get a mortgage D. learn how to read