Unit 2 bell ringers Ap gov
In which year did Congress pass all stand-alone appropriations (spending) bills on time?
1977
Social Security will account for how about much of projected spending in 2024, according to the line graph?
6%
Which of the following scenarios is an example of the trustee model of representation?
A member of Congress votes to close a popular tax loophole based on the belief that the money would be better spent paying down the national debt.
Which of the following scenarios illustrates how social media has changed the way presidents relate to the public?
A president announcing a major policy initiative via the Internet rather than calling a press conference
Which of the following is the best example of a president using the bully pulpit?
A president making a televised speech to gain public support for a policy initiative
Which of the following is an example of checks and balances?
A rule issued by a bureaucratic agency may be declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
Which of the following scenarios best illustrates a member of Congress supporting pork-barrel legislation?
A senator from an agricultural state amending legislation to establish a potato research institute in his or her state
According to the passage, an attempt by Congress to place limitations on presidential power through legislation led to which of the following?
According to the passage, an attempt by Congress to place limitations on presidential power through legislation led to which of the following?
Based on the data, which of the following is the most likely consequence for the legislative process in Congress?
An increase in gridlock and failure to compromise on legislation
Which of the following is the correct pairing of powers found in the Articles of Confederation and powers found in the Constitution?
Articles of Confederation: Unicameral legislature United States Constitution: Bicameral legislature
Which of the following is a consequence of having concurrent powers within a federal system of government?
Citizens and interest groups seeking policy change can choose from multiple access points.
Which of the following accurately compares the powers of Congress and the president?
Congress Has Greater Control: Budgetary policy President Has Greater Control: Cabinet appointments
Which of the following possible actions illustrates a way Congress interacts with the bureaucracy to address the problem shown in the infographic?
Congress could have members of the Department of Transportation testify before a committee to discuss the issue and potential solutions.
Which of the following scenarios best illustrates delegated discretionary authority?
Congress giving the Environmental Protection Agency the power to establish national pollution standards
On February 9, 2016, President Barack Obama released his budget proposal for the 2017 fiscal year. Facing a Republican Congress, many declared the plan "dead on arrival." Among the cited issues was Obama's request for $582.7 billion in discretionary spending for defense, which many Republicans believed was not enough. Which of the following most accurately explains the interaction between the president and the Congress regarding the defense budget?
Congress passes a budget for the entire federal government, including defense, but it must consider the president's proposal because the president may veto the bill.
Which of the following is an example of Congress using its implied powers?
Congress passing occupational safety regulations for the private sector
Which of the following best describes the holding in Baker v. Carr (1962) ?
Congressional redistricting is subject to judicial review.
Source: The American Presidency Project at University of California Santa Barbara, 2016 Which of the following statements is supported by the data in the information graphic?
Democratic presidents issued more executive orders than Republican presidents did between 1945 and 2016.
Which of the following is the most accurate comparison of the processes that generally facilitate gridlock and those that facilitate governmental action?
Facilitates Gridlock: Checks and balances Facilitates Action: Executive orders
Which constitutional principle best explains the differences in poverty rates presented in the map?
Federalism
Formal vs informal powers of the president
Formal Power: Acting as commander in chief of the military Informal Power: Signing executive agreements with foreign nations
Which of the following accurately compares the formal and informal powers of the president?
Formal Power: Acting as commander in chief of the military Informal Power: Signing executive agreements with foreign nations
Which of the following statements is true based on the bar graph?
From 2011 to 2016, no stand-alone appropriations bills were passed on time.
Which of the following is the correct pairing of procedures or rules of each house of the legislative branch?
House of Representatives: Has a Rules Committee that decides how long debate will be on most bills. Senate: Has use of the filibuster and cloture, which can help the minority to defeat a bill.
The House and the Senate have some different constitutional responsibilities. Which of the following pairs correctly matches House and Senate constitutional responsibilities?
House of Representatives: Initiates revenue bills Senate: .Ratifies treaties.
Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate?
House of Representatives: Limited debate Senate: Debate on bills can be unlimited
Which of the following is an accurate pair of descriptions of the two chambers of Congress?
House of Representatives: Serves 2-year terms Senate: Serves 6-year terms
Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate
House of Representatives: The Constitution's framers intended it to reflect the will of the people Senate: The Constitution's framers designed it to represent the interests of the states.
Which of the following scenarios illustrates Washington's concerns?
Ideological divisions within Congress can lead to partisan gridlock.
In 2013 a parliamentary procedure was implemented in the Senate that allowed a simple majority vote to end debate on Cabinet member confirmations. Which of the following best explains how the procedural change relates to the information in the graphic?
If the procedural change had not occurred, Republican senators would not have been able to immediately invoke cloture of a filibuster.
In The Federalist 78, Alexander Hamilton argued that the federal judiciary "is beyond comparison the weakest of the three departments of power." Which of the following statements represents a reason he gave for this argument?
It must depend on the executive for enforcement of its decisions.
On July 9, 2018, after the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy, President Trump, a Republican, nominated Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Many Democrats in the Senate feared that the appointment of Kavanaugh would swing the Court in a more ideologically conservative direction and attempted to block his nomination. After a heated Senate confirmation hearing, Kavanaugh was eventually confirmed by a 50-48 vote in the Senate. The scenario best highlights which of the following statements about court appointees?
Life tenure for appointed justices alongside the power of judicial review increases the stakes in the confirmation process for nominees to the Supreme Court.
Source: Office of Personnel Management, 2018 Which of the following statements best relates to the information shown in the infographic?
Like most businesses, the federal government has to seek out well-qualified and diverse job candidates.
In 1974, the House of Representatives approved a resolution granting the Judiciary Committee authority to investigate impeachment of President Nixon for obstruction of justice, abuse of power, and contempt of Congress. Which constitutional ideal of democracy is demonstrated in this scenario?
Limited government
"If, therefore, the legislature pass any laws, inconsistent with the sense the judges put upon the constitution, they will declare it void; and therefore in this respect their power is superior to that of the legislature." Brutus 15 Which of the following cases is most related to the quote?
Marbury v. Madison (1803)
In The Federalist 78, Alexander Hamilton states, "A constitution is, in fact, and must be regarded by the judges, as a fundamental law. It therefore belongs to them to ascertain its meaning." Which of the following Supreme Court cases is most relevant to this statement?
Marbury v. Madison (1803)
Which of the following pair of Supreme Court cases best illustrates how views of federalism have shifted in the United States?
McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)United States v. Lopez (1995)
In a press briefing, the White House press secretary issues a statement criticizing members of Congress who refuse to act on the president's judicial nominees to the federal courts. This scenario best illustrates which of the following?
Members of the White House staff are strategically used to help the president pass an agenda.
Which of the following is the best example of a categorical grant?
Money given to states for special education programs
In 2015, the United States Supreme Court decided the case Obergefell v. Hodges (2015), which ruled that states must recognize same sex couples' right to marry. Which of the following ideals of democracy would the attorneys for the same sex couple most likely put forth as their argument?
Natural rights of life and liberty include the right to marry whom you choose.
According to the line graph, which budget category will account for the least spending in 2024?
Net interest
The Web site healthcare.gov was launched on October 1, 2013, to help citizens purchase health insurance for themselves in accordance with the Affordable Care Act. Within two hours of launch the site crashed. Once it was restored, problems continued, leading to difficulty for users. The following year, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius was called to testify before the House Energy and Commerce Committee to discuss the issue. The committee held this hearing as part of which of the following functions?
Oversight
Which of the following statements best reflects James Madison's beliefs about political representation as expressed in the passage?
People are best represented by a few politicians chosen to voice their issues.
Which of the following best captures the author's argument regarding the forms of democracy?
Pluralist democracy, though it involves groups at different stages of the process of developing policy, excludes a significant portion of the population.
According to the passage, which of the following occurred as a direct result of the congressional resolution authorizing action against al-Qaeda?
President Bush interpreted it broadly to allow him to conduct the war on terrorism without much further consultation with Congress.
Which of the following is the best example of a president using technology to communicate and obtain public support for a public policy agenda?
President John F. Kennedy outlining Cold War challenges and urging Americans to civic action in his inaugural address
Which of the following situations is an example of the president using the bully pulpit as a tool for agenda setting?
President Reagan delivering a televised address urging a reduction in federal taxes
Senate Vote on S.J. Res 7: A joint resolution to direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities in the Republic of Yemen that have not been authorized by Congress The data in the table illustrate which of the following about United States constitutional government?
Presidential foreign policy can be checked through the legislative power of Congress.
Which of the following statements describes the author's main argument in the passage?
Presidential power in foreign policy has expanded since the beginning of the twentieth century.
Which of the following was the ruling in Shaw v. Reno (1993) ?
Racial gerrymandering violates the Fourteenth Amendment.
Which of the following correctly describes the facts in Shaw v. Reno (1993) ?
Redistricting in order to confine minority voters to a majority in one district was challenged under the Fourteenth Amendment.
The author explains that the powers given to each branch "sometimes appear to swing like a pendulum" from one branch to another. Which of the following best describes how these shifts ensure that constitutional government is functional?
Separation of powers divides responsibilities and authority between branches, which allows each branch to be checked by the other two branches to ensure accountability.
Arizona enacted an immigration law in 2010, claiming the legislation complemented existing federal law. The Obama administration disagreed, claiming the state law conflicted with national law. Which clause of the Constitution did the Supreme Court most likely use to strike down a section of the state law?
Supremacy clause
A newly elected president faces a Senate controlled by the opposition party. Which of the following presidential appointments is the most likely to encounter difficulty with confirmation by the Senate?
Supreme Court justice
Which of the following scenarios best illustrates the process of bureaucratic rule making?
The Department of Veterans Affairs rewrites its regulations regarding compensation and pensions into plain language that is easier for beneficiaries to understand.
Which of the following is an accurate description of the decision in United States v. Lopez (1995) ?
The Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990 was struck down as unconstitutional because it exceeded the commerce clause.
A person claiming that the House can pass legislation with a simple majority, but the Senate is unlikely to pass legislation unless a bill has the support of a 60-vote supermajority is most likely to cite which of the following institutional differences as the cause of this trend?
The House has strict limits on debate, while the Senate allows unlimited debate.
Which of the following is an example of the constitutional design of checks and balances
The Senate rejects a president's nomination for secretary of state.
The Constitution states that all revenue bills must originate in
The United States House of Representatives
Senate Vote on S.J. Res 7: A joint resolution to direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities in the Republic of Yemen that have not been authorized by Congress Source: Govtrack, 2019. Which of the following conclusions can be drawn based on the table?
The bill was able to pass because some Republicans and Independents voted for it along with all Democrats.
Which of the following best defines the constitutional interpretation of federalism?
The federal government and the states have separate but overlapping powers; where these powers conflict the federal government prevails.
In the early part of the twenty-first century, public opinion polls showed that a majority of Americans believed it should be illegal to burn the American flag. As a result, many members of Congress introduced amendments to make it illegal to burn or desecrate the American flag. However, these efforts have been unsuccessful. Which of the following statements best explains why these efforts have been unsuccessful?
The framers made the amendment process difficult in order to protect individual rights.
Source: Pew Research Center, 2015 Which of the following is a trend based on the data?
The more chambers of Congress the president's party controls, the less likely the president is to veto a bill.
Which of the following is commonly identified as a failure of the Articles of Confederation?
The national government lacked an effective power to raise revenue.
Which of the following statements about the use of executive agreements by presidents is supported by the data in the pie charts?
The percentage of international agreements that were executive agreements has increased since 1839.
Which of the following scenarios best demonstrates a president avoiding a check from the judicial branch?
The president claims that certain detainees are enemy combatants and thus do not possess the same constitutional protections that the Supreme Court has upheld for the interrogation of criminal suspects.
Which of the following situations best reflects the author's concern about an "imperial" presidency?
The president issuing an increasing number of executive agreements
Which of the following best explains a reason that a president might use a signing statement to express displeasure with a bill as opposed to issuing a veto?
The president may have objections to provisions of a bill but does not want to risk Congress overriding a veto.
Which of the following is likely to occur as a result when Congress refuses to act as a check on the power of the president, according to the main idea of the passage?
The president will be able to push the limits of constitutional authority.
By using the phrase "creative federalism," President Johnson is most likely referring to which of the following features of the American system?
The relationship between the federal and state governments evolves over time and is flexible enough to permit new forms of interaction
In Baker v. Carr (1962), the Supreme Court ruled that a state legislature would have to redraw their representative districts in order to comply with the Constitution. Which of the following potential difficulties could have resulted from this decision?
The state legislature could have refused to implement the decision, leading to a crisis in the legitimacy of the Supreme Court's authority.
Which of the following features of the United States Constitution would most concern the author of Brutus 1?
The supremacy clause, which gives the federal government supremacy over states
The process in the diagram reflects which of the following about the perspective of the framers on constitutional government?
The system should be able to accommodate political change, but the process for change should incorporate checks and balances.
In the 1780s, proponents of the new Constitution cited Shays' Rebellion as an example in support of which of the following criticisms of the national government under the Articles of Confederation?
There was a lack of a national military power to address security concerns.
Which of the following statements about motions for cloture is true?
They are used by senators to end a filibuster and bring a bill to a vote.
Concurrent powers have which of the following effects on the United States political system?
They make it possible for the states and the national government to simultaneously exercise influence in the same areas of public policy.
Which of the following best reflects a function of the Supreme Court in Article III of the Constitution?
To serve as the highest court of appeals
Which of the following is a correct comparison between the United States Constitution and the Articles of Confederation?
United States Constitution: Granted Congress the power to levy taxes Articles of Confederation: Granted states alone the power to levy taxes
President Theodore Roosevelt took his case directly to the American people to gain public support for his progressive reform initiatives by appearing in a movie newsreel. This type of presidential communication is an example of which of the following?
Using the bully pulpit
The Senate must confirm all of the following presidential appointments EXCEPT
White House staff
If legislation passes in both the House of Representatives and the Senate but each version is slightly different, the conflicting bills are sent to
a conference committee for review and compromise
In The Federalist 70, Alexander Hamilton states that "energy in the executive is a leading character in the definition of good government." In this statement, Hamilton is arguing in favor of the need for
a single executive who can respond quickly to crises
The primary function of the White House staff is to
advise the president
On February 13, 2016, following the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell issued a statement that the Supreme Court vacancy should be left to the next president of the United States, who would be elected that November. Nonetheless, President Obama nominated circuit judge Merrick Garland to fill the vacancy. The Senate judiciary committee never held a hearing nor was a vote scheduled on the nomination. The scenario demonstrates that
because federal judges are lifetime appointments, Senate confirmation can oftentimes be challenging
States and localities have the most discretion in establishing policy when federal funding is derived from
block grants
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service will spend money appropriated by Congress to maintain wildlife refuges. This action is an example of
bureaucratic implementation of law
Which of the following powers allows both the federal and state governments to make policies involving taxation?
concurrent powers
When a bill passes the House and the Senate in different versions, the bill is resolved by which of the following types of committee?
conference
A member of Congress votes in favor of a bill as a result of receiving many letters of support for the bill from constituents. Which form of democratic representation best describes this voting decision?
delegate
The following questions refer to the following clause from the Constitution: "The Congress shall have power...to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the government of the United States, or in any department or officer thereof." Interpretations of this clause have been central to attempts to define the nature of which of the following aspects of the United States political system?
federalism
The data illustrate that most conservatives believe that the United States Constitution
outlines a framework for government that the Supreme Court should apply strictly regardless of the political or personal preferences of judges
Congressional legislative powers include all of the following EXCEPT
pardoning felons
The theory that all interests are and should be free to compete for influence in government, resulting in healthy democratic compromise and balance, is called
pluralism
To get an important bill passed in the House, a provision is added that allocates $500 million to study the impact of global climate change on manatees in Florida. This is an example of
pork barrel legislation
Fiscal policies refer to the government's power to
tax and spend
The framers of the Constitution designed which of the following to be LEAST responsive to public opinion?
the courts
In the United States political system, the term Federalism refers to
the division of powers between the levels of government
Which of the following constitutional provisions broadened the power of Congress?
the necessary and proper cause
Prior to his confirmation, Democrats on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions questioned President Trump's Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price about the ethics of some of his investments. He was eventually confirmed with support of Republicans in the Senate. This check on presidential power illustrates that
the process of confirming members of the president's Cabinet can lead to conflict with members of the Senate
An advantage that bureaucrats in federal government have over the President in the policymaking process is that bureaucrats
usually have a continuity of service in the executive branch that the President lacks
