AMSCO Units 1-3
Which president began to alter the presidential leadership and the relationship between Congress?
Andrew Jackson
When a bill passes the House and the Senate in substantial different forms the differences are solved in:
Conference committees
The first plan suggested at the constitutional convention called for the president to be chosen by:
Congress
Which of the following is the best explanation of congressional oversight?
Congress oversees the executive branch's implementation of policy
Which of the following is an accurate comparison of executive orders and executive agreements?
Executive orders must fall within the president's Article II powers. Executive agreements can be reached more quickly than treaties.
What action was taken several years after the Brown v. Board of Education ruling to more fully integrate schools?
Federal courts mandated enrollment ratios that required busing students to distant schools.
Between year and the civil war
the judiciary was mostly focused on,Slavery and national supremacy
Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the two court cases?
(Brown) Concluded that "separate but equal" schools are impossible. (Roe) Assured a pregnant woman's right to have an abortion in the first trimester.
Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the processes of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate?
(House) Has more procedural rules guiding its lawmaking process. (Senate) Has authority over the ratification of treaties with other nations
Which of the following is an accurate comparison of judicial activism and judicial restraint?
(Judicial Activism) Is practiced when courts overrule legislative acts or shape policy. (Judicial restraint) Is exercised when courts hesitate from interfering with policies created by elected bodies
Which of the following is an accurate comparison of substantive and procedural due process?
(Substantive) Deals with "the how" of the law, or steps in carrying out the law. (Procedural) Must be followed by the states, not the federal government
Which of the following is an accurate comparison of Engel v. Vitale and Wisconsin v. Yoder?
(engel v. Vitale) Involved the application of the establishment clause. (Wisconsin v. Yoder) Involved the protection of the free exercise clause.
How many chief justices have there been
17
Presidents are now limited to two terms by this amendment.
22nd
Which of the following is a chief argument in James Madison's Federalist No. 10?
A large, diverse republic will tame the mischiefs of factions
Which of the following accurately describes the president's lawful use of the War Powers Act?
A president can use the military abroad in combat as long as Congress is informed within 48 hours.
Which of the following is the best example of two points of an iron triangle at work?
A senator meets with the president to discuss the failures of a new federal agency.
Justice Robert's appearance before this committee illustrates the constitutional concept of
Advice and consent
Which of the following is an accurate comparison of federal block grants and categorical grants?
Block Grants: Lead to loss of congressional oversight on spending grant money. Categorical Grants: Require states or localities to meet certain criteria
This method of staff organization reports directly to the president
Circular
What politics is a policy where a large group pays and small group benefits?
Client politics
The text suggests that in the US that no government at any level would not be legitimate unless it was not in some sense:
Democratic
Which of the following statements best describes how the balance of liberties and safety has been interpreted over time?
Different courts in different times have found different balances.
Under the origins US constitution members of the house unlike the senate are selected by:
Direct elections
Which of the following statements is most accurate about congressional reapportionment and redistricting?
Districts must be drawn so that, within a state, every person's vote is roughly equal to every other person's vote.
An employee wrongly terminated from her job because of race or gender should contact which government institution or office for help?
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Which governmental concept most likely results in lower funding for Education and Housing and Urban Development than for the other departments?
Federalism encourages states and localities to provide primary support for these services
Which of the following is an accurate comparison of Federalists and Anti-Federalists?
Federalist: Argued for the ratification of the Constitution. Anti-federalist: Supported a bill of rights
Formal authority refers to the right to exercise power that is derived from:
Government office
The 1972 congressional act commonly referred to as "Title IX" does which of the following?
Guarantees entrance into restaurants and theaters and other public accommodations to people of all races
Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the Second and Eighth Amendments?
Guarantees the right to bear arms Protects individuals from cruel and unusual punishment.
Under what circumstance can police conduct searches?
If they have a court-issued warrant
The most important power of presidents is the power of persuasion because:
Informal constitutional powers
Which of the following statements accurately describes federalism?
It is sharing of powers between national and state governments
Which of the following is an accurate comparison of political philosophies of John Locke and Thomas Hobbes?
Locke claimed citizens should not be subject to another's political power without their consent. Hobbes argued that in a state of nature, the result is anarchy and war
More than half the members of Congress believe the legal driving age should be 18 because statistics show that drivers under 18 have many more accidents than those 18 and older. Which of the following is the most practical and lasting action Congress can take to address this issue?
Mandate states to set the driving age at 18 and then withhold highway funds from any state that does not comply.
An area that has a close election is known as a:
Marginal district
By the end of the 19th century Congress was also called the:
Millionaire club
Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the New Jersey Plan and the Virginia Plan?
NJ plan gave the national legislature only defined and limited powers. V plan included a three branch system and a bicameral legislature
Which of the following interest groups works primarily to protect the rights enumerated in the Second Amendment?
National Rifle Association
A senator realizes that a Senate vote on an immigration bill is coming up. The senator examines public opinion polls on the issue and carefully reads her inbox for constituents' views on the bill and the issue. This senator is following which model of representation?
Partisan
Which of the following is protected by the First Amendment?
Political speech
The textbook refers to this as the way issues are agitated or solved.
Politics
Which of the following methods is the most certain way to override a Supreme Court decision?
Proposing and ratifying a constitutional amendment that counters the decision
This method of staff organization risks isolating or misinforming the president
Pyramidal
Which of the following may Congress do in order to limit the president's power?
Raise taxes on the president's supporters
The president receives a bill in the middle of a congressional session that has recently passed the Democrat-controlled House and Democrat controlled Senate. This omnibus bill deregulates the food and agriculture industries which is something the president desires. Yet the bill also funds modern art museums in San Francisco and New York City+ which the president thinks are unnecessary. Which action will the president likely take?
Sign the bill to gain the deregulations understanding that Congress will fund the art museums.
What was the effect of the ruling in Schenck v. United States?
Speech that presents a clear and present danger can be punished.
Which of the following is an accurate summary of the selective incorporation doctrine?
States must protect most rights in the Bill of Rights based on the Fourteenth Amendment's due process clause.
Which of the following was the basis of one Anti-Federalist concern about the proposed form of government?
Suspicion of the "necessary and proper" clause and federal power
Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the president's Cabinet and White House staff?
The Cabinet includes department secretaries and others the president wishes to include. And, the president engages with White House staff more frequently than with Cabinet secretaries.
Which of the following is an accurate statement related to the Supreme Court's ruling in Heller v. District of Columbia on the right to bear arms?
The Court supported First Amendment rights in its ruling.
What is the key difference between the due process clause in the Fifth Amendment and the due process clause in the Fourteenth Amendment?
The Fifth Amendment protects citizens against the federal government, while the Fourteenth Amendment protects citizens against the states.
A federal law enforcement agency in the Justice Department has been accused of inefficiency and not effectively enforcing the laws. Which action is most likely to follow?
The Senate or House Judiciary Committee will call for an oversight hearing.
Which statement accurately describes the NAACP's strategy to desegregate schools?
The chief focus was on the Constitution's Bill of Rights to secure equal education.
Which of the following is the best example of results from political negotiation and compromise at the Constitutional Convention?
The creation of the House and Senate
When the Senate Judiciary Committee passes a proposed crime bill by a vote of 11 to 10 which is most likely to follow?
The full Senate will consider the bill.
A U.S. district judge in Alabama has a dispute brought to his court in which an employee is suing her employer over improper termination on gender discrimination. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals which includes several western states and the U.S. District Court of Kansas have both previously ruled on very similar cases under the same law and sided with the employee. Which of the following is the likely action this federal judge will take?
The judge will read the other two courts' opinions and consider them before making a ruling.
In the McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) decision which two provisions in the Constitution were upheld and strengthened?
The necessary and proper clause and the supremacy clause
What must a suing party prove to win a libel lawsuit?
The offending party acted maliciously and caused damages.
Which of the following may the president do to control the implementation of a policy agenda?
The president can veto a congressional bill that has passed the House and Senate.
Which of the following is an example of a constitutional check against the bureaucracy?
The president fires and replaces heads of departments or agencies.
Which of the following is an accurate description of the implication of the McDonald v. Chicago (2010) ruling and selective incorporation?
The ruling prevented infringement of basic liberties.
Article 1 section 8 confers on Congress all of the powers except:
The veto
With the variety of religious denominations and religions represented at a public high school the administration has decided to ban students from wearing any religious symbols or garb that reflect a particular religious faith. Which of the following would be the best legal advice for school administrators?
This is an unconstitutional policy because it violates the free exercise clause.
Which is the most democratic institution of government that represents the framers' commitment to a limited republic?
U.S. House of Representatives
In the Supreme Court's ruling on Obama's national healthcare plan the court upheld what?
Upheld the individual mandate and struck down the mandate for state governments to expand medicaid.
Which president was the first to argue for a presidential legislative program?
Woodrow Wilson
