ap gov finals study guide
In an oligarchy, rule is by... A. the many. B. people who own property. C. all people. D. the few. E. one person.
D
Proportional representation primaries are favored MOST by... A. small states. B. southern states. C. Republicans. D. large states. E. Democrats.
E
Originally, electors did not vote for the president and vice president separately. A. True B. False
A
Political scientist David Truman's theory explaining why interest groups form is called... A. disturbance theory. B. pluralism. C. chaos theory. D. federalism. E. partisanship theory.
A
527 political committees are tax-exempt organizations created to influence the nomination, election, or appointment of political candidates, which are not subject to FEC disclosure rules. A. True B. False
A
A command for an elected official to carry out their platforms is most accurately called a/an... A. mandate. B. prescription. C. injunction. D. order. E. "electoral threat."
A
A wealthy donor can contribute large sums of money under the radar to support a candidate's cause as long as it does not go to the candidate directly and is used for issue advocacy. A. True B. False
A
According to the text, people offer several reasons why they don't vote, but... A. they may just be making excuses. B. the vast majority of Americans do vote. C. they may be too ashamed to give the real reason. D. most people simply forget to do so. E. almost all registered voters actually cast a ballot.
A
Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama finished Super Tuesday in a close tie for the Democratic presidential nomination. A. True B. False
A
Article II of the Constitution vests the executive power in a president. A. True B. False
A
Candidates can give as much money toward their own campaigns as they wish. A. True B. False
A
Conservatives generally believe that... A. there should be less government intervention in economic affairs B. government should guarantee individual rights. C. government should be abolished. D. activist governments are often necessary. E. government should provide only for defense and little else.
A
Despite Hawaii validating his birth, President Barack Obama has been repeatedly accused of having a doctored birth certificate. A. True B. False
A
Frustrated by the U.S. Supreme Court's opposition to many New Deal programs, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed... A. increasing the number of justices from nine to thirteen. B. packing Congress with his friends. reducing the pay of sitting Supreme C. Court justices. D. reducing the number of justices from nine to seven. E. impeaching the entire Supreme Court.
A
How are interest groups different from political parties? A. They do not nominate candidates for public office. B. They rarely participate in the political process. C. They are not recognized by the federal government. D. There are very few differences. E. They are not concerned with collective goods.
A
In Federalist No. 10, Madison argued that the greatest threat to individual liberty comes from factions within the government. A. True B. False
A
In some cases, the only full-time employee of the campaign is the campaign manager. A. True B. False
A
Independent voters... A. sometimes have stronger partisan leanings than "not very strong" party identifiers. B. are generally on the fence about their presidential candidate preferences. C. are always disinterested in politics. D. are decreasing in number over the past ten years. E. vote most frequently for independent candidates.
A
Indirect democracy is based on... A. representation B. "mob rule." C. consensus. D. the system of government used in ancient Greece. E. unanimity.
A
James Madison's chief concern at the inception of the United States was... A. the formation of political factions. B. the development of a too-powerful Congress. C. the failure of citizens to join the parties of their choice. D. the need for a national judiciary. E. giving the states too much power vis-à-vis the federal government.
A
Most Republican presidential candidates in 2008 came from "red" states. A. True B. False
A
One of the most well-known public interest groups that focuses on good government is called... A. Common Cause. B. Americans Against Public Corruption. C. National Association for Clean Government. D. Americans for Public Decency. E. Collective Security.
A
The 1787 Convention in Philadelphia was called for the sole and express purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation. A. True B. False
A
The Committees of Correspondence were established to communicate ideas among the colonies in 1772. A. True B. False
A
The McCain campaign had hoped that it would be able to gain a lead as a result of a large misstep by his opponent, but such a misstep never occurred. A. True B. False
A
The Tenth Amendment provides for... A. states' reserve or police powers B. taking private property for public purposes C. concurrent state and federal powers D. enumerated federal powers E. states' implied powers
A
The U.S. Constitution's right to assemble has been interpreted by the Supreme Court to mean... A. freely allowing persons to join interest groups. B. avoiding the formation of factions at all cost. C. prohibiting groups from filing lawsuits. D. allowing people to form political groups but only if they register with the government. E. requiring interest groups to turn over membership lists.
A
The fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population is... A. Hispanics B. African Americans C. Caucasians D. Asians E. Muslims
A
The formation, viability, and continued success of interest groups all depend on... A. leaders. B. candidate endorsement. C. a small membership base. D. government support. E. clients.
A
The scare-off effect is NOT due to an incumbent's... A. age. B. war chest. C. legislative staff. D. name recognition. E. prior campaign experience.
A
Third parties do best when... A. trust in the major parties is low. B. they concentrate on winning national office, not state and local elections. C. they have a dynamic candidate. D. major parties are more similar in their issue positions. E. there is a major scandal.
A
Thomas Paine wrote Common Sense to argue for American independence from Great Britain. A. True B. False
A
To appease southern states, slaves were counted as three-fifths of a person for representation purposes. A. True B. False
A
Voter registration in the United States... A. must be done by the individual. B. is automatic at age 18. C. was made more difficult by the Motor Voter Act. D. is not necessary to vote in any state. E. is required by law for everyone over age 21.
A
About ________ percent of eligible Americans vote regularly. A. 30 B. 40 C. 65 D. 70 E. 55
B
Republics are... A. a hallmark of unitary governments B. frequently found in totalitarian regimes C. another name for states D. direct democracies E. representative democracies
E
A law declaring an a citizen or group of citizens guilty without a judicial trial is called... A. an equity law. B. a bill of attainder. C. an ex post facto law. D. a writ of mandamus. E. an ex officio law.
B
After BCRA regulations took effect, soft money was banned completely in the United States. A. True B. False
B
Article I of the Constitution creates the U.S. Supreme Court. A. True B. False
B
Locke's Second Treatise on Civil Government sets out a theory of... A. democracy B. natural rights C. aristocracy D. the divine rights of kings E. republicanism
B
Most researchers now study the gender gap by A. considering why women are unconcerned about social justice. B. considering why Democrats have trouble attracting white men. C. considering why men don't care about social welfare issues. D. considering why Republicans have trouble attracting women. E. considering why women don't care about military issues.
B
One of the best ways to improve public perception of a candidate is to have the candidate face the media directly when bad news about him or her arises. A. True B. False
B
Party politics were nearly suspended at the national level during the... A. Post-World War II era. B. Era of Good Feeling. C. Progressive era. D. Populist era. E. Roaring Twenties.
B
Shays's Rebellion was the first battle of the Revolutionary War. A. True B. False
B
The Constitution has only changed through formal amendments. A. True B. False
B
The Hatch Act stopped corporations from making direct contributions to campaigns. A. True B. False
B
The Lobbying Disclosure Act requires that... A. lobbyists must pay a registration fee to lobby Congress. B. lobbyists must disclose the percentage of their time spent on lobbying activities. C. lobbyists must register with the House but not the Senate. D. lobbyists must register with the Senate but not the House. E. members of Congress must wait five years before lobbying their former colleagues.
B
The U.S. Constitution has been regularly rewritten. A. True B. False
B
The belief that the national government should not exceed its enumerated powers and that all other powers should be reserved to the states or the people is known as... A. the doctrine of implied powers. B. dual federalism. C. confederalism. D. the full faith and credit doctrine. E. the unitary political system.
B
The bureaucratic agency in charge of monitoring campaign activities is the Federal Electoral Board. A. True B. False
B
The first organized political party in the United States was the ________ Party. A. National Republican B. Federalist C. Anti-Federalist D. Whig E. Democratic-Republican
B
The media has little effect on whether members of the public contribute money to campaigns. A. True B. False
B
The most politically cohesive religious group has been ________ voters. A. Catholic B. Jewish C. Hindu D. Protestant E. Muslim
B
The nomination campaign for president begins in January of the election year. A. True B. False
B
The single greatest influence on an individual's first party identification is... A. race. B. parents. C. gender. D. income. E. age.
B
Think tanks influence... A. party networks. B. party policy positions. C. campaign funding. D. party reformation. E. party organization.
B
Who was the major author of the Declaration of Independence? A. James Madison B. Thomas Jefferson C. Benjamin Franklin D. Alexander Hamilton E. George Washington
B
Among the key provisions of the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act are all of the following EXCEPT... A. longer time limits on moving from the government to the private lobbying sector. B. more stringent disclosure requirements. C. a ban on tickets to sporting events. D. a ban on honoraria to members of Congress and their staffs. E. a ban on gifts.
C
Categorical grants... A. were commonplace during the era of New Federalism. B. have few restrictions or limitations. C. allocate federal dollars by a precise formula. D. were most used during the Reagan administration. E. were not used until after the 1960s.
C
One of the reasons that congressional incumbents have an electoral advantage is... A. fundraising is often easier for challengers. B. they are more intelligent than challengers. C. constituency service. D. their reelection bids are federally funded. E. the media pays more attention to challengers.
C
Party conventions generally... A. are brokered by political leaders. B. are contentious due in part to the negotiation of the platform. C. serve only symbolic purposes. D. are covered gavel-to-gavel by every media outlet. E. have several unexpected occurrences.
C
The American Independent Party, founded in 1968, took root as a result of what issue? A. Factionalism within the Republican Party B. Tax reform C. Desegregation D. Prohibition E. Social justice
C
The No Child Left Behind Act is an example of... A. returning power to the states as specified in the Contract with America. B. a categorical grant. C. preemption. D. a block grant. E. a funded mandate.
C
The gender gap... A. carried Ronald Reagan into office on the strength of women's votes. B. was relatively insignificant in the 1996 presidential election. C. varies widely in size but has been present in most recent elections. D. is characterized by women favoring Republican candidates by ten to fifteen points. E. did not exist in the 2004 presidential election.
C
The most often used lobbying technique at both the state and national level is... A. doing favors for officials who need assistance. B. engaging in protests. C. testifying at legislative hearings. D. filing lawsuits or otherwise engaging in litigation. E. endorsing candidates.
C
What is the main reason the Republican Party has historically raised more money than the Democratic Party? A. Democrats are largely inept at fundraising. B. Republicans are better at grassroots campaigning. C. Republicans have more wealthy donors. D. There are more Republicans than Democrats in the United States. E. More third party organizations bundle money for Republicans.
C
Which of the following is NOT an accurate predictor of vote choice? A. Race B. Party identification C. Incumbency D. Age E. Gender
C
African Americans, in general, strongly identify with the... A. Independents. B. Republican Party. C. Green Party. D. Democratic Party. E. Libertarian Party.
D
Attempting to influence policy by getting individuals to contact their representatives directly is known as... A. triangulating. B. logrolling. C. protest lobbying. D. grassroots lobbying. E. blitzkrieg lobbying.
D
In The Price of Federalism, political scientist Paul E. Peterson considered how governments should best divide policymaking responsibility, focusing mainly on ________ policies. A. international and regulatory B. constructive and international C. environmental and health care D. redistributive and developmental E. state and local
D
Interest groups... A. are largely libertarian in focus. B. rely on voter guides. C. successfully lobbied for the U.S. to honor the Kyoto Protocol on climate change. D. often hire lobbying firms to represent them in Washington, D.C. E. have greater access when Democrats are in office.
D
Legally sanctioned organizations that allow corporations, labor unions, and other interest groups to raise money and make contributions to candidates in national elections are called... A. federal election committees. B. political interest groups. C. political funding groups. D. political action committees. E. campaign finance committees
D
Recall elections are sometimes called... A. interim races. B. second chance elections. C. referenda. D. de-elections. E. "Take Back the House" races.
D
The Preamble to the Constitution begins with... A. "when in the course of human events" B. "four score and seven years ago" C. "in order to form a more perfect union" D. "we the people" E. "these are the time's that try men's soul"
D
The Voting Rights Act of 1965... A. was not renewed in 2006. B. allowed Hispanics applying for U.S. citizenship the right to vote. C. gives state governments the right to monitor discriminatory voting practices. D. bans any procedure that impinges upon minorities' right to vote E. gave African Americans the right to vote.
D
The clause of the Constitution that ensures that judicial decrees and contracts made in one state will be binding and enforceable in another is called the ________ clause. A. equal protection B. elastic C. supremacy D. full faith and credit E. privileges and immunities
D
The coherent set or system of values and beliefs that shape the thinking of individuals and how they view the world, as well as their beliefs about the purpose and scope of government, is known as... A. political culture. B. political theory. C. political psychology. D. political ideology. E. sociology.
D
The enumerated powers of the national government are found in... A. the Declaration of Independence B. the Preamble C. Article VII of the Constitution D. Article I of the Constitution E. Article III of the Constitution
D
The most common day to hold Democratic primaries is... A. March Madness. B. Primary Day. C. March 15. D. Super Tuesday. E. Democrat Day.
D
The Supreme Court under Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., appears to be deciding federalism cases... A. following the trends of New Federalism. B. similar to the Rehnquist Court. C. in strong favor of the states. D. in favor of the powers of the federal government. E. without a strong inclination toward either federal or state rights.
E
Which of the following did NOT lead to American settlement in the seventeenth century? A. Hobbes and Locke's social contract theories B. Belief in self-government C. The split from the Church of England D. Belief in intelligent design E. Questioning the divine right of kings
D
"The power to tax is the power to destroy" comes from... A. John Marshall's opinion in Gibbons v. Ogden. B. Thomas Paine's The Crisis. C. Alexander Hamilton's essay in The Federalist Papers. D. James Madison's essay in The Federalist Papers. E. John Marshall's opinion in McCulloch v. Maryland.
E
A doctrine that society should be governed by certain ethical principles that are part of nature and can be understood by reason is called... A. ethical law B. contract law C. Newton's law D. constitutional law E. natural law
E
A social contract theory of government was proposed by... A. Aquinas and Luther B. Plato and Aristotle C. Newton and the separatists D. Plato and Luther E. Locke and Hobbes
E
A system of government where the local and regional governments derive all authority from a strong national government is known as a... A. federal system. B. presidential system. C. confederate system. D. monarchy. E. unitary system.
E
All of the following are among the functions that political scientists attribute to ideologies EXCEPT... A. orientation B. explanation C. political programs D. evaluation E. discrimination
E
Cooperative federalism has been likened to a ________ cake. A. sheet B. layer C. red velvet D. pound E. marble
E
In 1971, the voting age was lowered to eighteen by the ________ Amendment. A. Twenty-Fifth B. Twenty-Seventh C. Eighteenth D. Seventeenth E. Twenty-Sixth
E
In situations of conflict between state and national law, national law prevails due to... A. the Tenth Amendment B. federalism C. the Bill of Rights D. judicial interpretation E. the supremacy clause
E
One particularly party-oriented president was... A. Lyndon B. Johnson. B. Dwight D. Eisenhower. C. Jimmy Carter. D. Richard M. Nixon. E. Ronald Reagan.
E
Politics, as defined in the text, is... A. the province of only the wealthy. B. impossible without government. C. irrelevant to the modern world. D. way too corrupt to attract any good men or women to run for office. E. the study of "who gets what, when, and how."
E
The differences between the Democratic and Republican Parties are MOST evident in... A. their organizational structure. B. the selection of chairpersons. C. the selection of delegates. D. the structure of the conventions. E. the party platforms.
E
The group that casts the ballots that actually elect a president is... A. state legislators. B. the electorate. C. the Senate. D. superdelegates. E. the Electoral College.
E
The pinnacle of the party system in the United States is... A. state party headquarters. B. the president. C. the Senate. D. local party precincts. E. the national party chair.
E
Today, the most common and most effective types of economic interest groups are... A. labor unions and universities. B. labor unions and farmers. C. business groups and universities. D. business groups, labor unions, and women. E. big business, and to a lesser extent, labor.
E
Under the Constitution, both the national and state governments... A. do not share any powers B. can regulate interstate commerce C. are totally autonomous D. are able to establish local governments E. are accountable to the people
E
________ is/are crucial to the success of all interest groups. A. Direct mail B. Political support C. Media advertising D. PACs E. Funding
E
The Republican Party nominated its first presidential candidate, ________, in 1856. A. Abraham Lincoln B. Thomas Jefferson C. John C. Frémont D. Andrew Jackson E. Stephen A. Douglas
c