AP Gov Question Set
The United States governmentʹs annual budget is now approximately
$2.75 trillion.
The United States national government spends about ________ a year.
$2.8 trillion
Many elite and class theorists believe that ________ of Americans control most government policy decisions.
1 percent
Today roughly ________ of the gross domestic product is spent by state and local governments.
1 percent
The United States Senate has ________ members.
10
Hispanics comprise approximately what percent of the American population?
13 percent
Hispanic Americans comprise approximately ________ percent of the United States population.
14
In the House races of 2004 the typical incumbent outspent the typical challenger by
15 to 1.
In public opinion polling a sample as small as about ________ people can faithfully represent the ʺuniverseʺ of Americans.
150
The first census in the United States was conducted in
1790.
Federal aid to state and local governments accounts for how much of federal spending?
18 percent
The first peaceful transfer of power between parties via the electoral process in the history of the world occurred as a result of the presidential election of
1800.
The Republicans emerged as a powerful political party in the
1850s.
The high point of voter turnout in the United States was in
1896.
The budget cycle begins in the executive branch ________ months before the fiscal year begins.
19
One survey of journalists in 2002 found that ________ were Republican.
19 percent
Alice Paul authored the Equal Rights Amendment and unsuccessfully pushed for its passage beginning in the
1920s.
Native -American Indians were made citizens of the United States in
1924.
The Social Security Act which set up the Social Security system was passed in
1935.
Television became extremely important in political campaigns beginning in
1960.
The Civil Rights Act of ________ the most important law since the Emancipation Proclamation made racial discrimination illegal in public accommodations throughout America.
1964
The Democratic National Convention in ________ led to serious reforms in the methods it used to choose its convention delegates.
1968
The Supreme Courtʹs Roe v. Wade decision was issued in
1973.
Occasionally a major political tidal wave rolls across the country and throws large numbers of incumbents of a given party out of office. When did this last occur?
1994
Approximately ________ of eligible voters cast ballots in presidential primaries.
20 percent
Today the national government spends roughly ________ of the gross domestic product.
20 percent
Americaʹs national state and local governments spend an amount equal to ________ of the GDP.
20 percent.
By 2000 the number of groups listed in the Encyclopedia of Associations was over
20000.
Approximately what percent of African Americans live below the poverty line?
25
About ________ of the funds state and local governments spend comes from the federal government.
25 percent
In 1980 about what percentage of the American public thought they could trust government most of the time or always?
25 percent
National state and local governments in America spend almost ________ of the gross domestic product.
30 percent
The Office of Management and Budget estimates that the total tax expenditures is more than ________ of the federal governmentʹs total receipts.
30 percent
According to the Constitution a president must be at least ________ years of age.
35
One survey of journalists in 2002 found that ________ were Democrats.
37 percent
On average those who identify with the presidentʹs party give approval more than ________ percentage points higher than do those who identify with the opposition party.
4
There are roughly ________ civilian and military federal government employees
400000
The United States House of Representatives has ________ members.
435
Approximately what percent of Asian Americans hold a college degree?
49
A random sample of 1500-2000 respondents will produce results far off the mark about ________ of the time.
5 percent
In most caucus states about ________ of the registered voters typically show up for party presidential caucuses.
5 percent
The federal budget consumes ________ of Americaʹs gross domestic product.
50 percent
In the presidential election of 2004 ________ of Americans voted.
55 percent
Approximately how many states allow voters to register at the polls on election day?
6
To end a filibuster requires ________ members present and voting to cut off debate.
6
Approximately ________ of presidential campaign spending is for TV ads.
60 percent
Todayʹs massive media conglomerates control newspapers with over ________ of the nationʹs daily circulation.
80 percent
Approximately what percentage of the annual federal budget pays interest on the national debt?
9
________ enables a group of similarly situated plaintiffs to combine similar grievances into a single suit.
A class action lawsuit
Which of the following statements about a governmentʹs policy agenda is FALSE?
A governmentʹs policy agenda tends to remain constant over time.
________ is the process by which policy comes into being and evolves over time.
A policymaking system
Which of the following statements about bureaucracies is FALSE?
Each bureaucratic agency is created by the president.
As provided in the Constitution how are electoral votes allocated for each state?
Each state has as many electoral votes as it has members in the Senate.
The first ________ in April 1970 helped to spur on a number of environmental groups.
Earth Day
Cruel and unusual punishment is forbidden by the
Eighth Amendment.
________ theorists are impressed by how insignificant most organized interest groups are.
Elitist
The American Revolution was based upon the ideas of
European political thinkers.
Which of the following statements about the electoral college is FALSE? w
Every state has a winner-take-all system where electors vote as a bloc for the winner.
A key difference between interest groups and political parties is that interest groups are policy generalists.
FALSE
A major problem with the regional primary proposal is the advantage gained by the region that goes last.
FALSE
According to Anthony Downs if you are truly indifferent between the parties it is rational to abstain.
FALSE
According to John Kingdon policy entrepreneurs are always in government.
FALSE
According to a recent Supreme Court decision public universities can ban military recruiters from their campuses.
FALSE
Adarand Constructors v. Pena voided federal affirmative action programs in general.
FALSE
After each census the United States Senate is reapportioned to reallocate how many Senate seats each state has based on population changes.
FALSE
After nearly 200 years of widely different practices the entire United States now has a uniform death penalty law.
FALSE
After winning the right to vote for women the feminist movement gained momentum in the 1920s.
FALSE
All issues on the governmentʹs policy agenda are carefully considered by public officials.
FALSE
Americaʹs weak political party structure makes it almost impossible for politicians to focus their efforts on getting more from the government for their own constituents.
FALSE
As of 2003 the Federal Election Commission reported that there were 10000 PACs.
FALSE
As of the 2000 census a majority of Americans were either African American Hispanic Asian or Native American meaning that the United States has become a ʺminority majorityʺ nation.
FALSE
As part of the congressional reforms of the 1970s Congress substantially decreased its oversight activities.
FALSE
As the number of interest groups has increased over the past several decades the diversity of the groups has remained the same.
FALSE
Average grade -school youngsters spend more time each week in school than they do watching television.
FALSE
Because Bush had won the 2000 election by such a narrow margin he governed in a highly congenial bipartisan manner which strengthened his candidacy among Democrats in the 20040 election.
FALSE
Because most issues are controversial to their constituents back home legislators seldom cast votes based on their own ideology as the prime determinant.
FALSE
Candidate ambiguity about policy positions makes policy voting easier.
FALSE
Candidatesʹ policy positions receive more media attention than does their campaign strategy.
FALSE
Coalition governments are relatively rare in European democracies.
FALSE
Congress tends to accord the president overwhelming support on national security policy.
FALSE
Congress was able to briefly balance the budget in the mid -1980s through the use of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act.
FALSE
Corporate income taxes today account for over half of all federal government revenue.
FALSE
Corporate taxes yield almost twice as much revenue as individual income taxes.
FALSE
Day-to-day activities of the national party are the responsibility of the partyʹs national committee.
FALSE
Defense spending remains the biggest slice of the federal budget pie.
FALSE
Each party holds a national convention every two years to bring delegates together hear speeches pass the party platform attempt to project a certain image and during presidential election years to nominate candidates for president and vice president.
FALSE
Exit polls normally taken on weekends as people leave busy supermarkets shopping malls sporting events and movie theaters tend to be the most reliable and the easiest to conduct.
FALSE
Federal grants are notorious for being poorly distributed. Some states and regions receive the lionʹs share others come away with almost nothing.
FALSE
Federalism is unique to the Western Hemisphere.
FALSE
Franklin Roosevelt was the first president who was closely scrutinized by the media.
FALSE
Government often acts on issues that are not especially high on the policy agenda.
FALSE
Governments have little incentive to provide public goods.
FALSE
Historically equality in American society has tended to emphasize equal results.
FALSE
House incumbents tend to be more vulnerable in election contests than Senate incumbents.
FALSE
Hyperpluralistsʹ major criticism of the interest groups and the government have become too conflictual.
FALSE
If a bill passes both the House and the Senate but in different forms it goes to a joint committee.
FALSE
In 1800 after a bitter election contest fought mostly in the partisan press Thomas Jefferson lost the presidency to John Adams thus creating the first peaceful transfer of power in America from one party to another.
FALSE
In 1993 Congress agreed to President Clintonʹs proposal to decrease the energy tax paid by those with low incomes.
FALSE
In 2004 George W. Bush became the first Republican president since William McKinley to win a second term.
FALSE
In Dennis v. United States (1951) the Supreme Court overturned prison sentences of several United States Communist party leaders and criticized the case against them as purely political and a violation of free speech.
FALSE
In Korematsu v. United States the Supreme Court ruled that the public order requiring Japanese Americans to be removed from the west coast during World War II and placed in internment camps was racist and unconstitutional.
FALSE
In congressional elections challengers receive more PAC money than incumbents.
FALSE
In most cases courts have ruled that teachers can not discuss creationism as an alternative to evolution but they can discuss ʺintelligent design.ʺ
FALSE
In most industrialized countries political campaigns are shorter but cost nearly as much as campaigns in the United States.
FALSE
In most races a good campaign can make a big difference to who wins and loses.
FALSE
In order to convey a long-term positive image via the media policy entrepreneurs often make campaign contributions.
FALSE
In the United States a census is taken every five years.
FALSE
In the case of Regents of the University of California v. Bakke the Supreme Court ruled that race could never be considered in admissions policies and declared all affirmative action programs to be unconstitutional.
FALSE
In the case of Roe v. Wade (1973) the Supreme Court outlawed any state laws to restrict a womanʹs right to an abortion at any point in her pregnancy.
FALSE
In the decades since the Miranda decision the Supreme Court has made no exceptions to its requirements.
FALSE
Individual members of Congress receive great pressure to follow party policy which leads to coherent party programs being passed by Congress.
FALSE
Informal changes to the Constitution have been rare and ineffective.
FALSE
Initiative petitions typically require forty percent of the number of votes in the previous election to be placed on the ballot.
FALSE
Interest groups occasionally file amicus curiae briefs which enable a group of similarly situated plaintiffs to combine similar grievances into a single suit.
FALSE
It is clear that ordinary citizens can make sound political judgments on technical issues in our society.
FALSE
It is unconstitutional to pray in school.
FALSE
Jacobs and Shapiroʹs research suggests that concerns about politicians ʺpanderingʺ to poll results is well-founded.
FALSE
Kevin Phillipsʹ description of the 1980s as the ʺtriumph of upper Americaʺ is evidence of hyperpluralism in the United States.
FALSE
Like treaties executive agreements require senatorial approval.
FALSE
McCulloch v. Maryland was a victory for those advocating the statesʹ rights position as supreme over the national government.
FALSE
Media technology has helped to widely disseminate information to produce a more informed society in America.
FALSE
Money someone contributes to his or her own campaign is not subject to limits and is known as ʺsoft money.ʺ
FALSE
More Americans call themselves liberals than moderates.
FALSE
More people cast ballots in presidential primaries early in the process than in the general election in November.
FALSE
Most governmental policies are made by a single institution.
FALSE
Most journalists identify themselves as Republicans but strive to report the news objectively.
FALSE
Most national convention delegates are selected by party leaders in each state with only a small number really coming from either presidential primaries or caucuses.
FALSE
Most nations of the world have federal systems.
FALSE
Most of our knowledge and opinions about politics is learned through formal in-class learning.
FALSE
Most officials at both the state and national levels agreed with Reaganʹs reduction in federal funds for state and local governments.
FALSE
Most political scientists subscribe to the mandate theory of elections which accepts that citizens vote for the candidate whose policy promises they favor thus the winner has a policy mandate from the people to carry out his or her promised policies.
FALSE
Most presidential vetoes are overridden by Congress.
FALSE
Most presidents have served two full terms in office.
FALSE
Narrowcasting refers to politiciansʹ exclusive use of television in communicating with constituents.
FALSE
Nearly all political scientists agree that the United States is in the midst of a culture war.
FALSE
Nearly every successful amendment to the Constitution has been proposed by a national convention.
FALSE
New Hampshireʹs official state motto is ʺGive me liberty or give me death.ʺ
FALSE
Only school districts in the poorest communities receive federal assistance.
FALSE
Over 90% of Americans receive most of their news from cable television.
FALSE
PACs are created by business associations; labor unions are prohibited from forming them.
FALSE
Policy voting is easier today because of the role of the media in articulating the issues.
FALSE
Political elites tend to dominate the media such that the poor and minority groups are unable to use it for their benefit.
FALSE
Political party conventions are usually filled with high drama.
FALSE
Political scientists generally agree that we have entered a political era where candidatesʹ slick images and slogans dominate electoral politics and determine the outcome of elections.
FALSE
Presidents frequently withhold favors from members of Congress in order to get their support.
FALSE
Public opinion polls routinely find that the American public has a high level of knowledge about the major political issues that candidates and government officials talk about.
FALSE
Public opinion surveys show that acceptance of homosexuals is increasing among liberals but decreasing among moderates and conservatives.
FALSE
Research on the effectiveness of political campaigns indicates that campaigns mostly convert; only rarely do they activate.
FALSE
Ronald Reagan was the first president to hold frequent press conferences and give fireside chats to reassure the public.
FALSE
Scott v. Sandford was the Supreme Courtʹs landmark decision that declared slavery was unconstitutional in all the United States.
FALSE
Select committees have membership drawn from both houses of Congress.
FALSE
Since 1995 the Supreme Court has consistently supported the use of affirmative action in both the public and private sector.
FALSE
Since the 1960s the proportion of the American public believing that big interests dominate the government has declined somewhat.
FALSE
Starting about 1968 a gradual realignment occurred in the South noted primarily for moderate Republicans switching over to the Democratic Party.
FALSE
State governments have gained power relative to the federal government over the past century.
FALSE
Tax expenditures are reviewed regularly by Congress.
FALSE
Television had very little impact on Richard Nixonʹs early political career during the 1950s and 1960s.
FALSE
The 2004 election had surprisingly little to do with the war on terrorism and the war in Iraq.
FALSE
The Annapolis meeting of 1787 produced the first real reform of the Articles of Confederation.
FALSE
The Bill of Rights allows a group to hold a spontaneous demonstration anytime anywhere and anyway it chooses.
FALSE
The Bill of Rights had to be added to the Constitution before any states would ratify it.
FALSE
The Congress is a unicameral legislature.
FALSE
The Connecticut Compromise at the Constitutional Convention led to an agreement that slaves would be counted as three-fifths persons in the census for purposes of determining representation in Congress.
FALSE
The Connecticut Compromise gives more power to the House of Representatives.
FALSE
The Constitution requires a member of the electoral college to vote for the candidate preferred by his or her stateʹs electorate.
FALSE
The Constitution was intended to be static.
FALSE
The Constitution was unanimously approved and signed by every delegate attending the Constitutional Convention.
FALSE
The Consumer Products Safety Commission is an example of a public interest lobby.
FALSE
The Council of Economic Advisors reviews legislative proposals from the cabinet and other executive agencies so they can determine whether they want an agency to propose these initiatives to Congress.
FALSE
The Declaration of Independence was written primarily by James Madison.
FALSE
The Democratic party has been more preoccupied since 1968 with party efficiency and winning elections rather than with broadening representation in the party and opening up its process.
FALSE
The Founders readily agreed to the form that the office of the president should take as well as the powers it should exercise.
FALSE
The Fourteenth Amendment forbids slavery and grants the right to vote to African Americans and other non-whites in the United States.
FALSE
The House still strictly follows the seniority system wherein the majority party member of the committee who has served the longest automatically serves as chair.
FALSE
The McGovern -Fraser Commission resulted in a more high-tech and efficient Democratic party.
FALSE
The Office of Management and Budget serves as the major budgetary arm of Congress and is frequently at odds with the presidentʹs budget office.
FALSE
The Rehnquist Court has diligently honored the exclusionary rule but made exceptions to the Miranda ruling.
FALSE
The Republican party is a form of a PAC.
FALSE
The Supreme Court has been consistent over the years in supporting the principle of affirmative action interpreted primarily as the use of quotas in hiring and promotion.
FALSE
The Supreme Court has ruled that the death penalty violates the equal protection of the law guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment.
FALSE
The Tenth Amendment is sometimes called the supremacy clause because it reinforces the power of the national government over the state governments.
FALSE
The Twenty -fourth Amendment outlawed the grandfather clause which was still being used until the 1960s to deny African Americans their constitutional right to vote.
FALSE
The Twenty -second Amendment set 80 as the mandatory retirement age for United States presidents.
FALSE
The Twenty -sixth Amendment ratified in 1971 has been used by the Supreme Court to incorporate most of the Bill of Rights into state laws.
FALSE
The War Powers Resolution of 1973 was aimed at giving the president greater power to send United States troops and wage war without having to seek approval or continued authorization from Congress.
FALSE
The White House staff has approximately 100 members.
FALSE
The amount of money an individual can contribute to their own campaign is limited to $1000.
FALSE
The courts often issue injunctions prohibiting the publication of material especially in the area of national security.
FALSE
The development of sophisticated technology has resulted in the consolidation and decrease in the number of interest groups.
FALSE
The extended length of the nomination process advantages individuals who already hold prominent political positions.
FALSE
The federal government immediately took responsibility for its anemic response to Hurricane Katrina.
FALSE
The federal system in the United States centralizes our politics.
FALSE
The free -rider problem is less serious when what the actual group is seeking is a collective good.
FALSE
The gender gap refers to the regular pattern by which women are more likely than men to support abortion rights.
FALSE
The hyperpluralist theory argues that interest group activity brings representation to all groups compete and counterbalance one another in the political marketplace and lobbying is not a problem.
FALSE
The main job of the vice president is to serve as the presidentʹs Chief of Staff.
FALSE
The majority of studies have shown that the media especially newspapers tend to have a liberal bias.
FALSE
The mediaʹs incorrect call of the 2000 Florida vote for Gore can be blamed solely on its reliance on exit polls.
FALSE
The most important feature of a public -opinion survey is the number of responses.
FALSE
The most widely accepted theory of voting behavior among political scientists is the mandate theory of elections.
FALSE
The national government employs nearly ten million people.
FALSE
The peak of the American labor movement occurred in the 1970s when 33 percent of the nonagricultural work force belonged to a union.
FALSE
The percentage of federal aid to state and local governments in the form of block grants began decreasing in 1995 as the new Republican majority in Congress passed more federal aid in the form of formula grants including grants for welfare programs.
FALSE
The poorest and least -educated Americans are those who are most likely to turn out and vote in elections.
FALSE
The presidential election of 1800 marks the first time in which the candidates personally campaigned for the office.
FALSE
The recent increase in the number of interest groups is evidence that the power of subgovernments is increasing.
FALSE
The responsibilities of the presidentʹs cabinet are described in the Constitution.
FALSE
The results of a poll taken after the first televised presidential debate in 1960 showed that most who listened to the debate on radio thought Kennedy had won while those who watched on television thought Nixon had won.
FALSE
The revolutionary expansion of channels and Web sites anticipated in the near future is likely to enhance the political interest and involvement of young people.
FALSE
The right to privacy is specifically guaranteed in the Bill of Rights.
FALSE
The strongest influence on how a member of the House of Representatives will vote is his or her party leadership.
FALSE
The three-fifths compromise at the Constitutional Convention resolved delegatesʹ differences over the issue of state representation.
FALSE
The voter turnout rate in the United States is one of the highest in the world.
FALSE
The writers of the Constitution were unanimously and devotedly committed to democracy.
FALSE
There are now about 1000 elected Hispanic officials in the United States.
FALSE
There were no notable regional differences in the 2004 presidential vote.
FALSE
Third parties in the United States have historically had no impact on American politics.
FALSE
Those who opposed the ratification of the Constitution were known as Federalists.
FALSE
Title IX of the Education Act of 1972 forbids racial discrimination in federally subsidizededucation programs (which include almost all colleges and universities).
FALSE
Traditionally Iowa holds the first presidential primary to choose delegates to each partyʹs national conventions.
FALSE
Voter registration was begun around the turn of the twentieth century in order to handle the growing voting population and to know how many ballots to print and how many poll watchers would be needed.
FALSE
Voter turnout in state and national elections increased significantly after Congress passed the Motor Voter Act of 1993.
FALSE
Voter turnout in the United States is not the highest in the world but it is substantially higher than participation rates in Great Britain France Germany and Italy.
FALSE
Women as well as men are now required to register for the military draft.
FALSE
Women were given the right to vote in the Nineteenth Amendment passed in 1820.
FALSE
Young people are always more liberal than the elderly.
FALSE
ʺEmbeddedʺ reporters were a key feature of news coverage in the Persian Gulf War in the early 1990s.
FALSE
ʺGovernment by the peopleʺ is a meaningful and useful definition of democracy.
FALSE
The group responsible for administering and enforcing the Federal Election Campaign Act is the
Federal Election Commission (FEC).
The administration of the campaign finance laws and the enforcement of compliance with their requirements is handled by the
Federal Election Commission.
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
Federal grants can put an unwanted financial burden on states.
Which of the following statements is FALSE?
Federalism reduces the opportunities for political participation.
Which of the following statements about federalism is FALSE?
Federalism was hotly debated at the Constitutional Convention.
Americaʹs first and shortest -lived major political party was the
Federalist party.
The first party system in the United States consisted of the
Federalists and Democratic -Republicans.
The ________ Amendment adopted in 1870 guaranteed the right of African Americans to vote at least in principle.
Fifteenth
Blacks were first given the legal right to vote by the
Fifteenth Amendment.
The ________ Amendment forbids forced self -incrimination stating that no person ʺshall be compelled to be a witness against himself.ʺ
Fifth
In the Senate the ________ Committee is responsible for writing tax codes subject to the approval of Congress as a whole.
Finance
Which of the following is a legitimate criticism of the federal civil service?
Firing incompetents is extremely difficult.
The ________ includes the clause ʺCongress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.ʺ
First Amendment
The great freedoms of speech press religion and assembly are contained in the
First Amendment.
The Supreme Courtʹs ruling in Brown v. Board of Education was based on the legal argument that segregation violated the ________ Amendment.
Fourteenth
In Gitlow v. New York (1925) the decision that states could not abridge the freedoms of expression protected by the First Amendment was based on the
Fourteenth Amendment.
In deciding to incorporate parts of the Bill of Rights into state laws since 1925 the Supreme Court has relied on the due process clause of the
Fourteenth Amendment.
The concept of equality before the law was introduced to the Constitution in the
Fourteenth Amendment.
The first and only place in which the idea of equality appears in the Constitution is in the
Fourteenth Amendment.
Unreasonable searches and seizures are specifically forbidden in the
Fourth Amendment.
________ privileges refer to the free use of the mails enjoyed by Congress.
Franking
Who was the president who brought together the original New Deal coalition in support of his candidacy?
Franklin D. Roosevelt
The Social Security Act was passed under the administration of President
Franklin D. Roosevelt.
In what was a very different era the press chose not to point out to readers or to photograph the fact that President ________ was confined to a wheelchair.
Franklin Roosevelt
Which president held one thousand press conferences far more than any other?
Franklin Roosevelt
The first president to manipulate media politics with many press conferences and fireside chats successfully was
Franklin Roosevelt.
The first president to successfully utilize media politics was
Franklin Roosevelt.
The first true anti-slavery party was the
Free Soil party.
Which of the following statements about freedom of assembly is FALSE?
Freedom of assembly allows groups to demonstrate at any time at any place or in any manner they wish.
Agenciesʹ behavior and budgets are audited monitored and evaluated for Congress by the
General Accounting Office.
Once hired into the federal bureaucracy a person is assigned a ________ rating which determines oneʹs salary range.
General Schedule
Public opinion polling was first begun in 1932 by
George Gallup.
An example of a splinter party would be
George Wallaceʹs American Independents.
Appointed to the vice presidency in 1973 due to a vacancy he was the only one to become president having run for neither the presidency or vice presidency in the preceding election.
Gerald Ford
In the 1963 case of ________ the Supreme Court ruled that defendants in all felony cases had a right to counsel and if they could not afford to hire a lawyer one must be provided.
Gideon v. Wainwright
The Sixth Amendment right to counsel in federal courts was expanded in the famous 1963 Supreme Court case of
Gideon v. Wainwright.
Beginning with the case of ________ in 1925 the Supreme Court began to rule that the Bill of Rights applied directly to the states as well as to the national government.
Gitlow v. New York
Which of the following statements about bureaucracies is FALSE?
Government bureaucracies have been shown to be less efficient and effective than private bureaucracies.
Which of the following statements about freedom of expression is FALSE?
Government can limit expression more easily than it can limit action.
Today ________ have (has) an established church that is officially supported by the government.
Great Britain
Which of the following statements is FALSE?
Green parties in Europe have never been able to win enough votes to enter the national legislature.
The idea that the Constitution guarantees a right to privacy was first enunciated in
Griswold v. Connecticut.
The right to privacy was applied to the states by the Supreme Court case of
Griswold v. Connecticut.
________ took over as president upon the death of Franklin Roosevelt in 1945 and eventually ordered the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japanese cities.
Harry Truman
Federal employees are prohibited from active participation in partisan politics through the
Hatch Act.
Why did President Roosevelt become silent during the last minute of a radio address during a reelection campaign?
He wanted to reduce the size of his opponentʹs audience.
The largest component of the minority majority is the
Hispanic population.
The most recent wave of immigration since World War II has consisted primarily of
Hispanics and Asians.
Which of the following statements is FALSE?
Hispanics are primarily concentrated in the rural areas.
The 2000 census indicated that the largest minority population is comprised of
Hispanics.
The largest racial/ethnic minority group in the United States is
Hispanics.
The one element of government that Madisonʹs plan placed within direct control of the voters was the
House of Representatives.
According to the Constitution revenue bills must originate in the
House.
Interest group liberalism is associated with which of the following criticisms?
In an effort to please and appease every interest agencies proliferate conflicting regulations expand programs multiply and the budgets skyrocket.
Which of the following is TRUE about the presidential nomination process?
In most states presidential primaries are held with the national convention delegates allocated to each candidate in rough proximity to their percentage of popular vote.
Which of the following statements about religion and politics is FALSE?
In recent years religious issues and controversies have become less visible in political debate.
Which of the following statements is FALSE?
In the American economy government directly determines wages prices and profits.
________ refers to the concept that in the spending appropriations process the best predictor of this yearʹs budget is last yearʹs budget plus a little bit more.
Incrementalism
In 2004 Americans were most likely to consider themselves ________ and least likely to consider themselves ________.
Independents; Republicans
Which of the following statements about public goods is FALSE?
Individuals have powerful incentives to provide public goods.
The first presidential caucus is held in
Iowa.
The first presidential caucus of the campaign season is traditionally held in
Iowa.
Which of the following statements about money in Congressional elections is FALSE?
It costs more money to elect a president than to elect a member of Congress.
As originally established by the Constitution the House of Representatives had how many members from each state?
It depended on the stateʹs population.
Which of the following is FALSE about the Constitution?
It discourages hyperpluralism.
Which of the following was NOT a provision of President Reaganʹs 1985 tax simplification program?
It increased the number of tax expenditures available to businesses.
What was the significance of the Annapolis meeting?
It issued the original call for the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia.
Which of the following statements about President Reaganʹs 1981 tax cut is TRUE?
It provided new tax incentives for personal saving and investment.
Which of the following is NOT an effect of federalism?
It simplifies the governmental system.
What was the main criticism of the national bank created by the United States government?
It was an instrument of the elite and gave the national government too much control of the economy.
Which of the following is TRUE of the presidential election of 1800?
It was the first peaceful transfer of power between parties via the electoral process in the history of the world.
The Democratic -Republicans were also known as the
Jeffersonians.
The most liberal religious group in America are
Jews.
The last Federalist president was
John Adams.
The justification for separation from England in the Declaration of Independence was based heavily on the ideas of the English philosopher
John Locke.
Which of the following statements about constituency influence is FALSE?
Legislators whose votes on routine issues are out of step with their constituents are rarely reelected.
According to Thomas Jefferson which of the following is an inalienable right?
Liberty
The Declaration of Independence says that ʺall men are created equal.ʺ Which aspect of the American creed does this suggest?
Liberty
________ is a communication by someone other than a citizen acting on his or her own behalf directed to a government decision maker particularly in the legislative and executive branch with the hope of influencing his or her decision.
Lobbying
As president ________ launched the ʺGreat Societyʺ at home while escalating the Vietnam War abroad.
Lyndon Johnson
Aid to parochial schools was first passed in the 1960s at the request of
Lyndon Johnson.
Which of the following is TRUE?
Many sex discrimination cases have involved men seeking equality with women.
In the case of ________ the Supreme Court ruled that the protection against unreasonable search and seizure applied to the state and local governments as well as the national government thus nationalizing the exclusionary rule.
Mapp v. Ohio
The most famous practitioner of civil disobedience in the United States during the twentieth century was this Nobel Peace Prize winner
Martin Luther King Jr.
The classic conception of a bureaucracy was advanced by ________ who argued that the bureaucracy was a ʺrationalʺ way for a modern society to conduct its business.
Max Weber
The principle of the supremacy of federal law over state law was affirmed in
McCulloch v. Maryland.
The principle that the national government has certain implied powers that go beyond its enumerated powers was first elaborated in the Supreme Courtʹs decision in
McCulloch v. Maryland.
In 1965 ________ was added to the Social Security program to provide hospital and physician coverage to the elderly.
Medicare
Which of the following is TRUE in regard to the voting habits of African Americans and Hispanic Americans?
Members of these groups are more likely to vote than whites of the same income level.
Which of the following statements about voter participation is FALSE?
Men are more likely to vote than women.
In ________ the Court clarified its doctrine of what was obscene including such gauges as whether material appealed to merely a prurient interest in sex and whether it lacked serious artistic literary political or scientific merit.
Miller v. California
In what case did the Supreme Court rule that suspects must be told of their constitutional rights to remain silent that what they say can be used against them and of their right to have an attorney present during any questioning?
Miranda v. Arizona
Fifth Amendment rights were expanded to include guidelines for police interrogation procedures in the famous case of
Miranda v. Arizona.
Which of the following is TRUE about the Supreme Courtʹs decision in Miranda v. Arizona?
Mirandaʹs innocence or guilt was not at issue; his rights had been violated so his conviction was overturned.
Which of the following statements about the American people is FALSE?
Most Americans view cultural diversity as one of the least appealing aspects of their society.
Which of the following is NOT true about Political Action Committees?
Most PAC money goes to challengers rather than incumbents.
Which of the following is FALSE about the United States government under the Articles of Confederation?
Most authority rested with the United States Congress rather than the state governments.
Which of the following is NOT true about exit polls?
Most people are contacted by the random digit dialing method.
Which of the following statements is FALSE?
Most presidents have served two or more full terms.
Which of the following statements about the Bill of Rights is FALSE?
Most state constitutions did not have a Bill of Rights at the time of the Constitutional Convention.
Which of the following was NOT a characteristic of the 55 delegates who attended the Constitutional Convention?
Most were residents of the western frontiers.
Which of the following is typical of most adult Americans when it comes to political participation?
Most will vote in an election but only a minority of people do more than that politically.
In the case of ________ the Supreme Court ruled that requiring an organization to turn over its membership lists was an unconstitutional restriction on freedom of association.
NAACP v. Alabama
The ________ is the oldest and largest of the African -American groups which have fought for equality at the polls in housing on the job in education and in all other facets of American life.
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The Fair Share program is an effort by the
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to negotiate agreements with businesses to increase minority hiring and the use of minority contractors.
Which of the following groups claims the smallest share of its potential members?
National Consumers League
Which of the following groups has the largest potential membership?
National Organization for Women
Which of the following situations was NOT considered an economic problem by the writers of the Constitution?
National taxes were too high.
The least -healthy the poorest and the least-educated group in the American mosaic are the
Native -American Indians.
Which of the following statements about Native Americans is FALSE?
Native Americans were made citizens of the United States long before African Americans received the same status.
The least healthy poorest and least educated racial/ethnic group in the United States is
Native Americans.
The worst off of Americaʹs minority groups are
Native Americans.
In what case did the Supreme Court rule that a newspaper no matter how outrageous its opinions must be allowed to publish without prior restraint?
Near v. Minnesota
The state that has disproportionate power because it holds the first presidential primary each election year is
New Hampshire.
The ________ offered as a proposal at the Constitutional Convention called for each state to be equally represented in Congress.
New Jersey Plan
The principle that statements about public figures are libelous only if made with malice and reckless disregard for the truth was established in
New York Times v. Sullivan.
The ________ gave women the constitutional right to vote.
Nineteenth Amendment
Women were first given the right to vote by the
Nineteenth Amendment.
Which of the following is NOT true?
No unitary governments are democratic.
Lobbyists provide members of Congress all of the following EXCEPT
None of the above; lobbyists provide all of the above to members of Congress.
Which of the following is established by the written Constitution?
None of these are mentioned in the written Constitution.
Which of these is TRUE about the United States Constitution?
None of these are true.
The ________ is responsible for supervising preparation of the federal budget and advising the president on budgetary matters.
Office of Management and Budget
The agency that reviews legislative proposals for the president is the
Office of Management and Budget.
The budgetary implications of the presidentʹs budget are provided to the president by
Office of Management and Budget.
The heads of executive agencies send their budget requests to the
Office of Management and Budget.
Consumer organizations suffer from
Olsonʹs Law of Large Groups.
Which of the following is TRUE about the electoral college?
On very rare occasions an elector has voted differently from the popular vote winner of his state.
Which of the following is TRUE about the minimum age requirements for members of Congress set forth in the Constitution?
One must be at least 30 years of age to serve in the Senate.
Which of the following statements about taxes is TRUE?
One out of every three dollars earned by an American citizen is used to pay taxes.
Which fo the following is true about cable newscasts?
Only about 11% of the time was used for written and edited news stories.
Which of the following statements about policy agendas is FALSE?
Only government officials develop policy priorities.
The presidentʹs legislative skills compete with other factors influencing congressional voting including all of the following EXCEPT
PAC spending.
Critics of the PAC system are concerned that
PACs may control what the electoral winners do once in office.
Almost all definitions of political parties have which of the following in common?
Parties try to win elections.
________ are crucial for many voters because they provide a regular perspective through which voters can view the political world.
Party identifications
Which of the following statements about party realignment is FALSE?
Party realignments were associated with the Civil War and with the Great Depression.
The ________ Act was passed partly as a memorial to the memory of President James Garfield who was assassinated in 1881.
Pendleton Civil Service
________ has some of the strongest parties in America.
Pennsylvania
The authors of The American Voter would agree with each of the following statements EXCEPT
People who think in ideological terms are most likely to switch parties from one election to the next.
In the case of ________ the Supreme Court ruled that segregation of races by law was constitutional so long as the facilities that were separate were also equal.
Plessy v. Ferguson
The Brown v. Board of Education decision overturned the Supreme Courtʹs 1896 ruling in
Plessy v. Ferguson.
Which of the following statements about plum book appointees is FALSE?
Plum book appointees are often instrumental in changing and reforming their agencies.
________ occurs when people base their choices in an election on their own issue preferences.
Policy voting
PAC stands for
Political Action Committee.
Interest groups seeking to exert influence on the electoral process can honestly and openly funnel money into the campaign coffers of their supporters through
Political Action Committees.
Which of the following statements about political participation is FALSE?
Political activity is an important part of the everyday life of most Americans.
________ arise when people disagree about a problem or a public policy choice made to combat a problem.
Political issues
Which of the following ideas is NOT associated with hyperpluralism?
Political power is highly concentrated.
Which of the following statements about affirmative action is FALSE?
Polling data shows that most Americans support affirmative action.
Which of the following is NOT a criticism of modern polling?
Polls are subject to very wide margins of error yet are treated as accurate measurements of public opinion.
The Republicans lost the election of 1932 primarily due to
President Herbert Hooverʹs handling of the Depression.
In 1968 the Democratic party was torn apart leaving the door to the presidency open for Republican Richard Nixon primarily due to
President Johnsonʹs Vietnam War policies.
________ refers to a governmentʹs censorship of material before it is published.
Prior restraint
All presidents but one have been
Protestant.
In terms of religion most members of Congress are
Protestant.
Which of the following statements regarding libel is FALSE?
Public figures are protected against libel since publications must prove that what they wrote is true and not malicious.
________ is the distribution of the populationʹs beliefs about politics and policy issues.
Public opinion
Which of the following statements about public opinion polling is FALSE?
Public opinion polling is a uniquely American phenomenon.
Which of the following statements about the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is FALSE?
Public opinion polls showed little support for the ERA after 1960.
________ occurs after every census to reallocate the 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives reflecting shifts in the population of the states and thus how many seats each state is allotted.
Reapportionment
In ________ the Supreme Court ruled that any ʺarbitraryʺ sex -based classification violated the equal protection clause.
Reed v. Reed
In the case of ________ the Supreme Court ruled that affirmative action programs were not unconstitutional but they could not involve a set -aside quota of spots available only to members of particular groups.
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
The Supreme Court ruled against some of the basic principles of affirmative action in which of the following cases?
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
The New Deal coalition made the ________ party the minority party for decades.
Republican
Which state boycotted the Constitutional Convention?
Rhode Island
In a famous televised speech in 1952 to save his vice -presidential candidacy ________ denied having received illegal gifts and payments and declared that the family dog Checkers though a gift would not be returned.
Richard Nixon
Which of the following presidents was a Republican?
Richard Nixon
The only president to resign his office was
Richard Nixon.
Which of the following individuals have suggested that pluralist theory is less descriptive of American politics than in the past?
Robert Putnam
Prior to his election as president ________ had been a well -known actor and served for two terms as governor of California.
Ronald Reagan
The president who was known as the ʺconsummate delegatorʺ because he dispersed authority to his advisors was
Ronald Reagan.
The principle that ʺobscenity is not within the area of constitutionally protected speech or pressʺ was established in
Roth v. United States.
The House ________ Committee reviews most bills coming from other committees before they go on to the full House thus performing a traffic cop function.
Rules
Which of the following statements about the role of the president as chief diplomat is FALSE?
Senate approval of treaties negotiated by the president is almost automatic.
The filibuster is a technique used in the
Senate to prolong debate in order to kill a bill.
According to the Constitution once impeached federal officials are then tried in the
Senate.
The womenʹs rights movement was launched with the signing of the
Seneca Falls Declaration.
A small band of farmers in western Massachusetts took up arms in what is remembered as
Shaysʹ Rebellion.
The ________ Act required that as of 1987 employers document the citizenship or legal immigrant status of their employees or face substantial criminal penalties for failing to do so.
Simpson -Mazzoli
In what way do weak political parties affect the scope of government?
Since it is harder for them to enact legislation it is hard for them to either expand or decrease the scope of government.
Congress was officially given the power to levy an income tax through the
Sixteenth Amendment.
________ members present and voting can halt a filibuster by voting for cloture.
Sixty
Which of the following categories is the largest expenditure in the federal budget?
Social Security
The largest item in the United States government budget consuming more than one -fifth of spending is
Social Security payments.
The fastest growing source of federal revenue has been
Social Security taxes.
________ resulted from an amendment in 1979 to the original Campaign Reform Act which allows parties to raise and spend money on voter registration and other campaign materials without limits on spending or the size of contributions that they can accept.
Soft money
The ________ is next in line after the vice president to succeed a president who resigns dies in office or is impeached.
Speaker of the House
Which of the following congressional offices is mandated by the Constitution?
Speaker of the House
Which of these was NOT a principle established in the case of McCulloch v. Maryland?
State governments are forbidden spending more money than they raise each year while there is no such requirement on the national government.
The ________ is the final interpreter of the content and scope of Americansʹ civil liberties.
Supreme Court
In the case of ________ the Supreme Court upheld federal court rulings ordering busing of students to achieve racially balanced schools.
Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenberg County Schools
Which of the following countries has a lower voter turnout rate than the United States?
Switzerland
527 groups can not explicitly urge citizens to vote for or against a candidate.
TRUE
A Constitution is never neutral.
TRUE
A key aspect of egalitarianism is political equality.
TRUE
A media event is staged primarily for the purpose of being covered by reporters cameras etc.
TRUE
A non -decision is one type of policy decision made by government.
TRUE
A political issue arises when people disagree about a problem or about a public policy choice made to combat a problem.
TRUE
A recent study of college freshmen recently found that only 34 percent said that ʺkeeping up with politicsʺ was an important priority for them.
TRUE
AIDS is an example of policy being made by inaction.
TRUE
AIDS victims are considered handicapped and included under laws protecting the rights of the disabled.
TRUE
According to James Madison factions arise from the unequal distribution of wealth.
TRUE
According to Robert Putnam many of the problems of American democracy today stem from a decline in group -based participation.
TRUE
According to rational -choice theory voters want to maximize the chance that policies they favor will be adopted by government and parties want to win office; thus in order to win office the wise party selects policies that are widely favored.
TRUE
Aging increases political participation as well as strength of party attachment.
TRUE
All seven of the presidents since Lyndon Johnson have championed constraints on government and limits on spending.
TRUE
Although voter turnout has declined recently other forms of participation such as contributing money and contacting officials have actually increased.
TRUE
Amendments to the Constitution over the nationʹs history have expanded the American electorate by extending the right to vote to women non-whites and 18 year-olds thus further democratizing our system of government.
TRUE
Any time over twenty percent of the delegates to the platform committee disagree with the majority they can bring an alternative minority plank to the convention floor for debate.
TRUE
As a percentage of GDP Americans pay less taxes than those who live in most other countries with developed economies.
TRUE
As television news audiences declined network executives decreed that news had to become more profitable. News divisions sharply reduced their costs and tried to raise the entertainment value of their broadcasts.
TRUE
As the number of cable channels political junkies will find more political information readily available than ever before.
TRUE
At one time all state parties selected their delegates to the national convention in a meeting of state party leaders.
TRUE
Because George W. Bush has taken strong and clear stands on tax cuts the war on terror and other issues many consider him to be a particularly polarizing figure.
TRUE
Before World War II the United States customarily disbanded a large part of its military forces at the end of a war.
TRUE
Before making an arrest police need what the Constitution calls probable cause to believe that someone is guilty of a crime.
TRUE
Before the advent of the contemporary feminist movement the Supreme Court upheld virtually any instance of gender-based discrimination.
TRUE
Between 1980 and 1990 minority populations grew at a much faster rate than the white population.
TRUE
Burning the flag is a legally protected form of political expression.
TRUE
Categorical grants and block grants are the two major types of federal aid to state and local governments.
TRUE
Civil disobedience involves knowingly breaking a law thought to be unjust.
TRUE
Civil rights laws increase the scope and power of government.
TRUE
Commercial speech is regulated more rigidly than other types of speech.
TRUE
Commercial speech such as advertising is restricted far more extensively than expressions of opinion on religious political or other matters.
TRUE
Congress is less likely to exercise its oversight powers when it is controlled by the presidentʹs party.
TRUE
Congress once made an exception to the full faith and credit provision of the Constitution by passing the Defense of Marriage Act which allows states to not recognize same -sex marriages conducted in other states.
TRUE
Critical elections occur only rarely but dramatically shake up the American political system and involve a major realignment of the coalitions making up the major political parties.
TRUE
De jure segregation is that which is done by law.
TRUE
Despite the apparent glut of information from the media Americans do not remember much about what they are exposed to through the media.
TRUE
Despite the fact that Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton were skilled in communications they generally saw public opinion moving against them.
TRUE
Different wording of questions in public opinion polling can produce dramatically different results.
TRUE
During the Gulf War reportersʹ freedom of movement and observation was severely restricted by the United States government.
TRUE
Elections make people more likely to see government as their servant instead of their master.
TRUE
Elite theorists believe that whoever is elected to office in the federal government has little influence on policymaking.
TRUE
Elite theorists maintain that who holds office in Washington is of marginal consequence; the corporate giants always have the power.
TRUE
Elite theory argues that a few groups (primarily the wealthy) have most of the power.
TRUE
Federal aid to states and cities is more equitably distributed than income access to education or taxes in the United States.
TRUE
Filibusters occur in the Senate but not the House.
TRUE
Following the Bryan -McKinley contest of 1896 the most enduring political alignment in American history took hold: the industrial East and Midwest strongly Republican; the less populous agrarian South and West strongly Democratic.
TRUE
For years American children have been successfully educated in school about the virtues of capitalism and democracy.
TRUE
Immigrants to the United States often brought a sense of individualism with them.
TRUE
In 2000 the Court held that student -led prayer at football games was unconstitutional.
TRUE
In 2000 the average sound bite lasted ten seconds or less.
TRUE
In Canada and most of Europe the major networks are government owned.
TRUE
In Gibbons v. Ogden the Supreme Court ruled that national governmentʹs power to regulate interstate commerce encompasses virtually every form of commercial activity.
TRUE
In Plessy v. Ferguson the Supreme Court provided a constitutional justification for segregation establishing the separate but equal doctrine.
TRUE
In Zelman v. Simmons-Harris the Supreme Court allowed state vouchers to be used to pay tuition at religious schools.
TRUE
In a democracy public officials are supposed to pay attention to the problems that concern voters.
TRUE
In early American society married women could have no legal identity separate from that of their husbands.
TRUE
In general liberals support freedom of choice on abortion are opposed to school prayer favor government regulation in the public interest and want to spend more money to help the poor.
TRUE
In many other countries major television outlets are owned by the government.
TRUE
In open races candidates who spend the most usually win.
TRUE
In public opinion polling in the United States a random sampling of 1000 -1500 people generally can faithfully represent the ʺuniverseʺ of potential voters within a small margin of error.
TRUE
In recent years illegal immigrants have outnumbered legal immigrants.
TRUE
In recent years the Supreme Court has scrutinized Congressʹs use of the commerce clause with a skeptical eye overturning congressional legislation in various decisions.
TRUE
In retrospective voting voters reward or punish the incumbent based on an evaluation of the incumbentʹs past performance of importance to the voters.
TRUE
In the Dakotas over half of the Native Americans lived below the poverty line in 1990.
TRUE
In voting on bills in Congress differences between the parties are sharpest on questions of social welfare and economic policy.
TRUE
Interest group liberalism is promoted by the network of subgovernments in the American political system.
TRUE
Investigative journalism has contributed to greater public cynicism and negativism about politics.
TRUE
It is difficult for Congress to get anything done.
TRUE
It takes a majority vote in the House to impeach the president.
TRUE
Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon felt they were hounded out of office by the press.
TRUE
Many of the litigants in cases raising constitutional questions about sexual discrimination have been men seeking equality with women in their treatment under the law.
TRUE
Members of Congress are not substantially affected in their reelection bids by the ups and downs of the economy.
TRUE
Members of minority groups are disproportionately undercounted in the census.
TRUE
More people know their astrological sign than know the name of their representatives in Congress.
TRUE
More than 90 percent of the incumbents in the House of Representatives seeking reelection win.
TRUE
More than half of most Americans have no opinion on the scope of government according to survey data from 2000.
TRUE
Most Americans accept the legitimacy of the election process and results whatever their own biases or apathy.
TRUE
Most PACs give less than the $5000 limit to candidates.
TRUE
Most congressional advertising takes place between elections and takes the form of contact with constituents.
TRUE
Most delegates to the Constitutional Convention in 1787 held a cynical view of human nature.
TRUE
Most environmental groups trace their origins to Earth Day April 22 1970 or sometime soon thereafter.
TRUE
Most federal systems are democracies although most democracies are not federal systems.
TRUE
Most lobbying is directed toward activating and reinforcing oneʹs supporters.
TRUE
Most members of Congress are Protestants.
TRUE
Most of the states with right -to-work laws are in the South which traditionally has had the lowest percentage of unionized workers.
TRUE
Most people pay relatively little attention to political campaigns.
TRUE
Most politicians and political scientists today argue that Americaʹs federalist system has moved away from a dual federalism to a cooperative federalism.
TRUE
No nationwide consensus exists that offensive pornographic material should be banned.
TRUE
North Dakota has no voter registration and several states allow voters to register on election day itself.
TRUE
Not only does your vote probably not make much difference to the outcome but voting is somewhat costly.
TRUE
Nowhere does the Bill of Rights explicitly state that Americans have a right to privacy.
TRUE
Numerous studies show that journalists rely almost exclusively on established sources to get their stories.
TRUE
Olsonʹs Law of Large Groups helps explain the distinct advantage of small groups in lobbying for their goals.
TRUE
On the whole tax expenditures benefit middle - and upper-income taxpayers and corporations.
TRUE
One of the biggest rivals of American political parties is the media.
TRUE
Only about 20 percent of Americans can accurately guess how their representative voted on an issue in Congress.
TRUE
Organizationally state parties are on the upswing throughout the country.
TRUE
PACs often make contributions AFTER elections
TRUE
Party realignment is a rare event in American politics.
TRUE
Pluralist theory holds that because so many groups compete for power in the United States none has a majority say and public policy roughly approximates the public interest.
TRUE
Political action committees can spend unlimited amounts of money if such activities are not coordinated with the campaign.
TRUE
Politicians who argue that ʺthe people should be put firstʺ are emphasizing populism.
TRUE
President George W. Bush ordered eavesdropping on the international telephone and email communications of those within the United States.
TRUE
President Reaganʹs tax simplification plan of 1985 among other things reduced the number of tax brackets from fifteen to two.
TRUE
Presidential nominees of each party get a fixed amount of money from the federal treasury to cover all their official campaign expenses for the general election.
TRUE
Private individuals have a lower standard to meet for winning lawsuits for libel than public figures.
TRUE
Public goods are things that everyone shares such as clean air.
TRUE
Research has shown that during the 1950s voters rarely relied on issues to decide their votes.
TRUE
Ronald Reaganʹs presidency often appeared as a performance with well -choreographed appearances.
TRUE
Since 1964 the publicʹs trust in government has decreased though there was a slight increase in the early 1980s.
TRUE
Since 1968 neither party has been completely and consistently dominant and the United States has been in an era of divided government.
TRUE
Sixty senators present and voting can halt a filibuster by voting for cloture on debate.
TRUE
Slander refers to making spoken statements known to be false that are malicious and tend to damage a personʹs reputation and the courts have ruled that such spoken defamations are not protected by freedom of speech.
TRUE
Smaller groups are generally more effective than larger groups.
TRUE
State and local agencies can obtain categorical grants only by applying for them and then by meeting certain qualifications.
TRUE
States allow many exceptions to the privileges and immunities clause.
TRUE
Technology has had the effect of diminishing the separation of the people from those who exercise power.
TRUE
The 2000 presidential election was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.
TRUE
The American creed includes laissez -faire.
TRUE
The Bill of Rights does not refer to equality.
TRUE
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 made racial discrimination illegal in hotels motels restaurants and other places of public accommodation and forbade many forms of job discrimination.
TRUE
The Congressional Impoundment and Control Act of 1974 has failed to bring spending in line with revenues.
TRUE
The Constitution created a Republic.
TRUE
The Constitution obligated the new government to repay all the public debt incurred under the Continental Congress and the Articles of Confederation.
TRUE
The Constitution says that the states must return a person charged with a crime in another state to that state for trial or imprisonment.
TRUE
The Constitution specifically denied states the power to coin money to enter into treaties or to tax imports or exports.
TRUE
The Constitution usually means what the Supreme Court says it means.
TRUE
The Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution designed to guarantee women equality under the law failed to be ratified.
TRUE
The Federal Election Commission administers campaign finance laws and enforces compliance with their requirements.
TRUE
The Fifth Amendment forbids forced self-incrimination stating that no person ʺshall be compelled to be a witness against himself.ʺ
TRUE
The First Lady has no official governmental position.
TRUE
The House of Representatives is more institutionalized centralized and hierarchical than the Senate.
TRUE
The Indian Bill of Rights was adopted as Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 applying most of the provisions of the Constitutionʹs Bill of Rights to tribal governments.
TRUE
The Mexican American Legal Districting Election Force (MALDEF) is modeled after NAACP.
TRUE
The National Security Council is formally composed of the president the vice president and the secretaries of state and defense.
TRUE
The Supreme Court has never permitted religious freedom to be an excuse for any and all behaviors.
TRUE
The Supreme Court has ruled that the Tenth Amendment does not give states power superior to that of the national government for activities not mentioned in the Constitution.
TRUE
The Supreme Court of the United States is the final interpreter of the scope of the civil liberties of Americans.
TRUE
The Twenty -fifth Amendment permits the vice president to become acting president if the vice president and the presidentʹs cabinet determine that the president is disabled or if the president declares his own disability.
TRUE
The United Nations is an example of a confederation.
TRUE
The United States Supreme Court ultimately determined that George W. Bush was the winner of the 2000 presidential election.
TRUE
The budget deficit increased in 2002 in part due to George W. Bushʹs 2001 income tax cuts.
TRUE
The bulk of all the net private savings in the country goes to the federal government as it borrows money.
TRUE
The chance to win high office in the United States is open to almost any highly skilled politician with even a small electoral base.
TRUE
The control that parties have over who is selected as their nominee is less now than it was in the 1960s.
TRUE
The explosion of caucuses in Congress has made the representation of interest groups in Congress a more direct process.
TRUE
The federal debt makes it more difficult and expensive for individuals and businesses to borrow money from private lenders.
TRUE
The federal system of government increases opportunities for participation in American politics.
TRUE
The founders believed that state governments where most of the governmental activity was expected to take place would act as checks on the power of the national government.
TRUE
The high cost of campaigns often discourages good candidates from competing for higher political offices.
TRUE
The median family income of Asian -Americans is greater than that of non-Hispanic whites.
TRUE
The more participation in a democracy the healthier the democracy is thought to be.
TRUE
The most criticized type of public opinion poll is the election -day exit poll.
TRUE
The most important goal of any media campaign is simply to get attention.
TRUE
The national government in the United States now spends approximately $2.8 trillion every year.
TRUE
The national political conventions have been removed of most of their drama in the past few decades partly as a result of television coverage.
TRUE
The philosophy of the writers of the Constitution was based in part on the belief that the principal object of government was the preservation of property.
TRUE
The president has no formal role in amending the Constitution.
TRUE
The president is often portrayed by the press in a negative light even though it is presented in a neutral manner.
TRUE
The presidentʹs ʺhoneymoonʺ period of high approval ratings is increasingly fleeting but it is also true that declines in approval are not inevitable.
TRUE
The press often portrays the president with an aura of dignity and treats him with deference despite a tendency to focus on negative themes.
TRUE
The relatively cozy relationship that existed between politicians and the press during the twentieth century lasted until the Vietnam War and Watergate.
TRUE
The scholarly consensus is that politicians listen more to groups with higher turnout rates as they know their fate may be in their hands.
TRUE
The size of the United States federal budget today actually discourages new programs or the expanding of old ones.
TRUE
The system of checks and balances and the separation of powers in the Constitution have a conservative bias because they favor the status quo.
TRUE
The typical member of the House of Representatives serves on six committees and subcommittees the typical senator is a member of ten committees.
TRUE
The winner-take-all system in the United States discourages small parties.
TRUE
The word equality does not appear in the original Constitution.
TRUE
The word federalism is absent from the Constitution.
TRUE
There are many good examples of investigative reporting making a difference in politics and government.
TRUE
Third parties almost never win office in the United States but they sometimes have an effect on the electoral college vote and have served as ʺsafety valvesʺ for expressing popular discontent.
TRUE
Thomas Patterson found that since 1960 the focus of the pressʹs coverage of campaign issues has shifted from policy statements to campaign controversies.
TRUE
Those who identify themselves as ʺborn againʺ Christians are currently the most conservative demographic group.
TRUE
Through the use of blogs American citizens are able to challenge media interpretations of political events.
TRUE
To a large extent television networks define news as what is entertaining to the average viewer.
TRUE
To serve in the United States Senate one must be at least thirty years old.
TRUE
Two -thirds of the federal budget consists of what are called ʺuncontrollable expenditures.ʺ
TRUE
Unlike party convention delegates prior to 1968 most of todayʹs delegates to Democratic conventions have few ties to experienced politicians or the party organization.
TRUE
Very few policies are made by a single policymaking institution in the United States.
TRUE
When constituency opinion and the presidentʹs proposals conflict members of Congress even if of the same party as the presidentare more likely to vote with their constituency.
TRUE
When going public most interest groups emphasize a soft sell and reasoned analysis.
TRUE
When taxes do not grow tax revenue must grow to pay the additional costs or a budget deficit results.
TRUE
With more than $400 billion in federal grants at stake most states and many cities have established full-time staffs in Washington.
TRUE
With the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment adult women throughout the United States were allowed to vote in the presidential election of 1920.
TRUE
Young adults are much less likely to vote than senior citizens in the United States.
TRUE
ʺEquality interestsʺ refer to the cluster of groups seeking equal protection under the law.
TRUE
________ are revenue losses attributable to provisions of the federal tax laws which allow a special exemption exclusion or deduction.
Tax expenditures
Which of the following statements about television news is FALSE?
Television analysis of news events has been rapidly increasing.
Which of the following statements about the 1800 presidential election is TRUE?
The 1800 election was ultimately decided in the House of Representatives.
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
The American states have unitary governments.
Which of the following statements about federalism is false?
The American system has always been neatly separated into purely state and purely national responsibilities.
Which of the following statements about the Anti -Federalists is FALSE?
The Anti -Federalists were basically unpatriotic and un-American.
For most newspapers in medium -sized cities and small towns their principal source for reporting national and world news is
The Associated Press.
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels published
The Communist Manifesto.
Which of the following statements about the Supreme Court and abortion is FALSE?
The Court allows states to require a woman to give her husband advance notice of an abortion.
Which of the following statements about Supreme Court rulings concerning affirmative action is FALSE?
The Court has ruled that affirmative action can exempt recently hired minorities from traditional work rules specifying ʺlast hired first firedʺ order of layoffs.
Which of the following statements about the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is FALSE?
The ERA was ratified in 1982.
Betty Friedanʹs book ________ published in 1963 encouraged many women to question traditional assumptions and to assert their rights.
The Feminine Mystique
The nationʹs most influential newspaper and its unofficial ʺnewspaper of recordʺ is
The New York Times.
Which of the following statements about the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is FALSE?
The OMB is one of the few government agencies created by the Constitution.
What happened when Jacksonville Florida tried to ban movies with nudity in them from being shown at drive-in theaters on grounds of obscenity?
The Supreme Court ruled that all nudity cannot be deemed obscene.
Which of the following statements best describes voter turnout in the United States?
The United States has one of the lowest voter turnout rates in the world.
Which of the following does NOT characterize presidential elections around 1800?
The candidates barnstormed the country campaigning and giving speeches.
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
The delegates to the Constitutional Convention did not resolve the tension between slavery and the principles of the Declaration of Independence.
Which of the following statements about the election of 1896 is FALSE?
The election resulted in the Democrats becoming firmly entrenched as the majority party in the Northeast and Midwest.
Which of the following is NOT true about categorical grants?
The federal government is less likely to apply conditions to these grants today than in the 1970s.
Which of the following statements about the immediate consequence of women receiving the right to vote is FALSE?
The feminist movement gained steam immediately after the right to vote was secured.
________ helps to explain why public interest lobbies have relatively small proportions of actual members.
The free-rider problem
Which of the following statements about interest groups is FALSE?
The growth rate of interest groups has slowed in recent years.
Which of the following statements about Political Action Committees (PACs) is FALSE?
The influence of PACs is particularly important in presidential campaigns.
Which of the following statements about the majority leader of the House of Representatives is FALSE?
The majority leader exercises substantial control over which bills get assigned to which committees.
Which of the following is NOT a criticism of the current system of presidential primaries and caucuses?
The media do not have enough of a role in this process.
How is a unitary system different from a federal one?
The national government can change the boundaries of states or abolish them.
________ is a hiring and promotion system based on knowing the right people working in an election campaign making large political donations and/or having the right connections to win jobs with the government.
The patronage system
Which of the following statements about judicial interpretation is FALSE?
The power of judicial interpretation is explicitly stated in the Constitution.
Which of the following statements about Franklin Roosevelt and the news media is FALSE?
The press often reported on Rooseveltʹs health and confinement to a wheelchair.
What was the Supreme Courtʹs decision in Hamdam v. Rumsfeld?
The procedures for trying prisoners at Guantanamo Bay Cuba were insufficient for ensuring a fair trial.
Which of the following statements about interest groups going public is FALSE?
The public relations of most groups tend to be characterized by hard sell and bias.
Which of the following is an accurate statement about the Bill of Rights and its relevance to the stages of the criminal justice system?
The rights of accused persons and convicted criminals are guaranteed at every stage from gathering of evidence to the imposition of punishment.
Which of the following statements concerning the public airways is FALSE?
The same restrictions that apply to radio and television also apply to newspapers.
Which of the following is TRUE about the federal bureaucracy?
The state and local governments have far more employees than the federal bureaucracy.
Which of the following is TRUE about American elections over the past 100 years?
The suffrage has broadened and the turnout has decreased.
Which of the following is NOT true about elections in American society?
The vast majority of eligible citizens cast ballots even for local races.
Which of the following is NOT true about the media in America?
Their skepticism about governmental honesty and efficiency leads them to oppose giving government greater responsibilities.
Which of the following statements about crises is FALSE?
There were more immediate crises early in American history than there are today.
Which of the following is TRUE about most third -party campaigns in American history?
They almost never win office.
Which of the following statements about those who challenge incumbent members of the House is TRUE?
They are usually not well-known.
Which of the following is TRUE about most liberals in American politics?
They believe we should guard carefully the rights of defendants in criminal cases.
Which of the following statements about the state governments is accurate?
They carry out virtually all the functions they always have while the national government has taken on new functions.
Which of the following is TRUE of most conservatives in American politics?
They favor free market solutions to problems rather than looking to the government for regulating business.
At the urging of feminists and conservative Christians some cities have banned pornography on the grounds it dehumanizes and endangers women. How have the courts dealt with these bans?
They have struck them down as violations of the First Amendment.
Which of the following is NOT true about presidential appointees to bureaucracies?
They must be recommended by the Office of Personnel Managementʹs ʺrule of three.ʺ
Which of the following is TRUE about PACs?
They must report their contributions to the Federal Election Commission.
Which of the following is NOT typical of American interest groups?
They run their own slate of candidates for office in many parts of the country.
Which of the following is NOT true about incumbents?
They usually face very tough challengers especially in races for the House.
Which of the following statements about third parties in the United States is FALSE?
Third parties are a rare phenomena in American history.
The ________ Amendment outlawed slavery in the United States.
Thirteenth
Slavery was declared unconstitutional by the
Thirteenth Amendment.
In the electoral college vote in the election of 1800 there was a tie between
Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr.
The primary author of the Declaration of Independence was
Thomas Jefferson.
Which of the following is TRUE of political parties in the United States?
To be a member of a party all you have to do is claim to be one.
Poll taxes for federal elections were outlawed in the
Twenty-fourth Amendment.
Which of these is a linkage institution?
USA Today
Which of the following countries has the lowest voter turnout rate?
United States
Which of the following countries have the smallest total tax revenues as a percentage of their gross domestic product?
United States
The order of succession to the presidency should the president be unable to fulfill his or her duties is
Vice President Speaker of the House President Pro Tem of the Senate Cabinet members in the order that their department was created.
Which of the following statements is FALSE?
Voters in primaries and caucuses tend to be representative of voters at large.
________ was widely regarded to be the worst and most ineffective president.
Warren Harding
The scandal surrounding Richard Nixonʹs administration that led to impeachment hearings was known as
Watergate.
In the House of Representatives it is the ________ Committee that writes tax codes subject to the approval of Congress as a whole.
Ways and Means
If engaged in retrospective voting an individual would ask:
What have you done for me lately?
The part of the executive branch of government that the president sees daily and relies heavily on for information policy options and analysis is the
White House staff.
Which is FALSE regarding the electoral college?
Whoever wins the most votes in the electoral college wins even if that isnʹt a majority.
The issue of free silver (to increase the amount of currency in circulation) was championed in the election of 1896 by ________ whose most famous oration was his ʺCross of Goldʺ speech at the Democratic national convention.
William Jennings Bryan
The winner of the presidential election of 1896 was
William McKinley.
Which of the following statements about women in the military is FALSE?
Women as well as men are now required to register for the draft.
Which president was a political scientist?
Woodrow Wilson
In 1998 the Supreme Court ruled in Clinton v. City of New York that
a 1996 law granting the president the authority to propose rescinding funds in appropriation bills was unconstitutional.
What sort of realignment has occurred in the current party era?
a Southern realignment
Which of the following would be a specific example of an appropriations bill?
a bill funding the Department of the Interior for the fiscal year
Congress attempts to bind itself to a total expenditure level that should form the bottom line of all federal spending for all programs by passing
a budget resolution.
Retrospective voting refers to voting for
a candidate who promises to continue policies that have made you feel better off.
A political ideology is
a coherent set of values and beliefs about public policy.
A form of governmental structure in which the national government is weak and most or all power is in the hands of its components (e.g. states) is known as
a confederation.
When the House and the Senate pass different versions of the same bill
a conference committee is appointed to resolve differences.
A mid-term election is
a congressional election that is not accompanied by a presidential election.
According to G.K. Chesterston the United States is the only country in the world that is founded on
a creed.
A party era begins or is made more certain with
a critical election.
In recent elections the trends in party identification in the United States have been
a decrease in the percentage of Democrats and an increase in the percentage of Independents.
Recent election studies show
a diminishing connection between votersʹ presidential and congressional voting.
The Pentagon Papers dealt with
a documented history of United States involvement in the Vietnam War which the government wanted kept secret.
Right after the Revolutionary War a dramatic change swept through the new country resulting in
a dramatic increase in democracy and freedom.
Television news programs are tailored to
a fairly low level of audience sophistication.
Medicaid is an example of
a federal grant program that puts an economic strain on the states.
The Dred Scott v. Sandford ruling was handed down by the Supreme Court
a few years prior to the Civil War.
Today the national government spends about
a fifth of our gross domestic product.
That successful lobbying efforts by consumer groups benefits all consumers and not just group members is an example of
a free-rider problem.
During the second party system in United States history Martin Van Buren argued that
a governing party needed a loyal opposition party to represent parts of society that it could not.
If the allocation of power under dual federalism were compared to a cake it would be most like
a layer cake with two distinct layers.
The policy agenda is
a list of priorities to which government officials address their time and energies.
Realignments are typically associated with
a major crisis or trauma in the nation.
In order to impeach a president it takes
a majority vote in the House of Representatives.
Party outsiders have ________ getting elected in the United States than in other countries.
a much easier time
The failure of the Equal Rights Amendment showed that
a national majority in favor of an amendment is not sufficient to add it to the Constitution.
Unlike Hispanics who have come to America to escape poverty the recent influx of Asians has been driven by
a new class of professionals looking for greater opportunity.
A partyʹs endorsement to officially run for office as the candidate of that party is called
a nomination.
Ross Perotʹs candidacies for president in 1992 and 1996 were an example of what type of third-party campaign?
a party serving as an extension of one individualʹs candidacy
Nomination for public office is
a partyʹs selection of a candidate.
A party era refers to
a period of history in which there is one dominant majority party that wins most elections.
The initiative is put on the ballot as a result of
a petition signed by a certain percentage of the voters in the previous election.
The Declaration of Independence was primarily
a polemic announcing and justifying a revolution.
A budget is
a policy document allocating burdens (taxes) and benefits (expenditures).
The federal governmentʹs budget is mainly
a policy statement that allocates burdens and benefits by attaching price tags to policy goals.
The process from above is
a policymaking system.
High-tech politics refers to
a politics in which the behavior of citizens and policymakers is shaped by technology.
At the end of the Revolutionary War
a postwar depression severely hurt small farmers and many others.
All people who might be group members because they share some common interest make up
a potential group.
Over the last 125 years the people of the United States have turned increasingly to the national government to solve problems or provide assistance because
a problem or policy often requires the authority and resources of the national government.
The significance of Gitlow v. New York (1925) was that
a provision of the Bill of Rights was applied to the states for the first time.
Common Cause is an example of
a public interest lobby.
Poll results can vary widely if
a question is altered even slightly.
The surge in President George Bushʹs approval ratings during and immediately following the Gulf War in 1991 was an example of
a rally event.
An election whereby voters are given the chance to approve or disapprove some legislative act or constitutional amendment is called
a referendum.
Which of these candidates would most likely get elected?
a representative running for reelection
Members of Congress seek committees that will help them achieve each of the following goals EXCEPT
a salary increase.
To prevent abuse of police power the Constitution requires that no court may issue ________ unless probable cause exists to believe that a crime has occurred or is about to occur.
a search warrant
A talking head is a reference to
a shot of a personʹs face talking directly to the camera.
An interest group so single -minded that its members often vote on only one issue ignoring a politicianʹs stand on everything else is known as
a single-issue group.
The Supreme Court case of Roe v. Wade (1973) ruled that
a state cannot forbid abortions during the first trimester of pregnancy.
The McCulloch v. Maryland case dealt with what specific grievance?
a state taxing a national bank
The requirement of a drinking age provision before states can receive federal highway aid is an example of
a string attached to categorical grants.
In general liberal ideology supports
a strong central government that sets policies to promote equality.
According to Frederick Jackson Turner the existence of the frontier in American history most directly resulted in
a strong preference for limited government.
Elitist views of interest groups emphasize that
a system of interlocking directorates reinforces the power of the few dominant groups.
Federalism is
a system of shared power by the state and national governments.
Which of the following is LEAST likely to fascinate television news viewers?
a talking head
An example of a tax expenditure is
a tax deduction for the mortgage interest paid by homeowners.
A political party is best defined as
a team of men and women seeking control of the governing apparatus by gaining office in a duly constituted election.
A political party is
a team of men and women with similar beliefs seeking legitimate control of the government by through elections.
In order to convict and remove an impeached president it takes
a two -thirds vote in the Senate.
Which of these would be most likely to vote?
a well -educated middle-aged government worker
The Weberian model depicts a bureaucracy as
a well-organized machine with plenty of working but hierarchical parts.
An amicus curiae brief is
a written argument submitted to the courts in support of one side of a case.
The Supreme Court ruled in its Roe v. Wade decision that
abortion could not be prohibited by any state during the first trimester of pregnancy.
Single -issue group politics has been especially emotional over the issue of
abortion.
The most important application of privacy rights has come in the area of
abortion.
African Americans comprise what proportion of the American population?
about 12 percent
The final major event of each partyʹs national convention during the last hour or so on the fourth and final night is the
acceptance speech by the presidential candidate.
When Political Action Committees contribute money to members of Congress they are usually seeking
access to policymakers.
The ʺBig Moʺ refers to
achieving momentum in the nomination campaign.
The Rehabilitation Act of 1973
added handicapped people to the list of Americans protected from discrimination.
What accounts for the success of congressional candidates?
advertising credit -claiming and position-taking.
The main purpose of the Congressional Budget Office is to
advise Congress on the consequences of its budget decisions.
When proposition 209 was passed in California in 1996 it banned
affirmative action in public hiring contracting and educational admissions.
Supporters of affirmative action believe that
affirmative action produces so important a social goal that some reverse discrimination is acceptable.
Conservatives would tend to favor each of the following EXCEPT
affirmative action.
The case of Regents of the University of California v. Bakke dealt with
affirmative action.
The public policy paths for women and minorities converged in the debate about
affirmative action.
The Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution
after the ratification process was complete and partly to fulfill a promise to those who supported ratification.
In the case of New York Times v. United States in 1971 the Supreme Court ruled
against prior restraint in the case of the Pentagon Papers which allowed them to be published.
Until Congress passed the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921
agencies of the executive branch sent their budget requests to the secretary of the treasury who forwarded them on to Congress with the president playing little or no role in the entire process.
Steve Sovernʹs LASTPAC and Common Cause
agree that all candidates and officeholders should not accept money from political action groups.
In the Lemon v. Kurtzman decision of 1971 the Supreme Court ruled that
aid to church -related schools must be for secular purposes only and cannot be used to advance or inhibit religion.
In Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971) the Supreme Court ruled that
aid to church -related schools must have a secular legislative purpose.
Today ________ apply to the states.
all but five provisions or amendments of the Bill of Rights
A very important ground rule concerning the behavior of political action committees is
all expenditures must be meticulously accounted for to the FEC.
House and Senate committees
all have a majority of members from the majority party in that chamber.
A pluralistic interpretation of interest group politics would maintain that
all legitimate groups can affect public policy by means of one political resource or another.
Caucuses in Congress
all of the above
Elections in the United States perform which of the following functions?
all of the above
How did the White House Communications Office choreograph George W. Bushʹs address from the Abraham Lincoln announcing the end of major combat operations in Iraq?
all of the above
Iowa and New Hampshire have been especially important in the nomination process over the past several decades because they help candidates to
all of the above
Native Americans tend to be
all of the above
Who can purchase United States government bonds?
all of the above
Elite and class theory holds that
all societies are divided along class lines and that an upper -class elite will rule.
At the time of the ratification of the Constitution
all states had bills of rights but there was no national Bill of Rights.
Public opinion polls are only estimates because
all surveys have a sampling error.
The separation of powers and the checks and balances established by the Constitution
allow almost all groups some place in the political system where their demands for public policy can be heard.
In free exercise cases the Supreme Court
allows the government to interfere with religious practices as long as it is not specifically aimed at religion.
Incumbents are those
already holding office.
The impact of TV news is that it
alters the priorities Americans attach to a circumscribed set of problems.
In Bush v. Gore (2000) the United States Supreme Court ruled that
although a recount was legal the same (or more precisC) the butterfly ballot was unconstitutional.
In order to actually fund programs established by authorization bills Congress must pass
an appropriations bill.
Because Bushʹs lead over Gore in the initial count was less than one-tenth of one percent Florida law mandated
an automatic recount.
Ever since 1914 the courts have used ________ to prevent illegally seized evidence from being introduced into the courtroom.
an exclusionary rule
For ________ voting places are randomly selected around the country and interviewers ask every tenth person how they voted.
an exit poll
An ʺuncontrollableʺ expenditure in the federal budget is defined as
an expenditure that is required by current law or a previous government obligation to people automatically eligible for some benefit.
In addition to a hierarchical authority structure Max Weber argued that a bureaucracy involves all of the following EXCEPT
an incentive system.
Californiaʹs Proposition 209 which intended to end affirmative action programs in the state is an example of
an initiative.
Californiaʹs famous Proposition 13 in which voters frustrated by a lack of action by their legislature forced an issue on the ballot and voted to limit the rise in property taxes was an example of
an initiative.
An organization of people with similar policy goals entering the political process to try to achieve those aims is called
an interest group.
One type of linkage institution is
an interest group.
The term interest group can be generally defined as
an organization of people with similar policy goals entering the political process to try to achieve those aims.
Political culture refers to
an overall set of values widely shared within a society.
Shaysʹ Rebellion was
an uprising by farmers to prevent judges from foreclosing on farms.
Thomas Patterson found that media coverage of presidential candidates changed from a descriptive framework to a(n)
analytical framework.
Most people pay little attention to campaigns
and have a selective perception about events and candidates.
The incorporation doctrine involves
application of the Bill of Rights to the states.
To actually fund a program Congress must pass an ________ bill.
appropriations
Project grants
are awarded on the basis of competitive applications.
Social insurance taxes
are earmarked for a specific purpose.
The right to a ʺspeedy trialʺ and the prohibition against ʺcruel and unusual punishmentʺ
are included in the Bill of Rights but are rather vague and subject to the interpretation of the courts themselves.
The courts have recently ruled that under the Fourteenth Amendment racial and ethnic classifications by states in regard to any matter
are inherently suspect.
In most advanced industrialized countries national campaigns
are limited by law to no more than two months.
Comparison between members of the House and Senate concerning the impact of incumbency on their reelection chances shows that one of the reasons that senators have a smaller advantage is because they
are more likely to be held accountable on controversial issues.
People with higher than average education
are more likely to vote than people of lower educational levels.
In setting the broad rules of the game of politics constitutions
are never neutral; they give some participants advantages over others.
Presidential press conferences
are not very useful means of eliciting information.
A myth about members of Congress is that they
are overpaid underworked corrupt and ineffective.
Civil rights
are policies that extend basic rights to groups historically subject to discrimination.
American political parties differ from interest groups in that parties
are policy generalists.
Most bills formally submitted for consideration in Congress
are quietly killed off early in the process.
Party realignments in the United States
are rare events in the United States usually associated with a major national crisis or trauma in which one partyʹs majority domination is replaced with anotherʹs.
Studies have found that most Americans
are satisfied with the help received from bureaucrats.
ʺRally eventsʺ
are specific and dramatic events that relate to international relations directly involving the United States and the president.
Most PAC money goes overwhelmingly to incumbents because incumbents
are the most likely to be able to return the investment.
Economic groups
are those groups interested in wages prices and profits.
Political issues
arise when people disagree about a problem or public policy choices made to combat a problem.
According to the original Constitution the president must be
at least 35 years old.
The Thirteenth Amendment was passed
at the end of the Civil War.
Presidential leadership of Congress in promoting the chief executiveʹs programs is
at the margins as a facilitator.
Federal regulation of state governments is usually accomplished through
attaching conditions to grants it gives them.
An ________ bill is an act of Congress that establishes a discretionary government program or an entitlement or that continues or changes such programs.
authorization
A project grant is
awarded on the basis of competitive application.
The constitutional trail for securing equal rights for all Americans was blazed primarily by
African Americans.
Which of the following is not a feature of incremental budgeting?
Agencies must justify their entire budget request.
How has the electoral college changed from the original intent of the framers?
Almost all electors now vote for the presidential candidate who wins the most popular votes in their state.
Which of the following statements about the presidential veto is FALSE?
Almost half of all vetoed bills have been overridden by Congress.
As the framers wrote the Constitution they had no practical choice but to adopt a federal system for all but which of the following reasons?
America had always had a federal system and it would have been too radical and disruptive a change to adopt another system.
The term ʺminority majorityʺ refers to the fact that
America will soon cease to have a white majority and together the minority groups will become a majority.
Which of the following statements is FALSE?
Americans are expected to vote for a much narrower range of political offices than most democracies.
In 1990 Congress enacted the ________ a far -reaching law to protect a particular group of Americans from discrimination ignoring those who claimed the price tag would be too high.
Americans with Disabilities Act
________ are written arguments submitted to the courts in support of one side of a case.
Amicus curiae briefs
Which of the following is NOT associated with incremental budgeting?
An agency or program must prove it still merits its very existence every year.
Citizens seem to focus on the presidentʹs efforts and stands on issues rather than onpersonality (ʺpopularityʺ) or simply how presidential policies affect them (the ʺpocketbookʺ).
Answer: TRUE
In a 2004 survey of political knowledge young people provided the correct answer to only one -third of these questions whereas people over 65 were correct half the time.
Answer: TRUE
The Republican party rose to prominence in the late 1850s as the
Anti-slavery party.
Beginning in 1781 the United States was governed under the
Articles of Confederation.
Which of the following statements about the size of bureaucracies is FALSE?
As a percentage of Americaʹs total work force federal government employment has been growing.
Which of the following statements is FALSE?
As the country became more industrialized and urbanized economic interest groups turned to the state governments rather than the federal government for help.
The fastest growing minority group in the United States is
Asian Americans.
Which of the following statements about presidential bargaining is FALSE?
Bargaining in the form of providing specific benefits for members of Congress is critical to creating presidential coalitions.
In the case of ________ the Supreme Court ruled that the Bill of Rights restrained only the national government not states and cities.
Barron v. Baltimore
The Bill of Rights was adopted primarily in response to
British abuses of the colonistsʹ civil liberties.
________ have usually found the individual state governments to be more sympathetic than the national government to their demands.
Business interests
Most delegates to the Constitutional Convention believed that the secret of good government is a
balanced government.
In 2005 the Supreme Court found that two Kentucky counties violated the establishment clause of the First Amendment by
banning ʺintelligent designʺ from the curriculum
Serious magazines of political news and opinion are
basically reserved for the educated elite in America.
Most news organizations assign their best reporters to particular ________ which are specific locations where news frequently emanates.
beats
The Declaration of Independence
became one of the most important statements of American political philosophy.
American political parties tend to take middle-of-the-road stands on major issues
because most of the American electorate are centrist.
Over the years television coverage of national party conventions has
been scaled back.
The partyʹs platform is drafted
before the convention by a committee whose members are chosen in rough proportion to each candidateʹs strength.
The single most important advantage to someone trying to get elected to Congress is
being an incumbent.
People are more likely to vote for all of the following reasons EXCEPT if they
believe that some policies of one party are balanced by other policies of the other party.
Nebraskaʹs legislature is the only one in the United States that is NOT
bicameral.
At the center of all theories of elite domination of politics is
big business.
The Declaration of Independence was a
bitter attack against the British king for abuses said to have been done to the colonists over a long period of time.
A broad program for community development would most likely be supported through a(n)
block grant.
In response to complaints from state and local governments about the paperwork and requirements attached to most grants Congress has established ________ to support programs in areas like community development and social services.
block grants
Grants that are given more or less automatically to states or communities which have discretion in deciding how to spend the money are called
block grants.
In contrast to the Democratic Congress of recent decades the new Republican majority in Congress is passing more federal aid in the form of
block grants.
Compared to men women are more likely to
both A and B
In 2000 exit polls received much of the blame for the mediaʹs inaccurate call of the Florida result but blame could also be placed on
both A and B
Media coverage of a candidateʹs campaign is a function of
both A and B
The Civil Rights Act of 1964
both A and B
The growth of both interest groups and the scope of government over the past several decades represents
both A and B
A disadvantage of telephone public opinion surveys is
both B and C
Federalism is a way of organizing a nation so that
both national and state levels of government have authority over the same land and people.
To be sent to the president a bill must be passed by
both the House and the Senate.
In addition to fighting segregation and discrimination civil rights interest groups have also focused on
broader economic problems.
A(n) ________ is a policy document allocating taxes and expenditures or a series of goals with price tags attached.
budget
To set a limit on total government spending both houses of Congress are required to pass a(n) ________ every April binding Congress to a total expenditure level or bottom line of all federal spending for all programs.
budget resolution
One of the reasons that ʺbusinessʺ does not always get what it wants is
business groups often have different interests and want different things.
Right -to-work laws are most strongly supported by
business groups.
Elite theorists emphasize the power of
business leaders.
Americans want a strong president
but do not like a concentration of power.
De jure educational segregation occurs
by law.
Most polling today is done
by phone.
If a presidential candidate does not receive a majority of electoral college votes then the president is chosen
by the House with one vote for each state.
De facto educational segregation occurs
by the reality of neighborhood schools located in areas that happen to be racially segregated.
During the military campaign in Afghanistan President Bush and the White House frequently watched ________ to see events as they happened.
CNN
Which of the following would be included in a plum book?
Cabinet secretaries
About which state has it been said that the political parties are so weak as to be almost nonexistent?
California
Which of the following states has increased its representation in the House from just seven in 1900 to 53 today?
California
In Saenz v. Roe the Supreme Court ruled that
California could not require a new resident to wait one year before being eligible for welfare benefits.
Which one of the following countries has federalism as its method of governing?
Canada
In what major way do presidential campaigns serve to stimulate big government?
Candidates make promises to particular groups and states so much on different campaign stops and many of the promises involve more government spending and new or bigger programs.
Which of the following statements about the role of money in congressional elections is FALSE?
Challengers usually outspend incumbents.
________ are not unwilling victims of big government and its big taxes in a democracy they are at least its co-conspirators.
Citizens
Which of these is NOT a criterion of traditional democratic theory as formulated by Robert Dahl?
Citizens must make rational choices.
The ________ banned gender discrimination in employment by law.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
________ is consciously breaking a law that is thought to be unjust.
Civil disobedience
An example of a public interest group is
Common Cause.
Which of the following statements about the presidency and democracy is FALSE?
Concerns about a tyrannical presidency were prevalent in the Reagan administration due to his ability to impose his will on Congress.
Which of the following did the framers of the Constitution conceive of as the center of policymaking in America?
Congress
Which of the following is NOT a linkage institution?
Congress
The Congressional Budget and Impoundment Act of 1974 requires that
Congress agree on a budget according to a fixed schedule with target figures for the total budget size.
An example of public policymaking would be
Congress and the president deciding not to act on the AIDS crisis.
When a president vetoes congressional legislation
Congress can override the veto by a two-thirds vote in both houses.
In Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) Chief Justice Taney declared that
Congress had no authority to ban slavery in the territories.
Which of the following statements about federal block grants is FALSE?
Congress has established an unlimited number of block grants to support narrowly defined programs.
During the 1991 Gulf War
Congress passed a resolution authorizing the president to use force against Iraq.
In the United States showdown with Saddam Hussein in January 1991
Congress passed a resolution authorizing the president to use military force against Iraq.
Which of the following is INCORRECT?
Congress requires voter registration nationwide.
According to the Constitution all federal appropriations must be authorized by
Congress.
Cabinet -level executive departments are created by
Congress.
Each bureaucratic agency is created initially by
Congress.
The framers of the Constitution gave the chief economic policymaking role to
Congress.
The ultimate power to determine how much the government will tax and spend and what it will spend taxes for lies with
Congress.
Which of the following offices is responsible for making economic projections about the performance of the economy the costs of proposed policies and the economic effects of taxing and spending alternatives?
Congressional Budget Office
The congressional equivalent of the Office of Management and Budget is the
Congressional Budget Office.
Which of the following is responsible for responding to congressional requests for information and providing non -partisan studies?
Congressional Research Service
Which of the following statements about President Reaganʹs 1981 tax cut is FALSE?
Corporate taxes were increased.
Which of the following statements is FALSE?
Current civil rights policies conform to the eighteenth -century idea of limited government.
What view of human nature did the delegates at the Constitutional Convention have?
Cynical view: human beings are selfish and greedy.
The phrase ʺall men are created equalʺ comes from the
Declaration of Independence.
Which of the following statements about the Bill of Rights and the rights of the accused is FALSE?
Defendantsʹ rights are well -defined in the Bill of Rights.
Andrew Jackson was the first president identified as a(n)
Democrat.
The dominant political party in Americaʹs first party system was the
Democratic -Republicans.
In the second party system in United States history the election contests were between which two major parties?
Democrats and Whigs
A 2002 survey of 1149 journalists found that compared to the general public journalists were twice as likely to consider themselves
Democrats.
The New Deal coalition was responsible for electing and reelecting
Democrats.
The ________ employs about one-fourth of all federal civilian workers more than any other department or agency.
Department of Defense
In the case of ________ the Supreme Court ruled that a black man slave or free was ʺchattelʺ and had no rights under a white manʹs government; it also ruled that Congress had no power to ban slavery in the western territories.
Dred Scott v. Sandford
Which of the following statements about the hiring and firing of civil servants is FALSE?
Due to the merit system it is easy to fire incompetent civil servants.
Which of the following statements about presidents going public is FALSE?
Dwight Eisenhower was the first president to use presidential speeches to gain policy support.
If the United States had a multiparty system
each party would have more distinct policy positions.
In the original constitutional system
each presidential elector cast two ballots and the top vote -getter was named president and the runner-up became vice president.
If the presidential election is thrown into the House of Representatives
each stateʹs House delegation may cast only one vote regardless of its number of representatives.
In achieving ʺmomentumʺ nothing helps a candidate more than
early unexpected primary and caucus victories.
Which of the following is NOT one of the cornerstones of an ideal democracy?
economic equality
At the top of the political agenda during the period of the Articles of Confederation was
economic issues.
States are responsible for most public policies dealing with each of the following issues EXCEPT
economic issues.
The type of public policy that seems to have the greatest effect on elections today is
economic policy.
The election of 1896 was largely fought over the issue of
economics.
According to the text the most important factor affecting voter turnout is
education.
The Weberian model views bureaucracies as
efficient and necessary.
The Constitutionʹs provision that Congress has the right to ʺmake all laws necessary and proper for carrying into executionʺ its powers is often referred to as the
elastic clause.
The best way constituents can influence congressional voting on legislation is to
elect a representative or senator who agrees with their views.
Examples of issues addressed in recent initiatives include all of the following EXCEPT
election day registration.
Many interest groups involve themselves in ________ to help get those they consider to be the right people into office or to keep them there.
electioneering
Political Action Committees are primarily a means used by interest groups for
electioneering.
Which of the following is most fundamentally critical of American democracy?
elite and class theory
The theory that sees wealth as the basis of power is the
elite and class theory.
The work of the McGovern-Fraser Commission appointed during the turbulent Chicago Convention of 1968 was a reflection of concern over
elite control of the party.
The idea that just a few groups have all the power is associated with
elite theory.
The ________ theorists argue that the power of the few is fortified by an extensive system of interlocking directorates and that wealthy corporations prevail when it comes to major decisions by government.
elitist
A new approach to reporting introduced during the 2003 Iraq war was to
embed reporters with troops.
In Faragher v. City of Boca Raton (1998) the Supreme Court held that
employers are responsible for preventing and eliminating sexual harassment.
Class action lawsuits
enable a group of similarly situated plaintiffs to combine similar grievances into a single suit.
The initiative petition
enables voters to put proposed legislation on the ballot.
Which of the following is NOT a constitutional power of the president?
enact legislation by issuing decrees
Blanket primaries
encourage party loyalty.
Closed primaries
encourage party loyalty.
The media usually report on Americaʹs social problems in a manner that
encourages government to take on more and more tasks.
Political parties perform all of the following tasks EXCEPT
enforce rigid adherence to their policy positions.
To a large extent television networks define news as what is ________ to viewers.
entertaining
Social Security payments are an example of a(n)
entitlement.
The Constitution states that Congress has the power to establish post offices. This is an example of
enumerated powers.
In 2000 Green party candidate Ralph Nader forced more attention on ________ issues and drew away a small percentage of votes from Al Gore.
environmental
Which of the following federal policies exemplifies the implied powers of Congress?
environmental protection law
Affirmative action seeks to move beyond
equal opportunity to equal results.
The Fourteenth Amendment specifically forbids the states from denying to anyone
equal protection of the laws.
The goal of affirmative action is to move toward
equal results.
The Federalist Papers were
essays in support of ratification of the constitution.
Unlike Great Britain and many other nations the United States does not have an ________ church that is officially supported by the government and recognized as a national institution.
established
An authorization bill
establishes continues or changes a discretionary program or an entitlement.
The supremacy clause
establishes the Constitution laws of the national government and treaties as the supreme law of the land.
The Constitution prohibited the states from doing each of the following EXCEPT
establishing a republican form of government.
Which of the following is NOT the responsibility of the Internal Revenue Service?
establishing the annual tax rates that Americans of different incomes must pay
Random sampling in public opinion polling operates on the principle that
everyone should have an equal probability of being selected.
Which of the following is NOT currently one of the major sources of federal revenue?
excise taxes
The white primary
excluded blacks from primary elections thus depriving them of a voice in the real electoral contests in the South.
Before the president submits her budget to Congress the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) coordinates the requests of
executive agencies.
The most important effect of the constitutional amendments has been to
expand liberty and equality.
News management in the Reagan White House operated on each of the following principles EXCEPT
expand reportersʹ access to the president.
The nearly two centuries of American electoral history has been characterized by
expansion of the right to vote.
Over the last 100 years the provisions of the Fourteenth Amendment have become the vehicle for
expansive constitutional interpretation to outlaw arbitrary classifications which deny equality under the law.
The Sixteenth Amendment ratified in 1913
explicitly permitted Congress to levy an income tax.
Television coverage of the war in Vietnam had the effect of
exposing governmental naivete ´0 and lies about the progress of the war.
Among the presidentʹs constitutional powers as a maker of foreign policy is the power to
extend diplomatic recognition to foreign governments.
The Supreme Court case of Gideon v. Wainwright
extended the right to counsel to everyone accused of a felony.
The constitutional requirement that the states return a person charged with a crime in another state to that state for trial or imprisonment is known as
extradition.
Most of the delegates at the Constitutional Convention regarded what as the greatest threat to government?
factions
Homophobia refers to
fear and hatred toward gay men and lesbian women.
Which of the following is most equitably distributed in America?
federal aid to states and cities
The Pendleton Act established the
federal civil service.
Which of the following is NOT one of the major elements of the subgovernment system at the national level?
federal court
Standard operating procedures in cooperative federalism include each of the following EXCEPT
federal funding with no strings attached.
All of the following are examples of how federalism decentralizes our policies EXCEPT
federal income tax.
If the allocation of power in a cooperative federal system were compared to a cake it would be most like
fifty marbled cupcakes.
The pattern of spending taxing and providing grants in the federal system is called
fiscal federalism.
The media inevitably encourage the growth of government when they
focus on injustice in society.
Most of the news coverage of the White House
focuses on the most visible layer of presidentsʹ personal and official activities.
In cooperative federalism in order to qualify for federal grant money cities and states must
follow federal guidelines for adopting and enforcing federal laws.
Soft money consists of money
for voter registration drives and campaign material at the grass -roots level.
The Thirteenth Amendment
forbade slavery and involuntary servitude.
The Eighth Amendment to the Constitution
forbids cruel and unusual punishment.
One of the important purposes of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 is to
force Congress to consider the budget as a whole rather than in terms of individual appropriations.
The Fifth Amendment forbids
forced self -incrimination.
The election of 1828 that brought Andrew Jackson to the presidency was significant because it
forged a new political coalition.
ʺCritical electionsʺ always result in the
formation of new coalitions for each political party.
Grants for specific programs distributed according to community demographic factors such as population or income are
formula grants.
Medicaid and Aid for Families with Dependent Children are examples of
formula grants.
Programs such as Medicaid and Aid for Families with Dependent Children where applicants automatically qualify for aid if they meet the requirements are examples of
formula grants.
Political knowledge
fosters political tolerance.
The grandfather clause was ________ by the Supreme Court in the 1915 decision Guinn v. United States.
found unconstitutional and outlawed
Since 1960 newspaper circulation has declined from one newspaper for every two adults to slightly more than one newspaper for every ________ adults.
four
Each party holds a national convention every
four years.
Power in the major United States political parties is
fragmented among local state and national party organizations.
Some scholars have suggested that a consequence of separation of powers and checks and balances has been
fragmented policymaking processes.
The abridgment of citizensʹ freedom to worship or not to worship as they please is prohibited by the
free exercise clause.
Which of the following elements of the Bill of Rights was extended to the states by the Supreme Court case of Near v. Minnesota?
freedom of the press
In many countries with multiparty systems and proportional representation interest groups
frequently win some seats in the national legislature.
Literally amicus curiae means
friend of the court.
After the Revolution power in the state legislatures shifted
from the wealthy to those with more moderate incomes.
The text identifies two types of lobbyists
full -time employees and consultants.
The Constitution requires that states give ________ to the public acts records and civil judicial proceedings of every other state.
full faith and credit
A marriage license issued in one state is valid and honored in all states under the constitutional provision of
full faith and credit.
Contracts between business firms can be enforced across state boundaries as part of the constitutional provision of
full faith and credit.
The fact that a driverʹs license from one state is valid in other states is an example of
full faith and credit.
The Nineteenth Amendment
gave women the constitutional right to vote.
Since its Roe v. Wade decision the Supreme Court has
generally moved to allow states more room to regulate abortions (e.g. waiting periods) than was true in Roe.
The Constitution framers
generally wanted a president with limited authority and responsibilities.
House incumbents typically receive
generous support from their party campaign committees.
The electoral college was originally established in order to
give the nationʹs elite the power to choose the president and vice president rather than the people directly.
A shield law
gives reporters the right to withhold information from the courts.
An example of incremental budgeting is
giving an agency a little more than it had last year.
While the threat of electoral punishment constrains policymakers it also helps to increase generalized support for
government and its powers.
In 2000 the Supreme Court ruled that
government regulation of sexually explicit material on cable stations must be narrowly tailored to promote the governmentʹs interest in protecting children.
Interest group liberalism refers to
governmentʹs excessive deference to interest groups.
The main instrument the national government uses to influence state governments is
grants -in-aid.
The main instrument the national government uses for both aiding and influencing states and localities is
grants-in-aid.
A proportional representation system for electing members to a nationʹs legislature is more likely to lead to a
greater number of political parties holding seats.
Environmental groups
grew dramatically after the first Earth Day in 1970.
According to the classic study The American Voter done in the 1950s most Americans fell into the category of
group benefits voters.
The American Voter study on ideological sophistication among voters in the 1950s showed that a plurality of Americans were
group benefits voters.
The group theory of politics offered by pluralist theorists argues all of the following EXCEPT
groups are all of equal strength.
According to the group theory of politics
groups do not play by the rules of the game.
A hyperpluralist interpretation of group politics would maintain that
groups have become so powerful that government ends up aiding every possible interest.
The free -rider problem refers to the difficulty of
groups in organizing all their potential members.
Hyperpluralists believe that the dominant player in American politics is
groups.
As one becomes more socialized with age oneʹs political orientations
grow firmer.
Since 1929 the national governmentʹs share of American governmental expenditures has
grown rapidly.
Abraham Lincoln announced in his 1861 inaugural address that he would willingly support a constitutional amendment to
guarantee slavery.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964
guaranteed equal access to hotels restaurants and other public accommodations.
The American Voter study on ideological sophistication among voters in the 1950s showed that only a small percentage of Americans
had a coherent political ideology.
The McGovern -Fraser Commission
had a mandate to make the Democratic party conventions more democratic.
The most prominent characteristic of a Congresspersonʹs job is
hard work.
The Madisonian system
has a conservative bias favoring the status quo.
Cable News Network (CNN)
has brought television into a new era of bringing the news to people and political leaders as it happens.
The upsurge of partisan independence among Americans since 1952
has come mostly at the expense of the Democrats.
The average amount of air time that a presidential candidate has been given to talk uninterrupted on the TV news
has declined dramatically since the 1960s.
The federal debt in the United States
has increased due to the budget deficit caused by the difference between revenues and expenditures.
Traditionally a vice president
has little responsibility.
One of the key differences between the House and Senate is that the House
has more policy specialization.
The Miranda Rule
has required all police officers to inform accused persons of their rights.
Freedom of expression
has sometimes been limited when it conflicts with other rights and values.
Since 1960 state party organizations
have become much more powerful and organized.
The founding fathers envisioned a presidency that would
have fewer responsibilities than todayʹs presidency.
Superdelegates
have helped restore an element of peer review to the process of choosing a presidential candidate.
Business PACs
have increased more dramatically than any other category of PACs.
Single -issue groups
have little sympathy for compromising.
Which of the following characteristics would make one more likely to vote in an election?
having a college degree
Running for the Republican presidential nomination in 1980 George Bush announced in the early going that he had the ʺbig MOʺa reference to the fact that
he had the momentum having won in Iowa.
Richard Nixon believed he lost the 1960 presidential election because
he was sweating and had an ugly beard stubble during a debate with Kennedy.
The largest percentage of federal grants to states and localities is in the area of
health.
In the case of Reed v. Reed (1971) the Supreme Court
held that any arbitrary sex -based classification violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
The case of Near v. Minnesota (1931)
held that government had illegally issued a prior restraint.
An example of casework by a member of Congress is
helping a constituent gain citizenship.
The Weberian theory of bureaucracies views them in the most positive light as
hierarchical.
President Reaganʹs 1981 tax cuts were most beneficial to
high -income families.
Opposition to Civil Rights laws for the handicapped has been justified primarily on the basis of the
high cost of programs to help the disabled.
The Supreme Court has permitted prior restraint of which of the following?
high school newspapers
Among recent presidents the average approval ratings in the public opinion polls have been
higher at the beginning of the presidentʹs term than at the end.
The impact of the Motor Voter Act of 1993 was evidenced in
higher registration and lower turnout in 1996 and 2000.
Among the states that allow voter registration at the polls on election day voter turnout rates are
higher than in other states.
The presidentʹs most common method of attempting to influence Congress is to
hold regular meetings with the partyʹs leaders in Congress.
The newest cabinet department is
homeland security.
Sampling error describes
how close a sample estimate is to the real population value.
The media seem to have the least effect in terms of
how people vote.
A tuition difference between in -state and out-of-state students is an example of
how states make exceptions to the privileges and immunities clause.
Interest group liberalism is criticized especially by ________ theorists.
hyperpluralist
The criticism that government refuses to make tough choices between X or Y instead pretending there is no need to choose and trying to favor both is most often made by ________0 theorists.
hyperpluralist
The idea that too many groups are getting too much of what they want is associated with
hyperpluralist theory.
The presence and power of multinational corporations illustrates
hyperpluralist theory.
The political ʺparty -in-the-electorateʺ is defined as people who
identify with a party.
Donating $200000 to a political party to help its presidential nominee in somewhat indirect ways is
illegal under the McCain-Feingold Act.
Three basic strategies employed by interest groups are all of the following EXCEPT
implementation.
Federal policies to regulate food and drugs build interstate highways protect consumers try to clean up dirty air and water and do many other things are all justified as ________ of Congress.
implied powers
Federal policies to regulate food and drugs build interstate highways and protect consumers are all justified as
implied powers of Congress.
According to the text public opinion polls are
important because policymakers can keep in touch with changing opinions on the issues.
The impact of public approval or disapproval of the president on the support that the president receives in Congress is
important but usually at the margins on most policies.
In John Lockeʹs philosophy the requirements that standing laws be known and private property be preserved
impose two major limits on government.
Jim Crow laws
imposed legal segregation on African Americans in the South after the Civil War.
The Republicans had a long period as the countryʹs dominant majority party which ended
in 1932.
Most of the business of Congress takes place
in committees and subcommittees.
Most important congressional activity is done
in meetings of standing committees and their subcommittees.
Research has found that the public sector expands principally
in response to changes in economic and social conditions that affect the publicʹs preferences for government activity.
Over the last fifty years much of Americaʹs population growth has occurred
in the West and South.
Single -issue groups
include members with narrow uncompromising interests.
The biggest slice of the federal budget pie belongs to
income security expenditures.
The biggest expenditure in the federal budget today is
income security programs.
Corporations today pay
income taxes which account for much less federal revenue than individual income taxes.
From the mid-1960s to the early 1980s the biggest change in government spending was the
increase in social service expenditures and decline in defense spending.
One of the provisions of the McCain-Feingold Act of 2002 was to
increase the limit on individual contributions from $1000 to $2000.
According to James Madison in Federalist Paper No. 1 the way to prevent any one group from having too much power is to
increase the scope and number of groups.
The proportion of the United States gross national product spent by state and local governments has ________ since 1929.
increased but not nearly as fast as the national governmentʹs
The immediate reaction to Brown v. Board of Education (1954) was
increased enrollment in private schools by whites in the South and a threat to close public schools.
In recent years the Supreme Court has
increased protection of womenʹs physical access to abortion clinics.
Concerns about reliance of pollsters on telephone surveys have recently been caused by
increased use of cell phones.
Federalism is advantageous for democracy for each of the following reasons EXCEPT
increases the number of decisions and compromises made at the national level.
The most prevalent model of budgetary decision making in practice is
incrementalism.
Who opposes public financing of campaigns the most?
incumbents
Political action committee (PAC) money goes overwhelmingly to
incumbents.
Beginning in 1985 federal income taxes were ________ to the cost of living so that government no longer got a larger percentage when inflation pushed incomes into higher brackets while the tax rates stayed the same.
indexed
Impeachment of a president means that the president is
indicted by the House.
Impeachment is roughly the political equivalent of a(n)
indictment in criminal law.
On average most of the money raised by a candidate for Congress comes from
individual contributions.
In order of decreasing amounts the sources of federal revenue include
individual income tax social insurance receipts borrowing and corporate income tax.
Civil liberties are
individual legal and constitutional protections against the government.
More than any other development in the twentieth century the rise of television broadcasting has reinforced ________ in the American political process.
individualism
One of the primary reasons for the comparatively small scope of American government is
individualism.
Which of these is NOT among the factors that tend to lead to the creation of a federal form of government in a country?
industrialization
A study by Shanto Iyengar and Donald Kinder suggested that television news can
influence the criteria by which the public evaluates political leaders.
Trial balloons refer to
information leaked to the media to see what the political reaction will be.
The Supreme Court has ruled that racial and ethnic classifications are
inherently suspect.
In Lemon v. Kurtzman the Supreme Court established that aid to church -related schools must do all of the following EXCEPT
inhibit religion.
The Constitution gives the House of Representatives the power to
initiate all revenue bills.
Congressʹs role in national security policy has typically included all of the following EXCEPT
initiation of policy.
Of the following which is the most direct form of democracy?
initiative
Government is defined as the
institutions and processes through which public policies are made for society.
Some prefer the concept of legislators as ________ mirroring the preferences of their constituents.
instructed delegates
Which of these is the least important dimension of a candidateʹs image?
intelligence
An advantage of single -issue groups is their
intensity.
The workings of the federal system are sometimes called
intergovernmental relations.
Which of the following is NOT a way in which a lobbyist can help a member of Congress?
introducing legislation in Congress
The use of detective-like reporting methods to unearth scandals is known as
investigative journalism.
The Federal Election Commission
is a bipartisan body responsible for administering campaign finance laws and enforcing compliance with those laws.
The Director of the Office of Management and Budget
is a presidential appointee requiring approval of the Senate.
One of the major inducements of the American interest group system is that it
is biased toward the wealthy.
Protest
is designed to achieve policy change through dramatic and unconventional tactics.
The presidentʹs role in the legislative process
is especially important in influencing Congressʹs agenda.
The weakening of party control over American politics
is in part due to the increasing influence of the media.
Civil disobedience
is intentionally violating a law believed to be unjust in order to bring about change.
One of the key differences between the House and Senate is that the Senate
is less dependent on seniority for determining power.
According to political scientist Gary Jacobsonʹs research a Congressional incumbent who spends a tremendous amount of money to get reelected
is more likely to lose.
News coverage of presidents and their activities
is not systematically biased in any direction.
Pluralists argue that lobbying
is open to all and is therefore not to be regarded as a problem.
The Supreme Court has ruled that government aid to church -related schools
is permitted when the aid is for a non -religious purpose.
News is what
is timely and different.
Once the House votes for impeachment the president
is tried by the Senate.
The filibuster
is unique to the Senate.
Delegates to the Constitutional Convention generally agreed on each of the following EXCEPT
issues of equality.
The Equal Rights Amendment failed because
it fell three states short of sufficient ratification.
Increased technical expertise is a challenge to democracy because
it goes against the tenets of pluralist political theory.
Escalating campaign costs are a challenge to democracy because
it is believed that PAC contributions affect the way members of Congress vote on single issues.
Research by Rosenberg and McCafferty discovered that
it is possible to manipulate a candidateʹs appearance in a way that affects votersʹ choices.
The New Hampshire primary is important because
it is the first primary.
Critics of polling think
it makes politicians more concerned with following than leading.
The American Revolution was different from the French Russian and Iranian revolutions in that
it produced little societal change.
In the case of Craig v. Boren the Supreme Court ruled that
it would employ a ʺmedium scrutinyʺ standard: sex discrimination would be treated as neither valid nor invalid.
Unlike state and local governments the federal government is borrowing primarily for
its day -to-day expenses.
The War Powers Resolution may be considered unconstitutional because
its use of the legislative veto may be considered a violation of the doctrine of separation of powers.
The news does not mirror reality because
journalists must select stories that will draw the largest audience.
Two key elements of the Madisonian model were to
keep most of the government beyond the control of a popular majority and separate the powers of different institutions.
One of the major functions of policy advisors in a campaign is to
keep the candidate informed on the issues.
The party national committees
keep the party operating between conventions.
The minority whip
keeps a close head count on key votes and attempts to keep party members in line.
The first African immigrants to America were
kidnap victims.
One can predict how the majority of young people will vote simply by
knowing the political leaning of their parents.
Patronage is a hiring and promotion system based on
knowing the right people.
The primary obstacle to party unity in Congress is the
lack of consensus on policy issues among party members.
Which of the following was NOT one of the economic difficulties the writers of the Constitution attempted to address?
lack of unemployment compensation and welfare payments
Television news coverage characteristically
lacks in -depth analysis.
Four out of five newspaper readers in America read papers owned by
large corporate chains located out of town.
Most television news analysis reports
last less than a minute.
The most common prior occupation for members of Congress is
law.
Classifications by race and ethnicity have now been ruled by the Court to be acceptable only in
laws seeking to remedy previous discrimination.
The debate at the Philadelphia Convention over eligibility to vote was resolved by
leaving it up to the individual states.
Civil liberties consist of
legal and constitutional protections against the government.
When members of Congress hold a hearing to question a cabinet member on how a law is being carried out they are engaging in
legislative oversight.
In proportional representation systems
legislative seats are allocated according to each partyʹs percentage of the nationwide vote.
Constitutional amendments are usually ratified by
legislatures of three -fourths of the states.
Proponents of a national primary argue that it would do each of the following EXCEPT
lengthen the time of the campaign.
According to Robert Salisbury the increase in lobbying activity has resulted in
less clout overall for interest groups.
As technology has enabled the media to pass along information with greater speed news coverage has become
less complete.
According to Mancur Olson small interest groups generally are ________ compared to all other groups.
less focused
The use of PAC money in presidential campaigns is
less important than in Congressional campaigns.
Individuals aged 29 and under are
less likely than older individuals to learn about the presidential campaign from a daily newspaper.
African Americans constitute ________ of the United States Senate.
less than 10 percent
In 2004 the average sound bite of a presidential candidate shown talking on the nightly news averaged
less than ten seconds.
Compared to most other countries with developed economies the national state and local governments in the United States tax
less.
A pocket veto is the situation in which the president
lets a bill die by neither signing nor vetoing it after Congress has adjourned.
The publication of statements known to be false that are malicious and tend to damage a personʹs reputation is called
libel.
Civil liberties
limit what the majority can ask the government to do.
In most advanced industrialized countries election campaigns are
limited by law to no more than two months.
The Twenty -second Amendment passed in 1951
limited presidents to two terms of office.
In 1995 the Republican majority in Congress in contrast to previous Democratic Congresses
limited the use of unfunded mandates.
A political party is a key ________ in Americaʹs democratic system.
linkage institution
As ________ political parties serve the role of translating inputs from the public into outputs from policymakers.
linkage institutions
In a democratic society parties elections interest groups and the media are all examples of ________ between the preferences of citizens and the governmentʹs policy agenda.
linkage institutions
The National Security Council
links the presidentʹs key foreign and military policy advisors.
The most successful tactic that civil rights and environmental groups have used to influence policy is
litigation.
A ʺcommunication by someone other than a citizen acting on his or her own behalf directed to a governmental decision maker with the hope of influencing his or her decisionʺ is a definition of
lobbying.
In Miller v. California (1971) the Court ruled that decisions regarding whether or not material was obscene should generally be made by
local communities with some guidelines provided by the Court itself about how to make such judgments.
Americans tend to
look back longingly on the great powerful presidents.
American national parties are best described as
loose aggregations of state parties.
In most congressional elections challengers
lose.
The Supreme Court has voided each of the following sexual discrimination laws EXCEPT laws that
made statutory rape a crime for men only.
The Constitutionʹs supremacy clause
made the Constitution the laws of the national government and the national governmentʹs treaties the supreme law of the land.
Under the Articles of Confederation Congress had the power to
maintain an army and navy.
The most powerful person in the Senate is the
majority leader.
All of the following are ingredients of a pluralistic democracy EXCEPT
majority rule.
The most fundamental element of democratic theory is
majority rule.
One advantage of the Internet for democracy is that it
makes it easier for citizens to communicate directly with government.
Which of the following functions do elections LEAST serve?
making and coordinating public policy
The 1991 convention of the Tailhook Association of naval aviators experienced a celebrated case of sexual harassment when
male aviators lined a hotel hallway and groped and kissed women trying to get to their rooms.
The Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act
mandated maximum allowable deficit levels for each year until 1993 when the budget was to be balanced.
The War Powers Resolution
mandated the withdrawal of forces after sixty days unless Congress declared war or granted an extension.
John F. Kennedyʹs ʺwheel -and-spokesʺ system of management was characterized by
many aides with equal status balanced against one another in the decision -making process.
Pluralist theory contends that in the United States
many groups vie for power with no one set of groups dominating.
Viewing the stages of the criminal justice system as a series of funnels of decreasing size tells us that
many more arrests occur than trials.
Which of the following are NOT normally policy entrepreneurs?
mass media
A ________ is staged by a campaign primarily for the purpose of being covered on television and in the press.
media event
Purposely staged activities held in front of the media are called
media events.
Narrowcasting refers to
media programming aimed at a particular (narrow) audience.
In the relationship between lobbyists and members of Congress
members of Congress can ignore and embarrass lobbyists.
There is evidence that when incomes and educational levels are equal
members of minority groups tend to participate more than members of the majority.
Only ________ can formally submit a bill for congressional consideration.
members of the House or senators
A trial balloon is a
method used by public figures of leaking certain stories to reporters to see what the political reaction will be.
Tax expenditures tend to most benefit
middle - and upper-income people and corporations.
Under the Articles of Confederation power in the states began to shift to the hands of
middle-class farmers and craft workers.
One of the reasons why the participation gap between minority groups and the national average is no longer enormous is because
minorities have a group consciousness that gives them an extra incentive to vote.
Two of the most important principles of democratic theory are majority rule and
minority rights.
A political figure who is in favor of increased military spending supported freedom of choice on abortion opposed affirmative action programs wanted to tax the rich more and felt the courts should stop coddling criminals is a
mixture of liberal and conservative.
Americaʹs ________ society makes it more sensible to have Social Security administered on a national rather than a state-by-state basis.
mobile
The ultimate weapon in the presidentʹs arsenal of resources to influence Congress is probably
mobilization of the public.
Most Americans are
moderate.
The role of party identification in votersʹ choices in congressional campaigns is
moderately important even though party identification is not as strong as it used to be.
The American two-party system promotes
moderation in conflict and ambiguous policy positions.
Many voters have come to feel that they no longer need the parties to guide their electoral choices because
modern technology makes it possible for them to evaluate and make their own decisions about the candidates.
Soft money is
money donated to parties rather than candidates thus not subject to contribution or spending limits.
Compared to other countries the United States holds ________ elections for various offices.
more
Throughout American history presidential campaigns have become
more and more democratic.
As a whole the permanent bureaucracy is
more broadly representative of the American people than legislators judges or presidential appointees.
As a whole the permanent federal bureaucracy is
more broadly representative of the American people than the rest of the federal government.
According to the text Ronald Reaganʹs presidency was characterized by
more concern and energy devoted to the presidentʹs media appearances than in any other administration.
Compared to the government under the Articles of Confederation the Constitution gave the central government
more economic powers.
The amendments that have been added to the Constitution have made it
more egalitarian and democratic.
Which of the following is TRUE about the Senate as compared to the House?
more influential in foreign affairs
The greater oneʹs sense of political efficacy the
more likely one is to vote.
Compared to members of the House senators are
more likely to face difficult reelection opponents.
Standards of review used by the Supreme Court in discrimination cases include all of the following EXCEPT
more than reasonable.
In a 2002 survey of 1149 journalists
more were found to identify themselves as Democrats than as Republicans.
The rapid growth of the national government is largely due to the fact that
most problems and policies require the authority and resources of the national government.
According to the text two strategies used successfully by President Reagan in achieving his objectives were
moving fast and setting priorities.
Compared to other industrialized democracies the United States has a ________ voter turnout.
much lower
With the advent of television
multiballot conventions died.
The head of each cabinet -level executive department is appointed by the president and
must be confirmed by a majority of the Senate.
In considering gender discrimination in employment and business activity the Supreme Court has ruled that any prerequisites based on gender or appearance
must have a direct relationship with the duties required in a particular position or are otherwise discriminatory.
Extradition is the requirement that states
must return a person charged with a crime in another state to that state for trial or imprisonment.
Under the Madisonian model people desiring change
must usually have a sizable majority.
The day-to-day activities of the national party are the responsibility of the
national chairperson.
Keeping the party operating between conventions is the job of the
national committee.
From clean -air legislation to welfare reforms the states constitute a ________ to develop and test public policies and share the results with other states and the national government.
national laboratory
The Democratic and Republican candidates for president are formally nominated by the
national party conventions.
References by commentators on the presidency to there being ʺtwo presidenciesʺ refer to
national security and domestic policy.
Prior restraint is most often considered acceptable on the grounds of
national security.
John Lockeʹs ideas on natural rights were related to human law in that
natural rights were considered higher than human law.
Ratification of the Constitution
needed the approval of nine states.
Since Kennedy
news coverage of presidential candidates has become increasingly less favorable.
According to the categories used in the classic study The American Voter those who voted for a party out of routine or judged candidates strictly by their personalities were classified as
no -issue-content voters.
Critics of a national primary argue that
no candidate would receive a majority thus a run -off election would be needed.
In the case of the Nazisʹ proposed 1977 march on Skokie a suburb north of Chicago with many Holocaust survivors which had denied the Nazis a permit to march the Supreme Court a year after the fact let stand a lower court ruling that
no community could use its power to grant parade permits to stifle free expression or freedom of assembly.
Studies have shown that once one takes into account the status of their party in Congress and their standing with the public presidents renowned for their legislative skills are
no more successful in obtaining congressional support than those considered less adept at dealing with Congress.
According to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights how many members should there be on a jury?
no specifications are made as to jury size
A(n) ________ is a partyʹs official selection of a candidate to run for office.
nomination
All of the following were tactics of the Civil Rights Movement EXCEPT
none of the above
In order of decreasing amounts federal expenditures include
none of the above
Legal segregation of the races was declared unconstitutional in the 1954 landmark ruling known as
none of the above
Liberals tend to
none of the above
The McCain -Feingold Act of 2002 did all of the following EXCEPT
none of the above
The members of the Senate closely reflect the nation in terms of
none of the above
Where is the right to privacy found in the Constitution?
none of the above
Which is a linkage institution?
none of the above
Which of the following is TRUE?
none of the above
Which of the following is a member of the cabinet?
none of the above
Which of the following statements about Congress is FALSE?
none of the above
Which of the following statements about congressional committees is FALSE?
none of the above
Which of the following statements about the New Hampshire presidential primary is FALSE?
none of the above
In general magazines are
not a major source of news in the United States.
By eighteenth-century standards life was ________ for most people in the United States at the time of the Revolution.
not bad
A large number of studies have concluded that the news media are
not biased on any systematic basis and the news is typically characterized by neutrality.
Obscenity is
not protected under the Constitution.
The National Organization for Women
now works for the enactment of individual statutes (laws) to protect womenʹs rights rather than a constitutional amendment.
The strongest and most controversial form of affirmative action is
numerical quotas.
The fact that candidates must tailor their appeals to the particular interest of each major state tends to result in
numerous campaign promises adding up to new government programs.
In Roth v. United States the Supreme Court held that
obscenity is not within the area of constitutionally protected free speech.
The familyʹs role in political socialization is central because
of its monopoly on time and emotional commitment.
Voter turnout in the United States is much lower than in other countries in part because
of the unique American requirement of voter registration.
In Europe interest groups
often form political parties.
Voters in presidential primaries and caucuses tend to be
older and more affluent than the United States population as a whole.
An exit poll is taken
on election day by interviewing voters as they leave the polling place.
According to the text lobbying works best
on people already committed to the lobbyistʹs policy position.
By custom the vice-presidential nominee is chosen
on the basis of the presidential nomineeʹs recommendation.
How many presidents were political scientists?
one
Compared to other Western nations Americaʹs total government expenditure as a percentage of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is
one of the smallest.
Party eras in American politics are periods of time in which
one party dominates.
Over a third of Americaʹs wealth is owned by
one percent of the population.
Of all the funds spent by state and local governments federal aid accounts for about
one-fourth.
The United States government owns ________ of the land in the United States
one-third
If the exact same methods are used to update the analysis of The American Voter study one finds
only some increase in the percentage of ideologues in 1988 compared to 1956.
The government designed at the Constitutional Convention allowed the voters to directly elect
only the House of Representatives.
The Supreme Court decision in Barron v. Baltimore (1833) maintained that the Bill of Rights intended to prevent
only the national government from abridging civil liberties.
In closed primaries
only voters who have registered in advance with the party can vote.
Americaʹs party nomination system could best be described as
open and entrepreneurial.
Today state presidential caucuses are
open to all registered party voters or those who claim party allegiance in states with no party registration.
Following the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 1968 the party chose to
open up its process of choosing delegates to the national convention in order to respond to demands for greater inclusion from women minorities youth and other groups.
The pork barrel and casework are examples of
opportunities for credit -claiming by members of Congress.
American society generally emphasizes equal
opportunity.
The concept that everyone should have the same chance is called equality of
opportunity.
Recent public opinion polls have shown that most Americans
oppose the idea of big government in principle but favor it in practice.
Political efficacy refers to the belief that
ordinary people can influence the government.
The real differences between the House and the Senate lie in their
organization and centralization of power.
A single -issue group is one that is all of the following EXCEPT
organizes on the national level only.
The principal reason that presidents have trouble getting things done is that
other policymakers with whom they deal have their own agendas interests and sources of power.
The first American political party evolved
out of Alexander Hamiltonʹs efforts to get Congress to establish a national bank.
Right -to-work laws ________ the union shop.
outlaw
Right -to-work laws
outlaw union membership as a condition of employment.
How many governments are there in the United States?
over 10000
By 1990 the Social Security system was financed by a payroll tax of
over 15 percent.
Legislative ________ is the process of monitoring the bureaucracy and its administration of policy.
oversight
Which of the following is NOT one of the three primary activities that members of Congress engage in to increase the probability of their reelection?
oversight
The Communications Decency Act banning obscene material and criminalizing the transmission of indecent speech or images to anyone under the age of 18 was
overturned by the Supreme Court.
Social Security taxes are
paid for by employees and employers.
During the first half of the twentieth century the Supreme Court
paid more attention to the ʺseparateʺ than to the ʺequalʺ part of the separate but equal doctrine.
Critics of the primary and caucus system point to the fact that
participation in primaries and caucuses is unrepresentative of the public at large.
At the beginning of party development in the United States
parties sought to destroy each other.
The people who keep the party running between elections and make its rules are members of which ʺheadʺ of the party?
party as an organization
Over the past thirty years there has been a marked rise in
party neutrality.
A critical election involves and accelerates a process called
party realignment.
Members of Congress engage in each of the following activities that increase the probability of their reelections EXCEPT
party voting.
According to the ʺthree -headed political giantʺ model of political parties the largest component of an American party is the
party-in-the-electorate.
Party machines in large cities relied primarily on ________ to reward friends and punish enemies.
patronage
The selective perception of most voters means that they
pay most attention to things they already agree with and interpret events according to their own predispositions.
ʺComparable worthʺ refers to the issue of
paying men and women equivalent salaries for jobs requiring similar skills.
The presidential election of 1800 represents the first
peaceful transfer of power in the world between parties via the electoral process.
Public opinion polls have shown that
people are more likely to recognize slogans from TV commercials than famous political figures.
The view of human nature most prevalent among the Founding Fathers was that
people are self -interested in acquiring wealth and power.
Economists Allen Meltzer and Scott Richard argue that the cost of government grows because
people in a democracy use the government to secure benefits.
The fastest growing age group in the American population is
people in their 80s.
The Declaration of Independence argued that
people should revolt when they suffer deep injustices.
Research has shown that the cost of American election campaigns is
per person about the same as a DVD movie.
Today the equal protection clause is interpreted broadly enough to do all of the following EXCEPT
permit sexual harassment.
The case of Swann v. Charlotte -Mecklenberg County Schools (1971)
permitted judges to achieve racially balanced schools through busing.
On a typical issue the primary determinant of a congressional memberʹs vote is
personal ideology.
As Richard Neustadt has argued presidential power is probably best understood as the power to
persuade.
Richard Neustadt has argued that presidential power is the power to
persuade.
The 1974 Federal Election Campaign Act
placed legal limits on presidential campaign spending.
Most cases are settled through
plea bargaining.
Most criminal cases are settled in
plea bargaining.
Robert Putnamʹs claim that Americans are now ʺbowling aloneʺ is a criticism of
pluralism.
According to ________ theorists interest groups compete and counterbalance one another in the political marketplace.
pluralist
The successes of civil rights and womenʹs rights groups in redirecting the course of public policy once they were organized is pointed to as evidence to support the ________ theory that American politics is open and not a problem.
pluralist
Which of the following theories offers the most positive interpretation of the effect of interest groups on American democracy?
pluralist
Which of the following takes the most positive view of democracy in the United States?
pluralist theory
American government is viewed most positively by the
pluralist theory.
The idea that interest group activity brings representation to all is associated with
pluralist theory.
The theory that argues that group competition results in a rough approximation of the public interest in public policy is
pluralist theory.
A system in which many groups make themselves heard and felt somewhere in the policy process is
pluralistic.
Those who argue that the United States is in the midst of a culture war argue that Americans are becoming increasingly
polarized.
In the case of Miranda v. Arizona the Supreme Court ruled that
police must inform any suspect of a series of rights including the constitutional right to remain silent.
All of the following may increase the likelihood that an incumbent is defeated EXCEPT
campaign funding.
News coverage of presidential campaigns tends to emphasize
campaign strategies and poll results.
The way in which candidates attempt to manipulate money the media and momentum to achieve the nomination is through
campaign strategy.
A single Political Action Committee
can at most account for only a small percentage of a winnerʹs total spending.
A presidential veto of legislation passed by Congress
can be overturned by a two -thirds vote of both the House and the Senate to override the veto.
Reapportionment
can dramatically shift political power between the regions.
Policy voting has increased in recent years primarily because
candidates are regularly forced to take some clear stands in order to appeal to their own partyʹs primary voters.
Most PACs give money to
candidates who already agree with them in the first place.
In Gregg v. Georgia (1976) concerning applications of the Eighth Amendment the Supreme Court ruled that
capital punishment is an extreme sanction but it is suitable to the most extreme of crimes.
The main type of federal aid to state and local governments is in the form of
categorical grants.
The principal type of federal aid for states and localities is
categorical grants.
Members of Congress who informally band together in groups to promote and protect mutual interests (e.g. mushroom growers) form what are called
caucuses.
The most valuable method for understanding demographic changes in America is the
census.
The system of checks and balances in the Constitution means that
change usually comes slowly if at all and moderation and compromise are typical in our political system.
In its 1995 ruling in Adarand Constructors v. Pena the Supreme Court
changed direction and began to curtail federal use of affirmative action programs.
In Planned Parenthood v. Casey the Supreme Court
changed its standard for evaluating restrictions on abortion from one of ʺstrict scrutinyʺ of any restraints on a ʺfundamental rightʺ to one of ʺundue burdenʺ that permits more regulation.
The Supreme Court in Marbury v. Madison (1803) asserted the power of the Court to
check the actions of the other branches through judicial review.
In order to preserve the balance of power in government without jeopardizing the independence of the presidency the framers
checked those powers that they believed to be most dangerous.
Which of these was NOT among John Lockeʹs key philosophical concepts?
checks and balances
The Madisonian requirement that each branch of government acquire the consent of the others for many of its actions created a system of
checks and balances.
Public policy is defined as a
choice that government makes in response to an issue.
Precinct -level presidential caucuses
choose delegates to county caucuses/conventions where delegates to the state convention are selected then the state convention chooses national convention delegates.
Thomas Jefferson argued that the First Amendment created a ʺwall of separationʺ between
church and state.
Those largely indifferent to the results of an election but who decide to vote anyway to show support for democratic government are called ________ voters.
civic-duty
In the 1950s and 1960s the proclamation of statesʹ rights was usually made by those opposing the national governmentʹs efforts in the area of
civil rights for African Americans.
Policies that extend basic rights to groups historically subject to discrimination are known as
civil rights.
In evaluating American democracy hyperpluralists
claim that too many influential groups cripple governmentʹs ability to govern.
In the United States to become a member of a political party you need to
claim to be a member.
Flight attendants won a(n) ________ against the airline industryʹs regulation that all stewardesses had to be unmarried.
class action lawsuit
An example of a collective good is
clean air.
To cut off debate and end a filibuster is known as
cloture.
Every political party depends upon what the text calls a ________ meaning a set of individuals or groups supporting it.
coalition
Studies have shown that presidential ________ in an election have little effect on the success of the partyʹs candidates for the House and Senate.
coattails
Research has found that those most likely to view the candidates in terms of their personal attributes are
college-educated voters.
Since World War II United States presidents have
come from a diversity of career experiences.
Advertising is considered a form of ________ and according to the decisions of the Supreme Court is subject to greater restrictions on free speech than religious or political speech.
commercial speech
One of the most regulated forms of speech is
commercial speech.
Republican congressional reforms in the 1990s included all of the following EXCEPT
committee chairs were given complete control over the timing of bills under consideration.
PACs are
committees organized by interest groups to channel money to parties and candidates.
The issue of ________ deals with women seeking to redress the fact that jobs traditionally held by men tend to pay far greater salaries than jobs requiring similar skills but are traditionally held by women.
comparable worth
After the Persian Gulf War fifteen major news organizations sent a letter
complaining that the Pentagonʹs rules for reporting the war were designed to control the news.
Many politicians believe that single-issue groups
complicate efforts to seek the middle ground on various issues.
Madisonian principles in the Constitution were based on
concern that government would be dominated by a majority or minority faction.
Subgovernments are composed of key interest group leaders interested in policy X the government agency in charge of administering policy X and the ________ handling policy X.
congressional committees and subcommittees
Which of the following is an example of civil disobedience?
consciously breaking a cityʹs law by purposely blocking entrance to a legally operating abortion clinic
Civil disobedience necessarily involves
consciously breaking a law thought to be unjust.
Electoral mandates
consist of the perception that the voters strongly support the winnerʹs positions.
Amicus curiae briefs
consist of written arguments submitted to the courts in support of one side of a case.
Symbolic speech
consists of action that expresses an opinion.
The federal debt
consists of all the money borrowed over the years by the national government and still outstanding.
The presidentʹs cabinet
consists of executive branch leaders who advise the president on policy and administer government departments.
The presidential cabinet
consists of the head of each executive department plus any additional government officials the president designates.
Informal changes to the Constitution have reflected changes in all of the following EXCEPT
constitutional amendments.
The ________ movement was spurred by a single person: Ralph Nader.
consumer
Sidney Verba and his colleagues found that while voter turnout declined between 1967 and 1987
contacting government officials and giving money to candidates increased.
Failing to meet its own budget timetable Congress has frequently resorted to ________ which are laws that allow agencies to spend at the previous yearʹs level.
continuing resolutions
Near the end of 1990 Congress approved a major change in the making of budget policy that shifted the focus from cutting spending to
controlling increases in spending.
According to the text the least effective activity of lobbyists in Congress is
converting members of Congress to the lobbyistsʹ positions.
In ________ federalism the powers and policy assignments of different levels of government are like a marble cake with mingled responsibilities and blurred distinctions between layers of government.
cooperative
Over time there has been a gradual change from a dual federalism to a(n) ________ federalism.
cooperative
Funding for the interstate highway system is an example of
cooperative federalism.
The National Defense Education Act the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and the Interstate Highway System are all examples of
cooperative federalism.
Federal support for public education is an example of a
cooperative federalism. -82; 83
From the late-nineteenth century through the New Deal years many of Americaʹs largest cities were dominated by
corrupt but popular party machines.
In determining congressional representation and taxation the Constitution
counted slaves as three -fifths of a person.
A major purpose of the economic provisions in the Constitution was to
create a strong national government so as to bring stability out of economic chaos.
The Twenty -fifth Amendment ratified in 1967
created a means for selecting a new vice president when the office became vacant.
Todayʹs news people work in an environment of ________ toward government.
cynicism
The ________ is the list of subjects or problems to which government officials and people outside of government closely associated with those officials are paying some serious attention to at any given time.
policy agenda
The list of problems to which political leaders are paying serious attention is a(n)
policy agenda.
People who invest their political ʺcapitalʺ in a particular issue are often called
policy entrepreneurs.
According to the text the diversity of political interests in America is resulting in
policy gridlock.
The ability of groups to prevent the government from taking actions adverse to their interests leads to what the text calls
policy gridlock.
The effects a policy has on people and problems is called
policy impacts.
Research on voting behavior has shown that
policy voting has become somewhat easier than in the past.
A voter supporting a candidate based specifically on comparing the candidateʹs stances on the issues of abortion rights health care and government aid to education to the voterʹs own preferences on such issues is an example of
policy voting.
The Office of Management and Budget the National Security Council and the Council of Economic Advisors are
policymaking bodies of the Executive Office of the President.
PAC is an acronym for
political action committee.
The Office of Management and Budget is comprised of
political appointees and career officials.
The rights of accused persons included in the Bill of Rights were originally intended to protect the accused in
political arrests and trials.
The overall set of shared values in a society is known as
political culture.
A ________ is a coherent set of values and beliefs about public policy.
political ideology
One of the effects of growing older on political learning and political behavior is that
political participation increases with age.
One of the main differences between American political parties and interest groups is that
political parties run candidates for office.
The policymaking institutions of the American national government include all of the following EXCEPT
political parties.
The basic underpinning of approval or disapproval of a president is
political party identification.
The primary factor influencing whether or not a person approves or disapproves of a presidentʹs job performance is
political party identification.
The development of the two -party system is an example of informal constitutional change through
political practice.
The presidential primary was begun in the early twentieth century most strongly pushed by
political reformers who wanted to take nominations out of the hands of party bosses.
Governments throughout the world use the schools to help with the ________ of young people.
political socialization
The process through which an individual acquires his or her particular political orientations including his or her knowledge feelings and evaluations regarding his or her political world is known as
political socialization.
Agenda setting effects are especially strong for the
politically knowledgeable who trust the media.
Many political scientists believe that
politicians overestimate the power of how important a good campaign is to victory.
Voter turnout matters because
politicians pay more attention to those who vote than to those who do not vote.
Most members of Congress would be considered
politicos.
In regard to the free exercise clause the Supreme Court has made each of the following rulings EXCEPT
polygamy may be justified for Mormons on religious grounds.
Which of the following groups would be LEAST likely to vote in a typical election?
poor white voters
The ________ is the list of federal projects grants and contracts available to cities businesses colleges and institutions which members of Congress seek to locate in their district to promote the interests of their constituency.
pork barrel
Overall members of Congress can ________ of the American people.
possibly claim substantive representation but not descriptive representation
Among the factors that contributed to economic turmoil under the Articles of Confederation was the
postwar depression that left many small farmers unable to pay their debts and threatened mortgage foreclosures.
A(n) ________ group is composed of all people who might be group members because they share some common interest.
potential
The free-rider problem refers to
potential members of a group failing to join the actual group as they know they will receive the same benefits whether they are active members or not.
A unitary system is a way of organizing government so that
power is concentrated in a central government.
The 1960 presidential debate between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy illustrates the
power of television in American politics.
Each of the following is considered a disadvantage of federalism for democracy EXCEPT
powerful interests in a state can use the state as a power base to promote their interests.
Federalism is
practiced by fewer than 20 nations worldwide.
In the Engel v. Vitale case of 1962 the Supreme Court ruled that ________ was (were)unconstitutional.
prayers done as classroom exercises in public schools
At the base of presidential evaluations is the
predisposition of many people to support the president.
The ʺresponsible partyʺ model holds that parties should
present clear alternatives to voters.
John Locke believed that the ʺend of governmentʺ was
preservation of property.
A constitutional duty of the vice president is to
preside over the Senate and cast the deciding vote in the event of a tie.
Most studies show that
presidential coattails rarely affect elections.
The first televised ________ occurred during the 1960 presidential campaign.
presidential debate
Today a majority of the delegates to the national convention are selected through
presidential primaries.
In recent years
presidents have paid closer attention to appointing officials who will be responsive to the presidentʹs policies.
In mid -term elections the
presidentʹs party typically loses seats.
The presidentʹs ________ serves as the principal conduit of information from the White House to the press on a daily basis.
press secretary
The individual who conducts daily press briefings and serves as a conduit of information from the White House is the
press secretary.
The member of a presidential campaign who helps reporters make their deadlines with stories that the campaign would like to see reported is the
press secretary.
Voter registration procedures were adopted around the turn of the century as a means to
prevent corruption associated with stuffing ballot boxes.
The Republican party began as the
principal anti -slavery party.
The first daily newspaper in America was
printed in Philadelphia in 1783.
Unless they witness a crime police officers cannot arrest a suspect without
probable cause.
The biggest obstacle to the effectiveness of large groups is the
problem of raising funds and attracting government support.
After Brown v. Board of Education (1954) school integration in the South
proceeded very slowly.
The purchasing of military hardware is known as
procurement.
The bottom line that shapes how journalists define the news where they get the news and how they present it is
profits.
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 199
prohibited employment discrimination against the disabled.
The Twenty-fourth Amendment ratified in 1964
prohibited the use of poll taxes in federal elections.
The Supreme Court has interpreted the establishment clause of the First Amendment as
prohibiting school -organized Bible-reading and prayer in public schools.
The Hatch Act passed in 1940
prohibits federal civil service employees from active participation in partisan politics.
The most common type of categorical grant is
project grants.
Thomas Jeffersonʹs phrase ʺlife liberty and the pursuit of happinessʺ was a modification of John Lockeʹs phrase ʺLife liberty and ________.ʺ
property
In many other democracies the system of awarding seats in the national legislature unlike in the United States is one of
proportional representation.
As the right to vote has been extended
proportionately fewer of those eligible have chosen to vote.
Civil liberties relating to defendantsʹ rights have often been used to
protect individual rights.
The sole purpose of government according to John Locke was to
protect natural rights.
The right of interest groups to organize is
protected by the Bill of Rights.
Governments in the modern world whether democratic or not are similar in doing all of the following EXCEPT
protecting citizensʹ civil liberties.
All subgovernments have the same goal
protecting their self -interest.
After passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920 public policy toward women was dominated by
protectionism.
Opposition to ratification of the Constitution was based on the belief that it would
provide for elite control endanger liberty and weaken the states.
According to the text one of the most common function of lobbyists is to
provide information and ideas to members of Congress.
Which of the following did the Federal Election Campaign Act NOT do?
provide public financing of House and Senate races
All governments
provide public goods and socialize citizens into the political and social system.
All governments
provide services.
Income taxes
provide the largest source of federal revenue.
High public approval of the president
provides a cover for members of Congress to cast votes to which their constituents might otherwise object.
Medicare
provides both hospital and physician coverage to the elderly.
A major feature of incremental budgeting is that it
provides small increases in the current budget over the previous yearʹs budget.
Federalism contributes to democracy by each of the following ways EXCEPT
providing a means for unified public policy.
Committee staff is responsible for all of the following EXCEPT
providing services to constituents.
In Schenck v. United States (1919) Justice Holmes said that speech can be restricted when it
provokes ʺa clear and present dangerʺ to people.
The political resource that has the most potential to turn a situation of stalemate between the president and Congress into one supportive of the presidentʹs legislative proposals is
public approval.
All of the following are parts of the policymaking system EXCEPT
public goods.
Things that are indivisible nonexclusive and that everyone can share are called
public goods.
Organizations seeking a collective good that may not benefit them directly are called
public interest lobbies.
A choice that government makes in response to some issue on its agenda is called
public policy.
Following the 1964 election
public trust in government dropped significantly.
Media events are
purposely staged events held in front of the media.
Caucuses are usually organized like
pyramids.
In 1993 Congress agreed to President Clintonʹs proposal to
raise the income tax rate for families in the highest income brackets.
Samples of public opinion today are usually selected through
random digit dialing.
Today most polling is done through
random digit dialing.
The key to the accuracy of public opinion polls is
random sampling.
The theory that seeks to explain political processes and outcomes as consequences of purposive behavior is called the
rational-choice theory.
Basically Congress is a(n) ________ decision -making body.
reactive and cumbersome
Demographic changes in the United States population could translate to political consequences through the process of
reapportionment.
The Constitutional Convention dealt with slavery by
recognizing it by providing for the return of escaped slaves.
Which of the following does the Speaker NOT play a role in?
recommending which members should be expelled from the House for failure to support the partyʹs positions on bills
Budget ________ revises program authorizations to achieve required savings.
reconciliation
Some economists argue that less affluent voters will always use their votes to support public policies that
redistribute benefits from the rich to the poor.
During the 1992 election campaign CBS News promised to ________ but then changed its policy when it proved to be unworkable.
reform the sound bite process
The watchdog orientation of the press can be characterized as
reformist.
A major reason cited for Americaʹs level of voter turnout compared to other industrialized countries is
registration is more cumbersome in the United States.
Only the national government is allowed to
regulate commerce with foreign nations.
Campaigns strengthen voter commitment to the usual party or the candidate they previously supported by emphasizing ________ as part of their campaign strategy.
reinforcement
Which of the following have been found to be most successfully affected by campaigns?
reinforcement and activation
Campaigns are most effective in
reinforcing existing preferences toward candidates.
In order to put the national economy on sound footing the Constitution obligated the new government to ________ all the government debts incurred under the Continental Congress.
repay
The Constitution gives the president the power to influence the legislative process through his responsibility to
report on the state of the union and veto acts of Congress.
Up until the presidency of Franklin Roosevelt
reporters submitted their questions to presidents in writing.
The Simpson -Mazzoli Act
represented a crackdown on illegal aliens by requiring that employers document the citizenship or legitimate immigrant status of workers or pay stiff fines.
The Federal Election Campaign Act
required all candidates for federal office to disclose all contributions made to their campaigns.
The Simpson -Mazzoli Act
required employers to document the citizenship of their employees.
The union shop
requires new employees to join the union representing them.
The Motor Voter Act of 1993
requires states to register individuals to vote when they apply for or renew their driverʹs license.
The union shop
requires that all employees in a unionized business join the union.
The United States Supreme Court has handed down each of the following decisions concerning gender discrimination in employment and business activity EXCEPT
requiring the federal government to give women equal pay for jobs of comparable worth.
The Connecticut Compromise at the Constitutional Convention
resolved the impasse between those who favored the New Jersey Plan and those who preferred the Virginia Plan.
In cooperative federalism
responsibilities are mingled and distinctions are blurred between the levels of government.
Advocates of the ________ believe that parties should present distinct comprehensive programs for governing the nation and carry them out.
responsible party model
The primary goal of the American Revolution was to
restore rights the colonists felt were already theirs as British subjects.
The watchdog orientation of the press helps to
restrict politicians.
In the 1992 case of Planned Parenthood v. Casey the Supreme Court ruled that abortion
restrictions could be imposed by states if they did not involve ʺundue burdensʺ on the women seeking abortions.
In ________ incumbents who provide desired results are rewarded; those who fail to do so are punished.
retrospective voting
When President Herbert Hoover and the Republicans were crushed in the election of 1932 voters were responding to the severity of the Great Depression under Hooverʹs presidency by
retrospective voting.
A budget deficit occurs when expenditures exceed
revenues.
Affirmative action programs are referred to by critics as
reverse discrimination.
The House Rules Committee
reviews most bills coming from committee before they go to the full House.
A budget reconciliation
revises program authorizations to achieve required savings.
Which of the following is NOT protected in the First Amendment?
right to privacy
Which of the following is NOT specifically stated in the Bill of Rights?
right to privacy
Freedom of assembly includes the right to do all of the following EXCEPT
riot.
Since the 1960s the number of interest groups has
risen rapidly.
Presidential nominating conventions have not required more than one ballot to choose the partyʹs official nominee since 1952 largely due to the
role of television and the desire of both parties to unite behind one candidate in advance in order to present a show of harmony rather than bickering to those who tune in.
In the case of Dred Scott v. Sandford the United States Supreme Court
ruled that a black man slave or free was ʺchattelʺ and upheld slavery itself as constitutional.
In the case of Regents of the University of California v. Bakke the Court
ruled that a public university could not set aside a quota of spots for particular groups.
In Brown v. Board of Education (1954) the Supreme Court
ruled that school segregation was inherently unequal.
Which of the following is NOT one of the basic interest group strategies in America?
running candidates for office
The seniority system gave a decisive edge to House members from ________ districts.
safe
One recently controversial application of the ʺfull faith and creditʺ provision of the Constitution is for
same gender marriages.
Because it would be prohibitively expensive to ask every citizen his or her opinion on a whole range of issues polls rely on what is called a(n) ________ of the population.
sample
A relatively small proportion of people who are chosen as representative of the whole is called a(n)
sample.
The level of confidence about a public opinion poll is referred to as
sampling error.
The Constitution
says remarkably little about presidential power.
The mandate theory of elections
says that people vote for candidates because they want them to carry out certain policies.
The most obvious intrusion of the government into Americaʹs socialization is through
schooling.
Public interest lobbies are those organizations that
seek a collective good the achievement of which will not selectively and materially benefit members or activists.
A ________ committee is one appointed for a limited specific purpose such as that set up to investigate the Watergate scandal.
select
The ʺelectorsʺ in the electoral college are
selected by state parties usually as a reward for faithful service to the party over the years.
The vice -presidential nominee is usually
selected by the delegates as something of a formality as the vast majority always vote for whomever the presidential nominee picks.
Which of the following factors weaken political campaignsʹ effects on voters?
selective perception party identification and incumbent name recognition
The government borrows money principally by
selling bonds.
Which of the following does NOT characterize the standard operating procedure of cooperative federalism today?
separate and distinct roles for the national and state governments
The Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act called for the president to order ________ if Congress failed to meet specific deficit-reduction goals.
sequestrations
An especially important asset for incumbents running for reelection is their
service to constituents.
Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson
set a precedent for presidents to serve as world leaders.
A budget resolution
sets limits on expenditures based on revenue projections.
The 1991 convention of the Tailhook Association convention brought attention to the problem of
sexual harassment.
Critics of the ʺminimal effects hypothesisʺ about the mediaʹs effect on public opinion point to the mediaʹs role in
shaping what priority Americans attach to problems.
The presidentʹs power can best be understood as
shared with other branches of government as part of the Madisonian system of checks and balances.
Technological improvements in communication have caused interest groups to
sharply increase in number.
The election of 1896 is considered a watershed because it
shifted the party coalitions and entrenched the Republicans in power for another generation.
Sound bites are
short clips of a political speech lasting fifteen seconds or less.
A talking head is a
shot of a person speaking directly into the television camera.
After the American Revolution state legislatures were composed of
significantly more middle -class representatives and fewer wealthy members compared to before the war.
Government aid to religious schools has been a major issue
since the mid 1960s.
In 2004 almost three -fourths of the Republican and Democrat delegates were chosen within ________ of the New Hampshire primary.
six weeks
A Senate seat is up for election every
six years.
The typical member of Congress supports the president on national security roll -call votes
slightly more than half the time.
A policy entrepreneur is
someone who works to get ideas on the governmentʹs policy agenda.
A public good is defined as
something in which any member of society can share.
A ʺcollective goodʺ refers to
something of value that benefits both the actual and potential members of a group.
Classifications based on gender have been ruled to be ________ by the decisions of the Court in the past several years.
somewhere between inherently suspect and reasonable
A catchy line is what is most important for a
sound bite.
Rather than cover entire speeches by political figures television news typically provides ________ of fifteen seconds or less.
sound bites
The Constitution was ratified by
special conventions in each of the states.
Ratification of the Constitution was done by
special conventions in each state.
The case involving Eli Lilly and Company illustrates how
special interestsʹ campaign contributions can influence congressional action.
The enumerated powers of Congress and the national government are those
specifically spelled out in the Constitution.
The relationship between campaign spending and electoral success is that
spending more than your opponent does not assure victory.
The term gender gap refers to
stable pattern where women tend to be more likely than men to vote Democratic.
A media event is
staged primarily for the purpose of being covered by the press.
Appropriations Judiciary and Armed Forces are all examples of ________ committees.
standing
Expansions of mandated programs by the national government present especially difficult funding problems for
state and local governments.
The two oldest cabinet departments are
state and treasury.
The supremacy clause of the Constitution states that all of the following are the supreme law of the land EXCEPT
state constitutions.
Sometimes states tackle problems that are generally considered national problems. This is most likely to occur when the federal government acts in a way that most state residents do not like. An example of this is
state funding for stem cell research in California.
Business interests have traditionally found their demands received most favorably by
state governments.
The dates of the different presidential primaries and delegate allocations are established by
state laws.
The rules determining the way in which the primaries are set up and the delegates are allocated are made by
state legislatures and state parties.
In post-Revolutionary America state governors were often selected by
state legislatures.
Under the Articles of Confederation most power rested with the
state legislatures.
Today most delegates to each major partyʹs national convention are chosen by
state presidential primaries.
The cabinet department responsible for making foreign policy and handling treaty negotiations is
state.
Enumerated powers are those that are
stated in the Constitution.
Miller v. California (1973)
stated that local communities should have more responsibility over deciding what constitutes obscenity.
The Supreme Court case of McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
stated that the Constitution gave Congress implied powers.
The Supreme Courtʹs decision in the case of Plessy v. Ferguson
stated that the principle of separate but equal public facilities for African Americans was constitutional.
In the case of New York Times v. Sullivan (1964) the Supreme Court ruled that
statements made about political figures are libelous only if made with malice and reckless disregard for the truth.
In dual federalism
states and the national government each remain supreme within their own spheres.
In Roe v. Wade the Supreme Court ruled that in the third trimester of pregnancy
states can ban abortion except when the motherʹs health is in danger.
The primary thrust of the original intent and wording of the Tenth Amendment is that
states have certain powers that the national government cannot encroach upon.
The Virginia and New Jersey Plans introduced at the Constitutional Convention differed mainly over whether
states should send equal numbers of representatives to Congress.
The Tenth Amendment
states that powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution nor prohibited by the states are reserved for the states.
Party loyalty at the voting booth is
still a good predictor of voting behavior.
When journalists select stories to cover the overriding bias is toward
stories that will draw the largest audience.
Time and time again the Supreme Court has protected freedom of the press by
striking down prior restraint.
The nature of groups and the government in hyperpluralist theory is
strong groups and weak government.
In Buckley v. Valeo (1976) the Supreme Court
struck down the part of the Federal Election Campaign Act that restricted the amount individuals could contribute to their own campaign.
Interest group liberalism is promoted by
subgovernments.
Which of the following is NOT one of the perquisites which go with the job of being a member of Congress?
subsidized housing in the Virginia or Maryland suburbs of D.C.
Millionaire Senator Edward Kennedy sponsoring a bill to help the poor and disadvantaged would be an example of
substantive representation.
The system of White House management employed by President John Kennedy was
such that many aides equally participated in the decision -making process.
The legal right to vote is referred to as
suffrage.
Most news coverage is perhaps best described as
superficial.
News coverage by the print and broadcast media is generally
superficial.
Lockean thought and the Declaration of Independence are similar in that both
support the concept of natural rights and the idea that government be built on the consent of the governed.
In states with caucuses
supporters of candidates try to get elected as delegates through a pyramid of meetings.
Each of the following violations of individual rights is forbidden in the original Constitution EXCEPT
suspension of freedom of speech.
Reporters and their official sources usually have a(n) ________ relationship.
symbiotic
Wearing an arm band and burning a United States flag are examples of ________: actions that do not consist of speaking or writing but that express an opinion.
symbolic speech
A shot of a personʹs face speaking directly into the television camera is known as a
talking head.
Tax expenditures consist of
tax exemptions deductions and exclusions.
The federal income tax deduction for mortgage interest on an owner -occupied home is an example of a
tax expenditure.
Which of the following was NOT a source of revenue for the United States government under the Articles of Confederation?
taxes levied by the Continental Congress
Which of the following is NOT a free exercise issue?
teacher led prayers in public schools
The ʺpower of the fewʺ in the United States today is likely to refer to
technical experts.
The largest expenditure in a campaign budget for the presidency or a statewide office today would almost certainly be
television advertising.
A study of major party platforms by Gerald Pomper found that the parties broke their promises
ten percent of the time.
By constitutional requirement the government conducts the United States Census every
ten years.
The United States Constitution requires that the government conduct an ʺactual enumerationʺ of the population every
ten years.
Compared to most other democratic systems nominations and campaigns in the United States
tend to be more open.
Defenders of PACs point out that they
tend to support those who agree with them in the first place.
Thomas Jefferson who wrote in the Declaration of Independence ʺWe hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equalʺ believed
that blacks were genetically inferior to whites.
Political candidates make many promises when running for office. In electing one the public can expect
that for every broken promise many more will be kept.
What bothers politicians most about the rising costs of high -tech campaigning is
that fund -raising has come to take up so much of their precious time distracting them from legislation.
If Congress has increased the scope of government it is because
that is what constituencies want.
On the issue of slaves the Constitution specified
that slaves would count as three -fifths persons for counting the nationʹs population and determining seats in the House.
Recent presidential elections have shown
that voters are less interested in ideology or issue positions than in candidate traits such as competence and integrity.
Most of todayʹs federal debt was run up by government borrowing during
the 1980s.
With over 2700 reporters photographers and editors ________ has more news gathering ability than any other news organization.
the Associated Press
Americansʹ civil liberties are set down in
the Bill of Rights.
Who issued the Declaration of Independence?
the Continental Congress
The Articles of Confederation were adopted by
the Continental Congress.
The election of 1896 left a legacy of a political alignment that endured for several decades wherein
the Democrats won the South and West while the Republicans won in the more populous Northeast and Midwest.
During the 1950s and early 1960s over half the federal budget was spent every year on
the Department of Defense.
The content and nature of radio and television broadcasting are regulated by
the Federal Communications Commission.
The content nature and existence of radio and television broadcasting is regulated by
the Federal Communications Commission.
Commercial speech on radio and television is regulated by
the Federal Trade Commission.
The Bill of Rights was written and proposed by
the First Congress of the United States in 1789.
The British government stepped up its controls over the American colonies with new taxes and stronger commerce regulations right after
the French and Indian War.
If no candidate receives an electoral college majority
the House of Representatives chooses among the top three electoral vote winners.
Reapportionment occurs after every census to reallocate seats in
the House of Representatives.
Articles of impeachment must be passed by
the House.
During the colonial period
the King and Parliament generally confined themselves to governing the coloniesʹ foreign and trade policies.
The opening up of the process to choose delegates to the Democratic National Convention in the immediate aftermath of 1968 was spearheaded by
the McGovern -Fraser Commission.
The Depression of the 1930s gave rise to what is called
the New Deal coalition.
The Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 set up all of the following EXCEPT
the Office of Management and Budget.
The federal civil service was created by
the Pendleton Act.
From 1968 to 1992
the Republicans dominated the presidency while the Democrats dominated Congress.
In elections since 1968
the Republicans have dominated the presidency while the Democrats have dominated the Congress.
Nominees to the United States Supreme Court must be confirmed by
the Senate.
The biggest uncontrollable expenditure in the federal budget is
the Social Security system.
In Zurcher v. Stanford Daily the Supreme Court ruled that
the Stanford Daily must open its files for use as police evidence.
Between 1990 and 2000
the Sunbelt continued to experience rapid population growth.
In 1996 Congress passed a law giving the president the authority to propose rescinding funds in appropriations bills. Later
the Supreme Court voided the decision.
The two -term limit was placed on the presidency by
the Twenty -second Amendment.
Which of the following is an example of a confederation?
the United Nations
In our federal system the powers of the state governments are ultimately granted by
the United States Constitution.
Television became especially important in bringing the reality of ________ home to America as its first heavily televised war.
the Vietnam War
The cozy relationship between politicians and the press ended when
the Vietnam War and Watergate soured the press on government.
The cozy relationship between politicians and the press in the twentieth century lasted until
the Vietnam War and Watergate.
The efforts of Candy Lightner and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) to raise the legal drinking age to 21 are an example of
the ability of the national government to influence state policy.
Daniel Smith argues that initiatives typically stem from
the actions of a dedicated policy entrepreneur.
The principal source of news and information for most Americans today is
the broadcast media.
The principle source of news and information in the United States is
the broadcast media.
Who is the most likely to visit a candidateʹs web site?
the candidateʹs supporters
People who worry about PACs are most especially concerned about
the close connection between money and politics.
The military industrial complex refers to
the close relationship between defense officials and the corporations that supply their hardware needs.
The governmentʹs responses in the wake of Hurricane Katrina underscores
the complexity of American federalism.
Reflecting the natural rights philosophy the Declaration of Independence stated that governments derive their just powers from
the consent of the governed.
The hyperpluralist complaint that interest group politics creates subgovernments refers to
the cooperative efforts of group leaders government agencies and members of congressional committees and subcommittees to promote special interests.
Representation refers to
the correspondence between the few leaders and the many followers in a democracy.
The one institution most responsible for putting civil rights goals on the nationʹs policy agenda was
the courts.
According to Russell Neuman the paradox of mass politics is that the American political system works as well as it does given
the discomforting lack of public knowledge about politics.
Public opinion is defined in the text as
the distribution of the populationʹs beliefs about politics and policy.
Spending on public education illustrates
the diversity in the quality of education among states as a result of federalism.
The first party system (1796 -1824) was characterized by
the dominance of the Democratic -Republican party.
The higher the president stands in the polls
the easier it is to persuade others to support presidential initiatives.
In the 2004 election John Kerry won votes among those most concerned with
the economy health care and education.
Legitimacy in terms of American elections means
the election is nearly unanimously accepted as a fair and free method to select political leaders.
The mandate theory of elections is the idea that
the election winner has authorization from the voters to carry out his or her promised policies.
According to hyperpluralists the increasing caseloads of federal and state courts demonstrate
the expanding scope of government in the United States.
The pluralist theory of American politics maintains that
the extensive organization of competing groups is evidence that influence is widely dispersed among them.
Elitist theorists argue that
the fact that there are numerous groups proves nothing because most groups are extremely unequal in power.
A number of states have sued the federal government for reimbursement of funds on the grounds that
the federal government isnʹt preventing illegal immigration into their states.
By 2002 the budget deficit had increased again due to
the first Iraq war.
The presidential election of 1800 was
the first transition of power between parties accomplished by votersʹ ballots in the history of the world.
Studies have shown that during the 1960s and 1970s
the hold of the parties on voters eroded substantially.
In Pollock v. Farmerʹs Loan and Trust Co. (1895) the United States Supreme Court ruled that
the income tax was unconstitutional.
Constituencies influence policy mostly by
the initial choice of the representative.
Which of the following was NOT a reason for the Democratic party adding superdelegates to its national nominating conventions?
the insistence of the McGovern-Fraser Commission to have superdelegates play a major veto -like role
Random sampling is considered
the key to the accuracy of opinion polls.
Which of the following was NOT a problem with the national government under the Articles of Confederation?
the lack of power given to state legislatures
According to Mancur Olson
the larger the group the further it will fall short of providing an optimal amount of a collective good.
According to Olsonʹs Law of Large Groups
the larger the group the further it will fall short of providing an optimal amount of a collective good.
Part of Olsonʹs Law of Large Groups is the argument that
the larger the potential group the less likely potential members are to contribute.
Suffrage refers to
the legal right to vote.
If public opinion analysts agree about anything it is that
the level of public knowledge about politics is dismally low.
In the 1976 case of Buckley v. Valeo the Supreme Court ruled that
the limitation on the amount of money persons could contribute to their own election campaigns violated free speech and was unconstitutional.
According to many observers ʺthe new parentʺ in the socialization process has become
the mass media.
Agenda -setting effects on public opinion are an example of how
the media cue individuals about what political issues are important to think about.
Critics of primaries and caucuses contend that the presidential ʺkingmakersʺ are now
the media.
Most of the money spent on presidential campaigns these days is spent on
the media.
After each federal census
the membership of the House is reapportioned
The rationale for all civil service systems is based on
the merit principle.
The earliest survey studies of the effect of the media on public opinion which evaluated its impact on voting behavior offered
the minimal effects hypothesis.
The greater the policy differences between the candidates
the more likely voters will be able to steer government policies by their choices.
The supreme power within each of the parties is
the national convention.
In the Constitution the powers to coin money to enter into treaties and to regulate commerce with foreign nations and among the states were given to
the national government.
The first two weeks of the Constitutional Convention were spent debating
the nature of republican government.
The key spokespersons for political parties come from which of its major components?
the party -in-government
The largest segment of an American political party is described as
the party -in-the-electorate.
In the description of political parties as ʺthree -headed political giantsʺ which of the following is NOT considered one of those three heads?
the party-out-of-power
Until the late -nineteenth century most government employees got their jobs through
the patronage system.
Fiscal federalism is
the pattern of spending taxing and providing grants in the federal system.
Populism emphasizes
the people.
The process of selecting Americaʹs leaders has almost no downtime before it revs up all over again. This is referred to as
the permanent campaign.
The organization and importance of the White House staff depend on
the personal style of the president in office.
Federal grants and contracts that members of Congress try to obtain for their constituents are collectively referred to as
the pork barrel.
A primary resource available to presidents for controlling the bureaucracy is
the power to appoint top -level administrators.
The foremost attraction for the job of serving in Congress is
the power to make key public policy decisions.
Once the Office of Management and Budget has prepared the federal budget
the president makes revisions and submits it to Congress.
According to the Twenty-fifth Amendment in the event of a vacancy in the vice presidency
the president nominates a replacement who must be confirmed by both houses of Congress.
Prior to the 1930s
the president was rarely directly questioned by the media.
The Office of Management and Budget parcels out money to government agencies and is accountable to
the president.
The chairperson of the party that controls the White House is normally selected by
the president.
In the case of Plessy v. Ferguson
the principle of ʺseparate but equalʺ was used to justify segregation.
In Annapolis Maryland in 1786 delegates from five states met to discuss
the problems of the national government under the Articles of Confederation.
Political socialization is defined as
the process through which an individual acquires his or her particular political orientations.
Few developments have changed American politics as much as
the proliferation of presidential primaries.
Changes in presidential approval levels appear to be due primarily to
the publicʹs evaluation of how the president is handling policy areas.
A pollster using a representative sample of 1500 Americans finds that 52 percent support candidate X and 48 percent support candidate Y. The pollsterʹs conclusion should be that
the race is too close to call because of a possible sampling error.
Party dealignment is symbolized by
the recent pattern of divided government.
Under the terms of the Twenty -fifth Amendment while the vice president is serving as acting president
the recuperated president can reclaim the Oval Office through a set procedure.
People gradually moving away from both parties is referred to as
dealignment.
Most political coverage by the media during a presidential campaign
deals with the campaign game: whoʹs ahead in the polls what candidate Xʹs new strategy will be and speculation.
In 1990 Congress split discretionary spending into three categories. Which of the following was NOT one of the three categories?
debt service
In 1896 who liked silver money?
debtors
In terms of organizational structure American political parties are
decentralized and fragmented.
Which of the following would NOT be considered part of the Weberian model of bureaucracy?
decentralized authority structure
Congressional reforms of the 1970s
decentralized power and democratized Congress.
The federal system
decentralizes our politics.
The election of 1800 was
decided by the House of Representatives.
Regarding the right to vote in national elections the framers of the Constitution
decided to leave it up to the individual states to determine voter qualifications in their own states.
Which of the following is NOT one of the presidentʹs powers as the nationʹs chief diplomat?
declaring war against an adversary
Over the last five decades voting based primarily on party identification has
declined sharply.
As a percentage of the total work force federal government employment is
declining.
Loyalty to a political party has ________ over the past thirty years.
decreased
The budget of the Department of Defense
decreased in the 1990s.
The funds allocated to public financing of presidential campaigns based on income tax check-offs have
decreased substantially.
According to Marc Hetherington what is the largest impact of declining political trust?
decreased support for programs that address poverty and racial inequality
Since the 1960s Americansʹ trust in government has
decreased.
Party dealignment means the
decreasing influence of both parties on voters and government.
The British levied new taxes on its North American colonies in the eighteenth century in order to pay for
defending new territories obtained after the French and Indian War.
The Supreme Court case of Gibbons v. Ogden
defined commerce as virtually every form of commercial activity.
In determining the power of Congress to regulate commerce in the case of Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) the Supreme Court
defined commerce very broadly encompassing virtually every form of commercial activity.
A means of selecting policymakers and or organizing government so that policy represents and responds to the publicʹs preferences is
democracy.
Which of the following is NOT a contemporary theory of democracy?
democratic centralism
The science of population changes is
demography.
The science of population changes is called
demography.
Age discrimination laws have
denied federal funds to any institution discriminating against people over forty.
The grandfather clause was passed by Oklahoma and other southern states to
deny African Americans the right to vote.
The foundation of John Lockeʹs philosophy was that human beings
derive their rights from nature.
The rationale for the civil service rests on the
desire to create a nonpartisan government service and promotion on the basis of merit.
One way in which conventions are more important than they once were is that they
develop the partyʹs policy positions.
The American Revolution
did not drastically alter the colonistsʹ way of life.
Constitutional protections of free speech are ________ on private property .
diminished
One of the most effective methods of raising money for an election campaign has been the use of
direct mail.
Providing select information and a request for money to lists of people who have supported candidates of similar views in the past is a frequently used political technique known as
direct mail.
The Fourteenth Amendment was one of three passed
directly following the Civil War.
According to the Federal Election Campaign Act candidates must
disclose who contributed to their campaigns and how the money was spent.
Public opinion analysts agree that the level of public knowledge about politics is
dismally low.
Which of the following is NOT a standard operating procedure of cooperative federalism today?
distinctly separated powers of state and national governments
Since 1968 American politics has been characterized by
divided government.
John Locke believed in each of the following EXCEPT
divine right of kings.
Equal protection of the laws
does not deny states treating classes of citizens differently if the classification is reasonable.
The United States Constitution
does not prescribe the function and structure of government in detail.
For a candidate the most important and desirable result of the early nomination contests is
doing better than expected thus winning an image as the partyʹs frontrunner and holder of momentum.
One consequence of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was
dramatic increase in the number of African Americans registered to vote.
The overriding bias in the news is toward stories that
draw large audiences.
Public opinion polls can weaken democracy by
drowning out election issues with a steady flood of poll results.
In ________ federalism the powers and policy assignments of the different levels of government are distinct like a layer cake.
dual
The national government has exclusive control over foreign and military policy the postal system and monetary policy while the states have exclusive control over other specific areas.0 This division of responsibilities reflects
dual federalism.
Since the ratification of the Constitution American federalism has gradually changed from
dual to cooperative federalism.
The feminist movement was reborn
during the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s.
The Supreme Court ruled that freedom of religious practice was more important than the right of the government to interfere in deciding in favor of
the right of Amish parents in Wisconsin to take their children out of public school after the eighth grade.
The Supreme Court ruled in Branzburg v. Hayes (1972) that in the absence of shield laws
the right of a free trial preempts the reporterʹs right to protect sources.
The abortion decision in Roe v. Wade (1973) was justified by the Supreme Court largely on the grounds of
the right of privacy implied in the Bill of Rights.
Suffrage means
the right to vote.
Suffrage refers to
the right to vote.
Most of the wording of the Bill of Rights concerns
the rights of people accused of crimes.
The McGovern -Fraser Commission was set up to reform
the rules for selecting delegates to the Democratic National Convention.
The 1936 Literary Digest poll underestimated the vote for President Franklin Roosevelt by 19 percent because
the sample was drawn from telephone books and motor-vehicle records.
Traditionally Congressional committee chairpersons have been chosen through
the seniority system.
According to Olsonʹs Law of Large Groups
the smaller the group the more effective it will be.
In its Near v. Minnesota decision of 1931 the Supreme Court ruled that
the state government could not use prior restraint to shut down an outspoken newspaper.
Under the Articles of Confederation most governmental power rested in
the state governments.
In the case of NAACP v. Alabama (1958) the Supreme Court ruled that
the state of Alabama was unlawfully restricting the NAACPʹs freedom of association.
Almost every policy the national government has adopted has originated with
the states.
Laws that directly regulate abortion drinking ages marriage and divorce or sexual behavior are policy prerogatives that belong to
the states.
In its McCulloch v. Maryland decision the Supreme Court ruled in favor of
the supremacy of the national government over the states.
Which of these is NOT considered a challenge to democracy by the textbook?
the tendency of the American political system to change rapidly
Which of the following would NOT be considered a contemporary challenge to American democracy?
the threat of communism
An issue that became controversial regarding the 1990 census was
the undercount of minority groups.
Political protest is
the use of unconventional and dramatic actions to achieve policy change.
After the Revolution James Madison observed that ʺthe most common and durable source of faction has been
the various and unequal divisions of property.ʺ
Electors in the electoral college meet in their states in December (following the November general election) to officially cast their ballots then mail their votes to
the vice president.
According to exit polls ________ was a major reason voters selected Bush in 2004.
the war on terrorism
The mandate theory of elections is most often cited as the proper way to view elections by
the winning candidate.
Rational-choice theory asserts that
the wise party selects policies that are widely favored.
In 1993 the Supreme Court ruled that sexual harassment is sex discrimination that violates the Civil Rights Act when
the workplace environment becomes hostile or abusive.
In the 1800 election presidential candidates were nominated by
their partiesʹ elected representatives in Congress.
Voters and coalitions of voters are attracted to different parties largely by
their performance and policies.
The American political parties fall far short of the responsible party model for all of the following reasons EXCEPT
their presidential candidates ignore the party platform.
Compared to 1952 recent polls on party identification have shown that
there are more independents than there are Democrats or Republicans.
According to Herbert Alexanderʹs ʺdoctrine of sufficiencyʺ
there is a minimum amount of money that candidates must spend to have a chance at winning.
An advantage for small groups is that
there is more at stake for each member making it easier to organize and activate all members.
When the First Amendment was written guaranteeing freedom of the press
there was virtually no daily press in this country.
When people vote according to the nature of the times
they are more interested in results than ideology and judge presidents by results.
The delegates to the Constitutional Convention did not worry about preserving individual rights for all of the following reasons EXCEPT
they included a bill of rights in Article V.
In 1936 the Literary Digest wrongly predicted the defeat of President Franklin Roosevelt having polled over two million people. The problem was
they polled too many people who were not an accurate representation of the American electorate.
Highly educated individuals are more likely to vote because
they see more policy differences between candidates.
Agencies invariably pad their budget requests because
they want the almost inevitable budget cuts to be bearable.
The fact that the former Republican majority in Congress prefers block grants to categorical grants indicates that
they want the federal government to exercise less authority over the states.
Anthony Downsʹ theory of rational voting behavior predicts that people will vote if they
think one party will give them more policy benefits than the other.
Critically affecting the electoral college vote bringing new issues to the public agenda and venting popular discontent are important roles played by
third parties in a two-party system.
The ʺgray liberationʺ movement refers to
those fighting for the rights of the elderly.
Nationwide the fastest growing age group is composed of
those over 65 years old.
The addition of superdelegates to the Democratic national conventions was spearheaded by
those who felt the McGovern -Fraser Commission had opened up the delegate selection process too much.
Following the first Nixon -Kennedy presidential debate of 1960 opinion polls showed that
those who watched on television thought Kennedy had won while those who listened over the radio thought Nixon won.
The income tax is generally progressive meaning that
those with more income pay higher rates of tax on their income.
The hydraulic theory says that money always finds a way to get around legal obstacles. Thus when the soft money loophole was closed how did money continue to find its way into political campaigns?
through 527 Groups
Environmental groups have been most successful at
thwarting the expansion of the nuclear power industry.
George W. Bushʹs management style is
to delegate.
President Clintonʹs decision making style was
to immerse himself in the details of policy and run an open White House soliciting the advice of a large number of aides.
Voter registration was begun around the turn of the twentieth century
to make elections more ethical.
The primary goal of the American Revolution was
to restore the colonistsʹ rights as British subjects.
What was the original sole and express purpose of the convention in Philadelphia?
to revise the Articles of Confederation
The primary goal of the presidentʹs legislative strategy is usually
to set the agenda.
The power to directly regulate such things as drinking ages marriage and divorce and sexual behavior has been granted
to state governments.
Hyperpluralists would argue that
too many influential groups cripple governmentʹs ability to govern.
The plum book lists
top federal jobs available by Presidential appointment.
Linkage institutions
translate inputs from the public into outputs from the policymakers.
According to Aaron Wildavsky budgeting is a process most concerned with
translating financial resources into human purposes.
Public officials often leak ________ to reporters to see what the political reaction will be.
trial balloons
The English politician and philosopher Edmund Burke favored the concept of legislators as ________ using their best judgment to make policy in the interests of the people.
trustees
Legislators who use their best judgment to make policy in the interests of the people are called
trustees.
A study by the Los Angeles Times in the mid -1980s found that reporters were ________ as likely to call themselves liberal as the general public.
twice
According to the Constitution each state was entitled to how many senators?
two
How many senators are elected from each state?
two
The president has the constitutional authority to make treaties with other nations subject to the agreement of
two -thirds of the Senate.
To propose a formal amendment to the Constitution one needs to have a
two -thirds vote in Congress.
House seats are up for election every
two years.
An estimated ________ of the federal budget is considered uncontrollable unless Congress changes a law or existing benefit levels.
two-thirds
Approximately what percentage of the federal budget is uncontrollable?
two-thirds
Budget items mandated by law or by a previous obligation are known as
uncontrollable expenditures.
Social Security programs interest on the national debt and military pensions are examples of
uncontrollable expenditures.
The Founding Fathers believed that a major source of political conflict was the
unequal distribution of property.
According to James Madison and many of the delegates at the Constitutional Convention what is the primary source of political conflict?
unequal distribution of wealth
Most of the governments in the world today are ________ in which all power resides in the central national government.
unitary
On the whole federal grant distribution follows the principle of
universalism.
The exclusionary rule which was applied to state governments as well as the federal government in Mapp v. Ohio (1961) meant that
unlawfully obtained evidence could not be used in court.
In a winner -take-all system
unless a party wins there is no reward for the votes it gets.
Political parties are an important example of the
unwritten constitution.
In the case of Regents of the University of California v. Bakke the United States Supreme Court
upheld affirmative action programs but limited their scope and outlawed racial quota set-asides.
During the 1980s the Supreme Court ________ the displaying of Christmas nativity scenes and Hanukkah menorahs on public property.
upheld the constitutionality of
The Supreme Court case of Korematsu v. United States (1944)
upheld the constitutionality of the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.
In the case of Korematsu v. United States the Supreme Court
upheld the constitutionality of the removal of Japanese Americans from the west coast and their placement in internment camps during World War II.
In the case of Dennis v. United States the Supreme Court
upheld the convictions of Communist party officials who had been sent to prison because of their beliefs.
Which of the following was NOT occurring in the states during the time of the Articles of Confederation?
upper-class dominance
Between the 1930s and the 1960s people attracted to the Democratic party included
urban working classes and intellectuals.
In ʺgoing publicʺ interest groups
use advertising and public relations to enhance their image.
Some believe the War Powers Resolution could be successfully overturned by the Supreme Court because it
uses a legislative veto which may violate the separation of powers.
A party machine is a kind of local party organization that
uses specific and material inducements to win party loyalty and power.
An electoral mandate ________ the presidentʹs level of support in Congress.
usually has a positive effect on
As a result of our federal form of government the death penalty in the United States
varies substantially by state.
The policy positions stated in party platforms are
very important because nearly three -fourths of them result in policy action when the party is in power.
The ________ has the job of presiding over the Senate breaking ties when necessary.
vice president
Interest group liberalism holds that
virtually all pressure group demands are legitimate and the job of government is to advance them all.
The Supreme Court case of Printz v. United States
voided the congressional mandate in the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act requiring local community officials to conduct background checks on prospective gun purchasers.
There is a tremendous gap between youth and the elderly in all of the following EXCEPT
volunteering.
Historically disadvantaged groups tend to
vote Democratic.
When constituency opinion and the presidentʹs proposals conflict members of Congress are more likely to
vote with their constituents.
Largely to prevent corruption associated with stuffing ballot boxes states adopted ________ around the turn of the twentieth century.
voter registration
When compared with the rest of the world America has a relatively low
voter turnout in elections.
Reasons that incumbent senators have greater competition than incumbent members of the House include all of the following EXCEPT
voters are less likely to know the issue positions of their senators than their representatives.
Presidential coattails refers to
voters casting their ballots for congressional candidates of the presidentʹs party who will support the president.
An interest group is more likely to form its own political party where
voters choose their legislators using proportional representation.
Elections have a tendency to expand the scope of government because
voters like to feel that they are sending a message to government to accomplish something.
In open primaries
voters may choose on election day which party primary they want to participate in.
In blanket primaries
voters may vote for candidates from either party.
Presidential coattails refers to
voters who support the president casting their ballots for congressional candidates of the presidentʹs party.
Political scientists tend to focus on each of the following major elements of votersʹ decisions EXCEPT
votersʹ ideology and world view.
Ticket -splitting refers to
voting for one party for one office and another party for other offices.
The most common form of political participation in the United States is
voting in presidential elections.
Ticket -splitting is best understood as
voting with one party for one office and another for other offices.
The Anti -Federalists believed that the new constitution
was an enemy of freedom and designed to give control of the government to a rich elite.
The American Revolution
was an essentially conservative movement that did not drastically alter the colonistsʹ way of life.
Patronage
was an inducement of jobs and financial rewards given for political reasons by party machines.
At the time of the constitutional convention slavery
was illegal only in Massachusetts.
From about 1920 -1960 the feminist movement
was in a period of hibernation.
The Whig party
was only able to win the presidency when it nominated aging but popular military heroes.
ʺCovertureʺ
was the legal doctrine that deprived married women of any identity separate from that of their husbands.
Conventions are not as important as they once were in that
we know who is going to win the presidential nomination before the convention meets.
The United States government under the Articles of Confederation can best be described as
weak and ineffective.
The McGovern -Fraser Commission made the delegate selection process of the Democratic party more democratic by
weakening the power of party leaders to choose convention delegates.
Which of the following groups was NOT part of the New Deal coalition?
wealthy New Englanders
After the Revolution a major power shift occurred in the states from ________ to ________.
wealthy individuals; broad middle class
Those who met at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 were
wealthy planters lawyers and merchants.
During the first Persian Gulf War reporters
were denied freedom of movement and had only limited access to accurate military information on a timely basis.
The writers of the United States Constitution
were distrustful of democracy.
Jim Crow laws were those which
were enacted by Southern whites in the late nineteenth century to segregate African Americans from whites.
The pocket veto can only be used
when Congress is adjourned.
The parties in Congress are most cohesive
when electing their official leaders.
According to public opinion polls presidents seem to be most popular
when they first enter office.
Today courts must provide a lawyer for a defendant
whenever imprisonment could be imposed.
A referendum is an election
whereby voters are given the chance to approve or disapprove some legislative act or constitutional amendment.
A key question that confronts government regarding different public policy choices is
whether or not government should do anything about them.
Which of these was NOT one of the big three disagreements at the Constitutional Convention?
whether the courts should have the power of judicial review
In dealing with First Amendment cases involving religion the Supreme Court has ruled that
while all religious beliefs are constitutionally protected all religious practices are not.
To render African -American votes ineffective several southern states used the ________ a device that permitted political parties to choose their nominees in elections off limits to blacks.
white primary
Politics is defined by Harold Lasswell as
who gets what when and how.
The extent of an individualʹs or groupʹs freedom from prior restraint depends on
who the individual or group is.
To be the presidential candidate of a major political party a person must
win a majority of the delegates at the partyʹs national convention.
The specific goal of the presidential nomination game is to
win the majority of delegate votes in order to win the party nomination.
Except in Maine and Nebraska the electoral college system operates in each state on the principle of allocating electoral votes on the basis of
winner -take-all.
The ʺparty -in-governmentʺ refers to
winning candidates who become the main spokespersons for the party that nominated them.
The Associated Press is an example of a
wire service.
Bicameralism means that a legislative body is one
with two houses providing checks and balances on policymaking.
The Persian Gulf War showed that
women could serve as combat pilots.
Relative to the total population the most underrepresented group in Congress is
women.
Parties and interest groups
work hard to get the issues they want on the policy agenda.
The income and occupations of members of Congress
would for the most part make them members of the elite in American society.
At the turn of the century newspaper magnates Joseph and William Randolph Hearst ushered in the era of
yellow journalism.
Newspaper magnates Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst tried to outdo one another in sensational reporting of wars violence corruption and gossip around the turn of the twentieth century in what is now remembered as the era of
yellow journalism.
Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination means that
you cannot be forced to be a witness against yourself.
The group of people with the lowest voter turnout rate is
young people.
Both authoritarian and democratic political systems seek to teach citizens especially youth the positive aspects of their political systems because
youth will then grow up to be supportive citizens.
During the American Revolution Patrick Henry said
ʺGive me liberty or give me death.ʺ
