AP Government Final (1999, 2002, and 2009 exams)
23. In which of the following did Congress move to regain powers previously lost to the executive branch?
A.) Budget and Impoundment Control Act
34. Which of the following statements about voting behavior in the United States is correct?
A.) College graduates are more likely to vote than are those who have at most a high school diploma
49. The largest amount of political coverage in newspapers during presidential campaigns is devoted to
A.) Day to day campaign activities
14. Following the Civil War, the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was designed to overturn the
A.) Dred Scott decision
41. Diversity of public policy throughout the United States is primarily a consequence of
A.) Federalism
34. The advantages of incumbency in congressional elections include which of the following? I. Incumbents receive more campaign contributions than do challengers. II. Incumbents are able to provide important services for individual voters. III. The government provides campaign funds for incumbents. IV. The President usually endorses incumbents for reelection. V. Most American voters believe Congress does a good job.
A.) I and II only
40. Public monies are used to help finance which of the following programs? I. Presidential II. Congressional III. Gubernatorial
A.) I only
15. Which of the following is true about the right of free speech, as currently interpreted by the Supreme Court?
A.) It protects the right to express opinions even without the actual use of words
9. Supreme Court justices were given tenure subject to good behavior by the framers of the constitution in order to ensure that
A.) Justices are free from direct political pressures
46. The reserved powers of the state governments can best be described as those powers
A.) Not specifically granted to the national government or denied to the states
33. Which of the following is the most important influence on the choice made by voters in presidential elections?
A.) Partisan identification
2. (Graph titled MY POLITICAL VALUES ARE...) The graph above supports which of the following statements?
A.) People with higher incomes are more likely to think of themselves as conservatives than are those with lower incomes
54. The request of recent Presidents for the line- item veto is a challenge to which of the following principles?
A.) Separation of powers
31. In McCulloch v. Maryland, the Supreme Court established which of the following principles?
A.) States cannot interfere with or tax the legitimate activities of the federal government
12. Of the following, which has been used most to expand the power of the national government?
A.) The commerce clause of the Constitution
8.) Which of the following is true of amicus curiae briefs?
A.) They are used by interest groups to lobby courts
45. The "Miranda Warning" represents an attempt to protect criminal suspects against
A.) Unfair police interrogation
18. In recent presidential administrations, the principal staff for the President has been made up of members of the
A.) White House Office
Table titled: PRESIDENTIAL VOTE IN ELECTIONS BY GROUPS 3. Which of the following statements about voting patterns is best supported by the table?
A.) Women were more likely to vote than men to vote Democratic
4. When selecting a vice- presidential candidate, a presidential nominee is usually concerned primarily with choosing a running mate who
B.) Adds balance and appeal to the national ticket
43. One of the formal tools used by Congress for oversight of the bureaucracy
B.) Authorization of spending
20. Which of the following is a significant trend in the presidential nominating process over the past three decades?
B.) Increasing importance of presidential primaries rather than state conventions
11. The most important source of the Supreme Court's caseload is
B.) Its appellate jurisdiction
37. A major reason why the majority of Supreme Court justices have had political experience prior to appointment to the Court is that
B.) Presidents seek to place individuals on the Court whose policy views are similar to their own
5. The tenth amendment to the Constitution has been interpreted by the Supreme Court to
B.) Reserve powers to the states
60. Griswold vs. Connecticut and Roe v. Wade are similar Supreme Court cases in that both cases are based on the
B.) Right of privacy
21. Congressional district boundaries are usually redrawn every ten years by the
B.) State legislatures
36. Which of the following procedures results in the removal of the President from office?
B.) The House votes for impeachment, and the Senate conducts a trial and reaches a guilty verdict.
36. Which of the following is true under the system of checks and balances?
B.) The Senate must ratify treaties negotiated by the President before they become law
26. Which of the following statements about Congress is true?
B.) The legislative process is frequently lengthy, decentralized, and characterized by compromise and bargaining?
1. Considering all elections at all levels of government, which of the following best describes electoral behavior in the United States?
B.) The majority of the electorate does not vote in most elections
51. Which of the following is the most accurate statement about political parties in the United States?
B.) The percentage of voters identifying themselves as either Democrats of Republicans has been declining since the 1970's
39. The boundaries of United States congressional districts are usually determined by
B.) The state legislatures
Table titled: PRESIDENTIAL VOTE IN ELECTIONS BY GROUPS 4. The data in the table provide clear evidence that
B.) The vote in the Midwest predicted the outcome rather consistently
33. Which of the following is NOT a presidential role authorized by Congress?
B.) To lead the political party of the President
38. The Supreme Court ruled the legislative veto unconstitutional on the grounds that such vetoes
B.) Violated the principle of separation of powers
3. A primary election in which voters are required to identify a party preference before the election and are not allowed to split their ticker is called
C.) A closed primary
56. An election involving more than two candidates in which the person who receives the most votes is the winner called
C.) A plurality election
29. States and localities have the most discretion in establishing policy when federal funding is derived from
C.) Block grants
29. Discrimination in public accommodations was made illegal in the United States as a direct result of the
C.) Civil Rights Act of 1964
12. A President attempting to influence Congress to pass legislative program might employ all of the following strategies except
C.) Denying campaign reelection funds to legislators who oppose the President's policy stand
26. The "wall of separation" doctrine refers to the
C.) Division of church and state
24. Table Name: COMPETITION IN CONGRESSIONAL ELECTIONS, 1958-1986 The data displayed in the table above best supports which of the following statements?
C.) House seats are safer form election turnover than are Senate seats
Table Titled: HOW PEOPLE IDENTIFY THEMSELVES POLITICALLY, 1952- 1994 28. The table above supports which of the following conclusion? I. A plurality of the people has consistently supported the Democrats. II. Support for the two major parties increased slightly between 1952 and 1994. III. The largest percentage increase in political identification between 1952 and 1994 occurred among independents.
C.) III only
16. The importance of Shays' Rebellion to the development of the United State's Constitution was that it
C.) Indicated that a strong, constitutionally designed national government was needed to protect property and maintain order
44. Decisions reached by the Supreme Court under the leadership of Chief Justice Earl Warren (1953-1969) did all of the following EXCEPT
C.) Invalidate state abortion statutes
37. Interest groups and political parties both promote United States democracy by
C.) Linking citizens to the political process
20. Which of the following best explains why delegates to both the Republican and Democratic Conventions in 1996 were much more likely to the rest of the voting population?
C.) Political activism increases with education levels
Political Cartoon: "FORTY MORE YEARS!... FORTY MORE YEARS!" 15. Which of the following best illustrates the point being made in the cartoon above?
C.) Presidents can have influence on public policy far beyond their terms of office
59. The establishment clause in the First Amendment does which of the following?
C.) Prohibits the setting up of a state church
50. A state has 11 electoral votes. In a presidential election, the Democratic candidate receives 48% of that state's popular vote, the Republican candidate receives 40% of the vote, and an independent receives 12% of the vote. If the state is similar to most other states, how will the electoral votes most likely by allocated?
C.) The Democratic candidate will receive all 11 electoral votes
27. Which of the following is articulated in the War Powers Resolution?
C.) The President must bring troops home from hostilities within 60-90 days unless Congress extends the time
6. Chart titled (DISTRIBUTION OF INCOME AMONG FAMILIES) Which of the following conclusions about income distribution during the Reagan administration is supported by the table above?
C.) The share of income by the highest fifth increased, whereas the share received by the lowest fifth decreased
23. Which of the following took place after presidential candidates Truman in 1918, Nixon in 1968, and Clinton in 1992 won only pluralities of the popular vote?
C.) The winning candidate took office after receiving less than 50% of the popular votes cast
Graph titled: AVERAGE YEARLY PRESIDENTIAL APPROVAL, 1953-1993 31. Which of the following statements about trends in presidential approval rating is supported by information presented in the graph above?
D.) A President's popularity tends to fall during his term in office
19. A corporate lobbyist would be LEAST likely to have an informal discussion about a pending policy matter with which of the following?
D.) A federal judge in whose court a case important to the corporation is being heard
10. Which of the following is a result of the electoral college system?
D.) Candidates focus on the states with the largest populations
17. In a federal system of government, political power is primarily
D.) Divided between the central government and regional governments
35. An electoral system based on single- member districts is usually characterized by
D.) Domination of the legislature by two political parties
7. Registered voters directly elect which of the following? I. The President and Vice President II. Supreme Court Justices III. Members of the Senate IV. Members of the House of Representatives
D.) III and IV only
24. Which of the following is generally true of the gerrymandering of congressional districts?
D.) It creates districts that favor one political party over another
21. Congressional standing committees are best described as
D.) Permanent subject- matter committees
32. In Miranda v. Arizona, the United States Supreme Court declared that
D.) Police must inform criminal suspects of their constitutional rights before questioning suspects after arrest
32. Political socialization is the process by which
D.) Political values are passed to the next generation
57. Cabinet members often do not have a dominant influence on presidential decision- making because
D.) Presidential goals often conflict with the institutional goals of individual cabinet- level agencies
Table titled: Electoral Support for Democratic Candidates 17. The table best supports which of the following statements about the two elections for which data are provided?
D.) Pure independents were less likely to vote for the Democratic presidential candidate in 1988 than for Democratic House candidates in 1990.
11. Which of the following committees of the House of Representatives sets the conditions for debate and amendment of most legislation?
D.) Rules
53. Which of the following is an accurate statement about committees in Congress?
D.) Standing committees oversee the bureaucracy's implementation of legislation
10. The committee system is more important in the House than in the Senate because
D.) The House is so large that more work can be accomplished in committees than on the floor
38. Which of the following statements accurately describes the selection of the caseload for the United States Supreme Court?
D.) The Supreme Court is free to choose the cases it hears with only a few limitations
Chart titled: VOTER REGISTRATION IN THE SOUTH BY RACE, 1960 AND 1982 30. Which of the following best explains the trend depicted in the chart above?
D.) The Voting Rights Act of 1965
1. Which of the following is an example of checks and balances, as established by the Constitution?
D.) The requirement that presidential appointments to the Supreme Court be approved by the Senate
25. Which of the following is one of the central concerns of the First Amendment?
D.) The right of citizens to petition the government for redress of grievances
25. Which of the following actions can Congress take if the Supreme Court finds a federal law unconstitutional?
D.) Try to amend the Constitution
48. When 18 to 21 year olds received the right to vote in 1971, in the 1972 election they did which of the following?
D.) Turned out at a lower rate than the rest of the electorate
13. Presidents have had the most success in changing the direction of decisions of the federal judiciary by
D.) Using the appointment process to select judges with judicial philosophies similar to those of the President
58. A fundamental source of power for the federal bureaucracy lies in its
E.) Ability to set specific guidelines after receiving a general election mandate from Congress
18. Which of the following generalizations about group voting tendencies is true?
E.) African American Democrats tend to support the more liberal candidates within their party
55. Which of the following form an "iron triangle"?
E.) Executive department, Congressional committee, interest group
9. The terms "fiscal federalism" and "cooperative federalism" refer to situations in which
E.) Federal, state, and local governments work together to complete a project, with the federal government providing much of the project funding
22. All of the following powers are granted to the President by the Constitution except
E.) Forming new cabinet- level departments
30. Most of the individual rights protections of the Bill of Rights now apply to the states because of the Supreme Court's interpretation of the Constitution's
E.) Fourteenth Amendment
Table titled: FEDERAL GRANTS-IN-AID 6. Which of the following statements can be supported from information in the table above? I. Federal grants to state and local governments have increased substantially in total dollar amount since 1950. II. In 1994 the federal government devoted a larger percentage of outlays to grants than in 1980. III. Between 1980 and 1990, grants decrease as a percentage of federal outlays. IV. In 1994 states were more dependent on federal grants for revenue than in 1990, 1970, or 1960.
E.) I, III, and IV only
42. All of the following have contributed to an increase in presidential power in the post 1945 era EXCEPT
E.) Legislation granting the President the power to impound funds appropriated by Congress
28. In the 1992 election, the membership of Congress was altered significantly by an increase in the number of
E.) Minorities and women
Table titled: Electoral Support for Democratic Candidates 16. The table best supports which of the following statements about party identification and voting behavior?
E.) People with strong Democratic party identification tend to vote for the Democratic party
27. Lobbyists try to influence legislators mainly through
E.) Providing legislators with information on technical issues
5. The primary function of political action committees (PAC's) is to
E.) Raise campaign funds to support favored candidates
8. The role of a conference committee in Congress is to
E.) Reconcile differences in bills passes by the House and the Senate
52. The congressional power that has been contested most frequently in the federal courts is the power to
E.) Regulate interstate commerce
22. The franking privilege refers to the
E.) Right of members of Congress to send mail to their constituents at the government's expense
13. Which of the following statements best describes the organization of the two major political parties in the United States?
E.) Separate and largely independent party organizations exist at national, state, and local levels
35. Which of the following statements about rules of procedure in the House and the Senate is correct?
E.) The House operates more by formal rules, while the Senate operates more on informal understandings.
14. Which of the following did the most to expand civil rights in the 1950s?
E.) The Supreme Court decision declaring state- mandated school segregation to be unconstitutional
7. When a lower court decision is appealed to the Supreme Court, which of the following is most likely to occur?
E.) The Supreme Court will not hear the appeal
19. The procedure for formally amending the United States Constitution best illustrates which of the following?
E.) The federal structure of the United States government
2. In which of the following scenarios would a presidential veto most likely be upheld?
E.) Two- thirds of the representatives and senators are members of the same party as the President
47. Critical elections in the United States typically have occurred
E.) When groups of voters have changed their traditional patterns of party loyalties
