Gov. Midterm
Why would state officials prefer block grants over other types of federal grants?
Block grants give states broad discretion in how to use the funds.
Which of the following is an example of checks and balances?
The president nominates judges, and the Senate confirms them.
According to the theory of pluralism, what role do interest groups play in a democracy?
They ensure that government decisions reflect the public interest
How did the Framers ease the path to ratification of the Constitution?
by requiring nine out of 13 states to approve the document
The First Amendment protects which of the following?
freedom of the press
Which of the following developments illustrates the gradual democratization of the Constitution?
passage of the Seventeenth Amendment, providing for the direct election of senators
As described in Article V of the Constitution, the two stages of the amendment process are __________.
proposal and ratification
Political scientist Harold Lasswell defined politics as ___
who gets what, when, and how
A typical feature of a government program involving cooperative federalism is __________.
shared costs
In spelling out economic powers, the Constitution prohibited states from __________.
taxing imports from other states
Suppose you are a leader of an interest group seeking to organize a public march and demonstration in a city. What steps will you most likely need to take to comply with the law?
Apply for a permit identifying the time and place of the event, and post a bond.
What was a key difference between Federalists and Anti-Federalists in the type of government they preferred?
Federalists preferred longer terms of office, while Anti-Federalists preferred shorter terms.
What did the delegates to the Constitutional Convention have in common?
Most had practical political experience.
Under the Articles of Confederation, how did Congress raise revenue to maintain an army and navy?
by requesting money from the states
Which of the following is an example of a collective good?
clean water
The Supreme Court case Marbury v. Madison is significant because it __________.
established the Court's power of judicial review
In their attitudes toward rights and liberties, Americans are generally __________.
inconsistent
What aspect of democratic government did the authors of the Constitution oppose?
majority rule
Which type of policy is illustrated by American jets bombing ISIS targets in Syria?
presidential action
The Supreme Court's decision upholding a Milwaukee, Wisconsin, ordinance forbidding picketing in residential neighborhoods illustrates that __________.
privacy and safety concerns can outweigh the right to assemble
Police need __________ before they can make a lawful arrest.
probable cause
According to Gouverneur Morris and many other delegates at the Constitutional Convention, the main purpose of government was to __________.
protect private property
Which of the following is an example of devolution?
repealing federal speed limits
The three-fifths compromise dealt with how slaves would be counted for what two purposes?
representation in the House and taxation
The primary goal of the American Revolution was to __________.
restore rights colonists felt were theirs as British subjects
According to English philosopher John Locke, natural rights consist of __________.
rights inherent in human beings, not dependent on governments
The delegates at the Constitutional Convention believed the new constitution would control factions by __________.
setting power against power
Which of the following is a characteristic of a republic?
elections in which people select representatives
In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson primarily emphasized the __________.
ways in which George III had abused the colonies
What do all countries with federal systems have in common?
All are democracies.
Which Supreme Court case upheld the right to associate with people who share a common interest?
NAACP v. Alabama
__________ is a political philosophy supporting the rights of average citizens in their struggles against privileged elites.
Populism
The United Nations is an example of what type of governing system?
a confederation
The most important application of privacy rights in Supreme Court decisions has been in which area?
abortion
Compared to other advanced industrialized democracies, voter turnout in the United States is ___
among the lowest in the world
Which of the following is an example of symbolic speech?
burning an American flag
The full faith and credit clause makes it possible for courts to enforce __________.
contracts between business firms across state boundaries
A free press is essential to which of Robert Dahl's criteria for an ideal democratic process?
enlightened understanding
Which action by the federal government would most likely be unconstitutional?
establishment of a state-supported church
What term used today is closest to the Framers' notion of a faction?
interest group
The Supreme Court allows restrictions on commercial speech when the speech __________.
is misleading
The Constitution denies states the power to __________.
issue paper money
Which of the following is a permissible restriction on the Second Amendment?
limits on the possession of firearms by felons
One drawback of the protections contained in the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Amendments is that they __________.
make it more difficult to convict criminals
The influence of single-issue groups on political participation is best illustrated by the fact that ___
members of these groups often cast their votes based solely on these issues
Government spending at the national, state, and local levels accounts for about __________ of the United States' gross domestic product (GDP).
one-third
The policymaking system is the process by which ___
policy comes into being evolves
Political scientists Marc Hetherington and Thomas Rudolph argue that policy gridlock is becoming more common due to __________.
rising distrust between Democrats and Republicans
What is the most common system of government in the world?
unitary government
Which of the following is a consequence of the Supreme Court's decision in Gideon v. Wainwright?
A defendant accused of a felony in state court must be provided with an attorney.
Why did the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) fail?
Due to opposition from Southern states, it failed to get the support of three-fourths of state legislatures.
How were votes allocated in the national legislature under the Articles of Confederation?
Each state had one vote.
The first Supreme Court case to assert that the Constitution contains an implied right to privacy was __________.
Griswold v. Connecticut
Which of the following is a similarity between the Supreme Court's decisions in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey?
In both cases, the Court affirmed the basic right to abortion.
When there is a conflict between individuals seeking to express themselves and government seeking to constrain them, what is the typical outcome in the American political system?
Individuals usually win.
Why did the Constitution drafted at the Constitutional Convention say little about personal freedoms?
The Framers believed that the Constitution would protect freedoms through limited government.
Which argument would gun control advocates most likely make regarding the Second Amendment?
The Second Amendment applies only to states' right to form militias.
How do confederations and federal systems differ in terms of the power held by the central government?
The central government has less power in a confederation than in a federal system.
What happened to the quasi-federal system of the former Soviet Union?
The national government dissolved, and smaller unitary governments formed.
Which of the following is a consequence of the system of checks and balances and the separation of powers?
There is a bias toward the status quo.
What major concession did the Federalists make to the Anti-Federalists?
They agreed to add a bill of rights to the Constitution.
In their attitudes about religion, how do Americans differ from citizens of other democracies with developed economies?
They are more tolerant of religious extremists.
Why was Shays's Rebellion so concerning to economic and political elites?
They believed it might lead to a full-fledged revolution.
What do the Supreme Court cases United States v. Lopez and United States v. Morrison have in common?
They both rely on limited interpretations of the interstate commerce clause.
What has been the most important effect of constitutional amendments?
the expansion of individual rights and liberties
Which of the following best explains the success of federal efforts to get states to raise the drinking age to 21?
the federal government's use of crossover sanctions
One purpose of the police guidelines for questioning that were established in Miranda v. Arizona was to protect __________.
the right to counsel
What was a major factor leading to passage of the Twenty-sixth Amendment, which lowered the voting age to 18?
the sacrifices of young soldiers in Vietnam
What was the purpose of the Federalist Papers?
to convince people to support the new Constitution
Which of the following is a limit on the supremacy of national law over state law?
National law must be consistent with the Constitution.
Which of the following countries has a federal system of government?
Canada
Of the 190 or so nations in the world, the number with federal systems is between __________.
10 and 20
Which of the following statements best characterizes Americans' attitudes toward abortion?
A majority of Americans believe that abortion should be legal, but that some restrictions are acceptable.
Why have federal courts ruled against state laws requiring schools to teach creation science or intelligent design?
Courts have ruled that these laws promote a particular religion in the classroom.
How do civil liberties contribute to the expansion of the scope of government?
Expansion of government is sometimes necessary to protect rights and liberties.
What impact did McDonald v. Chicago have on the application of the Second Amendment?
It extended the right to bear arms to the state and local level.
Why are libel cases against public figures difficult to win?
It is difficult to prove that a publication was intentionally malicious.
In Lemon v. Kurtzman, the Supreme Court declared that government aid to church-related schools is permissible as long as it meets which of the following conditions?
It must have a secular purpose.
What precedent did the Supreme Court set with respect to prior restraint in Near v. Minnesota?
It ruled that prior restraint is usually prohibited by the First Amendment.
How did the Supreme Court interpret the Bill of Rights in its opinion in Barron v. Baltimore?
It ruled that the Bill of Rights applied only to the national government.
How does the plea-bargaining process work to the advantage of government?
It saves the government time and money.
Which generalization about a government's policy agenda is most likely to be accurate?
It will change frequently.
Which policy area constitutes the largest share of the national budget?
Social Security
Which statement best describes the power of state governments in federal systems?
States share power with the central government.
How did the Supreme Court rule in the 2006 case in which law schools argued against a law requiring them to grant military recruiters access to their students?
The Court upheld the law, finding it regulated conduct, not speech.
What was the Supreme Court's interpretation of the Second Amendment in District of Columbia v. Heller?
The Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm.
What has been the major trend with respect to budget deficits since the late 1960s?
The federal government has run a budget deficit in most years.
A conservative would likely focus on which of the following arguments against the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program?
The program encourages dependency that makes poverty worse.
How did the delegates at the Constitutional Convention decide on who should be eligible to vote?
They gave states the authority to determine voter eligibility.
Which of the following factors contributed to colonists' strong support for the Bill of Rights?
They had experienced abuses under British rule.
In the past five decades, what trend has occurred with respect to defendants' rights?
They have seen increased protections.
What is the main role of linkage institutions in the policymaking system
They transmit people's preferences to policymakers.
Approximately one out of every __ dollars earned in america goes to national, state, and local taxes.
Three
What was the most significant change in the states under the Articles of Confederation?
the adoption of bills of rights and laws reducing barriers to political participation
What purpose is most clearly reflected in the Framers' use of special electors to choose the president?
to place government beyond the direct control of the majority
Which common function of government is illustrated by the national guard's response to rioting in Baltimore in 2015 following the death of Freddie Gray?
to preserve order
Why did the British Parliament impose new taxes on colonists following the French and Indian War?
to raise revenue for the defense of newly acquired territory
The Pledge of Allegiance in schools is most directly related to what common function of government?
to socialize the young
What is the most common form of political participation in a democracy?
voting
In a court case concerning whether Amish parents can refuse to send their children to public schools, what would be the central constitutional question?
whether the practice is protected under the free exercise clause