Intro polysci chapter 2

Who was John Marshall?

A Chief Justice of the Supreme Court who made the S.C. powerful

Which of the following statements is true regarding party identification?

African Americans are the most solidly Democratic group.

______ refers to a congressional committee's investigation of the executive and of government agencies to ensure they are acting as Congress intends.

Congressional oversight

What is the double expectation gap?

Gap between presidential promises and powers of the office, Unlimited promises versus limited ability to deliver

Meeting and greeting foreign dignitaries is an example of which presidential role?

Head of state

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of the American legal system?

It is inquisitorial.

Who is the current Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?

John G. Roberts

What was pork barrel spending?

Pork barrel is a metaphor for the appropriation of government spending for localized projects secured solely or primarily to bring money to a representative's district

What is Judicial Review?

Power of the courts of a country to examine the actions of the legislative, executive, and administrative arms of the government and to determine whether such actions are consistent with the constitution. Actions judged inconsistent are declared unconstitutional and, therefore, null and void

The job of confirming presidential appointments belongs to the

Senate

The response of the president to what event led to Americans' belief that government should play a much more active role in helping solve problems beyond their control?

The Great Depression

Which of the following is the extremely powerful congressional committee that determines when debate on a bill will take place?

The House Rules Committee

Which of the following is NOT one of the checks and balances that Congress can use in relation to the executive branch?

The power to veto acts of the president

What does article II define?

The presidency

When the government is a party in a case before the Supreme Court, who argues the case?

The solicitor general

_____ is the process by which majority opinion becomes exaggerated because minorities do not feel comfortable speaking out in opposition.

The spiral of silence

Which of the following is generally NOT a problem with Internet polls?

They ask people questions about issues that the respondents have thought little about.

The president's pardoning power is

a Constitutional power to exempt someone from punishment.

When different versions of the same bill pass in the House and the Senate,

a conference committee is formed to bridge the gap between the bills

Presidents have a hard time maintaining support while in office because

a gap exists between what presidents promise and what the power of the office allows them to do.

Define bully pulpit

a public office or position of authority that provides its occupant with an outstanding opportunity to speak out on any issue.

Regarding the impact of the public in American national decision-making, the founders wanted

a system legitimated by the public but also protected from the possible dangers of the public's power.

The Rule of Four refers to the number of

activism

The purpose of explicit bureaucratic rules is to ensure that

all people who interact with the bureaucracy are treated in the same fashion.

The president's cabinet is composed of the

appointees heading each major department in the executive branch.

Cloture is a vote that

attempts to end a Senate filibuster

James David Barber classified presidents

based on their energy level and their orientation toward life

A major assumption that the founders had concerning the Electoral College was that electors would

be leading citizens who could be trusted to exercise good judgment.

Law that regulates relations between individuals is called

civil law.

The legal system that is applied uniformly, is based on the accumulated rulings of judges over time, and is predominately what is in place in the United States is called the _____ law tradition.

common

Presidents are limited to two full terms in office by

constitutional amendment.

The value of explicit rules in bureaucratic institutions is that they

create standardization and predictability.

Lawmaking and representation often conflict because of the

difference between national and local interests.

Both Senate and the House have the ability to filibuster

false

Bureaucracy is characterized by all of the following EXCEPT

flexible goals.

Bureaucracies are

found in both the public and private sectors.

The bulk of the federal bureaucracy is

found in the executive branch.

Redrawing congressional district boundaries to favor a particular group or party is known as

gerrymandering

The U.S. Courts of Appeals are arranged

in twelve circuits covering the District of Columbia and geographical groupings of states.

The greatest importance of standing committees is that they

increase congressional power by allowing detailed analysis and modification of legislation.

An open seat is one for which a(n)

incumbent is not running

The purpose of the 1973 War Powers Act was to

limit the president's ability to engage American forces in hostilities

Compared to other industrialized nations, the United States ranks _____ in voter participation.

near the bottom

When the Chicago Tribune mistakenly declared that Dewey had defeated Truman in the 1948 presidential election, the paper had made the mistake of

not realizing that some people decide who to vote for right up to the day of an election.

The most important factor in determining a member of Congress's vote is his or her

party affiliation.

The practice in which successful party candidates reward supporters with jobs or favors is known as

patronage

The term "iron triangles" refers to the

phenomenon of members of interest groups, congressional committees, and bureaucratic agencies cooperating for mutual benefit.

The primary effect of sunshine laws has been to open the

policymaking process to the public.

We can conclude from the history of polling that

polls are reliable only when they are timely and have been conducted using the proper scientific procedures.

Because of Chief Justice John Marshall's ruling in Marbury v. Madison, the

power of the Court vastly increased.

Inherent powers are the

presidential powers not explicitly stated in the Constitution.

The Executive Office of the President was formed to

provide expert advice, serve the interests of the president, and supply information.

All of the following types of polls attempt to provide reliable information EXCEPT

push polls.

According to the textbook, ______ gerrymandering is highly controversial.

racial

The reallocation of congressional seats among the states every ten years, following the census, is known as

reapportionment

The process of redrawing congressional districts to match population shifts in states with more than one representative is called

redistricting

The Supreme Court's treatment of the Patriot Act is an example of

restraint

The power of the courts to determine the constitutionality of laws is called judicial

review

If Americans wanted Congress to quit creating pork barrel projects, they would have to

reward their representatives more for engaging in national lawmaking and less for acts of representation.

The portion of the population selected to participate in a poll is known as the

sample

As commander-in-chief, the president

serves as the civilian head of the military.

What did us term limits v Thornton rule?

the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that states cannot impose qualifications for prospective members of the U.S. Congress stricter than those specified in the Constitution.

The relationship between sample size and sampling error is

the larger the sample, the smaller will be the sampling error.

Studies on political tolerance show that

the less educated and less politically sophisticated are the least tolerant groups in society.

Among the president's legislative powers are all of the following EXCEPT

the line-item veto.

In an adversarial system, as in place in the United States, the winning side is likely to be

the one with the most skilled attorney.

The Iran-contra controversy involved

the sale of arms to Iran in exchange for Iranian help in securing the release of American hostages in Lebanon with proceeds from those sales being diverted to Nicaraguan rebels.

The term "constituency" refers to

the voters in a district who elect a representative.

The significance of the president's inherent powers is that

they have been used to expand the powers of the presidency beyond what is explicitly stated in the Constitution.

The presidential impeachment process is intended to remove sitting presidents for

treason, bribery, and high crimes and misdemeanors.

In the United States, treaties are negotiated by the president and require

two-thirds approval from the Senate.

Bureaucracy is preferable to democracy in making decisions when

we require expertise and dispatch.

Most of the hard work of considering legislative alternatives and drafting legislation occurs

within congressional standing committees

Can a state kick you off the voting registration list (unregister you) for non-voting?

yes