MC Gov Review

Which of the following is an example of checks and balances? 1. An unpopular Supreme Court ruling can be overturned by a majority vote of both houses of Congress. 2. A rule issued by a bureaucratic agency may be declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. 3. A filibuster in the Senate can be ended with a cloture motion that has the support of 60 senators. 4. A treaty negotiated by the president with a foreign government must be approved by a majority vote of the House.

A rule issued by a bureaucratic agency may be declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

Congress is most likely to exert oversight of the executive bureaucracy in which of the following ways? 1. Directly selecting the head of an executive agency 2. Impeaching the head of an executive agency 3. Controlling an executive agency's annual budget 4. Changing the term length of heads of independent commissions

Controlling an executive agency's annual budget

In 1984, Congress passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984, stipulating that states must have a minimum drinking age of 21 in order to receive federal highway funding. This is an example of which of the following aspects of federal incentives? 1. Categorical grants 2. Mandates 3. Block grants 4. Revenue sharing

Mandates

A person votes for Democratic candidates based on the belief that the policies of the Democratic Party will be personally beneficial. This type of voting matches which of the following voting behavior models? 1. Prospective voting 2. Retrospective voting 3. Split-ticket voting 4. Sociological voting

Prospective voting

Which of the following factors most likely led to shifts in Supreme Court decision making over time? 1. The ideological composition of the justices on the Supreme Court shifted to become less liberal over time. 2. Rather than pass new legislation, Congress was inclined to refer civil rights legislation to the Supreme Court. 3. After 1960, the Supreme Court deferred to the wishes of state and local governments rather than voting to expand the authority of the federal government. 4. Constitutional amendments enabled the Supreme Court to issue more liberal decisions.

The ideological composition of the justices on the Supreme Court shifted to become less liberal over time.

Even with large majorities of their own party in Congress, presidents experience difficulty in exercising legislative leadership because... 1. the president must compete against state governors for influence 2. the weak nature of political parties hampers the president's ability to control Congress 3. the president's use of the veto is ineffective with Congress 4. the president seldom addresses the same issues as members of Congress

the weak nature of political parties hampers the president's ability to control Congress

Based on the passage above, which of the following constitutional provisions would the authority most likely identify as a solution to the problem of the imperial presidency? 1. Congress exercising the power to regulate commerce 2. Congress insisting that it declare war prior to the use of international force 3. The president making stronger use of bureaucratic discretion 4. Congress creating term limits for all members of government

Congress insisting that it declare war prior to the use of international force

Which of the following is an example of Congress using its implied powers? 1. Congress changing the tax code so that individuals making more than $350,000 per year have to pay higher taxes 2. Congress requesting that the Supreme Court review the constitutionality of a state gun-control law 3. Congress passing occupational safety regulations for the private sector 4. Congress ratifying a new trade agreement with Mexico and Canada

Congress passing occupational safety regulations for the private sector

Members of the United States House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure are concerned over increased accidents on national highways. Which of the following is an action the committee can take to address the problem? 1. Disbanding the Department of Transportation and allocating their responsibilities to other executive departments 2. Confiscating funds from the Department of Transportation until problems are resolved 3. Holding a hearing and subpoenaing high-level officials of the Department of Transportation 4. Replacing the secretary of the Department of Transportation with a member on the committee

Holding a hearing and subpoenaing high-level officials of the Department of Transportation

The primary and caucus election system of selecting presidential candidates has had which of the following effects? 1. It has loosened the hold of party leaders over the nomination process 2. It has increased the importance of state party organizations 3. It has reduced the role of citizens in the candidate selection process 4. It has lowered the cost of running for office

It has loosened the hold of party leaders over the nomination process

Which statement accurately summarizes the impact of the Gideon v. Wainwright (1963) decision? 1. It incorporated the right to legal counsel, as protected under the Sixth Amendment, to state and local governments 2. It increased states' power to restrict freedom of speech when it is shown to increase the danger to public safety 3. It required that police officers inform suspects under arrest of their Fifth and Sixth Amendment rights 4. It incorporated the Fourth Amendment to state and local governments

It incorporated the right to legal counsel, as protected under the Sixth Amendment, to state and local governments

The majority party in the Senate is concerned that the Supreme Court has made a number of ideologically dangerous and controversial rulings. Which of the following actions could betaken by the Senate to limit the Supreme Court's power? 1. Replace the chief justice of the Supreme Court with someone with whom they agree with ideologically 2. Pass legislation already passed by the House that would limit the impact of the Supreme Court's recent rulings 3. Ratify a constittuional amendment limiting the Supreme Court's power 4. Enforce term limits for justices on the Supreme Court

Pass legislation already passed by the House that would limit the impact of the Supreme Court's recent rulings

Which of the following policies is likely to create the most tension between the competing values of rule of law and limited government? 1. Reviewing presidential nominations for a cabinet position in a Senate hearing 2. Requesting the financial records for the Environmental Protection Agency 3. Seizing library records to investigate potential terrorists 4. Passing "right to work" legislation that lets people choose whether they want to join a labor union

Seizing library records to investigate potential terrorists

The commerce clause of the Constitution grants Congress the power to regulate interstate commerce. Which of the following might be an implied power that Congress would have to complete this task? 1. Banning billboard advertisements next to interstate highways 2. Setting a federal minimum wage 3. Funding intrastate highways within a state 4. Setting restrictions on how many crops a farm can produce

Setting a federal minimum wage

A person claiming that the House can pass legislation with a simple majority, but the Senate is unlikely to pass legislation unless a bill has the support of a 60-vote supermajority is most likely to cite which of the following institutional differences as the cause of this trend? 1. The House has fewer legislative committees than the Senate does. 2. Members of the House often represent a much narrower constituency than senators do. 3. Party leadership in the House is highly formalized, while leadership in the Senate is much more informal. 4. The House has strict limits on debate, while the Senate allows unlimited debate.

The House has strict limits on debate, while the Senate allows unlimited debate

An important Senate race takes place in the state of Georgia. Rather than focus on the issue positions taken by the candidates, a 24-hourcable news station instead focuses primarily on poll results and campaign strategies using a "big board " to show the counties where each candidate has the most support. Which of the following is an effect of this type of new coverage? 1. The electorate will be increasingly divided along partisan lines. 2. The electorate will be more likely to turn out to vote on Election Day. 3. The electorate will be more likely to have expanded knowledge of the electoral process. 4. The electorate will be less able to accurately compare the policy platforms of candidates running in the election.

The electorate will be less able to accurately compare the policy platforms of candidates running in the election.

Which constitutional change in the early twentieth century led to an increase in democratic participation in the United States? 1. The minimum legal voting age was reduced from 21 to 18 2. States no longer could segregate public schools under the principle of "separate but equal" 3. The method by which US senators are elected was changed 4. States' use of poll taxes to keep African Americans from voting was disallowed

The method by which US senators are elected was changed

A political science professor is researching the effects that the Fifteenth and Twenty-Sixth Amendments have had on the American political system. Which of the following is the most likely reason the professor is researching these amendments? 1. To study the expansion of the right to equal protection under the law 2. To study the expansion of voting rights 3. To study the expansion of due process rights 4. To study the expansion of federal authority over states

To study the expansion of voting rights

Which of the following scenarios explains how demographic factors affect voter participation in elections? 1. Political action committees (PACs) raise money from their donors, which they use to run television advertisements during campaigns. 2. Gerrymandered districts are likely to produce competitive districts, which leads to lower turnout rates in elections. 3. Wealthier individuals are more likely to become involved in campaigns because they believe that their actions may influence the candidates. 4. Individuals who belong to marginalized groups are likely to participate in elections because their issues are often highlighted by political party leaders.

Wealthier individuals are more likely to become involved in campaigns because they believe that their actions may influence the candidates.

All of the following are tactics used by interest groups to influence the political process EXCEPT 1. distributing incumbents' voting records before upcoming elections 2. filing amicus briefs before the Supreme Court 3. keeping all lobbying records confidential 4. creating political action committees (PAC's) to donate funds to candidates

keeping all lobbying records confidential

Two interest groups are competing for influence in Congress. One group represents banking institutions, while the other advocates for consumer protections. A critic of the influence of interest groups would make which of the following claims? 1. The interest groups will nominate a slate of candidates for office to compete against each other in the next election in order to determine which interests prevail. 2. The consumer protection group will appeal only to Republican leaders, while the banking interests will appeal only to Democratic leaders. 3. The banking interest group likely has greater financial resources and access to policy makers than the consumer protection group. 4. The consumer protection group is prohibited by federal regulations from direct lobbying.

The banking interest group likely has greater financial resources and access to policy makers than the consumer protection group.

On November 2, 2014, a Gallup poll reported that 51 percent of Americans support legalizing marijuana, while 47 percent oppose legalization. The reported margin of sampling error was +/- 4 percent. Which of the following inferences can be made from the poll? 1. More people support marijuana legalization than oppose it. 2. More states are passing laws in support of marijuana legalization. 3. A majority of people under 35 years of age support legalizing marijuana. 4. It is unclear whether more people support marijuana legalization than oppose it.

It is unclear whether more people support marijuana legalization than oppose it.

On February 9, 2016, President Barack Obama released his budget proposal for the 2017 fiscal year. Facing a Republican Congress, many declared the plan "dead on arrival. " Among the cited issues was Obama's request for $582.7 billion in discretionary spending for defense, which many Republicans believed was not enough. Which of the following most accurately explains the interaction between the president and the Congress regarding the defense budget? 1. The Congress had the enumerated power to raise revenue, but it is forced to work with the president because the president has the power to determine spending for each department in the upcoming fiscal year. 2. The president can create a budget for defense spending, but Congress has the power to execute laws and operate the government, which can affect how much money is actually spent. 3. Congress passes a budget for the entire federal government, including defense, but it must consider the president's proposal because the president may veto the bill. 4. The president introduces a specific budget bill for defense spending, but Congress uses its power of legislative oversight to set up a negotiation process with the president.

Congress passes a budget for the entire federal government, including defense, but it must consider the president's proposal because the president may veto the bill.