POLS Exam 3: Multiple Choice
Fewer than ________ percent of the cases heard by federal appeals courts are later reviewed by the Supreme Court 10 1 33 25 55
1
Economic groups have an advantage over noneconomic groups because they have greater access to financial resources they nearly always have larger memberships they are organized primarily for political purposes they have better leadership their members are committed to their causes
they have greater access to financial resources
A president's accomplishments have largely depended on: the margin of victory in the presidential campaign mid-term elections whether circumstances favor strong presidential leadership the president's ability to come up with good ideas the president's skill at balancing the demands of competing groups
whether circumstances favor strong presidential leadership
Committees kill approximately ________ percent of the bills submitted in Congress 66 90 40 10 25
90
Nearly ________ percent of all PAC contributions go to the incumbents 30 70 50 10 90
90
About ________ percent of the nation's legal cases are decided in state court systems 75 25 10 95 50
95
A basic reason for the existence of so many interest groups in the United States is the American tradition of free association the separation of powers in American government All these answers are correct the extent of diverse interests in American society America's federal system of government
All these answers are correct
Compared with the Senate majority leader, the Speaker of the House has more power because the House places more limits on debate the House is the larger chamber in terms of membership the House has less of a tradition as a chamber of equals All these answers are correct the Speaker is that chamber's presiding officer
All these answers are correct
In selecting judges, the states rely on what method? merit selection competitive elections of a partisan nature political appointment competitive elections of a nonpartisan nature All these answers are correct
All these answers are correct
Incumbents may have some problems in reelection campaigns if All these answers are correct disruptive issues such as general public discontent with Congress become prominent the election is a midterm election, and the incumbent is of the same party as the president through redistricting, the incumbent is placed in a disadvantageous district the incumbent is tainted with charges of personal misconduct or corruption
All these answers are correct
The federal district courts: are the chief trial courts of the federal system are the only federal courts where the two sides present their case to a jury for a verdict exist in each state All these answers are correct are the courts that, in practice, make the final decision in most federal cases
All these answers are correct
Which of the following did the framers want from a president: command of the military national leadership All these answers are correct statesmanship in foreign affairs administration of the laws
All these answers are correct
The president's role in foreign policy increased largely because: of the need to coordinate national economic policy and foreign policy, a task to which the presidency was well suited of the desire of U.S. business to expand into Latin America and Asia, which required executive action at the highest level America became more of a world power Congress proved so inept in foreign affairs that the American people demanded a change of attitudes held by the American public
America became more of a world power
Congress authorized an official impeachment investigation of Bill Clinton Theodore Roosevelt Calvin Coolidge John Quincy Adams Warren Harding
Bill Clinton
The dominant policymaking political institution during most of the nineteenth century was the president and the executive branch Congress the mass media the bureaucracy the Supreme Court
Congress
The number and types of lower federal courts is established by the Constitution the Supreme Court Congress the Justice Department the president
Congress
The forced removal of a president from office through impeachment and conviction requires action by the: Senate only House of Representatives only House and Senate in separate proceedings Supreme Court in a judicial proceeding Vice President and Cabinet
House and Senate in separate proceedings
The presidency was created by Article ________ of the U.S. Constitution III I VII II IV
II
Economist Mancur Olson refers to what aspect of interest groups as "the size factor"? Small interest groups can often enhance their bargaining power by linking themselves to the agenda of a larger interest group that has greater resources The interests of groups with large memberships would typically prevail over the interests of smaller groups Small groups are ordinarily more united on policy issues and often have more resources, enabling them to win out more often than large groups The smaller an interest group, the more likely that its motivating issue will be subsumed by the agenda of a larger interest group Larger interest groups are able to draw on greater financial resources, which makes them more capable of getting the ear of lawmakers and thus achieving policy change
Small groups are ordinarily more united on policy issues and often have more resources, enabling them to win out more often than large groups
The second-most powerful federal official (after the president) is often said to be the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives chair of the House Appropriations Committee Senate majority leader president pro tempore of the U.S. Senate
Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
The Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) ultimately led to the creation of election reform Super PACs the AARP PACs independent-expenditure-committees (IECs)
Super PACs
Which of the following is true of the vice presidency? Jimmy Carter reduced the power of the vice presidency by removing the vice president's office from the White House Daniel Webster and Henry Clay accepted nominations to the vice presidency as stepping stones to the presidency The constitutional powers of the vice presidency have been increased by Congress twice during U.S. history Presidents in the nineteenth century paid more attention to their vice presidents and granted them more authority The Constitution assigns no executive authority to the vice president
The Constitution assigns no executive authority to the vice president
Which of the following is true of the president's veto power? Congress can usually muster the two-thirds majority in each chamber required to override a presidential veto Presidents are limited in their use of the veto on legislation directly affecting national security or economic policy The threat of a veto has never proven to be enough to make Congress bend to the president's demands President Bush used the veto less and less during the course of his presidency so as not to cause his popularity to fall The veto is as much a sign of presidential weakness as of strength, because it arises when Congress refuses to accept the president's ideas
The veto is as much a sign of presidential weakness as of strength, because it arises when Congress refuses to accept the president's ideas
By and large, partisanship is more important in foreign policy than in domestic policy a huge source of both cohesion within parties and division between parties within Congress relevant only in the context of local representation irrelevant to the work of Congress important in lawmaking and representation but not in oversight
a huge source of both cohesion within parties and division between parties within Congress
The term stare decisis refers to: judicial review judicial restraint excessive partisanship adherence to precedent judicial activism
adherence to precedent
The facts of a case are important only if the case involves a statutory dispute affect which law or laws will apply to the case are largely irrelevant, in that the judiciary has wide freedom with decisions are important about 50 percent of the time are important only if the case involves a constitutional dispute
affect which law or laws will apply to the case
Which of the following is a recent trend in the appointment of new federal judges and justices? a lower rate of appointment due to longer serving times of federal judges and justices a decrease in partisan reasons for nomination an increase in the number of federal judges and justices with prior judicial experience an increase in the ease of Senate confirmation a higher rate of appointment of judges that have served as political appointees
an increase in the number of federal judges and justices with prior judicial experience
The Supreme Court is likely to grant a hearing when a case involves: an issue dealing with state constitutional law an issue of state law as opposed to an issue of federal law the possibility that an innocent person has been wrongly convicted of a crime an issue that is being decided inconsistently by the lower courts, also called a circuit split an issue of private law as opposed to an issue of public law
an issue that is being decided inconsistently by the lower courts, also called a circuit split
With regard to public opinion, the Supreme Court : attempts to follow it very closely in order to create public enthusiasm for its rulings remains uninformed about it because justices stay on the bench for life and never face the public scrutiny of an election ignores it in order to make decisions that are based on enduring values rather than the public's passing whims None of these answers is correct attempts to stay close enough to public opinion so as to avoid outright defiance of its decisions
attempts to stay close enough to public opinion so as to avoid outright defiance of its decisions
The influence of interest groups through the courts occurs through lobbying for certain judges to be appointed to the bench both initiating lawsuits and lobbying for certain judges to be appointed to the bench PACs outside lobbying only initiating lawsuits
both initiating lawsuits and lobbying for certain judges to be appointed to the bench
The largest number of PACs are those associated with education labor single-issue groups, such as environmental groups and right-to-life groups agriculture business
business
Through a vote for cloture, the Senate confirms presidential appointees can end a filibuster overrides a presidential pocket veto closes its legislative session for the year accepts the House version of a bill
can end a filibuster
Some groups pursue collective goods. A collective good is one that None of these answers is correct cannot be selectively granted or denied to individuals; it must be shared is secured by Congress is provided by a public service organization is secured by the president
cannot be selectively granted or denied to individuals; it must be shared
Campaign spending tends to be a much greater challenge for candidates in urban areas than for candidates in rural areas Democratic candidates men than for women Republican candidates challengers and nonincumbents than for incumbents
challengers and nonincumbents than for incumbents
The air we breathe is an example of a: mass-produced good private good material good collective good negative externality
collective good
When the House and Senate pass different versions of a bill, the differences are resolved by a joint committee select committee conference committee rules committee standing committee
conference committee
The power of the Supreme Court is most apparent in its ability to: impeach federal judges who consistently ignore its rulings declare another institution's action to be unconstitutional issue advisory opinions when Congress is considering a new bill issue advisory opinions to the president on a regular basis override any decision of a state court
declare another institution's action to be unconstitutional
According to the doctrine of judicial restraint, the judiciary should defer to precedent and to decisions made by legislature conform to the will of the people as measured by public opinion polls decline to make any decision that requires judges to give added meaning to the words of the Constitution deny individual rights when they conflict with the majority's desires deny most appeals for retrials
defer to precedent and to decisions made by legislature
The lowest level of the federal court system is the justice of the peace circuit court of appeal district court supreme judicial tribunal highest level of the state courts
district court
The most fully organized and powerful interests are those that have which of the following as their primary purpose? economic activity agriculture labor reform civil liberties reform of government
economic activity
What is the strategy employed in the Senate to prevent a bill from coming to a vote? cloture mark up pocket veto filibuster conference committee
filibuster
The situation in which individuals are tempted not to contribute to a cause because they will get the benefits even if they do not participate is called the free-rider problem zero-sum game special-interest paradox disincentive factor size factor
free-rider problem
States that apply the unit rule: do not use the Electoral College system are not considered to be states in which there is a competitive race between candidates use the caucus instead of the primary for presidential candidate selection grant all their electoral votes as a unit to the candidate who wins the state's popular vote hold a single primary for presidential candidates from each major party
grant all their electoral votes as a unit to the candidate who wins the state's popular vote
The primary election as a means of choosing presidential nominees was introduced during the Cleveland era was introduced during the Jacksonian era is designed to strengthen the political parties has been used more extensively in recent decades, such that the candidate who dominates the primaries can usually expect to receive the nomination is used in Europe as well as in the United States
has been used more extensively in recent decades, such that the candidate who dominates the primaries can usually expect to receive the nomination
The president's constitutional roles, such as chief executive and commander in chief, are not subject to check by Congress are absolute powers under the Constitution are rooted in tradition only; they have no basis in the language of the Constitution have expanded in practice to be more powerful than the writers of the Constitution intended are based on very precise constitutional grants of power
have expanded in practice to be more powerful than the writers of the Constitution intended
News media coverage of Congress and the president is heavily tilted toward presidential coverage typically focused on areas where there is consensus between the two institutions typically focused on areas where the House as opposed to the Senate is the leading chamber largely focused on Congress and its members about equal in amount
heavily tilted toward presidential coverage
According to the Constitution, the federal courts can issue a decision only: in cases where the U.S. government is one of the parties involved in the dispute, and where the cases were heard previously by a state court and appealed by the losing party None of these answers is correct on cases heard previously by a state court and appealed by the losing party in response to actual legal cases in cases where the U.S. government is one of the parties involved in the dispute
in response to actual legal cases
PACs tend to contribute the most money to challengers Independents liberal Republicans liberal Democrats incumbents
incumbents
Compared with the decision in a Supreme Court case, the opinion is more significant because it: reveals the conflicts between the justices, which the president and Congress can use in determining their position on judicial appointments and new legislation informs others of the Court's interpretation of the laws and thereby guides their decisions addresses the constitutional aspects of a case, whereas the decision addresses the statutory aspects None of these answers is correct determines the losing party in a case and the penalty to be imposed on this party
informs others of the Court's interpretation of the laws and thereby guides their decisions
Whereas today candidates rely on the media, previously they based their campaigns on the: efforts of friendly civilian and corporate group efforts staging of personal appearances party organizations work of grass-roots organizers mass mailing of campaign literature
party organizations
The judiciary's status as an independent branch of national government depends on judicial review, which grants the judiciary the authority to: invalidate the actions of other institutions when judges believe they have acted unconstitutionally ignore public opinion when making decisions strike down certain sections of the Constitution decide which laws apply to a particular case make political decisions; judges can overturn any congressional or presidential decision they personally dislike
invalidate the actions of other institutions when judges believe they have acted unconstitutionally
The Whig theory holds that the presidency is a limited office whose occupant is confined to the exercise of expressly granted constitutional powers should provide strong leadership in the area of foreign policy but not in domestic policy is a shared office where the president and the cabinet are equally powerful is the office most representative of the people is subordinate to the Supreme Court
is a limited office whose occupant is confined to the exercise of expressly granted constitutional powers
Which of the following is one of the three major functions of Congress's policymaking role? lawmaking check the president check the Supreme Court appease special interests inform the people
lawmaking
Bills are formally introduced in Congress by All these answers are correct interest groups the Supreme Court executive agencies members of Congress only
members of Congress only
The "federal court myth" overlooks the fact that: most cases arise under state law, not federal law; nearly all cases that originate in state courts are never reviewed by federal courts; and federal courts must normally accept the facts of a case as determined by a state court when reviewing its decision most cases arise under state law, not federal law None of these answers is correct federal courts must normally accept the facts of a case as determined by a state court when reviewing its decision nearly all cases that originate in state courts are never reviewed by federal courts
most cases arise under state law, not federal law; nearly all cases that originate in state courts are never reviewed by federal courts; and federal courts must normally accept the facts of a case as determined by a state court when reviewing its decision
Which of the following is a formal constitutional requirement for becoming president? must be at least 60 years of age must be a resident in the United States for at least 30 years must be a natural-born citizen must be a white male must be a Protestant
must be a natural-born citizen
If the House Rules Committee applies the "closed rule" to a bill, no filibusters will be allowed to prevent a vote the bill will not be allowed a vote no further floor debate is allowed the bill will require a 2/3 majority for passage no amendments will be permitted
no amendments will be permitted
The presidency is an: office where power depends almost entirely on its occupant; strong leaders are always successful presidents, and weak ones never succeed office where power is fairly constant, regardless of the occupant or the circumstances office in which power is conditional, depending on whether the political support that gives force to presidential leadership exists or can be developed inherently weak office, in that presidents have almost no capacity to influence the major directions of national policy extraordinarily strong office with sufficient powers to enable the president to control national policy under virtually all circumstances
office in which power is conditional, depending on whether the political support that gives force to presidential leadership exists or can be developed
Congress typically takes presidential proposals None of these answers is correct and tables them until they expire only if the dominant party is the same as the president's party and most often fast-tracks them into law only as a starting point
only as a starting point
The appointment of federal judges is influenced most substantially by: partisanship logrolling pork barreling personal friendships affirmative action
partisanship
The theory that society's interests are most effectively represented through group action is: interest-group liberalism pluralist theory republicanism elitist theory constitutionalism
pluralist theory
Legislation whose tangible benefits are targeted solely at a particular legislator's constituency is frequently called logrolling pork-barrel legislation private legislation public interest legislation gerrymandering
pork-barrel legislation
A judicial decision that establishes a rule for settling subsequent cases of a similar nature is a : writ of certiorari writ of error landmark decision writ of mandamus precedent
precedent
The selection of the vice presidential nominee at the national convention is based on the presidential nominee's choice of a running mate results of public opinion polls taken just before the convention begins None of these answers is correct results of the primaries and caucuses; the candidate who places second in these contests is nominated as the running mate of the candidate who finishes first convention delegates' judgment as to the candidate who would make the best vice president
presidential nominee's choice of a running mate
Grassroots lobbying is based on the assumption that officials will respond to pressure from constituents well-reasoned policy arguments moral pleas the efforts of party organizations the opportunity for extensive media publicity
pressure from constituents
"Agency capture" occurs when: a regulatory agency funnels money back into the lobbying organizations that are seeking policy changes a regulatory agency must be dismantled because it has become corrupted regulatory agencies side with the industries they are supposed to regulate rather than with the public an election results in the replacement of an agency's leadership through appointive positions under a new president the executive branch takes back control of a regulatory agency by passing regulation to prevent undue influence by lobbying organizations
regulatory agencies side with the industries they are supposed to regulate rather than with the public
The U.S. courts of appeals: decide for the Supreme Court the cases it will review are the highest courts to use juries None of these answers is correct review District Court decisions hear new evidence in appealed cases
review District Court decisions
Senators are generally less likely to take directions from their leaders than House members because: House rules mandate that all party members on major bills must vote according to the directions of their leaders senators are prohibited by their state legislatures from taking orders from others senators think of themselves as being equals and are only willing to be led by persuasion senators are more highly paid than House members and are thus immune from financial threats All these answers are correct
senators think of themselves as being equals and are only willing to be led by persuasion
In the nation's first century, service in Congress was greatly preferred to service in state government service in Congress was restricted by the imposition of term limits in many states service in Congress was not seen as a lifetime career for most of its members service in Congress was even more of a lifetime career than it is now members of Congress would move from House to Senate and back with little concern for the relative power and prestige of the chambers
service in Congress was not seen as a lifetime career for most of its members
When George W. Bush claimed the prerogative to not enforce those portions of a bill that he deemed unconstitutional, he did so using a technique for extending executive power known as the: declaratory exclusion unitary executive authority strike-out declaration signing statement line-item veto
signing statement
According to the U.S. Constitution, if no one candidate receives a majority vote of the Electoral College, who chooses the president? the Supreme Court the U.S. House of Representatives both the Senate and House in joint session the people, in a runoff election the U.S. Senate
the U.S. House of Representatives
The citizens of ________ are most actively involved in interest groups and community causes Germany the United States Great Britain France Italy
the United States
The honeymoon period occurs during : a president's second term only the period of a president's term immediately following a successful domestic policy initiative the State of the Union address the first part of a president's term the period of a president's term immediately following a successful foreign policy initiative
the first part of a president's term
Why have issue networks become more prevalent? the increasing influence of PACs the instability of candidates' positions the increasing complexity of policy problems the increasing diversity of interest groups the increasing power of corporate lobbying
the increasing complexity of policy problems
A flaw in pluralism theory is the fact that the interest group system is unrepresentative because some interests are far better organized and more powerful than others All these answers are correct political parties better represent different interests than do interest groups larger groups always prevail politically over smaller groups the public interest is never served by policies that promote special interests
the interest group system is unrepresentative because some interests are far better organized and more powerful than others
A purposive incentive is defined as a goal of direct economic gain a goal benefiting a specific group corporate profit any common purpose that brings groups together the opportunity to contribute to a worthy goal or purpose
the opportunity to contribute to a worthy goal or purpose
Most of the legislative work of Congress is performed by the joint committees chosen to coordinate actions between the two chambers of Congress party leaders in both chambers the steering committees that decide how the party stands on particular bills the select committees chosen to study special problems on a temporary basis the standing committees and their subcommittees with jurisdiction over particular policy areas
the standing committees and their subcommittees with jurisdiction over particular policy areas
If the president vetoes a bill: the veto can be overridden by a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate the bill dies for at least ten years the veto can be overridden by a simple majority vote in both the House and Senate the bill can be reintroduced in the next session, but cannot pass in the session during which it was vetoed the veto can be overridden by a two-thirds vote in either the House or Senate
the veto can be overridden by a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate
Citizens' interest groups are distinguished from economic interest groups by the fact that All these answers are correct they do not lobby government officials directly, but rely instead on public service announcements to get their views across to society their members receive no direct economic benefit from attainment of the group's goals they always pursue goals in which there is a high level of agreement among society members their leaders are elected by secret ballot of the group's members
their members receive no direct economic benefit from attainment of the group's goals
In acknowledging the dilemma inherent in group activity, James Madison: argued that government must restrict the activities of groups, so that political parties could act as the major instrument of democracy claimed that government could listen to all groups, but should only enact policies that promote the interests of majority groups All these answers are correct worried that government would be overly dominated by groups, but recognized that a free society is obliged to permit the advocacy of self-interest argued that the free-rider problem would hurt some groups more than others
worried that government would be overly dominated by groups, but recognized that a free society is obliged to permit the advocacy of self-interest
