study guide 2

What is it called when a popular president running for reelection brings additional party candidates into office?

The presidential coattails effect

When a newly elected Senator establishes their office, how is their office budget determined?

The size of the state the Senator represents

Which statement accurately reflects judicial restraint, activism, and ideology?

The vast majority of judges are restrained toward laws that they agree with ideologically but are willing to overturn laws that they are distant from ideologically.

In the 1960s, members of underrepresented groups such as women and African Americans objected to the Democratic Party's use of the unit rule to nominate presidents, which stated that whoever won the majority of primary or state nominating convention votes won all of the state's delegates. What is this rule called?

The winner-take-all system

What is a civil suit?

A lawsuit filed by a person, organization, or government against another person, organization, or government

What does a candidate need to win a presidential election?

A majority of electoral votes

Coined by Hugh Heclo, which term describes the fluid and open relationship between interest groups and government?

Issue networks

What is the primary disadvantage to the hierarchical decision making in the federal bureaucracy?

It can present an obstacle to speedy decision making.

Which statement describes spending on presidential elections from 2000 to 2016?

It has risen sharply.

What authority given to Congress is the most instrumental in expanding its power relative to the other branches of government?

Taxation and appropriation

Which political movement began with protests against the nearly $800 billion stimulus package, which Congress passed in 2009 in the hopes of ending the financial crisis that began in 2008?

Tea Party

Which women's suffrage advocate was arrested after her attempt to vote in 1872?

Susan B. Anthony

Which Supreme Court case argued that Congress could only apply the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to states, not individuals?

United States v. Cruikshank

Which Supreme Court case indicated that the president's power of executive privilege is not absolute?

United States v. Nixon

What are noncontroversial issues that are not likely to differ between candidates called?

Valence issues

What is the presidential authority to block legislation called?

Veto

Who can cast a tie-breaking vote in the Senate?

Vice President

How does the average rate of voter turnout in the U.S. compare to that of other democracies?

Voter turnout is lower.

In which type of voting system are citizens required by law to vote?

Compulsory

An opinion that agrees with the majority opinion but has a separate rationale for doing so is called what?

Concurring

Who exercises power of the purse to keep the bureaucracy accountable and responsive?

Congress

What groups can raise and give an unlimited amount of money to political candidates?

Super PACs

The Framers wanted to make sure the president followed the intent of Congress, but they gave the office of the president wide discretion in how to carry out laws. Given this information, what was the primary purpose of Article II, Section 3 in the United States Constitution?

"to take care that laws be faithfully executed"

What theory suggests that leaders in any organization eventually behave in their own self-interest?

Iron law of oligarchy

What is the minimum age for a House of Representatives member and a U.S senator, respectively?

25; 30

Around what age does voter turnout peak in the United States?

60

The only way to stop a filibuster is by invoking cloture, a motion to end debate that requires a supermajority. How many senators constitute a supermajority?

60

What is a standing committee?

A permanent congressional committee

In July 2017, President Trump nominated Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. This judicial nomination required the approval by a majority of the Senate. What is this power called?

Advice and consent

What does the National Voter Registration Act require states to do?

Allow voters to register when they apply for or renew their driver's licenses

Which of the following describes a type of brief that interest groups submit as "friends of the court"?

Amicus curiae

Which term describes a written brief that individuals or interest groups submit to the court when they have an interest in a lawsuit but are not themselves direct parties to the suit?

Amicus curiae

What is a delegate?

An official representative sent to a conference

Which president was the first to be impeached?

Andrew Johnson

An individual accused and convicted of a crime believes that the trial court made a mistake applying the law to the case. What can the accused legally do in this case?

Appeal

Most congressional powers are listed in which section of the Constitution?

Article I, Section 8

Which section of the Constitution gave the president the power of appointment and helped lay the foundations of the modern bureaucracy?

Article II

Which article in the United States Constitution discusses the judicial branch?

Article III

How might a member of Congress serving their first term choose committee assignments?

Based upon the needs of their district or state

What are selective benefits?

Benefits offered exclusively to members of an interest group

Which Supreme Court decision that upheld limits on donations to congressional campaigns resulted in the expansion of political action committees (PACs)?

Buckley v. Valeo

Prior to the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, how were senators elected?

By selection from members of state legislatures

What type of primary is restricted to voters affiliated with a particular party?

Closed

Which form of political participation continues to increase, especially in the last decade?

Communicating directly with representatives

What was the layer of federal employees President Eisenhower appointed to oversee civil service employees?

Schedule C appointees

What is the group of the president's key advisers responsible for carrying out federal policies for areas under their jurisdictions called?

Cabinet

In which case did the Supreme Court rule that blanket primaries were unconstitutional?

California Democratic Party v. Jones

Established in 1974, the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust "engages the public in educational and aesthetic experiences to foster an appreciation of architecture, design, and the legacy of Frank Lloyd Wright." Because it is a 501(c)(3) organization with tax-exempt status, what is the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust not allowed to do?

Campaign for a candidate or party

How is the number of electors assigned to each state determined?

Census data

Who controls the flow of staff and paperwork, focuses the president's attention on key issues, monitors the coherence of presidential policies across cabinet departments, serves as a referee for disagreements among senior staff members, and forms bridges between the president and Congress?

Chief of staff

What is the relationship between bureaucracy and democracy?

Democracy allows citizens to demand responsiveness from bureaucracy.

What does the president do in the role of commander in chief?

Directs war efforts and military conflict

What is the formal opinion and justification that disagrees with the majority opinion in a Supreme Court case called?

Dissenting opinion

Democratic President Barack Obama won reelection in 2012 by a margin of 51 to 47 percent. After the election, there was a Republican majority in the House. What is it called when the executive and legislative branches align with different parties?

Divided government

Which Supreme Court case ruled that black Americans could not be citizens?

Dred Scott v. Sanford

Which president appointed the first chief of staff?

Dwight D. Eisenhower

In 2012, the Washington Post reported that a Georgia congressman secured $6.3 million in taxpayer money to replenish a beach close to his vacation home. Similarly, a Michigan representative secured $486,000 to build a bike lane near her home. While the ethics behind these actions are questionable, they are legal. What type of funding projects are these congresspeople using?

Earmarks

A concerned citizen is preparing to vote and carefully analyzes and compares the costs and benefits of voting. Eventually, the voter decides that the benefits of political participation outweigh the perceived costs associated with voting: driving, waiting in a long line, and taking time off from work to cast a ballot. Which model of voting best describes this example?

Economic

What is a group that forms to advance the financial status of its members called?

Economic interest group

Which federal organization issues regulations and creates policy like reducing waste and chemical risks, protecting water supplies, and limiting emissions from power plants?

Environmental Protection Agency

How often do senatorial elections take place?

Every six years

Which government entity is the federal bureaucracy most closely associated with?

Executive branch

What is the name for the small, divisive groups James Madison feared would divide the young nation?

Factions

What did the Framers who favored ratification of the Constitution call themselves?

Federalists

Which amendment extended voting rights to African American men?

Fifteenth

In the summer of 2017, Connecticut senator Christopher S. Murphy took control of the Senate floor for 15 hours to attempt to delay a vote. What is this senatorial tactic called?

Filibuster

How many times in history has the president won an election but not the popular vote?

Five

What is it called when Members of Congress send mail to their constituents through the United States Postal Service for free?

Franking

Which president served four terms?

Franklin Roosevelt

Which president's program, known as the New Deal, was designed to address problems associated with the Great Depression?

Franklin Roosevelt

If a group lobbies for public goods or collective benefits that are so widespread that members and nonmembers alike receive them, incentives to join the group disappear. What is this collective action dilemma called?

Free rider

In 1966, which act established a procedure by which ordinary citizens could directly request non-classified reports from the federal government for a nominal fee?

Freedom of Information

What is the trend in which older voters who die are replaced in the electorate by less reliable young voters called?

Generational replacement

In 1991, a redistricting in North Carolina was designed to create a district with African Americans in the majority. Later, federal courts ruled that the state had to revise those district lines so that the congressional district was more compact. What is this politicization of drawing district boundaries called?

Gerrymandering

What is redrawing district boundaries so most voters in a district favor one party called?

Gerrymandering

Which of the following Supreme Court cases applied the commerce clause as a test for constitutionality?

Gibbons v. Ogden

Which act was created in response to the mistrust of the federal government that grew out of the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal?

Government in the Sunshine

What is a group of between sixteen and twenty-three citizens who determine whether or not there is sufficient evidence to prosecute an accused person called?

Grand jury

What was Lyndon Johnson's federal social welfare program called?

Great Society

What does the party organization do?

Guides how a party operates at the federal, state, and local levels

Which case blocked the Bush administration from denying habeas corpus privileges to an enemy combatant who was a U.S. citizen?

Hamdi v. Rumsfeld

The terrorist attacks of 9/11 prompted the creation of which department?

Homeland Security

Which government entity is responsible for starting legislative processes that raise taxes?

House of Representatives

Which political body is subject to redistricting, or the redrawing of the boundaries of congressional districts in a state to make them approximately equal in population size?

House of Representatives

The organization MoveOn.org explains its purpose as "Over the past 20 years, [our members] have...worked together to play a leading role in ending the war in Iraq, passing landmark legislation such as healthcare reform, and advancing the cause of economic fairness." What type of interest group is MoveOn.org?

Ideological interest group

Under what circumstances can Congress simply overturn a court's decision?

If the court's decision is based on the meaning of a statute

Which group increased membership and influenced party organizations in the large northern and midwestern cities during the late nineteenth century?

Immigrants

What is the process called when Congress levels charges against judges and executive officials with the consequence of removing them from office?

Impeachment

What is the median voter theorem?

In a two-party race, if voters select candidates on the basis of ideology and everyone participates equally, the party closer to the middle will win.

Which presidential scandal involved illegal arms trading?

Iran-Contra

The long view of presidential and congressional campaigns and elections demonstrates that different parties control government at different times. Why is this a good thing for American democracy?

Increases government responsiveness

What is the term that describes someone who is running for a position that they have already been elected to fill and current occupy?

Incumbents

An interest group forms in order to tackle the environmental issue of fracking. The leaders decide to use social media sites and e-mail to ensure their members register and to provide updates on developments and legislation. What interest group activity does this represent?

Informing

What lobbying strategy keeps policy requests narrowly tailored to the group's needs and tries to influence legislators directly?

Inside strategy

In which model of voting is the voting process shaped by the rules of the system, political party behavior, the ways candidates run their campaigns, and the context of the election?

Institutional

What is a group of citizens with common interests who try to influence public policy to benefit its members called?

Interest group

If a concerned citizen believes in equality and citizen participation values, and thinks that if more people are allowed to vote the government will be more responsive, which model of voting do they support?

Jeffersonian model

What is the process that gives federal courts the power to declare actions of Congress, the president, or state officials unconstitutional called?

Judicial review

A president serving a second term will not seek reelection. What is a president in this situation called?

Lame duck

To assess their educational skills, potential voters in 1960s Alabama were required to answer questions like these: Whose duty is it to keep Congress informed of the state of the union? In which document or writing is the "Bill of Rights" found? How many states were required to approve the original Constitution in order for it to be in effect? In what type of assessment were these potential voters participating?

Literacy tests

Since the 1980s, the makeup company Mary Kay Inc. has been committed to ending domestic violence against women. In 2005, six sales directors drove to Washington, D.C. to persuade Congress to renew the Violence Against Women Act. What democratic and legitimate form of petitioning did the Mary Kay employees perform?

Lobbying

Which Supreme Court case established judicial review whereby laws could be declared unconstitutional?

Marbury v. Madison

Which of the following is an important consideration for interest groups to survive?

Membership stability

What are elections called that occur in between the four-year presidential election cycles?

Midterm elections

What is the formal summary that federal agencies offer to the general public called?

Mission

In June 2018, the White House announced that the president exonerated the prison sentence of two Oregon cattle ranchers who started fires that damaged federal lands. What power is the president using?

Pardon

Who was the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House?

Nancy Pelosi

Which department or agency is responsible for promoting road safety by trying to limit drunk driving?

National Highway Transportation Safety Administration

Which two U.S. states can split their electoral votes?

Nebraska and Maine

Pursuant to the War Powers Act, how many days may the president send troops into military conflict without an official declaration of war or authorization from Congress?

No more than 90 days

A 44-year-old was born in Italy but immigrated to the United States at the age of 4 years old. The person has been living in the United States since that time and acquired U.S. citizenship. Can this individual attain the office of U.S. president?

No, he is not a natural-born citizen.

Which interest group is unaffiliated with government and works hard to preserve its neutrality so it can operate in as many parts of the world as possible?

Nongovernmental organizations

Which office has final authority over the federal budget?

Office of Management and Budget

The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 led to the creation of which agency?

Office of Personnel Management

What is the Federal Register?

Official record of government regulations

Which of the following is an example of a swing state?

Ohio

A voter is looking forward to casting their ballot in the primary election but does not announce an affiliation with either party. The voter is given ballots with each party's list of candidates and can then choose which ballot to use and is restricted to voting for only one party's nominees. What type of primary is this?

Open

Which state saw a high rate of voter turnout at 70 percent in 2008 and 68 percent in 2016 after implementing a voting by mail system?

Oregon

Which term refers to the general patterns of party identification among voters and their behavior on election day?

Party in the electorate

What is a long-term shift in voter allegiance from one part to another called?

Party realignment

In the early days of government, civil service jobs were given to those who pledged their loyalty to the president. What was this early system called?

Patronage

Which system awards government programs and benefits based on political loyalty to a party?

Patronage

What does the First Amendment state Americans have the right to do?

Peaceably assemble

President Chester A. Arthur approved a law that helped slowly change the federal bureaucracy from a corrupt, partisan organization to a neutral, policy-based organization. What was the Act called?

Pendleton Act

Which piece of legislation was passed to reform the civil service by requiring that government jobs be filled based on qualifications rather than political connections?

Pendleton Act

A concerned voter worries that their current representative is spending too much time working towards reelection and not enough time promoting and passing good policy. Which term best describes this change in the representative's focus?

Permanent campaign,Patronage

In 2016, two California men were charged with involuntary manslaughter after a fire at their dilapidated warehouse killed 36 people. In court, the defendants admitted guilt and asked for prison sentences of six and nine years. The judge turned down the defendants, claiming they did not accept "full responsibility and remorse" for the fire. What arrangement are the California defendants and their attorneys attempting to make with the court?

Plea bargain

In what type of society do battles over public policy by varied interest groups produce a consensus that serves the public's common interest?

Pluralist

If the president does not sign a bill and simply waits for Congress to go out of session, the bill will not become a law. What is this process call?

Pocket veto

What are federal employees who have connections to politically powerful people, who have participated in other presidential administrations, and/or who carry out the president's political and partisan agenda called?

Political appointees

Which term refers to a judge's decision to adhere to the previous decisions of other judges?

Precedent

President Trump signed more executive orders than any other recent president in his first 100 days in office. One notable example of an executive order was reversing the Affordable Care Act and ending the individual mandate, which required citizens and legal residents to have health insurance. To do this, President Trump did not require congressional approval. What is this power called?

Presidential directive

In what election do voters choose candidates who will run on the party label in a general election?

Primary

What type of interest group is created in response to an opening or opportunity for social, political, or economic changes?

Proactive

Teddy Roosevelt ran for president under which third party label?

Progressive

What were the first three departments created by Congress in 1789?

State, Treasury, and War

An electoral system that assigns party delegates according to vote share in a presidential primary election or that assigns seats in the legislature according to vote share in a general election is known as what?

Proportional representation

Which form of political participation includes examples such as the Boston Tea Party, Occupy Wallstreet, and Black Lives Matter?

Protest Politics

Leroy grew up in a household with parents who voted in every election, national and local. Now as an adult, Leroy votes similarly, and when people ask him about his loyalty to the process, he simply tells them, "It is my duty to vote." Which model of voting does Leroy exemplify?

Psychological

The Sierra Club is the largest environmental interest group in the United States. When the group accomplishes its goals, everyone will benefit from cleaner air. In this example, which term best describes air?

Public good

What type of interest group forms in response to a perceived threat?

Reactive

What is it called when state legislatures redraw district lines to try to keep districts equal in terms of population?

Redistricting

In 2016, the Republican Party controlled both the White House and Congress. Between 2016 and 2020, voters had high expectations and held the Republican party accountable for policy outcomes during that period. What is this standard of expectation among the electorate called?

Responsible parties

A Republican representative from South Carolina resigned from office in 2013 to become the head of a conservative think tank called the Heritage Foundation. What concept does this example demonstrate?

Revolving door

Whose Court is friendlier toward businesses than any Court preceding it, for example, declaring corporations have the same First Amendment speech rights as citizens?

Roberts

Which Republican president attracted significant support from working-class, ethnic, northern, and southern white voters?

Ronald Reagan

After the Court struck down several pieces of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal legislation, how did he strike back?

Roosevelt proposed a plan to force justices over 70 years old to retire.

Vanishing marginals describe a trend of declining competition in elections. In this context, what are noncompetitive districts called?

Safe seats

Who was the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court?

Sandra Day O'Connor

Who is ultimately responsible for the policy decisions that come out of a federal department?

Secretary

Which government entity is the President Pro Tempore associated with?

Senate

Who is responsible for confirming Supreme Court nominees?

Senate

Which government entity conducts hearings on Supreme Court nominees?

Senate Judiciary Committee

Which amendment allowed for the direct election of U.S. senators?

Seventeenth

What is the term length for senators?

Six years

Which issue ignited the formation of the Republican Party?

Slavery

Which Supreme Court case outlawed the practice of the white primary?

Smith v. Allwright

Which state elected Joseph Rainey, the first African American member of the House of Representatives?

South Carolina

Which statement accurately describes the aim of the Constitution and the states in regard to elections?

The Constitution does not include information on the rules about voting in elections, leaving such choices to states.

Which party established itself as the party for civil rights for African Americans in the 1960s?

The Democratic Party

Which of the following is an example of an independent agency?

The Environmental Protection Agency

Professor Christine Blasey Ford charged Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault during the confirmation hearings. In response, Supreme Court nominee Kavanaugh denied the allegations. What was the outcome of the televised hearings?

The Senate approved Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh.

What happens after the Senate Judiciary Committee approves a nomination for Supreme Court justice?

The Senate votes

What did the Supreme Court case Federal Election Commission v. Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc. (2007) determine?

The Supreme Court ruled that if a campaign advertisement could be reasonably viewed as issue based it was protected under the guarantee of free speech.

If Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan are interested in hearing a case on a contemporary issue related to criminal law, but the other Supreme Court justices do not want to hear the case, what happens?

The Supreme Court will not hear the case because of the rule of four.

What determines the presidential order of succession?

The United States Constitution

A newspaper headline reads "Democrats Weigh Future of Filibuster." What government entity will the article describe?

The United States Senate

In the event that the President of the United States is incapacitated and can no longer serve in the office, who replaces the president?

The Vice President of the United States

A highly qualified person is running for a seat on the House of Representatives. The candidate beats her opponents in the election but does not get 50 percent or more of the votes. In a single-member plurality system, what does this mean?

The candidate wins because only a plurality of votes is needed.

What was the Supreme Court's ruling in McCutcheon et al. v. Federal Election Commission?

The decision removed limits on the amount of money one individual could contribute to all federal elections.

Which statement describes the relationship between income and voting?

The higher one's income, the more likely one is to vote.

What is the period before the primaries during which candidates attempt to capture party support and media coverage called?

The invisible primary

During which event does the party name its presidential and vice-presidential candidates and lay out the party's plan for government?

The national convention

The number of electoral votes a state receives corresponds to what?

The number of senators and members of the House of Representatives for the state

What is the congressional power of authorization and appropriation?

The power to evaluate agencies and withhold funds

What check does the executive branch have over the judicial branch?

The president nominates federal judges and Supreme Court Justices.

What usually happens to total seats in the House of Representatives at the midterm elections?

The president's party usually loses seats.

Which of the following statements best describes the party in government?

There are Democrats and Republicans in Congress.

In the earliest presidential elections, how did electors vote for president and vice president?

They cast ballots for their top two choices and then the winner became president, and the second-place finisher became vice president.

Why do candidates who are elected from third parties like Ross Perot and Ralph Nader have little influence in legislatures

They have no party organization to join in the legislature.

Who was the first black Supreme Court justice?

Thurgood Marshall

Why did the Framers establish Congress as a bicameral institution?

To allow each chamber to check each other's power

According to political scientists, what motivates people to get involved in political campaigns?

To influence voters

Why was the Department of the Interior established?

To regulate the sale of federal lands and the management of Indian affairs

The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) considers itself the voice for radio and TV broadcasters across the United States. Specifically, it "advances the interests of our members in federal government, industry and public affairs; improves the quality and profitability of broadcasting; encourages content and technology innovation; and spotlights the important and unique ways stations serve their communities." What type of interest group is the NAB?

Trade association

Which amendment set the eligibility requirements for vice president?

Twelfth

Which amendment set the voting age at 18?

Twenty-Sixth

How long are terms for members of the House of Representatives?

Two years

What percentage of votes is necessary for Congress to override a presidential veto?

Two-thirds

Nearly three-fourths of which group of people vote in elections?

Voters with a college education

What is the most common form of political participation in the United States?

Voting in elections

The voting-age population measure has been in error because it has not considered increases in the number of immigrants and convicted felons who are ineligible to vote. What new measure corrects for these trends?

Voting-eligible population

Why was President Richard Nixon impeached?

Watergate

What are controversial topics used in campaigns to break up an opponent's coalitions called?

Wedge issues

What is the term for an employee who reports mismanagement, corruption, or illegal activity within their federal government agency?

Whistleblower

How do the demographics of representatives in Congress compare to the demographics of the broader United States population?

Women and ethnic minorities make up smaller percentages in the House and Senate than their percentages in the overall U.S. population.

What is a request for review of a case by the U.S. Supreme Court called?

Writ of certiorari

What is a signing statement?

Written remarks on the president's interpretation of a law

In which case did the Supreme Court rule that the president could not seize domestic property when the U.S. was at war abroad?

Youngstown Sheet and Tube Co. v. Sawyer

In December 2013, with President Barack Obama's popularity sagging and a struggling economy, many quality Democratic candidates decided not to run in the 2014 elections. What is this called?

the strategic politician hypothesis