Test Questions on Government Final – Flashcards
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What is the definition of a constituent?
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lives in district rep by member of the legislator
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Congress is a ________ legislature with ________ members.
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bicameral, 535
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In each House district there are approximately ________ people.
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700,000
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A senator or representative running for re-election is called the ________.
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incumbant
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The process of allocating congressional seats among the fifty states is called ________.
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apportionment
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How does the House differ from the Senate?
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house: looser and more deliberative
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Who is the Speaker of the House?
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elected leader of the majority party of house
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Who has the most real power in the Senate?
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majority and minority leaders
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The House Ways and Means Committee has jurisdiction over ________.
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taxes, trade, entitlement programs
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What is a congressional caucus?
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unofficial groups of rep or senators sharing interests and opinions
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The Congressional Research Service and the Government Accountability Office are examples of________.
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staff agencies
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A proposed piece of legislation is called a ________.
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bill
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What are conference committees?
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temporary, members of houses of congress, find compromise once passed by house and senate
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The office of the presidency was established by Article ________ of the Constitution.
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2
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In the early 1800s, the system of nominating presidential candidates that left the candidates beholden to their parties' leaders in Congress was called ________.
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king caucus
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What are the categories of the President's express powers?
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military, judicial, diplomatic. Not partisan
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What is required for Congress to override a presidential veto?
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2/3
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What happened when North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950?
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truman sent troops without a declaration of war
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Why is the president's State of the Union address important?
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gives pres opp to set legislative agenda, by initiating proposals and directing public attention to goals
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What is the Environmental Protection Agency?
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all of the above
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What is the Cabinet?
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informal heads of major fed departments
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________ is when bureaucrats attempt to translate laws into specific rules and actions.
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implementation
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What is the title for the head of a Cabinet department?
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secretary
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The Civil Service Act of 1883 attempted to pattern government hiring after practices found in ________.
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business
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How have federal expenditures changed since 1960?
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as a percentage of gdp has significant ups and downs over time
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How are ambassadors chosen?
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by pres, as patronage for large campaign donations
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Which agency administers the Federal School Lunch Program?
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department of agriculture
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What is the primary mission of the State Department?
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diplomacy
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Who has authority to set interest rates and lending activities for the nation's banks?
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federal reserve system
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The party that brings a complaint in court is called the ________, and the one against whom the complaint is brought is called the ________.
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plantiff, defendant
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Prior cases whose principles are used by judges to decide current cases are called ________.
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precedence
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The area of authority possessed by a court, in terms of either subject area or geography, is called its ________.
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jurisdiction
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In what type of law is the government always the plaintiff?
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criminal law
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About ________ percent of all cases in the United States are heard in state courts
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99%
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A writ of habeas corpus declares that
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gov must show legal cause for holding someone in detention
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When a private individual brings a suit against a company for breaking a contract, this is an example of ________ law.
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civil
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The right of due process is best described as the right of
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every person not to be treated arbitrarily by a gov or agency
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Prisoners who are challenging their convictions are most likely to seek a writ of ________.
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habeas corpus
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Each year, the Supreme Court receives about ________ appeals and hears about ________ of them in full court.
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8500, 80
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How many justices currently serve on the Supreme Court?
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9
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The requirement of standing means that parties in a case must
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have a concrete injury, or interest at state
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The written document in which attorneys explain why the court should rule in favor of their clients is called a(n) ________.
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brief
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What is common law?
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law made by judges through their decisions, not specific statutes
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What did the Supreme Court find in Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)?
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state courts had to provide legal council to those who could not afford their own attorneys
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Most cases reach the Supreme Court through ________.
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writ of certiorari
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The solicitor general is the
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3rd ranking official in the department of justice
