question

Which of the following statements best describes the history of American federalism?

answer

Throughout American history, there has been considerable debate about the allocation of responsibilities between the states and the federal government.

question

In a federal system, governmental responsibilities are

answer

shared by both state and federal authorities.

question

What constitutional clause affirms that national laws and treaties, made under the authority of the Constitution, are the supreme law of the land?

answer

the supremacy clause

question

The federal system can be best defined as

answer

a system of government in which power is divided between a national government and lower levels of government.

question

The specific powers granted to the national government in Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution are called the

answer

expressed powers.

question

Which of the following powers do state governments not have?

answer

to coin their own money

question

What is the purpose of the Tenth Amendment?

answer

to limit the powers of the central government by establishing reserved powers for states and individuals

question

Which is the best example of a concurrent power under the federal constitution?

answer

the power to regulate commercial activity

question

The full faith and credit clause of the Constitution

answer

requires states to normally honor each other's public acts and legal decisions.

question

Which clauses of the Constitution involve the relationships among various states?

answer

the full faith and credit clause and the privileges and immunities clause

question

The source of an implied power under the Constitution is the ______ clause.

answer

necessary and proper

question

What is the main purpose behind the privileges and immunities clause of Article IV?

answer

It prevents states from discriminating against nonresidents.

question

Which of the following statements best describes the discussion of local government found in the Constitution?

answer

Local government has no status in the Constitution.

question

The Constitution says which of the following things about relationships between states?

answer

No state shall enter into a contract or agreement with another state without the approval of Congress.

question

Which of the following statements about the structure of American federalism is true?

answer

It has contributed to the longevity of the U.S. government by allowing many divisive policy decisions throughout American history to be made by states.

question

Who wrote the Supreme Court opinions in both McCulloch v. Maryland and Gibbons v. Ogden?

answer

John Marshall

question

Which clause of the Constitution has been critical in allowing the growth of national power?

answer

the commerce clause

question

Which of the following Supreme Court cases limited federal power?

answer

United States v. Lopez and Printz v. United States

question

Block grants are designed to

answer

give the states considerable say in how the money should be spent.

question

What is one of the biggest problems with federal block grants?

answer

There is a need for greater accountability in how the funds are actually spent by the states.

question

During the era of dual federalism, what was the primary goal of the federal government's domestic policies?

answer

to assist the development of commercial activity within and between the states

question

What was the overall importance of the Supreme Court case McCulloch v. Maryland?

answer

The Court interpreted the delegated powers of Congress broadly, creating the potential for increased national powers.

question

Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) was important because

answer

it established the supremacy of the national government in all matters affecting interstate commerce.

question

What was a major reason that the slogan "states' rights" became tarnished in the 1950s and 1960s?

answer

It had been used by southern opponents of the civil rights movement to support racial segregation.

question

Which constitutional amendment has been used to restrict the scope of authority by the federal government over the states?

answer

Tenth

question

Which of the following is a right guaranteed by the Bill of Rights?

answer

Trial by jury

question

The federal census of population is taken every five years.

answer

False

question

A U.S. senator elected at the general election in November takes office the following year on what date?

answer

January 3

question

A President elected at the general election in November takes office the following year on what date?

answer

January 20

question

A person appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court is appointed for a term of __________

answer

life, given good behavior

question

When the Constitution was approved by the original colonies, how many states had to ratify it in order for it to be in effect?

answer

9

question

To serve as President of the United States, a person must have attained:

answer

35 years of age

question

What words are required by law to be on all coins and paper currency of the U.S.?

answer

In God We Trust

question

The Supreme Court is the chief lawmaking body of the state.

answer

False

question

If a vacancy occurs in the U.S. Senate, the state must hold an election, but meanwhile the place may be filled by a temporary appointment made by

answer

The governor of the state

question

A U.S. senator is elected for a term of _____ years.

answer

6

question

Who passes laws dealing with piracy?

answer

Congress

question

The number of representatives which a state is entitled to have in the House of Representatives is based on

answer

population

question

When a jury has heard and rendered a verdict in a case, and the judgment on the verdict has become final, the defendant cannot again be brought to trial for the same cause.

answer

True

question

By a majority vote of the members of Congress, the Congress can change provisions of the Constitution of the U.S.

answer

False

question

Capital punishment is the giving of a death sentence.

answer

True

question

The Legislatures of the states decide how presidential electors may be chosen.

answer

True

question

Communism was the type of government in:

answer

Russia

question

If no candidate for President receives a majority of the electoral vote, who decides who will become President?

answer

the United States House of Representatives

question

Of the original 13 states, the one with the largest representation in the first Congress was

answer

Virginia

question

Of which branch of government is the Speaker of the House a part?

answer

Legislative

question

The Vice President presides over

answer

the United States Senate

question

How many votes must a person receive in order to become President if the election is decided by the U.S. House of Representatives?

answer

270

question

Impeachments of U.S. officials are tried by

answer

the United States Senate

question

Any power and rights not given to the U.S. or prohibited to the states by the U.S. Constitution are specified as belonging to whom?

answer

the state or the people

question

When did civil rights become part of the U.S. Constitution?

answer

Civil rights were incorporated with the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment.

question

What goal did members of the abolitionist movement pursue?

answer

the end of slavery

question

The term peculiar institution described

answer

slavery.

question

The Seneca Falls Convention was significant because it

answer

marked the starting point of the modern women's movement.

question

What is the key question behind civil rights protection?

answer

What is the proper meaning of equal rights?

question

The Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution guarantees

answer

the right to vote for African American men.

question

The Reconstruction era in the South came to an end because

answer

Northern Republicans agreed to remove federal troops from the South and give up on their support for civil liberties if Southern Democrats allowed Rutherford B. Hayes to become president.

question

What was the Supreme Court's response to the Civil Rights Act of 1875?

answer

It declared the act unconstitutional because it protected against acts of private discrimination, not state discrimination.

question

The Supreme Court's ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson

answer

It declared the act unconstitutional because it protected against acts of private discrimination, not state discrimination.

question

In 1890, ______ became the first state to allow women to vote.

answer

Wyoming

question

The NAACP had the most success with which political strategies for combating racism?

answer

lawsuits

question

"Strict scrutiny" is the level of judicial review the federal courts give to all cases that involve

answer

racial classifications.

question

Legally enforced segregation in public schools is a form of ______ discrimination.

answer

de jure

question

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was

answer

the fourth civil rights bill passed by Congress since Brown v. Board of Education.

question

In the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Congress vastly expanded the role of the executive branch and the credibility of court orders by

answer

requiring that federal grants-in-aid to state and local government for education be withheld from any school system practicing racial segregation.

question

One step taken toward the desegregation of public schools was

answer

busing children from poor urban school districts to wealthier suburban ones.

question

The Supreme Court's decisions on school desegregation policies since 1991 generally suggest that

answer

the Court will be willing to end desegregation plans even when predominantly minority schools continue to lag significantly behind white suburban schools.

question

The right to vote was strengthened in 1975 when Congress

answer

made literacy tests illegal and mandated bilingual ballots or other assistance for non-English-speaking Americans.

question

What forbade workplace discrimination based on race?

answer

the Civil Rights Act of 1964

question

Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act

answer

was a valuable tool for the women's movement in the 1960s and 1970s because it prohibited gender discrimination.

question

Why did the Equal Rights Amendment fail to pass?

answer

It was not ratified by the necessary thirty-eight states.

question

The Supreme Court case Franklin v. Gwinnett County Public Schools (1992) is important because it

answer

asserted that violations of Title IX of the 1972 Education Act could be remedied with monetary damages.

question

The 1947 federal court case Mendez v. Westminster was significant because

answer

its decision to overturn school segregation of Mexican American students in California served as a precursor to Brown v. Board of Education.

question

What was the purpose of California's Proposition 187?

answer

It barred unauthorized immigrants from receiving most public services.

question

To draw voting districts so that one group or party is unfairly advantaged is called

answer

gerrymandering.

question

In general, Americans' trust in their government has ______ since the 1960s.

answer

fallen sharply

question

The belief that you can influence how your government acts is called

answer

political efficacy.

question

According to the text, democracy functions best when

answer

citizens are informed.

question

According to the text, which of the following is not a necessary part of the knowledge a citizen must possess?

answer

the economic interests of other citizens

question

Government can best be defined as the

answer

institutions and procedures by which a territory and its people are ruled.

question

Which of the following is not an example of a public good?

answer

a job

question

A government that is formally limited by laws and rules is called

answer

constitutional.

question

John Locke and John Stuart Mill are important philosophers for which of the following ideologies?

answer

liberty and political rights

question

According to the text, what is the goal of politics?

answer

to have a say in a government's leadership, organization, and policies

question

Politics can be defined as

answer

conflicts over the character, membership, and policies of any organization to which people belong.

question

The ______ is the most important concept for the theory of pluralism.

answer

group

question

Throughout American history, the concept of liberty has been linked to the

answer

idea of limited government.

question

The Bill of Rights was designed to protect

answer

liberty.

question

In American political culture, economic freedom means

answer

capitalism

question

Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education reveal two very different visions of what political value?

answer

equality

question

"One person, one vote" reflects the principle of

answer

political equality.

question

What is the most important check on majority rule in the United States?

answer

the rights enumerated in the Bill of Rights

question

Low voter turnout and political apathy endanger

answer

democracy.

question

Why was the Declaration of Independence a remarkable philosophical statement for its time?

answer

It asserted that there were "unalienable rights" that could not be abridged by governments.

question

Under the United States' first constitution

answer

there was no president.

question

Under the Articles of Confederation, the relationship between the states and the federal government can best be compared to

answer

the United Nations' relationship with member states.

question

Which statement about government under the Articles of Confederation is false?

answer

Members of Congress had significant independence from their states.

question

Shays's Rebellion was significant because it

answer

convinced many observers that the government of the Confederation had become dangerously inefficient and indecisive.

question

According to the text, the writing of the Constitution demonstrates the

answer

marriage of interests and principles.

question

Which of the following statements best describes the motivations of the Founders in writing the Constitution?

answer

The Founders' primary goal was to devise a system consistent with the dominant philosophical and moral principles of the day while also promoting commerce and protecting private property from radical state legislatures.

question

During the Philadelphia Convention, in order to win concessions from large states, representatives from smaller states like Delaware threatened to

answer

form alliances with foreign nations.

question

James Madison believed that in the Constitutional Convention the greatest conflict of interests was between

answer

northern states and southern states.

question

The Great Compromise led to the

answer

creation of a bicameral Congress.

question

The framers employed the separation of powers and federalism in order to

answer

prevent the new government from abusing its power.

question

The framers of the Constitution attempted to create a government that could do all of the following except

answer

lead to the eventual inclusion of nonwhites in political life.

question

Which of the following statements about the House and the Senate is false?

answer

The House has the power to overturn a president's veto while the Senate does not.

question

In order to signify that the enumerated powers were meant to be a source of strength to the national government and not a limitation on it, the Founders

answer

included the elastic clause in the Constitution.

question

Judicial review is the power of

answer

the courts to decide on the constitutionality of actions taken by the other branches of government.

question

The system of shared powers, divided between a central government and the states, is called

answer

federalism.

question

The principle of giving each branch of government its own constituency is what Montesquieu calls a

answer

mixed regime.

question

The procedural restraints found in the Bill of Rights

answer

define how the government is supposed to act.

question

According to the text, what is the constitutional problem relating to the nationalization of the Bill of Rights?

answer

Does the Bill of Rights put limits only on the national government, or does it limit state governments as well?

question

Which of the following is the best description of the Supreme Court's first ruling on the issue of the nationalization of the Bill of Rights in 1833?

answer

The Bill of Rights limits the national government but not state governments.

question

The process by which the Supreme Court has expanded specific parts of the Bill of Rights to protect citizens against state and federal actions is called

answer

selective incorporation.

question

In Lemon v. Kurtzman, the Supreme Court ruled that government action toward religion is

answer

permissible only if it is secular in purpose, neither promotes nor inhibits religion, and does not lead to excessive entanglement with religion.

question

The first modern free speech case in which the Supreme Court interpreted the full scope of the First Amendment was

answer

in the years right after World War I.

question

The Supreme Court case Near v. Minnesota established the principle that

answer

only under the most extraordinary circumstances should the government prevent the publication of newspapers and magazines.

question

"Due process of law" in the United States is generally defined by the

answer

Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth amendments.

question

The Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth amendments are largely about

answer

protections for those accused of committing a crime.

question

The ______ rule forbids the introduction in trial of any piece of evidence obtained illegally.

answer

exclusionary

question

A recent controversy that has tested the constitutional definition of "search and seizure" has been

answer

mandatory drug testing.

question

Miranda v. Arizona was important because it produced rules that must be used

answer

by the police before questioning an arrested criminal suspect.

question

The term eminent domain describes

answer

the power of the government to take private property for public use.

question

The Supreme Court formally articulated the right to privacy in a case involving

answer

access to birth control.

question

Griswold v. Connecticut (1965) and Roe v. Wade (1973) have been extremely important in the development of

answer

a constitutional right to privacy.

question

Which of the following news sources reaches the most Americans?

answer

television

question

Which statement is NOT correct?

answer

National news reporters, as opposed to local reporters with less access, are generally more favorable toward politicians.

question

Which media source is most critical in setting news agendas?

answer

newspapers

question

Cheap, tabloid-style papers produced in the nineteenth century were collectively referred to as

answer

the penny press.

question

Approximately what percent of Americans are completely offline?

answer

20

question

Niche journalism refers to

answer

news reporting targeted for a demographic of readers based on content or ideological presentation.

question

The decentralization of news refers to

answer

the decline of national media reporting and the revitalization of local news coverage.

question

The following are all concerns raised by the growing popularity of online news except

answer

a reduction in the diversity of perspectives that can potentially be heard.

question

Approximately what percentage of daily newspapers is owned by large media conglomerates?

answer

75 percent

question

What percentage of radio stations in the United States are devoted to talk, news, or public affairs?

answer

20 percent

question

The development of media giants with access to a variety of media holdings raises the question of whether

answer

there is enough competition among the media to produce a diverse set of views and opinions.

question

The power of the media to draw public attention to particular issues and problems is called

answer

agenda setting.

question

Besides their ideological biases, journalists also exhibit selection biases in favor of news stories they view as

answer

having a great deal of dramatic or entertainment value.

question

When the media focus on a candidate's relative standing in the polls instead of substantive issues, they are demonstrating ______ coverage.

answer

horse race

question

The Pentagon Papers were released as a result of

answer

a leak by a minor Defense Department staffer.

question

The Valerie Plame affair is important because it illustrates

answer

how prominent political figures can manipulate news coverage and secure the publication of stories that serve their purposes through leaking information to journalists.

question

The press release was created

answer

in the early twentieth century by a public relations firm working for a railroad.

question

Which of the following statements about adversarial journalism is false?

answer

Adversarial journalism disappeared in the 1970s and 1980s.

question

Which statement about the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is false?

answer

The FCC was established in 1965 under President Lyndon Johnson.

question

Which governmental regulation provides candidates for the same political office equal opportunities to communicate their messages?

answer

the equal time rule

question

The fairness doctrine required that

answer

broadcasters who air controversial issues provide time for opposing viewpoints.

question

The proliferation of news sources in recent years has

answer

encouraged polarization because many media outlets seek to position themselves within a discrete ideological or partisan niche rather than maintain a middle-of-the-road stance.

question

Which of the following is not an important national newspaper?

answer

Newsweek

question

The______ regulates broadcast media.

answer

Federal Communications Commission

question

One positive consequence of the decline in traditional newspapers and Washington, D.C. bureaus is

answer

the revival of local news coverage.

question

The best description of the ideal of pluralism is that

answer

interests should be free to compete with each other for governmental influence.

question

Which of the following is a main theoretical assumption of pluralism?

answer

Competition among interests will produce balance, with all interests regulating each other.

question

The Teamsters and the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) are examples of what kind of interest group?

answer

a labor group

question

Interest groups are concerned with the ______ of government, while political parties are concerned with the ______ of government.

answer

policies; personnel

question

The National League of Cities is a good example of a

answer

public-sector interest group.

question

It is difficult for political scientists to categorize unrepresented interests because

answer

there are no organizations that can present their identities and demands.

question

The major organizational factors shared by most interest groups are

answer

leadership, money, an agency or office, and members.

question

Successful interest groups quickly become

answer

bureaucratized.

question

Members of interest groups in the United States are typically people

answer

with higher levels of income and education.

question

If one enjoys the benefits of a group's collective efforts but did not contribute to those efforts, one is called a

answer

free rider.

question

What are political parties more capable of doing than interest groups?

answer

organizing people on a mass scale

question

The free-rider problem occurs because

answer

the benefits of a group's actions are broadly available and cannot be denied to nonmembers.

question

A ______ is the best example of an informational benefit provided by many interest groups.

answer

newsletter

question

One way that the AARP has been effective at overcoming the free-rider problem is by providing ______ benefits to its members.

answer

selective

question

The increased number and importance of interest groups

answer

is a response to an increase in the size and activity of government.

question

The New Politics movement gave rise to what type of interest group?

answer

public interest

question

Which of the following groups would be considered part of the New Politics movement?

answer

the Sierra Club

question

Lobbying is

answer

an attempt by an individual or group to influence the passage of legislation by exerting direct pressure on members of Congress or a state legislature.

question

The practice of lobbying is protected by

answer

the First Amendment.

question

In the world of lobbyists, to be "Microsofted" has come to mean a company has

answer

become vulnerable to adverse legislation and investigation as a result of failing to lobby the federal government.

question

A loose, informal relationship of public officials, interest groups, and activists who are all concerned with the same policies is called a(n)

answer

issue network.

question

Which of the following groups has had the greatest success with a strategy of litigation?

answer

the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

question

Which of the following statements about PACs is most accurate?

answer

The number of ideological/public interest PACs has increased dramatically since 1980, while the number of labor PACs has remained essentially the same.

question

When interest groups take out advertisements and hold marches, these are examples of

answer

mobilizing public opinion.

question

In recent years, the religious right has had a great effect on American politics through

answer

grassroots mobilization.

question

A political ideology is best defined as

answer

a cohesive set of beliefs that form a general philosophy about the government.

question

The term public opinion is used to describe

answer

beliefs and attitudes toward different issues, events, and people.

question

The belief that government is a wasteful and dangerous institution and should be limited to as few activities as possible is an example of a political

answer

ideology.

question

The process by which underlying political values are formed is known as

answer

political socialization.

question

The term gender gap refers to

answer

differences in political opinions between men and women.

question

The fact that Democratic Party leaders have become more liberal and Republican Party leaders more conservative is important because

answer

partisans in the public tend to rely on party leaders for cues on the appropriate positions to take on major political issues.

question

______ is the core political value most highly prized by American conservatives.

answer

Liberty

question

Conservatives are more likely than liberals to support

answer

school prayer.

question

Studies of political opinion show that

answer

few individuals possess ideologies so cohesive that they will automatically shape all their opinions.

question

The concept of a marketplace of ideas refers to

answer

the competition between varying opinions and ideas that are aired in public forums.

question

"Retail politics" refers to

answer

campaigns where candidates meet citizens face-to-face to discuss politics.

question

A frequent cause of measurement error in polls is due to

answer

poorly worded questions.

question

In 1936, pollsters at the Literary Digest were guilty of ______ when they mistakenly predicted a presidential victory for Alf Landon over Franklin Roosevelt by polling people whose names came from the telephone book and automobile registration records.

answer

selection bias

question

The median voter theorem states that

answer

the most reliable strategy for a politician to take in winning reelection is to adopt policies that are consistent with the preferences of centrist voters.

question

Research into public opinion and public policy has shown that

answer

more affluent and more educated citizens have a disproportionate influence over politics and public-policy decisions.

question

The main problem with voting as a form of political participation is that

answer

citizens cannot communicate very much information by only casting a ballot.

question

Political ______ is the process in which large numbers of people are organized for political action.

answer

mobilization

question

Which of the following statements about the digital divide is not true?

answer

All racial and ethnic groups in the United States are equally likely to have online access.

question

Approximately ______ of eligible voters turn out for midterm congressional elections.

answer

one-third

question

Studies show that people are most likely to participate in politics when

answer

someone asks them to get involved.

question

Which of the following is true about political participation?

answer

African Americans and Latinos are less likely to participate in politics than whites.

question

The Supreme Court

answer

has ruled that campaign spending is a form of free speech.

question

A political party is

answer

an organization that tries to influence the government by getting its members elected to office.

question

One important cause of the United States' two-party system is

answer

single-member electoral districts.

question

Third-party candidates are better off under what system of election?

answer

proportional representation

question

Historically, realignments occur

answer

when new issues combine with economic or political crises to mobilize new voters and persuade large numbers of voters to reexamine their traditional partisan loyalties.

question

Which of the following transpires when one party controls the presidency while another party controls one or both houses of Congress?

answer

a divided government

question

A "safe district" is

answer

a district where a majority of voters identify with their member of Congress's party.

question

Third parties in the United States typically represent

answer

social and economic interests that are disregarded by the two major parties for certain reasons.

question

A party's platform is best understood as a

answer

negotiated agreement between the party's various factions.

question

State and local party organizations do all of the following except

answer

litigate against unfavorable policies.

question

An individual's psychological attachment to one party or another is called a party

answer

identification.

question

A party activist is an individual who

answer

not only votes, but also contributes time, energy, effort, and financial resources to party affairs.

question

Which of the following statements about partisan identification in the United States is most accurate?

answer

Party identification varies significantly by income, race, and gender.

question

De-alignment refers to

answer

the decline of partisan attachment within the electorate, the growth in the number of voters identifying themselves as independents, and the rise of "split-ticket" voting.

question

The Constitution

answer

is almost completely silent on the rules regarding how political parties must go about selecting a candidate to run for any elective office.

question

Competition between political parties ______ voter turnout.

answer

promotes

question

Strong parties may provide an important link between government and

answer

democratic participation.

question

When a voter must be registered with a party prior to voting in that party's election, it is called a(n)

answer

closed primary.

question

A runoff election is likely to occur when

answer

there are more than two candidates running in the election.

question

Plurality and majority systems tend to

answer

decrease the number of political parties.

question

Split-ticket voting

answer

increases partisan divisions in government.

question

The principle of "one person, one vote" was established by the Supreme Court in the

answer

1960s.

question

Early presidential primaries and caucuses are more important because

answer

they can help a candidate secure media attention and financial support.

question

What is a referendum?

answer

It is the practice of voting directly for proposed laws.

question

Who is the incumbent?

answer

the current officeholder, running for re-election

question

A major factor in John Kennedy's 1960 presidential victory over Richard Nixon was

answer

that Kennedy had a much stronger performance than Nixon during televised debates.

question

If a citizen votes for a candidate because he or she approves of the candidate's past record, it is called

answer

retrospective voting.

question

The majority of PACs represent

answer

business and professional groups.

question

The term soft money refers to

answer

money donated to a party to sponsor party building and voter registration.

question

The attempt of bureaucracies to translate laws into specific rules and actions is called

answer

implementation.

question

Bureaucracy, literally translated, means

answer

rule by offices and desks.

question

Since the 1950s, compared with the entire workforce, the number of federal employees has

answer

gradually declined.

question

Public bureaucracies are powerful because

answer

legislatures, chief executives, and the people delegate vast power to them to make sure a particular job is done.

question

Which of the following was forced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Commission to recall several car models after identifying problems with their gas pedal accelerators?

answer

Toyota

question

Which of the following statements about the merit system is not true?

answer

Every member and official of a government agency has been appointed as part of the merit system.

question

Civil servants were given legal protection against being fired without a show of cause in order to

answer

cleanse bureaucracy of political interference while upgrading performance.

question

The first regulatory agencies established by Congress were

answer

independent regulatory commissions.

question

A bureau charged with putting restrictions and obligations on individuals or corporations in the private sector is called a ______ agency.

answer

regulatory

question

The response to the Department of Homeland Security's color-coded terror-level warning system reveals

answer

that bureaucratic agencies, like politicians, must pay attention to public opinion.

question

The USA PATRIOT Act

answer

allows the attorney general to detain any foreigner suspected of posing a threat to internal security.

question

What has been one of the greatest difficulties in establishing the new Department of Homeland Security?

answer

adjusting to the many different bureaucratic cultures now part of a single operation

question

The greatest number of federal government professionals working abroad are under the authority of the Department of

answer

Defense

question

What was the chief bureaucratic flaw identified by the 9/11 Commission?

answer

There was a lack of communication between the domestic and foreign security agencies.

question

Congress was attempting to strike a balance between the need for secrecy in national security and the right of individuals to know what their government is doing when it passed the ______ Act.

answer

Freedom of Information

question

Which of the following statements best describes the trend in government secrecy since 2001?

answer

The number of classified documents has increased substantially since 2001 while the pages of material that have been declassified has declined sharply.

question

______ policy concerns banks, credit, and currency.

answer

Monetary

question

In order to change the level of national economic activity and defend the value of the dollar in international trade, the federal government

answer

manipulates interest rates.

question

Which of the following is not a key strategy used to promote bureaucratic reform?

answer

regulation

question

One drawback of devolution is that

answer

the standards associated with particular programs become increasingly variable between states.

question

The "virtual fourth branch of government" refers to

answer

government contracting.

question

Which president's approach to the managerial presidency featured a deep belief in the importance of scientific expertise in government service?

answer

Barack Obama

question

Which of the following is not a way in which Congress can exercise oversight?

answer

having members of Congress work part-time for a particular agency that is struggling to meet the demands Congress has placed on it

question

Individual members of Congress can discover questions of public responsibility when engaged in

answer

constituent case work.

question

Congress is a ______ legislature with ______ members.

answer

bicameral; 535

question

Constituency service is so important that

answer

party leaders will not ask any member to vote in a way that conflicts with the interests or opinions of the member's district.

question

A senator or representative running for re-election is called the

answer

incumbent.

question

Gerrymandering refers to

answer

the manipulation of electoral districts to serve the interests of a particular group.

question

One reason why redistricting is controversial is that

answer

computer technologies allow legislatures to know statistically what kinds of people live where and this can be used to give one party an advantage over the other.

question

Who has the most real power in the Senate?

answer

the majority and minority leaders

question

The jurisdiction of standing committees

answer

is defined by the subject matter of legislation, which often parallels the major cabinet departments or agencies.

question

"Closed rule" and "open rule" refer to congressional provisions regarding

answer

floor debate on a bill.

question

Cloture is

answer

the process by which three-fifths of the Senate can end a filibuster.

question

A filibuster allows members of the Senate to

answer

prevent a vote on a bill by speaking continuously on the floor.

question

The filibuster is likely to remain a feature of legislative politics in the United States because

answer

it is universally regarded as an essential part of every legislative assembly.

question

Conference committees are

answer

temporary, involve members from both houses of Congress, and are charged with reaching a compromise on legislation once it has been passed by both the House and the Senate.

question

How can a president's veto be overridden by Congress?

answer

by a two-thirds vote in both houses

question

According to the text, which of the following is not an important influence on the legislative agenda of Congress?

answer

the federal courts

question

Oversight can best be described as

answer

the efforts of Congress to supervise the manner in which its laws are implemented by the executive branch.

question

What are the greatest dangers associated with a trustee model of representation?

answer

Representatives may become inattentive to the wishes and opinions of their constituents.

question

One problem with the delegate model of representation is that

answer

few people are well informed about all political issues.

question

What did the framers mean to accomplish by indirect election of the president?

answer

to make the president responsible to state and national legislatures

question

______ powers are specifically established by the language of the Constitution.

answer

Expressed

question

When Congress delegates power to the executive branch, it

answer

substantially enhances the importance of the presidency.

question

When the president infers powers from the "rights, duties, and obligations" of the presidency, these are called

answer

inherent powers.

question

The president must share foreign policy powers with the

answer

Congress.

question

The goal of the War Powers Resolution was to

answer

limit the power of the president to commit American troops to military action without authorization from Congress.

question

Why is the president's State of the Union address important?

answer

It is an opportunity for the president to set the legislative agenda by initiating proposals and directing public attention to the executive's goals.

question

The State of the Union address is

answer

mandated by the Constitution.

question

Which of the following has caused an increase in the president's delegated powers?

answer

the increasing scope and complexity of legislation

question

The Office of Management and Budget is important because

answer

its personnel are an integral part of virtually every conceivable presidential responsibility, such as overseeing regulatory proposals, reporting on agency activities, and preparing the national budget.

question

After the president and vice president, which office is next in the line of succession?

answer

Speaker of the House

question

According to the text, what are the three most common ways for a president to expand his base of power?

answer

party support, popular mobilization, and administrative control

question

What is the general tendency of a president's popularity?

answer

Presidents usually start out popular and decline over the next four years.

question

The decline of voting and political participation by Americans has which of the following effects?

answer

It enhances the power of the president while weakening Congress.

question

Which of the following is the essence of the rule of law?

answer

Every state must judge government officials by the same laws as its citizens are judged.

question

Prior cases whose principles are used by judges to decide current cases are called

answer

precedents.

question

The jurisdiction of each federal court is derived from

answer

the Constitution and federal law.

question

A writ of habeas corpus declares that

answer

the government must show a legal cause for holding someone in detention.

question

Original jurisdiction refers to

answer

the court with the authority to hear a case first.

question

Which of the following statements best describes the Supreme Court?

answer

The Court has no discretion whatsoever to decide which cases it will hear because its jurisdiction is defined entirely by the Constitution.

question

Why is the Supreme Court case of Marbury v. Madison important?

answer

In this case, the Court authorized itself to exercise judicial review over laws passed by Congress.

question

The Court's power to review acts of Congress has not been seriously questioned because

answer

the Court has been reluctant to strike down congressional laws and has overturned only a small number over the last 200 years.

question

The requirement of standing means that parties in a case must

answer

have a concrete injury or interest at stake.

question

The number of cases filed in the Supreme Court has

answer

increased dramatically since 1940.

question

The phrase stare decisis means

answer

"let the decision stand."

question

Senatorial courtesy describes the practice of

answer

senators from a president's party approving of a judicial nominee from their home state.

question

The power of the Supreme Court to review state actions and legislation comes from

answer

Marbury v. Madison.

question

What is common law?

answer

law made by judges through their decisions, not through specific statutes

question

When Dwight Eisenhower sent federal troops into Little Rock High School in 1957, it demonstrated that

answer

the president may make unilateral use of the emergency powers to protect states against domestic disorder.

question

An executive order is

answer

a rule or regulation issued unilaterally by the president, with the status of a law.

question

The main political value of the vice president is to

answer

bring the president votes in the election from a group or region that would not otherwise be a likely source of support.

question

When are the president's partisan ties most important?

answer

in dealing with Congress on legislative matters

question

A bicameral legislature is one that has

answer

two chambers or houses.

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