question

Congress adopted the War Powers Resolution to

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limit the president's authority to commit troops overseas

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Which of the following types of committee deals with broad areas of public policy and can be found in both houses of Congress?

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standing

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Which of the following explains why any attempt to reduce Social Security benefits is difficult?

answer

There are many voters who support social security

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Which of the following describes the president's Cabinet?

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its members have varying levels of influence on presidential decisions

question

The development and precedence of the two-party system in the United States is best accounted for by

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single-member legislative districts

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The concept of realignment refers to changes in

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the social bases of the parties' voting support

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Much of the study increase in federal gov't expenditures since 1960 has been caused by

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increases in entitlement programs

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Establishing the boundaries of the United States congressional districts to give one party an advantage over another party is referred to as

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gerrymandering

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Congress is most likely to exert oversight of the executive bureaucracy in which of the following days?

answer

controlling an executive agency's annual budget

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Which of the following statements about voting behavior in national elections in most accurate?

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Senior citizens are more likely to vote than are college students

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Which of the following best explains why the winner of a presidential election usually claims to have a mandate from voters?

answer

The allocation of electoral votes in the winner-take-all system exaggerates the margin of victory

question

Typically, presidential candidates implement their campaign strategies by

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focusing on larger, competitive states b because they might tip the balance of the electoral college

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The supremacy clause in the Constitution states that

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federal law takes precedence over state law when the laws conflict

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A policy that sets emission standards for automobiles is an example of

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regulatory policy

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The idea that judges ought to freely strike down laws that are inconsistent with their understanding of the Constitution is known as

answer

judicial activism

question

Of the following, the most significant difference between the Constitution of 1787 and the Articles of Confederation was that the Constitution

answer

provided for a strong national gov't with many powers, while the Articles created a weak central gov't with fewer independent powers

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The term "bicameralism" refers to the

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establishment of two legislative chambers that have different structures and rules

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Children are most likely to adopt the party identification

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of their parents

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The media's effect on public opinion can best be described as

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influencing which issues the public sees as important

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When people vote for some candidates from one party and other candidates from another party, it is called

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ticket splitting

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The doctrine of stare decisis is significant for which of the following reasons?

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it is the principle that affirms that courts are bound by prior decisions

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The expansion of the executive branch since 1939 has affected the separation of powers by

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increasing presidential control over the legislative process

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The most significant trend in federal-state relations during the 1980's was

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shifting the responsibilities and costs for many programs to state governments

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Congress has the constitutional power to control the judicial branch by

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determining the size of the Supreme Court

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Which of the following is most important for getting an accurate measure of public opinion in a survey?

answer

selecting a random sample

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Which of the following clauses in the Constitution justifies the "implied powers doctrine"?

answer

The necessary and proper clause

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Interest groups use political action committees (PACs) to

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raise and spend money on election campaigns

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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will spend money appropriated by Congress to maintain wildlife refuges. This action is an example of

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bureaucratic implementation of the law

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The framers of the Constitution designed which of the following to be LEAST responsive to public opinion

answer

The courts

question

Which of the following identifies the formal procedure for ending a filibuster

answer

Cloture

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Which of the following best accounts for the lack of success generally encountered by minor political parties in electing members to the House or Senate?

answer

General elections in the United States are based on the winner-take all principle

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Interest groups are protected under the Constitution by

answer

1st Amendment

question

The 19th Amendment to the Constitution, the Equal Rights Amendment and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 were all directed toward the goal of

answer

equality for women

question

If Congress wanted to effect a change in the Social Security payroll tax, to what congressional committee would the task initially be assigned?

answer

House Ways and Means Committee

question

Which of the following statements is supported by the information in the table? (graph of percent voting for obama & mccain : strong democrat ---> strong republican)

answer

Partisanship was a good predictor of the way a person voted

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Which of the following concepts refers to the beliefs about gov't and politics that people in the U.S. hold most deeply?

answer

political culture

question

The practice in Congress whereby Rep A promises to vote for Rep B's legislation, provided that Rep B will support Rep A's legislation, is referred to as

answer

logrolling

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A writ of habeas corpus refers to

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a person's right to know the reasons for his or her imprisonment

question

Which of the following is true of voter turnout in the U.S.?

answer

The voter-participation rate is one of the lowest of any industrialized nation

question

Which of the following amendments to the Const. most likely provides the basis for a driver to challenge constitutionality of police use of sobriety checkpoints in enforcing drunk driving laws?

answer

The 4th Amendment protection against unreasonable search and seizure

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Which of the following is the main reason interest groups are often successful in getting legislation passed to benefit their members?

answer

A narrow constituency derives the benefits from such legislation but the costs are spread broadly across the population

question

The Connecticut (Great) Compromise drafted at the Const. Convention of 1787 is significant for which of the following reasons?

answer

It proposed a Senate w/ equal representation for each state and a House of Representatives with membership established according to the population of each state

question

The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (McCain-Feingold) was designed to curtail which of the following?

answer

Soft money

question

The Americans with Disabilities Act was widely unpopular with governors and mayors because it

answer

required that states and cities pay for federally mandated construction and remodeling

question

If legislation passes in both House of Rep. and Senate but each version is slightly different, the conflicting bills are sent to

answer

a conference committee for review and compromise

question

The U.S. Constitution says that Congress has the power to coin money. This is an example of

answer

an enumerated power

question

The primary purpose of the North American Free Trade Agreement is to

answer

reduce trade barriers between the U.S., Mexico and Canada

question

Constitutional checks and balances, especially applied to the president, are designed to

answer

minimize the threat of tyranny from any once branch go gov't

question

Civil rights activists, such as those campaign for gay and lesbian equal rights and those who advocated for racial equality in the 50's and 60's often find the most effective way to ensure these rights is

answer

through litigation in the courts to gain legal protections against discrimination

question

Which of the following is an example of presidential use of informal powers?

answer

President Bill Clinton advocating for public policy reform on his Health Security Express bus

question

Which of the following is NOT a trait of a liberal democracy?

answer

Achieving income equality

question

Which of the following groups would be most likely to support a constitutional amendment banning all abortions?

answer

conservatives

question

Which of the following is true of the relations between Congress and executive agencies?

answer

Because the agencies have bureaucratic expertise, Congress delegates "rule-making authority" to them

question

Which of the following is the primary reason for the tensions that exist between the legislative and executive branches of the federal gov't?

answer

The branches have different constituencies w/ different interests

question

Policy that describes the impact of the federal budget (including taxes, spending and borrowing) on the economy is refereed to as which of the following?

answer

Fiscal policy

question

If a college's admission policy is to reserve 20 sweats in the frosh class for applicants belonging to racial minority groups is challenged in the courts, a judge is likely to

answer

strike down the policy because reserving seats amounts to a quota system

question

When the party members meet to nominate a candidate for office, they participate in which of the following?

answer

Caucus

question

Which of the following is an example of the constitutional design of checks and balances?

answer

The Senate rejects a president's nomination for secretary of state

question

A difference between the House of Rep. & the Senate is that in the HOUSE

answer

Legislative activity on the floor is more constrained by rules

question

To which level of gov't did the Bill of Rights ORIGINALLY apply?

answer

Federal gov't ONLY

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