mid term – Flashcards

Unlock all answers in this set

Unlock answers
question
How many civil rights acts were passed during the first decade after the 1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education?
answer
3
question
______ was one of the founders of the NAACP.
answer
W. E. B. Du Bois
question
Which of the following was not used as a way to limit the electoral influence of African Americans?
answer
restrictive covenants
question
In ______, the Supreme Court permitted busing children as a way of bringing about desegregation of schools.
answer
1971
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 constitutional authority of Congress to forbid discrimination in employment is based on the
answer
power of Congress to regulate interstate commerce.
question
Before the 1920s, what was the political status of Native Americans?
answer
They were considered to be foreigners because their tribes were regarded as separate nations.
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
Affirmative action programs were first established in the 1960s.
answer
true
question
The American experience with civil rights suggests which of the following things about political change in the United States?
answer
Legislatures need constitutional authority to act from the courts, and the courts need legislative assistance to implement court orders and focus political support.
question
Which of the following cases helped lead to the Civil War by deciding that slaves had no due process rights even in free states and territories?
answer
Dred Scott v. Sandford
question
Which of the following statements best describes the impact of the Voting Rights Act on voter registration in southern states?
answer
The gap between the percentage of whites registering to vote and the percentage of blacks registering to vote declined significantly after passage of the Voting Rights Act.
question
Which statement best describes the path to women's suffrage in the United States?
answer
Some states granted women the right to vote first, and then a constitutional amendment gave all women the right to vote.
question
In their response to Brown v. Board of Education, southern states did all of the following except
answer
quickly desegregate their schools.
question
Why did President Dwight Eisenhower deploy federal troops to Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957?
answer
The governor of Arkansas mobilized the Arkansas National Guard to block the enforcement of a federal court order to integrate Little Rock Central High School.
question
Which of the following statements about the abolitionist movement is false?
answer
The movement focused most of its energies on eliminating slavery in New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
question
Which of the following best summarizes the Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v. Board of Education?
answer
Racially segregated schools can never be equal.
question
Which area was not covered by the Civil Rights Act of 1964?
answer
military service
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
Each of the following is a liberal organization except
answer
the Chamber of Commerce.
question
The increased importance that politicians have placed on public opinion polls over the last 50 years is due partly to
answer
The fact that it has become very difficult for political leaders to experience public opinion directly.
question
A liberal would most likely support
answer
an expansion in governmental social services.
question
Conservatives are more likely than liberals to support
answer
school prayer.
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
Which of the following statements about the marketplace of ideas is true?
answer
Private groups and the news media play important roles in shaping opinions in the marketplace of ideas.
question
A political ideology is best defined as
answer
a cohesive set of beliefs that form a general philosophy about the government.
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
If I decide to support a candidate because I see that he or she is the front-runner in a poll, I become an example of
answer
the bandwagon effect.
question
A wealthy businessperson who is very liberal is an example of
answer
the fact that group memberships never fully explain all of an individual's political views.
question
Which of the following statements about the ideological preferences of Americans is false?
answer
Prior to 2000, there were almost no Americans who identified themselves as liberal.
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
Which of the following statements about the political opinions of Democrats and Republicans in the public is most accurate?
answer
Differences between the political opinions of Democrats and Republicans on a wide variety of policy questions are greater today than during any other period in the last forty years.
question
The typical margin of error in a sample survey of 1,500 respondents is
answer
differences in political opinions between men and women.
question
In recent years, partisan realignment in the South and congressional redistricting have
answer
reduced the number of conservative Democrats and all but eliminated liberal Republicans from the Congress.
question
Most Americans are unified in their belief in the principles of liberty, equality, and democracy.
answer
true
question
Research in political science has shown that even small shifts in public opinion are always translated into changes in government policy.
answer
ideology
question
Political scientists increasingly use experiments within surveys in order to understand how subtle changes in the structure of political information can result in the expression of different political opinions.
answer
true
question
"Retail politics" refers to
answer
campaigns where candidates meet citizens face-to-face to discuss politics.
question
The famous Lincoln-Douglas debates took place
answer
outside, in the cornfields and town squares of Illinois.
question
A socialist is someone who believes that
answer
government should be very active in many spheres in order to reduce economic and social inequality.
question
The difference between a political value and a political attitude is that
answer
values are basic principles while attitudes are specific preferences.
question
Which of the following statements about leaks is false?
answer
Leaks never occurred before the George W. Bush administration.
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
Which of the following is generally regarded as a conservative news broadcasting service?
answer
fox news
question
Most local newspapers get their national news from
answer
wire services.
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 United States has approximately ______ television stations and ______ daily newspapers.
answer
2,000; 1,400
question
The Federal Communications Commission no longer requires broadcasters who air controversial issues to provide time for opposing views.
answer
true
question
Approximately what percentage of daily newspapers is owned by large media conglomerates?
answer
75%
question
The______ regulates broadcast media.
answer
Federal Communications Commission
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
Niche journalism refers to
answer
news reporting targeted for a demographic of readers based on content or ideological presentation.
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
Television reaches more Americans than any other single source of news.
answer
true
question
Google News and Real Clear Politics are good examples of
answer
news aggregators.
question
During the nineteenth century, newspapers were controlled by
answer
political parties.
question
The Vietnam War initiated the growth of ______ journalism.
answer
adversarial
question
What has helped accelerate the trend toward less variety in national news in the past decade?
answer
the corporate consolidation of news media into a small number of conglomerates
question
The Communications Decency Act was struck down by the Supreme Court because it violated the
answer
First Amendment's right to freedom of speech.
question
Most journalists describe themselves as conservative
answer
false
question
Cheap, tabloid-style papers produced in the nineteenth century were collectively referred to as
answer
the penny press.
question
Which of the following is not a reason that Americans prefer online news?
answer
the accuracy and objectivity of the information found online
question
Which of the following is regulated by the federal government?
answer
tv
question
Some framers of the Constitution believed that adding a bill of rights would be dangerous.
answer
true
question
In Lawrence v. Texas (2003), the Supreme Court ruled that
answer
laws criminalizing gay sexual behavior are a violation of the right to privacy.
question
The first and most famous test for determining when the government could intervene to suppress political speech was called the
answer
clear and present danger test.
question
The Bill of Rights
answer
is the first ten amendments to the Constitution.
question
When New York Times reporter Judith Miller was jailed in 2005, it illustrated that
answer
the press has no constitutional right to withhold information in court.
question
Which provision of the Bill of Rights has not been nationalized?
answer
the right to a grand jury
question
The Supreme Court has ruled that the Second Amendment protects private militias.
answer
false
question
The famous Miranda rule was recently overturned by the Supreme Court.
answer
false
question
Why did the Supreme Court rule that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act was unconstitutional?
answer
The Court argued that Congress had violated the separation of powers principle.
question
The Supreme Court's 2010 ruling in McDonald v. Chicago was significant because
answer
it applied the Second Amendment to state governments for the first time.
question
The Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth amendments are largely about
answer
protections for those accused of committing a crime.
question
Conflicts over whether public schools should be allowed to assign reading from the Bible and lead nondenominational prayers are examples of
answer
disagreements about the meaning of the establishment clause
question
The Constitution protects all political speech that is not an incitement to imminent lawless violence.
answer
true
question
The Supreme Court formally articulated the right to privacy in a case involving
answer
access to birth control
question
Why did the Supreme Court rule the Communications Decency Act unconstitutional?
answer
Because it attempted to protect children by suppressing speech that adults have a constitutional right to receive.
question
What were the Alien and Sedition Acts?
answer
laws passed in the 1790s that made it a crime to say or publish anything that would defame the government of the United States
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
Which of the following statements best summarizes the Supreme Court's decisions regarding the establishment clause?
answer
The Court has been strict in striking down school prayer but permissive in allowing the public display of religious symbols.
question
The procedural restraints found in the Bill of Rights
answer
define how the government is supposed to act.
question
It is unconstitutional to burn the American flag.
answer
false
question
The due process clause of the Fifth Amendment is best described as
answer
a procedural civil liberty.
question
A federal block grant gives states no discretion on how to spend the money.
answer
false
question
Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) was important because
answer
it established the supremacy of the national government in all matters affecting interstate commerce.
question
A ______ grant requires state and local governments to submit proposals to the federal government and compete for funding.
answer
project
question
Which statement best describes American federalism since the 1930s?
answer
Although the federal government has grown significantly more powerful since the 1930s, the basic framework of American federalism has not been altered and state governments remain important.
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
According to the text, when was the era of dual federalism?
answer
from the ratification of the Constitution until the New Deal
question
In the 1990s, welfare policy was centralized by the national government.
answer
false
question
When the federal government sets environmental standards that every state must follow, it is an example of
answer
regulated federalism
question
Which of the following was not a function of government most commonly performed by state governments during the era of dual federalism?
answer
patents and copyrights
question
The Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution addresses
answer
reserved powers
question
Since the New Deal, the Supreme Court has never restricted Congress's power under the commerce clause.
answer
false
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
Federal systems are most commonly found in countries that have a highly homogeneous population.
answer
false
question
Which level of government writes the majority of criminal laws?
answer
the state governments
question
______ describes the strategy of delegating a policy program to a lower level of government.
answer
Devolution
question
In the 1990s, the Supreme Court's "federalism revolution" was
answer
designed to return more power to the states.
question
When the national government appropriates money to the states but simultaneously demands the authority to dictate its distribution, this money is identified as
answer
a grant-in-aid
question
When both state and national governments possess a certain level of authority, it is called a(n)
answer
concurrent power
question
How has the full faith and credit clause been applied in cases of gay adoption?
answer
The courts have ruled that the full faith and credit clause requires states to accept adoption decisions by other states.
question
Unfunded mandate refers to the national government imposing regulatory costs on the states without reimbursement.
answer
true
question
Which statement best describes the Supreme Court's trend in interpreting federalism since the mid-1990s?
answer
The Court has limited the power of the national government over the state governments.
question
Which president was the first to promote New Federalism?
answer
NIXON
question
Under the Articles of Confederation, it was left to the ______ to execute the laws passed by Congress.
answer
states
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
The Great Compromise led to the
answer
creation of a bicameral Congress.
question
What was the most common form of taxation during the colonial era?
answer
taxes on commercial products and activities
question
The first written constitution for the United States was called
answer
the Articles of Confederation.
question
Which constitutional principle of the United States has been most frequently imitated by other nations?
answer
written constitutions
question
The Federalists believed that the threat of tyranny was most likely to be found in the popular majorities than in a handful of aristocratic persons.
answer
true
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
Which was the only state not to send delegates to the Constitutional Convention?
answer
Rhode Island
question
The Constitution gives Congress the power to recognize other nations and to accept ambassadors from foreign countries.
answer
false
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
A conference held to analyze perceived flaws in the Articles of Confederation was called the
answer
Annapolis Convention.
question
Alexander Hamilton argued that the chief executive office should possess
answer
energy
question
Who was not appointed to help draft the Declaration of Independence?
answer
George Washington
question
The Declaration of Independence was the United States' first governing constitution.
answer
false
question
The three branches of government created by the Constitution are
answer
executive, legislative, and judicial.
question
Who orchestrated the Boston Tea Party?
answer
Samuel Adams
question
The Constitution expressly gave the Supreme Court the power of judicial review over Congress and the president.
answer
false
question
The doctrine of expressed powers means that Congress does not have any powers not listed in the Constitution.
answer
true
question
The Articles of Confederation created a weak central government and a loose alliance of nearly independent states.
answer
true
question
What led the British to raise taxes on the American colonists during the 1760s?
answer
the French and Indian Wars
question
If a person believes that the Constitution should not be amended by judges and that judges should adhere closely to the document's text when deciding cases, this person believes in
answer
"strict construction."
question
The ______ is the most important concept for the theory of pluralism.
answer
group
question
Which of the following statements best describes how Americans currently feel about laissez-faire capitalism?
answer
Americans strongly support capitalism and economic liberty but also endorse some restrictions on economic freedoms to protect the public.
question
According to the text, the United States did not become a fully democratic nation until
answer
the 1960s, when the right of African Americans to vote was enforced by federal laws. .
question
The term bourgeoisie is associated with a person from the lowest social classes.
answer
false
question
Political culture refers to the
answer
shared values, beliefs, and attitudes that serve to hold a nation and its people together.
question
Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union are both examples of autocracies.
answer
false
question
The most important thing for a citizen to possess is political knowledge.
answer
true
question
Debates over the wisdom of President Bush's decision to monitor domestic phone traffic in search of communications among terrorist groups without a court warrant illustrate
answer
the difficulties in reconciling the ideal of liberty with the need for security.
question
When a single ruler controls all government power, it is called an oligarchy.
answer
false
question
Who described politics as "who gets what, when, and how"?
answer
Harold Lasswell
question
In order to be a good citizen, it is most critical to possess
answer
political knowledge.
question
Disputes over affirmative action demonstrate that
answer
Americans disagree over the public's legitimate role in ensuring the equality of opportunity.
question
According to the text, what were the essential documents of the American Founding?
answer
the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution
question
Over the past several decades, the public's belief that elected officials care what people like them think has declined.
answer
true
question
Many of the most critical dilemmas of American politics involve conflicts over the way commonly held values are put into practice.
answer
true
question
Throughout American history, the concept of liberty has been linked to the
answer
idea of limited government.
question
After the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, President George W. Bush oversaw the creation of the Department of
answer
Homeland Security.
question
Which of the following is not an example of a totalitarian regime?
answer
the United Kingdom
question
Which of the following statements about the United States Census is most accurate?
answer
Who is counted by the census and how they are categorized by race and ethnicity have changed significantly throughout American history.
question
In ______, the ______ secured the right to vote for African Americans.
answer
1965, Voting Rights Act
question
Which of the following is a common explanation for why the United States should pursue a policy of democratization?
answer
Democratization leads to political stability.
question
The separate but equal doctrine was introduced in what Supreme Court case?
answer
Plessy v. Ferguson
question
To the Ancient Greeks, citizenship meant
answer
talking and debating about how to improve the welfare of the community.
question
The United States has never accepted the principle of popular sovereignty.
answer
false
question
The United States has never accepted the principle of popular sovereignty.
answer
false
Get an explanation on any task
Get unstuck with the help of our AI assistant in seconds
New