Patterson Chapter 16 study guide – Flashcards
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what did hamilton argue about war in federalist no. 69?
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a surprise attack on the united states is the only justification for war by presidential action
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the unemployment insurance program is
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run jointly by federal and state governments
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according to the doctrine of judicial restraint, the judiciary should
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defer to precedent and to decisions made by legislature
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in bush v gore (2000), the supreme court
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blocked a manual recount of the florida presidential vote.
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many white working class citizens failed to vote in 1968 and 1972 elections because they felt alienated by the centrality of which political issue?
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civil rights
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political protests
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are today usually planned events
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Poverty is a condition that today affects roughly one in ________ Americans.
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eight
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States that apply the unit rule
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grant all their electoral votes as a unit to the candidate who wins the state's popular vote.
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The discretionary power of judges is less than that of elected officials because judges
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must make decisions that can be justified in terms of existing provisions of the law.
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Which of the following agencies or departments is likely to have strong allies from a group of particular states in Congress?
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the Department of Agriculture
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Social insurance programs have high levels of public support because
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of their self financing feature
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The facts of a case
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affect which law or laws will apply to the case.
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The War Powers Act was enacted in order to
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limit the president's war-making power.
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The defining characteristic of a social insurance program is that
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eligibility is restricted to individuals who paid special payroll taxes during their working years.
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Policy implementation refers to the bureaucratic function of
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carrying out decisions made by Congress, the president, and the courts.
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The lowest level of the federal court system is the
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district court
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When it comes to protest activities, a majority of Americans are
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not highly supportive of such activities, despite America's tradition of free expression.
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Federal judges are
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all of these: nominated by the president, confirmed by the U.S. Senate, and appointed for an indefinite period providing they maintain "good behavior."
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Congress oversees the bureaucracy by using
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all of these: sunset provisions, the Government Accounting Office, and the Congressional Budget Office.
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How did Theodore Roosevelt change the conception of the presidency?
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He cast aside the Whig theory in favor of the stewardship theory.
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Civic duty and apathy are attitudes that are usually acquired from
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one's parents.
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During 2006, the year before Democrats took back control of Congress, George W. Bush
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had an 81 percent success rate with Congress.
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The child poverty rate in the United States is about
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22 percent
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If the U.S. House of Representatives chooses to impeach a president, who conducts the trial?
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U.S. Senate
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What aspect of presidential election did Andrew Jackson try but fail to achieve?
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elimination of the Electoral College
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Voter registration in the United States
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began as a way of preventing voters from casting more than one ballot on election day.
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Charter schools
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are publicly funded but have more freedom in determining curricula than public schools.
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The major reason social security is likely to be the topic of reform is because
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the number of workers may not bring in enough money to cover the benefits of a growing number of retirees.
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Which of the following is true of social security and Medicare?
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Families in the top fifth of the income population receive more in social security and Medicare benefits than the government spends in total on TANF, SSI, food stamps, and housing subsidies for the poor.
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In the late 1800s, rapid economic growth placed new demands on the federal government and led it to
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create new federal departments built around economic interests.
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In contrast with Medicare, the Medicaid program is
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a public assistance program.
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The president's role in foreign policy increased largely because
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America became more of a world power.
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The best predictor of how well schools perform on standardized tests is
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the community's wealth.
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the supreme court invoked the ______ in bush v gore (2000)
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equal protection clause
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Historically speaking, states with the most restrictive voting registration laws are concentrated in which region?
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southern states
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Bureaucracy is best characterized in terms of
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hierarchy, specialization, and rules.
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Most federal employees are hired on the basis of
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merit criteria.
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Which country has the highest estimated voter turnout in major national elections in recent decades?
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Belgium
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Upon reaching Congress, what first happens to the president's budget proposal?
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It goes to the House and Senate budget committees.
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The Whig theory holds that the presidency
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is a limited office whose occupant is confined to the exercise of expressly granted constitutional powers.
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A recent poll determined that most Americans believe which of the following is the second costliest federal program?
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public assistance programs
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Regarding the educational background of bureaucrats, high-ranking civil servants in continental Europe, compared to American bureaucrats, tend to have a college major specializing in
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law
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The primary election as a means of choosing presidential nominees
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has been used more extensively in recent decades, such that the candidate who dominates the primaries can usually expect to receive the nomination.
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A writ of certiorari is
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a request to a lower court to submit to the Supreme Court a record of the case it has been requested to hear.
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The power of the Supreme Court is most apparent in its ability to
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declare another institution's action to be unconstitutional.
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The bureaucratic costs of welfare are substantially lower in Europe because most European countries
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have unitary rather than federal systems.
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As distinct from alienation, apathy is
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a general lack of interest in politics.
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President Obama's failure in his early months in office to enact policies to combat global warming, despite his determination to do so, is reflective primarily of
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poor circumstance related to the economy
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Which of the following statements is NOT true about Medicaid?
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It serves all Americans who cannot afford health insurance
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The U.S. courts of appeals
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review trial court decisions
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Which of the following social welfare programs was supported by a majority of congressional Republicans at the time of enactment?
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the 1996 Welfare Reform Act
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In promoting their agency's goals, bureaucrats rely on
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all of these: their expert knowledge; the backing of the president and Congress; and the support of clientele groups.
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The Social Security benefits that today's retirees receive are funded primarily by
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payroll taxes on people who are currently working.
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The Supreme Court decision in Marbury v. Madison is significant
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for the establishment of judicial review.
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The No Child Left Behind Act
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ties federal funding to national test results in reading, math, and science.
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When asked if he had made any mistakes as president, ________ replied, "Yes, two, and they are both sitting on the Supreme Court."
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Dwight Eisenhower
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The frequency of elections in the United States reduces voter turnout by
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increasing the personal effort needed to participate in all elections.
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The forced removal of a president from office through impeachment and conviction requires action by the
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House and Senate in separate proceedings.
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Voter identification cards find the most support among
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Republicans
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In the United States, the primary responsibility for registration of the individual voter rests with the
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individual
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The term entitlement refers to a program
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that requires the payment of benefits to any individual who meets the eligibility criteria.
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Regular voters tend to be characterized by
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a strong sense of civic duty.
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he presidency was created by Article ________ of the U.S. Constitution.
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II (article 2)
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According to the Constitution, the federal courts can issue a decision
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only in response to actual legal cases.
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The merit plan applies to ________ in the ________ court system.
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selection of judges; state
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Most cases heard by the Supreme Court reach it under
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a writ of certiorari.
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Which of the following did the framers want from a president?
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All these answers are correct.
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Which of the following is true of the president's veto power?
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The veto is as much a sign of presidential weakness as of strength, because it arises when Congress refuses to accept the President's ideas.
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Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal represented the concept of ________ government.
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Positive
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The United States has two court systems, state and federal. The federal system
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None of these answers is correct.
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Which of the following is true of the vice presidency?
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The Constitution assigns no executive authority to the vice president.
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Which of the following is a principle of bureaucratic organization?
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All these answers are correct.
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The honeymoon period occurs during
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the first part of a president's term.
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The Food Stamps program is
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All these answers are correct.