Polsci Final – Flashcards

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T/F By 2006, all fifty states had established referendums.
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False
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What percentage of eligible voters participated in the 2008 presidential election?
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62%
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What issue led to the demise of the Whig Party?
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Slavery
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Which of the following is the best description of a political party?
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an organization that tries to influence the government by getting its members elected to office
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Which group was not a part of the New Deal coalition?
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business leaders
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Compared with Western Europe, the United States has a(n) ______ turnout in elections.
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lower
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The program of Reconstruction after the Civil War was led by the ______ Party.
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Republican
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The first party system was characterized by conflict between the ______ and the ______.
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Federalists; Jeffersonian Republicans
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From 1896 to 1932, the ______ Party was the nation's majority party.
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Republican
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Who is the incumbent?
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the current officeholder, running for re-election
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Which of the following was not a date of an electoral realignment?
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1994
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What were the two major parties in the United States during the 1830s and 1840s?
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the Democrats and the Whigs
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Which of the following occurs when one party becomes dominant after replacing another party that has dominated national politics for a lengthy period of time?
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an electoral realignment
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The Populist Party appealed to which of the following groups?
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western mining interests, small farmers, and urban workers
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T/F The electoral college cannot elect any candidate who has not also won the popular vote.
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False
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Which of the following transpires when one party controls the presidency while another party controls one or both houses of Congress?
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a divided government
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In order for a political party to select a candidate to run in the general election, it holds a
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primary election
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The term turnout describes the number of people who
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actually vote
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An individual's psychological attachment to one party or another is called a party
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identification
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What is a referendum?
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the practice of voting directly for proposed laws
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The United States began its tradition of the ______ during the eighteenth century.
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two-party system
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Third parties in the United States typically represent
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social and economic interests that are disregarded by the two major parties for certain reasons.
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______ are nonprofit independent groups that receive and distribute funds to influence the nomination, election, and defeat of a candidate.
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527 committees
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Private groups that raise and distribute funds for election campaigns are called
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political action committees
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One important cause of the United States' two-party system is
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single-member electoral districts
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Why is it important for interest groups to offer selective benefits?
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It is necessary to limit the extent of the free-rider problem.
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The best description of the ideal of pluralism is that
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interests should be free to compete with each other for governmental influence
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What distinguishes lobbying from other strategies of influence?
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Lobbyists try to exert pressure directly on government officials themselves.
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When membership in an organization allows for a reduction in the price of museum tickets, it is called a
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material benefit
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When paid staff conduct most of the daily business of a group, that group is best described as a
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staff organization
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Approximately how many members does AARP have?
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36,000,000
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Over the last forty years, the number and scale of interest groups at the national level has
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dramatically increased
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he Christian Coalition is best described as a(n) ______ group
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ideological
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Which of the following groups has had the greatest success with a strategy of litigation?
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the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
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The solidary benefits of interest groups include
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friendship and consciousness-raising
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The free-rider problem occurs because
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the benefits of a group's actions are broadly available and cannot be denied to nonmembers.
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Interest groups are concerned with the ______ of government, while political parties are concerned with the ______ of government.
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policies; personnel
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The National League of Cities is a good example of
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a public-sector interest group.
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By 2007, there were approximately ______ PACs in the United States.
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5,000
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How can interest groups use litigation as a strategy of influence?
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filing amicus curiae briefs, financing lawsuits, and bringing a suit on behalf of the group
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A ______ is the best example of an informational benefit provided by many interest groups.
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newsletter
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The Teamsters and the AFL-CIO are examples of what kind of interest group?
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a labor group
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Which of the following Supreme Court cases illustrates the use of litigation by an interest group?
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Webster v. Reproductive Health Services
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When interest groups take out advertisements and hold marches, these are examples of
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mobilizing public opinion.
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Which of the following is not a key organizational component of interest groups?
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newsletter and website
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What is the most important and beneficial resource that lobbyists provide government officials?
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information
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What is the primary function of a political action committee?
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to raise and distribute money to election campaigns
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An iron triangle is made up of an alliance between
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a legislative committee, an interest group, and an executive agency
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The increased number and importance of interest groups
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is a response to an increase in the size and activity of government
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What is the primary variable for predicting the likelihood of joining an interest group?
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having a higher income and education
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A bicameral legislature is one that has
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two chambers or houses
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The idea of ______ identifies the best representative as the one who shares a similar racial, ethnic, religious, or occupational background with those he or she represents.
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sociological representation
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How long is the term of office for a U.S. Senator?
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six years
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Which idea of representation says that a legislator should be viewed as someone whom voters hire to represent their interests?
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agency representation
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Constituency service is so important that
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party leaders will not ask any member to vote in a way that conflicts with the interests or opinions of the member's districts.
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One reason why redistricting is controversial is because
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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.
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The powers and resources available to government officials that are used to favor supporters are called
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patronage
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Pork-barrel legislation
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deals with specific projects and their location within a particular congressional district.
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In the House of Representatives, the majority leader
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is subordinate to the Speaker of the House
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Who is the Speaker of the House?
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The elected leader of the majority party in the House is the Speaker
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In general, members of the House seek committee assignments that will
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allow them to influence decisions that are of special importance to voters in their districts
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The jurisdiction of standing committees
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is defined by the subject matter of legislation, which often parallels the major cabinet departments or agencies
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Congressional leaders form ______ committees when they want to take up an issue that falls between the jurisdiction of existing committees, to highlight an issue, or to investigate a particular problem.
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select
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Conference committees are
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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
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Cloture is
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the process by which three-fifths of the Senate can end a filibuster
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A filibuster allows members of the Senate to
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prevent a vote on a bill by speaking continuously on the floor.
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When the House and the Senate coordinate two versions of the same bill, they will often use a ______ to obtain a single unified bill.
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conference committee
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Congress adjourns during a ten-day period after presenting the president with a bill, and the president takes no action; this is known as a
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pocket veto
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Which of the following is not an important influence on the legislative agenda of Congress?
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the federal courts
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When two members of Congress who share no common interests agree to support each other's bills, the practice is called
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logrolling
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The role the House of Representatives plays in impeachments can best be compared with that of a
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grand jury
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Term Limits are in place for
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The California Legislature
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The California Legislature is
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Bicameral with both houses based on population
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T/F The power to filibuster is not available in the California State Senate
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True
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T/F Each California Assemblymember and State Senator represent about 250,000 people in their respective districts.
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False
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An informal group of advisers to the president is often called the
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Kitchen Cabinet
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T/F The framers were concerned that a directly elected president would become too powerful.
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True
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Which office manages elections in the state?
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Secretary of State
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What is required for Congress to override a presidential veto?
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two-thirds of both houses of Congress
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In order to get around the need for Senate approval of treaties, many contemporary presidents have made us of ______ in foreign affairs.
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executive agreements
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T/F The more than 200,000 state employees are to a large degree are independent of politics.
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True
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When the president infers powers from the "rights, duties, and obligations" of the presidency, these are called
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inherent powers
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Which of the following has caused an increase in the president's delegated powers?
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the increasing scope and complexity of legislation
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The president's delegated powers come from
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Congress
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Why is the president's State of the Union address important?
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It is an opportunity for the president to set the legislative agenda by initiating proposals and directing public attention to the executive's goals.
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The president must share foreign policy powers with
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Congress
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A signing statement is
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an announcement the president makes about his interpretation of a congressional enactment he is signing into law.
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What is the primary constitutional task of the vice president, besides succeeding the president in case of death, resignation, or incapacitation?
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to cast tie-breaking votes in the Senate
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What is the general tendency of a president's popularity?
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Presidents usually start out popular and decline over the next four years.
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What did the framers mean to accomplish by indirect election of the president?
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to make the president responsible to state and national legislatures
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The president's position as head of state is defined in the Constitution by all of the following powers except
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partisan
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The president's power to set the debate concerning public policy in Congress is called
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a legislative initiative
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According to the text, what are the three most common ways for a president to expand his base of power?
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party support, popular mobilization, and administrative control
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The Office of Management and Budget and the Council of Economic Advisers are both parts of
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the Executive Office of the President
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The groups of advisers and analysts to the president are collectively called the
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White House staff
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Two distinct powers the Governor has that the President does not are
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line item veto and budget preparation
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The president has the power to appoint which of the following positions?
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cabinet secretaries
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The power to declare war is given to whom under the Constitution?
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both houses of Congress
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______ powers are the most common form of constitutional powers possessed by the president.
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Delegated
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The term "invisible govenor" refers to
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The lack of media coverage
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What is the main function of the chief justice of the Supreme Court?
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The chief justice presides over the Court's public sessions and private conferences.
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Prior cases whose principles are used by judges to decide current cases are called
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precedents
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Which of the following best describes the role of the solicitor general?
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the lawyer who represents the United States before the Supreme Court in cases where the federal government is a party
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The doctrine of ______ requires courts to follow authoritative prior decisions when ruling on a case.
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stare decisis
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In which type of case does the Supreme Court have original jurisdiction?
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any case involving an ambassador
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T/F The California State Supreme Court is required to hear all cases involving the death penalty
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True
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How many justices currently serve on the Supreme Court?
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nine
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Through the exercise of ______, the Supreme Court has held actions or laws of the executive and legislative branches unconstitutional.
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judicial review
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The size of the U.S. Supreme Court is set by
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Congress
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The written document in which attorneys explain why the court should rule in favor of their client is called a(n)
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brief
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Each year, the Supreme Court receives about ______ appeals and hears about ______ of them in full court.
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10,000; 80
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The jurisdiction of each federal court is derived from
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the Constitution and federal law
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Senatorial courtesy describes the practice of
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senators from a president's party approving of a judicial nominee from their home state.
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In what type of law is the government always the plaintiff?
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criminal law
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A person, agency, or interest group not directly a party to a case but with an interest in its outcome may file a(n) ______ brief.
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amicus curiae
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In most circumstances, a supreme court is best described as a(n) ______ court.
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appellate
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Original jurisdiction refers to
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the court with the authority to hear a case first.
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Trial courts in California's state court system are known as
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superior courts
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In recent years, federal court appointments have
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been characterized by intense partisan and ideological efforts to support or defeat the candidate.
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Cases between two or more states are originally heard by
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The Supreme Court
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Which of the following is NOT a means of removal for California state judges
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gubernatorial recall
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When justices agree with the ruling of a court majority but not all of its reasoning, they may often write a(n)
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concurrence
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Activist judges believe that the courts should
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go beyond the words of a constitution or statute to consider the broader societal implications of its decisions
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If a private individual brought a suit against a corporation for breaking a contract, what kind of law would this involve?
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civil
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A writ of habeas corpus declares that
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the government must show a legal cause for holding someone in detention.
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