American Government and Politics
Midterm Exam
Course Introduction
This course provides an in-depth exploration of the American political system, examining the foundational principles and contemporary structures that define governance in the United States. Students will study the Constitution, federalism, the roles and functions of the three branches of government, and the processes of policy-making and political participation. Emphasis is placed on the evolution of political institutions, federal-state relationships, the impact of interest groups and political parties, and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. Through analysis of current events and critical debates, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and complexities facing American democracy today.
Recommended Textbook Government in America 2014 Elections and Updates 16th Edition by by George C. Edwards III
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1676 Verified Questions
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Chapter 1: Introducing Government in America
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Sample Questions
Q1) How does our government respond to the priorities of its people?
A) through public opinion polls
B) through political science
C) through political tolerance
D) through a policymaking system
Answer: D
Q2) Which theory contends that American society is divided along class lines?
A) pluralism
B) hyperpluralism
C) balance of power
D) elitism
Answer: D
Q3) What are the institutions that make public policy decisions for a society collectively known as?
A) political culture
B) the courts
C) government
D) Congress
Answer: C
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Page 3
Chapter 2: The Constitution
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Questions
Q1) How was Madison's desire to set power against power (or ambition against ambition)within the federal government realized?
Answer: 1. Identify checks and balances of the three branches as the culmination of Madison's desire.
2. Discuss how each branch of government checks and balances the powers of the others.
Q2) Which of the following concepts most directly helps to make American government legitimate?
A) tradition
B) the divine right
C) consent of the governed
D) executive privilege
Answer: C
Q3) Who was the author of the Declaration of Independence?
A) James Madison
B) Benjamin Franklin
C) Thomas Jefferson
D) John Adams
Answer: C
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Page 4
Chapter 3: Federalism
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Sample Questions
Q1) Describe the primary strengths of a federal system.
Answer: 1. Explain that a federal system controls tyranny by decentralizing power.
2. Explain that a federal system allows for local solutions to national problems.
3. Explain that the federal system avoided centralizing power in one institution.
4. Explain that the federal system was designed to make government more accountable to the people.
Q2) In a(n)__________ system,two or more levels of government share power.
Answer: federal
Q3) Before the ratification of the Constitution,the United States was organized as a(n)__________.
A) confederation
B) federation
C) oligarchy
D) conglomeration
Answer: A
Q4) The power to regulate interstate commerce belongs to the __________ government.
Answer: federal
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Chapter 4: Civil Liberties and Public Policy
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Q1) In what ways are civil liberties a reflection of American individualism? How does this focus on individual liberties limit the scope of government?
Q2) Since the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the death penalty in Gregg v. Georgia,how many people have been executed in the United States?
A) 6
B) 1,100
C) 2,900
D) 12,400
Q3) In 2008,in Boumediene v. Bush,the Supreme Court ruled that detainees have a right to which of the following?
A) a bill of attainder
B) the assistance of counsel
C) equal protection
D) habeas corpus
Q4) Discuss the evolution of abortion rights.
Q5) What is the right to privacy? Explain the Supreme Court's decision that the constitution protects the right to privacy.
Q6) __________ rights include the right to remain silent.
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Chapter 5: Civil Rights and Public Policy
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Sample Questions
Q1) Even though the Hispanic population is fairly small,they earned their civil rights earlier and more completely than did African Americans.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Since the 1950s,the Supreme Court has gradually eliminated virtually all de facto segregation in the United States.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Discuss some of the progress that has been made in advancing gay rights. Why have these advances come about now? Where do federal and state laws stand on gay marriage?
Q4) What does the Declaration of Independence say about equality and civil rights? Which parts of the Constitution have been particularly important for groups wishing to expand their rights?
Q5) The termination of the "don't ask,don't tell" policy during the Obama administration allows gays to serve openly in the military.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 6: Public Opinion and Political Action
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Sample Questions
Q1) What is the significance of family in the process of political socialization?
Q2) Better-educated citizens are more likely to vote,more knowledgeable about politics,and more tolerant of opposing opinions.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Alice will be 85 years old when the next presidential election arrives. Will she be likely to vote?
A) Alice will be likely to vote in 2014 because political participation rises steadily with age.
B) Alice will be unlikely to vote in 2014 because political participation falls steadily with age.
C) Alice will be likely to vote in 2014, unless the infirmities of old age make it too hard for her to cast a ballot.
D) Alice will be unlikely to vote in 2014 because interest in politics declines after retirement.
Q4) The strategy used by the Reverend Martin Luther King,Jr.,and others in the civil rights movement was influenced by India's __________.
Q5) What is random-digit dialing,and why are most polls conducted this way?
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Page 8
Chapter 7: The Mass Media and the Political Agenda
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Q1) Investigative journalism may contribute to __________.
A) public cynicism and negativity about politics
B) corporate ownership of the media
C) an increase in long-term media consumption rates
D) a legal environment that favors plaintiffs over defendants
Q2) If a reporter is assigned to cover news from the Pentagon,it is considered the reporter's __________.
Q3) Should we be concerned by Americans' habits regarding consumption of the news? Should we be troubled by the fact that more Americans do not take fuller advantage of the Internet to gather information about political issues or campaigns and elections? Why or why not?
Q4) The "minimal effects hypothesis" suggested that the media have a minimal effect on
A) public opinion
B) policymakers' issue positions
C) Americans' consumption of newspapers
D) Americans who do not watch TV
Q5) Americans today hear __________ of about 10 seconds or less of important political speeches on television news.
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Chapter 8: Political Parties
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Sample Questions
Q1) Of the following,who is most likely to split their ticket?
A) younger voters
B) older voter
C) Democrats
D) Republicans
Q2) Which of these is an electoral "earthquake" where new issues emerge,new coalitions replace old ones,and the majority party may be displaced by the minority party?
A) a critical election
B) a midterm election
C) a coalition election
D) a seismological election
Q3) Which president forged the New Deal coalition?
A) Lyndon Johnson
B) William McKinley
C) Franklin Roosevelt
D) Harry Truman
Q4) Discuss the Southern realignment,divided government,and dealignment in the party system.
Q5) What happens at the national party conventions?
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Chapter 9: Campaigns and Voting Behavior
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Sample Questions
Q1) Because there is barely any time between the end of one campaign and the beginning of the next,some people have called the American electoral process
A) "the endless commercial"
B) "the permanent campaign"
C) "the road to nowhere"
D) "quadruple overtime"
Q2) Which of the following groups is overrepresented among voters?
A) government workers
B) people who are single
C) younger citizens
D) men
Q3) Of the following,who would be most likely to vote?
A) someone who thinks that both candidates are moderate
B) someone who thinks that both candidates are very conservative
C) someone with a high sense of political efficacy
D) someone who sees few differences between the candidates
Q4) Describe how the caucus and presidential primary differ from one another in selecting delegates to the national party conventions. Assess which method is better.
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Chapter 10: Interest Groups
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Sample Questions
Q1) Critics of pluralism have noted that __________.
A) government decisions reflect the balance of competing interests in society
B) power is concentrated in the hands of the few
C) individuals with shared grievances usually form interest groups to press their demands upon government
D) the formation of one group typically stimulates the formation of an opposing group
Q2) How do lobbyists seek to persuade legislators to support certain policies?
Q3) Discuss the role of interest groups in elections.
Q4) In which of the following might political action committees (PACs)invest their contributions in order to maximize their political influence?
A) members of the minority party in Congress
B) challengers
C) incumbents
D) presidential candidates
Q5) According to the theory of __________,political power is distributed across a wide range of diverse and competing interest groups.
Q6) What is the free-rider problem? Describe one way that an interest group can overcome this problem.
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Chapter 11: Congress
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Sample Questions
Q1) A conference committee is comprised of members from the House and Senate committees that originally considered the bill.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Whose job is it to convey the party's position to rank-and-file congresspersons,keep vote counts,pressure waverers,and report the views and complaints of the House to the party leadership?
A) committee chairperson
B) majority leader
C) whip
D) Speaker of the House
Q3) The central legislative dilemma for Congress is combining the faithful representation of constituents with making effective public policy. Explore what both supporters and critics contend in their assessments of Congress as it attempts to be both a representative and an objective policymaking institution.
Q4) There are nearly 500 __________,which are informal groups of members of Congress who share an interest.
Q5) Weigh the pros and cons of incumbency on politicians and society.
Q6) __________ are individuals who already hold office.
Page 13
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Chapter 12: The Presidency
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Sample Questions
Q1) A __________ occurs when Congress passes a bill within the last 10 days of its session and the president does not sign or veto it.
Q2) Why does the perception of an electoral mandate matter in presidential politics?
A) It helps to increase the president's legislative acumen.
B) It makes it harder for presidents to get their legislative agenda enacted by Congress.
C) It offers legitimacy and credibility to a recently elected president's proposals.
D) It enables the president to manage the bureaucracy.
Q3) What is the role of executive agreements in foreign policy? When are they used?
Q4) Congress has the sole authority to declare war.
A)True
B)False
Q5) The president's chief of staff and press secretary are members of which group?
A) White House staff
B) Office of Administration
C) the cabinet
D) Executive Office of the President
Q6) The __________ is a presidential advisory group composed of 15 executive department heads.
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Chapter 13: The Budget: the Politics of Taxing and Spending
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Sample Questions
Q1) In what sense is Social Security spending "uncontrollable"?
A) Congress determines how much it will spend for Social Security each year.
B) Social Security spending varies according to how much money is available in the Social Security Trust Fund.
C) Congress has enacted laws that make Social Security payments automatic for all those who are eligible.
D) Social Security requires funding from excise taxes that are unpredictable from year to year.
Q2) Which of the following best supports Allan Meltzer and Scott Richard's argument that government grows in a democracy because of the equality of suffrage?
A) Working- and middle-class voters will support more generous Social Security and Medicare benefits.
B) Economically disadvantaged voters will support increased defense spending.
C) Wealthy voters will support progressive taxation.
D) Veterans will support reducing the influence of the military-industrial complex.
Q3) What is an omnibus bill? How do omnibus bills affect the budgetary process?
Q4) President Eisenhower warned against the increasing influence of the __________.
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Chapter 14: The Federal Bureaucracy
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Sample Questions
Q1) What is the purpose of the Hatch Act as amended?
A) to prohibit federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity while on duty
B) to promote transparency in the federal bureaucracy during the transition from one president to the next
C) to authorize greater use of discretion in bureaucratic decision making
D) to prohibit awarding government jobs based on partisan loyalty
Q2) Cabinet secretaries are chosen by __________ and confirmed by __________.
A) the president; the Senate
B) the president; the House of Representatives
C) the president; the Supreme Court
D) the Senate; the president
Q3) Evaluate whether efforts to curb air pollution should rely on command-and-control policy or incentive systems.
Q4) In recent years,privatization of government functions to contractors has
A) increased at the federal level
B) provided services more efficiently at the federal level
C) decreased at the state level
D) received greater public support
Page 16
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Chapter 15: The Federal Courts
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Sample Questions
Q1) What are class action lawsuits?
Q2) How are federal district court judges selected?
Q3) A(n)__________ brief might be submitted by an interest group hoping to influence the Supreme Court's decision.
A) amicus curiae
B) appellate
C) habeas corpus
D) coram nobis
Q4) Which of the following limits judicial power?
A) judicial review
B) judicial activism
C) stare decisis
D) life tenure
Q5) Rotating three-judge panels typically decide cases in the federal courts of appeals.
A)True
B)False
Q6) The __________ decided to sue the school board of Topeka,Kansas,on behalf of Linda Brown.
Q7) Describe originalism as a judicial philosophy.
Page 17
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Chapter 16: Economic and Social Welfare Policymaking
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Sample Questions
Q1) The federal government relies on a __________ tax to fund the Social Security program.
Q2) All U.S. citizens are guaranteed to receive Medicaid,regardless of their level of income.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Elected officials are often unresponsive to the policy preferences of low-income citizens.
A)True
B)False
Q4) If the Federal Reserve Board wanted to curb inflation,it would most likely
A) raise interest rates
B) lower taxes
C) increase government spending
D) increase exports
Q5) The money supply contracts when the Federal Reserve Board increases interest rates.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 17: Policymaking for Health Care, the Environment, and Energy
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Sample Questions
Q1) Senior citizens are especially likely to be concerned about potential cuts to the health care program known as __________.
Q2) In the United States,the private insurance industry pays most health care costs.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The United States produces a larger quantity of greenhouse gases per person than does any other nation.
A)True
B)False
Q4) One reason for the increase in health care costs is the overbuilding of medical facilities.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Which of the following pieces of legislation is credited with dramatically increasing the water quality in U.S. lakes and rivers?
A) Toxic Waste Reduction Act
B) Endangered Aquatic Species Act
C) Water Chemical Reduction Act
D) Water Pollution Control Act
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Chapter 18: National Security Policymaking
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Sample Questions
Q1) Who won the Vietnam War?
A) the United States
B) NATO
C) communists
D) South Korea
Q2) Which of the following tactics has Al Qaeda used effectively?
A) détente
B) mutually assured destruction
C) nuclear proliferation
D) terrorism
Q3) What is the United Nations? Describe some of the challenges in international relations that this organization faces.
Q4) How were the Cold War conflicts fundamentally different from more recent conflicts involving terrorism? What were the principal Cold War conflicts,and who were the principal combatants? How have recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan differed from the Cold War conflicts? What changes in the approach to national security have been required because of terrorism?
Q5) The __________ is the international organization created after World War II to promote global peace and economic development,health,education,and welfare.
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