American Politics Practice Questions
Course Introduction
American Politics is an introductory course that explores the structure, processes, and complexities of the United States political system. The course covers foundational elements such as the Constitution, federalism, civil liberties, and civil rights, as well as the roles and functions of key institutions including Congress, the Presidency, and the Supreme Court. Students analyze political parties, interest groups, the electoral process, and public opinion, while also considering contemporary policy debates. Through case studies and critical discussions, the course encourages a deeper understanding of how political decisions shape and reflect American society.
Recommended Textbook
The Struggle for Democracy 9th Edition by Edward
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Page 2
S. Greenberg
Chapter 1: Democracy and American Politics
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Sample Questions
Q1) World War II had what effect on African Americans?
A) African Americans insisted on full citizenship rights.
B) African Americans suspended their demand for civil rights.
C) African Americans became less involved with future conflicts, such as the Korean War.
D) It perpetuated and further solidified segregation in American society.
E) none of the above
Answer: A
Q2) The major actors and influences that comprise the structural factors in the analytical framework of American politics are political elites, such as the president, Congress, and the courts.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) Democracy's central idea is trusting in those who make the law.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q4) Identify the four categories in the authors' analytical framework.
Answer: structural, political linkages, governmental, and governmental action
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Chapter 2: The Constitution
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Sample Questions
Q1) According to Table 2.1, the Preamble of the Constitution
A) establishes the legislative branch.
B) establishes the executive branch.
C) states the purpose of the Constitution.
D) establishes judicial review.
E) outlines concerns about federalism.
Answer: C
Q2) Which of the following is NOT one of the provisions of the U.S. Constitution?
A) The national government has powers to tax, regulate interstate commerce, and provide a uniform national currency.
B) The states have electoral votes in presidential elections and have power to ratify constitutional amendments.
C) The local governments have control over police protection, education, and the interstate highway system.
D) The national government has powers to raise an army and a navy and to call state militias to national service.
E) The president is commander in chief, as expressed in Article II.
Answer: C
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Chapter 3: Federalism States and Nations
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Sample Questions
Q1) According to Figure 3.4, when have federal grants to state and local budgets been greater than one-third??
A) 1980
B) 1985
C) 1995
D) 2005
E) never
Answer: E
Q2) The division of ________ between the national government and the states is what we call federalism.
Answer: power
Q3) The Fifteenth, Sixteenth, and Seventeenth Amendments are also known as the Civil War Amendments.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q4) The __________ clause is found in Article VI of the US Constitution.
Answer: Supremacy
Q5) In a unitary system, all power resides in the ________ government.
Answer: central
Page 5
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Chapter 4: Structural Foundations of the American Government
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Mapping American Politics figure is an effort to illustrate
A) the relative equality of wealth in the world.
B) the relative equality of wealth between the western and eastern hemispheres.
C) the relative equality of wealth between the northern and southern hemispheres.
D) the relative inequality of wealth between the northern and southern hemispheres.
E) the relative political power of the United Nations relative to a nation's wealth.
Q2) Since the 1990s, the U.S. has become less involved in the global economy.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The Minuteman Project and the book Who We Are are parts of a trend that
A) seeks to stem the influence of illegal immigrants.
B) seeks to end poverty among Hispanics.
C) seeks to create more jobs in the manufacturing sector.
D) seeks to create a bilingual nation.
E) seeks to maintain the United States' supremacy in the global markets.
Q4) ________ inequality is high in the United States compared to other Western democratic nations.
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Chapter 5: Public Opinion
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Sample Questions
Q1) Political learning during childhood is
A) generally inconsequential to a citizens' political development.
B) more important in other countries than in the United States.
C) particularly important as it is the period when people attain their core beliefs and general outlooks about the political world.
D) related to the instruments by which beliefs and attitudes are conveyed to individuals in society.
E) none of the above
Q2) Among the various religious groups, which one has been the most consistently associated with the Democratic Party?
A) American Jews
B) Catholics
C) fundamentalist Protestants
D) Episcopalians
E) Southern Baptists
Q3) Isolationism is avoiding involvement in foreign affairs.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Americans support "equality of opportunity." What does this mean?
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Chapter 6: News Media
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Sample Questions
Q1) How are the media essential to the functioning of democracy in a large, modern nation like the U.S.?
Q2) Concentration of ownership in media
A) does not affect how journalists do their work.
B) has been increasing.
C) has been stable for decades.
D) differs depending on the medium.
E) none of the above
Q3) The internet
A)has become the primary news sources for all ages.
B) is less relevant for politics in 2008 than it was only four years ago.
C) provides a majority of Americans their primary source of news.
D) provides a majority of 18-29 year olds their primary source of news.
E) provides less than half of 18-29 olds their primary source of news.
Q4) The main vehicle with which the national government regulates television and radio is control over airwaves.
A)True
B)False
Q5) The two Washington Post reporters who broke and developed the Watergate story were Bob Woodward and ________.
Page 8
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Chapter 7: Interest Groups and Business Corporations
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Sample Questions
Q1) James Madison's word or phrase for interest groups was
A) political parties.
B) pressure groups.
C) factions.
D) pluralists.
E) citizens' forums.
Q2) Expenditures by political parties on general public education, voter registration, and voter mobilization are known as
A) soft money.
B) hard money.
C) campaign finance reform.
D) independent expenditures.
E) illicit contributions.
Q3) Which of the following best describes what is known as the "outside game"?
A) interest group activity in which lobbyists pressure legislators one-on-one to influence their decisions
B) interest group activity in which public support is identified and mobilized
C) interest group activity in which only private groups are involved
D) interest group activity in which only public groups are involved
E) interest group activity that focuses on executive branch lobbying.
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Chapter 8: Social Movements
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Populist movement was begun after
A) labor unions in the 1930s forced businesses to raise prices for farmers.
B) western and southern farmers suffered economic hardship in the late 19th century.
C) the Vietnam War ended American domination of world trade.
D) a perceived threat to family values by the popularity of alternative lifestyles in the 1960s.
E) the Civil War established voting rights for former slaves.
Q2) The civil rights movement was a relatively successful social movement that achieved many of its main goals. Why was it successful? If you had to pick one factor that was most important to its success, what would it be? Why?
Q3) Movements that are considered too ________ are often repressed by the government.
Q4) Though supported by a strong social movement, i.e., the women's movement, the ________ Amendment has never been approved.
Q5) What was the civil rights movement?
Q6) Public opinion is generally irrelevant to social movement strategies.
A)True B)False
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Chapter 9: Political Parties
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Sample Questions
Q1) Political parties can contribute to democracy by
A) narrowing the scope of conflict.
B) slowing down majority legislation.
C) making officeholders accountable to voters.
D) letting anyone run under the party label.
E) limiting accountability
Q2) In 1896, the Populist party joined with the Republicans to nominate William Jennings Bryan as their presidential candidate.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The Era of Good Feelings involved virtual one-party rule by the A) Republican-Democrats
B) Whigs
C) Independents
D) Federalists
E) Anti-Federalists
Q4) American party candidates feel free to oppose party leaders and reject traditional party policies.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 10: Participation Voting, and Elections
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A) The alienation and apathy about politics that many Americans felt after the 1960s probably contributed to recent declines in voter turnout.
B) The proportion of Americans who are alienated and apathetic about politics is really quite small.
C) A sizable number of Americans have never been alienated or apathetic about politics.
D) Americans take their politics seriously and participate actively in campaigns and vote in high proportions to the number of eligible voters.
E) Electoral competition typically increases voter apathy about politics.
Q2) What is the proportion of eligible voters who actually vote in an election called?
A) the voter turnout
B) the electoral college
C) a constituency
D) the voting percentage
E) the popular vote
Q3) Who votes? Does it make any difference who votes?
Q4) What kinds of information do voters get in campaigns?
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Page 12
Chapter 11: Congress
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Sample Questions
Q1) A legislative proposal in Congress designated with "H.R." or "S." would mean it was a
A) bill.
B) joint resolution.
C) concurrent resolution.
D) resolution.
E) proclamation.
Q2) ________ involves helping constituents solve various problems with the federal bureaucracy.
Q3) Where does most of the work of Congress take place?
Q4) Bills are often written by the executive branch or by an interest group.
A)True
B)False
Q5) The House of Representatives is most likely to use what kind of representation style
A) delegate
B) trustee
C) responsive
D) federal
E) local
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Chapter 12: The President
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Sample Questions
Q1) When Teddy Roosevelt referred to the presidency as a "bully pulpit," he meant
A) all presidents have to be religious or else they won't be popular.
B) to say "big pitcher of spit."
C) they have a unique ability to shape public opinion.
D) they have the ability to command Congress.
E) they have the ability to persuade Congress
Q2) Which of these was NOT an example of the use of emergency powers by Abraham Lincoln?
A) the passage of the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments
B) freeing the slaves by issuing the Emancipation Proclamation
C) raising money and deploying the troops
D) allowing civilians to be tried in military courts
E) temporarily suspending the right of habeas corpus
Q3) In the role as chief of state, the president
A) serves as commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
B) has assumed the leadership role in managing the nation's economy.
C) performs ceremonial functions and serves as the symbol of national authority and unity.
D) is expected to assume the initiative in forming public policy.
E) leads Congress into action.
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Chapter 13: The Executive Branch
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Sample Questions
Q1) Americans tend to
A) look favorably on the executive branch bureaucracy.
B) be mistrustful of the bureaucracy.
C) award high prestige to government bureaucrats.
D) believe the public sector can do better than the private sector.
E) lead bureaucratic decision making.
Q2) Which of the following phrases best characterizes government bureaucracy in the United States in comparison with that of other Western democracies?
A) fragmented organization and divided control at the top
B) few legislative regulations over governmental bureaucracies
C) orderly and coherent bureaucratic structure
D) high positions in the bureaucracy awarded to career civil servants
E) none of the above
Q3) The nature and functioning of bureaucracy is basically the same worldwide.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Implementation of the law is also called carrying out or executing the law.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Congress often gives bureaucratic agencies the power to write specific ________.
Page 15
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Chapter 14: The Courts
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Sample Questions
Q1) The chief justice of the US Supreme Court has which of the following formal powers?
A) He has administrative responsibilities and any additional powers that the full Supreme Court votes to authorize.
B) He has administrative responsibilities and the power to decide which cases the Court will hear.
C) He has substantial administrative responsibilities and has the authority to cast a tie-breaking vote when the Court cannot reach a decision.
D) He derives most of his power from leadership abilities and the prestige of the office. E) all of the above
Q2) Standing is known as
A) appealing a case on constitutional grounds.
B) having authority to bring legal action because one is directly affected by the issues at hand.
C) being granted oral arguments before the Court.
D) having competent representation before the Court.
E) stare decisis.
Q3) How specific is the Constitution regarding the judicial branch?
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Chapter 15: Freedom: the Struggle for Civil Liberties
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Sample Questions
Q1) What are civil liberties as defined by the American government?
A) Freedoms found primarily in the Bill of Rights that protect people from government interference.
B) The Bill of Rights' provisions for the due process of law.
C) Freedoms found in the Declaration of Independence granting equal protection in the eyes of the law.
D) Equal treatment by government of all citizens and guarantees of equal citizenship for all Americans as provided by the Bill of Rights.
E) The provisions for minority protection under U.S. law as written in the Declaration of Independence.
Q2) The "right to die" is not currently protected by the U.S. Constitution.
A)True
B)False
Q3) In freedom of the press cases, "prior restraint" refers to
A) government action that prevents publication.
B) the courts' interest in secrecy.
C) a court injunction against the publication of pornographic materials.
D) censorship of court documents in the interest of national security.
E) boycotts by citizens groups.
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Page 17
Chapter 16: Civil Rights: the Struggle for Political Equality
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Sample Questions
Q1) Plessy v. Ferguson's separate but equal doctrine was reversed by
A) Cooper v. Aaron.
B) The Slaughterhouse Cases.
C) Civil Rights Cases.
D) Brown v. Board of Education.
E) Smith v. Allwright.
Q2) "Don't ask, don't tell" involves discrimination in the work place.
A)True
B)False
Q3) What prohibits discrimination against women at federally funded institutions
A) The Nineteenth Amendment
B) Title IX
C) Title XI
D) The Voting Rights Act of 1964
E) The Civil Rights Act of 1957
Q4) The ________ was a device used by the southern states to prevent blacks from voting before the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which banned its use; usually involved interpretation of a section of the state constitution.
Q5) What kind of scrutiny do gender-conscious laws receive by the courts?
Q6) What was a "grandfather clause"?
Page 18
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Chapter 17: The Budget and Economic Policies
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Sample Questions
Q1) Efficiency is an important component to agenda setting.
A)True
B)False
Q2) What are the major sources of revenue for each level of government?
Q3) Redistributive policies
A) direct benefits to a narrowly defined group.
B) provide services to select industry or business.
C) transfer resources from one group to another.
D) are designed to increase the money supply to improve the economy.
E) None of the above
Q4) The Federal Reserve Board has a number of ways to influence the economy. Which of the following is NOT within the power of the Fed?
A) Set the interest rates for credit cards.
B) Buy federal securities.
C) Change the discount rate.
D) Change reserve requirements.
E) All of the above
Q5) Why deregulate?
Q6) The national government depends primarily on ________ taxes and payroll taxes.
Q7) ________ is about putting a policy into effect.
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Chapter 18: Social Safety Nets
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Sample Questions
Q1) The American system of social welfare requires much more of private employers than in the systems of other rich democracies.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Financing of social insurance programs, such as Social Security, is through
A) general tax revenues.
B) loans.
C) individuals contributing to a trust fund.
D) general obligation bonds.
E) private investment accounts.
Q3) Medicare is simply another name for Medicaid.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Cost of living adjustments are designed to mitigate the negative impact of which of the following?
A) Inflation
B) Unemployment
C) Taxes
D) Interest rates
E) Fiscal spending
Page 20
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Chapter 19: Foreign Policy and National Defense
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Sample Questions
Q1) The national interest is usually defined by
A) Congress.
B) the American people.
C) a small number of national security advisers and other executive branch officials.
D) the president, alone.
E) All of the above
Q2) The spread of McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Disney theme parks throughout the world is known as Americanization.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The ________ and the executive branch are the chief governmental decision makers concerning most foreign policy issues.
Q4) Much of foreign policy is influenced by structural factors such as the power and resources of the United States.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Discuss the relationship between foreign policy and democracy. Is "foreign policy and democracy" a contradiction in terms?
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