U.S. Government and Politics
Chapter Exam Questions
Course Introduction
This course provides an in-depth examination of the foundations, structure, and functioning of the United States government and its political processes. Students will explore the Constitution, federalism, the roles and powers of the three branches of government, and the interactions between national, state, and local authorities. The course also analyzes political behavior, including public opinion, political parties, interest groups, the media, and the electoral process. Emphasis is placed on understanding landmark Supreme Court decisions, civil rights and liberties, and contemporary policy issues, empowering students to critically evaluate governmental actions and their impact on American society.
Recommended Textbook
Government By the People 2014 Elections and Updates Edition 25th Edition by David
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B. Magleby
Chapter 1: Constitutional Democracy
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Q1) How does the Constitution guard against tyranny of the majority?
A)by insulating certain rights,such as freedom of speech
B)by giving states the power to nullify federal laws
C)by requiring the Supreme Court to issue decisions supported by public opinion
D)by requiring free and fair elections
Answer: A
Q2) Describe the process of the ratification of the Constitution.
Answer: An ideal response will:
1.Describe how the states selected delegates who assembled at the Constitutional Convention of 1787.
2.Discuss how the ratification of the Constitution required significant deliberation regarding issues of representation and the structure of government.
3.Note how after the delegates voted to recommend the Constitution to the nation,it had to be approved by popularly elected conventions in nine states.
4.Explain how this meant that the Constitution would be approved by the people,thereby granting it greater legal and moral authority than had it been approved by state legislatures.
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Chapter 2: Constitutional Foundations
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Q1) Which of the following describes the power of the president to keep communications confidential?
A)constitutional restriction
B)impoundment
C)separation of powers
D)executive privilege
Answer: D
Q2) The Constitution defines the procedure of impeachment in great detail and spells out which actions of a president are impeachable.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) Most constitutional amendments were ratified within two years of being proposed. A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q4) The first 10 amendments to the Constitution are called the __________.
Answer: Bill of Rights
Q5) The Constitution has been amended __________ times. Answer: 27
Page 4
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Chapter 3: American Federalism
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Q1) Any power not specifically delegated to the states by the Constitution is reserved to the national government.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) Which of the following is a limitation on states' taxing authority?
A)It cannot unduly burden commerce within a state.
B)It cannot unduly burden commerce among the states.
C)It cannot exceed a federal tax on the same goods or services.
D)It must be used to fund public services.
Answer: B
Q3) Define unfunded mandates.Why are unfunded mandates problematic?
Answer: An ideal response will:
1.Define unfunded mandates.
2.Note that Congress often imposes significant obligations on the states without providing any money enabling the states to comply.
3.Discuss the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and describe the ways in which it attempted to eliminate the prevalence of unfunded mandates.However,even after the act,Congress has passed additional unfunded mandates.
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Page 5
Chapter 4: The American Political Landscape
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Q1) More than half of the names of states in the United States are derived from __________ languages.
Q2) Americans often have a sense of identification with their state.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Divisions within society that cut across demographic categories to produce groups that are more heterogeneous are called __________.
A)cross-cutting cleavages
B)cross-political dispositions
C)ideological impasses
D)reinforcing cleavages
Q4) The first large wave of new immigrants to the United States came between __________.
A)1840 and 1860
B)1864 and 1896
C)1900 and 1924
D)1950 and 1980
Q5) President George H.W.Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 5: Interest Groups
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Q1) Collective bargaining is a process whereby which of the following occurs?
A)Members of Congress debate the merits of a bill.
B)Unions represent a group of employees in negotiations with management.
C)Interest group leaders solicit input from their members about the group's goals.
D)PAC contributors decide how to distribute their funds.
Q2) You are the leader of an environmental organization working to address the problem of climate change.Given the free rider problem,what would be the most effective way to get others to join your cause?
A)Describe the harmful consequences of global warming.
B)Explain how future generations will benefit from enacting climate change legislation.
C)Offer an incentive,such as a tee shirt,to those who join the campaign.
D)Circulate a petition on the Internet.
Q3) One function of __________ is to provide legislators with information about an interest group's position on a specific bill or issue.
Q4) What is the free rider problem? Describe one way that an interest group can overcome this problem.
Q5) Discuss the technique of bundling and explain what purpose it serves.
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Chapter 6: Political Parties
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Q1) If the United States has entered a period of dealignment,the most telling evidence would be an increase in the number of people identifying themselves as __________.
Q2) Money that can be raised in unlimited amounts for party-building purposes is called
A)soft money
B)hard money
C)party-independent expenditures
D)coordinated expenditures
Q3) In between party conventions,the body in charge of the national party is the
A)national committee
B)campaign committee
C)national caucus
D)party in government
Q4) In the 2000 presidential election,the Green Party candidate might have taken away votes from the Democratic candidate,__________.
Q5) Why have minor parties been so unsuccessful in U.S.politics? In what electoral systems are minor parties more likely to be successful?
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Chapter 7: Public Opinion, ideology, participation, and Voting
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Q1) __________ believe that people are the architects of their own success or failure.
Q2) When Representative Barbara M.Calhoun left office in the middle of her fourth term,she did so at the behest of the president,who appointed her to be U.S.ambassador to Chile.As soon as she had accepted the post,she informed state officials in Georgia of her plans.What did they immediately organize to fill her vacant seat?
A)a midterm election
B)a primary election
C)a replacement election
D)a special election
Q3) Which of the following is the most influential factor when voters develop the political attitudes they take into elections?
A)family
B)school
C)mass media
D)self-reflection
Q4) After passage of the Twenty-Sixth Amendment,which increased the number of eligible voters by lowering the voting age to18,voter turnout between 1968 and 1972
Page 9
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Chapter 8: Campaigns and Elections
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Q1) An election with no incumbent running is called __________.
A)a toss-up
B)party polling
C)an open seat
D)a referendum
Q2) In most parliamentary democracies,the party in power calls elections
A)at a time of the party's choosing
B)every five years on average
C)at fixed intervals of two years
D)only when the government receives a no-confidence vote
Q3) You are a campaign manager for a challenger to a House seat.How important would candidate appeal be,and how would you build it for your candidate?
Q4) If you were an official in the Democratic Party in a state that typically goes Republican,you might be in favor of changing the election system to __________.
A)winner-take-all
B)single-member representation
C)straight election
D)proportional representation
Q5) Describe two early steps a candidate must take when running for Congress.
Page 10
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Chapter 9: The Media and Uspolitics
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Q1) The greatest amount of news coverage during political campaigns occurs in which type of race?
A)state legislative
B)governor
C)presidential
D)congressional
Q2) What do most campaign consultants believe about negative campaigning?
A)that it is less effective than positive advertising
B)that it galvanizes the opposition
C)that it suppresses voter turnout
D)that it is effective
Q3) What are three factors that limit media influence on public opinion? Focus on one or more of these factors and give an example of how they affected the media's influence on you.
Q4) The growth of the Internet has led to fragmentation of media audiences.
A)True
B)False
Q5) The television networks ABC,NBC,and CBS are known as __________.
Q6) How has audience fragmentation affected broadcast media and newspapers?
Q7) Before the ___________,all news that was reported was political.
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Chapter 10: Congress
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Q1) The level of party-line voting is the lowest it's been in decades.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Congressional approval ratings have never been lower than they are now.Public confidence in the ability of Congress to solve important problems has waned.Discuss the reasons why politicians appear at loggerheads with one another,why solutions to substantive issues are either not addressed or given short-term solutions,and what some potential remedies might be.
Q3) The Constitution gives __________ the power to draw House district lines.
A)the Senate
B)the House
C)the Supreme Court
D)the states
Q4) What would the Framers of the Constitution find surprising about today's Congress?
A)They would be surprised by the diversity of its membership.
B)They would be surprised that Congress is able to pass bills quickly.
C)They would be surprised to find only two major parties.
D)They would be surprised by the norm of courtesy among members.
Q5) After the Speaker,the next most powerful person in the House is the __________.
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Chapter 11: The Presidency
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Q1) Which of the following statements best characterizes the members of the White House staff?
A)The White House staff is a loose collection of bureaucrats who are loyal to executive agencies.
B)The White House staff is composed of individuals personally and politically close to the president chosen specifically to serve the president's needs.
C)The White House staff is composed of policy specialists who have little personal loyalty to the president.
D)The White House staff is the link between executive agencies in the bureaucracy and Congress.
Q2) The president is in charge of the day-to-day operations of the federal departments and agencies.
A)True
B)False
Q3) What is the president's power to convene Congress? Why would this be more significant in the early years of the presidency?
Q4) What makes a great/successful president?
Q5) Compare the White House staff and the cabinet.
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Chapter 12: The Federal Bureaucracy and the Public Policy Process
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Q1) What advantage do cabinet departments have over other organizations in the federal bureaucracy?
A)Cabinet departments may operate independently from the presidency.
B)Cabinet officers cannot be fired as easily as other bureaucrats.
C)Cabinet departments typically have larger budgets.
D)Cabinet departments are more isolated and protected from partisan politics.
Q2) How does Congress exercise control over agencies and departments in the federal bureaucracy?
A)by issuing executive orders
B)by issuing reports through the Office of Management and Budget
C)by nominating appointees to key positions in federal agencies
D)by confirming appointees to key positions in federal agencies
Q3) Why was the Senior Executive Service created?
A)to give the president flexibility and mobility in managing government
B)to give Congress greater control over agency budgets
C)to make federal bureaucrats more accountable to voters
D)to reduce the influence of interest groups on agency decision-making
Q4) When Congress reads agency reports,monitors budgets,and routinely pays attention to the ways agencies are running,it is engaging in __________ oversight.
Page 14
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Chapter 13: The Judiciary: the Balancing Branch
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Q1) Who nominates U.S.federal judges?
A)the president
B)the solicitor general
C)the chief justice of the Supreme Court
D)the Senate majority leader
Q2) When the Senate delays or rejects a federal judicial nomination,the president can still appoint justices by __________.
A)changing the jurisdiction of federal courts
B)focusing on state courts
C)invoking precedent
D)using recess appointments
Q3) As illustrated in the Roberts' Court decision in Citizens United v.Federal Election Commission,when a court strikes down legislation,__________.
A)it is usually supported in its decision to check the other branches
B)it risks drawing criticism and questions about its authority
C)it risks its decision being completely ignored by the other branches
D)it usually waits until it has complete unanimity in the decision
Q4) Of all the federal courts,only the __________ is established by the Constitution.
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Page 15
Chapter 14: Civil Liberties
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Q1) Approximately __________ percent of adults in the United States identify themselves as Christian.
A)37
B)55
C)79
D)90
Q2) Under the bad tendency test,which of the following would be prohibited?
A)withholding of information from grand juries
B)speech advocating the use of illegal drugs
C)published defamation or false statements
D)government entanglement with religion
Q3) Before 1990,the Supreme Court allowed government infringement on religious practices if __________.
A)such infringement reinforced the "wall of separation" between church and state
B)the law was not targeted at particular religious groups
C)the government had a compelling interest in doing so
D)the religious practices in question were widely condemned
Q4) What constitutes a taking for the purpose of eminent domain?
Q5) The Supreme Court has upheld the government's taking of private property if it is for
16
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Chapter 15: Civil Rights
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Q1) Which of the following arguments would most likely be made by an opponent of affirmative action policies?
A)Affirmative action helps to compensate for past discrimination.
B)Discrimination is a natural part of the human experience.
C)Affirmative action discriminates on the basis of race.
D)Diversity helps Americans better understand each other.
Q2) The first federal civil rights law enacted since Reconstruction was the Civil Rights Act of 1957.This law makes it a crime to __________.
A)discriminate in public accommodations on the basis of race
B)discriminate in employment on the basis of race
C)intimidate or threaten African Americans exercising their right to vote
D)require voters to pay poll taxes
Q3) What are natural rights?
A)the rights of all people to dignity and worth
B)the rights of all people to be free of arbitrary government action
C)the rights of all people regardless of sexual orientation
D)the rights of all people to be free from irrational discrimination
Q4) Make an argument for interpreting the Fourteenth Amendment as supporting the right of gays and lesbians to get married to their same-sex partners.
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Chapter 16: Making Economic Policy
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Q1) The economic downturn that began in 2008 is often referred to as __________.
Q2) What was the main purpose of the Clayton Act?
A)to provide greater stability in the agricultural sector
B)to reduce the trade deficit
C)to prevent unfair competitive practices
D)to stimulate the economy in the wake of the Great Depression
Q3) In what areas have federal regulations been introduced to protect workers in the United States?
Q4) The payroll tax is considered a _________.
A)progressive tax
B)regressive tax
C)tax expenditure
D)subsidy
Q5) Discuss the differences in philosophy,key actors,and tools of fiscal and monetary policy.Should the federal government give preference to one to the other? Why or why not?
Q6) Government regulation of the economy is often criticized for imposing heavy paperwork and reporting burdens on the economy.
A)True
B)False
Page 18
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Chapter 17: Making Social Policy
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Q1) Welfare recipients are often criticized because they can remain indefinitely on programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which of the following is a means-tested program?
A)Social Security
B)No Child Left Behind
C)Medicare
D)Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
Q3) In 2014,a family of four with an annual income of $33,050 fell below the poverty line.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Which of the following is most accurate regarding the future of Medicare?
A)Medicare will likely need adjustments to meet future demands.
B)The Medicare trust fund is expected to run out of money by 2016.
C)Medicare is expected to be financially stable for the next 50 years.
D)Medicare will be replaced by a private investment program beginning in 2015.
Q5) Why are playgrounds important in communities? What areas can benefit from playgrounds?
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Chapter 18: Making Foreign and Defense Policy
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Q1) U.S.foreign policy toward China is largely driven by the fact that China is a large market in an increasingly global economy.
A)True
B)False
Q2) What is diplomacy? Under what circumstances is the president's foreign policy most likely to rely on diplomacy? Under what circumstances is the president most likely to rely on military action instead of diplomacy? Give an example of when the United States has relied on diplomacy and when it has relied on military action.Given the uncertain state of the world because of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction,will U.S.foreign policy in the future be more likely to focus on diplomacy or military action?
Q3) What is the primary factor driving U.S.foreign policy in Iran and North Korea?
A)the goal of developing trade relations
B)retaliation for the September 11 terrorist attacks
C)the goal of promoting democracy
D)the threat the countries pose to the United States
Q4) North Korea's _________ ambition largely drives U.S.foreign policy toward that country.
Q5) Compare and contrast hard power and soft power.Give an example of each.
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