U.S. Government and Politics
Mock Exam
Course Introduction
This course offers an in-depth exploration of the structures, functions, and processes of the United States government and its political system. Students will examine the foundational principles of American democracy, the Constitution, federalism, and the roles of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. The course also addresses civil rights and liberties, the influence of political parties, interest groups, and the media, as well as electoral systems and policy-making. Through analysis of current events and landmark Supreme Court cases, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of how U.S. government operates and its impact on everyday life.
Recommended Textbook
American Government 13th Edition by Walter E. Volkomer
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14 Chapters
841 Verified Questions
841 Flashcards
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Chapter 1: Politics, Democracy, and the American People
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58 Verified Questions
58 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The filibuster, which permits a few U.S.Senators - or even one - to indefinitely postpone or delay a vote in the Senate, is an example of:
A)minority rights.
B)limited rights.
C)majority rights.
D)basic rights.
E)civil rights.
Answer: A
Q2) Who expressed concern about a "tyranny of the majority"?
A)John Locke
B)David Hume
C)Thomas Jefferson
D)Alexis de Tocqueville
E)James Madison
Answer: D
Q3) Political power is the ability to influence the political behavior of others.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Page 3
Chapter 2: From Colonialism to Constitutionalism
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66 Verified Questions
66 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The American Revolution began on April 19, 1775.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) The Magna Charta and the English Bill of Rights both:
A)promoted equality and expanded rights.
B)expanded Parliament's power at the expense of the American colonists.
C)imposed additional taxes and responsibilities upon English subjects.
D)altered the procedures for electing new members of Parliament.
E)restricted the colonies from forming their own governments.
Answer: A
Q3) The president has the power to negotiate treaties with foreign nations but such agreements on behalf of the United States must be approved by
A)a two-thirds vote of each house of the Congress.
B)a majority vote of the House of Representatives.
C)a two-thirds vote of the U.S.Senate.
D)a majority of the president's cabinet.
E)two-thirds of the states.
Answer: C
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Page 4
Chapter 3: The Federal System
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61 Verified Questions
61 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) In a confederation, powers of the central government are
A)granted to it by the legislature.
B)concentrated in one supreme national executive.
C)granted to it by the state or provincial governments.
D)granted to it by executive decision.
E)subject to veto or approval from the national government.
Answer: C
Q2) The due process and equal protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment place limits on the states.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q3) A federal system of government gives the:
A)state governments a major role to play in national security.
B)central government exclusive powers in the area of national security.
C)states an equal role in national affairs.
D)state governments the right to declare war.
E)permits the states to regulate interstate commerce.
Answer: B
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Public Opinion and the Mass Media
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62 Verified Questions
62 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The creation of election websites favors emerging candidates with a strong message.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Focus groups are an example of scientific polling.
A)True
B)False
Q3) In scientific polls, pollsters consider their analysis to be accurate if the margin of error:
A)is zero only.
B)is 10 to 20 percent.
C)is 6 to 9 percent.
D)is 5 to 8 percent.
E)is 3 to 4 percent.
Q4) The term sound bite was developed out of the advertising industry's recognition that people are likely to remember short, punchy messages.
A)True
B)False
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Page 6
Chapter 5: Political Parties and Interest Groups
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60 Verified Questions
60 Flashcards
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Sample
Questions
Q1) Imagine that the Sierra Club wants the U.S.president to introduce a bill to Congress that would protect a section of old-growth forest in Washington from clear cutting.They create a written statement and present it to the secretary of the interior.Which method of lobbying has the Sierra Club employed?
A)evasive threat
B)personal visits
C)indirect lobbying
D)direct lobbying
E)amicus curiae briefs
Q2) Two-party systems are found in almost every democracy.
A)True
B)False
Q3) In theory, the political party's top national authority is the
A)national convention.
B)national committee.
C)state convention.
D)state committee.
E)county committee.
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Chapter 6: Nominations and Elections
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61 Verified Questions
61 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) With the exception of the 2000 election, the last time the Republican party controlled both the executive and legislative branches of government was A)1960. B)1954. C)1988. D)1992. E)1932.
Q2) Soft money is subject to individual and group limits; hard money is not. A)True
B)False
Q3) In an open primary, voters do not have to choose a party and are free to select the ballot of the party in whose primary they wish to participate.
A)True B)False
Q4) What are some of the pros and cons of the Electoral College system? Overall, which arguments do you find more persuasive, and why?
Q5) Compare and contrast open and closed primary systems.Which system do political parties tend to favor? Why?
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Chapter 7: Congress
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61 Verified Questions
61 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Although Congress is a partisan body, the procedure for getting a bill proposal to a floor vote is remarkably fair.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The elected official presiding over the Senate is also known as the
A)president of the United States.
B)vice president of the United States.
C)President Pro Tempore of the Senate.
D)Senate majority leader.
E)Speaker of the Senate.
Q3) The President of the Senate may vote in order to break a tie.
A)True
B)False
Q4) How many times in United States history has the Senate refused to confirm nominees to the Supreme Court?
A)2
B)7
C)12
D)42
E)91
Page 9
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Chapter 8: The Chief Executive
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59 Verified Questions
59 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) President Richard Nixon's opening of diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China in 1972 is an example of the role of
A)chief of state.
B)chief legislator.
C)chief administrator.
D)commander in chief.
E)chief diplomat.
Q2) Public approval of the president tends to
A)increase throughout a president's term of office.
B)increase in the honeymoon period during the president's final year in office.
C)be very stable throughout a president's term.
D)have little impact on a president's ability to implement their legislative agenda.
E)decline throughout a president's years in office.
Q3) Most modern presidents can be considered "strong."
A)True
B)False
Q4) The judicial branch of government is one source of control over the president.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 9: The Federal Bureaucracy
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61 Verified Questions
61 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) What is one of the functions of the president's chief of staff?
A)review the budget and legislative proposals of all the federal departments and agencies
B)prepare the annual Economic Report of the President and recommend adjustments in government spending and taxation
C)advocate for a specific group of citizens and carry out policy and provide services for that sector of society
D)oversee the White House Office and control access to the chief executive
E)coordinate domestic, foreign, and military policies and advise the president
Q2) In addition to the media, other outside groups can serve to limit the actions of the bureaucracy.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Congress exerts control over the bureaucracy through
A)appropriations.
B)reorganization.
C)direct appointments.
D)direct removal.
E)judicial review.
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Page 11
Chapter 10: The Judiciary
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64 Verified Questions
64 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) A probate court or surrogate's court is a
A)court that deals with wills and estates.
B)federal court that acts in behalf of a state court.
C)court that deals with criminal cases.
D)lower federal court that acts on behalf of a higher federal court.
E)court that deals only with tax cases.
Q2) Advocates of __________ are more likely to declare actions of the other branches as unconstitutional, and are more inclined to have the courts set policy for the nation.
A)originalism
B)judicial intent
C)judicial activism
D)judicial self-restraint
E)textualism
Q3) The jurisdiction of a court refers to the A)volume of cases a court hears.
B)authority of the court to hear a particular type of dispute.
C)type of sentence a judge may pronounce.
D)number of judges authorized to serve a particular court.
E)term limits of the judges who sit on the court.
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Page 12
Chapter 11: Civil Liberties
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67 Verified Questions
67 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The right to counsel applies in misdemeanor cases in which a person might be imprisoned.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The Free Exercise clause of the First Amendment prohibits many forms of association between church and state.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Grand juries return indictments in only 10 percent of the cases that they hear.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The Supreme Court has interpreted the freedom of speech under the First Amendment as absolute.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Sedition may be defined as speech or writing that advocates or incites discontent or rebellion against the government.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 12: Civil Rights
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44 Verified Questions
44 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 freed all slaves.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The level of analysis that falls somewhere between the tests of substantiality and strict scrutiny is referred to as "skeptical scrutiny".
A)True
B)False
Q3) The 1964 Civil Rights Act required schools to provide equal opportunities for all students.This is also known as
A)Title VII.
B)Title IX.
C)Title III.
D)Title XI.
E)Title I.
Q4) People suffering from AIDS are covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Summarize the arguments for and against quota-based affirmative action policies.
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Chapter 13: Public Policy: What Government Does
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60 Verified Questions
60 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) What area of public policy stresses the importance of reducing inflation at all costs through control of the money supply?
A)fiscal policy
B)monetary policy
C)economic development policy
D)economic regulatory policy
E)trade and tariff policy
Q2) The economic policy of the Reagan administration can be described as
A)reducing taxes and encouraging spending, thereby increasing employment, productivity, and tax revenues.
B)reducing the budget deficit through significant long-term resolutions in federal government spending.
C)increasing consumer spending, thereby increasing inflation, which is controlled by increasing tax rates.
D)using the government's taxing and spending powers to influence economic productivity and the business cycle.
E)raising taxes, declaring war, and increasing consumer spending, thus reducing unemployment.
Q3) Evaluate the efforts to reform welfare and their effectiveness.
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Page 15
Chapter 14: Foreign Policy
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57 Verified Questions
57 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Dualism in foreign affairs is understandable because American foreign policy has always been shaped by two basic objectives
A)to ensure national security and to serve as a model for other states.
B)to promote peace and to secure less fortunate regimes.
C)to serve as a model for other states and to replace military aid with technical assistance.
D)to ensure national security and support democratic government's efforts to embrace capitalism.
E)détente and containment.
Q2) It is often argued that U.S.foreign policy uses both realism and liberalism. Explain what is meant by this in the context of post-Cold War foreign policy.
Q3) The media influences foreign policy in a number of ways including
A)ignoring the policy agenda.
B)electing officials.
C)bribing policy makers to support a specific issue.
D)framing the policy agenda.
E)regulation.
Q4) Describe the governmental sources of American foreign policy.
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Page 16