American Government Exam Bank
Course Introduction
American Government explores the foundational principles, structures, and functions of the United States government. This course examines the Constitution, federalism, the roles and responsibilities of the three branches of government, the election process, and the impact of political parties and public opinion. Students will also analyze civil rights and liberties, policy making, and the influence of media, interest groups, and social movements on American politics. Emphasis is placed on understanding how government decisions affect citizens and on fostering informed civic participation.
Recommended Textbook Government in America 2014 Elections and Updates 16th Edition by by George C. Edwards III
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18 Chapters
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Introducing Government in America
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Sample Questions
Q1) What determines whom we select as our governmental leaders and what policies these leaders pursue?
A) the media
B) public opinion
C) politics
D) public policy
Answer: C
Q2) Free speech and a free press are essential to which principle of traditional democratic theory?
A) inclusion
B) effective participation
C) enlightened understanding
D) equality in voting
Answer: C
Q3) How does government usually protect its national sovereignty?
A) by maintaining armed forces
B) by maintaining schools, libraries, hospitals, and highways
C) by collecting taxes
D) by politically socializing the young
Answer: A
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Chapter 2: The Constitution
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Q1) Compare and contrast the legislatures established by the Constitution and the Articles of Confederation.
Answer: 1. Describe the unicameral legislature under the Articles of Confederation in which each state had a vote.
2. Explain the changes to the legislature under the Constitution,including the creation of a bicameral legislature composed of one house to represent the people (House of Representatives)and another house to represent the states (Senate).
Q2) Describe the system of checks and balances created by the Framers. Why is this system important?
Answer: 1. Indicate that the powers of the government were divided into three branches.
2. Identify the ways in which the Constitution allocates the power to make,interpret,and enforce laws among the three branches.
3. Explain the ways in which each branch has a role in the actions of the others.
4. Explain how checks and balances are used to prevent tyranny and corruption.
Q3) The Constitution has been amended __________ times.
Answer: 27
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Chapter 3: Federalism
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Q1) What are the two types of federal powers derived from Article I,section 8 of the U.S. Constitution?
A) enumerated; implied
B) enumerated; suggested
C) implied; explicit
D) suggested; explicit
Answer: A
Q2) The Framers adopted a federal system of government partly because they feared
A) centralizing power in the federal government
B) limiting the national government
C) regulating interstate commerce
D) challenging the power of the states
Answer: A
Q3) The power to regulate interstate commerce belongs to the __________ government.
Answer: federal
Q4) In a(n)__________ system,two or more levels of government share power.
Answer: federal
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Chapter 4: Civil Liberties and Public Policy
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Q1) Americans are more tolerant of the free speech rights of religious extremists than are people in other democracies with developed economies.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which test examines the constitutionality of religious establishment issues?
A) Orange
B) Lemon
C) Free Exercise
D) Prior Restraint
Q3) A false and malicious written statement could be considered __________; the same statement spoken aloud could be considered __________.
A) slander; defamation
B) slander; libel
C) libel; defamation
D) libel; slander
Q4) Why are the establishment and free exercise clauses necessary to maintain the separation of church and state?
Q5) How does the Lemon test examine the constitutionality of religious establishment issues?
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Chapter 5: Civil Rights and Public Policy
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Q1) The __________ Amendment guarantees African Americans the right to vote.
Q2) A school district might attempt to overcome __________ segregation by adopting a busing system that increases schools' diversity.
Q3) The Tailhook Association's 1991 convention became notorious for __________.
A) discrimination against African Americans
B) racial profiling
C) voter suppression efforts
D) sexual harassment
Q4) The freedom riders used civil disobedience to help end which form of discrimination in the South?
A) lynchings by the Ku Klux Klan
B) racial segregation
C) racial quotas
D) voter discrimination
Q5) __________ programs are designed to help remedy continued inequality by giving special attention to members of previously discriminated-against groups.
Q6) Brown v. Board of Education overturned the __________ doctrine that had been established in Plessy v. Ferguson.
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Chapter 6: Public Opinion and Political Action
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Q1) What is demography?
A) the science of human populations
B) an "actual enumeration" of the population
C) the distribution of the population's beliefs about politics and policy issues
D) an accounting of who the American people are and what they believe
Q2) What are Election Day exit polls,and why have they been criticized?
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) Explain the relationship between social class and political participation.
Q5) Nonviolent __________ was one of the most effective techniques of the civil rights movement in the American South.
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Chapter 7: The Mass Media and the Political Agenda
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Q1) In 1934,Congress created which body to regulate the use of the airwaves?
A) Federal Trade Commission
B) Equal Opportunity Commission
C) Federal Communications Commission
D) Department of Media Communications
Q2) 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
Q3) __________ are intentional news leaks for the purpose of assessing the political reaction.
Q4) What effect did the events surrounding the Vietnam War and Watergate have on the news media and their relationship to politics and the American people? Assess whether this was a good development.
Q5) The proposed __________ would offer newspapers the option of operating as nonprofit organizations for educational purposes.
Q6) What are sound bites? How does their use influence the nature of the news?
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Chapter 8: Political Parties
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Sample Questions
Q1) One of the consequences of two-party government is __________.
A) greater fluidity of representation
B) the increased likelihood of coalition government
C) the increased likelihood of proportional representation
D) the moderation of political conflict
Q2) The national __________ is the supreme power of the national party organization.
A) assembly
B) convention
C) delegation
D) legislature
Q3) The New Deal coalition fell apart after nearly four decades of political control with the movement of __________ from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party.
A) urbanites
B) Catholics and Jews
C) Asians and Hispanics
D) Southern conservatives
Q4) Which political era saw the longest period of Republican domination? Explain the origin and demise of party domination during this period.
Q5) What is party image? How does it influence elections?
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Chapter 9: Campaigns and Voting Behavior
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Q1) Which of the following helps to explain why voter turnout is lower in the United States than in other democracies?
A) The United States hold fewer elections.
B) The United States elects fewer officeholders.
C) The United States hold elections midweek.
D) The United States has a partisan election system.
Q2) The __________ law allows citizens to register to vote when they apply for or renew their driver's license.
Q3) Why do presidential candidates tend to focus their efforts on battleground states?
A) Battleground states have the most Electoral College votes.
B) Battleground states have more electors than they would deserve if electors were allocated by population.
C) Candidates focus on battleground states in order to increase their media exposure.
D) The winner-take-all system makes battleground states more relevant to a campaign.
Q4) What consequences do long campaigns have on the ability of politicians to govern effectively?
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Chapter 10: Interest Groups
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Q1) Generally speaking,political action committee (PAC)contributions have __________.
A) become increasingly important in congressional elections
B) decreased for incumbents but increased for challengers and open seats
C) become less important in federal elections and more important in state elections
D) become less important
Q2) You are the leader of a student organization working to pass federal legislation that would increase financial aid to college students. What specific strategies could you employ to overcome the free-rider problem in order to build your organization and increase your political clout?
Q3) Interest groups are prohibited from attempting to influence the decisions of elected officials who have received campaign contributions from the interest's PAC.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Discuss the role of political action committees (PACs)in terms of their influence on elections and the extent to which they shape government policy.
Q5) Anti-Vietnam War activists formed __________ interest groups.
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Chapter 11: Congress
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Q1) Party leaders from the two chambers of Congress sometimes use __________ legislation that addresses numerous and perhaps unrelated issues to create winning coalitions and force members to support the entire bill to obtain the individual parts.
A) ad hoc
B) conference
C) orthodox
D) omnibus
Q2) Representing constituents by mirroring their personal,politically relevant characteristics is known as __________ representation.
Q3) The pork barrel may aid the district of a member of Congress by __________.
A) diverting unallocated funds to the service sector
B) increasing jobs and revenue with federally funded projects
C) increasing revenue through private market investment
D) taxing corporations less so they provide health insurance for employees
Q4) Explain how the decentralized nature of the committee system in Congress affects the ability of interest groups to influence its decisions.
Q5) __________ are individuals who already hold office.
Q6) Cloture is the only way other senators can end a(n)__________.
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Chapter 12: The Presidency
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is an example of a "rally event" as it relates to public approval of the president?
A) George H. W. Bush's reelection after the Gulf War
B) Richard Nixon's approval ratings during Watergate
C) George W. Bush's surge in popularity after the 9/11 terrorist attacks
D) Ronald Reagan's decision to seek a second term
Q2) Which of the following reviews potential legislative proposals suggested by executive agencies and assesses their budgetary implications?
A) secretary of the treasury
B) Office of Management and Budget
C) secretary of commerce
D) chief of staff
Q3) Describe the role of the president as commander in chief. Include what limitations the president has in this role.
Q4) Congress can remove a president through __________.
A) a veto
B) an executive order
C) a House impeachment vote
D) a Senate impeachment trial
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Chapter 13: The Budget: the Politics of Taxing and Spending
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is an excise tax?
A) tax levied on corporate income
B) tax levied on personal income
C) tax levied on the consumption of a certain good
D) tax levied on the top 2 percent of income earners
Q2) Which of the following illustrates American citizens' usual attitude toward the budget?
A) Americans want to decrease taxes, decrease spending, and balance the budget.
B) Americans want to increase taxes, decrease spending, and balance the budget.
C) Americans want to keep taxes low, maintain or increase spending, and balance the budget.
D) Americans want to keep taxes low, decrease spending, and run a budget surplus.
Q3) A(n)__________ is an act of Congress that funds programs established by authorization bills.
A) joint proclamation
B) appropriations bill
C) budget resolution
D) omnibus bill
Q4) Explain why Social Security is an uncontrollable expenditure.
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Chapter 14: The Federal Bureaucracy
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Sample Questions
Q1) Current students who are convicted of __________ lose their federal financial aid for a year or more.
A) arson
B) drug offenses
C) robbery
D) any federal crime
Q2) __________ refers to the authority of administrators in the federal bureaucracy to make choices concerning the best way to implement policies.
A) Adjudication
B) Discretion
C) Division of labor
D) Executive control
Q3) Bureaucrats often have considerable discretion in the implementation of federal laws.
A)True
B)False
Q4) One function of __________ is to provide services that are in the public interest but that could be provided by the private sector.
Q5) Discuss the potential advantages and disadvantages of privatization.
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Chapter 15: The Federal Courts
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Q1) Of the federal courts,only the __________ is explicitly mentioned in the Constitution.
Q2) __________ courts are staffed by judges who have fixed terms of office and who lack the protections against removal or salary reductions that judges on constitutional courts enjoy.
Q3) In which of the following cases did the Supreme Court first claim the right of judicial review?
A) Chisholm v. Georgia
B) Brown v. Board of Education
C) Dred Scott v. Sandford
D) Marbury v. Madison
Q4) Rotating three-judge panels typically decide cases in the federal courts of appeals. A)True
B)False
Q5) Explain why the Framers gave federal judges life tenure. Do you think life tenure for federal judges has worked well?
Q6) What are class action lawsuits?
Q7) If North Dakota sues South Dakota,the case will be heard by the __________.
Page 17
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Chapter 16: Economic and Social Welfare Policymaking
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Sample Questions
Q1) Keynesian economic policy holds which of the following to be true?
A) Increasing tax rates will stimulate the economy.
B) Government spending should focus primarily on social welfare.
C) The key task for fiscal policy is to stimulate the supply of goods.
D) Government should only stimulate the economy when it is lagging.
Q2) Increasing inequality in the distribution of income can contribute to a situation known as __________,which is becoming more common in America.
A) the complacency of dependency
B) recessive economics
C) regressive politics
D) relative deprivation
Q3) What did the welfare reform law of 1996 implement?
A) Aid to Families with Dependent Children
B) disability insurance
C) Social Security for aged
D) Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
Q4) Briefly compare and contrast progressive,proportional,and regressive taxes. Give an example of a progressive tax and of a regressive tax.
Q5) What is the concern regarding the Social Security Trust Fund?
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Chapter 17: Policymaking for Health Care, the Environment, and Energy
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Sample Questions
Q1) Medicare Part A covers prescription drugs.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which of the following complaints is most directly addressed by the Affordable Care Act?
A) Medicare leaves too many health care expenses for the elderly to pay out of their own pockets.
B) Only a single-payer system can bring about significant health care savings.
C) There are too many uninsured Americans.
D) Employer-sponsored health insurance unnecessarily restricts my choice of doctors.
Q3) Who typically qualifies for Medicare?
A) full-time workers
B) those 65 or older
C) the unemployed
D) the poor
Q4) An environmental impact statement is required under the provisions of the __________ Act when a government policy is potentially disruptive to the environment.
Q5) Medicare is designed primarily to help the __________ population.
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Chapter 18: National Security Policymaking
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Q1) To what extent has recent U.S. foreign policy been isolationist? Illustrate your answer with two recent foreign policy examples.
Q2) Why did the United States join the North American Free Trade Agreement?
A) to lower trade barriers
B) to relocate manufacturing jobs to Mexico to take advantage of cheaper labor
C) to slow down the pace of globalization
D) to make it harder for Japanese cars to compete in the American marketplace
Q3) During the height of the Cold War,what would the United States likely have done if it had discovered that the Soviet Union had previously unknown stockpiles of nuclear weapons?
A) negotiate a bilateral nuclear nonproliferation agreement
B) engage in a military conflict with the Soviet Union
C) stockpile additional nuclear weapons in the United States
D) extend diplomatic immunity to the Soviet Union
Q4) Which of the following countries is a member of NATO?
A) Russia
B) China
C) Japan
D) Canada
Q5) How is terrorism fundamentally different from traditional military action?
Page 20
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