American National Government Final Exam
Course Introduction
American National Government provides a comprehensive introduction to the principles, institutions, and processes of the United States federal government. The course explores the foundation of American political culture, the Constitution, federalism, civil liberties and rights, and the three branches of government legislative, executive, and judicial. Students examine the roles of political parties, interest groups, the media, and public opinion in shaping government action and policy. Through analysis of contemporary issues and historical developments, the course enables students to understand how American democracy functions and the ways in which citizens engage with their government.
Recommended Textbook
American Government Power and Purpose Brief 13th Edition by Theodore J. Lowi
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14 Chapters
1596 Verified Questions
1596 Flashcards
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Introduction: Making Sense of Government and Politics
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63 Verified Questions
63 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Why does the "dark side" of principal-agent relationships exist?
A)Agents are often not rational.
B)Institutions sometimes force principal-agent relationships "underground."
C)Principals often force agents to do things against their will.
D)The interests of the agent and the principal may not be well aligned.
E)The principals usually do not know what they are doing.
Answer: D
Q2) On the eve of World War II,the National Socialist (Nazi)Party rose to power in Germany and consolidated its hold on political institutions by effectively striking down any significant opposition through violence and intimidation.Nazi Germany achieved almost absolute control over every facet of its citizens' lives.In terms of limits on governmental power,the political system of Nazi Germany would most accurately be categorized as:
A)totalitarian
B)monarchical
C)authoritarian
D)constitutional
E)democratic
Answer: A
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Chapter 2: The Founding and the Constitution
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101 Verified Questions
101 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The agreement reached during the Constitutional Convention to adopt the proposal that gave each state an equal number of senators regardless of population,but linked representation in the House of Representatives to population,became known as the:
A)Boston Plan
B)Philadelphia Plan
C)Great Compromise
D)Three-fifths Compromise
E)Jefferson Compromise
Answer: C
Q2) Prior to the Revolutionary War,British policies harmed the economic interests of which two large sectors of colonial society that previously supported British rule?
A)royalists and small farmers
B)Southern planters and New England merchants
C)laborers and small farmers
D)New England merchants and shopkeepers
E)Southern planters and royalists
Answer: B
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Chapter 3: Federalism and the Separation of Powers
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120 Verified Questions
120 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The claim that confidential communications between a president and close advisers should not be revealed without the consent of the president is known as:
A)executive privilege
B)plausible deniability
C)dual federalism
D)presidential prerogative
E)command confidentiality
Answer: A
Q2) Explain the trade-offs that exist between concentrating power in the hands of the federal government and dispersing power across the 50 states. Answer: Answer will vary.
Q3) Private property exists because laws against trespass are defined by:
A)state statutes
B)city ordinances
C)the U.S.Congress
D)administrative rules and regulations
E)the Bill of Rights
Answer: A
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Chapter 4: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights
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164 Verified Questions
164 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which amendment in the Bill of Rights explicitly addresses itself exclusively to the national government?
A)the First Amendment
B)the Second Amendment
C)the Fifth Amendment
D)the Seventh Amendment
E)the Eleventh Amendment
Q2) Prior to Lawrence v.Texas,some states criminalized homosexual behavior.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Which Supreme Court case ruled that public schools have to provide education for students whose English is limited?
A)United States v.Wong Kim Ark
B)the Chinese Exclusion Case
C)Wong v.Smith
D)California v.Hodari
E)Lau v.Nichols
Q4) Identify two modern-day controversies over civil rights.Why are these issues controversial? How has the Supreme Court or Congress responded to these issues?
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Chapter 5: Congress: The First Branch
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116 Verified Questions
116 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Congressional Research Service,which provides legislators with facts and competing arguments relevant to policy proposals or other legislative business,is an example of:
A)the expansion of bureaucratic largesse
B)the expansion of gatekeeping authority
C)the application of after-the-fact authority
D)a staff agency
E)a congressional caucus
Q2) In the House of Representatives,who are the elected individuals responsible for lining up party members on important votes and relaying voter information to the leaders?
A)prods
B)whips
C)strikes
D)thrashers
E)snipes
Q3) In recent elections,over 90 percent of House incumbents running for another term have been reelected.
A)True
B)False
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Page 7
Chapter 6: The Presidency
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125 Verified Questions
125 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) In what ways is public opinion important to the president as a critical source of power?
Q2) The process through which presidents have sought to control rule making by the agencies of the executive branch is known as:
A)an executive order
B)regulatory review
C)an OMB directive
D)presidential purview
E)the referendum process
Q3) The framers hoped to achieve a "republican" solution to presidential selection through an indirect election in which electors would be selected by state legislators to participate in the:
A)state caucus
B)popular vote
C)Electoral College
D)national primary
E)presidential referendum
Q4) In the United States,the cabinet is the government.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 7: The Executive Branch
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116 Verified Questions
116 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The United States Post Office is an example of which type of bureaucratic structure?
A)cabinet department
B)independent agency
C)government corporation
D)independent regulatory commission
E)pyramid scheme
Q2) The bureau level of the executive agency is higher in the federal hierarchy than a cabinet department.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Congress often deliberately delegates to an administrative agency the responsibility of lawmaking.
A)True
B)False
Q4) By definition,bureaucrats work exclusively in government.
A)True
B)False
Q5) What motivates bureaucratic behavior?
Q6) Should bureaucracy be reduced? If so,how?
Page 9
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Chapter 8: The Federal Courts
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120 Verified Questions
120 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) How do presidents and Congress influence decision making by the Supreme Court?
Q2) Public law is a form of criminal law.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Which constitutional article grants the Supreme Court "the judicial Power of the United States"?
A)Article I
B)Article II
C)Article III
D)Article IV
E)Article V
Q4) Justice Harry Blackmun's decision in Roe v.Wade was based on a judicial philosophy that involved looking beyond the text of the Constitution to find a right to an abortion.He used the philosophy of judicial:
A)restraint
B)activism
C)discipline
D)flexibility
E)expansion
Q5) In the United States,how do the courts work as political institutions?
Page 10
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Chapter 9: Public Opinion and the Media
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113 Verified Questions
113 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Family,race,gender,and prevailing region are examples of:
A)elements in devolution
B)determinants of civic regression
C)identities
D)factors in ideological polarization
E)predictors of social affection
Q2) In today's terms,someone who generally supports extensive government intervention in the economy is known as a:
A)liberal
B)populist
C)libertarian
D)conservative
E)supply-sider
Q3) The term used to denote the aggregation of many citizens' views and interests is:
A)civic attention
B)public opinion
C)popular culture
D)community spirit
E)crowd wisdom
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Page 11
Chapter 10: Elections
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96 Verified Questions
96 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which term best describes the apportionment of voters in districts in such a way as to give unfair advantage to one political party?
A)el bridging
B)gerrymandering
C)line drawing
D)party mongering
E)partisan warfare
Q2) Which landmark Supreme Court case on campaign finance equated spending money with the right of free speech?
A)Buckley v.Valeo
B)McConnell v.FEC
C)McCain v.Feingold
D)Gibbons v.Ogden
E)Colorado Republican Party v.FEC
Q3) An initiative is an institution of direct democracy.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Explain how the rules governing the electoral process help determine outcomes.
Q5) Discuss whether the Electoral College should be retained or abolished.
Q6) Describe the steps involved in conducting a presidential campaign.
Page 12
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Chapter 11: Political Parties
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110 Verified Questions
110 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Party brand names make voting a more complex task.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which term describes an individual voter's psychological tie to one party?
A)political ego
B)long-term polarity
C)partisan fixation
D)political orientation
E)party identification
Q3) Ralph Nader's 2000 campaign for president is an example of a(n):
A)third-party candidacy
B)Southern strategy
C)anti-incumbent campaign
D)antilabor campaign
E)favorite son candidacy
Q4) Political parties seek to influence the government.
A)True
B)False
Q5) What are the advantages and disadvantages of political parties in American government and politics?
Page 13
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Chapter 12: Groups and Interests
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108 Verified Questions
108 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) A companion brief to an existing court case is called:
A)in camera
B)lex scripta
C)amicus curiae
D)non compos mentis
E)writ of mandamus
Q2) In recent years,interest groups have become much more numerous,more active,and more influential in American politics.
A)True
B)False
Q3) In the quest for political influence,outsider strategies include:
A)going public
B)using the courts
C)gaining access to key decision makers
D)participating in bureaucratic rule making
E)making campaign contributions
Q4) A politics in which interest groups predominate is a politics with a distinctly upper-class bias.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 13: Introduction to Public Policy
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135 Verified Questions
135 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which term describes a company that provides all the goods and services for a particular market such that competition is nonexistent?
A)simplex
B)unigarchy
C)autogarchy
D)monopoly
E)bully firm
Q2) The national government administers the TANF program.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Universal compulsory education is an example of government efforts to:
A)enforce contracts
B)create a labor force
C)set market standards
D)provide public goods
E)ameliorate externalities
Q4) What is the Federal Reserve System,and what are its powers? Has the Fed been effective at fighting financial crises,such as the foreclosure crisis that occurred in the first decade of the 2000s?
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Chapter 14: Foreign Policy
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109 Verified Questions
109 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) In 2010,the International Monetary Fund refused to intervene in the Greek debt crisis.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Discuss the United States' stance toward state and non-state actors when it comes to national security.To what extent does the United States approach the two actors differently?
Q3) The United States makes humanitarian considerations its first priority when setting foreign policy.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The representation of a government to other foreign governments is called:
A)diplomacy
B)cloaking
C)international imaging
D)foreign visioning
E)projection
Q5) What are the values in American foreign policy? Has the United States lived up to these values?
Q6) Does the Bush doctrine of preemptive war make the world a safer place?
Page 16
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