American National Government
Textbook Exam Questions
Course Introduction
American National Government is an introductory course that explores the fundamental principles, structures, and functions of the United States government. Students examine the Constitution, federalism, the roles of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, as well as the processes of elections, policymaking, and civil liberties. The course also discusses political parties, interest groups, public opinion, and the impact of government decisions on society, providing a comprehensive understanding of how American democracy operates and how citizens can participate in the political process.
Recommended Textbook
American Government 13th Edition by Walter E. Volkomer
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841 Verified Questions
841 Flashcards
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Politics, Democracy, and the American People
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Sample Questions
Q1) According to the text, Thomas Hobbes and David Hume
A)agreed with John Locke about natural law.
B)were skeptical of human reason.
C)did not think that people were passionate enough about freedom.
D)were influenced by the thinking of James Madison.
E)were influenced by the thinking of Alexis de Tocqueville
Answer: B
Q2) If citizens obtain enough signatures on a petition, a vote is then held deciding whether or not an official may continue to hold office.This is known as a recall.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q3) Ordinary people exercise political power through voting or interest group membership.
A)True
B)False Answer: True
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Chapter 2: From Colonialism to Constitutionalism
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Sample Questions
Q1) What is the importance of the fraction three-fifths when discussing the compromises made between states during the Philadelphia Convention?
A)A slave would be worth three-fifths of a full vote for purposes of allocating seats in the House of Representatives.
B)Congress would need a three-fifths majority to overturn a presidential veto.
C)A candidate would need three-fifths of the popular vote to be elected president.
D)A three-fifths majority of the delegates would be needed to approve the Constitution.
E)A president could be impeached with three-fifths majorities in each house of Congress.
Answer: A
Q2) At the Constitutional Convention, sessions were open to the public.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Chapter 3: The Federal System
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Sample Questions
Q1) Under the Articles of Confederation, power was
A)distributed among largely independent states.
B)concentrated in a strong central government.
C)given primarily to the courts.
D)divided equally between the states and the national government.
E)divided equally between three branches of the national government.
Answer: A
Q2) In a unitary government, the central government has ultimate legal authority over its citizens' provincial governments.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q3) In 1938, the Roosevelt administration passed legislation that imposed federal regulation in all but
A)labor management relations.
B)stock and commodity relations.
C)women's equality in the work force.
D)child labor regulation.
E)minimum wage regulations.
Answer: C
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Chapter 4: Public Opinion and the Mass Media
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Sample Questions
Q1) Family tends to have the greatest effect on a person's later interest in politics.
A)True
B)False
Q2) In terms of political participation, people from lower socioeconomic classes tend to
A)participate the most.
B)participate at the average rates of all Americans.
C)participate the least.
D)participate at different rate, depending on their race.
E)participate at different rates, depending on place of residence.
Q3) Which one of the following is true with respect to cell phones and polling?
A)Pollsters have been contacting people on their cell phones since cell phones were first introduced.
B)By 2007, more than 85 percent of American homes possessed only cell phones.
C)It is doubtful polling organizations will contact people on their cell phones.
D)Cell phones are automatically disqualified from participation in scientific polls.
E)The first pollster did not contact people on cell phones until January 2008.
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Chapter 5: Political Parties and Interest Groups
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Sample Questions
Q1) A major characteristic of America's two major parties is that they
A)are highly centralized, with strong national organs exercising a heavy influence over weaker state party organizations.
B)tend to be single-interest parties that avoid becoming multi-interest coalitions.
C)are coalitions, gaining support from varied segments of the population.
D)avoid taking moderate political positions in order to attract voters.
E)are very powerful at all levels from national convention to state and local party organizations.
Q2) Independent voters split their ticket when voting more often than do those who identify with one of the major political parties.
A)True
B)False
Q3) A minor political party has never replaced a major party.Minor party ideals have always become incorporated into one of the major parties.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 6: Nominations and Elections
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Sample Questions
Q1) Republican party primary rules allocate delegates on the basis of A)a winner-take-all system.
B)proportional representation.
C)a majoritarian system.
D)party caucus preferences.
E)a national caucus system.
Q2) The earliest method used to select candidates for public office in the United States was the
A)mixed caucus.
B)legislative caucus.
C)primary system.
D)convention system.
E)direct primary system.
Q3) Meetings of party members at the local or precinct level to choose delegates to county conventions are known as:
A)caucuses.
B)primaries.
C)run-off primaries.
D)open primaries.
E)preconventions.
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Chapter 7: Congress
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Sample Questions
Q1) The idea that legislators need to pass laws that are in the best interests of their constituents is referred to as
A)casework.
B)service.
C)policy representation.
D)constituent apportionment.
E)redistricting.
Q2) Which type of congressional committee is formed to examine particular issues?
A)standing
B)joint
C)conference
D)select
E)casework
Q3) A special order issued by the House Rules Committee, determining when a bill will come up for debate, is called a(n)
A)rule.
B)writ.
C)appropriation.
D)discharge petition.
E)cloture.
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Chapter 8: The Chief Executive
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Sample Questions
Q1) In order to build support in Congress for their legislative agenda, presidents have at different times used all of the following, EXCEPT:
A)judicial appointments.
B)monetary incentives.
C)federal construction projects.
D)favors of various kinds.
E)campaign support.
Q2) When President Nixon attempted to prevent major newspapers from publishing the Pentagon Papers, a government study of the Vietnam War,
A)the Supreme Court refused to hear the case.
B)the Supreme Court said the government could not prevent the study's publication.
C)he succeeded in preventing the study from being published.
D)the issue was resolved without appeal to or involvement of the Supreme Court.
E)the Court said the study violated Congress's power to declare war.
Q3) The presidential pardon power is subject to congressional control.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 9: The Federal Bureaucracy
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Sample Questions
Q1) The powers of the federal bureaucracy have grown immensely since the country's inception.Examine the governmental checks on the power of the bureaucracy and discuss whether or not this system is successful.
Q2) The president's cabinet is made up of the heads of fifteen executive departments and other top officials.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Senatorial courtesy applies to all federal officials appointed by the president with the consent of the Senate.
A)True
B)False
Q4) All of the following are parts of the Department of Homeland Security except A)the Office of Management and Budget.
B)the Coast Guard.
C)the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
D)the Customs Service.
E)the Secret Service.
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11
Chapter 10: The Judiciary
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Sample
Questions
Q1) The American legal system is based on the assumption that truth will emerge from the clash of opposing interests.This is known as the
A)legal atmosphere.
B)adversary system.
C)dual court system.
D)class action.
E)federalism system.
Q2) Courts which are created by the Congress under Article I, Section 8, of the U.S.Constitution are usually referred to as
A)administrative courts.
B)appeals courts.
C)legislative courts.
D)regulatory courts.
E)chancery courts.
Q3) The principle of stare decisis prohibits courts from overturning earlier decisions in cases with similar issues.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Explain the role of standing within the context of the adversary system.
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Chapter 11: Civil Liberties
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Sample Questions
Q1) Explain the debate over the rights of habeas corpus with respect to detainees in the war on terrorism.How do the rights of terror suspects differ from the rights of criminal defendants in the United States?
Q2) The Supreme Court extended the Fourth Amendment's warrant requirement to situations in which "a person has a reasonable expectation of privacy" in
A)United States v.Leon.
B)Mapp v.Ohio.
C)Gideon v.Wainwright.
D)United States v.Eichmann.
E)Katz v.United States.
Q3) The Free Exercise clause of the First Amendment prohibits many forms of association between church and state.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The Supreme Court has used the Bill of Rights as a standard in defining the "liberty" that the Fourteenth Amendment protects against infringement by state governments.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 12: Civil Rights
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Sample Questions
Q1) As a result of the women's rights movement, women have achieved true equality with men, earning equal wages and enjoying the same social and educational opportunities afforded men in society.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The right of women to vote was granted by the
A)Fifteenth Amendment.
B)Nineteenth Amendment.
C)Twenty-first Amendment.
D)Civil Rights Act.
E)Equal Rights Amendment
Q3) Most court challenges to sex-based discrimination have relied on the due process clause of the Fifth Amendment.
A)True
B)False
Q4) A person claiming discrimination in employment on basis of their race can bring suit under Title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 13: Public Policy: What Government Does
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Q1) The Environmental Protection Agency's enforcement of federal clean air and water laws is an example of redistributive policy.
A)True
B)False
Q2) According to Keynesian economic theory, during times of economic depression the government should
A)collect more taxes.
B)collect less taxes.
C)collect the same amount of taxes.
D)raise taxes.
E)do nothing.
Q3) The deregulation of airline fares in the late 1970s marked the beginning of the move by government to loosen regulatory control.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The number of workers who are contributing to the government pension program is rapidly increasing.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 14: Foreign Policy
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which terrorist group is responsible for attacks on U.S.embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in the 1990s?
A)IRA
B)FARQ
C)Al Qaeda
D)PLO
E)Hezbollah
Q2) The National Security Act was instrumental in
A)expanding Congress' role in foreign policy.
B)preserving the Supreme Court's role in foreign policy.
C)maintaining the influence of the American public in foreign policy.
D)expanding the foreign policy bureaucracy under the president's control.
E)delaying American involvement in World War I.
Q3) Realpolitik under President Theodore Roosevelt meant greater assertion of America's presence abroad and frequent intervention in Latin America.
A)True
B)False
Q4) 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.
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