American Political Institutions
Chapter Exam Questions
Course Introduction
This course examines the foundational structures and key functions of political institutions in the United States, including the presidency, Congress, the Supreme Court, and the federal bureaucracy. Students will explore the origins, development, and interactions of these institutions within the context of the U.S. Constitution, as well as their impact on the policy-making process. Emphasis is placed on the role of federalism, the system of checks and balances, electoral systems, and the influence of political parties and interest groups. Through analysis of historical and contemporary issues, the course encourages critical thinking about the effectiveness, challenges, and ongoing evolution of American political institutions.
Recommended Textbook Government in America 2014 Elections and Updates 16th Edition by by George C. Edwards III
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Introducing Government in America
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Q1) Groups that have a narrow interest on which their members tend to take an uncompromising stance are known as __________ groups.
Answer: single-issue
Q2) Congress,the presidency,and the courts are all policymaking institutions.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q3) What is Harold Lasswell's definition of politics?
Answer: 1. Define politics according to Lasswell as "Who gets what,when,and how."
2. Discuss the who-the voters,groups,and parties; the what-the substance of politics; and the how-the ways in which people participate in politics.
Q4) __________ opposed the 2009 stimulus bill,arguing that such increases in the scope of the federal government would result in less freedom and prosperity.
Answer: Conservatives
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3
Chapter 2: The Constitution
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Q1) At least __________ states had to ratify the proposed Constitution for it to become law.
Answer: nine
Q2) Which of the following urged for the colonies to become independent from Britain?
A) Common Sense
B) Revolution
C) Federalist 10
D) Our American Cousin
Answer: A
Q3) How is a constitutional amendment ratified?
A) either by a majority of state legislatures or by special state conventions in a majority of the states
B) either by three-fourths of state legislatures or by special state conventions in three-fourths of the states
C) either by a majority of state governors or by a majority of the U.S. Senate
D) either by three-fourths of state governors or by three-fourths of the U.S. Senate
Answer: B
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Chapter 3: Federalism
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Q1) Which of the following cases involved the commerce clause?
A) McCulloch v. Maryland
B) United States v. Morrison
C) Brown v. Board of Education
D) Marbury v. Madison
Answer: A
Q2) In United States v. Lopez,the U.S. Supreme Court scrutinized the use of which of the following powers as related to the possession of firearms in public schools?
A) educational
B) national defense
C) taxing
D) commerce
Answer: D
Q3) Under dual federalism,the states and the national government have separate responsibilities.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Chapter 4: Civil Liberties and Public Policy
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Q1) Prohibiting a newspaper from publishing a story critical of the government is an example of __________.
A) probable cause
B) prior restraint
C) the Roth test
D) symbolic speech
Q2) How does the clear and present danger test operate?
Q3) Wearing armbands,burning flags,and marching in parades are examples of __________ speech.
Q4) In 2008,in Boumediene v. Bush,the Supreme Court ruled that detainees have a right to which of the following?
A) a bill of attainder
B) the assistance of counsel
C) equal protection
D) habeas corpus
Q5) Prior restraint requires prosecutors to offer a "reasonably sound" plea bargain before holding a trial.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 5: Civil Rights and Public Policy
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Q1) What is age discrimination? Discuss some laws and court cases that have supported civil rights for older people. Why might this issue become more highlighted in the near future?
Q2) What progress has been made in achieving rights for American Indians? What events have helped to improve their status?
Q3) What rationale did the Supreme Court rely on in deciding that school segregation was permissible?
A) Segregation in public facilities was not unconstitutional as long as the separate facilities were substantially equal.
B) Segregation was important for maintaining social order, a prerequisite for racial equality.
C) Jim Crow laws helped African Americans to achieve equality by building character through overcoming adversity.
D) The equal protection clause applied only to the actions of the federal government, not to actions of private businesses and individuals.
Q4) What rights are guaranteed to disabled Americans under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)? What infrastructure changes must be made to ensure these rights?
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Chapter 6: Public Opinion and Political Action
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Q1) Many of the commercials that air during the nightly news broadcasts of ABC,CBS,and NBC seem to be for various prescription drugs. What is the most plausible explanation for this fact?
A) Today's generation of young adults is significantly less likely to read newspapers than their elders.
B) Political socialization is more important to governments than to individuals.
C) The median age of viewers of nightly news broadcasts is 63.
D) Children who develop positive feelings toward political authorities grow into adults who are not easily disenchanted with politics.
Q2) Public opinion surveys used by major media pollsters to predict electoral winners with speed and precision are called __________.
Q3) How does Knowledge Networks ensure participation in its Web-based surveys?
A) Respondents are paid a small sum every time they participate.
B) Respondents are selected from the cell-phone-only segment of the population.
C) Respondents are randomly sampled.
D) Respondents must own their own computer.
Q4) What did John F. Kennedy mean when he said that America is "not merely a nation but a nation of nations"? Does Kennedy's conception of America still hold true?
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Page 8
Chapter 7: The Mass Media and the Political Agenda
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Q1) The media's emphasis on the slowly improving American economic situation in 2012 rather than the record number of long-term unemployed Americans is an example of
A) investigative journalism
B) agenda setting
C) policy entrepreneurship
D) narrowcasting
Q2) Television,radio,newspapers,magazines,the Internet,and other forms of communication are collectively referred to as the __________.
A) mass media
B) media conglomeration
C) partisan press
D) fifth estate
Q3) The proposed __________ would offer newspapers the option of operating as nonprofit organizations for educational purposes.
Q4) What is the FCC and what are its purposes? Is it a necessary agency? Why or why not?
Q5) If a reporter is assigned to cover news from the Pentagon,it is considered the reporter's __________.
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Chapter 8: Political Parties
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Q1) What is party image? How does it influence elections?
Q2) Which has partly filled the void left by the decline of the urban party machine?
A) labor unions
B) corporations
C) family farmers and small business owners
D) county parties
Q3) 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
Q4) What is the party in the electorate?
A) party officers who seek to educate the public on key party stances
B) public officials who are registered with a political party
C) voters active in the business of the party
D) all citizens who claim to be a member of a political party
Q5) Third parties can act as "safety valves" for public anger and disappointment.
A)True
B)False
Q6) Explain the concept of political parties as "three-headed political giants."
Page 10
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Chapter 9: Campaigns and Voting Behavior
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Q1) The 2012 election was the first time that __________ voted at a higher rather than non-Hispanic whites.
A) young citizens
B) single citizens
C) Hispanics
D) African Americans
Q2) What is frontloading? What is the incentive for states to participate in frontloading? What are the consequences of frontloading?
Q3) How does the U.S. system of voter registration work? Explain how voter registration increases the costs of voting and affects voter turnout. What would happen if other states adopted Election Day voter registration procedures? What would happen if the United States adopted the voter registration procedures used in most other democracies? What other elements of elections in other democracies could the United States adopt to increase voter turnout? The United States attempted to boost turnout by adopting the Motor Voter law. What does the law do and how has it affected the costs of registering to vote? How has this law affected voter turnout? Why do you think Motor Voter has had this effect?
Q4) The __________ law allows citizens to register to vote when they apply for or renew their driver's license.
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Chapter 10: Interest Groups
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Q1) What do right-to-work laws uphold?
A) amicus curiae briefs
B) workers' rights to collective goods
C) the requirement that workers in a union shop must join the union
D) workers' freedom to decline the opportunity to join a union
Q2) What type of group is a trade association?
A) an economic interest group
B) a public interest group
C) a public sector interest group
D) a labor union
Q3) Which of the following conditions would eliminate the free-rider problem?
A) if participation in an interest group were mandatory
B) if members were allowed to vote on matters of concern to the interest group
C) if the leaders of an interest group were able to set the group's priorities
D) if an interest group focused on providing benefits to society as a whole
Q4) Which of the following comes closest to James Madison's conception of factions?
A) the media
B) women
C) interest groups
D) workers
Page 12
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Chapter 11: Congress
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Q1) Caucuses are groups of like-minded interest groups that join forces to lobby Congress.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Casework and pork barrel spending can influence the outcomes of congressional elections.
A)True B)False
Q3) What is substantive representation?
A) representing groups that provide subsistence for their campaign coffers and not for their policy preferences
B) representing the interests of groups of which they themselves are not members
C) representing people and interests that they like personally by voting for legislation that benefits those people
D) representing constituents by mirroring their personal, politically relevant characteristics
Q4) What is the House Rules Committee? What are its functions?
Q5) The __________ is second in line (after the vice president)to succeed a president should that office become vacant.
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Chapter 12: The Presidency
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Q1) Which institutional resource is closest and most loyal to the president?
A) Executive Office of the President
B) White House staff
C) armed forces
D) National Security Council
Q2) 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
Q3) The __________ is a presidential advisory group composed of 15 executive department heads.
Q4) Which describes something that Barack Obama did that caused his critics to charge that he has become too powerful?
A) He established the Department of Homeland Security.
B) He proposed reforming Social Security and immigration policy.
C) He used drones to kill terrorist suspects, some of whom were American citizens.
D) He used his veto power more than any other president.
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Chapter 13: The Budget: the Politics of Taxing and Spending
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Q1) Economists Allan Meltzer and Scott Richard argue that the government grows in a democracy when there is equality of suffrage. Highlight one example that demonstrates how equality of suffrage was responsible for the growth in government size.
Q2) Which is the largest social policy of the federal government?
A) Social Security
B) drug rehabilitation
C) assistance for the poor
D) food subsidies
Q3) Explain why tax expenditures benefit middle- and high-income taxpayers,using at least one specific tax expenditure as support. Do you think tax expenditures are a good idea? Justify your answer.
Q4) A __________ tax is an equal tax rate for everyone.
Q5) Which of the following most accurately describes the federal capital budget?
A) It is used to pay for Social Security.
B) It is used for infrastructure projects, such as roads and bridges.
C) It is used to fund tax expenditures.
D) The federal government does not have a capital budget.
Q6) The congressional budget process begins on the first Monday in February and ends on __________.
Page 15
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Chapter 14: The Federal Bureaucracy
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Q1) Which of the following is an example of an independent executive agency?
A) the General Services Administration
B) the Department of Health and Human Services
C) the Consumer Product Safety Commission
D) the U.S. Postal Service
Q2) Congress and the president share which of the following powers over agencies and departments in the federal bureaucracy?
A) the power to influence budgets
B) the power to issue executive orders
C) the power to sign executive agreements
D) the power to hold oversight hearings
Q3) After a president nominates an individual to be a cabinet secretary,that appointment must be confirmed by __________.
Q4) What does a government corporation do?
A) generate significant profit for the federal government
B) provide services that could be provided by the private sector
C) break up monopolies and promote free-market principles
D) expand international trade
Q5) The __________ led to the creation of a merit-based civil service system.
Page 16
Q6) Discuss the potential advantages and disadvantages of privatization.
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Chapter 15: The Federal Courts
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Q1) Describe the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.
Q2) The Constitution sets the terms of district court judges at 10 years and court of appeals judges at 20 years.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The __________ decided to sue the school board of Topeka,Kansas,on behalf of Linda Brown.
Q4) In 1987,the Senate refused to confirm the nomination of __________ to the Supreme Court.
A) Antonin Scalia
B) Earl Warren
C) Robert Bork
D) John Roberts
Q5) Describe the different types of federal constitutional courts.
Q6) Describe the difference between civil and criminal law.
Q7) The increasing polarization of partisan politics in recent years has made the confirmation process for court of appeals judges longer and less certain.
A)True
B)False
Page 17
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Chapter 16: Economic and Social Welfare Policymaking
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Q1) A(n)__________ program provides benefits to qualified individuals regardless of need.
Q2) Congress has the primary responsibility for setting interest rates in the United States.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Which of the following do Republicans tend to support?
A) demand-side economics
B) government spending to stimulate the economy
C) supply-side economics
D) Keynesian economics
Q4) Some people see the poor as lazy; others believe that most of the people who are poor are victims of circumstance. How are these perspectives on poverty reflected in the public policy solutions preferred by conservatives,liberals,and Paul Ryan?
Q5) Tax cuts are a key tool of the __________ economic approach.
Q6) Federal law does not require that employers give any paid leave to employees with a new baby.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 17: Policymaking for Health Care, the Environment, and Energy
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Q1) Explain why it is hard to control costs with a fee-for-service health insurance policy.
Q2) The Affordable Care Act provides Medicare-like health care to all Americans not already covered by Medicare and Medicaid.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Discuss health care spending in the United States. What contributes to health care costs in the United States?
Q4) Why are some people concerned about the long-term sustainability of Medicare? What do you think could be done to address this issue?
Q5) About 50 million Americans are currently covered by Medicare.
A)True
B)False
Q6) The United States produces a larger quantity of greenhouse gases per person than does any other nation.
A)True
B)False
Q7) Medicare is designed primarily to help the __________ population.
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Q8) Explain the strengths and weaknesses of the Medicaid program.
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Chapter 18: National Security Policymaking
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Q1) 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
Q2) The secretary of __________ is the president's main civilian adviser on national defense matters.
Q3) What is foreign aid,and why does the United States provide it? Give some examples of foreign aid programs,and discuss whether such aid is popular with Americans.
Q4) The United States engaged in which of the following military conflicts in order to fight against communist forces?
A) World War I
B) World War II
C) the Vietnam War
D) the war on terrorism
Q5) How is terrorism fundamentally different from traditional military action?
Q6) How was the Cold War fundamentally different from the war in Afghanistan?
Page 20
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