American Political Institutions
Exam Practice Tests
Course Introduction
This course offers a comprehensive examination of the fundamental structures and processes of the United States government. Students will explore the origins, development, and functions of core political institutions such as Congress, the Presidency, the federal judiciary, and the bureaucracy. The course also delves into the constitutional framework, separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism, and the role of political parties and interest groups. Emphasis is placed on understanding how these institutions interact, influence policymaking, and shape the broader landscape of American democracy. Through historical context and analysis of contemporary issues, students will gain a deeper appreciation of the complexities and dynamics of American political governance.
Recommended Textbook
American Government Power and Purpose 15th Edition by Stephen Ansolabehere
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17 Chapters
2398 Verified Questions
2398 Flashcards
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Five Principles of Politics
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Sample Questions
Q1) In the U.S. Senate, 60 votes (out of 100) are required to shut off debate on most legislation.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) A public good is any service provided by the government.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) Political scientists would most accurately classify a governing system that recognizes no formal limits on its power and seeks to absorb or eliminate other social institutions that might challenge it as
A)autocratic.
B)dictatorial.
C)authoritarian.
D)totalitarian.
Answer: D
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Page 3
Chapter 2: Constructing a Government: The Founding and the Constitution
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Sample Questions
Q1) Explain the process for amending the Constitution, and use specific examples to discuss the types of amendments that have actually been ratified.
Answer: There are four pathways to amending the Constitution.
(1) Proposal by a two-thirds vote of both chambers of Congress, approval by three-fourths of state legislatures (used for all amendments except the Twenty-First)
(2) Proposal by a two-thirds vote of both chambers of Congress, approval by conventions in three-fourths of states (used once, to pass the Twenty-First Amendment repealing Prohibition)
(3) Proposal by a constitutional convention called by two-thirds of state legislatures, approval by three-fourths of state legislatures (never used)
(4) Proposal by a constitutional convention called by two-thirds of state legislatures, approval by conventions in three-fourths of states (never used)
Each pathway requires multiple supermajority thresholds. In practice, each constitutional amendment has required both federal and state support and the support of both major political parties. (Note: The text for Chapter 2 does not mention political parties on this point.)
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Page 4
Chapter 3: Federalism and the Separation of Powers
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Sample Questions
Q1) The main issue in the 1824 case Gibbons v. Ogden was the question of the power of the state of New York to grant a monopoly to
A)the New York Times as the sole newspaper in New York City.
B)an electrical utility to run lines through New York City.
C)a railroad company to lay tracks from New York City ports to the state capital of Albany.
D)a steamboat company to operate between New York and New Jersey.
Answer: D
Q2) The power of state and federal authorities to charter banks is an example of a __________ power.
A)police
B)reserved
C)concurrent
D)full faith and credit
Answer: C
Q3) Local governments have always been mere conveniences of the states.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Civil Liberties
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Sample Questions
Q1) Incorporation is a term that refers to the process by which states adopted provisions from the U.S. Constitution's Bill of Rights into their own state constitutions.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which two clauses in the First Amendment deal with freedom of religion?
A)the establishment clause and the prohibition clause
B)the freedom of consciences clause and the establishment clause
C)the freedom of consciences clause and the prohibition clause
D)the free exercise clause and the establishment clause
Q3) How has the Supreme Court ruled on local ordinances banning hate speech (such as cross burning) and hate crimes-that is, violent actions motivated by racial hostility?
A)approved laws against both hate speech and hate crimes
B)struck down extra punishments for hate crimes but approved laws against hate speech
C)struck down laws against hate speech but approved extra punishments for hate crimes
D)struck down both extra punishments for hate crimes and laws against hate speech
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Chapter 5: Civil Rights
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Sample Questions
Q1) In which amendment does the equal protection clause appear?
A)the Nineteenth Amendment
B)the Sixteenth Amendment
C)the Fourteenth Amendment
D)the Twelfth Amendment
Q2) In the post-Reconstruction South, the White Primary, literacy tests, and redistricting were all tactics used to deprive African Americans of which basic civil right?
A)trial by jury
B)eligibility for office
C)owning property
D)voting
Q3) Define affirmative action and describe its evolution as public policy in the United States. What have been the challenges facing affirmative action, and what do you see as its future?
Q4) Regents of the University of California v. Bakke ruled that affirmative action programs were unconstitutional.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Should affirmative action be continued? Why or why not?
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Chapter 6: Congress: The First Branch
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Sample Questions
Q1) The type of representation in which constituents hold representatives accountable if they fail to represent the constituents properly is known as __________ representation.
A)constrictive
B)bicameral
C)runaway
D)agency
Q2) Within each Congressional party there is wide disagreement over which issues should be on the agenda and how major legislation should be written.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Part of the reason incumbents are so successful at reelection is that they scare off potential challengers.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Beyond legislation, what additional powers does Congress possess to influence the process of government?
Q5) In your opinion, should congressional representatives act more as delegates or as trustees? Explain why.
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Chapter 7: The Presidency As an Institution
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Sample Questions
Q1) On February 24, 2015, President Barack Obama sided with environmental groups when he signed a high-profile veto against which bill?
A)Keystone XL pipeline authorization
B)St. Lawrence Seaway expansion
C)Continental Shelf Utilization Act
D)General Mining Reauthorization Act
Q2) The set of permanent agencies (such as the Office of Management and Budget) that perform defined management tasks for the president and comprise a major part of the so-called institutional presidency is known as the
A)White House staff.
B)kitchen cabinet.
C)Executive Office of the President.
D)National Security Council.
Q3) What 1830s innovation strengthened the presidency?
A)the introduction of the line-item veto power
B)the introduction of the kitchen cabinet system
C)the introduction of the caucus system
D)the introduction of the national convention system for nominating presidential candidates
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Page 9
Chapter 8: The Executive Branch: Bureaucracy in a Democracy
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Sample Questions
Q1) Policies focused on banks, credit, and currency are called fiscal policies.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which of the following is a constraint that government bureaucrats face to a greater degree than private (business) bureaucrats?
A)Government bureaucrats are subject to much greater public scrutiny.
B)Government bureaucrats may not make Freedom of Information Act requests.
C)Government bureaucrats do not have to conform to the same strict standards for hiring and firing as private bureaucrats do.
D)Government bureaucrats must consider the effects of their decisions on company stock prices.
Q3) Should bureaucracy be reduced? If so, how?
Q4) Explain why a federal government bureaucracy is necessary.
Q5) In contrast to their counterparts in private industry, public bureaucrats are required to maintain a far more thorough paper trail.
A)True
B)False
Q6) What motivates bureaucratic behavior?
Q7) Who controls the bureaucracy?
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Chapter 9: The Federal Courts
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Sample Questions
Q1) The U.S. Supreme Court is obligated to accept appeals that assert important issues of federal law at stake in the case.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Defendants found guilty of civil wrongs can be fined or sent to prison.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Ninety-nine percent of all court cases are heard in which of the following venues?
A)the Supreme Court
B)state and local courts
C)federal appellate courts
D)federal district courts
Q4) Most cases are settled before trial.
A)True
B)False
Q5) The president of the United States can fire a federal judge for making bad decisions.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 10: Public Opinion
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is an example of someone who is descriptively represented?
A)a Mexican American who lives in a city with an African American mayor
B)a white female who is living in a state with an Asian American House representative
C)a Korean American male who is represented by an all-white city council
D)an Asian American voter who is represented by an Asian American governor
Q2) Do Americans know enough to form meaningful opinions about important policy issues?
Q3) A person's desire to increase his or her real disposable income is an example of a A)dogma.
B)belief.
C)preference.
D)choice.
Q4) According to Condorcet, the majority of a jury will more likely reach the correct decision than will a single individual who hears the same evidence.
A)True
B)False
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Page 12
Chapter 11: Elections
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Sample Questions
Q1) State laws determine all of the following EXCEPT
A)how votes are cast (punch card, optical scan, electronic).
B)how votes are counted.
C)the date of general elections for Congress and the presidency.
D)how parties nominate candidates.
Q2) The adoption of the Australian ballot by U.S. states from 1885 to 1893 facilitated which type of voting?
A)straight-ticket
B)absentee
C)low-information
D)split-ticket
Q3) Some states allow registration on site at the polls on Election Day.
A)True
B)False
Q4) One example of efforts to ease voter registration restrictions is the law Congress passed in 1993 known as the A)motor voter bill.
B)pallet ballot law.
C)Election Inspection Act.
D)Early Voting Act.
Page 13
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Chapter 12: Political Parties
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is an example of how parties deal with the problem of ambition?
A)organizing primary elections so like-minded voters can choose a single candidate to support in a general election
B)providing every member of Congress with a press secretary
C)giving politicians financial bonuses when they win elections
D)firing candidates with a track record of losing
Q2) During Barack Obama's presidency, Republican candidates suffered at the state level so that by 2016 a clear majority of state legislators were Democratic.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Political parties organize with the goal of serving the national interest.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Individuals who do not identify with a major party derive no information from party labels.
A)True
B)False
Q5) What specific functions do political parties perform?
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Chapter 13: Groups and Interests
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Sample Questions
Q1) According to the pluralist doctrine, competing interests will lead to A)corporatism.
B)consumerism.
C)consolidation.
D)compromise.
Q2) Mobilizing ordinary citizens to write to their representatives in support of a group's position is a specific example of a A)media blitz.
B)direct group representation.
C)insider strategy.
D)grassroots lobbying effort.
Q3) Most interest groups exclusively lobby a single branch of the federal government.
A)True
B)False
Q4) According to most legislators, the most convincing form of grassroots lobbying is Astroturf lobbying.
A)True
B)False
Q5) What strategies are available for interest groups to influence public policy?
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Chapter 14: The Media
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Sample Questions
Q1) How often must radio and TV stations renew their FCC licenses?
A)every six months
B)every year
C)every five years
D)every ten years
Q2) Most radio stations devote about half of their time to news coverage.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Studies find that which type of politician is more likely to be described as "radical" or "extreme" in their ideology?
A)Republicans
B)Democrats
C)senators
D)incumbents
Q4) The print media provide more detailed and complete information and offer a better context for analysis than the broadcast media.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Has the United States become the prisoner of media monopolies?
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Chapter 15: Economic Policy
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Sample Questions
Q1) What is the term for a law, rule, statute, or edict that expresses the government's goals and often incorporates rewards and punishments to promote their attainment?
A)executive order
B)public policy
C)preamble
D)popular mandate
Q2) During the 2008 financial crisis, which program bought failing loans and purchased stock in American automobile companies?
A)Social Security
B)TRICARE
C)Market Access Program
D)Troubled Assets Relief Program
Q3) What is the Federal Reserve System, and what are the powers of the Fed? Has the Fed been effective in handling financial crises, such as the foreclosure crisis that occurred in the first decade of the 2000s?
Q4) Republicans are more likely to support military spending.
A)True
B)False
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Page 17
Chapter 16: Social Policy
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Sample Questions
Q1) Over the last three decades the Social Security system has run with a surplus.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Social Security is a contributory program.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The greatest success of the TANF program has been that
A)more individuals have taken advantage of the assistance offered.
B)out-of-wedlock births have been reduced under program participants.
C)former welfare recipients are more successful at finding and keeping jobs.
D)most families under the program have been paid well enough to be lifted out of poverty.
Q4) Which of these programs has the largest annual federal budget?
A)Supplemental Security Income
B)Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
C)unemployment compensation
D)Medicaid
Q5) Federal support for public education did not begin until the twentieth century.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 17: Foreign Policy
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Sample Questions
Q1) What is the most visible instrument of foreign policy?
A)military force
B)arbitration
C)collective security treaties
D)sanctions
Q2) The foreign policy based on the idea that the United States should take preemptive action against threats to its national security is known as the __________ doctrine.
A)Bush
B)Ford
C)Carter
D)Reagan
Q3) The Monroe Doctrine is based on which of the following principles?
A)appeasement
B)isolationism
C)deterrence
D)prevention
Q4) Congress has formally declared five wars in American history.
A)True
B)False
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