American Political Institutions
Practice Exam
Course Introduction
American Political Institutions is a foundational course that examines the structure, functions, and processes of the major institutions that govern the United States, including the Congress, Presidency, Judiciary, and federal bureaucracy. The course explores the constitutional framework, the historical evolution of these bodies, and their contemporary roles in policy-making and governance. Topics include the separation of powers, checks and balances, the federal system, political parties, interest groups, and the impact of public opinion on institutional behavior. Through analysis of case studies and current events, students gain critical insights into how American political institutions shape and respond to social, economic, and international challenges.
Recommended Textbook
The Irony of Democracy An Uncommon Introduction to American Politics 17th Edition by Louis Schubert
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Page 2
Chapter 1: The Irony of Democracy
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Sample Questions
Q1) Elitism holds that the elite are more likely to manipulate each other than the masses.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) Elites manipulate the masses in order to preserve their own power positions.
A)True
B)False Answer: False
Q3) "You scratch my back and I'll scratch your back" is an accommodation according to
Answer: Elite Theory
Q4) Elite distemper results when the elites look beyond short-sighted, self-interests and make political decisions based on the broader, shared values of society.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Page 3
Chapter 2: The Elite Consensus of the Founding Fathers: Us
Political Principles
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Q1) The idea of government as a social contract between people and the government suggests that people give their allegiance or obedience to government in exchange for________________.
A) democratic freedoms
B) protection of persons and property
C) the right to vote
D) common public goods
Answer: B
Q2) The Supremacy clause is found in __________________________.
A) Article 4
B) 8 Amendment
C) 13 Amendment
D) Article 6
Answer: D
Q3) Classical liberal theory holds that society is created by a __________________.
Answer: social contract
Q4) The federalist papers were written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and ____________________.
Answer: James Madison
Page 4
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Chapter 3: Elites in America
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Sample Questions
Q1) Before the Great Depression, the federal budget hit an all-time high at $18.5 billion during World War I.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) Changes in policy in American government are best described as ___________________ in nature.
Answer: incremental
Q3) The Supreme Court case that validated the broad definition of national power as suggested by Alexander Hamilton regarding the "necessary and proper" clause was
A) Marbury v. Madison
B) United States v. Washington
C) McCulloch v. Maryland
D) Plessy v. Ferguson
Answer: C
Q4) Governmental elites must respond to media definitions of social problems.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Chapter 4: Masses in the United States
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Occupy Wall Street movement ___________.
A) was started by a Canadian anti-capitalist magazine.
B) was created to overthrow the government.
C) is a leftist extremist faction of the Democratic party.
D) is an elitist group of wealthy people.
Q2) Americans with the most ____________ have the highest political participation among all social groups.
Q3) In 2007, masses were willing to vote for a minority for president unless that person was ________________.
A) Black
B) Homosexual
C) Woman
D) Atheist
Q4) The reporting by media elites contributes to the negative popular attitudes towards government.
A)True
B)False
Q5) A major problem with pluralist theory is the notion that the masses control public policy through elections. Explain how and why examining turnout and political knowledge.
6
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Chapter 5: The Media: Elite-Mass Communication
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Sample Questions
Q1) Roughly 40% of Americans consider themselves to be conservative.
A)True
B)False
Q2) _______________ has become popular by combing both political news and entertainment as done by the Daily Show and the Colbert Report.
Q3) The social problem with freedom of expression is that it ignores the freedoms of those who disagree with the news stories being reported.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Spoken communication that wrongly damages an individual is known in law as ____________________.
Q5) The length of time for the average sound bite for presidential candidates has shrunk to less than _______________.
Q6) Which of the following is a media bias?
A) Sensationalism
B) Liberalism
C) Negativism
D) All of the above
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Chapter 6: Elections, Parties, and Democracy
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Q1) What do you think a third party would have to do to win a presidential election?
Q2) Explain why campaigns cost so much money and how candidates, as well as parties, are able to obtain such exorbitant amounts via fundraising.
Q3) Although a myth, _________________frequently causes candidates to believe their positions were what brought electoral victory.
A) party support
B) policy voters
C) fundraising
D) policy mandate
Q4) Political parties have ____________ holding their elected officials responsible for enacting party positions or carrying out party platforms.
A) several direct measures for
B) considerable power in
C) no direct way of
D) the ability to enact measures for
Q5) Parties are ____________________, dominated by active ideologically motivated elites.
Q6) Negative campaigning __________________ voter turnout among the masses.
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Chapter 7: Elites and Organized Interests
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Q1) The political effectiveness of a group's leadership is related to the group's
A) membership make-up.
B) size.
C) regional concentration.
D) finances.
Q2) Lobbyists will use their ___________ in order to obtain congressional support.
A) unlimited finances.
B) knowledge.
C) loyalty.
D) political capital.
Q3) How does pluralism explain the presence and influence of various interest groups?
Q4) Which of the following is an example of a business / corporate interest group?
A) American Bar Association
B) American Medical Association
C) U.S. Chamber of Commerce
D) National Rifle Association
Q5) Influential lobbyists earn more income than members of Congress.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 8: Congress: the Legislative Elite
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Q1) Based on recent polls, Congressional approval rating typically range between ______________.
Q2) Explain how Congress members can effectively "kill" a bill or get a bill passed very quickly.
Q3) "Smart money" backs a winner, so most campaign donations go to A) challengers.
B) incumbents.
C) Democrats.
D) Republicans.
Q4) The 2001 PATRIOT Act was classified as __________________to get it passed quickly.
Q5) Democrats lost ____________ seats in the House of Representatives in the 2010 mid-term election.
Q6) Homestyle representation includes ___________________.
A) personal appearances in home districts
B) using staff to focus on constituents services
C) bringing "pork" to their district
D) all of the above
Q7) Congress members principally represent ____________________ in order to ensure their own re-election.
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Chapter 9: The Presidency
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Q1) Discuss the origins and reason for the authority of the president in American foreign and military affairs - provide examples where appropriate.
Q2) The president's real power depends not on formal authority but on the ability to ____________________.
Q3) Which of the following conflicts was not a formally declared war?
A) The Vietnam War
B) The Korean War
C) The Gulf War
D) All of the above
Q4) President Bush included the right to launch preemptive attacks on terrorists as part of his role in the "war on terrorism."
A)True
B)False
Q5) The role of the Vice President has continued to expand due to his/her role as a central decision-maker in the executive branch.
A)True
B)False
Q6) President Clinton was impeached based on the crime of _____________________.
Page 11
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Chapter 10: Courts: Elites in Black Robes
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Q1) In contrast to tradition, the Supreme Court under Chief Justice Earl Warren was known for its ____________________.
Q2) Federal jurisdiction is mandatory when the U.S. government is a party.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The only type of court established in the constitution is the federal district court.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The Founding Fathers intentionally insulated the courts from popular majorities and elections in order to
A) avoid the tyranny of the majority.
B) have an independent judiciary.
C) allow them to judge responsibly, without political or partisan considerations.
D) All of the above are true.
Q5) _________________ gives the Supreme Court the ability to overturn any federal, state, or local laws.
Q6) An appeals court will normally have a panel of____________________ judges on it.
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Chapter 11: The Bureaucratic Elite
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Sample Questions
Q1) The branch of the federal government with the most direct control over the bureaucracy is the
A) Judicial branch.
B) Executive branch.
C) Legislative branch.
D) both A and C
Q2) Bureaucracy is defined as a form of social organization, such as a corporation or government.
A)True
B)False
Q3) President ___________________ created the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Q4) Currently the U.S. debt is $________________ trillion and growing.
Q5) The idea that regulated industries come to benefit from government regulation and regulators begin to represent the regulated is known as A) corruption.
B) the capture theory.
C) the iron triangle.
D) establishmentarianism.
Q6) No federal money can be spent without ____________________.
Page 13
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Chapter 12: Federalism: State and Community Elites
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Q1) The first major federal money grants to the states began
A) after the Great Depression.
B) with the 1960s Great Society programs.
C) shortly after enactment of the federal income tax.
D) with the Northwest Ordinance in 1787.
Q2) The California recall of Governor Gray Davis led to the subsequent election of __________________.
Q3) Analyze the changes in federalism by recent presidents - be specific in your answers for each president.
Q4) The number of governments in the United States below the federal level is approximately
A) 2,000.
B) 5,000.
C) 10,000.
D) 86,000.
Q5) The ____________ guarantees the states considerable governing power.
A) Supremacy Clause
B) Ninth Amendment
C) necessary and proper clause
D) Tenth Amendment
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Chapter 13: Civil Rights: Diversifying the Elite
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Q1) The _____ Amendment in the year_________ guaranteed the women the right to vote.
Q2) Segregation did not end simply because the Supreme Court ordered it, because A) the intent of the Court was not shared by local policy-making officials.
B) the Court decision only applied to the federal government.
C) state laws were passed to invalidate the Court decision.
D) the political elites were opposed to the Court decision.
Q3) Brown v. Board of Education is the Supreme Court case that overturned the "separate but equal" doctrine by segregating schools.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The equal sharing of income, jobs, and material rewards, regardless of ability, talent, initiative, or work is known as
A) equality of opportunity.
B) equality of outcome.
C) communism.
D) commiseration of the proletariat.
Q5) Explain the differences between equality of opportunity and equality of outcome. How do these two concepts apply to the masses vs. the elites within American society?
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Chapter 14: The United States As Global Elite
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Q1) Why is the Middle East important to U.S. global policy? What is the current role of the U.S. in the Middle East and should this role change?
Q2) The invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 had little international support.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The influence of the Council on Foreign Relations throughout government is so pervasive that it can be difficult to distinguish CFR from government programs.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The global body that adjudicates trade disputes is the
A) GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and trade).
B) WTO (World trade Organization).
C) IMF (International Monetary Fund).
D) World Bank.
Q5) Elites may choose which security threats are significant based on the cost of responding to them.
A)True
B)False
Q6) United States makes up almost ___________of the global economy.
Page 16
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