American Political Institutions
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Course Introduction
This course offers an in-depth exploration of the major political institutions in the United States, including the presidency, Congress, the judiciary, and federal bureaucracy. Students will examine the historical development, structure, and functions of these institutions, focusing on how they interact within the framework of the U.S. Constitution. The course will also analyze the role of political parties, interest groups, and the media in shaping institutional decision-making and public policy. Emphasis is placed on contemporary challenges, reforms, and debates surrounding American governance, providing students with a comprehensive understanding of how power is distributed and exercised within the American political system.
Recommended Textbook
Government in America 2014 Elections and Updates 16th Edition by by George C. Edwards III
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Chapter 1: Introducing Government in America
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Sample Questions
Q1) __________ 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
Q2) What is political culture? Is America experiencing a "culture war"? How do you know?
Answer: 1. Define political culture as the set of overall values that are widely shared within society. Americans have a set of shared beliefs,based on the Declaration of Independence.
2. Explain what is meant by a culture war.
3. Provide the competing views on whether or not there is a culture war. For example,some scholars like John Q. Wilson have noted the polarization between liberals and conservatives. This polarization may set people against one another. On the other hand,some scholars suggest that there is no culture war in America. Wayne Baker,for example,finds little evidence of a culture war. Even contentious issues like abortion do not provide evidence of a culture war.
4. Evaluate whether we are having a cultural war in the United States. Weigh the arguments on both sides of the culture war discussion and consider what a culture war would look like.
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Chapter 2: The Constitution
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following debated and drafted the Declaration of Independence?
A) the Common Sense Committee
B) the Continental Congress
C) the Committees of Correspondence
D) the Constitutional Convention
Answer: B
Q2) After the Revolutionary War,power in the state legislatures shifted from the wealthy to a broader,more democratic group.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q3) The Constitution limits the government's ability to suspend writs of habeas corpus.
What does this protect individuals against?
A) free speech infringement
B) taxation of private property
C) unlawful incarceration
D) infringement of religious freedom
Answer: C
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Chapter 3: Federalism
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Sample Questions
Q1) The supremacy clause establishes that state laws will prevail over conflicting federal laws.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) The goal of the privileges and immunities clause is to keep states from discriminating against which of the following?
A) the poor
B) the federal government
C) minority citizens
D) citizens of other states
Answer: D
Q3) The Constitution says that states are required to return a person charged with a crime in another state to that state for trial or imprisonment,a practice called
A) voir dire
B) sequestration
C) change of venue
D) extradition
Answer: D
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Chapter 4: Civil Liberties and Public Policy
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Sample Questions
Q1) Discuss the evolution of abortion rights.
Q2) In the 1970s,the Supreme Court suspended __________ because it was being imposed arbitrarily. After states made their laws and practices less arbitrary,it was later reinstated.
Q3) Which amendment protects the right to bear arms?
A) Second
B) Third
C) Fourth
D) Fifth
Q4) When a defendant in a criminal case agrees to plead guilty in exchange for concessions from the prosecutor,the case has been resolved by what?
A) a civil trial
B) peremptory challenges
C) plea bargaining
D) the exclusionary rule
Q5) Why did the Supreme Court suspend capital punishment in 1972?
Q6) Writs of habeas corpus are laws declaring an act illegal without a judicial trial.
A)True
B)False
Page 6
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Chapter 5: Civil Rights and Public Policy
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Sample Questions
Q1) How are the Fourteenth Amendment and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 similar?
A) They both were enacted quickly and easily.
B) They both passed the inherently suspect test administered by the Supreme Court.
C) They both sought equal rights for African Americans.
D) They both sought equal rights for women.
Q2) In Adarand Constructors v. Peña,the Supreme Court determined that __________.
A) affirmative action policies must be scrutinized using the same suspect standard that is used for other policies classifying people by race
B) affirmative action policies are subject to an intermediate standard whereby they are presumed to be permissible
C) affirmative action policies may be broadly tailored to accomplish a compelling government interest
D) affirmative action policies must be designed to address past discrimination without taking into account race, ethnicity, religion, or creed
Q3) What progress has been made in achieving rights for American Indians? What events have helped to improve their status?
Q4) The __________ Amendment guarantees African Americans the right to vote.
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Chapter 6: Public Opinion and Political Action
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Sample Questions
Q1) Sampling error depends on the __________ of the sample.
Q2) What three socializing agents are discussed in the textbook?
A) the family, the media, and political parties
B) the family, the schools, and the political parties
C) the media, the schools, and the family
D) the schools, the family, and politicians
Q3) According to decades of survey data,which ideological label are Americans most likely to choose for themselves?
A) libertarian
B) liberal
C) left-of-center
D) conservative
Q4) Recall some of the events in recent American history that have led the public to distrust the government and comment on the relationship between trust and support for policies that address poverty and racial inequality.
Q5) The __________ process occurs once a decade,after each census,when the 435 seats in the House of Representatives are reallocated to reflect each state's proportion of the population.
Q6) What are Election Day exit polls,and why have they been criticized?
Page 8
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Chapter 7: The Mass Media and the Political Agenda
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Q1) If a reporter is assigned to cover news from the Pentagon,it is considered the reporter's __________.
Q2) News coverage of campaigns has become more negative since the 1960s.
A)True
B)False
Q3) What do network executives blame for the superficiality in media reporting?
A) cable news
B) social media
C) the Internet
D) the public
Q4) Republicans are more likely to get their news from Fox News than from CNN or MSNBC.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Increasing public attention to specific problems is a core feature of the media's __________ power.
A) watchdog
B) investigative
C) agenda-setting
D) score-keeping
Page 9
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Chapter 8: Political Parties
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Sample Questions
Q1) When can a party change its platform?
A) after the census
B) at the start of each fiscal year
C) during its national party convention
D) every two years
Q2) The national __________ is the supreme power of the national party organization.
A) assembly
B) convention
C) delegation
D) legislature
Q3) What important role do third parties play in American democracy?
A) They bring new voters into the electorate.
B) They frequently win elections in crucial swing states.
C) They simplify citizens' choices on Election Day.
D) They draft most legislation that is eventually enacted by one of the major parties.
Q4) Explain the significance of critical elections to party realignment. Provide an example of a critical election.
Q5) The __________ is the site for the writing of the party platform every four years.
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Chapter 9: Campaigns and Voting Behavior
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Sample Questions
Q1) What do voters find to be the three most important dimensions of a candidate's image?
A) vim, vigor, and vitality
B) efficacy, civic duty, and trust
C) integrity, reliability, and competence
D) honesty, loyalty, and policy positions
Q2) If you were running a campaign for a relatively unknown presidential candidate,you would want to allow plenty of time for your candidate to __________.
A) travel extensively in Iowa before the caucuses
B) visit major cities in California during the election campaign
C) meet the people in small towns in Texas
D) go door-to-door greeting voters
Q3) According to exit poll data,which of the following group's members were least likely to vote for Barack Obama in 2012?
A) Jews
B) Hispanics
C) younger voters
D) whites
Q4) A(n)__________ is a party's official endorsement of a candidate for office.
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Chapter 10: Interest Groups
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Q1) How did the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 affect lobbyists?
A) It limited the number of hours each lobbyist could work during a single session of Congress.
B) It required all lobbyists to join the Labor Union of American Lobbyists and Government Relations Experts.
C) It set limits on how many lobbyists could be employed by a PAC.
D) It required lobbyists to file a report detailing the sources of their lobbying income.
Q2) Which of the following raise money from individuals and then distribute it in the form of contributions to political candidates?
A) 527 organizations
B) coordinating committees
C) iron triangles
D) PACs
Q3) Which of the following interest groups is an example of an equality interest?
A) the United Auto Workers
B) the National Organization for Women
C) the World Wildlife Fund
D) Common Cause
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Chapter 11: Congress
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Sample Questions
Q1) The __________ is the only House official mandated by the Constitution.
A) majority leader
B) majority whip
C) Sergeant-at-Arms
D) Speaker of the House
Q2) When is lobbying more likely to be successful?
A) when lobbying against change
B) when lobbying for an environmental group
C) immediately before an election
D) immediately after an election
Q3) Explain how often Congress reapportions its membership and how such reapportionment can affect the reelection of incumbent members of Congress.
Q4) Most states have a bicameral legislature.
A)True
B)False
Q5) The central legislative dilemma for Congress is combining the faithful representation of constituents with making effective public policy. Explore what both supporters and critics contend in their assessments of Congress as it attempts to be both a representative and an objective policymaking institution.
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Chapter 12: The Presidency
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Sample Questions
Q1) The president may grant pardons for federal offenses (except impeachment).
A)True
B)False
Q2) How has the role of the vice presidency changed over time?
Q3) Many assume that presidents with high __________ are more effective leaders.
A) approval ratings
B) levels of executive privilege
C) debts and deficits
D) campaign spending
Q4) After the terrorist attacks of September 11,2001,George W. Bush and Congress added the __________ as a cabinet-level department.
Q5) Which of the following statements about presidential approval is accurate?
A) George W. Bush maintained a high approval rating throughout his presidency.
B) Bill Clinton's approval rating was well over 90 percent during his first term.
C) Barack Obama's approval rating was lower in 2012 than when he took office.
D) Ronald Reagan's approval rating was never higher than 50 percent.
Q6) What formal and informal powers could the president use to enlist Congress and the public in support of his or her agenda?
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Chapter 13: The Budget: the Politics of Taxing and Spending
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Sample Questions
Q1) The __________ Amendment permits Congress to levy income taxes.
A) Sixteenth
B) Seventeenth
C) Eighteenth
D) Nineteenth
Q2) Explain why Social Security is an uncontrollable expenditure.
Q3) Tax expenditures are __________.
A) yearly appropriations of funds by the president and Congress
B) revenue losses from special exemptions, exclusions, or deductions
C) the financial resources of the government
D) federal policies allocating tax burdens and benefits
Q4) __________ suggests that next year's budget for each government program will be a little more than the current year's budget.
Q5) Charitable contributions are a type of tax expenditure.
A)True
B)False
Q6) Taxes that are __________ to the cost of living prevent taxpayers from being bumped into a higher tax bracket due solely to inflation.
Q7) A __________ tax is an equal tax rate for everyone.
Page 15
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Chapter 14: The Federal Bureaucracy
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Sample Questions
Q1) Current students who are convicted of __________ lose their federal financial aid for a year or more.
A) arson
B) drug offenses
C) robbery
D) any federal crime
Q2) If a cabinet department is not implementing a policy supported by the president,what tools can the president use to influence the department?
Q3) What are independent regulatory commissions? Provide an example. Why are they created so as to be isolated from presidential control?
Q4) Which of the following is a function of the federal bureaucracy?
A) issuing executive orders
B) issuing executive agreements
C) implementing laws passed by Congress
D) implementing state statutes
Q5) One consequence of unclarity in the laws passed by Congress is that government agencies have greater __________ in the implementation of those laws.
Q6) Discuss the potential advantages and disadvantages of privatization.
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Chapter 15: The Federal Courts
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Sample Questions
Q1) What is the name given to the power of the courts to determine whether the actions of Congress and the executive branch are permissible under the Constitution?
A) original jurisdiction
B) strict construction
C) judicial review
D) stare decisis
Q2) The Supreme Court issues __________ that are essentially written statements containing the legal reasoning behind the Court's decisions.
A) opinions
B) amicus curiae briefs
C) per curiam statements
D) treatises
Q3) Discuss three populations involved in judicial implementation and give examples for each element.
Q4) Marbury v. Madison significantly expanded the power of the federal judiciary.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Explain the significance of Marbury v. Madison.
Q6) Describe the different types of federal constitutional courts.
Page 17
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Chapter 16: Economic and Social Welfare Policymaking
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is an entitlement program?
A) food stamps
B) Medicaid
C) Medicare
D) employer-provided health insurance
Q2) How does the unemployment rate differ from the underemployment rate? Why is it important to take both of these rates into account when evaluating the economy?
Q3) What is a government program called that provides benefits only to individuals who qualify based on specific needs?
A) an economic stimulus program
B) a regulatory program
C) a discretionary program
D) a means-tested program
Q4) When it comes to fighting unemployment and fighting inflation,Democrats are more likely to stress the importance of fighting inflation.
A)True
B)False
Q5) How does American social welfare policy compare to that of European democracies?
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Chapter 17: Policymaking for Health Care, the Environment, and Energy
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Sample Questions
Q1) President Bill Clinton was unsuccessful in reforming health care early in his presidency.
A)True
B)False
Q2) What proportion of Americans have private health insurance of some kind-either through an employer or purchased individually?
A) one-third
B) one-half
C) two-thirds
D) three-fourths
Q3) Which of the following is true of current health care policy in America?
A) The federal government provides health care to all citizens.
B) Americans are far healthier than Europeans.
C) Total health care spending in the United States is about 17 to 18 percent of GDP.
D) The Affordable Care Act created a single-payer health care system similar to that found in Canada.
Q4) The higher a family's income,the more likely it is that its members are insured.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 18: National Security Policymaking
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Sample Questions
Q1) What was the foreign policy of containment designed to prevent?
A) nuclear proliferation
B) the spread of Soviet influence
C) terrorism
D) the Cold War
Q2) As a percentage of gross national income,the United States spends more money on foreign aid to needy countries than does any other industrialized country.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Why was the North Atlantic Treaty Organization formed?
A) to provide mutual defense for the United States and Western Europe
B) to promote free trade between the United States and Western Europe
C) to help rebuild war-torn Europe after World War II
D) to enhance democratic government in newly industrializing countries
Q4) To what extent has recent U.S. foreign policy been isolationist? Illustrate your answer with two recent foreign policy examples.
Q5) 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.
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