American Politics
Exam Materials
Course Introduction
American Politics explores the foundational structures, institutions, and processes of the United States government. The course examines constitutional principles, the roles of Congress, the Presidency, and the Supreme Court, and the federal systems division of powers. Students analyze political parties, campaigns, elections, public opinion, interest groups, and the impact of media on the political landscape. Emphasis is also placed on the development of policies, civil rights, and the evolving nature of American democracy, providing a comprehensive understanding of contemporary issues and the civic responsibilities of citizens in the United States.
Recommended Textbook
We the People 11th Essentials Edition by Benjamin Ginsberg
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14 Chapters
1101 Verified Questions
1101 Flashcards
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Introduction: the Citizen and Government
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73 Verified Questions
73 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following statements best describes direct democracy in the United States?
A) Every state and local government allows direct democracy but the federal government does not.
B) The federal government allows direct democracy but state and local governments do not.
C) Some state and local governments allow direct democracy but the federal government does not.
D) Direct democracy does not exist in the United States.
Answer: C
Q2) The bourgeoisie sought to change which of the following institutions into an instrument of political participation?
A) monarchies
B) universities
C) newspapers
D) parliaments
Answer: D
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Page 3
Chapter 2: The Founding and the Constitution
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Sample Questions
Q1) A ________ vote by both houses of Congress and a ratification vote of ________ of the states are required to amend the U.S. Constitution.
A) majority; a majority
B) two-thirds; three-fourths
C) three-fourths; a majority
D) three-fourths; three-fourths
Answer: B
Q2) Compared with the Articles of Confederation, federalism under the Constitution has led to
A) greater centralization of power.
B) increased state autonomy.
C) more local autonomy, at the expense of the states.
D) a weaker national military.
Answer: A
Q3) Brutus and the Federal Farmer were two pseudonyms used by the A) Federalists.
B) Antifederalists.
C) Monarchists.
D) Constitutionalists.
Answer: B
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Chapter 3: Federalism
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Sample Questions
Q1) The American system of federalism experienced important transformations during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Describe these changes by discussing "New Federalism," devolution, and the Supreme Court's rulings on federalism. How did the developments of this period differ from the previous eras of American federalism?
Answer: There are four components to this question.
a. New Federalism: This was attempts by presidents Nixon and Reagan to return power to the states through block grants.
b. Devolution: This is a policy to remove a program from one level of government by delegating it or passing it down to a lower level of government, such as from the national government to the state and local governments.
c. Supreme Court's rulings on federalism: During the mid-1990s, the Supreme Court reached a number of decisions, in cases such as Printz v. United States and United States v. Lopez, that used the Tenth Amendment to limit the power of the federal government.
d. Differences: Cooperative and regulated federalism transferred power from state governments to the federal government. By contrast, New Federalism, devolution, and the "federalism revolution" sought to empower states at the expense of federal authority.
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Chapter 4: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights
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Sample Questions
Q1) Franklin v. Gwinnett County Public Schools (1992) is important because it
A) asserted that violations of Title IX of the 1972 Education Act could be remedied with monetary damages.
B) permitted public schools to experiment with gender segregation.
C) narrowed the free speech rights that students enjoyed at school.
D) ruled that busing was unconstitutional.
Q2) The Supreme Court case New York Times v. United States (1971) was related to which First Amendment concept?
A) speech plus
B) prior restraint
C) fighting words
D) hate speech
Q3) Griswold v. Connecticut (1965) and Roe v. Wade (1973) have been extremely important in the development of A) a constitutional right to privacy.
B) American due process.
C) a test that can be used to determine what is protected speech.
D) the rights of individuals accused of crimes.
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6
Chapter 5: Public Opinion
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following did the George W. Bush administration use to maintain support for the war on terror?
A) presidential speeches
B) press conferences
C) both a and b
D) media appearances by celebrities
Q2) The fact that Americans strongly support minimal governmental interference with individuals' lives and property illustrates their commitment to
A) anarchy.
B) democracy.
C) liberty.
D) socialism.
Q3) Liberalism and conservatism are examples of A) public opinions.
B) political attitudes.
C) political ideologies.
D) political preferences.
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Page 7
Chapter 6: The Media
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Sample Questions
Q1) In Red Lion Broadcasting Company v. FCC (1969), the Supreme Court upheld the A) Fairness Doctrine.
B) right of rebuttal.
C) equal time rule.
D) Framing Doctrine.
Q2) Edward Snowden is most known for
A) creating and maintain the WikiLeaks site.
B) leaking the Pentagon Papers to the press.
C) leaking the material that revealed widespread global surveillance programs by the U.S. government and major telecommunication companies.
D) leaking information about the Iraq War to the press while serving as Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff.
Q3) Which group is the LEAST likely to have high-speed Internet access at home?
A) whites
B) Asians
C) non-English-speaking Hispanics
D) African Americans
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Chapter 7: Political Parties, Participation, and Elections
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Sample Questions
Q1) Reconstruction after the Civil War was led by the ________ Party.
A) Democratic
B) Republican
C) Whig
D) Free Soil
Q2) Throughout its history, American politics has been dominated by ________ major political party/parties.
A) one
B) two
C) three
D) four
Q3) Which two periods saw a decline in voter turnout for presidential elections and midterm elections?
A) 1904-1928 and 1928-1940
B) 1964-1976 and 1976-1988
C) 1988-2000 and 2000-2012
D) 1892-1904 and 1928-1940
Q4) Write an essay that explains why people vote. In your answer, be sure to cite specific evidence to show how the factors you mention are related to voter turnout.
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Chapter 8: Interest Groups
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following Supreme Court cases illustrates the use of litigation by an interest group?
A) Roe v. Wade (1973)
B) Webster v. Reproductive Health Services (1989)
C) Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)
D) United States v. Nixon (1974)
Q2) Interest groups are concerned with the ________ of government, while political parties are concerned with the ________ of government.
A) values; goals
B) membership; authority
C) policies; personnel
D) legitimacy; power
Q3) The New Politics movement gave rise to ________ groups.
A) ideological
B) partisan
C) labor
D) public interest
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Page 10
Chapter 9: Congress
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Sample Questions
Q1) The House Rules committee is important because it A) is placed in charge of selecting the Speaker of the House. B) decides the order in which bills come up for a vote on the House floor and determines the specific rules that govern the length of debate and opportunity for amendments. C) reviews all applications regarding the formation of select committees. D) determines the jurisdiction of every congressional standing committee.
Q2) In recent years, about ________ percent of U.S. House incumbents won reelection.
A) 50
B) 66
C) 80
D) 95
Q3) What formal structure of Congress exemplifies the need to divide the labor of legislation?
A) the establishment of party whips
B) the establishment of standing committees
C) the strict control over floor time in Congress
D) the establishment of minority and majority leaders
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Chapter 10: The Presidency
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following statements about signing statements is most accurate?
A) The Constitution requires that the president explain his or her interpretation of every law he or she signs by issuing a signing statement.
B) Although signing statements were commonly used prior to 1900, no modern president has issued them when signing a piece of legislation into law.
C) Signing statements never instruct executive agencies whether to implement sections of a new law and never interpret ambiguous provisions of the law.
D) While presidents have made signing statements throughout American history, they have only recently been recorded and made part of the official legislative record.
Q2) One way presidents have expanded their power is through employing a strategy of "going public." Describe what this strategy entails and what its limitations are. In your answer, be sure to provide specific examples of how particular presidents have used this strategy.
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12
Chapter 11: Bureaucracy
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Financial Stability Oversight Council was created by
A) President Roosevelt in 1939 to reduce unemployment and increase public-sector job opportunities.
B) President Obama and Congress in 2010 to identify system-wide risks to the financial sector.
C) Congress in 1965 to counter the influence of the growing influence of the Office of Management and Budget.
D) President Reagan in 1980 to study the causes of inflation and make policy recommendations to reduce it.
Q2) Devolution describes a process through which
A) Congress gives up some of its power to the executive branch.
B) the federal government is downsized by delegating the implementation of programs to state and local governments.
C) state and local governments are downsized by delegating the implementation of programs to the federal government.
D) the federal government is downsized by completely cutting wasteful programs.
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13
Chapter 12: The Federal Courts
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Sample Questions
Q1) There are approximately ________ federal district court judges in the United States.
A) 9
B) 79
C) 678
D) 1,002
Q2) If a man is arrested because his home was searched by police without a legal warrant, he could argue in court that he had been denied
A) a writ of habeas corpus.
B) his Miranda rights.
C) judicial review.
D) the due process of law.
Q3) The solicitor general is the
A) top-ranking official in the Department of Justice.
B) second-ranking official in the Department of Justice.
C) third-ranking official in the Department of Justice.
D) top-ranking official in the American Bar Association.
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Page 14
Chapter 13: Domestic Policy
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which program was designed to help augment the benefits to the aged, blind, and disabled?
A) Medicaid
B) Medicare
C) food stamps
D) Supplemental Security Income
Q2) Americans do not benefit equally from social programs. Describe and analyze the distribution of government benefits. What groups benefit the most and from what types of programs? Who receives the fewest benefits? Why do these differences across groups exist?
Q3) In 2007 and 2008, the government faced a housing crisis caused by A) sharp rises in house prices.
B) foreclosures.
C) a scarcity of affordable housing.
D) shortages in the timber industry.
Q4) There are three broad techniques available to policy makers in their attempt to achieve their goals. Discuss these three techniques and give examples of each.
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Page 15
Chapter 14: Foreign Policy
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Sample Questions
Q1) The United States withdrew from the 1997
A) Geneva Conventions.
B) NAFTA.
C) Kyoto Protocol.
D) United Nations.
Q2) Which war was officially declared by Congress?
A) the War of 1812
B) the Vietnam War
C) the Korean War
D) the Iraq War
Q3) The representation of a government to other foreign governments is called A) multilateralism.
B) an alliance.
C) a treaty.
D) diplomacy.
Q4) The Department of Defense was created in A) 1790.
B) 1865.
C) 1947.
D) 2002.
Page 16
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