American Politics
Textbook Exam Questions
Course Introduction
American Politics introduces students to the foundational principles, institutions, processes, and issues that define the political system of the United States. The course covers the Constitution, federalism, and the roles of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, as well as the influence of political parties, interest groups, and the media. Students will explore key topics such as civil rights, public opinion, elections, and policy-making, gaining a comprehensive understanding of how American democracy functions and the challenges it faces in a rapidly changing society.
Recommended Textbook
Politics in America 2014 Elections and Updates Edition 10th Edition by Thomas R. Dye
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Politics: Who Gets What,When and How 1
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Q1) To promote general welfare,governments use __________ transfers from taxpayers to people who are regarded as deserving.
Answer: income
Q2) Which word best describes how a pluralist would view the way democracy should work?
A)rigidity
B)disparity
C)balance
D)chaos
Answer: C
Q3) Which of the following is a tacit agreement between the governed and government?
A)the Bill of Rights
B)the charter of liberties
C)the Declaration of Independence
D)the social contract
Answer: D
Q4) In democracies,the masses are generally as well informed as the elites.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Page 3
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Chapter 2: Political Culture: Ideas in Conflict
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Q1) Shared ideas about what is good and desirable are called __________.
Answer: values
Q2) How does the text define values?
A)Values are the same as public opinion.
B)Values are shared ideas about what is true.
C)Values are shared ideas about what is good and desirable.
D)Values are strongly tied to religious beliefs.
Answer: C
Q3) Which of the following is an example of equality of results?
A)making sure all those who retire have the same income
B)making sure disabled children are accommodated in public schools
C)providing assistance for those injured in war
D)providing federal grants for scholarships
Answer: A
Q4) How does the textbook define equality of results?
A)the belief that every person's vote counts equally
B)the belief that the laws should apply equally to all persons
C)the elimination of artificial barriers to success in life
D)the equal sharing of income and material rewards
Answer: D
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Chapter 3: The Constitution: Limiting Governmental Power
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Q1) Republicanism most directly implies __________.
A)conservative government
B)democratic government
C)limited government
D)representative government
Answer: D
Q2) Why was the Bill of Rights added to the Constitution?
A)to establish a state church
B)to outline the basic structure of the judiciary
C)to safeguard individual liberties
D)to provide protection from ex post facto laws
Answer: C
Q3) Under the Articles of Confederation,states were free to tax the goods of other states.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q4) The __________ guaranteed the feudal rights of English lords and set the precedent of a limited government.
Answer: Magna Carta
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Chapter 4: Federalism: Dividing Governmental Power
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Q1) State initiatives most often reflect __________.
A)the interests of a small minority of academics
B)partisan views of the major political parties
C)popular attitudes of the voters
D)positions taken by leading businesspeople
Q2) Which of the following is a power specifically denied the national government by the Constitution?
A)emit bills of credit
B)make treaties with foreign nations
C)imposing a tax on goods imported from any state
D)regulating interstate commerce
Q3) Federal mandates are direct judicial orders requiring state governments to comply with the Constitution.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Which part of the Constitution lists the delegated,or enumerated,powers?
A)Article I,Section 2
B)Article I,Section 8
C)Article IV,Section 1
D)Article IV,Section 3
Page 6
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Chapter 5: Opinion and Participation: Thinking and Acting in Politics
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Q1) Why would Democrats be more likely to favor voter registration at welfare offices?
A)They care more about the democratic process than Republicans.
B)They know that lower-income Americans are more likely to identify as Democrats.
C)They want to ensure that all voters are American citizens.
D)They want to minimize the voter fraud that is rampant among welfare recipients.
Q2) Which of the following made it easier for overseas citizens and military personnel to use absentee voting in federal elections?
A)the "Motor Voter Act"
B)the MOVE Act
C)the National Voter Registration Act
D)the Helping America Vote Act
Q3) Of the following,who is MOST likely to hold the most liberal political views?
A)Alexander,a high school freshman
B)Brittany,a high school senior
C)Matthias,a college freshman
D)Cara,a college senior
Q4) Voter turnout is always higher in years with a(n)__________ election.
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Chapter 6: Mass Media: Setting the Political Agenda
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Q1) Talk radio and cable news has resulted in the increased use of professional expert opinion-givers,called __________.
Q2) Although the new forms of media are challenging it,___________ is still the most powerful communication medium.
Q3) On network news,the average sound bite given to candidates to speak on their own behalf is about __________ long.
A)eight seconds
B)thirty seconds
C)one minute
D)two minutes
Q4) The media actively contribute to socialization.
A)True
B)False
Q5) The overall business of the media,in whatever form,is to __________.
A)gather mass audiences to sell to advertisers
B)inform the public at any cost
C)provide jobs for the intellectual elite
D)convince viewers to vote for certain candidates
Q6) Public awareness of a candidate is often referred to as __________ recognition.
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Chapter 7: Political Parties: Organizing Politics
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Q1) Ideological parties __________.
A)arise around popular issues that the major parties fail to address
B)exist to promote ideas rather than win elections
C)are formed by a dissatisfied faction of a major party
D)form around one particular idea or cause
Q2) The political realignment of the Gilded Age resulted from __________.
A)the development of the first political parties
B)economic distress and depression
C)national tensions exacerbated by the Civil War
D)America's failure to win the Vietnam War
Q3) Though they provide definition to the differences between parties,party platforms are primarily symbolic because they __________.
A)are largely created for media consumption
B)create splinter groups
C)are not binding on nominees
D)are adopted at the party's convention
Q4) The new party system that emerged from the Civil War featured a victorious __________ Party that generally represented the northern industrial economy.
Q5) Assess whether dealignment in the American party system has actually occurred.
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Chapter 8: Campaigns and Elections: Deciding Who
Governs
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Q1) Which of the following individuals MOST likely voted for Republican Mitt Romney rather than Democrat Barack Obama in the 2012 presidential election?
A)Rebecca,a Jewish schoolteacher
B)Alan,a white college-educated businessman
C)Ericka,an African American store manager
D)Lowell,a union shop factory foreman
Q2) What kinds of campaign finance receive little or no scrutiny?
Q3) The voter database that states are required to maintain in order to track voting preferences and frequency is mandated by the 2006 __________.
A)Keep Americans Voting Act
B)Help America Vote Act
C)Get Out the Vote Act
D)Political Participation Act
Q4) Incumbents begin a campaign with greater ___________ than their challengers.
A)voter turnout
B)voter support
C)name recognition
D)mobilization
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Chapter 9: Interest Groups: Getting Their Share and More
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Q1) When Senator Cranston left office,he took a position as a lobbyist for the real estate industry on K Street.This is an example of __________.
A)the revolving door phenomenon
B)an iron triangle
C)a back-room negotiation
D)an issue network
Q2) How does the interest group system differ from the electoral system?
A)Interest groups offer more direct representation of citizens' policy preferences than electoral politics.
B)Electoral politics offer more direct representation of citizens' policy preferences than interest groups.
C)Interest groups represent geographically defined constituencies,whereas the electoral system represents ideological and issue constituencies.
D)A single interest group represents many different interests,whereas an elected official provides concentrated and direct representation of one set of interests.
Q3) In Federalist No.10,__________ expressed concerns about the harmful effects of factions.
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11
Chapter 10: Congress: Politics on Capitol Hill
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Q1) In an example of the change in what is considered appropriate Congressional behavior over time,Representative Joe Wilson's campaign donations increased despite violating __________ during a State of the Union address.
A)apprenticeship
B)civility
C)deference
D)institutional loyalty
Q2) The House has no rules committee,but relies instead on a unanimous consent agreement negotiated between the majority and minority leader to govern consideration of a bill.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The House minority leader __________.
A)has authority over the selection of the president pro tempore
B)has joint authority over which legislation goes to the floor
C)is elected by the minority party
D)is selected by the majority leader
Q4) Leadership in the Senate is less hierarchical than in the House.
A)True
B)False
Page 12
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Chapter 11: The President: White House Politics
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Q1) A(n)__________ is a binding and public agreement between the United States and one or more nations,requiring mutual action toward a common goal.
A)executive agreement
B)diplomatic agreement
C)treaty
D)covert action
Q2) Which of the following statements provides the best characterization of the members of the White House staff?
A)The White House staff is a loose collection of bureaucrats who are loyal to executive agencies.
B)The White House staff is composed of individuals personally and politically close to the president chosen specifically to serve the president's needs.
C)The White House staff is composed of policy specialists who have little personal loyalty to the president.
D)The White House staff is the link between executive agencies in the bureaucracy and Congress.
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Chapter 12: The Bureaucracy: Bureaucratic Politics
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Q1) What event served as a catalyst for the creation of the Pendleton Act?
A)the growth of the Republican party in the 1880s
B)the expansion of the federal bureaucracy in the 1880s
C)the assassination of James Garfield in 1881
D)the election of Rutherford B.Hayes in 1876
Q2) According to Max Weber,bureaucracies are characterized by hierarchical authority structures.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Congress generally encourages __________ as a means of getting information and controlling the bureaucracy.
A)continual resolutions
B)increased regulation
C)outsourcing
D)whistle-blowing
Q4) How do departments differ from independent agencies?
A)Department heads are appointed by the president; agency heads are not.
B)Agency heads are part of the president's cabinet; department heads are not.
C)Department heads are part of the president's cabinet; agency heads are not.
D)Departments cover a wider range of functions than agencies.
Page 14
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Chapter 13: Courts Judicial Politics
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Q1) Explain the significance of Marbury v.Madison.
Q2) Where do appeals from state supreme courts go in the judiciary system?
A)state appeals courts
B)federal district courts
C)federal circuit courts
D)the U.S.Supreme Court
Q3) In a process known as __________,presidents generally allow senators from the state in which a judicial vacancy occurs to block the nomination.
A)advice and consent
B)presidential deference
C)judicial review
D)senatorial courtesy
Q4) A __________ jury is called to determine guilt or innocence.
A)petit
B)district court
C)Grand
D)civil
Q5) Article III specifies the powers of the Supreme Court.
A)True
B)False
Page 15
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Chapter 14: Politics and Personal Liberty
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Q1) The Supreme Court has ruled that states can limit abortions if the regulations do not pose which of the following?
A)a bar to equal protection
B)a due process violation
C)a prior restraint
D)an undue burden
Q2) __________ include profanity,obscenity,and threats.
Q3) Why are the establishment and free exercise clauses necessary to maintain the separation of church and state?
Q4) How has the Supreme Court incorporated the Bill of Rights into the Fourteenth Amendment?
Q5) Which Supreme Court case developed the exclusionary rule?
A)Parker v.Gideon
B)New York Times Co.v.Sullivan
C)Mapp v.Ohio
D)Wolf v.Colorado
Q6) Commercial speech is constitutionally protected.
A)True
B)False
Q7) Picketing is an example of the right to __________.
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Chapter 15: Politics and Civil Rights
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Q1) What is the policy which stated that the military would not ask about the sexual orientation of soldiers,but that soldiers could not tell others if they were gay or lesbian?
A)affirmative action
B)"Don't Ask,Don't Tell"
C)14th Amendment
D)Equal Protection Clause
Q2) If a group of people were systematically discriminated against in the past,which of the following would constitute an affirmative action policy designed as a remedy to help the members of this group overcome the legacy of discrimination?
A)a hiring policy that favors those with relatives working in government
B)a college admissions policy that gives preferential treatment to members of the group
C)a color-blind job application process to give members of this group an equal chance
D)a policy that gives extra weight to votes cast by members of the group
Q3) __________ upheld the right of private individuals-but not government-to discriminate in the provision of public accommodations.
Q4) Brown v.Board of Education overturned the __________ doctrine.
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Page 17
Chapter 16: Politics and the Economy
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Q1) Which of the following is true regarding mandatory spending policies?
A)They are designed to increase the money supply to improve economic growth.
B)They are designed to help states avoid having a budget surplus.
C)They create a serious ongoing financial burden on the federal government.
D)They reduce the overall cost of compliance for major industrial sectors.
Q2) A free-market economic system relies on voluntary change through buying,selling,borrowing,contracting,and trading A)True
B)False
Q3) Why are some social welfare programs referred to as entitlements?
A)because benefits are distributed automatically to citizens who qualify,based on a set of legal rights to benefits
B)because they are benefits available only to the working poor in the United States
C)because they are benefits funded through the Title 9 section of the 1965 Civil Rights Act
D)because they are benefits that are distributed on a case-by-case basis to select citizens in extreme need
Q4) The federal government uses fiscal policy when it raises ___________.
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Page 18
Chapter 17: Politics and Social Welfare
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Q1) According to the text,what do most U.S.citizens believe contributes to the causes of poverty?
A)moral values
B)increase in single parents
C)drug abuse
D)poor public schools
Q2) Which of the following best reflects the Republican view regarding national involvement in ensuring health care coverage?
A)Republicans have called for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act,colloquially known as Obamacare.
B)Republicans have called for improvements to the Affordable Care Act,colloquially known as Obamacare.
C)Republicans intend to replace the Affordable Care Act,colloquially known as Obamacare,with a single-payer system.
D)Republicans have avoided taking a position on health care.
Q3) President Lyndon Johnson avoided addressing problems of poverty.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Temporary Assistance to Needy Families replaced the federal program
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Chapter 18: Politics and National Security
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Q1) Which of the following was part of President Bush's broad "response to terrorism"?
A)the START II agreement
B)the Strategic Defense Initiative
C)the USA PATRIOT Act
D)the Marshall Plan
Q2) Which of the following best describes why the United States has been reshaping its military planning in recent years?
A)because the war on terror will require increased engagement in more countries of the type seen during the occupation of Iraq
B)because the war on terror requires the United States to be prepared for a nuclear holocaust
C)because the United States has to deal with terrorists,who are all suicide bombers who care nothing for life
D)because the war on terror requires the military to confront unconventional tactics such as ambushes and hostage taking
Q3) U.S.foreign policy toward North Korea is largely driven by its __________ ambition.
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