Civics and American Government
Midterm Exam
Course Introduction
Civics and American Government explores the fundamental principles, structures, and functions of the United States government. This course examines the U.S. Constitution, the roles and responsibilities of the three branches of government, federalism, and the rights and duties of citizens. Students will analyze how public policies are formed, the importance of civic participation, and the impact of government decisions on American society. Through case studies, current events, and discussions, learners gain a comprehensive understanding of the democratic process and their role in contributing to an informed and engaged society.
Recommended Textbook
American Government Institutions and Policies 14th Edition by James Q. Wilson
Available Study Resources on Quizplus
20 Chapters
1795 Verified Questions
1795 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/study-set/1159
Page 2
Chapter 1: The Study of American Government
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/22898
Sample Questions
Q1) None of the Founders was particularly concerned about the government being too democratic.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) A modern example of direct democracy would be
A) citizens electing local boards to make decisions.
B) citizens running for political office.
C) citizens affected by some program participating in its formulation.
D) citizens writing elected officials to express opinions on policy.
E) citizens working for politicians.
Answer: C
Q3) Today, the U.S. federal income tax takes an average of __________ of taxpayers' income.
A) 10 percent
B) 15 percent
C) 21 percent
D) 43 percent
E) 45 percent
Answer: C
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 3
Chapter 2: The Constitution
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/22899
Sample Questions
Q1) Madison dramatized his perspective in a Federalist paper by observing that "if men were _________, no government would be necessary."
A) Federalists
B) Anti-Federalists
C) angels
D) aristocrats
E) Puritans
Answer: C
Q2) The Constitutional Convention attracted __________ delegates.
A) 74
B) 55
C) 39
D) 30
E) 12
Answer: B
Q3) The Framers' view of natural rights was heavily influenced by the writings of John Locke.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 4
Chapter 3: Federalism
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/22900
Sample Questions
Q1) A categorical grant is a transfer of federal funds designed for A) the private sector.
B) discretionary use by a state.
C) the accomplishment of broad goals.
D) programs with matching grants.
E) specific purposes.
Answer: E
Q2) According to the text, block grants have enjoyed only marginal success, in part because
A) the federal government steadily increased the number of strings attached to such grants.
B) money from categorical grants shrank so low as to make these other grants essential.
C) these grants were based on local priorities rather than on the needs of the nation as a whole.
D) these grants discouraged federal control over how the money was to be used.
E) these grants were not attractive to members of Congress.
Answer: A
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 5
Chapter 4: American Political Culture
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
88 Verified Questions
88 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/22901
Sample Questions
Q1) In the 2000 presidential election, George Bush was the only candidate who extolled the virtues of religion and advocated the right of religious organizations that deliver social services to receive government funding.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Some have argued that democracy flourished early in America because of A) the lack of a national army.
B) strict immigration laws.
C) low population levels.
D) moderate temperatures.
E) the availability of land.
Q3) de Tocqueville argued that American democracy endured as the byproduct of A) geography. B) laws.
C) customs.
D) manners.
E) All of the above.
Q4) Discuss how religion has been an important factor in the history of American politics and its continued relevance to the political behavior of individuals and candidates.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 6
Chapter 5: Civil Liberties
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
89 Verified Questions
89 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/22902
Sample Questions
Q1) The historical reference to a "wall of separation" between religion and the state can be found in
A) the Bill of Rights.
B) a series of debates in the First Congress.
C) the writings of Thomas Jefferson.
D) twentieth-century Supreme Court decisions.
E) the Federalist papers.
Q2) The main provisions of the USA Patriot Act cover all of the following except
A) airport security.
B) telephone taps.
C) Internet taps.
D) voice mail.
E) money laundering.
Q3) The Espionage and Sedition Acts (1917-1918) made it a crime to
A) make False statements that would interfere with the American military.
B) send through the mail material "advocating treason."
C) write any disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language against the United States.
D) curtail war production.
E) All of the above are True.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 7
Chapter 6: Civil Rights
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/22903
Sample Questions
Q1) One factor helping to break the deadlock that developed in the civil rights movement during the early 1960s was the
A) media coverage of violence by white segregationists.
B) Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v. Board of Education.
C) decentralization of power in the House and Senate.
D) civil unrest that shook several northern cities.
E) election of Republican presidents.
Q2) De jure segregation refers to segregation that is the result of residential patterns as opposed to deliberate government policy.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The Supreme Court's ruling in Bowers v. Hardwick suggested that the right to privacy does not protect
A) issues related to the family.
B) marriage.
C) procreation.
D) homosexual relations.
E) None of the above is True.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 8
Chapter 7: Public Opinion
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/22904
Sample Questions
Q1) U.S. Senators were not popularly elected until the __________ Amendment.
A) Fourteenth
B) Tenth
C) Sixteenth
D) Seventeenth
E) Nineteenth
Q2) In the 2012 presidential elections, a large majority of Latinos voted Republican.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The text suggests that our genetic background explains
A) some of our political ideology.
B) some of our party identification.
C) some of our political socialization.
D) some of our group memberships.
E) None of the above is True.
Q4) Public policy is invariably consistent with public opinion.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Describe how polls are conducted.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 9
Chapter 8: Political Participation
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/22905
Sample Questions
Q1) When Congress passed the Voting Rights Act of 1970 and lowered the voting age to eighteen,
A) the president vetoed the act.
B) the Fourteenth Amendment was overturned.
C) the Supreme Court declared the adjustment unconstitutional.
D) thirty-five state governors protested the change.
E) the number of eligible voters instantly doubled.
Q2) Two of the participation groups that Verba and Nie describe, campaigners and communalists, differ primarily in their
A) taste for conflict.
B) political ideology.
C) socioeconomic status.
D) general level of participation.
E) intensity of religious sentiment.
Q3) Which is not an example of political participation?
A) Voting
B) Keeping informed about government.
C) Giving money to a candidate.
D) Attending a school board meeting.
E) All of the above are True.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 10
Chapter 9: Political Parties
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
89 Verified Questions
89 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/22906
Sample Questions
Q1) Ticket splitting was almost unheard of in the nineteenth century.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Eugene Debs of the Socialist Party won __________ of the vote in the presidential election of 1912.
A) 6 percent
B) 15 percent
C) 25 percent
D) 31 percent
E) 43 percent
Q3) Ticket splitting helps create
A) separation of powers.
B) checks and balances.
C) divided government.
D) political efficacy.
E) liberal politics.
Q4) Define and discuss the significance of critical or realigning elections. Also, discuss the three clearest examples of such elections given in the text.
Q5) Explain the ways that American parties differ from their European counterparts.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 11
Chapter 10: Elections and Campaigns
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
89 Verified Questions
89 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/22907
Sample Questions
Q1) Democrats who participate in the Iowa caucus tend to be
A) more liberal than Democrats generally.
B) more conservative than Democrats generally.
C) less likely to win the nomination compared to other candidates who do not participate.
D) more moderate than Democrats generally.
E) None of the above is True.
Q2) By the time the 2012 presidential election was completed, the Obama campaign and the Romney campaign, together with a dozen other contenders for the presidency, had raised and spent approximately
A) $600 million.
B) $4 billion.
C) $1.3 billion.
D) $800 million.
E) $500 million.
Q3) Compare and contrast presidential and congressional campaigns.
Q4) Explain the difference between position issues and valence issues. Summarize the trends regarding each in recent elections.
Q5) Define gerrymandering and malapportionment in Congressional districts.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 12
Chapter 11: Interest Groups
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/22908
Sample Questions
Q1) The launching of the environmental movement was assisted by
A) a hurricane in Pensacola, Florida.
B) several incidents of contaminated water in Boston.
C) an oil spill on the Santa Barbara beaches.
D) the highly publicized deaths of dozens of sperm whales.
E) controversies surrounding the spread of diseases in animals.
Q2) Of the following statements, which one describes earmarks?
A) They have always existed.
B) They became more common in the 1970s and afterward.
C) Their expansion was prompted, in part, by the growth of the federal government.
D) Their expansion was prompted, in part, by the efforts of lobbyists.
E) All of the above are True.
Q3) Purposive incentives are most likely to motivate people who join the A) Illinois Farm Bureau.
B) National Organization for Women (NOW).
C) parent-teacher associations (PTAs).
D) American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).
E) Rotary Club.
Q4) What new regulations were applied to lobbyists as of March 2007?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 13
Chapter 12: The Media
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/22909
Sample Questions
Q1) In 2004, "60 Minutes," ran a story that President Bush had performed poorly during his time in the Air National Guard based on documents that were shown by bloggers to be forgeries.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The Carter-Reagan debate in 1980 was sponsored by the League of Women Voters (LWV) because
A) the LWV had an exclusive license for that purpose.
B) the LWV threatened to sue the networks.
C) both candidates wanted an impartial forum.
D) the fairness doctrine did not apply.
E) that arrangement allowed circumvention of the equal access rule.
Q3) Discuss how the degree of competition in the media has changed.
Q4) Writers for the national press tend to be more conservative than their local counterparts.
A)True
B)False
Q5) What explanations does William G. Mayer provide for why conservative radio talk shows are so common?
Q6) What are the four ways that reporters and public officials communicate?
Page 14
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 13: Congress
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/22910
Sample Questions
Q1) A discharge petition is used by the House to
A) make revisions and additions to a bill before it is voted on.
B) get a bill that is stalled in committee onto the floor.
C) amend a bill that has already passed one house but not the other.
D) override a presidential veto.
E) amend a bill in a manner that will make it quite unpopular.
Q2) A basic difference between a parliament such as Great Britain's and the U.S. Congress is
A) that the principal role of Congress is to debate national issues.
B) members of Parliament have more power and higher pay.
C) members of Congress are more likely to vote the party line.
D) Congress does not select a president.
E) members of Parliament have nicer offices.
Q3) Which of the following statements about revenue bills is correct?
A) They must originate in the House.
B) They must originate in the Senate.
C) They must originate with the president.
D) They can originate in either the House or the Senate.
E) They must originate in the Senate Finance Committee.
Q4) Identify and explain the three theories of congressional voting.
Page 15
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 14: The Presidency
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/22911
Sample Questions
Q1) The personality of which president began to alter the relationship between the president and Congress and the nature of presidential leadership?
A) Andrew Jackson
B) Ulysses S. Grant
C) Richard Nixon
D) Jimmy Carter
E) William Henry Harrison
Q2) If the president should die in office, the vice president is next in line. When there is no vice president, the next successor in line is the
A) Secretary of State
B) Secretary of the Interior
C) Speaker of the House
D) Secretary of Defense
E) Senate president
Q3) To qualify for the presidency, an individual must be a natural born citizen and 40 years old.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Describe the electoral college and explain what it does and how it does it.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 16
Chapter 15: The Bureaucracy
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/22912
Sample Questions
Q1) The authors suggest that, ultimately, "red tape" comes from
A) power hungry bureaucrats.
B) Congress.
C) the executive branch.
D) us, the people.
E) iron triangles.
Q2) Which of the following was created in 1978 in an attempt to give the president more flexibility in dealing with high-level bureaucrats?
A) Civil Service Reform Commission
B) Merit System Protection Board
C) Senior Executive Service (SES)
D) Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
E) Presidential Task Management Board (PTMB)
Q3) Between 1816 and 1861, the number of federal employees increased eightfold, in large part because of
A) an increase in the need for government accountants.
B) an increase in the need for Secret Service agents.
C) dramatic increases in new government functions.
D) growth in the Post Office.
E) increases in military staff.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 17
Chapter 16: The Judiciary
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/22913
Sample Questions
Q1) In the first seventy-five years of this country's history, the Supreme Court held only two federal laws unconstitutional.
A)True
B)False
Q2) In recent years, the percentage of nominees to federal court who have been confirmed by the Senate
A) has increased significantly.
B) has increased somewhat.
C) has remained about the same.
D) has decreased somewhat.
E) has decreased significantly.
Q3) A brief is a written statement by an attorney that summarizes a case and the laws and rulings that support it.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Discuss two reasons why the principle of precedent is so important.
Q5) The Founders expected the Court to have a large role in making public policy. A)True
B)False
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 18
Chapter 17: Domestic Policy
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/22914
Sample Questions
Q1) Consumer and environmental protection laws are considered
A) majoritarian politics.
B) client politics.
C) interest-group politics.
D) entrepreneurial politics.
E) None of the above is True.
Q2) Alexander Hamilton argued the interpretation of the phrase "general welfare" should be broad.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Of the following, which is not a means tested program?
A) Medicare
B) Supplemental Security Income
C) Food Stamps
D) Medicaid
E) Earned Income Tax Credit
Q4) Medicaid provides health coverage for people receiving TANF or SSI payments.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Explain how public opinion changed and AFDC lost its legitimacy.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 19
Chapter 18: Economic Policy
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/22915
Sample Questions
Q1) Republicans tend to support free trade, but George W. Bush imposed sharp increases in the taxes that must be paid on imported steel because
A) Congress pressured him to do so.
B) the CEA recommended that he do so.
C) other nations had done the same thing.
D) he wanted political support in states such as Ohio and Pennsylvania.
E) of a bargain with Democratic senators.
Q2) In theory, the Fed is
A) the only national entity responsible for economic policy.
B) central planning body for the economy.
C) independent of both the president and Congress.
D) the main fiscal policy body in the federal government.
E) None of the above is True.
Q3) Lower income earners tend to vote Democratic.
A)True
B)False
Q4) A monetarist believes that inflation is caused by too little money chasing too many goods.
A)True
B)False
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 20
Chapter 19: Foreign and Military Policy
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/22916
Sample Questions
Q1) According to the text, the most important check on presidential war power is
A) the Supreme Court.
B) the State Department.
C) the governors.
D) the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
E) the control of Congress over the purse strings.
Q2) The president usually takes the leading role on foreign policy issues that are matters of __________ politics.
A) majoritarian
B) interest group
C) entrepreneurial
D) client
E) neo-institutional
Q3) According to the text, how much money is spent on defense is best explained by ___________ politics.
A) majoritarian
B) client
C) interest group (bargaining)
D) entrepreneurial
E) neo-institutional
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 21
Chapter 20: American Democracy, Then and Now
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/22917
Sample Questions
Q1) Lyndon Johnson was able to get his Great Society programs through Congress because
A) most of the public favored the programs.
B) Democrats controlled both houses of Congress by large margins.
C) most Republicans worked with him on these issues.
D) he made an appeal to the public for his programs.
E) the federal government had surplus funds to be spent.
Q2) The authors suggest one way of describing the New System is to call it a(n) __________ government.
A) restrictive
B) activist
C) counter-majoritarian
D) top-heavy
E) bottoms-up
Q3) In the 1960s numerous assistance programs were collectively referred to as A) the War on Poverty.
B) the One for All Program.
C) Head Start.
D) No Child Left Behind.
E) the Equality Initiative.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 22