Contemporary American Political Systems
Exam Bank
Course Introduction
This course provides an in-depth analysis of the structures, institutions, and processes that define the contemporary American political system. Students will explore the historical foundations and evolution of U.S. government, examining the roles of the Constitution, federalism, political parties, elections, interest groups, and the media. The course also covers the functioning of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, as well as the impact of public opinion, social movements, and policy-making. Through critical discussion and case studies, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics shaping American politics today and the challenges facing democratic governance in a rapidly changing society.
Recommended Textbook
American Government 13th Edition by Walter E. Volkomer
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14 Chapters
841 Verified Questions
841 Flashcards
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Chapter 1: Politics, Democracy, and the American People
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Sample Questions
Q1) What basic principle of American democracy has been a source of conflict since the nation's founding?
A)equality
B)private property
C)limited government
D)majority rule
E)universal education.
Answer: A
Q2) Natural law is an agreement among members of society in which they accept existing laws and penalties as binding.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) The total number of poor people in the United States rose sharply between 1996 and 2003.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Page 3
Chapter 2: From Colonialism to Constitutionalism
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Q1) The skirmish between British soldiers and Massachusetts minutemen at Lexington in 1775 catalyzed what important meeting?
A)the Second Continental Congress
B)the Constitutional Convention
C)the First Continental Congress
D)the New England Confederation
E)the Washington Convention
Answer: A
Q2) The Federalist Papers argued in favor of a weak national government.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) The Articles of Confederation created a strong national government with the power to tax.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Page 4
Chapter 3: The Federal System
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Q1) In the case of a dispute between two or more states the Supreme Court has original jurisdiction.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) The federal government does not have the right to intervene in a state with regard to a case of domestic violence, such as rioting.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) The U.S.government never suspended the writ of habeas corpus. A)True
B)False Answer: False
Q4) Many of the Supreme Court's recent decisions in the area of federalism have been decided by 9-0 votes.
A)True
B)False Answer: False
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Chapter 4: Public Opinion and the Mass Media
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Sample Questions
Q1) A typical exit poll collects information from roughly ___________ or more voters throughout the day.
A)15,000
B)25,000
C)100,000
D)1,000,000
E)500
Q2) The American public has become __________ unpopular political ideas in recent decades.
A)more tolerant of B)less tolerant of C)more militant toward
D)uninterested with E)hostile toward.
Q3) Focus groups are an example of scientific polling.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Evaluate the role of political socialization on the formation of political culture in America.What is the function of political socialization in a democracy?
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Chapter 5: Political Parties and Interest Groups
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Sample Questions
Q1) The chair of the national committee generally
A)is ceremonial, as no power is associated with the position.
B)is the presidential nominee for the party.
C)becomes the leader of the party.
D)dominates the national committee.
E)state and local parties.
Q2) Two-party systems are found in almost every democracy.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Three major political parties have played an important role in American elections and politics since 1796.
A)True
B)False
Q4) In terms of party systems, many democratic nations have
A)multiparty systems.
B)two-party systems.
C)single-party systems.
D)no-party systems.
E)fluctuating party systems.
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Chapter 6: Nominations and Elections
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Sample Questions
Q1) Discuss the reasons why some people do not vote.What proposals have been advanced to remedy nonvoting? Have they been successful? Why or why not?
Q2) Presidential nominees are selected largely at the state level using a A)caucus system.
B)convention system.
C)progressive system.
D)presidential primary.
E)mixed caucus system.
Q3) With the exception of the 2000 election, the last time the Republican party controlled both the executive and legislative branches of government was A)1960.
B)1954. C)1988.
D)1992.
E)1932.
Q4) What are some of the pros and cons of the Electoral College system? Overall, which arguments do you find more persuasive, and why?
Q5) Assess the effectiveness of campaign finance legislation in recent decades.
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Chapter 7: Congress
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Q1) Any senator or representative can introduce a bill.A senator can do so by sending the bill to the Senate desk; a representative can do so by depositing the proposal in the hopper located on the floor of the house.
A)True B)False
Q2) The House majority leader has little importance or responsibility to its party.
A)True B)False
Q3) Assistant floor leaders are called A)whips. B)chairs.
C)liaisons.
D)minority leaders.
E)sergeants-at-arms.
Q4) In recent years, the use of the filibuster has become more controversial.Discuss the reasons for the filibuster in the U.S.Senate.Do you think the filibuster should be eliminated? Why or why not?
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Chapter 8: The Chief Executive
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Constitution makes the president the main authority in foreign relations.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Public approval of a president tends to decline throughout his years in office.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The Supreme Court's decisions in cases involving the policies of the Bush administration against Al Qaeda terrorists have
A)expanded presidential power in combating terrorism.
B)claimed the Court lacks the authority to hear the cases of terrorists.
C)required the Vice President to become more involved in presidential decision-making.
D)limited the president's veto power over Congress.
E)restricted presidential power in combating terrorism.
Q4) If the president does not act on a bill sent to him within fifteen days of the adjournment of Congress, the proposal dies.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 9: The Federal Bureaucracy
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Sample Questions
Q1) The agency responsible for administering the civil service is the
A)Federal Reserve Board.
B)National Labor Relations Board.
C)General Services Administration.
D)Office of Personnel Management
E)Department of Labor.
Q2) The number of civilian federal government employees has decreased since the late 1980s.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Government corporations are subject to greater control by Congress and the president than departments and agencies.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The president's secretary of defense chairs the National Security Council.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Identify some of the reasons the bureaucracy has grown.Given these reasons, what is the likelihood in the future the size of the bureaucracy can be reduced? Explain.
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Chapter 10: The Judiciary
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Sample Questions
Q1) The vast majority of criminal cases are handled by the federal courts.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The concept of jurisdiction is basic to understanding the American court system.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Criminal law is almost entirely statutory.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Article III, Section 2, of the Constitution sets forth two types of jurisdiction: jurisdiction based on subject matter of a case and jurisdiction based on
A)how the case originates.
B)the nature of the parties in the case.
C)the types of penalties that can be imposed.
D)which constitutional clause is involved in the dispute.
E)whether the case is civil or criminal in nature.
Q5) What are some of the factors that enhance the power of the courts, and what are some of the ways judicial power can be restricted? Explain.
Q6) Explain the role of standing within the context of the adversary system.
Page 12
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Chapter 11: Civil Liberties
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Sample Questions
Q1) Under defamation, an expression of opinion can be the basis for a lawsuit.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The Supreme Court ruled some limitations on campaign spending, imposed in a 1974 campaign spending law, unconstitutional in the case of
A)Ashcroft v.Free Speech Coalition.
B)Buckley v.Valeo.
C)Sheppard v.Maxwell.
D)Powell v.Alabama.
E)United States v.Nixon
Q3) The examination of prospective jurors is the principal means by which the goal of impartiality is sought.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Enemy combatants held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba possess the constitutional privilege of habeas corpus.
A)True
B)False
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Page 13
Chapter 12: Civil Rights
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Sample Questions
Q1) In which case did the U.S.Supreme Court establish the "separate but equal" doctrine, holding segregation constitutional?
A)Plessy v.Ferguson
B)Sweatt v.Painter
C)McCulloch v.Maryland
D)Dred Scott v.Sanford
E)Marbury v.Madison
Q2) Civil rights and civil liberties mean the same thing.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Which one of the following is an example of de facto segregation?
A)Jim Crow laws
B)poll taxes
C)literacy tests
D)Grandfather clause
E)housing patterns and decisions of private citizens
Q4) The Casey decision overruled Roe v.Wade.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Summarize the arguments for and against quota-based affirmative action policies.
Page 14
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Chapter 13: Public Policy: What Government Does
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Q1) A policy agenda is a list of issues that government and nongovernmental agents are giving serious attention to at any given time.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Societies made up of large numbers of social, ethnic, religious, and economic groups that put pressure on government to make policies that favor their interests illustrate
A)corporatism.
B)group theory.
C)elite theory.
D)subgovernments.
E)iron triangles.
Q3) Welfare is a relatively old idea that covers a wide range of social and economic programs of government.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The 1996 welfare reform law limits lifetime benefits to five years.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 14: Foreign Policy
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Sample Questions
Q1) After World War II, the United States played the critical role in founding the
A)North Atlantic Commonwealth Organization.
B)Treaty Alliance Towards Organized Europe.
C)North American Transatlantic Association.
D)North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
E)Warsaw Pact.
Q2) Liberalists emphasize the distribution of resources and capabilities have a major influence on foreign policy.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The idea that wealth and power go together and that the nation should pursue policies designed to increase its wealth is known as
A)realism.
B)idealism.
C)isolationism.
D)nationalism.
E)mercantilism.
Q4) Describe the governmental sources of American foreign policy.
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Page 16