Contemporary American Politics
Exam Answer Key
Course Introduction
Contemporary American Politics examines the major political institutions, actors, and issues shaping the United States today. The course delves into the dynamics of the presidency, Congress, and the Supreme Court, as well as the roles played by political parties, interest groups, and the media. Students explore policy debates on topics such as healthcare, immigration, civil rights, and economic inequality, analyzing how ideology, partisanship, and public opinion influence governance and policy outcomes. Emphasis is placed on recent electoral trends, the rise of polarization, and the impact of social movements, providing students with the tools to critically evaluate the ongoing evolution of American democracy in the 21st century.
Recommended Textbook
The Challenge of Democracy American Government in Global Politics 13th Edition by Kenneth Janda
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Freedom, Order, or Equality
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Sample Questions
Q1) The value of using political concepts in understanding government is that they
A)enable focus on very specific details of government action.
B)demonstrate the problems with socialism or communism.
C)actually have no meaning, so they allow the gtovernment to do whatever it wants.
D)inherently support the values of capitalism and democracy.
E)provide for a broader view than looking at specific events.
Answer: E
Q2) An American,who supports the creation of election districts that are likely to vote for minority candidates for public office and wants more restrictions on business owners' hiring decisions,is likely to be a
A)libertarian.
B)conservative.
C)liberal.
D)totalitarian.
E)capitalist.
Answer: C
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3
Chapter 2: Majoritarian or Pluralist Democracy
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Q1) All of the following are principles of procedural democracy except
A)government responsiveness to public opinion.
B)minority rights.
C)universal participation.
D)majority rule.
E)political equality.
Answer: B
Q2) Participatory democracy today
A)is rare in the United States but commonly practiced in Europe.
B)is common in the United States and in other democracies.
C)is common in the United States but rare in other democracies.
D)is common in the United States and Europe, but rare in other democracies.
E)is rare in the United States and in other democracies.
Answer: E
Q3) Discuss why democratization can be difficult to achieve in different parts of the world,and why there is a strong relationship between economic prosperity and democracy.
Answer: Answers will vary.
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4
Chapter 3: The Constitution
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Q1) After the Constitution was amended to permit the federal government to levy a progressive income tax,government could more effectively further the goal of
A)social order.
B)social equality.
C)economic freedom.
D)minority rights.
E)redistribution.
Answer: B
Q2) Which document proclaimed,"We hold these truths to be self-evident,that all men are created equal,that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights"?
A)Locke's Second Treatise of Government
B)The Treaty of Lisbon
C)The Declaration of Independence
D)The Articles of Confederation
E)The Constitution
Answer: C
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Federalism
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Q1) According to the theory of dual federalism,__________________ the nation and the states.
A)a rigid wall separates
B)there is very little political difference between C)national policy always applies equally to both
D)grant money is shared by
E)the president is ultimately sovereign over both
Q2) Explain the concept of dual federalism and its essential premises.
Q3) A government unit created to perform particular functions,such as fire protection and water purification and distribution is known as a(n)
A)municipal government.
B)state's taxing authority.
C)county government.
D)special district.
E)intergovernmental agency.
Q4) Identify the key elements of cooperative federalism.
Q5) Discuss the concept of preclearance,including the impact of the Shelby County v.Holder decision.
Q6) Compare the attitudes of conservatives and liberals to states' rights.
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Chapter 5: Public Opinion and Political Socialization
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Q1) In nineteen presidential elections since 1936,Gallup polls have deviated from actual results by
A)less than 1.0 percentage point.
B)about 3 percentage points.
C)about 6 percentage points.
D)about 10 percentage points.
E)about 15 percentage points.
Q2) Today,the mass media conduct most polls by
A)face-to-face interviews.
B)telephone.
C)mail surveys.
D)the Internet.
E)mail surveys and the Internet.
Q3) About _______ of immigrants in America are undocumented.
A)5 percent
B)a quarter
C)a third
D)half
E)three quarters
Q4) How are race and ethnicity related to political beliefs and opinion?
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Chapter 6: The Media
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Q1) A recent example of popular music conveying a political message is "Born This Way," by Lady Gaga,which focuses on
A)same-sex marriage.
B)obesity.
C)bullying.
D)racial prejudice.
E)subjugation of women.
Q2) A country where the government heavily censors Internet news and search engines is
A)Germany.
B)China.
C)South Africa.
D)Argentina.
E)Italy.
Q3) Describe some of the ways the media have had an impact on American values of freedom,order and equality,including the conflicts between these values.
Q4) What does research show with respect to the political leanings of major news media reporters?
Q5) How are political blogs influencing news reporting and politics?
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Chapter 7: Participation and Voting
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Q1) The American emphasis on freedom over equality in political participation works to the benefit of
A)union members.
B)the poor.
C)those with greater resources.
D)no particular group.
E)nonvoters.
Q2) Americans are less likely to __________ than citizens of other countries.
A)vote
B)sign a petition
C)boycott products
D)be interested in politics.
E)join demonstrations
Q3) A direct primary is a
A)direct vote on a proposed law.
B)preliminary election to choose party candidates.
C)special election initiated by petition.
D)procedure by which voters can propose a law to be considered by the legislature.
E)recorded position on an issue by an interest group.
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Page 9
Chapter 8: Political Parties
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Q1) Which statement about American political parties is false?
A)A person's party identification, once developed, tends to endure.
B)The number of Democrats in the electorate consistently exceeded the number of Republicans until the mid-1990s.
C)Independents outnumber Democratic Party and Republican Party identifiers, combined, in the U.S. electorate.
D)The proportion of Democrats in the electorate has shrunk over time, to the benefit of both Republicans and Independents.
E)Fifty percent of children adopt the same party affiliation as their parents.
Q2) If someone formed the "Second Amendment Party," a political party to run on a platform of removing regulations on gun ownership,that would be an example of a _________ party.
A)Bolter
B)Protest
C)Farmer-Labor
D)Single-issue
E)Reform
Q3) Explain how the party reforms of the Republicans and Democrats have differed since the 1970s.
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Page 10
Chapter 9: Nominations, Elections, and Campaigns
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Q1) According to the text,________ played a significant role in Mitt Romney's ability to virtually erase Obama's lead in polls before the November election.
A)superior performance in placement of political advertising
B)negative repercussions from publicity around Obama's excessive campaign spending
C)structural advantages giving Romney more electoral college votes in "sure thing" states
D)far-better-than-expected support in battleground states
E)the presidential debates
Q2) After the 2010 and 2012 elections,Republican party establishment leaders tried to limit the success of tea party candidates by
A)choosing more candidates in party conventions rather than primaries.
B)banning candidates they declared to be "extremist" from party activities.
C)increasing the cost of entry into primaries.
D)strategically campaigns of Democrats.
E)choosing more candidates in primaries rather than party conventions.
Q3) Discuss what we know about how voters make choices about which candidates they support.
Q4) Summarize the story of the Florida recount in the 2000 election.
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Page 11
Chapter 10: Interest Groups
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Q1) Which of the following potential interest groups would likely be the most difficult to organize for political action?
A)Social welfare recipients
B)Certified public accountants
C)Alumni of a prestigious college
D)Employees of a manufacturing company
E)Retired social security recipients
Q2) The issue of urban renewal in Boston's West End illustrates the point that
A)mass-based interest groups can effectively block government policy.
B)government policies are designed to maintain a political equilibrium.
C)groups faced with policies harmful to their interests often lack the leadership and resources to organize.
D)interest groups will arise whenever there is a need.
E)minority groups, even when organized, often fail.
Q3) Explain what citizen groups are,and one of the advantages that business and professional groups have over them in affecting policymaking.
Q4) Discuss the tactics used by interest groups as part of information campaigns.
Q5) Identify five ways that interest groups benefit our political system.
Q6) Explain the difference between direct lobbying and grassroots lobbying.
Page 12
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Chapter 11: Congress
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Q1) The 113th Congress is considered by some to be ___________,compared to the general population.
A)the most diverse in history
B)about as diverse as previous sessions
C)far less diverse
D)almost perfectly representative
E)of uncertain diversity because of legal restrictions on asking demographic questions
Q2) The Senate delay tactic of talking a bill to death is called A)cloture.
B)logrolling.
C)filibustering.
D)gerrymandering.
E)muckraking.
Q3) Identify and describe the differences between the various types of congressional committees.
Q4) Explain how racial gerrymandering is designed to achieve greater descriptive representation in Congress.
Q5) Explain how growing partisanship in Congress represents a trend toward greater majoritarianism.
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Chapter 12: The Presidency
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Q1) What are Inherent Powers? Give some examples of how have they been implemented by presidents in the years since the terrorist attacks of September 11,2001.
Q2) The president has the power to appoint all but which of the following?
A)Federal district and circuit court judges
B)Ambassadors
C)Cabinet members
D)The Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
E)Supreme Court justices
Q3) Which of the following is not a reason the text gives as a reason the president's Cabinet doesn't serve as an effective advisory body?
A)The Cabinet is quite large and unwieldy.
B)Cabinet members have limited areas of expertise and cannot contribute much to deliberations on policy outside their areas of expertise.
C)Cabinet members may not be easy for the president to work with.
D)The president has his personal staff to depend on.
E)The cabinet is made up of politicians who see themselves in competition with the president.
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Page 14
Chapter 13: The Bureaucracy
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Q1) According to the text,a primary reason for low morale among federal employees is
A)realization of the needless nature of most of the work they do.
B)budget cuts resulting in staff reductions with no corresponding work output expectations.
C)disagreement with the fundamental philosophy of the presidential administration.
D)inability to challenge poor decisions frequently made by federal agency supervisors and managers.
E)inadequate screening of newly hired employees.
Q2) The rational-comprehensive model of policymaking is unrealistic because
A)it is difficult for policymakers to define precise values and goals.
B)the selected policy will not always be the most effective means to the goal.
C)comprehensive investigations into all solutions to any specific problem would be too time-consuming.
D)it is difficult for policymakers to define precise values and goals, the selected policy will not always be the most effective means to the goal, and comprehensive investigations into all solutions to any specific problem would be too time-consuming.
E)None of these choices is true.
Q3) Describe what the Pendleton Act (1883)was,and how it helped reduce patronage.
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Chapter 14: The Courts
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Q1) In a case between a large grocery vendor and the Federal Trade Commission,entities sympathetic to the vendor who are not official parties to the suit file supporting briefs for the vendor's position.This is known as
A)stare decisis.
B)a writ of mandamus.
C)certiorari.
D)amicus curiae.
E)infringement.
Q2) When an act of Congress conflicts with the Constitution,
A)the president is charged with revising the act to "cure the conflict."
B)the act is invalid.
C)the Congress is empowered to edit the constitutional provision in question.
D)the Supreme Court is empowered to edit the act in question.
E)an executive agency must draft regulations balancing the constitutional and legislative provisions to achieve the best result.
Q3) Discuss the process through which judges are appointed to the federal judiciary.
Q4) Discuss what factors tend to make an oral argument before the Supreme Court more successful.
Q5) Explain the difference between a civil and a criminal case.
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Chapter 15: Order and Civil Liberties
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Q1) The Second Amendment of the Constitution refers to
A)the right to bear arms.
B)a ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
C)the right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures.
D)a right not to be tried twice for the same offense.
E)the right for citizens not to have soldiers quartered within their houses.
Q2) Discuss the dispute and outcome of two Supreme Court decisions governing constitutional guarantees for criminal defendants.
Q3) Which of the following amendments is not concerned with how the government must behave in criminal proceedings.
A)Fourth
B)Fifth
C)Sixth
D)Eighth
E)Ninth
Q4) Explain why selective incorporation is important and provide examples of its implementation.
Q5) Summarize the difference between civil liberties and civil rights.
Q6) What are the Miranda warnings?
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Chapter 16: Equality and Civil Rights
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Q1) Affirmative action is the
A)commitment by the federal government to require state governments to eliminate all forms of discrimination within their boundaries.
B)commitment first introduced in the California legislature to ensure equal employment opportunities for African Americans.
C)commitment by a business, employer, school, or other public or private institution to expand opportunities for women, African and Hispanic Americans, and members of other minority groups.
D)decision by a court in Hawaii to affirm the right of gays and lesbians to marry.
E)specific allowance of a certain number of positions to applicants.
Q2) Describe three different ways that Southern states passed laws to keep blacks from voting after passage of the Fifteenth Amendment.
Q3) Identify the original impetus for the disabled rights movement and discuss the legislative response,including both achievements and remaining challenges.
Q4) Discuss some of the nonviolent methods used during the Civil Rights Movement to achieve the goal of equality for minority citizens.
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Page 18
Chapter 17: Economic Policy
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Q1) Compare and contrast the flat tax and the progressive tax,and describe which tax was more closely related to President Reagan's policies.
Q2) A government spending in excess of tax revenues to combat an economic slump is known as
A)net increase.
B)anticipated shortfall.
C)reconciliation.
D)readjustment.
E)deficit financing.
Q3) If government cuts taxes to encourage people to spend more money in order to stimulate economic growth,it is using A)business cycling.
B)fiscal policy.
C)monetary policy.
D)pro-growth economics.
E)public income reductions.
Q4) Describe the difference between mandatory and discretionary spending,provide some examples of each,and explain how these categories of spending impact budgeting decisions made by Congress.
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Chapter 18: Policymaking and Domestic Policy
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Q1) A government-backed guarantee against loss by individuals without regard to need is a(n)________________ program.
A)social welfare
B)entitlement
C)redistributional
D)public assistance
E)social insurance
Q2) In 1955,there were 9 workers for every Social Security beneficiary; by 2011,there were
A)1.0
B)2.9
C)11.2
D)17.1
E)24.3
Q3) In 1972,Congress passed legislation including
A)cutting Social Security benefits for existing retirees.
B)the repeal of Social Security.
C)the repeal of Medicare.
D)combining Social Security and Medicare, to accomplish greater efficiency.
E)automatic increases in Social Security payments.
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