Contemporary American Politics
Exam Answer Key
Course Introduction
This course explores the key issues, institutions, and dynamics shaping American politics in the 21st century. Students examine the structure and function of the federal government, political parties, elections, and the roles of the media, interest groups, and public opinion. Emphasis is placed on contemporary debates surrounding policy areas such as healthcare, immigration, civil rights, and economic policy. Through the analysis of recent political events and trends, students develop an understanding of challenges to American democracy, polarization, and the impact of technology on the political landscape. The course encourages critical thinking about the future trajectory of American political life.
Recommended Textbook
MindTapR in Action American Government 1st Edition by Cengage
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Chapter 1: The Constitution
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Q1) Judicial review is understood to mean the Supreme Court
A) interpreting the Constitution as it relates to legislation and governmental actions.
B) voting on a proposed amendment before it is given to state legislatures.
C) independently reviewing decisions made by previous Courts.
D) participating in the appellate process.
Answer: A
Q2) Which of the Federalist Papers addressed the issue of the strength of the state government under the Constitution?
A) Number 10
B) Number 46
C) Number 51
D) Number 84
Answer: B
Q3) Which early American leader championed Locke's philosophy?
A) Thomas Paine
B) George Washington
C) William Randolph
D) Thomas Jefferson
Answer: D
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Page 3
Chapter 2: Federalism
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Q1) In recent years, the Supreme Court has
A) stopped hearing cases regarding issues that shape our understanding of federalism.
B) maintained a neutral position in cases that shape our understanding of federalism.
C) continued to play a significant role in resolving disputes regarding the powers of state and federal governments.
D) continued to play a role in reducing the powers of the federal government.
Answer: C
Q2) When did the United States operate under a confederal system?
A) Under the rule of King George
B) Under the Articles of Confederation
C) Under the Constitution
D) Since the Revolutionary War
Answer: B
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4
Chapter 3: Civil Liberties
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Q1) Which amendment requires states to provide all persons due process of the law before depriving them of the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and property?
A) First Amendment
B) Eighth Amendment
C) Twelfth Amendment
D) Fourteenth Amendment
Answer: D
Q2) The Anti-Federalists believed individual rights would most likely be
A) taken away if not expressly stated in the U.S. Constitution.
B) taken away if not directly expressed in state constitutions.
C) protected by limiting federal power through the creation of checks and balances.
D) protected by the federal structure created by the Constitution.
Answer: A
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Chapter 4: Civil Rights
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Q1) Which amendment is interpreted to extend citizenship to women?
A) Eleventh Amendment
B) Twelfth Amendment
C) Fourteenth Amendment
D) Fifteenth Amendment
Q2) Gerrymandering is when legislative district boundaries are drawn without regard for the
A) census and favoring political boundaries.
B) census and usually in favor of a particular political party.
C) interest of the candidates and usually in favor of the voter.
D) interest of the voters and usually in favor of a particular political party.
Q3) All of the following granted Native Americans the rights of citizenship <b><u>except</b></u> the
A) Fourteenth Amendment.
B) Citizenship Act of 1924.
C) Nationality Act of 1940.
D) Immigration and Nationality Act.
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Chapter 5: Congress
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Q1) Which of the following is <b><u>not </u></b>a significant advantage incumbents have over their challengers?
A) The power of name recognition
B) Networks of people and organizations that donate money to their campaigns
C) Fewer donations from PACs and more from individual citizens
D) The use of congressional media services
Q2) Which of the following does <b><u>not</b></u> describe the typical person elected to Congress?
A) Non-Christian
B) Upper level income
C) Highly educated
D) Male
Q3) Which article of the Constitution describes the powers of Congress, the selection of its members, and the processes of lawmaking and governing?
A) Article I
B) Article II
C) Article III
D) Article IV
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Chapter 6: Presidency and Foreign Policy
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Q1) The Executive Office of the President includes all of the following agencies <b><u>except</u></b> the
A) National Aeronautic and Space Agency.
B) National Security Council.
C) Council of Economic Advisers.
D) Office of the Vice President.
Q2) After the president and the vice president, who is the next person in line to fill the role of president under the Presidential Succession Act?
A) The majority leader of the House
B) The minority whip
C) The Speaker of the House
D) The Secretary of State
Q3) Which amendment limits the president to a specific number of terms?
A) The Twenty-First Amendment
B) The Twenty-Third Amendment
C) The Twenty-Second Amendment
D) The Twenty-Seventh Amendment
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Chapter 7: Bureaucracy
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Q1) Generally, a bureaucratic agency is <b><u>not </b></u>responsible for A) passing legislation.
B) developmenting administrative law.
C) ensuring policy implementation.
D) issuing regulations.
Q2) Why is privatization risky?
A) It can lower the cost of the service but lead to higher taxes.
B) It can result in the public losing the ability to have a voice in decisions affecting it, as well as the transparency it had under the government.
C) It can improve effectiveness, but lower quality.
D) It can require more oversight, stressing an already overburdened system.
Q3) What is devolution?
A) A process that decentralizes government services from the federal government to state and local governments
B) A process of transferring government assets or services to the private sector
C) A process of transferring local government responsibilities to the federal government
D) A process where states function as laboratories of democracy and set federal standards
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Chapter 8: Judiciary
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Q1) Which Supreme Court case found that the Fourteenth Amendment served to protect political and civil, but not social, rights?
A) Plessy v. Ferguson
B) Brown v. Board of Education
C) Brown v. Board of Education II
D) Dred Scott v. Sandford
Q2) The rule of four is the rule that dictates a minimum of four
A) appellate courts must have heard similar cases.
B) years must have passed since the original trial.
C) clerks are available to help synthesize the case.
D) justices agrees that a case merits review.
Q3) Who represents the U.S. government when it is a party in a case before the Supreme Court?
A) The president or vice president
B) The attorney general
C) The solicitor general
D) The chief justice
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Chapter 9: Public Opinion
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Q1) Which of the following is <b><u>not </b></u>an example of an unscientific poll?
A) A call-in poll
B) A straw poll
C) A Gallup poll
D) A single-question poll on a website
Q2) When researchers study public opinion from a particular year, they are using
A) opinion polling.
B) focus groups.
C) archival content analysis.
D) survey research.
Q3) A line graph has two lines that draw dramatically closer together. Which question will best help explain this finding?
A) What is a good standard range?
B) Does each line increase?
C) Is there an event or issue that could have caused the change?
D) What years are represented?
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11
Chapter 10: Interest Groups
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Q1) Which of the following was <b><u>not </b></u>a cause of the "advocacy explosion"?
A) Decreasing startup costs for new interest groups
B) Increased affluence and education since World War II
C) Response to the turmoil of the 1960s that exposed areas of great conflict
D) Increased influence of the news media
Q2) Issue areas that lend themselves to coalition-building between parties and interest groups are those areas that are
A) policy-centered.
B) centered on partisan politics.
C) covered by the First Amendment.
D) narrow and factional.
Q3) Which of the following is <b><u>not</b></u> a resource that interest groups draw on?
A) Membership size
B) Presidential endorsement
C) Economic strength
D) Relationship with the media
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Chapter 11: Media
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Q1) Why did Congress create the Equal Time Rule?
A) To provide the public with balanced programming during elections split between regular broadcasting and campaign ads
B) To provide the public with balanced information and news coverage of all candidates during elections
C) To provide the public with thorough election reporting
D) To provide the public with a forum for multiple viewpoints
Q2) Which theory works through presenting information and accessing memory?
A) Minimal effects
B) Priming
C) Framing effects
D) Agenda setting
Q3) By the time the first political debate aired, televisions were in
A) 80% of American homes.
B) 70% of American homes.
C) 60% of American homes
D) 50% of American homes.
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Page 13
Chapter 12: Political Parties
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Q1) The term superdelegates is defined as "delegates to a convention who
A) have been selected by an overwhelming majority."
B) are not bound to vote for any particular candidate."
C) have been screened through a rigorous process."
D) are not required to follow conventional rules of courtesy."
Q2) Which statement correctly describes politics in America when the first party system came to a close around 1828?
A) The Federalist Party was thriving in politics.
B) The Democratic-Republicans dominated politics.
C) The Federalist Party supported closer political relations with France.
D) The Democratic-Republicans politically opposed a more decentralized government.
Q3) Which of the following indicates percentages of Americans who, in a 2013 survey, preferred elected officials who compromise?
A) 60% of Democrats and 40% of Republicans
B) 50% of Democrats and 50% of Republicans
C) 30% of Republicans and 70% of Democrats
D) 80% of Republicans and 20% of Democrats
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Chapter 13: Participation
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Q1) In a 2009 survey, what percentage of eligible citizens in Canada and in the United States stated that they voted?
A) 82% of Canadians and 36% of Americans
B) 74% of Americans and 55% of Canadians
C) 93% of Canadians and 68% of Americans
D) 50% of Americans and 48% of Canadians
Q2) Which of the following groups is included in the voting eligible population?
A) Seventeen-year-olds
B) Noncitizens
C) Non-registered voters
D) Prison inmates
Q3) What term is defined as "mainly ceremonial acts expressing allegiance to government and country"?
A) Egalitarian behavior
B) Supportive behavior
C) Unconventional behavior
D) Persuasive behavior
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Chapter 14: Campaigns and Elections
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Q1) Which figure is closest to the amount spent by political campaigns on TV ads during the 2008 presidential election season?
A) $100 million
B) $200 million
C) $400 million
D) $600 million
Q2) The Seventeenth Amendment stated that U.S. senators were to be chosen by
A) a direct election.
B) the state legislature.
C) the president.
D) a governor.
Q3) Who was the first political candidate to raise $1 million online in a 24-hour period?
A) Bill Bradley
B) Hillary Clinton
C) John McCain
D) Barack Obama
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Chapter 15: Domestic Policy
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Q1) President George W. Bush proposed which of the following in order to shore up U.S. social welfare programs?
A) To privatize Social Security
B) To lengthen the eligibility period for TANF funds
C) To increase progressive taxation
D) To eliminate unemployment insurance payouts
Q2) In 2010, the average national health care spending per person in the United States was about
A) $3,200.
B) $5,900.
C) $8,400.
D) $10,600.
Q3) In 1996, the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program was replaced by the Temporary Aid for Needy Families (TANF) program, which shifted much of the responsibility for program administration to the A) federal government.
B) courts.
C) former employers.
D) states.
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