Government and Society in America
Mock Exam
Course Introduction
This course offers an in-depth exploration of the relationship between government institutions and society in the United States. Students will examine the historical foundations, structures, and functions of American government at the federal, state, and local levels. The course analyzes how policies are developed and implemented, the roles of political parties and interest groups, and the ways that citizens and communities interact with governmental systems. Emphasis is placed on understanding contemporary issues, including debates over civil rights, social justice, and the impact of government decisions on diverse populations. Through critical analysis and case studies, students will gain insight into the dynamic interplay between government action and societal change in America.
Recommended Textbook
American Government Institutions and Policies 14th Edition by James Q. Wilson
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Page 2
Chapter 1: The Study of American Government
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Sample Questions
Q1) In 1787, as the Constitution was being debated, __________ worried that the new government he helped create might be too democratic, while __________ who refused to sign the Constitution, worried that it was not democratic enough.
A) John Adams; James Madison
B) George Washington; George Mason
C) Alexander Hamilton; George Mason
D) Thomas Jefferson; Alexander Hamilton
E) Patrick Henry; Samuel Adams
Answer: C
Q2) Most young Americans regularly read newspapers.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) A modern example of the Aristotelian ideal of the rule of the many is a New England town meeting.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Chapter 2: The Constitution
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Sample Questions
Q1) The delegates to the Constitutional Convention were popularly elected.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) It quickly became clear that the Constitution would not be ratified without at least the promise of
A) the abolition of slavery.
B) female suffrage.
C) an elaborate federal court system.
D) a bill of rights.
E) a two-party system.
Answer: D
Q3) The American version of representative democracy is based on two major principles: __________and __________.
A) separation of powers; federalism
B) unicameralism; federalism
C) judicial review; federalism
D) party government; federalism
E) None of the above is True.
Answer: A
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Chapter 3: Federalism
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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) The early chief justice whose decisions generally gave the broadest possible sweep to federal powers was
A) Roger Taney.
B) Frederick Vinson.
C) John Marshall.
D) Alexander Hamilton.
E) John Harlan.
Answer: C
Q3) Thomas Jefferson generally thought the powers of the federal government should be narrowly consTrued and strictly limited.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Chapter 4: American Political Culture
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Sample Questions
Q1) Americans are more willing to tolerate economic inequality than political inequality.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Today, the nation's 53 million African Americans represent about 17 percent of the U.S. population.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Compare and contrast political culture in America and in Japan.
Q4) Swedes are less likely than Americans to challenge governmental decisions.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Religious diversity flourished in the United States due to the absence of a(n)
A) established religion.
B) strong state governments
C) strong central government.
D) established aristocracy.
E) charismatic religious leaders.
Q6) Discuss Max Weber's "Protestant ethic" and its influence on American political culture.
Page 6
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Chapter 5: Civil Liberties
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Sample Questions
Q1) How did the Court rule in two recent cases involving the Ten Commandments in Kentucky and Texas?
Q2) Libel involves written statements.
A)True
B)False
Q3) In the 1980s, Puerto Rican nationalists were changed with sedition.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The exclusionary rule holds that
A) double jeopardy cannot occur.
B) defendents who have had their rights violated can plea bargain.
C) police officers must be disciplined.
D) evidence gathered in violation of the Constitution cannot be used in a trial.
E) states must prohibit religious displays in court.
Q5) Senator Joseph McCarthy became a powerful policy entrepreneur by claiming that A) the Japanese posed a West Coast security threat.
B) hippies were undermining Christianity.
C) communists had infiltrated the government.
D) homosexuals were transmitting AIDS to heterosexuals.
E) secular humanists were indoctrinating educators.
Page 7
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Chapter 6: Civil Rights
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Sample Questions
Q1) The outcome of the 1964 election helped the civil rights forces.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Privacy is mentioned only once in the Constitution.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The Supreme Court has argued that the right to privacy can be found in __________ of the provisions in the Bill of Rights.
A) all
B) legislative interpretations
C) penumbras
D) the Founders' explanations
E) Thomas Jefferson's view
Q4) The Supreme Court first found a "right to privacy" in the __________ case.
A) Griswold
B) Roe
C) Webster
D) Casey
E) Gonzales
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Chapter 7: Public Opinion
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Sample Questions
Q1) James Madison felt that direct popular participation in the decisions of government was
A) a recipe for disaster.
B) an eventual goal of the new republic.
C) to be achieved by amending the Constitution.
D) the problem with the British form of government.
E) the desire of his political enemies.
Q2) Most blue-collar workers in America think of themselves as "working class."
A)True
B)False
Q3) When it came to civil liberties and civil rights, Madison and the other Framers were not willing to empower even persistent majorities or subject fundamental freedoms to a popular vote.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Discuss how political opinions differ by region, in particular the role of the South in politics.
Q5) What have we learned over the years about the differences between men and women when it comes to political participation, opinions, and political preferences?
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Chapter 8: Political Participation
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following was not a device intended to prevent blacks from voting?
A) The grandfather clause
B) The poll tax
C) The literacy test
D) The Australian ballot
E) The white primary
Q2) In 1856, this state became the last one to require voters to own property to vote.
A) South Carolina
B) North Carolina
C) New Hampshire
D) Georgia
E) Kentucky
Q3) Which of the following was required by the U.S. Constitution?
A) Adult free male suffrage
B) Popularly elected presidential electors
C) Nonpartisan election commissions
D) Popularly elected senators
E) Popularly elected House members
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Page 10
Chapter 9: Political Parties
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Sample Questions
Q1) The term superdelegate refers to
A) elected officials and party leaders who are not required to pledge themselves in advance to a presidential candidate.
B) delegates representing special-interest caucuses, such as those organized to represent blacks or homosexuals.
C) delegates at large who are chosen by a vote of the national party leadership.
D) delegates chosen by primary elections and grassroots caucuses.
E) delegates who received more than 80 percent of the vote necessary to achieve their status.
Q2) Jefferson viewed his party as a temporary arrangement for the purpose of defeating John Adams.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Voter turnout in primaries is only slightly lower than turnout in the general election.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Identify the five different ways that political parties have organized in the United States.
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Chapter 10: Elections and Campaigns
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Sample Questions
Q1) Based on research, presidential debates seem to
A) determine elections.
B) be pivotal events.
C) be watched by only a few insiders.
D) have little effect on election results.
E) help incumbents.
Q2) The following is an example of a valence issue.
A) Richard Nixon being more supportive of anticrime measures than his rival
B) Jimmy Carter appearing to favor honesty in government more than his opponent
C) Ronald Reagan being more closely identified with a strong economy than his opponent
D) George H. W. Bush being more closely linked to patriotism than his opponent
E) All of above are True.
Q3) In recent elections, candidates have relied increasingly on
A) appearances at malls to reach potential voters.
B) large parades and rallies to reach potential voters.
C) whistlestop train tours to reach potential voters.
D) appearances at factories to reach potential voters.
E) broadcasting to reach potential voters.
Q4) Define gerrymandering and malapportionment in Congressional districts.
Page 12
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Chapter 11: Interest Groups
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Sample Questions
Q1) Civil rights is an issue on which the labor movement followed the attitudes of the rank and file in its lobbying activities.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Of the following environmental groups, this one tends to be the most liberal.
A) Sierra Club
B) Wilderness Society
C) National Wildlife Federation
D) Teddy Conservation
E) Environmental Defense Fund and Environmental Action
Q3) The reason Americans participate in civic associations more frequently than do citizens of other countries is
A) their greater dissatisfaction with the government.
B) their more intense attachment to parties.
C) their European heritage.
D) the fact that they are less sensitive to the free-rider problem.
E) their sense of political efficacy and civic duty.
Q4) Discuss interest groups in America, Great Britain, and Germany.
Q5) Describe three types of feminist organizations.
Q6) What information must all registered lobbyists report twice a year?
Page 13
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Chapter 12: The Media
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Nation, the Atlantic Monthly, and Harper's were
A) mass-circulation magazines founded during the early 1900s.
B) magazines specializing in yellow journalism during the mid-1800s.
C) newspapers sponsored by the political parties of the early 1800s.
D) the first magazines to present public policy issues during the mid-1800s.
E) newspapers specializing in party news and election reports founded during the early 1900s.
Q2) Jimmy Carter courting the major newspapers during the 1976 Democratic primary is an example of a candidate understanding the role of the media as a(n) __________.
A) arbiter
B) watchdog
C) scorekeeper
D) mediator
E) regulator
Q3) Discuss how news stories differ in the opportunity for bias.
Q4) When it comes to news, the Internet is dominated by a few sites and should not be considered a free market of news coverage.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 13: Congress
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Sample Questions
Q1) The term used to describe a two house legislative body.
A) Unicameralism
B) Bicameralism
C) Federation
D) Republic
E) Democracy
Q2) Describe the various ways that members of Congress cast their votes.
Q3) How many members are there in the U.S. House of Representatives?
A) 400
B) 435
C) 535
D) 100
E) 200
Q4) This article of the U.S. Constitution details the structure and power of Congress.
A) Article I
B) Article II
C) Article III
D) Article IV
E) Article V
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Chapter 14: The Presidency
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Sample Questions
Q1) This important agency in the Executive Office of the President studies the organization and operations of the executive branch, devises plans for reorganizing various departments and agencies, develops ways of getting better information about government programs, and reviews proposals that cabinet departments want included in the president's legislative program.
A) Council of Economic Advisers (CEA)
B) Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
C) Office of Technology Assessment (OTA)
D) Government Accountability Office (GAO)
E) Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (OUSTR)
Q2) Like most governors, the president has the line-item veto.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Alexander Hamilton stood at the Constitutional Convention and gave a five-hour speech calling for
A) a plural executive.
B) an elected president.
C) an official declaration that George Washington would be the first president.
D) his own appointment as chief executive.
E) an elective monarchy.
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Chapter 15: The Bureaucracy
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Sample Questions
Q1) The number of civilians working for the federal bureaucracy has not increased much since 1960. This observation fails, however, to account for the
A) enormous decrease in the government workforce that occurred between 1986 and 1990.
B) enormous increase in the government workforce that occurred between 1965 and 1970.
C) enormous increase in state bureaucracies that occurred during this period.
D) enormous increase in local bureaucracies that occurred during this period.
E) growing number of people who work indirectly for the government.
Q2) Explain why federal agencies originally emphasized a service role.
Q3) In Great Britain, civil servants are directed explicitly by the ministers in charge of their departments. In the United States, civil servants often must obey both the heads of their agencies and
A) the independent agencies.
B) White House staff.
C) professional groups.
D) lobbies.
E) Congress.
Q4) What are some of the effects of constraints on bureaucratic agencies?
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Chapter 16: The Judiciary
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Sample
Questions
Q1) One unintended consequence of the Supreme Court's heavy caseload is an increase in the influence wielded by
A) the chief justice.
B) associate justices.
C) the attorney general.
D) the deputy attorney general.
E) law clerks.
Q2) The most common background or professional experience among members of the current Supreme Court is experience as a(n) __________.
A) attorney general
B) state judge
C) prosecutor
D) defense attorney
E) federal judge
Q3) Federal courts can hear all cases
A) that the judges would like to hear.
B) that state legislators ask them to hear.
C) arising under the Constitution, the laws of the United States, and treaties.
D) required of them by state governments.
E) required of them by the president.
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Chapter 17: Domestic Policy
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Sample Questions
Q1) 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
Q2) What are four important factors to consider when thinking about the social welfare policy in the United States?
Q3) Much of the antitrust legislation passed in this country, such as the Sherman Act (1890), has been the result of
A) majoritarian politics.
B) client politics.
C) interest-group politics.
D) entrepreneurial politics.
E) none of the above.
Q4) Majoritarian politics hold narrowly concentrated benefits and widely distributed costs.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Identify and discuss the four types of politics based on benefits and cost.
Page 19
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Chapter 18: Economic Policy
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Sample Questions
Q1) In 2012, the national debt rose to over $__________ trillion.
A) 3
B) 5
C) 16
D) 45
E) 112
Q2) High marginal tax rates have been offset by __________.
A) deductions
B) exemptions
C) exclusions
D) shelters
E) All of the above are True.
Q3) Before the creation of the federal income tax, most of the money that the government needed came from __________.
A) loans
B) state contributions
C) private wealth
D) tariffs
E) public charity
Q4) Discuss the tools that Congress has to influence the economy.
Page 20
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Chapter 19: Foreign and Military Policy
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Q1) The American public and foreign policy leaders are most divided on the issue of A) expanding economic aid to other countries.
B) taking the side of Israel in conflicts with Palestinians.
C) combating international terrorism.
D) supporting U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
E) protecting the jobs of American workers.
Q2) Which president ordered a blockade of southern ports?
A) Abraham Lincoln
B) Andrew Jackson
C) Franklin D. Roosevelt
D) James Polk
E) George Washington
Q3) In 1946, __________ delivered the famous "iron curtain" speech in Fulton, Missouri, in which he summed up Soviet policy in Eastern Europe.
A) Winston Churchill
B) George Kennan
C) Charles Lindbergh
D) President Truman
E) Dwight Eisenhower
Q4) Discuss Tocqueville's opinion of conducting foreign policy in a democracy.
Page 21
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Chapter
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Q1) Under the old system, the __________ restricted the regulation of business and prevented the government from levying an income tax.
A) Supreme Court
B) Senate
C) House of Representatives
D) President
E) None of the above is True.
Q2) In the New System, the critical questions surrounding new proposals have focused on
A) legitimacy.
B) transparency.
C) duplication.
D) effectiveness.
E) justiciability.
Q3) Under the Old System, the presidency
A) was small.
B) was somewhat personal.
C) had only a rudimentary White House staff.
D) Options A, B, C, and D are True.
E) None of the above is True.
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