Introduction to American Government
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Course Introduction
Introduction to American Government provides an overview of the foundational structures, functions, and principles of the United States government. The course explores the Constitution, federalism, the branches of government, civil rights and liberties, political parties, elections, public policy, and the responsibilities of citizenship. Through examining historical development and contemporary issues, students gain a comprehensive understanding of how the American political system operates and the ways in which it shapes, and is shaped by, society.
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We the People 11th Essentials Edition by Benjamin Ginsberg
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Chapter 1: Introduction: the Citizen and Government
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Q1) Since 1960, Americans' sense of political efficacy has
A) increased considerably.
B) decreased considerably.
C) remained relatively constant.
D) had no effect on the quality of American democracy.
Answer: B
Q2) It is important for Americans to have political knowledge so that they will
A) be able to determine who belongs and who doesn't belong.
B) be better able to assess their own interests when making political choices.
C) be better able to judge the legitimacy of other nations.
D) feel a stronger sense of patriotism.
Answer: B
Q3) After the Civil War, Republicans attempted to ________ in order to maintain Republican control over the defeated southern states.
A) disenfranchise newly freed slaves
B) enfranchise newly freed slaves
C) disenfranchise all property-owning whites
D) enfranchise women
Answer: B
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Chapter 2: The Founding and the Constitution
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Q1) Which of the following is true of the Annapolis Convention?
A) Delegates from all 13 states attended.
B) Delegates from nine states attended.
C) Delegates from five states attended.
D) The delegates passed amendments that strengthened the national government under the Articles of Confederation.
Answer: C
Q2) The most common method of passing an amendment to the Constitution is passage
A) in both houses of Congress by a two-thirds vote, followed by a majority vote in three-fourths of the state legislature.
B) in both houses of Congress by a two-thirds vote, followed by ratification by three-fourths of the state supreme courts.
C) by a constitutional convention, called by three-fourths of the states.
D) by the initiative process in three-fourths of the states and unanimous approval by the Supreme Court.
Answer: A
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Chapter 3: Federalism
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Q1) Why was United States v. Lopez (1995) important?
A) It was the first time since the New Deal that the Supreme Court limited the power of Congress as outlined under the commerce clause.
B) It was the first time that the Court had used the Tenth Amendment to limit the power of Congress.
C) The Court found the line-item veto unconstitutional.
D) The Court gave a broad interpretation of the commerce clause that expanded the power of the federal government over the states.
Answer: A
Q2) In a federal system, governmental responsibilities are
A) under the complete authority of the federal government.
B) under the complete authority of state governments.
C) under the complete authority of local governments.
D) shared by both state and federal governments.
Answer: D
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Chapter 4: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights
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Q1) The requirement that a person under arrest be informed of his or her right to remain silent is known as the ________ rule.
A) Mapp
B) Gideon
C) Miranda
D) Escobedo
Q2) Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. (2007) was significant because it
A) overturned significant portions of the Violence Against Women Act.
B) led Congress to pass a new law giving workers expanded rights to sue in cases where they learn of discriminatory treatment well after it has started.
C) struck down Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act as unconstitutional.
D) ruled that state-sponsored schools must be open to both men and women.
Q3) Which of the following statements about the death penalty is most accurate?
A) Almost every Western nation still executes criminals.
B) America, Canada, France, and Norway are the only Western nations that still execute criminals.
C) America is the only Western nation that still executes criminals.
D) America and Canada are the only Western nations that still execute criminals.
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Chapter 5: Public Opinion
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Q1) How are political views formed? Specifically, discuss how agents of socialization such as the family, education, and social groups shape individual opinions.
Q2) In international affairs, conservatism has come to mean
A) support for military intervention and the maintenance of American military power. B) opposition to military intervention and the ramping down of American military power. C) opposition to the United States' membership in the United Nations.
D) opposition to the continued existence of the European Union.
Q3) The fact that many middle-class and lower-middle-class citizens who did not stand to benefit from President George W. Bush's tax cuts seemed to favor them is an example of the
A) importance of political knowledge.
B) importance of self-interest.
C) importance of political efficacy.
D) "spiral of silence."
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Chapter 6: The Media
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Q1) The greatest challenge for journalism organizations today is
A) obtaining access to high-level political leaders.
B) protecting themselves from libel and slander lawsuits.
C) generating enough revenue to finance traditional investigative journalism.
D) fact-checking the stories written by their journalists and columnists.
Q2) Which agency regulates broadcast media?
A) Federal Bureau of Investigation
B) Federal Communications Commission
C) Public Broadcast System
D) Department of Commerce
Q3) Low-level officials who hope to publicize what they view as their bosses' or the government's improper activities are usually called
A) "bell ringers."
B) "whistle-blowers."
C) "adversarial journalists."
D) "watchdogs."
Q4) The content and character of news programming can have far-reaching political consequences. Discuss three kinds of media effects and give a detailed example of each. Is there any bias in the kind of issues media chooses to report? Explain.
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Chapter 7: Political Parties, Participation, and Elections
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Q1) The proportion of Independents, Democrats, and Republicans in the American public has changed significantly over the last five decades. Describe these changes and discuss how party identification varies across social groups. Is there evidence that a party dealignment is occurring in the United States? Explain.
Q2) During the early nineteenth century, the Jeffersonian Party's main base of strength was in
A) the South.
B) the West.
C) New England.
D) the western territories.
Q3) The primary responsibility for conducting public elections rests with A) the federal government.
B) state and local governments.
C) political parties.
D) the candidates running for office.
Q4) Explore the role of political parties in American politics. In what ways do political parties differ from interest groups? How do parties contribute to democratic government?
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Chapter 8: Interest Groups
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following Supreme Court cases illustrates the use of litigation by an interest group?
A) Roe v. Wade (1973)
B) Webster v. Reproductive Health Services (1989)
C) Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)
D) United States v. Nixon (1974)
Q2) Since the 1930s, the number and scale of interest groups at the national level has
A) dramatically increased.
B) experienced relatively modest growth.
C) remained relatively stagnant.
D) experienced relatively modest decline.
Q3) Why is it important for interest groups to offer selective benefits?
A) It is necessary to limit the extent of the free-rider problem.
B) If they do not, people will join political parties instead.
C) Selective benefits are the only way to measure the success of an interest group.
D) If they do not, people will accuse the groups of being antidemocratic.
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Chapter 9: Congress
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Q1) Who were the only two presidents to be impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives?
A) Andrew Johnson and Richard Nixon
B) Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover
C) Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton
D) Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford
Q2) Many political observers have identified a strong "incumbency advantage" in congressional elections. Describe what this term means and explain the reasons behind it. In particular, discuss some of the ways members of Congress can provide patronage to their districts and the role that redistricting plays in congressional elections.
Q3) The frequency with which they must seek reelection makes members of the U.S. House of Representatives
A) more responsive to the needs of the elites in the states they represent.
B) less responsive to the needs of the elites in the states they represent.
C) less responsive to the needs of local interest groups in the districts they represent.
D) more responsive to the needs of local interest groups in the districts they represent.
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Chapter 10: The Presidency
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Sample Questions
Q1) Approximately ________ people work for the various agencies within the Executive Office of the President.
A) 25 to 50
B) 500 to 750
C) 1,500 to 2,000
D) 5,000 to 7,500
Q2) The Office of Management and Budget and the Council of Economic Advisers are both parts of the
A) Cabinet.
B) White House staff.
C) Executive Office of the President.
D) Department of the Interior.
Q3) President Bush ________ in order to allow the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate the government's response to Hurricane Katrina.
A) signed an executive agreement
B) passed an unfunded mandate
C) issued a signing statement
D) declared a "state of emergency"
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Chapter 11: Bureaucracy
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Sample Questions
Q1) Bureaucracy literally means
A) rule by offices and desks.
B) control of the anonymous.
C) next window please.
D) government by the people.
Q2) Which of the following is a government corporation?
A) the National Park Service
B) Amtrak
C) the Federal Bureau of Investigation
D) the Department of Agriculture
Q3) The creation of the U.S. Northern Command was important because it
A) ultimately led to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security.
B) unified, for the first time in American history, the Air Force, the Navy Department, and the War Department.
C) breached the long-standing line between domestic law enforcement and foreign military operations for the first time.
D) was the first time the Department of Defense had taken such an action without congressional approval.
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Chapter 12: The Federal Courts
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Q1) Aside from the justices themselves, who or what has the greatest power in shaping the flow of cases to the Supreme Court?
A) the attorney general
B) the solicitor general
C) the state supreme courts
D) Congress
Q2) In all of American history, the Supreme Court has concluded that fewer than ____ acts of Congress have directly violated the Constitution.
A) 18
B) 50
C) 100
D) 160
Q3) Normally, ________ judge(s) hear(s) a specific case on a federal circuit court of appeals.
A) 1
B) 3
C) 15
D) all of the above
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Chapter 13: Domestic Policy
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Q1) Which of the following statements about Social Security is true?
A) Social Security was established in 1965.
B) It is a program based on voluntary savings.
C) Contributors receive benefits in strict proportion to their contributions.
D) Social Security redistributes wealth from younger workers to older retirees.
Q2) ________ is the single-largest medical insurance program in the United States.
A) PhP
B) Anthem
C) Cigna
D) Medicaid
Q3) Which of the following social policies is currently the most costly to the government?
A) Social Security
B) food stamps
C) public housing assistance
D) Medicare
Q4) Describe the differences between contributory and noncontributory programs and provide at least three examples of each. Which programs are the most generous and why?
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Chapter 14: Foreign Policy
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Q1) The World Bank's chief mission is to
A) provide development aid to poor countries.
B) set the exchange rate for transferring money from one country to another.
C) handle the finances of the United Nations.
D) store the official gold reserves that back up the world's financial system.
Q2) Dispute arbitration occurs when a(n)
A) dispute turns into a military conflict but is not officially declared a war by the legislative branch.
B) international disagreement is referred to a neutral third party for resolution.
C) treaty is made between two or more nations.
D) agreement is made between the presidents of two countries but the terms are not legally binding.
Q3) Which of the following goals has traditionally been of lowest priority in U.S. foreign policy?
A) economic interests
B) human rights
C) national security
D) international trade
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