Introduction to American Government
Mock Exam
Course Introduction
Introduction to American Government provides a comprehensive overview of the foundational structures, principles, and processes of the United States government. Students will examine the Constitution, federalism, the roles of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, as well as the significance of political parties, interest groups, and the media. The course explores how public policy is formulated and implemented, the functioning of elections and the electoral process, and the impact of civil liberties and civil rights on the American political landscape. Through critical analysis and discussion, students gain a deeper understanding of the complexities and challenges that shape governance in the United States.
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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Page 2
Chapter 1: Politics, Democracy, and the American People
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58 Verified Questions
58 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is NOT a basis of legitimacy, according to Max Weber?
A)charisma
B)tradition
C)force
D)legality
E)none of the above
Answer: C
Q2) According to the text, free elections:
A)force citizens to express their preferences for public policy.
B)ensure that public officials are responsive to the desires of minorities.
C)give citizens a chance to select policy-making officials.
D)encourage violence as a means of replacing leaders.
E)allow political candidates to raise unlimited amount of money.
Answer: C
Q3) One of the rights protected by the First Amendment to the U.S.Constitution is the right to petition the government.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Page 3
Chapter 2: From Colonialism to Constitutionalism
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Sample Questions
Q1) Daniel Shays was a(an)
A)farmer and Revolutionary War veteran.
B)anarchist opposed to the establishment of any government.
C)merchant who supported stronger anti-trust laws.
D)delegate to the Second Constitutional Convention.
E)traitor and secret supporter of Parliament and the King.
Answer: A
Q2) What was the main purpose of the "committees of correspondence"?
A)to plan secret attacks on British soldiers
B)to organize the first battles of the revolution
C)to have a forum for colonists to voice dissent
D)to establish a network of communication between the colonies
E)to improve communication between the colonists and Parliament.
Answer: D
Q3) The theory of state sovereignty was the impetus behind the writing of the U.S.Constitution.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Page 4
Chapter 3: The Federal System
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61 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) A businessman from New York is mugged in Florida.He must be afforded the same police services as a Florida resident because of the
A)full faith and credit clause.
B)interstate rendition clause.
C)privileges and immunities clause.
D)original jurisdiction clause.
E)interstate compact clause.
Answer: C
Q2) 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
Q3) The U.S.government never suspended the writ of habeas corpus.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Public Opinion and the Mass Media
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62 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) If each individual in the entire population has an equal opportunity to be selected for analysis, this is an example of a
A)tracking poll.
B)lottery system.
C)focus group.
D)random sample.
E)exit poll.
Q2) Media bias is an accusation that
A)the media is biased in favor of liberals.
B)the media is biased in favor of conservatives.
C)reporters have a liberal bias and the ownership has a conservative bias.
D)media owners have a conservative bias and won't hire any reporters disagreeing with their views.
E)a bias exists in favor of foreign countries.
Q3) State the differences between the various roles of the news media.How has the media performed these roles? Explain.
Q4) The exit poll indicates changes in voter preferences from election to election.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 5: Political Parties and Interest Groups
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60 Verified Questions
60 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which one of the following is true of party identification trends in the United States?
A)The Republicans have consistently held a wide lead over the Democrats since the 1930s.
B)During most of the time since 1991, the Democrats have led the Republicans among people who identify or who lean toward a party.
C)The Republicans have been unable to increase their party identification since the 1930s.
D)There has been a decrease in the number of people who refer to themselves as independents.
E)The Republicans and Democrats are nearly even in terms of the number of people who identify with each party.
Q2) Examining and criticizing the policies and proposals of the majority party is a function of
A)the majority party.
B)foreign governments.
C)the minority party
D)government bureaucrats.
E)the judicial branch.
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Page 7
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) Assess the effectiveness of campaign finance legislation in recent decades.
Q3) The purpose of the convention system favored by the Jacksonians in 1824 was
A)to make it easier to elect a president.
B)to discourage frontloading by various states.
C)to make the process more democratic.
D)to ensure that only two political parties would participate.
E)to create the Electoral College as a method of electing presidents.
Q4) The national party convention has developed into a forceful meeting that selects candidates for congressional, state, and local offices.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Participation in primary elections is generally the same or slightly higher than that of general elections.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 7: Congress
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Sample Questions
Q1) Policy representation is concerned mainly with passing legislation that benefits a representative's district.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The first committee to review a tax bill is the
A)House Rules Committee.
B)House Budget Committee.
C)Ways and Means Committee of the House of Representatives.
D)Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives.
E)Select Committee on Taxation and Finance.
Q3) How has the seniority system been altered when choosing chairs in congressional committees?
A)Chairs are now elected by party caucus.
B)Chairs now automatically assume their position by being the longest serving party member.
C)The oldest member of each committee now becomes the chair.
D)Chairs are no longer appointed by the leader of the majority party.
E)Chairs are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate.
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9
Chapter 8: The Chief Executive
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Sample Questions
Q1) Though not mentioned in the Constitution, the candidate who wins the presidential nomination is called upon to act as national spokesman for the group being represented. In such a role the president is the A)majority leader.
B)opinion leader.
C)party leader.
D)national leader.
E)chief of state.
Q2) Recess appointments are rare.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The president's power to send and receive ambassadors illustrates his role as A)chief legislator.
B)chief diplomat.
C)chief administrator.
D)commander-in-chief.
E)party leader.
Q4) Identify the stimulus and characteristics of the USA PATRIOT Act.What are arguments for the USA PATRIOT Act? What are arguments against it?
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Chapter 9: The Federal Bureaucracy
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which one of the following is an "iron triangle"?
A)Congress, the White House, and the media.
B)Congress, the White House, and the Supreme Court.
C)a government agency, the White House, and Congress.
D)an interest group, political party, and government agency.
E)an interest group, government agency, and congressional committee.
Q2) What kind of agency gathers information and makes it available to the chief executive officer whenever it is needed?
A)Line agencies
B)Staff agencies
C)Government corporations
D)Field services
E)Civil service
Q3) The Central Intelligence Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigations became part of the Department of Homeland Security in Congress's reorganization of the executive branch in 2002.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 10: The Judiciary
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Sample Questions
Q1) A probate court or surrogate's court is a
A)court that deals with wills and estates.
B)federal court that acts in behalf of a state court.
C)court that deals with criminal cases.
D)lower federal court that acts on behalf of a higher federal court.
E)court that deals only with tax cases.
Q2) Which one of the following is true of the U.S.Supreme Court's jurisdiction?
A)it is both original and appellate
B)it is appellate only
C)it is original only
D)it is advisory only
E)it is dual and advisory
Q3) A court order to a public official to perform an act that is legally required is called a(n)
A)subpoena.
B)injunction.
C)writ of mandamus.
D)writ of certiorari.
E)stare decisis.
Q4) 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) The warnings a police officer reads an arrested person to inform the person of his or her right to an attorney were mandated by the Supreme Court in its decision in A)Miranda v.Arizona.
B)New York v.Quarles.
C)Marbury v.Madison.
D)Gitlow v.New York.
E)The Slaughterhouse Cases.
Q2) A jury that decides whether there is enough evidence to indict and bring to trial a person accused of a criminal act is a
A)trial jury.
B)grand jury.
C)review board.
D)board of appeal.
E)sequestered jury.
Q3) In 2002, the Supreme Court determined that judges, not juries, must decide factual issues about whether to impose the death penalty.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 12: Civil Rights
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Sample Questions
Q1) The right of women to vote was granted by the A)Fifteenth Amendment.
B)Nineteenth Amendment.
C)Twenty-first Amendment.
D)Civil Rights Act.
E)Equal Rights Amendment
Q2) The U.S.Supreme Court upheld the right of Pennsylvania to require informed consent and 24-hour waiting periods for an abortion in its decision in
A)Roe v.Wade.
B)Reed v.Reed.
C)Webster v.Reproductive Health Services.
D)Planned Parenthood v.Casey.
E)Plessy v.Ferguson.
Q3) The first time that the Supreme Court used the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to declare a state law that discriminated against women unconstitutional was in the case of Webster v.Reproductive Health Services.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Summarize the arguments for and against quota-based affirmative action policies.
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Chapter 13: Public Policy: What Government Does
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which public policy model believes policies are made by a relatively small group of highly influential leaders who share common outlooks and goals?
A)group theory
B)elite theory
C)corporatism
D)subgovernments
E)rational choice
Q2) Policies which favor private, nongovernmental solutions to problems are often referred to as
A)social policies.
B)liberal policies.
C)conservative policies.
D)pluralist policies.
E)agenda policies.
Q3) By money supply we mean the amount of money in its various forms that is circulating in the economy at any time.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Evaluate the efforts to reform welfare and their effectiveness.
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Chapter 14: Foreign Policy
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which groups appear to have the most influence on foreign policy?
A)economic and domestic groups
B)media groups
C)international human rights groups
D)economic or business groups
E)political action committees
Q2) Preemption is a strategic policy for dealing with international terrorism.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Compared to President Wilson's utopian liberalism, contemporary liberals are more
A)progressive.
B)pompous.
C)pacifistic.
D)pragmatic.
E)selective.
Q4) Terrorism is defined by American law as "premeditated, politically motivated violence against noncombatant targets by subnational groups."
A)True
B)False
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