Introduction to American Government Practice Questions
Course Introduction
Introduction to American Government provides students with a comprehensive overview of the fundamental structures, functions, and principles of the United States government. The course examines the Constitution, federalism, the roles of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, as well as key processes such as elections and policymaking. Students will also explore the impact of political parties, interest groups, and the media on government operations, alongside discussions of individual rights and civil liberties. The course aims to equip students with a foundational understanding of the political system and encourages critical analysis of contemporary issues in American governance.
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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Sample Questions
Q1) The United States is referred to as a constitutional democracy, meaning it places written legal limits on the power of the majority to act.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) The principle that holds that the powers of government should be limited and embodied in a basic written law is referred to as A)liberty.
B)the social contract.
C)majority rule.
D)constitutionalism.
E)equality.
Answer: D
Q3) The Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Amendments grant important rights to people who are accused of having committed crimes.
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) Federal judges are assigned to life tenure in order to
A)free them from public opinion.
B)give more power to the political parties.
C)handle the increasing workload of federal cases.
D)ensure that minorities and women are adequately represented.
E)save money in the federal budget.
Answer: A
Q2) What is the main argument of Federalist 51?
A)Separation of powers and checks and balances are necessary.
B)Factions undermine popular sovereignty and threaten governments.
C)A Bill of Rights was not necessary in the Constitution.
D)The executive should be chosen directly by the people, not legislatures.
E)A unicameral legislature is more democratic than bicameralism.
Answer: A
Q3) The delegates to the Constitutional Convention hailed from and represented the nation's middle classes.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Page 4
Chapter 3: The Federal System
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Sample Questions
Q1) A federal system of government gives the:
A)state governments a major role to play in national security.
B)central government exclusive powers in the area of national security.
C)states an equal role in national affairs.
D)state governments the right to declare war.
E)permits the states to regulate interstate commerce.
Answer: B
Q2) The Constitution provides only an outline off the American federal system.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q3) In legal disputes between two or more states, original jurisdiction for hearing cases rests with the A)Congress.
B)U.S.Federal Courts of Appeal.
C)U.S.Supreme Court.
D)president of the United States.
E)the Federal Interstate Compact Commission.
Answer: C
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Public Opinion and the Mass Media
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Sample Questions
Q1) The rise and fall of public interest in the issue of American dependence upon foreign oil is an example of:
A)the reporter function of the media.
B)the agenda-setter function of the media.
C)the investigator function of the media.
D)the consolidation function of the media.
E)the muckraker function of the media.
Q2) In the 2000 primary campaigns, the Internet helped Senator John McCain's campaign primarily by
A)providing more access to people he otherwise never would have met.
B)permitting him to answer more questions about his candidacy in one day than others had done in one year.
C)permitting him to raise large amounts of money in a relatively short time.
D)encouraging Internet users to develop his campaign slogan.
E)permitting him to launch numerous websites.
Q3) The term sound bite was developed out of the advertising industry's recognition that people are likely to remember short, punchy messages.
A)True
B)False
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Page 6
Chapter 5: Political Parties and Interest Groups
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which one of the following scenarios accurately predicts political party success?
A)The party that adheres most rigidly to its ideology will win elections.
B)The party that seeks to encompass wide range of views will win elections.
C)The party that takes the most extreme or dogmatic position will win elections.
D)The party that avoids the moderate majority will win elections.
E)The party that sets its positions forth in very clear and specific terms will win elections.
Q2) The Greenbacker, Free-Soil, and Prohibitionist parties were all third parties.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Imagine that the Sierra Club wants the U.S.president to introduce a bill to Congress that would protect a section of old-growth forest in Washington from clear cutting.They create a written statement and present it to the secretary of the interior.Which method of lobbying has the Sierra Club employed?
A)evasive threat
B)personal visits
C)indirect lobbying
D)direct lobbying
E)amicus curiae briefs
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Chapter 6: Nominations and Elections
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Sample Questions
Q1) Because of problems with the Electoral College system, several proposals for electoral reform have been suggested.Which proposal would encourage the most growth of minor political parties?
A)proportional voting
B)single-member district plan
C)direct popular election
D)expanding voter eligibility
E)caucusing
Q2) In financing congressional elections, the incumbent enjoys which important advantage?
A)unrestricted spending
B)contribution levels
C)eligibility for anonymous donations of more than $10,000
D)The incumbent has no real advantage in financing elections.
E)exemption from campaign finance reporting requirements
Q3) Compare and contrast open and closed primary systems.Which system do political parties tend to favor? Why?
Q4) What are some of the pros and cons of the Electoral College system? Overall, which arguments do you find more persuasive, and why?
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Chapter 7: Congress
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which Speaker of the House's actions caused future speakers to lose the right to sit on the House Rules Committees?
A)Newt Gingrich
B)Tip O'Neill
C)Sam Rayburn
D)Joseph Cannon
E)Gene Rayburn
Q2) The elected official presiding over the Senate is also known as the
A)president of the United States.
B)vice president of the United States.
C)President Pro Tempore of the Senate.
D)Senate majority leader.
E)Speaker of the Senate.
Q3) The Senate has rejected only about twenty treaties since the nation's founding.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Reapportionment is performed every ten years when the population of the United States is counted by the Census Bureau.
A)True
B)False
Page 9
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Chapter 8: The Chief Executive
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Sample Questions
Q1) Public approval of the president tends to
A)increase throughout a president's term of office.
B)increase in the honeymoon period during the president's final year in office.
C)be very stable throughout a president's term.
D)have little impact on a president's ability to implement their legislative agenda.
E)decline throughout a president's years in office.
Q2) Almost 70 years of age when elected, the oldest person to become president of the United States was
A)Theodore Roosevelt.
B)Harry Truman.
C)Gerald Ford.
D)Ronald Reagan.
E)George Washington.
Q3) The War Powers Resolution has been an effective restraint on presidential power.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Public approval of a president tends to decline throughout his years in office.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 9: The Federal Bureaucracy
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Sample Questions
Q1) Because the president is the constitutional head of the executive branch, he is responsible for the bureaucracy.
A)True
B)False
Q2) What is the most important unit within the executive office?
A)National Security Council
B)White House Office
C)Council of Economic Advisers
D)Office of Management and Budget
E)White House Communications Agency
Q3) Since the 1970s, which industries has Congress most deregulated?
A)the oil and energy industry
B)labor unions and workers' compensation
C)education
D)banking, transportation, and communications
E)space exploration
Q4) The purpose of the Freedom of Information Act is to discourage whistleblowing in situations where no illegality is involved.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 10: The Judiciary
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Sample Questions
Q1) Fewer than __________ of cases are appealed to the federal district courts.
A)25 percent
B)50 percent
C)10 percent
D)80 percent
E)4 percent
Q2) Standing is the right of a court to hear a particular type of case.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The term "judge-made" law means a set of rules that have been created by judges in the course of rendering decisions on court cases.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The principle of stare decisis prohibits courts from overturning earlier decisions in cases with similar issues.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Describe the process whereby the Supreme Court sets its agenda, makes its decisions, and delivers them to the public.
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Chapter 11: Civil Liberties
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Sample Questions
Q1) The right to counsel is provided for in the A)Fourth Amendment.
B)Fifth Amendment.
C)Sixth Amendment.
D)Eighth Amendment.
E)Ninth Amendment.
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) The constitutional provision that provides protection against unreasonable searches and seizures is in the A)Fourth Amendment.
B)Seventh Amendment.
C)Ninth Amendment.
D)Constitution of 1789.
E)Second Amendment.
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Chapter 12: Civil Rights
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) outlaws
A)employment discrimination against the disabled.
B)employers from firing someone disabled on the job.
C)disabled people from suing their employers.
D)wheelchairs in the workplace.
E)poll taxes.
Q2) The NAACP was founded by
A)Louis Farrakhan.
B)Martin Luther King Jr.
C)Frederick Douglass.
D)W.E.B.Du Bois.
E)Thurgood Marshall
Q3) Sit-ins and boycotts were used by the civil rights movement to protest racial discrimination in public facilities.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 freed all slaves.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Summarize the arguments for and against quota-based affirmative action policies.
Page 14
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Chapter 13: Public Policy: What Government Does
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Sample Questions
Q1) The economic policy of the Reagan administration can be described as
A)reducing taxes and encouraging spending, thereby increasing employment, productivity, and tax revenues.
B)reducing the budget deficit through significant long-term resolutions in federal government spending.
C)increasing consumer spending, thereby increasing inflation, which is controlled by increasing tax rates.
D)using the government's taxing and spending powers to influence economic productivity and the business cycle.
E)raising taxes, declaring war, and increasing consumer spending, thus reducing unemployment.
Q2) The Securities and Exchange Commission, which attempts to protect the investing public from deception and fraud, engages in which policy?
A)distributive
B)material
C)substantive
D)symbolic
E)regulatory
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Page 15
Chapter 14: Foreign Policy
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Sample Questions
Q1) Neo-liberal institutionalists believe that international institutions hamper cooperation on important global issues.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which terrorist group is responsible for attacks on U.S.embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in the 1990s?
A)IRA
B)FARQ
C)Al Qaeda
D)PLO
E)Hezbollah
Q3) "Nations are free to act according to their interests as they define them." This statement reflects which theory of international relations?
A)liberalism
B)idealism
C)systemic
D)nationalist
E)realism
Q4) Describe the governmental sources of American foreign policy.
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