Introduction to American Government Exam Practice Tests
Course Introduction
Introduction to American Government offers a comprehensive overview of the foundational principles, structures, and functions of the United States government. This course examines the historical context of the Constitution, the organization and powers of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, and the roles of federalism and civil liberties in shaping American political life. Students will explore major themes such as political parties, elections, public opinion, and policy-making processes, gaining a nuanced understanding of how American democracy operates and the challenges it faces in the contemporary era.
Recommended Textbook
The Enduring Democracy 3rd Edition by David A. Yalof
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16 Chapters
1193 Verified Questions
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Page 2
Chapter 1: The More Things Changethe More They Stay the Same
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69 Verified Questions
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Twenty-sixth Amendment, ratified in 1971,
A) gave voting rights to all African Americans.
B) eliminated artificial barriers to voter participation.
C) lowered the voting age for U.S. citizens from 21 years old to 18 years old.
D) gave women the right to vote.
E) mandated automated voting machines in all states.
Answer: C
Q2) According to the text, partisan gridlock
A) reached an all-time low in 2011.
B) is the decreased relations between parties.
C) has loomed over budget bills.
D) may give way to party polarization.
E) All of the above are true.
Answer: E
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Chapter 2: The Founding and the Constitution
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Sample Questions
Q1) The primary purpose of the system of checks and balances is
A) to ensure that no one interest or faction could easily dominate the government.
B) to ensure that the people do not become too powerful and attempt to control the government.
C) to protect the executive branch from abuses of the judicial branch.
D) to allow the president to be removed from office.
E) to ensure that the government remains powerful and supreme.
Answer: A
Q2) The Virginia Plan provided for
A) a bicameral legislature with one house elected by the people and a second house selected by the first house.
B) a unicameral legislature with the members selected by each state legislature.
C) a unicameral legislature elected by the people.
D) a bicameral legislature elected by the people.
E) a bicameral legislature with one house elected by the people and the second house chosen by state legislatures.
Answer: A
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Chapter 3: Federalism
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Sample Questions
Q1) Constitutional powers that are shared by both the federal and state governments are called
A) enumerated powers.
B) reserved powers.
C) concurrent powers.
D) moderate powers.
E) constituent powers.
Answer: C
Q2) A positive aspect of cooperative federalism is
A) the expansion of central government.
B) grants-in-aid.
C) block grants.
D) individual states benefitting from large sums of funding.
E) All of the above are true.
Answer: E
Q3) What is meant by the term "New Federalism"? Discuss this era in comparison with earlier eras, especially regarding the roles of federal and state governments.
Answer: Answers may vary.
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Chapter 4: Civil Liberties
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Fifth Amendment also protects the accused from being tried twice for the same crime. To do so would constitute what the Constitution refers to as
A) illegal subpoena.
B) judicial unrestraint.
C) judicial exclusion.
D) double jeopardy.
E) indictment.
Q2) The legal rule requiring that all evidence illegally obtained by police in violation of the Bill of Rights must be excluded from admission in a court of law, where it might have assisted in convicting those accused of committing crimes is called the A) good faith exception.
B) Katz test.
C) exclusionary rule.
D) ex post facto law.
E) free exercise clause.
Q3) Explain the concept of Holmes's "marketplace of ideas." Compare and contrast this view with the civil action of libel.
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Chapter 5: Civil Rights, Equality and Social Movements
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Sample Questions
Q1) A social condition in which members of different groups possess substantially the same rights to participate actively in the political system is referred to as
A) political equality.
B) social equality.
C) economic equality.
D) civil equality.
E) civil rights.
Q2) Compare and contrast the difference between compelling state interest, intermediate scrutiny, and rational basis scrutiny. Explain how the adoption of each standard could affect the chances of a statute being found unconstitutional.
Q3) Which of the following is an example of using nonviolent protest to advance civil rights?
A) Filing lawsuits
B) Montgomery Bus Boycott
C) Passing Jim Crow laws
D) Lynching
E) Cross burning
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Chapter 6: Congress
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Sample Questions
Q1) The ultimate authority for enacting new laws lies with A) Congress.
B) the president.
C) the Supreme Court.
D) state governments.
E) state courts.
Q2) The kind of Congressional committees that consist of members of both the House and Senate are
A) standing committees.
B) conference committees.
C) coordinating committees.
D) joint committees.
E) select committees.
Q3) Prior to 1913, how were senators chosen?
A) They were appointed by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
B) They were appointed by the state governors.
C) They were chosen by the state legislatures.
D) They were chosen by fellow senators.
E) They were chosen in a nationwide election.
Q4) What is a filibuster? Why is it used? How does it work, and how does it end?
Page 8
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Chapter 7: The Presidency
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Sample Questions
Q1) President Franklin Roosevelt's "New Deal" policies did NOT include which of the following?
A) Creation of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to protect deposits in commercial banks during the Great Depression
B) Creation of federal jobs by hiring the Depression-era unemployed to perform various public works
C) Creation of a social security program that provided old-age benefits
D) Creation of free trade zones with Mexico and Canada
E) Creation of unemployment insurance benefits
Q2) In 1941, the deadly attack on ____ influenced America to enter into WWII.
A) New York
B) Pearl Harbor
C) Washington D.C.
D) Paris
E) London
Q3) What are the differences between an executive order and a law?
Q4) Describe how the following positions and groups have historically served the president and helped him to perform his duties: First Lady, White House Chief of Staff, White House Press Secretary, Director of Communications, and Cabinet.
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Chapter 8: The Federal Bureaucracy
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Sample Questions
Q1) How does a merit system differ from a system of patronage in the selection of government employees for the civil service?
Q2) Each bureaucratic unit or agency has a written procedure for carrying out its programs or services. These procedures are referred to as
A) red tape.
B) regulations.
C) statutes.
D) writs.
E) implementation cycles.
Q3) By the 1930s the federal bureaucracy had grown significantly. In response, President Roosevelt in 1936 created the Brownlow Commission. What was the purpose of this commission?
A) To identify funding sources in order to expand the federal government's reach
B) To investigate ways in which the president could circumvent the powers of Congress
C) To reduce the number of federal agencies
D) To investigate how to make the growing bureaucracy more efficient and more responsive to the president
E) To expand U.S. military powers throughout Europe and Asia
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10
Chapter 9: The Judiciary
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Sample Questions
Q1) Fully explain the pre-trial and trial process in civil litigation and in the criminal justice system.
Q2) A circuit court of appeals may meet "en banc," meaning that
A) the entire court must unanimously agree to convene.
B) it is meeting in secret.
C) the court does not publish its rulings.
D) the litigant appeals from the three-judge panel (chosen from a pool of ten or more) to the full circuit court.
E) the case is heard without the justices having actually to be present but the ruling by the attorneys may be appealed to the full court.
Q3) Litigants who receive an adverse judgment in federal appeals court and wish to be heard in the U.S. Supreme Court may petition for a A) writ of habeas corpus. B) writ of mandamus.
C) writ of certiorari.
D) subpoena.
E) warrant.
Q4) Compare and contrast appellate and original jurisdiction.
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Page 11
Chapter 10: Public Opinion
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Sample Questions
Q1) Probably the most consistent influence on the development of values and beliefs, including political values, is provided by
A) co-workers.
B) elementary schools.
C) parents.
D) religions.
E) party affiliations.
Q2) Which of the following would have the least impact on the development of political attitudes, beliefs, and values in most individuals?
A) Co-workers
B) Family
C) Personal friends
D) School
E) Religion
Q3) Fully explain the four basic values and beliefs that are widely accepted in American political culture: liberty, equality, individualism, and the rule of law.
Q4) Describe how presidents have attempted to use public opinion, from the early days of the nation to modern times.
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Page 12
Chapter 11: Interest Groups
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Sample Questions
Q1) Compare and contrast the different types of economic interest groups. Distinguish between those functioning on behalf of very large companies, professional associations, labor unions and trade associations. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?
Q2) During periods of rapid growth in federal spending, such as the New Deal of the 1930s and the Great Society of the 1960s, what has been the corresponding response of interest groups?
A) As funding and services increased, there was far less need for advocacy; thus the number of interest groups decreased.
B) The number of organized and active interest groups increased significantly in order to advocate for or oppose the government's views.
C) Interest groups began to merge their organizations into the federal government's bureaucracy.
D) Interest groups disbanded because, in effect, they had been successful in advocating for the creation of the new funding programs.
E) There was little discernible difference in the organization or number of interest groups.
Q3) What guarantees does the First Amendment provide to interest groups?
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Page 13
Chapter 12: The Media and American Politics
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Sample Questions
Q1) Historically the news media have been effective as checks against governmental power and have been trusted by most Americans. Because of their protections by the First Amendment and their ability to check governmental powers, the media are often referred to as
A) the agitator.
B) the fourth branch of government.
C) the government's police.
D) the mediator of government.
E) the voice of the people.
Q2) Which of the following represented the first televised presidential debate?
A) 1932-Hoover/Roosevelt
B) 1948-Truman/Dewey
C) 1960-Kennedy/Nixon
D) 1968-Humphrey/Nixon
E) 1980-Reagan/Mondale
Q3) How do today's media continue to serve the public interest? Are journalistic standards and existing regulations effective in promoting responsible news coverage?
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14
Chapter 13: Political Parties and Voting
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Sample Questions
Q1) In 1828, the Democratic-Republicans
A) split into the Democrats and the Republicans.
B) split into the Democrats and the National Republicans.
C) split into the Democrats and the Whigs.
D) split into the Democrats and the Anti-Masons.
E) split into the Democrats and the Federalists.
Q2) Social capital is
A) declining.
B) also called "social connectedness" of a community.
C) is evidenced in labor unions and bowling leagues.
D) directly associated with the amount of television intake.
E) All of the above is true.
Q3) What were some of the early restrictions placed on American voters and what Amendments transformed the right to vote into what it is today?
Q4) Which of the following was a candidate of the Progressive Party for President?
A) Ralph Nader
B) Henry Wallace
C) Millard Fillmore
D) Eugene V. Debs
E) Theodore Roosevelt
Page 15
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Chapter 14: Campaigns and Elections
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Sample Questions
Q1) In 1824 Andrew Jackson was the first presidential candidate in American history to win the popular vote but not win a majority of the electoral college. What happened as a result of these election results?
A) The election was scratched and a new election held with Jackson losing in the second election.
B) As Jackson did not win a majority of the electoral college, the House of Representatives made the choice.
C) The Republican Party was created from the turmoil and began to win elections.
D) A political stalemate formed that prohibited the formation of other parties.
E) The turmoil was so great that the election was not held and the existing president served for three more years.
Q2) The period between the national party conventions in the summer of the presidential election year and the actual election in November is referred to as
A) the nomination campaign.
B) the general election campaign.
C) the pre-nomination campaign.
D) the presidential debates.
E) the electoral wrap-up.
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Page 16
Chapter 15: American Domestic Policy
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Sample Questions
Q1) The American welfare state began in the
A) 1910s.
B) 1930s.
C) 1950s.
D) 1970s.
E) 1990s.
Q2) Which of Herbert Packer's two models describes the criminal justice system as a type of "assembly line justice" because it moves cases quickly and efficiently through the system?
A) Crime control model
B) Due process model
C) Innocence model
D) Litigation model
E) Production system model
Q3) Discuss the major criticisms about American health care system. How do we compare to other countries that institute universal health care? What does the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 hope to accomplish?
Q4) Describe the impact of entitlements on the budgetary process.
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Chapter 16: American Foreign Policy
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Sample Questions
Q1) Political scientist John Mueller assessed the role of the military in foreign relations and the public's acceptance of that role. Which of the following is Mueller's argument in this regard?
A) The isolationist vein that runs predominantly through American collective ideology is contrary to the American practice of using its troops as international peacekeepers.
B) The public pays little attention or shows little concern regarding military deployments.
C) Americans have a strong tolerance for all types of military action.
D) If they are not being killed, American troops can remain in peacekeeping or other ventures virtually indefinitely with little public criticism.
E) The American public has very low tolerance for long-term deployment of troops in any situation.
Q2) Apply John Mueller's four propositions describing American public opinion concerning foreign policy to each of these U. S. foreign policy actions: 1991 Persian Gulf War, Operation Restore Hope countering widespread famine in Somalia, intervention in Bosnia, and the 2003 intervention in Iraq.
Q3) Discuss the impact of 9/11 and how it changed American foreign policy.
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