Introduction to Political Science Test Bank
Course Introduction
Introduction to Political Science offers a comprehensive overview of the fundamental concepts, theories, and institutions that shape political systems around the world. Students will explore the origins and evolution of political thought, the structure and functions of governments, and the role of political actors in shaping policy and society. The course examines key topics such as democracy, authoritarianism, political ideologies, public opinion, political participation, and international relations. Through comparative analysis and case studies, students gain a deeper understanding of how power, authority, and governance operate within various political contexts, fostering critical thinking and informed citizenship.
Recommended Textbook
American Politics Today Essentials 5th Edition by William T. Bianco
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11 Chapters
952 Verified Questions
952 Flashcards
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Chapter 1: Understanding American Politics
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71 Verified Questions
71 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) James Madison wrote, "If men were angels, no government would be necessary.If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary." Explain what this quote means.Do you believe it to be true? What kind of institutional controls did Madison put into the Constitution as a consequence of his beliefs, and are they effective?
Answer: Reponses will vary to some extent depending upon the context of the individual student.However, Madison perceived that most Americans were basically self-interested and was concerned that they would not put the interests of the nation as a whole ahead of their own individual or family self-interest.Thus, governments are necessary in order for leaders to create policies that promote the greater common good.Yet leaders in government are human just like common citizens, so he believed that they had to be held accountable for their actions as well.That is why the framers collectively embraced both the notion of separation of powers and checks and balances.Students can define both terms and provide concrete illustrations directly from the Constitution.
Q2) Cultural issues include social spending on the poor and proper taxation levels.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Page 3
Chapter 2: The Constitution and the Founding
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Sample Questions
Q1) America's relative economic equality compared to Europe did NOT influence the context of debates at the Constitutional Convention.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) The Constitution places more limits on government power than do the Articles of Confederation.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) James Madison was mostly concerned about tyranny of minority factions.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q4) When Congress authorizes an agency to spend money, it is using its A)power of the sword.
B)shared power.
C)power of the purse.
D)reserved powers.
Answer: C
Page 4
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Chapter 3: Federalism
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91 Verified Questions
91 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The United Nations is an example of a confederation.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) Which one of the following stipulates that if the national government passes an unconstitutional law, the people of the states can declare the law void?
A)doctrine of states' rights
B)doctrine of coercive federalism
C)doctrine of nullification
D)devolution
Answer: C
Q3) The privileges and immunities clause was originally meant to promote
A)equality for all citizens under the law.
B)the doctrine of states' rights.
C)individual civil liberties.
D)commerce and travel between states.
Answer: D
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Civil Liberties
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Sample Questions
Q1) In a recent decision the justices of the Supreme Court
A)established very broad privacy rights for sexual behavior.
B)established very limited privacy rights for sexual behavior.
C)determined that sodomy could be legal for heterosexuals but not homosexuals.
D)determined that civil rights for gay Americans was a states' rights matter.
Q2) Which one of the following statements is accurate with regard to money in federal campaigns?
A)Candidates in federal elections are not subject to limits on contributions they receive directly from citizens.
B)Candidates for the presidency are limited in how much of their own money they can lend to their campaign.
C)Candidates in federal elections only have to report contributions $5,000 or higher to the Federal Election Commission.
D)The justices of the Supreme Court have attempted to balance First Amendment rights of candidates and their supporters with the public interest in honest and ethical elections.
Q3) What have the justices determined about the death penalty since 1972? Be sure to cite specific examples by way of response.
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Chapter 5: Civil Rights
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85 Verified Questions
85 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) By the 1970s, many schools remained segregated due to
A)de jure segregation.
B)de facto segregation.
C)unimpeachable segregation.
D)de rigueur segregation.
Q2) While the standard test for the legality of unequal treatment of racial minorities and women is strict scrutiny, the test for other groups, such as homosexuals, is intermediate scrutiny.
A)True
B)False
Q3) What is de facto segregation?
A)legal discrimination based in the law
B)discrimination based in actual conditions experienced by people
C)offering racial minorities chances to catch up to other groups
D)policies at the state level that federal officials have no right to question
Q4) What is the poverty level by race and what is the median household income by race in the United States?
Q5) What was the Stonewall rebellion and why was it important?
Q6) What was Reconstruction and what happened when it finished?
Q7) What is the Americans with Disabilities Act and why is it important?
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Chapter 10: Congress
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Sample
Questions
Q1) Which one of the following statements is accurate regarding congressional staff?
A)The size of personal and committee staff in Congress exploded in the 1970s and 1980s.
B)The size of personal and committee staff in Congress exploded in the early twenty-first century.
C)The size of personal and committee staff has been constant since World War II.
D)The size of personal and committee staff had declined a great deal since the Vietnam War.
Q2) The process by which bills are rewritten and amended in a committee is known as A)multiple referral.
B)a markup.
C)floor action.
D)a conference committee vote.
Q3) The elastic clause in Article I of the Constitution created a situation in which Congress
A)took a lead role in the early American constitutional system.
B)was limited in its powers.
C)had a small set of specific powers that guided its actions in early America.
D)is no longer relevant in the policy-making process.
Q4) What are omnibus bills in the legislative process?
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Chapter 11: The Presidency
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Sample Questions
Q1) A declaration of war did NOT occur in
A)1846 (Mexican-American War).
B)1898 (Spanish-American War).
C)1917 (World War I).
D)1950 (Korean War).
Q2) No recent president has been reelected with less than a ________ percent approval rating.
A)35
B)44
C)50
D)65
Q3) When can the vice president cast a vote in the Senate?
A)on cloture motions to stop filibusters
B)only when there is a tie vote on a piece of legislation
C)whenever the vice president feels like it
D)when directed by the president to do so
Q4) What role do vice presidents play in American politics?
Q5) What is the Executive Office of the President and why is it so important?
Q6) What does it mean if a president decides to "go public"?
Q7) What is the vesting clause of the Constitution and why is it important?
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Chapter 12: The Bureaucracy
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Sample Questions
Q1) One of the reasons regulations are controversial is because they require bureaucrats to choose between policy goals that are often incompatible.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which one of the following describes a situation in which legislators monitor a bureaucratic organization only after someone complains or a problem of implementation has been brought to their attention?
A)advance warning
B)fire alarm oversight
C)police patrol oversight
D)bureaucratic drift
Q3) Why is the Office of Management so important in American politics?
Q4) How can members of Congress or the president correct bureaucratic drift?
Q5) The Senior Executive Service (SES) comprises
A)high-level civil servants who are exempt from civil service restrictions.
B)the group of high-level political appointees who advise the president.
C)civil servants with enough seniority to be promoted to a political spot.
D)the members of the president's cabinet and their close advisers.
Q6) What is the Senior Executive Service (SES)?
Page 10
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Chapter 13: The Courts
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Sample Questions
Q1) Recent courts have been less willing to deviate from precedent than earlier courts.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Although judicial review is an accepted part of the U.S.political system, critics of judicial review contend that it
A)provides too much power to the majority.
B)is undemocratic because it gives nine unelected judges enormous power.
C)is undemocratic because a minority of the Court can affect national policy.
D)creates liberal bias in the system because most justices are former lawyers from Ivy League universities.
Q3) There are a total of ________ federal district courts today.
A)12
B)94
C)389
D)677
Q4) The current Supreme Court is quite conservative but also activist.
A)True
B)False
Q5) What is the Missouri Plan?
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Chapter 14: Economic and Social Policy
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Sample Questions
Q1) Social Security is the least popular social program in the United States.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which one of the following was a component of President George W.Bush's plan to scale back social programs?
A)end the War on Poverty
B)add a prescription drug plan to Medicare
C)eliminate Medicaid
D)privatize portions of Social Security
Q3) Budgetary spending that is required by law is called mandatory spending.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The specific interest rate that banks pay to the Federal Reserve Bank for short-term loans is called
A)a short-term rate.
B)a discount rate.
C)an emergency loan rate.
D)a federal reserve rate.
Q5) Why are payroll taxes considered to be regressive?
Q6) What do we know about the elderly and poverty over the last three generations?
Page 12
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Chapter 15: Foreign Policy
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Sample Questions
Q1) The overriding principle of America's military is
A)civilian control.
B)first strike capability.
C)nuclear domination.
D)congressional control.
Q2) Economic sanctions are often used for the purpose of
A)facilitating a war.
B)increasing the value of domestic goods.
C)creating jobs in the United States.
D)pressuring a country's leaders to change their behavior.
Q3) During the Cold War, what doctrine of military strategy and national security toward the Soviet Union involved the United States maintaining a strong military presence and building a stockpile of nuclear weapons?
A)unilateralism
B)détente
C)mutually assured destruction
D)the domino theory
Q4) Explain the doctrine of containment.
Q5) What was the dominant idea utilized by U.S.officials in the conflict in Vietnam?
Page 13
Q6) What is nation building and why is it so important?
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