Introduction to Political Science
Textbook Exam Questions
Course Introduction
Introduction to Political Science provides students with a foundational understanding of the key concepts, theories, and methodologies used to study political systems and behavior. The course explores the major branches of political science, including comparative politics, international relations, political theory, and public policy. Students will examine diverse political institutions, processes, ideologies, and the dynamics of power and governance, both within and between states. Through an analysis of historical and contemporary issues, the course encourages critical thinking about the role of politics in society and the impact of political decisions on individuals and communities.
Recommended Textbook
We the People 11th Essentials Edition by Benjamin Ginsberg
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Introduction: the Citizen and Government
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Sample Questions
Q1) About ____ percent of the American adult population identifies with the Protestant, Catholic, or Jewish faiths.
A) 15
B) 35
C) 55
D) 75
Answer: D
Q2) The power of the federal government began to expand after 1933 in response to A) the Supreme Court's ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson. B) World War II.
C) the stock market crash of 1929, the Great Depression, and the run on banks of 1933. D) the stock market boom of 1929 and the economic expansion of the "Roaring Twenties."
Answer: C
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Chapter 2: The Founding and the Constitution
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Q1) Under the Articles of Confederation
A) the armed forces of the United States consisted of state militias.
B) the Continental Congress had the power to lay taxes on citizens.
C) there was no president.
D) the Continental Congress required only a simple majority to make decisions; the unanimous consent of all states was not necessary.
Answer: A
Q2) There are ____ amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
A) 10
B) 20
C) 27
D) 30
Answer: C
Q3) Daniel Shays was
A) one of the authors of the Federalist Papers.
B) the primary architect of the New Jersey Plan.
C) the primary architect of the Virginia Plan.
D) a former army captain that led a mob of farmers in a rebellion against the Massachusetts government.
Answer: D
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Chapter 3: Federalism
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Q1) What was one effect of dual federalism during the early Republic?
A) The national government was spared the task of making difficult policy decisions, such as the regulation of slavery, because the states did it themselves for the most part.
B) The national government was unable to raise sufficient amounts of money through taxes and tariffs.
C) The number of federal criminal laws expanded rapidly, while state criminal laws decreased.
D) The strength and size of the military grew dramatically.
Answer: A
Q2) One argument for a strong federal government is that it promotes ________ across states.
A) liberty
B) equality
C) welfare reform
D) laissez-faire capitalism
Answer: B
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Chapter 4: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following was used as a way to limit the electoral influence of African Americans?
A) literacy tests
B) restrictive covenants
C) open primaries
D) closed primaries
Q2) Near v. Minnesota (1931) established the principle that
A) the government could block publication of newspapers during a time of crisis such as the Cold War.
B) only under the most extraordinary circumstances could the government prevent the publication of newspapers and magazines.
C) news articles that were not truthful received no First Amendment protection.
D) the news media could not publish obscene material.
Q3) A woman's constitutional right to privacy was established in
A) Mapp v. Ohio (1961).
B) Gideon v. Wainwright (1963).
C) Griswold v. Connecticut (1965).
D) Roe v. Wade (1973).
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6
Chapter 5: Public Opinion
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Q1) 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."
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) Which of the following is true of trust in government?
A) People have more trust in government today than in the 1960s.
B) Republicans have more trust in government than Democrats.
C) Very low trust in government is a reality in contemporary politics.
D) Very high trust in government is a reality in contemporary politics.
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Page 7
Chapter 6: The Media
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Sample Questions
Q1) 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.
Q2) Although the First Amendment protects freedom of the press, the federal government has passed many laws regarding media communications. Discuss the differences in how the federal government regulates different kinds of media. In your answer, be sure to discuss the 1996 Telecommunications Act, the Communications Decency Act, and at least three regulations that grew out of the FCC's licensing power.
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."
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8
Chapter 7: Political Parties, Participation, and Elections
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Sample Questions
Q1) Approximately ________ percent of eligible voters turn out for midterm congressional elections.
A) 10
B) 35
C) 60
D) 75
Q2) Write an essay that explains why people vote. In your answer, be sure to cite specific evidence to show how the factors you mention are related to voter turnout.
Q3) Which of the following statements about age and political participation is true?
A) Young people are far less likely to participate in politics than older people.
B) Young people are just as likely to participate in politics as older people.
C) Neither young people nor older people participate much in politics.
D) Both old people and young people participate in politics at a very high level.
Q4) Elections are ultimately about the choices that citizens make in a democracy. Describe the three factors that influence voters' decisions. In your answer, be sure to provide examples from recent elections of the role that each of these three factors played in determining how people voted.
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Chapter 8: Interest Groups
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Q1) A loose, informal relationship of public officials, interest groups, and activists who are all concerned with the same policies is called
A) an iron triangle.
B) a membership association.
C) the New Politics movement.
D) an issue network.
Q2) AARP has approximately ________ members today.
A) 38,000
B) 338,000
C) 3,800,000
D) 38,000,000
Q3) What is the most important and beneficial resource that lobbyists provide government officials?
A) money
B) information
C) campaign workers
D) legal assistance
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Chapter 9: Congress
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Q1) What are the most common private bills proposed in Congress?
A) bills giving individuals or corporations tax relief
B) bills for permanent visas or citizenship for foreign nationals
C) bills for defense contracts in a representative's district
D) bills that declare certain foreign nationals enemies of the United States
Q2) 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.
Q3) The House Rules committee is important because it
A) is placed in charge of selecting the Speaker of the House.
B) decides the order in which bills come up for a vote on the House floor and determines the specific rules that govern the length of debate and opportunity for amendments.
C) reviews all applications regarding the formation of select committees.
D) determines the jurisdiction of every congressional standing committee.
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Chapter 10: The Presidency
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Sample Questions
Q1) During the nineteenth century, Congress was America's dominant institution of government, and members of Congress sometimes treated the president with disdain. Explain how presidents have changed this reality over the last 120 years by adopting an administrative strategy. Specifically, discuss how presidents have (1) enhanced the reach and power of the Executive Office of the President (EOP); (2) increased White House control over the federal bureaucracy; and (3) expanded the role of instruments of direct presidential governance.
Q2) The Constitution attempts to restrain the president's use of domestic force by
A) stating that a state government must request federal troops before the president can deploy them within that state to provide public order.
B) strictly prohibiting presidents from ever deploying federal troops within the United States.
C) requiring two-thirds of both the House and the Senate to vote in favor of any presidential order to deploy federal troops within the United States.
D) requiring a majority of both the House and the Senate to vote in favor of any presidential order to deploy federal troops within the United States.
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Chapter 11: Bureaucracy
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Freedom of Information Act is designed to A) lead to quicker filing of habeas corpus petitions.
B) make more national security documents available to the public.
C) prevent inefficiency and waste in government management.
D) expand the freedom of speech granted to government employees.
Q2) "Zero-base budgeting" was a
A) method of budgeting that dictated funding for federal agencies could never be cut unless the federal government was running a budget deficit.
B) method of budgeting from the bottom up whereby each agency was required to rejustify its entire mission rather than merely its next year's increase.
C) method of budgeting in which each federal agency would receive a zero percent increase each year.
D) phrase used by President Bill Clinton in his attempts to persuade the public that there was very little basis for cutting the funding of most federal programs.
Q3) The different agencies of the executive branch can be grouped according to the different kinds of services they provide. Describe the three main categories of agencies. What kinds of services do they provide? Provide some examples of each.
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Page 13
Chapter 12: The Federal Courts
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Sample Questions
Q1) Why has partisan conflict surrounded federal judicial appointments in recent years?
A) Members of Congress do not want the president to have so much power that he or she can place anyone he or she wants on the federal bench.
B) Public opinion has not been favorable to most of the recent presidents' nominees.
C) There have not been enough minority nominees, including women.
D) The federal courts play an important role in shaping American law and politics.
Q2) There are different kinds of judicial philosophy in how to interpret the law. Outline the theories of judicial restraint and judicial activism. Discuss an example of the Supreme Court employing judicial activism.
Q3) When a private individual brings a suit against a company for breaking a contract, this is an example of ________ law.
A) criminal
B) civil
C) constitutional
D) common
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Chapter 13: Domestic Policy
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Q1) Which of the following statements about noncontributory programs, such as Temporary Assistance to Needy Families and Medicaid, is most accurate?
A) The federal government provides all of the funding for these programs, and, as a result, citizens in each state receive exactly the same level of benefits.
B) The federal government does not provide any funding for these programs, but state governments have all agreed to provide exactly the same level of benefits to citizens across the country.
C) The federal government provides only some of the funding for these programs, and, as a result, citizens in each state receive exactly the same level of benefits.
D) The federal government provides only some of the funding for these programs, and, as a result, citizens receive very different levels of benefits in different states.
Q2) In what ways do liberals and conservatives tend to react differently to poverty and social policies? What does it mean to say that Americans are "philosophical conservatives and operational liberals"? Which kinds of programs do Americans typically prefer?
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Chapter 14: Foreign Policy
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Sample Questions
Q1) In the sphere of foreign policy, which of the following is a constitutional power possessed by Congress?
A) declaring war
B) regulating commerce with foreign nations
C) confirming foreign ambassadors
D) All of these are correct.
Q2) The North American Free Trade Agreement is a(n)
A) trade treaty between Mexico, Canada, and the United States designed to lower and eliminate tariffs.
B) executive agreement between the United States and the other nations of North and Central America, giving one another most favored-nation trade status.
C) treaty between the United States, Canada, and Mexico pledging a unified strategy regarding trade with Asia and Europe.
D) executive agreement reducing trade and immigration barriers throughout North America.
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