Political Institutions in the United States Solved Exam
Questions
Course Introduction
This course explores the structure, development, and functioning of political institutions in the United States, including the Constitution, Congress, the presidency, the federal bureaucracy, and the judiciary. Students will examine the historical foundations and contemporary dynamics of these institutions, analyzing how they interact with each other and respond to public opinion, interest groups, and social movements. The course emphasizes an understanding of the processes by which public policies are formed and the various challenges these institutions face in maintaining democratic principles, accountability, and effective governance.
Recommended Textbook Government in America People Politics and Policy 2012 Election Edition 16th Edition by George C.
Available Study Resources on Quizplus
18 Chapters
1675 Verified Questions
1675 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/study-set/821
Page 2
Chapter 1: Introducing Government in America
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
50 Verified Questions
50 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/16283
Sample Questions
Q1) The __________ principle is that,in a democracy,policies should reflect the will of more than half of the voters.
A) enlightened rule
B) pluralism
C) representation
D) majority rule
Answer: D
Q2) Compare and contrast majority rule and minority rights.How does democracy provide for both?
Answer: An ideal response will:
1.Indicate that majority rule means that policies should reflect the will of more than half the people.
2.Explain that minority rights protect the minority from having their rights deprived by the majority.Restraints are placed on the majority to prevent them from limiting the rights of the minority.
3.Provide examples of democratic governments emphasizing both majority rule and minority rights.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 3
Chapter 2: The Constitution
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
93 Verified Questions
93 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/16284
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is a method for proposing constitutional amendments?
A) by a majority of voting-age citizens
B) by a majority of state governors
C) by a two-thirds vote in each house of Congress
D) by a two-thirds vote in a special election called for the purpose of voting on the amendment
Answer: C
Q2) While working on the Constitution,what aspect of the new government most concerned James Madison?
A) democratic institutions
B) political parties
C) elitist control
D) tyranny of the majority
Answer: D
Q3) Discuss the developments that led to the American Revolution.
Answer: An ideal response will:
1.Explain that the colonies were relatively independent from Great Britain.
2.Discuss the series of taxes levied against the colonies by the British crown.
3.Recognize that taxation without representation in Parliament was deeply offensive to the colonists.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 4
Chapter 3: Federalism
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
100 Verified Questions
100 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/16285
Sample Questions
Q1) Federalism allows citizens significantly more opportunities to __________.
A) invest in the stock market
B) become a civil engineer
C) find gainful employment
D) participate in politics
Answer: D
Q2) Explain the significance of Gibbons v.Ogden.
Answer: An ideal response will:
1.Explain that the Supreme Court recognized broad congressional power to regulate interstate commerce.
2.Discuss the ways in which Gibbons v.Ogden served as a basis for later rulings that upheld an expansive reading of federal power.
Q3) Which of the following is an implied power of the federal government?
A) admitting new states
B) establishing a national bank
C) declaring war
D) establishing federal courts
Answer: B
Q4) The power to regulate interstate commerce belongs to the __________ government.
Answer: federal
5
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 4: Civil Liberties and Public Policy
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
96 Verified Questions
96 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/16286
Sample Questions
Q1) How has the Supreme Court applied the exclusionary rule?
Q2) How does the Lemon test examine the constitutionality of religious establishment issues?
Q3) A knowingly false and malicious article accusing Barack Obama of being a drug addict in order to defame his character is an example of __________.
Q4) An early effort to define __________ focused on whether the material had any serious literary,artistic,political,or scientific value.
Q5) All juries in the United States have 12 jurors.
A)True
B)False
Q6) The Supreme Court has interpreted the Fourteenth Amendment to mean that most of the protections in the Bill of Rights apply to the states. A)True
B)False
Q7) Describe how civil liberties affect democratic government and how civil liberties affect the scope of government.
Q8) How does the clear and present danger test operate?
Page 6
Q9) __________ rights include the right to remain silent.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 5: Civil Rights and Public Policy
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
97 Verified Questions
97 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/16287
Sample Questions
Q1) Women were guaranteed the right to vote by __________.
A) Korematsu v. United States
B) Reed v. Reed
C) the Nineteenth Amendment
D) the 1965 Voting Rights Act
Q2) How has the Equal Rights Amendment affected women's civil rights?
A) It has ensured that men and women are treated equally in the workplace.
B) It has ensured that the courts evaluate gender discrimination using the inherently suspect test.
C) It has eliminated gender discrimination in the military.
D) It has had little effect because it was not formally adopted.
Q3) What was the objective of the women's suffrage movement?
A) broad gender equality
B) the right to own property
C) equal pay for equal work
D) the right to vote
Q4) The freedom riders attempted to prevent civil rights activists from integrating the South.
A)True
B)False
Page 7
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 6: Public Opinion and Political Action
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
99 Verified Questions
99 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/16288
Sample Questions
Q1) Compare and contrast the different agents of political socialization.What effect do they have on political learning?
Q2) How would you expect trust in government to be related to support for a taxpayer-funded program to raise the high school graduation rates of African Americans?
Q3) How does the textbook define political participation?
A) all the activities used by citizens to socialize their children to the political process
B) all the activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue
C) a measure of the minimum requirements needed to vote
D) the capacity of individuals (or groups) to exert their own political will
Q4) According to decades of survey data,which ideological label are Americans most likely to choose for themselves?
A) libertarian
B) liberal
C) left-of-center
D) conservative
Q5) To what extent does race affect political participation?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 8
Chapter 7: The Mass Media and the Political Agenda
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
96 Verified Questions
96 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/16289
Sample Questions
Q1) How does the length of political candidates' sound bites compare across the United States,Great Britain,Germany,and France? What accounts for the length of sound bites in these countries?
Q2) The United States is in an era of high-tech politics.
A)True
B)False
Q3) According to the text,a major metropolitan newspaper averages roughly 100,000 words daily,whereas a typical broadcast of the nightly TV news is only about 3,600 words.Why does this difference matter?
Q4) In covering military conflicts,the majority of TV news stories usually originate from correspondents posted at __________ including the White House,the Pentagon,and the State Department.
A) associated presses
B) networks
C) trial balloons
D) beats
Q5) __________ is the process through which people consciously choose to get the news from information sources that have viewpoints compatible with their own.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 9
Chapter 8: Political Parties
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
83 Verified Questions
83 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/16290
Sample Questions
Q1) A core function of political parties is __________.
A) dividing the electorate
B) narrowing voter choice
C) nominating candidates
D) reducing accountability mechanisms
Q2) Who are most likely to engage in ticket splitting?
A) nonvoters
B) Democrats
C) Independents
D) Republicans
Q3) The displacement of the majority party by the minority party is called a party coalition.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The loyal opposition in the era of Democratic President Andrew Jackson was __________.
A) Franklin Roosevelt
B) Herbert Hoover
C) the Whig Party
D) the progressive movement
Page 10
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 9: Campaigns and Voting Behavior
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
101 Verified Questions
101 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/16291
Sample Questions
Q1) What are the main functions of national party conventions? Are national party conventions still relevant?
Q2) If you were managing a political campaign,what would you tell your candidate about the importance of the candidate's personal appearance to prospective voters? What specific advice would you give to the candidate about his or her personal appearance? How do voters use policy positions to help them evaluate candidates? To what extent are voters prepared to make policy-based voting decisions? What advice would you give your candidate about projecting his or her issue positions so as to be most successful with voters? Voters also make decisions after evaluating various candidate qualities.Based on research by Miller,Wattenberg,and Malanchuk,what three elements of a candidate's personality would you try to project to voters? Evaluate how well Barack Obama and Mitt Romney projected these personality traits.
Q3) Which of the following statements indicates a high level of political efficacy?
A) "I should vote to honor those who sacrificed their lives to make America free."
B) "Voting in the United States is so easy that there is no excuse for not voting."
C) "One vote can make a difference; I want my vote to be the difference maker."
D) "Democracy is only democratic if citizens participate in the process."
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
11
Chapter 10: Interest Groups
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
98 Verified Questions
98 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/16292
Sample Questions
Q1) An environmental group works to pass legislation that would decrease air pollution.An individual might not contribute to that group since he or she could enjoy the benefits of breathing clean air without joining the group.This is an example of the __________ problem.
Q2) The soft drink industry successfully lobbied to halt a proposed tax on sugary drinks that was aimed at promoting better health.
A)True
B)False
Q3) How did James Madison propose to overcome the problem of factions in Federalist No.10?
A) by adopting a system of direct democracy
B) by banning the formation of interest groups
C) by discouraging citizens from expressing their political views in public
D) by expanding their sphere of participation
Q4) The phrase "interest group liberalism" describes the positive influence of interest groups on the political system.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Compare and contrast the theories of pluralism,elitism,and hyperpluralism.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 12
Chapter 11: Congress
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
88 Verified Questions
88 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/16293
Sample Questions
Q1) Which incumbency advantage is more important in the Senate than in the House?
A) advertising
B) position taking
C) lobbying
D) weak opponents
Q2) A __________ is an informal group of members of Congress who share some interest or characteristic; its goal is to promote the interests around which it is formed.
A) caucus
B) colloquium
C) committee
D) conference
Q3) What is the vice president's only constitutionally defined job?
A) to look after the "Good and the Welfare of We the People"
B) to represent the president at official state functions
C) to preside over the Electoral College
D) to serve as president of the Senate
Q4) Contrast the responsibilities and power structures of the House and the Senate.
Q5) The __________ is second in line (after the vice president)to succeed a president should that office become vacant.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 13
Chapter 12: The Presidency
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
88 Verified Questions
88 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/16294
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is a group of 15 presidential advisers that is too large,diverse,and concerned with individual fiefdoms to effectively serve as a collective board of directors,leaving ultimate decision-making authority with the president?
A) the White House staff
B) the Executive Office of the President
C) the chiefs of staff
D) the cabinet
Q2) In which capacity have recent vice presidents been particularly influential in American politics?
A) as an adviser in the policymaking process
B) as a leader of the cabinet
C) as a lead negotiator for executive agreements
D) as presiding officer of the Senate
Q3) Describe the role of the First Lady.
Q4) What does the Twenty-second Amendment do?
A) requires that presidents be natural-born citizens
B) limits the president's terms of office
C) requires the president to be a resident of the United States
D) requires the president to be at least 35 years old
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 14
Chapter 13: The Budget: The Politics of Taxing and Spending
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
91 Verified Questions
91 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/16295
Sample Questions
Q1) Social Security is an example of the allowance model of the budget,in which Congress allocates a lump sum to an agency and instructs it to meet its expenses throughout the fiscal year.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The Social Security Act was enacted in __________.
A) 1865
B) 1890
C) 1935
D) 1964
Q3) Which of the following is the role of the Budget Committees and the Congressional Budget Office?
A) to monitor what agencies do with their budgets
B) to write tax codes based on yearly changes in law
C) to propose new bills following the president's agenda
D) to advise Congress on consequences of its budget decisions
Q4) The __________ works as Congress's eyes and ears by auditing,monitoring,and evaluating what agencies are doing with their budgets.
Q5) Explain why Congress passes continuing resolutions.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 15
Chapter 14: The Federal Bureaucracy
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
93 Verified Questions
93 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/16296
Sample Questions
Q1) What is implementation?
A) the process of translating the goals and objectives of a policy into an operating, ongoing program
B) a set of procedures executive branch agencies must follow when issuing rules
C) the process by which government agencies settle legal disputes
D) a set of rules enforcing government agreements with private contractors
Q2) The purpose of the __________ was to prohibit federal employees from engaging in partisan political activities.
Q3) Bureaucrats often have considerable discretion in the implementation of federal laws.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Discuss the evolution of the federal bureaucracy from the spoils system to a civil service system.
Q5) What is a goal common to both the Pendleton Act and the Hatch Act?
A) reducing the exercise of administrative discretion
B) reducing the influence of partisan politics on the federal bureaucracy
C) increasing presidential control of the federal bureaucracy
D) streamlining the policy implementation process
Q6) The federal bureaucracy is part of the __________ branch of government.
Page 16
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 15: The Federal Courts
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
95 Verified Questions
95 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/16297
Sample Questions
Q1) The Supreme Court regularly exercises its original jurisdiction.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Marbury v.Madison significantly expanded the power of the federal judiciary.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Presidents have failed less than half of the time to appoint the nominees of their choice to the Supreme Court.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Describe the difference between original and appellate jurisdiction.Which federal courts have which type of jurisdiction?
Q5) According to the principle of __________,a court should not overturn precedent unless it is absolutely necessary.
A) original intent
B) judicial review
C) stare decisis
D) prior restraint
Q6) How are federal district court judges selected?
Page 17
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 16: Economic and Social Welfare Policymaking
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
105 Verified Questions
105 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/16298
Sample Questions
Q1) Discuss the two major economic worries faced by members of Congress: unemployment and inflation.What options are available to address them?
Q2) Monetary policy uses the money supply to affect growth in the U.S.economy.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Which of the following is a possible solution to the long-term problem of solvency in the Social Security program?
A) increase benefits for retirees who have substantial income from other sources
B) increase the minimum retirement age
C) revise the inflation adjustment formula for benefits so that recipients would receive more of a raise every year
D) lower the payroll tax contribution
Q4) A __________ tax is one by which the government takes a greater share of the income of the rich than of the poor.
A) progressive
B) proportional
C) regressive
D) transfer
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 18
Chapter 17: Understanding Health Care, Environmental, and Energy Policy
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
103 Verified Questions
103 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/16299
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following best describes how cap-and-trade is a market-based solution for dealing with carbon dioxide emissions?
A) The market has reduced carbon dioxide emissions without government intervention because companies have self-regulated to remain competitive.
B) The states have reduced carbon dioxide emissions because the federal government has been unwilling to do so.
C) Companies that pollute have spent significant money lobbying Congress to grant them exemptions from environmental regulations.
D) It allows those who reduce emissions to sell credits to those who do not meet environmental standards.
Q2) Medicare is a program that provides health care for __________.
A) the poor
B) retirees
C) the unemployed
D) anyone who lacks health insurance
Q3) Explain the strengths and weaknesses of the Medicaid program.
Q4) How are the policy areas of health care,the environment,and energy similar?
Q5) Why did Barack Obama want to pass a health care reform bill?
Page 19
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 18: National Security Policymaking
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
99 Verified Questions
99 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/16300
Sample Questions
Q1) What authority does the president have in regard to foreign policy,and which of these powers requires congressional approval? What specific foreign policy powers are given to Congress?
Q2) Which of the following statements about terrorism is accurate?
A) Terrorism usually involves military personnel and military targets.
B) Terrorism is often designed to demoralize and frighten the general public.
C) Terrorism is usually financed by the government.
D) Only nongovernmental political actors engage in terrorism.
Q3) What was the foreign policy of containment designed to prevent?
A) nuclear proliferation
B) the spread of Soviet influence
C) terrorism
D) the Cold War
Q4) The belief that free trade is especially important in a global economy was the impetus for the __________ among the United States,Canada,and Mexico.
Q5) The Joint Chiefs of Staff serves as an adviser to the president on military policy.
A)True
B)False
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 20