Political Science 101
Midterm Exam
Course Introduction
Political Science 101 provides an introduction to the fundamental concepts, theories, and institutions that shape political systems around the world. The course explores the dynamics of government, the influence of political ideologies, citizen participation, and the role of power and authority in both democratic and non-democratic contexts. Students will analyze key topics such as elections, public policy, constitutional frameworks, and international relations, fostering a foundational understanding of how politics impacts societies and global affairs.
Recommended Textbook
We the People 11th Essentials Edition by Benjamin Ginsberg
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14 Chapters
1101 Verified Questions
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Chapter 1: Introduction: the Citizen and Government
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Sample Questions
Q1) Politics can be defined as
A) conflicts over the character, membership, and policies of any organization to which people belong.
B) the informal, private organizations through which a land and its people are ruled.
C) a hierarchically structured organization that is designed to distribute labor among several different groups of people.
D) a line-and-staff organization that is designed to facilitate control over complex social arrangements.
Answer: A
Q2) Generally speaking, in order to be a good citizen in the United States, it is most critical to have
A) a lot of corporate connections.
B) significant resources, such as money.
C) knowledge of the American political system.
D) strongly held convictions.
Answer: C
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Chapter 2: The Founding and the Constitution
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Q1) How did the American victory in the Revolutionary War change the balance of political power in the new states?
A) Royal land, office, and patent holders became the controlling force in many state legislatures, and pre-Revolutionary radicals were significantly weakened.
B) Royal land, office, and patent holders were significantly weakened, and preRevolutionary radicals became the controlling forces in many state legislatures.
C) Royal land, office, and patent holders became the controlling force in many state legislatures, and royalists were placed in positions of power in the federal government.
D) Royal land, office, and patent holders were significantly weakened, and Native Americans were placed in positions of power in many states.
Answer: B
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Chapter 3: Federalism
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Sample Questions
Q1) What was the overall importance of McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)?
A) The Court interpreted the delegated powers of Congress broadly, creating the potential for increased national powers.
B) The Court gave a very restricted definition of Congress's delegated powers, in keeping with the era of dual federalism.
C) The Court announced that dual federalism did not conform to the framers' design.
D) The Court declared that the National Bank was unconstitutional.
Answer: A
Q2) Congressional grants paid for ________ percent of the development of an interstate highway system after World War II.
A) 25
B) 50
C) 90
D) 100
Answer: C
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights
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Q1) After the Civil War, which amendments to the U.S. Constitution offered African Americans the most hope for achieving full citizenship rights?
A) the First, Second, and Third amendments
B) the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh amendments
C) the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth amendments
D) The Twentieth, Twenty-First, and Twenty-Second amendments
Q2) The so-called wall of separation between church and state is best found in which clause of the Constitution?
A) the free exercise clause
B) the establishment clause
C) the equal protection clause
D) the wall of separation clause
Q3) 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.
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Page 6
Chapter 5: Public Opinion
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Sample Questions
Q1) ________ generally support abortion rights and oppose state involvement with religious institutions.
A) Liberals
B) Conservatives
C) Socialists
D) Internationalists
Q2) ________ is one of the most important mechanisms for promoting equality of opportunity.
A) Public education
B) Affirmative action
C) Transportation
D) Commerce
Q3) The process by which political values are formed is known as
A) political socialization.
B) ideological education.
C) brainwashing.
D) value enhancing.
Q4) How are political views formed? Specifically, discuss how agents of socialization such as the family, education, and social groups shape individual opinions.
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Chapter 6: The Media
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which group is the LEAST likely to have high-speed Internet access at home?
A) whites
B) Asians
C) non-English-speaking Hispanics
D) African Americans
Q2) Which of the following requires a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) license in order to legally broadcast in the United States?
A) satellite radio channels
B) cable television stations
C) Internet websites
D) over-the-air television stations
Q3) Edward Snowden is most known for
A) creating and maintain the WikiLeaks site.
B) leaking the Pentagon Papers to the press.
C) leaking the material that revealed widespread global surveillance programs by the U.S. government and major telecommunication companies.
D) leaking information about the Iraq War to the press while serving as Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff.
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Chapter 7: Political Parties, Participation, and Elections
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Supreme Court's decision in Buckley v. Valeo (1976), was significant because it A) rejected the idea that the federal government could place any limits on campaign contributions or spending.
B) introduced the idea that money counts as "speech" under the Constitution.
C) affirmed the idea that all viable candidates for federal office should have the opportunity to receive federal funding for their campaigns.
D) established the idea that corporations had the same free speech rights as individuals under the First Amendment.
Q2) An individual's psychological attachment to one party or another is called a party A) ideology.
B) opinion.
C) identification.
D) tradition.
Q3) 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.
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Chapter 8: Interest Groups
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Q1) Netroots groups are less expensive to organize than traditional interest groups because they
A) do not provide any selective benefits to their members.
B) spend much less time communicating with their members and much more time lobbying policy makers.
C) have a streamlined staff structure with fewer staff who often work from virtual offices.
D) are always run entirely by volunteers who take no salary.
Q2) In 2014, there were approximately ________ PACs in the United States.
A) 150
B) 1,500
C) 5,000
D) 15,000
Q3) AARP has approximately ________ members today.
A) 38,000
B) 338,000
C) 3,800,000
D) 38,000,000
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Page 10
Chapter 9: Congress
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Sample Questions
Q1) Congress is a ________ legislature with ________ members.
A) unicameral; 342
B) bicameral; 535
C) bicameral; 100
D) bicameral; 275
Q2) One reason why redistricting is controversial is that
A) those charged with drawing districts use sophisticated computer technologies to come up with the most favorable district boundaries.
B) incumbents never lose when districts are redrawn.
C) it is unclear whether districts have to be drawn in such a way that each district includes roughly the same number of people.
D) interest groups and PACs exert a great deal of influence over the specific shape of each district.
Q3) A U.S. senator has a ________-year term.
A) two
B) four
C) six
D) eight
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Chapter 10: The Presidency
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Sample Questions
Q1) The wars in Korea, Vietnam, Bosnia, and Afghanistan were all fought
A) without presidential approval.
B) under the authority provided by the War Powers Resolution.
C) without a formal declaration of war from Congress.
D) with a formal declaration of war from Congress.
Q2) The powers of Congress have declined dramatically in which of the following areas over the last 50 years?
A) national defense and the federal budget
B) health care and education
C) law enforcement and oversight
D) national defense and environmental protection
Q3) The Cabinet
A) has its legal role clearly articulated in the Constitution.
B) does not meet as a group, except during the State of the Union address.
C) secretaries do not have to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
D) has no responsibility to Congress.
Q4) One way presidents have expanded their power is through employing a strategy of "going public." Describe what this strategy entails and what its limitations are. In your answer, be sure to provide specific examples of how particular presidents have used this strategy.
Page 12
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Chapter 11: Bureaucracy
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Sample Questions
Q1) Describe the challenge of bureaucratic accountability. What is oversight and how does congressional action shape bureaucratic responsibility? What are some possible ways in which the president can gain more control of the bureaucracy?
Q2) Which of the following is an example of a revenue agency?
A) the Federal Reserve System
B) the Agricultural Extension Service
C) the U.S. Customs Service
D) the Securities and Exchange Commission
Q3) What is a government corporation?
A) Each department in the executive branch is legally registered as a corporation. B) It is an agency that performs and charges for services usually provided by the private sector.
C) It is a private company, publicly traded, whose sole investor is the federal government.
D) It is a government agency that is charged by Congress to make a profit.
Q4) Describe and evaluate the four key strategies used to promote reforming the federal bureaucracy. What are some of the challenges associated with each different approach? Explain.
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Page 13
Chapter 12: The Federal Courts
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Sample Questions
Q1) How many justices currently serve on the Supreme Court?
A) 7
B) 9
C) 11
D) 15
Q2) What was known as the "court-packing" plan?
A) the decision in the early nineteenth century that all federal courts should be guarded by members of the armed forces
B) the attempt by the Republican-dominated Senate of the 1990s to confirm as many conservative judges as possible
C) the attempt by President Franklin Roosevelt to add sympathetic justices to the Supreme Court in order to get New Deal laws upheld as constitutional
D) the desire in Congress during the 1890s to expand the number of federal courts to ease the workload of the Supreme Court
Q3) Explain the basic structure and jurisdiction of the federal judicial system. Describe the three different levels of federal courts. How are the lower courts created and how is their jurisdiction defined? What was the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court?
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Chapter 13: Domestic Policy
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following social policies is currently the most costly to the government?
A) Social Security
B) food stamps
C) public housing assistance
D) Medicare
Q2) When did the American welfare state begin?
A) the 1890s
B) the 1920s
C) the 1930s
D) the 1960s
Q3) Which of the following groups receives the most benefits from government's social policies?
A) the middle class
B) the working poor
C) children
D) racial and ethnic minorities
Q4) There are three broad techniques available to policy makers in their attempt to achieve their goals. Discuss these three techniques and give examples of each.
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Page 15
Chapter 14: Foreign Policy
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is the most important actor in the foreign policy establishment?
A) Congress
B) the president
C) the Department of State
D) the Department of Defense
Q2) Which of the following is an accurate description of the United Nations?
A) It is a very small and unwieldy institution.
B) Its armed forces are large and powerful.
C) It lacks enforcement power to implement its rules and resolutions.
D) The United States never contributes to the United Nations' peacekeeping efforts.
Q3) A policy of deterrence may fail against terrorist groups because
A) history has shown that only democratic nation-states respond well to deterrence.
B) deterrence has been made illegal under international law.
C) terrorist groups are nonstate actors who may believe that their lack of a fixed geographic location prevents their targets from retaliating militarily.
D) terrorist groups do not yet have access to nuclear weapons.
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