Political Science 101
Textbook Exam Questions
Course Introduction
Political Science 101 provides a foundational introduction to the study of politics, government, and public policy. This course explores the basic principles and structures of political systems, the functions and roles of institutions, the behavior of political actors, and the processes by which public decisions are made. Emphasis is placed on key concepts such as democracy, power, ideology, and citizenship, as well as an overview of political systems in different countries. Students will develop critical thinking and analytical skills through discussions of contemporary political issues, preparing them for more advanced coursework in political science.
Recommended Textbook Government in America People Politics and Policy Brief Edition 11th Edition by George C. Edwards
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Chapter 1: Introducing Government in America
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Sample Questions
Q1) There is a significant gap between the young (under the age of 25)and the elderly (over the age of 65)on measures of political interest,knowledge,and participation.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) Which of the following is TRUE of voter turnout in the United States?
A)The youth vote in 2008 erased the age gap in voter turnout between young Americans and older Americans.
B)The youth surge in the 2008 election was due in large part to increased turnout among minorities; for the first time ever,young African Americans had a higher turnout rate than did young whites.
C)Turnout rates for the young have generally been going up,while turnout among people over 65 years of age has generally been going down since 1972.
D)Young adults age 18-29 report higher levels of interest in keeping up with politics when compared to older adults.
E)All of the above are true.
Answer: B
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Page 3
Chapter 2: The Constitution
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which statement best describes the view of human nature held by delegates to the Constitutional Convention?
A)Humans are basically good.
B)Human beings are basically selfish and self-interested.
C)Humans are solely the product of their environment.
D)Humans are basically evil.
E)Humans are naturally altruistic.
Answer: B
Q2) Political parties,as we know them today,did not exist when the Constitution was written.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q3) Which of the following was among Madison's proposal to prevent majority tyranny?
A)Combine the powers of different institutions
B)Construct a system of checks and balances
C)Incorporate majoritarianism across the three branches of government
D)Form national political parties
E)All of these were among Madison's proposals
Answer: B
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Chapter 3: Federalism
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Sample Questions
Q1) Standard operating procedures in cooperative federalism include each of the following EXCEPT
A)shared administration.
B)shared costs.
C)federal funding with no strings attached.
D)federal guidelines.
E)categorical and block grants.
Answer: C
Q2) The principle of the supremacy of federal law over state law was affirmed in
A)Marbury v. Madison.
B)the Tenth Amendment.
C)United States v. Darby.
D)McCulloch v. Maryland.
E)the presidential election of 1804.
Answer: D
Q3) The Constitution says that the states must return a person charged with a crime in another state to that state for trial or imprisonment.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Chapter 4: Civil Liberties and Public Policy
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Sample Questions
Q1) According to the Supreme Court's decision in Lemon v.Kurtzman (1971),what are the three criteria that must be met in order for government aid to church-related schools to be constitutional? Are these criteria reasonable? Explain.
Q2) In Roth v.United States,the Supreme Court held that
A)outdoor drive-ins could not be barred from showing a film that included nudity.
B)the possession of child pornography was not covered by any right to free speech or press,and could be made a crime.
C)the government cannot prohibit discrimination against women priests by churches because it would violate the free exercise of religion.
D)obscenity is not within the area of constitutionally protected free speech.
E)the film Carnal Knowledge,which had critical acclaim but a sexual theme and explicit scenes,could not be banned.
Q3) The right to privacy is guaranteed by the First Amendment of the Constitution. A)True B)False
Q4) In what way does the Constitution guarantee a right to privacy? How has this right evolved over time?
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6
Chapter 5: Civil Rights and Public Policy
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following statements about Native Americans is FALSE?
A)Native Americans are the oldest minority group in the United States.
B)Native Americans are guaranteed access to the polls,housing,and to jobs.
C)Native Americans were made citizens of the United States long before African Americans received the same status.
D)The Indian Claims Act of 1946 established a means to settle financial disputes arising from lands taken from the Native Americans.
E)Native Americans are the poorest minority group in the United States.
Q2) Which amendment extended suffrage to African American men?
A)Thirteenth
B)Fourteenth
C)Fifteenth
D)Sixteenth
E)Nineteenth
Q3) Historically,equality in American society has tended to emphasize equal results.
A)True
B)False
Q4) What constitutes sexual harassment? How has understanding about sexual harassment changed over the last several decades?
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Chapter 6: Public Opinion and Political Action
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following statements about processes of political socialization is TRUE?
A)Average school age children spend more time each week at school than they spend watching TV.
B)The older children get,the more television displaces parents as the chief source of information.
C)Today's young Americans are more likely than older Americans to read newspapers.
D)Today's young Americans are more likely than older Americans to pay attention to the news.
E)Today's young Americans are more likely than older Americans to participate in politics.
Q2) Who said America "is not merely a nation but a nation of nations"?
A)Franklin D. Roosevelt
B)John F. Kennedy
C)Ronald Reagan
D)Bill Clinton
E)George W. Bush
Q3) What is the importance of the family to the process of political socialization?
Q4) What is random-digit dialing,and why are most polls conducted this way?
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Page 8
Chapter 7: The Mass Media and the Political Agenda
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Q1) How do news organizations get most of their news? What role do beats,trial balloons,and leaks play? Is the process of news gathering fair and logical? Explain.
Q2) Many political scientists believe that investigative journalism contributes to public cynicism and negativity about politics.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Using examples from presidential politics,explain why image and the use of the media are so important in the American political system.How has this affected public perception of U.S.political leaders?
Q4) Policy entrepreneurs are people who invest "political capital" in an issue.
A)True
B)False
Q5) The media act as a(n)________between the people and policymakers.
A)key linkage institution
B)unappreciated mediator
C)sole form of communication
D)necessary evil
E)negative element of democracy
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Chapter 8: Political Parties
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Sample Questions
Q1) A group of individuals with a common interest on which every political party depends are called a
A)coalition.
B)national committee.
C)party machine.
D)party ticket.
E)party ballot.
Q2) The chairperson of the party that controls the White House is normally selected by
A)members of the party in Congress.
B)a committee of state chairpersons.
C)the presidential nominee.
D)a closed primary.
E)None of the above is true.
Q3) The term "party machine" refers to the engine of fundraising in contemporary campaigns.
A)True
B)False
Q4) How have the two political parties fared since the late 1960s? Which party,if any,has dominated,where,and why?
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Chapter 9: Campaigns and Voting Behavior
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Sample Questions
Q1) The intention of the McGovern-Fraser Commission reforms of the Democratic Party was to
A)close delegate selection processes to the public.
B)make national conventions more democratic.
C)provide party leaders with more influence in national conventions.
D)construct rules for media coverage of national conventions.
E)grant the national convention the power to select party delegates.
Q2) Research on the effectiveness of political campaigns indicates that campaigns mostly convert and only rarely do they activate.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Today,a majority of the delegates to the national convention are selected through A)state party conventions.
B)party caucuses.
C)presidential primaries.
D)local party conventions.
E)state legislatures.
Q4) Do political campaigns affect individuals voting behavior? Explain.
Q5) How has the nature of policy voting changed in the United States?
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Chapter 10: Interest Groups
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Sample Questions
Q1) The multiplicity of American interest groups and the openness of American politics tends to _______ representation of individual interests. k.facilitate
A)hinder
B)block
C)discourage
D)amplify
Q2) All subgovernments have the same goal of
A)protecting the public interest.
B)attacking the government head-on.
C)protecting their self-interest.
D)electing the most qualified people to office.
E)joining the main government.
Q3) What are the key differences between interest groups and political parties?
Q4) The growth in the scope of government is partially responsible for the proliferation of interest groups.
A)True
B)False
Q5) What is meant by a collective good,and how does this concept suggest a problem for interest groups?
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Chapter 11: Congress
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is TRUE of the Senate as compared to the House?
A)The Senate is more centralized and is characterized by stronger leadership.
B)In the Senate,seniority is important in determining power.
C)The Senate is more influential on the budget.
D)The Senate is more influential in foreign affairs.
E)The Senate is smaller in number and less powerful and prestigious.
Q2) Comparison between members of the House and Senate concerning the impact of incumbency on their reelection chances shows that one of the reasons that senators have a smaller advantage is because they
A)have become overspecialized as policymakers.
B)are more likely to be held accountable on controversial issues.
C)are less visible.
D)have longer terms that increase the chance of scandal.
E)represent more homogenous constituencies.
Q3) Are congressional elections broken? Do we need major reform of congressional elections including,for example,term limits and/or campaign finance reform?
Q4) Describe the structure of power and decision making in Congress and evaluate the impact of that structure on policymaking.Be sure to compare and contrast the House and the Senate in your answer.
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Chapter 12: The Presidency
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Sample Questions
Q1) Today there are _____ secretaries and the attorney general that head the president's cabinet.
A)5
B)10
C)14
D)24
E)34
Q2) Following the terrorist attacks of September 11,2001,
A)the War Powers Resolution was ignored.
B)Congress cut off funding after sixty days.
C)President Bush did not seek congressional support for the war in Iraq.
D)Congress passed a resolution authorizing the president to use force against Iraq.
E)Congress adopted a formal declaration of war against Iraq.
Q3) The two oldest cabinet departments are
A)State and Defense.
B)Interior and Justice.
C)Treasury and Justice.
D)State and Treasury.
E)Education and State.
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Page 14
Chapter 13: The Federal Bureaucracy
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Sample
Questions
Q1) How does one become a bureaucrat?
Q2) As a percentage of America's total workforce,federal government employment has
A)been shrinking not growing.
B)been growing not shrinking.
C)been relatively stable.
D)eliminated private-sector jobs.
E)created private-sector jobs.
Q3) Issue networks are
A)a growing participatory force in bureaucratic decision making whose members' interest in issues is intellectual or emotional rather than material.
B)the same as "iron triangles."
C)the relatively new television stations that specialize in political coverage.
D)subject to standard operating procedures.
E)two or more agencies that share regulatory power when a policy or regulation affects more than one regulatory body.
Q4) What are issue networks? Explain their significance.
Q5) What means do presidents and Congress each use to control the bureaucracy? List and explain these tools.
Q6) What are the main elements of the Weberian model of bureaucracies?
Page 15
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Chapter 14: The Federal Courts
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Sample Questions
Q1) _____ cases involve civil suits between citizens of different states or suits in which one of the parties is a citizen of a foreign nation and the matter in question exceeds $75,000.
A)Diversity of citizenship
B)Appellate
C)Naturalization
D)Admiralty
E)Maritime
Q2) The Court of Claims is a
A)district court.
B)state court.
C)legislative court.
D)constitutional court.
E)presidential court.
Q3) Judicial activism is the same principle as liberalism; judicial restraint,the same as conservatism.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Explain the organization of the federal court system.What types of cases are heard in each of the different courts?
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Politics of Taxing and Spending
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Sample Questions
Q1) Homeowners' mortgage interest tax deduction is an example of a tax expenditure.
A)True
B)False
Q2) How does a flat tax differ from a progressive tax?
Q3) An example of a tax expenditure is
A)a lower tax rate for lower-income families.
B)direct government support of charities.
C)the Social Security system.
D)a tax deduction for the mortgage interest paid by homeowners.
E)the purchase of a Stealth Bomber by the Pentagon.
Q4) How does the federal government borrow money?
Q5) Entitlements are
A)increases in funding for specific individuals or groups like farmers or small business owners.
B)policies for which Congress has obligated itself to pay X level of benefits to Y number of recipients.
C)special rights granted to elderly Americans.
D)government efforts to redistribute and equalize wealth.
E)budget items,the funding of which fluctuates greatly from year to year.
Q6) What expenditures make up the bulk of federal spending? Page 17
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Chapter 16: Social Welfare Policymaking
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Sample Questions
Q1) The average TANF recipient collects about _____ in monthly TANF benefits.
A)$50
B)$360
C)$600
D)$1,000
E)$1,500
Q2) Government benefits provided regardless of financial need are called
A)means tested.
B)transfer payments.
C)entitlements.
D)nonmerit benefits.
E)generic expenditures.
Q3) Transfer payments are benefits given directly to individuals,either cash transfers like Social Security or in-kind transfers such as food stamps.
A)True
B)False
Q4) One-third of American wealth is held by the wealthiest 1 percent of the population.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 17: National Security Policymaking
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Sample Questions
Q1) The shift in American foreign policy toward the communist world that sought to relax tensions and provide firm guarantees of mutual security is known as
A)mutual assured destruction.
B)détente.
C)glasnost.
D)perestroika.
E)containment.
Q2) The National Security Council was created to
A)carry out covert missions in other countries.
B)protect the homeland against attacks and invasions.
C)coordinate American foreign and military policy.
D)prevent the Joint Chiefs of Staff from usurping power.
E)gather intelligence about foreign countries.
Q3) The ______ is a regional economic organization of major nations.
A)North Atlantic Treaty Organization
B)Warsaw Pact
C)European Union
D)Trilateral Commission
E)Geneva Convention
Q4) How have multinational corporations influenced American foreign policy?
Page 20
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