Survey of American Government Final Exam Questions
Course Introduction
Survey of American Government offers an introduction to the principles, structures, and processes of the United States government. This course covers the historical foundations of the Constitution, the functions and powers of the three branches of government, federalism, civil rights and liberties, the roles of political parties and interest groups, and the dynamics of policy-making. Students will explore how American government operates at the federal, state, and local levels, consider the impact of political participation and public opinion, and analyze contemporary issues facing the nations political system.
Recommended Textbook
Understanding American Government 14th Edition by Susan Welch
Available Study Resources on Quizplus
18 Chapters
1046 Verified Questions
1046 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/study-set/2353
Page 2
Chapter 1: The American People
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
45 Verified Questions
45 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/46782
Sample Questions
Q1) In a republic, among the obligations of citizens is the requirement that
A) citizens vote directly for the laws
B) citizens contribute to political campaigns
C) citizens vote for representatives to make laws for them
D) all citizens would defend the country
Answer: C
Q2) Liberty and equality __________ one another.
A) have no relation with
B) can never reinforce
C) always meld well with
D) may often conflict with
Answer: D
Q3) How did the Founders view majority rule?
A) all people are equal, majority should rule
B) the national Congress is immune to majority rule
C) it should be limited
D) minority rights are present, but inconsequential
Answer: C
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
74 Verified Questions
74 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/46784
Sample Questions
Q1) The American colonies enjoyed a measure of self-government in the early 1770s through __________.
A) the U.S. Senate
B) the Continental Congress
C) the British House of Lords and House of Commons
D) totalitarian rule
Answer: B
Q2) From what source does the judicial branch receive the power to interpret the Constitution?
A) constitution
B) Bill of Rights
C) congress
D) judicial branch
Answer: D
Q3) Women gained the vote in the __________ Amendment.
A) Eighteenth
B) Nineteenth
C) Twentieth
D) Twenty-First
Answer: B
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
52 Verified Questions
52 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/46786
Sample Questions
Q1) The National Guard is a militia that is administered by __________.
A) the Federal Emergency Management Agency
B) each state
C) the U.S. army
D) the U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Answer: B
Q2) A system of governance in which the central government is supreme is termed ____________.
A) the balance of power
B) federalism
C) a unitary system
D) confederalism
Answer: C
Q3) Which of the following initiatives would be more likely than the others to be funded with a categorical grant?
A) the building of a new community recreation center
B) wastewater quality control
C) pollution prevention
D) crime prevention
Answer: A
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 5
Chapter 4: Public Opinion
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
55 Verified Questions
55 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/46788
Sample Questions
Q1) Discuss two advantages and disadvantages of straw and scientific polls
Q2) People who tend to be more politically tolerant and more likely to participate in government have __________.
A) extreme ideologies
B) U.S. citizenship
C) more money
D) education
Q3) The inability to understand abstract concepts or complex institutions is most prevalent during __________.
A) adolescence
B) teenage years
C) childhood
D) adulthood
Q4) What recent election year saw the major failure of exit polls?
A) 2000
B) 2004
C) 2008
D) 2010
Q5) Describe how the family impacts political socialization.
Q6) Describe how polls measure public opinion.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 6
Chapter 5: News Media
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
52 Verified Questions
52 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/46789
Sample Questions
Q1) The bias of the mass media in presidential elections can be described as _________.
A) conservative
B) extreme
C) fairly neutral
D) liberal
Q2) In their efforts to "hook and keep" viewers, networks engage in _____________.
A) crowd sourcing
B) spinning
C) branding
D) "infotainment"
Q3) Most journalists of the mainstream media are _________.
A) more likely than not to be committed ideologues
B) more likely to care about politics than the issues
C) more likely than not to be Republicans, or leaning toward being Republican
D) more likely than not to be white lower-class males
Q4) How is the relationship between the media and politicians symbiotic?
Q5) Describe examples of politicians involved in symbiotic relationships with the media.
Q6) How can one determine the direction of political bias?
Page 7
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 6: Interest Groups
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
53 Verified Questions
53 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/46790
Sample Questions
Q1) The most successful interest group for women's election to national office is
A) EMILY's List
B) the Independent Women's Forum
C) the National Organization of Women
D) Women Workers of America
Q2) What are the main ideas drawn out in Putnam's Bowling Alone?
Q3) What did President Obama learn from President Clinton in regard to healthcare reform?
Q4) Which of the following interest groups focuses on equal rights for gay and lesbian students?
A) NOW
B) Lambda Defense Fund
C) EMILY's List
D) Organizing for America
Q5) Explain why citizens have stopped joining interest groups.
Q6) Madison believed that trying to eliminate factions (or interest groups) would be worse than living with their abuses. Do you agree? Why or why not? Assess the advantages and disadvantages of the existence of strong, active interest groups.
Page 8
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 7: Political Parties
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
58 Verified Questions
58 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/46791
Sample Questions
Q1) The Republican election strategy during the presidential elections of 1964 and 1968 __________.
A) used code words to appeal to southern white voters
B) emphasized international issues over domestic problems
C) was largely unsuccessful and backfired on the party
D) focused on criticism of the women's movement and the Vietnam War
Q2) A "political machine" features __________.
A) the automatic tabulation of votes
B) a hierarchical organization
C) Progressive Era reforms
D) a major source of concern in Federalist No. 10
Q3) Discuss the factors that led to the fall of political machines in the United States.
Q4) Which presidential candidate utilized a "southern strategy" to lure southern whites during his campaign?
A) John F. Kennedy
B) Richard Nixon
C) Ronald Reagan
D) Jimmy Carter
Q5) How have religious affiliations impacted party alignment?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 9
Chapter 8: Elections
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
58 Verified Questions
58 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/46792
Sample Questions
Q1) Conventions have become media events since the invention of __________.
A) the radio
B) newspapers
C) cable television
D) Facebook
Q2) How do third (or minor) parties affect elections in a two-party system?
Q3) What objective did white primaries achieve?
A) taxed black voters if they wanted to vote in a primary election
B) invariably favored Republican candidates
C) barred blacks from voting in primary elections
D) were an example of a Reconstruction period policy
Q4) Women's contribution during __________ helped lead to the ratification of women's suffrage.
A) World War I
B) the Civil War
C) World War II
D) the Russo-Japanese War
Q5) What factors does a presidential candidate consider when choosing his/her vice presidential running mate?
Q6) Who could vote under the original draft of the U.S. Constitution?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 10
Chapter 9: Congress
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
63 Verified Questions
63 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/46793
Sample Questions
Q1) The phrase "you support my bill, and I'll support yours" exemplifies which congressional norm?
A) specialization
B) appropriation
C) logrolling
D) socialization
Q2) What is necessary to end a filibuster or a close debate on an issue?
A) senatorial vote
B) 3/4ths vote of members
C) cloture vote
D) ending vote
Q3) Why are taxation/appropriations bills introduced only in the House?
A) House members are, and have always been, directly elected by the people.
B) The Senate is likely to filibuster appropriations bills.
C) Congressional procedure evolved in this direction over time.
D) Appropriation bills can, in fact, be introduced in the Senate.
Q4) Is Congress representative? Why or why not?
Q5) What is the significance of task forces and ad hoc committees?
Q6) What are the mechanisms of congressional oversight? Are they effective?
Q7) What is a unified government?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 11
Chapter 10: The Presidency
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
58 Verified Questions
58 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/46794
Sample Questions
Q1) A(n) __________ is a unilateral command issued by the president with the full force of law.
A) franking perogative
B) executive privilege
C) executive order
D) presidential prerogative
Q2) Explain how the War Powers Resolution limits the president's authority as commander-in-chief.
Q3) The Founders feared that presidents would become autocrats without __________ of judicial appointments.
A) House approval
B) Senate confirmation
C) vice-presidential approval
D) federal court confirmation
Q4) Explain two of the president's legislative powers.
Q5) What are executive orders and upon what they are based?
Q6) Why is the president the dominant force in foreign policy making? What has Congress done to assert its own role in this policy area? Do you think Congress should have an important role in foreign policy?
Page 12
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 11: The Bureaucracy
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
55 Verified Questions
55 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/46795
Sample Questions
Q1) Bureaucracies tend to ____________.
A) die off once their mandates have been fulfilled
B) downsize after a national crisis
C) grow as they are assigned more responsibilities
D) stay the same size
Q2) Which of the following eliminated the patronage system in the federal bureaucracy?
A) the Homeland Security Department
B) the Bureau of the Budget
C) the Office of Management and Budget
D) the Pendleton Act
Q3) Which of the following established neutral competence, which requires that civil service work be completed in a nonpartisan or neutral way?
A) the Pendleton Act
B) the Hatch Act
C) the merit system
D) the Sunshine Law
Q4) Americans want their bureaucrats to be both competent and responsive. To what degree are these goals compatible?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 13
Chapter 12: The Judiciary
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
65 Verified Questions
65 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/46796
Sample Questions
Q1) Stare decisis refers to court decisions based on ____________.
A) the Founders' intentions
B) judicial notions of right and wrong
C) previous cases
D) the pressing need of litigants
Q2) Adopting constitutional amendments is one check the __________ has on the federal courts.
A) executive branch
B) military
C) bureaucracy
D) legislative branch
Q3) Which of the following courts in the 1970s and 1980s eroded some Warren Court doctrine, but left most intact?
A) Brandeis
B) Rehnquist
C) Burger
D) Warren
Q4) In what ways did the Supreme Court answer the legal questions in the 2012 healthcare law decision? Were there any dissenting opinions? For what reasons?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 14
Chapter 13: Civil Liberties
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
71 Verified Questions
71 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/46797
Sample Questions
Q1) The presumption of innocence _____________.
A) limits the rights of defendants
B) is a naive belief that most defendants are innocent
C) requires the state to prove the defendant's guilt
D) gives state officials more authority
Q2) The Constitution protects individuals from ____________ laws, which make some behavior illegal that was not illegal when the acts were committed.
A) habeas corpus
B) ex post facto
C) de jure
D) Marshall
Q3) How do the courts feel about the right to die?
Q4) Speech that encourages rebellion against the government is __________ speech.
A) heckler's
B) symbolic
C) hate
D) seditious
Q5) What is meant by separation of church and state?
Q6) In what manner does seditious speech allow for more democratic government?
Q7) How do the exclusionary rule and Miranda warnings affect police work?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 15
Chapter 14: Civil Rights
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
82 Verified Questions
82 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/46798
Sample Questions
Q1) The women's groups formed to bring women into full participation in the mainstream of America now is called __________.
A) the Women's Movement
B) the National Organization for Women
C) the League of Women Voters.
D) Disdain Housewives
Q2) How did states limit black citizens and their right to vote?
Q3) What is the Dred Scott case?
Q4) Which president introduced both the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Civil Rights Act of 1968?
A) Abraham Lincoln
B) John F. Kennedy
C) Lyndon Johnson
D) Robert Kennedy
Q5) In which year did Congress recognize Indians as distinct persons, and tribes as autonomous entities?
A) 1917
B) 1924
C) 1934
D) 1968
Page 16
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 15: Extension 1: Focus On: Economic Policy
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
50 Verified Questions
50 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/46781
Sample Questions
Q1) Even in a "full employment" economy, __________ percent of the labor force will be out of work.
A) zero
B) 1 to 2
C) 3 to 5
D) over 6
Q2) The U.S. government currently owns dams, railroads, numerous resources, and __________ percent of all the land in the country.
A) 13
B) 29
C) 57
D) 42
Q3) In the 1920s, Germany issued a new currency because the trillions of old German marks it had printed became worthless due to __________.
A) a recession
B) hyperinflation
C) a depression
D) Nazism
Q4) Describe the partisan debate over revising the U.S. tax code.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 17
Chapter 16: Extension 2: Focus on: Environmental Policy
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
57 Verified Questions
57 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/46783
Sample Questions
Q1) The student-operated interest group to raise awareness for climate change is the
A) Energy Super Fund
B) Energy Action Coalition
C) Combat Climate Initiative
D) Students Against Climate Change
Q2) What was the Bush administration's attitude towards global warming?
Q3) The Founders' orientation to the environment is that __________.
A) it is in society's interest to have a clean environment
B) the physical world exists to serve human needs
C) it is in society's interest to maintain a sustainable environment
D) it is society's interest to have a healthy environment
Q4) To save federal funds, President Bush transferred environmental regulation from the federal government to __________.
A) private companies
B) nonprofit organizations
C) international government organizations
D) the states
Q5) What is the green economy?
Q6) What causes the global ozone hole?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 18
Chapter 17: Extension 3: Focus On: Foreign Policy
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
52 Verified Questions
52 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/46785
Sample Questions
Q1) What is the "Arab Spring" and how is it related to U.S. foreign policy?
Q2) What were the main lessons of the Vietnam War for the United States?
Q3) In 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev, the new general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, called for __________.
A) détente
B) a new thinking
C) Glasnost
D) a new world order
Q4) France, the United Kingdom, and the United States going into Libya to support insurgents against Muammar Gaddafi is an example of __________.
A) protecting the physical security
B) protecting economic security
C) securing neighbors and allies
D) extending the sphere of influence
Q5) Why have economic instruments of foreign policy become so important? How effective are trade and foreign aid in addressing foreign policy goals?
Q6) Which officials are involved in the making American foreign policy?
Q7) Briefly compare Nixon's and Clinton's views on foreign policy.
Page 19
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 18: Extension 4: Focus On: Health Policy
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
46 Verified Questions
46 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/46787
Sample Questions
Q1) Name two reasons health care costs are so expensive in the United States.
Q2) Who was the first modern president to tackle health care coverage?
A) Barack Obama
B) Mitt Romney
C) Lyndon Johnson
D) Harry Truman
Q3) In June 2012, what part of the Affordable Care Act was found to be unconstitutional by the Supreme Court?
A) the individual mandate
B) the Medicaid part
C) the preexisting condition coverage
D) the single-payer system
Q4) Which famous First Lady was a vigorous spokesperson for social justice?
A) Lady Bird Johnson
B) Eleanor Roosevelt
C) Laura Bush
D) Pat Nixon
Q5) Explain some advantages and disadvantages of the 2010 Affordable Care Act.
Q6) What is the single-payer system?
Q7) Which presidents in the past tackled health care coverage and how?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 20