U.S. Government and Politics
Practice Exam
Course Introduction
This course offers a comprehensive overview of the foundational principles, structures, and processes of the United States government and political system. Students will examine the Constitution, the roles and functions of the three branches of government, federalism, civil liberties, and civil rights. Key topics include the electoral process, the influence of political parties and interest groups, public policy formation, and contemporary political issues. Through analysis of historical documents and current events, the course encourages critical thinking about the strengths and challenges of democratic governance in the U.S., preparing students to become informed and engaged citizens.
Recommended Textbook
American Government Power and Purpose Brief 13th Edition by Theodore J. Lowi
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14 Chapters
1596 Verified Questions
1596 Flashcards
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Chapter 1: Introduction: Making Sense of Government and Politics
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63 Verified Questions
63 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The conflicts and struggles over the leadership,structure,and policies of government are called politics.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) The following question is an example of a(n)________ question in political science: "Why do a majority of Latinos support the Democratic Party in presidential elections?"
A)empirical
B)analytical
C)normative
D)fundamental
E)policy
Answer: B
Q3) Institutions do the public's business while relieving communities of having to reinvent collective action each time it is required.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Chapter 2: The Founding and the Constitution
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101 Verified Questions
101 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) In the system devised by the framers of the Constitution,sovereignty was vested in:
A)the federal government only
B)state governments only
C)both the federal and state governments
D)local governments
E)the executive branch
Answer: C
Q2) In 2010,the Republican Party was able to retake majority control of the U.S.House of Representatives due to anger toward President Barack Obama and the recent passage of the Affordable Care Act.With majority control of the House,Republicans were able to pass a repeal of the Affordable Care Act,yet the Act remains law due to continued support in the Senate and the executive branch.The failure to overturn the Affordable Care Act reflects which component of the Constitution?
A)separation of powers
B)Bill of Rights
C)federalism
D)necessary and proper clause
E)judicial review
Answer: A
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Chapter 3: Federalism and the Separation of Powers
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120 Verified Questions
120 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) In the early years of the Republic,states turned to compacts primarily to settle border disputes.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) When the Supreme Court ruled that the federal government had the power to create a national bank because it had other specific powers enumerated in the Constitution,it did so by invoking:
A)the necessary and proper clause
B)expressed powers
C)the full faith and credit clause
D)the comity clause
E)stare decisis
Answer: A
Q3) What do you see as the advantages and disadvantages of federalism?
Answer: Answer will vary.
Q4) Explain the trade-offs that exist between concentrating power in the hands of the federal government and dispersing power across the 50 states.
Answer: Answer will vary.
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Chapter 4: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights
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164 Verified Questions
164 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The case of Miranda v.Arizona established the right of citizens to:
A)counsel in a civil trial
B)counsel in a criminal trial
C)privacy in their personal associations
D)be informed of their constitutional rights
E)privacy
Q2) Which two clauses in the First Amendment deal with freedom of religion?
A)the establishment clause and the prohibition clause
B)the freedom of consciences clause and the establishment clause
C)the freedom of consciences clause and the prohibition clause
D)the free exercise clause and the establishment clause
E)the religious test clause and the wall of separation clause
Q3) Which form of speech is the most consistently protected?
A)artistic
B)political
C)religious
D)commercial
E)individual
Q4) Explain the various ways in which civil rights for gay men and lesbians have been expanded by Congress and the courts in the last thirty years.
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Chapter 5: Congress: The First Branch
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116 Verified Questions
116 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) A bill's supporters generally prefer that the Rules Committee decide to use a(n)________ rule.
A)open
B)closed
C)termination
D)commencement
E)previous question
Q2) How does Congress organize itself to carry on the public's business?
Q3) In the American political system,wherein does power to approve the appointment of ambassadors lie?
A)Senate
B)president
C)Supreme Court
D)House of Representatives
E)Office of Management and Budget
Q4) A representative who votes according to the preferences of his or her constituency acts as a delegate.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Explain how bicameralism influences the policy-making process.
Page 7
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Chapter 6: The Presidency
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125 Verified Questions
125 Flashcards
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Sample
Questions
Q1) Which of the following is NOT one of the constitutionally specified purposes of the vice presidency?
A)succeed the president in case of death
B)succeed the president in case of resignation
C)preside over the Senate
D)cast tie-breaking votes in the Senate
E)be present when the president makes significant decisions
Q2) Signing statements have little effect on the implementation of legislation.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Explain why the American system of government could be legitimately described as presidential government and how it got to be that way.
Q4) Most presidents frequently veto legislation.
A)True
B)False
Q5) In 1989,President George H.W.Bush ordered an invasion of Panama without consulting Congress.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 7: The Executive Branch
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116 Verified Questions
116 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The United States Post Office is an example of which type of bureaucratic structure?
A)cabinet department
B)independent agency
C)government corporation
D)independent regulatory commission
E)pyramid scheme
Q2) What is the most important revenue agency in the United States today?
A)Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
B)Department of the Treasury
C)Federal Reserve Bank
D)Division of Taxation
E)Federal Reserve
Q3) "Privatization" is a euphemism for "termination."
A)True
B)False
Q4) The most powerful before-the-fact political weapon is the appointment power.
A)True
B)False
Q5) What motivates bureaucratic behavior?
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Chapter 8: The Federal Courts
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120 Verified Questions
120 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) For the most part,Congress has assigned federal court jurisdictions on the basis of:
A)function
B)ideology
C)geography
D)level of government
E)the type of law involved in the case
Q2) In the United States,how do the courts work as political institutions?
Q3) Activism and restraint by the court are the same as liberalism and conservatism.
A)True
B)False
Q4) A judicial philosophy that,when making decisions,the courts should see beyond the text of the Constitution or a statute in order to consider broader societal implications is considered to be indicative of judicial:
A)restraint
B)activism
C)discipline
D)flexibility
E)expansion
Q5) Explain the various stages in the decision-making process of the Supreme Court.
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Chapter 9: Public Opinion and the Media
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113 Verified Questions
113 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The average American exhibits a great deal of knowledge of political institutions,processes,leaders,and policy debates.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The gender gap has virtually vanished on the abortion issue.
A)True
B)False
Q3) After the election of John F.Kennedy in 1961,there was a growing preference for the Democratic Party among Catholics.Which of the following identities was responsible for shaping this relationship?
A)Latino identity
B)black identity
C)female identity
D)religious identity
E)geographic identity
Q4) In terms of political orientation,men tend to be more militaristic.
A)True
B)False
Q5) What factors account for differences in public opinion?
Q6) Is voting an accurate reflection of public opinion? Why or why not?
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Chapter 10: Elections
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96 Verified Questions
96 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) How does voter turnout in the United States compare to that in other Western democracies?
A)quite low
B)about average
C)just above average
D)well above average
E)the highest of any nation
Q2) Explain how the rules governing the electoral process help determine outcomes.
Q3) The wide use of elections is thought to keep government policy close to the preferences and interests of its constituents.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The critical years during which voter turnout declined across the United States were between:
A)1840 and 1864
B)1890 and 1910
C)1930 and 1950
D)1980 and 2004
E)1800 and 1820
Q5) Do elections promote accountability from political leaders? Why or why not?
Page 12
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Chapter 11: Political Parties
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110 Verified Questions
110 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) From the collapse of the Federalists until the 1830s,a period called the "Era of Good Feeling," America had only one political party,the:
A)Whigs
B)Populists
C)Republicans
D)Democratic-Republicans
E)Anti-Masons
Q2) Which term best describes a nominating process composed of a formal caucus bound by a number of rules that govern participation and nominating procedures?
A)direct primary
B)nominating convention
C)selective congregation
D)party assembly
E)party congress
Q3) Today most of the South has shifted from the Democratic to the Republican camp.
A)True
B)False
Q4) How do political parties help to shape and organize policy making at the national level?
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Chapter 12: Groups and Interests
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108 Verified Questions
108 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) In the quest for political influence,insider strategies include:
A)going public
B)media campaigns
C)using electoral politics
D)meeting with a senator
E)holding a demonstration on the sidewalk outside the Supreme Court
Q2) What is the relationship between government activity and interest-group activity?
A)As government activity declines,interest-group activity increases.
B)As government activity increases,interest-group activity declines.
C)As government activity increases,interest-group activity increases.
D)Interest-group activity increases regardless of government activity.
E)Interest-group activity decreases regardless of government activity.
Q3) A device that allows groups to propose laws that the public will vote on in the next general election ballot,thereby bypassing elected officials,is a(n):
A)recall
B)run-off
C)petition
D)initiative
E)redress requisition
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Chapter 13: Introduction to Public Policy
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135 Verified Questions
135 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Why are market standards so important to a functioning market economy?
A)They require contract enforcement.
B)They define property rights.
C)They help people understand what they are bargaining for.
D)They help people recognize the value of public goods.
E)They protect the fundamental rights of workers.
Q2) The allocations of land grants to farmers and to railroad companies by Alexander Hamilton to encourage western settlement are early examples of:
A)contracting
B)lending
C)deregulation
D)subsidies
E)monetary policy
Q3) Which of the following is NOT an example of a means-tested program?
A)Medicaid
B)Medicare
C)Aid to Families with Dependent Children
D)Supplemental Security Income
E)Food Stamps
Q4) What goals should social and economic policies promote and why?
Page 15
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Chapter 14: Foreign Policy
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109 Verified Questions
109 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Describe the primary instruments of modern U.S.foreign policy and illustrate with specific examples how they are used.
Q2) The major foreign-policy players in the American bureaucracy are grouped into a separate unit called the:
A)Foreign Service
B)Office of Diplomacy
C)National Security Council
D)Intelligence Services Group
E)Gang of Six
Q3) The first collective security agreement entered into by the United States was the:
A)North Atlantic Treaty,which created NATO
B)Southeast Asia Treaty,which created SEATO
C)ANZUS,tying Australia and New Zealand to the United States
D)Rio Treaty,which established the Organization of American States
E)Association of Southeast Asian Nations
Q4) Describe the structure and purpose of the United Nations.
Q5) Is there a substitute for war?
Q6) Does the Bush doctrine of preemptive war make the world a safer place?
Q7) How did the Cold War change the conduct of American foreign policy?
Page 16
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