U.S. Government and Politics
Practice Questions
Course Introduction
This course provides a comprehensive overview of the foundations, structure, and functioning of the United States government and political system. Students will explore the principles enshrined in the Constitution, the roles of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, and the significance of federalism. The course examines political institutions, parties, elections, interest groups, and the media, as well as civil liberties and civil rights. Through analysis of policy-making processes and contemporary issues, students gain a deeper understanding of the dynamics and challenges shaping governance and political participation in the U.S.
Recommended Textbook Government in America People Politics and Policy Brief Edition 11th Edition by George C. Edwards
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2189 Verified Questions
2189 Flashcards
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Chapter 1: Introducing Government in America
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Sample Questions
Q1) Free speech and a free press are essential to enlightened understanding.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) Which of the following is NOT a contemporary theory of democracy?
A)Hyperpluralism
B)Class theory
C)Democratic centralism
D)Pluralism
E)Elite theory
Answer: C
Q3) The Supreme Court ruling that individuals have a constitutional right to own a gun is an example of public policy made through a congressional statute.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q4) Americans are united by a shared religion and ancestry.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Page 3
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Chapter 2: The Constitution
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Sample Questions
Q1) The document approved by the American colonies in 1776 stating grievances against the British monarch and declaring the colonies independence was the
A)Articles of Confederation.
B)Magna Carta.
C)Bill of Rights.
D)U.S. Constitution.
E)Declaration of Independence.
Answer: E
Q2) According to John Locke,the "state of nature" refers to
A)a state in which there are no formal laws or government.
B)a state of uninhabited territory ripe for government control.
C)a state ruled by the people,or a democracy.
D)a state in which human law is able to create natural rights.
E)All of the above are true.
Answer: A
Q3) The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)was never ratified.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Page 4
Chapter 3: Federalism
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Sample Questions
Q1) A marriage license issued in one state is valid and honored in all states under the constitutional provision of
A)separation of powers.
B)full faith and credit.
C)national supremacy.
D)national licensure.
E)privileges and immunities.
Answer: B
Q2) In 1929,the federal government spent an amount equal to _____ of the size of the economy,the gross domestic product (GDP); today,the national government spends _____ of our GDP.
A)2 percent; 5 percent
B)2.5 percent; 21 percent
C)21 percent; 2.5 percent
D)25 percent; 50 percent
E)50 percent; 25 percent
Answer: C
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Civil Liberties and Public Policy
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Supreme Court case of Gideon v.Wainwright
A)extended the right to counsel to everyone accused of a felony.
B)prohibited government officials from issuing gag orders to the media.
C)ruled that illegally seized evidence cannot be used in court.
D)gave only those accused of capital crimes the right to counsel.
E)set guidelines for police questioning of suspects.
Q2) In 2000,the Court held that student-led prayer at football games was unconstitutional.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Civil liberties are legal and constitutional protections against A)criminals.
B)government.
C)foreign invasions.
D)minority tyranny.
E)factions.
Q4) Lethal injection has been declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
A)True
B)False
Q5) What is prior restraint? How has the Supreme Court dealt with this issue?
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Chapter 5: Civil Rights and Public Policy
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Sample Questions
Q1) What were the three Civil War Amendments and what did each amendment do? Why were these amendments necessary?
Q2) The Brown v.Board of Education decision overturned the Supreme Court's 1896 ruling in
A)Craig v. Boren.
B)Dred Scott v. Sandford.
C)Marbury v. Madison.
D)Amos v. Alabama.
E)Plessy v. Ferguson.
Q3) The principle of comparable worth suggests that women should receive equal pay for jobs that require comparable skill as jobs traditionally held by men.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Other than women and racial and ethnic minorities,what other groups have sought over the past few decades for greater recognition of their civil rights? With what success? Do you agree that these groups are entitled to similar civil rights protections? Explain.
Q5) What are the purposes of affirmative action? How have the courts ruled on affirmative action? Give examples.
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Chapter 6: Public Opinion and Political Action
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Sample Questions
Q1) Because it would be prohibitively expensive to ask every citizen his or her opinion on a whole range of issues,polls rely on what is called a(n)________ of the population.
A)extraction
B)sample
C)census
D)slice
E)demography
Q2) Although voter turnout has declined recently,other forms of participation such as contributing money and contacting officials have actually increased.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Hispanics comprise approximately what percentage of the American population?
A)3 percent
B)15 percent
C)23 percent
D)33 percent
E)43 percent
Q4) Are we in the midst of a political culture war? Explain.
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Page 8
Chapter 7: The Mass Media and the Political Agenda
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125 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) An intentional news leak for the purpose of assessing the political reaction to that news is called a(n)
A)talking head.
B)press conference.
C)media event.
D)trial balloon.
E)investigative journalism event.
Q2) Advertising revenue for online editions of print newspapers has proven to be a solid source of income and support,making up more than 50 percent of newspapers' total take from advertising.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Research suggests that American journalists are more likely to consider themselves _____ than the general public.
A)conservatives
B)libertarians
C)liberals
D)religious
E)biased
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Page 9
Chapter 8: Political Parties
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Sample Questions
Q1) The "three-headed political giant" refers to the three branches of government.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which of the following do you need to do to become a Republican or Democrat?
A)Formally join the party
B)Prove that you've voted for the party
C)Add your name to a mailing list
D)Give money
E)Simply believe that you belong to the party of your choice
Q3) According to rational-choice theory,American political parties tend to adopt middle-of-the-road positions because
A)most Americans are centrist.
B)most Americans are conservatives,pulling both parties toward the right.
C)most Americans are extremists,holding either extremely liberal or extremely conservative views.
D)party leaders have to negotiate what is in effect a cultural war in U.S. politics.
E)party leaders have little incentive to differentiate themselves from one another.
Q4) Compare and contrast the phenomena of party dealignment and party realignment.
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Chapter 9: Campaigns and Voting Behavior
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Sample Questions
Q1) The way in which candidates attempt to manipulate money,the media,and momentum to achieve the nomination is through
A)campaign strategy.
B)primaries.
C)charisma.
D)propaganda.
E)party support.
Q2) The Federal Election Campaign Act of 1974 provided public financing for presidential primaries and general elections,limited presidential campaign spending,required disclosure,and attempted to limit contributions.
A)True
B)False
Q3) If you believe that "public officials don't care much about what people like me think," then you are expressing feelings of A)high political efficacy.
B)low political efficacy.
C)rationality.
D)policy voting.
E)retrospective voting.
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Page 11
Chapter 10: Interest Groups
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Sample Questions
Q1) Amicus curiae briefs
A)are written explanations of a court decision.
B)are lawsuits submitted by interest groups.
C)consist of written arguments submitted to the courts in support of one side of a case.
D)enable groups of similarly situated plaintiffs to combine similar grievances into a single suit.
E)are legal arguments submitted by the president's attorneys advocating the United States government's position in an important federal court case.
Q2) Discuss how size,intensity,and resources determine the likely effectiveness of an interest group.Provide examples where appropriate.
Q3) What are the key differences between interest groups and political parties?
Q4) Right-to-work laws outlaw union membership as a condition of employment. A)True
B)False
Q5) Describe the free-rider problem and provide an example of a way in which an interest group might activate potential members with an eye toward addressing this problem.
Q6) How are interest groups and elected officials mutually dependent on one another?
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Chapter 11: Congress
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Sample Questions
Q1) The pork barrel and casework are examples of A)opportunities for credit claiming by members of Congress.
B)advertising techniques.
C)descriptive representation.
D)position taking.
E)congressional continuity.
Q2) In what ways is incumbency the single most important factor in elections?
Q3) Filibusters occur in the Senate but not the House.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Describe the advantages of incumbents in congressional elections.What reforms have been suggested to limit the effects of incumbency? Would you support such reform?
Q5) The most common prior occupation for members of Congress is A)business.
B)law.
C)education.
D)public service.
E)state legislator.
Q6) What is the seniority system,and how has it changed over the years?
Page 13
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Chapter 12: The Presidency
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Sample Questions
Q1) In order to impeach a president,it takes a
A)unanimous vote of the Supreme Court.
B)two-thirds vote in the Senate.
C)majority vote in the House of Representatives.
D)two-thirds vote in the House of Representatives.
E)majority vote in the Senate.
Q2) The three-member body appointed by the president to advise the president on economic policy is the
A)Office of Management and Budget.
B)Council of Economic Advisors.
C)National Security Council.
D)National Economic Council.
E)Congressional Budget Office.
Q3) The Twenty-fifth Amendment,ratified in 1967,
A)created a means for selecting a new vice president when the office became vacant.
B)granted 18-year-olds the right to vote.
C)limited the president to two terms in office.
D)specifically forced Richard Nixon from office.
E)provided for the direct election of the president by the people.
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Page 14
Chapter 13: The Federal Bureaucracy
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Sample Questions
Q1) All civil service systems are designed to
A)create a nonpartisan government service with promotion on the basis of merit.
B)create job replacements when a new party comes to power.
C)ensure the General Schedule rating system for patronage appointments.
D)centralize government employment at the federal level.
E)create a system that ranks and rewards employees by their time spent in government.
Q2) Congressional committees and subcommittees hold periodic hearings as part of their oversight responsibilities of the bureaucracy.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The Weberian model views bureaucracies as
A)promoting good monopolies.
B)loosely organized and loosely run.
C)largely self-serving.
D)efficient and necessary.
E)hindering democracy.
Q4) What are issue networks? Explain their significance.
Q5) Why are standard operating procedures important to an agency?
Q6) What is the function of the Office of Personnel Management?
Page 15
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Chapter 14: The Federal Courts
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Sample Questions
Q1) In what ways do interest groups try to influence the courts?
Q2) The U.S.is divided into 12 judicial circuits.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Principal reasons for the Court's choosing to hear a case would include each of the following EXCEPT
A)a conflict between different lower courts on the interpretation of federal law.
B)cases that involve major issues,like civil liberties.
C)disagreement between a majority of the Supreme Court and lower-court decisions.
D)politically hot and divisive cases.
E)the justices' law clerks recommendations.
Q4) An opinion written to stress a different constitutional or legal basis for the judgment is called a(n)
A)concurring opinion.
B)dissenting opinion.
C)amending opinion.
D)majority opinion.
E)minority opinion.
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Page 16
Politics of Taxing and Spending
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Sample Questions
Q1) 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.
Q2) Tax expenditures are
A)sales taxes paid when goods and services are purchased.
B)money spent by the IRS collecting taxes.
C)rebates provided to individuals who have overpaid federal taxes.
D)revenue losses that result from special exemptions,exclusions,or deductions on federal tax law.
E)income that is taxable by the federal government.
Q3) The Sixteenth Amendment,ratified in 1913,
A)explicitly permitted Congress to levy an income tax.
B)limited the total income tax Congress could levy on an individual.
C)set up the Social Security system.
D)forbade Congress from levying an income tax.
E)required the federal government to balance its budget each year.
Q4) Why is the federal income tax an example of a progressive tax?
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Chapter 16: Social Welfare Policymaking
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Sample Questions
Q1) The most important ratio for Social Security is that of A)beneficiaries to tax rates.
B)workers to beneficiaries.
C)tax rates to workers.
D)contributions to the number of contributors.
E)contributions to workers.
Q2) Currently,there are approximately ___ workers per Social Security recipient.
A)3.4
B)5
C)7
D)9
E)10
Q3) The name of the program that replaced Aid to Families with Dependent Children as the program for public assistance to needy families is called
A)Social Security.
B)Medicaid.
C)Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
D)Medicare.
E)Supplemental Security Income.
Q4) What,according to Martin Giles,explains Americans' dislike of welfare policies?
Page 18
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Chapter 17: National Security Policymaking
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Sample Questions
Q1) Liberals argue that the most crucial aspect of national defense is A)diplomacy.
B)a strong military capability.
C)a strong economy.
D)international alliances.
E)nuclear deterrence.
Q2) The policy of détente sought a relaxation of tensions between the United State and the Soviet Union.
A)True
B)False
Q3) 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.
Q4) What are economic sanctions,and how have they been used to pursue foreign policy goals?
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