U.S. Politics Practice Questions
Course Introduction
U.S. Politics explores the structures, processes, and dynamics of the American political system. The course examines the Constitution, federalism, the three branches of government, political parties, interest groups, elections, and the role of media. Students will analyze how historical contexts, public opinion, and social movements influence policy decisions and government actions. Emphasis is placed on understanding how power is distributed, how policy is formulated and implemented, and the ongoing debates surrounding democracy, civil rights, and citizenship in the United States.
Recommended Textbook
Politics in America 2014 Elections and Updates Edition 10th Edition by Thomas R. Dye
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Politics: Who Gets What,When and How 1
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105 Verified Questions
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Sample Questions
Q1) According to John Locke,what was the source of individual liberty?
A)divine law
B)natural law
C)rebellion
D)the government
Answer: B
Q2) Which worldview raises the most serious concerns about whether or not democracy exists in the United States today?
A)federalism
B)elitism
C)totalitarianism
D)pluralism
Answer: B
Q3) Totalitarianism differs from authoritarianism in allowing no __________.
A)elections
B)personal freedom
C)political parties
D)veto over legislation
Answer: B
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Page 3
Chapter 2: Political Culture: Ideas in Conflict
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105 Verified Questions
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Q1) Classical liberalism and capitalism overlap in one major area: the right to property.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) Which of the following is most likely to dictate an American's attitude toward the relationship of religion to politics?
A)intensity of religious commitment
B)ethnicity
C)gender
D)age
Answer: A
Q3) Equality of opportunity may be seen as giving every citizen __________.
A)a guarantee of a minimum standard of living
B)a level playing ground
C)a promise of equal pay
D)a promise of social security
Answer: B
Q4) Shared ideas about what is good and desirable are called __________.
Answer: values
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Chapter 3: The Constitution: Limiting Governmental Power
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Q1) Which of the following generally opposed the Senate because it would operate as an "aristocratic" upper house?
A)Anti-Federalists
B)Federalists
C)Tories
D)Whigs
Answer: A
Q2) What was the greatest fear of the Anti-Federalists during the Constitutional Convention and subsequent debate?
A)that a weak national government would undermine the survival of the United States
B)that a strong national government would infringe on the essential liberties of the people
C)that a powerful judiciary would restrict freedom of religion
D)that powerful state governments would never assent to the new Constitution
Answer: B
Q3) The separation of __________ is a key feature of the government established by the Constitution; it establishes separate legislative,executive,and judicial branches.
Answer: powers
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Chapter 4: Federalism: Dividing Governmental Power
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Americans with Disabilities Act is an example of which of the following?
A)a tax
B)a regulation
C)a grant
D)a mandate
Q2) How has the 1803 ruling in Marbury v.Madison played a major role in the development of American federalism?
A)The ruling allowed states the authority to override federal authority.
B)Under the ruling,the Supreme Court assumed the power to interpret the U.S.Constitution authoritatively.
C)The ruling restricted the Supreme Court from serving as umpire in disputes between nation and states.
D)Under the ruling,states assumed the power to interpret the Constitution on their own behalf.
Q3) In the United States,the __________ defines duties,obligations,and powers of both the national and state governments.
Q4) ________ democracy can be found today only in state and local governments.
Q5) Explain two problems of competitive federalism.
Q6) Describe the evolution of federalism over the course of American history.
Page 6
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Chapter 5: Opinion and Participation: Thinking and Acting in Politics
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105 Verified Questions
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Q1) Which of the following groups is more typically a nonvoting group?
A)better-educated Americans
B)less-educated Americans
C)middle-income Americans
D)upper-income Americans
Q2) When white voters who participate in public opinion polls understate their opposition to minority candidates,what is said to occur?
A)the Bradley effect
B)the Burton effect
C)the halo effect
D)the immunity effect
Q3) Approximately 85 percent of registered voters turn out for a presidential election,but this figure represents only about 50 percent of the voting-age population.What does this discrepancy suggest?
A)that voters prefer to look at the voting returns on television later in the evening
B)that the "rational" model does not explain voter turnout
C)that people exercise their right to vote out of a sense of duty
D)that registration is a significant barrier to participation
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Chapter 6: Mass Media: Setting the Political Agenda
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Q1) Generalized feelings of distrust,cynicism,and powerlessness stemming from television's emphasis on the negative aspects of American life have been labeled
Q2) This former Minnesota governor was the first to use successfully use the Internet as a campaign tool.
A)Sarah Palin
B)John McCain
C)Jesse Ventura
D)George W.Bush
Q3) Which statement best demonstrates the media's effect on public opinion?
A)While the media may not be able to tell us what to think,they are successful in telling us what to think about.
B)Entertainment media is geared to helping the mass public to think about particular current events.
C)The media can shape how we think most of the time.
D)Public opinion tends to be separate from the media,as it is generally only concerned with the selling of advertising.
Q4) Talk radio and cable news has resulted in the increased use of professional expert opinion-givers,called __________.
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Chapter 7: Political Parties: Organizing Politics
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Q1) A(n)__________ is a delegate to the Democratic Party national convention selected because of his/her position in the government or party and not pledged to any specific candidate.
Q2) The creation of third parties has always accompanied major protest movements.
A)True
B)False
Q3) When can a party change its platform?
A)after a federal census
B)at the start of each fiscal year
C)during the national party convention
D)every two years
Q4) Which democratic function of political parties was nonexistent until the early twentieth century and has given voters greater input into politics?
A)party machines
B)party nominations
C)policy coordination
D)primary elections
Q5) Assess whether dealignment in the American party system has actually occurred.
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Page 9
Chapter 8: Campaigns and Elections: Deciding Who
Governs
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105 Verified Questions
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Sample Questions
Q1) Elected officials can contact and mobilize voters much more easily because of what communication benefit,which allows for self-promotion?
A)franking privilege
B)challengers
C)voter targeting
D)congressional constituency
Q2) Samuel "Joe the Plumber" Wurzelbacher won the GOP nomination in Ohio's 9th congressional district with no previous political experience.Why was Wurzelbacher not considered a "pure" amateur?
A)He had sufficient campaign funds.
B)He had name recognition.
C)His personal income was high.
D)He owned his own business.
Q3) The voter database that states are required to maintain in order to track voting preferences and frequency is mandated by the 2006 __________.
A)Keep Americans Voting Act
B)Help America Vote Act
C)Get Out the Vote Act
D)Political Participation Act
10
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Chapter 9: Interest Groups: Getting Their Share and More
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Sample Questions
Q1) What is a political action committee (PAC)?
A)an organization within a political party that coordinates campaign events
B)an organizations that focuses on grassroots/outside lobbying
C)an organization that conducts voter registration drives
D)an organization that solicits campaign contributions and distributes them to political candidates
Q2) The __________ problem occurs when people fail to join a group because they can get the benefits the group offers without contributing to the group's efforts.
A)free-rider
B)pluralist
C)collective good
D)group coordination
Q3) How might pluralism serve to enhance democracy?
A)by requiring people to join interest groups
B)by ensuring that no single interest becomes dominant
C)by allowing policy makers to ignore the demands of certain organizations
D)by discouraging bargaining and compromise on policy issues
Q4) In Federalist No.10,__________ expressed concerns about the harmful effects of factions.
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Chapter 10: Congress: Politics on Capitol Hill
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Sample Questions
Q1) As shown in Figure 10.1,following the advice of Benjamin Franklin,what form of legislature does Congress take?
A)bicameral
B)direct
C)trilateral
D)unicameral
Q2) What is the term for an amendment designed to ensure the defeat of a bill on a final vote?
A)hostile amendment
B)killer amendment
C)kill bill
D)virus bill
Q3) The congressional elections of 2000 reflected the close partisan division of the nation.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Despite a constitutional mandate for __________,no member of the Senate has received this harsh discipline since the Civil War,though several members of the House have received this discipline after concurrence by a two-thirds majority.
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Chapter 11: The President: White House Politics
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Sample Questions
Q1) Why does the perception of a mandate matter in presidential politics?
A)Since public approval has become much more important to modern presidents,most presidents rely on the mandate and the polls to measure their popularity and increase their approval ratings.
B)The presidential mandate claimed by modern presidents makes it easier for them to get their choices of Supreme Court justices approved than in the past.
C)Because Congress sees the president as holding a mandate of the people,the legislators do not block the president's agenda as vehemently as legislators in the past did.
D)Because modern presidents are more dependent on the people for election and more involved in policy making than early presidents,they are prone to claim the mandate of the people when governing.
Q2) Historically,vice-presidential candidates are chosen to __________.
A)help set the president's agenda
B)mentor the president
C)politically balance the ticket
D)succeed the president in the next election
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Page 13
Chapter 12: The Bureaucracy: Bureaucratic Politics
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Sample Questions
Q1) __________ budgeting demands justification for the entire budget request of an agency,not just its requested increase in funding.
A)Continuing
B)Discretionary
C)Incremental
D)Zero-based
Q2) Before 1883,how were government jobs awarded?
A)Jobs were awarded based on an applicants' expertise.
B)Jobs were awarded based on an applicants' personal wealth.
C)Jobs were awarded based on an applicants' performance on entrance exams.
D)Jobs were awarded based on an applicants' loyalty to the party in power.
Q3) Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of the current budgetary process.In your opinion,do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages,or do you see a need for reform in the budgetary process?
Q4) In recent years,privatization and outsourcing has __________.
A)increased at the federal level
B)decreased at the federal level
C)decreased at the state level
D)received greater public support
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Chapter 13: Courts Judicial Politics
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Sample Questions
Q1) According to Table 13.2,Senate Confirmation Votes on Supreme Court Nominations Since 1950,which president had the highest number of Supreme Court justices confirmed?
A)Dwight Eisenhower
B)John Kennedy
C)William Clinton
D)Richard Nixon
Q2) The ruling in which of the following cases struck down state-mandated segregation in public schools?
A)Gideon v.Wainwright
B)McCulloch v.Maryland
C)Brown v.Board of Education
D)Marbury v.Madison
Q3) What do presidents look for in selecting a Supreme Court justice?
Q4) __________ is the power of the courts to invalidate laws of Congress or the states that conflict with the U.S.Constitution.
Q5) Marbury v.Madison significantly expanded the power of the federal judiciary.
A)True
B)False
Q6) Justices who do not agree with the outcome of a case write __________ opinions.
Page 15
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Chapter 14: Politics and Personal Liberty
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Sample Questions
Q1) Opponents of the death penalty have argued that it violates which amendment to the Constitution?
A)Second
B)Fifth
C)Eighth
D)Tenth
Q2) Once a communication is determined to be libelous or slanderous,it is outside of the protection of the __________.
A)First Amendment
B)freedom of expression
C)commercial speech standards
D)Fifth Amendment
Q3) The taking of property under eminent domain is valid only if it is for __________.
A)a government building or structure
B)commercial use
C)private use
D)public use
Q4) Picketing is an example of the right to __________.
Q5) Discuss the evolution of abortion rights.
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Chapter 15: Politics and Civil Rights
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Q1) The __________ was enacted in 1990 and is designed to protect the civil rights of disabled Americans.
Q2) At present,a law that classified people according to __________ would be given strict scrutiny by the Supreme Court to determine its constitutionality.
A)race
B)age
C)disability
D)gender
Q3) Why did Congress enact the Defense of Marriage Act?
A)to promote marriage equality
B)to protect the rights of married homosexuals
C)to ensure states did not have to recognize same-sex marriages
D)to strengthen the full faith and credit clause
Q4) Under __________,the Thirteenth,Fourteenth,and Fifteenth Amendments were adopted.
A)affirmative action
B)Jim Crow laws
C)Reconstruction
D)the equal protection argument
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Chapter 16: Politics and the Economy
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Q1) Which of these statements best describes the influence of interest rate adjustments by the Federal Reserve?
A)They always lead to lower rates of marginal taxes.
B)They can lead to higher unemployment in years of budget deficits.
C)They can spur economic growth by increasing the cost of money for business.
D)They can spur economic growth by increasing the available money supply.
Q2) The federal stimulus package is generally referred to as TANF.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Monetary economic policy uses the money supply to affect growth in the U.S.economy.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Which of the following is a nation's total production of goods and services for a single year,valued in terms of market prices?
A)gross domestic product
B)national debt
C)stimulus package
D)deficit
Q5) The __________ is the federal government's largest source of revenue.
Page 18
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Chapter 17: Politics and Social Welfare
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Sample Questions
Q1) Medicare is designed to help the __________ population.
Q2) Social Security is a means-tested program because it provides benefits to all qualifying individuals.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The Earned Income Tax Credit does which of the following?
A)assists the working poor by providing a larger refund than taxpayers paid in during the previous year
B)provides additional deductions for investment income
C)increases the tax rate for investment income
D)exempts income from home sales
Q4) The Affordable Care Act,colloquially known as Obamacare,involved a federal takeover of the insurance industry.
A)True
B)False
Q5) A welfare program that contains an income eligibility threshold is likely a means-tested program.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 18: Politics and National Security
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Q1) Around the time of the 9/11 attacks,where was the principal base of support for al-Qaeda?
A)Afghanistan
B)Egypt
C)Iran
D)Lebanon
Q2) The United States and NATO created an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)to provide a secure environment for the development of a legitimate government in Afghanistan.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Doctrine that provides guidelines for the use of military force based on the lessons learned from Vietnam; widely supported by U.S.military leaders because they do not like to see their troops put in danger to advance diplomatic goals or risk their soldiers' lives in situations that limit their ability to defend themselves.
A)Containment
B)Marshall Plan
C)Truman Doctrine
D)Powell Doctrine
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