U.S. Public Policy Exam Practice Tests
Course Introduction
U.S. Public Policy explores the development, implementation, and impact of government policies in the United States. This course examines the roles of federal, state, and local governments in addressing key policy issues such as healthcare, education, environmental protection, economic regulation, and social welfare. Students will analyze the policy-making process, including agenda-setting, formulation, adoption, and evaluation, and consider the influence of political institutions, interest groups, public opinion, and the media. Through case studies and critical discussions, the course provides insight into the challenges of crafting effective policies and the debates that shape American governance.
Recommended Textbook
Government in America People Politics and Policy Brief Edition 11th Edition by George C. Edwards
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17 Chapters
2189 Verified Questions
2189 Flashcards
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Chapter 1: Introducing Government in America
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108 Verified Questions
108 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following statements helps explain the link between youth voter turnout and changes in media communication and technology?
A)The current generation is the first to grow up in a media environment with few shared experiences.
B)The proliferation of television channels makes it easier for young Americans to avoid exposure to politics.
C)Most young Americans have not developed habits of following the news.
D)Young people today have never known a time when most citizens paid attention to major political events.
E)All of the above are true.
Answer: E
Q2) Which president said,"As government expands,liberty contracts"?
A)Richard Nixon
B)Ronald Reagan
C)Jimmy Carter
D)Bill Clinton
E)Barack Obama
Answer: B
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Chapter 2: The Constitution
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129 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)was never ratified.
A)True
B)False Answer: True
Q2) The U.S.Constitution encourages quick change.
A)True
B)False Answer: False
Q3) Political parties,as we know them today,did not exist when the Constitution was written.
A)True
B)False Answer: True
Q4) A major concern of the Anti-Federalists was the lack of a Bill of Rights in the original Constitution.
A)True
B)False Answer: True
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Page 4
Chapter 3: Federalism
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118 Verified Questions
118 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Federalism is a way of organizing a nation so that
A)power is centralized in state and local government.
B)both national and state levels of government have some authority over the same land and people.
C)there is one federal government,and all regional governments are administrative subunits of it.
D)power is centralized in the national government.
E)there are three branches of government and a system of checks and balances.
Answer: B
Q2) The transferring of responsibility for policies from the federal government to the states is
A)devolution.
B)evolution.
C)intergovernmental relations.
D)pluralism.
E)fiscal federalism.
Answer: A
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Civil Liberties and Public Policy
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135 Verified Questions
135 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act makes it a federal crime to intimidate abortion providers or women seeking abortions.
A)True
B)False
Q2) In the case of Miranda v.Arizona,the Supreme Court ruled that
A)illegally obtained evidence cannot be used in a trial.
B)police must inform any suspect of a series of rights,including the constitutional right to remain silent.
C)the death penalty could be imposed for the most extreme of crimes.
D)defendants in all felony cases have a right to counsel,even if the state has to provide such legal assistance.
E)the police must show probable cause before making an arrest.
Q3) Prior restraint refers to government actions preventing material from being published.
A)True
B)False
Q4) It is unconstitutional to pray in school.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 5: Civil Rights and Public Policy
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121 Verified Questions
121 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Equal Rights Amendment was passed by Congress in 1972.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The Dred Scott v.Sandford ruling was handed down by the Supreme Court
A)a few years after the Civil War.
B)in 1896.
C)during the Civil War.
D)in the 1950s.
E)a few years prior to the Civil War.
Q3) The Voting Rights Act of 1982
A)insisted that minorities be able to "elect representatives of their choice."
B)upheld states' practices of racial gerrymandering to increase the numbers of racial minorities elected to office.
C)required that the redrawing of district boundaries avoid discriminatory intent but not necessarily discriminatory results.
D)required that the redrawing of district boundaries avoid both discriminatory intent and results.
E)ruled that district lines could not be redrawn.
Q4) What were the main provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964?
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Chapter 6: Public Opinion and Political Action
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126 Verified Questions
126 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) What is the importance of the family to the process of political socialization?
Q2) Americans tend to oppose the idea of big government but favor it in practice.
A)True
B)False
Q3) What effect does the census have on representation in Congress? What states showed the greatest gains in population in the last census? How are they rewarded? Is this a fair system? Explain the rationale behind it and your opinion.
Q4) What is meant by the term "minority majority"? Describe the major minority groups identified in the text,including their relative size,political power,and socioeconomic status.
Q5) Groups with political clout tend to be more liberal than groups that lack access to political power.
A)True
B)False
Q6) The U.S.Census Bureau estimates that by the middle of the twenty-first century,whites will comprise less than half of the majority of the U.S.population.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 7: The Mass Media and the Political Agenda
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125 Verified Questions
125 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following statements about private control of the media is FALSE?
A)Striving for profits greatly shapes how the news is reported.
B)In 1989,network news programs broadcast 4,032 minutes of foreign news; in 2000,this number had dropped to 1,382 minutes.
C)Profit has driven American media organizations to expand their foreign bureaus abroad.
D)American media are dependent on advertising revenue to support their businesses.
E)Private ownership of the media and First Amendment protections mean that journalists have almost completely unfettered freedom to criticize government leaders and policies.
Q2) Newspaper circulation has increased over the last several decades.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Franklin D.Roosevelt held approximately two press conferences per week,resulting in about 1,000 total during his 12 years in office.
A)True
B)False
Q4) In what ways do the media habits of young Americans differ from older Americans?
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Page 9
Chapter 8: Political Parties
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129 Verified Questions
129 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is FALSE?
A)African Americans identify overwhelmingly with the Democratic Party.
B)Jews identify overwhelmingly with the Republican Party.
C)Most white evangelicals identify with the Republican Party.
D)A majority of Americans with high income identify with the Democratic Party.
E)A majority of Americans with low income identify with the Democratic Party.
Q2) What is divided government? What is the connection between divided government and party dealignment? How does this affect the way the government functions?
Q3) Historical periods in which a majority of voters clings to the party in power,enabling that party to win a majority of elections,is called a party era.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Without party competition,there would be no choice,and without choice,there can be no democracy.
A)True
B)False
Q5) What is the difference between a closed primary and an open primary? What are some disadvantages and advantages of each?
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Chapter 9: Campaigns and Voting Behavior
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156 Verified Questions
156 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The notion that candidates need to raise and spend enough money to compete but that it is not always necessary to outspend an opponent is called the
A)majority-minority doctrine.
B)doctrine of sufficiency.
C)soft-money approach.
D)selective perception.
E)hydraulic theory of money and politics.
Q2) In most caucus states,about ________ percent of the registered voters typically show up for party presidential caucuses.
A)5
B)20
C)35
D)45
E)50
Q3) How has the nature of policy voting changed in the United States?
Q4) According to Anthony Downs,rational people vote when they perceive meaningful policy differences between the candidates.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 10: Interest Groups
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135 Verified Questions
135 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Subgovernments are
A)networks of groups within the American political system that exercise power over specific policy areas.
B)composed of key interest group leaders,government agencies in charge of administrative policy,and congressional committees all interested in particular policy areas.
C)also known as iron triangles.
D)work to protect their own self-interest.
E)All of the above are true.
Q2) ________ theorists argue that the power of the few is fortified by an extensive system of interlocking directorates and that wealthy corporations prevail when it comes to major decisions by government.
A)Pluralist
B)Hyperpluralist
C)Elitist
D)Hyperelitist
E)Pyramid
Q3) Explain and evaluate the role of money in interest groups in the United States.What has been the impact of political action committees (PACs)on U.S.politics?
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Page 12
Chapter 11: Congress
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140 Verified Questions
140 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Explain the role of lobbyists in the lawmaking process.
Q2) Voters have little direct influence on which members of Congress chair key committees or lead congressional parties.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Nebraska's legislature is the only one in the United States that is NOT
A)elected by the voters.
B)unicameral.
C)bicameral.
D)tricameral.
E)under term limits.
Q4) The fact that incumbents usually win reelection
A)creates stability in the membership of Congress.
B)allows representatives and senators to gain some expertise in dealing with public policy.
C)insulates members of Congress from political change.
D)makes it more difficult for citizens to "send a message to Washington" with their votes.
E)All of the above are true.
Q5) Compare and contrast the constitutional design of the House and the Senate.
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Chapter 12: The Presidency
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Sample Questions
Q1) A midterm election is
A)one in which the incumbent is running for reelection.
B)a congressional election that is not accompanied by a presidential election. C)held every two years.
D)a special election that may remove an official from office in the middle of the term.
E)a presidential election that occurs during a session of Congress.
Q2) List and briefly describe the constitutional powers of the president.Which are the most important and why?
Q3) In what ways did the Twenty-second and Twenty-fifth Amendments alter the original institutional design of the American presidency?
Q4) Describe the major strengths and weaknesses of the president in his role as chief legislator.What factors strengthen his ability to pass legislation he prefers? What factors weaken his ability to pass legislation?
Q5) The president alone extends diplomatic recognition to foreign governments.
A)True
B)False
Q6) What are the formal constitutional powers of the presidency as found in Article II?
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Page 14
Chapter 13: The Federal Bureaucracy
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125 Verified Questions
125 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) According to Hugh Heclo,the Plum Book system of recruiting federal employees tends to result in the appointment of
A)talented experts with proven party loyalty.
B)people with access to the Internet,but not necessarily the most qualified people.
C)senior civil servants to sensitive posts.
D)administrators who do not stay long enough in their appointed position to be effective.
E)large numbers of women and minorities,just as it was intended to do.
Q2) What are the main elements of the Weberian model of bureaucracies?
Q3) Which of the following is a way presidents attempt to control the bureaucracy?
A)Creating an iron triangle
B)Holding oversight hearings
C)Rewriting legislation or adding additional details to existing legislation
D)Issuing an executive order
E)All of these are ways presidents attempt to control the bureaucracy.
Q4) Following Weber,task specialization places experts,rather than amateurs,in technical jobs.
A)True
B)False
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Page 15
Chapter 14: The Federal Courts
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127 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Describe how federal judges and justices are chosen.What factors influence the selection process? What are the general characteristics of the Supreme Court justices chosen by this process?
Q2) How many federal statutes has the Supreme Court declared to be unconstitutional?
A)fewer than 200
B)more than 500
C)one
D)none
E)about 1,000
Q3) Courts with _____ jurisdiction hear cases brought to them on appeal from a lower court.
A)upper
B)supreme
C)constitutional
D)original
E)appellate
Q4) What do presidents look for in selecting a Supreme Court justice? How often are they successful in appointing judges who reflect their judicial philosophy? Provide a few examples from the twentieth century of presidents succeeding and failing to have a direct influence on the Court.
Page 16
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Politics of Taxing and Spending
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121 Verified Questions
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Sample Questions
Q1) Payments for veterans' aid are an example of an uncontrollable expenditure.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which of the following is NOT a feature of incrementalism?
A)Policymakers focus all of their attention on the policy base-that is,the amounts agencies have had over previous years.
B)Policymakers focus little attention on the policy base-that is,the amounts agencies have had over previous years.
C)Agencies can often safely assume that they will get at least the budget they had last year.
D)Most attention is given to proposed increments in the budget.
E)The budget for any given agency tends to grow a little bit every year.
Q3) What are tax expenditures and how do they work? Provide two examples of contemporary tax expenditures.
Q4) Taxpayers' ability to deduct contributions to charities from their taxable income is an example of a tax expenditure.
A)True
B)False
Q5) What are the challenges facing the future of Social Security?
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Chapter 16: Social Welfare Policymaking
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123 Verified Questions
123 Flashcards
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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) What was California's Proposition 187,and how has it shaped the national debate on immigration?
Q3) Studies of America's wealth show that _______ of America's wealth is held by the wealthiest 1 percent of the population.
A)one-sixth
B)one-fifth
C)one-quarter
D)one-third
E)one-half
Q4) While the number of Social Security contributors is growing slowly,the number of Social Security recipients is growing rapidly.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 17: National Security Policymaking
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Sample Questions
Q1) Describe the multiple ways that the United States distributes foreign aid.
Q2) Tourism can be understood as part of American foreign relations today.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Karl von Clausewitz called war a "continuation of politics by other means."
A)True
B)False
Q4) The United States and Soviet Union agreement on SALT I reflected
A)a policy of containment.
B)brinkmanship.
C)a policy of détente.
D)the two nations' first effort to coordinate the development of a natural resource. E)mutual assured destruction.
Q5) What are economic sanctions,and how have they been used to pursue foreign policy goals?
Q6) Why did the United States become involved in the Vietnam War? What were the central concerns and/or the dominant doctrines that shaped our involvement?
Q7) How have multinational corporations influenced American foreign policy?
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