United States Federal Government Exam Practice Tests
Course Introduction
This course provides an in-depth examination of the structure, functions, and processes of the United States federal government. Students will explore the Constitution as the foundation of federal authority, the roles and interactions of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, and the system of checks and balances. The course will also analyze the development of federalism, the influence of political parties, elections, and interest groups, and the formulation of public policy. Emphasis is placed on understanding how federal institutions respond to contemporary issues and shape American society and governance.
Recommended Textbook Government in America 2014 Elections and Updates 16th Edition by by
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George C. Edwards III
Chapter 1: Introducing Government in America
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Q1) What makes up the government's policy agenda?
A) all of the issues that candidates talk about on the campaign trail
B) the issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other political actors
C) the issues that are asked about on public opinion polls
D) the issues that concern single-issue interest groups
Answer: B
Q2) What best describes a linkage institution?
A) a channel through which people's concerns become part of the political agenda
B) a location to express a political opinion
C) the formation of a special interest group
D) an environment where one learns about the political process
Answer: A
Q3) How does our government respond to the priorities of its people?
A) through public opinion polls
B) through political science
C) through political tolerance
D) through a policymaking system
Answer: D
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3
Chapter 2: The Constitution
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Q1) In what year was the Declaration of Independence signed?
A) 1776
B) 1787
C) 1789
D) 1805
Answer: A
Q2) James Madison,Alexander Hamilton,and John Jay authored the __________.
Answer: Federalist Papers
Q3) John Locke's belief that government derives its authority from the people influenced the Declaration of Independence,which says,"Governments are instituted among men,deriving their just powers from __________."
A) the consent of the governed
B) the right to revolt
C) the laws of Nature and Nature's God
D) government itself
Answer: A
Q4) At least __________ states had to ratify the proposed Constitution for it to become law.
Answer: nine
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Chapter 3: Federalism
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Q1) In Gibbons v. Ogden,the Supreme Court held that Congress has broad authority to regulate __________.
A) interstate commerce
B) education
C) the national bank
D) religion
Answer: A
Q2) In United States v. Lopez,the U.S. Supreme Court scrutinized the use of which of the following powers as related to the possession of firearms in public schools?
A) educational
B) national defense
C) taxing
D) commerce
Answer: D
Q3) Under dual federalism,the states and the national government have separate responsibilities.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Civil Liberties and Public Policy
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Q1) Which of the following rights has the Supreme Court found to be one of the penumbras of unstated liberties linked to explicitly stated rights?
A) right to marry
B) right to travel
C) right to vote
D) right to privacy
Q2) The double jeopardy clause prevents an individual who is acquitted of a crime from which of the following?
A) seeking the assistance of an attorney
B) being tried again for the same crime
C) asserting innocence
D) benefiting financially from that crime
Q3) According to Roe v. Wade,what could a state do if it wanted to limit a woman's right to an abortion during her first trimester?
A) The state could do very little to limit a woman's right to an abortion.
B) The state could regulate it if the mother's life were in danger.
C) The state could ban the abortion unless the mother's life was in danger.
D) The state could ban it.
Q4) __________ rights include the right to remain silent.
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Chapter 5: Civil Rights and Public Policy
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Q1) Compare and contrast the use of civil disobedience and litigation during the civil rights movement. Which was more successful and why?
Q2) In what ways did the discrimination of Hispanic Americans in the past resemble the types of discrimination experienced by African Americans? What tactics of the African American civil rights movement did Hispanic civil rights leaders use? Which of the ongoing problems that Hispanics experience resemble those of African Americans,and which are different?
Q3) What rights are guaranteed to disabled Americans under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)? What infrastructure changes must be made to ensure these rights?
Q4) The civil rights movement pushed for racial equality. When did this movement begin?
A) immediately after the Civil War
B) during Reconstruction
C) in the 1950s
D) immediately prior to the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment
Q5) Describe the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Why were they necessary,given that the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments were enacted decades before?
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Chapter 6: Public Opinion and Political Action
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Q1) What was Henry David Thoreau protesting in the 1840s when he refused to pay his taxes?
A) high tariffs
B) compulsory education
C) economic inequality
D) the Mexican War
Q2) What three socializing agents are discussed in the textbook?
A) the family, the media, and political parties
B) the family, the schools, and the political parties
C) the media, the schools, and the family
D) the schools, the family, and politicians
Q3) Perhaps surprisingly,no __________ gap is evident on the issue of abortion.
Q4) The most common means of political participation in a democracy is __________.
Q5) "Letter from a Birmingham Jail," penned by Martin Luther King,Jr.,in 1963,is a classic defense of __________.
A) consciously breaking an unjust law
B) conscientious objection
C) boycotting
D) tax resistance
Q6) Sampling error depends on the __________ of the sample.
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Chapter 7: The Mass Media and the Political Agenda
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Q1) If a reporter is assigned to cover news from the Pentagon,it is considered the reporter's __________.
Q2) The __________ Amendment guarantees freedom of the press.
Q3) A majority of presidential campaign spending is devoted to TV ads.
A)True
B)False
Q4) How has the Internet changed news reporting? How has it changed political campaigns and elections? What effect does the Internet have on other news media?
Q5) People who invest their political capital in an issue are called __________.
A) agenda setters
B) policy entrepreneurs
C) lobbyists
D) gatekeepers
Q6) Should we be concerned by Americans' habits regarding consumption of the news? Should we be troubled by the fact that more Americans do not take fuller advantage of the Internet to gather information about political issues or campaigns and elections?
Why or why not?
Q7) How does government regulate the news media? Are these regulations beneficial to democracy?
Page 9
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Chapter 8: Political Parties
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Q1) Who runs the national party organizations between conventions?
A) the parties in the electorate
B) the state party organizations
C) the party's congressional caucus
D) the party's national committee
Q2) Provide a detailed analysis of Anthony Downs's rational-choice model. What are its core propositions? What does it say about voter behavior? How do political parties attract the most votes? Do you feel Down's theory is entirely valid? Why or why not?
Q3) What happens at the national party conventions?
Q4) Party realignments are initiated by __________.
A) caucuses
B) censures
C) critical elections
D) unsuccessful election bids
Q5) What is the party in the electorate?
A) party officers who seek to educate the public on key party stances
B) public officials who are registered with a political party
C) voters active in the business of the party
D) all citizens who claim to be a member of a political party
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Chapter 9: Campaigns and Voting Behavior
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Q1) Why do presidential candidates tend to focus their efforts on battleground states?
A) Battleground states have the most Electoral College votes.
B) Battleground states have more electors than they would deserve if electors were allocated by population.
C) Candidates focus on battleground states in order to increase their media exposure.
D) The winner-take-all system makes battleground states more relevant to a campaign.
Q2) What are political efficacy and civic duty? Explain how each affects voter turnout.
Q3) Which of the following makes it harder to vote?
A) vote-by-mail laws
B) the Motor Voter Act
C) Election Day voter registration laws
D) voter ID laws
Q4) How do age,education,race and ethnicity,gender,marital status,and being a government employee affect one's likelihood of voting? For three of these demographic characteristics,explain why it affects turnout.
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Chapter 10: Interest Groups
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Q1) Which of the following conditions would eliminate the free-rider problem?
A) if participation in an interest group were mandatory
B) if members were allowed to vote on matters of concern to the interest group
C) if the leaders of an interest group were able to set the group's priorities
D) if an interest group focused on providing benefits to society as a whole
Q2) Ralph Nader launched the first major __________ group after winning a hefty damage settlement against General Motors.
Q3) Discuss the role of political action committees (PACs)in terms of their influence on elections and the extent to which they shape government policy.
Q4) James Madison expressed concerns about what he called "factions." Are there modern-day factions that pursue their self-interest at the expense of the broader public interest? Evaluate whether interest groups function in the public interest as pluralists might argue or work against the public interest.
Q5) Despite the fact that members of Congress often lack specialized expertise in particular policy areas,they are prohibited by law from accepting information or policy proposals from registered lobbyists.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 11: Congress
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Q1) Which incumbency advantage is more important in the Senate than in the House?
A) advertising
B) position taking
C) lobbying
D) weak opponents
Q2) What is substantive representation?
A) representing groups that provide subsistence for their campaign coffers and not for their policy preferences
B) representing the interests of groups of which they themselves are not members
C) representing people and interests that they like personally by voting for legislation that benefits those people
D) representing constituents by mirroring their personal, politically relevant characteristics
Q3) Outline the main steps a bill takes to become a law,noting the differences between the House and Senate.
Q4) What strategies do politicians use in credit claiming? Which are most effective,and why?
Q5) Weigh the pros and cons of incumbency on politicians and society.
Q6) The Speaker's principal partisan ally in the House is the __________.
Page 13
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Chapter 12: The Presidency
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Q1) The __________ is a presidential advisory group composed of 15 executive department heads.
Q2) Since Lyndon Johnson,presidents have tended to __________.
A) oppose government growth
B) support an increase in the role of government
C) advocate for reductions in military spending
D) exercise their veto power more aggressively
Q3) Of all those who have served as president starting with Eisenhower,who issued the most vetoes?
A) Eisenhower
B) Kennedy
C) Nixon
D) Clinton
Q4) According to the Constitution,__________ is reserved for "treason,bribery,and other high crimes and misdemeanors," not for political conflicts.
Q5) As a result of the __________ scandal,Richard Nixon resigned to avoid impeachment and a Senate trial.
Q6) Describe the role of the president as commander in chief. Include what limitations the president has in this role.
Page 14
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Chapter 13: The Budget: the Politics of Taxing and Spending
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Q1) What does the federal government do when it is unable to cover its expenditures?
A) sells bonds
B) indexes taxes to the cost of living
C) changes the tax code
D) invests in pork projects
Q2) Which of the following is the role of the Government Accountability Office (GAO)?
A) to monitor what agencies do with their budgets
B) to make the budget for Congress
C) to propose new bills to implement the president's agenda
D) to write tax codes based on yearly changes in law
Q3) Financially,who benefits the most from the military-industrial complex?
A) Congress
B) the president
C) defense contractors
D) taxpayers
Q4) The __________ Amendment,adopted in 1913,permits Congress to levy an income tax.
Q5) Taxes that are __________ to the cost of living prevent taxpayers from being bumped into a higher tax bracket due solely to inflation.
Page 15
Q6) What is an omnibus bill? How do omnibus bills affect the budgetary process?
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Chapter 14: The Federal Bureaucracy
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Q1) What are independent executive agencies? Provide an example.
Q2) Discuss the evolution of the federal bureaucracy from the spoils system to a civil service system.
Q3) Why do Americans tend to think that red tape is more prevalent than it actually is?
A) Americans tend to notice the bureaucracy only when it is inefficient and not when it works well.
B) Americans unwittingly transfer their negative assessments of private bureaucracies (such as businesses and churches) to the public sphere.
C) Americans generally have poor experiences when dealing with bureaucrats.
D) Red is a more inflammatory color than black.
Q4) How did the Hatch Act reinforce reforms initiated under the Pendleton Act? When were these acts passed? What event precipitated the Pendleton Act?
Q5) Implementation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was aided by __________.
A) federal registrars dispatched to Southern counties
B) the support of Southern governors
C) the spoils system
D) the use of incentive systems
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Page 16
Chapter 15: The Federal Courts
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Q1) Which of the following is within the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court?
A) federal criminal matters
B) tax disputes
C) military tribunals
D) prosecuting diplomats
Q2) What is common law?
A) the accumulation of judicial decisions about legal issues
B) laws passed by legislatures
C) disputes between two parties
D) issues capable of being settled as a matter of law
Q3) Who nominates judges to the U.S. district courts?
A) the president
B) the House of Representatives
C) the Senate
D) the Supreme Court
Q4) How many justices currently serve on the Supreme Court?
A) five
B) six
C) eight
D) nine
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Chapter 16: Economic and Social Welfare Policymaking
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Q1) Congress has the primary responsibility for setting interest rates in the United States.
A)True
B)False
Q2) U.S. monetary policy involves which of the following?
A) import and export policies
B) interest rates and the money supply
C) NAFTA and the balance of trade with Canada
D) increased government regulations to iron out deficiencies in the free market
Q3) Increasing inequality in the distribution of income can contribute to a situation known as __________,which is becoming more common in America.
A) the complacency of dependency
B) recessive economics
C) regressive politics
D) relative deprivation
Q4) The chance that a person will suddenly fall into a much lower income bracket is higher in the United States than it is in most other industrialized countries.
A)True
B)False
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Page 18
Chapter 17: Policymaking for Health Care, the Environment, and Energy
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Q1) In recent years,how has the government limited Medicare costs?
A) raising the eligibility age
B) requiring patients to obtain a supplemental private plan
C) capping the total expenditures per patient
D) reducing the fees it pays to doctors and hospitals
Q2) The cost of premiums for family coverage through employer-based insurance has increased by more than 150 percent since 2000.
A)True
B)False
Q3) About 50 million Americans are currently covered by Medicare.
A)True
B)False
Q4) What is the name for networks of health care providers that directly provide all or most of a person's health care for a yearly fee?
A) health maintenance organizations
B) hospital networks
C) alliances of health
D) fee-for-service networks
Q5) Medicare is designed primarily to help the __________ population.
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Chapter 18: National Security Policymaking
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Q1) Which of the following is an accurate statement about the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)?
A) The CIA is explicitly mentioned in the Constitution as being exempt from federal law as long as it is acting in the name of national security.
B) The CIA is in charge of the various other agencies in the intelligence community.
C) The CIA has sometimes become involved in other nations' internal affairs.
D) The primary mission of the CIA is to gather intelligence on American citizens.
Q2) The president traditionally has more influence over foreign policy than does Congress.
A)True
B)False
Q3) How was the Cold War fundamentally different from the war in Afghanistan?
Q4) The recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were quick and decisive military and diplomatic victories for the United States.
A)True
B)False
Q5) The __________ was the U.S. effort to help Western Europe after World War II.
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