United States Government and Politics
Exam Questions
Course Introduction
This course provides an in-depth examination of the foundational structures, principles, and functions of the United States government and its political system. Students will explore the Constitution, federalism, the branches of government, and the roles of political parties, interest groups, and the media. The course also covers key processes such as elections, policy making, and the protection of civil liberties and civil rights. By analyzing historical developments and contemporary issues, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of how American government operates and the factors that influence political decision-making in the United States.
Recommended Textbook
American Government Brief 14th Edition by Stephen Ansolabehere
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14 Chapters
1549 Verified Questions
1549 Flashcards
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Five Principles of Politics
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63 Verified Questions
63 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) When governments are limited in terms of how control is exercised,these governments are said to have
A)procedural limits.
B)substantive limits.
C)primary restrictions.
D)secondary restrictions.
E)tertiary restrictions.
Answer: A
Q2) Governments have historically included which two basic components?
A)coercion and revenue collection
B)coercion and social services
C)police and military
D)taxes and welfare
E)revenue collection and social services
Answer: A
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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103 Verified Questions
103 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The issue of counting slaves for purposes of representation was settled by the
A)Great Compromise.
B)Virginia Plan.
C)Three-Fifths Compromise.
D)Seventh Amendment.
E)Franklin Proviso.
Answer: C
Q2) In order for Congress to send an amendment to the Constitution to state legislatures or ratifying conventions for approval,it must pass in
A)either the House or Senate with a simple majority.
B)both the House and Senate with a simple majority.
C)either the House or Senate with a two-thirds majority.
D)both the House and Senate with a two-thirds majority.
E)the House by a simple majority and the Senate by a two-thirds majority.
Answer: D
Q3) Under the Articles of Confederation,Congress was given power to declare war and make peace.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Chapter 3: Federalism and the Separation of Powers
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121 Verified Questions
121 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Describe the historical eras of national and state government relations in the American federal system.
Answer: .1789-1930s: Dual federalism,in which states and local governments did most of the governing with autonomy from the federal government.During this period,states had nearly sole control over coercion (criminal codes,law enforcement,health and safety rules,and marital and family laws).States defined private property and its use as well as how state and local governments could exercise eminent domain over personal property.Collectively,these are known as the state's police powers..1930s-1960s: Cooperative federalism,in which grants-in-aid were used strategically to encourage states and localities (without commanding them) to pursue nationally defined goals..1960s-present: Regulated federalism,in which the federal government has more clearly attached conditions to federal grants,including safeguards for individual rights,environmental protection,and workplace safety,often in the name of setting national standards.In some cases,Congress has failed to provide funds to accompany its standards;these are known as unfunded mandates,and the 1995 Unfunded Mandate Reform Act was passed to reduce these mandates in the future.
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5
Chapter 4: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights
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151 Verified Questions
151 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) De facto segregation refers to segregation that takes place because of formal laws.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which of the following is true of the institutions responsible for advancing the civil rights of African Americans?
A)Courts accomplished the work on their own.
B)Congress accomplished the work on its own.
C)Bureaucrats accomplished most of the work.
D)Congress and the courts were mutually dependent in advancing civil rights.
E)Neither Congress nor the courts accomplished much in the effort to secure civil rights for African Americans.
Q3) Which two forms of sexual harassment does the Supreme Court recognize?
A)male and female
B)heterosexual and homosexual
C)quid pro quo and hostile environment
D)aggravated and unwelcome
E)physical and conversational
Q4) Explain due process and the constitutional rights protected under due process.
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Chapter 5: Congress: the First Branch
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114 Verified Questions
114 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) What is the minimum age required to serve as a member of the House of Representatives?
A)21
B)25
C)30
D)35
E)40
Q2) Most challengers are able to outspend their incumbent opponents.
A)True
B)False
Q3) How long is the term of office for a U.S.senator?
A)two years
B)four years
C)six years
D)eight years
E)twenty years
Q4) Do members of Congress represent the wishes of their constituencies? Why or why not?
Q5) How does Congress organize itself to carry on the public's business?
Q6) Why is the U.S.Congress referred to as the first branch of government?
Page 7
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Chapter 6: The Presidency
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123 Verified Questions
123 Flashcards
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Sample
Questions
Q1) Which of the following is an example of an administrative strategy for presidential influence?
A)signing statements
B)vetoing legislation
C)televised addresses
D)raising salaries of allied legislators
E)submitting a budget proposal to Congress
Q2) The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the highest military authority in the United States.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Congress has power to declare war,but the president is commander in chief of the U.S.armed forces.What is the current constitutional balance of power between the president and Congress over control of foreign and defense policy?
Q4) Over the past three-quarters of a century,American presidents have voluntarily delegated a great deal of authority to Congress.
A)True
B)False
Q5) In what ways do presidents expand their power?
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Chapter 7: The Executive Branch
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114 Verified Questions
114 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which choice is an example of a powerful before-the-fact political weapon for controlling the bureaucracy?
A)sunset provision
B)procedural control
C)appointment process
D)appropriations process
E)congressional hearing
Q2) If you were hired as a public relations expert by the U.S.government to improve the public image of the American bureaucracy,what specific recommendations would you make?
Q3) Clientele agencies are designed to serve the broad interests of the country.
A)True
B)False
Q4) What motivates bureaucratic behavior?
Q5) What is the largest federal welfare agency?
A)Department of Agriculture
B)Social Security Administration
C)Office of Medicare and Medicaid
D)Department of Health and Human Services
E)Department of Labor
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Chapter 8: The Federal Courts
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118 Verified Questions
118 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) If John Smith were pulled over for speeding and he appealed his ticket in court,the plaintiff would be the
A)arresting officer.
B)judge.
C)government.
D)local sheriff.
E)district attorney.
Q2) What is the difference between judicial activism and judicial restraint? Which one is better? What role does ideology play in judicial decision making?
Q3) The most dependable way an individual justice can exercise a direct and clear influence on the Supreme Court is to write a dissent.
A)True
B)False
Q4) For the most part in recent years,assertions of presidential power in such realms as foreign policy,war and emergency powers,legislative power,and administrative authority have been upheld by the federal courts.
A)True
B)False
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Page 10
Chapter 9: Public Opinion and the Media
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107 Verified Questions
107 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) In the domestic economy,those who generally oppose expansion of governmental activity are known as A)liberals.
B)populists.
C)progressives.
D)conservatives.
E)communists.
Q2) Expressions of public opinion are easy to interpret.
A)True
B)False
Q3) In today's terms,someone who generally supports extensive government intervention in the economy is known as a A)liberal.
B)populist.
C)libertarian.
D)conservative.
E)supply-sider.
Q4) Describe how governments have attempted to shape public opinion in support of the established order.
Q5) What factors lead to divergence between opinion and policy?
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Chapter 10: Elections
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92 Verified Questions
92 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) A type of electoral process in which a candidate must receive more than 50 percent of all votes cast in the relevant district to win a seat in a legislative body is
A)a majority system.
B)a plurality system.
C)a minority system.
D)proportional representation.
E)a Borda count system.
Q2) When California voters placed a measure on the ballot in 2003 to remove unpopular governor Gray Davis from office,they made use of the A)mediated lawmaking process.
B)initiative.
C)franchise.
D)referendum.
E)recall.
Q3) A referendum is an election held to remove a sitting official from office.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Do elections promote accountability from political leaders? Why or why not?
Q5) Explain how the rules governing the electoral process help determine outcomes.
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Chapter 11: Political Parties
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105 Verified Questions
105 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Members of Congress who share the president's party identification look to him or her as a party leader.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Third-party candidates often emerge to represent issues that were not given voice by the major parties.
A)True
B)False
Q3) In modern American politics,how are most candidates nominated to elected office?
A)through petitions
B)by party caucuses
C)through primary elections
D)through nominating conventions
E)by presidential appointment
Q4) Which nomination process is more responsive to new issues and new candidates?
A)caucus
B)presidential appointment
C)convention
D)conference committee
E)primary
Page 13
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Chapter 12: Groups and Interests
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101 Verified Questions
101 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) What part of the 1996 regulations affecting the actions of lobbyists is still in effect today?
A)relaxes control over the practice of honoraria
B)limits the size of individual gifts to no more than $50
C)bans travel of congressional representatives on corporate jets
D)allows businesses to deduct lobbying costs as a business expense
E)prohibits businesses from deducting lobbying costs as a business expense
Q2) Interest groups are sometimes confused with which of the following?
A)politicians
B)charges
C)delegations
D)political action committees
E)corporations
Q3) Interest groups help craft language in legislation.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The influence of interest groups has declined in recent years.
A)True
B)False
Q5) How do interest groups attempt to influence elections?
Page 14
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Chapter 13: Introduction to Public Policy
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131 Verified Questions
131 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) After the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act was enacted,the number of families receiving assistance dropped by over half nationwide.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The power of the central banking system in the United States to buy and sell government securities to increase or decrease the supply of money in the economy is called
A)open-market operations.
B)reserve requisitions.
C)acquisition and divestiture functionality.
D)federal funds adjustment.
E)quantitative easing.
Q3) Changing the interest rate at which banks lend to each other is a process called A)open-market operations.
B)federal loan management.
C)acquisition and divestiture functionality.
D)adjustment of the federal funds rate.
E)quantitative easing.
Q4) What goals should social and economic policies promote and why?
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Chapter 14: Foreign Policy
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106 Verified Questions
106 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The global war on terror is an expression of which of the following foreign policies?
A)nation-state
B)multilateralism
C)terrorism
D)appeasement
E)preemption
Q2) To counter new security threats posed by non-state actors,the United States has shifted from a policy of deterrence to a policy of appeasement.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Which of the following is NOT an instrument of modern American foreign policy?
A)diplomacy
B)the United Nations
C)the International Monetary Fund
D)economic aid and sanctions
E)unilateral security
Q4) Describe the structure and purpose of the United Nations (UN).
Q5) How did the Cold War change the conduct of American foreign policy?
Q6) Has the Bush Doctrine of preemptive war made the world a safer place?
Page 16
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