United States Political Institutions
Question Bank
Course Introduction
This course offers a comprehensive overview of the structure, function, and evolution of major political institutions in the United States, including Congress, the Presidency, and the federal judiciary. Students will explore the constitutional foundations of each institution, their interactions within the framework of federalism and the separation of powers, and the roles they play in the shaping and implementation of public policy. Special emphasis is placed on the historical development, decision-making processes, and the impact of political parties, interest groups, and the media. By analyzing contemporary issues and landmark cases, students will gain a deeper understanding of how these institutions influence American democracy and governance.
Recommended Textbook
American Politics Today Essentials 5th Edition by William T. Bianco
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11 Chapters
952 Verified Questions
952 Flashcards
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Chapter 1: Understanding American Politics
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Sample Questions
Q1) Is democracy the only way to resolve conflict in a society?
Answer: Democracy is not the only way to resolve conflict in a given society.Not all citizens in the world have a fundamental belief in democracy as do most Americans.Though citizens in a democracy may struggle to address conflictual issues, leaders in authoritarian regimes seek to suppress conflict through violence and by limiting freedom.To those who have a democratic ethos, a transparent debate about controversial matters is preferable to having no debate at all because those in power choose to limit freedom of speech and expression.
Q2) The division of power between the national government and the state and local governments is called A)constitutionalism.
B)federalism.
C)republicanism.
D)pluralism.
Answer: B
Q3) Politics occurs only in the context of government decision making.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Page 3
Chapter 2: The Constitution and the Founding
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Antifederalists argued that the power of ________ was "a political error of the greatest magnitude."
A)the purse
B)the sword
C)the veto
D)declaring war
Answer: C
Q2) How did the framers design the Constitution to protect minority rights?
A)separation of powers and checks and balances
B)allowing majority tyranny to occur to protect the rights of the many
C)through the creation of political parties
D)through the creation of interest groups
Answer: A
Q3) Which agreement gave the legislature two houses?
A)Great Compromise
B)Three-Fifths Compromise
C)Virginia Plan
D)New Jersey Plan
Answer: A
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Page 4
Chapter 3: Federalism
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Sample Questions
Q1) What was the doctrine of nullification and why was it important?
Answer: The doctrine of nullification was a belief promulgated by John C.Calhoun in the early nineteenth century that states possessed the right to ignore a law passed by Congress if state officials believed the law was unconstitutional.It was important because the doctrine of states' rights culminated later in the century with the secession of southern states and then the Civil War.
Q2) Which one of the following programs provided states with significant flexibility in spending federal welfare dollars?
A)Great Society programs
B)Temporary Assistance to Needy Families
C)Social Security Act
D)Medicare Act
Answer: B
Q3) The commerce clause specifically gives
A)state governments the power to raise funds by taxing goods and services.
B)state governments the power to regulate commerce.
C)Congress the power to set interest rates.
D)Congress the power to regulate economic exchange between the states.
Answer: D
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Civil Liberties
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which one of the following is accurate regarding the right to peacefully assemble?
A)The right to peacefully assemble has been consistently upheld by the Supreme Court justices.
B)Members of the Ku Klux Klan and the Nazi Party have generally not been allowed to hold public rallies.
C)Local government officials generally do not have to let unpopular groups assemble in their communities if they do not wish to do so.
D)The right to assemble can be constitutionally restricted by a "heckler's veto."
Q2) Privacy rights
A)were enumerated explicitly in the Constitution.
B)go back to the early nineteenth century.
C)were first developed in Roe v.Wade.
D)were first developed in 1965.
Q3) What is the difference between strict and intermediate scrutiny?
Q4) Prior restraint has taken on new significance in the War on Terror.
A)True
B)False
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6
Chapter 5: Civil Rights
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Sample Questions
Q1) The proposed Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s stated that equal protection cannot be denied on the basis of sex.
A)True
B)False
Q2) What was the Stonewall rebellion and why was it important?
Q3) The white primary
A)effectively disenfranchised African-American voters in the South.
B)effectively disenfranchised African-American voters in the North.
C)was race neutral in its intent.
D)largely had no impact on elections in the South.
Q4) The belief that women were NOT strong enough to compete in the business world was called protectionism.
A)True
B)False
Q5) The Civil War amendments banned the most important practices associated with slavery and guaranteed equal protection under the law.
A)True
B)False
Q6) What is the rational basis test and why is it important?
Page 7
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Chapter 10: Congress
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which one of the following is a power that party leaders in the U.S.House and U.S.Senate can use to influence the legislative process?
A)forcing members of the party to cast ballots in a particular way
B)the ability to control the timing of when bills come up for a vote
C)control over who can run for office under the party label
D)the ability to influence the redistricting process
Q2) Identify and explain several different reasons why incumbents typically have an advantage against challengers in House and Senate races.
Q3) What is the difference between fire alarm and police patrol oversight?
Q4) A vote of cloture requires approval by ________ senators.
A)50
B)51
C)60
D)67
Q5) Which one of the following statements is accurate?
A)The U.S.House has the power to impeach.
B)The U.S.Senate has the power to impeach.
C)The U.S.Senate is not part of the impeachment process.
D)Only one president, Bill Clinton, has been impeached to date.
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Chapter 11: The Presidency
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Sample Questions
Q1) Presidents can avoid ratification of a treaty by simply announcing that the United States will comply with its requirements.The disadvantage of this strategy is that
A)it limits the ability of the president to enforce the treaty.
B)it requires a congressional resolution to make the treaty politically viable.
C)it is illegal according to earlier rulings by the Supreme Court.
D)a future president may simply ignore it.
Q2) What role do vice presidents play in American politics?
Q3) What are signing statements and why are they important?
Q4) Members of Congress often resist taking action to limit presidential power because
A)taking such action would be declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court justices.
B)it would create a constitutional crisis if the president ignored the limits.
C)they understand that taking such action would be harmful to the efficient functioning of the federal government.
D)colleagues from the president's party may want the president to have the authority because they hold similar policy objectives.
Q5) What role do presidents play in the legislative process? Explain.
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Chapter 12: The Bureaucracy
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Sample Questions
Q1) Under the Hatch Act, federal employees cannot engage in organized political activities, which include voting and contributing money to candidates.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which one of the following was NOT a task performed by the federal bureaucracy in early American history?
A)delivery of mail
B)regulation of food and water
C)providing for national defense
D)taxes on exports
Q3) The problem of control has existed since America began as a republic in 1789.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Civil service requirements exist
A)in order to strengthen political parties.
B)in order to separate politics from policy.
C)in order to make it easier to fire employees for poor performance.
D)in order to promote more loyalty to the president.
Q5) How can members of Congress or the president correct bureaucratic drift?
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Chapter 13: The Courts
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Sample Questions
Q1) Although judicial review is an accepted part of the U.S.political system, critics of judicial review contend that it
A)provides too much power to the majority.
B)is undemocratic because it gives nine unelected judges enormous power.
C)is undemocratic because a minority of the Court can affect national policy.
D)creates liberal bias in the system because most justices are former lawyers from Ivy League universities.
Q2) Distinguish between judicial activism and judicial restraint.
Q3) Recent courts have been less willing to deviate from precedent than earlier courts.
A)True
B)False
Q4) There are a total of ________ federal district courts today.
A)12
B)94
C)389
D)677
Q5) Explain why Marbury v.Madison (1803) was a case involving judicial review.
Q6) Describe how oral argument works in the Supreme Court.
Q7) How can appeals arrive to the Supreme Court? Explain.
Page 11
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Chapter 14: Economic and Social Policy
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Sample Questions
Q1) Taxing and spending decisions are known as ________ policy.
A)punitive
B)mandatory
C)monetary
D)fiscal
Q2) A natural monopoly occurs because
A)one company offers a product that is clearly superior to its competitors.
B)mergers occur between rival companies until only one remains.
C)one company corners the market by buying up companies in other industries that control the means of production.
D)the costs are so high to enter a specific business that only one company in the market can be profitable.
Q3) Which one of the following is NOT a recommendation made by public policy experts to keep the Social Security system working effectively?
A)eliminate Social Security benefits for those over 90 years old
B)raise the age requirement to qualify for Social Security
C)lower benefits for nonworking spouses and wealthier individuals
D)raise payroll taxes
Q4) What do we know about the elderly and poverty over the last three generations?
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Chapter 15: Foreign Policy
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Sample Questions
Q1) ________ assists countries in managing budget deficits and currency values.
A)The World Bank
B)The World Trade Organization
C)The International Monetary Fund
D)NATO
Q2) The National Security Council primarily assists the U.S.Congress by keeping the legislative branch informed of national security threats.
A)True
B)False
Q3) At one time, America had a strictly isolationist foreign policy.
A)True
B)False
Q4) ________ is an idea that the United States should be involved with other countries, due to both self-interest as well as moral obligation.
A)Internationalism
B)Realism
C)Isolationism
D)Nationalism
Q5) What is the purpose of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF)?
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