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CPBJ Test

Total questions: 50

Worksheet time: 41mins

Name
Class
Date
1.
What law set up the civil service commission?
a)
Douglass Act
b)
Pendleton Act
c)
Hatch Act
d)
Gruber Act
2.
Which of the following is NOT a formal qualification for the presidency?
a)
at least 35 years old
b)
natural born citizen
c)
citizen for 14 years
d)
14 years of residence in the US
3.
Which of the following is NOT an expressed power of the president?
a)
declare war
b)
commander-in-chief
c)
grant pardons
d)
make appointments
4.
What law protected government employees from harassment for their political beliefs?
a)
Gruber Act
b)
Pendleton Act
c)
Corleone Act
d)
Hatch Act
5.
Government run agencies that function like a business are called _____________.
a)
Regulatory Commmissions
b)
NASA
c)
Independent Agencies
d)
Government Corporations
6.
The power of the Supreme Court to declare laws and actions of local, state, or national governments unconstitutional
a)
Judicial Review
b)
Judicial Restraint
c)
Judicial Activism
d)
Advisory Opinion
7.
An order from the Supreme Court to a lower court to send up the records on a case for review
a)
Writ of Certiorari
b)
Amicus Curiae
c)
Rule of Four
d)
Judicial Review
8.
When a president wins by a large majority and feels the public approval, he is said to have a/an
a)
executive privilege
b)
vote of confidence
c)
electoral mandate
d)
pocket veto
9.
When a House bill passes a committee, where does it go next?
a)
Rules
Rules Committee
b)
Speaker of the House
c)
Senate
d)
President
10.
Who limits debate time in the Senate?
a)
no one - it is unlimited
b)
Vice President
c)
President Pro Tem
d)
Majority Leader
11.
If the House and Senate pass different version of the same bill, where does it go next?
a)
conference committee
b)
joint committee
c)
resolution committee
d)
President
12.
What can the president do once he receives the bill?
a)
all of these
b)
sign the bill into law
c)
veto the bill
d)
"pocket veto" the bill
13.

What is NOT a formal requirement to be president?

a)

35 yrs old

b)

14 years of residency

c)

military service

d)

born a citizen

14.
A legal principle create by an appellate court decision that lower court judges must follow when deciding similar cases
a)
Precedent
b)
Writ of Certiorari
c)
Rule of Four
d)
Amicus Curiae
15.
This amendment limits the president to two full terms or 10 years total.
a)
17th
b)
20th
c)
22nd
d)
25th
16.
What rule can end a filibuster?
a)
cloture rule
b)
implied rule
c)
filibuster buster rule
d)
Rules Committee
17.
An unwritten rule declaring that if four of the nine justices agree to hear a case, it will be scheduled for argument
a)
Rule of Four
b)
Writ of Certiorari
c)
Amicus Curiae
d)
Judicial Review
18.

A written brief from an individual or group claiming to have information useful to a court’s consideration of a case

a)

Amicus Curiae

b)

Writ of Certiorari

c)

Habeus Corpus

d)

E Pluribus Unum

19.
The philosophy that courts must sometimes step into political and social controversies in order to protect Constitutional rights
a)
Judicial Activism
b)
Judicial Restraint
c)
Judicial Review
d)
Amicus Curiae
20.
What must happen for a "pocket veto" to occur?
a)
Congress ends session within 10 days
b)
10 days must pass
c)
President must address Congress in person
d)
Congress must remain in session
21.

This SCOTUS case established Judicial Review.

a)

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

b)

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

c)

US v. Lopez (1995)

d)

Baker v. Carr (1962)

22.
How do federal judges, including supreme court justices, get their job?
a)
elected by the people
b)
chose by existing judges and approved by the President
c)
appointed by congress and approved by the President
d)
Appointed by the President and approved by the Senate
23.
An obstacle to the successful implementation of public policy is…
a)
the failure of Congress to pass authorizing legislation
b)
the over-specialization of civil service employees 
c)
unclear policy goals and poorly designed policies
d)
competition between the private and public sectors
24.

Agreements that the president concludes with foreign nations that do not require the advice and consent of the Senate are called what?

a)

Executive protocols

b)

Executive orders

c)

Treaties

d)

Executive agreements

25.

Executive _______________ have the force of law and can be used by presidents to make major policy.

a)

Orders

b)

Dempands

c)

Pardons

d)

Provisions

26.
The philosophy that courts should generally avoid overturning laws passed or actions taken by democratically elected bodies
a)
Judicial Restraint
b)
Judicial Activism
c)
Judicial Review
d)
Amicus Curiae
27.
Congress tries to control the bureaucracy through…
a)
rewriting laws, controlling budgets and holding hearings 
b)
the use of executive orders and appointments
c)
the creation of iron triangles
d)
dismissing members of the President’s cabinet 
28.

Which of the following is not a model of representation?

a)

Deficit

b)

Delegate

c)

Trustee

d)

Politico

29.

How can the executive branch check the judicial branch?

a)

by approving the nomination of federal judges

b)

by nominating federal judges, subject to senate approval

c)

by issuing an executive order overturning a court's decision

d)

by firing a federal judge for cause

e)

by reducing the number of federal courts

30.

What is the best rationale for allowing Supreme Court justices to serve for life terms?

a)

It takes time for a justice to gain experience in decision making, so they serve for life to make sure the judiciary is experienced.

b)

They protect the rights of the minority, and the protection of life tenure allows them to make legally correct, but unpopular, decisions.

c)

Congress should not be able to remove them, because the average member of Congress does not have a legal background.

d)

Their salaries are so low that it is difficult to attract good candidates; job security makes their positions more attractive.

e)

They serve for life terms so that they may develop a body of consistent and understandable law over time.

31.
What is a filibuster?
a)
attempt to "talk" a bill to death
b)
a method to make changes to a bill
c)
attempt to pass a bill without a majority
d)
none of these
32.

Which of the following falls under the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court?

a)

cases involving a state law that is alleged to violate the United States Constitution

b)

cases involving a federal law that is alleged to violated the United States Constitution

c)

controversies between two or more states

d)

cases where the amount in controversy exceeds $50,000

e)

conflicts between the president and Congress

33.

The president can influence legislation in all of the following ways EXCEPT

a)

by having his staff write a legislative program that is then introduced by a member of his party in Congress

b)

by asking the public to call Congress and express support for his legislative agenda

c)

by threatening to veto a bill when there is not enough likely support in Congress to override the veto

d)

y personally contacting members of Congress and asking for their support

e)

by rewriting a portion of a bill and then signing the amended bill into law

34.
Which of the following is NOT a method a president can use to control the bureaucracy?
a)
request a congressional oversight hearing 
b)
appoint people to head an agency who share the presidentʹs goals and strategies 
c)
influence an agency’s recommended budget
d)
issue executive orders or more informal requests 
35.

The Supreme Court is most likely to issue a writ of certiorari in which of the following cases?

a)

a conflict between two circuits that have issued opposite rulings about the constitutionality of a federal law

b)

a conflict between the president and Congress over the War Powers Act

c)

a criminal case from a state court in which the defendant proclaims his innocence

d)

a conflict between a federal agency and a state government

e)

a conflict over the meaning of an unclear regulation issued by an administrative agency

36.
The parts of the federal bureaucracy with responsibility for different sectors of the economy, and making and enforcing rules designed to protect the public interest, are the..
a)
independent executive agencies
b)
independent regulatory agencies
c)
government corporations
d)
cabinet departments 
37.

What has been the impact of the War powers Act on American military actions?

a)

Presidents have carefully followed the law and have asked Congress for permission before committing troops.

b)

Presidents have committed troops and then asked for Congress to continue the troop commitments beyond sixty days.

c)

Presidents have generally ignored the law because they believe it violates their powers as commander-in-chief.

d)

Congress has used the law to call troops home once they have been committed for more than sixty days.

e)

None. The Supreme Court ruled the War Powers Act unconstitutional under the political questions doctrine.

38.

What do the decisions of the Court led by Chief Justice Earl Warren illustrate about the relationship between the Court and the presidency?

a)

Supreme Court justices closely follow the views of the presidents who appointed them, and try to use those views in making decisions.

b)

Supreme Court justices stay in close contact with the presidents who nominate them, and they often become close friends.

c)

Supreme Court justices are independent. You can never predict with certainty what they will do once in office.

d)

Supreme Court justices are more likely to consider the options of the public if the president supports those beliefs.

e)

Supreme Court justices are hesitant to lose the political support of the party that nominated them.

39.
Which of the following is the best predictor of the Department of Education's annual budget?
a)
The preferences of the Chair of the Senate Finance Committee 
b)
The budget recommendations of the National Education Association
c)
The number of children entering kindergarten 
d)
The size of the previous year's budget 
40.
Which of the following is true of independent regulatory agencies? 
a)
They tend to have larger budgets than cabinet departments.
b)
They tend to be freer from presidential control than are cabinet departments.
c)
They are insulated from contact with interest groups.
d)
They are directly supervised by cabinet departments.
41.

Which of the following are the four types of committees?

a)

Standing, Bipartisan, Mixed, Federal

b)

Standing, Joint, Bipartisan, Conference

c)

Standing, Joint, Select, Conference

d)

Standing, Federal, Joint, Conference

42.
the role of a conference committee is to:
a)
hold hearings on proposed legislation
b)
oversee the actions fo the executive brnach
c)
conduct hearings
d)
reconcile differences in bills passed by the House and Senate
43.
When a member of Congress gets a project passed that will bring jobs or other benefits to her district/state, it's called...
a)
Riding
b)
Pork-Barrel Spending
c)
Servicing
d)
Gerrymandering
44.
A Senate panel holds hearings on how the Department of the Interior is allocating its budget. This is part of...
a)
Oversight
b)
Federalism
c)
Politicking
d)
Apportionment
45.
Who is the most powerful person in the Senate?
a)
Majority Leader
b)
President
c)
President pro tempore
d)
Speaker
46.
Which committee in the House of Representatives is an instrument of the majority party to control debate on the floor?
a)
Rules Committee
b)
Conference Committee
c)
Steering Committee
d)
Ways and Means Committee
47.

What is it called when Rep A promises to vote for Rep B’s legislation, and vice versa?

a)

partisan discipline

b)

logrolling

c)

cloture

d)

pork-barrel

48.

Signing Statements have been used by Presidents to…..

a)

Publicly demonstrate support or disapproval of Supreme Court decisions

b)

To provide an interpretation of a law which guides agencies in enacting the law

c)

Inform Congress that they will veto a bill if passed

d)

Inform Congress of the need for a conference about the bill

49.

Presidential claims to Executive Privilege are based upon…..

a)

1st Amendment Rights

b)

The Constitutional Principle of Separation of Powers

c)

The Constitutional Principle of Federalism

d)

The powers given to the President through his/her election by the people

50.
Party leaders who work with the majority leader or minority leader to count votes beforehand and lean on waverers whose votes are crucial to a bill favored by the party.
a)
Whip
b)
Majority Leader
c)
Speaker of the House
d)
President Pro Tempore