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WorksheetsHonors Civics 1st Quarter Exam
Total questions: 94
Worksheet time: 1hrs 14mins
Which of the following is NOT a major difference between the House of Representatives and the Senate
Members of the House are elected every two years and the Senate every 6 years.
Senators must be 30 years old and Representatives must be 25
The Senate passes appropriation legislation and the HoR confirms Presidential appointments.
The Senate was originally chosen by State Legislatures while the HoR was originally chosen by the people.
Which of the following statements about motions for cloture is true?
They force a bill out of committee so that the full House can vote on it.
They are applied to bills that failed in the previous session of Congress.
They are applied only to appropriation bills.
They are used by senators to end a filibuster and bring a bill to a vote.
They occur whenever a bill is reported out of committee.
The House Rules Committee is an important part of the legislative process because it
determines the terms and conditions of debate when a bill goes to the House floor
determines ethics rules for members' conduct
determines whether a bill should be referred to a policy committee for consideration
negotiates compromises on bills with the Senate Rules Committee
Which of the following scenarios best illustrates a member of Congress supporting pork-barrel legislation?
A senator from a coal-producing state voting against a job-training program for coal miners
A member of the House voting for urban renewal in exchange for increased funding for roads
A senator from an agricultural state amending legislation to establish a potato research institute in his or her state
A member of the House Armed Services Committee marking up a bill that will increase funding for military bases
Which of the following statements about gerrymandering is true?
It has been banned by United States Supreme Court decisions beginning with Baker v.Carr.
It was used traditionally to maintain urban control of the House of Representatives.
It can be used by a political party to draw boundary lines to control as many districts as possible.
It guarantees greater constituency control over elected representatives.
It ensures liberal control of the House of Representatives.
Voters elect their senator and representatives and expect them to vote on the basis of what their constituents believe
delegate model
representative model
politico model
trustee model
Which of the following scenarios is an example of the trustee model of representation?
The NAACP leadership sends representatives to Washington to lobby for changes to the Voting Rights Act.
Congress passes a bill allocating money to clean up nuclear waste sites after a wave of large-scale peaceful protests.
A member of Congress votes to close a popular tax loophole based on the belief that the money would be better spent paying down the national debt.
A presidential candidate advocates using an executive order to increase the minimum wage for federal contractors.
Which of the following statements about the Senate is true?
Each state is represented in the Senate according to its population.
The Senate, unlike the House, has a Rules Committee.
Individual senators can exercise substantial influence over the legislative process.
The Senate has a strict time limit on debates.
The Senate is more responsible than the House for initiating appropriations legislation.
The saying “All politics is local” roughly
means ________.
the local candidate will always win
the local constituents want action on national issues
the local constituents tend to care about things that affect them
the act of campaigning always occurs at the local level where constituents are
A congressperson who pursued a strict
delegate model of representation would seek to
________.
legislate in the way he or she believed
constituents wanted, regardless of the
anticipated outcome
legislate in a way that carefully considered
the circumstances and issue so as to reach a
solution that is best for everyone
legislate in a way that is best for the nation
regardless of the costs for the constituents
legislate in the way that he or she thinks is
best for the constituents
The increasing value constituents have placed
on descriptive representation in Congress has had
the effect of ________.
increasing the sensitivity representatives
have to their constituents demands
decreasing the rate at which incumbents are
elected
increasing the number of minority
members in Congress
decreasing the number of majority minority
districts
A select committee is different from a
standing committee because ________.
a select committee includes member of both chambers, while a standing committee includes only members of the House
a select committee is used for bill reconciliation, while a standing committee is used for prosecutions
a select committee must stay in session, while a standing committee goes to recess
a select committee is convened for a specific and temporary purpose, while a standing committee is permanent
Which of the following is true according to the diagram?
The Senate minority leader is as powerful as the Senate majority whip.
The Speaker of the House, in coordination with the House majority leader, appoints the House minority leader.
Unlike the House of Representatives, the Senate does not recognize political parties.
Both chambers make use of a system of majority and minority whips.
Which of the following scenarios is an example of the trustee model of representation?
The NAACP leadership sends representatives to Washington to lobby for changes to the Voting Rights Act.
Congress passes a bill allocating money to clean up nuclear waste sites after a wave of large-scale peaceful protests.
A member of Congress votes to close a popular tax loophole based on the belief that the money would be better spent paying down the national debt.
A presidential candidate advocates using an executive order to increase the minimum wage for federal contractors.
Based on your knowledge and the diagram, which of the following is true regarding the leadership structure of Congress?
The role of the minority leader in both the House of Representatives and the Senate is to coordinate a strategy for the minority party.
The vice president is responsible for creating and setting the legislative agenda for the Senate.
The Speaker of the House has very little power to control members of the majority party in the House of Representatives.
The majority leaders in both chambers work to ensure that a bipartisan agenda is passed in the Congress.
Which type of classic policy have costs that are concentrated and so are the benefits, but different groups bear the costs and enjoy the benefits
redistributive
distributive
regulatory
Which type of classic policy have provide considerable benefits for a few people at relatively small costs such as education, home-ownership.
redistributive
distributive
regulatory
In an economic slowdown, Keynesian economic policy would advocate
decreasing inflation
increasing government spending
increasing the money supply
raising interest rates
Justin wants to open a business that sells underwear and his underwear is the best in the world according to the New York Times. Justin is now the third richest man in the world. Which economic system is the country that Justin lives in?
Communsim
Socialism
Free Market
Traditional
In ____________ economics, the federal gov't dictates the specifics of the policy, and each state implements it in the exact same way.
bottom-up implementation
discretionary spending
top-down implementation
mandatory spending
Since public goods are free, most consumers become _______________ because they have no incentive to pay the supplier.
Policy Adopters
Free Riders
Non-excludable
Private Good
A public good is
1 rival,
2 nonrival,
3 excludable.
4 nonexcludable
1 and 3
1 and 4
2 and 3
2 and 4
4 only
The tragedy of the commons is the absence of incentives to
reduce marginal cost of common access resources
prevent underuse of common access resources
prevent overuse of common access resources
discover new common access resources
export wool in sixteenth-century England
‘An increase in consumption by one person leaves the benefits available to others undiminished’.
Which good does this statement define?
Demerit Goods
Merit Goods
Private Goods
Public Goods
What justifies government intervention in the provision of a merit good such as education?
People who pay for education value it more than those who cannot pay
Private schools have more merit than state schools
Social costs of providing education outweigh social benefits of education
Some consumers do not fully recognize the value of education
What is most likely to decrease if the government pays a subsidy to the producers of a product?
government spending
output of the product
price of the product
rates of taxation
A government finances its public sector by borrowing the money--selling securities to the non-bank private sector. (saving bonds,
What will follow?
The budget deficit will fall
The deficit on the current account will increase
The money supply will rise
The national debt will increase
What statement best explains why the government provides goods and services to its citizens?
To provide benefits to small groups of people in certain areas of the country.
To provide goods and services that would not be available if individuals had to provide them.
To compete with businesses in the private sector.
To make a large profit by providing certain goods and services to it's citizens.
The government pays for public goods and services through —
donations from wealthy politicians
donations from foreign nations
revenue from sales and income taxes
revenue from the lottery
Which of the following is an example of a positive externality resulting from an outdoor band concert?
An elderly woman in her apartment hears a song that she liked as a child.
A pair of endangered birds leave their nest in a nearby tree when the concert starts.
A pizza parlor closes early, because all of its customers are at the concert.
A traffic jam occurs as drivers hunt for parking spots near the concert.
Which individual is qualified to be the President?
Max is 67 years old, born in Orlando, and has lived his entire life in Canada.
Karen is 43 years old, born in Key West, and has lived in the Keys her entire life
Martha is 34 years old, born in Jacksonville, and has lived in Florida her entire life
Samuel is 52 years old, is a naturalized citizen and has been living in the USA for the last 20 years.
1. President Franklin D. Roosevelt brought the United States out of the Great Depression by creating a series of programs called the New Deal. What does the picture imply about the presidency?
A. Congress pushes the President to make changes.
B. The Legislative and Executive Branch work together.
C. The President pressures Congress to support his goals.
D. Congress doesn’t have to take the Presidents’ ideas into consideration.
What was the primary reason for the Twenty-fifth amendment?
To prevent a President and V.P. from opposing political parties from serving together in the same administration
To spell out what happens upon the death, removal, or resignation of the president
To allow residents of the District of Columbia to have a voice in Presidential elections
To limit a President from serving no more than two terms in office
In the Election of 1800, there was a tie for president between two individuals from the same political party. This situation was prevented from occurring again with the adoption of which amendment to the U.S. Constitution?
12th Amendment
20th Amendment
23rd Amendment
26th Amendment
The 22nd Amendment applies to the president in what capacity?
Limits President to 2 terms and a total of 8 years (possibly up to 10 under certain circumstances)
Lame Duck period shortened
Gives the President the right to Free Speech
Allows the president to invoke Executive Privilege
All are examples of the limits to the Presidents power EXCEPT?
Congress’ power of the purse
Federal Bureaucracy
Congress' power to Impeach
The House of Representatives power to confirm Judicial Appointments
How has advanced technology affected the presidency?
Technology has had negative affects because people can spread false information concerning the president.
Technology has greatly expanded the power of the president and gives him greater access to the public.
Technology has not affected the power of the presidency.
Many at the Continental Congress were skeptical of allowing presidents to be directly elected by the legislature because ________.
they were worried about giving the legislature too much power
they feared the opportunities created for corruption
they knew the weaknesses of an electoral college
they worried about subjecting the comander-in-chief to public scrutiny
How did the election of 1824 change the way presidents were selected?
Following this election, presidents were directly elected
Jackson's supporters decided to create a device for challenging the Electoral College
The selection of the candidate with fewer electoral votes triggered the rise of party control over nominations.
The election convinced many that the parties must adopt the king caucus as the primary method for selecting presidents.
Which of the following is an unintended consequence of the rise of the primary and caucus system?
Campaigns have become shorter and more expensive.
Sometimes candidates unpopular with the party leadership reach the top.
The conventions have become more powerful that the voters.
Often incumbent presidents will fail to be renominated by the party.
President Theodore Roosevelt's concept of the bully pulpit was the office's ________.
premier position to pressure through public appeal
authority to use force, especially military force
constitutional power to veto legislation
ability to use technology to enhance the voice of the president
The passage of the Tenure of Office Act of 1867 was just one instance in a long line of ________.
unconstitutional presidential power grabbing
struggles for power between the president and the Congress
impeachment trials
arguments over presidential policy
Which of the following is an example of an executive agreement?
The president negotiates an agreement with China and submits it to the Senate for ratification.
The president signs legally binding nuclear arms terms with Iran without seeking congressional approval.
The president changes a regulation on undocumented immigrant status without congressional approval.
The president issues recommendations to the Department of Justice o what the meaning of a new criminal statute is.
This person is the President’s closest assistant (maybe even more than the VP). They oversee the executive office of the President, select White House staff, manage what is going in and out of the White House, and lobbies on behalf of the President.
Secretary of State
Speaker of the House
White House Chief of Staff
First Lady
The extent to which appointed bureaucrats can choose courses of action and make policies not spelled out by laws.
Bureaucracy
laissez-faire
discretionary authority
competitive service
The cluster of presidential staff agencies that help the president carry out his responsibilities.
Executive Office of the president
Cabinet
Executive agencies
Government corporations
Advisory council for the president consisting of the heads of the executive departments, the vice president, and a few other officials selected be the president.
Executive Office of the President
Cabinet
Executive agencies
Muckraking occurs when newspapers ________.
print sensational news on the front page to sell papers
investigate actions of celebrities
print more editorials and opinion pieces to sell papers
investigate problems in government and business
Television news became a regular feature during ________ due to the public's demand for ________ to explain current events.
WWI; images and maps
Great Depression; charts and tables
WWII; images and maps
Vietnam War; charts and tables
In which circumstance would the courts find libel?
A television reporter delivers a story about increased drug use at the local college.
A reporter writes that local college students are drug dealers but has no sources.
A columnist writes his opinion about whether an actor is hiding a drug problem.
A reporter uses a source that incorrectly states a celebrity is using drugs.
The Supreme Court determined that the right of the press to print classified material ________.
is complete, and the press may print anything it likes
is partial, and the press may print classified material only if it does not compromise troops or covert operatives
has not yet been defined
is obsolete, and the press may never print classified material
Which of the following is an example of episodic framing?
a story on drug abuse that interviews addicts and discusses reasons for addiction and government responses to help addicts
a story on how drug abuse policy has changed since 1984
a story on candidates' answers to a drug question in a debate
a story detailing arguments against needle exchange programs
Which of the following is not an example of how conglomerates censor information?
Conglomerates set policies that affect all organizations and networks within the corporation. If Disney refuses to air programming with a certain actor, all stations in the Disney conglomerate might be required to forgo programming with that actor.
Conglomerates can censor information by determining which companies should be advertised, as
well as appointing policies that have an impact on the networks and organizations.
When a media conglomerate has policies or restrictions, they will apply to all stations or outlets under its ownership, potentially limiting the information citizens receive.
All answers are accurate.
In what ways is media responsible for promoting the public good?
The media is responsible for making the public aware of the president's opinion so the United States can be a cohesive country.
The media is responsible for strengthening the public’s
awareness and contributing to a platform’s presence for public debate.
The media is responsible for showing the public as much bad news as possible in order to keep the public safe from the dangerous world.
The media is responsible for forming the public's opinion to promote the common good.
Which of the following describes the potential impact on the electorate when daily media coverage of elections focuses primarily on the newest poll results?
The electorate will be increasingly divided along partisan lines.
The electorate will be less likely to turn out to vote on Election Day.
The electorate will be more likely to have expanded knowledge of the electoral process.
The electorate will be less able to accurately compare the policy platforms of candidates running in the election.
Which of the following best characterizes the influence of the news media on public opinion in the United States?
They alter the public's views on issues.
They affect which issues the public thinks are important.
They determine how citizens will vote.
They are most able to influence people with the highest level of education.
They are most able to influence the urban sectors of society.
Which of the following provides the most accurate explanation of how consumer-driven media increases partisan polarization?
Consumer-driven media tends to avoid discussing controversial political topics.
Consumer-driven media reinforces existing political biases in individuals.
Consumer-driven media relies heavily on corporate advertising.
Consumer-driven media is overwhelmingly conservative.
Why should we be cautious when reading / listening to breaking news reports?
Sometimes early information is inaccurate.
It could be really boring.
In case it is a sad story.
Sometimes television broadcasters make up news stories for publicity.
Why are foreign policy issues more complicated than domestic policy issues?
They are more specific.
They are more complex.
The international environment is
unpredictable.
They are more expensive
The goals of U.S. foreign policy include ________.
keeping the country safe
securing access to foreign markets
protecting human rights
all the above
All the following are examples of sharply focused foreign policy outputs except ________.
presidential summits
military uses of force
emergency spending measures
international agreements
The War Powers Resolution ________.
strengthened congressional war powers
strengthened presidential war powers
affected the presidency and congress
equally
ultimately had little impact on war-making
The federal budget process matters in foreign policy for all the following reasons except ________.
Congress has the power of the purse, so the president needs its approval
the budget provides the funding needed to run the foreign policy agencies
the budget for every presidential action has to be approved in advance
the budget allows political institutions to increase funding in key new areas
Why do House members and senators tend to be less active on foreign policy matters than domestic ones?
Foreign policy matters are more technical and difficult.
Legislators do not want to offend certain immigrant groups within their constituency.
Constituents are more directly affected by domestic policy topics than foreign ones.
Legislators themselves are not interested in foreign policy matters.
The U.S. policy of containment during the Cold War related to keeping ________.
terrorism from spreading
rogue countries like North Korea from
developing nuclear weapons
communism from spreading
oil prices from rising
The use of drones within other countries' borders is consistent with which school of thought?
liberal internationalism
neoconservatism
neo-isolationism
grand strategy
What is the different between Unilateral and Multilateral Diplomacy?
In Multilateral a country doesn't work at all on policy goals. In Unilateral, countries don't work either.
In Multilateral a country works alone on policy goals. In Unilateral, countries work together as a team.
In Unilateral a country works alone on policy goals. In Multilateral, countries work together as a team.
Which example best describes an Isolationist country?
This country does not go to international meetings and thinks that the important things are at home.
This country participates in a lot of different organizations in order to have a better understanding of the world.
Which of the following describes Military Deterrence?
Donating, selling, or trading weapons/military tech to empower other nations.
Using military force to achieve objectives.
Building up stockpiles of weapons/military tech to prevent an attack.
All of the following are examples of goals of U.S. foreign policy EXCEPT
attending a meeting with the G-20 Summit (wealthiest nations) to reaffirm the Transatlantic Partnership
sending aid to the people of Sudan to recover from a brutal civil war
improving the infrastructure in Alaska
meeting with U.S. Ambassador in Cambodia to combat the crime of human trafficking
Because the Preamble of the U.S. Constitution states the goals of forming a more perfect union, establish justice, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty; Presidents traditionally have prioritized the following two goals of foreign policy above the others
National Security and Economic Growth
World Peace and Human Rights
Economic Growth and Promoting Democracy
Human Rights and Promoting Democracy
Which of the following is not an example or characteristic of a sharply focused output?
presidential use of military force via a specific drone strike on an enemy target
the forging of a presidential summit with another president or head of state
led by the president
easier for future policymakers to undo
are more expensive and involve nation-states
Which of the following is not an example or characteristic of a broadly focused output?
brings more involvement from Congress and world leaders
formulizing a multilateral treaty on the global environment
finalizing the U.S. diplomatic budget each year
difficult to reverse and more expensive
president calls for a drone strike on Afghanistan military base
Which of the following is a pro of the neoconservative foreign policy approach followed in recent decades?
United States is less bogged down in international process and
can move more quickly to squelch conflict
United States, in acting alone, might offend other countries that would prefer everyone act together
the country might decide to go directly to military-based solutions rather than using diplomacy
Which of the following is a con of the neoconservative foreign policy approach followed in recent decades?
United States is less bogged down in international process
United States, in acting alone, might offend other countries that would prefer everyone act together
The US can move more quickly to prevent conflict
Taxes, education, healthcare, and the economy involve which type of policies?
domestic policies
foreign policies
congressional policies
legislative policies
