Font size
WorksheetsBriannnnn Government Final Review
Total questions: 114
Worksheet time: 1hrs 28mins
____ described the Constitution as "who gets what, when, how."
James Madison
Abraham Lincoln
Harold Lasswell
John Locke
if a government that previously had no limits on what it could do to its citizens way overthrown and replaces with a government that has strict substantive and procedural limits on what it could do, this change would best be characterized as a shift from a(n)
Constitutional Government to Totalitarian Government
Authoritarian Government to a Totalitarian Government
Totalitarian Government to a Constitutional Government
Totalitarian Government to an Authoritarian Government
The decline in political efficacy in the United States is
Unlikely to matter at all for the functioning of the American democracy because America's constitutional form of limited government is so well established
Likely to have negative effects on American Democracy because it will lead to less citizen participation in government
Likely to have negative effects on American Democracy because it will lead to more citizen participation in government
likely to have positive effects on American democracy because it will lead to more citizen participation in the government
During the last 50 years, the American population has
not experienced any regional shifts
shifted as a result of people leaving the northeast and midwest and moving to the south and southwest
shifted as a result of people leaving the south and southwest and moving to the northeast and midwest
shifted as a result of people leaving urban areas and moving to rural areas
Political culture refers to the
way artists, musicians, filmmakers, and cultural critics use their messages to influence political decision making
shared values, beliefs, and attitudes that serve to hold a nation and its people together
system of organizing politically, which is defined historically in the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union
Formal rules that govern the interaction between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches
____ are the three core values in American politics
liberty, equality, and democracy
democracy, patriotism, and the rule of law
equality, oligarchy, and free enterprise
anarchy, equality, and patriotism
Which of the following statements about liberty and equality is most accurate?
In contrast to equality, which requires limits on the scope of government action, liberty implies an obligation for the government to act on behalf of the people
In contrast to liberty, which requires limits on the scope of government action, equality implies an obligation for the government to act on behalf of the people
liberty and equality cannot simultaneously exist in a democratic political system
liberty and equality are two different terms for the idea that political authority ultimately rests in the hands of the people
______ is the core political value most highly prioritized by American conservatives.
Liberty
Equality
Family
Justice
______ is the most important core value of liberalism.
Liberty
Democracy
Equality
Justice
The president's power to veto a bill passed by Congress is a good example of
(a)
Federal judges are appointed by the ____ and must be approved by the _____.
Senate; President
President; Senate
President; House of Representatives
President; Supreme Court
Judicial Review is the power of
the courts to decide the constitutionality of actions taken by the other branches of government
Congress to review the decisions of federal courts
the states to review the constitutionality of federal actions and laws
the courts to review and edit pieces of legislation before they are voted on in Congress
The enumerated powers of Congress are listed in _________ of the Constitution
Article I, Section 8
Article II, Section 1
Article III, Section 2
the Bill of Rights
Which of the following definitions about the House of Representatives and the Senate is true?
The Senate and the House have the power to ratify treaties.
The Senate and the House have the power to approve presidential appointments.
The House alone has the power to overturn a President's veto, while the Senate does not.
The House alone has the power to originate revenue bills, while the Senate does not.
The Constitution expressly grants Congress the power to
appoint judges
receive ambassadors
regulate interstate commerce
abolish state boundaries
Which of the following is the best definition of the elastic clause?
a part of the Constitution that empowers Congress to make all laws "necessary and proper" to carry out its enumerated powers
a part of the Constitution that empowers the Supreme Court to review actions by the legislative or executive branches
a part of the Constitution that says laws passed by the national government are superior to laws adopted by the states
a mechanism that gives each branch of government influence over other branches of the government
The Antifederalists argues that the powers of the national government should be limited by
providing Congress with a larger grant of powers
decreasing the powers of the executive branch, especially those of the vice president
adding a bill of rights to the Constitution
preventing government from collecting revenue through taxation
Which of the following statements best describes the framers' view of liberty?
Liberty is the absence of government.
Liberty is less important than social and economic equality
Government promotes liberty by maintaining order
The framers feared that democracy and equality could undermine individual liberty
Which of the following is NOT among the expressed powers granted to the national government in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution?
The power to collect taxes
The power to declare war
The power to regulate commerce
The power to establish a national bank
The purpose of the Tenth Amendment is to
ensure that each state constitution offers the same number of individual rights provided by the federal constitution
limit the powers of the federal government by reserving special powers to the states and to the people
grant citizens of each state access to the federal court system
protect freedom of speech
____ powers exist when both the state and national government share authority in certain domains.
Implied
Reserved
Expressed
Concurrent
"Commerce among the several states" was first defined in which Supreme Court case?
Prints v. United States
Marbury v. Madison
MuCulloch v. Maryland
Gibbons v. Ogden
What is the overall importance of McCulloch v. Maryland(1819)?
The Court allowed Congress to use the necessary and proper clause to broadly interpret its delegated powers
The Court gave a very restricted definition of Congress's delegated and implied powers, setting the state for more limited representation of this power in the future
The Court announced that dual federalist did not conform to the framer's design
The Court declared that the National Bank was unconstutional
Suppose the government wanted to develop a national high-speed rail netted. The federal government supplies states with the money to do so, but imposes very strict laws on how it will be spent. These type of funding is most likely to come from
a block grant
general revenue sharing
an unfunded mandate
a categorical grant
"Marble cake federalism" is associated with the
increasing political power of local governments over the last two decades
practice of federal officials bribing their state counterparts with various gifts in order to convince them to follow national standards
pattern of intergovernmental cooperation that has blurred the lines between the states and the national governments
confusion that emerged during the 1960s about which level of government is actually responsible for regulating the national economy
An example of ____ is when federal officials force state officials to implement more stringent national water pollution regulations
home rule
preemption
police power
the doctrine of states' rights
A major reason that the slogan "states' rights" became tarnished in the 1950s and 1960s was that it had been used by
opponents of the civil rights movement to support laws favoring racial inequality
religious organizations. to increase federal spending on faith-based initiatives
antiwar activities to protest the war in Vietnam
supporters of the civil rights movement to oppose racial segregation
Using block grants to return power to the states was part of ____ during the Nixon and Reagan administrations.
the New Deal
the Great Society
New Federalism
the New Frontier
The process by which political values are formed
political socialization
ideological education
brainwashing
value enhancing
A person's political party preference is primarily acquired through the influence of the
person's family
region of the country the person inhabits
person's education
media
the tendency for Black Americans to perceive other Black Americans as members of a group with a common identity and a shared political interest is called
reverse racism
symbolic racism
linked fate
intergroup commonality
Which of the following is an example of the "gender gap"?
that men and women have roughly the same overall levels of support for abortion
that men are more supportive of Donald Trump's presidency than women
that women earn, on average, less than men
that women received the right to vote in the United States long after most men did
Which of the following statements about public opinion in America is most accurate?
Political knowledge is very high in America
Citizens with low levels of knowledge are generally better able to evaluate new information and determine its relevancy to their beliefs
Citizens with high levels of knowledge are generally able to better evaluate new information to determine its relevancy to their beliefs
Politically knowledgeable citizens are more likely to consider themselves independent and not have a liberal or conservative ideology
The small group selected by pollsters to represent the entire population is called a
validity quotient
reliability quotient
sample
quota
Suppose six months before a presidential election, a public-opinion poll shows that the incumbent president will lose in November. If you were trying to reassure the president about his or her chances for reelection, which of the following would be the strongest case to make?
A survey conducted so far ahead of the election is guilty of selection bias; you can't get a random sample until you are closer to election day
Surveys cannot use simple random sampling when conducted months before an election; this survey probably has a high margin of error
A survey conducted so far ahead of the election produces very different results than a survey conducted closer to election day
A survey conducted six months before the election shows that public opinion is very unlikely to change
In order for a survey to accurately generalize the entire population, the survey must
sample at least 10% of the target population
sample at least 25% of the target population
sample at least 10,000 individuals from the target population
select respondents randomly, and everyone in the target population must have an equal chance of being selected
If a national survey finds candidate A leads candidate B by 5% in the upcoming election and the margin of error in the survey is 3%, it means candidate A
leads candidate B by exactly 5 percentage points
leads candidate B by anywhere between 2 and 8 percentage points
leads candidate B by exactly 3 percentage points
trails candidate B by anywhere between 2 and 8 percentage points
What is the social desirability effect?
the bias in surveys that comes from the failure of pollsters to interview respondents from lower socioeconomic backgrounds
the strong desire that people have to express their opinions to survey researchers
the fact that respondents report what they think the interviewer wishes to hear or whatever they think is socially acceptable instead of what they actually believe
the impression conveyed by polls that something is important to the public when it actually is not
protects citizens from arbitrary government action
(a)
expands ban on interracial marriage
(a)
court upholds mandatory flag salute
(a)
government cannot restrict a person's free exercise unless it can show a compelling reason for doing so
(a)
states must guarantee due process rights found in the US bill of rights
(a)
school prayer unconstitutional since state officially endorsed prayer
(a)
Sterilization act of 1924 ruled unconstitutional
(a)
court upheld state law limiting free exercise rights of two Native American men
(a)
court struck down state and local components of RFRA
(a)
declared the racial integrity act unconstitutional
(a)
What was the main cause for reducing the legal voting age to 18?
young American citizens formally organized and protested for the right to vote
the Constitution mandated that the draft age be equivalent to the voting age
Government official hoped it would lead to a decline in sorptive student protests against the Vietnam War
A decision by the Supreme Court Justices determined that voting requirements based on age were unconstitutional
Compared to other developed countries, voter turnout in the United States is
higher
about the same
lower
impossible to compare
Accidental mobilization occurs when
people are mistakenly contacted by a political party on election day
individuals are exposed to political information online that they did not explicitly seek out
a candidate makes a verbal gaffe that leads new groups of people to vote in an election
turnout in a midterm congressional election is much higher than analysts predict
What is social capital
campaign contributions made by community organizations
community networks that motivate political participation
the funds that interest groups raise during election campaigns
an individual's belief on his or her ability to competently engage in personal interactions with other people
The primary goal of Russian propaganda to disrupt the 2016 election was to
mobilize Trump supporters to vote, demobilize Clinton supporters, and promote third-party candidates to Bernie Sanders supporters
mobilize Clinton supporters to vote, demobilize Trump supporters, and promote third-party candidates to Bernie Sanders supporters
demobilize Trump and Clinton supporters while also promoting third-party candidates to Bernie Sanders's supporters
demobilize all American voters
Suppose you were hired to work on the campaign of a 2020 presidential candidate. Your job was to reach out to the group of people most likely to vote. Which group should you target first?
18-24 year olds
men
women
low-income voters
What is one reason that political parties and politicians view latinos and Latinas as a critically important group?
the Latino and Latina population in the United States is rapidly growing
Latinos and Latinas register to vote at higher levels than Whites and African Americans
Latinos and Latinas contribute more money to political parties and campaigns than White and African Americans combined
Latinos and Latinas consistently vote for the Republican Party
Under the Constitution, _____ the power to control voter registration.
Congress has
the President has
the Federal Election Commission has
State legislatures have
____ conducts its elections entirely by mail.
New Mexico
Oklahoma
Oregon
Michigan
Blue Wall States in the 2016 election
(a)
In the 2020 primary elections in New Hampshire, all registered voters were able to participate regardless of parties. New Hampshire has
a closed primary system
a ranked-choice vote primary system
an open primary system
a proportional representation system
In a _____ election, voters choose the nominees for their parties. In a _____ election, voters choose who they want to be office holders.
midterm; final
general; primary
primary; general
runoff; midterm
A(n) ___ is the practice of referring a proposed law passed by the legislative to a vote. A(n) _____ is a proposed law or policy change that is placed on the ballot by citizens or interest groups for a vote.
referendum; recall
initiative; referendum
recall; initiative
referendum; initiative
When the Consumer Confidence Index is greater than 100 prior to an election, Americans tend to
vote for third-party presidential candidates
vote for the incumbent party's presidential candidate
vote against the incumbent party's presidential candidate
abstain from voting
The first caucus in the presidential campaign is held in _____, while the first primary election is presidential primary election campaign is held in ______.
Connecticut; Iowa
Iowa; Connecticut
Iowa; New Hampshire
New Hampshire; Iowa
The electoral college is
the group of electors who formally select the president and vice president
a tool used in the early years of the American republic through which the House of Representatives selected presidential nominees
a special conclave of the Supreme Court that helps settle cases related to election and campaign law
An archaic group that once was responsible for picking the president but now simply certifies that the winner of the popular vote wins the presidency
Hilary Clinton won the state of California in the 2016 election. In 2016, California had 53 representatives in the House of Representatives. How many electoral votes from California did Clinton win?
53
55
62
77
Suppose more and more states wish to increase their political influence bu holding their nominating process earlier and earlier. This causes the process for nominating the president to become
gerrymandered
proportionally represented
a closed primary
front-loaded
In order to win the presidency, a candidate must win
at least 270 electoral votes
a majority of the popular vote
at least 26 state-level presidential elections
at least 300 electoral votes
Political scientists call voter's choices that focus on future behavior ____ voting, while those based on past performances are called _____ voting
prospective; retrospective
retrospective; prospective
partisan; issue
issue; partisan
Congress is a ____ legislature with ____ total members
unicameral; 342
bicameral; 535
bicameral; 100
bicameral; 275
The kind of representation that takes place when constituents have the power to hire and fire their representatives is called ______ representation
substantive
descriptive
delegate
trustee
Which of the following illustrates a member of Congress acting as a delegate?
Senator Elizabeth Warren (MA) votes on an infrastructure bill based on what she thinks is best for constituents
During a town hall, constituent Analyn urges Senator Ted Cruz (TX) to vote in favor of an upcoming tax cut, which he does
Senator Chuck Grassley (IA) votes against a wind power subsidy even though a majority of his constituents would like to see one enacted
No answer choices are correct
Senator Mitch McConnell (KY) is running for reelection. which of the following advantages would he have over his rivals?
possible pork barrel projects to benefit his constituents
All of these answer choices are correct
robust campaign funds
the ability to send regular newsletters to constituents about his accomplishments
Which of the following is the best definition of redistricting?
the process the allocates congressional seats among the 50 states
the process of redrawing electoral districts every 10 years
the distribution of voters in districts in such a way that gives unfair advantage to a particular group or party
the process of making appropriations that take funding away from one district and shift it to another
When Democratic members of Congress were considering the affordable care act, many were divided on the bill. Some favored it and others opposed it. What would be the role of the whip in this situation
to make committee assignments
to call the gathering of a conference
to line up party members to vote for this bill
to elect the minority party leader
How is the speaker of the house determined?
the Vice President of the United States is also the speaker of the house
the representative with the longest tenure in the House is the Speaker of the house
The elected leader of the majority party in the House is the Speaker
the president selects the Speaker of the House from the majority party in the house
Suppose that a major piece of legislation is being considered by Congress. The House and the Senate have passed mostly similar versions of the bill, but important differences remain. Which committee would be in charge of working out a compromise between the two chambers?
joint committee
conference committee
reconciliation committee
select committee
over what policy areas does the House Ways and means committee have jurisdiction?
taxes, trade, and entitlement programs
foreign relations and national security
rules governing debate on the floor and committee assignments
highways and waterways
Compared to the rest of American history, recent Congresses have been ____ polarized and ____ productive in terms of passing laws
less; equally
less; less
more; less
more; more
_____ powers are specifically established by the language of the Constitution
enumerated
delegated
implied
inherent
The president's delegated powers come from
the Constitution
Congress
the president's party
the Supreme Court
In order to get around the need for Senate approval of treaties, many contemporary presidents have made use of ____ in foreign affairs
diplomacy
international protocols
executive agreements
executive immunity
Richard Nixon claimed ____ when he refused to turn over the secret White House tapes to congressional investigators
presidential immunity
expressed powers
executive privilege
the Fifth Amendment
The idea that all executive power inheres in the president except as explicitly limited by the Constitution is called the ____ executive theory
unlimited
totalitarian
unitary
dual
Powers of the presidency not explicitly spelled out in the Constitution nor given to the executive branch through acts of Congress are best describes as
explicit powers
delegated powers
inherent powers
usurped powers
The ____ asserted that the president could send American troops into action abroad only in the event of a declaration of war or other statutory authorization by Congress, or if American troops were attacked or directly endangered
War Powers Resolution of 1973`
National Security Act of 1947
Boland Amendment of 1982
USA PATRIOT Act of 2001
The main difference between inherent and implied powers is that
inherent powers can be traced to the powers expressed in the actual language of the Constitution, while implied powers derive from congressional laws and Supreme Court decisions
Implied powers can be traced to powers expressed in the actual language of the Constitution, while inherent powers derive from congressional laws and Supreme Court decisions
Implied powers can be traced to powers expressed in the actual language of the Constitution, while inherent powers derive from national sovereignity
inherent powers can be traced to the powers expressed in the actual language of the Constitution, while implied derive from national sovereignty
the president is America's presence on the global stage, representing America at official ceremonies and functions. In this role we would say that in the United States, the president is the
head of government
head of the bureaucracy
head of the political party
head of state
the main political value of the Vice President is to
bring the president votes in the election that he or she might now otherwise win
draw negative attention away from the president during times of crisis
give the president an institutional link to Congress
promote bipartisanship with members of the opposing political party through negotiations
The doctrine of ______ requires courts to follow authoritative prior to decision when ruling
stare decis
habeas corpus
ex post facto
a priori
Suppose a defendant is convicted at trial but believes the judge and an error that impacted the decision. She would first ask her case be tried again at the _____. If she were to lose at that court, she could still try again, if her argument were accepted, at the _____.
trail court; court of appeals
Supreme Court; court of appeals
court of appeals; supreme court
court of appeals; trial court
the sphere of a court's power and authority is called its
defendant
oral argument
appeal
jurisdiction
Cases in which the U.S. government is a party are
always heard in state court
heard in a state court only if a state government is the other party
heard in a state court if the other party files a special request to have the case heard in a state court
always heard in a federal court
Which of the following cases would always be heard in federal court?
a case related to a drunk-driving accident
a case involving the citizens of more than one state and in which $150,000 is at stake
a case related to an accusation of sexual harassment in the workplace
a case involving the state of New York suing the state of New Hampshire over state highway maitenance
Trial courts in the federal judiciary system are called
grand juries
district courts
appellate courts
civil courts
How many justices currently serve on the Supreme Court?
7
9
11
15
Which of the following statements best describes the formal requirements of serving as a federal court judge?
federal court judges must be members of the American bar association
federal court judges must have a degree from an accredited law school
federal court judges must be at least 35 years of age
There are no formal requirements to serve as a federal court judge
Why is Marbury v Madison (1803) an important case?
In this case, the justices recognized the authority of Congress to regulate the economy of the United States
In this case, the justices nationalized the Bill of Rights
In this case, the justices authorized the Supreme Court to exercise judicial review over laws passed by congress
In this case, the justices declared the secession of the Confederate states to be in violation of the Constitution
A person, agency, or interest group not directly a party to a case but with an interest in its outcome may file a(n) _____ brief.
certiorari
per curium
amicus curiae
standing
The contributions that a worker makes to Social Security through his or her taxes
accumulate in a personal account that the worker can access any time he or she in unemployed
are paid back to the employer to help subsidized the costs of worker pensions
accumulate in a person account that the worker can access once he or she reaches the age of 66
are paid into the Social Security system and do not accumulate into a personal account
The periodic adjustment of benefits or wages that takes into account the increased cost of living is called
means testing
indexing
graphing
economic tabulating
Unemployment insurance is a ___ program that is funded by the ___
noncontributory; federal and state governments
noncontributory; state governments only
contributory; federal and state governments
contributory; state governments only
Which of the following is the best example of the shadow welfare state?
soup kitchens supported by local churches
food stamps
tax breaks
cost-of-living adjustments
The Temporary assistance for needy families (TANF) benefits provided by state governments __ the federal poverty line
are the same in every state and slightly above
vary widely across states but are required to be slightly above
vary widely across states but are always below
are the same in every state and always below
Which of the following social policies is currently most costly to the government?
Social Security
food stamps
public housing assistance
medicare
Spending money on medical programs such as Medicare and Medicaid have proven difficult to control because
spending on social security has declined so significantly
state and local governments have refused to contribute to the costs of administering these programs
these programs are indexed to grow at two times the rate of inflation
of the growing number of people eligible, and because of rising health care costs
medicare is a ___ program; medicaid is a ___ program
noncontributory; contributory
contributory; noncontributory
contributory; contributory
noncontributory; noncontributory
Which of the following groups receives the most benefit from government's social policies?
the middle class and the elderly
the working poor
children
racial and ethnic minorities
Groups in society that ___ receive the most benefits from government's social policies
make up the largest percentage of the population
are the most politically powerful
suffer the most hardship
are made up of people who cannot help themselves, like children or the elderly
Which of the following is the best example of a public good?
a computer
the interstate highway system
toll roads
an iPhone
Which of the following has been fundamental goal of the government's involvement on the economy?
promoting economic self-reliance
encouraging investment in businesses abroad
stimulation economic growth
reducing imports from foreign economies
Upton Sinclair's 1906 expose The Jungle helped spur government's active role in regulation by revealing
widespread use of child labor in coal mines and factories throughout the United States
violent suppression of labor unions by big business
control of politicians by corporate interests who run political machines
unsanitary practices at meatpacking plants
before the 1930s, relations between labor management in the United States were
defined by peaceful negotiations
among the most violent in the world
dependent on labor unions for stability
stable
What is a tariff?
It is a tax on imported goods
It is a consistent increase in the general level of prices
It is a single firm that controls a market
it is a government grant
The ___ insures bank deposits up to $250,000
federal reserve board
federal deposit insurance corporation
US department of treasury
Office of Management and Budget
