Political Science 101 - Introduction to Government » Summer 2020 » Midterm Exam

Need help with your exam preparation?

Question #1
Government is defined as
A.   the formal vehicle through which the people’s concerns are ignored
B.   the formal vehicle through which policies are made and affairs of state are conducted
C.   can never really exist
D.   a member of a political community to whom rights and obligations are attached
Question #2
The American people can influence government in several ways. Which one of the following is NOT one those?
A.   participating in political parties
B.   committing a crime
C.   belonging to interest groups
D.   voting in free elections to choose those who govern
Question #3
The American political party model includes:
A.   proportional representation
B.   the single-member district (SMD)
C.   welcomes the involvement of minor parties
D.   the multi-member district (MMD)
Question #4
The equal time provision
A.   requires that news programs & stations provide opposing candidates equal air time.
B.   that television stations present contrasting points of view.
C.   allows news programs and stations to grant air time to their preferred candidate and deny the opposition candidate
D.   bans all air time for candidates
Question #5
Broadly defined, “the press” includes
A.   television and newspapers only
B.   Fox and CNN, but not the New York Times
C.   newspapers, magazines, internet, television and radio
D.   newspapers but not magazines
Question #6
Most public opinion polls contact respondents
A.   in person at a mall
B.   in person at their home
C.   by telephone
D.   be email
Question #7
The Greek words demos and kratia taken together mean
A.   rule by the people
B.   rule by the few
C.   rule by religion
D.   rule by one
Question #8
The government of the United States is considered to be
A.   an indirect or representative democracy
B.   a unitary democracy
C.   an aristocracy
D.   a direct democracy
Question #9
Power is
A.   the ability to influence and control others
B.   the pursuit and exercise of demands
C.   the response of the rest of society to the decisions made by authorities
D.   the making of binding rules for society that determine the distribution of resources
Question #10
C. Wright Mills would argue that which of the following governs in the United States?
A.   People govern through political leaders who are nominated as candidates of political parties and are elected by the people
B.   a "power elite" governs
C.   the media rules
D.   different decisions made by different sets of leaders
Question #11
Which of the following is the definition of an interest group?
A.   a group who seeks to influence government by electing candidates to public office
B.   a group who seeks to influence the government to respond to the shared attitudes of its members
C.   the process in which a person acquires a set of political attitudes and forms opinions about social issues
D.   those who will actually be interviewed in a political poll
Question #12
Lobbying is
A.   communication with legislators or other government officials to try to influence their decisions.
B.   a group who seeks to influence government by electing candidates to public office.
C.   the process by which a person acquires a set of political attitudes and forms opinions about social issues.
D.   an attempt to influence the government solely through the courts
Question #13
Political ideology is defined as:
A.   a set of prejudices and fears about the world
B.   a coherent set of beliefs about the purpose and scope of government
C.   a coherent set of values that often leads to totalitarianism
D.   a system of opinions espoused by a political party
Question #14
Which of the following is the definition of public opinion?
A.   the process by which a person acquires a set of political attitudes and forms opinions about social issues
B.   the expression of attitudes about government and politics
C.   a "power elite" governs
D.   an opinion about music, movies, or fashions
Question #15
Which of the following is the definition of political socialization?
A.   the expression of attitudes about government and politics
B.   an opinion about music, movies, or fashions
C.   the process in which people acquire political views, beliefs and opinions
D.   the process by which a person acquires a set of political attitudes and forms opinions about social issues
Question #16
Public policy is:
A.   a course of action that is shaped by government officials
B.   what people and groups want from the political system
C.   the response of the rest of society to the decisions made by authorities in a political system
D.   the attitudes and actions of people that sustain and buttress the political system
Question #17
Federalism allows the states
A.   to create laws which conflict with the U.S. Constitution
B.   to create its own laws in many areas
C.   to secede from the nation upon legislative action
D.   to abolish the Bill of Rights as required for security
Question #18
Who defined politics as “who get what, when, and how?
A.   Robert Dahl
B.   John Locke
C.   C. Wright MIlls
D.   Harold Lasswell
Question #19
Which of the following is attributed to John Locke?
A.   the pursuit of property and a free-market economy
B.   Life, liberty, and free medical care
C.   Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
D.   Life, liberty, and property
Question #20
California has
A.   55 electoral votes
B.   56 electoral votes
C.   53 electoral votes
D.   54 electoral votes
Question #21
Which of the following is included in the Game Metaphor?
A.   involves playing video games
B.   the idea that only the power elite can influence governmental decisions
C.   a conversation that identifies the compelling issues of the day
D.   politics is a similar to a sporting event that involves players and teams in the hopes of winning the competition
Question #22
Political equality is:
A.   is very conservative in nature
B.   rule by an oligarchy
C.   the idea that only the power elite can influence governmental decisions
D.   the idea that every person carries equal weight in our society when decisions are made
Question #23
The closed primary:
A.   allows for the repeal of laws
B.   permits only those registered in a party to vote on that party’s candidates
C.   permits all voters to select from a “blanket” list of candidates
D.   permits voters to switch parties and vote for another party’s candidates
Question #24
The initiative allows voters:
A.   to kick out an incompetent public official
B.   to impeach judges
C.   to make a new law or amend the state constitution
D.   to impeach the Governor
Question #25
A majority is:
A.   a two-thirds majority
B.   more than half the votes
C.   the fewest votes
D.   the most votes without going over 50%
Question #26
There are three roles of the news media. Which of the following is NOT one of those?
A.   provide information about public policy
B.   be a watchdog over the government
C.   present electoral choices
D.   provide free election ads for candidates running for office
Question #27
The Louisiana blanket primary:
A.   requires candidates to obtain a majority of the votes before taking office
B.   can only be applied to Congressional races
C.   can only be applied to gubernatorial and presidential races
D.   requires candidates to obtain a plurality of the votes before taking office
Question #28
Which of the following argued that a bill of rights was necessary to protect against a strong central government?
A.   Publius
B.   the Federalists
C.   the anti-Federalists
D.   the State of Rhode Island
Question #29
The U.S. Constitution and California’s current constitution were written in what years?
A.   1787, 1879
B.   1865, 1900
C.   1812, 1859
D.   1776, 1849
Question #30
Checks and balances in the Constitution refer to
A.   the idea that republican virtues are best nurtured in small states
B.   distinct spheres of responsibility for the three branches of the national government
C.   the principle that government power shall be divided and that those divisions should balance or check one another to prevent tyranny.
D.   the idea that true republicanism can only occur in large states.
Question #31
The Declaration of Independence accomplished which of the following?
A.   provided for a central government to govern a new country
B.   granted Congress the power to coin money, enter into treaties, and regulate commerce
C.   is also known as the Articles of Confederation
D.   provided a justification for the colonies’ action of severing their ties with England
Question #32
The Magna Carta is associated with
A.   France
B.   England
C.   Spain
D.   China
Question #33
The Connecticut Plan provided for which of the following?
A.   a House of Representatives apportioned by the number of free inhabitants plus a Senate consisting of two members elected by the people
B.   a House of Representatives apportioned by the number of free inhabitants plus 3/5 of slaves and a Senate consisting of two members from each state selected by the state legislators
C.   a Senate apportioned by the number of free inhabitants and a judiciary consisting of two members from each state selected by the state legislators
D.   a bicameral legislature in which both houses would be apportioned according to the number of free inhabitants plus 3/5 of the slaves
Question #34
The Constitution provided for which of the following?
A.   a unicameral system with no checks and balances
B.   a federal system that included three branches of government based upon the principle of separation of powers and checks and balances
C.   no provisions for state governments
D.   no judicial court system
Question #35
Which of the following, under the assumed name of “Publius,” wrote what are today known as the “Federalist Papers”?
A.   John Jay, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson
B.   James Madison, John Jay, Thomas Paine
C.   Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay
D.   Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton
Question #36
Article I of the U.S. Constitution does which of the following?
A.   It grants the right of the president to veto legislation passed by Congress and the right of Congress to override this veto with a two-thirds vote in both houses.
B.   the power to remove the president to the House of Representatives
C.   It gives the power to impeach to the Senate
D.   granting titles of nobility
Question #37
Article I prohibits Congress from doing which of the following?
A.   passing bills of attainder and ex-post facto laws
B.   banning the media
C.   from eliminating other branches of government
D.   passing bills of attainder but not ex-post facto laws
Question #38
Under Article II of the Constitution, the president was to be selected
A.   directly by popular vote.
B.   directly by the state legislatures.
C.   indirectly by an electoral college.
D.   directly by Congress.
Question #39
Under Article II the president
A.   can also serve as a state governor at the same time
B.   no longer has the power to negotiate treaties
C.   has the power to appoint judges, ambassadors, and other high officials with Senate approval.
D.   can serve unlimited terms of office
Question #40
The article of the Constitution that governs the relations among states and the relations of the states to the central government is
A.   Article VI
B.   Article V
C.   Article IV
D.   Article X
Question #41
An amendment may be added to the Constitution in which of the following ways?
A.   by a majority vote in both houses of Congress and a ruling by the Supreme Court
B.   by a majority vote in both houses of Congress and by the United Nations
C.   by a two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress, followed by passage by three-fourths of the state legislatures
D.   by a majority vote in both houses of Congress and the president’s signature
Question #42
The type of power that the United States government may exercise simply because it exists as a government is
A.   concurrent powers
B.   full faith and credit
C.   ex-post facto law
D.   implied powers
Question #43
Powers that are held by the federal government and the state governments that are similar but may be exercised independently by each are
A.   inherent powers
B.   implied powers
C.   enumerated powers
D.   concurrent powers
Question #44
The clause in the United States Constitution that requires states to accept the laws, records, and court decisions of another state is
A.   the “privileges and immunities” clause
B.   the “full faith and credit” clause
C.   the supremacy clause
D.   the “extradition” clause
Question #45
Concerning the Electoral College, which of the following is correct?
A.   Electoral votes are allocated to states based upon the number of representatives they have in the state legislatures
B.   To become president of the United States a candidate must receive a majority of the electoral votes cast
C.   The United States Constitution requires that the electoral votes be allocated equally to all states
D.   To become president of the United States a candidate must receive a plurality of the electoral votes cast
Question #46
Electoral votes are allocated to a state
A.   by the Supreme Court.
B.   based upon the voter turnout in that state in the previous election.
C.   based upon the number of representatives the state has in Congress.
D.   based upon the number of representatives the state has in the House of Representatives.
Question #47
Which of the following does not contributes to a higher voter turnout?
A.   a higher income
B.   social status
C.   a lack of an education
D.   a college education
Question #48
In which of the following Supreme Court cases did the Court remove campaign spending limits from corporations?
A.   McCain–Feingold Act
B.   McConnell v. Federal Election Commission
C.   Citizens United v Federal Election Commission
D.   Buckley v. Valeo
Question #49
Where and when do Electoral College electors vote?
A.   at their precinct, on Election Day
B.   in their state capitol, in December
C.   in Washington D.C., in December
D.   at their state capitol, on Election Day
Question #50
A plurality is:
A.   the fewest votes
B.   the most votes, with less than half the votes
C.   more than half the votes
D.   a two-thirds majority
Question #51
The national party committee
A.   requires all party members to pay dues
B.   has no role in the presidential elections
C.   organizes an annual party convention
D.   is run by the party chair and conducts party business during the four years between national conventions

Need help with your exam preparation?