Political Science 1 - Government of the United States and California » 2019 » Final Examination
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Question #1
To assist him with his various tasks as chief executive, the president has,,
A.
cooperation with the Joint Chiefs of Staff
B.
unlimited power to create offices within the executive branch
C.
a federal bureaucracy
D.
the power to act in all cases of national importance
Question #2
A political party is a group of individuals who,,
A.
organize to win elections and operate the government
B.
agree on all policy issues
C.
pay monthly dues to an ideological organization
D.
have been elected to office without having obtained a position of power
Question #3
According to the Constitution, the Supreme Court has original jurisdiction,,
A.
in all cases affecting ambassadors, public ministers and consuls, and in cases in which a state is a party
B.
only in cases where it has been duly authorized by statue
C.
in all matters where the United States is a party
D.
to intervene any time in a federal case
Question #4
A representative who is performing the role of an ,,
A.
supporting the political party that he or she was a member of when elected to Congress
B.
representing the broad interests of an entire society
C.
supporting the president in all of his legislative programs
D.
primarily representing the needs of his or her constituents
Question #5
One major difference between the House and the Senate is the total number of members. This has meant that,,
A.
the House will spend much more time on a bill on the floor as opposed to the Senate
B.
a greater number of formal rules are needed to govern activity in the House
C.
a lesser number of formal rules are needed to govern activity in the House
D.
the Senate is able to decide on the proper action on a bill quicker than the House
Question #6
The job of a House Rules Committee is,,
A.
to determine the path of a proposed legislation on the House floor
B.
to set the rules for filibustering a bill
C.
to approve all appropriations bills
D.
to reconcile House and Senate versions of a bill
Question #7
U.S. Supreme Court justices are appointed for life because the framers of the Constitution,,
A.
wanted to make the Supreme Court more accountable to the people
B.
comprised the first Supreme Court and they wanted to ensure their own job security
C.
wanted to insulate them from the influence of public opinion
D.
believed in aristocracy
Question #8
A filibuster is,,
A.
an attempt to persuade others to vote for a particular bill in return for a favor at a later date
B.
used in the House of Representatives to force a standing committee to release a bill
C.
an attempt to prevent passage of a bill by halting action through unlimited debate
D.
a method used by the Speaker of the House to promote the Majority Party's legislation
Question #9
Courts with original jurisdiction,,
A.
are not part of our Judiciary
B.
only hear cases that will be appealed to the Supreme Court
C.
advise Congress about the constitutionality of proposed legislation
D.
none of the above
Question #10
Which of the following regarding nominees for the Supreme Court is generally true?,,
A.
they emphasize their ideology
B.
they emphasize their partisanship
C.
they maintain a low profile
D.
they emphasize their political connections
Question #11
A ,,
A.
called into session when a president has vetoed an appropriations bill with a pocket veto
B.
a special committee in the House of Representatives to assist the Speaker with his party agenda
C.
a special committee convened to resolve differences between a House passed bill and a Senate passed bill
D.
a special committee convened to resolve differences between the President and Congress
Question #12
Holders of political office in the United States today are overwhelmingly,,
A.
knowledgeable about all areas of the government
B.
younger than candidates in the previous twenty years
C.
representatives of the general public
D.
white and male
Question #13
Who decides which case the Supreme Court will hear?,,
A.
an appeals Federal Court
B.
the Supreme Court
C.
the states
D.
the Vice President
Question #14
As Commander in Chief, the president is,,
A.
the ultimate decision maker in military affairs
B.
only a symbolic leader of the military
C.
not responsible for military decisions
D.
only allowed to make military decisions after the approval by Congress
Question #15
Interest Groups play an important role in our judicial system because among other things,,
A.
the have the power to veto judicial nominations
B.
they help the judicial review board
C.
the litigate
D.
James Madison stipulated their role in Federalist # 10
Question #16
The most important committees in Congress are ,,
A.
standing committees
B.
legislative-executive committees for foreign policy
C.
joint resolution committees
D.
special House and Senate investigative committees
Question #17
It is possible for a candidate to become president,,
A.
without receiving any electoral votes
B.
without obtaining a majority of the popular vote
C.
if he is a naturalized citizen
D.
if he has not yet reached his 29th birthday
Question #18
When is a Supreme Court justice most likely to retire?,,
A.
when the sitting president is ideologically similar to the justice
B.
when faced with the pressure of public opinion
C.
right before a presidential election
D.
when there is an ideological divide on the court
Question #19
In principle, the Republican party has been known as the party of ,,
A.
liberal political ideas
B.
social welfare programs
C.
economic depression
D.
the middle and upper classes
Question #20
Examples of interest groups include all of the following except,,
A.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
B.
The National Organization for Women (NOW)
C.
The National Education Association (NEA)
D.
The National Security Council (NSC)
Question #21
A political system in which only two parties have a reasonable chance of winning is called,,
A.
A bifurcated party system
B.
A Federal-state party system
C.
A two party system
D.
A multi party system
Question #22
Oversight is the process by which Congress,,
A.
supervises the activities of the judicial and executive branches
B.
allows meaningful input of foreigners through hearings
C.
reviews the actions of subcomittees
D.
follows up on the laws it has enacted making sure they are properly implemented
Question #23
A representative who is performing the role of a ,,
A.
supporting his or her political party one hundred percent
B.
supporting the president on all of his legislative programs
C.
only representing the needs of his or her constituents
D.
acting on conscience or representing the broad interests of the entire society and country as a whole
Question #24
The doctrine of ,,
A.
that the other court does not have jurisdiction in a case
B.
to stand on decided cases
C.
to refer a case to the next highest court
D.
to reverse a decision by a lower court
Question #25
The Supreme Court is least likely to hear a case involving ,,
A.
conflicts between lower courts on the interpretation of federal law
B.
civil liberties
C.
disagreements between a majority of Supreme Court judges and lower court judges
D.
political questions
Question #26
The principal function of any legislature is,,
A.
to check the power of the executive branch
B.
casework
C.
constituent service
D.
lawmaking
Question #27
The purpose of an ,,
A.
prohibit future action that would violate civil rights
B.
require testimony of witnesses who maybe hostile to the plaintiff or otherwise reluctant to appear in court
C.
influence a court's decision
D.
prevent a party from acting until the court makes a final decision
Question #28
In the 2000 presidential election, George Bush won because ,,
A.
he won the electoral vote, but only because Gore withdrew from the campaign
B.
Bush won the electoral vote, which is the vote that actually selects the winner
C.
Bush won the popular vote and the electoral college vote
D.
Al Gore won the electoral vote but lost the popular vote
Question #29
According to the Constitution, impeachment,,
A.
proceedings can only be applied to a president that has committed bribery
B.
proceedings can not be used against an incumbent president
C.
proceedings begin in the House of Representatives and conclude in the Senate
D.
proceedings begin in the Senate and conclude in the House of Representatives
Question #30
The concept of ,,
A.
a method used to defeat legislation in Congress
B.
a closed meeting held by the majority party when important legislation is pending
C.
a process that attempt to limit debate on a bill in the Senate floor
D.
actions taken by the House Rules Committee that must be approved by the Speaker
Question #31
In the history of the United States, no president has ever ,,
A.
been impeached and convicted
B.
served more than two terms of office
C.
both a and b
D.
been impeached
Question #32
The power of the courts to rule on the constitutionality of a law or action by the other branches of government is called,,
A.
precedent
B.
appellate review of fact
C.
the writ of judicial appeal
D.
judicial review
Question #33
How many justices currently serve on the Supreme Court,,
A.
9
B.
10
C.
8
D.
7
Question #34
As chief diplomat, the president,,
A.
makes treaties, recognizes foreign governments, and makes executive agreements
B.
is responsible for selecting all judges to federal courts
C.
is responsible for all actions within the Executive Branch
D.
must use his power to select leaders in high level positions within Congress to work for the president's legislative agenda
Question #35
The group that officially elects the President and Vice-President of the United States is ,,
A.
The Nominating College of the Federal Government
B.
The Framers College
C.
The states legislatures
D.
The Electoral College
Question #36
Which of the following is true about the Supreme Court of the United States,,
A.
its decision seldom set precents
B.
it can play a policymaking role
C.
it never overrules laws enacted by elected officials
D.
its opinions are always enforced immediately
Question #37
In principle, the Democrats have been known as the party of ,,
A.
the working class
B.
the economic elite
C.
conservative political ideas
D.
the great depression
Question #38
The founders of the American Republic believed that most of the power that would be exercised by a national government should be in the hands of,,
A.
the legislative branch
B.
a council of state governors that would meet each year
C.
a secret elite class that would be responsible for protecting society from anarchy
D.
a very powerful chief executive given that under the Articles of Confederation it was weak
Question #39
The Constitution indicates that the number of electors who will cast ballots for president and vice-president,,
A.
can not exceed 550
B.
is equal to the number of representatives and senators a state has in Congress
C.
is to be determined by the president at the end of his term
D.
can not be changed without an amendment
Question #40
Presidents have the power to change the direction of the Supreme Court and the federal judiciary by,,
A.
forcing Congress to consider impeachment of specific judges
B.
firing judges on the grounds of incompatibility
C.
declaring martial law, which restricts judicial decision making
D.
appointing new judges when there are vacancies, who in principle has philosophies consistent with the president
Question #41
As chief executive, the president is constitutionally bound to ,,
A.
oversee actions of state governments
B.
inform Congress prior to any military action
C.
enforce laws, treaties, and court orders
D.
submit a balanced budget to Congress
Question #42
Most PAC (Political Action Committees) contributions go to ,,
A.
incumbents
B.
challengers
C.
cooperatives
D.
open seat candidates
Question #43
Casework is ,,
A.
constituent service
B.
oversight
C.
logrolling
D.
lawmaking
Question #44
The Rhenquist and Robert Courts were/are known as ,,
A.
pro civil rights courts
B.
ideologically conservative courts
C.
activist courts
D.
ideologically liberal courts
Question #45
The State of the Union message typically given by the President every January,,
A.
is delivered by the president to the General Assembly of the United Nations at least once every four years
B.
is an effective tool used by the president to limit other countries' foreign policy
C.
is the policy statement of Congress over which the president seldom has influence
D.
gives a broad view of what the president wishes the legislature to accomplish during the coming year
Question #46
Executive agreements are ,,
A.
agreements between the President of the United States and heads of governments of foreign countries that do not have to be approved by the Senate
B.
not legal in the United States
C.
no longer used to conduct foreign policy in the modern world
D.
not valid in foreign policy matters unless approved by the Senate
Question #47
When the Supreme Court decides a case in the same way that a similar case was decided in the past ,,
A.
it's reinforcing habeas corpus
B.
it's relying on precedent
C.
it's ignoring the principle of stare decisis
D.
it's interpreting original constitutionalism
Question #48
Naturalized citizens are constitutionally barred from running for the office of ,,
A.
United States Senator
B.
United States Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
C.
United States President
D.
United States Representative
Question #49
Traditionally labor unions and environmental groups ,,
A.
support Republicans
B.
support Democrats
C.
support the Green party
D.
support both Republicans and Democrats
E.
do not endorse candidates
Question #50
In order to be elected president one must receive,,
A.
a majority of the electoral vote, that being 270 votes
B.
a majority of the popular vote or 50.1 percent
C.
a plurality of the popular vote, that is, whichever candidate gets the most votes
D.
a plurality of the delegates at the national convention
Question #51
A line-item veto allows,,
A.
the president to send troops overseas for more than 30 days without congressional approval
B.
the Congress to override a bill submitted by the president
C.
the legislature to override executive orders
D.
the president to veto only parts of a bill
E.
the president to take advantage of the bully pulpit
Question #52
The law that was passed in the early 2000's banning soft money contributions, increasing contribution limits, and prohibiting some issue adds is known as ,,
A.
The USA Patriot Act
B.
The Lee Atwater Campaign Finance Reform Act
C.
The Graham-Rudman-Hollins Fair Election Act
D.
The McCain-Feingold Act
Question #53
Suppose Congress passes a bill and then adjourns. After 10 days the president has not signed or vetoed the bill, but the bill does not become law. This is known as,,
A.
a legislative veto
B.
an impoundment veto
C.
an overriding veto
D.
a pocket veto
Question #54
Some people do not join groups because they can benefit from the group's activities without actually officially joining. This is known as,,
A.
free rider problem
B.
the refugee problem
C.
sharing the load problem
D.
good of society problem
Question #55
How often are presidential vetoes overridden by Congress?,,
A.
about 1/2 the time
B.
very often
C.
very rarely
D.
about 2/3 of the time
E.
about 1/4 of the time
Question #56
Which of the following is true about third parties in the US?,,
A.
they are safety valves for popular discontent
B.
they seldom place social reform measures on the political agenda
C.
they ensure continuity by keeping new groups from participating
D.
they frequently win political office
Question #57
Which of the following is true about money and congressional campaigns,,
A.
prolific spending by incumbents typically guarantees them success
B.
money from PAC's pays the entire cost of congressional campaigns
C.
spending is unimportant for open seats
D.
incumbents generally spend more than challengers
Question #58
A class action suit is when,,
A.
a court issuing a temporary restraining order against an interest group
B.
high school graduates sue their school district because they were given a diploma even though they never learned to how to read or write
C.
members of Congress suing interest groups for corrupting the political system
D.
a group of people in a similar situation combining their common grievances into a single lawsuit
Question #59
Which of the following is true regarding presidential coattails?,,
A.
the president's party tends to lose seats in midterm elections years
B.
the president's party tends to lose seats in presidential elections years
C.
the president's popularity tends to remain the same during wartime
D.
they have diminished in recent years
Question #60
Which of the following allows political parties to act as linkage mechanisms?,,
A.
selecting officeholders
B.
enforcing rules of discipline in Congress
C.
taking care of their party in the electorate
D.
running campaigns
Question #61
Which House committee schedules the bill on the calendar, allots time for debate, and is highly responsive to the wishes of the House Leadership?,,
A.
Rules Committee
B.
Collaborative Commitee
C.
Joint Committee
D.
Debate Committee
Question #62
In the US, most of the mass media outlets are owned by ,,
A.
small businesses
B.
TNT
C.
the FCC
D.
giant corporations
Question #63
Which of the following is true of the Federal Communications Commission's regulations of the broadcast media?,,
A.
there are no restrictions on the number of stations owned or controlled by one company
B.
it conducts periodic examinations of the goals and performances of tv stations
C.
as a form of public service, it requires all broadcast stations to publicly endorse political candidates
D.
it frequently withdraw licenses from tv stations that do not serve the public interest
Question #64
Which of the following is a reason why Americans vote?,,
A.
the cost of voting outweighs the benefits
B.
social promotion
C.
statutes that require compulsory voting
D.
civic duty
Question #65
Members of Congress engage in casework because,,
A.
fewer public funds are available for congressional campaigns for those who shun casework
B.
it gives them leverage with congressional leaders
C.
it enhances their reelection prospects by allowing them to claim credit for helping constituents
D.
they must be informed about the intricacies of policy issues in order to get prime committee assignments and to make good legislation
Question #66
Laws forbidding mandatory union membership as a condition for employment are known as ,,
A.
right to profiteer laws
B.
union shop laws
C.
maximum wage laws
D.
right to work laws
Question #67
A system for organizing the legislature in which seats are allocated according to each party's percentage of the nationwide vote is known as,,
A.
winner takes all
B.
proportional representation
C.
first past the post
D.
single member district
Question #68
When comparing House and Senate incumbents running for reelection, Senate incumbents,,
A.
often have more homogeneous constituencies than House incumbents
B.
typically win with larger margins than House incumbents
C.
typically run against more visible challengers than House incumbents
D.
are more likely to win than House incumbents
Question #69
Party machines were able to dominate politics in some urban areas during the early 1900's by,,
A.
being responsible parties
B.
rewarding it's members with patronage
C.
appealing to the good nature of city dwellers
D.
giving power to average citizens rather than party leaders
Question #70
Which of the following did Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan have in common?,,
A.
they were the only two presidents without a college degree
B.
they both engaged in hostilities in Iraq and Haiti
C.
they were both skilled at using the bully pulpit
D.
they both were able to pass significant legislation reshaping health care policy
Question #71
Congressional monitoring of the bureaucracy and its administration of policy is known as,,
A.
revolving doors
B.
mark-ups
C.
gate keeping
D.
legislative oversight
Question #72
In the last 50 years US presidents have sent American troops into military action without a congressional declaration of war in all of the following countries except,,
A.
Kuwait
B.
Panama
C.
Canada
D.
Vietnam
Question #73
The president claims authority to nominate Supreme Court justices from ,,
A.
Article II of the Constitution
B.
issuing presidential decrees
C.
Article III of the Constitution
D.
writing executive orders
Question #74
In the United States we have a ,,
A.
republican form of government
B.
representative democracy
C.
indirect democracy
D.
all of the above
Question #75
Presidents often try to improve the chances of legislative success by encouraging Congress to act on the president's legislative priorities,,
A.
while Congress is in recess
B.
at the end of the President's first term
C.
after the President has been in office for at least 6 months
D.
during the honeymoon period
Question #76
Common Cause is concerned primarily with ,,
A.
a strong defense
B.
tax breaks for small businesses
C.
open and fair government
D.
racial equality
Question #77
Supreme Court opinions written by justices opposed to all or part of the majority's decision are known as ,,
A.
per curiam opinions
B.
concurring opinions
C.
conjoining opinions
D.
dissenting opinions
Question #78
Which of the following best describes American Political Parties?,,
A.
decentralized
B.
single minded
C.
disciplined
D.
highly structured
Question #79
Since the 1960's the percentage of Americans who think that government is run by a ,,
A.
approximated zero
B.
stayed about the same
C.
decreased
D.
increased
Question #80
The belief that one's political participation really matters and can actually make a difference, is known as ,,
A.
the killer instinct
B.
self deprecation
C.
political socialization
D.
political efficacy
Question #81
The Republican attempt in 1994 to offer voters a positive program for reshaping American public policy and reforming how Congress worked was known as,,
A.
the contract with America
B.
the republican manifesto
C.
the doctrine of shared ideology
D.
the statement of faith
Question #82
In efforts to give more power to voters in choosing candidates, the progressive movement in the early 1900's proposed ,,
A.
online voting
B.
local elections
C.
the primary system
D.
early voting techniques
Question #83
Which of the following statements best summarizes some of the Founding Father's beliefs about political parties?,,
A.
the can foster corruption and national divisiveness
B.
they help make policies user friendly for ordinary voters
C.
they are so instrumental to American government that their existence is guaranteed by Article IV of the Constitution
D.
they ensure a smooth transition from one administration to the next
Question #84
Unlike political parties, most interest groups,,
A.
focus on articulating a specific issue
B.
aggregate issues
C.
nominate and run candidates for political office
D.
criticize party members
Question #85
The primary responsibilities of the national party convention are,,
A.
to appoint officers and set the dates for the upcoming state primaries
B.
to discipline wayward party members and reward loyal partisan
C.
to raise hard money from individuals and soft money from businesses
D.
to nominate the party's presidential ticket and write the party's platform
Question #86
The right to privacy is inferred from the following amendments in the Constitution except the ,,
A.
IX
B.
VII
C.
IV
D.
V
Question #87
Congress most clearly lacks,,
A.
more Protestants
B.
more female politicians
C.
more Caucasians
D.
more people with advanced degrees
Question #88
Business associations can contribute money to a political candidate by setting up ,,
A.
an ad valorem association
B.
a Buckely v. Valeo exemption
C.
a political action committee
D.
a soft money account
Question #89
Which of the following is the most frequently cited difference between Democrats and Republicans? ,,
A.
Democrats are more concerned with foreign policy while Republicans are more concerned with domestic and social policy
B.
Democrats are more concerned with cutting taxes while Republicans are more concerned with balancing the budget
C.
Democrats favor government programs to help the lower and middle classes, while Republicans favor low levels of taxes and domestic spending
D.
Democrats favor government imposed morality while Republicans believe government should stay out of moral issues
Question #90
Among these groups, which is least likely to have the lowest voter turnout?,,
A.
Asian Americans
B.
Caucasians
C.
Hispanics
D.
African Americans
Question #91
Which of the following best describes constituents feeling about Congress,,
A.
the have a more positive evaluation of their individual member over the institution as a whole
B.
they have a more positive evaluation of the institution as a whole over their individual member
C.
the approval ratings for Congress have increased in the last several years
D.
The approval ratings for Congress have gone down in the last several years
Question #92
Proponents of term limits argue that ,,
A.
members of Congress hardly have time to get their feet wet before they must relinquish their seats
B.
challengers have a built in advantage because they are Washington outsiders
C.
incumbents should spend more time campaigning
D.
Congress needs more turnover in its membership
Question #93
Which is true of presidential power in the United States?,,
A.
presidential power is absolute
B.
presidents can trust that members of their political party will be completely loyal to them
C.
presidents must compete with others for power
D.
the bureaucracy immediately carries out all instructions from the president
Question #94
The concerns of environmental groups are often in direct conflict with the concerns of?,,
A.
energy groups
B.
the Democratic party
C.
the Sierra Club
D.
the government
Question #95
The media most often uses investigative journalism to ,,
A.
unearth scandals
B.
gain the trust of politicians
C.
explore the details of proposed public policies
D.
spy on foreign governments
Question #96
Why have states engaged in frontloading?,,
A.
because backloading has become too expensive, especially during economic downturns
B.
because a great deal of attention is paid to early primary contestants
C.
because citizens should have the right to participate in primary elections even if they are registered as Independents
D.
because state legislatures thought they could gain a partisan advantage
Question #97
Among the branches of the federal government, the one that consistently inspires the most confidence is ,,
A.
the bureaucracy
B.
the legislative
C.
the executive
D.
the judiciary
Question #98
Which political office holder is the only one that can be considered as the spokesperson for the American people?,,
A.
The Secretary of State
B.
The White House Press Secretary
C.
The Speaker of the House
D.
none of the above
Question #99
When a political party plays the role of ,,
A.
they provide alternative viewpoints on policies than those of the majority party
B.
they agree with every policy of the ruling party
C.
they are loyal to the president as long as he promises not to veto legislation
D.
they are loyal to their constituents
Question #100
The President of the United States has all of the following powers except,,
A.
declare war
B.
Issue executive agreements
C.
issue executive orders
D.
issue presidential pardons
E.
send American troops into foreign conflicts
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