Political Science 101 - Introduction to American Government and Politics » Fall 2019 » Midterm Exam

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Question #1
Government is defined as an elected body whose job it is to raise revenue and coerce.
A.   FALSE
B.   TRUE
Question #2
What important power did the national government lack under the Articles of Confederation?
A.   It could not conduct foreign affairs.
B.   It could not impose taxes.
C.   It could not coin money.
D.   It could not declare war.
Question #3
Under Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution, specific powers were granted to ______ in order to prevent too much democracy.
A.   The Judicial Branch
B.   The Legislative Branch
C.   States
D.   The Executive Branch
Question #4
British colonists in North America in the late seventeenth century were greatly influenced by the political thought of ________.
A.   John Locke
B.   King James II
C.   Thomas Jefferson
D.   James Madison
Question #5
Which of the following influenced those creating the new Constitution to limit the will of the majority?
A.   Threats to private property rights enacted by states.
B.   The failure of states to protect debtors after the Revolution.
C.   Limitations on democracy put in place at the state level.
D.   State restrictions on participation such as voting.
Question #6
According to the Great Compromise, how would representation in Congress be apportioned?
A.   Representation in the House of Representatives would be based on each state’s population and every state would have two senators.
B.   Congress would be a unicameral legislature with each state receiving equal representation.
C.   Representation in both the House of Representatives and the Senate would be based on a state’s population.
D.   Each state would have equal representation in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Question #7
The Declaration of Independence is an example of a social contract because the colonists establish that they have rights, explain how the king violated those rights, and demand to revoke and replace the contract.
A.   FALSE
B.   TRUE
Question #8
How did the delegates to the Constitutional Convention resolve their disagreement regarding slavery?
A.   It was agreed that a state’s slave population would be counted for purposes of taxation but not for purposes of representation.
B.   It was agreed that Congress would abolish slavery in 1850.
C.   It was agreed that 60 percent of a state’s slave population would be counted for purposes of both representation and taxation.
D.   It was agreed that a state’s slave population would be counted for purposes of representation but not for purposes of taxation.
Question #9
When writing the Constitution, agreements over security nationalism included giving Congress the power to do all of the following except:
A.   engage in diplomacy
B.   declare war
C.   ratify treaties
D.   raise an army and navy
Question #10
The only difference between John Locke and Thomas Hobbes' idea for a social contract was how much power the government should have.
A.   TRUE
B.   FALSE
Question #11
According to the Tenth Amendment, which of the following could be undertaken by states?
A.   Coin money
B.   Establish a military
C.   Establishing a system of education
D.   Regulate commerce
Question #12
Federalism can be viewed as an important component of eighteenth- century republicanism because it:
A.   Helps assure greater popular control over government
B.   Encourages experimentation and innovation in the states
C.   Provides another way to fragment government power
D.   Promotes the principle of political equality
Question #13
Federalists and anti-federalists disagreed over who should have more power: federalists wanted to give more power to states while anti-federalists favored giving the federal government more control. 
A.   TRUE
B.   FALSE
Question #14
According to the doctrine of _________________, when the national government has acted on a certain subject, the states cannot do anything that might interfere with that action.
A.   Paramount Necessity
B.   Devolution
C.   Preemption
D.   Nullification
Question #15
Which is not a merit of cooperative federalism?
A.   Federal assistance ensures some degree of uniformity of public services across states.
B.   Federal assistance encourages state and local governments to generate positive externalities.
C.   Cooperative federalism respects the traditional jurisdictional boundaries between states and federal government.
D.   Federal cooperation helps mitigate the problem of collective action among states.
Question #16
Federal systems of government are most likely to be found in nations that are:
A.   Large and diverse
B.   Wealthy and well educated
C.   About the same age as the United States
D.   Largely agricultural
Question #17
The American federal system:
A.   Gives the national government complete power over states
B.   Divides power relatively equally among national, state, and local governments
C.   Divides powers between the states and central government and gives each constitutional standing
D.   In theory, gives ultimate sovereignty to the states
Question #18
Even though the Constitution does not specifically give Congress the right to tell private businesses with whom they must do business, the Supreme Court has ruled that Congress does have this authority under the:
A.   Elastic Clause
B.   Interstate Commerce Clause
C.   Due Process Clause
D.   Equal Protection Clause
Question #19
Which factor is most likely to lead to the incumbency advantage for a candidate?
A.   candidate’s political party
B.   candidate’s socioeconomic status
C.   gerrymandering of the candidate’s district
D.   media’s support of the candidate
Question #20
Which of the following makes it easy for a citizen to register to vote?
A.   competency requirement
B.   National Voter Registration Act
C.   lengthy residency requirement
D.   grandfather clause
Question #21
In the movie Electoral Dysfunction, Canada is highighted as an example of how the United States could overcome many voting problems by adopting a national ballot standard.
A.   FALSE
B.   TRUE
Question #22
A winner-take-all election system promotes a two party system because it does not give any representation to anyone besides the candidate with the most vote, which makes a third party candidate a possible spoiler.
A.   TRUE
B.   FALSE
Question #23
What characterizes those most likely to vote in the next election?
A.   over forty-five years old
B.   residency in the South
C.   high school education or less
D.   income under $30,000
Question #24
Which of the following citizens is most likely to run for office?
A.   Maria Trejo, a 28-year-old part-time sonogram technician and mother of two
B.   Mark Forman, a 70-year-old retired steelworker
C.   Jeffrey Lyons, a 40-year-old lawyer and father of one
D.   Linda Tepsett, a 40-year-old full-time orthopedic surgeon
Question #25
Why do Belgium, Turkey, and Australia have higher voter turnout rates than the United States?
A.   compulsory voting laws
B.   fewer registration laws
C.   more elections
D.   more polling locations
Question #26
According the movie Electoral Dysfunction, the US has over 80,000 electoral districts which all utilize different standards and methods to conduct voting in local, state, and national elections.
A.   TRUE
B.   FALSE
Question #27
According to the movie Electoral Dysfunction, voting is a right established in the Constitution.
A.   FALSE
B.   TRUE
Question #28
Which of the following is a reason to make voter registration more difficult?
A.   increase voter turnout
B.   decrease the cost of elections
C.   decrease election fraud
D.   make the registration process faster
Question #29
In the movie Electoral Dysfunction, the example of children in a classroom voting to use either markers or colored pencils best represents the advantages of using the existing electoral college model instead of a popular vote.
A.   FALSE
B.   TRUE
Question #30
Which of the following election procedures would be most advantageous to minority parties?  
A.   Elect members to Congress under a single-district, winner-take-all system 
B.   Elect members to Congress through a system of proportional representation
C.   Elect members to Congress on a combined ticket with the President
D.   Elect members to Congress under a “first-past-the-post” system  
Question #31
Which of the following is an accurate explanation in how voter party identification has changed over time?
A.   Voters identifying as independent has increased.
B.   Voters are evenly divided between identifying as Republicans and Democrats.
C.   Voters identifying as Independent has declined.
D.   Republican identification is greater than Democratic identification.
Question #32
Our two party system is the result of all of the following except:
A.   constitutional language establishing winner-take-all elections
B.   lack of religious, ehtnic, racial parties
C.   structural requirements a party must meet to get on a ballot
D.   historical geographic and economic divides in the country
Question #33
Due to the racial/ ethnic make up of the party coalitions, the Republican party is likely to increase in size as the country continues to diversify.
A.   TRUE
B.   FALSE
Question #34
Which of the following was NOT one of the factors that Lipset thinks has led to American Exceptionalism?
A.   a lack of common ancestry
B.   strong union membership among American workers
C.   America's revolution against England
D.   America's founding by Protestants
Question #35
The Supreme Court case that led to the expansion of dark money group involvement in political campaigns is known as
A.   McCutcheon v. Citizens United
B.   Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission
C.   McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission
D.   Bopp v. Potter
Question #36
When going through Mill's process of weighing liberties, all of the following are considered EXCEPT:
A.   determine if the actions are harmful
B.   add up the number of people impacted by the action
C.   determine which action is more harmful
D.   determine whether the action is self or other regarding
Question #37
Politics can be defined as determining who gets what, when, where, and how.
A.   FALSE
B.   TRUE
Question #38
In class, when we discussed collective action problems (remember the cable tv example), solutions to change individual behavior to get people to overcome their self interest include all of the following EXCEPT:
A.   relying on peer pressure
B.   educating them on what is best
C.   using coersion to punish
D.   providing incentives

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