Term
The Full Faith and Credit Clause of the Constitution provides that
A. Congress may not pass laws that conflict with State laws
B. state laws must be uniform
C. state laws and court decisions must generally be honored by other states
D. agreements made between the States must first be approved by Congress |
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The Federalist Papers were written to
A. win support for the Constitution.
B. expose the lack of civil liberties protected in the constitution
C. urge ratification of the Constitution (in Virginia only).
D. condemn the Constitution for the absence of any mention of God. |
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In the political cartoon, which statement best describes how the two chefs make democracy stew?
A. A democracy is made of ingredients added deliberately and precisely.
B. A democracy cannot have competing interests
C. A democracy is made by blending and adjusting competing views and interests
D. A democracy is made of similar views and interests |
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The Bill of Rights was added to the constitution to meet the demands of the
A. Federalists
B. Anit-Federalists
C. Congress
D. Patriots |
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Term
The major political parties in the United States obtain most of the national campaign funds from
A. the personal fortunes of the candidates
B. state and local taxes
C. funds appropriated by Congress
D. the contributions of individuals and special-interest groups |
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Political parties began to form during the presidency of Washington due to:
A. The appointment of Chief Justice John Jay
B. The revolution in France
C. Divisions created during the ratification of the Constitution
D. Jefferson's affair with Hamilton's wife
E. Arguments over how to interpret the Preamble |
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The Bill of Rights guarantees all of the following EXCEPT
A. fair treatment before the law
B. the right of women to vote
C. freedom of expression
D. freedom of belief |
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Term
A police officer wants to search a suspect's home. How does he or she justify a search warrant?
A. The police officer must possess the exclusionary rule
B. The police officer must possess a writ of assistance
C. The police officer must have probable cause
D. The police officer must have an arrest warrant. |
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Term
A bill is passed to the President for action while CONGRESS IS STILL IN SESSION. If in 10 days, the president has not signed the bill, what happens to the bill?
A. It automatically becomes law
B. It is automatically vetoed
C. Nothing at all
D. It is returned to Congress |
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Which of the following defines the principle of popular sovereignty?
A. The power of government is restricted
B. All people have rights that cannot be taken away
C. Government exists and functions only with the consent of the governed, people hold the power
D. Political power is divided among various branches of government |
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Term
What did the smaller states fear during the framing of the Constitution that led to a series of compromise proposals?
A. They were worried that the larger states would have the power to regulate interstate commerce
B. They were worried that the larger States would have greater representation in Congress and that they would dominate the government
C. They were worried that the smaller states would be unable to participate in the slave trade
D. They were worried that the smaller states would have fewer separations of power and use this loophole to gain control of the Senate |
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Which of the following groups of protesters is NOT protected by the 1st Amendment?
A. Those handing out leaflets in the lobby of a private business like Apple
B. Those participating in a Ku Klux Klan rally at a city park
C. Those carrying signs demanding the resignation of the police chief on a public street
D. Those asking people on the street to sign a petition |
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Each state would have had an equal number of votes in the legislature under the
A. Connecticut Plan
B. Maryland Plan
C. New Jersey Plan
D. Virginia Plan
E. New York Plan |
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Term
The nature of the formal amendment process has probably kept the amendments added to the constitution
A. relatively simple in nature
B. legally complex in nature
C. relatively few in number
D. extremely controversial
E. high in number |
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Term
When a bill passes the House and Senate in substantially different forms and needs to be passed for the good of the nation, the differences are resolved in
A. the Rules Committee
B. a conference committee
C. a committee of the whole
D. joint committee
E. the Rules Committee in the house where it originated |
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Term
Which of the following has NOT worked to strengthen the leadership powers of the president?
A. The influence of strong executive orders (EO 4077-Japanese Internment)
B. The demands of the American people for strong leadership (response to 9/11)
C. A divided government (debt ceiling debate)
D. The need for decisive action during national emergencies (recent bank failures) |
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Term
The Great Compromise finally allocated representation on the basis of
A. equality in the House and population in the Senate
B. population, in both houses
C. equality, in both houses
D. population in the House and equality in the Senate
E. executive orders |
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Who becomes the President if both the President and Vice president die today as outlined in the Succesion Act of 1947?
A. The Speaker of the House
B. The most senior cabinet officer
C. The Senate Majority Leader
D. The Secretary of State
E. The Senate Pro Tempore |
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Term
The Court demanded that the evidence obtained in Mapp v. Ohio (1961) be excluded because the police
A. had not obtained a search warrant
B. questioned Mapp in an impolite manner
C. used unnecessary force
D. refused to let Mapp contact her lawyer
E. spied on Mapp with binoculars |
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Term
35. The single most important predictor of who a person will vote for is his/her:
A. Party identification
B. Personal characteristics
C. Political leanings
D. Perceptions of politics
E. Intrinsic values |
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Under the Articles of Confederation, the national government could...
A. Levy Taxes
B. Easily raise an army
C. Settle disputes between states in the Supreme Court
D. Regulate commerce
E. Pass legislation with 9 out of 13 states |
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Term
A federal government is one in which:
A. all the power is concentrated in the central government
B. limited powers are assigned to a central agency by independent states
C. power is divided between a central government and local governments
D. powers are divided between a legislative branch and an executive branch |
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Term
Before the majority of cases are heard by the US Supreme Court must first go through
A. appellate courts
B. city/county courts
C. state supreme courts
D. military/special courts |
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Term
The Supreme Court, in 1978, ruled in the University of California Regents v. Bakke case that
A. specific numerical quotas were unconstitutional
B. busing was a legitimate tool to achieve racial balance
C. affirmative action programs were unlawful
D. affirmative action plans cannot include firings |
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Definition
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Term
In an open primary
A. only declared party members may vote
B. voters may vote across party lines
C. voters must split the ticket
D. voters must complete separate ballots for both parties
E. only minority party members may vote |
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The California legislature needs ______ in order to pass the budget
A. Simple majority of both houses
B. Majority of the Assembly only
C. Majority of the Senate only
D. 2/3 vote of both houses |
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The Supreme Court decision that ended legalized segregation in the public schools was
A. Hoyt v. Florida (1961)
B. Orr v. Orr (1979)
C. Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)
D. Alexander v. Holmes County Board of Education (1969) |
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Definition
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The idea that the people have the right to abolish an abusive and unresponsive government was FIRST formally expressed by Americans in the
A. Constitution
B. Petition of Rights
C. Declaration of Rights
D. Declaration of Independence |
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Term
Which of the following statements about federal judges is TRUE?
A. They must have had previous service as State court judges or attorneys
B. They serve a fixed term of office, set by Congress
C. They are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate
D. All of the above are true |
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The objections of the Anti-Federalists can be BEST summed up as
A. a fear that the small states would not have a say in the new government
B. a fear that new national government would be too weak to succeed
C. a fear that the new national government would have too much power
D. a fear that too few people had participated in the writing of the constitution |
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Term
This procedure in effect in California permits voters to remove an elected official from office
A. Initiative
B. Referendum
C. Recall
D. Logrolling |
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Definition
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Term
The chief task of the national convention is to
A. select the party's candidate for President
B. state the party's platform
C. give speeches to support candidates
D. check credentials of delegates
E. create harmony and unity among the delegates bound for the electoral college |
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Term
How are political parties and interest groups similar?
A. In uniting people for some political purpose
B. In their primary focus
C. In the scope of their interests
D. In nominating people for public office
E. In trading support on their issues for stock futures from corporations |
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Term
What does the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment say?
A. Each state shall... restrict any person from testifying against himself or herself because of due process
B. No state shall... deprive any person of life, liberty or prosperity without due process of law
C. Due process... is an unalienable right given to citizens as a result of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
D. Due process... allows each State to accept public acts, records, and Judicial proceedings as a matter of due process |
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Definition
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Lobbying is BEST described as
A. Attempting to resist the pressures from special interest groups
B. Pressuring lawmakers in an effort to influence public policy
C. Supplying the public with information about a particular cause or issue
D. Trying to build a positive public image for an interest group
E. Registering new voters for an upcoming election |
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Definition
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Term
What is propaganda?
A. Concentrating a group's efforts on one issue
B. Making campaign contributions, writing speeches and drafting legislation
C. Using bribery and threats of revenge to get what a group wants
D. Creating a particular belief through the use of one-sided persuasion techniques
E. The popular use of television for advertising |
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Definition
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Term
Which of the following Constitutional Rights were used as the basis for the Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade (1973)?
A. Freedom of Expression
B. Right to Privacy
C. No Cruel and Unusual Punishment
D. Federalism |
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An interest group is MOST interested in
A. Nominating specific candidates for office
B. Winning a broad range of elections
C. Influencing specific public policies
D. Getting their candidates elected |
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Term
What is the primary function of a political action committee (PAC)?
A. To raise money to influence elections and public policy on behalf of special-interest groups
B. To monitor campaign contributions and report violations to the FEC
C. To set limits on campaign contributions
D. To match privately-raised funds with government subsidies that help all candidates be competitive
E. Inform the government as a whole |
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Definition
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Term
What is the central issue of these Headlines?
"Influence of Political Action Committees Continues to Rise"
"Republicans and Democrats Spend over $100 Million in 2000 Presidential Election"
"Senate Passes Campaign Finance Reform Act"
A. Republican and Democrats spend equal amounts of money
B. American citizens pay high taxes to support presidential campaigns
C. Money has a strong impact on the American political process
D. Candidates spend much of their own money on political campaigns |
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Term
Which criticism of the electoral college system is illustrated by the information in the table?
A. Presidential electors frequently do not vote for the person they were pledged to support
B. A person can win the presidency without winning the most popular votes
C. The vote of the people in each state has little relationship to the election outcome
D. Minor-party candidates often receive too many electoral votes |
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Term
The National Government is responsible for all of the following EXCEPT
A. Protection against foreign attack and domestic violence
B. Guarantee of a representative form of government
C. Recognition of each State's sovereignty and borders
D. Recognition of State constitution as the supreme law of the land |
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Term
Under the "winner-take-all" feature of the electoral college system
A. The winner of the popular vote always wins the presidency
B. The distribution of electoral votes matches the distribution of voters
C. Electors are legally bound to vote for the popular candidate
D. The Candidate who wins the popular vote in that state receives all the electoral votes
E. Electoral votes can be challenged by state officials in run-off elections |
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Term
This is a procedure that enables voters to reject a measure adopted by the legislature
A. Initiative
B. Referendum
C. Recall
D. Logrolling |
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Definition
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Term
How did Marbury v. Madison (1803) illustrate the Supreme Court's power of judicial review?
A. The Court determined that Madison intended to deceive the lower courts in his appeal to the Supreme Court
B. The Court ruled that Madison must perform any acts he has a clear legal duty to perform
C. The Court agreed with Marbury's argument that Madison's actions were of criminal intent
D. The Court refused Marbury's request because he based his case on a law that the court had concluded was unconstitutional |
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Which of the following is NOT a way in which Congress can check the federal courts (including the US Supreme Court)?
A. Refusing to approve a person nominated to be a judge (Senate only)
B. Propose a constitutional amendment to bypass the court's decision
C. Overturning a court decision with a two-thirds vote in the Senate
D. Using impeachment powers to remove a judge from office |
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Which of the following explains why people choose NOT to vote?
A. They are convinced that their vote makes no difference
B. They distrust politics and politicians
C. They believe the system has been taken over by entrenched political interest groups and the media
D. Lack of interest/apathy
E. All of the above |
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Definition
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Term
The President of the United States and the California Governor have all of the following EXCEPT
A. Pocket veto
B. Power to execute laws
C. Line-item veto
D. Veto power |
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Term
A direct result of the rise in campaign costs in recent years has been
A. the influence of interest groups on elected officials has declined
B. the number of public offices has risen
C. the influence of interest groups on elected officials has increased
D. the length of the average campaign has declined |
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A study of voting patterns in the United States today indicates that
A. The United States has a low voter turnout
B. Urban areas have higher voter turnout than suburban areas
C. People who live in poverty tend to have a high vote turnout
D. 18 to 25-year-old voters are more likely to vote than senior citizen |
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How awesome is Aaron?
A. Not really awesome
B. Sorta awesome
C. Very awesome
D. Holy fucking shit he's the most awesome person in the world |
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