1) Whereas the principal work of a parliament is debate, that of a congress is...
representation and action
oversight and assessment
administration
investigation and reorganization
2) Which amendment changed the manner in which U.S. Senators are selected?
Tenth
Fourteenth
Fifteenth
Seventeenth
3) The typical representative or senator is
male
Protestant
a lawyer
all of the above
4) In the 1860s, being a congressman was not regarded as a "career" because
travel to Washington, D.C., was difficult
the job did not pay well
Washington was not generally considered a pleasant place to live
all of the above
5) The real leadership in the Senate rests with the
majority leader
president pro tempore
managers
vice president
6) In the House, the most important position is the
majority leader
manager
Speaker
president pro tempore
7) The most important organizational feature of Congress is the
party caucus
floor leader
committee structure
legislative leadership program
8) The Constitution requires that "all bills for raising revenue shall ...
originate in the House of Representatives."
originate in the Senate."
originate in Conference Committee."
require a unanimous vote."
9) The text suggests that policy gridlock is a necessary consequence of
representative democracy
big government
direct democracy
divided government
10) The Framers first considered having __________ select the president.
the Supreme Court
Congress
the state legislatures
the various governors
11) Which amendment formally limited presidents to two terms?
9th
10th
17th
22nd
12) The greatest source of presidential power is found in
the Constitution
Congress
public communication
the bureaucracy
13) The Office of Management and Budget both assembles the president's budget and
manages the departments
reviews departmental legislative proposals
manages federal personnel
organizes presidential cabinet meetings
14) In recent administrations there has been a tendency for presidents to place in their cabinet people known for their
personal wealth
creativity
loyalty to Congress
expertise
15) Of the three audiences that the president confronts, the one that is most often important for maintaining and exercising power is
other politicians and leaders in Washington
the mass public throughout the nation
party activists
foreign leaders
16) Once in office a president can expect to see his popularity
increase over time
remain about the same
fluctuate in a manner that admits of no generalization
decline over time
17) From George Washington to Bill Clinton, about ____ percent of over 2,500 presidential vetoes have been overridden.
4
15
20
25
18) The doctrine of executive privilege is based on separation of powers and on the
constitutional requirements for secrecy
War Powers Act
president's need for confidential advice
White House Sourcebook
19) American bureaucracy is complex because
federalism encourages the abuse of power
it is heavily dependent on career employees
the Constitution determines its structure and function
authority is divided among several managing institutions
20) The political ideology of a presidential appointee is important because she or he
must often work with radical groups
affects how the laws are interpreted
is usually bound by specific directives
is aligned with congressional ideology
21) The bureaucracy of American government today is largely a product of which two events?
The Depression and World War II
World War I and World War II
World War II and the Korean War
The Korean War and the Vietnam War
22) Which of the following is the most important consideration in evaluating the power of a bureaucracy?
The number of employees in it
The importance of its functions
The extent to which its actions are supported by the public
The social status of its leaders
23) In Federalist 78, Alexander Hamilton described the judicial branch as the ________ branch.
least political
reliable
existential
least dangerous
24) Which of the following statements about McCulloch v. Maryland is correct?
It ruled a national bank unconstitutional
It restricted the scope of congressional power
It allowed states to tax federal agencies
It established the supremacy of national laws over state laws
25) During the period from the end of the Civil War to the beginning of the New Deal, the dominant issue that the Supreme Court faced was that of
government regulation of the economy
rights of privacy
states' rights versus federal supremacy
slavery
26) The two kinds of lower federal courts created to handle cases that need not be decided by the Supreme Court are
appeals and limited jurisdiction
district and appeals
appeals and legislative
constitutional and legislative
27) . There are ____ U.S. District Courts.
12
13
50
94
28) Certiorari is a Latin word meaning, roughly,
"certified."
"made more certain."
"without certainty."
"appealed."
29) Fee shifting enables the plaintiff to
split costs with the court
have taxpayers pay his or her costs
split the costs with the defendant
collect costs from the defendant if the defendant loses
30) Amicus curiae is generally translated as meaning
"friend of the court."
"amicable but curious."
"let the decision stand."
"to reveal."
31) A major reason that the courts play a greater role in American society today than they did earlier in the century is that
government plays a greater role generally
lawyers are more influential than ever
public opinion is less focused
judges are better trained
32) Which of the following statements best describes government bureaucracy today?
It is a tool of big business
It is a major source of policy proposals
It is an impartial institution
It is an appendage of the political parties
33) An example of a policy characterized by distributed benefits and distributed costs is
farm subsidies
dairy subsidies
the construction of a dam
increased Social Security benefits
34) Majoritarian policies tend to reflect
interest-group activity
interest-group conglomerations
matters of cost or ideology
the times
35) An example of client politics is
social welfare
labor legislation
licensing of barbers
antitrust legislation
36) An example of entrepreneurial politics would be
agricultural price supports
Social Security
a tariff on imported cars
requirements for antipollution and safety devices on cars
37) The theory that the political system always operates to serve corporate interests is
Weberian
pluralist
Freudian
Marxist
38) Lower taxes, less debt, and spending on new government programs produce
________ politics.
entrepreneurial
majoritarian
interest group
39) The "troika" that assists the president in making economic policy is composed of the chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, and the
advisory council of the Federal Trade Commission
Secretary of the Treasury
Secretary of Labor
Federal Reserve Board
40) Which statement about the Federal Reserve Board is incorrect?
It has fifteen members
Each member is appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate
A member's term is fourteen years
Since its founding in 1913, no member has ever been removed
41) The most important part of the economic policy making machinery is the
Federal Reserve Board
Congress
Council of Economic Advisers
General Services Administration
42) The fiscal year begins
October 1
October 30
September 1
September 30
43) The Congressional Budget Act of 1974 was intended to
impose some budget discipline on committees
increase the power of the president
allow interest groups more access to the budget process
implement zero-based budgeting
44) Welfare programs in which nearly everyone benefits and nearly everyone pays are
overlapping politics
minoritarian politics
club-based politics
majoritarian politics
45) Most of the welfare policies in the United States have attempted to
redistribute income
change the existing tax structure
help people with disabilities
provide everyone with a guaranteed income
46) In distinct contrast to many other European nations, America's national welfare system
has been a top priority of lawmakers since the 1880s
is more oriented toward the basic notion of each person's "fair share."
is far less adversarial
arrived quite late in our history
47) Which presidents initially supported the idea of having the government pay the medical and hospital bills of the elderly and the poor?
Democrats
Republicans
Both Democrats and Republicans
Those who were chosen in close elections
48) The __________ government program provides medical assistance for poor people.
Medicare
Poverty Fund
Medifund
Medicaid
49) Programs such as Social Security and Medicare are the product of
client politics
association politics
majoritarian politics
interest-group politics
50) Of the thirteen major wars fought by this country, ____ have followed a formal declaration of war by Congress.
three
six
ten
twelve
51) The Supreme Court has generally held the view that the conduct of foreign affairs
is chiefly a congressional responsibility
is chiefly a presidential responsibility
involves important constitutional rights
is a political question for Congress and the president to work out
52) The War Powers Act of 1973 was designed as a check on the
president
Courts
CIA
Pentagon
53) The "rally 'round the flag" effect and boost in presidential approval ratings which typically accompany foreign policy crises were not evident when
George W. Bush responded to the attack of 9/11
Ronald Reagan invaded Grenada
George Bush sent troops to fight Iraq
Bill Clinton sent forces to Bosnia or launched bombing attacks on Iraq
54) Foreign policy leaders are more likely to adopt a ______________ outlook than members of the general public.
nationalistic
liberal and internationalist
conservative
centrist
55) The Department of Defense was created by the
Twenty-second Amendment
Twenty-third Amendment
Truman Doctrine
National Security Act
56) Which of the following does the text suggest is a "lesson" that we have learned when it comes to rebuilding nations.
Unilateral actions are not successful
The support of the United Nations is critical
Do not leave a country too quickly
Widespread support of the European community is essential to success
57) The text speaks of the importance of entrepreneurial politics in many areas of environmental policy making. This term refers to a style of policy-making in which
an unorganized public benefits at the expense of a well-organized group
an unorganized public benefits at its own expense
two organized groups with a material stake in the outcome fight over who will
pay and who will benefit.
58) An example cited in the text of the adversarial nature of environmental policy making in the United States is the fact that
rules designed to reduce air pollution were written by government and business acting cooperatively
most environmental issues are settled through majoritarian politics
the public is prohibited by law from suing the Environmental Protection Agency
it took Congress thirteen years to revise the Clean Air Act
59) Compared with U.S. regulations, rules controlling air pollution in Great Britain involve
strict deadlines
voluntary compliance
expensive technology
a uniform national policy
60) According to the text, federalism and the separation of powers
have reduced the scope of conflicts in environmental policy making
ensure efficiency in environmental policy making
are responsible for the broad-based public support for anti-pollution laws
reinforce adversarial politics in environmental policy making
61) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was created by
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Richard Nixon
Gerald Ford
62) Most of the debate over the Clean Air Act of 1970 centered on the issue of pollutants
associated with the production of automobile tires
associated with air conditioning apparatus in new automobiles
that could come out of automobile tail pipes
in and around the manufacturers of mini-vans
63) The text suggests that the legislation requiring environmental impact statements (EISs) passed by overwhelming majorities because it was a "pro-environment law" and because
there was no requirement for specific action, only the need to create a "statement."
there was a general sense that EISs would speed up governmental projects
courts would not consider legal challenges to EISs
opponents of projects would be silenced by EISs
64) The compromise worked out by Congress to deal with acid rain calls for
the burning of only low-sulfur coal in all new plants
both scrubbers and the burning of only low-sulfur coal in all new plants
both scrubbers and the burning of only low-sulfur coal in all plants, both new
plants
65) The EPA was given responsibility to administer certain laws governing
air
water
pesticides
all of the above
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