Understanding Basic Concepts in American Politics: Rights, Constitutions, and Parties, Exams of United States History

Download Understanding Basic Concepts in American Politics: Rights, Constitutions, and Parties and more Exams United States History in PDF only on Docsity! Political Science 1014 Fall, 2006 – Exam #1 Form A Fill in the letter of the correct answer on your answer sheet. For each question there is only one correct answer. 1. According to Prof. Walcott, “politics” can be defined as a solution to the problem of * b. potential conflict. 2. Compared with the 1950s, government’s involvement in the everyday lives of Americans today is *d. considerably greater. 3. The case of Everson v. Board of Education established the doctrine of *d. full separation of church and state. 4. The Declaration of Independence claimed certain basic rights for all people, based on the principle of *a. natural rights. 5. According to Wilson and DiIulio, the principal goal of the American Revolution was *d. liberty. 6. “Using the power of government to assure equal treatment” describes *a. civil rights. 7. The framers of the Constitution designed an inefficient government because *c. they feared tyranny. 8. An unfunded mandate is *b. a federal law which states must carry out using their own money. 9. The Electoral College is part of the Constitution’s answer to which basic question about government? *b. Who governs? 10. . In Grutter v. Bollinger the Supreme Court ruled that *a. racial diversity can be a compelling state interest. 11. Dividing power between the states and the national government is called *d. federalism. 12. Which element of the constitutional system most clearly embodies the principle of representative democracy? *c. the House of Representatives 13. The part of the Constitution that goes into the most detail in spelling out the powers of the national government is *a. Article I – the Congress. 14. The separate-but-equal doctrine was struck down by which court case? *b. Brown v Board of Education 15. Generally, the Antifederalists thought that the government created by the U.S. Constitution was *c. too strong and centralized. 16. According to Prof. Walcott, the most basic purpose of any Constitution is to *b. place limits on the powers of government. 17. In Marbury v. Madison, the Supreme Court ruled that . *d. the Court itself can declare laws unconstitutional. 18. In the immediate aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, the public’s trust in the federal government *a. went up. 19. In discussing the “culture wars,” your text separates Americans into two groups: *c. the orthodox and the progressive. *b. tyranny by a majority of citizens. 39. The primary concern of the legislation known as Title IX is *d. women’s rights in education. 40. Compared to people in other countries, Americans typically have a low degree of *b. class consciousness. Political Science 1014 Fall 2006 Test 2 -- Form A 1. When a partisan realignment occurs, *b. the parties can better address the key issues of the day. 2. A push poll is used to *d. influence voters’ decisions in a upcoming election. 3. The fact that most U.S. elected officials are chosen from single-member districts in winner-take-all elections helps explain: *b. the fact that the U.S. has only two major political parties. . 4. A PAC is *c. the fund-raising and spending arm of an interest group. 5. The term “gender gap” refers to the fact that *b. women are more likely to vote for Democrats than are men. 6. People who “favor government efforts to ensure that everyone has a job, to spend more money on medical and educational programs, and to increase taxation for well-to- do persons” would be described by Wilson & DiIulio as *b. liberals. 7. Our guest lecturer, Mr. Key, explained abou *b. the Democratic party. 8. A primary motivation behind the creation of the Electoral College as a mechanism for selecting the president was *b. distrust of ordinary voters. 9. The now-unconstitutional practice of requiring voters to pay a poll tax in order to vote was intended to *c. keep poor people, especially black people, from voting. 10. One would expect the lowest voter turnout among people aged *d. 18 to 24. 11. When Congress banned “soft money,” the main effect was *b. to force interest groups to find another way to fund campaigns. 12. According to your text, when people participate in party politics or in an interest group as a result of “solidary” incentives, they are looking for *c. social life. 13. Which of the following is a “public interest” organization? *d. The League of Women Voters. 14. The probability that an incumbent member of the House of Representatives will win reelection if he or she runs for it is roughly *a. 90%. 15. Your text asks the questions, are national convention delegates representative of their party’s voters. In the case of Democrats, they find that *a. delegates’ views are more liberal than voters’. 16. . “Structural” bias in the mass media results from *a. the fact that media outlets are businesses. 17. Gerrymandering is the practice of *c. designing legislative districts to benefit a particular party or candidate. 18. The “free rider” problem arises because *c. it is not rational for individuals to contribute to public interest groups. *d. targeting. 34. The “Harry and Louise” advertisements criticized *b. President Clinton’s health care plan. 35. Which kind of “bias” is most evident in media coverage of the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal? *c. anti-establishment bias. 36. The single most reliable predictor of an individual’s voting choice is *b. the person’s party identification. 37. The most important early events for choosing the nominees for president are the New Hampshire primary and the *b. Iowa caucuses. 38. For a public opinion poll to be valid, it should be based on a *a. random sample. 39. The social base of the Democratic party has for decades been rooted in the lower socio-economic classes. This is a result of *c. the realignment of the early 1930s, when the New Deal appealed to those hurting most in the depression. 40. “Motor voter” refers to an effort to *d. increase voter turnout. Political Science 1014 Fall, 2006 – Exam #3 Form A Fill in the correct answer on your answer sheet. For each question there is only one correct answer. 1. The “standard model” of how judges should make decisions says that they ought to consider three sets of factors: the facts of a case, the applicable laws, and *c. any applicable precedents. 2. The view that judges should discern the general principles underlying laws or the Constitution and apply them to modern circumstances is called *b. judicial activism. 3. The term “senatorial courtesy” refers to *a. presidents consulting senators before appointing judges. 4. A bicameral legislature has *b. two houses. 5. In lecture it was pointed out that the House and Senate are quite different from one another. An example of the difference is: *c. Senators have the right to filibuster; House members don’t. 6. The principle of stare decisis is important because *b. it makes the law stable and predictable. 7. When we say that the U.S. now has “divided government,” we are referring to *a. different parties in control of the legislative and executive branches. 8. The “Civil Rights Restoration Act” was an example of *d. the working of the checks-and-balances system. 9. A “clientele” department would be found in *a. the “outer” cabinet. 10. The president’s “emergency power” was first claimed by *b. President Abraham Lincoln. 11. The process of judicial selection has become harsher and more partisan since the Senate’s rejection of President Reagan’s Supreme Court nominee *a. Robert Bork. 12. The main reason that “pork barrel” projects continue to be passed is that *d. they help members of Congress get reelected. 28. During a president’s term in office, his popularity tends to *b. decline. 29. The president’s line item veto *d. does not exist. 30. A legislator or president still in office after being defeated in an election is called a *a. lame duck. 31. When committees of Congress do “oversight,” they are *a. watching the bureaucracy to be sure it follows Congress’s intent. 32. Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California will soon become the top leader in the House when she assumes the title of *c. Speaker. 33. The last president to be impeached was *a. Bill Clinton. 34. An appropriation is a bill in Congress that gives *b. a grant of money to finance a program or agency. 35. “Red tape” refers to *b. bureaucratic rules and procedures. 36. The account of retirement reform in Wasserman demonstrates the importance of *a. an issue network. 37. Right after 9/11, the first reaction of Congress was to *c. unite behind the President in bipartisan fashion. 38. The Challenger case in Wasserman illustrates “groupthink” on the part of *d. mission managers ignoring safety warnings. 39. President Nixon’s rationale for refusing to turn over the Watergate tapes was based on *b. his claim of executive privilege. . 40. The chair of a House committee is always *d. a member of the majority party. Political Science 1014 Fall, 2006 – Final Exam Form A Fill in the letter of the correct answer on your answer sheet. For each question there is only one correct answer. 1. Compared to people in other countries, Americans typically have a low degree of *b. class consciousness. 2. Land grant universities are an example of what kind of economic policy? *b. promotional 3. When a partisan realignment occurs, *b. the parties can better address the key issues of the day. 4. The term “senatorial courtesy” refers to *a. presidents consulting senators before appointing judges. 5. When one small group benefits and almost everybody pays for a policy, this is called *d. client politics. 6. In 2005, the federal government spent more than it took in from taxes. This difference between spending and revenue is called *c. the annual deficit. 7. The economic theory that believes that government fiscal policy is the best way to manage the economy is called *a. Keyenesianism *a. the process OCR went through when interpreting Title IX. 23. Which president signed the law ending 61 years of aid to the poor (welfare) as an entitlement? *c. Bill Clinton 24. On the issue of global warming, the most visible entrepreneur right now is *c. Al Gore. 25. According to your text, the issue of air pollution from cars involves *a. majoritarian politics. 26. In Federalist 51, Madison is primarily interested in defending *c. separation of powers. 27. The reelection campaign of Rep. Dick Hayes, described in Wasserman, described a congressional district that was *c. safe for the incumbent Democrat. 28. The chair of a House committee is always *d. a member of the majority party. 29. Ideally, according to Prof. Walcott, a heath care system should provide care that is high-quality, inexpensive, and *b. comprehensive. 30. The phrase “Great Society” refers to policies undertaken during the presidency of *b. Lyndon Johnson. 31. The idea that public policy changes tend to deviate only a little bit from the status quo is called *d. incrementalism. 32. According to Madison in Federalist 10, a “faction” is *c. a dangerous group that can be either a minority or a majority. 33. If you wanted to predict whether somebody was likely to vote, the most useful thing to know about the person would be: *c. how much education the person has. 34. Strictly speaking, the phrase “In God We Trust” on our money might be considered a violation of *a. the First Amendment. 35. . Members of Congress use riders to *b. get their pet projects passed. 36. Compared with the 1950s, government’s involvement in the everyday lives of Americans today is *d. considerably greater 37. Since the 1970s, public opinion on the issue of abortion has been *a. moderate and stable. 38. When presidents try to influence Congress by appealing to the public (“going public”), how successful are they? *d. Rarely successful 39. The Federal Reserve Board is responsible for *d. monetary policy. 40. The Medicare program provides health care to *a. old people. 41. The term “laissez-faire” best describes U.S. policy toward *d. the economy in the 19th century. 42. Policy implementation is the primary responsibility of *d. the bureaucracy. 43. According to Wilson and DiIulio, policies, once adopted, tend to *b. persist. 44. Under what Wilson and DiIulio call the “New System” of government, interest groups *a. are more numerous.