A system of government where on religion controls the government
Unitary Government
Theocracy
Confederation
Plutocracy
Enlightenment Philosopher who pushed the ideas of freedom of speech and freedom of religion as fundamental rights
Montesquieu
Hobbes
Rousseau
Voltaire
Catholic priest/philosopher who was an early supporter of the idea of natural rights and said man was born with a sense of right and wrong
St. Thomas Aquinas
Jean Jacques Rousseau
John Locke
System of government that is ruled by one
Democracy
Federalism
Autocracy
Republic
The idea that the will of the people will decide the manner in which a decision will be decided
Popular Sovereignty
Rule of Law
Judicial Precedent
Quorum
A movement in Britain that on a vote of the British people remove Britain from the European Union
British Sovereignty
Brexit
English Unity Movement
EuroFree
Economic system that decides who will get goods and services by competition with a currency, who can afford gets
Socialism
Communism
Capitalism
Traditional Economy
A process where a Senator tries to keep legislation from being passed by talking endlessly on the floor of the senate to delay a vote
Filibuster
Cloture
Discharge Position
Idea that previous court decisions will create the standard for all future court decisions on the same issue
Judicial Activism
Originalism
Judicial Restraint
Economic system that decides how goods and services will be produced by government direction
Free Market Economy
Italian political philosopher who wrote the Prince a book on how to stay in power in which he said the "ends justify the means"
Aristotle
Max Weber
Thomas Paine
Machiavelli
Laws that have emerged over time from custom and judicial precedent
Statutes
Criminal Law
Common Law
A system of government that divides power between the national government and regional governments where each has assigned authority
Parliamentary Government
Monarchy
Condition in government that requires a minimum number of its members to be present before it can rake a binding vote on an issue
Discharge Petition
Concept that judicial decision, government action, and the manner in which the legal system will be carried out is based on written law not what is expedient at the moment
A system of government where the entire country is run as one unit and all laws are generated and administered by the national government
An economic system that decides what goods and services will be produced based on custom and past practices
Document signed in 1215 by King john of England that limited the power of the king and said the king could not raise taxes without the consent of the nobles
English Bill of Rights
Constitution
Magna Carta
Common Sense
Greek philosopher who wrote a book comparing the values and vices of various forms of government in which he stated the best form of government would be a Benevolent Monarchy
English political philosopher who said all people are born with natural rights and if those rights are denied people have the right to rebel
St Thomas Aquinas
Which of the following is not a fundamental purpose of government
To provide for the Public Good
To maintain order
To establish political parties
To protect citizens lives and property
The philosophy that an individual in a democracy should surrender some of their self-interest for the greater good is
Citizeneryship
Republicanism
Patriotism
Rule by Few
Anarchy
Oligarchy
French political philosopher who believed man by nature was evil and would abuse government power, who stated to control this abuse there must be in government separation of powers and Checks and Balances
A democratic system of government where the Prime Minister is elected from the majority party
Parliamentary System
Federal System
Constitutional Presidency System
Economic system that decides how goods and services will be produces by producing them in the most profitable manner
English revolutionary who came to america to be part of the colonial revolt from Britain who said governent in its best form is a "necessary evil"
All of the following statements support the pluralist view of American politics EXCEPT:
No elites exist in modern representative democracy
Many groups compete for control of public policy, with no one group or set of groups dominating
Bargaining and compromise among groups are essential ingredients in a democratic policy process
Interest groups competing for power leads to the "Tyranny of the Majority"
Some people do have more power tan others, but their influence tends to be limited to particular issues and areas
The 55 members of the Constitutional Convention generally held which view of human nature
Man by nature wants to be ruled by a dominant government
Humans are naturally good and only corrupted by society
Human nature is most characterized by conflict and chaos
Humans are motivated by self-interest and therefore cannot be trusted with political powers
Common people can be trusted with power, but rulers cannot
In the original Constitution, which of the following elements of government was placed within direct control of the votes of the majority
The Senate
The Presidency
The Supreme Court
The House of Representatives
The Vice Presidency
All but one of the 27 amendments to the Constitution has followed the amending process of
Proposal by 2/3 vote in each house of Congress and ratification by special convention called in 3/4 of the states
Proposal by a national convention called for by Congress and ratification by special conventions called in 3/4 of the states
Proposal by 2/3 vote in both house and Congress and ratification by special conventions called in 3/4 of the state legislatures
Proposal by a national convention called by Congress and ratification by 3/4 of the state legislatures
Proposal by 3/4 of the state legislatures and ratification by 2/3 vote in each house of Congress
A federal system of government differs from a confederation in that a federal system
state governments are stronger than central governments
the central and state governments are more clearly distinct and separate
the state governments have no distinct and separate powers
the central government shares governing powers with the states
all policy making powers is concentrated in a central government
The framers of the Constitution all believe that one of the primary functions of government is
educating citizens
protecting individual property rights
protecting new immigrants from persecution
expanding the borders of the nation
ensuring that anyone accused of a crime has the right to legal representation
Interpretation of this clause has been central to attempts to define the nature of which of the following aspects of the United States political system
Pluralism
Due Process of Law
Judicial Review
The "necessary and proper clause" is also known as the
Full Faith and Credit Clause
Supremacy Clause
Elastic Clause
Guarantee Clause
Due Process Clause
As originally ratified, the Constitution included provisions designed to
Limit the importation of foreign manufactured goods
Increase the economic importance of the agrarian sector relative to that of the manufacturing sector
Increase the economic powers of the central government
Expand the states' powers to regulate their own commerce with foreign countries
Guarantee the states a greater role in economic policy-making
Which of the following is an example of checks and balances, as established by the Constitution
A requirement that states raise their legal drinking age to 21 as a condition of receiving federal highway funds
Media criticism of public officials during an election campaign
The Supreme Court's ability to overturn a lower court decision
The requirement that the Presidential appointments to the Supreme Court be approved by the Senate
The election of the President by the Electoral College rather than by direct election
The importance of Shay's Rebellion to the development of the United States Constitution was that it
Revealed the necessity of both adding the Bill of Rights to the Constitution and creating a new system of checks and balances
Demonstrated the intensity of anti-ratification sentiments within the 13 states
Indicated that at strong, constitutionally designed national government was needed to protect property and maintain order
Convinced the delegates attending the Constitutional Convention to accept the Great Compromise
Reinforce the idea that slavery should be outlawed in the new Constitution
In a Federal system of government, political power is primarily
vested in local governments
vested in the state governments
divided between the central government and state governments
vested in the central government
divided between the state governments and local governments
Which of the following actions can Congress take if the Supreme Court finds a federal law unconstitutional
Appeal the Court's decision to the District of Columbia's Court of Appeals
Formally request the President to veto the Court's decisioin
Remove certain members of the Court and replace them with new members
Try to amend the Constitution
Reenact the same law
Most of the individual protections of the Bill of Rights now apply to the states because of the Supreme Court's interpretation of the Constitution's
Preamble
Necessary and proper clause
Supremacy clause
Tenth Amendment
Fourteenth Amendment
Which of the following procedures result in the removal of the President from office
The House and Senate vote for impeachment and the Supreme Court reaches a guilty verdict
The House votes for impeachment, and the Senate conducts a trial and reaches a guilty verdict
The House and Senate both vote for a bill of impeachment
Only the House votes for a bill of impeachment
A criminal court finds the President guilty of "high crimes and misdemeanors"
The establishment clause in the First Amendment does which of the following
Guarantees freedom of speech to all citizens
Prevents prior restraint of the press
Prohibits the setting up of a state church
Defines the concept of dual citizenship
Allows citizens to enter freely into contracts with other citizens
The Tenth Amendment to the Constitution has been interpreted by the Supreme Court to
prevent states from taxing the agencies of the federal government
reserves powers to the states
restricts the application of judicial review
allow for the burning of the flag as an expression of protest
limited use of the legislative veto
Which of the following has been used most to expand federal powers
The commerce clause of the Constitution
The habeas corpus clause of the Constitution
The bill of attainder clause of the Constitution
The First Amendment
The Fifth Amendment
Congressional district boundaries are usually redrawn every ten years by the
Bureau of the Census
State Legislatures
House Rules Committee
President
Federal Election Commision
Which of the following is generally true of the gerrymandering of congressional district
It results in more Democrats being elected to the House
It results in more Republicans being elected to the House
It guarantees that all minority parties will be equally represented
It creates districts that favor one political party over another
It violates the principles of one-person, one vote
Which of the following is one of the central concerns of the First Amendment
The supremacy of the national over state governments
The right of citizens to bear arms
The division of powers among the three branches of government
The right of citizens to petition the government for redress of grievances
The protection of the rights of those accused of committing a crime
Which of the following is NOT a presidential role authorized by the Constitution
To be commander in chief of the armed forces
To lead the political party of the President
To negotiate treaties with foreign nations
To be chief executive
To present the State of the Unions Address
Which of the following is true under the system of check and balances
The Supreme Court can overrule the President's policy proposals
The Senate must ratify treaties negotiated by the President before they become law
A bill becomes law when the House and the Senate pass it, and the Supreme Court declares it Constitutional
The Supreme Court can remove members of Congress, and Congress can impeach the President
The House of Representatives appoints justices to the Supreme Court and the Senate approves the appointments
The President can do the following without Congressional approval
Ratify a treaty
Appoint ambassadors
Appoint federal judges
Deploy troops
Declare War
Which of the following actions by the federal government best illustrates the concept of unfunded mandates
Requiring that polling booths remain open beyond the hours of the work day
Requiring states and municipalities to provide certain services for their citizens without providing resources to pay for those services
Requiring state governments to guarantee short term bonds issued by large municipalities in their states
Requiring all municipalities to impose a minimum property tax on all residential and business properties
Requiring states and municipalities to privatize many previously publicly funded services
Which of the following was the most important effect of replacing the Articles of Confederation with the Constitution in 1787
The protection of freedom of speech
The guarantees of state's rights
The establishment of direct democracy
The creation of a strong national government
The establishment of judicial review
Which of the following is a provision of BOTH the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution
A president enforces the laws
Congress may regulate interstate commerce
Congress may declare war
Certain cases are decided by the Supreme Court
Congress may not levy taxes
The Great Compromise of the Constitutional Convention provided for
All revenue bills originating in the Senate
All judicial appointments to be nominated by the President
The elimination of the importation of slaves
An electoral college and rules for removal of the President
A bicameral legislature with one houses's composition based upon state population and the other on equal representation per state
The idea that all interests are and should be free to compete for influence in government, resulting in healthy democratic compromise and balance, is called
Elite powers politics
Rational Choice
Institutionalism
Enumerated powers of the federal government include all of the following EXCEPT the power to
Coin money
Declare war
Regulate interstate trade
Regulate intrastate trade
Tax
Which of the following did the Supreme Court establish in Marbury v Madison
The Supreme Court can declare federal legislation invalid if the legislation violates the Constitution
Each state has the right to set up and run its own court system
All powers that are not explicitly given by the the Constitution to Congress belongs to the states
Any president who commits treason , bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors can be impeached
The Constitution can only be amended by 2/3 vote of the members of the House of Representatives
Which of the following is filed when a prisoner wants to be brought before a judge so that judge can determine whether his or her imprisonment is legal
Bill of Attainder
Ex post facto petition
Writ of certiorari
Writ of Habeas Corpus
Amicus curiae Brief
A Bill of Attainder is a
Bill passed by Congress that applies to only one individual
Compromise bill passed by both the House of Rep. and the Senate
Decision by an executive branch official that does not need to be approved by Congress
Law that declares that an action of an individual can be punished without a trial
Law that guarantees benefits to individuals who meet certain criteria
If Congress adjourns during the 10 days the President has to consider a bill passed by both houses of Congress, but which the President has not yet signed, what is the result
Line-item veto
Legislative veto
Executive veto
Pocket veto
Separation of power and federalism were two essential principles in the framing of the Constitution. These two principles are related in that each
Requires a strong central government elected by a popular majority
Involves a system of checks and balances in which the power is dispersed
Grants power to a political elite that acts on the behalf of the people
Reflects a need fro political virtue, frugality, industry, temperance and simplicity
Are relatively close to the parliamentary system
The Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution
After the ratification process was complete
During the ratification process under the pressure of the anti federalists
During the Articles of Confederation
Piece by piece, with the last amendment coming in 1868
At the end of the Constitutional Convention
Life, Liberty and pursuit of happiness were
Rights commonly listed in colonial charters
Jefferson's version of Locke's natural rights
Explicitly listed in the Preamble to the Constitution
Listed in the Bill of Rights
Taken for granted world wide
Political Parties are important examples of the
Formal amendment process
Informal flexibility of the Constitution
Rigidity of the Constitution
Wishes of the founders
Powers of the 10th amendment
In determining Congressional representation and taxation, the Constitution
Did not count slaves
Counted slaves the same free persons
Counted slaves as one half of a person
Was silent on how slaves would be counted
Counted as 3/5 of a person
Which of the following is a correct statement about political action committees (PACs)
The number of PACs has remained the stable over the past decade
Most PAC money is distributed to challengers in an effort to unseat hostile incumbents
The amount of money that a PAC can contribute directly to a candidate is limited by law
PACs are illegal in most states
PACs rarely attempt to influence legislation through lobbying activities
The use of direct primaries instead of the convention system in selecting presidential candidates results in which of the following
A weakening of party control over nominations
A reduction in the cost of election campaigns
An increase in the number of people involved in the choice of candidates
An increase in voter turnout in midterm elections
The boundary lines of congressional districts are drawn by
The United States House of Representatives
The U.S. Senate
The United States district courts
State governors
State legislators
The most common form of of political activity undertaken by U.S. citizens is
Lobby to influence decisions by public officials
Campaigning for a candidate for office
Contributing money to a political party
Voting in local elections
Voting in Presidential Elections
The primary reason for the current existence of only two major political parties in the U.S. is that
The Constitution puts severe restrictions on other parties
Third parties are too far to the left or the right for the Americans who are moderate voters
A winner take-all electoral system makes it difficult for new parties to emerge and survive
Voters naturally think of themselves as either liberals or conservatives
Presidential electors can vote for only two candidates
Which of the following is an accurate statement abut the voter turnout rate in the United States
It is high because of the large numbers of elected officials
It is significantly higher among men than among women
It is lower than in most other Western democracies
It is increased sharply when 18 year olds were given the right to vote
It has been steady over the last 30 years
Compared to voters in a general election, voters in presidential primary elections are
Less likely to be members of political parties
Less likely to be well educated
Likely to be a larger percentage of the voting-age population
More likely to members of ethnic or racial minority groups
More likely to be affluent
Which of the following statements about incumbent senators running for reelections is correct
The senators with the best chances of reelection are those who served the longest
The amount of money spent by a challenger has little bearing on an incumbents reelection chances
Incumbent senators are less likely to be reelected than are incumbent members of the House of Representatives
An incumbent senator is equally likely to be reelected or defeated
The most important factor influencing the reelection chances of senatros is whether they belong to the President's party
An important change in political culture since 1950 is that United States citizens have become
More likely to believe that their actions can influence government policy
More trusting of nongovernmental institution and leaders
Less trusting of government institutions and leaders
Less supportive of expanding civil rights protections to the LGBT communities
Less likely to think of themselves as ideological moderates
A primary election in which voters are required to identify a party preference before the election and are not allowed to split their ticket is called
Open primary
A blanket primary
A closed primary
A runoff primary
A presidential preference primary
Which of the following is NOT consistent with scientific polling
The poll asks questions to a small cross section of the community to get its results
Those polled are a broad cross section of the community
The poll is taken by asking people to voluntarily respond to a question
The poll accurately portrays voter opinions with a small measurable margin of error
The polls are often conducted by private for profit companies like Gallup
The McCain Feingold Act was passed to
Allow Super PACs to endorse candidates and coordinate with campaigns to support candidates
Undo the Citizens United decision of the Supreme Court
Provide public funding for all Federal elections
To limit the influence of soft money in campaigns
Limit the amount of money an incumbent can spend to no more than that raised by the challenger
Push Polls are taken to
Determine how campaign slogans or positions are influencing voters
Move voters away from candidate by influence them with a negative hypothetical
Move voters to support a candidate by providing positive information about the candidate
Find what motivates voters to vote for a specific public policy
Get voters to the voting booth
The purpose of Motor Voter bills was to
Increase the number of registered voters
To require all voters to have a valid drivers license
A veiled attempt to restrict minorities and the poor from voting
An attempt to make it more difficult to register to vote
To allow voters to vote early in elections at the DMV
The primary function of political action committees (PACs) is to
Serve as fundraising organizations for challengers
Provide members of Congress with unbiased information regarding proposed legislation
Consult with the President regarding domestic policy
Encourage broader participation in politics among the electorate
Raise campaign funds to support favored candidates or agendas
Which of the following generalizations about group voting tendencies are true
Jewish voters tend to vote Republican
Protestant voters tend to be more liberal than Roman Catholic voters on economic issues
More women than men identify themselves as Republican
Rural voters are more likely to support Democratic candidates within their party
African American voters tend to support more candidates within their party
Political Socialization is the process by which
The use of private property is regulated by the government
Governments communicate with each other
Public attitudes toward government are measured and reported
Political values are passed to the next generation
Children are trained for successful occupations
Which of the following is the most important influence on the choice made by voters in Presidential elections
Party identification
Party platform adopted at the national convention
Vice-president running mate
Endorsement by political incumbents
Appeal of the candidates spouse
Interest Groups and political parties both promote United States democracy by
Expressing detailed, ideologically distinct programs
Centralizing public authority
Linking citizens to the political process
Increasing domination of the political process by elites
lobbying members of Congress
Public monies are used to help finance which of the following campaigns
Presidential
Congressional
Gubernatorial
When 18 to 21 year olds received the right to vote in 1971; in the 1972 elections they did which of the following
Voted overwhelmingly for Republican candidates
Voted overwhelmingly for Democratic candidates
Voted overwhelmingly for radical candidates
Turned out at a lower rate than the rest of the electorate
Turned out at the same rate as the rest of the electorate
An election involving more than two candidates in which the person who receives the most votes is the winner is called
A majority election
a proportional election
a plurality election
a simple election
an indirect election
The Supreme Court case which ruled that money was speech and that individual and corporation could give unlimited amounts of money to super PACs
Marbury v Madison
Citizens United v FEC
Plessey v Ferguson
DNC vRNC
Gideon v Wainwrights
Type of poll used by political campaigns to determine how well a candidates messages are influencing the voting public
Push Poll
Exit Poll
Straw Poll
Gallup Poll
Tracking Poll
Type of primary election where voters do not have to declare their party affiliation but can only vote one party's ballot
Open Primary
Caucus
Closed Primary
Blanket Primary
Nonpartisan Primary
Voting phenomenon created when people turn out to vote for a specific candidate and in turn vote for more people of the same political party because they are there voting
Incumbent effect
Straight ticket voting
Coattail effect
Reagan Revolution
Blanket effect
The party's positions on political issues that the party will stand on in the general election decided on at the party's national convention is the party's
Agenda
Platform
Ideology
Fund raising program
Speaking points
Considering all elections at all levels of government, which of the following best descries electoral behavior in the United States
Primary elections tend to elicit a higher voter turnout than general elections
The majority of the electorate does not vote in most elections
Voter turnout plays an insignificant role in election outcomes
Adult citizens under the age of 30 tend to have the highest rate of voter turnout
Voters with strong party identification vote less regularly than independents do
Which of the following is a result of the Electoral College system
The winner of the presidency often lacks a plurality of the popular vote
Candidates focus on the one-party states in which they can win most of the electoral votes
The House frequently chooses the President from the top 3 vote getters
Candidates focus on the states with the largest populations
Campaign spending increases because candidates emphasize television advertising
Which of the following statements best describes the organization of the two major parties in the United States
Parties have no organization except at the national level
Parties are centrally organized to provide a smooth transition from one national campaign to the next
Parties are organized much like a large corporation, in that decisions flow from the national to state ad local levels
Local and state parties have virtually no power in the party system
Separate and largely independent party organizations exist at national, state, and local levels
Which of the following statements about voting behavior in the United States is correct
College graduates are more likely to vote than those who have at most a high school diploma
Voters under the age of 25 are more likely to vote
Registration requirements have no significant effect on voter turnout
Since 1920's, the proportion of women voters is the same as men
During the 20th century, the proportion of African Americans who voted was approximately the same as the proportion of White Americans who voted
An electoral system based on single-member districts is usually characterized by
Strong, centralized political parties and a weak executive
Higher rates of voter turnout than are common in other systems
Legislative representation of each party in proportion to the number of votes it received
Domination of the legislature by two political parties
Ideological rather than mass-based parties
Which of the following is a provision of federal election law
A small fee must be paid by persons voting in federal elections
On-site registration to vote must be permitted on the day of any federal election
Electoral districts must be apportioned to equalize the number of Democratic and Republican voters wherever historic imbalance exists
Citizens must be automatically registered on their 18th birthday
In areas with significant populations of linguistic minorities, voting materials must be made available in the preferred languages of the population
Of the following, the most important role in the political behavior socialization of children is played by
their peer group
their place of worship
the family
the media
the school
Political Action Committees representing which of the following groups have increased in number most substantially since the mid 1970s
Labor
Business
Health-Care Professionals
Veteran Groups
Civil Rights Advocates
Which of the following is NOT a core value of the United States political culture
Legal equality
Political equality
Economic equality
Freedom of Religion
Freedom of Speech
Which of the following demographic groups has voted most consistently for the Democratic Party in national elections over the last 3 decades
African Americans
Hispanics
Protestants
Wealthy White Males
Southern White Males
When none of the presidential candidates receives a majority of the votes in the electoral college, the winner is chosen by
Supreme Court
Senate only
A majority of both the House and the Senate
The term "split ticket voting" or the opposite of "straight ticket voting" is most accurately described as
Turning in a spoiled or mutilated ballot as a form of protest
Using separate ballots for candidates at the state and national levels
Voting Republican in one election cycle and Democratic in the next
Voting for candidates of different parties on the same ballot
Voting for one party in the primary elections and for another party in the general election
When contributing to congressional campaigns, political action committees are most likely to contribute to
Incumbents of both parties
Third party candidates
Republican challengers
State party organizations
National party organizations
Centrists are individuals whose political ideology is
Far left
Far right
Fence sitters who do not have an opinion
Moderates who don't vote extremes
People who vote extremes on both sides of the political spectrum
A bi-partisan issue is one in which the two main political parties
Work together to develop a solution
Are deeply divided on
An issue supported by the Democrats but not the Republicans
An issue supported by the Republicans and not the Democrats
An issue that neither party want to address for fear of political repercussions
