POS 2041 / U.S. Government Final Exam Study Guide

The rule of an elite few for their own interests is called a/an:

Oligarchy

Before it was an empire, what was ancient Rome?

It was a Republic

In addition to social contract theory, what are two other concepts taken from classical liberalism which influenced the Founding generation?

Separation of powers and free markets

Which theorists made the first and most influential efforts to explain how mixed governments can work in practice?

Thomas Hobbes and John Locke

Who were the Pilgrims?

Middling English Puritans who settled in New England in order to avoid religious persecution in the home country

What two concepts does classical liberalism favor?

Limited government and individual rights

What is social contract theory?

An argument that the legitimate origin of government is in the agreement of a free people

Who is the legitimate source of political authority, according to the idea of individualism?

The people

A republic combines principles from monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy.

True

A modern definition of "democracy" would include reliance on free elections to select public officials and to affect the direction of public policy.

True

What uprising convinced Americans to support a stronger national government?

Shay's Rebellion

The assignment of legislative, executive, and judicial powers to different institutions is an example of:

separation of powers

In a representative government the people elect representative(s) to conduct the business of government.

True

What was purpose of the Preamble to the Constitution?

To declare the Constitution an act of the sovereign people (rather than of sovereign states) and to explicate the goals of the proposed government

Which plan that was proposed as a model for the Constitution called for a unicameral legislature with equality of representation?

The New Jersey Plan

In the Electoral College, what formula was utilized to set the number of electors?

Equivalent to the number of members of Congress with equality of representation as derived from the Senate and proportionality of representation as derived from the House

In what sense did the original Bill of Rights protect rights and liberties?

It protected individual rights and liberties from actions by the national government

In the struggle to ratify the Constitution, how did the Federalists defend their argument that a Bill of Rights was unnecessary?

By using the "reserved powers theory," they said that powers not expressly granted to the national government by the federal Constitution would be retained by the people and the states

To which branch of government does the necessary and proper clause apply?

The Congress

What is federalism?

A form of government where some powers are assigned to a national government, some are assigned to lower levels of government, and some are exercised concurrently by both levels of government

Powers that belong to all sovereign nations, allowing their executives to take whatever measures necessary to defend a nation or protect its interests.

Inherent Powers

What was one way in which President Reagan "turned off the tap" regarding the growth in federal grants-in-aid and national mandates that had occurred under his immediate predecessors?

Cutting federal taxes

What are block grants?

Federal funds made available to states and communities with wide discretion for how the money is spent in a broad substantive area of policy

Categorical grants allow the states to spend money on any issue they categorize as a priority.

False

What is the doctrine of nullification?

The claim that states have the right to nullify national acts that they believe to be beyond national constitutional authority

What is secession?

The claim that states have the right to withdraw from the Union

What is an example of a concurrent power?

To tax

What are the three categories of reserved powers regarding state governments?

Police power, provision of services to citizens, and the creation/control of local governments

Which of the following are two powers denied to the states?

The power to keep armies and navies and the power to make treaties

Approximately how many governments exist within the federal system of the United States?

More than 90,000

If you were conducting an in-depth interview with ten to fifteen people, you would be conducting a/an:

Focus group

What is the relative level of political knowledge and political interest among the poor?

It is relatively lower than higher class groups

Which of the following is a sensible rule of thumb to use when deciding whether or not to trust a poll?

Good polls come from those organizations that have reputational incentives to be accurate

What is political ideology?

An organized and coherent set of ideas that forms a perspective on the political world and how it works

What is political socialization?

None of the above

What is public opinion?

The distribution of citizen opinion on matters of public concern or interest

How do Greens differ from liberals?

They tend to place environmental and quality of life issues ahead of traditional economic ones

What are central components of the "American Creed?"

Liberty, equality, and individualism

Which of the following was a transformative event that had a socialization effect on the politics of the generation that lived through it?

All of the above

What is the most important and influential agent of political socialization?

Family

As a result of the tragic shootings at an Orlando gay nightclub, how did Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives use new social media?

They used Twitter and Periscope when House cameras were turned off by Republicans who refused to debate gun control measures.

What are two reasons given for why Americans distrust politics?

Negative portrayals of politicians with simplistic coverage of complex issues

What is the impact of the media's attention on the Congress?

It tends to support the notion that the Congress is a failed institution

Does the media focus on public policy issues in its coverage of elections, candidates, and campaigns?

No

How does the inverted pyramid help to convey news in a "professional objective manner?"

It places the most important facts at the beginning of the article and presents the supporting evidence later in the article

From the Let's Compare section, what system of radio/television media ownership and control is used by most countries?

Most have state-owned and state controlled radio/television media

Generally speaking, has American newspaper readership been increasing or decreasing in recent years?

Decreasing

Talk radio is dominated by which ideological persuasion?

Conservatives

Journalists and private citizens can request an accurate count of the number of private prisons contracts operating in the United States using the:

Freedom of Information Act

Which of the following was a distinctive aspect of political media during the Progressive era of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries?

Muckraker journalism

What type of association has declined significantly since 1959?

Trade

Peak associations represent:

Business people

Lobbyists pursuing an inside strategy often focus their attention on:

The press

Outside strategies often focus on:

Media advertising

What are interest groups?

Organizations based on shared interests that attempt to influence society and government

What were two reasons for the expansion of interest groups just prior to and in the decades following the Civil War?

Urbanization and Industrialization

From the Let's Compare section, is the labor movement on the march globally?

No, labor unions have been shrinking across most industrialized countries in the last few decades

Pluralism is the perspective on the role of interest groups in American democracy in which that the wealthiest Americans play a dominant role in the political system.

False

From the Pro and Con section, what is soft money?

Unregulated campaign funds

Which one of the following statements is true regarding the U.S. Supreme Court's decision on the Affordable Care Act in 2012?

The Supreme Court declared the act constitutional, but also allowed the states to be free from participating in expansion of their Medicaid programs

What is the difference between an initiative and a referendum?

In both initiatives and referenda, the people vote directly on a question of public policy placed on a ballot. The difference is that, in referenda, government places the question on the ballot, whereas in initiatives, the people themselves control ("initiate") what goes on the ballot.

Which of these statements most accurately describes the party identification of black Americans?

Although they were strongly committed to the Republican Party for about 100 years after the Civil War, they have been strongly committed to the Democratic Party at least since the 1960s

Within party organizations, where has organizational power flowed from and to over its historical development?

From the local level to the national level

What has been the historical role of minor parties in America?

Normally they attempt but fail in raising issues ignored by the major parties

What is party identification?

The intellectual commitment of a voter to his or her preferred party AND The emotional commitment of a voter to his or her preferred party

What is a political party?

An organization designed to elect government officeholders under a given label

A legal way to remove sitting officeholders before the end of her or his term is called a/an __________.

Recall

What characterizes the party period that we currently live in?

Divided government

Do Americans exhibit high levels of partisanship?

Yes, but most are in fact weak or independent leaning partisans

Open party primaries allow members of either party to vote for that party's general election candidate.

True

__________ are seen as better able to handle issues such as national security, crime, inflation, business, and regulatory policy; __________ are associated with being more sensitive to the poor, minorities, social welfare issues, income, and employment issues

Republicans; Democrats

The strongest influence on individual political behavior is __________.

Party identification

Suffrage refers to:

The right to vote

Voter turnout is measured as what?

The percentage of voting age population that does vote

Countries with either automatic registration systems or compulsory voting systems have lower voter turnout than countries without these.

False

What are "persuadable" voters and are they on the rise or decline within the electorate?

Voters open to voting for another party's candidate or an independent—they are on the decline within the electorate

What is an incumbent?

A current public office holder seeking re-election

What is the phenomenon referred to as polarization?

Increasing partisanship combined with greater levels of ideology

Elections in America are divided into two parts, with the last being the selection for office. What is the first?

The nomination of the candidates by the primary and caucus electorates

In addition to greater name recognition, how else do we account for the congressional incumbency advantage?

Better opportunities for advertising and fundraising

What are two "power committees" found in both the House and Senate today?

Appropriations and Budget

In the Senate, who is its leader in practice?

The Majority Leader of the Senate

How is the Speaker of the House of Representatives chosen according to the Constitution?

By a majority vote of the members of the House of Representatives

What is the primary difference between authorizing and appropriations committees?

Appropriations committees allocate the money for policies while authorizing committees develop the policies themselves

From what right does the filibuster originate?

The right of unlimited debate

In which chamber of the Congress do filibusters and unanimous consent agreements play a role?

The Senate

What does turnover mean in regard to the U.S. Congress?

Turnover as it applies to the Congress means the number of seats in the Congress which change hands from one person to another

What does the notion of popular sovereignty imply regarding the peoples' rights when a government is seen to be abusive or neglectful?

That the people have the right to reclaim governmental authority for themselves; in other words, they have the right of revolution

In comparison to the rest of the country, from what class of society do the members of Congress come?

The social, economic, and educated elite

Which chamber of the Congress is given the power of origination overall revenue bills?

The House of Representatives

Which of these statements accurately describes the Constitution's allocation of national security policymaking authority?

It divides that power by making the President the commander-in-chief and giving Congress the power to declare war

How did Theodore Roosevelt describe the presidency and why?

As the Bully Pulpit, to address and lead the American people toward a better tomorrow

Define the Cabinet as it relates to the presidency.

The secretaries of the 15 executive departments and other officials who head those departments and consult with the President when called upon to do so

What does the role Commander-in-Chief mean?

The President, a civilian, is the head of the armed forces of this country in peace and war

Define inherent powers.

Powers held by all sovereign nations allowing executives to take actions required to defend the nation and protect its interests

What is impeachment?

The process of removing any national government official from office

What is executive privilege?

The right of Presidents to keep conversations and communications with their advisors confidential

What is the appointment power?

The power of the President to appoint senior government officials

The stature of the Vice Presidency has risen over the last few decades?

True

Which qualifying characteristic for running for the presidency is also a common requirement for being elected to high office in other democracies?

Both citizenship and nativity