Government Mid-Term Exam

What is the difference between a totalitarian government and an authoritarian government?

An authoritarian government is kept in check by other institutions.

In all constitutional governments…

Laws limit what government can do and how they go about it.

A state that permits its citizens to vote directly on laws and policies is practicing a form of…

Direct democracy.

How has the internet affected Americans' relationship with politics?

Large majorities of Americans get information on the internet.

. Which of the following is not an agent of socialism?

The fact that women tend to oppose military intervention more than men do is an example of…

The gender gap.

Which of the following statements about political knowledge is not accurate?

In general, citizens with high levels of political knowledge are less likely to belong to political organizations and to be active in politics.

Most Americans try to get political information by…

Using shortcuts, like taking cues from trusted friends.

Which statement best describes the relationship between public opinion and government policy?

The relationship is dynamic, with government policy responding to public opinion but mass opinions also shifting based on new government policies.

What is policy feedback?

The way in which government policy can work to shift public opinion.

How has the internet affected Americans' relationship with politics?

Large majorities of Americans get information on the internet.

Political efficacy is the belief that…

Ordinary citizens can affect what government does.

The percentage of foreign-born individuals living in the United States…

Has increased significantly since reaching its low point in 1970.

In 2019, Latinos comprised approximately what percentage of the American public?

18 percent.

Which of the following statements best describes the shift in America's age profile since 1900?

The percentage of adults over the age of 65 has increased.

What percentage of Americans live in urban areas today?

About 80 percent.

Which of the following statements best describes the history of income inequality in the United States?

Income inequality has increased considerably since the late 1970s.

The phrase “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” appears in…

The Declaration of Independence.

An economic system that allows the government very little power to regulate commerce or restrict the use of private property is called…

Laissez-faire capitalism.

The principle of political equality can be best summed up as…

“One person, one vote.”

Why are minority rights important for American democracy?

Protecting minority interests ensures that government does not become a “tyranny of the majority.”

Americans' trust in their government…

Has declined since the early 1960s.

The British attempt to raise revenue in the North American colonies by…

Imposing taxes on commerce.

In their fight against British taxes, such as the Stamp Act of 1764, New England merchants and southern planters allied with which of the following groups?

Shopkeepers, small farmers, laborers, and artisans.

The first governing document in the United States was…

Articles of Confederation.

Who was responsible for carrying out laws passed by the national Congress under the Articles of Confederation?

The states.

Which event led directly to the Constitutional Convention by providing evidence that the government created under the Articles of Confederation was unable to act decisively in times of national crisis?

Shays' Rebellion.

Which proposal argued that states should be represented in the national legislature according to their size and wealth?

The Virginia Plan.

The agreement reached at the Constitutional Convention that determined how enslaved people would be counted for the purposes of taxation and congressional representation was called the…

Three-Fifths Compromise.

What are expressed powers?

Powers specifically expressed in the text of the Constitution.

The framers hoped to create a presidency that would be…

Capable of timely and decisive action.

One of the downsides of state control over policy is that…

Citizens may benefit or suffer unevenly from government action or inaction depending on where they live.

From the perspective of democratic participation, the multiple layers of government in a federal system…

Can make it difficult for individuals to figure out which government is responsible for their own problem.

Under which system of federalism have states done most of the fundamental governing?

Dual federalism.

In which case did the Supreme Court create the potential for increased national power by ruling that Congress could, based on the necessary and proper clause, exercise powers “implied” by its delegated powers?

McCulloch v. Maryland.

In 1937, the Supreme Court laid the groundwork for a stronger federal government by issuing a number of decisions that…

Dramatically expanded the definition of the Commerce Clause.

Over time, the value of categorical grants has…

Increased from $1.5 billion in 1960 to approximately $650 billion in 2019.

The principle that allows the federal government to take over areas of regulation from states or local government is called…

Preemption.

The process of transferring responsibility for policy from the national level to the state level is known as…

Devolution.

To what does the term New Federalism refer?

Discretion to the states through use of block grants.

When state and local governments conform to requirements imposed by the national government but do not receive funding for the expenditures required to fulfill them, they are complying with…

Unfunded mandates.

One of the downsides of state control over policy is that…

Citizens may benefit or suffer unevenly from government action or inaction depending on where they live.

From the perspective of democratic participation, the multiple layers of government in a federal system…

Can make it difficult for individuals to figure out which government is responsible for their own problem.

The process by which some of the liberties in the Bill of Rights were considered separately as a possible limit on the states is known as…

Selective incorporation.

Which of the following issues is commonly debated and considered in terms of the Establishment Clause?

Whether public schools can sponsor prayer sessions.

Which piece of recent legislation was challenged in the Supreme Court on the grounds that some of its provisions violated the Free Exercise Clause?

The Affordable Care Act.

The judicial standard that places a heavy burden of proof on the government when it seeks to restrict speech is called…

Strict scrutiny.

Which of the following describes written statements made in “reckless disregard of the truth” that is considered damaging to a victim because it is malicious, scandalous, and defamatory?

Libel.

In District of Columbia v. Heller, the Supreme Court ruled that…

The Second Amendment provides a constitutional right to keep a loaded handgun at home for self-defense.

The Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Amendments, taken together, are the essence of…

Due process of law.

In Mapp v. Ohio, the Supreme Court ruled that…

Evidence obtained from an illegal search cannot be introduced in trial.

Which landmark ruling deals with the Sixth Amendment's guarantee of the right to counsel?

Gideon v. Wainwright.

When did civil rights first become part of the Constitution?

With the adoption of the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868.

Which of the Civil War amendments abolished slavery?

The Thirteenth Amendment.

Which of the following could be described as a Jim Crow Law?

All of the above of Jim Crow Laws.

Which Supreme Court case established the “separate but equal” rule?

Plessy v. Ferguson.

What is the difference between de jure segregation and de facto segregation?

De jure segregation is legally enforced. De facto segregation is segregation in practice that is not enforced by law.

Which of the following outlawed discrimination by employers in hiring, promoting, and laying off their employees?

The 1964 Civil Rights Act.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 significantly strengthened voting rights protection by…

Banning literacy tests as a condition for voting in six southern states.

What is “quid pro quo” workplace harassment?

Sexual harassment that involves an explicit or strongly implied threat that the employee's submission is a condition of continued employment.

The Supreme Court's decision in Hernandez v. Texas was significant because it…

Affirmed all nationality groups were entitled to equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment.

Unauthorized immigrants in the United States are all eligible to…

Receive an education.

The term public opinion is used to describe…

The beliefs and attitudes that people have about policy issues, political events, and elected officials.

Today, the term ______ refers to someone who generally opposes the expansion of government activity and believes that private businesses, local communities, and religious organizations are in a better position to address social and economic problems.

Conservative.

Socialism refers to a political ideology that…

Emphasizes the importance of strong government in reducing economic and social inequality.

The process by which Americans form political beliefs and values is called…

Political socialization.

The fact that women tend to oppose military intervention more than men do is an example of…

The gender gap.

Which of the following statements about political knowledge is not accurate?

In general, citizens with high levels of political knowledge are less likely to belong to political organizations and to be active in politics.

Most Americans try to get political information by…

Using shortcuts, like taking cues from trusted friends.

Which statement best describes the relationship between public opinion and government policy?

The relationship is dynamic, with government policy responding to public opinion but mass opinions also shifting based on new government policies.

What is policy feedback?

The way in which government policy can work to shift public opinion.