OpenStax American Government 2e - Final Exam Flashcards

What goods are available to all without direct
payment?

public goods

In which form of government does a small
group of elite people hold political power?

oligarchy

The elite theory of government maintains that
________.

wealthy, politically powerful people control
government, and government has no
interest in meeting the needs of ordinary
people

According to the pluralist theory of
government, ________.

ordinary people acting on their own have a
significant influence on government

Which of the following is a good example of a
tradeoff?

The government pleases environmental
activists by preserving public lands but also
pleases ranchers by allowing them to rent
public lands for grazing purposes.

Supporting the actions of the Democratic Party
simply because one identifies oneself as a member
of that party is an example of ________.

partisanship

When a person is asked a question about a
political issue that he or she has little interest in
and has not thought much about, that person's
answer will likely reflect ________.

latent preferences

British colonists in North America in the late
seventeenth century were greatly influenced by
the political thought of ________.

John Locke

The agreement that citizens will consent to be
governed so long as government protects their
natural rights is called ________.

the social contract

What important power did the national
government lack under the Articles of
Confederation?

It could not impose taxes.

According to the Great Compromise, how
would representation in Congress be apportioned?

Representation in the House of
Representatives would be based on each
state's population and every state would
have two senators.

How did the delegates to the Constitutional
Convention resolve their disagreement regarding
slavery?

It was agreed that 60 percent of a state's
slave population would be counted for
purposes of both representation and
taxation.

Why were The Federalist Papers written?

To encourage New York to ratify the
Constitution.

What argument did Alexander Hamilton use
to convince people that it was not dangerous to
place power in the hands of one man?

1. One man could respond to crises more
quickly than a group of men like Congress.

2. It was easier to control the actions of one
man than the actions of a group.

How many states must ratify an amendment
before it becomes law?

three-fourths

What is the Bill of Rights?

first ten amendments to the Constitution
that protect individual freedoms

Which statement about federal and unitary
systems is most accurate?

In a federal system, the constitution
allocates powers between states and federal
government; in a unitary system, powers
are lodged in the national government.

Which statement is most accurate about the
sources of revenue for local and state
governments?

Between 30 and 40 percent of the revenue
for local and state governments comes from
grant money.

Which statement about new federalism is not
true?

President Reagan was able to promote new
federalism consistently throughout his
administration.

Which is not a merit of cooperative federalism?

Cooperative federalism respects the
traditional jurisdictional boundaries
between states and federal government.

In McCulloch v. Maryland, the Supreme Court
invoked which provisions of the constitution?

necessary and proper clause and
supremacy clause

Which statement about federal grants in
recent decades is most accurate?

The amount of federal grant money going
to states has steadily increased since the
1960s.

Which statement about unfunded mandates is
false?

New federalism does not promote the use
of unfunded mandates.

Which statement about venue shopping is
true?

None of the statements are correct.

Which statement about immigration
federalism is false?

The Arizona v. United States decision struck
down all Arizona's most restrictive
provisions on illegal immigration.

Which statement about the evolution of samesex
marriage is false?

United States v. Windsor legalized same-sex
marriage in the United States.

Which of the following is not a benefit of
federalism?

Federalism encourages economic equality
across the country.

The Bill of Rights was added to the
Constitution because ________.

key states refused to ratify the Constitution
unless it was added

An example of a right explicitly protected by
the Constitution as drafted at the Constitutional
Convention is the ________.

right to a writ of habeas corpus

The Fourteenth Amendment was critically
important for civil liberties because it ________.

helped start the process of selective
incorporation of the Bill of Rights

Which of the following provisions is not part of
the First Amendment?

the right to keep and bear arms

The Third Amendment can be thought of as
________.

forming part of a broader conception of
privacy in the home that is also protected
by the Second and Fourth Amendments

The Fourth Amendment's requirement for a
warrant ________.

does not apply when there is a serious risk
that evidence will be destroyed before a
warrant can be issued

The Supreme Court case known as Kelo v. City
of New London was controversial because it
________.

allowed greater use of the power of
eminent domain

Which of the following rights is not protected
by the Sixth Amendment?

the right to remain silent

The double jeopardy rule in the Bill of Rights
forbids which of the following?

none of these options

The Supreme Court has decided that the
death penalty ________.

may not be applied to those who were
under 18 when they committed a crime

Which of the following rights is not explicitly
protected by some state constitutions?

the right to polygamous marriage

The right to privacy has been controversial for
all the following reasons except ________.

most U.S. citizens today believe the
government should be allowed to outlaw
birth control

Which of the following rules has the Supreme
Court said is an undue burden on the right to have
an abortion?

Women must notify their spouses before
having an abortion.

A major difference between most European
countries and the United States today is ________.

laws in Europe more strictly regulate how
government officials can use tracking
technology

A group of African American students believes
a college admissions test that is used by a public
university discriminates against them. What legal
standard would the courts use in deciding their
case?

strict scrutiny

The equal protection clause became part of the
Constitution as a result of ________.

the Fourteenth Amendment

Which of the following types of discrimination
would be subject to the rational basis test?

A law that treats 10-year-olds differently
from 28-year-olds

The Supreme Court decision ruling that
"separate but equal" was constitutional and
allowed racial segregation to take place was
________.

Plessy v. Ferguson

The 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery march was an
important milestone in the civil rights movement
because it ________.

vividly illustrated the continued resistance
to black civil rights in the Deep South

At the world's first women's rights convention
in 1848, the most contentious issue proved to be
_________.

suffrage for women

How did NAWSA differ from the NWP?

The NWP favored more confrontational
tactics like protests and picketing while
NAWSA circulated petitions and lobbied
politicians.

The doctrine that people who do jobs that
require the same level of skill, training, or
education are thus entitled to equal pay is known
as ________.

comparable worth

The Trail of Tears is the name given to the
forced removal of this tribe from Georgia to
Oklahoma.

Cherokee

AIM was ________.

a radical group of Native American
activists who occupied the settlement of
Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge
Reservation

Mexican American farm workers in California
organized ________ to demand higher pay from
their employers.

the United Farm Workers union

Which of the following best describes
attitudes toward Asian immigrants in the late
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries?

Asian immigrants were welcomed to the
United States and swiftly became
financially successful.

Which of the following is not an agent of
political socialization?

a U.S. senator

How are most attitudes formed?

in childhood, based on early childhood
experiences

________ political content is given by a media
source that lets the reader or viewer know upfront
there is a political bias or position.

Overt

The Bradley effect occurs when people
________.

say they will vote against a candidate
because of the candidate's race

Which of the following is not part of a scientific
poll design?

a leading question

A poll states that Hillary Clinton will receive
43 percent of the vote. There is an 8 percent
margin of error. What do you think of the poll?

It is a non-representative poll and the
margin of error is too high.

Why are social policies controversial?

They require government to balance the
rights and liberties of different groups.

Which factor affects congressional approval
ratings the most?

domestic events

Which institution has the highest average
public approval ratings?

the Supreme Court

How do polls affect presidential elections?

Polls identify the top candidates and the
media interview those candidates.

Presidential approval ratings ________ over a
president's term of office.

decline

Which body of government is least
susceptible to public opinion polls?

U.S. Supreme Court

Which of the following makes it easy for a
citizen to register to vote?

National Voter Registration Act

Which of the following is a reason to make
voter registration more difficult?

decrease election fraud

What unusual step did Oregon take to increase
voter registration?

The state automatically registers all citizens
over eighteen to vote.

If you wanted to prove the United States is
suffering from low voter turnout, a calculation
based on which population would yield the lowest
voter turnout rate?

voting-age population

What characterizes those most likely to vote in
the next election?

over forty-five years old

Why do Belgium, Turkey, and Australia have
higher voter turnout rates than the United States?

compulsory voting laws

A state might hold a primary instead of a
caucus because a primary is ________.

faster and has higher turnout

Which of the following citizens is most likely
to run for office?

Jeffrey Lyons, a 40-year-old lawyer and
father of one

Where and when do Electoral College electors
vote?

in their state capitol, in December

In which type of election are you most likely
to see coattail effects?

presidential

Susan is currently working two part-time jobs
and is frustrated about the poor economy. On
Election Day, she votes for every challenger on the
ballot, because she feels the president and
Congress are not doing enough to help her. What
type of vote did she cast?

prospective

Which factor is most likely to lead to the
incumbency advantage for a candidate?

gerrymandering of the candidate's district

Which of the following is not a step in the
initiative process?

signature or veto by state governor

A referendum is not purely direct democracy
because the ________.

government proposes something and the
voters approve it

A local station that broadcasts national
network programming is called a(an) ________
station.

affiliate

Cable programming is often ________.

national

A conglomerate is a corporation that ________.

owns many businesses and media networks

When acting as an agenda setter, the media
________.

decides which issues deserve public
attention

Newspapers during the Revolutionary War
period tended to ________.

unite the colonists and provide information
about the British

Muckraking occurs when newspapers
________.

investigate problems in government and
business

Radio quiz shows and comedy shows were
most popular in the ________.

1930s

Television news became a regular feature
during ________ due to the public's demand for
________ to explain current events.

WWII; images and maps

In which circumstance would the courts find
libel?

A reporter uses a source that incorrectly
states a celebrity is using drugs.

The Supreme Court determined that the right
of the press to print classified material ________.

is partial, and the press may print classified
material only if it does not compromise
troops or covert operatives

The Federal Communications Commission
oversees the programming of which entities?

television, radio, satellite, and cable

Which of the following is a reasonable
exception to the Freedom of Information Act?

medical records for government employees

Which of the following is an example of
episodic framing?

a story on drug abuse that interviews
addicts and discusses reasons for addiction
and government responses to help addicts

According to research, why might a woman
decide not to run for office?

She fears the media will criticize her family.

Media coverage of a race tends to ________.

overrepresent African Americans as poor

Which supporter of federalism warned people
about the dangers of political parties?

George Washington

Which of the following was not a third-party
challenger?

Whig Party

In which type of electoral system do voters
select the party of their choice rather than an
individual candidate?

proportional representation

Which of the following does not represent a
major contributing factor in party realignment?

third parties

Which level of party organization is most
responsible for helping the party's nominee win
the presidency?

national

Someone who lobbies on behalf of a company
that he or she works for as part of his or her job is
________.

an in-house lobbyist