Political Science 101

Our connection with others and the willingness to interact and aid them is called  __________. 

social capital

Most representative governments favor __________________. 

  

majority rules

 

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

  

partisanship

 

_________ preference is based on strong feelings regarding an issue that someone adheres to over time. 

  

An intense

 

Although elitists and pluralists present political influence as a tug-of-war with people at opposite ends of a rope trying to gain control of government, in reality government action and public policy are influenced by an ongoing series of tradeoffs or compromises.

  

True

 

Public opinion polls, which politicians may rely on when formulating policy or deciding how to vote on issues, capture mainly people’s 

  

Latent preferences

 

What kind of system of government has the population select representatives who then pass laws and make decisions for the people?

 

A representative democracy

 

A democracy is a government in which political power—influence over institutions, leaders, and policies—rests in the hands of the people.

True

Which of the following are true about members of Congress? 

  

Most have a college degree.

 

  

About half are millionaires.

 

  

Over 70% are White males.

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All of the above answers are correct.

 

Which is the correct meaning of minority rights?

A government follows the preferences of the majority but protects the rights of the minority.

At the Constitutional Convention, what was the Virginia Plan?

The plan to create a Congress in which representation of each state was based on population.

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What was the name of the writings put together by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison to argue in favor or ratification of the new proposed government under the Constitution?

 

The Federalist Papers

 

Which group during the ratification process feared the power of the national government and believed state legislatures, with which they had more contact, could better protect their freedoms?

The Anti-Federalists

 

Which of the follow procedure has been the most common way to amend the Constitution? 

2/3 vote in both houses of Congress and support from 3/4 of state legislatures.

 

Which political philosopher had the most influence on the ideas of colonists who revolted from Great Britain?

  

John Locke

 

The Articles of Confederation were _________. 

  

the first written constitution for the United States

 

Which of the following are found in the Declaration of Independence?

The argument that there were rights that could not be abridged by governments

 

Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?

  

Thomas Jefferson

 

At the Constitutional Convention what was the New Jersey Plan?

The plan to create a Congress in which representation would be equal for each state.

Why did Rhode Island stand out during the time of the Constitutional Convention?

It was the only state that did not send delegates to the Constitutional Convention.

 McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) used this clause to allow for the establishment of a national bank.  

 

Necessary and Proper Clause

Those in favor of granting states more authority look to ________  _________ as a way to reduce federal control.

 

block grants

Which president contributed to raising the number of block grants from six in 1981 to fourteen in 1989.

Ronald Reagan

_____________  are federal transfers formulated to limit recipients’ discretion in the use of funds and subject them to strict  criteria that guide project selection, among other things.

Categorical grants

When interest groups select the level and branch of government (legislature, judiciary, or executive) they calculate will be most advantageous for them, they have engaged in 

 

venue-shopping

Until 2014, the Full Faith and Credit Clause was embroiled in controversy over how states treated same-sex marriage differently.

  

True

 

Which of the following is the best explanation of Supremacy Claus

When in conflict, national law prevails over state law.

 

When Congress mandates that states meet standards in certain policy areas without giving them the funding to do so, this is called _____________

  

an unfunded mandate

 

The Supreme Court’s decision in *Obergefell v. Hodges* (2015

identified a constitutional right to marriage based on the Fourteenth Amendment.

The ______________________ clause prevents states from discriminating against citizens of other states.

privileges and immunities

 

This court court case ruled that anyone accused of a serious crime, was entitled to the assistance of a lawyer, even if they could not afford one, as part of the general due process right to a fair trial.

  

Gideon v. Wainwright

 

In this case, the Supreme Court ruled that the Second Amendment protects an individual’s right to keep and bear arms, at least in some circumstances—in particular, “for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home.”

*District of Columbia v. Heller.*

What did the Supreme Court rule in *Barron v. Baltimore?*

  

The Bill of Rights applied only to actions by the federal government, not state or local government.

 

The main difference between libel and slander is that

  

libel refers to written statements, while slander refers to oral statements.

The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution deals with

  

the right to bear arms.

The requirement that people under arrest be informed their rights to remain silent is known as the ________ rule.

  

Miranda

 

*Griswold v. Connecticut* (1965) and *Roe v. Wade* (1973) have been extremely important in the development of

  

a constitutional right to privacy.

________ argued that there was a “wall of separation” between church and state.

The wall of separation between church and state is best found in which clause of the Constitution?

The wall of separation between church and state is best found in which clause of the Constitution?

the establishment clause

*Near v. Minnesota* (1931) established the principle that

only under the most extraordinary circumstances could the government prevent the publication of newspapers and magazines.

________________   refused to give up her bus seat to a White person, which led to a boycott of Montgomery’s public transit system.

  

Rosa Parks

 

The rights of disabled individuals to access public businesses is guaranteed by the  _____________. 

  

the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990

 

Segregation that results from the private choices of individuals is

  

de facto segregation

 

_____________ is a discriminatory barrier that can prevent women from rising to the highest levels of an organization.

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The glass ceiling

 

What strategy did the NAACP focus on to overturn Jim Crow laws?

  

Litigation in the court system

 

What 1882 law prevented Chinese from immigrating to the United States for ten years and prevented Chinese already in the country from becoming citizens?

  

The Chinese Exclusion Act

 

Suffrage refers to 

  

the right to vote.

 

________________ is the judicial doctrine that requires the government to demonstrate that there is a compelling governmental interest in treating people from one group differently than another group. 

  

Strict scrutiny

 

In *Lawrence v. Texas* (2003), the United States Supreme Court 

  

ended the criminalization of sexual intercourse between consenting adults of the same sex.

 

Which proposed amendment that would have prohibited all discrimination based on sex fell just short of ratification?

  

Equal Rights Amendment

 

________________   is characterized by a high level of stability in politics, acceptance of the government as legitimate, and a common goal of preserving the system.

Diffuse support

 

A political ideology is best defined as 

the attitudes and beliefs that help shape our opinions on political theory and policy.

 

_______ is the primary influence on one's political views. 

  

One's family

 ???A?A?A?A?

Most people in the United States share a belief in these values: 

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liberty, equality, and privacy

 

This ideology prefers a smaller government that stays out of the economy, allowing the market and business to determine prices, wages, and supply.

conservative

The limited group selected by pollsters to represent the overall population is called a  _____________. 

  

random sample

 

Pollsters select a ________  of the population to make inferences about the preferences of the population as a whole. 

  

sample

 

Overall, it is clear that public opinion has a less powerful effect on the courts than on the politicians in the other branches of government.

True

Push polls are scientific polls intended to yield accurate information about a population.  

False

__________  states how far the poll results may be from the actual preferences of the total population of citizens

  

The margin of error

 

Which of the following groups has the highest voting turnout percentage?

\
  

Registered voters

 

Political action committees (PACs) are private groups created to raise money for political campaigns and spend money to influence policy and politics.

True

Although well intentioned, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 failed to address discrimination that prevented many African-Americans from registering to vote.  

False

Which of the following statements about age and voting is true?

  

Young people are far less likely to vote than older people.

 

What determines the number of Electoral College votes that each state has? 

  

The number of senators the state has.

 

  

The number of House of Representative members the state has.

 

  

The number of members of Congress the state has.

 

  

None of above answers are correct.

 

Which of the following is the strongest predictor of voting turnout?

  

Education

 

Because Congress is so unpopular, congressional incumbents often struggle to win re-election.  

  

False

 

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

the National Voter Registration Act

 

Which Supreme Court decision increased the power of super PACs?

  

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission

 

Partisanship is ________ indicator of which candidates people will vote for.

?A?A?A?A

How have newspapers adapted to financial pressures in the twenty-first century?

?????A?AA??A?A

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They avoid social media preferring to concentrate on traditional printing.

 

  

They publish "fake news" to increase subscriptions.

 

  

They devote fewer resources to investigative journalism.

 

  

None of the above answers is correct.

 

In general, the government does not own but regulates the content and ownership of broadcast media.

Ture

A major concern about the Internet as a primary source of political information is that it has allowed groups to spread political propaganda and "fake news" more effectively.  

True

In 2021, what percent of the media did the main four conglomerates own?  

\
  

90%

 

The printing of tabloid-style papers with cartoons, pictures, and scandalous front-page news in the late 1800s was known as  ________________.  

  

yellow journalism.

 

Because of the rise of social media, corporate control of broadcast media is less consolidated in now that it was in 1980.

False

_______ is the process of predisposing readers or viewers to think a particular way

priming

Millennials  and Generation Z  are more likely to get news from Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube, while Baby Boomers are most likely to get their news from television. 

True

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

affliate

____________ was an important reason why political parties help finance publications during the party press era.  

  

The cost of printing presses

 

Because of several Supreme Court decisions, it is illegal to manipulate  legislative districts in an attempt to favor a particular candidate  (gerrymandering).  

False

The issue of slavery helped the Republican Party emerge during the 1850s. 

True

Political parties that are formed as alternatives to the Republican and Democratic parties are known as  __________

  

third parties.

 

Under Andrew Jackson, the Democratic Party advocated

  

the common people by championing westward expansion and opposing a national bank.

 

Which future president attracted greater national attention with a speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention? 

  

Barrack Obama

 

Which of the following is true about party polarization in the United States? 

\
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a growing number of moderate voters aren’t participating in party politics.

 

  

moderate politicians have simply found it harder and harder to win elections.

 

  

the U.S. government in general and Congress in particular have become less effective in recent years.

 

  

All of the above answers are correct.

 

Which of the following areas usually votes for Republicans?

Rural

In the election of 1800, what happened? 

\
  

There was a tie in the Electoral College.

 

The positions of political parties on critical issues are often presented in documents known as a _______________. 

  

party platform.

 

The United States has had six distinctive party systems since 1789.

True

________________   scholars argue that certainly some interests are in a privileged position, but these interests do not always get what they want.

Neopluralist

 

A group of people join a group to fight discrimination, organized around the idea of improving the equal treatment of individuals. The group members are in pursuit of a goal that is important to them. Which benefits are more closely associated with membership in this group?

purposive benefits

 ?A?A?A

Interests should be free to compete with each other for influence would best describe what theory of politics?

  

Theory of pluralism

Revolving door laws are designed to do which of the following

prevent lawmakers from utilizing their legislative relationships by becoming lobbyists immediately after leaving office

According to elite theorists, interest-group politics is generally a form of political competition best suited to the wealthy and powerful.

  

True.

 

Which issue area would demonstrate the argument that businesses, the wealthy, and elites win do NOT win in every political conflict?

  

Increases in the minimum wage

 

Which of the following is NOT one of the angles in an iron triangle?

  

The media.

 

Which of the following is a technique the interest groups use to seek power?

  

Lobbying

 

  

Grassroots mobilization.

 

  

Campaign donations

 

  

All of the above answers are correct.

 

_________________   is when people tend not to act when the perceived benefit is insufficient to justify the costs associated with engaging in the action.

\
  

A collective action problem

 

What is it called when there is an attempt by an individual to represent an organization before government in an attempt to influence policy?

Lobbying