Midterm federal government

Individualism is the idea that

individuals should be free to act and think as the choose. all individuals are equal in their moral worth. people are the ultimate source of governing authority. there should be formal limits on the people's power. people should take initiative and be self sufficient.

people should take initiative and be self sufficient.

Which of the following best describes Americans unalienable rights as described in the declaration of independence

God given rights that all people posses from birth. freedom from government interference in any aspect of life. freedom from religious persecution. freedoms belonging to every person that cannot be legally taken away by the government. the freedoms necessary to become a perfect nation

freedoms belonging to every person that cannot be legally taken away by the government.

The United States economy operates primarily as a

free market system with major elements of socialism. free market system. none of these answers are correct. socialist system with some free market elements. socialist system.

free market system.

In a constitutional system,

all citizens have absolute free speech rights. officials govern according to the traditions established by their predecessors. the economy is based on the free enterprise system. there are lawful restrictions on a government’s power. there are no restrictions on the lawful uses of power, as long as this power is obtained by majority rule.

there are lawful restrictions on a government’s power.

What has democracy come to mean in practice?

elitist control through interest group politics. majority rule through the free and open election of representatives. oligarchic government through a legislature chosen through popular election. pluralism through the election of representatives and the influence of corporate interests. pluralistic government through the combination of popularly elected representatives and the influence of interest groups.

majority rule through the free and open election of representatives.

The inalienable rights enumerated in the declaration of independence are

equality and liberty. liberty, equality, and fraternity. life and property. life, liberty, and property. life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

shay’s rebellion

convinced many political leaders that the national government was too powerful. convinced many political leaders that the national government was too weak. occurred after the philadelphia convention of 1787. reinforced public support for the articles of confederation. was a successful revolt.

convinced many political leaders that the national government was too weak.

The three-fifths compromise was a response to

apportionment in the US senate. conflict over the institution of slavery. the concerns of small states. the demands of large states. the electoral college.

conflict over the institution of slavery.

The Great Compromise produced

a bicameral congress. checks and balances. federalism. separation of powers. the abolition of slavery.

a bicameral congress.

The term of office for a US senator is ______ years, while that of a member of the US house is ______ years.

eight; four. four; four. four; two. six; four. six; two.

six; two.

A blending of state and national authority is associated with ______ federalism, while a separation of national and state authority is associated with ______ federalism.

cooperative; dual. cooperative; pyramid. dual; cooperative. dual; fiscal. picket-fence; cooperative.

cooperative; dual.

Devolution is the

contraction of state authority and the expansion of local government authority. expansion of national authority that began in the 1930s. expansion of national authority that began in the 1960s. passing of authority from the national government to the state and local levels. none of these answers are correct.

passing of authority from the national government to the state and local levels.

The only counterforce that was potentially strong enough to control the business trusts of the late 19th and 20th centuries was

business competitors. farmers. government. organized labor. the buying public.

government.

Sovereignty refers to

a division of authority between the national government and the states. a government headed by a king. none of these answers are correct. subnational (state) governments. supreme and final governing authority.

supreme and final governing authority.

Which choice describes the american change in governmental structure

confederal to federal. confederal to unitary. federal to confederal. federal to unitary. unitary to confederal.

confederal to federal.

Which of the following is a national power only?

law enforcement. intrastate commerce. borrowing money. transportation. national defense.

national defense.

A federal system is one where

constitutional authority is centralized in a national government. constitutional authority is decentralized, only residing in state governments. constitutional authority is divided between national government and state governments. constitutional authority is unlimited. constitutional authority is divided among multiple branches of the national government.

constitutional authority is divided between national government and state governments.

According to the Supreme court, prior restraint on the press is only acceptable if

lower federal courts approve the action. the government can clearly justify the restriction. the press itself willingly accepts that restraint. the press is careless in its claims. the press is malicious in its intent.

the government can clearly justify the restriction.

The establishment clause prohibits government from

establishing exceptions to the bill of rights. establishing exceptions to the fourteenth amendment. favoring one religion over another or supporting religion over no religion. interfering with freedom of assembly. interfering with the right to bear arms.

favoring one religion over another or supporting religion over no religion.

The term civil liberties refers to specific individual rights that

apply in civil cases by not in criminal cases. apply in civil cases by not in military ones. are constitutionally protected from infringement by government. are constitutionally protected from infringement by individuals. are not covered by the first amendment.

are constitutionally protected from infringement by government.

In the constitution, procedural due process is protected in various ways by the

fourth amendment. fifth amendment. sixth amendment. eighth amendment. all of these answers are correct.

all of these answers are correct.

Which of the following, relative to the others, is typically more protective of individual rights?

the US congress. the general public. public opinion. the presidency. the judiciary.

the judiciary.

The supreme court has reasoned that a right of privacy is provided by

the civil rights act of 1964. the ninth amendment, which says that people’s rights are not limited to those enumerated in the constitution. the tenth amendment, which reserves to the people and the states those powers not granted to the federal government. implication in the freedoms in the bill of rights. the civil rights act of 1991.

implication in the freedoms in the bill of rights.

According to Gunnar Myrdal, what is america’s curse?

greed. racial discrimination. obesity. street violence. religious tolerance.

racial discrimination.

Any law that attempts a racial or ethnic classification is subject to the

reasonable-basis test. strict-scrutiny test. intermediate-scrutiny test. precedent-basis test. suspect-classification test.

strict-scrutiny test.

the fourteenth amendment applies to discriminatory action by

government only. private parties only. both government and private parties. the president specifically. congress specifically.

government only.

The civil rights act of 1964 was aimed at eliminating discrimination

by governments in their conduct of elections (e.g., registration, placement of polling booths). by private individuals in their social relations—bigoted statements and other acts of prejudice are unlawful under most circumstances. by governments in their job practices and provision of services (e.g., schools, roads). by private individuals in their employment practices and in their operation of public accommodations (e.g., hotels, restaurants).

by private individuals in their employment practices and in their operation of public accommodations (e.g., hotels, restaurants).

The voting rights act of 1965

expired in the late 1990s. prohibits discrimination in voting and voter registration. was strengthened by the 2013 supreme court decision shelby v. holder. applies only to federal elections, not state and local elections. has no significant provisions for enforcement.

prohibits discrimination in voting and voter registration.

The focus of civil liberties is _______, and the focus of civil rights is _______.

the rights of individuals protected from infringement by the government; equal rights in the treatment of members of different groups. equal rights in the treatment of members of different groups; the rights of individuals protected from infringement by the government. the rights of individuals under a government; the rights of society as a whole. the rights of individuals to privacy and expression; the rights of individuals with respect to imprisonment and punishment. the tenth amendment; the fourteenth amendment.

the rights of individuals protected from infringement by the government; equal rights in the treatment of members of different groups.

In his definition of public opinion, the author states that the politically relevant opinions of private individuals become public opinion when they

first enter people’s heads. are openly expressed. become part of the conflict between the republican and democratic parties. are measured in opinion polls. become part of the conflict between populists and libertarians.

are openly expressed.

The process by which individuals acquire their political opinions is called

popular culture. social communication. socioeconomic change. political socialization. political assimilation.

political socialization.

Party identification refers to

the percentage of polled individuals that claim membership in a particular party. formal membership in a political party. a person’s sense of loyalty to a political party. a political party’s platform—the stances in issues that define its beliefs. the ability of individual people to identify the major issue positions of the major political parties.

a person’s sense of loyalty to a political party.

A general belief about the role and purpose of the government is called

conservatism. an ideology. socialization. politicization. none of these answers are correct.

an ideology.

In terms of the direction of public opinion on gun control,

gun rights advocates are in the majority. gun rights and gun control advocates are in agreement. gun control advocates feel more deeply about the issue than gun rights advocates. gun rights advocates feel more deeply about the issue than gun control advocates. the majority favors stricter gun control laws.

the majority favors stricter gun control laws.

In the terms of the intensity of public opinion on gun control,

gun rights advocates are in the majority. gun rights and gun control advocates are in agreement. gun control advocates feel more deeply about the issue than gun rights advocates. gun rights advocates feel more deeply about the issue than gun control advocates. the majority favors stricter gun control laws.

gun rights advocates feel more deeply about the issue than gun control advocates.

In terms of saliency of public opinion on gun control,

gun rights advocates are in the majority. gun control usually ranks high on the public’s list of top issues. gun control advocates feel more deeply about the issue than gun rights advocates. those who favor gun rights are far more likely that those who favor gun control to give money in an effort to influence gun policy. gun control usually ranks low on the public’s list of top issues.

gun control usually ranks low on the public’s list of top issues.

Voting

is a limited form of political participation. provides citizens with a regular way to express themselves politically. does not offer as full an opportunity for political participation as some other activities. all of these answers are correct.

all of these answers are correct.

a sustained action taken by citizens disenchanted with government in order to express their opposition and work to bring about social or political change is a

political movement. voter upsurge. citizen lobby. popular resistance. regular election.

political movement.

Occupy wall street’s main target has been

the widening income gap between the wealthiest 1 percent of americans and the rest of society. the undue influence of the tea party in national politics. the high taxes paid by america’s poor. the need to have better regulation of stock trading. the necessity of overthrowing capitalism and replacing it with socialism.

the widening income gap between the wealthiest 1 percent of americans and the rest of society.

When the nation was founded, who was eligible to vote?

everyone—there was universal suffrage. all males and females who were at least 21 years of age. only males who owned property. only citizens who had lived in the nation for at least 10 years. all native-born citizens.

only males who owned property.

Women gained the right to vote

with passage of the bill of rights. shortly after the civil war. early in the 20th century. with passage of the voting rights act to 1965. during the era of jacksonian democracy.

early in the 20th century.

African american men technically gained suffrage with the passage of the ______ amendment.

fifteenth. nineteenth. twenty-first. twenty-third. twenty-sixth.

fifteenth.

In the past two decades, the level of turnout in the presidential elections

35 percent. 45 percent. 60 percent. 65 percent. 75 percent.

60 percent.

Voter participation in the US

tends to be highest during midterm elections. is lower than in nearly every other democracy. shows that the apathy of young citizens has worsened considerably since the early 1990s. has increased in all elections over the past two decades. has declined in all elections over the past two decades.

is lower than in nearly every other democracy.

One of the reasons voter turnout is lower in the US than in western european countries is that

americans pay less attention to politics. US registration laws place a greater burden on the individual. the US population is not as well educated. europeans must pay a huge fine if they fail to vote. none of these answers are correct.

US registration laws place a greater burden on the individual.

Which of the following best explains why many american citizens might not be registered to vote?

they do not own cars. they have below average income. they lack education. they are socialists. they lack education, don’t own a car, and are poor.

they lack education, don’t own a car, and are poor.

Eighteen-, nineteen-, and twenty-year-old americans were granted the right to vote by the passage of the ______ amendment.

fifteenth. nineteenth. twenty-first. twenty-third. twenty-sixth.

twenty-sixth.

Which of the following is true of political campaigns and party politics in the US?

the US lacks minor parties. national campaigns in the US are candidate-centered, not party-centered. party organizations at the local level are no longer major players in campaigns. party organizations are less powerful than they used to be in part because of the rise of television advertising. in recent years, candidates of the major parties have moved toward the political center in order to attract more voters.

party organizations are less powerful than they used to be in part because of the rise of television advertising.

What does it mean when the text suggests that parties are “linkage institutions”?

they connect citizens with government. they create coalitions of like-minded voters. they link interest groups with government through monetary donations. they link america’s political past with its present. they provide policy continuity so that voters can understand what is at stake from one election to the next.

they connect citizens with government.

Political parties serve to

offer citizens a choice in the direction of their government. allow a coalition of common interests join together for a political purpose. offer the public a choice between policies and leaders. bring numerous candidates for office under a common label. all of these answers are correct.

all of these answers are correct.