U.S. Government and Politics: Key Concepts and Historical Foundations

What is an expressed power?

Powers given to Congress as spelled out in Article I of the Constitution.

True or False: Under the full faith and credit clause, the actions of one state government are supposed to be honored by the other 49 states.

True.

True or False: There was no federal judiciary under the Articles of Confederation.

True.

True or False: When citizens have a high level of political efficacy, they are more likely to participate in politics.

True.

What is an example of how state governments use their 'police power'?

Mandating that people wear face masks during the Covid-19 pandemic.

What is a hallmark of an authoritarian regime?

The willingness to be restrained by the power of social institutions, but not by political or legal institutions.

What is the principal difference between an autocracy and an oligarchy?

The number of people in charge.

What clause in the U.S. Constitution affirms that national laws and treaties are 'the supreme Law of the Land'?

The supremacy clause.

What did New England merchants hope to accomplish by supporting the Boston Tea Party?

Revocation of the Tea Act.

What is a state government's authority to regulate the safety, health, and morals of its citizens called?

Police power.

True or False: Europeans made up around 10 percent of immigrants coming to the United States in the twenty-first century.

True.

Which country is an example of totalitarian rule?

North Korea.

True or False: The Three-Fifths Compromise stipulated that only three-fifths of enslaved people would be counted for congressional apportionment.

True.

What was the effect of British tax and trade policies beginning in 1760?

Undermined support for British rule among the colonial elite by threatening the economic interests of New England merchants and southern planters.

What slogan did colonial protesters of the Stamp Act and the Sugar Act rally around?

'No taxation without representation.'

What is the nature of federalism in the American version?

State and local governments have far more policymaking responsibility than in most federal systems.

True or False: The New Jersey Plan called for a bicameral legislature.

False.

What is the term for having some share or say in the composition of a government's leadership?

Political power.

What type of government is not constrained by legal limits and seeks to eliminate challenges to its authority?

Totalitarian government.

What is a government that is formally limited by laws and rules called?

Constitutional government.

How is government best defined?

Institutions and procedures by which a territory and its people are ruled.

What was the Stamp Act?

A tax on many printed items in the colonies, such as newspapers.

What term describes a form of government controlled by a small group?

Oligarchic.

How is federalism defined?

A system of government in which power is divided between a central government and regional governments.

What are the specific powers granted to Congress in Article I, Section 8, of the U.S. Constitution called?

Expressed powers.

True or False: At the time of the Founding of the United States, federal and state governments equally influenced the lives of ordinary Americans.

False.

What was the First Continental Congress?

A meeting of delegates from twelve of the thirteen colonies to organize colonial resistance against British rule.

What is the British government's lawmaking body for the colonies prior to 1776?

The British Parliament.

What was the meeting arranged between British and colonial forces to negotiate the end of the Revolutionary War?

The Treaty of Paris negotiations.

What was a loose affiliation of small farmers and artisans that organized protests against British rule between 1770 and 1774?

The Sons of Liberty.

What group of colonial delegates assembled in 1774 that called for a total boycott of all British goods?

The First Continental Congress.

True or False: Settler colonialism made the growth of the colonies possible.

True.

What is the process by which local, state, and federal governments negotiate and compromise over policy responsibilities called?

Intergovernmental relations.

Who most strongly supported the inclusion of the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution?

Antifederalists.

Why did the British government impose taxes on the American colonies?

To help pay British debts and to ease other financial problems.

True or False: The framers of the Constitution sought a new government that would be strong enough to promote commerce and protect property from radical state legislatures.

True.

True or False: The Virginia Plan called for a legislature based on state population or states' revenue to the federal government, while the New Jersey Plan called for each state to have an equal number of representatives.

True.

True or False: Reserved powers are available exclusively to the federal government.

False.

What was the United States' first written constitution called?

The Articles of Confederation.

What power does the federal government have over certain rules on how elections are conducted?

The federal government does have influence over how elections are conducted, but states are the dominant actor.

True or False: With greater access to information, Americans' political knowledge has increased significantly since 2000.

False.

True or False: American political culture emphasizes the values of liberty, equality, and justice.

True.

Which of the following describes a system of rule that permits citizens to play a significant part in the governmental process?

Democracy.

True or False: Just as the federal government can preempt certain state laws, state governments may preempt local laws.

True.

Which statement best describes British rule of the American colonies during the first half of the eighteenth century?

The British ruled with a light hand and exerted almost no influence at all in any colonial town or city.

What do we call the situation when two senators' support for policies is pivotal for those policies to pass?

Political power.

What is an autocracy?

A government controlled by a single individual.

What is a system of government in which member states retain almost all of their sovereign authority?

Confederation.

In a federal system, governmental responsibilities are what?

Shared by both state and federal governments.

What is it called when a state grants a city the ability to govern its own local affairs?

Home rule.

True or False: At the time of the Constitutional Convention, 10 states had already outlawed the importation of African slaves.

True.

Which describes a system of government in which the populace selects representatives who play a significant role in governmental decision making?

Representative democracy.

What are concurrent powers?

Powers that exist when both the state and national governments share authority in certain domains.

True or False: The framers of the Constitution wished to protect from 'excessive democracy' with a bicameral legislature, checks and balances, and staggered terms of office.

True.

True or False: The Great Compromise created a bicameral legislature in which membership for each was based on the state's population but the upper chamber was chosen by the state legislature.

False.

Prior to 1760, who represented the most radical forces in colonial politics?

Shopkeepers, artisans, and small farmers.

What is libertarianism?

A political ideology that emphasizes freedom and voluntary association with small government.

What are agents of socialization?

Individuals or groups that influence personal attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors.

What are social institutions?

Social institutions, like family and school, are structures that shape an individual's basic political beliefs and values.

What is political socialization?

The general process of introducing a person into a political culture.

What is a socialist influencer?

An influencer or politician who seeks to promote a socialist ideology.

What are public forums?

The public forums are spaces where beliefs and ideas are exchanged and compete for influence.

True or False: Adversarial journalism began with the election of Donald Trump.

False.

Why were freedom of speech and the press revered by the Founders?

The Founders valued these liberties because under British rule, freedom of speech and the press was nonexistent, and criticizing the British king was considered a crime.

Which document protects freedom of the press in the United States?

The First Amendment of the Constitution.

True or False: The majority of Americans get information from sources that reflect moderate or diverse political viewpoints.

False.

True or False: The rise in the availability of political information has increased Americans' political knowledge.

True.

What would a liberal most likely support?

An expansion in governmental social services.

What are Sunday morning political shows examples of?

Opinion-driven journalism.

Who generally supports abortion rights?

Liberals.

True or False: Print and online media in the U.S. are free from government regulation.

True.

What are liberalism and conservatism examples of?

Political ideologies.

What does 'public opinion' refer to?

Beliefs and attitudes toward different issues, events, and people.

True or False: A majority of Americans self-identify as Democrats.

False.

Who is likely to oppose legalized abortion?

Conservatives.

What is adversarial journalism?

Reporting in which the media adopt a skeptical or even hostile posture toward the government and public officials.

True or False: Affluent citizens in the U.S. are more likely to vote.

True.

True or False: Voters choose parties and candidates based on social identities and partisan loyalties.

True.

What is true about adversarial journalism?

Adversarial journalism is a critical way to enable the public to hold their leaders accountable.

True or False: Algorithms in social media promote factually correct content.

False.

How do privately owned media companies earn revenue?

Primarily from advertising.

What do most Americans describe themselves as?

Liberals, conservatives, or moderates.

How does the profit motive shape news coverage?

Media focus on dramatic, highly conflictual events and issues that drive viewers and increase profits.

In classical political theory, who was closest to a socialist?

A liberal.

What are conservatives more likely to support?

School prayer.

True or False: Party polarization has become a defining feature of American politics.

True.

True or False: Support for freedom of speech is higher in the U.S. than in most other countries.

True.

What is the best definition of the media?

Print and digital forms of communication—including television, newspapers, radio, the internet, and social media sites—that convey information to large audiences.

What are traditional broadcast networks?

Television networks that evolved from radio stations in the 1940s and 50s.

What are public proclamations?

Official announcements made by government officials that are published for public access.

What is the ideological spectrum?

The range of beliefs and ideas across different ideologies that are debated and discussed.

What effect does journalism of affirmation have on viewers?

It exposes viewers to news consistent with their preexisting beliefs, reinforcing partisan polarization.

What role do the media play in American democracy?

The media help recruit candidates, level the playing field between political elites and citizens, and promote government to the public.

True or False: Those who self-identify with a political party are more likely to express their political opinions.

True

How does consuming public broadcasting affect one's political knowledge?

Americans who frequently rely on public broadcasting for news tend to have higher levels of political knowledge.

True or False: Today, around 86 percent of Americans get their news digitally.

True

What is a political ideology?

A cohesive set of beliefs that form a general philosophy about government.

What is a drawback of citizen journalism?

It can suffer from distortion and false information due to lack of professional editing.

True or False: Belief in the importance of religion and prayer is a predictor of political opinion.

True

What is framing in media?

The way media presents information to influence perception, such as characterizing a welfare program as a 'drain' on the budget.