AP US Government MCQ Review

The Constitution specifically denies states the power to

d) Tax imports and exports

The Tenth Amendment provides for

c) The delegation of power to the states and the people

Federal aid programs that allow states discretion in how to spend

d) Block grants

A limited government was best protected, according to our founders, by diluting power. The dilution of power was achieved, in part, by creating three branches of government and by separating power between national and state governments. What is the separation of power between national and state governments called?

b) Federalism

Concurrent powers have which of the following effects on the United States political system?

d) They make it possible for the states and the national government to simultaneously exercise influence in the same areas of public policy

The framers of the Constitution all believed that one of the primary functions of government is

b) Protecting individual property rights

The Enumerated Powers as stated in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution are those that are

d) Expressed or specific to Congress

The legislative process at the national level reflects the intent of the framers of the Constitution to create a legislature that would

b) Be cautious and deliberate

All of the following are consequences of the federal system in the United States EXCEPT

d) A strict division of power among levels of government

In The Federalist No. 10, James Madison argued that factions in a republic are

b) Natural but controllable by institutions

Of the following, the most significant difference between the Constitution of 1787 and the Articles of Confederation was that the Constitution

d) Provided for a strong national government with many powers, while the Articles created a weak central government with few independent powers

The importance of Shay's Rebellion to the development of the United States Constitution was that it

c) Indicated that a strong, constitutionally designed national government was needed to protect property and maintain order

The Connecticut (Great) Compromise drafted at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 is significant for which of the following?

d) It proposed a Senate with equal representation for each state and a House of Representatives with membership established according to the population of each state

Which of the following statements reflects a pluralist theory of American politics

c) Public policies emerge from compromises reached among competing groups

The debates between Federalists and Anti-Federalists were primarily about which of the following issues?

b) The scope of power of the central government

The supremacy clause in the constitution states that

a) Federal law takes precedence over state law when laws conflict

Constitutional checks and balances, especially applied to the president, are designed to

d) Minimize the threat of tyranny from any one branch of government

The Constitution grants the national government exclusive powers to

a) Coin money

Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the Articles of Confederation and the U.S. Constitution?

b) Created a weak central national government with most powers reserved to states; created a strong central government with some powers reserved to states

[-President Lyndon B. Johnson, May 22, 1964] By using the phrase "creative federalism," President Johnson is most likely refering to which of the following features of the American system?

a) The relationship between the national and state governments evolves over time and is flexible enough to permit new forms of interaction

Which of the following is an accurate comparison of Federalist and Anti-Federalist views on government?

d) Believed a large republic ensured the best protection of individual freedoms; Believed only a small republic could best ensure protection of individual freedoms

[-Chief Justice John Marshall, McCulloch v. Maryland, 1819] On which of the following powers did Congress rely to create the National Bank?

c) Implied

Which clause of the U.S. Constitution did the Supreme Court interpret as preventing Maryland from taxing the national bank in McCulloch v. Maryland?

b) Supremacy

[Percentage of Americans Without Health Insurance Coverage] Which of the following characteristics best explains the data on the map?

b) Federalism creates differences between states on the implementation of health-care policy

Which of the following is a correct of formal and informal powers of the president?

c) Using the veto to block legislation; Issuing executive orders to bureaucratic agencies without having to gain approval from Congress

A person claiming the House can pass legislation with a simple majority, but the Senate is unlikely to pass legislation unless a bill has the support of a 60-vote supermajority is most likely to cite which of the following institutional difference as the cause of this trend?

d) The House has strict limits on debate, while the Senate allows unlimited debate

Which of the following accurately compares the formal and informal powers of the president?

d) Acting as commander in chief of the military; Signing executive agreement with foreign nations

After extensive polling, a member of the House of Representatives learns that her constituents favor environmental policies that conserve land use. Based on this information, the representative votes in favor of an environmental conservation bill, although she personally opposes the provision. In doing so, she is acting as a

a) Delegate

[Job Approval Ratings for President, 1945-2012] Which of the following correctly identifies an implication of the line graph?

b) Congress is more likely to act on a president's policy proposal at the beginning of a first term than at the end of a second term

Which of the following is an example of Congress using its implied powers?

c) Congress passing occupational safety regulations for the private sector

The House Appropriations Committee disagrees with a proposal in the president's annual budget request to increase the number of people eligible for food stamps, consequently lending to the House of Representatives passing a budget that does not increase funding for the program. This ability to check presidential actions is best described as

b) The power of the purse

To get an important bill passed in the House, a provision is added that allocates $500 million to study the impact of global climate change on manatees in Florida. This is an example of

a) Pork barrel legislation

Which of the following accurately compares the powers of Congress and the president?

b) Budgetary policy; Cabinet appointments

Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate?

a) The Constitution's framers intended it to reflect the will of the people; The Constitution's framers designed it to represent the interests of the states

[Congressional Leadership] Based on your knowledge and the diagram, which of the following is true regarding the leadership structure of Congress?

a) The role of the minority leader in both the House of Representatives and the Senate is to coordinate a strategy for the minority party

Which of the following scenarios is an example of the trustee model of representation?

d) A member of Congress votes to close a popular tax loophole based on the belief that the money would be better spent paying down the national debt

[How Senators Voted on Tom Price for Health and Human Services Secretary, 2017] In 2013 a parliamentary procedure was implemented in the Senate that allowed a simple majority to end debate on Cabinet member confirmations. Which of the following best explains how the procedural change relates to the information in the graphic?

c) If the procedural change had not occurred, Republican senators would not have been able to immediately invoke cloture of a filibuster

On September 29, 2020, after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, President Donald Trump, a Republican, nominated Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. Many Democrats in the Senate feared that the appointment of Barrett would swing the Court in a more ideologically conservative direction and attempted to block her nomination. After a heated Senate confirmation hearing, Barrett was eventually confirmed by a 52 to 48 vote in the Senate. The scenario best highlights which of the following statements about court appointments?

a) Life tenure for appointed justices alongside the power of judicial review increases the stakes in the confirmation process for nominees to the Supreme Court

In 2012, after negotiations on a bill in Congress failed, President Obama issued an executive order that protected from deportation individuals illegally brought to the United States as children by their parents. The president took this action because

b) Disagreement between congressional leaders and the president on the issue meant that a compromise on a bill was not likely

Which of the following is an example of how the innovation of social media can influence presidential behavior?

d) The president announces the nomination of a cabinet secretary on the Internet

Which of the following is an action a president can take to rally public support for the administration's legislative agenda?

a) Use the State of the Union Address to pressure Congress to pass a bill lowering income taxes

In the case Twining v. New Jersey (1908), the Supreme Court held that the Fifth Amendment's protection against self-incrimination is not applicable to the states. In 1964 the Supreme Court overruled the decision in Malloy v. Hogan (1964) and held that the right was incorporated to the states. This scenario illustrates which of the following?

d) Ideological changes to the Supreme Court can lead to the overturning of precedent

[Presidential Signing Statements: Constitutional and Institutional Implications] Which of the following best explains a reason that a president might use a signing statement to express displeasure with a bill as opposed to issuing a veto?

a) The president may have objections to provisions of a bill but does not want to risk Congress overriding a veto

[Brutus 15] Which of the following cases is most related to the quote?

a) Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Lobbyists from the Airlines for America, an advocacy group that represents commercial airlines, work with members of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and officials from the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to discuss a new policy that addresses issues of airline safety. This scenario best illustrates

b) An iron triangle

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates delegated discretionary authority?

a) Congress giving the Environmental Protection Agency the power to establish national pollution standards

[Days of Public Congressional Hearings, 1977-2017] Which of the following is most likely an effect of the trend in the line graph?

c) A decrease in congressional oversight as a mechanism to control the bureaucracy

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates a formal check on the power of bureaucracy?

c) The secretary of defense being called to testify before a congressional committee

Which of the following is an example of bureaucratic rulemaking?

b) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) writing a regulation to support a clean water bill

In Worchester v. Georgia (1832), the United States Supreme Court ruled that a Georgia law violated the U.S. Constitution. In response to Chief Justice John Marshall's majority opinion, President Andrew Jackson said "John Marshall has made his decision, now let him enforce it." Which of the following ideas regarding government does President Jackson's statement exhibit?

d) Since the Supreme Court has no enforcement mechanism, the executive and legislative branches can restrict its decisions by delaying their implementation

Which of the following is an example of the executive branch implementing a public policy passed by Congress?

a) The Department of Health and Human Services determines eligibility requirements for government assistance

[Percentage of Liberal Decisions of the United States Supreme Court in Civil Liberties/Civil Rights Cases, 1888-1996] Which of the following factors most likely led to shifts in Supreme Court decision making over time?

a) The ideological composition of the justices on the Supreme Court shifted to become less liberal over time

[Percentage of Liberal Decisions of the United States Supreme Court in Civil Liberties/Civil Rights Cases, 1888-1996] Based on the data in the chart, which of the following is true?

b) The percentage of liberal decisions made by the Supreme Court on civil rights and civil liberties cases decreased between 1964 and 1996

Which of the following is and accurate comparison of the establishment clause and free exersice clause?

b) Prohibits the federal government from promoting religion or creating a national religion; Protects an individual;s religious beliefs and reasonable religious practices

Which of the following is an accurate comparison of rights protected and not protected by the First Amendment?

c) The right to burn a flag; Obscenity

A woman is arrested for possessing illegal substances that were obtained after a warrantless search of her home by local police. Which of the following best explains whether the evidence could be used in a criminal trial?

a) The exclusionary rule, derived from the Fourth Amendment, prevents the evidence from being used against the suspect

In The Federalist 78, Alexander Hamilton argued that the federal judiciary "is beyond comparison the weakest of the three departments of power." Which of the following statements represents a reason he gave for this argument?

d) It must depend on the executive for enforcement of its decisions

[Ideological Divide in Constitutional Interpretation] The data illustrate that most conservatives believe that the United States Constitution

b) Outlines a framework for government that the Supreme Court should apply strictly regardless of the political or personal preferences of judges

[Ideological Divide in Constitutional Interpretation] Which of the following statements is correct based on the bar chart?

a) The more consistently liberal a person is, the more that person is likely to believe that the Supreme Court should base its rulings on what the Constitution means in current times

Which of the following illustrates a situation that would not be protected by the First Amendment due to time, place, and manner restrictions?

d) Antibusiness protesters are arrested and prosecuted for shutting down major intersections in New York City's Time Square during rush hour

[US Court Structure] Which of the following describes to origin of the United States court system presented in the diagram?

c) Article III of the Constitution established the Supreme Court, while other federal courts were established by Congress

[US Court Structure] Which of the following statements best explains the diagram?

b) Cases arising at both the state and federal level may be appealed to the United States Supreme Court

Congress passes a law requiring that all public accommodations provide access for people with disabilities. The United States Supreme Court rules that the law does not apply to the airline industry. Which of the following is the best way for Congress to provide people with disabilities access to the airline industry in light of the Court's ruling?

a) Pass a new law that specifies that airlines must provide access for people with disabilities

After hours of interrogation by police a suspect confesses to multiple felony offenses. His attorney objected to the admission of the confession because he was not advised of his right to have an attorney present nor his protection from self-incrimination. Which amendments are most relevant to this scenario?

b) The Fifth and Sixth Amendments

The Washington Post receives a top secret report that details how the executive branch mishandled a deal made with a foreign nation regarding nuclear weapons. The executive branch attempts to stop the publishing of the report, but the publishers cite the precedent in New York Times Company v. United States (1971) establishing which of the following legal rules?

c) The heavy presumption against prior restraint

The Supreme Court issued a ruling that was unpopular with a majority of Americans. The president and Congress might be able to lessen the impact of the decision by

d) Refusing to actively enforce the decision

Which of the following scenarios best demonstrates a president avoiding a check from the judicial branch?

b) The president claims that certain detainees are enemy combatants and thus do not possess the same constitutional protections that the Supreme Court has upheld for the interrogation of criminal suspects

Which of the following rulings is most likely to cite the Supreme Court's decision in Tinker v. Des Moines Independent School District (1969) as a legal precedent in support of the decision?

a) A ruling in favor of students to print their opinions in a school newspaper

Which of the following Supreme Court cases established that those accused of felonies who cannot afford legal counsel are entitled to legal counsel provided by the state?

a) Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

A public school district implemented a policy that allowed students to vote on wheher they wanted a student-led prayer to be read at football games. This policy was later found to be unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court. Which of the following clauses did the policy most likely violate?

c) The establishment clause

A group unhappy with local law enforcement distributes a memo to members encouraging physical confrontations with police officers. The leaders of the group are promptly arrested. Which of the following Supreme Court cases best justifies the actions taken by law enforcement in this scenario?

b) Schenck v. United States (1919)

Which of the following cases decided whether a state could compel children to attend school beyond eighth grade even if it violated the students' sincerely held religious beliefs?

d) Wisconsin v. Yoder

A public school district implemented a policy that instructed students to recite a common, district approved meditation at the beginning of the school day. This policy was later found to be unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court. Which of the following clauses did the policy most likely violate?

d) The establishment clause

At a public high school, several students raised a banner and wore clothing in support of a candidate running in the upcoming presidential election during lunch period. The principal asked the students to put away the banner, citing safety concerns. Which of the following Supreme Court cases is most relevant to this scenario?

c) Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969)

[-Cesar Chavez, "He Showed Us the Way," 1978] Which of the following provisions of the Bill of Rights could support the actions that Cesar Chavez is encouraging the farmworkers to take?

b) The right to assemble

[Horizontal Bar Graph of Smaller Government, Fewer Services, vs Bigger Government, More Services] Which of the following statements is consistent with data shown in the bar graph

c) Republicans are more likely than Democrats to believe that there should be fewer regulations on business to promote economic growth and increase wages

[Horizontal Bar Graph of Smaller Government, Fewer Services, vs Bigger Government, More Services] Which of the following statements is supported by data in the graph?

a) The higher the income, the more likely that the person will support smaller government

Which of the following is an accurate comparison of policy positions advocated by the Democratic Party and the Republican Party?

b) Favors increases in spending for programs such as Medicare and Medicaid; Favors significant increases in defense and military spending in the federal budget

In a public opinion poll, a polling company used an online survey tool to randomly contact respondents who did not have telephone lines in addition to contacting people over the phone. Which of the following best explains this decision?

d) The company wanted to ensure that the sample of the population was truly random

Critics of the winner-take-all aspect of the electoral college are most likely to make which of the following arguments?

d) The winner-take-all system of the electoral college encourages presidential candidates to focus their time and effort disproportionately on battleground states with larger populations

While the central goal of political parties is to win elections, parties can also support democracy. Which of the following scenarios best illustrates this relationship?

b) Political parties use the social media site Instagram to reach out to younger voters to inform them about upcoming elections and encourage them to register to vote

[Population by Race and Ethnicity] Which of the following best explains how political parties are likely to respond to the data in the chart?

d) Political parties will adapt their positions and find ways to appeal to voters from growing demographic groups

A polling firm tried to predict the results of an election by sampling 1,000 adults within a state for two days prior to the election, using landline telephones of likely voters. After the election, the firm found that their poll results were not close to the actual election results. Which of the following recommendations would be the best for the firm to follow in the future?

a) Sample people who have cell phones, in addition to those with landlines

Which of the following is generally the most important agent of political socialization?

a) Family

A political science professor is researching the effects of the Fifteenth and Twenty-Sixth Amendments have had on the American political system. Which of the following is the most likely reason the professor is researching these amendments?

d) To study the expansion of voting rights

The America First Action is a super PAC led by former administrator of the Small Business Administration Linda McMahon. Which of the following best explains how the organization can operate to influence elections, according to the decision in Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission (2010) ?

c) The super PAC can spend unlimited money on issue-advocacy advertisements that are not coordinated with the campaign

Which of the following makes a correct comparison between political parties and interest groups in the United States?

a) Political parties recruit and run candidates in elections; Interest groups seek to influence public policy

In 1980, a small group of parents personally affected by drunk driving formed the group Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). Over the past four decades, they have grown in number and have lobbied on state and local levels promoting legislation such as stricter limits on blood alcohol levels for drivers. MADD is an example of which of the following?

c) Single-issue group with the goal of impacting policy making

Which of the following is an accurate comparison between the relative functions and electoral success of the two major political parties (Democratic and Republican) and third parties?

b) The rules of the electoral college favor the major-party candidates in presidential elections; Winner-take-all voting districts hinder the electoral success of third-party candidates

[The Age Gap in Democratic Voters, 1972-2012] Which of the following is the best explanation for the trend in voting behavior after the 2000 election?

b) Most younger voters who were Democrats in the 1980s became more conservative as they grew older and ended up supporting Republicans after 2000

[Number of Residents per Electoral Vote] Given the information in the graph, in which of the following states would an individual's vote likely have more influence?

a) Wyoming

A voter's decision to support the incumbent president in an upcoming election is based on recent economic growth and record low unemployment. Which of the following models of voting behavior best characterizes this voter's decision?

c) Retrospective voting

[2012 Political Ad Spending Infographic] Which of the following is most directly related to the large amount of money spent by outside groups in the 2012 election?

c) The use of super PACs as a mechanism to raise money and influence elections

[2012 Political Ad Spending Infographic] Which of the following statements is true regarding political advertisements in 20212 based on the information graphic?

d) Fewer advertisements appealed to positive emotions

[Issues Mentioned by 3% or More of Respondents to Open-Ended Question, What do you think is the most important problem facing this country today?] Which of the following is a limitation of the data when drawing a conclusion about the most important problem facing the country in 2017?

a) The data were collected in a short time frame, which does not reveal full-year trends

Two interest groups are competing for influence in Congress. One group represents banking institutions, while the other advocates for consumer protections. A critic of the influence of interest groups would make which of the following claims?

c) The banking interest group likely has greater financial resources and access to policy makers than the consumer protection group

The National Education Association (NEA) is an organization of teachers, administrators, and other educators who work together to advance the interests and impact of public education. One of the NEA's goals is to support public education by ending government funding of voucher programs that promote school privatization. Vouchers give parents financial incentives to send their children to private schools rather than having children attend local public schools. Which of the following strategies would be the most effective way to achieve the NEA's goal of furthering the interest of public education?

a) Lobby members of congressional committees to vote against all legislation that would support school voucher programs

[Americans' Trust in the Mass Media] Which of the following statements about Americans' trust in the mass media is best supported by the data in the graph?

c) It generally decreased over time

[Americans' Trust in the Mass Media] Which best describes a likely reason for the information depicted in the graph?

a) An increase in concerns over media bias

An important Senate race takes place in the state of Georgia. Rather than focus on the issue positions taken by the candidates, a 24-hour cable news station instead focuses primarily on poll results and campaign strategies using a "big board" to show the counties where each candidate has the most support. Which of the following is an effect of this type of new coverage?

d) The electorate will be less able to accurately compare the policy platforms of candidates running in the election