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Q:
Lowering the discount rate would have which of the following effects?
a. It would decrease the amount of bonds sold to multinational corporations.
b. It would discourage banks from increasing their borrowing from the Federal Reserve.
c. It would encourage banks to borrow more and to extend more loans at lower rates.
d. It would increase the amount of federal bonds sold to foreign countries.
e. It would decrease the overall rate of taxation for investment banks.
Q:
Define infotainment, and give an example. What are the positive and negative implications of infotainment? Do you prefer to consume infotainment? Why or why not?
Q:
The judiciary has the authority to rule on whether the president has acted within the law.
Q:
The Constitutional Convention resulted in what form of legislature?
a. bicameral
b. direct
c. trilateral
d. unicameral
e. unified
Q:
Article I of the Constitution prohibits which of the following, which make an act punishable as a crime even if the act was legal when it was committed?
a. writs of habeas corpus
b. bills of attainder
c. ex post facto laws
d. procedural guarantees
e. prior restraints
Q:
Which of the following debated and drafted the Declaration of Independence?
a. Constitutional Congress
b. Continental Congress
c. Revolutionary Congress
d. American Congress
e. Liberty Congress
Q:
Which program is one of the first entitlement programs created under the New Deal?
a. food stamps
b. Social Security
c. Medicaid
d. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
e. Medicare
Q:
Public opinion research demonstrates that more women than men, more black and Hispanic Americans than white Americans, more Democrats than Republicans, and more religiously unaffiliated Americans than white evangelical Protestants think that government should guarantee every citizen enough to eat and a place to sleep. Knowing what you do about the process of forming political opinions, how do you explain these differences in political attitudes?
Q:
Federal agencies are prohibited from engaging in adjudication, or quasi-judicial processes.
Q:
__________ is the process of allotting congressional seats to each state according to its proportion of the population.
a. Apportionment
b. Appropriations
c. Delegation
d. Gerrymandering
e. Redistricting
Q:
Selective incorporation makes the protections from the Bill of Rights applicable to the states through which of the following amendments?
a. Fourth
b. Fifth
c. Sixth
d. Tenth
e. Fourteenth
Q:
Who was the author of the Declaration of Independence?
a. James Madison
b. Benjamin Franklin
c. Thomas Jefferson
d. Paul Revere
e. John Adams
Q:
Which of these statements best characterizes the effects of the recent economic crisis?
a. Americans have greater trust in the ability of corporations to be self-regulating.
b. Most small businesses have experienced renewed prosperity and growth.
c. The Federal Reserve has kept interest rates high to encourage economic investment.
d. The federal budget deficits decreased, while the national debt increased.
e. The overall influence of the federal government in the economy has increased.
Q:
Name and describe three common methods used by public opinion researchers to contact survey respondents. Compare the strengths and weaknesses of each.
Q:
According to Max Weber, bureaucracies are characterized by hierarchical authority structures.
Q:
Each state has __________ senators elected every __________ years.
a. two, two
b. two, four
c. two, six
d. four, two
e. four, four
Q:
Which U.S. Supreme Court case found that a woman's right to have an abortion is protected by the implied constitutional right to privacy?
a. Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v.Casey
b. Lawrence v.Texas
c. Miranda v.Arizona
d. New York Times Co. v.Sullivan
e. Roe v.Wade
Q:
The colonists rebelled against the unilateral imposition by the British government of which of the following?
a. taxes
b. a military draft
c. curfews
d. religious laws
e. health care
Q:
Which of the following statements regarding the role of the federal government in the economy is correct?
a. Economic regulation of industry is the sole responsibility of the secretary of the treasury.
b. Most Americans would prefer an economy completely free of any federal regulations.
c. Since the Great Recession, the scope of federal activity in the economy has contracted.
d. The U.S. Constitution restricts direct regulation of the economy to state governments.
e. Presidential election outcomes are heavily influenced by the health of the economy.
Q:
What kind of demographic-related voting blocs would you expect to emerge in elections about delayed eligibility for Social Security retirement benefits and in elections to increase taxes to fund cost-of-living increases for Social Security recipients?
Q:
What factor was influential in driving expansion of the federal bureaucracy in the post"Civil War era?
a. the expansion of voting rights to African American men
b. a high rate of unemployment
c. a series of poor harvests and agricultural distribution problems
d. the growing incidence of price fixing and other unfair business practices
e. the elimination of the spoils system
Q:
Describe the Equal Pay Act of 1963. To what extent has this law resulted in men and women earning equal salaries? How do Lilly Ledbetter's experiences highlight the difficulties women continue to face in the workforce? What is your overall assessment for why women continue to earn less than men?
Q:
Which rule bars the use of illegally seized evidence at trial?
a. double jeopardy
b. right to pay
c. prior restraint
d. exclusionary
e. hate speech
Q:
The U.S. Constitution was adopted in response to the weaknesses of the Articles of __________.
a. Unity
b. Revolution
c. America
d. Democracy
e. Confederation
Q:
U.S. monetary policy involves which of the following?
a. import and export policies
b. interest rates and the money supply
c. supply-side economics
d. NAFTA and the balance of trade with Canada
e. the national debt and the annual deficit
Q:
Analyze the roles that different sourceson the record, off the record, on background and deep background play in the general functioning of the media? Categorize the different types of source attributions in terms of positive or negative consequences on information that is reported.
Q:
When would Congress be most likely to allow a federal agency significant discretion in rule-making?
a. following a congressional election
b. following a presidential election
c. following the passage of a law dealing with specialist issues
d. following the passage of a law supported by both political parties
e. following the passage of a law supported by the president
Q:
When did Hispanics first start to organize, and when did the strongest push for Hispanic rights begin? What tactics did Hispanics borrow from the African American civil rights movement? What did Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta do? Explain why MALDEF was created. How successful has the Hispanic movement been in securing rights for Hispanic people? Give an example of success and an example of a setback. What issues remain in regard to Hispanics?
Q:
Which clause prevents the national government from sanctioning an official religion?
a. establishment
b. free exercise
c. full faith and credit
d. equal protection
e. due process
Q:
How many constitutions has the United States had in its history?
a. three
b. five
c. one
d. two
e. four
Q:
What is the function of Medicaid?
a. federal funding of state medical programs
b. state funding of federal medical programs
c. subsidized medical care for the poor
d. a supplement for Medicare
e. prescription drug plan for Medicare
Q:
What is yellow journalism? How did it change the way the media covered news stories? How is yellow journalism similar to, and different from, modern infotainment?
Q:
Why was the spoils system ultimately replaced by the policy coordinating committee system?
a. due to growing concerns about a poorly functioning federal bureaucracy
b. due to public pressure to shrink the size of the federal bureaucracy
c. due to a Supreme Court decision ruling the spoils system unconstitutional
d. due to the diversification of federal bureaucracy following the Civil War
e. due to congressional demands for greater control over the federal bureaucracy
Q:
Compare and contrast the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). How did the two organizations differ in origins and strategy? Describe the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), including how it developed and what strategies its members used. How did it differ from the SCLC? Do you think the techniques of one of these organizations were more successful than those of the others? Why or why not? How well would the techniques used by these groups transfer to current efforts to expand civil rights for gays and lesbians?
Q:
The Bill of Rights is made up of the first __________ amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
a. three
b. five
c. seven
d. ten
e. twelve
Q:
In what year was the Declaration of Independence signed?
a. 1776
b. 1801
c. 1797
d. 1789
e. 1805
Q:
Which of the following is true regarding mandatory spending policies?
a. They are designed to increase the money supply to improve economic growth.
b. They are designed to help states avoid having a budget surplus.
c. They create a serious ongoing financial burden on the federal government.
d. They reduce the overall cost of compliance for major industrial sectors.
e. They reduce the overall cost of doing business overseas.
Q:
Explain why public opinion polls have concluded that Americans, Russians, and the Chinese all have less favorable opinions of Germany as a global power than EU member states.
Q:
Under what circumstance might a president set up a policy coordinating committee (PSC)?
a. when a cabinet member wants to enlarge his or her sphere of influence
b. when citizens want to intervene in an agency's rule-making procedure
c. when funding is short and two agencies can be merged to create one agency
d. when two different agencies can"t agree on how to approach the same issue
e. when various agencies need to work together to ensure consistent policies
Q:
What are the strict scrutiny standard and the rational basis (or minimum rationality) standard? What sort of classification system would cause the Supreme Court to apply each standard to determine if a discriminatory law is constitutionally permissible? Under what circumstances would it apply an intermediate standard? Give an example of a law that would be subject to each standard of review. Do you agree with this three-tiered approach? Why or why not?
Q:
Civil liberties are __________ that the government cannot take away.
a. property rights
b. personal freedoms
c. business rights
d. recognitions of equality
e. religious freedoms
Q:
__________ is an economic theory designed to increase a nation's wealth through the development of commercial industry and a favorable balance of trade.
a. Nationalism
b. Socialism
c. Mercantilism
d. Republicanism
e. Commercialism
Q:
In general, a recession does which of these?
a. generates a response by state governments
b. generates a response by the federal government
c. lasts at least a year
d. leads to higher inflation
e. reduces the unemployment level
Q:
In what ways are those who answer mail surveys different from the general electorate?
Q:
What factor contributed to the growth of federal bureaucracy during the twentieth century?
a. the passage of the Hatch Act in 1939
b. the elimination of the spoils system at the turn of the century
c. increased demands upon government during the Great Depression
d. the creation of new congressional powers during World War II
e. the creation of new presidential powers during World War II
Q:
Describe the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). Why were some opposed to the ERA? Compare and contrast the ERA and the Nineteenth Amendment. How has the ERA impacted civil rights in the United States?
Q:
At the Constitutional Convention, the delegates agreed that slaves would be counted as __________ of a person for determining population for representation in the House of Representatives.
a. four-fifths
b. three-fifths
c. two-thirds
d. one-third
e. one-fourth
Q:
Which of the following is true of Social Security benefits?
a. Benefits under Medicare Part A are automatic when a person qualifies for Social Security.
b. Benefits under Medicare Part B are automatic when a person qualifies for Social Security.
c. Benefits under Medicare Part D are automatic when a person qualifies for Social Security.
d. Benefits under Medicare Part A, B, and C are automatic when a person qualifies for Social Security.
e. Benefits must be requested and are never automatic.
Q:
Define "muckraking," and find an example of it in today's news. What purpose does muckraking serve? Do you feel it is as important today as it was in the early twentieth century?
Q:
Which circumstance creates a challenge to the implementation of federal laws?
a. when Congress passes a law that contains ambiguity
b. when Congress calls agency heads to testify at formal hearings
c. when functions are transferred to the private sector
d. when each chamber of Congress is controlled by a different party
e. when the president belongs to a different party than the majority party in Congress
Q:
What are grandfather clauses, and why were they enacted?
Q:
Referring to Figure 1.3, discuss why the labels of "conservative" and "liberal" may be misleading.
Q:
The annual shortfall between federal revenues and expenditures is known as which of the following?
a. the balance of payments
b. the budget deficit
c. the expenditure difference
d. the national debt
e. the trade deficit.
Q:
Write a summary of the key government regulations mentioned in your book. Do you think they help or hinder democracy? Why or why not?
Q:
When the law requires an agency to conduct a formal hearing before issuing rules, what effect does this have on the agency's rule-making procedure?
a. Criticism of rules is increased because the public is more informed.
b. Public input typically speeds up the process.
c. The courts tend to give greater deference to agency decisions.
d. The president becomes more directly involved in the procedure.
e. The role of Congress is no longer as prominent.
Q:
What role has literature played in the civil rights movement? Give some examples of books that have been important, and describe what effect they had on particular movements.
Q:
Political scientists note that ideologies perform four key functions. After discussing each function, decide and explain which most affects your own ideology.
Q:
The primary purpose of the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) was to __________.
a. bail out the auto industry
b. bail out the banking sector
c. reduce the annual budget deficit
d. reduce the national debt
e. respond to rising unemployment
Q:
Describe the media's traditional watchdog role, and examine a story as it develops on an online news site. How does the coverage fit a traditional concept of watchdog journalism? How does it differ?
Q:
What event served as a catalyst for the creation of the Pendleton Act?
a. the growth of the Republican party in the 1880s
b. the expansion of the federal bureaucracy in the 1880s
c. the assassination of James Garfield in 1881
d. the election of Rutherford B. Hayes in 1876
e. the economic depression of the 1890s
Q:
Compare and contrast the use of nonviolent protest (also known as civil disobedience) and litigation during the civil rights movement. Which was more successful and why?
Q:
Why are there regional and sectional differences within American political culture? Explain how these differences arose.
Q:
Which of the following is true in the United States of how government handles ensuring health care to the poor and the elderly?a. Medicare provides health care to the poor, and Medicaid provides health care to the elderly.b. Medicare provides health care to the elderly, and Medicaid provides health care to the poor.c. Medicare and Medicaid provide health care to all Americans regardless of wealth or age.d. Medicare replaced Medicaid in order to provide health care to poor people as well as the elderly.e. Medicaid replaced Medicare in order to provide health care to poor people as well as the elderly.
Q:
Amanda is white, 30 years of age, married, and a resident of Indianapolis, Indiana. She regularly attends services at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. What major demographic characteristics would opinion poll researchers associate with Amanda?
Q:
How has government spending changed over the past fifty years?
a. The government now pays for a larger portion of its spending by borrowing.
b. The government now pays for a larger portion of its spending with income such as taxes.
c. The government's share of the country's GDP has doubled.
d. There has been a slight decrease in government spending.
e. There have been no significant changes in government spending.
Q:
What kinds of gains have been made in the struggle for gay rights, and what setbacks have been experienced? How has public opinion opened the door for greater legal and constitutional protection? How might it eventually affect the issue of same-sex marriage?
Q:
How did Reagan's New Federalism benefit the states?
Q:
Explain what the Framers meant by "securing the blessings of liberty" and discuss how far a government should go to ensure citizens' liberty.
Q:
Which of these resulted from President Roosevelt's New Deal?
a. The federal government cut Social Security benefits because it lacked adequate funds.
b. The federal government created Social Security and Aid to Families with Dependent Children.
c. The states assumed new responsibilities for the management of national economic matters.
d. The federal government devolved responsibility for solving the economic crisis to the states.
e. The federal government took a laissez-faire approach when dealing with economic matters.
Q:
Consider this public opinion research question: "Would you support a single-payer managed health care system if you knew your ability to choose your own physician would be limited?" Is this question typical of a push poll?
Q:
Under what circumstance are bureaucrats most likely to exercise discretion?
a. when an agency is creating environmental regulations
b. when an agency is under congressional investigation
c. when an agency is implementing a law that contains ambiguity
d. when an agency is elevated to the status of a Cabinet department
e. when an agency is proposing legislation
Q:
Describe the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Why were they necessary, given that the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments were enacted decades beforehand?
Q:
How have Americans' expectations of their government changed over time, and why?
Q:
Which of the following helps explain the difficulty in solving the long-term debt problem in the United States?
a. The decline in the strength of American political parties in recent years has made compromise in this area highly unlikely.
b. The decline in social spending has reduced the level of economic growth in the United States.
c. The Democratic Party has been captured by special interest groups that benefit from high levels of debt.
d. The Republican Party refuses to reduce the level of taxes that restrict economic growth in society.
e. The rise of extreme partisanship in recent years has made compromise in this area highly unlikely.
Q:
Explain what George Gallop meant when he said that public opinion polls "speed up the process of democracy."
Q:
Which of the following was a consequence of the spoils, or patronage, system?
a. The federal bureaucracy was staffed with people who lacked expertise.
b. There was low turnover in the federal bureaucracy between presidential administrations.
c. Only wealthy people could get jobs in the federal bureaucracy.
d. There was less government corruption.
e. Voter turnout in presidential elections decreased.
Q:
What was Reconstruction? How did its ending open the door for the adoption of Jim Crow laws?
Q:
How would conservative or liberal political ideology affect one's thinking about same-sex marriage? Would conservative and social conservative viewpoints be the same? Why or why not?
Q:
Why are some safety net programs referred to as entitlements?
a. because benefits are distributed automatically to citizens who qualify, based on a set of guidelines
b. because they are benefits available only to the working poor in the United States
c. because they are benefits funded through the Title 9 section of the 1965 Civil Rights Act
d. because they are benefits that are distributed on a case-by-case basis to select citizens in extreme need
e. because they are benefits that one earns by working, and thus the person is entitled to them
Q:
What is the Telecommunications Act of 1996, and what effect did it have on media consolidation?