Q&A Hero

Q: While the president has the authority to appoint and remove agency heads and other top bureaucrats, Congress has the authority to __________. a. initiate policies that would alter the bureaucracy's activities b. make changes in an agency's annual budget proposals c. reduce an agency's annual budget d. refuse to appropriate funds for certain programs e. reorganize the bureaucracy

Q: Outline an affirmative action program for public university admissions that would pass constitutional muster.

Q: Today, nearly 40 million people in the United States can be classified as immigrants, with a Hispanic majority. How will this affect American politics?

Q: What distinguishes a means-tested program from a social insurance program? a. A means-tested program extends benefits based upon age categories, while a social insurance program provides benefits based upon immediate need. b. A means-tested program only extends to benefits for the elderly, while a social insurance program extends benefits to everybody. c. A social insurance program extends benefits only to the working poor, while a means-tested program extends benefits to everyone, regardless of social class. d. A social insurance program provides benefits based upon demonstrated need, while a means-tested program provides benefits based upon lifetime contributions. e. A social insurance program provides benefits based upon lifetime contributions, while a means tested program provides benefits based upon demonstrated need.

Q: What is media consolidation, and what are its consequences?

Q: How are federal workforce similar to policy coordinating committees? a. Both coordinate the activities of multiple agencies. b. Both deal with multiple policy problems. c. Both are housed within the legislative branch. d. Both have the authority to override the decisions of agency heads. e. Both help coordinate the activities of the federal and state governments.

Q: What did the Supreme Court decide in Korematsu v. United States? What does this decision suggest about the Court's willingness to protect civil rights during wartime?

Q: Is America's brand of democracy easily exported? Why or why not?

Q: The main goal of fiscal policy is __________. a. to affect how much money is available to foreign governments for investment and its cost b. to affect how much money is available to state governments for capital projects c. to determine how much interest the government will pay on the federal debt d. to stimulate the economy by increasing the number of exports into the United States e. to use taxes and government spending to help stimulate or slow down economic growth

Q: Define political socialization and explain the role of family, peers, and schools as agents of political socialization.

Q: Which of the following is currently a major concern about the federal workforce? a. the decentralization of government offices b. the large number of workers who will soon be eligible to retire c. the low turnover rate in many important positions d. the movement to revive the patronage system e. the underrepresentation of men in the workforce

Q: Describe the Equal Rights Amendment. What lesson might the gay rights movement take away from the efforts to adopt the Equal Rights Amendment?

Q: What is the main difference between direct democracy and indirect democracy? Which concept represents American government, and why?

Q: What is the main purpose of monetary policy? a. to affect how much money is available to businesses and banks b. to control the amount of public debt sold to foreign states c. to control the interest rates on money lent to foreign states d. to equalize income disparity among citizens of the United States e. to expand the government's revenue base so as to reduce the deficit

Q: Why is intensity of feeling an important factor to take into consideration when assessing the shortcomings of polling?

Q: How are Cabinet secretaries similar to independent agency administrators? a. Both are appointed by the president. b. Neither can be fired by the president. c. Both typically remain in office over multiple presidential administrations. d. Both are part of federal civil service system. e. Both can be removed from office by Congress.

Q: Make an argument for interpreting the Fourteenth Amendment as supporting the right of gays and lesbians to get married to their same-sex partners.

Q: Explain why today's federalism is or is not an effective form of government for the United States. Be specific in supporting your argument.

Q: What was the primary reason that colonists settled in America? Referring to Figure 1.1, discuss the establishment of at least two specific colonies.

Q: Which president helped to create modern welfare policy in the United States? a. Dwight Eisenhower b. Franklin Roosevelt c. Jimmy Carter d. Ronald Reagan e. Theodore Roosevelt

Q: Who is George Gallup, and what event launched his career in measuring public opinion?

Q: What is a goal common to both the Pendleton Act and the Hatch Act? a. reducing the exercise of administrative discretion b. reducing the influence of partisan politics on the federal bureaucracy. c. increasing presidential control of the federal bureaucracy d. increase congressional control of the federal bureaucracy e. streamlining the policy implementation process

Q: What was the "Don"t Ask, Don"t Tell" policy? What was the penalty for a soldier who violated this policy? Why was it implemented? What is the current status of the policy?

Q: Due to governmental programs and protections, many Americans have a __________ standard of living.

Q: Which of the following entities is responsible for setting interest rates in the United States? a. the Congress b. the Congressional Budget Office c. the Executive Office of the President d. the Federal Reserve Board e. the Office of Management and Budget

Q: If a white house staffer leaked inside information to you, but only wanted to be referred to as an unnamed "inside source," your information attribution would be __________.

Q: What was the purpose of the Hatch Act? a. to prohibit federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity b. to promote transparency in the federal bureaucracy c. to limit congressional control of the federal bureaucracy d. to prohibit awarding government jobs based on partisan loyalty e. to authorize greater use of discretion in bureaucratic decision-making

Q: What are civil rights? How did the concept of equality get introduced into the Constitution, and how has that concept been used in the struggle for civil rights for various groups? Why was the Civil Rights Act of 1964 so important in furthering civil rights for all groups?

Q: Today, many Americans lack faith in the country's __________.

Q: What is the primary tool that monetary policy uses to affect the overall economy? a. labor regulations b. foreign monetary investment c. government spending d. interest rates e. taxation rates

Q: A scientific poll determines that 60 percent of respondents support relaxation of gun-control laws. If the margin of error were 4 percent, the actual number of people in the population selected to be questioned who support relaxation could be as high as __________ percent.

Q: How do independent regulatory commissions differ from independent agencies? a. Independent regulatory commissions are subject to presidential oversight. b. Commissioners can be more easily removed from office than agency heads. c. Commissioners are more difficult to remove from office than agency heads. d. Commissions engage in rule-making, whereas agencies do not. e. Commissions engage in enforcement, whereas agencies do not.

Q: Describe the status of American Indian governments within the context of the U.S. political system. How does this status affect the ability of American Indian tribes to make public policy on tribal lands?

Q: Religious, philosophical, and __________ beliefs can become cohesive ideologies that create natural groups within society and lead to political conflict.

Q: Medicare is what type of federal program?a. discretionaryb. means-testedc. social insuranced. TANFe. arbitrary

Q: In July of 2012, CNN conducted an online poll asking visitors to the site to offer their opinions about the appropriate punishment for a well-known celebrity who had violated the terms of her probation. Like the 1936 Literary Digest straw poll, this poll violated a well-known cardinal rule of survey sampling, a problem researchers call __________.

Q: Why did President Franklin D. Roosevelt create hundreds of new government agencies? a. to create employment opportunities in a struggling economy b. to produce the necessary weapons and ammunition to defend the nation c. to reform the civil service system d. to regulate business practices and various aspects of the national economy e. to support Congress in its oversight of the executive and judiciary branches

Q: How does the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) define a disabled person? What rights are guaranteed to disabled people under the ADA? What infrastructure must be created to ensure these rights?

Q: Explain how the federal government uses federal funding to indirectly impose its will upon the states.

Q: __________ is the coherent set of values and beliefs people hold about the purpose and scope of government.

Q: Which element of policy making is government recognition that a problem is worthy of intervention? a. agenda setting b. agenda adoption c. policy formation d. policy implementation e. policy evaluation

Q: According to the box, "Where Do You Get Your Political News," __________ help explain why Americans prefer certain news sources over others.

Q: Which of the following statements best describes the president's influence over agency budgets? a. The president has final say over all department budgets, but has no control of the budgets of independent agencies. b. The president has final say over the budgets of independent agencies, but has no control of department budgets. c. The president has sole authority to determine executive administrative budgets. d. The president has no authority in the budgeting process. e. The president influences the initial budget proposal, but depends on Congress for appropriations of federal money.

Q: Although many people still view the United States as a __________ nation, a great number of religious groupsincluding Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, and Muslimshave established roots in the United States.

Q: The total market value of all goods and services produced in an area during a year is termed which of the following? a. greatest national product b. gross domestic product c. maximum national product d. minimum domestic product e. national income product

Q: The __________ had its roots in the ARPANET project.

Q: How are independent regulatory commissions similar to independent executive agencies? a. Both are headed by a single administrator. b. Both are part of the president's Cabinet. c. Both operate outside of executive department control. d. Both are allowed to charge for their services. e. Both perform activities that private investors cannot.

Q: Over the years, our attitudes about personal liberty have remained unchanged.

Q: What is a government program called that provides benefits to all citizens who meet eligibility requirements? a. a basic program b. an entitlement program c. an envelopment program d. a minimum program e. a recessionary program

Q: Political knowledge and political participation have a(n) __________ effect on one another.

Q: How do government corporations differ from private companies? a. Government corporations perform activities that private companies cannot. b. Government corporations cannot borrow money, whereas private companies can. c. Government corporations cannot sell stock, whereas private companies can. d. Government corporations can borrow money, whereas private companies cannot. e. Government corporations need less government oversight than private companies.

Q: According to the Supreme Court decisions in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke and the two University of Michigan cases noted in the chapter, what sorts of affirmative action programs for admission to public universities are permissible, and what sorts are not?

Q: Over time, our notions of what governments should do have expanded along with the size of government.

Q: Which of the following strategies does monetary policy dictate in inflationary periods? a. Congress should balance the federal budget. b. Congress should increase spending. c. Congress should raise taxes on citizens. d. The Federal Reserve should lower interest rates. e. The Federal Reserve should raise interest rates.

Q: The process through which individuals acquire their beliefs is known as __________.

Q: How do departments differ from independent agencies? a. Department heads are appointed by the president; agency heads are not. b. Agency heads are part of the president's cabinet; department heads are not. c. Department heads are part of the president's cabinet; agency heads are not. d. Departments cover a wider range of functions than agencies. e. Agencies are typically larger than and include several departments.

Q: Because of the struggle by groups to achieve their civil rights, the __________ has generated more litigation to determine and specify its meaning than any other provision of the Constitution.

Q: Many colonists were uncomfortable with the term democracy because it conjured up fears of the people and mob rule.

Q: One of the biggest concerns surrounding the Social Security Trust Fund is that __________. a. the benefits being paid out are too low b. the FICA contribution is currently too high c. there is not enough money to pay current retirees d. there will not be enough money to pay future retirees e. wealthy citizens are denied access to payments

Q: "If you knew that Candidate X cheated on her taxes, would you vote for her?" is a question typical of __________.

Q: Congress and the president share which of the following powers over agencies and departments in the federal bureaucracy? a. the power to influence budgets b. the power to issue executive orders c. the power to sign executive agreements d. the power to hold oversight hearings e. the power to use inspectors general

Q: Because of the Supreme Court's decision in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, an affirmative action program that uses racial __________ would likely be deemed unconstitutional.

Q: Discuss how the devolution revolution impacted social service policy and legislation in the 1990s.

Q: Monarchy is a type of government that Aristotle considered rule by "tyranny."

Q: What is the source for the money in the Social Security Trust Fund? a. sales taxes b. payroll taxes c. progressive taxes d. property taxes e. income taxes

Q: The process by which a news organization defines a political issue and affects public opinion of the issue is called __________.

Q: How did Americans' attitudes about the role of government change as a result of the Great Depression and Roosevelt's New Deal? a. People became more accepting of the federal government's role in economic policy. b. People became more cynical about the federal government's role in economic policy. c. People because more cynical about the federal government's role in social policy. c. People became more confident in the ability of state governments to handle social policy. d. People because more confident in the ability of state governments to handle economic policy.

Q: The constitutionality of a law establishing a public elementary school open only to African American students from poor neighborhoods would be determined by the Supreme Court's application of the __________ standard of review.

Q: Indigenous peoples had been living in North America for more than 30,000 years before the arrival of the first European colonists.

Q: Which of the following is true about Social Security? a. It is a form of accident insurance. b. It is considered a means-tested program. c. It is only available to the very wealthy. d. It is entirely supported by property taxes. e. It is a retirement benefit program for citizens.

Q: A __________ is a relatively restricted session between a press secretary or aide and the press.

Q: According to Figure 8.1, when did the largest growth in the federal workforce occur? a. after the introduction of Johnson's Great Society program b. after the introduction of FDR's New Deal programs c. during the Civil War period d. during World War I e. during World War II

Q: Critics argue that the Supreme Court's decision in Korematsu v. United States infringed on the civil rights of __________.

Q: Which of the following would have been expected of the federal government 200 years ago? a. regulating business b. providing national defense c. providing poverty relief d. inspecting food e. advocating social reform

Q: The size of the national debt is __________. a. declining b. rising c. marginal d. stagnating e. unchanged

Q: Nothing an official says may be printed if the interview is __________.

Q: What role is the Environmental Protection Agency taking when it sets limits on air pollution from power plants? a. adjudication b. deliberation c. intervention d. oversight e. regulation

Q: In order to make it hard for poor blacks to vote without falling afoul of the Fifteenth Amendment, many southern states required citizens to pay __________, which disproportionately disenfranchised African Americans.

Q: Americans have the highest levels of trust in which of the following? a. the press b. business and industry c. the executive branch d. Congress e. medicine

Q: Which of the following is true with respect to Keynesian economic policy? a. Keynesian economic policy relies on government taxes and adjustments to the money supply to control inflation and unemployment. b. Keynesian economic policy relies on taxation and expenditures by government to control inflation and unemployment. c. Keynesian economic policy uses the money supply to control inflation and unemployment. d. Keynesian economic policy can only be used by the federal government. e. Keynesian economic policy can only be used by state-level governments.