Q&A Hero

Q: Describe the meaning and purpose of the Ninth Amendment.

Q: What is the role of the national security advisor? a. to consult with academics and others with foreign policy expertise b. to provide the president with information that reinforces the president's foreign policy positions c. to act as a liaison between the Department of Defense and the military d. to lead the Department of Homeland Security e. to give the president independent advice about foreign and military policy

Q: According to the theory of __________, political power is distributed across a wide range of diverse and competing interest groups.

Q: Of the 112 justices who have served on the U.S. Supreme Court, the overwhelming majority have been of which faith? a. Muslim b. Catholic c. Protestant d. Jewish e. Hindu

Q: Describe the balance of power between the three branches of government as intended by the Framers of the Constitution.

Q: Describe the system of checks and balances created by the Framers.

Q: What is the primary responsibility of the Department of Defense? a. to provide for homeland security b. to implement military policy c. to develop foreign policy d. to coordinate domestic security efforts e. to advise the president about national security threats

Q: __________ refers to communicating with government officials to persuade them to support a particular policy decision.

Q: Which of the following was appointed by President George W. Bush? a. Justice Alito b. Justice Kagan c. Justice Thomas d. Justice Ginsburg e. Justice Scalia

Q: House members each represent approximately __________ per district.

Q: Discuss the development of hate speech as an unprotected speech form.

Q: Describe Article III of the Constitution.

Q: Which Cabinet-level department has primary responsibility for U.S. foreign policy? a. Department of Defense b. Department of Justice c. Department of the Interior d. Department of Homeland Security e. Department of State

Q: The __________ problem occurs when people fail to join a group because they can receive the benefits the group offers without contributing to the group's efforts.

Q: How and whether judicial decisions are translated into actual policy is known as which of the following? a. judicial implementation b. judicial execution c. judicial legislation d. judicial intention e. judicial power

Q: Because they continue from one Congress to the next, __________ committees are permanent fixtures to which bills are referred for consideration.

Q: Under Roe v.Wade, a woman could legally seek an abortion freely during her __________ trimester.

Q: Explain what inspired the Constitutional Convention in 1787.

Q: One of the primary purposes of the war in Afghanistan was to __________. a. prevent the spread of communism b. remove the Taliban-led government c. protect religious freedom d. retaliate for the bombing of the USS Cole e. protect Iraq from Afghani military attacks

Q: __________ are organizations that seek to influence public policy.

Q: Courts provide a statement of the legal reasoning behind their decisions in written __________. a. briefs b. arguments c. opinions d. laws e. pamphlets

Q: __________ decides who shall be recognized to speak on the House floor, and rules on points of order (with advice from the parliamentarian), among other responsibilities.

Q: An article accusing Barack Obama of being a drug addict is an example of __________.

Q: Explain the process for amending the Constitution.

Q: The war in Iraq began under __________ and ended under __________. a. Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush b. Bill Clinton, George W. Bush c. George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush d. George W. Bush, George W. Bush e. George W. Bush, Barack Obama

Q: Most researchers now explain the gender gap in party identification with the Republican Party's difficulties in attracting female voters.

Q: In 1987, the Senate refused to confirm the nomination of which of the following to the Supreme Court? a. Antonin Scalia b. Harlan Fiske c. Earl Warren d. Robert Bork e. David Souter

Q: The year __________ was significant because elections saw a record number of women, African Americans, and other minorities elected to Congress.

Q: The USA PATRIOT Act provides the government with methods for circumventing restrictions on __________.

Q: Discuss the developments that led to the American Revolution.

Q: Discuss the recent economic crisis and recession. What happened and why? Should they take any steps to prevent this from happening again? If so, what steps? If not, why not?

Q: Virtually all government regulation of political parties falls to the states.

Q: In which federal courts are trials conducted? a. circuit b. district c. common d. original e. public

Q: Though individual senators are perceived as more powerful than their House counterparts, the chairperson of the Senate, or __________, is decidedly less powerful than the Speaker of the House.

Q: The Supreme Court has interpreted the Second Amendment to protect an individual's right to own __________.

Q: __________ would prohibit Congress from requiring a president to be Christian in order to be elected.

Q: Discuss the differences in philosophy, key actors, and tools of fiscal and monetary policy. Should the federal government give preference to one to the other? Why or why not?

Q: A pluralist would view the presence and activities of lobbyists in Washington, D.C., as harmful to the functioning of our political system.

Q: In which courts are the vast majority of all cases tried? a. federal b. supreme c. constitutional d. appellate e. state

Q: Cloture is the only way to end a(n) __________.

Q: Prior restraint is a constitutional doctrine that prevents the government from prohibiting speech or publication __________ the fact.

Q: Article VII specified that at least __________ states would have to ratify the Constitution for it to become law.

Q: What are the features of the income security measures/programs in the United States? Why was this structure created, and what are the benefits? Specifically, what are the problems with Social Security, and what solutions are available to government to solve them?

Q: Members of partisan think tanks are primarily responsible for writing the national party platforms.

Q: Proponents of which of the following believe that judges should use their power broadly to further justice? a. judicial restraint b. judicial constructionism c. judicial activism d. judicial originalism e. judicial implementation

Q: At their party __________, Democrats will meet at the beginning of each new Congress to nominate or elect party officers, review committee assignments, discuss party policy, impose party discipline, set party themes, and coordinate media.

Q: One of the arguments that the death penalty is cruel and unusual punishment is that it is applied disproportionately to __________.

Q: The Twenty-First Amendment was the only amendment to be ratified through special __________ conventions.

Q: In what ways did the Republican and Democratic Parties respond to the recent economic downturn, and how did those responses reflect their respective worldviews?

Q: Precinct and ward committees are important components of a political party's organization at the state level.

Q: __________, President Nixon, and President Reagan achieved success in molding the federal judiciary to their own political beliefs. a. Chief Justice Warren b. President Hoover c. Chief Justice Marshall d. President Roosevelt e. President Wilson

Q: After the Speaker, the next most powerful person in the House is the __________.

Q: __________ rights include the right to remain silent.

Q: __________ percent of the delegates at the Constitutional Convention were slaveholders.

Q: What are the goals of the policy evaluation process, and how is it conducted? What might the evaluation process accomplish?

Q: The competitive two-party system has always featured prominently in the United States.

Q: Which of the following is an opinion written by a justice in the majority that outlines additional considerations he or she thinks are important? a. concurring b. en banc c. majority d. per curiam e. dissenting

Q: The __________ established the congressional budgetary process we use today.

Q: The __________ Amendment ensures the right of a criminal defendant to confront witnesses at trial.

Q: Article II of the Constitution addresses the powers of the __________ branch.

Q: What is the debt ceiling? How and why has it been reevaluated in recent years? What has been decided?

Q: As part of the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act, interest groups are now barred from sponsoring and paying judges to attend "informational conferences."

Q: The U.S. courts of appeals are divided into __________ numbered circuits and two unnumbered circuits. a. nine b. twelve c. thirteen d. eleven e. six

Q: Only one member of Congress may __________ a bill at its introduction, though other members show support by placing their names on the legislation.

Q: An early effort to define __________ focused on whether the material had any serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.

Q: James Madison was the author of many of the essays known as the __________.

Q: What has been the U.S. government's recent trend regarding budget deficits and the national debt, and what factors are driving this trend?

Q: Once a bill becomes law, lobbyists typically leave the implementation up to the executive branch.

Q: Only a(n) __________ court can review the decisions of a lower court. a. trial b. original c. administrative d. constitutional e. appellate

Q: The Constitution specifies that the presiding officer of the Senate is the vice president; however, the __________ presides in the vice president's absence.

Q: __________ include profanity, obscenity, and threats.

Q: The __________ favored a weak national government and strong state governments.

Q: What is the long-term concern regarding the Social Security Trust Fund.

Q: The majority of individuals earning an annual income of more than $75,000 identify as independents.

Q: A(n) __________ brief is submitted by someone who is not a party to the case. a. amicus curiae b. appellate c. habeas corpus d. outsider e. coram nobis

Q: Congress may override a presidential veto with a(n) __________ vote in each chamber.

Q: The __________ Court, named after the Chief Justice presiding over the U.S. Supreme Court at the time, supported laws that deterred police misconduct.

Q: In a __________, the national government derives its powers from the states.

Q: Why do adjustments to interest rates by the Federal Reserve Board matter?

Q: The Republican Party's fund-raising has consistently dwarfed that of their Democratic counterparts since 1993.