ANSWER KEY
The Pink Group
Unit I
1
1
1. The Founders granted that representative democracy would
a. prevent factions from having any influence on government
b. prevent sweeping changes in policy
c. result in highly controversial elections
d. often proceed slowly
e. B and D
2. Which of the following statements about authority is correct?
a. it is defined as the right to use power
b. it resides in government, not in the private sector
c. it typically results from the naked use of force
d. it is the opposite of legitimacy
e. all of the above
3. If you fear that people decide big issues on the basis of fleeting passions and in response to demagogues, you are likely to agree with
a. recall elections
b. the New England town meeting
c. the referendum
d. participatory democracy
e. many of the Framers of the Constitution
4. In the Marxist view government is a reflection of underlying ______forces
a. economic
b. political
c. ideological
d. social
e. teleological
5. The view that money, expertise, prestige, and so forth are widely scattered throughout our society in the hands of variety of groups is known as the
a. Pluralist view of American society
b. Economic theory of democracy
c. Elitist view of American society
d. Dispersed power theory of American politics
e. Monetary displacement theory of American politics
6. The colonists believed that most politicians tended to be
a. Aristocratic
b. Idealistic
c. Benevolent
d. Corrupt
e. Incompetent
7. An “unalienable” right is
a. Supported by a majority of any society
b. Created by legislators
c. Based in a written constitution
d. Without restriction
e. Based on nature and Providence
8. Under the Articles, Congress had the power to
a. Make peace
b. Coin money
c. Appoint key army officers
d. Run the post office
e. All of the above
9. The original purpose of the Constitutional Convention was to
a. Draw up a bill of rights
b. Discuss regulations on intrastate commerce
c. Levy taxes
d. Build an army
e. Revise the Articles of Confederation
10. Supporters of a strong national government favored the
a. Virginia Plan
b. New Jersey Plan
c. Georgia Plan
d. Rhode Island Plan
e. Pennsylvania Plan
11. A system is not federal unless local units of government
a. Are the official distributors of the national government’s resources
b. Exist independently and can make decisions independent of the national government
c. Answer solely to the national government
d. Make decisions in conjunction with national goals and needs
e. Are mere administrative subunits of the national government
12. The landmark case McCulloch v. Maryland determined that
a. a state had the power to tax the federal government
b. the federal government had the power to tax a state
c. Congress did not have the power to set up a national bank
d. The “necessary and proper clause” allowed for the creation of a bank
e. The Constitution was established by the states
13. Block grants and revenue sharing were efforts to
a. ensure that state spending was sensitive to federal policies and goals
b. reverse trends by allowing states and localities freedom to spend money as they wished
c. increase the dependency of state governments on federal money
d. accelerate states spending in areas long ignored by Congress
e. increase “strings” on money given to state and local officials
14. Most federal mandates concern
a. sexual harassment
b. civil liberties and civil rights
c. civil rights and environment protection
d. waste management
e. law enforcement
15. Which of the following is (are) not among the coalition that prefers categorical grants to block grants and revenue sharing?
a. Congress
b. The federal bureaucracy
c. Organized labor
d. Liberal interest groups
e. State and local offices
1
Unit II
16. Which of the following is not among the important elements in the American view of the political
system?
a. Civic duty.
b. Individualism.
c. Equality of opportunity.
d. Democracy.
e. Equality of condition.
17. Scholars infer the existence of political culture by observing what?
a. the kinds of books Americans read.
b. the political choices Americans make.
c. the slogans Americans respond to.
d. the speeches Americans hear.
e. all of the above.
18. Which of the following goals is not listed in the Preamble to the Constitution?
a. Justice.
b. Domestic tranquility.
c. The common defense.
d. Equality.
e. The general welfare.
19. There is much research that indicates attending college tends to make people more ______than the general population.
a. Moderate
b. Conservative
c. Democratic
d. Republican
e. Liberal
20. In recent years the influence of the family on party identification has what?
a. decreased.
b. increased.
c. remained the same.
d. disappeared.
e. become too complex to study
21. Who organized the first political party?
a. the followers of Hamilton.
b. the followers of Jefferson.
c. farmers and Revolutionary War soldiers.
d. the Danbury Baptists.
e. Federalist newspapermen.
22. Scholars recognize at least ____ periods of critical realignment in American politics.
a. two
b. five
c. fifteen
d. thirty
e. thirty-two
23. Split ticket voting became less
common around the turn of the century when the Progressives
instituted the “______ballot.”
a. office
b. column
c. markup
d. descriptive
e. institutional
24. In political jargon, the money given to aid political parties is known as “______money.”
a. soft
b. safe
c. picket
d. liquid
e. rock
25. A major difference between presidential and congressional campaigns is that
a. more people vote in congressional elections.
b. Presidential races are generally less competitive.
c. Presidential candidates can more credibly take credit for improvements in a district.
d. Presidential incumbents can better provide services for their constituents.
e. Congressional incumbents can more easily duck responsibility.
26. Unlike funding for presidential campaigns, the money for congressional campaigns comes from
a. both private and public sources.
b. public sources only.
c. private sources only.
d. federal matching grants only.
e. state income taxes
Units III and IV
27. Low voter turnout in the United States can best be explained by
a. voter apathy.
b. the media, especially television.
c. the political party system.
d. the media, especially big city newspapers.
e. the voter registration system.
28. Which Amendment stated that "the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude"?
a. the 12th Amendment
b. the 17th Amendment
c. the 15th Amendment
d. the 25th Amendment
e. None of these
29. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 contained all of the following provisions except
a. a suspension of the use of literacy tests.
b. the appointment of federal examiners to register blacks in areas where voter participation had been low.
c. an end to all poll taxes and property requirements.
d. the imposition of criminal penalties for interfering with the right to vote.
e. B and C.
30. The most powerful determinant of political participation, other than education and information, is
a. race
b. gender
c. employment
d. religion
e. age
31. One reason interest groups are so common in the United States is that
a. political parties are relatively strong.
b. important decisions are made in only a few places.
c. the country has a great many divergent interests.
d. political authority resides in a handful of officials.
e. A and D.
32. Solidary-type incentives are most likely to motivate people who join
a. a farm bureau.
b. Public Citizen.
c. the parent teacher associations (PTAs).
d. the Mafia.
e. American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).
33. Which of the following statements about business political action committees (PACs) is generally true?
a. They give most of their money to Democrats.
b. They give most of their money to Republicans.
c. They divide their money between Democrats and Republicans.
d. They promote education rather than candidates.
e. They change party allegiance frequently.
34. Changes in U.S. politics have occurred at the same time as changes in the organization and technology of the media. This seems to suggest that
a. the nature of journalism dictates the nature of politics.
b. politics will respond to changes in how communication is carried on.
c. the technology of journalism responds to changes in politics.
d. journalism is more important than politics in determining how the government will operate
e. the nature of politics dictates the nature of journalism.
35. Newsweek runs a feature article on education in the United States that calls for sweeping changes in government policy on education. In this role Newsweek is acting as
a. gatekeeper.
b. scorekeeper.
c. watchdog.
d. investigator.
e. C and D.
36. Regarding the effects of media on politics, research suggests all of the following except
a. issues that citizens believe to be important politically are similar to issues featured by the media.
b. the personal opinions of newscasters have little short-term effect on presidential popularity.
c. newspaper readers see bigger ideological differences between candidates than do television viewers.
d. newspaper endorsements have a small but significant effect on voter preference.
e. people are more likely to take their cues from the media on matters that affect them personally.
37. Each of the following was an objective of the Framers except
a. to make Congress accountable to the executive.
b. to oppose concentration of power in a single institution.
c. to balance large and small states.
d. to have Congress be the dominant institution.
e. C and D.
38. The overriding political question throughout the evolution of Congress has been the
a. balance of power among Congress, the executive, and the judiciary.
b. distribution of powers within Congress.
c. curtailment of presidential activism.
d. role of the parties in selecting members.
e. rules pertaining to committee assignments.
39. The ______process allows the Speaker to send a bill to a second committee after the first committee is finished acting on it.
a. definitive referral
b. remedial referral
c. multiple referral
d. sequential referral
e. mandate referral
40. A mark-up session is one in which
a. a committee or subcommittee makes changes in the original version of a bill.
b. the party leadership assigns priority ratings to numerous bills.
c. the Rules Committee determines the conditions under which floor debate will be conducted.
d. a conference committee makes key compromises before reporting back to both houses.
e. committee chairmen meet to discuss the order of discussion for revenue bills.
41. Each of the following is required in both houses for Congress to override a presidential veto except
a. a two-thirds majority of those present.
b a discharge petition.
c. a roll-call vote.
d. a quorum.
e. A and C.
42. A proposed environmental protection program offers benefits and costs that will be shared by a large number of people. The type of politics that will most likely be involved is
a. entrepreneurial politics.
b. client-centered politics.
c. interest group politics.
d. majoritarian politics.
e. egalitarian politics.
43. Interest groups do not generally play key roles in the enactment of majoritarian policies because of
a. the expenses involved.
b. their lack of political power.
c. the free-rider problem.
d. their preference for entrepreneurial politics.
f. their narrow focus and intense opposition.
44. What distinguishes client politics from interest group politics?
a. the absence of an organized, opposing interest group
g. the absence of narrowly concentrated benefits
h. the absence of government involvement
i. the absence of ideological and cost considerations
e. the fact that client politics are rarely partisan
45. An example of pork-barrel politics is when Congress
a. chooses committee chairmanships on the basis of seniority.
b. enacts election laws that favor incumbents.
c. passes laws that distribute benefits and costs to the great majority of the people.
d. enacts a program that benefits a single member's district.
e. enacts a program that benefits a group of Senators but not the entire Senate.
46. One reason that entrepreneurial politics has become more important in recent years is
a. the relaxation of many federal regulations.
b. increased competition among special-interest groups.
c. a change in the attitudes of many citizens.
d. the declining role of consumer activists.
e. decreased competition among special-interest groups.
47. What constitutes benefits and costs is a matter of opinion. Which of the following is most likely to be true because of this?
a. Controversial policies can rarely be categorized.
b. Benefits and costs tend to be defined strictly in monetary terms.
c. Objective political science sets opinions aside.
d. Designations of costs and benefits are changeable.
e. Benefits are rarely as popular as costs.
48. Welfare policies in which a relatively few number of people benefit but almost everyone pays are characterized by
a. majoritarian politics.
b. minoritarian politics.
c. client politics.
d. concurrency politics.
e. neo-institutional politics
49. Means tests are associated with the following type of welfare programs:
a. majoritarian-based.
b. minoritarian-based.
c. client-based.
d. concurrency-based.
e. neo-institutional politics.
50. The typical U.S. preference in dealing with the problems of the poor is to relieve them by providing
a. cash.
b. moral exhortations.
c. jobs.
d. services.
e. savings bonds.
51. Congress justified the legitimacy of the Social Security Act, despite the fact that the U.S. Constitution did not authorize federal welfare, with the argument that
a. Social Security benefits were not really a federal expenditure.
b. the U.S. Constitution could not have anticipated the need for a social security program.
c. payments into Social Security would always exceed benefits.
d. state administration of Social Security removed it from constitutional jurisdiction.