UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
Practice Exam #1
Time – 45 minutes
60 Questions
1. The most significant power of the Rules
Committee of the House of Representatives are
(A) determination of committee membership
and selection
(B) limitation of debate time on a bill and
determination of amendments allowed
(C) selection of Supreme Court justices and
other federal judges
(D) authorization of government spending and
preparation of the budget
(E) the choice of party leaders, including the
Speaker of the House
5. The main agency for making monetary policy
intended to be formally beyond the control of
the president and Congress is the
(A) Federal Reserve System
(B) Department of the Treasury
(C) Congressional Budget Office
(D) Office of Management and the Budget
(E) Internal Revenue Service
6. In the case of U.S. v. Leon, the Burger Court
ruled that the exclusionary rule
(A) was an absolute rule without exceptions
(B) is unconstitutional, and should not be
applied in any case
(C) could be excepted if information was seized
mistakenly by the police "in good faith"
(D) could be excepted if the evidence gathered
led to a conviction
(E) could be excepted if the evidence led to a
discovery the police would not have made
otherwise
2. The "wall of separation" theory refers to
(A) the competing demands of free expression
and national security
(B) the judicial treatment of libel for celebrities
and non-celebrities
(C) freedoms guaranteed to adults vs. those
guaranteed to children
(D) the principle that religious beliefs and
practices should be prohibited in public
schools
(E) the rights of ordinary citizens vs. those
accused of crimes
7. All of the following are frequent criticisms of the
states' rights interpretation of the Constitution
EXCEPT:
(A) The states' rights philosophy has
perpetuated racial inequality.
(B) The states' rights philosophy has prevented
positive action by the national government
and promoted a "do nothing" point of view.
(C) The states' right philosophy was created to
promote unity in government; therefore, it
discourages government responsiveness to
diversity.
(D) The states' rights philosophy emphasizes
the needs and values of regions and
discourages interregional unity.
(E) The states' rights philosophy promotes an
outdated approach to government and
does not recognize that today more and
more problems are national in scope
3. In Miller v. California, obscenity is defines as a
work that
(A) morally offends the majority of people that
see it
(B) graphically describe sexual acts
(C) is sexually explicit and bears a relationship
to sexual violence
(D) is sexually explicit and lacks serious
political, artistic, or scientific value
(E) is not "safe and sanitary"
4. The term "the imperial presidency" refers to the
(A) gradual increase in the power of the
presidency so that today a president has
the power of an emperor
(B) original concept of the presidency under
George Washington
(C) power of the presidency during the early
1970s, which was the high point of a
gradual increase of power since the 1930s
(D) significant powers of the president,
especially in conducting foreign affairs
(E) tendency for Republicans to rely more
heavily than Democrats on the ceremony
and privileges of the presidency
8. A newly elected Democratic senator would
MOST LIKELY be concerned about the decisions
of the
(A) party whip
(B) Budget Committee
(C) Vice President
(D) president pro tempore
(E) Steering Committee
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9. A common characteristic of most third parties in
American history is that they
(A) never run candidates for the presidency
(B) always support grass roots causes
(C) usually support conservative principles
(D) always have radical ideas
(E) advance ideas that are out of the
mainstream
14. Which of the following are included in the
Miranda rights?
I. Suspects must be told that they have a
constitutional right to remain silent and
may stop answering questions at any time.
II. Suspects must be warned that what they
say can be used against them in a court of
law.
III. Suspects must be told that they have a
right to have a lawyer present during
question.
(A) III only
(B) I and II only
(C) I and III only
(D) II and III only
(E) I, II, and III
10. The length of time a bill will be debated in the
House of Representatives is determined by
(A) the Rules Committee
(B) specialized caucuses
(C) the majority and minority leaders jointly
(D) the Speaker and the president pro tem
(E) the majority party
11. Which of the following statements most clearly
reflects liberal political opinion?
(A) Supreme Court justices should not take
activist roles in the political process.
(B) Textbooks containing disparaging remarks
regarding government officials should be
censured.
(C) Funding for programs to help the poor
should be increased.
(D) Corporations should be given more tax
breaks.
(E) Officials should get tougher on the subject
of crime and law and order.
15. All of the following represent differences
between the House and the Senate EXCEPT:
(A) Power in the House is more centralized in
the leadership than in the Senate.
(B) Party-line voting is more common in the
House than in the Senate.
(C) The House has a Rules Committee, the
Senate does not.
(D) The Senate allows the filibuster, the House
does not.
(E) The House ratifies all treaties, the Senate
does not.
16. The "criss-crossing interest problem" is
particularly characteristic of
(A) public interest groups
(B) groups with specific economic interests
(C) groups with large mass membership
constituencies
(D) specialized labor unions
(E) professional groups
12. The most important leadership position in the
Senate is the
(A) majority leader
(B) president pro tempore
(C) vice president
(D) speaker
(E) majority whip
13. Which of the following types of powers are
specifically granted to the national government
by the Constitution?
(A) expressed
(B) implied
(C) inherent
(D) concurrent
(E) reserved
17. Which of the following is MOST likely to appear
on a historian's list of "great" presidents?
(A) Andrew Jackson
(B) Ulysses Grant
(C) Lyndon Johnson
(D) William McKinley
(E) Harry Truman
18. The power to make and approve treaties is
vested in
(A) the president, with a 2/3 ratification by the
Senate
(B) both Houses of Congress
(C) the Secretary of State
(D) the president alone
(E) the Pentagon
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19. Which of the following is the BEST description
of the political atmosphere in which the
Constitutional Convention met in 1787?
(A) The Convention met in complete secrecy in
order to prevent disruptions and the
rallying of opposition.
(B) The Convention met hastily because
general popular opinion demanded that
something had to be done about the
economic crises.
(C) The Convention met to reinforce growing
popular support for the successful planning
that began at the Annapolis convention.
(D) The Convention met amidst widespread
publicity and was nearly sidetracked by
criticism from the press.
(E) The Convention was not controversial
because politicians and government leaders
considered it unimportant.
23. Statistics reflect all of the following patterns of
voter behavior EXCEPT:
(A) Middle-aged people are more likely to vote
than are younger people.
(B) Politically active people are more likely to
vote than those who are inactive.
(C) Better educated people are more likely to
vote than those with less education.
(D) Upper middle class people are more likely
to vote than are working class people.
(E) Latino men are more likely to vote than
African-American men.
24. Which of the following court cases is paired
INCORRECTLY with a right that it addresses?
(A) Gitlow v. New York; freedom of speech
(B) Mapp v. Ohio; exclusionary right
(C) Gideon v. Wainwright; right to counsel in
felony cases
(D) Griswold v. Connecticut; right of privacy
(E) Brandenburg v. Ohio; immunity from
double jeopardy
20. In U.S. history, impeachment trials have most
frequently been held for
(A) presidents
(B) vice presidents
(C) cabinet members
(D) members of Congress
(E) federal judges
25. The theorist who believed that the bureaucracy
was the real power in government was
(A) Karl Marx
(B) Max Weber
(C) C. Wright Mills
(D) James Barber
(E) Richard Fenno
21. An example of the "revolving door" is
(A) a former member of Congress being
employed in a government agency
(B) a state representative being elected to the
national House of Representatives
(C) a recently elected president appointing his
campaign manager as his chief of staff in
the White House
(D) a government official leaving his or her
position for a job with a business or an
interest group
(E) a representative who fails to win a second
term of office
26. The core function of political parties is to
(A) educate young people to the duties of
citizenship
(B) articulate policies
(C) provide voters with information about
candidates
(D) win elections
(E) control interest groups
27. Civil servants in the U.S. answer to
(A) only their agency heads
(B) only their agency heads and the president
(C) only Congress
(D) only Congress and the industries they
govern
(E) many institutions, including agency heads,
the president, and Congress
22. Which of the following is a government
corporation?
(A) NASA
(B) Securities and Exchange Commission
(C) Council of Economic Advisors
(D) Amtrak
(E) Food and Drug Administration
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28. The Federal Government has the exclusive
power to regulate all of the following EXCEPT:
(A) Regulate interstate commerce
(B) Maintain an army, navy, and air force
(C) Establish federal courts
(D) Levy taxes, set traffic standards, and
punish lawbreakers
(E) Print and coin money
32. Which of the following electoral processes is
most important in selecting a party's
presidential nominee?
(A) a series of presidential primaries held in
various states
(B) meetings by the Congressional party
caucuses
(C) the party convention held in the summer
before the election in November
(D) a national primary, held separately by each
party
(E) the formal meeting of the electors of the
electoral college
29. Which of the following is the most potent
weapon a president may use to gain support in
Congress for his programs?
(A) a threat to line item veto a different bill
that Congress supports
(B) a threat to insure the electoral defeat of
members of Congress who do not support
his programs
(C) a direct persuasive appeal to the public,
using mass media
(D) pressure on the Supreme Court Justices to
declare unconstitutional a bill that Congress
supports
(E) the transfer of uncooperative members of
Congress to undesirable committees
33. Federal judges and justices can be removed
from office only by
(A) the president
(B) the chief justice of the Supreme Court
(C) senatorial courtesy
(D) impeachment
(E) the Senate Judiciary Committee
34. For Madison, in the Federalist #10, "the most
common and durable source of factions has
been..."
(A) unequal natural abilities of people
(B) the unequal distribution of property
(C) religion and ideology
(D) the various regional interests within the
country
(E) the various political views held by the elites
30. In Webster v. Reproductive Health Services,
Missouri's law prohibiting the use of state
money to fund abortions was
(A) declared unconstitutional because the right
to privacy is guaranteed in the Constitution
(B) upheld by the Supreme Court, thus
overturning the basic right to an abortion
(C) upheld by the Supreme Court, but the basic
right to an abortion was not overturned
(D) declared unconstitutional, although the
Supreme Court later overturned its own
decision
(E) upheld, but the Supreme Court guaranteed
that the federal government would
continue to fund abortions
35. The process through which an individual
acquires his/her particular political views,
knowledge, and evaluations is called
(A) political socialization
(B) political articulation
(C) political aggregation
(D) political efficiency
(E) public opinion
31. In the Constitution, the concept of equal
protection of the law is referred to in
(A) the preamble
(B) the 2nd, 4th, and 6th amendments
(C) Article III
(D) the 14th amendment
(E) Article IV
36. "An act of the legislature repugnant to the
Constitution is void . . . it is emphatically the
province of the judicial department to say what
the law is."
John Marshall, 1803
The above quote from the majority opinion of
Marbury v. Madison establishes which important
power of the court?
(A) strict construction
(B) appellate jurisdiction
(C) judicial review
(D) certiorari
(E) class action suits
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37. All of the following are explanations for why
individuals with lower socio-economic status do
not vote EXCEPT:
(A) Higher status people are more likely to see
policy differences between the parties.
(B) Higher status people are more likely to feel
greater political efficacy.
(C) Lower status people may find bureaucratic
hurdles of voter registration harder to deal
with.
(D) Lower status people may find it more
difficult to get to the polls.
(E) Lower status individuals are less likely to be
able to pass the literacy test than are
wealthier, better educated voters.
41. All of the following are powers granted to
Congress in the Constitution EXCEPT:
(A) to recognize foreign governments
(B) to borrow money
(C) to lay and collect taxes
(D) to declare war
(E) to raise and support an army and navy and
make rules for their governance
42. The type of interest group that is least likely to
give money to Democratic candidates is
(A) corporations
(B) labor unions
(C) women’s groups
(D) civil rights organizations
(E) "public interest" organizations
38. De jure segregation
(A) still exists in many parts of the South today
(B) was all but done away with after the Civil
War
(C) still exists in major U.S. cities
(D) is illegal in most states
(E) is prohibited by judicial interpretation
43. All of the following are powers of the Speaker
of the House of Representatives EXCEPT:
(A) presiding over the House when it is in
session
(B) voting only when there is a tie vote
(C) exercising substantial control over which
bills get assigned to which committees
(D) serving as a national spokesperson for the
party, especially if the Speakers' party is
different from the president's party
(E) controlling committee assignments
39. "But the ultimate question must be, what do
the words of the text mean in our time? For the
genius of the Constitution rests not in any static
meaning it might have in a world that is dead
and gone, but in the adaptability of its great
principles to cope with current problems and
current needs."
Justice William Brennan
44. The overwhelming majority of the bills
introduced in both houses of Congress are
(A) passed
(B) pigeonholed (killed) in committee
(C) voted down on the floor
(D) withdrawn by their author
(E) vetoed by the president
The above passage reflects the philosophy of
(A) judicial activism
(B) judicial restraint
(C) judicial activism in some areas but judicial
restraint in others
(D) conservatism
(E) liberalism
45. Recent vice presidents have assumed all of the
following government roles EXCEPT:
(A) making routine policy decisions for the
president
(B) acting as president of the Senate
(C) chairing advisory commissions
(D) serving as a major policy advisor to the
president
(E) undertaking good-will missions to other
countries
40. The famous Gibbons v. Ogden case established
the precedent of
(A) judicial review
(B) dual federalism
(C) broad interpretation of interstate commerce
(D) states' rights, according to the compact
theory
(E) right to privacy
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46. The Hatch Act, controlling the political activities
of federal employees, permits bureaucrats to
participate in all of the following activities
EXCEPT:
(A) assist in voter registration drives
(B) contribute to a political campaign
(C) join a political party
(D) run for office in a partisan campaign
(E) take part in non-partisan campaigns
50. All of the following are accurate descriptions of
the cabinet EXCEPT:
(A) Cabinet government as practiced in the
U.S. is similar to cabinet government in
parliamentary systems.
(B) The cabinet is not specially mentioned by
name in the Constitution.
(C) The cabinet meets infrequently as a
collective body.
(D) Cabinet officers often adopt narrow
"advocate" views.
(E) Tension often arises between senior White
House aides and their counterparts in the
cabinet.
47. In U. S. v. Nixon, the tradition of executive
privilege was
(A) declared unconstitutional
(B) upheld, but restricted during criminal
investigations
(C) upheld as an absolute right
(D) extended to the vice president and to the
cabinet
(E) suspended for Nixon but guaranteed for
future presidents
51. Which of the following voter qualifications is
(are) required of all voters in the U.S.?
I.
ability to read and write
II. property ownership
III. legal residence in a voting district
IV. basic knowledge of U.S. government
(A) III only
(B) I and II only
(C) III and IV only
(D) I, II, and III only
(E) I, II, III, and IV
48. The relationship between Congress and the
president was designed by the framers to be
(A) naturally antagonistic, since both branches
serve different constituencies
(B) cooperative since both branches need each
other to govern
(C) an equal relationship since each branch has
complementing powers
(D) a relationship in which the executive is
superior to Congress because the executive
branch initiates law
(E) a relationship designed for efficient running
of the government
52. The War Powers Resolution (1973) was an
effort by
(A) the president to check the power of
Congress to declare war
(B) Congress to check the power of the
Pentagon
(C) Congress to check the power of the
president
(D) the House to balance the Senate's power to
ratify treaties
(E) the Senate to control military commitments
made by the U. S. to the United Nations
49. One of William Paterson's major objectives in
proposing the New Jersey Plan at the
Constitutional Convention was to prevent
(A) the big states from controlling the central
government
(B) the central government from gaining more
power than the states
(C) the states from gaining more power than
the central government
(D) slavery from spreading to northern states
(E) states from controlling trade with other
countries
53. Since the presidency of Franklin Roosevelt, the
press conference has been used
(A) consistently often by all of the presidents
(B) by Democratic presidents more than
Republicans
(C) by active presidents more than by passive
presidents
(D) more and more frequently
(E) less and less frequently
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54. Of the following types of government
regulation, the most intrusive type is
(A) the government informing the public of the
performance of a product
(B) the government forcing the manufacturer
to list the packaging product ingredients
(C) the government forcing a company to
accept a consent decree
(D) the government allowing market forces to
provide the best regulation of products
(E) the government setting goals for industry
to meet
57. In comparison to candidates to the House of
Representatives, senatorial candidates usually
spend
(A) about the same amount of money
(B) much more
(C) much less
(D) nothing, because they get federal money
(E) more than representatives from small
states, but not as much as representatives
from large states
58. Forty-three percent of respondents say that
they approve of George W. Bush’s performance
as president, and the sampling error is 3%. We
can predict accurately that
(A) George Bush will lose the next election
(assuming he could run).
(B) Between 40 and 46% of the voters approve
of Bush's performance.
(C) The likelihood that 43% support Bush is
97%.
(D) 3% of the supporters can't be counted.
(E) The next election will be a close one.
55. All of the following are reasons why voter
turnout in the U.S. is lower than in other
democracies EXCEPT:
(A) The U.S. requires voter registration in
advance of the election.
(B) The American government asks citizens to
vote far more often and for a broader
range of political offices than do most other
democracies.
(C) Political parties are weaker and do not
mobilize the vote as thoroughly as in other
countries.
(D) The choice offered Americans is not as
great; there is neither a major leftwing
socialist party nor a right wing party.
(E) United States citizens have a lower sense of
political efficacy than do citizens of other
democracies.
59. The most common criticism of the exit poll is
that
(A) they tend to give an unfair advantage to
the underdog
(B) the information is used to predict a winner
in the presidential race may be incomplete
or inaccurate
(C) the results almost always are skewed
because the pollsters are partisans
(D) the voting places are not randomly selected
for the polls
(E) the "underdog" and "bandwagon" effects
are exaggerated at the polls
56. The number of representatives from New York,
Ohio, and Michigan has been reduced because
of
(A) the lack of a requirement for equal single
member voting districts
(B) the introduction of a proportional system of
representation
(C) a shift of population from the eastern part
of the state to the western part
(D) a reduction of the number of districts in
those states, due to corrupt
gerrymandering processes
(E) greater proportionate gains in population
by other states
60. The third party that wants to turn almost all
government services over to the private sector
is
(A) states' rights
(B) progressive
(C) socialist
(D) libertarian
(E) communist
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