1. Which of the following statements best describes the
policy-making process?
A) The structure of the Constitution makes
policymaking a smooth process.
B) The structure of the political system ensures a
coherent and harmonious policymaking process.
C) State and municipalities have little to do with
formulating national policy.
D) Many individuals and groups are involved in
policymaking that politics has to play a role.
E) Only Congress can formulate official federal
policies.
2. According to rational-choice theory, politicians, like
voters, act
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
according to the political "rules"
based on a list of options
in accordance with intelligent advisers
in their own best interest
for the sake of acting
3. Data collected in the national census is used for all of
the following EXCEPT
A) the apportionment of seats in the House of
Representatives
B) the design of congressional districts under each
state legislature
C) the number of presidential electoral votes each
state receives
D) the establishment of income tax rates
throughout various regions
E) the allocation of money to various state projects
and services
4. The war against drugs is an example of the difficulty
in policymaking, because
A) so many different agencies must be
coordinated
B) it lacks congressional oversight
C) its lacks enough agencies to carry out legislative
intent
D) legislation and implementation is limited to the
national level
E) there are limited resources
5. Evaluating policies run into difficulties because of
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
ideological or political factors
poor analysis
cost-benefit analysis is ineffective
slow implementation
failure to assume responsibility for evaluation
6. All of the following contributed to the quick passage
and implementation of George W. Bush's new foreign
policy in the wake of September 11th EXCEPT
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
high presidential approval ratings
broad bipartisan support
a national security crisis
Democrats in control of both houses
the war on terrorism
7. The "graying of America" is a concern for
policymakers because older Americans
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
go to the polls less often than other groups
are a poor source of political donations
are a major drain on entitlement programs
tend to focus too much on foreign policy
tend to adopt radically liberal political views
8. Unfunded mandates pose serious difficulties for states
and municipalities that
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
have budget limits
wish to slow down policymaking
oppose federal funding
communicate with the federal government
support equality in public accommodation
9. Why, according to supply-side economics, might tax
cuts for the wealthy aid the general population?
A) The upper tax bracket already pays a
disproportionate amount of taxes, and a tax cut
helps level the playing field.
B) Wealthier citizens are more likely to spend
their extra money, stimulating the economy
and creating jobs.
C) Wealthier citizens are more likely to save their
extra money, stabilizing the economy in the
event of a national crisis.
D) If the government is sympathetic to big business
interests, business interests might be more
sympathetic to government regulation.
10. A tax is considered regressive if
A) it is levied upon individuals, rather than upon
corporations
B) the rich pay more taxes, in dollar terms, than do
the poor
C) it awards tax incentives to married couples with
children
D) the tax rate declines as a person's income
increases
E) it is designed to provide an economic stimulus
in the midst of a recession
11. A budget deficit occurs when
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
exports exceed imports
expenditures exceed revenues
taxes exceed spending
revenues exceed taxes
spending exceeds expenditures
16. A progressive tax is designed to
A) have the rich pay proportionately more than
the poor
B) fund social welfare programs
C) distribute the tax burden equally
D) raise money for progressive programs
E) reduce the tax burden
17. Entitlement programs, unlike means-tested
programs,
A) are available only to individuals of a certain age
B) are available only to individuals below the
poverty line
C) are permanent, and not dependent on the health
of the national economy
D) require significant oversight by the federal
government
E) are available to all qualified individuals,
regardless of need
12. Federal government spending, in terms of percentage
of GDP, experienced a dip in
18. Since 1945, the largest increase in federal spending,
as a percentage of the federal budget, is attributed to
A) 1952 B) 1966 C) 1974 D) 1982 E) 1996
A) interest payments on the national debt
13. The New Deal programs enacted under President
B) funding for military programs
Franklin D. Roosevelt are most associated with
C) Social Security and Medicare
A) classical liberalism
D) public-housing programs
B) the Austrian School
E) student loans and Pell grants
C) monetarism
19. The leading contributor to a person's payment for
D) laissez-faire economics
medical costs is
E) Keynesian economics
A) Medicare
14. The "second most powerful man in the United
B) Medicaid
States" refers to
C) malpractice insurance
A) the president pro tempore
D) out-of-pocket expenses
B) the Speaker of the House
E) private insurance
C) the chairman of the Federal Reserve Board
20. Medicare was introduced as part of
D) the Secretary of State
E) the National Security Adviser
A) Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal
B) Harry Truman's Fair Deal
15. Social security is funded primarily by
C) Dwight D. Eisenhower's Dynamic
A) payroll taxes
Conservatism
B) federal revenues
D) John F. Kennedy's New Frontier
C) state revenues
E) Lyndon Johnson's Great Society
D) federal grants to health programs
E) beneficiaries' premiums
21. Which of the following was NOT among the
programs of Lyndon Johnson's "Great Society"?
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
Medicare
Medicaid
Social Security
Federal aid to education
The "War on Poverty"
22. The Earned Income Tax Credit
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
is open to workers and non-workers alike
was eliminated by the 1996 welfare-reform bill
discourages poor parents from working
lowers tax rates for public-sector employees
subsidizes low-income people who work
23. Conservatives opposed to extensive social welfare
tend to support
A) public assistance programs
B) universal health care
C) the Aid to Families with Dependent Children
program
D) the Social Security Act of 1935
E) the welfare reform package passed in 1996
24. The EPA administers legislation regarding
A) economic policy
C) energy policy
E) health care
B) social welfare
D) the environment
25. Environmental concerns become a political question
A) because they often conflict with legitimate
concerns about foreign trade and economic
growth
B) due to the influence of other nations on the
United States' perception of global warming
C) to the extent that they influence cases ineligible
for Supreme Court review
D) because Congress, in particular, is known as a
haven for environmentalist concerns
E) when they influence elections for national
senators and state governorships
26. The issue of nuclear energy has divided the
environmentalist movement because
A) the Green Party has traditionally supported
nuclear energy, but new members are likely to
oppose it
B) many environmentalists are concerned first and
foremost about the security risks of nuclear
power plants
C) the Republican Party opposes nuclear energy,
whereas grassroots environmentalists support it
D) nuclear reactors are extremely efficient but are
the major cause of global warming
E) nuclear energy produces fewer greenhouse
emissions, but nuclear waste can harm the
environment
27. Whose presidential administration oversaw the
creation of the Environmental Protection Agency
and the passage of the Clean Water Act?
A) Lyndon Johnson
C) Gerald Ford
E) Ronald Reagan
B) Richard Nixon
D) Jimmy Carter
28. Which of the following agencies is NOT intended to
directly protect consumers?
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
Federal Trade Commission
Food and Drug Administration
Consumer Product Safety Commission
Securities and Exchange Commission
National Labor Relations Board
29. Which of the following agencies is primarily
responsible for the regulation of business practices
and the stock market?
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
Federal Trade Commission
Department of Commerce
Interstate Commerce Commission
Securities and Exchange Commission
Federal Reserve Board
30. "The business of American is business."
– President Calvin Coolidge
The above quotation is a product of
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
monetarism
Keynesian economic theory
the post-World War II economic boom
a thriving U.S. economy
the contraction of the Federal Reserve
31. The labor movement was most adversely affected by
the passage of the
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
The Pendleton Act of 1883
Clayton Act of 1914
National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933
Wagner Act of 1935
Taft-Hartley Act of 1947
32. Investments in "human capital" are typically
associated with
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
banks and venture capitalists
national security
the stock market
transportation infrastructure
health and education
33. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 was aimed at
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
making housing affordable
integrating immigrants
widening adoption rights
reducing crime rates
improving education
34. Which of the following statements is true?
I. The United States donates more dollars to foreign
aid than does any other country.
II. The United States donates a smaller percent of its
GDP to foreign aid than does any other
industrialized country.
III. Foreign aid constitutes about 1 percent of the
federal budget.
A) I only
C) I and III only
E) I, II, and III
B) II only
D) II and III only
35. Approximately what percentage of the federal
budget is apportioned for foreign aid?
A) 1%
B) 9%
C) 17% D) 25% E) 33%
36. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
was created to
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
promote joint economic development
coordinate monetary and trade policies
established a unified policy on foreign aid
compete with the European Union
assure collective military security
37. Which of the following U.S. presidents was an
isolationist?
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
James Monroe
Theodore Roosevelt
Harry Truman
George Washington
Woodrow Wilson
38. Which branch of the armed forces contains the most
personnel?
A) Army
C) Air Force
E) Reserves
B) Navy
D) Marines
39. In which of the following years was public demand
greatest for heightened defense spending?
A) 1970 B) 1975 C) 1980 D) 1995 E) 2000
40. In 2002, George W. Bush declared which three
countries as part of an "axis of evil"?
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
Libya, Iran, and Iraq
North Korea, Iraq, and Vietnam
Iran, Iraq, and North Korea
Iraq, Iran, and Syria
Syria, Cuba, and Iraq
41. A class-action lawsuit differs from other suits in that
A) one person or group sues on behalf of all
those affected by the defendant's actions
B) the defendant is liable for criminal penalties if
ruled against in civil proceedings
C) they are the only legal action expressly
prohibited by Article III of the Constitution
D) a company simultaneously sues many people
for copyright infringement
E) the court conducts a separate trial for each
aspect of the case
42. The Constitution established which of the following?
I. The Supreme Court
II. Federal circuit courts
III. Federal district courts
A) I only
C) I and III only
E) I, II, and III
B) I and II only
D) II and III only
43. The legal process through which a state returns an
individual to the state wherein he or she is accused
of having committed a crime is known as
A) extradition
C) indictment
E) initiative
B) certiorari
D) exclusion
44. The legal concept according to which courts respect
judicial precedent is known as
A) mandamus
C) habeas corpus
E) stare decisis
B) certiorari
D) amicus curiae
45. A case is most likely to be heard by the Supreme
Court if
A) two appeals courts have ruled for opposite
parties
B) the President asks the Court to do so
C) Congress expounds on the importance of the
issue
D) the issue is particularly divisive
E) the attorney general directs the Court to hear
the case
46. Which of the following offices is NOT part of the
judicial branch?
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. Courts of Appeals
U.S. District Court
U.S. Tax Court
U.S. Department of Justice
47. The Department of Justice officer in charge of
federal appellate court litigation is the
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
attorney general
U.S. attorney
solicitor general
White House counsel
clerk of the Supreme Court
48. Which of the following happens first in the sequence
of Supreme Court decision-making?
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
Oral argument
Opinion assignment
Opinion circulation
Filing of "amicus curiae" briefs
Case discussion
49. To be reviewed by the Supreme Court, a case must
be accepted by at least
A) three justices
C) five justices
E) seven justices
B) four justices
D) six justices
50. The "court-packing" plan pushed by President
Franklin Roosevelt was designed to circumvent
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
the expansion of the commerce clause
the advice and consent of the Senate
the life tenure of Supreme Court justices
the impeachment of circuit-court judges
loose construction by the Supreme Court
51. The Supreme Court is composed of
A) the chief justice and eight associate justices
B) the chief justice and nine associate justices
C) the chief justice, the attorney general, and the
solicitor general
D) the attorney general and six associate justices
E) twelve associate justices
52. Advocates of tort reform most directly seek to limit
A) the number of lawsuits and the size of
damages
B) the federal budget deficit and the national debt
C) the involvement of the armed forces overseas
D) federal and state environmental regulations
E) the incumbency rate of the House of
Representatives
53. Of all the petitions asking the Supreme Court to
review lower court decisions in a typical year, the
Court accepts
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
less than 5%
between 5 and 15%
between 15% and 40%
between 40% and 60%
more than 60%
54. If a justice agrees with the decision issued by the
Court but disagrees with the Court's reasoning, there
tends to be
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
a concurrent opinion
a dissenting opinion
an opinion with reservations
a writ of certiorari
a brief
55. The Supreme Court grants certiorari to
approximately what percentage of appeals cases?
A) 5%
B) 25% C) 45% D) 65% E) 85%
56. The Founding Fathers traditionally envisioned that
the judiciary would
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
define and apply existing laws
make law
reinterpret law
use law to influence policy
make policy
57. The Supreme Court's chief weapon of checks and
balances was secured by
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
Schenck v. United States
Fletcher v. Peck
Lochner v. New York
Marbury v. Madison
McCulloch v. Maryland
58. The Supreme Court's authority to hear for the first
time cases that involve ambassadors or in which a
state is a party is most precisely referred to as
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
original jurisdiction
general jurisdiction
limited jurisdiction
standing
certiorari
59. When the Supreme Court decides to review a
decision by a lower court, it issues a writ of
A) assistance
C) habeas corpus
E) prohibition
B) certiorari
D) mandamus
60. All of the following are true about the Chief Justice
of the United States Supreme Court EXCEPT that
A) the Chief Justice's vote carries no more legal
weight than that of any Associate Justice
B) the name of the Chief Justice is often used as a
shorthand for the Supreme Court during that
justice's tenure
C) the Constitution stipulates that the Chief Justice
must preside over the impeachment trial of a
President
D) a judge must have served as an associate
justice for a minimum of three years before
serving as Chief Justice
E) the Chief Justice decides who will write the
opinion of the Court whenever he or she votes
in the majority
Answer Key
CH 17-20 (Benner)
1.
D
36.
E
2.
D
37.
D
3.
D
38.
E
4.
A
39.
C
5.
A
40.
C
6.
D
41.
A
7.
C
42.
A
8.
A
43.
A
9.
B
44.
E
10.
D
45.
A
11.
B
46.
E
12.
E
47.
C
13.
E
48.
D
14.
C
49.
B
15.
A
50.
C
16.
A
51.
A
17.
E
52.
A
18.
C
53.
A
19.
E
54.
A
20.
E
55.
A
21.
C
56.
A
22.
E
57.
D
23.
E
58.
A
24.
D
59.
B
25.
A
60.
D
26.
E
27.
B
28.
E
29.
D
30.
D
31.
E
32.
E
33.
E
34.
E
35.
A