Name________________________________________________________________ Exam 1 - Poli150 1. How is politics different from government? a. Politics is the process by which we choose our government officials and make decisions about public policy; government is the body charge with making official policies for its citizens. b. Government is the process by which we choose our government officials and make decisions about public policy; politics is the body charge with making official policies for its citizens. c. Politics is participation in the collective life of the community; government is the broad array of voluntary associations that bring citizens together to deal with community and social issues of common concern. d. Government is participation in the collective life of the community; politics is the broad array of voluntary associations that bring citizens together to deal with community and social issues of common concern. e. none of the above 2. John Locke's theory of government: a. The purpose of government is to protect the life, liberty, and property of its citizens. b. The purpose of government is to do the will of the majority. c. Governments are established by God for the good of the people. d. Governments make people equal and give them the rights to life, liberty, and property. e. none of the above 3. The Declaration of Independence: a. combines aspects of socialism, capitalism, and libertarianism b. embraces Adam Smith's theory of government c. rejects John Locke's theory of government d. echoes John Locke's theory of government e. none of the above 4. Which of the following was not a key problem with the Articles of Confederation? a. too much power in the hands of the central government b. the lack of a common national currency c. lack of control of interstate commerce d. an inability to collect federal taxes e. none of the above 5. Which of the following is not a key feature of the U.S. Constitution? a. liberal democratic principles b. separation of powers c. checks and balances d. federalism e. none of the above 6. Which of the following was not a factor in the creation of federalism? a. the people were afraid of putting political power in the hands of a remote national government b. the framers recognized the problems of governing a confederation of autonomous states c. the framers understood that federalism was a more efficient form of government than both unitary and confederal systems d. the framers recognized that dividing the powers of government between two distinct governments would help keep each in check e. none of the above 7. The elastic clause of the Constitution: a. empowers Congress to make laws that are for the "common good" b. authorizes Congress to make laws necessary and proper for carrying out the other laws it is empowered to make by the Constitution c. refers to the powers specifically allocated to the national government by the Constitution d. divides powers of government between the federal and state levels e. none of the above 8. The Bill of Rights was not originally included in the Constitution because: a. the Founders did not consider it to be important at the time b. rights were a secondary concern c. the Constitution already limited the powers of the federal government d. they felt that the English Bill of Rights still applied e. none of the above 9. In the 2000 Presidential election, George W. Bush: a. won in the electoral college, but not in the popular vote b. won in both the electoral college and the popular vote c. lost in both the electoral college and the popular vote, but was selected by the Supreme Court to be president d. won in the popular vote, but not the electoral college e. none of the above 10. Gerrymandering refers to: a. manipulating votes in Congress by providing campaign contributions b. the process through which interest groups form and exert influence of the political system c. drawing political districts in a way that provides an advantage to one party in that district d. the practice of "stretching" the meaning of the Constitution to get results favorable to a particular issue or bill e. none of the above 11. What did the Civil Rights Act of 1964 do? a. It gave African Americans the right to vote. b. It outlawed racial discrimination in public places. c. It required racial integration of public schools. d. It made it illegal to use race as a factor in reviewing college applications. e. None of the above. 12. Under the Constitution, what powers do states have? a. States retain all powers unless Congress passes a law that gives the power to the federal government b. States retain all powers not given to the Federal government by the Constitution c. States have little power under the original Constitution, but the Bill of Rights and subsequent Amendments have expanded the powers of states over time d. State powers come from, and are subject to, the dictates of Congress e. none of the above 13. Devolution refers to: a. a movement to give states more control over over Federal programs to the states b. the steady increase in the power of the Federal government at the expense of the states c. the process through which states give up certain powers in exchange for financial support by the Federal government d. the practice of deferring to the Constitution when there are controversies over the division of power between the Federal government and the States e. none of the above 14. In what Supreme Court case did the Court rule that slaves have no constitutional rights? a. McCulloch v. Maryland b. the Dred Scott case c. Roe v. Wade d. the Plessy case e. none of the above 15. What did the Thirteenth Amendment do? a. It outlawed slavery in the U.S. b. It extended due process rights to former slaves. c. It gave former slaves the right to vote. d. It eliminated discriminatory voting laws at the state level. e. none of the above 16. The Supreme Court uses the "strict scrutiny test": a. when dealing with cases involving government discrimination based on economic status, sexual preference, or age b. when dealing with cases involving government discrimination based on gender c. when dealing with cases involving government discrimination based on race d. when dealing with cases involving any form of government discrimination e. none of the above 17. What did the Supreme Court rule in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978)? a. universities may not consider racial issues in formulating official school policies b. universities may not discriminate on the basis of race c. universities may not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation d. universities may not use racial quotas in their admissions decisions e. none of the above 18. In Korematsu v. United States a. the Supreme Court declared the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII unconstitutional. b. the Supreme Court declared Japanese Americans "enemy combatants" that do not have constitutional rights c. the Supreme Court ordered the closure of internment camps containing Japanese Americans d. the Supreme Court refused to hear the case, arguing that constitutional protections don't apply during times of war e. none of the above 19. What are the ways in which the federal government uses fiscal policy to influence states? a. the federal government provides states with federal funds if the states adopt federal policies b. the federal government influences elected officials through the campaign finance laws c. the federal government issues unfunded mandates d. the federal government vetoes state budgets that do not meet federal guidelines e. none of the above 20. Under the Constitution, what powers do the states have? a. States have those powers delegated to them by the Federal government b. States have all powers not prohibited to them by the Bill of Rights c. States have all powers delegated to them by the Constitution d. States have all powers not given to the federal government by the Constitution. e. none of the above 21. What are the limits to the freedom of speech? a. freedom of speech is determined by Congress b. freedom of speech is regulated by FCC (Federal Communications Commission) c. freedom of speech does not include obscenity and slander d. there are no limits to the freedom of speech e. none of the above 22. In what sense does federalism encourage civic engagement? a. Federalism encourages engagement through simplifying the governing process b. Federalism provides opportunities for civic engagement through elections at the federal, state, and local levels. c. Federalism lowers the costs of participation by facilitating the organization of individuals into groups d. Federalism provides people with the fundamental right to vote e. none of the above 23. Which of the following is not a circumstance where a warrantless search by police is considered reasonable: a. At the time of a valid arrest b. When the police receive permission voluntarily from a person with the authority to allow the search c. When an experienced officer believes that a suspect is about to commit a crime d. If the police reasonably suspect that a delay in searching will result in the suspect destroying evidence. e. none of the above 24. What is the deficit? a. The deficit is the total amount of debt accumulated by the federal government b. The deficit is the amount that federal spending exceeds federal revenue in one year's budget c. The deficit includes the total fiscal exposures from debt and promises made by the federal government in the form of social security and medicare benefits for future generations d. The deficit is the amount of interest paid on the national debt each year e. none of the above 25. The "Lemon test" is: a. The current judicial test for obscenity cases that considers community standards, whether the material is patently offensive, and whether the material take as a whole lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value. b. Free speech test that prohibits speech that could produce a bad outcome, such as violence, no matter how unlikely the possibility the speech could be the cause of such an outcome. c. Free speech test that only prohibits speech that produces a clear and immediate danger d. The three-part test for Establishment Clause cases that a law must pass before it is declared constitutional. e. none of the above |