Exam 3 quizzes 9-12

Question 1

Reports to the media, news conferences, and demonstrations are all examples of

• ineffective efforts at changing policy.
• insider tactics used by interest groups.
• insider tactics used by PACs.
• outsider tactics used by interest groups.

Answer 1

outsider tactics used by interest groups.

Question 2

In general, the more government does

• the less citizens agitate for new policies.
• the less need there is for organized political action.
• the more incentives it creates for organized political action.
• the more it undermines the incentives for organized political action.

Answer 2

the more incentives it creates for organized political action.

Question 3

What kind of incentives motivate individuals to contribute to groups espousing causes they care about without worrying whether their contribution will make an appreciable difference?

• Selective
• Moral
• Personal
• Doctrinal

Answer 3

Moral

Question 4

The experiences of Uber demonstrate that

• the most effective way to break existing iron triangles is donating money to candidates who are not beholden to existing interests.
• even with changes in technology that promise to overcome the problems of free riding, efforts still fall flat.
• digital social networks can reweigh the calculus of political activism by making it almost costless and that can deliver policy victories.
• the fragmented universe of interest groups makes it harder for new interests to break in and find a piece of turf on which they can be successful.

Answer 4

• digital social networks can reweigh the calculus of political activism by making it almost costless and that can deliver policy victories.

Question 5

Since politicians know that lobbyists are advocates, they can only trust a lobbyist’s information when

• the lobbyist donates a substantial campaign contribution.
• party leaders vouch for the lobbyist.
• both sides expect to have a continuing relationship.
• information is independently confirmed by an expert.

Answer 5

both sides expect to have a continuing relationship.

Question 6

The Sons of Liberty and the English Bill of Rights Society were early examples of

• public good lobbies
• public purpose lobbies
• public interest lobbies
• public participation lobbies

Answer 6

public interest lobbies

Question 7

Most successful large organizations circumvent the collective action problem by offering “selective incentives,” which are

• the foundation of the rationale behind free riding.
• benefits that can be denied to individuals who do not join and contribute.
• in essence, the threat of some consequence to the group whenever an individual defects.
• benefits available to everyone regardless of membership in the group.

Answer 7

benefits that can be denied to individuals who do not join and contribute.

Question 8

Madison and de Tocqueville both believed that voluntary groups

• threatened democracy and should be prohibited.
• despite the risks, were essential to an egalitarian social and political system.
• were a nuisance; placing the right to assemble in the Constitution had been a mistake because it led to the establishment of so many interest groups.
• were unlikely to form in a republic.

Answer 8

despite the risks, were essential to an egalitarian social and political system.

Question 9

Which of the following statements about PACs is not true?

• The maximum contribution is $5,000.
• They must donate money to at least five candidates.
• They are only permitted to donate money in congressional elections.
• They must raise money from at least fifty people.

Answer 9

They are only permitted to donate money in congressional elections.

Question 10

Interest group leaders and their constituents are involved in what relationship with all the familiar problems and challenges such relationships pose?

• Fiduciary
• Social benefits
• Principal–agent
• Candidate-driven

Answer 10

Principal–agent

Question 11

Regarding the difference in incumbency advantage between the House of Representatives and the Senate, it is safe to say that

• overall, House election outcomes are more variable than Senate election outcomes.
• while the House has a substantial incumbency advantage, there is no incumbency advantage in the Senate.
• overall, Senate election outcomes are no more variable than House election outcomes.
• overall, Senate election outcomes are more variable than House election outcomes.

Answer 11

overall, Senate election outcomes are more variable than House election outcomes.

Question 12

Which of the following is required for a congressional override of a presidential veto?

• A two-thirds vote in at least one chamber and a simple majority in the other
• A three-fifths vote in each chamber
• A simple majority vote in each chamber
• A two-thirds vote in each chamber

Answer 12

A two-thirds vote in each chamber

Question 13

Which of the following statements about gerrymandering today is accurate?

• Democrats have a significant advantage because their irregular voters can easily be mobilized so that makes Republican House members more vulnerable.
• Republicans have an advantage because their regular voters are distributed more efficiently across House districts so fewer votes are wasted in highly skewed districts.
• Even with gerrymandering, House election results generally do not follow partisan leanings of the district because of ticket splitting.
• The adoption of nonpartisan commissions has wiped out any partisan advantage so every congressional district is competitive.

Answer 13

Republicans have an advantage because their regular voters are distributed more efficiently across House districts so fewer votes are wasted in highly skewed districts.

Question 14

Since the 1964 Supreme Court case Wesberry v. Sanders, congressional districts must have which of the following?

• Symmetric shapes
• No built-in incumbency advantage
• Equal populations
• Proportional representation of minorities

Answer 14

Equal populations

Question 15

In distributing power between the House and the Senate, the final compromise regarding the authority to raise or spend money required that bills raising revenue originate in which of the following?

• The House, with the Senate having a very limited right to amend them
• The Senate, with the House having a very limited right to amend them
• The Senate, with the House having an unrestricted right to amend them
• The House, with the Senate having an unrestricted right to amend them

Answer 15

The House, with the Senate having an unrestricted right to amend them

Question 16

One aspect of the Senate designed to insulate it from transient shifts in public mood is which of the following?

• The entire Senate stands for reelection every four years.
• Senators cannot simultaneously run for other offices.
• The President can veto any business on the Senate agenda.
• One-third of the Senate’s membership stand for reelection every two years.

Answer 16

One-third of the Senate’s membership stand for reelection every two years.

Question 17

Proposed qualifications for holding office in the House or the Senate that were explicitly rejected by the Framers include which of the following?

• Property holding and religious qualifications, as well as a reelection restriction
• Slaveholding and prior service in the military, as well as a minimum education level
• Prior experience in elected office at the state level
• An oath to swear allegiance to the party with which a candidate affiliated during the election

Answer 17

Property holding and religious qualifications, as well as a reelection restriction

Question 18

James Madison was referring to _________________ when he wrote in Federalist No. 62 that its necessity was “indicated by the propensity of all single and numerous assemblies to yield to the impulse of sudden and violent passions, and to be seduced by factious leaders into intemperate and pernicious resolutions.”

• the Supreme Court
• the executive veto
• the House of Representatives
• the Senate

Answer 18

the Senate

Question 19

Which committees are responsible for making decisions about exercising Congress’s power of the purse?

• House and Senate Budget Committees
• House Ways and Means Committee and Senate - Finance Committee
• Senate Ways and Means Committee and House Budget Committee
• House and Senate Appropriations Committees

Answer 19

House and Senate Appropriations Committees

Question 20

The short, two-year terms in the House of Representatives and broad suffrage was designed by the Framers of the Constitution to do which of the following?

• Keep the House as close to the people as possible
• Keep the House subordinate to the other branches of government
• Make the Senate the more powerful of the two houses
• Ensure that incumbents would always have an advantage

Answer 20

Keep the House as close to the people as possible

Question 21

Which of the following is true about the line item veto?

• It was upheld by the Court as constitutional but subsequently repealed by Congress.
• It was struck down by the Supreme Court as violating the Constitution’s separation of powers doctrine.
• It was passed by the House but defeated by a filibuster in the Senate
• It was, ironically, vetoed by President Bill Clinton.

Answer 21

It was struck down by the Supreme Court as violating the Constitution’s separation of powers doctrine.

Question 22

What is the fundamental dilemma that all U.S. presidents face?

• Public opinion too fickle to count on as a source of political support.
• There is never enough time to engage in real governing because of the demands of campaigns.
• Congress never appropriates enough money for all of the programs presidents want to establish.
• They have too little authority to satisfy the expectations for their performance.

Answer 22

They have too little authority to satisfy the expectations for their performance.

Question 23

President Obama’s executive orders

• have declined since the Democratic Party maintains control of both chambers of Congress.
• have had little impact since they address largely symbolic issues.
  Correct
• have created political tension because he has addressed controversial issues such as immigration and the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
• simply filled in policy gaps missing in congressional legislation.

Answer 23

have created political tension because he has addressed controversial issues such as immigration and the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

Question 24

Which of the following statements about executive orders is accurate?

• Executive orders are not laws because they are confined by the scope of discretion delegated to the President.
• There are few disagreements on whether executive orders fall on the right side or wrong side of the Constitution’s limitations.
• Executive orders are permanent and nearly impossible to change.
• Modern presidents generally do not issue many executive orders because they prefer that Congress pass laws so any decisions are permanent.

Answer 24

Executive orders are not laws because they are confined by the scope of discretion delegated to the President.

Question 25

The Office of Management and Budget

• consents to treaties and trade agreements negotiated by the President
• was created by Article III of the Constitution.
• is staffed by accountants, economists, and tax lawyers.
• keeps Congress well informed on international affairs.

Answer 25

is staffed by accountants, economists, and tax lawyers.

Question 26

Which of the following statements about presidential power is accurate?

• The president has enough resources for coordinating national responses during emergencies, but insufficient authority to usurp the Constitution.
• The Constitution provides the President with a long list of enumerated powers to promote the independence of the executive branch.
• The internal checks of the presidency were designed to be similar to the type of checks used to control the legislative branch.
• Presidential power is absolute because of broad and easily invoked emergency powers that allow the President to gain an upper hand over his opponents.

Answer 26

The president has enough resources for coordinating national responses during emergencies, but insufficient authority to usurp the Constitution.

Question 27

The President’s leadership of public opinion

• is exceptionally strong because he can command so much public attention and has access to more information.
• is nonexistent because of the growth of cable television and social media making it easier for the public to ignore the President.
• is effective only on foreign policy issues where the public tends not to have well-formed attitudes.
• depends on the public’s appraisal of him as president, and appeals from unpopular presidents are likely to be ignored.

Answer 27

depends on the public’s appraisal of him as president, and appeals from unpopular presidents are likely to be ignored.

Question 28

Since 1989, U.S. armed forces have almost been continuously engaged somewhere in the world.

• True
• False

Answer 28

True

Question 29

The Constitution gives presidents a modest role in the legislative arena including which of the following?

• The veto and the ability to call Congress into special session
• Sending the Vice President to preside over the House of Representatives
• Signing statements
• The right to dissolve Congress and schedule new elections

Answer 29

The veto and the ability to call Congress into special session

Question 30

The two critical elements of the Executive Office of the Presidency are the

• White House Travel Office and the Office of Personnel Management.
• Congressional Budget Office and the Administrative Office of U.S. Courts.
• National Security Council and the Bureau of the Budget.
• Office of Management and Budget and the White House Office.

Answer 30

Office of Management and Budget and the White House Office.

Question 31

Which of the following statements about the organization of the federal judiciary is accurate?

• It is a decentralized organization, physically dispersed across the nation, and administered by individual, life-tenured judges
• All of the lower courts must follow the decisions of the Supreme Court so there is consistency in the law.
• The Supreme Court has a wide variety of administrative tools that it can use to make sure that its agents implement the Court’s policies.
• The clean lines of authority stemming from the organizational structure create a tightly supervised hierarchy.

Answer 31

It is a decentralized organization, physically dispersed across the nation, and administered by individual, life-tenured judges

Question 32

The Federalists passed the Judiciary Act of 1801, which accomplished which of the following?

• It sharply decreased the number of district and appellate courts so the incoming administration could not fill those seats.
• It fixed the number of justices of the Supreme Court at nine to ensure that the new President would be able to mold the federal judiciary.
• It made an advisory council to the federal judiciary comprising all the chief justices of the state supreme courts.
• It sharply raised the number of district and appellate courts and thereby created new judgeships for the outgoing Federalists to fill as well as decreasing the size of the Supreme Court.

Answer 32

It sharply raised the number of district and appellate courts and thereby created new judgeships for the outgoing Federalists to fill as well as decreasing the size of the Supreme Court.

Question 33

Which of the following is not a tool that Congress and the President can use to rein in the Supreme Court?

• Reducing the salary of judges
• Amending the Constitution
• Create lower courts
• Set the jurisdiction of the courts

Answer 33

Reducing the salary of judges

Question 34

What was the real purpose of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s court-packing plan?

• The opportunity to appoint as many as six new justices that would give the Court a majority of justices sympathetic to his New Deal programs
• Implementing mandatory retirement ages for judges so that Roosevelt could appoint new judges who would be sympathetic to his New Deal programs
• The opportunity to appoint as many as six new justices that would give the Court a majority of justices who would be sympathetic to the United States fighting in Europe
• The opportunity to appoint as many as six new justices that would give the Court a majority of justices who would consistently run congressional actions unconstitutional

Answer 34

The opportunity to appoint as many as six new justices that would give the Court a majority of justices sympathetic to his New Deal programs

Question 35

In McCulloch v. Maryland, the Supreme Court ruled which of the following?

• That state taxation of federal property or its activities was unconstitutional
• That federal taxation of private property or income was unconstitutional
• That federal taxation of state property or its activities -was unconstitutional
• That state taxation of private property or income was unconstitutional

Answer 35

That state taxation of federal property or its activities was unconstitutional

Question 36

In 1905, in Lochner v. New York, the Supreme Court struck down a New York law restricting which of the following?

• The work hours of slaughterhouse workers to eight hours per day
• The ability of Congress to limit hours worked per day by women
• The right of women to work the same number of hours as men
• The work hours of bakers to ten hours a day or sixty hours a week

Answer 36

In 1905, in Lochner v. New York, the Supreme Court struck down a New York law restricting which of the following?

• The work hours of slaughterhouse workers to eight hours per day
• The ability of Congress to limit hours worked per day by women
• The right of women to work the same number of hours as men
• The work hours of bakers to ten hours a day or sixty hours a week

Question 37

In its decision in Stuart v. Laird, what grounds did the Supreme Court use to determine whether the repeal of the Judiciary Act of 1801 was constitutional?

• Only the President could determine the organization of the judicial branch.
• The judiciary was responsible for its own organization and did not like the increased size of the courts.
• Congress possessed the power to reorganize the judicial branch.
• The legislation exceeded the Constitution and any changes to the judiciary required a constitutional amendment.

Answer 37

Congress possessed the power to reorganize the judicial branch.

Question 38

Although initially ignored as a toothless partisan maneuver, Marbury v. Madison

• subsequently came to be appreciated for establishing the Court’s status as the most powerful among the branches of government.
• subsequently came to be appreciated for establishing the Court’s “coequal” status among the branches of government.
• ultimately led to Aaron Burr’s conspiracy trial.
• subsequently led Marbury from simple magistrate to Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Answer 38

subsequently came to be appreciated for establishing the Court’s “coequal” status among the branches of government.

Question 39

What is one of the advantages of stare decisis for judicial decision making?

• It reduces the burden on the Court because cases with similar facts do not need hearings.
• It provides the Court with a legal rationale for defending its decision making from congressional interference.
• It frees the Court to monitor closely those decisions that fail to follow precedent or are otherwise unresolved.
• It enables the Court to ensure that the lower courts are closely following the decisions of the Court in order to reduce the independence of judges.

Answer 39

It frees the Court to monitor closely those decisions that fail to follow precedent or are otherwise unresolved.

Question 40

Presidents have traditionally deferred to senators on the nomination of justices to fill which court?

• Courts of appeals
• D.C. Circuit court
• The Supreme Court
• District courts

Answer 40

District courts