Final Exam

Question 1

Delegate Model of Representation

Answer 1

Representatives should act and vote in accordance with the preferences of their constituents

Question 2

Trustee model of representation

Answer 2

Representatives should act and vote in accordance with what they thinks is best

Question 3

Sociological Representation

Answer 3

Representatives have the same racial, gender, ethnic, religious, or educational backgrounds as their constituents

Question 4

Agency representation

Answer 4

Representatives can be hired or fired by their constituents

**creates an electoral incentive to act on constituent interests

Question 5

The US population is demographically diverse across race, ethnicity, sex, income, education, etc.

Is Congress as diverse?

Answer 5

No.

Question 6

Do most Americans belong to either major political party?

Answer 6

NO they are instead registered independents.

Question 7

What does Gerrymandering allow politicians to do?

Answer 7

It allows them to strengthen or weaken a political party’s chances of winning within a district

**The impact of Gerrymandering contributes to political polarization and a lack of diversity in the United States Congress.

Question 8

Redistricting occurs every ____ following the census.

Answer 8

10 years

Question 9

Wealthy and older Americans have disproportionately higher turnout rates in elections compared to ______

Answer 9

younger, poorer Americans.

Question 10

Founders created _______ to appease large and small states.

Answer 10

bicameral legislature

Question 11

______ is designed to be responsive to the nation while ____ are more detached and nationally focused.

Answer 11

The House of Representatives, Senators

Question 12

Compromise over how the legislature would be designed was necessary to

Answer 12

ratify the Constitution

Question 13

_____ must confirm appointments made by the ____ to federal agencies and departments.

Answer 13

Congress, President

Question 14

Congress has the power of oversight to ______

Answer 14

review agencies and departments.

Question 15

Criminal Law

Answer 15

Branch of the law that regulates the conduct of individuals, defines crimes, and specifies punishments for criminal acts

a. government is always the plaintiff
b. involves matters ranging from traffic offenses to murder
c. defendants who are found guilty may be fined or sent to jail

Question 16

Executive Orders allow Presidents to unilaterally interpret policy. Give Examples:

Answer 16

Examples include Obama creating DACA, Truman desegregating the military, Eisenhower deploying the national guard to protect black students following integration, and Trump issuing a travel ban on predominantly Muslim countries.

Question 17

Presidents may ____ legislation they do not approve of.

Answer 17

Veto

Question 18

Presidents may refuse to _____

Answer 18

implement law

Question 19

The President must obtain ___ of 538 electoral college votes to win the general election.

Answer 19

270

Question 20

The President and Vice President were originally voted for ____

Answer 20

separately

Question 21

The President is given various offices and appoints secretaries to oversee the various departments of the federal government.

Examples:

Answer 21

a. The Cabinet are the heads of 15 executive departments and assist the president in implementing their agenda.
b. White House staff serve as advisors and analysts for the president on various legislative areas such as the budget or provide the president with legal counsel.
c. The president also oversees independent agencies such as the National Security Council and the Council of Economic Advisors that brief the president on matters of national security and the economy.

Question 22

Democrats and Republicans are divided over the issue of _____

Answer 22

bureaucratic power and size

Question 23

Presidents make appointments to federal agencies to implement ____________________ as the President demands.

Answer 23

their policy agenda and oversee various areas of the federal government

Question 24

Despite the growing workforce of the United States, the workforce of the federal government has not increased at the same rate as a result of ___________

Answer 24

hesitation and political cost of increasing the size of the federal government.

Question 25

Despite having high demands of government, the public is largely unwilling to __________________________________________

Answer 25

increase funding for federal programs or allocate more resources to federal programs AND they are unwilling to cut federal programs that are beneficial to them.

Question 26

Government agencies have the power to _________________

Answer 26

implement policy, interpret law, enforce laws through fines, penalties, and regulations, and make laws.

Question 27

Independent government agencies have greater protection than non-independent agencies as Presidents and Congress have __________________

Answer 27

weakened ability to manage them.

Question 28

______ not only promotes the general welfare through food, environmental, workplace, national park, transportation, and pharmaceutical regulation, they also include the military and our national security agencies such as the CIA, FBI, and NSA.

Answer 28

Bureaucracy

Question 29

Bureaucracies also enjoy ____________ that has enabled them to act without restraint leading to disastrous consequences such as the uncoordinated response to Hurricane Katrina, the expansive surveillance network of the NSA being used to spy on citizens domestically, and deregulation of workplace safety laws.

Answer 29

a lack of oversight from the general public

Question 30

The president may dismiss the heads of certain __________ as they see fit forcing departments and agencies to comply with ______.

Answer 30

agencies and departments , presidential directives

Question 31

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) enables citizens to request information from the ________ increasing transparency and accountability.

Answer 31

federal government

Question 32

________ may invalidate and declare a statue, policy, or order of the federal government unconstitutional through judicial review.

Answer 32

The judiciary

Question 33

Judicial rulings establish precedent which guides judicial decision making for centuries as judges attempt to ___________________

Answer 33

maintain consistency in the application of law

Question 34

Judges of the federal government, from district judges to the justices on the Supreme Court, are _______________

Answer 34

all appointment by the president.

*The appointment process is highly political as judicial appointees has long lasting impacts on policy and the interpretation of law.

Question 35

Prior to the 1960s, women and people of color were excluded from serving as judges due to a lack of educational institutions, racist and sexist biases that prevented them from obtaining jobs in private practice, and racist and sexist biases that prevented their being nominated or confirmed even if nominated.

Answer 35

a. Most judges, even today, are white males while all other demographics are underrepresented.
b. President Obama has appointed more diverse judges to federal courts than any president thus far.