Unit 1, 2, and 6 MC Set Flashcards
Which of the following best describes the influence of social contract theory on the Constitution of the United States?
(A) The framers favored a direct democracy in which citizens voted on all major political decisions.
(B) The framers attempted to legitimize the Constitution through an appeal to popular sovereignty.
(C) The framers intended for the Constitution to limit individual rights and liberties.
(D) The framers believed that a strong central government was necessary to control the chaotic relationships between the individual states.
(B) The framers attempted to legitimize the Constitution through an appeal to popular sovereignty.
Which of the following explains why any attempt to reduce Social Security benefits is difficult?
(A) The Supreme Court has ruled that benefits are constitutionally required.
(B) Interest groups concerned with Social Security are ineffective.
(C) The global economy makes government insurance programs necessary.
(D) There are many voters who support Social Security.
(E) Government cannot predict the number of new retirees each year.
(D) There are many voters who support Social Security.
In the early part of the twenty-first century, public opinion polls showed that a majority of Americans believed it should be illegal to burn the American flag. As a result, many members of Congress introduced amendments to make it illegal to burn or desecrate the American flag. However, these efforts have been unsuccessful. Which of the following statements best explains why these efforts have been unsuccessful?
(A) Congress and the states have agreed to add this amendment; however, recent presidents have refused to sign it.
(B) The framers made the amendment process difficult in order to protect individual rights.
(C) The Supreme Court has stated such an amendment is unconstitutional, thus blocking its ratification.
(D) The framers specifically wrote the amendment process to prevent using it to limit freedom of expression.
(B) The framers made the amendment process difficult in order to protect individual rights.
The following questions refer to the following clause from the Constitution:
“The Congress shall have power…to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the government of the United States, or in any department or officer thereof.”
The practical effect of this clause has been to…
(A) make the legislature the most powerful branch of the national government
(B) allow the national government to extend its powers beyond those enumerated in the Constitution
(C) allow the state governments to nullify federal laws within their borders
(D) give the President uncontested powers in the area of foreign policy
(E) ensure that any powers not delegated by the Constitution to the United States government are reserved to the states and the people
(B) allow the national government to extend its powers beyond those enumerated in the Constitution
Which of the following best defines the constitutional interpretation of federalism?
(A) The federal government and the states each have separate and mutually exclusive roles and responsibilities; neither controls the other.
(B) The states have some powers reserved to them which they may exercise if the Supreme Court permits.
(C) The federal government and the states have separate but overlapping powers; where these powers conflict the federal government prevails.
(D) The states may only exercise those powers delegated to them by Congress.
(E) The federal government may exercise only those powers specifically enumerated in the Constitution.
(C) The federal government and the states have separate but overlapping powers; where these powers conflict the federal government prevails.
In The Federalist 10, James Madison argued that the new constitution would help control faction by doing which of the following?
(A) By creating a large republic, the new constitution made it less likely that a faction could gain enough power to completely dominate.
(B) The new constitution had significant limits on the freedom of expression, thereby limiting the ability of factions to organize.
(C) The new constitution gave political parties specific powers in the government which limited their influence.
(D) The use of the electoral college and the indirect election of senators would limit the influence that factions could wield.
(A) By creating a large republic, the new constitution made it less likely that a faction could gain enough power to completely dominate.
All of the following are examples of a linkage institution influencing the policy process EXCEPT
(A) the president delivering the State of the Union speech
(B) the Sierra Club lobbying the Environmental Protection Agency
(C) the outcome of a congressional election
(D) an exposé by the national media on the housing crisis
(E) the Republican Party pursuing a balanced budget amendment
(A) the president delivering the State of the Union speech
The House of Representatives impeaches the president. Which of the following scenarios represents how bicameralism is used as a check on the vote to impeach?
(A) If the president is removed, the vice president will take office to finish the president’s current term.
(B) The Senate deliberates the case and votes to determine the president’s guilt or innocence.
(C) The chief justice of the Supreme Court presides over the trial.
(D) After the impeachment, House managers will prepare a case to convict and remove the president from office.
(B) The Senate deliberates the case and votes to determine the president’s guilt or innocence.
The Articles of Confederation implemented the principle of
(A) a strong national government
(B) a unified system of taxes
(C) universal suffrage
(D) an independent judiciary
(E) state sovereignty
(E) state sovereignty
In 2002, Congress passed the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act in an effort to regulate campaign finance by limiting the ability of corporations and unions to spend their general treasury funds on election communications. In 2010, the Supreme Court invalidated this provision of the act. Which of the following statements accurately describes the majority decision of the case?
(A) The First Amendment allows corporations and unions to make independent expenditures regarding candidates for office.
(B) The Fourth Amendment protects political action committees from excessive searches by protecting their identities during election campaigns.
(C) The First Amendment allows candidates to spend as much as they want on their own campaigns.
(D) The Fourth Amendment grants professional consultants and other campaign staff immunity from disclosing donor information.
(A) The First Amendment allows corporations and unions to make independent expenditures regarding candidates for office.
Which of the following procedures results in the removal of the President from office?
(A) The House and Senate vote for impeachment, and the Supreme Court reaches a guilty verdict.
(B) The House votes for impeachment, and the Senate conducts a trial and reaches a guilty verdict.
(C) The House and Senate both vote for a bill of impeachment.
(D) Only the House votes for a bill of impeachment.
(E) A criminal court finds the President guilty of “high crimes and misdemeanors.”
(B) The House votes for impeachment, and the Senate conducts a trial and reaches a guilty verdict.
Which of the following provides the most accurate explanation of how consumer-driven media increases partisan polarization?
(A) Consumer-driven media tends to avoid discussing controversial political topics.
(B) Consumer-driven media reinforces existing political biases in individuals.
(C) Consumer-driven media relies heavily on corporate advertising.
(D) Consumer-driven media is overwhelmingly conservative.
(B) Consumer-driven media reinforces existing political biases in individuals.
“Any candidate using Facebook can put a campaign message promising one thing in front of one group of voters while simultaneously running an ad with a completely opposite message in front of a different group of voters. The ads themselves are not posted anywhere for the general public to see (this is what’s known as ‘dark advertising’), and chances are, no one will ever be the wiser.
That undermines the very idea of a ‘marketplace of ideas,’ says Ann Ravel, a former member of the Federal Election Commission who has long advocated stricter regulations on digital campaigning. ‘The way to have a robust democracy is for people to hear all these ideas and make decisions and discuss,” Ravel said. ‘With microtargeting, that is not happening.’”
Julia Carrie Wong, “‘It Might Work Too Well:’ the Dark Art of Political Advertising Online,” The Guardian, March 19, 2018.
Which of the following scenarios reflects the most direct effect of the practice described in the passage on the electoral process?
(A) State legislatures will redraw the boundaries of electoral districts to group like-minded voters together.
(B) Political parties will rely increasingly on social media advertising to reach different coalitions of voters.
(C) Political campaigns will operate with greater transparency regarding the sources of their financing and advertising.
(D) Political parties will play a greater role in recruiting qualified candidates capable of effectively communicating their party’s policy agenda to potential voters.
(B) Political parties will rely increasingly on social media advertising to reach different coalitions of voters.
Which of the following best accounts for the lack of success generally encountered by minor political parties in electing members to the House or Senate?
(A) Political action committee (PAC) contributions are restricted by law to the two major parties.
(B) General elections in the United States are based on the winner-take-all principle.
(C) House and Senate rules exclude members of minor parties from organizing coalitions with the major parties.
(D) The public has great faith in the two major political parties.
(E) Some states outlaw minor political parties.
(B) General elections in the United States are based on the winner-take-all principle.
Which of the following is a correct statement about political action committees (PAC’s)?
*This item is subject to changes in the campaign finance laws
(A) The number of PAC’s has remained stable over the past decade.
(B) Most PAC money is distributed to challengers in an effort to unseat hostile incumbents.
(C) The amount of money that PAC’s can contribute directly to an individual candidate is limited by law.
(D) PAC’s are illegal in most states.
(E) PAC’s rarely attempt to influence legislation through lobbying activities.
(C) The amount of money that PAC’s can contribute directly to an individual candidate is limited by law.
A chief executive officer (CEO) of a corporation believes that the Republican candidate for president will enact policies that are more beneficial to her business. The CEO donated the maximum amount allowed by law directly to the candidate’s campaign fund. To increase the candidate’s chances for election, the CEO also directed her corporation to donate funds to an independent political action committee to create ads criticizing the opposing candidate. According to the decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010), which provision of the Constitution protects her actions?
(A) Reserved powers in the Tenth Amendment
(B) Due process clause in the Fifth Amendment
(C) Freedom of association in the First Amendment
(D) Freedom of speech in the First Amendment
(D) Freedom of speech in the First Amendment
Which of the following is commonly identified as a failure of the Articles of Confederation?
(A) The national government lacked an effective power to raise revenue.
(B) The executive branch was granted too much power over the legislature.
(C) The federal government had too much control over interstate commerce.
(D) The judicial branch was elected and did not consistently adhere to rule of law.
(A) The national government lacked an effective power to raise revenue.
Which of the following is a correct statement about the federal government’s role in interstate commerce?
(A) The federal government has no role in regulating interstate commerce.
(B) The federal government’s role is limited to regulating activities that may lead to federal crimes.
(C) The federal government’s role is limited to regulating commerce transported on interstate waterways such as the Mississippi River.
(D) The federal government’s role is limited to regulating the transport of agricultural goods.
(E) The federal government’s role has been greatly expanded through the interpretation of the interstate commerce clause.
(E) The federal government’s role has been greatly expanded through the interpretation of the interstate commerce clause.
Unlike the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution does which of the following?
(A) Restricts the ability of Congress to tax.
(B) Restricts the ability of Congress to establish an army or navy.
(C) Establishes a unitary form of government.
(D) Emphasizes state sovereignty over national sovereignty.
(E) Emphasizes both national sovereignty and federalism.
(E) Emphasizes both national sovereignty and federalism.
Which of the following is NOT a way in which the federal government regulates campaigns?
(A) By requirements for disclosure of campaign donations
(B) By establishment of federal agencies to regulate campaign finance activities
(C) By limits on the distribution of soft money
(D) By limits on individual donations to campaigns
(E) By prohibitions on negative advertising
(E) By prohibitions on negative advertising
The Tenth Amendment to the Constitution has been interpreted by the Supreme Court to
(A) prevent states from taxing agencies of the federal government
(B) reserve powers to the states
(C) restrict the application of judicial review
(D) allow for the burning of the flag as an expression of protest
(E) limit the use of the legislative veto
(B) reserve powers to the states
Which of the following explains how The Federalist 10 relates to the decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) ?
(A) Both regarded factions as destructive to liberty.
(B) In both, a limited approach to government regulation was argued for.
(C) In The Federalist 10, the author opted for stricter regulation of factions, whereas in Citizens United, petitioners argued that regulation was a violation of liberties.
(D) The Federalist 10 supports free speech, whereas the Citizens United decision opposes free speech.
(B) In both, a limited approach to government regulation was argued for.
In response to the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (McCain-Feingold Act), the United States Supreme Court, in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010), ruled that
(A) limits cannot be placed upon candidates’ contributions to their own campaigns
(B) independent campaign expenditures by corporations and unions are protected by the First Amendment
(C) limits on issue advertisements 90 days before an election are unconstitutional
(D) limits on campaign contributions by minors are constitutional under the First Amendment
(E) requiring endorsement statements in campaign advertisements is unconstitutional
(B) independent campaign expenditures by corporations and unions are protected by the First Amendment
The Connecticut (Great) Compromise drafted at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 is significant for which of the following reasons?
(A) It established the presidential system and gave the United States Supreme Court power to serve as the ultimate arbiter of constitutional disputes.
(B) It allowed southern states to count each slave as three-fifths of one person for determining representation in the House of Representatives.
(C) It provided equality of representation among the states in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
(D) It proposed a Senate with equal representation for each state and a House of Representatives with membership established according to the population of each state.
(E) It denied Congress the power to establish tariffs on exported merchandise.
(D) It proposed a Senate with equal representation for each state and a House of Representatives with membership established according to the population of each state.
