U.S. Goverments Flashcards
Which of the following voting system usually produces the highest voter turnout?
A. Proportional representation with a low threshold.
B. Plurality voting with single members district
C. Majority voting with run-off election
D. Preferential voting utilizing second choices
Proportional representation with a low threshold
Companion of a U.S. tourist traveling abroad report to the U.S. Embassy that their friend has been arrested. The most important thing for the Foreign Service Officer to do immediately is to:
Attempt to visit the accused in jail
Which of the fallowing types of political systems usually develops when a nation employs a voting system of single-member districts, with plurality, “first-past-the-post” electoral winners?
A two party system
Defense Attaches are under the command of which of the following Defense Development unit?
Defense Intelligence Agency
The Joint Chiefs of Staff first emerged in response to the challenges presenting by
World War II
In Status of Forces Agreement host nations may try U.S. military personnel for a crime committed locally except when the:
Crime was committed against another U.S. citizens
Which of the following descriptions best characterizes the Goldwater-Nichols Reorganization Act?
A. It greatly increases the authority of the service secretaries
B. It made the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff a more powerful figure
C. It diminished the role of the Defense Intelligence Agency
D. It curtailed the authority of the Secretary of Defense
It made the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff a more powerful figure
According to the U.S. Constitution, which of the following is required in both houses of Congress to override a president’s veto?
Two-thirds majority
Which of the following activities is an element of status-of-forces agreements?
A. Provide for the basing of U.S. forces in foreign countries
B. Secure access by U.S. forces to bases abroad
C. Mandate the arrest of U.S. soldiers accused of war crimes
D. Define the legal status of U.S. personnel stationed abroad
Define the legal status of U.S. personnel stationed abroad
Relatives of a U.S. citizen traveling abroad contract the U.S. embassy in an effort to locate the traveler because of a family emergency. How should a Foreign Service Officer respond?
Offer to convey a message to the traveler, if the traveler can be located by the embassy.
U.S. consulates offer which of the fallowing services for U.S. citizens?
A. Notary services for U.S. citizens abroad
B. Employment assistance for U.S. citizens seeking jobs
C. Financial assistance for destitute U.S. citizens
D. Assistance in making travel arrangements
Notary services for U.S. citizens abroad
The annual report required by the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) of every government agency must also include the
Average number of days taken to respond to FOIA requests
If you are not satisfied with the initial response to your Freedom of Information Act requests you:
May file an administrative appeal
Fee waivers for Freedom of Information Act requests may be made if the requestor can
Prove that the disclosure is in the public interest
Under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), U.S. government agencies have how many business days to respond to FOIA requests?
20
Which of the fallowing promised U.S. assistance to “free people resisting armed minorities or outside pressures”?
A. Marshall Plan
B. Warsaw Pact
C. Truman Doctrine
D. Pairs Declaration
Truman Doctrine
The responsibility for responding to a Freedom of Information Act requests lies with:
The agency that created and maintains the requested record
In the U.S. system of Justice, the legally required standard of proof for conviction in criminal cases is best described by which of the following terms?
Beyond a reasonable doubt
When the Departmet of State receives a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for a classified record, it must respond by:
Undertaking a mandatory declassification review
Which of the following agencies is exempt from the Freedom of Information Act?
A. The Central Intelligence Agency
B. The National Security Agency
C. The National Security Council
D. The Defense Intelligence Agency
The National Security Agency
With a few legal exceptions, visa application records are:
Kept confidential
If a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request is denied, what recourse does the requestor have?
Appeal to the FOIA bureau of the agency that created the record
In the lawsuit popularly known as the Pentagon Papers case, the U.S. Supreme Court reaffirmed which of the fallowing safeguard against abuse of government powers?
No prior restraint
Which law limits the ability of federal civil service employees to participate in certain partisan political activities, such as running for partisan office or being a delegate to a party convention?
Hatch Act
In a citation for a federal statute listed as Pub. L. No. 94-587, the number 94, represents which of the following pieces of reference information?
The numbers of the Congress that passed the law
In the U.S. legal code, shield laws protect which of the following individuals from grand jury inquiries?
Reporters who have discovered sensitive information in their news-gathering capacities
In addition to its responsibilities as a world political leader, the U.S. foreign policy establishment also responds to global crisis involving major international health issues, including HIV/AIDS, in its work which, of the fallowing international financial institutions?
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
What best describes the role of the Department of State in combating terrorism?
Act as the head agency of the interagency ant-terrorism committee
The role of the Department of State in combating drugs is to
Carry out public diplomacy, reporting, and negotiating in support of anti-drug efforts
As a Foreign Service Officer serving in a foreign post, you are meeting informally with officials of the host government. In an informal setting, your comments on U.S. policy:
Should adhere strictly to Department of State guidance
When complex issues require interagency coordination, which agency convenes and chairs the interagency meeting?
Depends on the issue
Which Cabinet-level development includes the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office?
Department of Commerce
Which of the fallowing agencies does NOT have representatives serving in U.S. embassies abroad?
Energy
Approached by a government contractor about U.S. affirmative action policy, a Foreign Service Officer should direct the company representative to which U.S. entity?
Office of Federal Contract Compliance Program
Since the beginning of the Iraq War, the labor movements in the U.S. and Great Britain have
Diverged, with Great Britain strongly anti-war
The establishment of a 40-hour work week was introduced with which of the fallowing other innovations through the Fair Labor Standard Act of 1938?
A 40-cent minimum hourly wage
In the 1980s the diminishing power of labor union in the U.S. as evidenced during the air traffic controllers’ strike most closely paralleled bitter coal miners’ strike in
Great Britain
A Foreign Service Officer who needs cooperation from a federal agency to resolve an international labor issue should consult with the
Office of International Labor Affaires
The National Counterterrorism Center reports to the
Director of National Intelligence
In which field of U.S. politics is Congress LEAST likely to dominate the executive branch of government?
Foreign and military policy
When a Foreign Service Officer (FSO) needs information about a foreign government’s record with workers’ rights provisions in U.S. law, the FSO should contact the:
Office of International Labor Affairs
Depending upon the country in which a U.S. citizens lives, duel citizenship may be acquired by
Marrying a citizen
If the child of a U.S. citizens is abducted and taken to another country, the parent can file a request for the return of a child with what international entity.
The Hague Convention
In the U.S., how many parents must consent for a child under 14 to obtain a passport.
Two parents’ consent required
Since 1995, the annual number of overseas adoptions by U.S. citizens has risen to:
20,000
The U.S. Counterterrorism Team is led by the
Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism
The principle role of the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research is to
Harness intelligence to serve U.S. diplomacy
The traditional role of the National Security Council is to:
Coordinate the Cabinet and other agencies involved in foreign security policy.