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| In the last thirty years, the single most important variable in determining the outcome election for a member of the House of Representatives has been |
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| Which of the following statements most accurately compares elections in the United States with those in most other Western democracies? |
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Definition
| the voter turnout in the US is usually lower |
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| Which of the following would result from the direct election of presidential candidates? |
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Definition
| each vote would couunt equally in determining which candidate won the election |
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| Which of the following factors best accounts for the rise of interest groups and the decline of political parties in recent years? |
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Definition
| Interest groups are better able to articulate specific policy positions than are political parties |
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| To enforce the Fourteenth Amendment more clearly, Congress passed the |
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| Which of the following is true of the electoral college system? |
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Definition
| it encourages candidates to concentrate their campaigns in competitive, populous states |
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| The primary function of political action committees (PACs) is to |
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Definition
| raise campaign funds to support favored candidates |
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Term
| Which of the following is a significant trend in the presidential nominating process over the past three decades? |
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Definition
| Increasing importance of presidential primaries rather than state conventions |
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Term
| Which of the following is the most important influence on the choice made by voters in presidential elections? |
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Definition
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| The advantages of incumbency in congressional elections include which of the following? |
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Definition
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| Interest groups and political parties both promote United States democracy by |
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Definition
| linking citizens to the political process |
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A state has 11 electoral votes. In a presidential election, the Democratic candidate receives 48 percent of that state's popular vote, the Republican candidate receives 40 percent of the vote, and an independent candidate receives 12 percent of the vote.
If the state is similar to most other states, how will the electoral votes most likely be allocated? |
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Definition
| the democratic candidate will receive all 11 electoral votes |
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Term
| Which of the following form an "iron triangle"? |
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Definition
| executive department, congressional committee, interest group |
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Term
| The large number of cleavages in American society contributes to the large number of |
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Definition
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| Most interest groups in Washington are believed to reflect a lower-class bias. |
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Definition
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| The least important tactic of interest groups is supplying credible information. |
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Definition
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Term
| The "____" refers to the movement of politicians and governmental officials to employment by lobbyists. |
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Definition
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Term
| The power of the Rules Committee in the House of Representatives rests in its authority to |
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Definition
| place a bill on the legislative calendar, limit time for debate, and determine the type of amendments proposed |
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Term
| The federal Constitution guarantees all of the following rights to a person arrested and charged with a serious crime EXCEPT the right to |
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Definition
| negotiate a plea agreement |
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Term
| Which of the following is responsible for the preparation of executive spending proposals submitted to Congress? |
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Definition
| Office of Management and Budget |
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Term
| "Pork barrel" legislation helps the reelection chances of a member of Congress because such legislation |
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Definition
| helps earn the member of Congress a reputation for service to his or her district |
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Term
| All of the following are formal or informal sources of presidential power EXCEPT |
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Definition
| presidential authority to raise revenue |
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Term
| An advantage that bureaucrats in federal government have over the President in the policymaking process is that bureaucrats |
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Definition
| usually have a continuity of service in the executive branch that the President lacks |
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Term
| Most of the bills introduced in the House and the Senate are then |
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Definition
| voted down during the amendment stage of the floor debate |
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Term
| Cabinet departments differ from independent regulatory agencies in which of the following ways? |
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Definition
| The President can dismiss cabinet officeers, but not commissioners of independent regulatory agencies |
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Term
| Which of the following best describes the relationship between the Supreme Court and public opinion? |
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Definition
| the existence of a public consensus on an issue limits the extent to which the court will render decisions contrary to that consensus |
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Term
| Which of the following Supreme Court cases involved the principle of "one man, one vote"? |
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Definition
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Term
| Debate of a bill in the House of Representatives under a "closed rule" means that |
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Definition
| amendments to the bill cannot be offered |
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Term
| Agreement among four justices on the Supreme Court is always sufficient to |
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Definition
| accept a case for consideratoin |
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Term
| In selecting members of the White House staff, Presidents primarily seek people who |
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Definition
| are personally loyal to the President |
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Term
| A "cloture motion" passed in the Senate does which of the following? |
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Definition
| Cuts off debate on a bill |
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Term
| Those who believe that the Supreme Court in its rulings should defer to the elective institutions of government are advocating |
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Definition
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Term
| The boundary lines of congressional districts are drawn by |
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Definition
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Term
| The congressional system of standing committees is significant because it |
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Definition
| fosters the development of expertise by members |
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Term
| Which of the following is empowered to create new federal courts and specify the number of judges who will sit on them? |
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Definition
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Term
| Communication between congressional representatives and constituents occurs mainly through |
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Definition
| the personal staffs of representatives |
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Term
| The role of a conference committee in Congress is to |
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Definition
| reconcile differences in bills passed by the House and Senate |
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Term
| Supreme Court justices are given tenure subject to good behavior by the framers of the Constitution in order to ensure that |
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Definition
| justices are free from direct political pressure |
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Term
| Which of the following is true about the right of free speech, as currently interpreted by the Supreme Court? |
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Definition
| It protects the right to express opinions even without the actal use of words |
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Term
| All of the following powers are granted to the President by the Constitution EXCEPT |
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Definition
| forming new cabinet-level departments |
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Term
| Which of the following actions can Congress take if the Supreme Court finds a federal law unconstitutional? |
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Definition
| try to ammend the Constitution |
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Term
| Most of the individual protections of the Bill of Rights now apply to the states because of the Supreme Court's interpretation of the Constitution's |
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Definition
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Term
| Which of the following procedures results in the removal of the President from office? |
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Definition
| The House votes for impeachment, and the Senate conducts a trial and reaches a guilty verdict |
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Term
| One of the formal tools used by Congress for oversight of the bureaucracy is |
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Definition
| authorization of spending |
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Term
| The "Miranda warning" represents an attempt to protect criminal suspects against |
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Definition
| unfair police interrogation |
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Term
| The establishment clause of the First Amendment does which of the following? |
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Definition
| Prohibits the setting up of a state church |
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Term
| Griswold v. Connecticut and Roe v. Wade are similar Supreme Court cases in that both cases are based on the |
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Definition
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Term
| When the media influences which subjects become national political issues, it is playing the role of |
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Definition
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Term
| Research indicates that negative advertising has no effect on either voter preference or voter turnout. |
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Definition
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Term
| A journalist who searches through the activities of public officials and organizations, especially business firms, seeking to expose conduct contrary to the public interest is a |
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Definition
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Term
| Generally, the Supreme Court has upheld the confidentiality of sources. |
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Definition
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Term
| "Floating a trial balloon" refers to testing public reaction to a policy. |
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Definition
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Term
| Generally, the President gets more press coverage than Congress. |
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Definition
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Term
| Popular election of U.S. Senators was required by the ____ Amendment. |
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Definition
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Term
| Which of the following is a prolonged speech, or series of speeches, made to delay action in the U.S. Senate, and is referred to as Rule 22? |
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Definition
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Term
| The Virginia General Assembly meets for at least 10 months of a calendar year. |
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Definition
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Term
| Drawing a district boundary in some bizarre or unusual shape to make it easy for the candidate to win election in that district is |
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Definition
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Term
| The only type of courts required by the Constitution is/are |
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Definition
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Term
| _____ is a legal concept that refers to who is entitled to bring a case in a federal court. |
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Definition
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Term
| After 1936, the Supreme Court was preoccupied with political liberties. |
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Definition
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Term
| Up through the Civil War, the Supreme Court was largely concerned with national supremacy and the government's ability to regulate commerce. |
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Term
| The Supreme Court is described in what part of the U.S. Constitution? |
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Definition
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Term
| A(n) _____ is a test of ideological purity in selecting judges. |
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Definition
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Term
| A(n) _____ is written briefs or even oral arguments that may be offered by a "friend of the court." |
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Definition
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Term
| This case emphasized that the term "contract" referred to transactions involving individual property rights, not to "the political relations between the government and its citizens." It established national supremacy in the "contract clause" of Article I, Section 10. |
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Definition
| Dartmouth College v Woodward (1819) |
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Term
| This case established the following two principles: (1) that the Constitution grants to Congress implied powers for implementing the Constitution's express powers, in order to create a functional national government, and (2) that state action may not impede valid constitutional exercises of power by the Federal government. (In this case in the taxation of a national bank.) |
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Definition
| MuCullock v Maryland (1819) |
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Term
| _____ was a case in which the Supreme Court held that the power to regulate interstate navigation was granted to Congress by the Commerce Clause of the Constitution. |
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Definition
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Term
| _____ was a historically important case argued before the Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Fourteenth Amedment to the US Constitution had extended the reach of certain provisions of the First Amendment — specifically the provisions protecting freedom of speech and freedom of the press — to the governments of the individual states. |
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Definition
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Term
| In _____ the Court brushed aside the First Amendment issue and declared that "all evidence obtained by searches and seizures in violation of the Constitution is, by [the Fourth Amendment], inadmissible in a state court." |
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Term
| _____ established a "test", which details the requirements for United States legislation concerning religion. |
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