AP Semester Exam - Mr. Janeway's AP Government Web Site



AP Semester Exam Review

The exam will cover chapters 2, 3, 5, 6, 7,snd 8

I have copied and pasted below the tests that we had on chapters 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7. All of the exam questions will come from this document. Chapter 8 questions are at the end.

Test on Chapters 2 and 3

Chapter 2:

1. The words that stirred a generation of Americans long before they even dreamed of calling themselves Americans rather than Englishmen were

|a. |“No taxation without representation.” |

|b. |“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” |

|c. |“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up.” |

|d. |“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do |

| |for your country.” |

2. In the United States, no set of institutional procedures is more important than the

|a. |Constitution. |

|b. |Bill of Rights. |

|c. |Articles of Confederation. |

|d. |Declaration of Independence. |

3.. The Declaration of Independence was written by

|a. |James Madison. |

|b. |Thomas Jefferson. |

|c. |George Washington. |

|d. |Alexander Hamilton. |

4. The Declaration of Independence was remarkable for its assertion that there are certain unalienable rights including

|a. |life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. |

|b. |due process and equal protection under the law. |

|c. |justice, domestic tranquility, and general welfare. |

|d. |the freedom of religion, freedom of the press, and freedom of |

| |speech. |

5. The Articles of Confederation formed a constitution concerned primarily with

|a. |preventing domestic insurrection. |

|b. |limiting the powers of the central government. |

|c. |generating new tax revenues to help pay for armed resistance. |

|d. |regulating trade among the colonies as well as imports and |

| |exports. |

6. The one positive thing that came out of the Annapolis Convention was a resolution calling for

|a. |a declaration of independence from England. |

|b. |a boycott of tea, linens, and other goods from England. |

|c. |ratification of the new Constitution of the United States. |

|d. |a later meeting in Philadelphia to reform the Articles of |

| |Confederation. |

7. Delegates were sent to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia by every state except

|a. |Vermont. |

|b. |Delaware. |

|c. |Rhode Island. |

|d. |Massachusetts. |

8. The proposal to alter the Articles of Confederation by providing for a system of representation in the national legislature based on the population of each state or the proportion of each states revenue contribution, or both was known as the

|a. |Virginia Plan. |

|b. |New Jersey Plan. |

|c. |Connecticut Plan. |

|d. |Massachusetts Plan. |

9. The proposal offered by the smaller states during the Constitutional Convention that argued each state should be equally represented in the new regime regardless of its population was known as the

|a. |Virginia Plan. |

|b. |New Jersey Plan. |

|c. |Connecticut Plan. |

|d. |Massachusetts Plan. |

10. The agreement reached during the Constitutional Convention to adopt the proposal that gave each state an equal number of senators regardless of population, but linked representation in the House of Representatives to population became known as the

|a. |Boston Plan. |

|b. |Philadelphia Plan. |

|c. |Great Compromise. |

|d. |Three-Fifths Compromise. |

11. The great divide between northern and southern states during the Constitutional Convention was essentially over the issue of whether or not to

|a. |abolish the institution of slavery. |

|b. |count slaves for purposes of representation. |

|c. |impose a property tax on the ownership of slaves. |

|d. |restrict expansion of slavery into the Western territories. |

12. A legislative assembly such as the Congress thats divided into two chambers (or houses) is best described as

|a. |bipolar. |

|b. |bilateral. |

|c. |bipartisan. |

|d. |bicameral. |

13. Article I of the U.S. Constitution provides for the

|a. |judicial branch. |

|b. |executive branch. |

|c. |legislative branch. |

|d. |role of state governments. |

14. The constitution grants the power to ratify treaties to the

|a. |Senate. |

|b. |President. |

|c. |Supreme Court. |

|d. |House of Representatives. |

15. The terms of appointments for senators are staggered so that one third of the senators expire every

|a. |two years. |

|b. |four years. |

|c. |six years. |

|d. |eight years. |

16. Under the American Constitution, the sole power to originate revenue bills is vested in the

|a. |Senate. |

|b. |VicePresident. |

|c. |state legislatures. |

|d. |House of Representatives. |

17. Under the American constitution, the part of elected government designed to be directly responsible to the people was the

|a. |Senate. |

|b. |Judiciary. |

|c. |bureaucracy. |

|d. |House of Representatives. |

18. The idea that the federal government can exercise only the powers specifically articulated in the Constitution is known as the doctrine of

|a. |implied powers. |

|b. |expressed powers. |

|c. |separation of powers. |

|d. |necessary and proper powers. |

19. The framers of the Constitution sought to insulate the president from excessively democratic pressures through

|a. |a lifetime appointment. |

|b. |direct oversight by independent departments. |

|c. |an indirect election through the Electoral College. |

|d. |a limitation of only two consecutive terms in office. |

20. The power of the courts to render the final decision in cases involving a conflict of interpretation of the Constitution or of laws between the courts and Congress, the courts and the executive branch, or the courts and the states is referred to as

|a. |judicial review. |

|b. |ceteris paribus. |

|c. |juridic oversight. |

|d. |contra bonos mores. |

21. Article VI of the Constitution states that all laws passed by the national government and all treaties are superior to all laws adopted by any state in what has come to be known as the

|a. |supremacy clause. |

|b. |judicial review clause. |

|c. |full faith and credit clause. |

|d. |necessary and proper clause. |

22. The presidential veto power over legislation, the power of the Senate to approve presidential appointments, and judicial review over acts of Congress and presidential actions are example of the principle in the American political system of

|a. |federalism. |

|b. |checks and balances. |

|c. |separation of powers. |

|d. |separated institutions sharing powers. |

23. The best-known arguments supporting ratification of the Constitution were the eighty-five essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay under the name of “Publius.” These essays are collectively known today as

|a. |Common Sense. |

|b. |Modest Proposals. |

|c. |The Federalist Papers. |

|d. |The Democracy Dialogues. |

24. The First Amendment to the Constitution was specifically concerned with limits on the

|a. |courts. |

|b. |Congress. |

|c. |President. |

|d. |state governments. |

25. The Eighteenth Amendment, having the dubious distinction of being the only Constitutional amendment designed to deal directly with some substantive social problem and the only amendment to have been repealed, addressed the issue of

|a. |slavery. |

|b. |the income tax. |

|c. |presidential disability. |

|d. |prohibition of alcohol. |

Chapter 3:

1. The division of powers and functions between the national government and state governments is called

|a. |federalism. |

|b. |divided government. |

|c. |checks and balances. |

|d. |separation of powers. |

2. The separation of powers sought to limit the power of the government by

|a. |reserving some powers for the people. |

|b. |dividing national government against itself. |

|c. |forcing states to compete against themselves. |

|d. |encouraging conflict between the national government and the |

| |states. |

3. For nearly a century and a half after the ratification of the Constitution, virtually all of the fundamental policies governing the lives of Americans were made by the

|a. |Congress. |

|b. |the presidency. |

|c. |Supreme Court. |

|d. |state legislatures. |

4. The notion that the Constitution grants to the national government only those powers specifically named in its text is called

|a. |democracy. |

|b. |expressed powers. |

|c. |republican idealism. |

|d. |political fundamentalism. |

5. Powers derived from the necessary and proper clause of Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution are called

|a. |implied powers. |

|b. |essential powers. |

|c. |expressed powers. |

|d. |appropriate powers. |

6. Powers derived from the expansive interpretation of delegated powers are called

|a. |implied powers. |

|b. |essential powers. |

|c. |expressed powers. |

|d. |appropriate powers. |

7. Powers derived from the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution that are not specifically delegated to the national government or denied to the states are known as

|a. |police powers. |

|b. |reserved powers. |

|c. |expressed powers. |

|d. |concurrent powers. |

8. Each state is normally expected to honor “the public Acts, Records, and judicial Proceedings” that take place in any other state because of Article IV, Section I of the Constitution which is referred to as the

|a. |comity clause. |

|b. |civility clause. |

|c. |full faith and credit clause. |

|d. |necessary and proper clause. |

9. In Article IV, Section 2 of the Constitution is a section that prohibits a state from discriminating against someone from another state or giving special advantages to its own residents. That section is referred to as the

|a. |establishment clause. |

|b. |general welfare clause. |

|c. |interstate relations clause. |

|d. |privileges and immunities clause. |

10. The system of government that prevailed in the United States from the writing of the Constitution until about the Great Depression could be most accurately characterized as

|a. |dual federalism. |

|b. |triple federalism. |

|c. |pancake federalism. |

|d. |marble cake federalism. |

11. The primary constitutional vehicle used by the Supreme Court for favoring national power over state power has been the

|a. |Bill of Rights. |

|b. |commerce clause. |

|c. |full faith and credit clause. |

|d. |privileges and immunities clause. |

12. In terms of power over the economy, the Supreme Court has interpreted the commerce clause over time in favor of

|a. |state governments. |

|b. |the national government. |

|c. |dual federalism approach. |

|d. |a hands-off, laissez-faire approach. |

13. A type of federalism existing since the New Deal era in which grants-in-aid have been used strategically to encourage states and localities (without commanding them) to pursue nationally defined goals is known as

|a. |social federalism. |

|b. |welfare federalism. |

|c. |cooperative federalism. |

|d. |commercial federalism. |

14. The type of federalism that occurs when the national government actually threatens to withhold grant money unless state and local governments conform to national standards is known as

|a. |restricted federalism. |

|b. |regulated federalism. |

|c. |contingent federalism. |

|d. |competitive federalism. |

15. The obligations imposed on state government by the national government without any funding at all have come to be known as

|a. |unfunded mandates. |

|b. |assigned obligations. |

|c. |misdirected indemnities. |

|d. |unchecked authorizations. |

16. A policy to remove a program from one level of government by deregulating it or passing it down to a lower level of government is called

|a. |desistance. |

|b. |devolution. |

|c. |decentralization. |

|d. |democratization. |

17. The principle that states should oppose increasing authority of the national government is known as

|a. |states’ rights. |

|b. |neo-liberalism. |

|c. |fiscal conservatism. |

|d. |state and local preemption. |

18. A tie vote in the Senate is broken by the

|a. |President. |

|b. |Vice President. |

|c. |Speaker of the House. |

|d. |Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. |

19. The condition in American government in which one party controls the presidency and an opposing

party controls one or both houses of Congress is called

|a. |a split ticket. |

|b. |bipartisanship. |

|c. |divided government. |

|d. |the two-party system. |

20. The three principles that make up the primary framework of the Constitution are

|a. |freedom, justice, and the two-party system. |

|b. |representation, equality, and judicial review. |

|c. |direct democracy, liberty, and limited government. |

|d. |federalism, separation of powers, and individual rights. |

21. The claim that confidential communications between a president and close advisors should not be revealed without the consent of the president is known as

|a. |executive privilege. |

|b. |plausible deniability. |

|c. |presidential prerogative. |

|d. |command confidentiality. |

22. The legal doctrine holding that states cannot be sued by private persons or groups claiming that the

state violated a statute enacted by Congress is known as state

|a. |executive privilege. |

|b. |judicial supremacy. |

|c. |sovereign immunity. |

|d. |legislative exemption. |

23. In the McCulloch v. Maryland, the Supreme Court recognized and reinforced the

|a. |supremacy clause. |

|b. |establishment clause. |

|c. |full faith and credit clause. |

|d. |privileges and immunities clause. |

24. The important bur relatively narrow issue in the 1824 case, Gibbons, v. Ogden, was whether the state of New York could grant a monopoly to

|a. |Joseph Pulitzer to publish a daily newspaper. |

|b. |Thomas Edison’s new electrical utility to run lines through New|

| |York City. |

|c. |William Henry Vanderbilt to lay railroad tracks to the Hudson |

| |Bay ports. |

|d. |Robert Fulton’s steamboat company to operate between New York |

| |and New Jersey. |

25. The power delegated by the state to a local unit of government to manage its own affairs is called

|a. |home rule. |

|b. |rule of the interior. |

|c. |decree of authority. |

|d. |jurisdictional decree. |

Test On Chapter 5

1. The structure and authority of the U.S. Congress is set out in the U.S. Constitution in

|a. |Article I. |

|b. |Article II. |

|c. |Article III. |

|d. |Article IV. |

2. In the American system of government, the branch of government that has the power to declare war is the

|a. |military. |

|b. |President. |

|c. |Congress. |

|d. |Supreme Court. |

3. In the American political system, the power to ratify treaties is held by the

|a. |Senate. |

|b. |President. |

|c. |Supreme Court. |

|d. |House of Representatives. |

4. The Senate has the power to approve treaties with a

|a. |plurality vote. |

|b. |majority vote. |

|c. |two-thirds vote. |

|d. |three-fourths vote. |

5. Members of Congress owe their primary responsibility to their

|a. |President. |

|b. |constituency. |

|c. |political party. |

|d. |congressional leadership. |

6. Representatives who believe that they have been elected in order to do the bidding of those that

sent them to the legislature are considered to be serving as

|a. |trustees. |

|b. |politicos. |

|c. |delegates. |

|d. |“fingers in the wind.” |

7. Representatives who believe that they have been selected by their fellow citizens in order to do what the legislator thinks is “right” act as

|a. |trustees. |

|b. |politicos. |

|c. |delegates. |

|d. |guardians. |

8. A legislative assembly such as the Congress that’s divided into two chambers (or houses) is best

described as

|a. |bipolar. |

|b. |bilateral. |

|c. |bipartisan. |

|d. |bicameral. |

9. Which political institution in the American system of government did the framers intend to be the closest to the people?

|a. |Senate |

|b. |President |

|c. |Supreme Court |

|d. |House of Representatives |

10. Voters elect members to the House of Representatives every

|a. |year. |

|b. |two years. |

|c. |four years. |

|d. |six years. |

11. The term of office for a U.S. Senator is

|a. |two years. |

|b. |four years. |

|c. |six years. |

|d. |eight years. |

12. How many members are in the U.S. House of Representatives?

|a. |100 |

|b. |350 |

|c. |435 |

|d. |535 |

13. How many members are in the U.S. Senate?

|a. |100 |

|b. |350 |

|c. |435 |

|d. |535 |

14. The minimum age required to serve as a member of the House of Representatives is

|a. |25. |

|b. |30. |

|c. |35. |

|d. |40. |

15. The minimum age required to serve as a U.S. Senator is

|a. |25. |

|b. |30. |

|c. |35. |

|d. |40. |

16. Compared to the House of Representatives, the Senate serves constituencies that are

|a. |larger and more diverse. |

|b. |smaller and more diverse. |

|c. |larger and more homogenous. |

|d. |smaller and more homogenous. |

17. Members of the House of Representatives are elected from

|a. |states. |

|b. |districts. |

|c. |counties. |

|d. |townships. |

18. Members of the U.S. Senate are elected from

|a. |states. |

|b. |districts. |

|c. |counties. |

|d. |townships. |

19. Compared to the House of Representatives, the Senate is much more

|a. |organized. |

|b. |centralized. |

|c. |specialized. |

|d. |deliberative. |

20. Perhaps the most important factor determining who runs for Congress is

|a. |local party officials. |

|b. |national party leaders. |

|c. |incumbent politicians. |

|d. |candidates’ personal ambitions. |

21. Holding a political office for which one is running is called

|a. |rank. |

|b. |tenure. |

|c. |seniority. |

|d. |incumbency. |

22. Members of Congress may send mail to their constituents free of charge to keep them informed of government business and public affairs under a law enacted by the first U.S. Congress in 1789

referred to as

|a. |patronage. |

|b. |clientelism. |

|c. |sponsorship. |

|d. |the franking privilege. |

23. Well over a quarter of a congressional representative’s time and nearly two thirds of the time of their staff members is devoted to

|a. |floor debate and discussion. |

|b. |constituency service (casework). |

|c. |legislative research (policy analysis). |

|d. |giving public speeches and making television appearances. |

24. The direct services and benefits that congressional representatives provide for their districts such as

appointing supporters to government offices or conferring of grants and licenses to constituents are called

|a. |patronage. |

|b. |clientelism. |

|c. |sponsorships. |

|d. |franking privileges. |

25. The capturing of federal projects and awarding of federal funds for a congressional representative’s

own district is legislation described as

|a. |pork-barrel. |

|b. |pickle-barrel. |

|c. |cracker-barrel. |

|d. |whiskey-barrel. |

26. The practice by congressional representatives of including language providing special benefits for their constituents in otherwise unrelated bills is called the

|a. |perq. |

|b. |earmark. |

|c. |set aside. |

|d. |prerogative. |

27. State legislatures must redraw congressional districts to reflect population changes every

|a. |two years. |

|b. |four years. |

|c. |six years. |

|d. |ten years. |

28. The redrawing of congressional districts in such a way as to give unfair advantage to the political party in power is called

|a. |mudzoning. |

|b. |redistricting. |

|c. |gerrymandering. |

|d. |reapportionment. |

29. The individual with the most real power within the U.S. House of Representatives is the

|a. |Speaker. |

|b. |Majority Leader. |

|c. |Minority Leader. |

|d. |President Pro Tempore. |

30. In the House of Representatives, the elected individuals who are responsible for lining up party members on important votes and relaying voter information to the leaders are called

|a. |prods. |

|b. |whips. |

|c. |strikes. |

|d. |thrashers. |

31. The individual with the most real power within the U.S. Senate is the

|a. |Speaker. |

|b. |Majority Leader. |

|c. |Minority Leader. |

|d. |President Pro Tempore. |

32. A permanent legislative committee that considers legislation within its designated subject area is known as the

|a. |majority caucus. |

|b. |permanent caucus. |

|c. |standing committee. |

|d. |administrative committee. |

33. The effort by Congress through hearings, investigations, and other techniques to exercise control over the activities of executive agencies is known as

|a. |oversight power. |

|b. |delegation power. |

|c. |gatekeeping authority. |

|d. |after-the-fact authority. |

34. A group of senators or representatives who share certain opinions, interests, or social characteristics is called a

|a. |caucus. |

|b. |task force. |

|c. |committee. |

|d. |commission. |

35. A bill’s supporters generally prefer that the Rules Committee decide to use

|a. |an open rule. |

|b. |a closed rule. |

|c. |a termination rule. |

|d. |a commencement rule. |

36. A tactic used by members of the Senate to prevent action on legislation they oppose by continuously holding the floor and speaking until the majority backs down is called

|a. |cloture. |

|b. |filibuster. |

|c. |blockade. |

|d. |blowback. |

37. A rule allowing a three-fifths majority of U.S. Senators to set a time limit on debate over a given bill is called

|a. |cloture. |

|b. |preemption. |

|c. |a closed rule. |

|d. |legislative veto. |

38. A congressional representative’s statement to his or her legislative colleague that “I’ll support your bill if you’ll support mine” is an example of

|a. |whipping. |

|b. |logrolling. |

|c. |distributive tendency. |

|d. |interest group bargaining. |

39. An example of a special senate power is

|a. |impeachment. |

|b. |the pocket veto. |

|c. |advise and consent. |

|d. |executive agreement. |

Chapter 6 :The Presidency as an Institution

1. By 2002, foreign policy became the centerpiece of the Bush administrations agenda and in a speech at West Point, the president announced the “Bush Doctrine” of

|a. |isolationism. |

|b. |containment. |

|c. |preemptive war. |

|d. |peace with honor. |

2. The framers sought to provide “energy in the executive,” while at the same time checking the president by

|a. |providing for an office headed by a single person. |

|b. |setting up an electoral base separate from Congress. |

|c. |creating a massive bureaucracy to share executive powers. |

|d. |giving the presidency no explicit powers independent of |

| |Congress. |

3. The American presidency was established by

|a. |Congress. |

|b. |the Declaration of Independence. |

|c. |Article I of the Articles of Confederation. |

|d. |Article II of the United States Constitution. |

4. Many scholars believe that the most loosely drawn chapter of the Constitution is the one dealing with the presidency. Which part of the Constitution deals with the presidency?

|a. |Article I |

|b. |Article II |

|c. |Article III |

|d. |Article IV |

5. According to the U.S. Constitution, the executive power is vested in the

|a. |President. |

|b. |Congress. |

|c. |Supreme Court. |

|d. |Joint Chiefs of Staff. |

6. The presidency was strengthened somewhat in the 1830s with the introduction of the

|a. |line-item veto power. |

|b. |Kitchen Cabinet system. |

|c. |linked regional newspaper system. |

|d. |national convention system for nominating presidential |

| |candidates. |

7. The evolution of presidential selection has been from

|a. |caucus to convention to primary. |

|b. |convention to primary to caucus. |

|c. |primary to caucus to convention. |

|d. |primary to convention to caucus. |

8. The notion that the Constitution grants to the federal government only those powers specifically named in its text is called

|a. |manifest prose. |

|b. |literal precision. |

|c. |expressed powers. |

|d. |articulated authority. |

9. The powers specifically granted to the president in the text of the Constitution are called

|a. |manifest prose. |

|b. |delegated powers. |

|c. |expressed powers. |

|d. |articulated authorities. |

10. Powers given to the president by Congress are called

|a. |manifest prose. |

|b. |delegated powers. |

|c. |expressed powers. |

|d. |transferred authorities. |

11. Presidential powers not specified in the Constitution or the law and most often asserted during war or national emergency are termed

|a. |latent powers. |

|b. |inherent powers. |

|c. |remissive powers. |

|d. |concealed powers. |

12. The Constitution gives the power to declare war to the

|a. |President. |

|b. |Congress. |

|c. |Supreme Court. |

|d. |Department of Defense. |

13. The last time that the United States officially declared war against another nation was at the beginning of

|a. |the Gulf War. |

|b. |the war in Iraq. |

|c. |the Vietnam War. |

|d. |World War II. |

14. In 1973, the Congress overrode President Nixon’s veto to assert that the president could send American troops into action abroad only in the event of a declaration of war or other statutory authorization by Congress, or if American troops were attacked or directly endangered. This effort to revive the principle that the presidency is an office of delegated powers is called the

|a. |Defense Authorization. |

|b. |Redeclaration Initiative. |

|c. |War Powers Resolution. |

|d. |Military Delegation Act. |

15. In most instances of domestic disorder—whether from human or from natural causes—presidents tend to exercise unilateral power by

|a. |deploying national troops. |

|b. |declaring a state of emergency. |

|c. |suspending the writ of habeas corpus. |

|d. |closing banks and other financial institutions. |

16. American presidents have the power of life and death through the power to grant

|a. |paroles and probations. |

|b. |atonements and expiations. |

|c. |reprieves, pardons, and amnesties. |

|d. |subpoenas, writs of habeas corpus, and warrants of indemnity. |

17. The status of the president as head of state is exemplified by the power to

|a. |declare war. |

|b. |make treaties. |

|c. |grant amnesties. |

|d. |amend the Constitution. |

18. An agreement between the president and another country, which has the force of a treaty but does not require the Senates advice and consent, is called

|a. |bilateral accord. |

|b. |international pact. |

|c. |presidential treaty. |

|d. |executive agreement. |

19. The most important basis of the presidents power as chief executive is to be found in the section of the Constitution that stipulates the president must

|a. |receive ambassadors. |

|b. |grant reprieves and pardons. |

|c. |appoint and remove all executive officers. |

|d. |see that all the laws are faithfully executed. |

20. The claim that confidential communications between a president and close advisers should not be revealed without the consent of the president is called

|a. |franking privilege. |

|b. |executive privilege. |

|c. |presidential privilege. |

|d. |presidential prerogative. |

21. President George W. Bush has claimed the prerogative not to enforce those portions of a bill he believes to be unconstitutional through a recent technique for extending executive power known as a

|a. |line-item veto |

|b. |signing statement. |

|c. |strike-out declaration. |

|d. |declaratory exclusion. |

22. No bill vetoed by the president can become law unless both the House and the Senate override the veto by a

|a. |majority vote. |

|b. |plurality vote. |

|c. |two-thirds vote. |

|d. |three-fifths vote. |

23. Congress does not even have the option of overriding and must reintroduce the bill in the next session when the president exercises a

|a. |pocket veto. |

|b. |line-item veto. |

|c. |executive veto. |

|d. |legislative veto. |

24. Near the beginning of its session, Congress sends to the president a rather significant piece of legislation that the president agrees with for the most part. However, the bill also contains a section that the president finds completely unacceptable. Under current law, what action can the president take to help ensure that the un-favored policy contained within the larger legislative bill does not become law?

|a. |Veto |

|b. |Pocket veto |

|c. |Line-item veto |

|d. |Impound funds |

25. Which one of the following presidents has made the most vetoes while in office?

|a. |Thomas Jefferson |

|b. |Abraham Lincoln |

|c. |Franklin D. Roosevelt |

|d. |George W. Bush |

26. When the policy preferences of the president and Congress diverge, as they typically do under divided government, the president tries to convince Congress that his or her preferences are

|a. |fully supported by the judiciary. |

|b. |more extreme than they really are. |

|c. |fully supported by the bureaucracy. |

|d. |more moderate than they really are. |

27. After the attacks on September 11, a new executive agency was created called the

|a. |National Security Agency. |

|b. |National Security Council. |

|c. |Department of Homeland Security. |

|d. |Office for State & Local Domestic Preparedness. |

28. An important tool of the presidents exercising the legislative role within the executive branch is the executive

|a. |order. |

|b. |decree. |

|c. |agreement. |

|d. |prerogative. |

29. After Thomas Jefferson and until the beginning of the twentieth century, most historians agree that the only exceptions to what had been a dreary succession of weak presidents were Abraham Lincoln and

|a. |James Polk. |

|b. |James Madison. |

|c. |Andrew Jackson. |

|d. |Andrew Johnson. |

30. So few great men became presidents in the nineteenth century because

|a. |the public could not vote for the president directly. |

|b. |there was only occasional room for greatness in such a weak |

| |office. |

|c. |their moral standing was compromised by the institution of |

| |slavery. |

|d. |they were overshadowed by the triumphs of industry leaders and |

| |world explorers. |

31. Most of the policies adopted by the national government during the nineteenth century were designed mainly to

|a. |build up military defenses. |

|b. |control the power of the railroads. |

|c. |promote the expansion of commerce. |

|d. |fight political corruption within the growing industrial cities|

| |of the north. |

32. Congress began to make its first efforts to exert power over the economy beginning in 1887 with the adoption of the

|a. |Interstate Commerce Act. |

|b. |Federal Trade and Competition Act. |

|c. |Peterson Antitrust and Development Act. |

|d. |Public Works and Economic Development Act. |

33. The Supreme Court has never again seriously questioned the legitimacy of the national government in interventions of the economy or society since

|a. |the New Deal. |

|b. |Reconstruction. |

|c. |the Trail of Tears. |

|d. |the Progressive Era. |

34. The key moment that changed American political history and brought about a new shape to the national government by combining the personal brilliance and persuasiveness of a new president, economic conditions that generated an agenda of political action, a unified partisan government, and a bargaining circumstance that put a premium on coordination among kindred spirits in the Capitol and White House occurred during the

|a. |New Deal. |

|b. |Progressive Era. |

|c. |Reconstruction Era. |

|d. |Age of Industrialization. |

35. The traditional but informal designation for the heads of all the major federal government departments is the

|a. |cabinet. |

|b. |executive office. |

|c. |White House staff. |

|d. |executive service. |

36. The set of permanent agencies comprising the “institutional presidency” (such as the Office of Management and Budget) that performs defined management tasks for the president is called the

|a. |Cabinet. |

|b. |Kitchen Cabinet. |

|c. |White House Staff. |

|d. |Executive Office of the President. |

37. The largest agency in the Executive Office of the President is the

|a. |National Security Council. |

|b. |Council of Economic Advisors. |

|c. |Office of Management and Budget. |

|d. |Government Accountability Office. |

38. From a constitutional standpoint, the Vice President exists for two purposes: (1) to succeed the president in case of death, resignation, or incapacitation; and (2) to

|a. |head the federal bureaucracy. |

|b. |prepare and submit the annual budget to Congress. |

|c. |provide geographical diversity for balancing the presidential |

| |ticket. |

|d. |preside over the Senate and cast the tie-breaking vote when |

| |necessary. |

39. The main value of the vice presidency as a political resource for the president is

|a. |personal. |

|b. |electoral. |

|c. |legislative. |

|d. |administrative. |

40. A claim by a victorious candidate that the electorate has given him or her a special authority to carry out promised made during the campaign is known as

|a. |a mandate. |

|b. |civic empowerment. |

|c. |voters authorization. |

|d. |a vote of confidence. |

41. The voice of Franklin D. Roosevelt came into almost every living room in the country to discuss programs and policies and generally to assure Americans that the president was aware of their difficulties and working diligently toward solutions in his famous

|a. |“fireside chats.” |

|b. |“kitchen table talks.” |

|c. |“backyard conversations.” |

|d. |“over-the-fence confabs.” |

42. President Bill Clintons enormously high public profile as indicated by the number of public appearances that he made and his status as the most-traveled American president in history were dramatic expressions of the

|a. |presidential junket. |

|b. |touring presidency. |

|c. |permanent campaign. |

|d. |institutional presidency. |

| | |

Chapter 7: The Executive Branch: Bureaucracy in a Democracy

1. On March 1, 2003, twenty-two federal agencies with responsibilities for combating international terrorism in the United States were transferred to the

|a. |Department of Defense. |

|b. |National Security Administration. |

|c. |Department of Homeland Security. |

|d. |Federal Emergency Management Administration. |

2. By all accounts, the reorganization of the executive branch of the United States after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 marked the most dramatic reform of the federal bureaucracy since the

|a. |New Deal programs of the 1930s. |

|b. |Civil Service Reform Act of 1978. |

|c. |National Performance Review in the mid 1990s. |

|d. |establishment of the Department of Defense in 1947. |

3. The actual offices, tasks, and principles of organization that are employed in the most formal and sustained administration are called

|a. |polity. |

|b. |regime. |

|c. |delegacy. |

|d. |bureaucracy. |

4. The core of bureaucracy is

|a. |flexibility. |

|b. |division of labor. |

|c. |representative power. |

|d. |generalized functions. |

5. As bureaucracies develop, these organizations often approximate the shape of a

|a. |circle. |

|b. |square. |

|c. |pyramid. |

|d. |rectangle. |

6. The primary task of bureaucracy is

|a. |systems analysis. |

|b. |coordination. |

|c. |implementation. |

|d. |public relations. |

7. The effort of departments and agencies to translate laws into specific bureaucratic routines is called

|a. |rulemaking. |

|b. |effectuation. |

|c. |adjudication. |

|d. |implementation. |

8. A quasi-legislative administrative process that produces regulations by government agencies is

|a. |rulemaking. |

|b. |effectuation. |

|c. |adjudication. |

|d. |implementation. |

9. Once the rules for a federal public agency are approved, they

|a. |have the force of law. |

|b. |establish minimum standards for state-level regulation. |

|c. |serve as guidelines for the behavior of public employees. |

|d. |serve as guidelines for the behavior of regulated industries. |

10. The application of rules and precedents to specific cases to settle disputes with regulated parties is

|a. |oversight. |

|b. |rulemaking. |

|c. |administrative evil. |

|d. |administrative adjudication. |

11. What legislation was passed in 1966 to give ordinary citizens the right of access to agency files and agency data to determine whether derogatory information exists in the file about citizens themselves, and to learn about what the agency is doing in general?

|a. |Open Records Act |

|b. |Public Accessibility Act |

|c. |Freedom of Information Act |

|d. |Sunshine in Government Resolution |

12. The Department of Agriculture is an example of

|a. |a bureau. |

|b. |a cabinet department. |

|c. |an independent agency. |

|d. |a government corporation. |

13. In the United States, the head of a cabinet level department is usually called a

|a. |general. |

|b. |minister. |

|c. |secretary. |

|d. |chief advisor. |

14. The highest level of responsibility for specialized programs generally rests

|a. |at the bureau level. |

|b. |at the cabinet level. |

|c. |with the judicial officer. |

|d. |with the general counsel. |

ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 282

15. The Forest Service is an example of

|a. |a cabinet department. |

|b. |a bureau-level agency. |

|c. |an independent agency. |

|d. |a government corporation. |

16. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is most accurately classified as

|a. |a cabinet department. |

|b. |an independent agency. |

|c. |a government corporation. |

|d. |an independent regulatory commission. |

17. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is most accurately classified as

|a. |a cabinet department. |

|b. |an independent agency. |

|c. |a government corporation. |

|d. |an independent regulatory commission. |

18. The United States Post Office is most accurately classified as

|a. |a cabinet department. |

|b. |an independent agency. |

|c. |a government corporation. |

|d. |an independent regulatory commission. |

19. In 1887, Congress established as the first regulatory agency the

|a. |Transportation Administration. |

|b. |Interstate Commerce Commission. |

|c. |Railroad Trust and Oversight Authority. |

|d. |Industry Safety and Accountability Board. |

20. The Federal Communications Commission is most accurately classified as

|a. |a cabinet department. |

|b. |an independent agency. |

|c. |a government corporation. |

|d. |an independent regulatory commission. |

21. The Departments of Agriculture, Interior, Labor, and Commerce are most accurately classified together as

|a. |welfare agencies. |

|b. |revenue agencies. |

|c. |clientele agencies. |

|d. |regulatory agencies. |

22. The primary task of the State Department is

|a. |research. |

|b. |diplomacy. |

|c. |military planning. |

|d. |state and local relations. |

23. The creation of the Department of Defense by legislation from 1947 to 1949 was an effort to unify the War Department with the

|a. |State Department. |

|b. |Navy Department. |

|c. |Central Intelligence Agency.` |

|d. |Department of Homeland Security. |

24. The American national government initially became involved in the regulation of economic and social affairs in the

|a. |late eighteenth century. |

|b. |late nineteenth century. |

|c. |late twentieth century. |

|d. |early twenty-first century. |

25. Most of the federal regulatory agencies date back to their initial creation in the

|a. |1890s. |

|b. |1930s. |

|c. |1960s. |

|d. |1990s. |

26. Rules made by regulatory agencies and commissions are referred to as

|a. |statutory law. |

|b. |civil ordinances. |

|c. |administrative legislation. |

|d. |bureaucratic adjudication. |

27. Policies having to do with taxing and spending are generally referred to as

|a. |fiscal. |

|b. |welfare. |

|c. |monetary. |

|d. |pecuniary. |

28. Policies having to do with banks, credit, and currency are generally referred to as

|a. |fiscal. |

|b. |welfare. |

|c. |monetary. |

|d. |pecuniary. |

29. Administration of fiscal policy is primarily performed in the

|a. |Treasury Department. |

|b. |Federal Reserve System. |

|c. |Office of Management and Budget. |

|d. |Securities and Exchange Commission. |

30. The federal agency responsible for printing American currency is the

|a. |Treasury Department. |

|b. |Federal Reserve System. |

|c. |Internal Revenue Service. |

|d. |Securities and Exchange Commission. |

31. The federal agency that has authority over the credit rates and lending activities of the nation’s most important banks is the

|a. |Treasury Department. |

|b. |Federal Reserve System. |

|c. |Internal Revenue Service. |

|d. |Securities and Exchange Commission. |

32. The largest federal welfare agency is the

|a. |Department of Agriculture. |

|b. |Social Security Administration. |

|c. |Office of Medicare and Medicaid. |

|d. |Department of Health and Human Services. |

33. The agency that administers the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program is the

|a. |Department of Agriculture. |

|b. |Social Security Administration. |

|c. |Department of Health and Human Services. |

|d. |Department of Housing and Urban Development. |

34. The federal agency responsible for the Food Stamp Program is the

|a. |Postal Service. |

|b. |Department of Agriculture. |

|c. |Food and Drug Administration. |

|d. |Department of Health and Human Services. |

35. Programs that require applicants to demonstrate that their total annual cash earnings fall below an

officially defined poverty line before they are eligible to receive public assistance are considered to be

|a. |means-tested. |

|b. |needs-certified. |

|c. |indigence-verified. |

|d. |subsistence-confirmed. |

36. The economist William Niskanen stipulates that, for the purposes of modeling bureaucratic behavior, a bureau chief or department head be thought of as a maximizer of his or her

|a. |time. |

|b. |leisure. |

|c. |budget. |

|d. |office politics. |

37. The frequent phenomenon of bureaucratic implementation that produces policy more to the liking of the bureaucracy than originally legislated, but not so much as to trigger a political reaction from elected officials is called

|a. |coalitional drift. |

|b. |bureaucratic drift. |

|c. |administrative evil. |

|d. |administrative retargeting. |

38. The most powerful before-the-fact political weapon for controlling the bureaucracy is the

|a. |sunset provision. |

|b. |procedural control. |

|c. |appointment process. |

|d. |appropriations process. |

39. The first president with a college degree in business was

|a. |Ronald Reagan. |

|b. |George W. Bush. |

|c. |John F. Kennedy. |

|d. |Woodrow Wilson. |

40. President Bill Clinton inaugurated one of the most systematic efforts “to change the way government does business” with an effort that was heavily influenced by the theories of management consultants who prized decentralization, customer responsiveness, and employee initiative. This attempt to infuse new practices into government was known as the

|a. |National Productivity Plan. |

|b. |Federal Program Evaluation. |

|c. |National Performance Review. |

|d. |Federal Accountability Project. |

41. The effort by Congress through hearings, investigations, and other techniques to exercise control over the activities of bureaucratic agencies in the executive branch is called

|a. |oversight. |

|b. |regulation. |

|c. |invigilation. |

|d. |superintendence. |

42. In the U.S. House of Representatives, the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence reviews the performance of the Central Intelligence Agency in helping to prevent international terrorism. This review is known as

|a. |oversight. |

|b. |regulation. |

|c. |invigilation. |

|d. |superintendence. |

43. Congressional activities such as (1) the use of public hearings to discuss agency budgets and past decisions, (2) congressional casework, and (3) communications between congressional staff and agency staffs are examples of

|a. |oversight. |

|b. |regulation. |

|c. |invigilation. |

|d. |superintendence. |

44. Congress has created for itself three quite large agencies whose obligations are to engage in constant research on problems taking place in the executive branch: the

|a. |National Performance Office, Library of Congress, and the |

| |Congressional Budget Office. |

|b. |Government Accounting Office, Library of Congress, and the |

| |Office of Management and Budget. |

|c. |National Performance Review, Library of Congress, and the |

| |Congressional Oversight Committee. |

|d. |Government Accountability Office, the Congressional Research |

| |Service, and the Congressional Budget Office. |

45. Matthew McCubbins and Thomas Schwartz distinguish between two types of oversight:

|a. |radar and satellite. |

|b. |principal and agentic. |

|c. |unimodal and bimodal. |

|d. |police patrol and fire alarm. |

46. Downsizing the federal bureaucracy by delegating the implementation of programs to state and local governments is called

|a. |devolution. |

|b. |outsourcing. |

|c. |agentic shift. |

|d. |capitalization. |

47. A formerly public activity that is picked up under contract by a business outside of government is called

|a. |rightsizing. |

|b. |downsizing. |

|c. |privatization. |

|d. |capitalization. |

48. An example of a government department agency that is both an agency for the maintenance of the Union and a fiscal agency is the

|a. |Treasury Department. |

|b. |Federal Reserve System. |

|c. |Congressional Budget Office. |

|d. |Securities and Exchange Commission. |

49. The federal agency that has authority over the credit rates and lending activities of the nation’s most important banks is the

|a. |Treasury Department. |

|b. |Federal Reserve System. |

|c. |Internal Revenue Service. |

|d. |Securities and Exchange Commission. |

50. The largest economic sector (accounting for one fifth of the U.S. total domestic output) is

|a. |health. |

|b. |agriculture. |

|c. |manufacturing. |

|d. |transportation. |

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