U.S. Government Review Questions Chapters 7-14

Chapter 7 1. Which of the following makes it easy for a citizen to register to vote? A. B. C. D. grandfather clause lengthy residency requirement National Voter Registration Act competency requirement 2. Which of the following is a reason to make voter registration more difficult? A. B. C. D. increase voter turnout decrease election fraud decrease the cost of elections make the registration process faster 3. What unusual step did Oregon take to increase voter registration? A. B. C. D. The state automatically registers all citizens over eighteen to vote. The state ended voter registration. The state sends every resident a voter registration ballot. The state allows online voter registration. 6. If you wanted to prove the United States is suffering from low voter turnout, a calculation based on which population would yield the lowest voter turnout rate? A. B. C. D. registered voters voting-eligible population voting-age population voters who voted in the last election 7. What characterizes those most likely to vote in the next election? A. B. C. D. over forty-five years old income under $30,000 high school education or less residency in the South 8. Why do Belgium, Turkey, and Australia have higher voter turnout rates than the United States? A. B. C. D. compulsory voting laws more elections fewer registration laws more polling locations 12. A state might hold a primary instead of a caucus because a primary is ________. A. B. C. D. inexpensive and simple transparent and engages local voters faster and has higher turnout highly active and promotes dialog during voting 13. Which of the following citizens is most likely to run for office? A. B. C. D. Maria Trejo, a 28-year-old part-time sonogram technician and mother of two Jeffrey Lyons, a 40-year-old lawyer and father of one Linda Tepsett, a 40-year-old full-time orthopedic surgeon Mark Forman, a 70-year-old retired steelworker 14. Where and when do Electoral College electors vote? A. B. C. D. at their precinct, on Election Day at their state capitol, on Election Day in their state capitol, in December in Washington D.C., in December 15. In which type of election are you most likely to see coattail effects? A. B. C. D. presidential midterm special caucuses 20. Susan is currently working two part-time jobs and is frustrated about the poor economy. On Election Day, she votes for every challenger on the ballot, because she feels the president and Congress are not doing enough to help her. What type of vote did she cast? A. B. C. D. retrospective prospective pocketbook straight ticket 21. Which factor is most likely to lead to the incumbency advantage for a candidate? A. B. C. D. candidate’s socioeconomic status gerrymandering of the candidate’s district media’s support of the candidate candidate’s political party 24. Which of the following is not a step in the initiative process? A. B. C. D. approval of initiative petition by state or local government collection of signatures state-wide vote during a ballot election signature or veto by state governor 25. A referendum is not purely direct democracy because the ________. A. B. C. D. voters propose something but the governor approves it voters propose and approve something but the legislature also approves it government proposes something and the voters approve it government proposes something and the legislature approves it Chapter 8 1. A local station that broadcasts national network programming is called a(an) ________ station. A. affiliate B. cable C. digital D. network 2. Cable programming is often ________. A. B. C. D. local national network sports 3. A conglomerate is a corporation that ________. A. B. C. D. owns all television news stations in a state owns many businesses and media networks owns only radio stations owns only televisions and newspapers 4. When acting as an agenda setter, the media ________. A. B. C. D. decides which issues deserve public attention covers presidential campaigns equally reports on corruption in government brings in advertising revenue for the media corporation 8. Newspapers during the Revolutionary War period tended to ________. A. B. C. D. give fake news and sensationalized stories unite the colonists and provide information about the British print party propaganda attack colonial politicians 9. Muckraking occurs when newspapers ________. A. B. C. D. investigate problems in government and business investigate actions of celebrities print sensational news on the front page to sell papers print more editorials and opinion pieces to sell papers 10. Radio quiz shows and comedy shows were most popular in the ________. A. B. C. D. 1900s 1930s 1970s 1990s 11. Television news became a regular feature during ________ due to the public’s demand for ________ to explain current events. A. B. C. D. WWI; images and maps Great Depression; charts and tables WWII; images and maps Vietnam War; charts and tables 15. In which circumstance would the courts find libel? A. B. C. D. A reporter uses a source that incorrectly states a celebrity is using drugs. A columnist writes his opinion about whether an actor is hiding a drug problem. A television reporter delivers a story about increased drug use at the local college. A reporter writes that local college students are drug dealers but has no sources. 16. The Supreme Court determined that the right of the press to print classified material________. A. B. C. D. is obsolete, and the press may never print classified material is partial, and the press may print classified material only if it does not compromise troops or covert operatives is complete, and the press may print anything it likes has not yet been defined 17. The Federal Communications Commission oversees the programming of which entities? A. B. C. D. television television and radio television, radio, and satellite television, radio, satellite, and cable 18. Which of the following is a reasonable exception to the Freedom of Information Act? A. B. C. D. medical records for government employees budget for the Department of Labor minutes from a president’s cabinet meeting transcript of meetings between Department of State negotiators and Russian trade negotiators 21. Which of the following is an example of episodic framing? A. a story on drug abuse that interviews addicts and discusses reasons for addiction and government responses to help addicts B. a story on how drug abuse policy has changed since 1984 C. a story on candidates’ answers to a drug question in a debate D. a story detailing arguments against needle exchange programs 22. According to research, why might a woman decide not to run for office? A. B. C. D. She feels the work is too hard. She fears her positions will be covered too closely by the press. She fears the media will criticize her family. She fears the campaign will be too expensive. 23. Media coverage of a race tends to ________. A. B. C. D. accurately portray all races equally accurately portray whites and blacks as victims overrepresent whites and the elderly as poor overrepresent African Americans as poor Chapter 9 1. Which supporter of federalism warned people about the dangers of political parties? A. B. C. D. John Adams Alexander Hamilton James Madison George Washington 2. Which of the following was not a third-party challenger? A. B. C. D. Whig Party Progressive Party Dixiecrats Green Party 5. In which type of electoral system do voters select the party of their choice rather than an individual candidate? A. B. C. D. proportional representation first-past-the-post plurality voting majoritarian voting 6. Which of the following does not represent a major contributing factor in party realignment? A. B. C. D. demographic shifts changes in key issues changes in party strategies third parties 9. Which level of party organization is most responsible for helping the party’s nominee win the presidency? A. B. C. D. precinct county state national Chapter 10 1. Someone who lobbies on behalf of a company that he or she works for as part of his or her job is ________. A. B. C. D. an in-house lobbyist a volunteer lobbyist a contract lobbyist a legislative liaison 2. How are collective goods different from private goods? A. B. C. D. Collective goods offer particularized benefits, while private goods are broadly distributed. Collective goods and private goods both offer particularized benefits. Collective goods and private goods both offer broadly distributed benefits. Collective goods offer broadly distributed benefits, while private goods offer particularized benefits. 3. Why might several competing corporations join together in an association? A. because there is often strength in numbers B. because they often have common issues that may affect an entire industry C. because they can all benefit from governmental policies D. all the above 5. What type of incentives appeal to someone’s concern about a cause? A. B. C. D. solidary incentives purposive incentives material incentives negative incentives 6. Which of the following is the best example of a solidary benefit? A. B. C. D. joining a group to be with others like you joining a group to obtain a monetary benefit joining a group because you care about a cause joining a group because it is a requirement of your job 9. What changes have occurred in the lobbying environment over the past three or four decades? A. B. C. D. There is more professional lobbying. Many interests lobby both the national government and the states. A fragmentation of interests has taken place. all the above 10. Which of the following is an aspect of iron triangles? A. B. C. D. fluid participation among interests a great deal of competition for access to decision-makers a symbiotic relationship among Congressional committees, executive agencies, and interest groups three interest groups that have formed a coalition 14. Which of the following is true of spending in politics? A. B. C. D. The Supreme Court has yet to address the issue of money in politics. The Supreme Court has restricted spending on politics. The Supreme Court has opposed restrictions on spending on politics. The Supreme Court has ruled that corporations may spend unlimited amounts of money but unions may not. 15. What is a difference between a PAC and a super PAC? A. PACs can contribute directly to candidates, but super PACs cannot. B. Conservative interests favor PACs over super PACs. C. Contributions to PACs are unlimited, but restrictions have been placed on how much money can be contributed to super PACs. D. Super PACS are much more likely to support incumbent candidates than are PACs. 18. Revolving door laws are designed to do which of the following? A. prevent lawmakers from utilizing their legislative relationships by becoming lobbyists immediately after leaving office B. help lawmakers find work after they leave office C. restrict lobbyists from running for public office D. all the above 19. In what ways are lobbyists regulated? A. B. C. D. Certain activities are prohibited. Contributions must be disclosed. Lobbying is prohibited immediately after leaving office. all the above Chapter 11 1. The Great Compromise successfully resolved differences between ________. A. B. C. D. large and small states slave and non-slave states the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution the House and the Senate 2. While each state has two senators, members of the House are apportioned ________. A. B. C. D. according to the state’s geographic size based on the state’s economic size according to the state’s population based on each state’s need 3. The process of redistricting can present problems for congressional representation because ________. A. B. C. D. districts must include urban and rural areas states can gain but never lose districts districts are often drawn to benefit partisan groups states have been known to create more districts than they have been apportioned 4. Which of the following is an implied power of Congress? A. B. C. D. the power to regulate the sale of tobacco in the states the power to increase taxes on the wealthiest one percent the power to put the president on trial for high crimes the power to override a presidential veto 8. Senate races tend to inspire ________. A. B. C. D. broad discussion of policy issues narrow discussion of specific policy issues less money than House races less media coverage than House races 9. The saying