Political Science 1 – National & California Governments

Dr. Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein (Office Phone 310-434-3541)

Political Science 1 – National & California Governments 

Globalyceum Unit Exam No. 3

1. The refusal of a Kentucky county courthouse official to issue marriage licenses to gay couples after the Supreme Court's same-sex decision

a. None of these.

b. Was very common throughout the US.

c. Was very common throughout the South.

d. Was an exception to the fact that most jurisdictions enforced the law.

2. About how many bills do modern presidents veto in any given two-year Congressional session?

a. About 10-20 vetoes.

b. There are hundreds of vetoes in a session but only about a half dozen are really critical.

c. As many as 100 vetoes.

d. One or two vetoes.

3. The Office of Management and Budget works directly for

a. The Senate.

b. The president.

c. The Office of Management and Budget is an independent agency.

d. The Treasury Department.

4. Baum suggests that the Miranda decision took a while to implement, because

a. All of these.

b. Police officers and their superiors did not want to comply with the ruling.

c. Police officers and departments might have been not wanted to comply because then they may not be able to question the defendant, if they gave the Miranda warning.

d. Police officers found it cumbersome to comply with the ruling.

5. What is the most important power given to the president in the Constitution?

a. Chief of the Senate.b. Director of the federal bureaucracy.c. Persuader in chief.d. Commander-in-Chief

6. The following is true about US Courts of Appeals:

a. The 9th Circuit US Court of Appeals covers the largest geographical area in the US.

b. All of these.

c. There are 10 US Courts of Appeals

d. The 2nd Circuit US Court of Appeals includes New York State.

7. The process that keeps one group or individual from gaining too much power is called

a. Veto.

b. Checks and balances.

c. Abdication.

d. Override.

8. When the president and Congress share the same political party,

a. There are many fewer vetoes of bills.

b. There tend to be more vetoes.

c. The number of vetoes is about the same as when there is divided government.

d. In the first years, there are almost no vetoes, and then they increase steadily through the years

9. The "bully pulpit"

a. Was coined by Theodore Roosevelt.

b. All of these.

c. Is a term referring to a platform from which one can preach.

d. Refers to the White House as a national stage from which to advocate an agenda.

10. Medicaid began as part of the legislative program of

a. Harry S. Truman.

b. Lyndon

B. Johnson.c. John F. Kennedy.

d. Franklin D. Roosevelt.

11. The Supreme Court’s June 2015 ruling about same-sex marriage was based on the 14th Amendment.

a. TRUE

b. FALSE

12. If the president vetoes a bill, there is nothing that Congress can do.

a. TRUE

b. FALSE

13. What is Congressional "case work"?

a. The staffs that members of Congress have to get themselves reelected.

b. The services that members of Congress provide for groups and individuals in their districts.

c. The time that members of Congress spend in their constituencies to get themselves elected.

d. The work that members of Congress do to follow the US Supreme Court.

14. Most state judges have a limited term, usually of about

a. Ten years

b. Two years

c. None of these.

d. Six years

15. In what way is the Senate different than the House?

a. The Senate focuses on efficiency, the House on the participation of all members.

b. The majority party is stronger in the Senate.

c. For a bill to be approved there must be “unanimous consent” in the Senate but not in the House.

d. The Senate was designed to focus on the day to day business of politics.

16. The only thing that can change the number of representatives a state has is population growth, which alters the number of constituents per representative.

a. FALSE

b. TRUE

17. Which of the following is a responsibility of the Ways and Means Committee?

a. Overseeing all taxation and tariffs

b. Oversight of the federal budget process

c. Controlling foreign aid.

d. All of these

18. Baum notes that between the 1950s and 1990s, several Supreme Court justice seemed to switch ideological positions. What happened?

a. Several moderate appointees turned out to be far-left liberals.

b. Several Democratic appointees adopted extremely conservative positions.

c. Democratic presidents appointed moderate liberals, and they became more conservative in their ideology.

d. Several Republican appointees adopted liberal and moderate positions over time.

19. In a speech he gave in 1963, President Kennedy called the issue of civil rights

a. An issue of liberty.

b. An ethical issue.

c. A legal issue.

d. A moral issue.

20. According to Gailmard, the modern standard for the presidential legislative program was inaugurated during the presidency of

a. Dwight Eisenhower.

b. Franklin Roosevelt.

c. John F. Kennedy.
d. Harry Truman.

21. What advantage does an incumbent possess?

a. Name recognition.

b. Free mailing to constituents.

c. All of these.

d. Easier fundraising.

22. The Framers intended Congress to

a. Work closely with the judiciary to make sure laws were constitutional.

b. Be the dominant branch of the federal government.

c. Pass as well as enforce the laws.

d. Be the weakest branch of the federal government.

23. Many of the wars of the last 100 years

a. Began in the Middle East.

b. Were actually armed conflicts initiated by the president.

c. Were started by the Central Powers.

d. Were settled by the United Nations.

24. According to Baum, the reason the Supreme Court rejected same-sex marriage in the 1970s was probably because the Court viewed same-sex marriage as "unthinkable" at that time.

a. TRUE

b. FALSE

25. What does the Wyoming Rule attempt to remedy what situation?

a. Inequality between the House and Senate in representation.

b. The problem that the Constitution prohibits states from sharing a representative.

c. Unequal representation of people in the House of Representatives.

d. The problem of seven small population states to have one representative.

26. Congress can overcome the president's veto with

a. A supermajority of both houses of Congress

b. None of these.

c. A supermajority of the Senate but a simple majority of the House.

d. Only when the presidency changes to new hands.

27. According to Baum, when people dislike Supreme Court rulings,

a. The ruling is very often not enforced.

b. Compliance is rare.

c. The federal government often has to step in to enforce the ruling.

d. Compliance with the ruling is most often the case.

28. According to Dolan, today it is relatively easy to be a member of the House but more difficult to be a Senator.

a. FALSE

b. TRUE

29. In the legislative process, presidents are

a. More significant than a House member but about as significant as a Senator.

b. About as significant a player as any individual House mamber.
c. Among the most significant if not most significant players.

d. A side show.

30. Which of the following is true regarding the president's legislative agenda and public opinion?

a. The president can raise the salience of an issue to the voters, thereby raising the cost to members of Congress from inaction on that issue.

b. The president can use the strategy known as "going public" in bargaining with Congress for his or her agenda.

c. All of these.

d. If Congress doesn't enact the legislation the president wants, the president can mobilize public opinion in support of his causes.

31. If a president were to respond more to general public opinion than just opinion in their own party, we would call this

a. None of these.

b. Constituency responsiveness.

c. Centrist responsiveness.

d. Partisan responsiveness.

32. How often do we hold Congressional elections?

a. Every six years

b. Whenever the president calls for an election.

c. Every four years

d. Every two years

33. Which of the following is NOT a cabinet department?

a. Department of the Federal Reserve

b. Department of Agriculture

c. Department of Veterans Affairs

d. Department of Housing and Urban Development

34. Looking at the data about the number of death penalty cases in the US over the last 60 years, one could conclude

a. Strangely, there were more executions in the 1990s than in the 1960s.

b. All of these.

c. The Supreme Court ruling against the death penalty in the early 1970s spurred the states to change their laws and do more executions.

d. The death penalty is on the decline in the last 15 years.

35. After the Supreme Courts ruling that allowed flag burning,

a. The Court backed off of its previous decision and modified it ruling, a sign that it bowed to public pressure

.b. The Court continued its rulings along the same line until a conservative majority came into place and ruled the opposite way.

c. The Court refused to take up another case on flag burning.

d. The Court defied negative public opinion and ruled again to support its decision.

36. The nine-member Supreme Court

a. Has been meeting in Philadelphia since 1791.

b. Meets in Washington and is the highest-ranking court of the land.

c. Meets in New York and is the highest-ranking federal court.

d. Meets in New York and uses the certiorari process.

37. Even 10 years after Brown, what percentage of black students were still attending segregated schools in the South?

a. About half

b. 66 percent.

c. About a third

d. 98 percent

38. Because Congressional elections are not as visible as presidential elections, voters

a. Tend to choose the candidate who spends the most money.

b. Tend to select the candidate of the president's party.

c. Tend to vote for candidate personalities.

d. Tend to vote for the candidate of the political party.

39. How did federal district judges delay enforcing the Brown decision?

a. They followed state decisions about desegregation rather than the Supreme Court's decision.

b. They delayed because the Supreme Court was not specific about when to desegregate.

c. They openly opposed the decision from the bench.

d. They argued that they didn’t have the jurisdiction to enforce Brown

40. Which of these Supreme Court rulings inspired resistance?

a. All of these

b. Cases prohibiting religious observances in schools (1962)

c. Brown v. Board of Education – desegregation

d. Miranda v. Arizona (1966) - search and seizure

41. What are the terms for a Senator and House member?

a. Senator: 8 Years House Member: 4 years.

b. Senator: 6 years House Member: 2 years.

c. Both 2 years.

d. Senator: 2 years House Member: 6 years.

42. An example of "checks and balances" is

a. All of these.

b. The judicial branch's right to declare laws unconstitutional.

c. The president's qualified right to veto legislation.

d. The legislature's override of presidential veto.

43. The executive branch, directed by the president and the Department of State,

a. Makes all decisions concerning a declaration of war.

b. Is responsible for the United States’ foreign policy actions.

c. Is the mediator in states’ conflicts.

d. Does not need any permission to make a treaty with a foreign country.

44. The “Bank War” was initiated by

a. John Tyler.

b. Andrew Jackson.
c. Andrew Johnson.

d. James Polk.

45. Executive orders

a. Are not final and an executive agency can be sued in federal court if they enforce an unconstitutional executive order.

b. Give the president the final say over policy.

c. None of these.

d. Are final and an agency that enforces one can not be sued.

46. Which of these groups has an interest in state supreme court elections?

a. All of theseb. The business community c. Labor unions d. Lawyers and law firms

47. Representation in the Senate

a. Depends on changes in state population every 10 years.

b. Depends on state income.

c. Is permanently established in the 50 states.

d. Is determined by the president.

48. According to Baum, it looks as though the approval or disapproval of the Supreme Court follows the same ratings for government generally.

a. TRUE

b. FALSE

49. The two key factors in the president's role in legislation are

a. The veto and the executive order.

b. The executive order and the legislative program.

c. The veto and the legislative program.

d. The executive order and the communication program.

50. According to Baum, what is one rationale for Chief Justice Roberts’ vote on Obamacare?

a. None of these

b. If the Supreme Court acted in a partisan way, it may have become a campaign issue in the upcoming election.

c. He was worried about being removed from the Supreme Court.

d. Chief Justice Roberts has become much more liberal since his confirmation.