Midterm Exam

A  desegregate

B  be bused

C  pray

D  take standardized tests

A  is a prior restraint

B  qualifies as hate speech

C  creates a clear and present danger

D  is critical of the government

A  symbolic speech

B  prior restraint

C  the Roth test

D  probable cause

A  right to marry

B  right to vote

C  right to travel

D  right to privacy

A  self-incrimination

B  unreasonable search and seizure

C  double jeopardy

D  trials without a jury

A  Fifteenth

B  Eighth

C  Tenth

D  Third

A  benefiting financially from that crime

B  being tried again for the same crime

C  asserting innocence

D  seeking the assistance of an attorney

A  sexual freedom

B  family

C  commerce

D  privacy

A  displays of religious symbols during holidays

B  teaching of evolution in school

C  recitation of prayer and Bible passages in school

D  displays of religious symbols on government buildings

A  an undue burden

B  a prior restraint

C  any additional constraints

D  an inconvenient truth

A  speak to an attorney

B  quick and speedy trial

C  a phone call

D  a jury trial

A  Free Exercise

B  Orange

C  Lemon

D  Prior Restraint

A  that is critical of the government

B  before the fact

C  that is illegal

D  after the fact

A  The state could ban the abortion unless the mother’s life was in danger.

B  The state could regulate it if the mother’s life were in danger.

C  The state could ban it.

D  The state could do very little to limit a woman’s right to an abortion.

A  actual malice

B  witnesses

C  property loss

D  a written record

A  establishment

B  eminent domain

C  free exercise

D  incorporation

A  a written indictment

B  reasonable bail

C  the right to parole

D  assistance of counsel

A  slander; defamation

B  slander; libel

C  libel; defamation

D  libel; slander

A  New York Times v. Sullivan

B  Lawrence v. Texas

C  Roe v. Wade

D  US v. Morrison

A  It increases citizens’ access to government.

B  It lowers overall tax rates.

C  It increases the gross domestic product.

D  It lowers voter turnout.

A  the quality of policies can vary from state to state.

B  states can figure out which policies work best for them

C  citizens can choose to live in those areas that have the policies they prefer

D  the state governments can nullify laws passed by Congress

A  A loose association of states with mutually recognized compacts but no central government.

B  A loose association of states constitutionally created by a strong central government.

C  A constitutional arrangement concentrating power in a central government.

D  A constitutional arrangement by which two or more levels of government share formal authority over the same area and people.

A  layer-cake

B  pineapple-upside-down-cake

C  cupcake

D  marble-cake

A  programmatic requests

B  categorical grants

C  business grants

D  block grants

A  operate prisons

B  establish schools

C  create courts

D  coin money

A  full faith and credit

B  supremacy

C  due process

D  equal protection

A  dual

B  progressive

C  cooperative

D  combined

A  progressive federalism

B  dual federalism

C  new federalism

D  cooperative federalism

A  direct democracy

B  oligarchy

C  conglomeration

D  confederation

A  limiting the national government

B  regulating interstate commerce

C  challenging the power of the states

D  centralizing power in the federal government

A  Eleventh

B  Sixth

C  Third

D  Twelfth

A  redevelopment

B  devolution

C  excavation

D  evolution

A  due process

B  commerce

C  full faith and credit

D  equal protection

A  Tenth

B  Fourteenth

C  Eleventh

D  Eighth

A  Federalism

B  Confederation

C  Declaration

D  Independence

A  Diversity helps Americans better understand each other.

B  Discrimination is a natural part of the human experience.

C  Affirmative action discriminates on the basis of race.

D  Unaddressed past discrimination causes perpetual inequality.

A  The Supreme Court did not have all of the facts when it adopted the separate-but-equal doctrine.

B  The separate-but-equal doctrine was never intended to apply to people.

C  School segregation violated the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection.

D  The quality of life for African Americans in the South had deteriorated considerably since the adoption of the separate-but-equal doctrine.

A  to prevent the race riots from spreading from African American neighborhoods into traditionally white neighborhoods

B  because it was clear that many areas in the South had no intention of living up to the spirit of the Fifteenth Amendment

C  the Supreme Court had determined that only the national government could regulate elections

D  because Congress was afraid the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. would lead a boycott of white businesses if the legislation was not passed

A  Affirmative action policies are generally permissible, but they cannot involve race-based quotas or numerical point systems.

B  Affirmative action policies are assumed to be unconstitutional unless the university can demonstrate the need to promote racial tolerance.

C  All forms of affirmative action are unconstitutional because they unfairly favor some people over others based on the color of their skin.

D  Affirmative action policies must ensure that all racial and ethnic groups are represented in accordance with the population of the nation as a whole.

A  It has had little effect because it was not formally adopted.

B  It has ensured that the courts evaluate gender discrimination using the inherently suspect test.

C  It has ensured that men and women are treated equally in the workplace.

D  It has eliminated gender discrimination in the military.

A  an employer who systematically pays women less than men for doing comparable work

B  a college that spends significantly more on sports programs for men than for women

C  a legal prohibition on hiring women for positions that are known to be hazardous to women’s reproductive health

D  an election jurisdiction that does not provide bilingual ballots when there is a large bilingual community

A  Male and female student athletes cannot compete on the same basketball team at the university level.

B  Businesses cannot discriminate against gays and lesbians in hiring and promotion decisions.

C  Those without a college degree are not eligible for upper-level civil service jobs.

D  Government contracts must be awarded to a contractor who is a racial minority whenever at least 10 percent of the bidders are minority-owned businesses.

A  admitting some minority applicants with lower academic achievement than some rejected white applicants

B  setting aside a certain percentage of admissions slots for African American students

C  considering how an applicant would contribute to the diversity of the university

D  considering race as a factor in university admissions decisions

A  affirmative action policies maybe broadly tailored to accomplish a compelling government interest

B  affirmative action policies must be designed to address past discrimination without taking into account race, ethnicity, religion, or creed

C  affirmative action policies are subject to an intermediate standard whereby they are presumed to be permissible

D  affirmative action policies must be scrutinized using the same suspect standard that is used for other policies classifying people by race

A  disabled Americans

B  Asian Americans

C  American Indians

D  gays and lesbians

A  Railroad transportation involves interstate commerce, which is regulated by Congress; there is no provision in federal law that prohibits segregation.

B  The Constitution does not prohibit segregation; it only mandates equal protection under the law.

C  What was the basis for the Supreme Court’s decision in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) that upheld the constitutionality of a state law requiring segregated railroad facilities?

D  Former slaves are not entitled to full citizenship rights because they did not immigrate to the United States willingly.

A  It was unconstitutional, but it was too late to do anything about it.

B  It was unconstitutional, and Japanese Americans must be duly compensated.

C  It did not pass the strict scrutiny test, and the internment was promptly terminated.

D  It was legally permissible.

A  voter discrimination

B  racial segregation

C  racial quotas

D  lynchings by the Ku Klux Klan

A  separate but equal

B  property or chattel

C  citizens

D  eligible to vote

A  racial quotas in university admissions

B  grandfather clauses

C  Jim Crow laws

D  all forms of affirmative action

A  losing candidates

B  winning candidates

C  voters

D  nonvoters

A  the 1965 Voting Rights Act

B  the Nineteenth Amendment

C  Reed v. Reed

D  Korematsu v. United States

A  economic status

B  involvement in insurrection

C  race

D  property ownership

A  jurisdiction

B  due process

C  equal protection

D  privileges and immunities

A  national referendum

B  natural law

C  judicial interpretation

D  congressional inaction

A  by a majority of state governors

B  by a two-thirds vote in a special election called for the purpose of voting on the amendment

C  by a two-thirds vote in each house of Congress

D  by a majority of voting-age citizens

A  a stronger national government

B  shorter terms of office

C  stronger state governments

D  stronger protections of individual liberties

A  the consent of the governed

B  government itself

C  the divine right of kings

D  the right to revolt

A  The Federalists

B  Whigs

C  Anti-Masons

D  The Anti-Federalists

A  Virginia Plan

B  New Jersey Plan

C  Democratic Plan

D  Republican Plan

A  The Constitution contained strong protections for individual rights; the Articles of Confederation contained strong protections for collective rights.

B  The Constitution was based on democratic principles; the Articles of Confederation was based on tyrannical principles.

C  The Constitution created a stronger national government than did the Articles of Confederation.

D  The Constitution contained stronger safeguards for states’ rights than did the Articles of Confederation.

A  checks and balances

B  privileges and immunities

C  weights and measures

D  oversight and influence

A  King Caucus

B  electoral college

C  direct popular election

D  People’s Plebiscite

A  a single chamber with each state receiving equal power

B  two chambers

C  a single chamber with membership based on a state’s population

D  a single chamber whose members were appointed by the president

A  unlawful detention

B  free speech infringement

C  taxation of private property

D  infringement of religious freedom

A  Daniel Shays

B  John Boehner

C  John Locke

D  Gramm Rudman

A  a private action

B  a commercial act

C  a form of due process

D  free speech

A  executive

B  legislative

C  judicial

D  bureaucratic

A  15

B  10

C  27

D  36

A  the Common Sense Committee

B  the Constitutional Convention

C  the Continental Congress

D  the Committees of Correspondence

A  Magna Carta

B  the Articles of Confederation

C  Declaration of the Rights of Man

D  the Declaration of Independence

A  natural rights

B  Constitutional law

C  intrinsic laws

D  positive rights

A  Today’s generation of young adults is significantly more likely to read newspapers than their elders.

B  The age of the demographic that consumes television news is much higher on average than those that consume alternative sources of news.

C  Children who develop positive feelings toward political authorities grow into adults who are not easily disenchanted with politics.

D  Political socialization is more important to governments than to individuals.

A  Civil disobedience involves intentionally breaking a law; a protest involves getting attention from the media.

B  Civil disobedience involves unintentionally breaking a law; a protest involves intentionally breaking a law.

C  Civil disobedience involves violence; a protest is peaceful.

D  Civil disobedience is involuntary; a protest is voluntary.

A  government programs to help individuals invest their Social Security income would likely be higher on the political agenda

B  government-run services would likely be privatized

C  government programs to alleviate economic inequality would likely be higher on the political agenda

D  government workers would likely unionize

A  parents of children under age 18

B  parents

C  women with children

D  citizens in the school district

A  gathering signatures for a proposed ballot measure

B  signing a petition in a school parking lot

C  running for public office as a third party candidate

D  staging a sit-in

A  Government should regulate the economy in the public interest.

B  Taxes and spending should be kept low.

C  The United States should stop letting criminals hide behind the law.

D  Prayer belongs in school.

A  liberalism and political tolerance

B  political participation and suspicion of out-groups

C  political participation and strength of party attachment

D  candidate loyalty and authoritarianism

A  The majority party in the House of Representatives is determined by each state’s proportion of party-affiliated voters.

B  The Constitution requires that each state’s taxes be proportional to the size of its population.

C  The number of seats each state has in the House is based on a state’s population, which changes over time.

D  Each congressional district must be redrawn to reflect changes in the state’s population.

A  The flow of immigrant families with children decreased.

B  The flow of low-income immigrant families from Mexico increased.

C  Most new immigrants were from northwestern Europe.

D  Most new immigrants were being reunited with family in the United States.

A  informing the public about the candidates

B  influencing voting behavior

C  overthrowing the government

D  affecting public policy change

A  a measure of the minimum requirements needed to vote

B  all the activities used by citizens to socialize their children to the political process

C  the capacity of individuals (or groups) to exert their own political will

D  all the activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue

A  Liberals are overrepresented at the polls.

B  Young citizens are overrepresented at the polls.

C  Conservatives are overrepresented at the polls.

D  Democrats are overrepresented at the polls.

A  information the census collects helps to determine how more than $400 billion in federal funding is spent each year

B  information from the census determines tax rates

C  participation indicates the legitimacy of government and of laws passed by Congress

D  changes in the U.S. population affect membership in political parties

A  Men consume considerably more political news than do women.

B  Older people consume more political news than do younger people.

C  West Coast residents consume more political news than do East Coast residents.

D  Working-class people consume more political news than do wealthier people.

A  writing letters to the editor

B  volunteering with a campaign

C  contacting government officials

D  protesting

A  the predominance of conservatives in the United States

B  the absence of pluralist thinking in the United States

C  the predominance of liberals in the United States

D  the absence of moderates in the United States

A  ordinary citizens

B  big business

C  political parties

D  Congress

A  Many groups vie for power with no one group dominating politics.

B  Too many influential groups cripple government’s ability to govern.

C  Because most citizens fail to pay attention to serious issues, government has become an elite institution.

D  Congress is stronger and more influential than the presidency.

A  a budgetary choice

B  a presidential action

C  a congressional statute

D  a regulation

A  pluralist

B  egalitarian

C  laissez-faire

D  populist

A  political culture

B  government

C  politics

D  public policy

A  majority rule

B  hyperpluralism

C  pluralism

D  federalism

A  pluralism

B  elitism

C  balance of power

D  policy gridlock

A  pluralism

B  representation

C  majority rule

D  enlightened rule

A  one person, one vote

B  universal citizenship

C  freedom of speech and of the press

D  inclusion

A  a system that selects policymakers and organizes government so that policy represents and responds to the public’s preferences

B  a system that ensures freedom, justice, and peace to all citizens

C  a system that grants a status of privilege to the most active and informed voters

D  a system that perpetuates the status quo and upholds the values of the party in power

A  the issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other political actors

B  all of the issues that candidates talk about on the campaign trail

C  the issues that are asked about on public opinion polls

D  the issues that concern single-issue interest groups

A  Congress

B  the courts

C  political culture

D  government