American Government Final Exam
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- 1.Bureaucracy is the name given to
- A.
A large organization, structured hierarchically, that carries out specific functions.
- B.
Any organization that has major problems when attempting to accomplish its goals.
- C.
A group of people who work to enforce policies in a way that prevents quick results.
- D.
Any large branch of a government that has power to interpret laws.
- E.
Government organizations, but not corporate or university ones.
- 2.One of the important differences between public bureaucracies and private corporations is that government bureaucracies
- A.
Are not organized to make a profit, while private corporations are.
- B.
Have a single set of leaders, while private corporations do not.
- C.
Are much larger than private corporations.
- D.
Are not intended to serve the citizenry, as private corporations are.
- E.
Present an opportunity for career advancement, while private corporations do not.
- 3.The number of federal government employees has
- A.
Increased significantly in the last several decades.
- B.
Remained relatively stable for the last several decades.
- C.
Decreased substantially in the last ten years.
- D.
Grown to exceed the number of local government employees.
- E.
Grown to exceed the number of state government employees.
- 4.Today, government spending accounts for about _____ of the U.S. gross domestic product.
- A.
10%
- B.
20%
- C.
30%
- D.
40%
- E.
50%
- 5.The cabinet departments are
- A.
Less significant than independent agencies.
- B.
Privatized bureaucracies.
- C.
Government corporations.
- D.
The fifteen major departments of the executive branch.
- E.
Independent agencies.
- 6.The cabinet departments, in terms of organization, are
- A.
Directly accountable to the president.
- B.
Independent of direct control by the president.
- C.
Responsible for the actions of independent agencies.
- D.
Part of the legislative branch.
- E.
Responsible for monitoring the president.
- 7.Independent executive agencies are
- A.
The most recent cabinet departments.
- B.
Responsible for regulating major aspects of the economy.
- C.
Not part of cabinet departments but report directly to the president.
- D.
Responsible directly to Congress.
- E.
Staffed entirely by political appointees.
- 8._____ were set up because Congress felt it was unable to handle the complexities and technicalities required to carry out specific laws in the public interest.
- A.
Cabinet departments
- B.
Independent executive agencies
- C.
Independent regulatory agencies
- D.
Government corporations
- E.
Courts of limited jurisdiction
- 9._____ is when an industry that is being regulated gains control over the agency that is supposed to regulate it.
- A.
Cooption
- B.
Capture
- C.
Complacency
- D.
Collusion
- E.
Pork
- 10.Government corporations and private corporations are different in all of the following ways except
- A.
Government corporations do not have to make a profit.
- B.
Private corporations must pay taxes.
- C.
Private corporations have stockholders.
- D.
You cannot invest in a government corporation.
- E.
Government corporations do not perform a particular economic function.
- 11.Some people argued that the government should _____ banks, or take them over completely, in order to prevent them from becoming so-called "zombie banks."
- A.
Shrink
- B.
Insure
- C.
Capitalize
- D.
Aggrandize
- E.
Nationalize
- 12.The spoils system is
- A.
The major problem of the federal bureaucracy today.
- B.
The most efficient way of structuring large organizations.
- C.
A new theory for employee selection and retention.
- D.
The awarding of government jobs to political supporters and friends.
- E.
A means of ensuring the best and the brightest will hold positions in government.
- 13.The selection and promotion of government employees on the basis of examinations is a result of the
- A.
Administrative agency.
- B.
Independent regulatory agency.
- C.
Merit system.
- D.
Patronage system.
- E.
Spoils system.
- 14.The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978
- A.
Created the Office of Personnel Management and the Merit Systems Protection Board.
- B.
Created the Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Labor.
- C.
Created the Civil Service Commission.
- D.
Created the Office of Management and Budget(OMB).
- E.
Abolished the Labor Department and the Civil Service Commission.
- 15.The "Government in the Sunshine Act" required that
- A.
All federal agencies that are run by committees conduct their business regularly in public session.
- B.
All federal agencies will terminate after five years unless Congress grants the agency an extension.
- C.
All federal agencies hold at least half of their public meetings outside of Washington, D.C.
- D.
At least 40 percent of upper level positions within an agency be filled by females or ethnic minorities.
- E.
All federal agency meetings on personnel problems or court proceedings be held in public session.
- 16.The concept of privatization refers to
- A.
Federal loan guarantees for small businesses.
- B.
The replacement of government services with services provided by private firms.
- C.
The hiring practices of the Civil Service.
- D.
The replacement of federal government services with state or local government services.
- E.
Reducing the number of levels in the federal hierarchy.
- 17.A whistleblower is a person who
- A.
Does not accomplish his or her tasks by the end of a day.
- B.
Brings to public attention gross governmental inefficiency or illegal action.
- C.
Is hired in excess of the true labor requirements of an agency.
- D.
Is a person who serves in the position of an ombudsman.
- E.
Leaks the contents of a presidential speech to the press before it is given.
- 18.A statute enacted by Congress that authorizes the creation of an administrative agency is
- A.
An appropriations authorization.
- B.
Enabling legislation.
- C.
An executive order.
- D.
Statutory authorization.
- E.
The Civil Service Act of 1978.
- 19.A major power that Congress has over the federal bureaucaracy is the
- A.
Authority to select high-level bureaucrats.
- B.
Authority to authorize or appropriate funds for particular agencies.
- C.
Authority to fire bureaucrats for not executing policy passed by Congress.
- D.
Power to find agency actions unconstitutional.
- E.
Power to appoint agency heads.
- 20.All of the following ar among the ten categories the government is exempted from having to rulease under the Freedom of Information Act, except
- A.
Classified material.
- B.
Confidential material on trade secrets.
- C.
Internal personnel rules.
- D.
Personal medical files.
- E.
Marriage records.
- 21.Alexis de Tocqueville, an observer of nineteenth-century American society, indicated that Americans rely on courts
- A.
To resolve political questions.
- B.
Very rarely when compared to Europe.
- C.
Only if there is no other alternative.
- D.
To resolve economic questions, but not political ones.
- E.
To provide a form of entertainment.
- 22.A court rule bearing on subsequent legal decisions in similar cases is
- A.
A precedent.
- B.
Criminal law.
- C.
A judicial maxim.
- D.
Common law.
- E.
Statutory law.
- 23.Sources of American law include all of the following except
- A.
The U.S. Constitution.
- B.
State constitutions.
- C.
Statutes.
- D.
Administrative regulations.
- E.
The Charter of the United Nations.
- 24.The federal court derives its power from
- A.
Article III of the Constitution.
- B.
Congressional legislation.
- C.
Article IV of the Constitution.
- D.
The 5th Amendment.
- E.
Executive order.
- 25.A question that has to do with the U.S. Constitution, acts of Congress, or treaties is known as a _____ question.
- A.
Justiciable
- B.
Political
- C.
Federal
- D.
National
- E.
Legal
- 26.A justiciable controversy
- A.
Forms the basis of concurring opinions.
- B.
Is a controversy that is real and substantial as opposed to hypothetical or academic.
- C.
Arises when the opinions on the Supreme Court are tied.
- D.
Can be found in a case's dissenting opinion.
- E.
Is a hypothetical question.
- 27.Interest groups play an important role in our judicial system because
- A.
They have the opportunity to veto judicial nominations.
- B.
They help to fund the judicial review board.
- C.
Madison stipulated their role in Federalist #10.
- D.
They bring to trial cases of discrimination, civil liberties cases, and more than a third of cases involving business matters.
- E.
They frequently are defendants in class-action suits.
- 28.A class-action suit is a
- A.
Lawsuit filed by a third party who is not directly involved in the litigation.
- B.
Case sent back to the court that originally heard the case.
- C.
Lawsuit seeking damages for "all persons similarly situated."
- D.
Case in which the Supreme Court exercises original jurisdiction.
- E.
Lawsuit in which the parties are from different jurisdictions.
- 29.Tax courts and bankruptcy courts are examples of
- A.
Appellate courts.
- B.
General jurisdiction courts.
- C.
Courts of limited jurisdiction.
- D.
Territorial courts.
- E.
International courts.
- 30.According to the Constitution, the Supreme Court can exercise original jurisdiction
- A.
In matters where the United States is a party.
- B.
In cases where jurisdiction has been granted by statute.
- C.
To intervene in a federal case.
- D.
Over cases appealed from state supreme courts.
- E.
In cases affecting foreign diplomats and in cases in which a state is a party.
- 31.Of the total number of cases that are decided each year, those reviewed by the Supreme Court represent
- A.
Less than one case in forty thousand.
- B.
Less than one case in four thousand.
- C.
Roughly 4 percent.
- D.
Over half of all cases.
- E.
A majority of cases filed in federal court, but significantly less than a majority of all other cases.
- 32.A procedure use by the Supreme Court to determine which cases it will hear is called
- A.
The rule of four.
- B.
The gang of four.
- C.
The Sign of the Four.
- D.
The rule of six.
- E.
The sign of five.
- 33.The reasoning upon which a court ruling was based is
- A.
An amicus brief.
- B.
The judicial implementation.
- C.
The opinion.
- D.
Rule Four.
- E.
A writ of certiorari.
- 34.A justice who agrees with the result reached by the majority of the Court but wants to voice disapproval of the grounds on which the decision was made would write
- A.
A majority opinion.
- B.
A dissenting opinion.
- C.
A consenting opinion.
- D.
An amicus curiae brief.
- E.
A concurring opinion.
- 35.When all Supreme Court justices agree to an opinion, it is known as a _____ opinion.
- A.
Majority
- B.
Minority
- C.
Concurring
- D.
Unanimous
- E.
Dissenting
- 36.In the twenty-first century, Senate Republicans implemented a policy that
- A.
Required Democrats to be consulted on judicial nominations.
- B.
Gave the President of the United States authority to appoint federal judges without the approval of the Senate.
- C.
Prevented Democratic Senators from being able to speak on the floor of the Senate about the qualifications of judges.
- D.
Required a judicial nominee to receive unanimous approval from the Senate Judiciary Committee prior to a vote by the entire Senate.
- E.
Members of the opposition party, the Democrats, would not be allowed to invoke senatorial courtesy.
- 37.Almost _____ percent of presidential nominations to the Supreme Court have been either rejected or not acted on by the Senate.
- A.
5
- B.
10
- C.
20
- D.
50
- E.
75
- 38.The judicial philosophy that looks to the context and purpose of a law when making an interpretation is _____ construction.
- A.
Judicial
- B.
Conservative
- C.
Broad
- D.
Strict
- E.
Contextual
- 39.The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act is an example of
- A.
An Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
- B.
A conservative ruling by the Supreme Court.
- C.
A liberal ruling by the Supreme Court.
- D.
A law deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
- E.
An action by Congress to overturn a Supreme Court ruling.
- 40.An issue that the court believes should be decided by the executive or legislative branch is a
- A.
Judiciable controversy.
- B.
Jurisdictional issue.
- C.
Political question.
- D.
Precedent-setting issue.
- E.
Hypothetical question.
- 41.Domestic policy
- A.
Is limited to policies that affect major economic variables.
- B.
Can be defined as all policies that affect housing.
- C.
Can be defined as all the laws, government planning, and government actions that concern internal issues of national importance.
- D.
Is limiting to matters relating to law enforcement.
- E.
Relates to the activities of the government in its relations with foreign countries.
- 42.Agenda building is
- A.
The process of making Congress aware that an issue requires congressional action.
- B.
The discussion of the proposal by governmental officials and the public.
- C.
The process of deciding on a specific proposal.
- D.
Concerned with the implementation of policy by bureaucrats, the courts, police and individual citizens.
- E.
The actions taken by members of the president's staff in response to congressional initiatives.
- 43.In 2002, during the boom in the housing market, mortgage originators increasingly approved loan applications from individuals who had unstable incomes, low incomes, or no incomes at all because
- A.
Privacy protections enacted by Congress had made it nearly impossible to determine an individual's actual income.
- B.
Their conviction that every American should own a home blinded them to the risks of lending to unqualified individuals.
- C.
They knew they could sell the risky mortgages to someone else.
- D.
Internet application forms made it possible for individuals to falsely inflate their incomes.
- E.
Mortgage originators were forced by banks to meet impossibly high sales quotas.
- 44.The part of the policy making process that involves choosing a specific policy from among the proposals that have been discussed is policy
- A.
Formulation
- B.
Implementation
- C.
Adoption
- D.
Choices
- E.
Determination
- 45.The Financial Stability Oversight Board is an example of an agency created to provide _____, in this case for the TARP program.
- A.
Agenda building
- B.
Policy adoption
- C.
Policy formulation
- D.
Policy implementation
- E.
Policy evaluation
- 46._____ is a joint federal-state program designed to subsidize health care costs for the poor.
- A.
Medicare
- B.
Medicaid
- C.
Social Security
- D.
Medivac
- E.
Blue Cross
- 47.About _____ of Americans do not have health insurance.
- A.
6 percent
- B.
16 percent
- C.
24 percent
- D.
32 percent
- E.
38 percent
- 48.In 2009, under President Obama's leadership, Democrats adopted _____ in all of their proposals for health-care legislation.
- A.
Caps on out-of-pocket expenses
- B.
Free preventive care
- C.
A single-payer system
- D.
Optional coverage
- E.
Mandated coverage
- 49.In 2009, President Obama and Democrats proposed all of the following means of containing health care costs, except
- A.
Creating a government-run insurance plan.
- B.
Requiring electronic medical records.
- C.
Studying which treatments work best.
- D.
Taxing risky, experimental, or elective medical procedures.
- E.
Reducing the number of unnecessary procedures.
- 50.People who were born on foreign soil now constitute about _____ of the U.S. population.
- A.
1 percent
- B.
6 percent
- C.
10 percent
- D.
13 percent
- E.
18 percent
- 51.When Congress addressed the issue of immigration with the Border Protection, Anti-Terrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005,
- A.
The Senate was much tougher on the issue than the House of Representatives, calling for every illegal immigrant to be considered a felon.
- B.
Most of the legislation allowed illegal immigrants to ultimately become citizens.
- C.
President Bush did not think the Act was comprehensive enough and vetoed it.
- D.
A compromise between the House and the Senate was reached at the last minute and the act was passed just before recess.
- E.
It sparked a series of immigrants' rights protests and did not pass the Senate.
- 52.In 2009, in order to help reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil, President Obama
- A.
Encouraged oil drilling in Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico.
- B.
Raised fuel-efficiency standards for vehicles.
- C.
Created tax incentives for public transportation users in major cities.
- D.
Proposed the building of new nuclear power facilities.
- E.
Proposed annexing two Canadian oil-producing provinces into the United States.
- 53.Which of the following is true?
- A.
The Kyoto protocol called for a reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases to 5.2 percent below 1990 levels by 2012.
- B.
President Bush submitted the Kyoto protocol to the Senate in 2001, but the Senate would not ratify it.
- C.
By 2004, fewer than twenty nations had ratified the Kyoto protocol.
- D.
Thirteen of the fifteen original European Union signatories met their 2010 emission targets.
- E.
President Bush criticized Canada for its "lack of global conscience" and its rising emission rates.
- 54.Recessions
- A.
Have political advantages for a sitting president.
- B.
Take place when the economy grows more than usual.
- C.
Take place when the economy suffers a severe slowdown.
- D.
Are no longer a problem in our modern economy.
- E.
Are associated with periods of inflation.
- 55.Today's dollar is worth about how much relative to a dollar of a century ago?
- A.
A penny
- B.
A nickel
- C.
About the same value
- D.
Twice as much
- E.
Five times as much
- 56.Fiscal policy is
- A.
Using changes in the amount of money in circulation to affect overall business activity.
- B.
Using changes in the amount of taxes and government expenditures to affect business activity.
- C.
Using changes in interest rates to affect business activity.
- D.
Under the control of the Federal Reserve System.
- E.
An area that is controlled exclusively by the President of the United States, according to Article II of the Constitution.
- 57.The national debt is defined as
- A.
The total amount owed by all individuals, corporations, and governments in the United States.
- B.
The total amount owed by the federal government to individuals, businesses and foreigners.
- C.
A percentage of the gross national product not to exceed ten percent of all gross sales.
- D.
Money not available for use.
- E.
The total amount owed by the federal government to individuals, businesses, and foreigners, as well as interagency borrowings withing the government.
- 58.Monetary policy includes
- A.
Using changes in the rate at which new money is put in circulation to alter national economic variables.
- B.
Using changes in the size of the federal budget deficit to alter national economic variables.
- C.
Regulating tax rates to ensure controlled growth and low inflation.
- D.
The economic policies of the president and Congress.
- E.
Linkage of the consumer price index and the gross national product.
- 59.Tax loopholes allow individuals and corporations to
- A.
Reduce their taxable income legally.
- B.
Choose the state to which they will pay taxes.
- C.
Register formal complaints to the Internal Revenue Service
- D.
Pay taxes only on investment income.
- E.
Commit crimes without fear of incarceration.
- 60.A tax that falls in percentage terms as incomes rise is known as a(n) _____ tax.
- A.
Income
- B.
Progressive
- C.
Retrograde
- D.
Regressive
- E.
Flat
- 61.Foreign policy is
- A.
A nation's external goals and the techniques and strategies used to achieve them.
- B.
The formal agreements that are approved by the World Court.
- C.
Interactions with other countries that are not related to economics.
- D.
The treaties that are ratified by the Senate.
- E.
The manner in which the armed forces are deployed.
- 62.The sending of experts with technical skills to aid other nations is called
- A.
An in-kind subsidy.
- B.
A tariff.
- C.
Technical assistance.
- D.
Exports.
- E.
Military aid.
- 63.National security policy is
- A.
A subset of policies having to do with the U.S. armed forces.
- B.
Foreign and domestic policy designed to protect the nation's independence and political and economic integrity.
- C.
A policy pursued by nations acting principally in their own interest.
- D.
A policy intended to perpetuate cooperation and agreement on moral standards for conduct.
- E.
A policy of sending experts in such areas as agriculture, engineering, or business to aid other nations.
- 64.The National Security Council (NSC) is
- A.
An advisory body to the president on foreign policy matters.
- B.
Under the functional control of the State Department.
- C.
A standing committee of the House and the Senate.
- D.
An advisory body to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
- E.
A private research council that provides analysis of world events.
- 65.Political realism is a philosophy that
- A.
Sees nations as normally willing to cooperate and agree on moral standards for conduct.
- B.
Mandates noninterference with the internal policies of sovereign nations.
- C.
Supports steps to establish a single world government.
- D.
Sees each nation as acting principally in its own interest.
- E.
Contends that spreading Christianity ought to be a major goal of U.S. foreign policy.
- 66.In 2002, President George W. Bush enunciated a new foreign policy doctrine that held, in part, that
- A.
The United States would go to war with any country that attacks it.
- B.
Islamists would not be allowed to take power in any additional nations.
- C.
America would leave the United Nations if that body did not support its military initiatives.
- D.
The United States would no longer participate in the World Trade Organization or in the World Bank.
- E.
The United States was prepared to wage preemptive war against perceived threats with or without allies.
- 67.George W. Bush was unable to convince _____ that military action was necessary, so the U.S. took the initiative on its own to begin the second Gulf War, or Iraq War, in 2003.
- A.
NATO
- B.
The United Nations
- C.
The European Union
- D.
France
- E.
The "axis of evil"
- 68.A majority of the population of Iraq is
- A.
Sunni Arab.
- B.
Kurdish.
- C.
Shiite Arab.
- D.
Turkoman.
- E.
Baathist.
- 69.The Awakening refers to _____ that began in 2007 in Iraq's Anbar Province.
- A.
A rise in violence between rival Islamic groups
- B.
A U.S. troop surge to neutralize Shiite militants
- C.
An uprising of tribal leaders, who called on the U.S. to help them against Al Qaeda.
- D.
A coordinated effort of Al Qaeda to terrorize the population through suicide bombings
- E.
A political movement led by Shiite cleric Muqtada al Sadr
- 70.Afghanistan's _____ crop has served as a major source of Taliban revenue.
- A.
Corn
- B.
Coca
- C.
Cotton
- D.
Poppy
- E.
Marijuana
- 71.The Bush administration conducted multilateral negotiations with _____ concerning its nuclear capabilities, but refused to engage in negotiations with _____.
- A.
Pakistan; North Korea
- B.
China; North Korea
- C.
North Korea; Iran
- D.
Iran; China
- E.
China; Pakistan
- 72.By _____, if not before, the economy of China is expected to be larger than that of the United States.
- A.
2010
- B.
2020
- C.
2030
- D.
2040
- E.
2050
- 73.In the summer of 2006, Israel went to war with _____ in Lebanon.
- A.
The militant group Hamas
- B.
The Kurdish People's Liberation Front
- C.
The militant group Hezbollah
- D.
The Palestine Liberation Organization
- E.
The extremist group Free Jerusalem Now
- 74.Somali piracy exploded as a result of
- A.
The U.S. backing out of trade agreements with Somalia.
- B.
More expensive goods being shipped in trade routes off of the Somali coast.
- C.
The global economic crisis that began in late 2008.
- D.
The collapse of Somali governmental authority in 1999.
- E.
The relocation of an influential warlord to Somalia in 2000.
- 75.The State Department is
- A.
Directly responsible to Congress.
- B.
Not involved in short-term foreign policy.
- C.
The executive agency that has primary authority over foreign affairs.
- D.
Responsible for making foreign policy, not the president.
- E.
One of the largest cabinet departments.
- 76.Which of the following is NOT a member of the National Security Council?
- A.
The President of the United States
- B.
The Vice President of the United States
- C.
The secretary of State
- D.
The Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
- E.
The Secretary of Defense
- 77.The Department of Defense
- A.
Is larger than any other federal department.
- B.
Was created during the administration of George Washington.
- C.
Was formed in 1978 through an executive order.
- D.
Is run by the secretary of defense who is always an admiral or general.
- E.
Has primary authority over foreign affairs.
- 78.A major determinant of U.S. foreign policy in the formative years was
- A.
That this country was destined to become a very powerful nation.
- B.
That the U.S. was unable to raise an army and had no international power.
- C.
The influence of religion.
- D.
The strength of the new Navy.
- E.
Our interests in the Pacific.
- 79.America obtained which of the following possessions as a result of the Spanish-American War?
- A.
Texas and Cuba
- B.
Alaska and Guam
- C.
Hawaii and the Philippines
- D.
Puerto Rico and Jamaica
- E.
The Philippines and Puerto Rico
- 80.American isolationism
- A.
Ended with the onset of the Great Depression.
- B.
Came to a permanent end with the bombings of the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor.
- C.
Ended when the U.S. entered the United Nations.
- D.
Ended when France and the United States signed a mutual alliance pact.
- E.
Ended with the Korean War.
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