American Government

26

__________________ is defined as a decision made by a higher court such as a circuit court of appeals or a Supreme Court that is binding on all federal courts.

	legal and binding contract
	law
	concurrent decision
	precedent

Question

27

The War Powers Act of 1973 did which of the following?

	It gave Congress the exclusive power to conduct wars.
	It gave the president power to officially declare war.
	It limited the authority of the president to send troops overseas without congressional approval.
	It made the president Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.

Question

28

Judicial restraint refers to a philosophy _____________________________.

	proposing that judges should interpret the Constitution to reflect the framers’ intentions and take a literalist approach
	stating that as few cases as possible should be decided on constitutional grounds
	whereby the judiciary should take a back seat to the other two branches of government
	in which the judicial branch seeks to hear as few cases as possible by encouraging parties to work out their differences themselves

Question

29

The functions of political parties include all of the following except

	determining the nature of foreign policy.
	organizing the competition.
	unifying the electorate.
	translating preference into policy.

Question

30

The president does not have the power to appoint

	judges.
	representatives.
	ambassadors.
	members of the cabinet.

Question

31

After an Amendment to the Constitution has been proposed, it must be ratified by the ___________ to take effect.

	courts
	president
	states
	treasury

Question

32

The enumerated powers of Congress include all of the following except the_______________________.

	power to declare war and raise armies
	power to levy and collect taxes
	power to borrow and coin money
	power to oversee intrastate commerce and taxes

Question

33

The drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit a party, group, or incumbent is known as

	gerrymandering.
	redistricting.
	reapportionment.
	reassignment.

Question

34

Article II establishes the president’s role as all of the following except _______________________.

	Commander-in-chief
	Diplomat- in-chief
	Chief of Staff
	Administrator-in-chief

Question

35

When a legislature has two houses, it is said to be

	divided.
	inefficient.
	bicameral.
	unicameral.

Question

36

Presidents can circumvent checks upon themselves in all of the following ways except

	executive privilege.
	executive statements.
	executive agreements.
	executive orders.

Question

37

Which of the following is not a power given to the Speaker of the House?

	Second in succession to the president
	Directing debate on the House floor
	Appointing members to legislative committees
	Determining procedural rules

Question

38

Which candidate in 2000 lost the Electoral College Vote and did not become president even though he won the popular vote?

	John McCain
	John Kerry
	Al Gore
	Ted Kennedy

Question

39

Powers reserved to the states include all of the following except the power to

	create a republican form of government.
	establish national courts.
	conduct elections.
	charter local governments.

Question

40

If the full House debates a bill and passes it, but it is different from the Senate version, it must go to a

	standing committee.
	special committee.
	conference committee.
	compromise committee.

Question

41

The impact of presidential popularity is termed the

	spill-over effect.
	incumbency effect.
	coattail effect.
	election effect.

Question

42

The Constitutional basis for the implied powers of Congress is

	the supremacy clause.
	the necessary and proper clause.
	the due process clause.
	Article II.

Question

43

Which of the following is not a type of federal grant presently being administered?

	Categorical-formula grants
	Project grants
	Social grants
	Block grants

Question

44

Advantages of incumbency include

	name recognition.
	franking privileges.
	personal contacts.
	all of the above.

Question

45

Organizations of government are classified into four broad categories. Which of the following is not one of the four categories?

	Departments
	Independent agencies
	Bureaus
	Independent regulatory commissions

Question

46

Concurring opinions are written when a justice

	disagrees with the majority’s conclusion, but accepts its reasoning.
	agrees with the minority’s conclusion, but not its reasoning.
	agrees with the majority’s conclusion and reasoning.
	agrees with the majority’s conclusion, but not the reasoning.

Question

47

The sole power to try an impeachment case is given to the

	House of Representatives.
	Senate.
	Supreme Court.
	justices of the various Federal District Courts.

Question

48

Senatorial courtesy refers to the

	gentlemanly manners of federal judges and Senators.
	Senators’ practice of forwarding names to the President for consideration for federal judicial appointments.
	courteous habit of judges when addressing a jury.
	presidential custom of submitting names of prospective appointees for approval to Senators from the states in which the appointees will work.

Question

49

Political parties serve to accomplish all of the following except

	facilitate cooperation between the federal branches of government.
	select candidates for elected and appointed office.
	allow for clear choices between candidates in elections.
	provide a cohesive national agenda for their members.

Question

50

Measured by the total number of employees, this department is by far the largest department in the federal government.

	Interior
	Defense
	Commerce
	State