Three and a Half Men Created in 2011 By: Central Organizer: Josh Clark

Three and a Half Men

Created in 2011 by:

 Central Organizer: Josh Clark

 Multiple Choice coordinator: Ouse Mahmoud

 Multiple Choice researcher: Tanmoy Sarker

 Short Answer Questions coordinator: Collin Meese

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS Section I  UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS SECTION I Time – 45 minutes Directions: You have 45 minutes to answer all 60 of the following questions. Please choose the best response to each question and fill it in your answer sheet. Any work written in this test booklet will not be counted toward your grade.

1. The two great questions about politics addressed d. equality in the House and population in by your text are the Senate. a. Who votes? and Why? e. None of these. b. Who governs? and To what ends? 6. The power of the people — popular majority rule c. Who runs for office? and Who — was limited by the U.S. Constitution in pays? several ways, including d. Who is right? and Why a. establishing a directly elected House of e. For how long? Representatives. b. granting law-making powers to the 2. The primary source of legitimate political judicial branch of government. authority in the United States is the c. concentrating political power in a a. Bill of Rights. single, supreme legislature. b. will of the people. d. making the amending of the U.S. c. U.S. Constitution. Constitution relatively difficult. d. concept of civil liberty e. removing all formal titles from the e. notion of civil rights. heads of government.

3. Which of the following was not an important 7. Federalism involves two levels of government, source of theories explaining political elites? both of which are a. Sigmund Freud. a. dependent. b. Karl Marx. b. democratic. c. C. Wright Mills. c. representative. d. Max Weber. d. bicameral. e. All of these. e. sovereign.

4. All of the following were true of the government 8. The McCulloch v. Maryland decision established under the Articles of Confederation except a. judicial review by the Supreme a. Larger states had more votes in the Court. national legislature. b. state sovereignty in interstate commerce. b. There was no national judicial branch. c. national government supremacy over the c. The national government could not levy states. taxes. d. the legality of the slave trade. d. The national government could not e. All of these. regulate commerce. e. Amendment required the support of all 9. The Supreme Court case that established national thirteen states. supremacy was a. U.S. v. Wilson. 5. The Great Compromise finally allocated b. Marbury v. Madison. representation on the basis of c. United States v. Virginia. a. population, in both houses. d. Brown v. Maryland. b. equality, in both houses. e. McCulloch v. Maryland. c. population in the House and equality in the Senate. 10. Which of the following statements about political ideology is correct? a. Political ideology is synonymous with e. None of these political culture. b. Political ideology is a patterned set of 16. The drawback to candidates of television visuals ways of thinking about how politics and debates is and government should be carried out. a. their time limitations. c. People can share a common political b. the risk of verbal slips. culture but disagree on ideology. c. their expense. d. Political ideology has four important d. audience passivity. elements: liberty, equality, democracy, e. the inability to control background and civic duty. images. e. Ideology is a prerequisite to the development of political culture. 17. An advantage of direct-mail appeals is that they a. cost very little. 11. One's own confidence in one's ability to understand b. can be directed at specific subgroups of and take part in politics is referred to as the populations. a. external efficacy. c. can blanket the entire electorate. b. internal efficacy. d. reach only the literate. c. political ideology. e. can convince strong partisans to change d. political culture. their perspectives. e. political reciprocity. 18. Several factors have contributed to the emphasis 12. The preamble to the U.S. Constitution lists all of on themes over details in recent elections. One of the following goals of government except these factors is the a. union. a. increased use of short radio and b. justice. television ads. c. liberty. b. rise in prospective voting. d. democracy. c. increase in the number of televised e. tranquility. debates and visuals. d. campaign finance reforms of 13. A coherent and consistent set of beliefs about 1974. who should rule and how is referred to as e. growing strength of political a. political efficacy. parties. b. public opinion. c. pragmatism. 19. Political parties were seen as factions motivated d. realism. by ambition and self-interest in the eyes of e. political ideology. a. the Founders. b. early twentieth-century 14. Low voter turnout in the United States can best reformers. be explained by c. most voters in the 1980s. a. voter apathy. d. nations around the world. b. the media, especially television. e. the leaders of the Confederacy. c. the political party system. d. the media, especially big city 20. The most obvious result of ticket splitting is newspapers. a. reform of political institutions. e. the voter registration system b. efficiency in government. c. machine style politics. d. party realignment. 15. Which Amendment stated that "the right of e. divided government. citizens of the United States to vote shall not be abridged by the United States or by any state on 21. James Madison believed that the latent causes of account of race, color, or previous condition of faction were rooted in servitude"? a. the two-party system. a. the 12th Amendment b. capitalist society. b. the 17th Amendment c. religious conflict. c. the 15th Amendment d. an improperly designed d. the 25th Amendment constitution. e. the nature of man. b. centralized. c. government owned. 22. One reason interest groups are so common in the d. nationally oriented. United States is that e. decentralized. a. society is relatively homogeneous. 28. A person treating the U.S. flag contemptuously is b. political parties are relatively a. subject to conviction in federal strong. court. c. political authority resides in a handful b. subject to conviction in state of officials. court. d. interest groups can easily gain access to c. subject to conviction in state and government. federal court. e. A and C. d. protected by Fourth Amendment rights 23. Solidary-type incentives are most likely to e. protected by the right to exercise free motivate people who join speech. a. a farm bureau. 29. A basic difference between the Bill of Rights and b. Public Citizen. the U.S. Constitution proper is that the former c. the parent teacher associations a. covers what government cannot (PTAs). do. d. the Mafia. b. authorizes government to censor e. American Association of Retired newspapers. Persons (AARP). c. protects free speech. d. applies principally to states. 24. Organizations that attract members by appealing e. applies principally to state to a coherent set of usually controversial government. principles are called a. political parties. 30. The Bill of Rights was added to the U.S. b. pressure groups. Constitution at the insistence of the c. splinter groups. a. Founders. d. ideological interest groups. b. state ratifying conventions. e. out-party groups. c. First Continental Congress. d. Federalist Party. 25. The text describes as a love-hate relationship the e. Alexander Hamilton. interactions between a. the media and the public. 31. Which act made it a crime to write, utter, or b. reporters and editors. publish "any false, scandalous, and malicious c. politicians and editors. material" aimed at the government with the d. politicians and the media. intent to defame it? e. reporters and producers. a. the Sedition Act of 1798 b. the Espionage Act of 1917 26. Which of the following statements about the c. the Smith Act of 1940 Freedom of Information Act is true? d. the Internal Control Act of 1960 a. It helps protect U.S. security. e. the F.O.L.E. Act of 1975 b. It virtually guarantees that some secrets will get out. 32. The Espionage and Sedition acts that were c. It places tighter restrictions on media in passed in 1917 and 1918 placed restrictions on the United States than in other publications that countries. a. advocated the overthrow of the d. It was ruled unconstitutional by the government by force or violence. Supreme Court in 1987. b. made any defamatory statements about e. It violates several other congressional the president or other member of statutes and codes. government. c. advocated the crossing of state lines or 27. The broadcasting industry in the United States use of interstate commerce to incite a can best be described as riot. a. tightly regulated. d. advocated treason, insurrection, or 38. Welfare policies in which nearly everyone forced resistance. benefits and nearly everyone pays are e. made any defamatory statements about characterized by military personnel or war strategy. a. neo-institutional politics. b. minoritarian politics. 33. The historical source for the "wall of separation" c. client politics. between religion and the state is d. concurrency politics. a. the Bill of Rights. e. majoritarian politics. b. a series of debates in the First Congress. 39. Issues regarding a nuclear-test-ban treaty, the c. the writings of Thomas Jefferson. North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) d. twentieth-century Supreme Court Alliance, and a Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty decisions. (SALT) agreement are all examples of e. the Federalist papers. a. neo-institutional politics. b. interest group politics. 34. The Economic Growth and Tax Relief c. entrepreneurial politics. Reconciliation Act of 2001 did all of the d. client politics. following except e. majoritarian politics. a. cut tax rates on all income groups. 40. The term bicameral used to describe the U.S. b. increase the tax credit for legislature means that the legislature children. a. has two chambers, or legislative c. double the “marriage penalty.” bodies. d. phase out the tax on estates of deceased b. is elected every two years. persons. c. consists of both committees and a main e. make it easier to deduct body. expenses. d. is based on a system of checks and balances. 35. An economist who advocates wage-price e. is apportioned once every ten controls is basically endorsing the ______years. theory. a. monetarist 41. Under the original U.S. Constitution, members of b. Keynesian the Senate, unlike members of the House, were c. planning selected by d. supply-side a. direct elections. e. credit-based b. the president. c. state legislatures. 36. An example of a welfare policy in which most or d. primary runoffs. all people benefit is e. regional coalitions. a. Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). 42. Article I, Section 8, of the U.S. Constitution b. Social Security. confers on Congress all of the following powers c. food stamps. except d. Medicaid. a. the power to collect taxes. e. C and D. b. the power to declare war. c. the power to establish courts. 37. An example of a welfare policy that helps only a d. the power to interpret laws. small number of people is e. the power to regulate commerce. a. Food Stamps. b. Social Security. 43. In the Senate, the greatest power is in the hands c. Medicare. of the d. medical care for the elderly. a. Speaker. e. B and C. b. president pro tempore. c. minority whip. d. majority leader. e. chairperson of the Judiciary d. the Electoral College. Committee. e. Congress.

44. Among the many powers of the House Speaker 49. The concern shared by the Framers about the is that he or she popular election of presidents was that it might a. decides whom to recognize to speak on a. give inordinate power to larger, more the floor. populous states. b. assigns party members to the various b. open up elections to mass hysteria and committees. to control by the media. c. keeps party leaders informed about the c. give inordinate power to political opinions of their party members. parties, as indeed turned out to be the d. schedules legislation. case. e. takes the minutes. d. prove unwieldy at a time when transportation and communication were 45. The type of committee most likely to deal with a so primitive. bill near the end of its legislative process is the e. cause political parties to gain to much a. standing committee. power in the electoral process. b. select committee. c. conference committee. 50. Presidents have been limited to two terms by the d. joint committee. a. Fourteenth Amendment. e. rejoinder committee. b. Sixteenth Amendment. c. Nineteenth Amendment. 46. The staff agency that advises Congress on the d. Twenty-first Amendment. probable economic effect of different spending e. Twenty second Amendment. programs and the cost of proposed policies is the a. Congressional Budget Office 51. Which of the following statements is incorrect? (CBO). a. In order to win an election, a candidate b. General Accounting Office must receive at least half of the votes of (GAO). the electoral college. c. Congressional Research Service b. Each state receives an electoral vote for (CRS). each member it has in the House. d. Office of Technology Assessment c. In some states, electoral votes can be (OTA). split. e. Congressional Research Fund d. State electors assemble in their state (CRF). capitals to cast their ballots. e. Electoral ballots are opened before a 47. The text cites the 1946 Marshall Plan and the joint session of Congress during the Tax Reform Act of 1986 to illustrate that first week in January. a. unified governments rarely accomplish anything of note. 52. Which of the following statements about b. a divided government never could have elections thrown into the House of produced them. Representatives is incorrect? c. both were produced by a unified a. The House chooses from among the top government. three candidates. d. one was produced by a unified b. Each state casts two votes. government and one was produced by a c. A state’s vote is given to the candidate divided government. preferred by the majority of the state’s e. both were produced by divided House delegation. governments. d. If there is a tie within a state, that state’s vote is not counted. 48. The second plan that was suggested at the e. This process is only used when no Convention for the selection of the President candidate receives a majority of the called for selection by votes of the electoral college. a. state legislatures. b. the Supreme Court. c. direct vote of the people. 53. All of the following are powers that only the b. the sharing of political authority among president is constitutionally entitled to exercise institutions. except c. the sharing of functions with state a. appointing ambassadors. government. b. serving as military commander- d. an adversary culture and close public in-chief. scrutiny. c. convening Congress in special e. the sharing of functions with local sessions. government. d. receiving ambassadors. e. commission officers of the armed 58. The great watershed in the expansion of forces. government bureaucracy in the United States occurred during the 54. The text argues that many of the problems of a. Jacksonian period. bureaucracy in government arise from its b. Kennedy administration. a. formality. c. Spanish-American War. b. political context. d. Franklin Roosevelt c. remoteness from everyday life. administration. d. complexity. e. Civil War. e. transparency. 59. The notion of laissez-faire and of the 55. The definition of bureaucracy includes all of the congressional mandate to regulate led to the following notions except bureaucracy's performing a(n) a. a large organization. a. service role. b. authority divided among several b. regulatory role. managers. c. redistributive role. c. complexity of structure. d. litigational role. d. appointed officials. e. expansionist role. e. an issue network. 60. Periodically, the size of the bureaucracy has 56. Most federal agencies must share their functions with grown substantially. These times of growth have a. related state agencies. generally occurred during b. private corporations. a. depressions. c. interest groups. b. wars. d. congressional staff. c. periods of prosperity. e. White House staff. d. recessions. 57. The distinctive nature of the U.S. bureaucracy e. election years. derives from all of the following except a. the practice of incremental budgeting. END OF SECTION I

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS SECTION II Time – 100 minutes Directions: You have 100 minutes to answer all four of the following questions. Unless the directions indicate otherwise, respond to all parts of all four questions. It is suggested that you take a few minutes to plan and outline each answer. Spend approximately one-fourth of your time (25 minutes) on each question. In your response, use substantive examples where appropriate. Make certain to number each of your answers as the question is numbered below.

1. Special interest groups are often criticized for being diverse as well as for hindering the legislative process.

A. Define the term “Special interest groups”

B. Give one example that supports this statement and one example that refuses it

C. Choose two of the following acts and explain how special interest groups helped or hindered the passage of the law:

- The Brady Bill of 1993

- The Equal Rights Act of 1996

- The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1991

2. Party Realignment and party dealignment have influenced presidential, congressional and state elections since 1980.

A. Define the terms party realignment and party dealignment B. Give one example of how realignment or dealignment has had an impact on one of the following elections:

- The presidential election of 1980

- The congressional election of 1994

3. Using the information in the figure above and your knowledge of United States politics, complete the tasks.

A. Describe what the figure above demonstrates about the distribution of government benefits overtime. B. Identify two politically relevant factors that have affected the changing distribution of government benefits between children and the elderly. C. Explain how each of the two factors identified in (h) has affected the changing distribution of government benefits

4. The constitution gives the Senate the power to advise and consent for presidential appointments.

A. Describe how this constitutional process applies to the president’s authority to advise and how the Senate carries out its responsibilities to consent. B. Give two examples of a presidential appointment that met opposition in the Senate C. Discuss what the consequences were to the outcome of the examples you gave in “B.”

Credits: 1. http://www.staff.fcps.net/ppalmer/Released%20Questions.htm (For question 3) 2. Barron’s AP U.S. Government and Politics test prep book (1, 2 and 4)

END OF EXAMINATION