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American Federal Government Chapter 8
General Test Questions & Answers
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Participation that involves assembling crowds to confront a government or other official organization (page 289)
protest
 
The right to vote; also called franchise (page 290)
suffrage
 
The percentage of eligible individuals who actually vote (page 292)
turnout
 
Activities designed to influence politics using the Internet, including visiting a candidate's website, organizing events online,
and signing an online petition (page 295)
digital political participation
 
Status in society based on level of education, income, and occupational prestige (page 301)
socioeconomic status
 
A distinctive pattern of voting behavior reflecting the differences in views between women and men (page 307)
gender gap
 
The process by which large numbers of people are organized for a political activity (page 310)
mobilization
 
The option in some states to register on the day of the election, at the polling place, rather than in advance of the election (page 318)
same-day registration
 
The option in some states to have a ballot sent automatically to your home for each election, rather than having to request an absentee ballot each time (page 318)
permanent absentee ballots
 
The option in some states to cast a vote at a polling place or by mail before the election (page 319)
early voting
 
Apart from voting, this form of political participation is the MOST common way citizens participate in American politics.
digital political participation
 
As of 2014 approximately what percentage of senators and representatives in the U.S. Congress were women?
18 percent
 
Especially controversial _________ are likely to increase voter turnout, political interests, and political contributions.
ballot measures
 
For many years, analysts have referred to the _____ vote as the "sleeping giant" because this is such a large group with relatively low levels of participation.
Latino
 
In states that do not require registration or that allow registration on the day of the election,
younger and less affluent voters turn out in larger percentages.
 
One contemporary example of political participation through protests, this one concerning police treatment of African Americans, is the
Black Lives Matter campaign.
 
One of the MOST common reasons given for why U.S. citizens don't participate in elections is
the registration process.
 
Republicans argue that _________ protect against voter fraud and ensure the vote is fair, whereas Democrats believe that these laws suppress
the vote of segments of the population most likely to vote for Democrats.
photo ID laws
 
Suffrage refers to the
right to vote.
 
The Twenty-Sixth Amendment grants
eighteen-year-olds the right to vote.
 
The idea of politics finding and engaging individuals through e-mail, Facebook, and other Internet activities rather than individuals purposefully seeking out politics is described as
accidental mobilization.
 
The process of gerrymandering in the United States has directly
reduced the number of competitive electoral races.
 
Thirty-six states currently implement a temporary ban on voting for which of the following?
a felony record
 
Voter registration is determined and controlled by
the states.
 
Voter turnout is highest for elections at which level of government?
national
 
What factor has traditionally made Iowa and New Hampshire so important in the presidential nominating process and
boosted their primary voter participation?
early timing
 
What might be the primary reason that presidential candidates spend more time campaigning in Ohio, Florida, and Pennsylvania
than they do in California, New York, or Texas?
They are battleground states.
 
What relatively recent barrier to voter participation has become a bitterly fought partisan battle?
proof of identity requirement for voters
 
When did American women officially attain the right to vote?
1920
 
Which group is credited with playing an important role in helping George W. Bush win the presidency in 2000 and 2004?
the religious right
 
Which of the following elections represented a modern high point for voter turnout, with 62 percent of eligible voters participating?
2008
 
Who of the following is MOST likely to vote?
a 40-year-old dermatologist
 
_____ refers to a group's right to vote.
Suffrage
 
____ are the hallmark of democracy.
Elections
 
Women and minorities in the U.S. Congress are significantly underrepresented compared with their percentage of the
U.S. population.
 
Which voting trend began in 2004 and continued through 2008?
the first significant increase in voter turnout in 40 years
 
Which religious group became a significant part of the Republican Party base starting in the 1980s?
white evangelical Protestants
 
Which of the following statements about the voting rights of felons is accurate?
Some states allow felons who have served their sentences to vote, while others do not.
 
Which of the following is true of Asian American voting patterns and political participation?
Asian Americans often vote similarly to whites
 
Which of the following is a voting practice that most European countries have but that the United States does not?
holding elections on nonworking days
 
Which of the following individuals would be MOST likely to vote?
a white middle-aged college graduate
 
Which of the following granted 18-year-olds the right to vote?
the Twenty-Sixth Amendment
 
Which group won suffrage in 1920?
women
 
Which factor in particular helped the Democratic Party in the 2008 presidential election?
better mobilization efforts by Democrats
 
What is the single MOST important factor in predicting not only whether an individual will vote but also most kinds of political participation?
education level
 
The concept defined as "when individuals are represented in government by officials of their same race, ethnicity, or gender" is known as
descriptive representation
 
The Latino vote is often referred to by analysts as the
sleeping giant
 
Reversing decades of negative trends, digital media may foster community building. Digital media may also increase Americans' social capital, which is defined as
community networks that motivate political participation.
 
Political scientist Russell Dalton argues that social media such as Twitter and Facebook is making participation in politics much more
expressive.
 
Over the past two centuries of American history, which of the following has been the MOST persistent barrier to increased suffrage for disenfranchised groups?
state laws
 
Apart from voting, this form of political participation is the most common way citizens participate in American politics
digital political participation
 
An example of ____ was the Black Lives Matters campaign starting in Ferguson but spreading to New York City, Baltimore and dozens of other locations in 2015.
protests
 
A series of experiments by Donald Green and Alan Gerber showed that face-to-face interaction may increase voter turnout by
10 percent
 
Who broke tradition by sending a legislative package to Congress?
FDR
 
Presidents often have to form what in Congress to support his proposals?
coalitions
 
Overall do presidents have a hard or easy time persuading Congress to pass their proposals?
hard
 
When will most presidents try to push through their policies? What is this period called?
first half of first term
"Honeymoon period"
 
Presidents will often call on what for support in passing laws?
political parties
 
What is a key presidential ability?
to secure funding for programs
 
Presidents can set national policy through what?
budget proposals
 
What is an executive order?
a rule or regulation issued by the president that has the effect of law
 
What do they allow a president to do?
to make immediate changes
 
What are 4 examples of what a president can do?
desegregating the military (truman)
establish affirmative action (LBJ)
federal funding of stem cell research (Clinton)
stop funding of stem cell research (GWB)
 
How are the President and Vice President elected?
a group of people are chosen from each state (electors)
 
How are electors chosen?
they are chosen by the State Legislature
 
Who did the framers intend the electors to be?
The most respectable and enlighten citizens
 
Who counts the electoral votes before Congress?
President of the Senate
 
Why would a state loose its vote?
if its divided
 
If the House chooses the President if what is needed?
a majority in the House is needed & might be impossible to achieve
 
What happens if there is a tie in the electoral vote for the President?
The House of Representatives chooses among the top three candidates
 
What would not be a defect in the electoral college system?
the result is usually not known for weeks or months after the popular vote
 
Why is direct popular election unlikely to be adopted?
a constitutional amendment would be required.
small states opposed direct election
a truly national campaign would cost even more than the present system
 
How does the Electoral College work?
electors in the state casts votes
 
What are flaws of the Electoral College?
The winner of the popular vote is not guaranteed the presidency
 
How does the District Plan work?
2 electors are chosen from the state, they cast their votes in line with the popular vote in the state.
 
What are flaws of the District Plan?
doesn't guarantee that the winner of the popular vote will always win the presidency
 
How does Proportional Plan work?
Each presidential candidate would receive the same share of electoral votes that he or she received in the popular vote
 
What are flaws of Proportional Plans
doesn't always guarantee the popular vote. weakens the two-party system
 
How does Direct Popular Election work?
do away with the electoral college all together and go to popular vote
 
What are flaws of Direct Popular Election?
smaller states are greatly over presented in the electoral college. stress on candidates.
 
How does National Bonus Plan work?
a national pool of 102 electoral votes are automatically awarded to the popular vote winner
 
What are flaws of the National Bonus Plan?
little heard about or understood.
 
In which 4 elections of the past has the winner of the popular vote failed to win the electoral vote for presidency ?
1876, 1824, 1888, 2000
 
Define direct popular election.
people vote for the President and Vice President, not for electors
 
Define district plan.
a system in which presidential electors would be chosen by each of a State's congressional districts
 
Define proportional plan.
a system in which each presidential candidate would receive the same share of a State's electoral vote that he or she won in the popular vote
 
Define electorate.
the mass of people who actually cast votes in an election
 
Define national bonus plan.
a system that would weight the current winner-take-all system in favor of the winner of the popular vote.
 
Describe the executive branch under the Articles of Confederation.
there was none.
 
What is the major function of the vice president?
to succeed the role of the president in the case of impeachment
 
What are the 3 constitutional requirements to becoming a president?
natural born citizen, 35 years old, U.S resident for 14 years
 
Who is next in line behind the vice president in the order of succession?
Speaker of the House
 
What did the 25th Amendment do in regard to the office of the vice president?
If VP were to become president he must choose a new VP with approval from both houses in Congress.
 
Whose advice and consent must the president obtain in order to make a treaty?
Senate
 
Presidents have the power to convene what?
Congress
 
What are arrangements that the president enters in to with foreign nations that do not require the advice and consent of the Senate?
executive agreements
 
How are presidential vetoes overridden?
2/3 votes of both houses of Congress
 
What is the line item veto? What Supreme Court case said that the line-item veto was unconstitutional?
the authority of a chief executive to delete part of a bill passed by the legislature that involves taxing or spending. Clinton vs. NY
 
Why did Congress pass the War Powers Act?
They over road the veto.
 
Who vetoes the War Powers Act? Was the veto overridden?
President Nixon.
 
How many votes in Congress does it take to override a veto?
2/3
 
Who was famously pardoned by President Ford?
Nixon
 
What is a pardon?
a presidential check on judicial power
 
Why did President Carter use the pardoning power?
to give unconditional amnesty to 10,000 men who had avoided the draft during the Vietnam War.
 
During the Civil War, who ignored requirements of the Constitution and why?
Abe Lincoln
in order to ensure the continued survival of the United States
 
For several decades, the trend has been for the president to play a more important decision-making role. This trend began in earnest with which president?
FDR
 
The membership of the cabinet is determined by whom?
president
 
As first lady, what issue did Laura Bush advocate for?
literacy
 
Why was the Executive Office of the President established in 1939?
to help the president manage the bureaucracy
 
Why was National Security Council established?
to advise the president on military affairs and foreign policy
 
Who was the first president to claim the leadership role for the executive branch in law-making?
Thomas Jefferson
 
Define patronage.
Jobs, grants, or other special favors that a president can give as rewards to political supporters.
 
What does the Office of Management and Budget do?
prepares the presidents budget proposal
 
What of the president has the effect of law?
an executive order
 
What president signed an executive order that limited federal funding for stem cell research?
George Bush
 
What amendment states that every president is limited to 10 years in office?
22
 
What was Contract with America?
was an attempt by congressional Republicans to play a more dominant policymaking role
 
A president can use what to help get his proposals through Congress.
patronage
 
The OMB aids the president in what?
drafting his budget proposal
 
What president desegregated the military using an executive order?
Harry Truman
 
What can a subsequent president do with a prior president's executive orders?
can change or throw out idea of previous presidents orders
 
How did the 12th Amendment change the Electoral College?
they change the way the vice prez were elected.
 
How is the president selected if no candidate receives a majority of votes in the Electoral College?
by the House of Representatives
 
There have been several proposals for changing the Electoral College. How would the proposed congressional district plan work?
2 people vote from each state along line of popular vote
 
What did the Framers design and why
the electoral college system for electing the president to alleviate concerns about ordinary citizens selecting the president through a popular vote.
 
What are faithless electors?
votes for the person they want, even if they break their pledge against their party
 
What is the minimum number of electoral votes that State can have?
3
 
How many electoral votes does a candidate have to win to become President?
27
 
How many total electoral votes are there?
538
 
How is the total amount of electoral votes determined?
every state number of electors in the House and Senate added together plus 3 for Washington D.C.