AP US Government & Politics
-Mock AP-
Slippery Banana Peels
Created in 2010 by:
· Central Organizer:
Cynthia Bai
· Unit I – III Multiple Choice coordinator:
Emma Way/ Shawn Wright
· Unit IV – VI Multiple Choice coordinator:
Alisha Allen/ Shawn Wright
· Short Answer Questions coordinator:
Matt Biddle
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
Section I
Time – 55 minutes
80 Questions
Directions: Each of the questions or incomplete statements below is followed by five suggested answers or completions. Select the one that is best in each case and then place the letter of your choice in corresponding box on the answer sheet.
1. Formal authority refers to a right to exercise power that is derived from a
a. Official ceremony
b. Majority vote
c. Consensus
d. Popular consensus
e. Government office
2. A political _____ deals with what a government should do, while a political _____ deals with how government should operate.
a. Constitution, administration
b. Administration, constitution
c. Culture, ideology
d. Ideology, culture
e. Culture, administration
3. Political activism is correlated most closely with
a. Political conservatism
b. Libertarian politics
c. Gender
d. Class differentiation
e. Ideological consistency
4. The mugwumps were
a. political branch of the American Legion
b. a faction of the Republican party
c. the forerunners of the Ku Klux Klan
d. an activist Indian tribe
e. Louisiana tobacco farmers who held land near the coast
5. All of the following are examples of majoritarian politics in foreign policy except...
a. a nuclear test ban treaty
b. a quota system on Japanese steel imports
c. military alliances in western Europe
d. a strategic arms limitation treaty agreement
e. A,B, and C
6. Popular election of U.S Senators was required by the _____ amendment
a. fifteenth
b. thirteenth
c. seventeenth
d. twenty-second
e. twentieth
7. A judicial activist is a judge who holds
a. that courts should make as well as interpret law.
b. a liberal ideology.
c. that courts should make but not interpret law.
d. a conservative ideology.
e. that courts merely apply the law and enforce norms.
8. The Federalist papers contain the results of studies of various forms of government assembled by
a. Benjamin Franklin
b. Thomas Jefferson
c. John Adams
d. George Washington
e. James Madison
9. All of the following are basic elements of the U.S. political culture except
a. Liberty
b. Democracy
c. Individualism
d. Civic duty
e. Economic equality
10. Economic issues are most likely to be placed on the public agenda by
a. Political elites
b. Public opinion
c. Economic analysts
d. Regulatory commissions
e. Economic theorists
11. Split ticket voting became less common around the turn of the century when the Progressives instituted the “______ballot.”
a. Office
b. Column
c. Markup
d. Descriptive
e. Institutional
12. Which of the following statements about the president’s power in foreign affairs is true?
a. it is greater than that of leaders of other nations
b. it has rarely cause great controversy or political debate
c. it is probably less than the framers intended
d. it is strictly limited by the federal court system
e. it is greater than his or her power over domestic affairs
13. Which committee in Congress in made up of representatives and senators appointed to resolve differences in the Senate and House versions of the legislation before final passage
a. conference committee
b. standing committee
c. select committee
d. filibuster committee
e. a and c
14. In McCulloh v. Maryland the Supreme Court held that
a. state militia were subservient to the federal armed services
b. the judicial branch has the power to determine the legitimate governing power in the states
c. state could tax a federal bank
d. the federal government could pass any laws necessary and proper to the attainment of constitutional ends
e. the federal government had the power to regulate commerce that occurred among states
15. People who run for office are trying to achieve what kind of authority?
a. Respected
b. Lasting
c. Formal
d. Ultimate
e. Informal
16. Internal efficacy refers to
a. One’s feelings about domestic politics
b. One’s ability to make a difference in the political world
c. The government’s ability to implement the will of the people
d. The responsiveness of government to public needs
e. One’s ability to understand and take part in politics
17. Political participation encompasses all of the following activities except
a. Voting
b. Paying your taxes
c. Writing your congressional representative
d. Signing a petition
e. Discussing politics
18. Party activists are not likely to
a. take issues seriously
b. resemble the average citizen
c. vote with any degree of consistency
d. work very hard
e. support candidates with strong ideological appeal
19. Presidents have asserted the right to send troops abroad on their own authority in more than ______instances.
a. 13
b. 20
c. 35
d. 45
e. 125
20. A basic difference between a parliament such as Great Britain's and the U.S congress is that
a. members of Congress are more likely to vote the party line.
b. the principal role of Congress is to debate national issues.
c. members of Parliament have more power and higher pay.
d. party members in a parliament vote together on most issues.
e. party members in Congress are more restrained by the leadership.
21. During the period from the end of the civil war to the beginning of the new deal, the dominant issue the Supreme court faced was
a. slavery
b. freedom of press
c. government regulation of the economy
d. states' rights versus federal supremacy
e. government regulation of interstate commerce
22. The primary source of legitimate political authority in the United States is the
a. Bill of Rights
b. Will of the people
c. U.S. Constitution
d. Concept of civil liberty
e. Notion of civil rights
23. One factor helping to break the deadlock that developed in the civil rights movement during the early 1960s was the
a. Assassination of President Kennedy
b. Supreme Court’s ruling in Brown v. Board of Education
c. Centralization of power in the House and Senate
d. Civil unrest that shook several northern cities
e. The election of Republican presidents
24. The ______Amendment gave voters in the District of Columbia the right to vote in presidential elections.
a. Fifteenth
b. Twentieth
c. Twenty-second
d. Twenty-third
e. Twenty-sixth
25. To obtain power within a political party, an individual must usually
a. move toward the center
b. move away from the center
c. remain above political conflict
d. avoid publicity
e. reflect the views of the average voter
26. When either interest group or client politics is involved in issues of foreign policy , a much larger role is played by....
a. the president
b. congress
c. the state department
d. public opinion
e. influential members of the house of representatives
27. One important effect of bicameralism is that it
a. ensures a separation of federal powers
b. creates an environment which resists unnecessary investigations
c. ensures the dominance of congress over the executive and judicial branches of government
d. makes congress subject to the powers of the supreme court
e. balances large and small states
28. There are only 94 ______in the federal judiciary
a. supreme courts
b. district courts
c. legislative courts
d. court of appeal
e. constitutional courts
29. A city council representative faces an important vote on how much, if any, money to spend on a new school. The representative relies on a poll of her constituents to make a decision. This is in keeping with the form of politics known as
a. Participatory politics
b. Majoritarian politics
c. Pluralist politics
d. Elitist politics
e. Reciprocal politics
30. Conflicts in civil liberties often arise because
a. Majoritarian politics is ineffective in resolving crises
b. The U.S. Constitution is vague on issues of individual rights
c. The Bill of Rights lists several competing rights
d. Policy entrepreneurs rarely operate in the civil rights area
e. The supreme court has refused to play a leading role in the interpretation of the First Amendment
31. To be effective, purposive membership organizations count on
a. Keeping issues out of the spotlight
b. Keeping issues in the spotlight
c. Major foundation funding
d. Favorable treatment by the courts
e. Litigation which receives little public attention
32. Among the major changes in elections in campaigns are all of the following except
a. money matters more than ever
b. parties are less important
c. fund raising is a non-stop activity
d. media are more important
e. debates are more important
33. The disengagement view of foreign policy emerged at what time in this century?
a. during WW 1
b. in the aftermath of WW 2
c. during the korean war
d. in the aftermath of the Vietnam war
e. just before the end of the Reagan administration
34. Under the original U.S constitution, members of the House were selected by
a. the president
b. state legislatures
c. direct elections
d. regional coalitions
e. primary runoffs
35. Which courts are mandated by the U.S constitution
a. legislative courts
b. both constitutional and legislative courts
c. the supreme court only
d. the supreme and appellate court
e. the Supreme, appellate, and district courts
36. A federal system of government would probably appeal most to an interest group with
a. Most of its support concentrated in one region
b. Majority support throughout the country
c. Minority support throughout the country
d. No support anywhere to speak of
e. Support in the Senate, but not the House
37. The Supreme Court decision that held constitutional the doctrine of separate but equal was
a. Sipuel v. Board of Regents
b. Sweat v. Painter
c. Brown v. Board of Education
d. Millikin v. Bradley
e. Plessy v. Ferguson
38. At some time in your life, you have probably joined a group largely for companionship and pleasure. Such a group was satisfying your ______needs.
a. Material
b. Purposive
c. Party
d. Solitary
e. Concurrent
39. A major difference between presidential and congressional campaigns is that
a. more people vote in congressional elections
b. presidential races are generally less competitive
c. presidential candidates can more credibly take credit for improvements in a district
d. presidential incumbents can better provide services for their constituents
e. congressional incumbents can more easily duck responsibility
40. The definition of bureaucracy includes all of the following notions except
a. large organization
b. authority divided among several managers
c. complexity of structure
d. appointed officials
e. an issue network
41. At any time what determines the legitimacy of governments actions
a. the U.S constitution
b. the president
c. the bureaucracy
d. the legislative branch
e. certain, shared beliefs
42. Democrats tend to be more worried than republicans about
a. inflation
b. unemployment
c. international politics
d. recessions
e. business investment
43. The pluralist view of political reality emphasizes the ______of political resources.
a. Coordination
b. Duplication
c. Irrelevance
d. Decentralization
e. Reciprocity
44. Senator Joseph McCarthy became a powerful policy entrepreneur by claiming that
a. The Japanese posed a West Coast security threat
b. Hippies were undermining Christianity
c. Communists had infiltrated the government
d. Homosexuals were transmitting AIDS to heterosexuals
e. Secular humanists were indoctrinating educators residents]
45. Newsweek runs a feature article on education in the United States that calls for sweeping changes in government policy on education. In this role Newsweek is acting as
a. Gatekeeper
b. Scorekeeper
c. Watchdog
d. Investigator
e. C and D
46. The states did little about malapportionment and gerrymandering until ordered to do so by
a. the president
b. congress
c. the Supreme Court.
d. political party leaders
e. the Justice Department
47. An important effect of WW2 on the federal government was to
a. bring an end to laissez-faire government
b. greatly increase government. Revenues from taxation
c. strip various regulatory agencies of their policy-making functions
d. introduce the concept of pay-as-you-go government.
e. streamline decision making but restrict the scope of the government's activity
48. A situation once thought normal but now viewed as intolerable, despite improving conditions, is called
a. incongruity
b. frustration
c. reciprocity
d. relative deprivation
e. optimism
49. Lower taxes, less debt and spending on new government programs produce ______politics
a. client
b. majoritarian
c. interest group
d. entrepreneurial
e. a and b
50. The McCulloch v. Maryland decision established
a. Judicial review by the Supreme Court
b. State sovereignty in interstate commerce
c. National government supremacy over the states
d. The legality of the slave trade
e. All of these
51. Slander differs from libel in referring to
a. Oral statements
b. Written statements
c. Public officials
d. Private individuals
e. Administrative hierarchies
52. The national media often play the role of watchdog. This means that they can
a. Influence public opinion on most issues
b. Influence what subjects become national political issues
c. Prevent certain politicians from winning office by not covering their campaigns
d. Expose scandals and investigate personalities
e. All of these
53. In a(n) ______primary, voters must declare themselves registered members of a party in advance.