American Government

Sample Questions

The 40 sample questions that follow are similar to questions on the American Government exam, but they do not appear on the actual exam.

Before attempting to answer the sample questions, read all the information above about the American Government exam. Additional suggestions for preparing for CLEP exams are provided in Chapter 4.

Try to answer correctly as many questions as possible. Then compare your answers with the correct answers, given in Appendix A

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.

1. Which of the following statements best reflects the pluralist theory of American politics?
   1. American politics is dominated by a small elite.
   2. Public policies emerge from cooperation among elites in business, labor, and government.
   3. Public policies emerge from compromises reached among competing groups
   4. American politics is dominated by cities at the expense of rural areas.
   5. The American political arena is made up of isolated individuals who have few group affiliations outside the family.

2. Which of the following is the most influential source of a citizen's attitudes about politics, political values, and public issues?
   1. Religious affiliation
   2. Family
   3. Formal education
   4. Party affiliation
   5. Peers

3. A member of the House of Representatives who wanted to increase his or her power and influence in Congress would be best advised to seek appointment to which of the following committees?
   1. Agriculture
   2. Ways and Means
   3. Veteran's Affairs
   4. Armed Services
   5. Education and Labor

4. Which of the following statements about Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka is correct?
   1. It declared Bible reading in the public schools unconstitutional.
   2. It established the principle of one person, one vote.
   3. It required that citizens about to be arrested be read a statement concerning their right to remain silent.
   4. It declared segregation by race in the public schools unconstitutional.
   5. It declared segregation by race in places of public accommodation unconstitutional.

5. Prior to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, literacy tests were used by some Southern states to
   1. determine the educational achievement of potential voters
   2. prevent Black people from exercising their right to vote
   3. assess the general population's understanding of the Constitution
   4. hinder the migration of northerners
   5. defend the practice of segregation

6. Presidents often have difficulty getting their legislative programs passed because of the
   1. contrasting views of elected officials in the national government and elected officials in state and local governments
   2. conflicts between conservative and liberal wings within each party's congressional delegation
   3. role the electoral college plays in presidential elections
   4. bipartisan nature of congressional committees
   5. uncertain guidelines from the Supreme Court

7. Usually, the first political figure perceived by a young child is the
   1. President of the United States
   2. House representative from the child's congressional district
   3. governor of the state in which the child lives
   4. city council representative from the child's district
   5. mayor of the city in which the child lives

8. Which of the following principles protects a citizen from imprisonment without trial?
   1. Representative government
   2. Separation of powers
   3. Due process
   4. Checks and balances
   5. Popular sovereignty

9. The fact that many bills passed by Congress are the result of a system of mutual accommodations means that to some extent congressional behavior is often based on
   1. ideological divisions
   2. partisan division
   3. the principle of reciprocity
   4. deference to state legislatures
   5. party loyalty

10. The President's veto power is accurately described by which of the following statements?
    1. A President sometimes threatens to veto a bill that is under discussion in order to influence congressional decision-making.
    2. A President typically vetoes about a third of the bills passed by Congress.
    3. Congress is usually unable to override a President's veto.
    1. I only
    2. III only
    3. I and III only
    4. II and III only
    5. I, II, and III

11. All of the following issues were decided at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 EXCEPT
    1. representation in the legislature
    2. voting qualifications of the electorate
    3. method of electing the President
    4. congressional power to override a presidential veto
    5. qualifications for members of the House and Senate

12. Which of the following statements about political action committees (PAC'S) is true?
    1. PAC's may give unlimited contributions to the election campaigns of individual candidates.
    2. PAC spending has not kept pace with inflation.
    3. PAC activity is limited to direct contributions to candidates.
    4. Social-issue groups are the source of most PAC dollars.
    5. PAC spending makes up a higher percentage of congressional campaign funds than of presidential campaign funds.

13. The usefulness to the President of having cabinet members as political advisers is undermined by the fact that
    1. the President has little latitude in choosing cabinet members
    2. cabinet members have no political support independent of the President
    3. cabinet members are usually drawn from Congress and retain loyalties to Congress
    4. the loyalties of cabinet members are often divided between loyalty to the President and loyalty to their own executive departments
    5. the cabinet operates as a collective unit and individual members have no access to the President

14. All of the following constitutional rights of the accused have been interpreted to apply to state criminal proceedings EXCEPT the right to
    1. be represented by counsel
    2. remain silent during questioning
    3. be indicted by grand jury
    4. be informed of the charges pending
    5. receive a trial by jury in a criminal case

15. In the electoral history of the United States, third parties have been effective vehicles of protest when they
    1. aligned themselves with one of the major parties
    2. presented innovative programs in Congress
    3. dramatized issues and positions that were being ignored by the major parties
    4. chose the President by depriving either of the major parties of an electoral college victory
    5. supported a political agenda that appealed especially to women

16. Which of the following best defines the term "judicial activism"?
    1. The tendency of judges to hear large numbers of cases on social issues
    2. The efforts of judges to lobby Congress for funds
    3. The attempts by judges to influence election outcomes
    4. The unwillingness of judges to remove themselves from cases in which they have a personal interest
    5. The tendency of judges to interpret the Constitution according to their own views

17. High levels of political participation have been found to be positively associated with which of the following?
    1. A high level of interest in politics
    2. A sense of efficacy
    3. A strong sense of civic duty
    1. III only
    2. I and II only
    3. I and III only
    4. II and III only
    5. I, II, and III

18. In the last thirty years, the single most important variable in determining the outcome of an election for a member of the House of Representatives has been
    1. incumbency
    2. personal wealth
    3. previous political office held in the district
    4. membership in the political party of the President
    5. positions on key social issues

19. Which of the following best describes the concept of federalism embodied in the United States government?
    1. Powers are constitutionally divided between a central government and its constituent governments, with some powers being shared
    2. All governmental powers are constitutionally given to the central government, which may delegate authority to its constituent elements
    3. Constituent governments join together and form a central government, which exists by approval of the constituent governments
    4. The central government creates constituent governments
    5. Constituent governments are sovereign in all matters except foreign policy, which is reserved to the central government

20. The power of the Rules Committee in the House of Representatives rests on its authority to
    1. choose the chairs of other standing committees and issue rules for the selection of subcommittee chairs
    2. initiate all spending legislation and hold budget hearings
    3. limit the time for debate and determine whether amendments to a bill can be considered
    4. determine the procedures by which nominations by the President will be approved by the House
    5. choose the President if no candidate wins a majority in the electoral college

21. All of the following are formal or informal sources of presidential power EXCEPT
    1. presidential authority to raise revenue
    2. presidential access to the media
    3. precedents set during previous administrations
    4. public support
    5. the Constitution

22. A major difference between political parties and interest groups is that interest groups generally do NOT
    1. suggest new legislation that is supportive of their interests
    2. try to influence the outcome of legislation
    3. occupy a place on the ballot
    4. concern themselves with elections
    5. have a national organization

23. An election is a "realigning" or "critical" election if
    1. one party controls the Congress and the other controls the Presidency
    2. voter turnout is higher than expected
    3. it occurs during a major war
    4. there is a lasting change in party coalitions
    5. the same party controls both Congress and the presidency

24. Which of the following Supreme Court cases involved the principle of "one person, one vote"?
    1. Baker v. Carr
    2. Roe v. Wade
    3. Mapp v. Ohio
    4. Korematsu v. United States
    5. Gideon v. Wainwright

25. The passage of broad legislation that leaves the making of specific rules to the executive branch is an example of
    1. shared powers
    2. delegated authority
    3. checks and balances
    4. executive agreement
    5. a line item veto

26. In the United States, the two-party system has had all of the following effects EXCEPT
    1. lessening class and regional loyalties
    2. promoting majority rule
    3. increasing the need for runoff elections
    4. fostering bargaining and compromise between parties prior to general elections
    5. helping voters to organize and interpret political information

27. The details of legislation are usually worked out in which of the following settings?
    1. A party caucus
    2. The majority leader's office
    3. The floor of the House
    4. Legislative hearings
    5. A subcommittee

28. A philosophical explanation of the operation of diverse interests in American politics is found in
    1. the Virginia Plan
    2. John Calhoun's A Disquisition on Government
    3. The Federalist
    4. the Declaration of Independence
    5. John Locke's The Second Treatise of Civil Government

29. Which of the following best describes the jurisdiction that the Constitution gives to the Supreme Court?
    1. Much original jurisdiction and little appellate jurisdiction
    2. Much original jurisdiction and no appellate jurisdiction
    3. Little original jurisdiction and much appellate jurisdiction
    4. No original jurisdiction and much appellate jurisdiction
    5. No original jurisdiction and little appellate jurisdiction

    
    
    
    

    ISSUE VOTING, PARTY VOTING, ISSUE AND PARTY VOTING, 1956-1972

    

    Copyright © 1976 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College

    
    

30. According to the information in the chart above, which of the following statements are true?
    1. The proportion of pure issue voters in the electorate increased continuously between 1956 and 1972.
    2. The proportion of pure party voters in the electorate decreased continuously between 1956 and 1972.
    3. The net change in the proportion of the electorate for which party and issues reinforce each other was zero between 1956 and 1972.
    4. In 1956, compared to the number of pure issue voters, there were about twice as many voters for whom party and issues reinforced each other, and about three times as many pure party voters.
    1. I and II only
    2. III and IV only
    3. I, II, and III only
    4. I, III, and IV only
    5. I, II, III, and IV

31. Which of the following activities of American labor unions is recognized by law?
    1. Engaging in strikes
    2. Denying the public access to a business
    3. Refusing a subpoena to appear before Congress
    4. Disobeying a court injunction to return to work
    5. Requiring members to make political contributions

32. Which of the following best describes the relationship between socioeconomic status and participation in politics?
    1. The lower one's socioeconomic status, the more likely it is that one will run for public office.
    2. The higher one's socioeconomic status, the greater the probability of active involvement in the political process.
    3. Adults who are unemployed have a greater personal interest in policy and tend to participate more actively in politics than do employed adults.
    4. People in the lower middle class are the most likely to participate in politics
    5. There is no relationship between socioeconomic status and political participation.

    
    
    

    STUDENT PARTY IDENTIFICATION BY
    PARENT PARTY IDENTIFICATION

    Student Party Identification	Parent Party Identification
    	Democrat	Independent	Republican
    Democrat	66%	29%	13%
    Independent	27%	53%	36%
    Republican	7%	18%	51%
    Total	100%	100%	100%

    M. Kent Jennings and Richard G Niemi, The Political Character of Adolescence: The Influence of Families and Schools.
    Copyright © 1974 by Princeton University Press. Reprinted by permission of Princeton University Press.

    
    

    According to the information in the table above, which of the following statements is correct?

    1. Students who identify themselves as independents are most likely to have parents who are Republicans.
    2. Of the three groups of parents, the Democrats are the most likely to pass on their party identification to their children.
    3. Students who identify with the Democratic party are more likely to have parents who are Republicans than parents who are independents.
    4. The children of Republicans are less likely to identify themselves as independents than are the children of Democrats.
    5. Parents who are independents are the least likely to have children who share their party identification.

    Which of the following is an example of the institutionalization of the Presidency?

    1. Creation of the National Security Council
    2. Creation of the Securities and Exchange Commission
    3. Impoundment by the President of funds appropriated by Congress
    4. Invocation of the principle of executive privilege in denying information to Congress
    5. Use of executive agreements rather than congressionally ratified treaties in the conduct of foreign policy

    All of the following statements correctly describe judicial appointments at the federal level EXCEPT:

    1. The President, rather than Congress, has control over the creation of new federal judicial positions.
    2. Federal judicial appointments are sent for evaluation to the American Bar Association's Committee on the Federal Judiciary.
    3. If a senator is a member of the President's party, tradition may allow the senator to exercise an informal veto over an individual being considered from the senator's state.
    4. Presidents seldom recommend for judicial appointment individuals from the opposition political party.
    5. Federal judgeships are often considered by Presidents as patronage positions.

    Which of the following agencies determines the domestic monetary policy of the United States?

    1. The Council of Economic Advisors
    2. The United States Department of the Treasury
    3. The Office of Management and Budget
    4. The Federal Reserve Board
    5. The Export-lmport Bank

    Under which of the following conditions are interest groups most likely to influence policymaking?

    1. When a problem has been dramatized by television network news
    2. When the President has made a major address on the subject
    3. When the parties in Congress have taken alternative positions on the issue
    4. When presidential candidates have been disagreeing with one another on the subject
    5. When the issue is a highly technical one requiring very detailed legislation

    All of the following help to explain the President's difficulty in controlling cabinet-level agencies EXCEPT:

    1. Agencies often have political support from interest groups.
    2. Agency staff often have information and technical expertise that the President and presidential advisers lack.
    3. The President can only fire appointees before they have been confirmed by the Senate.
    4. Civil servants who remain in their jobs through changes of administration develop loyalties to their agencies.
    5. Congress is a competitor for influence over the bureaucracy.

    In the Constitution as originally ratified in 1788, the provisions regarding which of the following most closely approximate popular, majoritarian democracy?

    1. Election of members of the House of Representatives
    2. Election of members of the Senate
    3. Election of the President
    4. Ratification of treaties
    5. Confirmation of presidential appointments

    The most likely and often the most powerful policy coalition of interests is likely to include a federal agency plus which of the following?

    1. Related agencies in the bureaucracy and a congressional committee chairperson
    2. Congress and the President
    3. An interest group and the President
    4. An interest group and a congressional subcommittee
    5. An interest group and the majority party

Study Resources

To prepare for the American Government exam, you should read several introductory textbooks used in college courses on this subject. Visit your local college bookstore to determine which textbooks are used by the college for American Government courses. You would do well to consult several textbooks because they vary in content, approach, and emphasis. When selecting a textbook, check the table of contents against the "Knowledge and Skills Required" section on pages 225-227. The Internet is another resource you should explore. Additional reading will enrich your understanding of American politics.

Additional suggestions for preparing for CLEP exams are provided in Chapter 4.

Answers to Sample Questions