41. What new interpretation of the Constitution did the Supreme Court use in District of Columbia v. Heller?
A. The Second Amendment prohibits state and federal governments from requiring the registration of firearms.
B. Federal and state laws restricting some people, such as convicted felons from purchasing guns, violate the Second Amendment.
C. The wording of the Second Amendment means that the constitutional right to gun ownership applies only to people serving in a state militia.
D. The Second Amendment contains a constitutional right to gun ownership irrespective of service in a state militia.
E. The right of privacy implied in the Bill of Rights extends to carrying of guns in public places.

42. Which one of the following is an action that does NOT involve participation in the political process?
A. creating a blog to write about politics
B. contacting a senator to get help in getting a veteran’s benefit that you believe you are entitled to
C. reading about politics in the newspaper
D. giving money to a PAC
E. signing a petition on the Internet supporting the repeal of a law

43. The most important influence in determining a person’s political party identification is the person’s
A. friends
B. parents
C. colleagues at work
D. teachers
E. religious leaders

44. The president can influence legislation under consideration by Congress by all of the following actions EXCEPT
A. speaking out to influence public opinion
B. talking to members of Congress and applying political pressure
C. threatening to veto legislation unless certain changes are made
D. sending key members of his staff or cabinet to testify before Congress or speak to the press in support of the president’s position
E. threatening to issue an executive order that would prohibit enforcement of the legislation if it is passed

46. What is the purpose of congressional earmarks?
A. to require the government to spend money on a specific project
B. to provide the funding required for entitlement programs
C. to provide a tax loophole for a specific corporation
D. to allow for deficit spending rather than balancing the federal budget
E. to give the president more discretionary funds that can be channeled to where the money is most needed

47. Which of the following is a value of American political culture?
A. the belief in limited government
B. the belief that the government has grown too big
C. the belief that the government spends too much on entitlement programs
D. the belief that government needs to do more to control big corporations
E. the opinion that the U.S. border with Mexico is not secure

49. In which landmark Supreme Court decision was the right to an attorney extended to require the government to provide lawyers for indigent defendants in state courts?
A. Miranda v. Arizona
B. Gideon v. Wainwright
C. Engle v. Vitale
D. Baker v. Carr
E. Mapp v. Ohio

50. To influence the Judicial Branch of the U.S. government, an interest group can do all of the following EXCEPT
A. file an amicus curiae brief
B. lobby the Senate in opposition to a nominee for the Supreme Court
C. file a lawsuit
D. meet privately with a federal judge regarding a case
E. meet with the president to discuss possible nominees to the Supreme Court

51. According to the term limits imposed by the Constitution
A. The president cannot be elected to the office of the president more than twice.
B. The president and vice president cannot serve more than two terms in office.
C. The president and his cabinet cannot serve more than eight years in office.
D. The president cannot be elected to more than four terms of office (as Franklin Roosevelt was).
E. There are no limits on the number of terms a president may serve but by tradition, since George Washington’s refusal to serve a third term, presidents only serve two terms.

53. What is eminent domain?
A. the supremacy of the federal government over state governments
B. the legal document issued when a higher court decides to review a decision of a lower court
C. the legal term referring to the Supreme Court’s remanding of a case to a lower court for a retrial
D. a requirement imposed by the federal government on state governments such as requiring that public buildings be accessible to persons with disabilities
E. the power of government to take private property for public use

54. Which of the following actions can Congress take if it is unhappy with the actions of a federal agency?
I. Hold congressional hearings to investigate the actions of the agency
II. Restrict or eliminate the agency’s funding
III. Pass a new law restricting the operations of the agency
IV. Issue an executive order requiring the agency to take certain actions

A. statement III only
B. statements I and II only
C. statements II and III only
D. statements I, II, and III only
E. statements I, II, III, and IV


55. Which one of the following is a provision contained in the Constitution?
A. The Supreme Court has the power to declare a law unconstitutional.
B. The justices of the Supreme Court serve life terms.
C. The Supreme Court consists of eight associate justices and one chief justice.
D. Supreme Court justices cannot be impeached.
E. The U.S. District Courts are courts of original jurisdiction in the federal judicial system.

56. Which of the following groups is most likely to vote for the Democratic candidates for president?
A. African Americans
B. households in which no one is a member of a labor union
C. males
D. people over age 55
E. females

57. After a bill is introduced in the House of Representatives, what is the next step in the legislative process?
A. The bill is introduced in the Senate because both houses of Congress must consider all proposed legislation.
B. The bill is referred to a committee.
C. The majority-party caucus votes whether or not to support the bill.
D. The Speaker of the House decides whether to ignore the bill or take action.
E. The bill dies unless a committee chair decides to “mark up” the bill.

58. Which of the following is NOT a factor the president generally takes into account in nominating a person for Supreme Court justice?
A. whether or not the person can be confirmed in the Senate
B. the age of the person
C. the political party the person belongs to
D. whether public opinion will be favorable towards the person nominated
E. whether the person has held elective office before

59. Which of the following is an example of fiscal federalism?
A. administering the national parks
B. patrolling costal shipping lanes
C. building new mass transit systems in urban areas
D. administering veteran’s hospitals
E. patrolling U.S. borders

60. Which one of the following statements best describes the prevailing view of the power of the president today?
A. The president is primarily an administrator carrying out the will of Congress.
B. The president can take whatever action he feels appropriate to advance his policy goals as long as he doesn’t break the law or violate the Constitution.
C. The president is the voice of the nation but cannot take any important actions on his own without the approval of Congress.
D. The president is above the law and can pursue the policies he believes in even if that means he must break a law.
E. The president, in a national crisis such as a war on terror, can take whatever actions he deems necessary even if it means violating the Constitution.