SAMPLE TEST
United States Senate Youth Program
The qualifying examination is a two-part examination. The first section consists of 55
multiple-choice questions. The last section consists of one essay question. You may have
two hours to complete both sections. Budget your time so that you can complete both
sections. GOOD LUCK!
Important: You must mark your answers on the answer sheet. Use a Number two (2) lead pencil to fill in the
bubble completely.
A. PART I: MULTIPLE CHOICE – GENERAL (20 QUESTIONS – 2 POINTS EACH)
• Read every word of each question carefully before answering it.
• Select the best possible answer and fill in the appropriate space on the answer sheet.
Test Administrators: Review your student’s computer answer sheet to ensure that no incomplete erasures or
stray pencil marks will cause the computer to reject their answer sheets. Be certain that answers are in the
correct columns!
1. All of the following statements about federal court judges are correct except that ______.
a.
b.
c.
d.
they must have served as a judge in a state court.
they must be removed from office by impeachment.
they are appointed for life during good behavior.
their appointment by the President must be confirmed by a majority vote of the U.S. Senate.
2. Which of the following statements best explains why the price of beef increased so rapidly after 1978?
a.
b.
c.
d.
The federal government guaranteed high prices to help beef producers meet foreign competition.
The American people increased their demand for beef sharply after 1978.
There was a supply shortage of beef caused by reduction in the size of herds in 1976 and 1977.
Food stores raised the price of beef sharply to increase their profits in 1978 and 1979
B. PART II: MULTIPLE CHOICE –STATEMENT ANALYSIS (5 QUESTIONS – 2 POINTS EACH)
Students: Read the following statements carefully. Then fill in the appropriate spaces on the answer sheet.
Speaker A: The emergency at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania in March and April 1979 is part of the price
this nation must pay for technological progress. Most of the fuss about this accident is stirred
up by fanatics that are trying to destroy our free enterprise system. If the government would
leave the nuclear industry alone, the forces of private enterprise could solve the problem of
safety all by themselves.
Speaker B: The nuclear accident at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania in March and April 1979
demonstrated that the building and operation of nuclear power plants near populated areas
should be prohibited. It is important now that government greatly expand its safety monitoring
of all plants, halt future building, and begin a crash program to develop alternative sources of
energy.
3. Which one of these positions best represents the ideas of political liberals?
4. Which one of these positions best represents the ideas of extremely conservative Democrats or
Republicans?
C. PART III: MULTIPLE CHOICE – POLITICAL LEADERS AND GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS (10
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QUESTIOINS – 2 POINTS EACH)
Students: Read every word of each description before answering. Choose the name of the person who best
corresponds to the description. Indicate your choice in the appropriate space on the answer sheet.
5. The U.S. Senate Minority Leader from Tennessee who retired to have time to devote to a 1988
presidential campaign.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Howard Baker
James Thompson
Leo Ryan
Michael Blumenthal
6. The first black political candidate to be a serious contender for the presidential nomination of a major
political party.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Martin Luther King
George Washington Carver
Jesse Jackson
Coleman Young
D. PART IV: TRUE OR FALSE (20 QUESTIONS – 1 POINT EACH)
Students: Indicate in the spaces provided on the answer sheet whether each of the following statements is
true or false. Use the A bubble (1) for true and the B bubble (2) for false.
7. Public campaign financing laws limit the amount of personal money that a congressional candidate can
spend in his own election campaign.
8. Only the U.S. House of Representatives has the power to initiate impeachment proceedings against
federal executive of judicial officers.
E. Part V: MULTIPLE CHOICE LOCAL AND STATE POLITICS (8 QUESTIONS – 1 POINT EACH)
Students: Write the correct answer in the appropriate space.
9. – 10. The treasurer of West Virginia and his party affiliation are:
9. Treasurer:
10.Party:
F. Part VI: ESSAY
Important: You must use a BLACK BALL POINT, FELT TIP, OR FOUNTAIN PEN. Write neatly and legibly.
(Essay 50 possible points.) Write an essay of approximately 300 words exploring as fully as possible one of the
four topics given during the test. You may use scrap paper to develop your first draft and then recopy your essay
on the official essay test paper provided in this packet. These essays will be copied for distribution to the judges
so it is important that you write neatly and on the lines, and remember to use black ink. Your essay will be
judged on the accuracy, quality, and comprehensiveness of your ideas.
DO NOT USE PENCIL TO WRITE YOUR ESSAY.
ONLY WRITE YOUR FINAL ESSAY ON THE ESSAY ANSWER SHEET PROVIDED.
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