AP GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS / FINAL EXAM / 2013/ MR. LIPMAN
(Single Period Exam with notes allowed)
Name______________________________________Date_________________
_____1. In Marbury v. Madison (1803), the Supreme Court assumed to power to:
a) decide which internal congressional procedures are constitutional
b) advise Congress on the constitutionality of a proposed law
c) regulate slavery
d) decide on the constitutionality of a law or an executive action
e) approve executive agreements
** Questions 2&3 refer to the following excerpt from a Supreme Court decision:**
“We are unanimously of opinion, that the law passed by the legislature of
Maryland, imposing a tax on the Bank of the United States, is
unconstitutional and void…This is a tax on the operation of an instrument employed
by the government of the Union to carry its powers into execution. Such a tax must
be unconstitutional…”
_____2. This decision of the Supreme Court upheld the principle that:
a) the federal government and the state governments are equal
b) Congress has only those powers specifically enumerated in the Constitution
c) Individual states may not interfere with laws or commerce being carried out
on behalf of the Federal Government
d) taxation without representation is unconstitutional
e) the federal government alone may pay taxes
_____3. Which of the following resulted from this Supreme Court decision?
a) The power of the national government was strengthened
b) The power of the Supreme Court was weakened
c) The power of the state governments to tax individual citizens was limited
d) Congress was given the power to coin money
e) Congress alone was given the power to charter banks
_____4. All of the following issues were decided at the Constitutional Convention EXCEPT:
a) The format of a bicameral legislature
b) what the requirements for voting by the people of America would be
c) method of electing the President
d) congressional power to override a presidential veto
e) qualifications for members of the House and Senate
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_____5. Which of the following is empowered to create new federal courts and specify the
number of judges who will sit on them?
a) The Supreme Court
b) Congress
c) President
d) The Department of Justice
e) The Attorney General
_____6. A social contract theory of government was proposed by:
a) Plato and Aristotle
b) Aquinas and Luther
c) Newton and the separatists
d) Locke
_____7. The most serious disagreement in the debate between large and small states at the
Constitutional Convention was the issue of:
a) representation in congress
b) judicial power
c) slavery
d) taxation
______8. Once the Constitutional Convention was completed, the drive for ratification in
the states began. Those who favored strong states and a weak national government,
and thus opposed ratification, were called:
a) Democrats
b) Republicans
c) Anti-Federalists
d) Federalists
______9. The “clear and present danger” test devised by the Supreme Court was designed to
define the conditions under which public authorities would be allowed to:
a) ban pornography
b) mobilize the national guard
c) limit free speech
d) give pay raises to Congress members
_____10. The Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade ( the abortion case) was based on:
a) the right to privacy implied in the Bill of Rights
b) state laws
c) a law passed by Congress
d) the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment
_____11. In Brown v. Board of Education (1954) the Supreme Court established which of the
following principles?
a) school officials can always search a student for drugs
b) every student by law must attend school until they are 18
c) separation of students by race in public schools is unconstitutional
d) permitting school prayer at the start of every day is unconstitutional
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_____12. The process by which the Supreme Court has chosen to apply specific guarantees in
the Bill of Rights to the states is called:
a) due process
b) selective incorporation
c) establishment clause d) inclusion
_____13. “Pork barrel” legislation helps the reelection chances of a member of Congress
because such legislation:
a) gives the member of Congress national standing and coverage on national TV news
b) helps earn the member of Congress a reputation for service to his or her district
c) attracts campaign contributions from ideological political action committees (PACs)
d) prevents other candidates from claiming that the member of Congress is too liberal
for his or her district
e) requires the member of Congress to travel extensively
_____14. Which of the following best defines the term “judicial activism”?
a) the demands on judges to hear large numbers of cases
b) the efforts of judges to lobby congress for funds
c) the attempts by judges to influence election outcomes
d) the unwillingness of judges to remove themselves from cases in which they have
a personal interest
e) the tendency of some judges to interpret the constitution according to their own
personal views
_____15. Which of the following is always true of nominees for federal judgeships?
a) they are recruited from the current pool of U.S. attorneys
b) they are nominated by the senate and approved by the house of representatives
c) they are elected in popular elections in individual states
d) they must receive the approval of the American Bar Association upon nomination
e) they are appointed for life by the president if approved by the senate
_____16. A “cloture motion” passed in the senate does which of the following?
a) returns a bill to committee
b) cuts off debate on a bill and thus can end a filibuster
c) criticizes a senator guilty of improprieties
d) removes a president who has been impeached by the house
e) brings a bill directly to a vote without formal committee approval
_____17. In general, Congress is most likely to defer to the President:
a) in the area of foreign policy
b) in the area of fiscal policy
c) in the area of social policy
d) late in the president’s term
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_____18. the boundary lines of congressional districts are drawn by:
a) the united states house of representatives
b) the united states senate
c) united states district courts
d) state governors
e) state legislatures
_____19. The War Powers Act (1973) was designed to:
a) allow the Joint Chiefs of Staff to advise the president during periods of conflict
b) allow congress to suspend certain civil liberties during times of war
c) require congressional approval before allowing military forces to be
used overseas beyond 60 days
d) assure the President unlimited power to use troops anywhere in the world as long
as he feels it is necessary
_____20. All of the following are commonly used by interest groups to influence the political
process EXCEPT:
a) lobbying
b) contributing money to candidates
c) nominating candidates
d) filing lawsuits
e) appealing to public opinion
_____21. A form of investigative reporting during the early 20th century concerned with
reforming government and business conduct was called:
a) the penny press
b) yellow journalism
c) muckraking
d) partisan journalism
_____22. A factor that permits the modern press to undertake character investigations is a ruling
by the Supreme Court that public officials would have to prove “actual malice” to
win a libel suit. This has made it very hard for public officials to sue for libel. The
case was:
a) New York Times v. Sullivan
c) Anti-defamation League v. New York
b) Burnett v. The National Enquirer
d) Curtis Publishing v. Butts
_____23. Encouraging charitable giving through the use of tax deductions is an example of
which type of technique?
a) authoritative
b) capacity
c) incentive
_____24. Medicaid was designed to provide health care to:
a) the aged
b) the poor
c) the working class
d) hortatory
d) animals
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_____25. The doctrine of ___________holds that government regulation of the economy is
wrong and the role of government should be limited to the maintenance of public
roads and lighthouses, since that cannot be profitably done by individuals.
a) the business cycle
b) unitarism
c) laissez-faire
d) noblesse oblige
_____26. The selection of party candidates through the ballots of qualified voters is called a:
a) direct primary
b) nominating convention
c) party caucus
d) party conference
_____27. Every four years the parties nominate a presidential candidate through a:
a) platform
b) convention
c) conference
d) national committee
_____28. A primary in which only a party’s registered voters are eligible to participate is called:
a) open
b) blanket
c) closed
d) all of these
_____29. In some states, an incumbent can be removed from office by popular vote. This
process is called:
a) impeachment
b) indictment
c) recall
d) referendum
_____30. In recent years, states have had a tendency to choose early dates for their presidential
primaries in order to gain influence in the process. This is called:
a) influence peddling
b) gerrymandering
c) front loading
d) primary staging
_____31. In the event that a single candidate does not get a majority of electoral votes, the
Constitution states that the ___________________decides the winner.
a) Supreme Court b) entire Congress
c) Senate
d) House of Representatives
_____32. The goal of campaign finance laws is to:
a) create equality in funding
b) promote fairness
c) limit influence over public officials
d) promote freedom of speech
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_____33. The Supreme Court of the United States ruled that there could be no limits placed on
candidates’ expenditures of their own funds, since such spending is considered free
speech, in which case?
a) Buckley v. Valeo
b) Nixon v. United States
c) Rockefeller v. United States
d) Perot v. Reno
_____34. In the last 30 years, the single most important variable in determining the outcome of
an election for a member of the house of representatives has been:
a) incumbency
b) personal wealth
c) previous political offices held in the district
d) membership in the political party of the president
e) positions on key social issues
_____35. Which of the following were LEAST likely to have been part of the New Deal
electoral coalition?
a) Blue-collar workers
b) racial minorities
c) Southerners
d) Northern business leaders
e) Farm laborers
______36. Since 1960 the presidential election process has been affected by an increase in all of
the following EXCEPT the:
a) proportion of independents in the electorate
b) influence of political consultants
c) number of primaries
d) turnout of voters
e) role of television
______37. The most common form of political activity undertaken by U.S. citizens is:
a) lobbying to influence decisions by public officials
b) campaigning for candidates for office
c) contributing money to a political party
d) voting in local elections
e) voting in presidential elections
______38. In 1887, Congress adopted the Interstate Commerce Act, which was designed to:
a) regulate interstate commerce of all sorts
b) regulate railroads
c) facilitate business transactions among the states through simpler tariff and tax rules
d) prohibit short hauling of goods
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______39. The program, instituted by FDR, in order to overcome the Great Depression was
referred to as the:
a) War on Poverty
b) Federal Relief Policy
c) New Deal
d) Fair Deal
______40. Making and implementing foreign policy is a power given to the:
a) municipal government
b) states
c) national government and states, concurrently
d) executive branch alone
______41. The president’s 1823 pledge that America would oppose any attempt by European
states to extend political control in the Western Hemisphere was called the:
a) Madison Rule
b) Adams Doctrine
c) Monroe Doctrine
d) Jackson Principle
_____42. President _____________________led America into World War I.
a) Roosevelt
b) Wilson
c) Harding
d) Coolidge
_____43. In 1947, the American Government decided to rebuild war-torn Europe by sending
large amounts of aid to rebuild their economies. This was known as the:
a) Truman Doctrine
b) Marshall Plan
c) Kennan Proposal
d) Harvard Plan
_____44. The strategy to oppose Soviet expansion was also known as:
a) containment
b) alliance theory
c) balance of power
d) prevention
_____45. Détente was a policy of negotiation and relaxation of tensions with the Soviets
undertaken by which of the following presidents:
a) John F. Kennedy
b) Gerald Ford
c) Lyndon B. Johnson
d) Richard Nixon
_____46. The activities of the Federal Reserve Board have the most direct influence on:
a) bank interest rates
b) government spending
c) oil prices
d) troop-strength levels of the armed services
e) availability of scarce minerals
_____47. States and localities have the most discretion in establishing policy when federal
funding is derived from:
a) categorical grants
b) matching grants
c) block grants
d) project grants
e) grants-in-aid
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_____48. Which of the following is true about the line-item veto?
a) It is specifically granted to the president by the constitution
b) It is used by many state governors
c) It is basically the same as a pocket veto
d) Its use was upheld by the Supreme Court
e) It would, if instituted, strengthen the power of congressional leaders
_____49. Federal benefits that must be funded by Congress and must be paid to all citizens who
meet eligibility criteria are called:
a) discretionary appropriations
b) individual entitlements
c) tax expenditures
d) distributive benefits
e) continuing appropriations
_____50. A President may persuade recalcitrant members of Congress to vote for a particular
bill by:
a) having members who oppose the bill transferred to unpopular committees
b) denying campaign funds to members who oppose the bill
c) threatening to deny re-nomination to members who oppose the bill
d) threatening to line item veto part of a different bill that enjoys bipartisan support
in Congress
e) making a direct appeal to the public through the mass media
THIS CONCLUDES THE MULTIPLE CHOICE PORTION OF THE EXAM; PLEASE
ANSWER THE ESSAY QUESTION BELOW ON A SEPARATE PIECE OF PAPER.
For most of you this is your last year at Long Branch High School and the last exam you will ever
have to take for me. I would like you to take a little time and write me an essay indicating what, if
anything, you would have done differently in your last 4 years at L/B if you had the chance to do it
over again. This is not meant as a joke, so don’t waste your time writing that you would have
pulled more pranks or cut more classes. As you know, I am really interested in your thought
process and will read these seriously. I will not share the essay with anyone else and will not be
grading or judging them.
I have taught many of you for the last 3 years, and have known and worked with some of you for
four years. I have clearly learned as much from you as you have hopefully learned from me. I just
want you to know that I am very proud of the academic progress you have made. I wish you good
luck in the future and hope that you will email me from time to time to keep me informed as to
your progress at the college level.
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