Civics Trivia Questions

Among the executive branch's checks on the legislative branch is the president's power to

• Acall special sessions of Congress
• Bvote on acts of Congress
• Cintroduce bills to the floor of Congress
• Daddress Congress during its debate on bills

What case did President Eisenhower make against the 'military-industrial complex' in his farewell speech?

• AThat private companies would undermine the role of the Armed Forces
• BThat the capitalist search for profits was the leading cause of armed conflict
• CThat the United States no longer needed to be militarily strong
• DThat military spending gave the arms industry unwarranted influence on politics and government

How many major powers are there in a multipolar system?

• A3 or more
• B0
• C1
• D2

Which of the following is the largest source of "automatic spending" for the federal government?

• AEntitlement programs
• BInterest payments made to U.S. bondholders
• CSalaries to employees of the U.S. Post Office
• DNational defense

The trade-off between defense and social spending is often referred to as a choice between

• Abread and butter.
• Bbombs and books.
• Cwar and peace.
• Dguns and butter.

Incumbent members of the House of Representatives win reelection more often than incumbent senators for all of the following reasons EXCEPT

• Arepresentatives may use federal funds to publicize their achievements via direct mail to constituents
• Brepresentatives more often run uncontested
• Crepresentatives' constituents more often belong largely to the representative's party
• Dsenators have more political power than representatives, and Senate races are accordingly contested more aggressively

Which of the following describes a core principle of the Constitution as it was written in 1787?

• ADirect democracy
• BEqual representation
• CChecks and balances
• DUnitary government

An "unfunded mandate" is created when the federal government requires state and municipal governments to

• Afulfill a particular duty but does not provide the finances for doing so
• Bissue short-term bonds without specifying the interest rate for those bonds
• Ccollect a sales tax in their areas without instructions on how to spend the revenues
• Dcomply with federal laws, even if those laws conflict with state and municipal laws

All of the following are true under the system of checks and balances EXCEPT

• ACongress can override a presidential veto
• Btwo-thirds of the Senate must approve presidentially negotiated treaties
• Cthe president's nominees must be approved by the Senate before taking office
• Dthe president can override a congressional veto and pass laws

What was the 'New Populism'?

• AA strand of neo-isolationist sentiment
• BA strand of internationalist sentiment
• CIncreased incorporation of public opinion in foreign policy making
• DAn expression of American cultural superiority

Which of the following most accurately describes The Federalist Papers?

• AA series of congressional acts defining the relationship between the federal and state governments
• BA popular anti-British booklet of the pre-Revolutionary era
• CA collection of essays arguing the merits of the Constitution
• DThe Federalist party platform during the presidency of John Adams, the first Federalist president

The Commerce Clause of the Constitution has been used to

• Aincrease the power of the national government
• Bveto legislative bills of attainder
• Cmaintain the navy
• Drelease detainees from prison following unlawful arrest

What drives US foreign policy according to the Marxist perspective?

• AEconomic protectionism
• BSuperstructure
• CClass consciousness
• DThe search for new markets

The importance of oil in shaping U.S. foreign policy helps to highlight

• Athe need to drill for domestic sources.
• Bhow the importance of oil is often overexaggerated.
• Cthe importance of military superiority.
• Dthe increasing importance of economic instruments of foreign policy.

The exclusionary rule was established to

• Alimit the government's ability to use illegally obtained evidence
• Bdeny control of interstate commerce to the states
• Ccreate "separate but equal" facilities to facilitate racial segregation
• Dallow private organizations to restrict their memberships

The practice of drawing congressional district lines in an attempt to give one party a benefit over another is referred to as

• Aprior restraint
• Breapportionment
• Cgerrymandering
• Dfront-loading

What is direct diplomacy?

• AMembers of Congress negotiating directly with foreign governments
• BBilateral talks that do not involve a third-party negotiator
• CThe president consulting Congress on foreign policy issues
• DFace-to-face meetings between state leaders

Which of the following best describes a block grant?

• AFunds with few restrictions that are provided to state or local governments for general purpose use
• BMoney that can only be used for a specific purpose
• CFunds distributed among states according to a set formula
• DMoney provided to individuals to fund research projects

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 has had which of the following effects?

• AVoting participation for racial minority voters has increased.
• BVoters must now pass literacy tests before voting.
• CStates have been prohibited from establishing voter identification requirements.
• DThe voting age was lowered from 21 to 18.

The media play a major role in establishing the public agenda by

• Areviewing the accuracy of candidates' campaign advertisements
• Brefusing to publicize the opinions of any pundit deemed "too political"
• Creporting political news from foreign nations
• Ddeciding how prominently to cover issue-related news stories

A Supreme Court that demonstrates a willingness to change public policy and alter judicial precedent is said to be engaging in

• Ajudicial restraint
• Bex post facto lawmaking
• Cjudicial activism
• Ddue process

Which of the following is a direct result of an electoral system that features single-member districts?

• AEach political party tends to focus its campaign on a single issue.
• BNational campaigns can be conducted without incurring great expense.
• COnly two major parties can successfully be supported.
• DThird parties can be as successful as the two major political parties can.

Uncertainty over the limits to presidential power is caused primarily by the fact that

• Athe Supreme Court consistently refuses to rule on cases concerning presidential powers
• Bmost people agree that the Constitution places too many limits on presidential power
• Cthe constitutional definition of those powers is broad and unspecific
• Dconstitutional amendments have greatly increased presidential powers

The largest increase in peacetime defense spending in American history occurred under which president?

• ADwight Eisenhower
• BBill Clinton
• CJimmy Carter
• DRonald Reagan

According to the Constitution, who determines voter eligibility requirements?

• AThe president
• BCongress
• CState legislatures
• DFederal administrative agencies

Which of the following is true of most third parties in U.S. history?

• AThey were created to protest wars.
• BAt some point they won a majority of seats in Congress.
• CThey flourished during periods of widespread dissatisfaction.
• DThey arose and succeeded during times of prosperity.

What tend to be the effects of oil and other natural resource trade on developing states?

• AIt encourages stability of the regime
• BIt has no real effect
• CIt democratizes countries
• DIt changes the nature of the investor

What was a main organizational change proposed by the 9/11 Commission with regard to the U.S. intelligence community?

• AMoving the Department of Defense Intelligence Agencies to the CIA for better coordination
• BCreation of the Department of Homeland Security
• CMoving the domestic intelligence component of the FBI to the CIA
• DCreation of the National Intelligence Director

Which of the following is NOT true of executive orders?

• APresidents avoid using executive orders for controversial actions.
• BExecutive orders have the same effect as laws passed by Congress.
• CPresidents have made increased use of executive orders since the 1970s.
• DExecutive orders bypass congressional approval.

What is the core reason why the US is viewed as exceptional?

• ABecause of its despotic character, which is rooted in a sense of its special mission
• BBecause it is a great power but uses that power sparingly
• CBecause of its exclusive concentration on issues of power and security
• DBecause of its intensely liberal character, which is rooted in a sense of its special mission

What is the implication of American exceptionalism in terms of global economics?

• AIt encourages nationalization
• BIt encourages redistribution of wealth
• CIt encourages liberalization of global trade
• DIt encourages the use of tariffs

Which committee in the House of Representatives determines the procedure by which bills are debated and amended?

• AWays and Means
• BJudiciary
• CRules
• DEthics

An appointment to which of the following offices is NOT subject to confirmation by the U.S. Senate?

• AAdministrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
• BSecurities and Exchange commissioner
• CSecretary of the Interior
• DWhite House Chief of Staff

Which of the following describes an unintended result of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1974?

• AFederal funding became available to presidential candidates who agree to abide by spending limits.
• BLimits were placed on the amount of money individuals could donate to a federal election campaign.
• CCandidates drastically decreased the amount of money spent on television advertising.
• DThousands of political action committees were created to raise funds for candidates.

Why might the 'Philadelphian System' be linked to the idea of American exceptionalism?

• AIt encouraged the centralization of political power in the US
• BIt created a large standing army
• CIt encouraged greater involvement in European politics
• DIt was designed as the antithesis of European politics

In what way did the George W Bush administration change the direction of US foreign policy?

• AIt increased international support for the United States
• BIt criticized international organizations, rather than trying to strengthen them
• CIt focused on a more personal style of leadership
• DIt expanded NATO to include former Soviet states

What did the Moscow Treaty on Strategic Offensive Reductions do?

• AProhibited short-range nuclear weapons
• BProhibited the acquisition of new military bases
• CRequired the United States and Russia to demobilize their armies
• DRequired the United States and Russia to dismantle a significant number of their nuclear weapons

Which of the following is the primary purpose of "motor voter" laws?

• ATo establish voter identification laws
• BTo increase turnout on election days
• CTo make it easier for citizens to register to vote
• DTo require that all voters know how to drive

What has been an effective way of disbursing US foreign aid to encourage change in target states?

• AConditional programs, such as the Millennium Challenge, that require change before receipt of aid
• Bthe use of intergovernmental organizations to monitor aid disbursement
• CNone of the above, international aid never works
• Dwithdrawal of aid for bad policies

Why did Americans believe that they could found a different kind of empire after 1776?

• AThis empire would be multi-cultural
• BThis would be an 'empire of liberty'
• CThis type of empire would be based on expansion
• DThis would be empire free of slavery

The primary goal of the Gramm-Rudman Acts of 1985 and 1987 was to

• Alimit the president's ability to conduct foreign policy
• Bstrengthen the military
• Creduce the federal deficit
• Dincrease funding for social programs

Which principle was established by the Supreme Court's decision in Marbury v. Madison?

• AJudicial review
• BOne man, one vote
• CSeparate but equal
• DRight to privacy

Which of the following is true of congressional redistricting?

• AIt occurs every 10 years to reflect changes in population according to the census.
• BThe responsibility for redrawing congressional districts belongs to congressional committees.
• CIt is a noncontroversial process because it has few political ramifications.
• DThe Supreme Court has ruled that legislators may not consider racial demographics when redrawing districts.

Which of the following is not a special position held by a member of Congress?

• ACongressional Management Foundation Chair
• BSpeaker of the House
• CMinority Whip
• DPresident pro tempore

Of the following, American federalism is most clearly exemplified by the

• Aspecial constitutional status of Washington, D.C.
• BTenth Amendment to the Constitution
• Cprocess by which international treaties are completed
• Dsystem of checks and balances among the three branches of the national government

Which of the following does NOT appear in the Constitution?

• AThe term length for members of Congress
• BSeparation of powers
• CThe electoral college
• DPolitical parties

Which of the following is true of Congress's power of oversight?

• ACongressional oversight is primarily directed at the judicial branch.
• BConstituent input does not influence congressional oversight.
• CCongressional oversight activities most often take place at the committee and subcommittee levels.
• DState challenges to congressional oversight have severely weakened Congress's oversight powers.

Which of the following may file an amicus curiae brief?

• ACompanies that are not involved in a court case but wish to affect the outcome.
• BA defendant who wants to know what witnesses the plaintiff plans to call.
• CA senator who wants to impeach a Supreme Court justice.
• DFormer presidents who wish to send instructions to the justices who they appointed.

Which of the following is true of the House Committee on Ways and Means?

• AIts primary role is to appropriate spending for infrastructure projects.
• BIt is the primary author of congressional banking reform legislation.
• CIts jurisdiction includes the tax system.
• DIt allocates funding for canals and waterways.

To which characteristic of American government does the term "federalism" refer?

• AThe Bill of Rights' protection of the rights of the accused
• BThe division and sharing of power between the national and state governments
• CThe power of the Supreme Court to review the constitutionality of laws
• DThe system of checks and balances within the national government