Civics Trivia Questions for Students — page 4

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

The House Rules Committee is considered among the most powerful in the House of Representatives because it has great power over the

• Ascheduling of votes and the conditions under which bills are debated and amended
• Bselection of federal judges
• Cnumber of subcommittees that a standing committee may establish at any given time
• Dethical conduct of House members

In the past decade many states have moved forward the date of their presidential primary elections in an effort to

• Arestrict the number of entrants in the presidential race
• Bincrease the significance of their election results
• Cconvince the national government to move forward the date of the general election
• Dminimize the cost of running the election

The difference between a pardon and a reprieve is

• Aa pardon grants a release from legal punishment while a reprieve postpones it
• Ba reprieve grants a release from legal punishment, while a pardon postpones it
• Conly state governors can issue pardons
• Da pardon lasts 10 years, while a reprieve lasts one year

Which of the following is an example of an implied power of the Congress?

• Adeclarations of war
• Bregulation of interstate commerce
• Coversight of executive branch agencies
• Dborrowing money on the credit of the United States

A sound bite would most likely be used during a presidential election in order to

• Aensure a candidate is presented in the best light
• Bavoid "horse race" politics
• Cprovide the audience with a candidate's view in a limited amount of time
• Dreduce the amount of negative advertising used

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

Which of the following is the most accurate statement about writs of certiorari?

• AFewer than 5% of petitions for writs of certiorari are granted by the Supreme Court.
• BOnly the solicitor general may petition for a writ of certiorari.
• CThe lower court's ruling is overturned if the Supreme Court denies a writ of certiorari.
• DThe Supreme Court grants writs of certiorari only when there is a "circuit split."

Which of the following categories of spending are paid without an appropriations bill?

• AJustice department budgets
• BDepartment of Education special acts and authorizations
• CDepartment of Defense funding
• DFederal budget entitlements

Which of the following statements is true regarding delegates to presidential nomination conventions?

• AThe majority of the general population is more educated than the delegates.
• BDelegates are generally more likely to register as third party voters at some point.
• CTypically, the general population is less ideological than the delegates.
• DDelegates typically have little interest in politics.

The Dred Scott decision of 1857 was overturned by the

• AMissouri Compromise
• BJim Crow laws
• CFourteenth Amendment
• DPlessy v. Ferguson decision

According to Brown v. Board of Education (1954), which of the following amendments was violated by the "separate but equal" doctrine that had been established in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)?

• AFirst Amendment
• BNinth Amendment
• CSixth Amendment
• DFourteenth Amendment

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

All of the following are consequences of low voter turnout in the United States EXCEPT

• Aa lack of true democracy
• Ba perception of the government as illegitimate
• Can imposition of a fine on non-voters
• Da lack of minority representation

Which of the following is the best illustration of "pork barrel" legislation?

• AA senator refuses to vote for a tax increase without a corresponding decrease in spending.
• BA federal agency is created to ensure the safety of food and animal products.
• CA member of Congress inserts a provision into a bill to secure funding for a project in his or her district.
• DA bill can be passed only if a majority of congresspersons from rural districts approve of it.

Which of the following is generally understood to be the purpose of the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution?

• AIt grants voting rights to all American women.
• BIt lowers the legal voting age from 21 to 18.
• CIt allows for trial by jury in common-law cases.
• DIt reserves powers to the states.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965

• Agranted women the right to vote
• Bbanned race-based discrimination
• Csuspended the use of literacy tests at voting centers
• Dgranted African-Americans the right to vote

Which of the following correctly states the relationship between the federal and state judiciaries?

• AFederal courts are higher courts than state courts and may overturn state decisions on any grounds.
• BThe two are generally autonomous, although federal courts may rule on the constitutionality of state court decisions.
• CThe two are entirely autonomous, and neither ever hears cases that originate in the other.
• DState courts are trial courts; federal courts are appeals courts.

While ratifying the Constitution, the primary point of disagreement between Federalists and Anti-Federalists was over

• Athe future of the slave trade
• Bwhether people had inalienable rights
• Cthe strength of the federal government relative to the states
• Dwhether representation in Congress should be equal among states or proportional to population

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

Which of the following processes best exemplifies the federal structure of the United States government?

• AImposing export taxes
• BGranting titles of nobility
• CSpending treasury money without the passage of an appropriations bill
• DAmending the United States Constitution

Considered as a single group, the Small Business Administration, the Small Business committees in the House and Senate, and small business advocacy groups are an example of

• Aa regulatory agency
• Bdual federalism
• Ca conference committee
• Dan iron triangle

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.

Which of the following people would most likely be accused of influence peddling?

• AA congressperson who retires to take a position teaching political science at a university
• BAn official who leaves the State Department to work as a paid consultant to foreign governments
• CA former president who advises a current president on a particular foreign policy issue
• DA voter who researches the positions of all candidates in a race before choosing whom to support

Of the following interest groups, which has created the largest number of political action committees (PACs) since the 1970s?

• AEnvironmental activists
• BFor-profit business
• CReligious institutions
• DLabor unions

Ruled unconstitutional in 1983, the legislative veto had allowed

• Athe executive branch to veto legislation approved by Congress
• Bthe president to veto state laws
• CCongress to nullify resolutions approved by the executive branch
• Dfederal district courts to overturn legislation

Federal election laws are designed to achieve all of the following EXCEPT

• Aprevent campaigns from issuing "attack" ads
• Brequire disclosure of campaign donations
• Crequire disclosure of campaign expenditures
• Dlimit campaign contributions

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

When the Supreme Court decides to take a case on appeal it

• Aengages in judicial review
• Bissues amicus curiae briefs
• Cissues a writ of habeas corpus
• Dissues a writ of certiorari

The amount of access cabinet secretaries have to the president is most likely to be controlled by the

• Anational security advisor
• Bvice president
• Cchair of the Federal Reserve Board
• Dpresident's chief of staff

Which of the following best illustrates a use of the elastic clause?

• AA congressional committee prevents the full chamber from voting on legislation by delaying its report.
• BA member of the House of Representatives introduces a bill to increase federal income tax rates.
• CCongress passes legislation establishing a national speed limit.
• DThe Supreme Court allows a lower court ruling to stand by refusing to hear an appeal.

Which of the following statements best characterizes cooperative federalism?

• AThe federal government granting power over a policy area to the states
• BState and federal governments working on the same issue
• CThe executive and legislative branches working on legislation together
• DGovernments working with businesses to address an issue

Which of the following constitutional principles might be violated if the Environmental Protection Agency issued, enforced, and adjudicated all disputes regarding a new regulation?

• AComity
• BVertical federalism
• CDue process of law
• DSeparation of powers

Which of the following principles is realized when the federal government provides most of the funding to a project in which multiple levels of government work together?

• AGrant-based funding
• BConfederation
• CDual federalism
• DFiscal federalism

All of the following are ways in which lobbyists attempt to persuade legislators EXCEPT

• Adistributing propaganda to media
• Bendorsing candidates for office
• Csocializing with government officials
• Dacquiring corporate campaign donations for candidates

The Supreme Court case Regents of University of California v. Bakke concerned which of the following issues?

• AIn-class prayer at a publicly funded school
• BThe rights of students to protest on a publicly funded campus
• CThe use of racial quotas in public university admissions
• DThe rights of students to carry concealed weapons on campus

Members of Congress are allowed to mail letters to their constituents at the government's expense because of

• Athe franking privilege
• Bpork-barrel legislation
• Cthe Sixteenth Amendment
• Dgerrymandering

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

Which of the following is the most direct result of an electoral system with single-member districts?

• AA persistent third-party presence
• BProliferation of many small parties
• CDevelopment of a two-party system
• DA balance of power that favors the president over Congress

When an appeal is made to the Supreme Court, the court usually

• Arules in favor of the defendant
• Bdeclares a mistrial
• Corders the lower court to retry the case
• Drefuses to hear the appeal

Unlike in a closed primary election, in an open primary election

• Athe election results are not binding
• Bvoters may register to vote on the day of the election
• Cany registered voter may participate, regardless of party affiliation
• Dvoters select the winner by caucus instead of by individual ballots

If no presidential candidate receives a majority of the electoral college vote, then who becomes the president?

• AThe incumbent vice president of the United States
• BWhomever is selected by the United States Supreme Court
• CThe candidate who wins the majority of votes in the House
• DThe candidate who wins the popular national vote

Why do political scientists identify the presidential elections of Franklin Roosevelt in 1932 and Richard Nixon in 1968 as well as the midterm election of 1994 as "critical elections"?

• AThe issues at stake in those elections were more important than in most elections.
• BThose elections took place during wartime.
• CMinority voters played a key role in deciding the winners of those elections.
• DThose elections saw major shifts in party alignment that would last for decades.

Which of the following statements about interest groups is accurate?

• AThey rarely cover issues that appeal to residents of more than one state.
• BThey are more successful when their members all belong to the same political party.
• CThey don't use campaign funding as a tactic to win favor with legislators.
• DThey generally are not focused on appealing to a broad group of people.

Which of the following would occur if Congress were to pass legislation and declare a recess, and the president took no action on the bill within ten days of its passage?

• AA pocket veto
• BA writ of certiorari
• CA line-item veto
• DAn adjournment

Which of the following is true of court cases in which one private party is suing another?

• AThey are tried in criminal court.
• BThey are tried in civil court.
• CThe federal court system has exclusive jurisdiction over them.
• DThe state court system has exclusive jurisdiction over them.

Which of the following statements about cabinet departments is FALSE?

• ANot every federal agency is a cabinet department.
• BThey cannot all be run by leaders who belong to the same political party the president does.
• CTheir members often don't have much influence over presidential decisions.
• DThey are established by the legislative branch.

Which of the following is NOT part of the "iron triangles" that influence public policy-making?

• ABureaucratic agencies
• BHouse committees
• CThe courts
• DSenate committees

The principles of freedom-"we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal"- stated in the Declaration of Independence were influenced by the beliefs of political philosopher

• AThomas Hobbes
• BJonathan Edwards
• CNiccolo Macchiavelli
• DJohn Locke