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Politics of the United States
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Average citizens who rely on informational cues to form political opinions oftena) end up making political choices that are consistent with their underlying preferences.b) end up making political choices that are not consistent with their underlying preferences.c) end up rejecting the political opinions of their trusted friends and colleagues.d) spend much more time gathering political information than the average person does.e) begin to question their party affiliation and may ultimately change it.The Supreme Court's decision in Marbury v. Madisonwas important becausea) it invalidated state laws prohibiting interracial marriage.b) it ruled that the recitation of prayers in public schools is unconstitutional under the establishment clause of the First Amendment.c) it established that arrested people have the right to remain silent, the right to be informed that anything they say can be held against them, and the right to counsel before and during police interrogation.d) it provided an expansive definition of commerce under the interstate commerce clause.e) it established the power of judicial review.A push poll is a poll in whicha) the questions are designed to shape the respondent's opinion rather than measure the respondent's opinion.b) the questions are designed to measure the respondent's opinion rather than shape the respondent's opinion.c) the questions are designed to reduce measurement error.d) the sample is chosen to include only undecided or independent voters.e) the sample is not representative of the population it is drawn from.A familiar polling problem is the bandwagon effect, which occurs whena) the same results are used over and over again.b) polling results influence people to support the candidate marked as the probable victor in a campaign.c) polling results influence people to support the candidate who is trailing in a campaign.d) background noise makes it difficult for a pollster and a respondent to communicate with each other.e) a large number of people refuse to answer a pollster's questions.What is policy feedback?a) the process of submitting public comments on a proposed new policyb) the tendency of lawmakers to focus only on one policy area for the length of a congressional termc) the way in which government policy can work to shift public opiniond) the effect that public policies have on citizens' voting decisionse) the influence that interest groups and wealthy Americans have on policy formationThe size of the Supreme Court is determined bya) the president.b) the chief justice.c) the Department of Justice.d) Congress.e) the Constitution.Which of the following procedures adopted by the federal courts after 1960 fundamentally expanded the power of the judiciary in the United States?a) banning the practice of "fee shifting"b) prohibiting the courts from acting on behalf of broad categories of persons in "class-action" casesc) expanding the concept of standing to permit almost any group that seeks to challenge the actions of an administrative agency to bring its case before the federal benchd) creating a "Department of Judicial Enforcement" to independently implement the federal judiciary's decisionse) granting federal courts the ability to exercise power on their own initiative through the issuance of "mootness" rulingsThe fact that women tend to oppose military intervention more than men do is an example ofa) the rally around the flag effect.b) partisan polarization.c) the peace paradox.d) the bandwagon effect.e) the gender gap.If a justice looks strictly to the words of the Constitution in interpreting its meaning, he or she would be considered an advocate of which judicial philosophy?a) judicial restraintb) judicial activismc) stare decisisd) judicial liberalisme) judicial conservatismThe formal requirements for service as a federal judge includea) experience as a state-level judge.b) a minimum age of 30.c) a minimum of 10 years' legal experience.d) a neutral political background.e) There are no formal qualifications for service as a federal judge.The three stages of John Zaller's model of opinion formation area) "skim," "scan," and "sample."b) "skim," "scan," and "accept."c) "skim," "receive," and "accept."d) "scan," "receive," and "accept." e) "receive," "accept," and "sample."Which of the following is one of the limitations that federal courts have traditionally faced?a) Justices do not have to wait until a case is brought to them before they can make authoritative decisions.b) Courts were tasked with offering relief or assistance to broad social classes, not to individuals.c) Courts lacked enforcement powers of their own and had to rely on executive or state agencies to ensure compliance with their rulings.d) Courts must take the time and spend the money to recruit compelling candidates for judgeships.e) Courts must coordinate with the legislative and executive branches to determine their own size and jurisdiction.Which of the following is a brief submitted to the Supreme Court by someone other than one of the parties in the case?a) amicus curiae briefb) writ of habeas corpusc) writ of certiorarid) dissenting opinione) de jure briefWhat is the name for the body of law that involves disputes between private entities such as individuals, groups, and corporations?a) civil lawb) privacy lawc) criminal lawd) household lawe) common lawWhich of the following play an important role in shaping the flow of cases heard by the Supreme Court?a) the attorney general and the secretary of stateb) the solicitor general and federal law clerksc) the president and Congressd) state legislaturese) the federal district and circuit courtsWhich of the following is not included as a "special and compelling" reason to hear a case under rule 10 of the Rules of the Supreme Court of the United States?a) The president of the United States authors an amicus curiae brief on the issue in question.b) A circuit court decision on the issue in question conflicts with previous Supreme Court decisions.c) There are conflicting decisions by two or more state courts of last resort on the issue in question.d) There are conflicting decisions between circuit courts and state courts of last resort on the issue in question.e) There are conflicting decisions by two or more circuit courts on the issue in question.The term writ of habeas corpus refers toa) a short, unsigned decision by an appellate court, usually rejecting a petition to review the decision of a lower court.b) a criterion used by courts to screen cases that no longer require resolution.c) a decision of at least four of the nine Supreme Court justices to review a decision of a lower court.d) a court order to the authorities to show cause for a prisoner's incarceration.e) a brief filed by the solicitor general when the federal government is not a direct litigant in a Supreme Court case.Which of the following statements about political knowledge is not accurate?a) In general, citizens with high levels of political knowledge are more likely to be partisans (Democrats or Republicans).b) In general, citizens with high levels of political knowledge are more likely to have an ideology (such as liberal or conservative).c) In general, citizens with high levels of political knowledge are better able to evaluate new information and determine whether it is consistent with their beliefs and opinions.d) In general, citizens with high levels of political knowledge are less likely to belong to political organizations and to be active in politics.e) In general, citizens with high levels of political knowledge are better able to recognize their political interests and act consistently to further those interests.The process by which Americans form political beliefs and values is calleda) brainwashing.b) propaganda.c) indoctrination.d) political socializatione) political development.Which of the following is not included in the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court?a) cases between the United States and one of the statesb) cases brought by one state against citizens of another state or against a foreign countryc) cases involving challenges to the constitutionality of state lawsd) cases between two or more statese) cases involving foreign ambassadors or other ministers
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