American Government Test 2

Front 1

The phrase stare decisis means

Back 1

let the decision stand

Front 2

Prior cases whose principles are used by judges to decide current cases are called

Back 2

Precedent cases

Front 3

Approximately what percentage of all court cases in the United States are heard in federal courts?

Back 3

1%

Front 4

The area of authority possessed by a court, in terms of either subject area or geography, is called its

Back 4

jurisdiction

Front 5

The jurisdiction of each federal court is derived from

Back 5

the constitution and federal law

Front 6

A writ of habeas corpus declares that

Back 6

the government must show legal cause for holding someone in detention

Front 7

There are __________ United States district courts.

Back 7

94

Front 8

Each year, the Supreme Court receives about __________ appeals and hears about__________ of them in full court.

Back 8

9,500/70

Front 9

Approximately how many judges currently sit on the federal district courts?

Back 9

700

Front 10

When all of the justices on the Supreme Court are hearing a case, they are said to be sitting

Back 10

Embank

Front 11

How many justices currently serve on the Supreme Court?

Back 11

9

Front 12

What was known as the “court-packing” plan?

Back 12

An attempt by FDR to add sympathetic justices to the Supreme Court in an attempt to get new deal laws upheld as constitutional.

Front 13

The size of the U.S. Supreme Court is set by

Back 13

congress

Front 14

Senatorial courtesy describes the practice of

Back 14

Senators from a president’s party approving of a judicial nominee from their home state.

Front 15

When the president places a judicial candidate on the bench while Congress is not in session, it is called a

Back 15

Recess Appointment

Front 16

In recent years, federal court appointments have

Back 16

Been characterized by intense partisan and ideological efforts to support or defeat the candidate

Front 17

Through the exercise of __________, the Supreme Court has held actions or laws of the executive and legislative branches unconstitutional.

Back 17

judicial review

Front 18

Why is the Supreme Court case of Marbury v. Madison important?

Back 18

The court authorized itself to exercise judicial review over laws issued by congress.

Front 19

In what year was Marbury v. Madison decided?

Back 19

1803

Front 20

The power of the Supreme Court to review state actions and legislation comes from

Back 20

The supremacy clause of article 6

Front 21

What is common law?

Back 21

law made by judges through their decisions. Not through specific statues.

Front 22

A “certiorari pool” describes the

Back 22

Practice by which Supreme Court law clerks work together to evaluate each petition.

Front 23

A person, agency, or interest group not directly a party to a case but with an interest in its outcome may file an __________ brief.

Back 23

Amicus curiae

Front 24

Each Supreme Court justice is assigned __________ clerk(s).

Back 24

4

Front 25

If someone is an advocate of judicial restraint, he or she believes

Back 25

1. In looking only at the words of the constitution in order to understand its meaning

2. the court should beware of overturning judgements of popularly elected legislators

3. that judges should limit their interpretations to the intentions of the laws framers.

Front 26

Andrew Jackson reputedly said, “John Marshall has made his decision, now let him enforce it.” What did he mean by this statement?

Back 26

The Supreme Court is unable to enforce its decisions without the aid of the executive branch.

Front 27

Bureaucracy, literally translated, means

Back 27

Rule by desk

Front 28

At its peak in __________, the federal bureaucracy had __________ employees, notincluding military personnel.

Back 28

1968/3mil

Front 29

When a bureaucracy applies rules and precedents to specific cases, it is called

Back 29

Administrative jurisdiction

Front 30

The Civil Service Act of 1883 attempted to pattern government hiring after practices found in

Back 30

businesses

Front 31

Before the Civil Service Act of 1883, how were government appointments handled?

Back 31

Appointments were made to political supporters as part of the spoils system.

Front 32

The largest subunits of the federal executive branch are called

Back 32

Departments

Front 33

The Civil Service Act of 1883 required that

Back 33

Holders of government positions be qualified for the jobs to which they are appointed.

Front 34

The head of a department is called the

Back 34

Secretary

Front 35

The first regulatory agency was the __________, created by Congress in __________.

Back 35

Interstate commerce commission/1888

Front 36

The National Park Service is located in

Back 36

Department of Interior

Front 37

Which of the following is the best description of an iron triangle?

Back 37

The stable relationship between a bureacratic agency, a client group, and a legislative committee.

Front 38

Which of the following interest groups is generally considered the most powerful group today?

Back 38

AARP

Front 39

The controversy over the Patriot Act reveals the complications of balancing

Back 39

National security with the civil liberties of individuals.

Front 40

The Freedom of Information Act is designed to

Back 40

Make more national security documents available to the public.

Front 41

The use of taxing and spending powers to shape the economy is part of __________policy.

Back 41

Fiscal

Front 42

Who has authority to set interest rates and lending activities for the nation’s banks?

Back 42

The federal reserve system

Front 43

__________ policy concerns banks, credit, and currency.

Back 43

Monetary

Front 44

Devolution describes a process by which

Back 44

The federal government is downsized by delegating the implication of programs to state and local governments.

Front 45

Individual members of Congress can discover questions of public responsibility when engaged in

Back 45

Constituent Casework

Front 46

The office of the presidency was established by __________ of the Constitution.

Back 46

Article II

Front 47

The rise of national conventions to nominate the president led to the empowerment of what group?

Back 47

State Party Leaders

Front 48

What did the framers mean to accomplish by the indirect election of the president?

Back 48

To make the president responsible to state and national legislators.

Front 49

In the early 1800s, the system of nominating presidential candidates that left the candidates beholden to their party’s leaders in Congress was called

Back 49

King Caucas

Front 50

The most common form of constitutional powers possessed by the president are__________ powers.

Back 50

Delegated

Front 51

When the president infers powers from the “rights, duties and obligations” of the presidency, these are called

Back 51

Inherent powers

Front 52

The power to declare war is given to whom under the Constitution?

Back 52

Both houses of congress

Front 53

The president must share foreign policy powers with

Back 53

Congress

Front 54

The__________ asserted that the president could send American troops into action abroad only in the event of a declaration of war or other statutory authorization by Congress, or if American troops were attacked or directly endangered.

Back 54

War powers resolution of 1973

Front 55

The goal of the War Powers Resolution was to

Back 55

Limit the power of the president to commit American troops to military action without the authorization of congress

Front 56

Why was George Washington’s reception of Edmond Genet as ambassador of France during the French Revolution so significant?

Back 56

It reflected the authority of the president to officially recognize specific regimes as sovereign power of a nation when there is doubt as to who rules

Front 57

In order to get around the need for Senate approval of treaties, many contemporary presidents have made use of __________ in foreign affairs.

Back 57

Executive Agreements

Front 58

Executive agreements differ from formal treaties in that they

Back 58

They do not need the approval of the senate

Front 59

Why is the president’s State of the Union address important?

Back 59

It is an opportunity for the president to set the legislative agenda by initiating proposals and directing public attentionto the executive’s goals

Front 60

What is required for Congress to override a presidential veto?

Back 60

2/3 vote in both houses

Front 61

An executive order is

Back 61

A rule or regulation issued unilaterally by the president with the status of law.

Front 62

The president’s delegated powers come from

Back 62

Congress

Front 63

The__________ is the informal designation for the heads of the major federal government departments.

Back 63

Cabinet

Front 64

The formal group of presidential foreign policy advisers, established in 1947, is called the

Back 64

National security Office

Front 65

The groups of advisers and analysts to the president are collectively called the

Back 65

White house staff

Front 66

An informal group of advisers to the president is often called the

Back 66

The kitchen cabinet

Front 67

The Office of Management and Budget and the Council of Economic Advisers are both parts of

Back 67

The executive office of the president

Front 68

What is the primary constitutional task of the vice president, besides succeeding the president in case of death, resignation, or incapacitation?

Back 68

To cast the tie-breaking votes in the senate

Front 69

The main political value of the vice president is to

Back 69

Bring the president votes in the election from a group or region that would not otherwise be a likely source of support

Front 70

After the president and the vice president, which office is next in the line of succession?

Back 70

Speaker of the house

Front 71

__________is the claim that the electorate has given the winner of a presidential election a special authority to carry out her or his plans.

Back 71

A mandate

Front 72

What is the general tendency of a president’s popularity?

Back 72

Presidents usually start out popular and decline over the next 4 years

Front 73

The decline of voting and political participation by Americans has which of thefollowing effects?

Back 73

It enhances the power of the president while weakening congress

Front 74

The last time Congress exercised its constitutional power to declare war was in

Back 74

1941

Front 75

The Constitution’s framers believed that Congress’s greatest prerogative (privilege) would be its

Back 75

Power of the house

Front 76

The State of the Union address is

Back 76

Mandated by the constitution

Front 77

Congress is a __________ legislature with __________ members.

Back 77

Bicameral/535

Front 78

A bicameral legislature is one that has

Back 78

two chambers

Front 79

Under the original Constitution, senators

Back 79

Were appointed by state legislators

Front 80

How long is the term of office for a U.S. senator?

Back 80

6 years

Front 81

The most common occupation among members of Congress before coming to Congress is

Back 81

Practicing law (lawyers)

Front 82

In each House district there are approximately __________ people.

Back 82

700,000

Front 83

Three factors related to the American electoral system affect who is elected to office in this country, and what they do once they get there. Those factors are

Back 83

1. Who decides to run for office,

2. Incumbency

3. The drawing of district lines

Front 84

A senator or representative running for re-election is called the

Back 84

Encumbant

Front 85

In recent years, approximately what percentage of House members seeking re-election won their race?

Back 85

95%

Front 86

The process of allocating congressional seats among the fifty states is called

Back 86

Apportionment

Front 87

Pork-barrel legislation

Back 87

Deals with specific projects and their location within a particular congressional district.

Front 88

Who is the Speaker of the House?

Back 88

The elected leader of the majority party in the house

Front 89

In the House of Representatives, the majority leader is

Back 89

Subordinate to the speaker of the house

Front 90

Who has the most real power in the Senate?

Back 90

The majority and minority leaders

Front 91

The House Ways and Means committee has jurisdiction over which of the following areas?

Back 91

Taxes, trade, and entitlement programs

Front 92

A proposed piece of legislation is called a

Back 92

bill

Front 93

Approximately what percentage of proposed bills die in committee?

Back 93

95%

Front 94

The determination of the time and structure of floor debate on a bill is up to the

Back 94

rules comittee

Front 95

Cloture is

Back 95

the process by which 3/5ths of the senate can end a filibuster

Front 96

A filibuster allows members of the Senate to

Back 96

prevent a vote by speaking contiuously on the floor

Front 97

How can a president’s veto be overridden by Congress?

Back 97

2/3 vote by both houses

Front 98

Congress adjourns during a ten-day period after presenting the president with a bill, if the president takes no action; this is known as a

Back 98

pocket veto

Front 99

“Astroturf lobbying” refers to the practice whereby

Back 99

A special interest group simulating a grass roots movement works with well-organized campaigns and petitions

Front 100

Responsibility for communication among party members in Congress lies with the

Back 100

Whip system