Study guide for the following questions

PS 230

Final Exam

1.Popular initiatives allow citizens to place an amendment to a state constitution on the ballot

A.with a majority vote of all citizens.

B.without requiring citizens' approval.

C.without the approval of the state legislature.

D.omitting the governor's signature.

2.States have been called "laboratories of democracy" because

A.states often provide innovative solutions to social and economic problems.

B.conflicts cannot be sufficiently resolved by states.

C.states have little incentive to economically compete with other states in attracting businesses.

D.most social and economic solutions are addressed by the federal government.

3.Legislation mandating states provide people the opportunity to register to vote at drivers' license and welfare agencies is commonly known as the

A."Licensed Voter" Act.

B."Motor Voter" Act.

C.Civil Rights Act.

D.Voting Rights Act.

4.Those who believe that power in American communities is concentrated in the hands of relatively few leaders in the business or financial sector are called

A.financiers.

B.majoritists.

C.pluralists.

D.elitists.

5.The most costly function provided by local governments is

A.transportation.

B.public safety.

C.education.

D.health costs.

6.Welfare reform, officially called Temporary Assistance to Needy Families,

A.created a centralized system of welfare.

B.forced many recipients to become dependent on checks for an unlimited amount of time.

C.gave states the power to determine benefits and

eligibility requirements.

D.removed everyone from the welfare rolls.

7.Situations where a voter casts his or her vote for a Democrat in one race and a Republican in another is called

A.closed primary voting.

B.combination-party voting.

C.split-ticket voting.

D.bimodal vote division.

8.Patronage has been restricted over the years by the

A.election of most state officials.

B.Missouri Plan for state administrators.

C.extension of women's suffrage.

D.institution of the merit system.

9.The many "hats" a governor wears include all of the following EXCEPT

A.chief justice.

B.chief negotiator.

C.party leader.

D.opinion leader.

10.State and local governments provide all of the following health services EXCEPT

A.tax-supported hospital care.

B.free ambulatory services for all residents.

C.sewage disposal.

D.vaccinations and immunizations through local public health departments.

11.Federal assistance for _____ has aided community renewal, and includes grants, tax incentives, and loans.

A.competition zones

B.vitalization zones

C.enterprise zones

D.grant zones

12.The process of comparing states or communities to identify and explain similarities or differences is called

A.comparison/contrast.

B.contrasting studies.

C.comparative study.

D.cooperative political study.

13.The largest ethnic minority group in the United States is

A. African Americans.

B. Hispanic Americans.

C. Asian Americans.

D. Native Americans.

14.Public aid to religious educational institutions is constitutional when

A.advancing a religious mission.

B.provided as a direct subsidy.

C.money is given for religious instruction.

D.the aid program is neutral with respect to religion.

15.A state's tendency to expand welfare benefits, regulate business, adopt progressive state income taxes, and generally use the resources of government to achieve social change is

descriptive of

A.policy conservatism.

B.policy liberalism.

C.policy socialism.

D.policy libertarianism.

16.The long-term effects of the "smart growth" movement restricting land use changes has been the

A.destruction of community character.

B.problem of affordable housing.

C.deflation of prices on existing homes.

D.encouragement of minorities and the poor to move into the community.

17.Under Medicaid, the federal government

A.has no authority to provide aid to the states.

B.administers medical services to the poor, but provides no funding.

C.gives federal funds to states to provide health insurance to the poor.

D.gives federal funds to states to provide health Iinsurance to all senior citizens.

1. Local officials and citizens who oppose public projects in their area are referred to as

A.NACs: "not a chance."

B.NIAMYs: "never in a million years."

C.NITHs: "not in this house."

D.NIMBYs: "not in my back yard."

19.Taxes that require high-income groups to pay a larger percentage of their income in taxes than low-income groups are said to be

A.unfair.

B.progressive.

C.regressive.

D.proportional.

20.Most school revenues are derived from

A.federal grants.

B.state allocations.

C.local property taxes.

D.state sales taxes.

21.Party identification has been declining because

A.more people are self-identifying with one political party or another.

B.more people are not self-identifying with either political party.

C.voter loyalty to political parties is at the highest numbers recorded.

D.the number of self-described Independents has been decreasing over time.

1. Most governors use this legal authority to veto specific items in an appropriations bill.

A.Turkey veto

B.Pork veto

C.Budget veto

D.Line-item veto

23.The purpose of the State Children's Health Insurance Program is

A.to extend health insurance to many of those children who do not qualify for Medicaid.

B.to extend health insurance to many of those children

and adults who do not qualify for Medicaid.

C.to provide free health care for all children.

D.to provide free health care to all of the poor.

24.The most politically powerful age group in the states is

A.senior citizens.

B.young college students.

C.voters under 40 years of age.

D.voters under 30 years of age.

25.Those legislators who simply reflect the wishes of their constituents are known as

A.politicos.

B.trustees.

C.delegates.

D.unconscious representatives.

26.Keeping records of deeds, mortgages, births, and marriages is the function of

A.county governments.

B.city governments.

C.school districts.

D.special districts.

27.A common example of gentrification is when

A.middle-class residents move to the suburbs.

B.upper-class residents and trendy businesses relocate downtown.

C.lower-class residents remain in the city.

D.middle-class residents work in the city and commute home to the suburbs.

28.Taxes that disproportionately affect low-income groups are said to be

A.unfair.

B.progressive.

C.regressive.

D.proportional.

29.A controversial educational reform that gives parents the choice to spend public dollars at any school they choose, public or private, is known as the

A.charter school.

B.educational voucher plan.

C.district school.

D.privatized public school.

30.State constitutions take precedence over any state law in conflict with them, but they are subordinate to the laws of the United States and to the

A.Articles of Confederation.

B.U.S. Declaration of Independence.

C.U.S. Constitution.

D.state legislature.

31.A state's tendency to limit welfare benefits, deregulate business, keep taxes low, and generally place less reliance on government and more reliance on individuals and the marketplace to achieve social goals refers to

A.policy conservatism.

B.policy liberalism.

C.policy socialism.

D.policy libertarianism.

32.The formal managerial powers of a governor include all of the following EXCEPT

A.appointment and removal powers.

B.issuing executive orders.

C.commanding media attention.

D.managing crises situations.

33.Local governments derive their authority from

A.the national government.

B.independent county governments.

C.the state government.

D.the courts.

34.An obstacle to greater representation of women in state legislative office is

A.the responsibilities of raising a family.

B.the fact that fewer women run for state legislative seats compared to local elective office.

C.the cultural norm that discourages women from running for office.

D.all of the above.

35.The most common and successful method of amending state constitutions is through

A.legislative proposals.

B.popular initiatives.

C.constitutional conventions.

D.constitutional revision commissions.

36.A unit of local government created for the provision of specific services not supplied by general-purpose governments is a

A.township.

B.city.

C.school district.

D.special district.

37.Native American tribes in the United States are considered

A.completely independent foreign nations.

B.an integral part of state government.

C.an integral part of local government.

D.quasi-sovereign entities.

38.When faced with conflicting laws, federal law retains superiority over the states because of the

A.Conflict Resolution Clause.

B.Relationship Clause.

C.National Supremacy Clause.

D.State Supremacy Clause.

39.Primary elections that only allow a party's registered voters access to the ballot are considered

A.open.

B.closed.

C.blanket.

D.crossovers.

40.States where one political party controls one or both houses of the legislature and the other political party controls the governorship have a

A.static party government.

B.unified party government.

C.divided party government.

D.dynamic party government.

41.A method of privatization that grants an exclusive government contract to a private firm for the provision of a monopoly service for a designated time period is known as

A.contracting.

B.franchising.

C.grants.

D.vouchers.

42.The "metropolitan problem" is based on

A.city-suburban conflict.

B.failure to achieve metropolitan-wide consensus on public policy.

C.social, economic, and racial obstacles to metropolitan-wide reform.

D.all of the above.

43.The largest source of tax revenue for local governments in the United States is the

A.individual income tax.

B.sales tax.

C.corporate tax.

D.property tax.

44.Schools operated with public funds by private community groups under a contract with the public school district are called

A.charter schools.

B.educational voucher plans.

C.district schools.

D.magnet schools.

45.State legislatures may convene in

A.annual legislative sessions.

B.biennial legislative sessions.

C.special sessions.

D.all of the above.

46.Bureaucratic implementation involves

A.developing procedures designed to execute laws passed by the legislature.

B.bureaucratic engagement in policy making.

C.decision making about how the law will affect society.

D.all of the above.

47.The preferential treatment of minorities and/or women in employment, promotions, admissions, etc., to overcome the results of past discrimination is known as

A.affirmative action.

B.equality of opportunity.

C.equality of results.

D.comparable worth.

48.Grassroots lobbying is often very effective in bringing specific issue positions to a legislator's attention because

A.legislators pay attention to their constituents.

B.form letters are very compelling.

C.legislators ignore the opinions of their constituents.

D.people are not allowed to make direct contact with their legislators.

49.The authority of a state court to interpret their state constitution and expand guarantees of civil liberties beyond federal protections is known as

A.national federalism.

B.state federalism.

C.legal federalism.

D.judicial federalism.

50.The judicial selection method that allows for a nominating commission to make recommendations to the governor and later requires those nominated to face judgment by the electorate is called

A.legislative selection.

B.the appointment-retention election plan.

C.appointment by the governor.

D.a nonpartisan election.