5 Steps to a 5: 500 AP U.S. Government and Politics - Brian Stevens, William Madden 2022
Diagnostic quiz questions
Diagnostic Quiz
Accumulation of powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary in the same hands . . . may be justly pronounced the very definition of tyranny.
—James Madison, Federalist #47
1. Addressing the above issue with the new Constitution, Madison would contend that tyranny would be addressed by
(A) creating a federal system of government.
(B) establishing a separation of powers between the branches of government.
(C) allowing the Supreme Court the use of judicial review.
(D) adding a Bill of Rights to the Constitution.
2. An additional way to prevent tyranny in the new Constitution was also to establish
(A) a system of checks and balances between branches of government.
(B) the bicameral legislature to represent different interests of the people and states.
(C) a federal court system to interpret constitutional and federal law.
(D) All of the above
3. In the original Constitution, which would be an example of a direct democracy?
(A) Creation of an Electoral College
(B) Nomination by the president of Supreme Court justices
(C) State legislatures selecting U.S. senators
(D) Popular election of members of the House of Representatives
4. Other than declaring war, what is a method Congress can use in war-making policy?
(A) Congress can select military leaders.
(B) The House of Representatives can confirm generals selected by the president.
(C) The federal Congress has the power of the purse, deciding how military funds are spent.
(D) The speaker of the house can overrule any military decision of the president.
5. Although the vice president of the United States has the title of president of the Senate, his or her powers are very limited. Those powers include
(A) acting as the presiding officer of the Senate.
(B) breaking ties in Senate votes on legislation.
(C) Both A and B
(D) None of the above
6. What is an informal power given to the chief justice of the United States?
(A) He or she selects the cases that come before the Supreme Court.
(B) If the chief is on the winning side of a case, he or she will assign the Court opinion to a justice on the winning side or himself or herself.
(C) The chief justice appoints all the members’ Court clerks.
(D) If inclined, the chief can reject a presidential nominee to the Supreme Court.
7. Which pairing is a clear distinction between the federal courts and state courts?
8. What is largely the source of protection for civil liberties in the United States?
(A) Declaration of Independence
(B) Articles of Confederation
(C) Federal Bill of Rights
(D) Emancipation Proclamation
9. Which of the following are considered to be civil rights issues?
(A) Access to voting
(B) Discrimination in public accommodations
(C) Sexual harassment in the workplace
(D) All of the above
We do not have a government by the majority of people. We have a government by a majority of people who participate.
—Thomas Jefferson
10. What is the most common way for people to participate in government?
(A) Run for a local office
(B) Join an interest group
(C) Send a donation to their selected political candidate
(D) Vote in a presidential election
11. By addressing the concept of “factions,” which foundational document would be the most skeptical of a common citizen’s involvement in government?
(A) Declaration of Independence
(B) Brutus 1
(C) Federalist #10
(D) Federalist #51
12. Which of the following types of democracies is largely determined by large numbers of citizens participating in the governmental process?
(A) Participatory democracy
(B) Elite democracy
(C) Pluralist democracy
(D) None of the above
13. According to the U.S. Census Bureau in 2020, what region of the United States witnessed the highest population growth?
(A) The Midwest
(B) The Northeast
(C) The West
(D) The Southeast
14. What could be a result of the changing population shifts?
(A) The states with rising populations could find more federal funds coming their way.
(B) The states with decreasing populations could lose Electoral College votes.
(C) Because of its rising population, Texas could gain even more political clout.
(D) All of the above
15. The changing of population demographics can directly affect what process?
(A) How many congressional districts a state receives
(B) The number of U.S. senators per state
(C) How states choose to elect their governors
(D) The way a state decides to count its votes for state elections
16. How do political parties affect the policy making process in Congress?
(A) Congressional political parties nominate presidential candidates.
(B) By winning majorities, political parties help map out legislative goals.
(C) Interest-group lobbyists are members of Congress, affecting public policy making.
(D) Third parties largely determine public policy goals in Congress.
17. What is the major difference between a presidential election and a congressional election?
(A) Presidential campaigns accept political action committee (PAC) money; congressional campaigns cannot.
(B) A presidential candidate is nominated by a political party. Most congressional candidates are not nominated by political parties.
(C) Much more money is spent on individual congressional elections than on a presidential election.
(D) Presidential elections tend to be much more competitive than congressional elections.
18. Which of the following modern political groups would be considered “factions” by James Madison in Federalist #10?
(A) The Republican Party
(B) The American Civil Liberties Union
(C) A presidential super-PAC
(D) All of the above
19. Which of the following is true about the Electoral College and presidential elections?
(A) All electoral votes are given to the winner of the national popular vote.
(B) Most states use a winner-take-all system: win the state popular vote, a presidential candidate wins all the state’s electoral votes.
(C) Third-party candidates are very competitive in Electoral College voting.
(D) Almost all the states are competitive in the Electoral College.
20. Why are linkage institutions so important in the public policy-making process?
(A) Because linkage institutions produce public policy.
(B) Linkage institutions act as a bridge between the public and policy-making institutions.
(C) As a linkage institution, the executive branch represents the interests of the individual states.
(D) None of the above