Name__________________________________ AP U.S.

Government Midterm Exam

Jan. 2010

1. Talk radio hosts are more successful from a conservative point of view because a. conservative programming is favored by unemployed workers who listen to the radio b. conservative programming is favored by the demographics of radio listeners c. conservative hosts have personality and a following d. liberal radio doesnt exist e. both B and C 2. When Anderson Cooper hosts a meeting of his staff to discuss the stories that will be included in her broadcast that evening and excludes 2 stories he is acting as a. gatekeeper b. watchdog c. cheerleader d. scorekeeper e. none of the above 3. Since Watergate, it can be argued that the role of the press in relation to the President has changed to become a. more friendly b. more formal c. more of a watchdog d. less important e. none of the above 4. a. b. c. d. e. Print media differs from broadcast media in that print media focuses on the more dramatic aspects of the story print media has less time and money to produce a quality piece print media can be more in-depth and direct their story to a certain demographic print media can spend more money print media is not concerned with making a profit

5. a. b. c. d. e.

The coverage of the Congress differs from that of the President in that The president draws the national press more often Local issues tend to be of more importance to individual representatives Few members of Congress command national exposure Congress is more difficult to cover since it has 535 members All of the above

6. A piece of legislation that is controversial in nature will often be defended by the Presidents staff in the form of a. a news conference b. a prime time speech c. spin, usually on a political television show or in the newspaper d. public hearings e. front page headlines 7. a. b. c. d. e. 8. A leak within the White House usually refers to a story that was deliberately offered to the press in a quiet fashion a story that a staff member provides the press with or without permission a story that is left off the evening news broadcast a story that always shows the President in a negative light a showerhead that has an annoying drip which nobody can seem to fix

Wartime often alters the role of the press in that a. they become more adversarial b. they are not able to have access to the President at all c. they must weigh the peoples right to know against the need for secrecy and safety of the troops d. they are constantly on the lookout for spies e. they must work with the President to best protect the Presidents policies A muckraker worked to uncover corruption in government always sided with the President could be counted on to help police and government officials often could be seen as a watchdog Both A and D The ultimate goal of media companies is to deliver fair and unbiased news help the President govern in a fair manner create interesting and informative news stories help to get candidates elected

9. a. b. c. d. e. 10. a. b. c. d.

e. make a profit 11. Which of the following statements is FALSE a. presidential races are more competitive than house races b. a smaller percentage of voters cast ballots in midterm congressional races than in presidential contests c. members of Congress can receive credit for constituent services they provide d. candidates for Congress can focus on local issues more than presidential candidates e. congressional elections receive more national funding than presidential elections 12. Critics of a. b. c. d. e. PACs can claim that The money donated is usually not significantly large The money is used for Republicans only The money should be used for Supreme Court candidates as well The money comes with strings attached All of the above

13. Which of the following groups would be more likely to receive campaign literature from Republican sources a. college students b. auto workers c. teachers d. African-Americans e. Evangelical Christians 14. Which of the following is the best example of gerrymandering? a. drawing a congressional boundaries that favor one party over the other b. drawing boundaries of equal size c. drawing boundaries that have equal numbers of democrats and republicans d. creating new equally fair boundaries after an updated census e. none of the above

15. One core American attitude about the economic system is a. a widely held commitment to individualism and personal responsibility b. the belief that social welfare programs should be expanded c. the belief that women and minorities should have preferential treatment in hiring d. the commitment to help all citizens, whether or not they are in need e. the belief that wages should be based on economic need, as well as hard work

16. Throughout history, what is the primary way that culture is preserved over time and transmitted to a new generation? a. through the public school system b. through programs funded by the government c. through the family d. through churches and civic organizations e. through the media 17. Which of the following best represents pluralist theory? a. the class that dominates the economy dominates the government b. corporate leaders, top military officers, and key political leaders set national policy c. leaders outside the government structure dominate policy d. unelected bureaucrats who run agencies dominate the government e. there are so many diverse groups that none can dominate the political process 18. The concept that the national government is supreme in its own sphere, while the states are equally supreme in theirs is known as a. cooperative federalism b. home rule c. engaging federalism d. balanced federalism e. dual federalism 19. Which of the following is the best example of devolution? a. the No Child Left Behind law, which provides monetary incentives to states to meet national educational standards. b. the McCulloch v. Maryland case that established the ability of Congress to create a National bank c. Civil rights legislation that mandates states not discriminate d. block grants, which gives states money to spend at their discretion, with little or no federal interference e. the federal tax code, which provides deductions for local charitable donations 20. The Constitution as ratified in 1788 most clearly reflects the Framers commitment to a. the idea of direct democracy b. the principle of limited government c. the abolition of slavery d. protecting the rights of the accused e. maintaining the primacy of the states f.

21. The Supreme Court ruling that interstate commerce should be regulated by the federal government was argued in which of the following cases a. Plessy v. Ferguson b. McCulloch v. Maryland c. Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka d. Gideon v. Wainwright e. Gibbons v. Ogden 22. Of the following, American federalism is most greatly influenced by the a. system of checks and balances b. process by which international treaties are completed c. Special constitutional status of Washington D.C. d. tenth amendment to the Constitution e. the Presidents power to grant reprieves and pardons 23. Which of the following statements about the Electoral College is correct? a. each state may split it votes among as many candidates as it wishes b. each state is equally represented within the electoral college c. the electoral college was created by an amendment to the Constitution d. the results of the electoral college voting tend to distort the winners margin of victory, when compared to the popular vote e. each states delegation to the electoral college consists of that states Senators and Representatives 24. The greatest number of American voters identify themselves as a. liberal b. conservative c. progressive d. reactionary e. moderate 25. A member of which of the following demographic groups is most likely to support a republican presidential candidate? a. white female b. African-American male c. white male d. college student under 21 male or female e. individuals earning minimum wage

26. Which of the following is an accurate statement about the leadership of the two major political parties a. the national party controls the power in both of the major parties b. Party leadership is dispersed among numerous officials at the national, state and local level c. The highest elected official of each party controls the decision making process d. All major decisions are made during each parties national convention e. None of the above 27. Under the Articles of Confederation the national government had the power to a. negotiate treaties with foreign nations b. collect taxes c. establish a federal judiciary d. enforce laws e. regulate interstate commerce 28. Critics of the primary system used to designate a Presidential nominee tend to agree that a. it is very expensive b. it lengthens the time needed to campaign c. New Hampshire receives too much attention d. moderate candidates from both parties are often overlooked e. all of the above 29. The Declaration of Independence was clearly influenced by the writings of a. Thomas Hobbes b. John Locke c. John Calvin d. Niccolo Machiavelli e. Both A and C 30. The relative stability of the American republican system can be best attributed to a. cooperation between both of the major parties b. judicial activism c. separation of powers d. affirmative action programs e. the dominance of the democratic party historically

31. Probably the best indicator of the strength of an interest group to influence legislation is a. size of the membership b. dollar amount of its contributions c. the occupational sketch of its members d. its ability to reach and influence the right people e. its popularity among college students 32. The passage of campaign finance reform in 1973 led to the rapid growth of a. political parties b. interest groups c. PACs d. voter registration e. revenue sharing 33. The framers of the Constitution sought to insulate the Senate from public opinion by a. restricting membership to those who had previously served in the House of Representatives b. requiring all spending bills to originate in the House of Representatives c. having Senators chosen by state legislatures, not elected by the people d. empowering the Senate to give advice and consent to the executive branch e. restricting the amount of time senators can meet with their constituents 34. An closed primary is an election in which a. only registered independents can vote b. candidates do not specify which office they are running for c. voters may register on the same day in which they vote d. voters may only vote in the primary in which they are a registered member e. none of the above 35. Which of the following policies would most conservatives oppose? a. tougher consumer protection and environmental laws b. tougher restrictions on abortion c. fewer governmental regulations on business d. lowering the tax rate on capital gains e. reduction of government-funded student loans and grants 36. Congressional district boundaries are usually redrawn every ten years by the a. Bureau of the Census b. State legislatures c. President d. House Rules Committee e. Federal Election Commission

37. Lobbyists try to influence legislators mainly through a. wining and dining legislators b. Orchestrating petition drives and letter writing campaigns c. Placing persuasive advertisements in the media d. Threatening to help the legislators opponent in the next election e. Providing legislators with information on technical issues 38. States and localities have the most discretion in establishing policy when federal funding is derived from a. Categorical grants b. Matching grants c. Block grants d. Project grants e. Grants-in-aid

Answer questions 39 and 40 based the cartoon below.

39. The elephant in the cartoon represents a. The federal government b. The Democratic party c. The Republican party d. The state legislatures e. None of the above 40. The person from California is advocating a position that can be best described as a. Liberal b. Conservative c. Pro-business d. Pro-auto industry e. Both A and D

Free Response Section Please answer BOTH Questions 1. Although the United States has one of the freest presses in the world, the media are still subject to constraints. A. Identify ONE formal constraint and ONE informal constraint on the media B. For both the formal and informal constraint, explain in detail (using specific examples) how each limits freedom of the press.