Deck 15: Domestic Policy

Question 1

All of the following are key participants in developing proposed legislation EXCEPT

A) the president.
B) members of Congress.
C) administrative agencies.
D) individual citizens.
E) interest group leaders.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Every bill that passes through Congress is an opportunity for individual lawmakers to

A) prove their worth to their parties.
B) set national economic policy.
C) help those who financially contributed to their campaigns.
D) influence the nation's foreign policy priorities.
E) solicit money from special interest groups.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The procedures used to get an issue on the political agenda, formulate policy, and evaluate results is known as _____.

A) policymaking
B) agenda setting
C) domestic policy
D) foreign policy
E) issue identification

Answer 3

A

Question 4

is a joint federal-state program that provides health-care insurance for children in families with incomes that are modest.

A) Medicare
B) The Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
C) The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
D) The Health Insurance Exchange
E) Social Security

Question 5

When President Obama took office, the government was picking up the tab for about of the nation's health­ care costs.

A) 14 percent
B) 27 percent
C) 39 percent
D) 50 percent
E) 74 percent

Question 6

Medicaid is the federal government's health­care program for

A) children in families with modest incomes.
B) members of Congress.
C) low-income persons.
D) those who have no private health-care insurance.
E) persons sixty-five years of age and older.

Question 7

The second stage in the policymaking process involves

A) issue identification.
B) agenda setting.
C) policy implementation.
D) the formulation and adoption of specific plans for achieving a particular goal.
E) policy evaluation.

Question 8

The final stage of policymaking involves

A) issue identification.
B) agenda setting.
C) the implementation of policies.
D) the formulation and adoption of specific plans for achieving a particular goal.
E) evaluating the success of a policy.

Question 9

All of the following are parts of the policymaking process EXCEPT

A) issue identification.
B) agenda setting.
C) policy evaluation.
D) issue fabrication.
E) policy formulation.

Question 10

In 1970, the U.S. incarceration rate was what it is today.

A) one-half
B) one-fifth
C) three-quarters
D) one-tenth
E) one-fourth

Question 11

Because of our federal system, the national policies necessarily requires the cooperation of the federal government and the various state and local governments.

A) identification of issues to be addressed by
B) the adoption of
C) implementation of
D) formulation of
E) evaluation of

Question 12

A discussion by politicians or other commentators about a problem that can be solved politically is an example of

A) policy adoption.
B) policy evaluation.
C) issue identification.
D) policy formulation.
E) policy implementation.

Question 13

In the United States, roughly one in every adults is in prison or jail.

A) fifty
B) one hundred
C) three hundred
D) seven hundred
E) one thousand

Question 14

Issue identification and agenda setting are part of the

A) first stage of the policymaking process.
B) second stage of the policymaking process.
C) third stage of the policymaking process.
D) fourth stage of the policymaking process.
E) preliminary stage of the policymaking process.

Question 15

is a joint federal-state program that provides health-care subsidies to Americans aged 65 and older.

A) Medicare
B) The Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
C) The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
D) Medicaid
E) National Health Insurance

Question 16

In California, more than 4,000 individuals are serving life sentences because

A) they were convicted of a third offense.
B) they were convicted of murder.
C) they waived their right to a jury trial.
D) of drug trafficking.
E) they were involved in gang activity.

Question 17

Even before Congress passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and a companion bill in 2010, the federal government was paying the health-care costs of more than million Americans.

A) 6
B) 14
C) 36
D) 61
E) 100

Question 18

Domestic policy is best defined as

A) public policy concerning matters of foreign affairs.
B) public policy concerning all issues within a national unit.
C) policy that focuses on families and households.
D) policy that encompasses economic matters.
E) the policies that concern domestic workers, such as maids and caregivers.

Question 19

When scholars and scientists conduct studies to determine whether a law has achieved the desired results, they are engaging in

A) policy adoption.
B) issue identification and agenda setting.
C) policy implementation.
D) policy formulation.
E) policy evaluation.

Question 20

The share of the U.S. population in prison is times more than that of Japan.

A) five
B) nine
C) thirteen
D) eighteen
E) twenty

Question 21

Public opinion polls taken in 2010 revealed that only of Americans believed that global warming is the result of human activities.

A) one-half
B) one-fourth
C) two-thirds
D) one-third
E) three-fourths

Question 22

Under the (CAFE) standards, each vehicle manufacturer (or the industry as a whole) must meet a miles-per- gallon benchmark averaged across all new cars and trucks.

A) Compact Auto Fuel Efficiency
B) Consistent Average Fuel Energy
C) Corporate Average Fuel Economy
D) Car and Four-by-Four Energy
E) Collaborative Auto and Fuel Economy

Question 23

One immediate change brought about by the health-care reform bills that passed in 2010 was that young people can remain covered by their parents' insurance until they turn

A) 16 years old.
B) 18 years old.
C) 21 years old.
D) 26 years old.
E) 30 years old.

Question 24

By 2012, low natural gas prices and new pollution regulations made uncompetitive as a source of electricity.

A) liquid natural gas
B) coal
C) gasoline
D) crude oil
E) fuel oil

Question 25

In 2012, the Obama administration issued new rules that raised fuel efficiency standards. By 2025, the nation's combined fleet of new cars and trucks must have an average fuel efficiency of miles per gallon.

A) 28.5
B) 30
C) 39
D) 54.5
E) 65

Question 26

All of the following receive medical services directly from the government EXCEPT

A) veterans.
B) Native Americans.
C) students.
D) teachers.
E) members of the armed forces.

Question 27

is a technique for extracting oil or natural gas from underground rock by the high-power injection of a mixture of water, sand, and chemicals.

A) Cracking
B) Fracking
C) Dredging
D) Plowing
E) Spelunking

Question 28

The costs of medicare are expected to soar over the next two decades as

A) millions of baby boomers retire.
B) population growth outpaces the growth in the job market.
C) population growth outpaces GDP growth.
D) people are brought into the health-care system under Obamacare.
E) Obama's stimulus packages expire.

Question 29

Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are

A) health-care policies.
B) entitlement programs.
C) monetary policies.
D) fiscal policies.
E) Keynesian programs.

Question 30

All of the following are entitlement programs EXCEPT

A) Medicare.
B) Medicaid.
C) Social Security.
D) Unemployment Insurance.
E) CHIP.

Question 31

Sources of renewable energy include

A) coal.
B) natural gas.
C) oil.
D) uranium ore.
E) wind and solar power.

Question 32

Gas cannot be transported by ship efficiently unless it is transformed into

A) petroleum.
B) gasoline.
C) liquified natural gas.
D) tar sands.
E) crude oil.

Question 33

Most climatologists believe that is the result of human activities, especially the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

A) the rise in oil prices
B) a reduction in the mean annual temperature
C) global warming
D) the reduction of fisheries
E) longer life expectancy

Question 34

A growing concern is that technology to produce natural gas could lead to contamination of underground water sources.

A) cracking
B) drilling
C) plowing
D) fracking
E) boring

Question 35

About 40 percent of United States oil imports come from

A) Saudi Arabia.
B) East Asia and Europe.
C) Venezuela.
D) Canada and Mexico.
E) Iraq, Libya, Nigeria, and Russia.

Question 36

is now the federal government's second­largest domestic spending program, after Social Security.

A) Social Security
B) Medicare
C) The Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program
D) Food stamps
E) National health insurance

Question 37

is usually defined as two or more quarters of economic decline.

A) Inflation
B) Unemployment
C) Recession
D) "Pushing on a string"
E) The business cycle

Question 38

In a(n) , Congress establishes a binding annual budget that cannot be exceeded.

A) discretionary program
B) entitlement program
C) social compact
D) dependency program
E) continuous annual spending bill

Question 39

policy consists of all actions taken by the national government to address the ups and downs in the nation's level of business activity.

A) Monetary
B) Fiscal
C) Economic
D) Domestic
E) Easy-money

Question 40

Our nation imports of its petroleum supply.

A) 14 percent
B) 23 percent
C) 40 percent
D) 60 percent
E) 77 percent

Question 41

The Fed is governed by a board of seven governors, appointed by the president, who serve for

A) four-year terms.
B) six-year terms.
C) eight-year terms.
D) fourteen-year terms.
E) life.

Question 42

In theory, in periods of recession and high unemployment, the government should pursue a(n)

A) easy-money policy.
B) policy of doing nothing.
C) policy of higher interest rates.
D) policy that reduces the rate of growth of the money supply.
E) policy that will induce consumers to spend less and producers to invest less.

Question 43

policy involves changing the amount of money in circulation so as to affect interest rates, credit markets, the rate of inflation, the rate of economic growth, and the rate of unemployment.

A) Monetary
B) Fiscal
C) Debt reduction
D) Keynesian
E) Tax

Question 44

In periods of rising inflation, the Fed typically will

A) expand the rate of growth in the amount of money in circulation.
B) pursue an easy-money policy.
C) adopt a policy that will lead to lower interest rates, thus inducing consumers to spend more and businesses to invest more.
D) reduce the rate of growth in the amount of money in circulation.
E) do nothing.

Question 45

is a sustained rise in average prices.

A) Unemployment
B) Inflation
C) Recession
D) "Pushing on a string"
E) The public debt

Question 46

The government uses to smooth the business cycle.

A) inflation
B) deflation
C) monetary and fiscal policy
D) recession
E) import and export licenses

Question 47

The action-reaction syndrome suggests that for every action taken by

A) Congress, there will be a reaction by the president.
B) Democrats, there will be a reaction by Republicans.
C) the House of Representatives, there will be a reaction by the Senate.
D) the federal government, there will be a reaction by the states.
E) the government, there will be a reaction by the public.

Question 48

policy uses changes in government expenditures and taxes to alter national economic variables.

A) Monetary
B) Fiscal
C) Labor
D) Energy
E) Easy-money

Question 49

According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, more than of this nation's households pay no income taxes at all.

A) 7 percent
B) 22 percent
C) 36 percent
D) 40 percent
E) 55 percent

Question 50

A(n) stimulates the economy by expanding the rate of growth of the money supply.

A) recession
B) easy-money policy
C) open-market policy
D) Keynesian policy
E) tight credit policy

Question 51

Monetary policy is under the control of

A) Congress.
B) the House Ways and Means Committee.
C) the Federal Reserve System.
D) the Internal Revenue Service.
E) the Department of the Treasury.

Question 52

After the expiration of the 2009 stimulus, state and local government workers lost their jobs.

A) about a quarter million
B) very few
C) no
D) 2.1 million
E) more than half a million

Question 53

According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the top 10 percent of income earners in the United States pay more than of all income taxes.

A) 30 percent
B) 42 percent
C) 55 percent
D) 64 percent
E) 70 percent

Question 54

The principle underlying fiscal policy suggests that when unemployment is rising and the economy is going into a recession, fiscal policy should

A) stimulate economic activity by increasing government spending, decreasing taxes, or both.
B) regulate the action-reaction syndrome.
C) let the forces of supply and demand operate on their own.
D) curb economic activity by reducing government spending.
E) curb economic activity by increasing taxes.

Question 55

The is an independent regulatory agency that was established by Congress as the nation's central banking system in 1913.

A) Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
B) Department of the Treasury
C) Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
D) Congressional Budget Office
E) Federal Reserve System (the Fed)

Question 56

Alternating periods of economic growth and decline are known as

A) inflation.
B) stagflation.
C) recession.
D) "pushing on a string."
E) the business cycle.

Question 57

The failure of policy to spur the economy has been described as "pushing on a string."

A) fiscal
B) easy-money
C) tax
D) energy
E) Keynesian

Question 58

Congress is rarely able to pass tax reform legislation because all of the following groups fight to keep their tax breaks EXCEPT

A) the home-building industry.
B) businesses engaged in research and development.
C) charities.
D) the poor.
E) homeowners.

Question 59

The Keynesian solution to a depressed economy is for government to create by adopting a temporary spending program.

A) supply
B) need
C) inflation
D) deflation
E) demand

Question 60

An outcome of the action-reaction syndrome on tax laws are that allow the wealthy to reduce their taxable incomes.

A) brackets
B) reforms
C) debts
D) margins
E) loopholes

Question 61

The People's Republic of China accumulates U.S. dollars by

A) borrowing money from the United States.
B) importing products from the United States.
C) exporting more products to the United States than it imports from the United States.
D) buying U.S. treasuries.
E) selling U.S. treasuries.

Question 62

The public debt is defined as the total value of all outstanding

A) corporate borrowing.
B) federal, state, and local government borrowing.
C) federal government borrowing.
D) borrowing by the public.
E) public institution borrowing.

Question 63

When the U.S. government spends more than it receives, it typically finances the shortfall by selling IOUs, commonly called

A) entitlements.
B) long-term loans.
C) credit vouchers.
D) treasuries.
E) interest investments.

Question 64

The United States government will not go bankrupt

A) as long as it continues to supply funds for transportation, education, housing programs, and the military.
B) as long as the net public debt stays between 60 and 70 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
C) as long as the deficit does not exceed $1.3 trillion.
D) as long as it can collect taxes to pay the interest on the public debt.
E) as long as no more than half the debt is held by foreign nations.

Question 65

Today, about of the U.S. net public debt is owned by foreign individuals, foreign businesses, and foreign central banks.

A) one-fourth
B) one-third
C) one-half
D) two-thirds
E) four-fifths

Question 66

Since 2008, the net public debt has

A) remained about the same.
B) decreased steadily.
C) decreased significantly.
D) increased slightly.
E) increased significantly.

Question 67

Every time there is a federal government deficit, there is a(n)

A) increase in inflation.
B) recession.
C) depression.
D) rise in unemployment.
E) increase in the total accumulated public debt.

Question 68

The largest foreign holder of U.S. net public debt is

A) Switzerland.
B) Russia.
C) Mexico.
D) the European Union.
E) the People's Republic of China.