Deck 1: State and Local Politics

Question 1

Interest groups ________.

A)assume major responsibility for funding recovery efforts after natural disasters
B)educate and organize voters
C)regulate driving
D)provide Medicaid
E)control Social Security

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Community, business, and other leaders who determine public policy or block changes in policy without themselves necessarily holding office are collectively known as ________.

A)centralists
B)lobbyists
C)opinion leaders
D)the power elite
E)decentralists

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which of the following interest groups is present in nearly every state and locality?

A)auto unions
B)association of wine producers
C)tobacco farmers' association
D)association of software professionals
E)public school teachers' union

Answer 3

E

Question 4

Which of the following statements is true about the mobility rate of the population of the United States?

A)It contributes to political inaction because processes for updating voter registration are complicated.
B)The people of United States have a low mobility rate.
C)It increases local political participation since newly arrived residents are enthusiastic about bringing about change.
D)The United States puts a large number of legal barriers in the way of people who want to move from state to state or within a county.
E)The process of voter registration becomes easier when moving from state to state than at the county level.

Question 5

Why are professional associations concerned with public policy?

A)because the states award contracts based on professional associations' lobbying strength and public image
B)because the states provide their licenses and determine the requirements to become licensed
C)because they want to make sure licensing requirements are as liberal as possible in order to increase their numbers and, therefore, their influence
D)because their main priority is to shape public policy, which will make their professions more marketable to potential clients
E)they aren't; professional associations do not involve themselves in government

Question 6

Pluralism is ________.

A)a belief and attitude that individuals who form the elite have greater influence or authority than others
B)a political ideology that supports the rights and power of the people in their struggle against the privileged elite
C)a theory of government that holds that open, multiple, and competing groups can check the asserted power of any one group
D)the view that politics and decision-making is limited to the government framework
E)a system of government in which leaders are not subjected to the test of free elections

Question 7

Which of the following professionals are NOT typically licensed by the state?

A)doctors
B)lawyers
C)waiters
D)dentists
E)teachers

Question 8

In the United States, the national government exercises exclusive authority over matters pertaining to ________.

A)health care coverage
B)public highway systems
C)social services
D)marriage laws
E)war and peace

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT an area in which state and local governments typically determine policy?

A)how schools are run
B)defense against foreign threats
C)where roads and bridges are built
D)how land is used
E)what social services are provided and to whom

Question 10

What state-administered federal program is responsible for providing health care coverage for poor Americans?

A)Medicare
B)Social Security
C)Medicaid
D)Aid to Families with Dependent Children
E)Health care coverage for poor Americans is not provided through a federal program

Question 11

Which of the following is NOT an activity of interest groups in the states?

A)lobbying at state capitols and city halls
B)educating and organizing voters
C)supporting political friends
D)getting members of their group to run for public office
E)trying to build up the membership of their organizations

Question 12

In the United States, state governments are responsible for ________.

A)fighting inflation
B)issues relating to international trade and relations
C)deciding what constitutes criminal behavior
D)Medicare
E)food and nutritional assistance

Question 13

The Beauticians Aid Association, the Funeral Directors and Embalmers Association, and the Institute of Dry Cleaning are examples of ________.

A)ethnic fraternal societies
B)regulatory agencies
C)political action committees
D)legislative task forces
E)professional associations

Question 14

Which of the following best describes recent trends in state and local government spending as compared to federal government spending over the past 30 years?

A)State and local government spending has grown, while federal spending has decreased except for federal spending in 2009-2011.
B)Federal spending has increased, while state and local government spending has decreased.
C)Both federal spending and state and local spending have increased, especially since the recession in 2009.
D)Both federal spending and state and local spending have decreased, as Republican tax policies have decreased the federal budget, thereby impacting state and local budgets.
E)Both federal spending and state and local spending have held steady in recent years; there have been no significant increases or decreases.

Question 15

In the United States, the national government assumes major responsibility for ________.

A)determining marriage laws
B)funding recovery efforts after natural disasters
C)regulating driving
D)maintaining public highway systems
E)formulating divorce laws

Question 16

Which of the following statements, if true, supports pluralism?

A)Representative democracy ensures individuals are all-powerful.
B)Public policy emerges from competition among groups.
C)Direct democracy leads to anarchy and the loss of freedom.
D)The values of respect and tolerance are absent in the present society.
E)Studies show that the upper socioeconomic groups make up the power elite.

Question 17

________ is the total output of all economic activity in the nation, including goods and services.

A)Net national product
B)Gross domestic product
C)Government spending
D)Consumer price index
E)Gross national product

Question 18

Which of the following statements best describes the theory of pluralism?

A)No matter whom one asks there is general agreement that a small group of people are the power brokers in a community.
B)Corporate members of a community are active in some way, in different policy areas, and have an equal effect on the community's decisions.
C)The "powers that be," generally those with a large amount of control over the local economy, are the real power brokers in a community.
D)A variety of people in a community are active (not just the power elite), and generally different people are active in different policy areas.
E)A plurality of values, specific to a community, is the underlying source of community power.

Question 19

When a variety of different people are active in different policy areas, it is representative of ________.

A)elitism
B)communism
C)differentialism
D)traditionalism
E)pluralism

Question 20

________ refers to the divisions in a community among socioeconomic groups or classes.

A)Social stratification
B)Decentralization
C)Pluralism
D)Laissez-faire
E)Gerrymandering

Question 21

A NIMBY reaction is most likely to be triggered in a community when it is announced that ________.

A)federal funds have been procured to build a new high school
B)an elected official has been accused of scandalous behavior
C)a local election has no clear winner and a runoff will result
D)a proposed new airport will not be built after all
E)a new landfill will be built in the area

Question 22

How many states now ban lobbyists from contributing to campaigns?

A)22
B)13
C)5
D)9
E)50

Question 23

KP Inc.is a software company based in California and is part of the Association of Software Companies (ASC), a local interest group.Which of the activities represents a direct strategy to exert influence?

A)ASC collects $10,000 and donates it to the local 10K health marathon.
B)A representative from the ASC is sent to Washington to convince officials about stricter laws on copyright infringement of software.
C)KP Inc.organizes a conference on software piracy for all software companies in California.
D)ASC arranges for an awareness campaign on software piracy through television commercials which is scheduled to be aired during the Super Bowl.
E)KP Inc.launches a series of print as well as radio advertisements for its new anti-virus software.

Question 24

Which of the following statements is true of interest groups?

A)Interest groups assume major responsibility over operating Social Security programs.
B)When compared to states and local governments, interest groups tend to be more dominant at the national level.
C)Interest groups tend to have minimal internal divisions.
D)There are more interest groups and lobbyists in states that have larger economies.
E)Interest groups manage health care coverage for poor citizens through Medicaid.

Question 25

Which of the following is true of lobbying?

A)It is more stringent at the state and local level than at the federal level.
B)Monetary contributions are considered as the top lobbying technique.
C)It is an indirect strategy of exerting influence on state officials.
D)It involves providing information on specific proposals.
E)The U.S.federal law prohibits gifts to public employees.

Question 26

In which government do U.S.citizens usually have the most trust?

A)foreign governments
B)local governments
C)national government
D)international governments
E)state governments

Question 27

Citizen opposition to having a drug treatment clinic or a prison in their neighborhood is an example of ________.

A)a total lack of empathy
B)a political action committee
C)the "Not In My Back Yard!" response
D)political propaganda
E)elitism

Question 28

What legislative restriction is often called the "no cup of coffee" rule?

A)Lobbyists are not allowed to meet with legislators outside legislators' offices.
B)Lobbyists are not allowed to contribute to legislators' campaigns.
C)Lobbyists are not allowed to meet with legislators during a legislative session.
D)Lobbyists are not allowed to give state officials gifts exceeding $3.
E)Lobbyists are not allowed to give state officials gifts of any kind.

Question 29

Local government officials tend to see the redistribution of resources as the responsibility of ________.

A)county fiscal courts
B)city councils
C)charitable organizations
D)the state and/or national government
E)lobbyists

Question 30

Lobbyists have greater influence in state legislatures than in Congress.Which of the following statements, if true, strengthens the argument?

A)State legislators have smaller professional staff teams and serve shorter terms.
B)States legislators are more responsive to indirect strategies.
C)Lobbying regulations are stricter at the state and local level than at the federal level.
D)State legislators are more informed and tend to have high level of information on specific proposals.
E)Lobbying is an often neglected public issue.

Question 31

What is meant by redistribution of resources?

A)shifting wealth from one segment of the population to another, generally from rich to poor
B)shifting the tax burden from individuals to corporations
C)shifting the source of taxes from income to purchases
D)attempting to equalize the percentage of taxes paid by each individual, taking into account both income and sales taxes
E)shifting the tax burden from corporations to individuals

Question 32

Interest groups appear to be stronger in states with ________ political cultures.

A)traditionalistic
B)anarchical
C)oligarchic
D)moralistic
E)individualistic

Question 33

Which of the following is a direct strategy used by interest groups to exert influence?

A)print advertisements
B)email campaigns
C)contributing to local event
D)lobbying
E)letter writing

Question 34

Which of the following states limits gifts to public employees to no more than $3 in value?

A)Texas
B)Virginia
C)California
D)Iowa
E)Vermont

Question 35

Four states ban gifts of any sort to state officials.This is sometimes called the "_______" rule.

A)anti-incumbent
B)no cup of coffee
C)corruption prevention
D)full disclosure
E)public transparency

Question 36

Which of the following statements is true of interest groups?

A)Interest groups are stronger in states where political parties are better organized.
B)Interest groups are weaker in states where the state government is strong, active, and professional.
C)Interest groups appear to be weaker in states with traditionalistic political cultures.
D)Interest groups tend to be stronger in states with individualistic political cultures.
E)Interest groups are stronger in states where the state government is relatively strong.

Question 37

Which of the following statements is true of the participation patterns of citizens of United States in the local government?

A)Citizens take less interest in and vote less often in the national government than in their local governments.
B)Citizens are less informed about the national government than about their local government.
C)Local governments are often preoccupied with controversial issues which drive citizens away from participating or taking interest in the matter.
D)In local politics, rather than spend time and address local political issues, citizens tend to move to another community.
E)The trust in state and local government has increased dramatically since 2002.

Question 38

Who among the following represents an in-house lobbyist?

A)Sally is a retired state official who works at local media company and provides information to local officials on policy issues relating to the media.
B)Sam volunteers at the local school and is part of the "Save Education" group and works to influence local officials on local educational policies.
C)Judy has experience in the state government and is hired by a local waste management company to influence state legislators on environmental laws.
D)David is a member of a local environmental group and works to influence state legislators on waste management issues.
E)Greg is the executive director at a realty company and has specialized information on policy issues regarding land use.

Question 39

At what level of government are redistributive policies, which focus on redistributing resources to needier citizens, least likely to be found?

A)the local level
B)the state level
C)the federal level
D)about equally at the local and federal level
E)about equally at all levels of government

Question 40

Which of the following is an example of a direct strategy for influencing state legislators?

A)television advertisements
B)radio commercials
C)petitions
D)email campaigns
E)in-house lobbying

Question 41

Which of the following is reason for the relative lack of public interest in local government?

A)Cities are highly involved in redistributive politics.
B)Most city officials wish to alter the status quo.
C)Local governments are more often guided by interest group pressure than by professional and technical advice.
D)Local governments are mostly concerned with seemingly noncontroversial, routine issues.
E)Local governments do not make any decisions that have any impact on individuals' lives.

Question 42

Which of the following is true of the challenges facing state and local governments?

A)Communities across the United States are united over the new immigration laws.
B)Property tax revenue is generally faster to recover from recessions than are income or sales tax revenues.
C)The state government is funding programs despite the reduction in their sources of income.
D)The state and local government have more funds as there is a reduction in the cost of corrections and prisons.
E)Environmental regulation, land use, and recycling remain major challenges at the local level.

Question 43

Compared to state and national elections, local elections ________.

A)tend to have lower levels of turnout
B)occur less frequently
C)are much more competitive
D)generate greater levels of citizen interest
E)typically have higher rates of citizen participation

Question 44

The national government has more daily contact with ordinary Americans than the local and state governments.

Question 45

The national government has the primary responsibility for decisions about how schools are run, where roads and bridges are built, and how land is used.

Question 46

Which of the following factors contributes to grassroots apathy?

A)local elections held at the same time as national elections
B)voter empathy toward local politics
C)the lack of competition that exists when local candidates in an election run unopposed
D)intense local issues
E)local governments holding partisan rather than nonpartisan elections

Question 47

Which of the following does NOT contribute to the fiscal challenges facing city and state officials?

A)increased Internet purchasing
B)a shift to the consumption of services rather than goods
C)increasing health care costs
D)increasing energy prices
E)decreasing voter participation in state and local elections

Question 48

People tend to become politically active when ________.

A)no competition exists for some of the races on a particular ballot
B)the government holds nonpartisan elections
C)issues become more intense and seem to directly affect them
D)the media does not cover politics
E)the government forces them to be

Question 49

Which of the following events is most likely to result in large voter turnout at the local level?

A)a mayoral election
B)a city council or commissioner election
C)a school board election
D)a gubernatorial election
E)a police commissioner election

Question 50

Cities rarely have the funds to mount major economic development plans.Which of the following statements, if true, strengthens the argument?

A)There has been a major reduction in housing values that has reduced property tax revenue.
B)The economic crisis of 2008 saw a rise in the number of bailouts across the world.
C)A recent poll of residents from 5 major cities in the United States suggests that citizens feel that the local government is not doing enough for the betterment of the lower sections of society.
D)There has been a rise in income and sales tax revenue.
E)Congress passed the American Reconstruction and Recovery Act of 2009, which included billions of dollars for road and highway construction and other state and local projects.

Question 51

Which of the following is least likely to be found in a small community newspaper?

A)coverage of the local high school football team's big game
B)coverage of the most recent city council meeting
C)coverage of a congressional debate over tax increases
D)coverage of a new manufacturing plant opening
E)coverage of a congressional election

Question 52

Which of the following is NOT a reason for limited media coverage of local government?

A)Many cities have limited media outlets, for example, only a single weekly newspaper.
B)Local government has little effect on the daily lives of citizens.
C)Citizens tend to be more interested in state and national government.
D)Many reporters assigned to local politics are inexperienced.
E)Citizens tend to be more interested in local sports.

Question 53

The U.S.federal government has custody over a majority of the country's prison and jail inmates.

Question 54

Which of the following best describes the state and federal initiatives to assist inner-city residents and bring them into the economic mainstream?

A)promising
B)nonexistent (most have been discontinued)
C)inadequate
D)a bright spot of success in an otherwise dismal economic picture
E)hugely successful in some states, but dismal in others

Question 55

Governmental tax and social programs that shift wealth or benefits from one segment of the population to another are known as ________.

A)lobbyist policies
B)regulatory policies
C)redistributive policies
D)monetary policies
E)communist policies

Question 56

Gross domestic product is an estimated value of the total worth of production and services, by citizens of a country, on its land or on foreign land, calculated over the course on one year.

Question 57

How is the issue of immigration at the local level where foreign-born residents have recently settled best described?

A)The value of immigrant labor is best appreciated at the local level.
B)In smaller communities, individuals are more likely to be accepting of new immigrants.
C)Immigration reform at the federal level has "trickled down" to the local level and greatly improved relations between native-born Americans and new immigrants.
D)Many longtime residents resent new immigrants and have pushed both local and state officials to do something to stop, or at least slow, immigration.
E)Most new immigrants keep to themselves and neither want nor seek interaction with the established community.

Question 58

Lack of citizen interest in, and participation in, local politics is often referred to as ________.

A)gerrymandering
B)grassroots apathy
C)elitism
D)disillusionment
E)rational abstention

Question 59

Which of the following is NOT a major challenge currently facing state and local governments?

A)health care costs and delivery
B)intense political divisions over new immigrants
C)providing adequate defense against foreign military threats
D)cost of corrections and prisons
E)poverty in the inner cities

Question 60

Which of the following is a reason for lower voter turnout in local elections than in state or national elections?

A)greater citizen interest in local politics
B)low levels of competition in local elections
C)high name recognition for all candidates in local elections
D)local elections being held at the same time as presidential elections
E)higher levels of campaign spending for local elections

Question 61

People in the United States generally have more trust and confidence in the national government than in the state government.

Question 62

Lobbying regulations are more relaxed at the federal level than at the local and state level.

Question 63

Lobbying is an example of an indirect strategy of influencing state officials.

Question 64

Citizens may trust local government the most, but they generally take less interest in, vote less often in, and are less informed about their local governments than about the national government.

Question 65

Public school teachers' unions and police and firefighter employee associations are present in nearly every state and locality in the United States.

Question 66

Advocates of low taxes and smaller government formed the "Tea Party" to cut state and local budgets.

Question 67

It has been proven that large corporations with full time, highly paid lobbyists wield more influence than organizations who cannot afford to pay for lobbying expertise.

Question 68

Pluralism refers to divisions in a community among socioeconomic groups or classes.

Question 69

Contract lobbyists have experience working in the state government as elected, appointed, or professional officials and can be termed "hired guns"-they work for whoever hires them.

Question 70

Local governments try to promote equality by redistributing various resources to needier citizens.

Question 71

Social scientists who believe that the power elite exists in communities assume that political influence is a function of social stratification.

Question 72

State and local employees are the face of government for many of us, and they help execute the federal government's laws and rules.

Question 73

Interest groups have significantly lesser influence over state and local politics than over national politics.

Question 74

Newspapers in medium-sized and large cities appear to be doing better financially than community newspapers.

Question 75

Special interest groups show the greatest influence in states where there are powerful political parties that are well-organized.

Question 76

Beyond influencing the legislature, lobbyists at the state level also work with officials in the executive branch and even the judiciary in getting their point across to state governments.

Question 77

Proposals to raise taxes, cut school funding, or build low-income housing are likely to spur political participation in small communities.

Question 78

Town meetings continue to be the one community political process that still attracts large crowds.

Question 79

Local values, traditions, and the structure of governmental organizations affect which issues get on the agenda of the local government.

Question 80

Voter participation is generally higher for local elections, since local issues affect voters' lives more directly.