Question 1

Which region of the country overall provides for the GREATEST use of direct democracy?

Accepted Answer

A)   West
B)   Midwest
C)   South
D)   Mid-Atlantic
E)   Northeast A

Question 2

Currently, high school graduation rates are about

Accepted Answer

A)   50%.
B)   60%.
C)   70%.
D)   80%.
E)   90%. D

Question 3

Which of the following makes up the largest proportion of state and local budgets?

Accepted Answer

A)   health and hospitals
B)   government administration
C)   public welfare
D)   highways
E)   education E

Question 4

What is a balanced operating budget, and what are some examples of typical expenses?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is a balanced operating budget, and...

Question 5

What type of election is faced by judges who are selected thorough the merit selection process?

Accepted Answer

A)   partisan
B)   nonpartisan
C)   primary
D)   retention
E)   They are appointed and do not participate in elections.

Question 6

The form of general-purpose government found in a majority of cities is comprised of an elected body with legislative and executive powers and a(n)

Accepted Answer

A)   weak mayor.
B)   strong mayor.
C)   council-manager.
D)   independent commission.
E)   council of governments.

Question 7

Which of the following statements about the collection of sales taxes on Internet and online purchases is NOT correct?

Accepted Answer

A)   States can only require companies that have a physical presence in a state to pay sales tax.
B)   Federal requirements on state sales tax have caused many states to lose urgently needed tax revenue.
C)   States are vigorously lobbying for changes to federal law so that they can collect taxes on Internet and online purchases.
D)   If an Internet vendor is not required to collect sales tax on a purchase, the purchaser is exempt from paying any sales tax.
E)   As the volume of Internet sales continues to increase, the amount of state sales tax revenue decreases.

Question 8

Since 1960, which of the following prior positions has been the second-most common for presidents?

Accepted Answer

A)   U.S. senator
B)   U.S. congressman
C)   state treasurer
D)   state governor
E)   state lieutenant governor

Question 9

In 24 states, by collecting enough signatures in a petition drive, citizens can vote whether to repeal laws that their legislators have already passed. This is known as a(n)

Accepted Answer

A)   popular referendum.
B)   recall.
C)   legislative referral.
D)   initiative.
E)   legislative referendum.

Question 10

Which of the following demographic demands places the LEAST amount of stress on state and local governments?

Accepted Answer

A)   amount of children
B)   amount of population in poverty
C)   amount of elderly
D)   amount of those requiring ESL programs
E)   amount of registered voters

Question 11

Who was the first president to have previously been a state governor?

Accepted Answer

A)   George Washington
B)   John Adams
C)   Thomas Jefferson
D)   James Monroe
E)   Andrew Jackson

Question 12

Which state has the MOST school districts?

Accepted Answer

A)   New York
B)   Florida
C)   California
D)   Texas
E)   Pennsylvania

Question 13

In which type of state court is there the greatest probability of a jury trial?

Accepted Answer

A)   minor trial court
B)   major trial court
C)   intermediate appeals court
D)   court of last resort
E)   None of these courts use jury trials.

Question 14

Besides raising revenue, which of the following is an additional goal of excise taxes?

Accepted Answer

A)   to encourage shoppers to buy products in-state
B)   to reduce the need to collect personal income taxes
C)   to preserve a scarce product
D)   to promote competition among industries
E)   to decrease consumption of a product

Question 15

Of the following presidents, which one has NOT been a governor?

Accepted Answer

A)   Ronald Reagan
B)   George W. Bush
C)   Bill Clinton
D)   Jimmy Carter
E)   Barack Obama

Question 16

All of the following are provisions found in both the U.S. Constitution and in state constitutions EXCEPT

Accepted Answer

A)   an enumeration of fundamental rights.
B)   allowances for direct democracy.
C)   a division of powers among three branches of government.
D)   an impeachment process.
E)   a constitutional amendment process.

Question 17

Through which of the following procedures can citizens bypass their elected officials to create and approve laws?

Accepted Answer

A)   popular referendum
B)   recall
C)   legislative referral
D)   initiative
E)   legislative referendum

Question 18

Texas and Alaska raise so much money from taxes on the extraction of natural resources that they do not have to impose individual income taxes. This type of tax is known as a

Accepted Answer

A)   severance tax.
B)   consumptive tax.
C)   business tax.
D)   capital gains tax.
E)   regressive tax.

Question 19

What type of ballot measure allows voters to approve or reject a law that is proposed by state officials?

Accepted Answer