Political Science Quiz
Questions: 16 · 10 minutes
1. Citizens collect the required signatures to place their own proposed law directly on the ballot. Which mechanism are they using?
A ballot initiative
A recall
A legislative filibuster
A vote of no confidence
2. A bill must win approval from two separately constituted legislative chambers before becoming law. What institutional feature creates this requirement?
Bicameralism
Executive federalism
Judicial supremacy
Ministerial responsibility
3. A supreme court invalidates a statute because it conflicts with the constitution. Which power is the court exercising?
Judicial review
Executive privilege
Legislative oversight
Administrative discretion
4. Which feature defines a pure public good in political science and economics?
It is supplied only by private businesses
It is non-excludable and non-rival in consumption
One person's use substantially reduces what remains for others
Its benefits are limited to taxpayers
5. Which example is primarily a civil liberty rather than a civil right involving equal treatment?
Equal access to public services regardless of sex
Equal access to voting regardless of race
Protection against employment discrimination based on religion
Protection from government punishment for peaceful political speech
6. In political science, what does sovereignty most directly mean?
The division of a legislature into committees
Supreme governing authority within a territory
Public approval of every government decision
The independence of courts from precedent
7. A prime minister must resign after losing the support of a legislative majority in a confidence vote. This is most characteristic of which system?
Presidential government
Confederal government
Absolute monarchy
Parliamentary government
8. A constitution gives both the national government and regional governments independent authority over different policy areas. Which principle does this illustrate?
Separation of powers
Judicial review
Federalism
Direct democracy
9. What is political legitimacy?
The transfer of authority from courts to legislatures
The physical capacity of a state to enforce every policy
A legal requirement that all elections use majority rule
A broad acceptance that a government has the right to rule
10. In a two-candidate election, both candidates move their platforms closer to the preferences of the voter at the center of the ideological distribution. Which theory best predicts this behavior?
Elite theory
Dependency theory
The iron law of oligarchy
The median voter theorem
11. Regional governments exercise only powers granted by the national legislature, which can alter or withdraw those powers. What type of state structure does this describe?
Federal
Confederal
Unitary
Presidential
12. Officials prosecute an opposition leader under a rule that was created only after the leader's conduct occurred, while government allies are exempt. Which principle is most clearly being violated?
Popular sovereignty
The rule of law
Bicameralism
Cabinet responsibility
13. Compared with a single-member plurality electoral system, a proportional representation system is generally more likely to produce which result?
Direct election of the head of government
A guaranteed two-party system
Legislative seats that more closely reflect parties' vote shares
Identical representation for every geographic district
14. Residents can benefit from a neighborhood flood barrier whether or not they contributed to its cost. Some therefore withhold contributions while expecting others to pay. What problem does this illustrate?
Agenda setting
Free riding
Retrospective voting
Political socialization
15. A political system adds another institution whose agreement is required before major policy can change. According to veto-player theory, what is the most likely effect?
Election turnout automatically increases
Political parties become unnecessary
Major policy change becomes more difficult
Courts lose all constitutional authority
16. A governing party redraws electoral district boundaries so that opposition voters are concentrated in a few districts while its own voters hold narrow advantages in many others. What is this practice called?
Gerrymandering
Proportional allocation
Compulsory voting
Malapportionment