AP Government Diagnostic Test

Richard Nixon is the correct answer because he is the only president in history to have resigned from office. Nixon resigned in 1974 following the Watergate scandal, where he was implicated in the cover-up of illegal activities carried out by his administration. His resignation marked a significant event in American politics and led to the appointment of Gerald Ford as the new president.

In 1954, The Supreme Court heard the anti-segregation case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, a lawsuit brought on behalf of Linda Brown ( a black school age child) by the NAACP. Then future Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall argued the case for Brown. in a 9-0 decision, The Supreme Court overturned "Separate but equal" established in Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896.

The primary is closed only to the voters of a particular party affiliation

Bicameralism in the United States is our legislative branch made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate. It doesnt matter what party controls the power of those houses.

Ticket splitting has become a common phenomenon in the past 30 years. in the distant past, the same party typically controlled the presidency and Congress.

There are 12 courts of appeals in the federal court system. These courts are responsible for hearing appeals from the district courts and specialized courts in their respective regions. Each court of appeals has jurisdiction over a specific geographic area, and they play a crucial role in the federal judicial system by ensuring that decisions made by lower courts are fair and consistent with the law.

As the chief of State, the president is the most powerful force in US foreign policy.

The Federalists Papers were written to sway support for the constitution before it was adopted. The Federalist Papers addressed many of the concerns some had about the powers and authority written into the Constitution.

The U.S. Constitution says a Senator must be 30 years old.

judicial activism refers to the actions of a court that frequently strikes down or alters the acts of the executive and/or legislative branches. Activist judiciaries are also willing to overturn previous rulings. Judicial activism expands the court's impact on public policy.

because the membership of the HofR is so large, the process by which bills are debated and amended must be limited (The senate is smaller so it doesnt need as many rules for this process). The task of setting these limits falls to the House Rules Committee controls the terms of debate and the scheduling of floor votes, it is considered among the most powerful House committees. Generally the party in control of the house will get 2/3 of the seats on the rules committee

A constitution specifies what the government is allowed to do, and also what it may not do. In setting distinct limits on government power, the framers of the U.S. Constitution hoped to prevent the government from achieving the same level of power as had the British monarchy.

A writ of Ceritorari is a document issued by the Supreme Court that requests all the records pertaining to a case. This indicates the Court will consider the case. It will be issued when four of the nine justices agree to hear a case.

The members of the Supreme Court as a group decide which cases the court will hear. This decision-making process is done through a process called the "Rule of Four," where at least four justices must agree to grant a case a writ of certiorari, which means they agree to hear the case. Once the case is granted, the court will hear oral arguments from both sides and then make a final decision on the case. The Chief Justice does not have sole authority in deciding which cases to hear, but they do play a significant role in shaping the court's agenda.

Public interest groups such as MADD (mothers against Drunk Driving) seek to benefit the public as a whole. Special interest groups work in their own interests.

Its extremely difficult to override a presidential veto, so congress will rarely pass a bill they know the presidnent will veto. The task of getting 2/3 of congress to override the president is nearly impossible when the president's approval rating is high because a veto override often required members of the presidents party. This party cross over usually only occurs when the president is already unpopular.

when government officials resign from office, many remain in Washington to work as consultants. Such individuals can use the contacts they made while in government to influence public policy. Often they work as or with lobbyists. The term influence peddling is used to describe their actions when they exploit their friendships with current government officials to achieve a political goal.

According to the Constitution, the House of Representatives brings charges of impeachment, where as the Senate tries, or sits in judgement of, impeachment cases

There are 538 members of the electoral college. Each state gets 2 for the number of senators they have plus the numbers of representatives they have. Total there are 435 representatives and 100 senators which makes 535. Then Washington D.C. gets 3 electoral votes.

parties in multiparty systems tend to be smaller and more closely identified with particular ideologies and political goals. Parties in a two-party system, on the other hand, present more general platforms in order to win a simple majority of the electorate.