1. D
Choice (A) is incorrect as the excerpt does not describe the relationship between the national government and the states. Choice (B) is incorrect as the text clearly states that only Congress can declare war. Choice (C) is incorrect as the excerpt does not refer to Congress as being the sole governing body. Therefore, (D) is correct as the final sentence states that a majority of states must agree to major decisions.
2. C
Choices (A) and (B) can be eliminated as the Articles gave more power to the states. Choice (D) can be eliminated as many of the powers of Congress in the Articles are identical to those granted to Congress by the Constitution. As a result, (C) is correct as the Articles created an inefficient government that could not meet the challenges facing the new nation.
3. B
Choices (A) and (C) are incorrect as each one attributes elements of the New Jersey Plan to the Virginia Plan, and vice-versa. Choice (D) is incorrect as the Virginia Plan first suggested the Electoral College as a method to elect the president. Therefore, (B) is correct as the Virginia Plan called for a bicameral legislature, while the New Jersey Plan called for a unicameral legislature.
4. D
Federalism is a system under which the federal government shares power with the states. The system of checks and balances among the three branches of the federal government concerns the national government only, and not the states; eliminate (A). International treaties are the sole responsibility of the federal government, and do not relate to the states in any way, so (B) can also be eliminated. Washington, D.C., does have special constitutional status as the nation’s capital, and is governed by the federal government. However, it is not represented in Congress at the state level, so (C) doesn’t really pertain to American federalism. Choice (D) must be the correct answer: the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution assigns to the states all powers not granted the national government by the Constitution. It is instrumental in defining the relationship between the two levels of government, which is the essence of federalism.
5. C
Choice (A) can be eliminated as free speech refers to the First Amendment. Choice (B) can be eliminated as searches and seizures refer to the Fourth Amendment. Choice (D) can be eliminated as cruel and unusual government refers to the Eighth Amendment. Therefore, (C) is correct as one of Americans’ Fifth Amendment rights is protection against double jeopardy—being tried for the same crime more than once.
6. B
Choice (A) is incorrect as the Revolutionary War led to the overthrow of British rule. Choice (C) is incorrect as slavery had existed in the Americas for centuries before the founding of the United States. Choice (D) can be eliminated because Shay’s Rebellion took place in Massachusetts. As a result, (B) is correct as after the national government put down the rebellion, elites realized a new national government was necessary to prevent future rebellions.
7. A
Choice (B) can be eliminated as the Connecticut Compromise refers to how states would be represented in Congress, not whether their slaves would count toward representation. Choice (C) can be eliminated as this compromise put a moratorium on the international slave trade. Choice (D) can be eliminated as the Bill of Rights does not mention slavery or congressional representation. Therefore, (A) is correct as the Three-Fifths Compromise counted each slave as 3/5 of a person when determining a state’s congressional representation.
1. B
Choice (A) is incorrect as the U.S. adult population rose between 1990 and 2008. Choice (C) is incorrect as “Other response” fell between 2001 and 2008. Choice (D) is incorrect as the number of Christians rose between 1990 and 2001. As a result, (B) is correct, as the number of Americans who do not follow a religion more than doubled between 1990 and 2008.
2. B
Choice (A) can be eliminated as “Other Religions” is still a small group compared to Christians and nonbelievers. Choice (C) can be eliminated as the chart does not indicate anything about the future of political socialization as a whole. Choice (D) can be eliminated as the chart does not compare the impact of religion versus other means of political socialization. Therefore, (B) is correct: as more Americans become nonreligious, they will experience political socialization in different ways.
3. D
Remember that both sides of a comparison question must be correct, so if either is wrong, rule out that entire choice. For instance, conservatives are actually the largest voting block, so eliminate (A). Moderates often change their mind on political issues, so delete (B). Conservatives do not support affirmative action, so eliminate (C). Conservatives do oppose government regulation and moderates do view themselves as pragmatists, which makes (D) the correct answer.
4. D
Remember that “intensity” refers to the strength of a feeling Americans, as a whole, have about an issue or topic. Although some Americans have strong opinions about (A), (B), and (C), they are incorrect as (D), Social Security, is an issue that the majority of Americans strongly support.
5. B
Remember that many factors influence someone’s ideological behavior. Choices (A) and (C) can be eliminated as they have no effect on ideological behavior. Choice (D) can be eliminated as someone’s ideological beliefs rarely change over time. As a result, (C) is correct, as men and women typically have differences of opinion regarding political ideology.
6. B
It is possible for a politician to change his or her view, but whether that is seen as positive depends largely on how the public feels about the issue in question. The timing matters, too; during a campaign, changing positions can lead to attacks from one’s opponent. For these reasons, eliminate (A). Many Americans do not approve of divorce, so you can also eliminate (C). Soliciting political donations from foreign governments is illegal, and unlikely to generate anything positive, so eliminate (D). This leaves (B), which is a fit, as appearing in photographs with military veterans suggests that the candidate is patriotic and supports veterans.
7. A
Choices (B), (C), and (D) are incorrect: public opinion regarding incumbent U.S. House members, Social Security benefits, and the U.S. Supreme Court rarely go up or down except in the case of extreme circumstances. As a result, (A) is correct. Presidential public opinion often changes as a result of the president’s decisions while in office.
1. D
Look to the passage, as you may be able to find answers to some of your questions there. Choice (A) can be eliminated as Washington does not approve of political parties. Choice (B) can be eliminated as Washington states that that political parties sometimes work toward “popular ends.” Choice (C) can be eliminated as Washington calls the men who run political parties “unprincipled.” Washington warns that political parties will destroy the system that gave them power so that no one else can take power from them, which means that (D) is the correct answer.
2. C
It may help to reassert Washington’s message—which was the answer to the previous question—before trying to find the choice that matches it. Washington warned that political parties would take power, which should allow you to eliminate (A), (B), and (D), since those measures attempted to regulate the influence of interest groups and the political parties they represent. By contrast, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission dramatically increased the amount of money spent on elections, a decision many would argue gives political parties/interest groups more political power than it gives voters. This makes (C) the correct answer.
3. C
Remember that on comparison questions, you need to rule out only one of the two options for each choice. Interest groups do not undergo realignment every few decades, so you can eliminate (A). You can get rid of both (B) and (D) because they are flipped. Political parties do nominate candidates for office, and interest groups do endorse candidates they prefer to win, so (C) is the correct answer.
4. D
A splinter party is a small group that has broken off from a larger group with which it still shares some ideas. Choices (A), (B), and (C) are larger, ideological groups that are not today thought of as “splinter” parties. The Reform Party “splintered” away from the Republican Party, and so (D) is correct. (The Tea Party is another example of a splinter party.)
5. D
Assess each set of views in sequence. Cuban Americans disapprove of the Democrats’ stance on Cuba, which makes (A) incorrect. The Republican Party embraced the evangelical movement in the 1980s, and that relationship still holds today, so eliminate (B). The relationship between white Southerners and Republicans has also still largely held since the 1980s, so you can also eliminate (C). Mexican Americans tend to support Democrats’ stance on immigration, which makes (D) the correct answer.
6. B
Choice (A) can be eliminated, as PACs do not run their own candidates for office. Choice (C) can be eliminated, as PACs do not have a formal voice in government. Choice (D) can be eliminated as PACs often oppose one another. Therefore, (B) is correct: PACs allow unions and corporations to funnel unlimited sums of money toward political activities not directly affiliated with a candidate.
7. B
Major historical events often cause party realignments, points at which political power dramatically shifts from one party to another. Choices (A), (C), and (D) are incorrect as these historical events did not cause the American people to switch their political allegiance. As a result, (B) is correct as Americans blamed the Great Depression on the Republican Party.
1. A
For the first of two quantitative analysis questions, the answer is mostly found in the data itself, so start there and use Process of Elimination. Even if you don’t recognize that Ross Perot is a third-party candidate, the fact that there are three candidates, and that the lowest among them still won nearly 19% of the popular vote, should indicate that (B) is not true and can therefore be eliminated. You can eliminate (C) because it talks about information that has not been provided: the table does not identify how Perot voters would have voted if Perot had not run for president. You can also eliminate (D) by looking at the Electoral Vote column; even if you don’t remember that it takes 270 votes to win, you can see that Clinton had over 200 votes more than Bush. This also points to (A) as the correct answer: if Clinton won, then Bush could not have won, and therefore must have lost.
2. B
For the second of two quantitative analysis questions, you may have to apply some outside knowledge of political scenarios, but you should still primarily rely upon the given data when eliminating choices. Choices (A) and (C) can be eliminated because the table neither describes the three candidates’ positions nor offers evidence supporting or refuting the simplicity of a presidential election. There is also no evidence for (D) in the table, especially since it claims that the winning candidate ran a poor campaign. This leaves (B) as the correct answer, which is supported by the fact that despite receiving nearly 20,000,000 votes, Perot did not gain a single electoral vote.
3. B
Remember: if you can eliminate either option for a choice, you can eliminate the entire choice. For (A), neither option seems true—they’re reversed. During a primary, a candidate runs against other members of his or her own party, and those are the opponents whose policies they must criticize. Eliminate (A). Choice (C) is also a reversal, and one that might be hinted at by the term “general” election: candidates move from a specific campaign to their base during the primary to a more general campaign to all of America during the general. While it is true that a convention is planned during the primary, you can eliminate (D) because that convention is where the superdelegates vote—there is no need to cultivate them during the general election. This leaves (B) as the correct answer. During the primary, candidates focus on winning convention delegates. During the general election, they focus on the electoral map to ensure an Electoral College victory in November.
4. D
Pay close attention to the modifiers for a given scenario. You aren’t being asked about any primary, or even any Republican primary—you’re looking at an open Republican primary. These modifiers can help you to eliminate choices. Both (A) and (B) describe closed primaries, not open ones, so eliminate them. An open primary is one in which any registered voter can participate—not just Republicans or Democrats—and so (C) can also be eliminated. Only (D) correctly identifies that any registered voter can vote, so this is the correct answer.
5. A
Choices (B) and (C) are incorrect as these committees do not deal with a party’s positions. The Credentials Committee decides if a delegate has voting privileges. The Rules Committee decides the all-important process of how delegates may vote during the primary (for example, whether they can change their vote after the first round of voting). Choice (D) is incorrect as there is no Ideology Committee. Choice (A) is correct, as the Platform Committee decides the positions the party will take over the next four years.
6. B
Choices (A), (C), and (D) can be eliminated as the older and more educated someone becomes, the more likely it is that they will vote in the general election. As a result, (B) is the correct answer, as this person is the oldest and has the highest level of education.
7. C
Choice (A) is incorrect as states award delegates based on the proportion of the vote a candidate won. Choice (B) is incorrect as this describes a caucus. Choice (D) is incorrect as this also describes a caucus. As a result, (C) is correct as the majority of states use the primary system to choose presidential candidates.
1. A
Choice (B) is incorrect as nothing in the paragraph suggests a question concerning the reasons judges interpret the Constitution. Choice (C) is incorrect as Marshall is not asking how to do his job. Choice (D) is incorrect as the paragraph says nothing about judges taking office. Therefore, (A) is correct as “no rule for his government” suggests that the Constitution does not specifically describe the responsibilities of the Supreme Court.
2. C
Choice (A) can be eliminated as ex post facto laws refer to applying a law to an action that took place before the law was written. Choice (B) can be eliminated as judicial restraint refers to justices not injecting personal opinion or the national mood into their decisions. Choice (D) can be eliminated as amicus curiae briefs refer to letters written to the court by an interested party not directly involved with a case. As a result, (C) is correct. The passage, especially the final paragraph, affirms the principle of judicial review, the Supreme Court’s ability to strike down unconstitutional laws.
3. D
Don’t be tricked because one of the two options for a choice is correct. Both have to match. So for (A), it’s true that the Legislative Branch handles the Library of Congress, but it’s not true that the Executive Branch handles technology assessment (that, too, is handled by the Legislative). Eliminate (A). Choice (B) is incorrect as the Executive Branch oversees the Department of Energy and the Legislative Branch oversees the Government Publishing Office. Choice (C) is incorrect as both departments fall under the control of the Executive Branch. Therefore, (D) is correct. The Legislative Branch oversees the GAO and the Executive Branch oversees Drug Control Policy.
4. B
Choice (A) can be eliminated given that the president is the head of the Executive Branch and the checks-and-balances of the government would prevent him or her from also being the head of a Legislative branch. Choice (C) can be eliminated as the president pro tempore is just below the official head of the Senate. Choice (D) can be eliminated because the chief whip is the functional head of the Senate, not the official head. This leaves the correct answer, (B), which is that the vice president is the official head of the Senate, also known as the president of the Senate.
5. A
Consider the modifying word here, “legislative.” “Legislative” refers to Congress’s power to pass laws. Choices (B), (C), and (D) are all powers of Congress, but they are not legislative. Therefore, (A) is correct as the power to tax and spend through legislation such as spending bills is one of the most important legislative powers possessed by Congress.
6. C
Congressional districts are, as the question suggests, determined by the states, which should help you to eliminate both (A) and (B), given that it would be a violation of the Tenth Amendment for the federal government to determine districts for the House. Likewise, (D), which would take power away from the state and give it to a vague “commission” can also be ruled out. The correct answer, (C), describes the actual process, which is that after a national census, the state legislatures draw congressional maps.
7. A
Choice (C) is incorrect, as the Supreme Court has no say in the nomination or appointment of cabinet members. Choices (A), (B), and (D) all involve the president, which is correct, as the president nominates all cabinet members. Choice (D) can be eliminated as all cabinet members require confirmation. So can (B), as the House has no say in the appointment of cabinet members. Therefore, (A) is correct, as the president nominates cabinet members. The Senate interviews each candidate before voting.
1. D
Choice (A) is incorrect as, despite some similarities in the 13–24 and 25–24 months graphs, it is obvious from the 1–12 and 37–48 months graphs that Americans in different age groups use public assistance programs for different lengths of time. Choice (B) is incorrect as Americans over 65 use government assistance for 1–12 months more than any other group. Choice (C) is incorrect as Americans 18–64 are more likely to participate for only 13–36 months. Therefore, (D) is correct as 56% of all children who start using government assistance programs stay on those programs for at least three years, exceeding all other groups.
2. B
Choice (A) can be eliminated as the graph does not provide information on the effectiveness of government assistance programs. Choice (C) can be eliminated as the graph does not provide information on the cost of government assistance programs. Choice (D) can be eliminated as the graph does not provide information on the relationship between public insurance programs and public assistance programs. In the first two groups, the largest percentage of those who use public assistance programs have done so for more than three years, and in the third group, this is almost the largest percentage. This does seem to support that after a certain amount of time, citizens may become reliant on these services. This means that (B) is correct.
3. D
If a description doesn’t directly apply to the option it’s listed under, then that choice can and should be eliminated. “The government should influence wages and prices” refers to Keynesian economics, which isn’t even being compared here, so eliminate (A). This is true also of “Massive deficit spending,” so get rid of (C). Choice (B) may at first seem good, but both options are describing laissez-faire economics, not just the first one, so delete (B) as well. This leaves (D), which correctly explains that laissez-faire economics is based upon having no government interference in the economy and that supply-side economics revolves around using tax cuts to encourage economic growth.
4. C
Even if you can’t remember exactly what the OMB does, you may be able to eliminate choices that you can connect with different organizations. For instance, the National Economic Council is responsible for the items in (A) and (D), and so these two can be eliminated. Congress writes the national budget, so eliminate (B). This leaves (C), which is correct: the OMB plans the national budget for the president.
5. A
Social security is a financial safety net for many Americans. Choice (B) is incorrect as foreign tourists do not qualify for Social Security benefits; foreigners who are permanent residents do qualify. Choice (C) is incorrect as although veterans receive many benefits from the government, a veteran who is employed does not qualify for Social Security benefits. Choice (D) is incorrect as chronic poverty does not qualify a family for Social Security. However, the family may qualify for other federal and state government benefits.
6. A
Imports and exports have to do with trade, whereas defaults and bankruptcy have to do with not being able to pay debts and/or being broke, so eliminate (C) and (D). Between the two remaining choices, consider that a deficit means a loss and a surplus represents a gain. If a situation imports—buys—more than it exports—sells—does it have more (surplus) or less (deficit)? Eliminate (B); the correct answer is (A).
7. D
Discretionary spending is something that doesn’t have a fixed amount that needs to be spent on it. Whether you remember the specifics of the Budget Enforcement Act or not, you should be able to identify the national debt, social security, and Medicare as mandatory, fixed payments; eliminate (A), (B) and (C). This means that (D) is the correct answer: education programs fall under discretionary spending.
1. C
For a Qualitative Analysis question, be very careful with choices that may be historically true or morally sound, but which do not match the passage itself. This applies even to implications; (A) and (D) can therefore be eliminated. Choice (B) is incorrect, as King does not make this claim. The correct answer, (C), matches what King says, which is that the legality or illegality of something does not make that thing inherently right or wrong.
2. B
Choice (A) is more than a little extreme, and unsupported by the text; there’s nothing to say that America was as bad as the other two nations mentioned. The focus of the passage is on the righteousness of certain laws. Martin Luther King, Jr., isn’t promoting himself, but is instead talking about the importance of nonviolent protest, so eliminate (C). King isn’t trying to educate readers about Germany or Hungary; he’s using them to make a point about his actions in America, so eliminate (D). This point about unjust laws is what is expressed in (B), so that is the correct answer.
3. A
On a comparison question, you can look to eliminate options that use extreme language, because if you can find even one instance to the contrary, that means the choice is incorrect. That’s certainly true for (B), as there are many cases in which the Supreme Court has ruled to restrict civil rights (e.g., Plessy, Korematsu). You can also eliminate (C), because civil rights are not limited to only one minority group. Finally, eliminate (D) because civil liberties cannot be amended at the state level. This leaves (A), which is correct: the Bill of Rights enshrines Americans’ civil liberties and the equal application of the law to all Americans is the foundation of civil rights.
4. C
Choice (A) can be eliminated as although Powell expanded defendants’ right to legal representation, this right did not extend to all court cases. Choice (B) can be eliminated as Betts denied the right to counsel in certain circumstances. Choice (D) is incorrect as Miranda concerned informing defendants of their rights at the time of arrest. Therefore, (C) is correct as after Gideon, all defendants were allowed an attorney no matter the crime.
5. A
In Griswold, the Supreme Court ruled that women have a Fourteenth Amendment “right to privacy” with their physicians, which legalized birth control throughout the United States. Choice (B) is incorrect as Citizens United dealt with federal election law. Choice (C) is incorrect as McDonald expanded Americans’ right to bear arms. Choice (D) is incorrect as New York Times expanded newspapers’ First Amendment rights. As a result, (A) is correct; with Roe v. Wade, the court used Griswold as a precedent to legalize abortion nationwide.
6. C
During the 20th century, the Supreme Court took on many cases that affected students attending public schools. Choice (A) can be eliminated as Tinker v. Des Moines centered on the issue of student protest. Choice (B) can be eliminated as Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier decided that schools can regulate students’ speech in school. Choice (D) can be eliminated as Lemon v. Kurtzman decided that states cannot directly fund religious schools. Therefore, (C) is correct as Engel v. Vitale barred the practice of state-sponsored prayer in school.
7. D
Wisconsin v. Yoder pitted the state’s Amish community against Wisconsin’s compulsory education laws. Although the First Amendment was central to the case, (A), (B), and (C) were at issue. As a result, (D) is correct as the Amish community successfully argued that their religious beliefs prompted them to remove their children from school after the 8th grade.