AP US Government and Politics Quiz

B: This cartoon criticizes President Jackson for abusing his presidential powers. Federalist 70 argued in favor of a strong executive power vested in a single person. Thus, President Jackson (the subject of the cartoon) would likely argue that this essay supported his actions; (B) is correct. Federalist 51 describes the system of checks and balances in the Constitution; if anything, this artist would be in favor of these checks on the authority of a strong executive, so (A) is incorrect. Federalist 78 deals with the judicial branch, not the executive branch, making (C) incorrect. Brutus 1 argues against the idea of a strong central government, so the artist of the cartoon would likely support that argument; (D) is also incorrect.

A: Yoder established free exercise protections for Amish parents and students, specifically the right for Amish students not to attend public school; it is one of the few cases that the Court has upheld on free exercise grounds. (A) is correct. The commerce clause, found in Article I of the Constitution, was not cited in Yoder; (B) is incorrect. The establishment clause was central to other cases involving school and religion, such as Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971), but not to Yoder, making (C) incorrect. The due process clause, found in the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments, was also not central to the Yoder decision; (D) is incorrect.

A: The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an independent regulatory agency responsible for disclosing campaign finance information and enforcing contribution limits. The FEC regulates political action committees, including super PACs. Super PACs are not allowed to directly assist a candidate with campaign strategy. Thus, (A) is correct. Currently, individuals may give up to $2,700 to a candidate per election, making (B) incorrect. Nearly all political candidates attend private fundraisers to solicit campaign contributions, and some candidates donate their own personal funds to their campaigns; (C) and (D) are incorrect.

C: Presidential and congressional candidates draw more media attention and are generally viewed by many voters as more important than candidates in state and local elections. Therefore, turnout is higher in federal elections than it is in state and local elections; (C) is correct. (A) is incorrect because voter turnout is higher for presidential elections than for midterm elections. Voter turnout is also higher in general elections than it is in primary elections; (B) is incorrect. College-educated voters typically turn out in higher percentages than do those without college degrees; (D) is incorrect.