AP US Government : Institutional Relationships
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP US Government
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Example Questions
Example Question #31 : Institutional Relationships
Which of these is currently a federal restriction on lobbyists?
Lobbyists must apply for licenses to lobby to Congress.
State funds may never be used to lobby state or federal governments.
Lobbyists may not work in multiple states simultaneously.
Foreign entities may not lobby state or federal governments.
Former members of Congress must wait up to two years before lobbying directly to former colleagues.
Former members of Congress must wait up to two years before lobbying directly to former colleagues.
Controversy has arisen in the past few decades over the role of former members of Congress in lobbying. This has led to what is called a "revolving door" in Congress. In light of this, light restrictions have been added that prevent former members of Congress from lobbying to former staff for one year, and other members of Congress for two. Students should be aware of current controversies surrounding interest groups in the United States.
With respect to the other answers, few states have restrictions on state funds being used to lobby, lobbyists must register but do not need to apply for licensing, lobbyists can certainly work in multiple states, and foreign entities can lobby the government as long as they adhere to certain restrictions.
Example Question #32 : Institutional Relationships
Which of these Federal departments manages programs related to Native Americans?
The Department of Homeland Security
The Department of State
The Department of the Interior
The Department of Health and Human Services
The Department of Justice
The Department of the Interior
The Department of the Interior manages programs related to Native Americans. The Department of the Interior is also responsible for the management of Federal land and national parks, as well as conservation and the management of natural resources.
Example Question #1 : Relationships With Media
The White House Press Secretary is a position established within the executive branch to effectively deal with
state legislatures.
everyday voters.
interactions with the news media.
members of congress.
interactions with the news media.
The White House Press Secretary is a modern phenomenon, only created in the last half of the twentieth century with the explosion of different forms of news media. With a daily briefing in the White House Press Room, the Press Secretary's main function is to distill the President's message for the White House Press Corps and to answer any of their questions. While this has a residual effect of extending the message to other groups, the chief task of a Press Secretary is to deal with the press.
Example Question #33 : Institutional Relationships
Which of these First Amendment rights is most frequently challenged during wartime?
Freedom of Speech
Free exercise of religion
Freedom of Assembly
Freedom of the Press
Petitioning the government for redress of grievances
Freedom of the Press
Freedom of the Press has been temporarily restricted during wartime various times, such as in the Sedition Act of 1918, upheld by the Supreme Court in 1919 under the "clear and present danger" test, and again in 2001 following the declaration of the War on Terror. Students should be able to quickly rule out most options besides "freedom of the press" and "freedom of speech." Freedom of the press is more frequently directly restricted, as the freedom of speech for individual persons acting outside of mass media is rarely as potentially dangerous or influential.
Example Question #34 : Institutional Relationships
The media’s function as protector of the people from corrupt, unethical, and incompetent political leaders is called __________.
the common-carrier role
agenda setting
the watchdog role
yellow journalism
objective journalism
the watchdog role
The watchdog role is a term given to the media’s accepted duty to protect the general public from the corrupt and incompetent practices of political leaders. In this capacity, it is the duty of the media to report any instances of government malpractice, deceit, or general incompetence to the public.
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