American Government Comprehensive Quiz 2

Chapter 6 Congress

Question 1       Currently, there is a limit on the number of terms that our representatives at the national level can serve.

1)         True

2)         False

Question 2       A main organizational principle in the House AND the Senate is/are:

1)         The two political parties

2)         Strong party leadership

3)         None of the above

4)         A and B

Question 3       All bills must be introduced by members of Congress.

1)         True

2)         False

Question 4       Filibusters are tactics used to delay a bill in the House of Representatives.

1)         True

2)         False

Question 5       A pocket veto occurs when:

1)         The House overturns a bill passed by the Senate.

2)         The Senate overturns a bill passed by the House.

3)         The President strikes specific appropriations from a budget bill.

4)         The President does not sign or veto a bill that is passed during the last 10 days of a session.

Question 6       The Senate has the sole power to do the following:

1)         Declare war

2)         Advice and consent on major presidential appointments

3)         Vote on impeachment

4)         Initiate revenue bills

Question 7       Members of the House are elected for ___ year terms.

1)         Two

2)         Three

3)         Six

4)         Eight

Question 8       The House of Representatives has the sole power to do the following:

1)         Declare war

2)         Try impeached officials

3)         Make agreements with the executive

4)         Initiate revenue bills

Question 9       The Senate has ________ leadership than the House.

1)         Stronger

2)         Weaker

3)         Less personal

4)         More partisan

Question 10     There are ____ members of Congress with full voting privileges.

1)         430

2)         100

3)         535

4)         435

Question 11     the current majority leader in the Senate is:

a)Bill Haney

b) Newt Gingrich

c) Mitch McConnell

d) John Boehner

Question 12     US congress is a unicameral legislature.

True

False

Question 13     Senators tend to be more specialized than members of the House.

True

False

Question 14     Who appoints the members from the majority party to the Rules committee?

a)The House Majority leader

b) The Senate majority leader

c) The Speaker of the House

d) The President

Question 15     one of the constitutional powers of congress is to exercise the power of pocket veto.

True

False

Question 16     Committee to which proposed bills are referred and that continue from one Congress to the next are called---------- committee.

a)Joint

b) Conference

c) Special

d) Standing

Question 17     The power to establish and define powers of local government units belongs to:

a)The President

b) Federal courts

c) Rules committee

d) State legislatures

Question 18     Congress can suspend habeas corpus if a supermajority of our elected representatives agrees to do it.

True

False

Question 19     Members of Congress use earmarks to benefit the nation.

True

False

Chapter 7 The Presidency

Question 1       "Citizens' legislature" means that the politicians are professional lawmakers.

1)         True

2)         False

Question 2       One of the constitutional powers of Georgia General Assembly includes the ability to establish and define the powers of local government units.

1)         True

2)         False

Question 3       Filibusters are a common occurrence in Georgia General Assembly.

1)         True

2)         False

Question 4       Georgia General Assembly meets all year long.

1)         True

2)         False

Question 5       Which of the following is NOT a presidential power:

1)         The power to convene Congress

2)         The power to declare war

3)         The power to pardon

4)         The power to veto legislation

5)         all of the above are presidential powers

Question 6       The following President greatly increased presidential powers:

1)         Eisenhower

2)         Reagan

3)         Franklin D. Roosevelt

4)         Ford

Question 7       President can veto constitutional amendments.

1)         True

2)         False

Question 8       Neustadt's theory suggests that the President should use his formal powers as frequently as possible.

1)         True

2)         False

Question 9       The 22nd amendment limits the President to serving no more than:

1)         4 years

2)         8 years

3)         9 years

4)         10 years

Question 10     According to the in-class assigned reading, Senator McCaskill criticized her Republican colleagues for attempting to hide information about earmarks.

1)         True

2)         False

Chapter 8 the executive branch and the federal bureaucracy

Question 1       According to the War Powers Act, the President must inform Congress within 48 hours about his decision to start a military action abroad.

1)         True

2)         False

Question 2       Agreements that the President enters with foreign nations that do not require the approval of the Senate are called:

1)         Executive agreements

2)         Executive orders

3)         Covenants

4)         Legislative packages

Question 3       Congress can override a Presidential veto with a

1)         Simple majority in the House

2)         Simple majority in the Senate

3)         Two-third majority in the House and two-third majority in the Senate

4)         Two-third majority in the joint session of the House and the Senate

Question 4       The composition of the Cabinet is described in Article 2 of the Constitution.

1)         True

2)         False

Question 5       A two-third majority vote by the Senate is required to remove the President after impeachment.

1)         True

2)         False

Question 6       The executive order of the President:

1)         has the power to create policy

2)         has no legal consequence

3)         is the same as the executive agreement

4)         is a rule from the judicial branch mandating that the President do something

Question 7       Which of the following offices is the President constitutionally empowered to appoint?

1)         The state Supreme Court justices

2)         The speaker of the House

3)         Ambassadors

4)         The President of the Senate

Question 8       The Office of Management and Budget aids the President in drafting his budget proposal.

1)         True

2)         False

Question 9       The White House Staff:

1)         must be confirmed by the Senate

2)         number over 2,000

3)         possess independent legal authority

4)         derive their power from their personal relationship with the President

Question 10     The EOP (the Executive Office of the President) includes:

1)         The Treasury department

2)         The Council of Economic Advisers

3)         The CIA

4)         All of the above

Question                 The Pendleton Act established the principle of ___________ in federal hiring.

1)         Patronage

2)         Merit

3)         Partisanship

4)         Civility

Question 2       The ratification of _______ in 1913 gave Congress the authority to implement a federal income tax.

1)         10th amendment

2)         Hatch Act

3)         16th Amendment

4)         Supremacy clause

Question 3       The Senate's checks on bureaucracy include:

1)         Issue executive orders

2)         The power to confirm presidential appointees

3)         all of the above

4)         none of the above

Question 4       The following Department was created after 9/11:

1)         Department of Defense

2)         Department of State

3)         Department of Homeland Security

4)         None of the above

Question 5       The size of the bureaucracy decreased after the Civil War.

1)         True

2)         False

Question 6       Weber's theory underlines the following feature of bureaucracy:

1)         Its flexibility

2)         Legal authority

3)         Its huge authority

4)         All of the above

Question 7       Today most bureaucrats are hired based on merit.

1)         True

2)         False

Question 8       Iron triangles refer to the relationships between agencies, interest groups and departments.

1)         True

2)         False

Question 9       The power of the courts to review acts of the other branches of government is known as:

1)         judicial privilege

2)         government review

3)         judicial review

4)         original jurisdiction

Question 10     The justices of the Supreme court are

1)         elected in nonpartisan election

2)         appointed by Congress and ratified by the President

3)         nominated by the House and confirmed by the Senate

4)         nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate

Chapter 9 The Judiciary

Question 1       The Pendleton Act established the principle of ___________ in federal hiring.

1)         Patronage

2)         Merit

3)         Partisanship

4)         Civility

Question 2       The ratification of _______ in 1913 gave Congress the authority to implement a federal income tax.

1)         10th amendment

2)         Hatch Act

3)         16th Amendment

4)         Supremacy clause

Question 3       The Senate's checks on bureaucracy include:

1)         Issue executive orders

2)         The power to confirm presidential appointees

3)         all of the above

4)         none of the above

Question 4       The following Department was created after 9/11:

1)         Department of Defense

2)         Department of State

3)         Department of Homeland Security

4)         None of the above

Question 5       The size of the bureaucracy decreased after the Civil War.

1)         True

2)         False

Question 6       Weber's theory underlines the following feature of bureaucracy:

1)         Its flexibility

2)         Legal authority

3)         Its huge authority

4)         All of the above

Question 7       Today most bureaucrats are hired based on merit.

1)         True

2)         False

Question 8       Iron triangles refer to the relationships between agencies, interest groups and departments.

1)         True

2)         False

Question 9       The power of the courts to review acts of the other branches of government is known as:

1)         judicial privilege

2)         government review

3)         judicial review

4)         original jurisdiction

Question 10     The justices of the Supreme court are

1)         elected in nonpartisan election

2)         appointed by Congress and ratified by the President

3)         nominated by the House and confirmed by the Senate

4)         nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate

Chapter 10 Public opinion and the news media

Question 1       A shifting in party support in the electorate that remains for several elections is known as:

1)         misalignment

2)         electoral tsunami

3)         ticket splitting

4)         realignment

Question 2       The process through which an individual acquires particular political ideology is most accurately called:

1)         juveline politization

2)         political acclimation

3)         public opinion

4)         political socialization

Question 3       Religion is not a very powerful predictor of the vote.

1)         True

2)         False

Question 4       Which of the following is least likely to be an agent of political socialization?

1)         family

2)         school

3)         mass media

4)         political candidates

Question 5       What is narrowcasting?

1)         the tendency of mass media to use stereotypes

2)         the increasing reliance on political pundits

3)         political coverage that is superficial

4)         the targeting of media programs at specific segments of the population

Question 6       The principle that all candidates should have the same right to purchase airtime if the station sells time to one candidate is known as:

1)         The fairness doctrine

2)         The equal time rule

3)         Content regulation

4)         Prior restraint

Question 7       Political parties are most important and visible in:

1)         legislative branch

2)         judiciary

3)         local governments

4)         all of the above

Question 8       Political parties can serve as a link between different aspects of government that are otherwise separated. Parties can link:

1)         the executive and the legislative branches

2)         the Senate and the House

3)         national, state and local government officials

4)         all of the above

Question 9       Each four years, each party nominates its presidential candidate and vice presidential candidate through:

1)         platform

2)         series of regional conferences

3)         national convention

4)         national policy committee

Question 10                 What is ticket-splitting?

1)         proportional representation

2)         voting for the third parties

3)         refusing to register with a political party

4)         voting for candidates from different political parties in an election

American Government Chapter Comprehensive quiz

American Government: Baseline Test

Question 1       A governmental structure that gives each of the three branches of power some

degree of oversight and control of each other is called:

 1)        Checks and balances

2)         Federalism

3)         Command and Control

4)         Incrementalism

Question 2       Who is the commander in chief of the armed forces?

1)         The secretary of state

2)         The secretary of defense

3)         Congress

4)         The President

Question 3       Where can the Bill of Rights be found?

1)         The Declaration of Independence

2)         The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen

3)         The first 10 amendments to the Constitution

4)         Article 7 of the Constitution

Question 4       The official name of Georgia’s legislative body is:

1)         Citizens’ Assembly

2)         National Assembly

3)         Georgia General Assembly

4)         None of the above

Question 5       Who has the power to declare war?

 1)        Congress.

2)         President.

3)         Both A and B.

4)         Neither A nor B.

Question 6       What branch did the Founding Fathers create to be the most powerful?

 1)        Congress.

2)         President.

3)         Supreme Court.

4)         Federal Bureaucracy.

Question 7       Who is considered the Father of the Constitution?

1)         Benjamin Franklin.

2)         Thomas Jefferson.

3)         James Madison.

4)         George Washington.

Question 8       The right to bear arms is in the ______ Amendment.

1)         1st.

2)         2nd.

3)         3rd.

4)         4th.

Question 9       The Supreme Court decision that ordered the desegregation of public schools was

1)         Plessey v Ferguson.

2)         Roe v. Wade.

3)         Brown v. Board.

4)         Bowers v. Hardwick.

Question 10     If there is a conflict between the federal government and state government, then the federal government wins.

 1)        True

2)         False

The political landscape Chapter 1 Quiz

Question 1  A social contract theory of government was proposed by

1)      Plato and Aristotle.

2)      Aquinas and Luther.

3)      Newton and the separatists.

4)      Locke and Hobbes.

Question 2  Indirect democracy is based on

1)      Consensus.

2)      Unanimity.

3)      The system of government used in ancient Greece.

4)      Representation.

5)      "Mob rule."

Question 3  A doctrine that society should be governed by certain ethical principles that are part of nature and can be understood by reason is called

1)      Ethical law.

2)      Contract law.

3)      Natural law.

4)      Newton's law.

5)      Constitutional law.

Question 4  According to the Preamble of the U.S. Constitution, which of the following is NOT an example of a function of American government?

1)      Promoting the general welfare

2)      Securing the blessings of liberty

3)      Ensuring the pursuit of happiness

4)      Establishing justice

5)      Insuring domestic tranquility

Question 5  All of the following are among the functions that political scientists attribute to ideologies EXCEPT

1)      Explanation

2)      Evaluation

3)      Orientation

4)      Discrimination

5)      Political programs

Question 6  Enlightenment thinkers argued that the world could be improved through

1)      Religious intolerance and human reason.

2)      Human reason, science, and religious toleration.

3)      Faith, religion, and divine reason.

4)      Human reason, science, and religious homogeny.

5)      Pseudo-science and religious toleration.

Question 7  Politics, as defined in the text, is

1)      Way too corrupt to attract any good men or women to run for office.

2)      Impossible without government.

3)      The study of "who gets what, when, and how."

4)      The province of only the wealthy.

5)      Irrelevant to the modern world.

Question 8  John Locke wrote Leviathan, in which he advocated for a strong central government.

1)      True

2)      False

Question 9  The key functions of American government are found in both the Declaration of Independence and the Preamble of the U.S. Constitution.

1)      True

2)      False

Question 10          According to a 2010 poll, over half of Americans believed that country is headed in the wrong direction.

 1)     True

2)      False

Chapter 2 The constitution

Question 1       The Virginia plan called for:

            1)         Strong state governments

            2)         Single legislature

            3)         Equality among states

            4)         Bicameral legislature

Question 2       Who initially insisted that a Bill of Rights be amended to the Constitution?

Whigs

            1)         Democrats

            2)         Federalists

            3)         Anti-Federalists

            4)         James Madison

Question 3       In 1765, the American colonists initiated a major protest against:

            1)         The French

            2)         Stamp Act

            3)         Tea Act

            4)         State governments

Question 4       One of the major weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation was:

            1)         It had a strong president

            2)         It had a functioning judiciary

            3)         Created a tyranny

            4)         Had no effective central government

Question 5       The most serious disagreement among large and small states during the Constitutional Convention was over:

            1)         Representation in Congress

            2)         Westward expansion

            3)         Creating a tyrannical government

            4)         Taxation

Question 6       According to Thomas Hobbes, the state of nature is peaceful coexistence.

            1)         True

            2)         False

Question 7       The preamble embraces the principle of popular sovereignty.

            1)         True

            2)         False

Question 8       As discussed in class, the Constitutional provision "He shall have power   to make treaties  and he shall nominate judges of the Supreme Court" embraces the following principle(s):

            1)         Popular sovereignty

            2)         Separation of powers

            3)         Checks and balances

            4)         B and C

Question 9       The three fifths compromise was drafted in order to deal with the following issue:

            1)         Presidential impeachment

            2)         How to count slaves when counting the state's population

            3)         How to select the members of the Supreme Court

            4)         The number of the Southern states needed to ratify a treaty

Question 10     The document regulating the government established shortly after the Declaration of Independence was known as:

            1)         The Constitution

            2)         The Federation treaty

            3)         Federalist papers

            4)         The Articles of Confederation

Federalism chapter 3 Quiz

Question 1       The Supremacy clause can be found in:

            1)         The Declaration of Independence

            2)         The Bill of Rights

            3)         Article 4 of the Constitution

            4)         Article 6 of the Constitution

Question 2       Which of the following powers is possessed by the national government but not by the state governments?

            1)         The power to levy taxes

            2)         The power to borrow money

            3)         The power to establish courts

            4)         The power to declare war

Question 3       The powers given to states by the US Constitution can be found in:

            1)         Article I, Section 8

            2)         The Supremacy Clause

            3)         The 10th  Amendment

            4)         The necessary and proper clause

Question 4       Who has concurrent powers?

            1)         Only the state governments

            2)         Only the national government

            3)         Only Congress

            4)         Both the state governments and the national government

Question 5       Under federalism, who controls the establishment of local governments?

            1)         Congress

            2)         President

            3)         States

            4)         The judiciary

Question 6       Under judicial federalism, the Supreme Court is likely to support states' rights.

            1)         True

            2)         False

Question 7       Block grants are federal monies given to the states with virtually no strings attached.

            1)         True

            2)         False

Question 8       The 10th amendment says that all powers not specifically given to the federal government shall be given to the states.

            1)         True

            2)         False

Question 9       In McCulloch v. Maryland, the Supreme Court ruled that concurrent powers authorized the states to tax creations of Congress.

            1)         True

            2)         False

Question 10     What is the significance of the Supreme Court's decision in Gibbons v. Ogden?

            1)         Maryland could not create a national bank

            2)         Congress has broad authority under the Commerce clause

            3)         The federal government can claim the necessary and proper clause to widen its policy making scope

            4)         The full faith and credit clause does not apply to states

Civil Liberties Chapter 4 Quiz

Question 1       The Constitution prohibits the federal government from:

1)         Coining money

2)         Chartering banks

3)         Regulating commerce with foreign nations

4)         Passing ex post facto laws

Question 2       The clause that ensures the judicial decrees and contracts made in one state will be binding and enforceable in another state is called ____________ clause.

1)         Privileges and immunities

2)         Commerce

3)         Full faith and credit

4)         Supremacy

Question 3       Under the full faith and credit clause, a divorce recognized in Massachusetts would:

1)         Not be recognized in any other state

2)         Only be recognized in the states neighboring Massachusetts

3)         Carry the full force of law in any other state

4)         Carry the full force of law in every state that had a similar statute

5)         Need to be re-adjudicated to be recognized in another state

Question 4       Litigation over gay marriage is likely to include the following Constitutional provisions:

1)         3rd Amendment

2)         13th Amendment

3)         Full faith and credit clause

4)         14th Amendment

5)         3 and 4

Question 5       What is the foundation for the incorporation doctrine?

1)         The 10th amendment

2)         The 14th amendment

3)         The commerce clause

4)         The necessary and proper clause

Question 6       What was the Supreme Court's decision in Gitlow v. New York?

1)         Citizens have the right to sue the government

2)         States were free to limit free expression

3)         States must abide by the 1st Amendment's guarantee of freedom of speech and the press

4)         Gitlow was allowed to publish his socialist manifesto

Question 7       Under which clause is the government prohibited from declaring a national religion?

1)         Due process

2)         Establishment

3)         Supremacy

4)         Commerce

Question 8       In the cases related to civil liberties, the Supreme court ruled that:

1)         Flag burning was unconstitutional

2)         Killing animals was unconstitutional

3)         Prayer in school was constitutional

4)         In one case, the use of hallucinogenic tea for religious purposes was permissible

Question 9       Which of the following type of speech can the government restrict?

1)         Thoughts

2)         Slander

3)         Symbolic speech

4)         Political speech

Question 10     The Supreme Court ruled that police does not need a search warrant to search a person being arrested.

1)         True

2)         False
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Additional Questions

Chapter 1: The Political Landscape

1) The Preamble to the Constitution begins

A) "We the People . . ."

B) "Four score and seven years ago . . ."

C) "When in the course of human events . . ."

D) "In order to form a more perfect Union . . .”

E) "These are the times that try men's souls . . .”

Answer: A

2) Which of the following did NOT lead to American settlement in the seventeenth century?

A) Questioning the divine right of kings

B) The split from the Church of England

C) Belief in self-government

D) Belief in intelligent design

E) Hobbes and Locke’s social contract theories

Answer: D

4) Locke's Second Treatise on Civil Government sets out a theory of

A) The divine rights of kings.

B) Aristocracy.

C) Democracy.

D) Republicanism.

E) Natural rights.

Answer: E

6) Republics are

A) Representative democracies.

B) Direct democracies.

C) A hallmark of unitary governments.

D) Frequently found in totalitarian regimes.

E) Another name for states.

Answer: A

7) In an oligarchy, rule is by

A) The many.

B) The few.

C) One person.

D) All people.

E) People who own property.

Answer: B

9) Who was the major author of the Declaration of Independence?

A) George Washington

B) James Madison

C) Thomas Jefferson

D) Benjamin Franklin

E) Alexander Hamilton

Answer: C

11) The fastest growing segment of the U.S. population is

A) Asians.

B) African Americans.

C) Muslims.

D) Caucasians.

E) Hispanics.

Answer: E

12) The coherent set or system of values and beliefs that shape the thinking of individuals and how they view the world, as well as their beliefs about the purpose and scope of government, is known as

A) Political theory.

B) Political ideology.

C) Sociology.

D) Political culture.

E) Political psychology.

Answer: B

14) Conservatives generally believe that

A) Government should guarantee individual rights.

B) Activist governments are often necessary.

C) Government should provide only for defense and little else.

D) There should be less government intervention in economic affairs.

E) Government should be abolished.

Answer: D

1) Commerce was the most common initial reason for settlement in North America.

Answer: TRUE

2) John Locke wrote Leviathan, in which he advocated for a strong central government.

Answer: FALSE

3) Jean-Jacques Rousseau believed a social contract would provide absolute equality.

Answer: TRUE

4) Natural law is a doctrine that argues that society should be governed by certain ethical principles.

Answer: TRUE

5) The key functions of American government are found in both the Declaration of Independence and the Preamble of the U.S. Constitution.

Answer: FALSE

6) African Americans are growing at the quickest rate of all ethnic or racial groups.

Answer: FALSE

7) The typical modern American family is easy to describe.

Answer: FALSE

8) According Isaiah Berlin, science and technology contributed significantly to the political environment of the twentieth century.

Answer: TRUE

9) Political labels are highly correlated with party identification.

Answer: TRUE

10) According to a 2010 poll, over half of Americans believed that country is headed in the wrong direction.

Answer: TRUE

Chapter 2: The Constitution

1) Eighteen to 21-year-olds received the right to vote with ratification of the

A) Constitution. B) Bill of Rights.

C) Twenty-Sixth Amendment.

D) Nineteenth Amendment. E) Twenty-Fifth Amendment.

Answer: C

2) Great Britain used the principle of mercantilism to justify

A) Its legal authority over the colonies. B) Its assistance in the French and Indian Wars.

C) Strict import/export controls on the colonies.

D) Allowing colonists to levy their own taxes. E) Westward migration and settlement.

Answer: C

4) To facilitate communication and the flow of information among independence-minded colonists, colonial leaders formed the

A) Sisters of Liberty.

B) Committees of Correspondence.

C) Continental Congress. D) Stamp Act Congress. E) Thomas Paine Society.

Answer: B

5) The "shot heard round the world" was fired at

A) Saratoga, New York. B) Camden, New Jersey.

C) Concord, Massachusetts.

D) Yorktown, Virginia. E) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Answer: C

6) Which of the following BEST describes the relationships among states under the Articles of Confederation?

A) A strong constitutional system B) A form of government modeled after Canada

C) A life-long rivalry

D) A loose league of friendship

E) An interdependent, cohesive partnership

Answer: D

7) The 1786 rebellion in which an army of 1,500 disgruntled farmers marched on Springfield, Massachusetts, to prevent foreclosure on their farms was called

A) Shay’s Rebellion.

B) Paul Revere's Ride. C) Bacon's Rebellion.

D) The Battle of Lexington and Concord. E) The Second Boston Tea Party.

Answer: A

8) The original purpose of the Constitutional Convention was to

A) Elevate George Washington to president.

B) Revise the Articles of Confederation.

C) Write a new constitution. D) Add additional states to the new nation.

E) Resolve trade disputes among the states.

Answer: B

9) A committee was appointed at the Constitutional Convention to work out the differences between the proposals of large and small states; the result was the

A) Virginia Plan. B) New Jersey Plan.

C) Great Compromise.

D) Electoral College. E) Bill of Rights.

Answer: C

10) The Electoral College system created by the Framers was designed to give

A) Federal government the preeminent role in choosing the president.

B) States a key role in choosing the president.

C) Average voters the decisive power in choosing the president.

D) Electors the power to choose members of Congress.

E) The Supreme Court a role in choosing the president.

Answer: B

11) The system of government in which power is divided between the state and national governments is called

A) Federalism.

B) Unitarism. C) Pluralism. D) Confederation. E) Constitutionalism.

Answer: A

12) The ________ is empowered by the Constitution to make all federal laws.

A) Federal bureaucracy B) Judicial branch

C) Legislative branch

D) Executive branch E) Electoral College

Answer: C

13) Without the supremacy clause,

A) State laws could supersede national law.

B) States could impeach U.S. Supreme Court justices.

C) Federal government could enact laws dealing with education.

D) International law would be supreme to acts of Congress.

E) Local law could supersede state law.

Answer: A

14) The series of 85 political papers written by John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison in support of ratification of the new constitution are called the

A) Pennsylvania Packet.

B) Federalist Papers.

C) Anti-Federalist Papers. D) Crisis. E) Common Sense.

Answer: B

15) The amendment process for the Constitution is set out in Article V and creates a

A) Two-stage process of proposal and ratification.

B) Fairly easy procedure for changing the document.

C) Single-stage process utilizing conventions or Congress.

D) Process by which the states, Congress, the executive branch, and a majority of voters must agree on changes to the document.

E) Process of congressional approval and presidential signing into law.

Answer: A

16) Informal methods of amending the Constitution include

A) Social change, judicial interpretation, and acts of Congress.

B) Judicial interpretation and cultural and social change.

C) Executive orders. D) Acts of state legislatures. E) a national referendum and/or initiative.

Answer: B

17) The First Amendment of the Constitution provides for which of the following?

A) Freedom of assembly

B) Right to bear arms  C) Right to vote D) Right to an attorney E) Federal form of government

Answer: A

True/False Questions

1) The Committees of Correspondence were established to communicate ideas among the colonies in 1772.

Answer: TRUE

2) Thomas Paine wrote Common Sense to argue for American independence from Great Britain.

Answer: TRUE

3) Shays's Rebellion was the first battle of the Revolutionary War.

Answer: FALSE

4) The 1787 Convention in Philadelphia was called for the sole and express purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation.

Answer: TRUE

5) To appease southern states, slaves were counted as three-fifths of a person for representation purposes.

Answer: TRUE

6) Article II of the Constitution vests the executive power in a president.

Answer: TRUE

7) Article I of the Constitution creates the U.S. Supreme Court.

Answer: FALSE

8) In Federalist No. 10, Madison argued that the greatest threat to individual liberty comes from factions within the government.

Answer: TRUE

9) The U.S. Constitution has been regularly rewritten.

Answer: FALSE

10) The Constitution has only changed through formal amendments.

Answer: FALSE

11) Originally, electors did not vote for the president and vice president separately.

Answer: TRUE

Chapter 3: Federalism

1) Under the Constitution, both the national and state governments

A) Are totally autonomous. B) Do not share any powers.

C) Are accountable to the people.

D) Can regulate interstate commerce. E) Are able to establish local governments.

Answer: C

2) A system of government where the local and regional governments derive all authority from a strong national government is known as a

A) Unitary system.

B) Federal system. C) Confederate system. D) Monarchy. E) Presidential system.

Answer: A

3) The enumerated powers of the national government are found in

A) The Declaration of Independence. B) The Preamble.

C) Article I of the Constitution.

D) Article III of the Constitution. E) Article VII of the Constitution.

Answer: C

4) In situations of conflict between state and national law, national law prevails due to

A) Federalism.

B) The supremacy clause.

C) The Tenth Amendment. D) Judicial interpretation. E) The Bill of Rights.

Answer: B

5) The Tenth Amendment provides for

A) States' reserve or police powers.

B) States' implied powers.  C) Concurrent state and federal powers.

D) Enumerated federal powers. E) Taking private property for public purposes.

Answer: A

6) A law declaring an a citizen or group of citizens guilty without a judicial trial is called

A) An equity law.  B) An ex post facto law. C) A writ of mandamus.

D) An ex officio law.

E) A bill of attainder.

Answer: E

7) The clause of the Constitution that ensures that judicial decrees and contracts made in one state will be binding and enforceable in another is called the ________ clause.

A) Privileges and immunities

B) Full faith and credit

C) Equal protection  D) Supremacy E) Elastic

Answer: B

8) "The power to tax is the power to destroy" comes from

A) Alexander Hamilton's essay in The Federalist Papers.

B) Thomas Paine's The Crisis.

C) John Marshall's opinion in McCulloch v. Maryland.

D) John Marshall's opinion in Gibbons v. Ogden.

E) James Madison's essay in The Federalist Papers.

Answer: C

9) The belief that the national government should not exceed its enumerated powers and that all other powers should be reserved to the states or the people is known as

A) The full faith and credit doctrine. B) The doctrine of implied powers.

C) Confederalism.

D) Dual federalism. E) The unitary political system.

Answer: D

10) Frustrated by the U.S. Supreme Court's opposition to many New Deal programs, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed

A) Impeaching the entire Supreme Court.

B) Reducing the pay of sitting Supreme Court justices.

C) Increasing the number of justices from nine to thirteen.

D) Packing Congress with his friends.

E) Reducing the number of justices from nine to seven.

Answer: C

11) Cooperative federalism has been likened to a ____ cake.

A) Layer

B) Marble

C) Red velvet D) Sheet E) pound

Answer: B

12) Categorical grants

A) Were most used during the Reagan administration.

B) Allocate federal dollars by a precise formula.

C) Have few restrictions or limitations.

D) Were commonplace during the era of New Federalism.

E) Were not used until after the 1960s.

Answer: B

13) The No Child Left Behind Act is an example of

A) A block grant.

B) Returning power to the states as specified in the Contract with America.

C) A funded mandate.

D) Preemption. E) A categorical grant.

Answer: D

14) The Supreme Court under Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., appears to be deciding federalism cases

A) Similar to the Rehnquist Court. B) In strong favor of the states.

C) Without a strong inclination toward either federal or state rights.

D) In favor of the powers of the federal government. E) Following the trends of New Federalism.

Answer: C

15) In the Price of Federalism, political scientist Paul E. Peterson considered how governments should best divide policymaking responsibility, focusing mainly on _______ policies.

A) Redistributive and developmental

B) Constructive and international  C) State and local

D) International and regulatory E) Environmental and health care

Answer: A

True/False Questions

1) The necessary and proper clause is the root of Congress's implied powers.

Answer: TRUE

2) Setting the time, place, and manner of elections is a concurrent power.

Answer: FALSE

3) Congress has attempted to make exceptions to the full faith and credit clause.

Answer: TRUE

4) The Supreme Court ruled that the due process clause of the Fifth Amendment did not apply to the states in Barron v. Baltimore.

Answer: TRUE

5) McCulloch v. Maryland effectively reduced the power of the states.

Answer: TRUE

6) The Sixteenth Amendment granted states greater power over taxation.

Answer: FALSE

7) The Supreme Court generally was supportive of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's early attempts to deal with the Great Depression.

Answer: FALSE

8) President Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society program altered the fragile balance between state and federal power.

Answer: TRUE

9) Block grants are federal monies given to the states with few strings attached.

Answer: TRUE

10) According to political scientist Paul E. Peterson, developmental programs are best left to state governments.

Answer: TRUE

11) President George W. Bush promoted progressive federalism.

Answer: FALSE

Chapter 5: Civil Liberties

1) The Bill of Rights refers to _________________ of the Constitution.

A) The Preamble B) Article IV C) The first five amendments

D) The first ten amendments

E) The first eleven amendments

Answer: D

2) The Fourteenth Amendment has been interpreted by the U.S. Supreme Court to __________ many of the protections of the Bill of Rights by applying them to states.

A) Negate  B) Do nothing to C) Limit

D) Incorporate

E) Equally protect

Answer: D

3) The constitutional provision preventing the use of any "religious test" for public office

A) Is found in the First Amendment.

B) Is found in Article III.

C) Prevents members of non-Christian religions from being elected to public office.

D) Reflects the Framers' concern that too many Roman Catholics might be elected to public office.

E) Is found in the Sixth Amendment.

Answer: B

4) The establishment clause

A) Requires the adoption of an official American religion.

B) Erects a wall of separation between church and state.

C) Inhibits citizens' basic religious rights.

D) Provides citizens with the opportunity to obtain federal dollars to create or build churches, temples, or other houses of worship.

E) Provides an absolute right to freedom of religious expression.

Answer: B

5) When secular law conflicts with religious beliefs, freedom of religion is

A) Suppressed.  B) Guaranteed by the Second Amendment.

C) Allowed, but only after a court order is obtained. D) Always upheld.

E) Sometimes denied.

Answer: E

6) The judicial doctrine that prevents government from prohibiting speech or publication before the fact is called

A) A priori limitation.

B) Prior restraint.

C) Selective incorporation. D) The prohibition clause. E) Libel.

Answer: B

7) In New York Times v. United States, the Supreme Court ruled that

A) Libel and slander were constitutionally protected forms of speech.

B) Actual malice must be proved to support a claim of libel made by a public figure.

C) Prior restraint was constitutional.

D) False or negligent speech was not protected by the First Amendment.

E) Newspaper reporters must divulge their confidential sources of information.

Answer: B

8) D.C. v. Heller

A) Made all gun bans in the United States unconstitutional.

B) Was the first Supreme Court ruling on the Fifth Amendment?

C) Forced the District of Columbia to lift its gun ban.

D) Limited free speech at political rallies.

E) Protected politicians from libel law.

Answer: C

9) Ex post facto laws

A) Are unconstitutional.

B) Require judges to remove prisoners from jail.

C) Are found in the Seventh Amendment.

D) Inflict punishment on individuals without judicial action.

E) Require authorities to prove a prisoner is being held lawfully.

Answer: A

10) Under the ________ Amendment, the police may search things in plain view, the person arrested, and things under the arrestee's immediate control.

A) Third B) Fourth C) Fifth D) Sixth E) Eighth

Answer: B

11) The Supreme Court ruled that individuals who are arrested must be informed of their constitutional rights in

A) Mapp v. Ohio.

B) Smith v. Massachusetts.

C) Weeks v. U.S.

D) McCleskey v. Zant.

E) Miranda v. Arizona.

Answer: E

12) The right to a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury is guaranteed by the ________

Amendment.

A) Sixth

B) Seventh C) Eighth D) Tenth E) Fourteenth

Answer: A

13) The right to privacy stems from the idea that some areas of life are off-limits to governmental regulation. This right is inferred from

I. The First Amendment.

II. The Fourth Amendment.

III. The Fifth Amendment.

IV. The Ninth Amendment.

A) III only

B) II and III

C) I, III, and IV

D) I, II, and IV

E) I, II, III, and IV

Answer: E

14) In Lawrence v. Texas, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that

A) The Boy Scouts could prevent homosexuals from becoming troop leaders.

B) There was a homosexual agenda in the United States.

C) The equal protection clause prohibits discrimination against gay Americans.

D) A Texas law criminalizing sexual behavior was unconstitutional.

E) Gay marriage represented an issue best left to the states.

Answer: D

15) Black sites are

A) Places in Afghanistan where Osama bin Laden may be hiding.

B) In Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

C) Holes in the universe.

D) Secret offshore prisons.

E) Unconstitutional.

Answer: D

True/False Questions

1) Civil liberties guarantee freedom from governmental actions such as discrimination.

Answer: FALSE

2) In Gitlow v. New York, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states were not completely free to limit forms of political expression.

Answer: TRUE

3) At times, the Supreme Court allows the use of hallucinogenic drugs in religious observances.

Answer: TRUE

4) The first Supreme Court case dealing with symbolic speech was Stromberg v. California.

Answer: TRUE

5) The right to bear arms is guaranteed by the Third Amendment.

Answer: FALSE

6) In interpreting the Fourth Amendment, the Supreme Court has ruled that police always need a warrant to conduct a search.

Answer: FALSE

7) The Supreme Court has ruled that testimony made with the assistance of one-way closed circuit television is permissible.

Answer: TRUE

8) In Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court ruled that the state had a right to regulate all aspects of second-trimester abortions, and that in the third trimester abortions would only be legal if the life and health of the mother were at stake.

Answer: FALSE

9) Critics charge that the USA Patriot Act expands civil liberties needlessly in a time of war.

Answer: FALSE

10) President Barack Obama has reversed many of the civil liberties curtailments put forth by the George W. Bush administration.

Answer: FALSE

Chapter 5 Civil Rights

Question 1       The Supreme Court decision that overturned Plessy v. Ferguson was:

1)         Sweatt v. Painter

2)         Missouri v. Gaines

3)         McCulloch v. Maryland

4)         Brown v. Board of Education

Question 2       The following amendment is also known as "dual citizenship" amendment:

1)         1

2)         5

3)         14

4)         19

Question 3       The Constitution was silent on the issue of equality until the addition of Civil War amendments.

1)         True

2)         False

Question 4       The Equal Rights Amendment was not ratified by enough states and did not become part of the Constitution.

1)         True

2)         False

Question 5       The decision in Mendez v. Westminster case led to desegregation in the entire USA, not just California.

1)         True

2)         False

Question 6       The doctrine of "separate but equal" was pronounced by the following court case:

1)         Dred Scott v. Sandford

2)         Brown v. Board of Education

3)         Plessy v. Ferguson

4)         All of the above

Question 7       The Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board was influenced by:

1)         The average income of African Americans

2)         Dred Scott v. Sandford

3)         Mendez v. Westminster

4)         McCulloch v. Maryland

Question 8       The 19th amendment establishes:

1)         Social justice

2)         Social Security

3)         Universal suffrage for everyone who is 18

4)         Women's suffrage

Question 9       The wage gap between men and women has shrunk during the last four decades to the point where it is barely noticeable.

1)         True

2)         False

Question 10     In Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857), the US Supreme Court rules that slaves were US citizens.

1)         True

2)         False

1) The Missouri Compromise of 1820

A) abolished slavery.

B) kept slavery legal south of 36 degrees latitude.

C) was opposed by the World Anti-Slavery Society.

D) allowed freedmen to go to Liberia.

2) Among the most prominent people in the abolition movement was

A) Martin Luther King, Jr.

B) Thurgood Marshall.

C) Thomas Jefferson.

D) William Lloyd Garrison.

3) "The little woman who started the big war"

A) refers to Frederick Douglass's characterization of Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

B) refers to Jefferson Davis’s description of Uncle Tom's Cabin.

C) refers to Abraham Lincoln's characterization of Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom's Cabin.

D) describes Susan B. Anthony, the author of the Declaration of Rights and Sentiments.

4) The Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments are collectively known as the

A) Civil Liberties Amendments.

B) Bill of Rights.

C) Susan B. Anthony Amendments.

D) Civil War Amendments.

5) Laws that denied most legal rights to newly freed slaves and prohibited blacks from voting, sitting on juries, or appearing in public places after the Civil War in the South were known as

A) Jim Crow laws.

B) carpet-bagging.

C) abolitionism.

D) Black Codes.

6) Former slaves were granted citizenship as well as the privileges and immunities thereof, and states were barred from depriving anyone of life, liberty, or property without due process of law through the ________ Amendment.

A) Twelfth

B) Thirteenth

C) Fourteenth

D) Fifteenth

7) In Plessey v. Ferguson, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that "separate but equal"

A) was constitutional by a 5-4 vote.

B) was unconstitutional by a 5-4 vote.

C) was unconstitutional by an 8-1 vote.

D) was constitutional by an 8-1 vote.

8) Women finally received the right to vote in 1920 through the ________ Amendment.

A) Nineteenth

B) Twenty-First

C) Twenty-Second

D) Twenty-Third

9) The Supreme Court decision that overturned Plessey v. Ferguson in 1954 was

A) Sweatt v. Painter.

B) Missouri ex rel. Gaines v. Canada.

C) McLaurin v. Oklahoma.

D) Brown v. Board of Education.

10) A hallmark of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.'s strategy to achieve equality was

A) the use of illegal marches.

B) nonviolence.

C) working with women's groups such as the National Organization for Women.

D) sit-ins.

11) Racial discrimination that results from practice rather than law is called ________ discrimination.

A) cultural

B) de facto

C) direct

D) de jure

12) The Equal Rights Amendment provided

A) that all states guarantee equal rights to all women.

B) that no state or Congress could deny or abridge equal rights on account of sex.

C) that equality for women included the right to an abortion.

D) that equal rights were a federal issue.

13) ________ is the largest Hispanic group in the United States.

A) The Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund

B) The Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund

C) The League of United Latin American Citizens

D) The Council of Hispanics

14) American Indians

A) were the first U.S. citizens.

B) were not made U.S. citizens until 1924.

C) negotiated land rights for citizenship.

D) enjoy more religious protections than other racial minorities.

15) The U.S. Supreme Court consistently has found that

A) the Americans with Disabilities Act must be interpreted liberally.

B) public buildings must always be accessible to the handicapped.

C) failure to hire pilots who wear classes can be grounds for a discrimination claim.

D) the disabled can sue local governments that do not make public buildings accessible to the disabled.

16) The first major affirmative action heard and decided on its merits by the U.S. Supreme Court was

A) Defunis v. Odegaard.

B) Regents of the University of California v. Bakke.

C) Tennessee v. Lane.

D) Brown v. Board of Education.

1) The Missouri Compromise of 1820 eliminated tensions over slavery.

FALSE

TRUE

2) Most of the former Confederate states passed Black Codes to restrict opportunities for newly freed slaves.

TRUE

FALSE

3) In Plessey v. Ferguson, a majority of the Supreme Court argued that the Constitution should be colorblind.

TRUE

FALSE

4) The suffrage movement aimed to grant women the right to vote.

TRUE

FALSE

5) Brown v. Board of Education is considered by many scholars to be the most important civil rights case of the twentieth century.

TRUE

FALSE

6) Among the provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a prohibition on arbitrary discrimination in employment.

TRUE

FALSE

7) In Hernandez v. Texas, the Court ruled unanimously that Mexican Americans were entitled to a jury that included other Mexican Americans.

TRUE

FALSE

8) Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is the Native American equivalent of Uncle Tom's Cabin.

TRUE

FALSE

9) One of the most significant difficulties for Asian-Pacific Americans has been finding a Pan-Asian identity.

TRUE

FALSE

10) The George W. Bush administration ended the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Policy.

TRUE

FALSE

11) Most Americans support affirmative action as a means to overcome past discrimination.

TRUE

FALSE