Unit 1 Foundations Test

Which of the following excerpts from the Declaration of Independence best reflects the ideas of John Locke?

• “He has forbidden his Governors to pass laws of immediate and pressing Importance…”

• “For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments.”

• “In every stage of these Oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms.”

• “All men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain Unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”

Which political theory is the belief that a person must be willing to give up some freedoms to government so that their rights will be protected?

• Divine right theory

• Social contract theory

• Unalienable rights theory

• Natural rights theory

The Founding Fathers believed in the idea of natural law. Which of the following is the meaning of natural law?

• Laws are easy to make.

• Laws should be made in accordance with nature.

• Laws should be made by rulers, who are chosen by God.

• Law comes naturally to people.

What term does the Declaration of Independence use to describe natural rights?

• Undeniable

• Fundamental

• Undefinable

• Unalienable

Enlightenment philosopher, Baron de Montesquieu, favored the British political system because it divided the power of government between the King and Parliament.

Which principal included in the United States Constitution shows that the framers agreed with Montesquieu?

• Separation of powers

• Individual rights

• Legislative powers

• Due process

The framers of the United States Constitution included the concepts of federalism, checks and

balances, and the separation of powers in the document because they-

• feared a national government with unlimited power

• hoped to expand the democratic process

• wanted to increase the powers of the states

• favored the rich over the poor

According to the philosophy of natural rights, the main purpose of government is to -

• create a democracy

• protect individual rights

• create a system of separation of powers

• promote the rights of the ruling class

Which of the following best describes the system of federalism?

• The division of power between the three branches of government.

• The powers shared between the House of Representatives and the Senate.

• The division of powers between the national and state levels.

• The shared power between the president and the vice-president.

By agreeing to amend the Constitution, with the addition of the Bill of Rights, -

• the Anti-Federalists were incorporating the ideas of Montesquieu

• the Founders were incorporating the ideas of William Blackstone

• the Founders were responding to Anti-Federalists’ fears of an overly powerful national government

• the Founders were responding to Anti-Federalist’s fears of overly powerful state governments

Constitution Convention delegates supported the concept of separation of powers as expressed -

• in the New Testament of the Bible

• by the writings of John Locke

• in the Articles of Confederation

• by the writings of Charles de Montesquieu