AP Government Unit 2

Constitutional checks and balances, especially applied to the president are designed to:

• Provide for a balanced budget

• Ensure that the states do not become too powerful

• Ensure efficient government

• Minimize the threat of tyranny from any branch of government

Which of the following is a member of the White House Staff?

• The chair of the Federal Reserve Board

• The secretary of commerce

• The attorney general

• The national security advisor

The Supreme Court’s power of judicial review permits the Court to overrule all of the following EXCEPT:

• Lower-court decisions

• State legislation

• Executive orders

• The Bill of Rights

Which of the following United States Supreme Court cases established the principle of judicial review?

• McCulloch v. Maryland

• Gibbons v. Ogden

• Roe v. Wade

• Marbury v. Madison

Which of the following statements about writs of certiorari is accurate?

• Cases appealed by the solicitor general are automatically granted certiorari.

• The Supreme Court has historically granted certiorari to all separation of powers cases.

• The Supreme Court does not grant certiorari to cases involving state laws.

• The Supreme Court grants certiorari for less than 5% of cases appealed to it.

The difference between an appellate court and a district court is that an appellate court:

• Conducts trials by jury

• Has original jurisdiction

• Hears civil cases but not criminal cases

• Reviews previous court decisions

Supreme Court justices were given tenure subject to good behavior by the framers of the Constitution in order to ensure that:

• Justices remain accountable to the public

• Justices are encouraged to make politically popular decisions

• Cooperation between the judicial and legislative branches is assured

• Justices are free from direct political pressures

Which of the following best explains the principle of stare decisis?

• It requires that at least four Supreme Court justices agree to hear a case.

• It encourages president to take judicial experience into account when nominating judges.

• It reinforces the philosophy of judicial activism

• It encourages judges to follow precedent when deciding cases.

Court packing refers to the practice of:

• Removing appellate jurisdiction from courts

• Appointing justices who agree with Congress’s political philosophy

• Appointing only judicial activists

• Appointing justices who agree with the president’s political philosophy

The United States Constitution mandates the:

• Supreme, appellate, and district courts

• Only legislative courts

• None of the above

• Supreme Court only