Gov: Chp 1: Lesson 1: Principles of Govt

Based on the Preamble to the US Constitution, which of the following is a summary of the purpose of the

gov’t of the United States?

• To make the US the most powerful nation in the world.

• To preserve the liberty and rights of the people.

• To stay out of people’s lives as much as possible.

• To tightly control people’s lives

What are the four defining characteristics of the state?

• a leader, a legislature, a court system, and a military force.

• Force, Evolutionary, Divine Right, Social Contract Theories

• Liberty, justice, laws, and a constitution

• Population, territory, sovereignty, and gov’t

Because the US is a sovereign state, it

• Can impose its will on all other nations of the world

• Is subordinate to a higher international authority

• Is made up of fifty smaller sovereign states

• Can determine its own form of gov’t

Which of the following is an example of a use of a legislative power?

• The President of the US appointing a new ambassador

• The Supreme Court of the US ruling that a law is unconstitutional

• Congress passing a law to raise safety standards in new cars

• The people of the US voting

Theory that says the state originated from one person or a small group of persons taking power

• Force

• Evolutionary

• Divine Right

• Social Contract

Which of the following is NOT a power held by every gov’t in the world?

• legislative

• democratic

• executive

• judicial

Who holds supreme authority in a democracy

• the people

• a single person

• the courts

• the military

Which theory of the origin of the state most strongly influenced the formation of the gov’t of the US

• force

• evolutionary

• divine right

• social contract

What form of gov’t does the US have

• direct democracy

• representative democracy

• autocracy

• monarchy

The Preamble to the US Constitution describes

• purpose of the US Constitution

• The amendment process

• laws of the US Constitution

• Structure of the US gov’t