QPA #1 Redemption

Every Order, Resolution, or Vote to which the Concurrence of the Senate and House of Representatives may be necessary (except on a question of Adjournment) shall be presented to the President of the United States; and before the Same shall take Effect, shall be approved by him, or being disapproved by him, shall be repassed by two thirds of the Senate and House of Representatives, according to the Rules and Limitations prescribed in the Case of a Bill.

—Article 1, Section 7, U.S. Constitution

Which check on power is detailed in this excerpt of the U.S. Constitution?

• 1. Power to negotiate treaties

• 1. Power to impeach the President

• 1. Power to override presidential vetoes

• 1. Power to declare laws unconstitutiona

That excessive Bayle ought not to be required nor excessive Fines imposed nor cruel and unusual Punishments inflicted

—English Bill of Rights, 1689

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk (access July 28, 2014)

Which amendment in the Bill of Rights specifically addresses the issue described in the excerpt?

• 1. Sixth amendment

• 1. Seventh amendment

• 1. Eighth amendment

• 1. Ninth amendment

The rule of law and _______ refer to the establishment of procedures that limit the power of leaders and government bodies.

Which political tradition completes the excerpt?

• 1. Common law

• 1. Judicial review

• 1. Constitutionalism

• 1. Popular sovereignty

One of the checks on power described in the U.S. Constitution includes the power of the Senate to--

• 1. Impeach the President

• 1. Declare laws unconstitutional 

• 1. Ratify constitutional amendments

• 1. Approve cabinet position nominations

While the U.S. Constitution can be amended in various ways, which method has been used most often?

• 1. Proposed in Congress and ratified by state legislatures

• 1. Proposed in state legislatures and ratified by Congress

• 1. Proposed in Congress and ratified by state constitutional conventions

• 1. Proposed in state legislatures and ratified by state constitutional conventions

The amendment states but a truism that all is retained which has not been surrendered. There is nothing in the history of its adoption to suggest that it was more than declaratory of the relationship between the national and state governments as it had been established by the Constitution before the amendment or that its purpose was other than to allay fears that the new national government might seek to exercise powers not granted, and that the states might not be able to exercise fully their reserved powers.

— United States v. Darby Lumber Co. (1941)

The excerpt refers to which amendment to the U.S. Constitution?

• 1. Seventh Amendment

• 1. Eighth Amendment

• 1. Ninth Amendment

• 1. Tenth Amendment

• I was involved in writing the Declaration of Independence. 

• I helped write the Articles of Confederation.

• I offered a plan to break the stalemate on the issue of state representation.

• I supported the electoral college as a way to determine the president.

Who is the individual described by the bulleted list above?

• 1. John Adams

• 1. Roger Sherman

• 1. Alexander Hamilton

• 1. George Mason

Which is a fundamental principle of government necessary for the protection of individual rights?

• 1. Establishing majority rule

• 1. Respecting the rule of law

• 1. Providing a common defense

• 1. Following parliamentary procedure

As Congress contemplates rewriting No Child Left Behind, President George W. Bush’s signature education law, legislators will tussle over a vision of how the federal government should hold states and schools accountable for students’ academic progress.

Senator Lamar Alexander, Republican of Tennessee, says the states should be allowed to set their own public school policies.

At a Senate education committee hearing on Thursday to discuss waivers to states on some provisions of the law, Senator Lamar Alexander, Republican of Tennessee, forcefully urged the federal government to get out of the way.

 “We only give you 10 percent of your money,” said Mr. Alexander, pressing John B. King Jr., the education commissioner for New York State. “Why do I have to come from the mountains of Tennessee to tell New York that’s good for you?”

Dr. King argued that the federal government needed to set “a few clear, bright-line parameters” to protect students, especially vulnerable groups among the poor, minorities and the disabled.

—“Holding States and Schools Accountable”, New York Times, February 2013

http://www.nytimes.com (accessed July 28, 2014)

The excerpt is an example of which issue that is often the center of most U.S. legislation?

• 1. Debates over the role of the federal government

• 1. Concerns related to declining educational standards

• 1. Disputes about paying taxes to the federal government

• 1. Reservations about providing social services to the needy

The compromise that created popular representation in the House of Representatives created a debate about--

• 1. Voting rights for women

• 1. Counting enslaved people

• 1. Protection of individual rights

• 1. Citizenship for American Indians