US Government Civics Assessment

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that 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. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government.”

Based on the excerpt from the Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson, which of the following ideas does the author of the passage MOST advocate?

• Popular Sovereignty is the concept that Government is created by and for the people.

• Federalism is the dividing of power between national and state governments.

• The three branches of government share power through Check and Balances.

• Laws can be reviewed by judges, a process known as Judicial Review.

"The objective of government is to do for a community of people, whatever they need to have done, but cannot do, at all, or cannot, so well do, for themselves" --Abraham Lincoln

Which of the following best expresses the main idea presented in the quote above?

• Government should limit its reach to foreign policy issues only.

• Government should not provide for the people; it is up to the people to provide for themselves.

• Government should be expanded to help provide housing, jobs, and transportation.

• Government should provide to the people justice, domestic peace, and defense in wartime.

Which of the following is NOT a right or freedom guaranteed by the First Amendment in the Bill of Rights?

• Assembly

• Happiness

• Religion

• Speech

After drafting The Constitution in 1787, it was not ratified without at least a promise of:

• the abolition of slavery

• a three-party system

• a federal court system

• a bill of rights

How are the House of Representatives and the Senate DIFFERENT?

• Every state gets two Representatives in the House, and each state gets Senate members based on population.

• Every state elects members to the House, and each state has Senators appointed by the President.

• Every state gets two Senators, and each state gets House members based on population.

• Every state elects members to the Senate, and each state has House members appointed by the President.

What is the major responsibility of the Supreme Court of the United States?

• To determine whether laws passed by Congress uphold or violate the Constitution

• To try the President when he is impeached by Congress

• To make sure that the legislative and executive branches have as much power as they need

• To explain laws passed by Congress to the American people

Which of the following policies is an example of a present-day debate about the balance of power between the federal government and state governments?

• Congress passes a law limiting the weight of trucks on interstate highways.

• Congress passes a law to name a US Postal Office the “James ‘Billy’ Johnson Post Office Building.”

• Congress passes a law replacing Andrew Jackson with Harriet Tubman on the 20 dollar bill.

• Congress passes the Every Student Succeeds Act that decreased the number of state standardized tests.

The National Recovery Act of 1933, enacted by Franklin Roosevelt's administration to combat the Great Depression, vastly expanded the power of the federal government to regulate wages and labor standards. This scenario is an example of:

• A. The separation between powers allocated to the federal government and to state governments.

• B. The change in the balance of power between states and the federal government in response to societal needs.

• C. The growth in the power of state governments relative to the federal government over time.

• D. The application of checks and balances to multiple levels of government.

The concept of equality before the law was introduced to the Constitution in the:

• A. Three-fifths Compromise

• B. Fourteenth Amendment

• C. Second Amendment

• D. Twenty-first Amendment

Protest marches such as the one depicted below were prompted by conflict over the failure of many states to enforce which Supreme Court decision?

• Bush v. Gore

• Brown v. Board of Education

• Miranda v. Arizona

• Korematsu v. United States