American Government Quiz

One of Montesquieu's ideas strongly influenced the Founding Fathers. Which of the following statements most resembles that idea?

• People and rulers are partners in a social contract.

• There should be separation of powers within a government.

• Natural laws are more important than a government's laws.

• The ideas of Enlightenment thinkers should be the basis for American education.

How is a public-interest group different from a special-interest group?

• Public-interest groups are always funded with public or government money.

• Public-interest groups promote the interest of the general public rather than a small part of the public.

• Public-interest groups provide more information to the public than special-interest groups do.

• Public-interest groups represent the interests of a particular group of citizens.

Which phrase reveals the Founding Fathers’ beliefs about the source of government power?

• We hold these truths to be self-evident

• endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights

• to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men

• deriving their powers from the consent of the governed

Who most likely wrote this passage and for what reason?

• a Redcoat, to describe the risks faced by soldiers

• a Patriot, to raise fears about the British army in the colonies

• a Loyalist, to gain support for quartering British troops

• an eyewitness, to promote nonviolent protest

Consider this situation: On January 25, 2011, widespread pro-democracy demonstrations began in Egypt. For 18 days, hundreds of thousands of Egyptians took to the streets, demanding free elections, free speech, and an end to government corruption, police brutality, and President Hosni Mubarak’s regime. Finally, on February 11, Mubarak resigned. Which of the following ideas expressed in the U.S. Declaration of Independence best supports the actions of the Egyptian people?

• The government grants rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

• Citizens have a right to overthrow a government that violates their natural rights

• All citizens are created equal and have unalienable rights

• Citizens must consent to follow the rules of a social contract

What is the most likely reason it was difficult to pass laws under the Articles of Confederation?

• Passage required a unanimous vote of the 13 states.

• Passage required the votes of 9 of the 13 states.

• The government did not have a legislature.

• Americans were content to follow British laws.

The Preamble of the Constitution lists six goals, including which of the following?

• to separate from Britain

• to form a more perfect union

• to decide who can be a Supreme Court justice

• to decrease the power of the federal government

Use the table to answer the question. Which of the following best completes the title of this table?

• The Federal System

• Separation of Powers

• Checks and Balances

• Popular Sovereignty

Use the information in the box to answer the question. Who are the speakers and what are they afraid of?

• Patriots; ineffective government

• Federalists; the loss of liberty

• Antifederalists; a strong national government

• Loyalists; the loss of property rights

Use the quotation to answer the question: "My political curiosity . . . leads me to ask, who authorized them to speak the language of 'We, the People,' instead of 'We, the States?'" —Patrick Henry, June 4, 1788. Which group did Patrick Henry most likely side with during the ratification debate?

• the Loyalists

• the Federalists

• the Antifederalists

• the Constitutionalists