American Gov: Unit One

1. Which government system best describes the United States today?

• A Confederation

• An Oligarchy

• A Representative Democracy

• A Participatory Democracy

Which of the following should NOT be considered true regarding Representative Democracies?

• Under this system of government, citizens are the ultimate source of government authority.

• This is an indirect form of democracy due to the fact that citizens are not always aware of what decisions are made by the representatives.

• Typically, under this government system the people that are chosen to be representatives are elected for a set period of time.

• One of the most current, popular forms of Representative Democracies is the United States of America.

Which of the following should NOT be considered true regarding the U.S. Government after Independence?

• The Articles of Confederation were established, under which each state drafted their own constitution and mainly controlled their own affairs.

• The most important aspect of government that American citizens were concerned about was creating a military to prevent and protect against future attacks and invasions.

• Following the Revolutionary War, the most common fear among American citizens was having too powerful a central government.

• The initial form of the U.S. Government was chosen by the Second Continental Congress, which existed as the first temporary national government.

Which of the following should NOT be considered a strength of the Articles of Confederation?

• The federal government has the power to establish a postal system.

• The federal government could create an army.

• The federal government had the power to declare war.

• The federal government had the power to create a form of money for the nation.

Which of the following should NOT be considered a weakness of the Articles of Confederation?

• The federal government had no power to tax, or enforce a tax against the nation.

• The federal government did not include a Supreme Court to settle debates over laws.

• The federal government was way too easy to alter due to the low amount of states needed to create new laws, and alter the Articles

• The federal government did not have the power to draft any members into the army or the navy.

Which of the following should NOT be considered true regarding the process of ratifying the U.S. Constitution?

• A group of Anti-Federalists decided to come together and write the Federalist papers, showing their opponents their opinions against the Constitution.

• In order to ratify the constitution, nine states were required to sign and agree to the terms of the new document.

• Federalists supported ratification of the U.S. Constitution, and argued that more power needed to be given to the central government.

• Anti-Federalists opposed ratification of the U.S. Constitution, and argued that the government would be too powerful.

Which of the following should NOT be considered true regarding the background of the Bill of Rights?

• Thomas Jefferson did not believe that the Constitution should be ratified until there was a document that specifically stated the rights of U.S citizens.

• The Bill of Rights went into effect following a vote held by the Constitutional Convention in 1802.

• James Madison wrote the Bill of Rights, and proposed it to Congress in 1789.

• All of the Amendments that were proposed at the creation of the Bill of Rights are still in effect today.

Which of the following is NOT a description of a right that is considered protected under the First Amendment?

• There can be no official “religion” of the United States.

• No one can legally be prosecuted for printing information, primarily negative, about the United States government.

• One cannot face criminal repercussions for statements made.

• Citizens have the right to choose their own political affiliations.

Which of the following should NOT be considered accurate regarding the Second Amendment?

• United States Citizens do have the right to maintain and own firearms.

• There are certain rights and restrictions that have been placed on the ownership of certain firearms and accessories.

• In most cases, a person attempting to purchase a firearm will need to pass a Background Check.

• Very little has changed in terms of firearm technology since the Bill of Rights, and therefore little has changed with regulations on firearms.

Which of the following should NOT be considered a reason for the creation of the 3rd Amendment?

• British soldiers had to give a quarter of their income back to the Crown, and they wanted to prevent American soldiers from having to pay too much in taxes.

• King George III allowed English soldiers to take over colonists' homes both during times of war, and in times of peace.

• The United States government wanted to prevent the unwanted seizure of American citizens' homes.

• England would enforce that colonists in the Americas would have to house English Soldiers without their consent.