The Constitution of the United States of America is an amazingly complex document to amend, or change. There have been over 11,539 proposals to amend the Constitution between 1789 and January 2, 2013; that is well over 200 years. However, of that amount, only 27 have been ratified, or accepted. What happened to all of the other proposals, you may ask? Well, they all failed to become new amendments. The first ten amendments of the constitution are referred to as the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights is designed to outline basic protections guaranteed to all citizens of the United States of America. For a change to be made to the Constitution of the United States, the vast majority of states (threefourths) must agree, as well as two-thirds of Congress. Congress is often referred to as the “First Branch” of the federal government. The Congress of the United States is made up of representatives from the Senate, as well as the House of Representatives.

Under the Constitution, Congress is responsible for organizing the other two branches of the federal government--- the Executive Branch and the Judicial Branch. Congress is also in charge of raising money, declaring war on another country, and making new laws to effectively carry out their responsibilities as the “First Branch” of the federal government. The president (leader of the Executive Branch) is allowed to veto specific legislative acts, thus preventing them from becoming laws. However, Congress may override a presidential veto by a two-thirds majority vote of both the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Framers, or creators, of the constitution designed the government to work in the manner in which it is currently working. The Framers wanted to make sure that no arm, or branch, of the federal government had total control of government.

2. What differentiates an amendment from the Bill of Rights?

The Constitution of the United States of America is an amazingly complex document to amend, or change. There have been over 11,539 proposals to amend the Constitution between 1789 and January 2, 2013; that is well over 200 years. However, of that amount, only 27 have been ratified, or accepted. What happened to all of the other proposals, you may ask? Well, they all failed to become new amendments. The first ten amendments of the constitution are referred to as the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights is designed to outline basic protections guaranteed to all citizens of the United States of America. For a change to be made to the Constitution of the United States, the vast majority of states (threefourths) must agree, as well as two-thirds of Congress. Congress is often referred to as the “First Branch” of the federal government. The Congress of the United States is made up of representatives from the Senate, as well as the House of Representatives.

Under the Constitution, Congress is responsible for organizing the other two branches of the federal government--- the Executive Branch and the Judicial Branch. Congress is also in charge of raising money, declaring war on another country, and making new laws to effectively carry out their responsibilities as the “First Branch” of the federal government. The president (leader of the Executive Branch) is allowed to veto specific legislative acts, thus preventing them from becoming laws. However, Congress may override a presidential veto by a two-thirds majority vote of both the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Framers, or creators, of the constitution designed the government to work in the manner in which it is currently working. The Framers wanted to make sure that no arm, or branch, of the federal government had total control of government.

3. What is the Congress of the United States government?

The Constitution of the United States of America is an amazingly complex document to amend, or change. There have been over 11,539 proposals to amend the Constitution between 1789 and January 2, 2013; that is well over 200 years. However, of that amount, only 27 have been ratified, or accepted. What happened to all of the other proposals, you may ask? Well, they all failed to become new amendments. The first ten amendments of the constitution are referred to as the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights is designed to outline basic protections guaranteed to all citizens of the United States of America. For a change to be made to the Constitution of the United States, the vast majority of states (threefourths) must agree, as well as two-thirds of Congress. Congress is often referred to as the “First Branch” of the federal government. The Congress of the United States is made up of representatives from the Senate, as well as the House of Representatives.

Under the Constitution, Congress is responsible for organizing the other two branches of the federal government--- the Executive Branch and the Judicial Branch. Congress is also in charge of raising money, declaring war on another country, and making new laws to effectively carry out their responsibilities as the “First Branch” of the federal government. The president (leader of the Executive Branch) is allowed to veto specific legislative acts, thus preventing them from becoming laws. However, Congress may override a presidential veto by a two-thirds majority vote of both the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Framers, or creators, of the constitution designed the government to work in the manner in which it is currently working. The Framers wanted to make sure that no arm, or branch, of the federal government had total control of government.

4. What are the three branches of the US government?

Totalitarianism, Fascism and Nazism were forms of government that emerged in Europe between the end of World War I and the outbreak of World War II. In totalitarian governments, the state takes control of all society’s resources in an attempt to control every aspect of public and private life. Totalitarian governments reject the existing society, calling it corrupt and immoral and promise a new society in which these wrongs are corrected. The citizens of a totalitarian state must conform to the new society’s views or suffer harsh consequences.

Totalitarianism may take several forms. Right wing totalitarian governments included the Nazis led by Adolf Hitler and Fascists led by Benito Mussolini. Both of these governments glorified the machinery of the private sector as a means to generate wealth for business left wing totalitarian governments, on the other hand, glorified workers to generate wealth for the state. Communism is one of example, seen in its commitment to the collective ownership of capital in a society. Communism flourished in china under Mao Zedong and in the Soviet Union under Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin.

5. Which form of government is the broadest in concept and contains the other forms mentioned in the passage?

Totalitarianism, Fascism and Nazism were forms of government that emerged in Europe between the end of World War I and the outbreak of World War II. In totalitarian governments, the state takes control of all society’s resources in an attempt to control every aspect of public and private life. Totalitarian governments reject the existing society, calling it corrupt and immoral and promise a new society in which these wrongs are corrected. The citizens of a totalitarian state must conform to the new society’s views or suffer harsh consequences.

Totalitarianism may take several forms. Right wing totalitarian governments included the Nazis led by Adolf Hitler and Fascists led by Benito Mussolini. Both of these governments glorified the machinery of the private sector as a means to generate wealth for business left wing totalitarian governments, on the other hand, glorified workers to generate wealth for the state. Communism is one of example, seen in its commitment to the collective ownership of capital in a society. Communism flourished in china under Mao Zedong and in the Soviet Union under Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin.

6. Based on the passage, what can you infer about totalitarian governments?

Analyze the chart then answers the question

7. According to the table, in which year was unemployment the worst?

Analyze the chart then answers the question

8. How did unemployment rates in the 1990s compare with unemployment during the earlier years shown in the table?

The price system has several benefits. It provides people with information about the marketplace. The price system increases the number of choices available in markets and promotes the efficient use of resources. In addition, the price system is flexible enough to deal with sudden changes in supply and demand.

9. Which of the following helps you to know that markets are any place or situation in which people buy and sell goods and services?

Analyze the picture then answers the question

In 1917, communists seized power in Russia using potent symbols to gain support and further solidify their revolution. In the United States; communists tried to gain support among workers. When more than 3,000 strikes occurred during 1919, a “Red scare” hysteria swept the nation. The government rounded up thousands of suspected radicals.

10. What do these events and this poster suggest that many Americans then believed?

A study published in August 2013 in science Magazine presented data about the effect of climate on human conflict. The study sought to determine if there was evidence that temperature influence the risk of conflict on three levels: interpersonal violence, civil war and the collapse of institutions.

The study found that increase in participation and temperature substantially increased the risk of conflict. These results were found to exist within single buildings and across the globe. The study determined that, since the 1950s, for each degree increase in temperature there was an increase in the like hood of interpersonal violence by 4%. Given predictions for increased global temperatures of 2 to 4 degrees by 2050, the study determined that increased human conflict could be an effect of climate change.

11. Pit a tick mark next to the sentence that shows causation. Put a cross mark next to the sentence that shows correlation.

Read the passage and answers the questions.

The environment we live in is not just air, land and water. It also includes cities and towns. Much of the world’s population lives in cities. In the United States, about 75% of people live in urban areas.

Unfortunately, the nation has not prepared well for urban growth. Even though the majority of Americans live in cities, the space they occupy is only about 1 percent of the land. Cities face problems related to overcrowding, air pollution, trash disposal, water supply and treatment, inadequate housing and more. The problems that cities face result from many people being concentrated in a small area. If the urban environment does not get more attention, these problems are likely to get worse.

Recently, more and more Americans have come to understand and appreciate cities problems. Politicians have begun to pay attention to cities, too. Some are beginning to pass laws that help make cities better places to live.

12. Which of the following statements from the passage is a conclusion?

Read the passage and answers the questions.

The environment we live in is not just air, land and water. It also includes cities and towns. Much of the world’s population lives in cities. In the United States, about 75% of people live in urban areas.

Unfortunately, the nation has not prepared well for urban growth. Even though the majority of Americans live in cities, the space they occupy is only about 1 percent of the land. Cities face problems related to overcrowding, air pollution, trash disposal, water supply and treatment, inadequate housing and more. The problems that cities face result from many people being concentrated in a small area. If the urban environment does not get more attention, these problems are likely to get worse.

Recently, more and more Americans have come to understand and appreciate cities problems. Politicians have begun to pay attention to cities, too. Some are beginning to pass laws that help make cities better places to live.

13. Which information is the writer’s opinion?

Fill in the blanks.

14. _______ is the total output produced with inputs owned by the residents of the country. ______ is the output produced with inputs located inside the country.

Read the passage and answer the question below

The Holocaust refers to the systematic mass murder of six million European Jews during World War II. Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, like a sizeable percent of the German population, was vehement in his hatred of the Jews. In the end, more than one million Jewish children, two million Jewish women, and three million Jewish men were slaughtered in violent attacks across Europe.

“Europe cannot find peace until the Jewish question has been solved… One thing I should like to say on this day… In the course of my life I have very often been a prophet and have usually been ridiculed for it… Today I will once more be a prophet: if the international Jewish financiers in the nations and outside Europe should succeed in plunging the nations once more into a world war, then the result will not be the Bolshevization of the earth, and thus the victory of Jewry, but the annihilation of the Jewish race in Europe.”

--- Hitler’s speech to the Reichstag, January 30, 1939

15. From the passage and excerpt, you can conclude that

Read the passage and answer the question below

The Holocaust refers to the systematic mass murder of six million European Jews during World War II. Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, like a sizeable percent of the German population, was vehement in his hatred of the Jews. In the end, more than one million Jewish children, two million Jewish women, and three million Jewish men were slaughtered in violent attacks across Europe.

“Europe cannot find peace until the Jewish question has been solved… One thing I should like to say on this day… In the course of my life I have very often been a prophet and have usually been ridiculed for it… Today I will once more be a prophet: if the international Jewish financiers in the nations and outside Europe should succeed in plunging the nations once more into a world war, then the result will not be the Bolshevization of the earth, and thus the victory of Jewry, but the annihilation of the Jewish race in Europe.”

--- Hitler’s speech to the Reichstag, January 30, 1939

16. From the tone of Hitler’s comments, you can infer that Hitler

Read the passage and answer the question below

Leaders in the U.S energy industry have been lauding the benefits of fracking in recent years. Hydraulic fracking involves drilling several holes into the ground and pumping water mixed with chemicals to break up the shale beneath earth’s surface. This forces natural gas out of the ground, which is then pumped into storage tanks. Industry leaders publicize the fact that gas burns natural gas lower energy prices, and that many jobs are created in the process.

While these claims are true, the natural gas industry has downplayed many of the health and safety issues that fracking raises. For instance, the chemical added to the water that is forced through the ground is known to pollute aquifers and ground water, making nearby water unsafe to drink. Recent studies in a number of localities where fracking is happening have noted that the number of earthquakes mostly minor have increased by the hundreds, even in areas where they are usually rare. What the long term effects of these quakes may be on buildings, road structures and overhead power lines remains to be seen.

17. The author’s point of view toward the subject of fracking can best be described as

Read the passage and answer the question below

Leaders in the U.S energy industry have been lauding the benefits of fracking in recent years. Hydraulic fracking involves drilling several holes into the ground and pumping water mixed with chemicals to break up the shale beneath earth’s surface. This forces natural gas out of the ground, which is then pumped into storage tanks. Industry leaders publicize the fact that gas burns natural gas lower energy prices, and that many jobs are created in the process.

While these claims are true, the natural gas industry has downplayed many of the health and safety issues that fracking raises. For instance, the chemical added to the water that is forced through the ground is known to pollute aquifers and ground water, making nearby water unsafe to drink. Recent studies in a number of localities where fracking is happening have noted that the number of earthquakes mostly minor have increased by the hundreds, even in areas where they are usually rare. What the long term effects of these quakes may be on buildings, road structures and overhead power lines remains to be seen.

18. The relationship between fracking and earthquakes is an example of a

Read the following passage and complete the exercise below

Some people think that the U.S government has been successful in dealing with the nation’s social and economic problems. The 1960s and 1970s saw the passage of laws that outlawed racial discrimination. These laws are believed by some to have reduced injustice, inequality, and poverty in America. However, recent setbacks such as high unemployment rates among minority youth and limitations on the implementation of the voting Rights Act of 1965 demonstrate that racial inequality and injustice continue to be major problems.

19. Put a check mark next to the statement that is fact

The following quotes are from John Nance Garner who served as vice president during the first two FDR administrations:

“[Becoming vice president] was the worst thing that ever happened to me.”

“[The vice presidency was] a no man’s land somewhere between the legislative and executive branch.”

“I’ll tell you… the vice presidency isn’t worth a pitcher of warm spit.”

20. What is the vice president’s primary responsibility?

The following table contains data on the number of African American Senators and Congressman:

21. The Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964 and prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. Which of the following statements best describes the impact the Civil Rights Act had on African American representation in Congress?

The following excerpt is from a speech by President Woodrow Wilson in 1918 endorsing the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote:

“I regard the concurrence of the Senate in the constitutional amendment proposing the extension of the suffrage to women as vitally essential to the successful prosecution of the great war of humanity in which we are engaged…It is my duty to win the war and to ask you to remove every obstacle that stands in the way of winning it.”

22. How does the constitutional amendment process begin?

The following excerpt is from a speech by President Woodrow Wilson in 1918 endorsing the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote:

“I regard the concurrence of the Senate in the constitutional amendment proposing the extension of the suffrage to women as vitally essential to the successful prosecution of the great war of humanity in which we are engaged…It is my duty to win the war and to ask you to remove every obstacle that stands in the way of winning it.”

23. The Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964 and prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. Which of the following statements best describes the impact the Civil Rights Act had on African American representation in Congress?

The following excerpt is from a speech by President Woodrow Wilson in 1918 endorsing the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote:

“I regard the concurrence of the Senate in the constitutional amendment proposing the extension of the suffrage to women as vitally essential to the successful prosecution of the great war of humanity in which we are engaged…It is my duty to win the war and to ask you to remove every obstacle that stands in the way of winning it.”

24. How does the constitutional amendment process begin?

At the end of the 1920’s, the world economy, including that of the United States, fell into the Great Depression. Unemployment rates soared and business output fell, and millions of people throughout the world were left impoverished. These economic conditions, in addition t the growing conflicts in Europe and Asia and the high cost of involvement in World War I, spurred the growth of isolationism and non-interventionism in the United States. The United States clearly wanted to avoid any further entanglements in foreign wars.

25. Put a check mark next to the sentence that is the reasonable inference you can make based on the information in the passage.

In 1948, when he was 13, Scottish immigrant Andrew Carnegie got his first job working in a cotton mill 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. He had little formal education and earned only about $2 a week. Intelligent and ambitious, Carnegie advanced from job to job, determined to work his way up in life. Eventually, as a businessman, he dominated the U.S steel industry. In 1881, the man who had been penniless as a youth sold his steel company for almost $500 million. Carnegie believed that the rich had a responsibility toward society. He donated millions of dollars for education, research and the arts.

26. Put a check mark next to each statement that expresses a value in Carnegie’s life.

This chart provides a summary of President Lyndon B. Johnson's domestic programs:

27. Which of the following programs was designed to help people of all income levels?

This excerpt is from a document entitled National Security Strategy of the United States, published on January 17, 2002.

The security environment confronting the United States today is radically different from what we have faced before. Yet the first duty of the United States Government remains what it always has been: to protect the American people and American interests. It is an enduring American principle that this duty obligates the government to anticipate and counter threats, using all elements of national power, before the threats can do grave damage. The greater the threat, the greater is the risk of inaction – and the more compelling the case for taking anticipatory action to defend ourselves, even if uncertainty remains as to the time and place of the enemy’s attack. There are few greater threats than a terrorist attack with WMD.

To forestall or prevent such hostile acts by our adversaries, the United States will, if necessary, act preemptively in exercising our inherent right of self-defense. The United States will not resort to force in all cases to preempt emerging threats. Our preference is that nonmilitary actions succeed. And no country should ever use preemption as a pretext for aggression.

28. What is the main idea presented in the excerpt?