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Study Guide ~ U.S. Government ~ Final Exam Review 18-19

Total questions: 100

Worksheet time: 1hrs 20mins

Name
Class
Date
1.
Which individual could qualify as a candidate for President of the United States?
a)
Max is 67 years old; he has lived in Ontario, Canada for all of his life; he was born in Detroit.
b)
Martha is 45 years old; she has lived in Chicago for the last 18 years; she was born in Tampa.
c)
Samuel is 27 years old; he has lived in New York City for the past 3 years; he was born in Israel of American Parents.
d)
Karen is 42 years old; she has lived in Boston for the last 26 years; she was born in Ireland of Irish parents.
2.

The 25th Amendment sets out the order of succession to the Presidency. If the President dies, the Vice President is next in line. Which official follows next?

a)

Secretary of State

b)

Secretary of Defense

c)

Speaker of the House

d)

President pro tempore of Senate

3.

Which role does the President perform when speaking at a political rally in support of a candidate running for Congress?

a)

Party Leader

b)

Head of State

c)

Chief Diplomat

d)

Chief Executive

4.

Which governmental body conducts a trial to decide if the President of the United States should be removed or impeached from office for “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors?”

a)

Senate

b)

Cabinet

c)

Supreme Court

d)

House of Representatives

5.

How does an Executive Order differ from a law?

a)

Executive Orders are not subject to judicial review.

b)

Executive Orders are not limited by the Constitution.

c)

Executive Orders do not need to be approved by Congress.

d)

Executive Orders are limited to military and foreign affairs.

6.

If the president were to meet with a foreign leader (s)he would be performing which role?

a)

Political Party Leader

b)

Commander in Chief

c)

Chief Diplomat

d)

Chief of Staff

7.

Describe the Vice President's job.

a)

(S)he works as a tie-breaker/mediator for the Senate and handles any duties the president give him/her.

b)

(S)he is the leader of the House of Representatives.

c)

(S)he works as the Secretary of State.

d)

(S)he works as the leader of the military.

8.

Which department of the Executive Branch established the country's bank?

a)

Department of Interior

b)

Department of Justice

c)

Department of Treasury

d)

Department of Commerce

9.

Which article of the Constitution creates the Executive Branch?

a)

Article I

b)

Article II

c)

Article IV

d)

Article IV

10.

What is the purpose of the President's Cabinet?

a)

To advise and help the President

b)

To help make laws

c)

To advise Congress

d)

To decide if laws make sense

11.

Describe the purpose of the State of the Union address.

a)

The President nominates individuals to run for Governor.

b)

The President announces to Congress his/her plans and goals for the upcoming year.

c)

The President tells the citizens of the US what Congress is doing wrong.

d)

The President speaks to leaders from other countries about plans for the Middle East.

12.

A president's term is _____ years long, and they can serve a maximum of ____ terms.

a)

5; 3

b)

4; 3

c)

2; 4

d)

4; 2

13.

Describe the checks and balances system when a President vetoes a bill.

a)

The President is preventing a bill that has passed through Congress from becoming a law. However, Congress can overturn the veto and turn the bill into a law with a 2/3 passing vote.

b)

The President gets to use his supreme power to reduce the efficiency of Congress. When he vetoes a bill, that topic can never be discussed again.

14.

Who directly elects the president?

a)

American Citizens

b)

The Electoral College

c)

Immigrants

d)

Naturalized Citizens

15.

What is a pardon?

a)

The President can remove a guilty verdict and eradicate the punishment of anyone in the United States. A get-out-of-jail-free card.

b)

The President can punish anyone in the United States and sentence them to jail.

c)

The President can remove anyone from the United States so long as they are not a US citizen.

d)

The President can appoint anyone they deem worthy to the Supreme Court so long as Congress approves.

16.

What does the Executive Branch do?

a)

It "interprets" the laws.

b)

It "enforces" the laws.

c)

It "creates" the laws.

17.

Why is there a term limit for presidents?

a)

President Franklin D. Roosevelt ran and was elected for three terms. After he died in office, the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution was created that limited presidents to two terms. This was to prevent corruption and a monarch-like presidency.

b)

Past presidents ran as often as they liked and would often have a monarch-like presidency. To prevent this, the American people established the 50th Amendment to the Constitution that allowed the chance of a three term presidency.

18.
The minimum age of a member of the House is
a)
25
b)
30
c)
35
d)
18
19.

States are authorized to redraw congressional districts following each U.S. Census and often create districts favorable to the party in power in a process called

a)

realignment

b)

gerrymandering

c)

reapportionment

d)

logrolling

20.

Congressional committees and subcommittees exist

a)

to acquire the information needed to pass meaningful and comprehensive legislation

b)

to offer important political posts to influential representatives and senators

c)

to consolidate power in the majority party

d)

to streamline the ever-growing legislative process

21.

Who are the representatives in each party that form the communication network that bring each party together?

a)

Majority leaders

b)

Minority leaders

c)

Committee chairs

d)

Whips

22.

A vote on a bill in the Senate results in a tie. What would likely be the official outcome of the vote on the bill?

a)

The bill would be killed

b)

The Senate would reconvene until another vote could be obtained

c)

The president's party would prevail

d)

The parties would reach a compromise in the conference committee

23.

Every two years, _____ of the Senate must stand for reelection

a)

one-half

b)

three-quarters

c)

two-thirds

d)

one-third

24.

A president can be impeached by the _____ and tried and removed from office by the _____.

a)

House and Senate; Supreme Court

b)

House; Senate

c)

Senate; House

d)

House; House

25.

If the president neither signs nor vetoes a bill within 10 days while Congress is in session, the bill

a)

is pocket vetoed

b)

becomes law

c)

is killed

d)

is sent back to Congress

26.

The most powerful person in the Senate is the

a)

Vice President

b)

President Pro Tempore

c)

Majority Leader

d)

Sergeant-At-Arms

27.

Most democracies outside the United States have a(n)

a)

congressional system

b)

monarchy

c)

parliamentary system

d)

separation-of-powers system

28.

In the 1960s, which issue was the focus of the Supreme Court decisions in Mapp v. Ohio, Gideon v. Wainwright, and Miranda v. Arizona?

a)

freedom of the press

b)

racial segregation

c)

rights of the accused

d)

interstate commerce

29.

“We conclude that in the field of public education the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.”

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)


Which constitutional idea was the basis for this Supreme Court decision?

a)

protection against double jeopardy

b)

equal protection of the law

c)

freedom of speech

d)

right of assembly

30.

What is the main idea of this cartoon from the Watergate era?

a)

The Supreme Court presides over a presidential impeachment trial.

b)

Congress has to obey the Constitution.

c)

The president has the final word involving constitutional issues.

d)

No person or group is above the law.

31.

What was the significance of the 1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education?

a)

It outlawed the use of poll taxes.

b)

It prohibited the use of racial quotas.

c)

It outlawed segregation in public schools.

d)

It prohibited discrimination by teachers unions.

32.

“Jackie Robinson Breaks Color Barrier in Major League Baseball”

“President Truman Issues Executive Order Desegregating Armed Forces”

“NAACP Challenges School Segregation”


These headlines are most closely associated with

a)

a decline in African American participation in political activities

b)

the beginning of the modern civil rights movement

c)

Southern resistance to the Civil Rights Act of 1964

d)

the effects of affirmative action programs

33.

…You express a great deal of anxiety over our willingness to break laws. This is certainly a legitimate concern. Since we so diligently urge people to obey the Supreme Court’s decision of 1954 outlawing segregation in the public schools, at first glance it may seem rather paradoxical for us consciously to break laws. One may want to ask: “How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?” The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that “an unjust law is no law at all.”…

— Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,

“Letter from Birmingham Jail,” April 16, 1963


Which statement most accurately summarizes the main idea of the passage?

a)

People must obey Supreme Court decisions.

b)

You can never break some laws while obeying others.

c)

Violence brings faster results than peaceful protest.

d)

Following moral principles is sometimes more important than following the law.

34.

Lunch counter sit-ins and the actions of freedom riders are examples of

a)

steps taken in support of the Americans with Disabilities Act

b)

programs dealing with affirmative action

c)

violent acts by the Black Panthers

d)

nonviolent attempts to oppose segregation

35.

"Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal."

-Brown v. Board of Education


The effect of this Supreme Court ruling was to

a)

establish affirmative action programs in higher education

b)

require the integration of public schools

c)

desegregate the armed forces and the military academies

d)

force states to spend an equal amount on each public school student

36.

Cesar Chavez created the United Farm Workers Organization Committee (UFWOC) in 1966 primarily to

a)

secure voting rights for Mexican Americans

b)

improve working conditions for migrant laborers

c)

provide legal assistance to illegal aliens

d)

increase farm income

37.

Court case that created "Separate-but-equal" doctrine.

a)

Sweatt v. Painter

b)

Brown v. Board of Education

c)

Plessy v. Ferguson

d)

Mendez v. Kirby ISD

38.

The federal law outlawing literacy tests, poll taxes, and other requirements that made it difficult for southern blacks to exercise their right for suffrage

a)

Civil Rights Act of 1964

b)

Voting Rights Act of 1965

39.

Who was arrested for refusing to give up their seat on a bus?

a)

Charlayne Hunter

b)

Harriet Tubman

c)

Rosa Parks

d)

Rebecca L. Felton

40.

A form of nonviolent protest where people stop buying a product?

a)

march

b)

boycott

c)

sit in

d)

activist

41.

This case said the courts had to provide lawyers for those who can't afford one

a)

Mapp v. Ohio

b)

Terry v. Ohio

c)

Gideon vs. Wainwright

d)

Miranda v. Arizona

42.

This case guaranteed certain rights for individuals being arrested

a)

Marbury vs. Madison

b)

Tinker vs. Des Moines

c)

Hazelwood vs. Kuhlmeier

d)

Miranda vs. Arizona

43.

During WWII, the Supreme Court ruled that relocation of Japanese-American citizens to internment camps was constitutional. Over 40 years later, it was officially admitted that this ruling was in violation of the concept of limited government.

a)

Korematsu v. US

b)

University of California v. Bakke

c)

Roe v. Wade

d)

Gideon v. Wainwright

44.

The separation of people based upon race or some other characteristic is referred to as?

a)

Assimilation

b)

Civil Rights

c)

Segregation

d)

Desegregation

45.

The Fifth Amendment states that a person cannot be

a)

tried for the same crime twice {Double Jeopardy}.

b)

forced to give evidence against himself or herself {I plead the 5th}.

c)

deprived of life, liberty, and property without due process of law.

d)

all of the above

46.

According to the Fourth Amendment, the police can search and seize a person's property only if

a)

the neighbors sign a petition.

b)

the chief of police gives permission.

c)

a judge issues a search warrant.

d)

the have a written note from your mother.

47.

Which of these is not allowed, according to the Eighth Amendment?

a)

reasonable bail

b)

reasonable fines

c)

jail terms

d)

cruel & unusual punishments

48.

Why was the Ninth Amendment added to the Constitution?

a)

because the framers worried they might have forgotten an important right

b)

because the framers wanted to make clear that basic rights were guaranteed even if they were not stated specifically

c)

because the Bill of Rights had to have ten parts

d)

because the English Bill of Rights listed nine rights

49.

The Tenth Amendment states that

a)

most powers belong to the national government.

b)

powers not given to the national government or prohibited from the states belong to the states or the people.

c)

the people are the source of all government powers.

d)

the states are the most important part of our government system.

50.

What historic document is the Bill of Rights a part of?

a)

Declaration of Independence

b)

The US Constitution

c)

The Articles of Confederation

d)

The English Bill of Rights

51.

Which of the following rights and freedoms is specifically guaranteed by the first 1st amendment?

a)

Right to an education

b)

Freedom of press

c)

Right to bear arms

d)

Right to privacy

52.

Who is the only person that can veto a bill?

a)

President

b)

vice president

c)

speaker of the House

d)

Supreme Court

53.

What does the executive branch do?

a)

elect the president

b)

make the laws

c)

carry out the laws

d)

count the votes

54.

A group of men and women that are the Presidents advisers are also known as what?

a)

Independent Agencies

b)

President Pro Tempores

c)

FCC

d)

Cabinet

55.

. The ________________ contains the supreme laws of the land of the United States of America.

a)

Declaration of Independence

b)

Constitution

c)

Emancipation Proclamation

d)

Magna Carta

56.

The Senate and the House of Representatives is also called

a)

Party

b)

Congress

c)

Term

d)

Committee

57.

What branch is Congress?

a)

Legislative Branch

b)

Executive Branch

c)

Judicial Branch

d)

Democratic Party

58.

How many justices are on the U.S. Supreme Court?

a)

3

b)

6

c)

9

d)

12

59.

Supreme Court justices are nominated by the _______.

a)

President

b)

Speaker of the House

c)

House of Representatives

d)

Senate

60.

Role of the judicial branch

a)

make laws

b)

interpret laws

c)

enforce laws

d)

impeach a president

61.

Highest court in the land

a)

Appellate courts

b)

Trial courts

c)

District courts

d)

Supreme Courts

62.

The U.S. Supreme Court must make all decisions based on ________.

a)

the Constitution

b)

what the President says

c)

who won the Super Bowl

d)

the weather

63.

How many branches of government are there?

a)

Five

b)

Two

c)

Three

d)

Four

64.

What does the word veto mean?

a)

to approve a law

b)

to say no to a law

c)

to sign a law

d)

to jump

65.

What are the first three words of the Constitution?

a)

In order to

b)

We the people

c)

Once upon a

d)

The United States

66.

What term refers to the system that gives each government branch some power over the others?

a)

Articles of Confederation

b)

Ratification

c)

Federalism

d)

Checks and Balances

67.

What is the name for a change or addition to the Constitution?

a)

Federalism

b)

Amendment

c)

Ratification

d)

Veto

68.

The first 10 Amendments are called...

a)

The Amendments.

b)

The Bill of Rights

c)

Laws

d)

Important Information

69.

One major problem with the Articles is that Congress could not ______ the citizens to raise money

a)

tax

b)

ask

c)

demand

d)

force

70.

What does the word "democracy" mean?

a)

The people rule.

b)

There is a Constitution.

c)

There is a President.

d)

There is freedom of religion

71.

America was founded on three values: equality, justice, and _____.

a)

responsibility

b)

liberty

c)

charity

72.

A __________government is where the people elect leaders who will represent their viewpoint when making government decisions.

a)

Representative

b)

Constitutional

c)

democracy

73.

The US is an example of a federal system of government because

a)

Power is divided between national, state, and local government

b)

There is a President

c)

We have a postal service

d)

We have hospitals

74.

What is one of the most important responsibilities of a US citizen?

a)

Paying Taxes

b)

Giving to charities

c)

Going to church

d)

Voting

75.

Americans have freedoms guaranteed in the ___________.

a)

US Social Code

b)

US Constitution

76.

How the government deals with other countries

a)

Limited Government

b)

Federalism

c)

Neutrality (Isolation

d)

Foreign Policy

77.

Each state has a certain number of electoral votes based on the states_____.

a)

10 Supreme Court Justices

b)

Marbury vs Madison(1803)

c)

Population

78.

When the central government is run by a small group of people.

a)

Autocracy

b)

Democracy

c)

Oligarchy

d)

Parliamentary

79.

What do an absolute monarchy, dictatorship, and oligarchy have in common?

a)

The head of state is chosen by Parliament.

b)

Their citizens decide public issues for themselves.

c)

Political power is exercised by representative elected by the people.

d)

A single individual or small group exercises control over government.

80.

This type of government typically has the most freedoms:

a)

Democracy

b)

Oligarchy

c)

Theocracy

d)

constitutional monarchy

81.

Direct democracy usually only works in...

a)

small areas

b)

religious countries

c)

populations with uneducated people

d)

areas with a king or a queen

82.

A form of Government in which one or a small group of people take complete power over the people and rule by force.

a)

Monarchy

b)

Theocracy

c)

Dictatorship

d)

Democracy

83.

Which form of government is described in the situation below?

•In my country, our voices are often suppressed. We are only allowed to watch three specific television channels, and all of them are controlled by the government. Education and individualism is not a priority. Most people in my country do not go to higher schools and are encouraged to pledge their services to the government when they are older.

a)

Monarchy

b)

Theocracy

c)

Dictatorship

d)

Democracy

84.

Which form of government is described in the situation below?

•I live in a country that has been led by the same family for over 100 years. When the leader dies, their oldest child inherits power from them. This one person makes all the rules, but tries to keep the peoples’ best interests in mind.

a)

Monarchy

b)

Theocracy

c)

Dictatorship

d)

Democracy

85.

Which form of government is described in the situation below?

In my country, we elect our leaders through the voting process. If we want to make change, we can reelect government officials, protest, or make petitions. The president of our country can only serve for 4 years so he or she doesn’t get too much power. There are also many other elected representatives that have been chosen to act in the peoples’ best interest.

a)

Monarchy

b)

Theocracy

c)

Dictatorship

d)

Democracy

86.

The length of term of members of the House of Representatives is:

a)

2 years

b)

6 years

c)

5 years

d)

4 years

87.

The length of a term of a Senator is:

a)

2 years

b)

4 years

c)

6 years

d)

8 years

88.

In order to do their work, the House and Senate must have present:

a)

three-fourths of the members

b)

two-thirds of the members

c)

more than one-half of the members

d)

all of the members

89.

What is Federalism?

a)

Form of government where power is held by the national

b)

Form of government where power is held by the state

c)

Form of government where power is divided between the national and state.

d)

Form of government where power is held by the President

90.

What is the name of this building?

a)

Supreme Court

b)

White House

c)

Capitol Building

d)

Federal Court

91.

Which branch works in the White House?

a)

Executive Branch

b)

Legislative Branch

c)

Judicial Branch

92.

What is the name of this building?

a)

Capitol Building

b)

White House

c)

Supreme Court

d)

Federal Court

93.

Which branch is composed of nine judges?

a)

Executive Branch

b)

Legislative Branch

c)

Judicial Branch

94.

The ideas and attitudes that a significant number of Americans hold about government and political issues?

a)

Public Opinion

b)

Random Sampling

c)

political efficacy

d)

mass media

95.

Which of the following is found at the beginning of the Constitution?

a)

Pretest

b)

Preamble

c)

Preface

d)

Preparatory

96.

How does the Bill of Rights limit our government’s power?

a)

It gives the government power.

b)

It keeps the government from having too much power.

c)

It gives the president more power.

d)

It keeps the people from having too much power.

97.

Which is NOT a branch of government

a)

State

b)

Executive

c)

Legislative

d)

Judicial

98.

What historically significant document states that all men are created equal?

a)

Articles of Confederation

b)

Declaration of Independence

c)

Bill of Rights

d)

Mayflower Compact

99.

United States citizens pay taxes to the government. This money is used to pay for services for citizens. Which group is paid for with tax money?

a)

Interstates, post offices, armed forces, national parks

b)

Gas stations, grocery stores, malls, restaurants

c)

Movie theaters, skating rinks, bowling alleys

d)

Factories, cleaning companies, sports teams

100.

"Insure domestic tranquility" means...

a)

to be sure to light candles at home

b)

to be sure there is peace in our nation

c)

to be sure no one leaves houses unlocked

d)

to be sure to be nice to other nations