WorksheetsGovernment Exam Review (VA)
Total questions: 20
Worksheet time: 10mins
Why do political parties try to avoid contested inventions? Select all that apply.
A candidate from a split party typically doesn’t win the presidency.
A contested convention doesn’t create momentum that a candidate needs to oppose the other party.
The current president disapproves of contested conventions.
The Founding Fathers almost banned contested conventions in the Constitution.
Both A and B
Which of the following is a function of the executive branch?
Writing legislation
Administering the law
A. Challenging legislation in court
A. Repeating the law
When categorizing the Executive Offices of the President, what can you assume when noting the number of departments devoted to administrative services?
Economic affairs are not of importance to the president.
It takes a lot of organizational bureaucracy to keep the White House going.
The president would like to have more offices devoted to Security.
The White House is a well-run bureaucracy.
How does the president limit the legislative powers of Congress?
By appointing congressional committee chairs
By appropriating congressional spending
By administering the laws
By using the veto
When Chief Justice John Marshall wrote “A law repugnant to the Constitution is void” in the case Marbury v. Madison, what was he claiming?
The Framers should have taken more care designing the legislative branch.
Laws unsupported by the Constitution are automatically unlawful.
The Supreme Court will take over lawmaking duties should it be necessary.
The Supreme Court has the right to declare laws of Congress unconstitutional.
Why did the Framers insist that federal judges be appointed for a lifetime of service?
They wanted as little change as possible in the judicial branch.
.They wanted to control the nominees of the president.
They wanted to avoid a continual appointment process.
They wanted judges to make decisions based upon the law and not public opinion.
Which constitutional principle does judicial review reflect?
popular sovereignty
limited government
checks and balances
federalism
How does the judicial branch protect the Constitution?
It rules whether laws are constitutional or unconstitutional.
It is part of the legislative process of creating new laws.
It amends the Constitution to meet the needs of society.
It houses the Constitution in the Supreme Court building.
What are civil liberties?
freedoms that have been granted by Congress
freedoms that protect people from government
rights that are granted to citizens
rights that are not clearly mentioned in the Constitution
In 1689 the English Bill of Rights set clear limits on who?
All of Britain's subjects
The colonists
Parliament
The king
Why did the Framers insist that federal judges be appointed for a lifetime of service?
They wanted as little change as possible in the judicial branch.
.They wanted to control the nominees of the president.
They wanted to avoid a continual appointment process.
They wanted judges to make decisions based upon the law and not public opinion.
Which type of court would hear a case in which the U.S. Navy was sued?
civilian court
federal court
military court
state court
What is the difference between a regular session of Congress and a special session of Congress?
A regular session has all the members, while a special session only has a few members.
A regular session is for making laws, while a special session is for debate only.
A regular session is just for the members of Congress, while a special session is for guest speakers.
A regular session is scheduled for a specific period of time each year, while a special session is called by the president at any time.
What is the main difference between the formal and informal qualifications for the House of Representatives?
Formal qualifications are outlined in the Constitution.
Formal qualifications do not have to be followed.
Informal qualifications deal with age and citizenship.
Informal qualifications are not political in nature.
Which of the following powers does the Speaker of the House have? Select all that apply.
interpreting the rules of the House
deciding whether or not to pass a bill
naming representatives to committees
deciding when the House should debate a bill
apportioning seats in the House
How do the term limits for senators and representatives impact their voting power?
Senators' longer term limits allow them to vote based on what is best for the nation, instead of public opinion.
Senators' shorter term limits mean they are more beholden to public opinion when voting.
Representatives' longer term limits mean they need to continually vote with public opinion for their entire term.
Representatives' shorter term limits allow them to vote based on their personal beliefs, instead of public opinion.
1. Most states grow to prefer an early date (for their primary), so the primary schedule became heavily “front-loaded” over recent years. In 2006, the scramble for an early date meant that 16 states held their primaries on the same day – “Super Tuesday” – and three-fourths of the contests had been held by mid-March. That was not the case in 2012, however. That year, rule changes within the Republican Party, along with other factors, resulted in a long, drawn-out primary election season. Only seven states had primaries on Super Tuesday in 2012, and by mid-March, more than two-thirds of the contests had yet to be held. Use the passage to answer the question.
Which of the following is important when a primary schedule is heavy front-loaded, as it was in 2008?
A clear stance on the issues
B. The ability to raise money
A comprehensive general election strategy
A steady, slow-building following with the primary electorate
Which of the following is a true statement about the Electoral College?
A winner-take-all state allows for proportional representation of the popular vote in that state.
The framers of the Constitution expected the Electoral College to use their own judgment in selecting a President.
When casting a ballot, a voter is actually voting for the candidate instead of the members of the electors.
The behavior of today’s electors meets the original intent of the form set out in the Constitution.
What official becomes president if the president and vice president died at the same time?
Chief Justice
President pro tempore of the Senate
Secretary of State
Speaker of the House of Representatives
Which of the following reasons best explains why Congress enacted the War Powers Resolution in 1973?
To grant the president unrestricted authority to send troops abroad.
To allow the president unlimited war powers.
To require Congress to authorize funding for the military.
To limit the president’s ability to commit troops to an undeclared war.
