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Worksheetsgov. semester exam
Total questions: 151
Worksheet time: 1hrs 16mins
Eighteen to twenty-one year olds received the right to vote in the
Constitution
Bill of rights
war between the states
twenty-sixth amendment
In 1765, the American colonists initiated a major protest against the
Stamp act
treaty of paris
sugar act
tea import act
the full faith and credit clause can be found in
the bill of rights
article VII
article IV
preamble
the first continental congress was called in opposition to the
taxes laid in the stamp act
coercive act
french and indian war
all of the above
patrick henry and samuel adams were among the leaders of the
Philadelphia parliament
stamp act congress
sons of liberty
continental congress
Article VI of the constitution deals with
judicial independence
the supremacy clause
judicial interpretation
separation of powers
the electoral college system for electing the president was designed to give
larger states an advantage in selecting the president
the state a key role
average voters the decisive power in choosing the president
the federal government the preeminent role
In 1776, Thomas Paine issued a pamphlet arguing for colonial independence from Britain, titled
The crisis
tis time to part
the plain truth
Common sense
The rebellion in which an army 1,500 disgruntled farmers marched on Springfield, Massachusetts to prevent foreclosure on their farms was called
Bacon's Rebellion
Shay's Rebellion
Gabriel's Rebellion
the farm revolt
At the first Continental congress, there were delegates from
every colony except rhode island
all 13 colonies
every colony except Georgia
all the colonies and a representative of the British king
The division of powers among the three branches of government is called
functionalism
federalism
pluralism
separation of powers
The legislative branch is established in the debate between large and small states at the constitutional convention was the issue of
Article III
Article IV
Article II
Article I
The most serious disagreement in the debate between large and small states at the constitutional convention
taxation
judicial power
slavery
representation in congress
Federal judges are appointed by the president and approved by the senate for a term of
eight years
four years
life
two years
The declaration of independence was drafted by
john locke
thomas jefferson
james madison
george washington
the system of government in which power is divided between the state and national government is called
functionalism
federalism
pluralism
unitarism
Another name for the elastic clause is
judicial review
enumerated powers
the commerce clause
the necessary and proper clause
The smaller state presented a plan at the constitutional convention advocating the strengthening of the articles of confederation. the plan was presented by
rhode island
connecticut
virginia
new jersey
Once the constitutional convention was completed, the drive for ratification in the states began. Those who favored ratification were known as
republicans
antifederalists
federalists
democrats
Colonists came to the new world for a variety of reasons including
plentiful land
religious freedom
a new start in life
all of the above
In 1781, the 13 colonies adopted the ___ as the basis of their gov't
Declaration of independence
federation treaty
constitution
articles of confederation
a committee was appointed at the constitutional convention the world out the differences between the proposals of large and small states; the result was the-
great compromise
new jersey plan
virginia plan
congressional compromise
the articles of confederation were also called
the constitution
a loose league of friendship
the continental confederation agreement
the declaration of independence
fighting in the american revolution broke out in the battle at
saratoga, new york
trenton, new jersey
yorktown, virginia
lexington and concord, massachusetts
a series of 85 political papers written by john jay, alexander hamilton, and james madison in support of ratification were called
pennsylvania packet
ratification debates
federalist papers
anti-federalist papers
the last section of the constitution to be drafted was
article I
the preamble
article III
article II
the madison amendment that prohibits congress from raising their own salaries during the term of congress was passed many years after it was proposed. it is also known as the ______________ amendment
Twenty-first
Tenth
Seventeenth
Twenty-seventh
once the constitutional convention was completed, the drive for ratification in the states began. those who favored strong states and a weak national gov't, and thus opposed ratification, were called
anti-federalist
federalist
democrats
republicans
The sole responsibility of investigating and charging a president or vice president with "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors" falls to the
senate
supreme court
house of representatives
federal court system
Under the articles of confederation, the executive branch was
responsible for executing all laws
quite strong
relatively weak
virtually nonexistent
the anti-federalists demanded a series of amendments to the constitution to protect individual liberties. They were adopted in 1791 and are known as
checks and balances
the bill of rights
libertarian amendments
anti-federalists amendments
Most proposals for legislation originate with the
senate
congress
house of representatives
president
the amendment process for the constitution is set out in the Article V and sets up a
single stage process utilizing conventions or congress
two stage process of proposal and ratification
fairly easy procedure for changing the document
process by which the states,congress, the executive and a majority of voters must agree on changes to the document
Anti-federalists feared
amendments
strong central government
confederacy
checks and balances
Originally the Constitution placed the selection of senators
subject to popular statewide elections up to the supreme court
up to the supreme court
directly with state legislatures
directly with the house of representatives
Under the political system established in 1781, the national government
was not allowed to regulate commerce among the states
could not reach a quorum of nine states on a regular basis
did not have the power to tax
all of the above
The clause that ensures that judicial decrees and contracts made in one state will be binding and enforceable in another is called the ______ clause
privileges and immunities
supremacy
bill of attainder
full faith and credit
In 1857, the supreme court ruled that slaves were not citizens, but property, in the case
Dred Scott v. Sandford
Gibbons v. Ogden
McCulloch v. Maryland
Plessy v. Ferguson
In response to the Supreme Court ruled that slaves were not citizens, but property, in the case
Dred Scott v. Sandford
Gibbons v. Ogden
McCulloch v. Maryland
Plessy v. Ferguson
The terrorist attacks of september 11, 2001 have had what impact on federal power?
Federal power has declined
The attack had no noticeable impact on federal power
Federal power has stopped
Federal power has increased
The supreme court ruled in Plessy v. Ferguson that
Racial segregation was constitutional
the states had very limited powers under the 10th amendment
states could not protect the general welfare of their citizens
separate but equal was inherently unconstitutional
The constitution has a long list of federal powers, but few powers are listed for the states. This is because
the framers thought the federal government was more important and should be more powerful
states were designed to be subordinate to the federal gov.
there was a consensus on what the powers of the federal gov. should be but now on the powers of the states
states had all power at the writing of the constitution and a list was deemed unnecessary
The 16th amendment passed in 1913 giving the federal gov the power to
collect gasoline taxes
collect sales taxes
collect income taxes
charge user fees
the Framers created the federal system in order to
establish a more democratic political system that was also efficient
preserve power for the elite in society
establish a powerful central gov't and minimize the authority of state and local gov't
prevent tyranny by dividing the powers of the gov't
Federalism refers to
relationship between the national and state gov'ts
relationship among the state gov'ts
political system in which power is vested in the state gov'ts
political system in which power is vested in the national gov'ts
During the early years of the new deal, the supreme court
worked in favor of programs designed to combat the crisis
continued to enforce the supremacy clause, thus ruling new deal programs constitutional
cooperated with the administration to combat the depression
ruled many programs unconstitutional
in order to help finance World War I, the Sixteenth Amendment was passed. It made the ___ possible
national import tax
national sales tax
national income tax
state sales taxes
The department of homeland security
is a cabinet-level security
is a gov. corporation
is an independent regulatory commission
is an international arm of the united states
the case of Gideon v. Wainwright was about
search and seizure
self incrimination
trial by jury
right to counsel
Article I, Section 8 gives Congress the power to pass all laws "necessary and proper" to carrying out its enumerated powers. This clause is also known as the
reserved powers clause
full faith and credit clause
enumerated powers clause
elastic clause
The amendments that highlight tghe anti-federalist fears of a too-powerful national gov. are the
9th and 10th
6th and 8th
4th and 5th
1st and 2nd
The 8th amendment prohibits
cruel and unusual punishment
trial without an attorney
unreasonable searches and seizures
all of the above
In texas v. johnson, the supreme court ruled that ______ was/were speech protected by the 1st amendment
obscenity
sit-ins
flag burning
campaign spending
there was a tremendous national reaction to a novel published in 1852 on the evils of slavery. The novel was called
John brown
Uncle toms cabin
narrative of the life of federick douglass
Dred scott
Women finally recieved the right to vote in 1920 through the ______ amendment
19th
21nd
21st
25th
the supreme court decision that overturned Plessy in 1954 was called
the Sweatt case
Missouri v. Gaines
Brown v. Board of education of Topeka Kansas
McLaurin v. Oklahoma
a major threshold in the evolution of state and local gov"t applied the Fourteenth Amendment to the states and decree that equal protection meant "one man, one vote." This case was called
Baker v. Carr
South Dakota v. Dole
U.S. v. Lopez
Gibbons v. Ogden
Among the devices used in southern states to prevent blacks from voting were
literacy tests
grandfather clauses
poll taxes
all of the above
The Supreme Court has ruled that mentally retarded convicts should not be executed for capital murder because it would violate
The Second Amendment
The Preamble
The Eigth Amendment
The First Amendment
The Supreme court ruled that "Lawyers in criminal cases are necessities not luxuries in the case
Gideon v. Wainwright
Mapp v. Ohio
Gregg v. Georgia
Weeks v. U.S.
In 1966, the Supreme Court ruled that individuals arrested must be informed of their constitutional right in the case
McCleskey v. Zant
Mapp v. Ohio
Weeks v. U.S.
Miranda v. Arizona
Laws that denied most legal rights to newly freed slaves and prohibited blacks from voting, sitting on juries, or even appearing in public places after the Civil War were known as
nullification rules
Jim Crow laws
Black Codes
abolitionism
In 1957, a member of black leaders including Martin Luther King Jr., established a new group to fight for civil rights based in the South call the
Montgomery League for Civil Rights
Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)
Slavery was banned by the _____ Amendment
Twelfth
Thirteenth
Fifteenth
Fourteenth
The First major Civil Rights case to be considered by the Supreme Court
Stowe v. U.S.
Dred Scott v. Sandford
Plessy v. Ferguson
the Civil Rights cases
When the NAACP began its litigation strategy the end segregation, it chose to begin by challenging segregation in
professional and postgraduate schools
transportation
public accommodations
elementary schools
State legislatures lost their control over the selection of senators through the ________ Amendment in 1913, which provides for the direct election of senators.
Seventeenth
Fifteenth
Twenty-first
Nineteenth
The most important power that Congress has is the power to
declare war
make laws
lay and collect taxes
regulate commerce
Unlimited debate is allowed in the Senate and its called
cloture
recession
discharge
filibuster
Under the constitution, senators serve a _______ year term
six
two
four
eight
Any two-house legislator is also referred to as
congress
bicameral
bifurcated
bimodal
Under the constitution, members of the house of representatives are directly elected for a ______ year term
eight
six
four
two
The only officer of house of representatives specifically mentioned in the constitution is the
speaker of the house
vice president
sergeant at arms
president pro tempore
The process of bringing charges against a public office is called
initiative
removal
impeachment
recall
President ______ used the pardoning power to give unconditional amnesty to 10,000 men who had avoided the drafted during the Vietnam war
Carter
Nixon
Bush
Clinton
The presidents terms is ______ years
two
six
eight
four
The presidents authority over the military comes from
treaty powers
being Commander-in-chief
congress
all of the above
The Pendleton act established the principle of ______ in federal hiring
patronage
partisanship
merit
divility
In 1789, the bureaucracy consisted of
three departments: state, war, and treasury
two departments: domestic and foreign affairs
four departments: war, treasury, foreign affairs, and justice
a handful of individuals without any formal staffs
John Marshall, as Chief justice , transformed the court into a coequal branch of government though key decisions such as McCulloch v. Maryland that
declared state laws invalid
made the court the final arbiter of constitutionality
broadly interpreted the necessary and proper clause
outlawed seriatim opinions
The supreme court ruled that every person should have an equally weighted vote in the case
reynolds v. sims
jones v. clinton
santa fe v. texas
Jones v. smith
the judiciary act of 1789
created the supreme court and its jurisdictions
established the basic structure of the federal court system
established the court structure
granted the supreme court the power of judicial review
A document containing the collected legal arguments in a case that is filed with a court prior to trial is called
amicus curiae
initiative
precedent
brief
The u.s. supreme court can hear appeals from
state high courts
lower federal courts
the court of military appeals
all of the above
The first chief justice of the supreme court was
thomas jefferson
john jay
john marshall
james wilson
all polls contain errors. in order to determine how reliable a poll is one must determine the
inaccuracy rate
standard deviation
margin of error
all of the above
Most people who are not ideologues think about and may change their ideas about politics through a variety of factors, including
cues from leaders and opinion makers
personal benefits
political knowledge
all of the above
Unscientific surveys used to gauge public opinion on a variety of issues are called
straw polls
exit polls
deliberative polls
tracking polls
Which party did ross perot help create?
the green party
the independent party
the reform party
the radical republicans
Jobs, favors, or grants that are given as rewards to friends and supporters in return for political support are called
civil service
patronage
partisan
primary rewards
In the event that a single candidate does not get a majority of electoral votes, the constitution states that the ______ decides the winner
entire congress
supreme court
senate
house of representatives
the method of primary election that is the healthiest for the party system is the ______ primary
blanket
closed
open
competitive
The Missouri compromise
stated that no more slave states should be admitted to the Union
admitted Maine as a free state
admitted Missouri as a slave state
all of the above
The right to a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury is guaranteed by the ______ amendment
7th
6th
10th
8th
In 1969, the Supreme court fashioned a new test for deciding what types of speech could be regulated by the gov. The new test made it more difficult to limit speech due to the requirement to imminent harm. The new test is called
the lemon test
clear and present danger
direct incitement
substantive danger
the passage of the constitutional amendment that has generated more litigation than nay other is
article 1 section 8
the supremacy clause
the commerce clause
the fourteenth amendment
in august 1963, Martin Luther King ,Jr. led a huge march on ____ that culminated in his speech titled "I Have A Dream"
Montgomery
Atlanta
Washington
Birmingham
lawmaking powers are exercised by
congress
the president
bureaucrats
all of the above
The articles of confederation were ratified by the states in
1781
1776
1777
1790
A committee that is established on a temporary basis is called a ______ committee
joint
conference
ad hoc
standing
The congress has managed to increase the scope of its enumerated powers through the interpretation of the
necessary and proper clause
formal lawmaking powers
inherent powers doctrine
grant of exclusive powers
In order to remove a president or a federal judge from office, the House must impeach, and then
two-thirds of the senate must vote for removal
both houses must have a 2/3 majority for removal
both house must have a majority vote for removal
50% plus one of the senate must vote for removal
Appellate courts usually
determine the credibility of the facts of a case
review the legal procedures of a case not the facts
hear only civil cases
hear only criminal cases
In a civil case, the party who brings a case against a defendant is referred to as the
plaintiff
attorney general
state
petitioner
A childs peer group is most influential in
early elementary school
middle and high school
preschool
late elementary
In his farewell address, ______ warned the nation against the evil of political parties
Thomas Jefferson
John Adams
John Quincy Adams
George Washington
The member of the Justice department who handles all appeals in the supreme court is the
speaker of the house
president pro tempore of the senate
solicitor general
attorney general
Committees to which proposed bills are referred and called ___ committees
joint
ad hoc
conference
standing
The leader of the House of Representatives is called the
president of the house
president pro tempore
majority leader
speaker
the House of Representatives has the sole power to
approve treaties
initiate revenue bills
try impeached officials
make agreements with the executive
Laws enacted by southern states that resulted in segregation by race through the ____ amendment in 1913, which provides for the direct election election of senators
17th
15th
21st
19th
The constitution requires that the president be a(n) _______ citizens
educated
natural born
literate
naturalized
Under the constitution, the qualifications for president include that the president must be
experienced in politics and law, over 30 years old, and citizens
male, and American citizen, and a resident for at least 14 years
mature and a citizen for atleast
over 35 years old and a natural born citizen
The president, under Article 2, has the power to make treaties limited by
the house foreign relations committee
nothing
state department rules
the advice and consent of the senate
The powers of the president that can be derived from specific powers listed in the constitution are called ______ powers
enumerated
latent
inherent
implicit
The cabinet system was established the principle of _____ in federal hiring
patronage
partisanship
merit
civility
Most supreme court cases fall under the rubric of
original jurisdiction
political review
legislative court
appellate jurisdiction
Judicial decisions are translated into actual public policy through
the executive branchs ability and desire to enforce the ruling
congresses ability and desire to fund the implementation of the ruling
judicial implementation
all of the above
Among the checks and the powers of the court are
judges can be impeached and removed from office
decisions can be reversed by constitutional amendment
congress can alter the jurisdiction of the supreme court
all of the above
Since 1869, the supreme court has consisted of _____ justices
nine
seven
eight
six
in 1789, there were ____ justices sitting on the supreme court
9
7
5
6
The judiciary was called the "least dangerous branch" by
George Washington
James Madison
Thomas Jefferson
Alexander Hamilton
during conference, supreme court justices speak in order by
choice
interest
seniority
age
In 1971, the voting age was lowered to 18 by the amendment.
17th
18th
29th
26th
group membership tends to affect political beliefs and opinions, particularly groups such as
race and income
religious affiliation
gender and age
all of the above
In some states, an incumbent can be removed from office by popular vote. This process is called?
Referendum
Impeachment
Indictment
Recall
The federal judicial branch is discussed in.
Article III.
Article I.
The preamble
Article II.
the best method of selecting a polling sample is
self-select sampling
stratified, random sampling
nonstratified sampling
straw polling
The jurisdiction of courts to hear the facts of a case is termed.
Appellate
trial
standing
original
at a basic level, a party is
an organization to promote policy changes
a group of office holders, candidates, activists, and voters
expected to contest elections
all of the above
the selection of party candidates through the ballots of qualified voters is called a
party caucus
nominating convention
party conference
direct primary
Judicial review, the power of the judiciary to review the acts of other branches of government, was established for the national government in?
Martin v. Hunter' Lessee
Gibbons v. Ogden
Marbury v. Madison
McColluch v. Maryland
the process that allows citizens to propose legislation and submit it to the electorate for popular vote is called
proposition
referendum
recall
initiative
A primary in which only a party's registered voters are eligible to participate is called?
Open
closed
blanket
all of the above
critics of the presidential primary argue that
media is too important in the process
the quality of participation in primaries is low
scheduling if primaries affects who wins
all of the above
The justices of the supreme court are
selected by the senate
elected in nonpartisan balloting
appointed soley by the president
nominated by the president and confirmed by the senate
ultimately, the outcome of the 2000 presidential election was decided by
the popular vote in arkansas
the florida supreme court
president clinton
the u.s. supreme court
Interest groups often join in court cases through the use of
in order to advance their policy preferences through the court system.
certiorari
amicus briefs
monetary donations
all of the above
the first amendment states that "congress shall make no law abridging freedom of speech. "the supreme court has ruled that it is constitutional to restrict some types of speech, such as
symbolic speech
obscenity
political speech
all of the above
If the president does in office and the vice presidency is vacant, the next in line of succession is the ?
Speaker of the House
Secretary of State
President Pro Temp
Secretary of Defense
the right to privacy stems from the idea that some areas of life are off limits to governmental regulation and is inferred from constitutional rights
to be left alone
guaranteeing against unreasonable search and seizure
to freedom of religion
all of the above
Agents of political socialization include
all of the above
schools
the mass media
family and friends
among the tactics used by the civil rights movement were
sit-ins and boycotts
freedom rides
lawsuits
all of the above
The supreme court will hear a case if justices vote do so
four
six
seven
five
in 1955, the montgomery bus boycott began with the intent of ending segregation on public transports. the catalyst for the boycott was a black person who was arrested for refusing to give up a seat to a white person. the name of this person is
linda brown
rosa parks
w.e.b. dubois
martin luther king jr.
In the federal court system, courts lower than the Supreme Court are established by?
Congress
Judicial review
the Supreme Court
Article III.
the formal and enumerated powers of congress are found in
A1, S8
A2, S4
A1, S1
The Preamble
The House of Representative and the Senate combine have ____ members
575
475
535
435
The 3rd Chief Justice of the Supreme Court was
John Marshall
Samuel Chase
Oliver Ellsworth
Joseph Story
The first President of the U.S was
John Adams
George Washington
James Madison
Thomas Jefferson
the Senate has the sole power to
declare war
advise and consent on major presidential appointments
issue patents and copyrights
regulate the District of Columbia
