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Worksheets1st Semester Review: American Government
Total questions: 85
Worksheet time: 15mins
This Enlightenment Thinker coined the idea that everyone is born with natural rights, and if the government fails to protect them, the people should have the right to revolution.
Thomas Hobbes
Baron de Montesquieu
Jean-Jacque Rousseau
John Locke
What European power ruled colonial America before the American Revolution?
Spain
Britain
Portugal
France
Why were colonists unhappy with colonial rule?
They were unhappy being taxed without representation in Parliament
They didn't feel protected from French and Native American encroachment
The colonizers didn't allow them to trade with other colonies
The colonizers didn't allow them to travel to the mainland
What was the main weakness of the Articles of Confederation?
States had no power
Congress over taxed
The federal military was overpowering
A weak central government
Why did the Articles of Confederation only have Congress and no president?
They had a king instead
The let the military rule the country
They wanted Congress to be the most powerful institution in the country
They feared giving too much power to one individual
The Articles of Confederation did not give Congress (The Federal Government) the ability to:
Tax
Enforce federal laws
Create a national currency
All of the above
To resolve the issues with the American government under the Articles of Confederation, delegates from the states met in Philadelphia at a meeting called:
The Assembly of Delegates
Meeting of the Framers
The Constitutional Convention
The Convention of Confederation
Instead of revising the issues in the Articles of Confederation, the delegates to the meeting in Philadelphia decided to:
Create an entirely new constitution
Give the Articles of confederation 90 days to improve
Let Congress decide how the new government would be structured
Give up on the new, young nation
During the meeting where delegates from the states wrote the Constitution, small states argued for equal representation in Congress. Larger states argued for representation in Congress to be based on each states’ population. The compromise that the delegates came to is called:
The Representation Compromise
The Delegates Compromise
The Congressional Solution
The Great Compromise
The compromise between large and small states resulted in a “bicameral legislature.” What does this mean?
Create implied powers for themselves to help them carry out their expressed powers
Execute criminals convicted of felonies if there is proper cause
Determine the constitutionality of laws
Congress has two “houses” or “chambers”
To address the issue of the slave population and Congressional representation, the delegates decided to count slaves differently than the free population. This compromise was known as:
The Southern State Compromise
The Slave Representation Compromise
The Two-Thirds Compromise
The Three-Fifths Compromise
Which idea was at the center of the Anti-Federalist position?
Federalism
Separation of powers
Limited government
Popular sovereignty
Anti-Federalists did not want states to ratify the Constitution unless:
A Presidential position was added
A Bill of Rights was added
A Judicial Branch was added
Article V was removed
Who was responsible for writing most of the Federalist Papers?
Alexander Hamilton
George Washington
James Madison
Patrick Henry
The Federalist Papers were a series of essays designed to:
Gain support for a Bill of Rights
Dig up political dirt on John Adams
Gain support for ratification of the Constitution
Satirize a strong central government
___________________ is the power of the Supreme Court to decide whether or not laws are constitutional.
Judicial Review
Limited Government
Popular Sovereignty
Checks and Balances
___________________ constitutes a system for controlling governmental power. Under this principle, each branch of government possesses the ability to restrain certain actions of the other branches.
Checks and Balances
Popular Sovereignty
Federalism
Judicial Review
___________________ is the principle that governmental authority is derived from the people. Under this principle, the government governs with the consent of the governed.
Checks and Balances
Popular Sovereignty
Federalism
Judicial Review
___________________ is a system in which power is divided between national and state governments. Under the U.S. Constitution, this principle is reflected in the division of powers between the national government and the states.
Checks and Balances
Popular Sovereignty
Federalism
Judicial Review
The principle of ___________________ requires a distribution of governmental powers among independent branches. Each of the branches has a specific field of authority and unique set of responsibilities within the operation of the government.
Checks and Balances
Popular Sovereignty
Separation of Powers
Judicial Review
The principle of ___________________ holds that a government can only exercise the powers granted to it. Government must be conducted according to the rule of law.
Checks and Balances
Limited Government
Federalism
Rule of Law
How does the system of checks and balances prevent any single branch from becoming too powerful?
By giving the president absolute authority
By eliminating the legislative branch
By creating a unicameral legislature
By allowing each branch to restrict actions of other branches
What branch of government is established in Article I of the Constitution?
The Executive Branch
The Legislative Branch
The Judicial Branch
The Military Branch
What branch of government is established in Article II of the Constitution?
The Executive Branch
The Legislative Branch
The Judicial Branch
The Military Branch
What is the primary role of the Legislative Branch?
Make laws
Execute laws
Interpret laws
Sign/Veto laws
What is the primary role of the Executive Branch?
Make laws
Execute laws
Interpret laws
Sign/Veto laws
The “necessary and proper” clause gives Congress the ability to:
Create implied powers for themselves to help them carry out their expressed powers
Execute criminals convicted of felonies if there is proper cause
Determine the constitutionality of laws
Sign/Veto laws
The “necessary and proper” clause gives Congress way too much power. This opinion would have been held by:
Federalists
Anti-Federalists
Whigs
All of the above
What is a “legislature”?
A branch of the U.S. military
A group of people who make laws
The chamber where the Supreme Court presides
The jurisdiction of a federal court
The Legislative Branch of the United States (Congress) consists of two chambers. What are they? (Fill in 2 bubbles)
The House of Burgesses
The House of Representatives
The Senate
The United States Parliament
In order to be eligible to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives, you must be at least:
25 years old
30 years old
35 years old
40 years old
In order to be eligible to serve in the U.S. Senate, you must be at least:
30 years old
32 years old
35 years old
40 years old
In the House of Representatives, the number of representatives each state is given is based on:
Population
GDP of the state
Equal Representation
All of the above
For the Senate, the number of representatives each state is given is based on:
GDP of the state
Population
Equal representation
All of the above
The leader of the House of Representatives is:
The House Majority Leader
The Senate Majority Leader
The Speaker of the House
The President Pro Tempore
What types of legislation must start in the House of Representatives?
Revenue/taxation bills
Immigration bills
National park bills
Corporate regulation bills
The most powerful person in the Senate is:
The House Majority Leader
The Senate Majority Leader
The Speaker of the House
The President Pro Tempore
A filibuster is:
A speech the president gives to describe his/her legislative agenda
When the President fills in words to make a bill fit his/her political agenda
A lengthy speech used to delay a vote on a bill in the U.S. Senate
A lengthy speech used to delay a vote on a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives
Members of the House of Representatives cannot filibuster because:
There are not enough members
There are rules that limit debate time
They CAN filibuster
The Speaker of the House outlawed this in 1875
The 'Power of the Purse' (power to appropriate funds) rests with which branch?
Legislative Branch
Executive Branch
Judicial Branch
“Gerrymandering” refers to the practice of:
Redrawing state borders to pack the House of Representatives
Speaking for as long as possible to delay a vote on a bill
Redrawing district lines to give one political party the advantage over the other.
Spending money without the approval of Congress
Originally, the Constitution required that which chamber of Congress be elected indirectly (appointed by state legislatures)?
The Senate
The House of Representatives
Both the House and the Senate
None of the other options
Which Constitutional Amendment changed the election process of Senators to allow people to elect them directly?
The 14th Amendment
The 2nd Amendment
The 17th Amendment
The 3rd Amendment
What fundamental democratic principle is most directly represented by the election of congressional representatives?
Federalism
Separation of Powers
Judicial Review
Popular Sovereignty
Congress has a variety of powers that are granted to them in the Constitution. In order to carry these powers out, Congress assumes it has additional powers. These additional powers that are not directly written are called:
Written Powers
Specified Powers
Implied Powers
Expressed (Enumerated) Powers
Congress has a variety of powers that are granted to them specifically in the Constitution. These powers are called:
Written Powers
Specified Powers
Implied Powers
Expressed (Enumerated) Powers
Congress has the power to:
Declare War
Command the Armed Forces
Sign or Veto Bills
Sign or Veto Bills
Congress has the power to:
Rule laws unconstitutional
Appropriate funds (Power of the Purse)
Sign or Veto Bills
Pardon those accused of crimes
Congress has the power to:
Lead the armed forces
Sign or Veto Bills
Raise an Army and Navy
Pardon those accused of crimes
Congress has the power to:
Make treaties
Sign or Veto Bills
Confirm Presidential appointments
Pardon those accused of crimes
Which of the following actions requires a simple majority of Congress.
Overriding Presidential vetoes
Declaring war
Passing laws
Convicting an impeached official
Select the correct progression of a bill becoming a law.
1. Introduced, 2. Goes to committee, 3. Congress debates the bill and votes, 4. President signs or vetoes the bill
1. Introduced, 2. Congress debates the bill and votes, 3. Goes to committee, 4. President signs or vetoes the bill
1. Introduced, 2. Congress debates the bill and votes, 3. President signs or vetoes the bill, 4. Goes to committee
1. Goes to committee, 2. Introduced, 3. Congress debates the bill and votes, 4. President signs or vetoes the bill
The first 10 amendments to the Constitution are called:
The Amendments of Rights
Rights of the Accused
The Non Delegated Rights
The Bill of Rights
The Right to Bear Arms (to own guns) is a protection in the Bill of Rights. What Constitutional Amendment guarantees U.S. citizens this right?
The 1st amendment
The 2nd amendment
The 3rd amendment
The 4th amendment
The Freedoms of Speech, Religion, Press, Assembly, and Petition are guaranteed to Americans by:
The 1st amendment
The 2nd amendment
The 3rd amendment
The 4th amendment
Which Constitutional Amendment protects you from unlawful searches (unreasonable searches and seizures?)
The 1st amendment
The 2nd amendment
The 3rd amendment
The 4th amendment
The United States Constitution does not mention anything about education, among other things. Therefore, the federal government has limited power when it comes to formulating education policy. Because the 10th Amendment reserves rights not listed in the Constitution to the state governments, what principle is this in action?
Popular Sovereignty
Federalism
Checks and Balances
Expressed Powers
The Executive Branch can check the Legislative Branch by:
Making treaties with foreign nations
Vetoing Bills
Appointing Supreme Court Justices
Pardoning those accused of crimes
The Executive Branch can check the Judicial Branch by:
Making treaties with foreign nations
Vetoing Bills
Appointing Supreme Court Justices
Declaring laws unconstitutional
The Judicial Branch can check the Legislative Branch by:
Making treaties with foreign nations
Vetoing Bills
Appointing Supreme Court Justices
Declaring laws unconstitutional
The Legislative Branch can check the Executive Branch by:
Making treaties with foreign nations
Confirming presidential appointees
Appointing Supreme Court Justices
Pardoning those accused of crimes
The Senate must approve or reject treaties that the President negotiates with foreign nations. This is an example of:
Judicial Review
Popular Sovereignty
Checks and Balances
Executive Oversight
In the case Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896, the Supreme Court ruled that the Louisiana Separate Car Act (which allowed for legal segregation) was constitutional. In doing this, the Supreme Court exercised:
Judicial Review
Popular Sovereignty
Consent of the Governed
Legislative Oversight
A midterm election is a Congressional election that happens:
Two years after a Presidential election
Two years after Supreme Court Justice nominations
Four years after a Presidential election
Every two years
After the Civil War, there were a series of amendments passed to give newly freed slaves civil liberties and protections. What were these amendments called?
The Civil Rights Amendments
The Civil Liberties Amendments
The Post-Civil War Amendments
The Reconstruction Amendments
“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for a crime...shall exist within the United States…” This is an excerpt of what Constitutional Amendment?
The 14th Amendment
The 12th Amendment
The 15th Amendment
The 13th Amendment
The 14th Amendment to the Constitution contains which of the following clauses?
The Citizenship Clause
The Equal Protection Clause
The Due Process Clause
All of the above
The 15th Amendment to the Constitution grants voting rights to:
Men of any race
Women of any race
Immigrants
All of the above
Laws that openly discriminate against African Americans following the Civil War were referred to as:
Uncivil Rights
Jim Crow Laws
Russell Crow Laws
Restriction Laws
What landmark Supreme Court decision established the principle of judicial review?
Brown v. Board of Education
Plessy v. Ferguson
Marbury v. Madison
Gibbons v. Ogden
The 1896 Supreme Court ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson made __________ legal.
Slavery
Segregation
Judicial Review
Integration
In 1954, the landmark Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education officially ended:
Slavery
Voting rights for immigrants
Segregation in public facilities
The indirect election of Senators
Which of the following positions are appointed by the President?
Vice President
Speaker of the House
Cabinet members
Foreign ambassadors
Supreme Court Justices (and other federal judges)
Why do presidential appointments require Senate confirmation?
To slow down government processes
To increase bureaucratic complexity
To provide a check on executive power
To limit voter participation
The President has the power to
Declare war
Appropriate funds
Grant pardons/reprieves
Determine the constitutionality of laws
The President has the power to
Impeach federal officials
Sign/veto laws
Administer elections
Override vetoes
How does the presidential veto power demonstrate the principle of checks and balances?
It enables the executive branch to directly challenge legislative actions
It provides a mechanism for the president to review and potentially block congressional legislation
It eliminates congressional lawmaking authority
It allows the president to create laws
It allows the president to create laws
Laws require Congress to pass them, executive orders require a majority of Supreme Court Justices to approve
Laws can be overturned by the Supreme Court, executive orders cannot
Executive orders can be overturned by the Supreme Court, laws cannot
Laws require Congress to pass them, executive orders only require the President
Which of the following is an implied power of the President?
Granting pardons/reprieves
Serving as Commander-in-Chief
Recommending laws to Congress (legislative initiative)
Delivering the State of the Union Address
Which of the following is an expressed power of the President?
Invoking executive privilege
Entering into executive agreements
Recommending laws to Congress (legislative initiative)
Negotiating treaties
Which of the following is NOT an official role of the President?
Chief Justice
Chief Executive
Chief Diplomat
Commander-in-Chief
Which Constitutional Amendment changed Inauguration Day from March 4th to January 20th?
20th Amendment
22nd Amendment
23rd Amendment
25th Amendment
Which Constitutional Amendment outlines the process of filling a presidential vacancy?
20th Amendment
22nd Amendment
23rd Amendment
25th Amendment
Which Constitutional Amendment limits presidents to two terms?
20th Amendment
22nd Amendment
23rd Amendment
25th Amendment
Select the correct order of presidential successors in the case of a death, resignation, or impeachment and removal of a president.
1. Vice President, 2. President Pro Tempore, 3. Speaker of the House
1. Speaker of the House, 2. President Pro Tempore, 3. Vice President
1. Vice President, 2. Speaker of the House, 3. President Pro Tempore
