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Government Ch. 2 Reading Quiz

Total questions: 24

Worksheet time: 12mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

To the framers, the great danger of democratic government was the risk of

a)

tyranny of the majority

b)

special-interest politics

c)

a weak presidency

d)

elite rule

2.

Which of the following is a core aspect of European parliamentary democracies that differs from American democracies?

a)

Legislative power is subject to closer review by the judiciary

b)

There is no governmental judiciary

c)

A legislative majority does not go hand in hand with executive power in office

d)

Legislative and executive power is not divided

3.

the three-fifths Compromise was a response to

a)

the demands of large states

b)

conflict over the institution of slavery

c)

the demands of large states

d)

apportionment in the U.S. Senate

4.

Under the new constitution, presidents would be

a)

directly selected by the people

b)

selected by votes of the state legislatures

c)

selected by electors appointed by the states

d)

subject to recall elections

5.

which of the following was NOT provided for by the Articles of Confederation?

a)

each state having one vote in Congress

b)

a national Congress

c)

unanimous approval by the states to amend the Articles

d)

an independent federal executive

6.

Progressive reforms included

a)

primary elections

b)

the direct primary

c)

direct election of U.S. senators

d)

all are correct

7.

Marbury v. Madison is a landmark Supreme Court decision because it

a)

set the precedent for judicial review

b)

defined the scope of state powers under the Tenth Amendment

c)

established national supremacy

d)

affirmed the necessary and proper clause

8.

The direct election of the US senators came about due to

a)

the fact that state legislators no longer desired to select them

b)

political pressure from the Progressives

c)

passage of the Second Amendment

d)

Jacksonian democracy

9.

the idea that government should be restricted in its lawful uses of power and hence in its ability to deprive people by their liberty is expressed by the term

a)

natural rights

b)

judicial review

c)

self-government

d)

limited government

10.

the Great Compromise produced

a)

a bicameral Congress

b)

checks and balances

c)

separation of powers

d)

the abolition of slavery

11.

the writers of the Constitution used the term ___ for a form of government that consists of carefully designed institutions that are responsive to the majority but not captie to it

a)

democracy

b)

separation of power

c)

republic

d)

federalism

12.

the principle of checks and balances is based on the notion that

a)

all legislative and executive action should be controlled through judicial power

b)

legislators and executives cannot be trusted, but judges are trustworthy

c)

leaders are the trustees of the people

d)

power must be used to offset power

13.

the presidential power to make treaties and appoint high-ranking individuals is subject to approval by

a)

the Senate

b)

the Supreme Court

c)

only the president

d)

Congress

14.

According to John Locke, inalienable rights in a social contract

a)

belong to individuals but can be denied by government

b)

are no longer as important to the individual as in a state of nature

c)

belong to individuals and cannot be denied by the government

d)

cannot be guaranteed by any governmental body

15.

The Federalists finally gained the votes of New York and Virginia for ratification of the Constitution when they promised

a)

a bill of rights to be quickly added to the Constitution

b)

a ban on the slave trade after 1808

c)

a Supreme Court with the right of judicial review

d)

the right of states to disobey any national law they didn't like

16.

most Anti-Federalists feared that the new government would be dominated by

a)

political "factions"

b)

political elites

c)

clergymen

d)

farmers

17.

in order for the Constitution to go into effect, at least ___ states would need to ratify it

a)

7

b)

9

c)

11

d)

13

e)

5

18.

The Federalist Papers were written by

a)

Jefferson, Locke, and Montesquieu

b)

Madison, Hamilton, and Jay

c)

Washington, Adams, and Jefferson

d)

Marshall, Jefferson, and Adams

19.

In practice, the most significant restraint imposed by Congress on the president is its

a)

power of impeachment

b)

power to approve presidential appointees

c)

power to make the laws and appropriate money

d)

ability to override presidential vetoes

20.

Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress had the power to

a)

amend the Articles of Confederation

b)

tax individual citizens

c)

regulate commerce between states and foreign countries

d)

regulate commerce between states

21.

which of the following is an example of checks and balances?

a)

the veto

b)

judicial review

c)

the impeachment process

d)

all of these are correct

e)

approval of treaties

22.

During the debates over the ratification of the Constitution, most people assumed that ________ would be the first president

a)

Thomas Jefferson

b)

Alexander Hamilton

c)

George Washington

d)

Benjamin Franklin

23.

The writers of the Constitution devised the Electoral College as the method of choosing presidents because

a)

the framers had a great deal of faith in the wisdom of the masses

b)

direct election was impractical, due to the poor systems of communication and transportation

c)

that method guaranteed a majority winner

d)

that method would shield executive power from direct linkage to popular majorities

24.

under the Virginia Plan

a)

slaves would count as four-fifths of a person when apportioning legislative representatives

b)

large states would have more representatives in both chambers of Congress

c)

the new Constitution would be only marginally stronger than the Articles of Confederation

d)

Congress could not regulate either interstate trade or international trade