WorksheetsCivic Literacy Honors Final Exam Review
Total questions: 38
Worksheet time: 19mins
“It is emphatically the province and duty of the judicial department to say what the law is. Those who apply the rule to particular cases, must of necessity expound and interpret that rule. If two laws conflict with each other, the courts must decide on the operation of each.”
— Chief Justice John Marshall in Marbury v. Madison (1803)
The decision in Marbury v. Madison (1803) expanded the power of the Supreme Court by
Establishing the power of judicial review.
Interpreting the interstate commerce clause.
Restricting the use of the elastic clause.
Upholding the constitutionality of the National Bank.
The Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights were significant influences on United States constitutional development because they
Provided suffrage for all men and women.
Called for the abolition of slavery.
Supported the development of federalism.
Placed limits on the powers of the government and guaranteed certain liberties to the people.
Use the chart below to answer the question.
Types of Government in Some Nations
China~communist state
Cuba~dictatorship
Saudi Arabia~absolute monarchy
United States~democracy
In which nation do citizens freely elect government representatives?
China
Saudi Arabia
United States
Cuba
At the Constitutional Convention of 1787, the Three-Fifths Compromise and the Great Compromise dealt with the issue of
Amending the Constitution.
Representation in Congress.
Rights of the accused.
Women's rights.
The Constitution provides that the president "shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the Supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States... (Article 2, Section 2)." The Senate has always jealously guarded its power to review and approve or reject presidential appointees to executive and judicial branch posts.
--"Power & Procedures," United States Senate
Based on the text, what is the role of the U.S. Senate in presidential appointments?
to act as an important check on presidential appointments
to ensure that some appointees previously served in the legislative branch
to nominate candidates for all presidential appointments
to ensure that the appointees are from the majority political party
Which of the following actions by public school students would most likely be protected by symbolic speech based on the precedent established by Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969)?
Leading prayers over the school's public address system.
Wearing t-shirts objecting to a school board decision.
Protesting a school board decision by disrupting a school assembly.
Publishing an editorial in the school newspaper.
In a criminal trial, what burden of proof must a prosecutor demonstrate in order to get a guilty verdict?
preponderance of evidence
reasonable suspicion
beyond a reasonable doubt
probable cause
Which constitutional guarantee is demonstrated in this sequence?
Police officer determines probable cause and requests a warrant --> Judge issues a warrant --> Police officer serves and searches property
public assembly
freedom of speech
trial by jury
due process of law
Which action is protected by the Bill of Rights?
Yelling "bomb" in a busy and crowded airport.
Carrying an unregistered handgun.
Requiring a morning prayer at a public school.
Writing a letter complaining to the mayor of your town.
"All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside."
-Section 1 of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
According to the 14th Amendment, how could someone whose parents are both foreign citizens qualify to become a U.S. citizen?
The person is at least 25 years of age.
The person has held a U.S. public office.
The person was born in the United States.
The person now lives in the United States.
Supreme Court justices were given life tenure subject to good behavior by the framers of the Constitution in order to ensure that
cooperation between the judicial and legislative branches is assured.
justices remain accountable to the public.
justices are encouraged to make politically popular decisions.
justices are free from direct political pressures and public opinion.
From 1948-1994, official policy in South Africa gave white people all the political power. Even though the majority of South Africans were black, nonwhites could not influence and participate in government. White South Africans would then be the ones who elected representatives to sit in a lawmaking body.
What two forms of government are evident in South Africa up until 1994?
Monarchy and Oligarchy
Anarchy and Democracy
Oligarchy and Democracy
Theocracy and Monarchy
In January 2010, a terrible earthquake devastated Haiti. The United States sent food, water, and medical care to help those affected. What tool of foreign policy is best being demonstrated in this scenario?
Use of military force.
Providing aid to a foreign country.
Setting up a trade agreement.
Negotiating a treaty.
The lawmaking process in New York City begins when a city council member introduces a bill. Council committees hold hearings and can make changes to the bill. The final version of the bill then goes before city council for a vote if the committee has approved it. If the council passes it, the bill goes to the mayor to be signed or vetoed. If the mayor vetoes the bill, then the city council has thirty days to override it.
The New York City Council plays a role similar to what body at the federal, or national, level?
Congress
The Supreme Court
The President
The Cabinet
Use the table below and your knowledge of social studies to answer the question.
Constitutional Provisions / Issues Addressed
Article I, Section 9 ~ Habeas corpus
Fourth Amendment ~Searches and seizures
Fifth Amendment ~Double jeopardy; self incrimination
Sixth Amendment ~ Trial by jury; legal counsel
Eighth Amendment ~ Bail and punishment
The sections of the Constitution listed above protect people in what circumstances?
When seeking employment
When registering to vote
When being charged with a crime
When applying for citizenship
Use the following excerpt to answer the question.
The Council of the Mohawk shall be divided into three parties . . . The third party is to listen only to the discussion of the first and second parties, and if an error is made or the proceeding is irregular they are to call attention to it, and when the case is right and properly decided by the two parties they shall confirm the decision of the two parties and refer the case to the Seneca Lords for their decision.
---The Constitution of the Iroquois Nations
Which principle of government found in the Iroquois Constitution influenced the framing of the United States Constitution?
Popular Sovereignty
Separation of Powers
Unilateralism
Federalism
Debate over Ratification of the United States Constitution
Speaker A: “Our liberty depends on guaranteed individual rights. Citizens with these rights will be able to make decisions for the good of the whole nation.”
Speaker B: “I admire your optimism; however, only a well-educated group of elected officials should be trusted to make decisions for the good of all.”
Speaker A: “We must not allow the rule of a few privileged officials to overpower the will of average citizens.”
Speaker B: “A strong central government, composed of elected officials, will be acting in the best interests of all citizens.”
Speaker A: “I fear you are ignoring the needs of the people. There must be a guarantee that the freedoms of citizens will not be trampled over by a strong national government.”
In this debate, Speaker A would most likely agree that the leaders of the nation should
Increase the power of the federal government
Limit the right to vote to property owners
Establish a monarchy
Add a bill of rights to the Constitution
“This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.”
---Article VI, Paragraph 2
Why is this article of the United States Constitution significant?
It establishes judicial independence.
It grants supreme power to the President of the US.
It sets forth a state’s right to change any law it does not agree with in the Constitution.
It establishes that the Constitution is the highest form of law in America.
Which United States governmental principle includes the concepts of reserved powers, delegated powers, and concurrent powers?
Federalism
The unwritten Constitution
Judicial Review
The amending process
In his book, The Spirit of Laws (1748), French philosopher Baron de Montesquieu wrote of a “tripartite system” of government in which the powers of government are separated and assigned to different bodies.
How are Montesquieu’s ideas applied in the United States Constitution?
Three civil protections (life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness)
Three levels of government (local, state, and federal)
Three branches of government (legislative, executive, and judicial)
Three levels of the judiciary (district, appellate, and supreme courts)
A primary aim of the writers of the United States Constitution was to
Weaken the power of the executive.
Change from a government based on division of powers to one based on a single power.
Develop a governmental system based on the principle of supremacy of the states.
Strengthen the power of the central government.
~ Congress could not levy and collect taxes
~ Congress could not regulate interstate or foreign trade
~There was no national court system to settle disputes
~ The thirteen separate states lacked national unity
Which document is characterized by these attributes?
Magna Carta
U.S. Constitution
Articles of Confederation
Declaration of Independence
In his book, The Spirit of Laws (1748), French philosopher Baron de Montesquieu wrote of a “tripartite system” of government in which the powers of government are separated and assigned to different bodies.
How are Montesquieu’s ideas applied in the U.S. Constitution?
Three branches of government (legislative, executive, and judicial)
Three levels of the judiciary (district, appellate, and supreme courts)
Three levels of government (local, state, and federal)
Three civil protections (life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness)
Which quotation taken from the U.S. Constitution provides for limiting the power of the government?
“All persons born or naturalized in the United States…are citizens of the United States…”
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion…or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press…”
“This Constitution…shall be the supreme law of the land…”
“The President shall be commander in chief of the army and navy…”
“…There may come a time when we elect a president at age 45 or 50, and then 20 years later the country comes up with the same sort of problems that the president faced before and the people would like to bring that man or woman back, they’d have no ability to do so…I’d kind of like to see it changed. I don’t have terribly strong feelings about it…”
--Former President Bill Clinton, May 28, 2013
In this statement, former President Bill Clinton is commenting on the
deep divide of having a two party political system.
presidential primary election process.
presidential two term limit set forth by the 22nd Amendment.
fallacies found within the Electoral College process.
What would be the best title for the column?
Be informed
Register for Selective Service
Vote
Serve in court
Respect the rights of others
Pay taxes
Respect diversity
Obey laws
Civic Responsibilities, Civics Duties
Civic Virtues, Community Goals
Government Regulations, Personal Goals
Civic Responsibilities, Government Regulations
Unaffiliated voters may, if they wish, choose to vote for a party’s candidates if that party agrees to allow “crossover voting.” The California Republican Party and the California Democratic Party have agreed to let unaffiliated voters vote for their candidates.
—League of Women Voters of California
Based on this excerpt, what is the MAIN purpose of crossover voting?
to require political parties to spend more money on campaigns
to prevent a third party from complicating an election
to allow state officials to monitor election sites for irregularities
to increase citizen participation during primary elections
How does the Electoral College limit the voting power of citizens?
Because of the design of the Constitution, the Electoral College is comprised in each state of the political party in the minority.
The Electoral College must approve campaign contributions to each candidate or political party.
Because of the Electoral College system, sometimes a president is elected who did not receive a majority of the popular vote.
The Electoral College fails to properly educate American voters.
How does the media in the United States generally influence legislation?
The media provides news coverage on topics that influence the public and lawmakers.
The media offers the most reliable sources of information available to lawmakers.
The media sets the agenda for political party platforms, which influences voting.
The media reporting of news allows for more independent decision making by legislators.
“There she lies…Can’t you hear the roaring and the bubbling? There gapes her mouth –the harbour where a thousand mammoth feeders come from the ends of the world to pour in their human freight. Ah, what a stirring and a seething! Celt and Latin, Slav and Teuton, Greek and Syrian, -black and yellow…Yes, East and West, and North and South, the palm and the pine, the pole and the equator, the crescent and the cross–how the great Alchemist melts and fuses them with his purging flame! Here shall they all unite…what is the glory of Rome and Jerusalem…compared with the glory of America, where all races and nations come to labor and look forward!!”
-Israel Zangwill, New York: Macmillan, 1909.
According to Zangwill's Theory, what happens to each culture as it comes to the United States?
Each culture maintains its distinct characteristics and when put together with all the other cultures, creates a mosaic of the American culture.
Each culture gets stripped of their original attributes and recreated as something new, but still identifiable within the American culture.
Each culture assimilates and transforms as it enters the United States, but those transformations did not make them all into the same thing.
Each culture loses its identifiable attributes as it gets blended together with the other cultures to create a single American culture.
The authors of the United States Constitution included a system of checks and balances to…
Prevent any one branch of government from controlling the other branches.
Safeguard the United States against foreign attacks.
Guarantee respect for the freedoms listed in the Bill of Rights.
Protect states against the power of the national government.
“In contemplating the causes which may disturb our Union, it occurs as matter of serious concern that any ground should have been furnished for characterizing parties by Geographical discriminations, Northern and Southern, Atlantic and Western; whence designing men may endeavor to excite a belief that there is a real difference of local interests and views. One of the expedients of party to acquire influence within particular districts is to misrepresent the opinions and aims of other districts. You cannot shield yourselves too much against the jealousies and heart-burnings, which spring from these misrepresentations; they tend to render alien to each other those who ought to be bound together by fraternal affection.”
George Washington’s Farewell Address, 1796
How did the country’s leaders respond to George Washington’s warnings against political parties?
His views on political parties created stalemates in the election process.
His views were largely ignored and political parties rose in prominence to dominate the political system.
His views gained enough support to prevent the formation of viable third parties.
His views that political parties were not mentioned in the U.S. Constitution slowed their growth for a century.
Before the American Revolution, John Locke and Baron de Montesquieu wrote about the need for governments to be responsible to the people they govern. Montesquieu advocated constitutionalism and the preservation of civil liberties. Locke favored a social contract between a country's citizens and their government.
Which quote from the Declaration of Independence MOST closely combines the ideas of these two men?
"Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."
"He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual...for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures."
"Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes..."
"The history of the present...is a history of repeated injuries...having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny..."
The government in the United Kingdom is divided into three branches—an executive, a legislature, and a judiciary. The legislature, called Parliament, is divided into two houses—the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Members of the House of Commons are elected, while members of the House of Lords are appointed. The executive consists of the Prime Minister, the leader of the majority party in Parliament, and other ministers. All ministers are a part of the Parliament; thus, all people in the executive branch are also in the legislative branch. In some cases, these officials may also serve in the judiciary. The highest judicial power in the United Kingdom is the Supreme Court, which can overturn decisions if they violate the constitutional tenets of the nation.
Based on the description provided, what is the difference between the government of the United Kingdom (Parliamentary Democracy) and the government of the United States (Presidential Democracy)?
Both the United Kingdom and the United States have bicameral legislatures in which both houses are popularly elected.
The government in the United Kingdom lacks separation of powers, which is a central aspect of government in the United States.
Both the United Kingdom and the United States have a strong executive leader who makes decisions independent of the legislature.
The government in the United States is a representational democracy, whereas the United Kingdom has a direct democracy.
Every four years each political party holds a national convention. At the national convention, the party prioritizes issues and decides its position on each topic. These positions are discussed and debated by members of the party from around the country. A platform, or list of beliefs, is created to state the official views of the party for that election. Individual topics, like defense spending, are referred to as planks.
What roles does a platform play in the election process?
Platforms inform the public about the party candidate’s position on a variety of issues.
Platforms establish the fundamental positions of the state parties.
Platform plans reflect how the campaign changes and evolves during the election.
Platforms are created for representatives to follow once elected.
Use the excerpts below to answer the question that follows.
"We consider the underlying fallacy . . . If one race be inferior to the other socially, the Constitution of the United States cannot put them upon the same plane.”
-Justice Henry Brown, 1896
"On consideration whereof it is ordered . . . decrees consistent with the opinions of this Court as are necessary and proper to admit to public schools on a racially nondiscriminatory basis with all deliberate speed the parties to this case."
-Chief Justice Earl Warren, 1955
How did the ruling in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas (1954) change the interpretation of citizenship from the previous ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)?
American Indian citizenship no longer required application and government approval.
Full citizenship for war deserters and felons was restored through amnesty.
The double standard of segregation was replaced by a single standard for all citizens.
The residency requirements to become naturalized citizens decreased from fourteen to five years.
A major weakness of government under the Articles of Confederation was that
Congress could not enforce its laws.
State governments could not coin money.
Too much power was given to the president.
The large states received more votes in Congress than small states did.
Congress ends its session the day a bill is sent to the president. Which action would constitute a pocket veto?
The president sets the bill aside and ignores it.
The president signs the bill into law.
The president rejects the bill and sends it back to Congress.
The president meets with congressional leaders before signing the bill.
