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WorksheetsAmerican Government Final Exam 2025
Total questions: 75
Worksheet time: 2hrs 41mins
Which of the following is a basic characteristic of federalism?
It encourages citizen participation in government.
It gives most power to the National Government.
It divides power between a National Government and State governments.
It gives most power to local units of government.
The major importance of the 12th Amendment is that it
eliminated the possibility of a tie for the presidency.
required electors to pledge to vote for their party's chosen candidate.
made electors' votes automatic.
did away with the electoral college system.
Which of the following ballots tends to encourage straight-ticket voting?
party-column ballot
nonpartisan ballot
"bed-sheet" ballot
office-group ballot
Which of the following statements about the 4th Amendment is TRUE?
It has been of little importance in our history.
It applies only to the states.
It prohibits all arrests made without a warrant.
It forbids unreasonable searches and seizures.
A president can serve no more than _________ years in office.
4
8
10
12
The main way to end a filibuster is by
a two-thirds vote of the Senate.
convening a conference committee.
voting the filibuster out of office.
invoking the Cloture Rule.
The spoils system is
the practice of hiring the most qualified candidates for federal jobs.
a democratic means of filling offivces.
completely unrelated to the practice of patronage.
the practice of giving offices and other favors of government to friends and supporters.
How and when bills reach the floor of the House is decided by the
Appropriations Committee.
Judiciary Committee.
Rules Committee.
Ways and Means Committee.
The power of the National Government to coin money is
an inherent power.
an implied power.
a concurrent power.
an expressed power.
The Judiciary Act of 1789 was an example of
a court decision.
a formal amendment to the Consitution.
a congressional change to the Constitution.
an executive agreement.
Which of the following services are provided by both State AND local government?
public safety and industrial regulation
urbanizations and education
education and public safety
education and defense
Which part of the Constitution declares that a person can become an American citizen either by birth or by naturalization?
The Bill of Rights
14th Amendment
13th Amendment
the Preamble
Concurrent powers are those that are
exercised simultaneously by the National and State governments.
denied to both National and State governments.
exercised by the National Government alone.
exercised by the State governments alone
The fewest amount of presidential electors a state can have in a general election is
three.
one.
four.
two.
In the United States, a political party is made up of a group of people who
work separately to support one major program or policy.
work to get candidates elected to political offices.
disagree on how to resolve the basic issues affecting the country.
support split-ticket voting.
The difference between a treaty and an executive agreement is that
the President needs Senate approval for a treaty but not for an executive agreement.
a treaty must begin in the Senate but an executive agreement is made wholly by the President.
a treaty ends or prevents a war but an executive agreement does not.
a treaty is with a foreign state but an executive agreement is domestic.
In case the President is disabled or unable to do his job, the way the Vice President becomes President is determined by the
25th Amendment.
Presidential Succession Act.
original Constitution.
Congress.
The Supreme Court ruling in Gibbons v. Ogden expanded the
currency power by including paper money as legal tender.
commerce power to include all commercial interactions.
power to tax by allowing a tax on incomes.
power over territories to include the taking of private property.
The fact that the Court has ruled that campaign contributions are a form of free speech makes campaign finance regulation more difficult because
it will have to done through a constitutional amendment.
such regulation will undoubtedly be found to be unconstitutional.
speech cannot be regulated unless it is false misleading.
to regulate speech is to limit it, which is difficult to do without violating the 1st Amendment.
Most bills introduced in the House die at which of these steps?
cloture
quorum
floor vote
committee
What constitutional amendment was central to the Gideon vs. Wainwright case?
Eighth Amendment
Fourth Amendment
Sixth Amendment
First Amendment
The Plessy decision of "Separate but Equal" was not overturned until what famous case decided by the Supreme Court?
Worcester v. Georgia
Marbury v. Madison
Dred Scott
Brown v. Board of Education
What did Dred Scott argue in the Scott v. Sandford case?
He was free because he had lived in free states
He was free because he was now a slaveholder
He should not have been captured because he was a fugitive
He should get his property back through due process
The Judicial Branch includes
Circuit Courts
US Court of Appeal
District Courts
Supreme Court
the Cabinet
To serve on the Supreme Court, a person must be
appointed by the President and approved by the Senate
appointed by the President and approved by Congress
appointed by the President and approved by the House of Representatives
appointed by the President
approved by Congress
There are ____ members of the US Supreme Court
7
9
11
13
27
Why does Marbury v. Madison matter?
It established the principle of judicial review.
It changed the requirements for statehood.
It defined federal legislative powers.
It introduced the concept of executive privilege.
If no candidates reach the minimum 270 votes then who votes to decide the President?
Senate
House of Representatives
Supreme Court
Candidates need at least ___ electoral votes to win the presidency.
100
270
Every ___ years the U.S. Census is taken to determine how many representatives each state will have in the House of Representatives.
5
2
10
20
Which amendment remove poll taxes?
15
19
24
26
What is the supreme law of the land?
The Senate
The House of Representatives
The Supreme Court
The Constitution
The Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution to meet the demands of the
Federalists
Anti-Federalists
Congress
Patriots
The primary role of the President's Cabinet is to
Veto laws that the president does not approve of
Represent the president when he/she is unable to attend meetings
Tell congress what laws the president would like them to pass
Advice the president on matters and help implement federal law
Dissenting opinions accomplish all of the following EXCEPT
Allowing the voice of the minority to be heard
Providing a statement of opinion that may be looked at in a new light in future years
Getting the Supreme Court to revote
Establishing a record of the reason the Court's opinion was divided
Which of the following must approve presidential appointments?
The Senate
The House of Representatives
Liberal constructionists
Strict constructionists
An electoral system in which the candidate receives a plurality of votes wins the election is called
single-member district
proportional representation
electoral representation
plurality representation
Plurality is
having more votes than any other candidate
a system of representation in which seats are apportioned according to the proportion of the vote
the principle that asserts single-member districts must have two parties
the principle that winning an election is important
Infotainment is
broadcasting meant to entertain an audience
a blend of news and entertainment that emphasizes amusement
a form of interpretive journalism that adopts strategies to broaden journalistic perspectives
none of the above
The House is composed of
535 members
435 members
members based on the results of the election
none of these answers
One of the Senate's powers ;is
to impeach federal officials
choose the president in case of a tie
approve treaties, cabinet level appointments, and appointments to the Supreme Court
none of these answers
Powers reserved to the House are
to try federal officials who have been impeached
approve treaties and appointments to the Supreme Court
impeach federal officials and choose the president in case of a tie in the Electoral College
create post offices
The Congressional Budget Office
Is a nonpartisan agency created by Congress to assist in the budgetary process
Is an agency of the Office of Management and Budget
works for the president in developing a national budget
none of these answers
A bipartisan committee composed of members from both houses of Congress to develop identical versions of the same bill is called a
standing committee
ad hoc committee
conference committee
select committee
The agency that assists the president in generating budget requests and expenditures is called the
Congressional Budget Office
Office of Management and Budget
Office of Management and Spending
Office of Budgets and Management Priorites
The argument that the Court should make public policy and vigorously review the policies of other branches is called
judicial activation
judicial dis-restraint
judicial policy making
judicial activism
The idea that no one is above the law and that everyone must be treated equally before the law is called
rule of law
basic fairness
judicial equality
legal precedent
Amendment that called for direct election of Senators (Constitution calls for State Legislatures to appoint).
16th
17th
18th
19th
Unfairly providing an advantage to a certain political party or taking power from minority voting blocs.
Gerrymandering
Bicameral
Redistricting
Montesquieu argued that the 3 branches of government should have power over each other and stop a branch if it got too powerful. This is known as ____________.
Checks and Balances
Liberty
Separation of Powers
Checks of Power
What were John Locke's 3 natural rights?
Life, Liberty, pursuit of happiness
Live, Laugh, Love
Life, Liberty, Property
Life, Speech, Religion
According to John Locke, these are given by God and cannot be taken by the government. The protection of these is the purpose of the government.
divine rights
systemic rights
natural rights
preternatural rights
Shay's Rebellion became a concern for many national leaders because it
indicated there would be future conflicts over the spread of slavery
exposed fundamental weaknesses in government under the Articles of Confederation
pointed out the need for federal government regulation of interstate commerce
showed that frontier settlements were vulnerable to raids by Native Americans
What is a difference between a PAC and a super PAC?
PACs can contribute directly to candidates, but super PACs cannot.
Conservative interests favor PACs over super PACs.
Contributions to PACs are unlimited, but restrictions have been placed on how much money can be contributed to super PACs.
Super PACS are much more likely to support incumbent candidates than are PACs.
In this situation, the President is acting as
chief citizen
chief diplomat
chief legislator
chief executive
28. The 2000 presidential election was finally decided by the ____ decision.
District of Columbia v Heller
Bush v Gore
Clinton v Bush
Brown v Board of Education
President Trump visiting other countries to discuss foreign policy is an example of the President fulfilling this role:
Chief Party
Chief of State
Chief Diplomat
Chief Legislator
What court case allows freedom of speech in students as long as it is not disruptive?
TLO vs. New Jersey
Tinker vs. Des Moines
Brown vs. Board of Education
Roe vs. Wade
How does the Necessary & Proper or Elastic Clause affect the US government?
It allows Congress the power to extend its powers to carry out its Expressed Powers
It provides Congress the power to use whatever means necessary to protect the nation.
The 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution outlawed the use of poll taxes to prevent citizens from voting for federal office holders. This 1964 change continued what evolutionary development of the US Constitution?
permitting women to run for office
extending basic rights to more Americans
increasing the number of elected public officials
strengthening the role of political parties in choosing candidates
Government in which a small group of people hold the power
Dictatorship
Oligarchy
Democracy
Monarchy
The name of the person that persuades congressional leaders to vote for their interests
Business CEO
Committee leader
Party organizer
Lobbyist
The U.S. maintains a two-party system because
That's the way it has always been
Winner-take-all system
Election laws prohibit three parties
None of the above
The amendment that protects you against cruel and unusual punishment
6th
7th
9th
8th
Supreme Court case that ruled money is a form of free speech
McCutcheon v. FEC
Nixon v. U.S.
Citizens United v. FEC
U.S. v. FEC
A Federalist Paper that discussed the existence of factions
Federalist 10
Federalist 51
Federalist 70
Federalist 78
Why is the United States government a representative democracy?
People elect government officials to speak for them.
Supreme Court justices are appointed by the president.
The government is divided into three separate branches.
An executive cabinet provides advice on diplomatic issues.
What idea is stated by "social contract" theory?
Legal rights are codified into law by a legislative body, and are culturally and politically relative.
One natural right is the right to replace leaders if they fail to lead as the people desire.
Natural rights are not contingent upon the laws, beliefs, or customs of a society.
Governments derive their power from a social contract, which is a legal right.
