Final Exam Review, 2011, American Government
1. A constitution
2. In which type of government does one person rule?
3. By definition, a state must have a body of people with a defined territory and
4. The government of the United States is
5. In a democracy, supreme authority belongs to the
6. A unitary system of government is characterized by
7. What is the common thread between a presidential democracy and a parliamentary democracy?
8. In a presidential government,
9. What are the purposes of government?
10. What are the characteristics of a presidential form of government?
11. In a parliamentary government, the prime minister
12. What usually happens during the public policy making process?
13. Why does the United States have a representative democracy?
14. The United States has a ______system, with a ______democracy and a ______relationship between the Executive and Legislative Branches.
15. Explain the relationship between government and public policy.
16. List the Chronological Order of Events leading to the Constitutional Convention
17. Describe the powers of the Legislature under the Articles of Confederation
18. Under the Articles of Confederation, states were obligated to
19. Which British Act made it permissible for the King to quarter troops and shut down town hall meetings?
20. After the Revolutionary War, the National Government
21. The government set up by the Articles of Confederation had
22. At the Philadelphia Convention, the delegates agreed to
23. Who is considered the “Father of the Constitution?”
24. ______was the event that symbolized the political and economic weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation
25. What issue did the Connecticut Compromise settle?
26. List the Chronological Order of Events leading to the Constitutional Convention
27. A major weakness of the national government under the Articles of Confederation was
28. Both the Articles of Confederation and the U.S. Constitution provided for?:
29. Shay’s rebellion symbolized:
30. How many delegates attended the May, 1787 Convention in Philadelphia?
31. Before the Constitution could become law, how many states had to ratify it?
32. The Connecticut Compromise called for a legislature
33. The Virginia Plan called for
34. Who opposed the ratification of the Constitution?
35. Under the Articles of Confederation, the national government could NOT
36. Opposition to ratification of the Constitution was based on the belief that it would
37. Explain The 3/5th Compromise
38..Define representative government
39. What is the Magna Carta?
40. Article ______of the Constitution tells how the Legislative Branch of government should work.
41. Article ____ states that the Constitution shall be the supreme law of the land.
42. Article ____ sets forth the ways to amend the Constitution.
43. The majority of the American colonies were considered ______colonies, because they were controlled by King George III.
44. The ______Continental Congress called for peace, made preparations for war, and declared independence.
45. List the Chronological Order of Events leading to the Constitutional Convention
46. Explain how Checks & Balances work.
47. The principle of government that favors a national government with three independent branches is called
48. The first ten amendments to the Constitution are called the
49. At the present time, the number of formal amendments to the Constitution is
50. The methods of formally amending the Constitution highlights the principle of
51. The presidential appointment of Supreme Court justices is an example of
52. What is the constitutional division of powers?
53. Powers shared by both the National Government and the States are called
54. The reserved powers belong to the
55. What part of the Constitution stops each State from discriminating against residents of other States?
56. States must honor each other’s laws and court decisions according to the
57. A person robs a bank in Mississippi and drives to Tennessee. The legal process by which Tennessee police will return the person to Mississippi to stand trial is called
58. List the Expressed powers of Congress (Art. I, Sec. 8)
59. The Necessary and Proper Clause is called the Elastic Clause because
60. Explain how the Supremacy Clause works
61. Which article of the Constitution explains the Amendment Process?
62. Which article of the Constitution explains the Supremacy Clause?
63. Where does the Constitution list the expressed powers of the national government?
#64-73 Who has the power?
Executive
Legislative
Judicial
64. can veto bills
65. can impeach a judge
66. can grant pardons
67. can write a new law
68. can make treaties
69. can declare law unconstitutional
70. can overrule a President’s veto
71. can determine that a President acted unconstitutionally
72. can appoint justices to fill vacancies on the Supreme Court
73. can approve Executive appointments to Cabinet positions
74. States may restrict a person’s right to vote based on
75. Which constitutional amendment forbids allowing only males to vote?
76. When a person registers to vote, he or she
77. A person who believes in creating new governmental programs and spending federal money to fix local problems would best be described as
78. Which law made the 15th Amendment effective?
79.. In regards to voting requirements, The Constitution forbids States to
80. Public opinion refers to
81. Which are the most important factors in political socialization?
82. The place at which voters actually vote is a
83. Explain the difference between soft money and hard money.
84. Federal campaign laws apply to
85. The influence of the mass media on American public opinion is limited by the fact that
86. A person who wants a return to good, old-fashioned values and a strong sense of patriotism, is most likely classified as
87. What kinds of people are more likely to vote? List at least three.
88. A voter’s age, race, and religion are examples of the ___ factors that affect how he or she will vote.
89. The Federal Election Commission was established as
90. Which amendment says the government must follow due process of law before punishing a person for committing a crime?
91. The requirement that government enforces law fairly is
92. Before police officers search a house for evidence, they must have
93. Evidence gained by the police from an illegal act is subject to which rule?
94. A person is stopped by police and held in jail for several days without a hearing. Which of the following should the person seek?
95. The decision of whether a person can be accused of a serious crime is made by
96. Trying a person for the same crime more than once is called
97. The Miranda Rule states that
98. Today, police need to get a search warrant before they
99. Describe the outcome of the following cases:
NJ v TLO
Miranda v Arizona
100. Define Grand Jury
101. Explain the 4th, 5th and 6th Amendments
102 The guarantee against double jeopardy protects a person from being tried
103. The Miranda Rule and the Exclusionary Rule
104. How did New Jersey v TLO change probable cause in school?
105. Define the Exclusionary Rule
106. How long is a term in the House of Representatives?
107. The number of House members representing each State is recalculated every
108. When Congress adjourns, it
109. What does it mean to reapportion seats in the House of Representatives?
110. A House district drawn to give an advantage to one political party is
111. How many representatives are up for re-election every two years?
112. What is it mean to be a continuous body?
113. In the role of servant to their constituents, members of Congress
114. A member of Congress who votes based on the wishes of his or her constituents operates in which of the following roles?
115. To run for Senate, a person must be at least how old?
116. Congress is in the middle of session #1 of the _____ term of Congress?
117. How did Dan Flood, “The Best Congressman,” rise to power in the House of Representatives?
118. Describe the 27th Amendment
119. Explain at least three differences between the House and Senate
120. How many Representatives are there in the House?
121. The enumerated powers of Congress are
122. The power of the House of Representatives to officially charge an official with wrongdoing is the power of
123. If no presidential candidate wins a majority of the electoral votes, the President is chosen in
124. What body approves presidential appointments?
125. The most powerful leader in the House is the
126. The president of the Senate is
127. Define the different kinds of committees
128. The major job of floor leaders is to
129. After the House has impeached a President, what must happen next in order to remove that President from office?
130. Which institution has the responsibility of confirming or rejecting treaties?
131. Why does Congress conduct investigations?
132. What does a Rules Committee do?
133. Who is the current Speaker of the House?
134. Define the different kinds of committees
135. How does Congress propose a constitutional amendment?
136. The Constitution stipulates that the President must
137. The Constitution states that the President must be at least ___ years old.
138. According to the 22nd Amendment, the President
139. The President’s compensation package includes
140. Describe the Presidential Line of Succession
141. Presidential candidates try to choose vice-presidential candidates who
142. If the presidential vote in the Electoral College results in a tie,
143. Direct popular election is unlikely to be adopted because
144 What happens to President’s power during times of national emergency?
145. Accusations that the nation has an imperial presidency have been made because some Presidents
146. Describe the roles of the President.
147. How does the President check Congressional power?
148. Describe the roles of the President.
149. Describe the roles of the President.
150. If the offices of both President and Vice President become vacant, who becomes President?
151. Who becomes Acting President if the President is disabled?
152 When people vote for President, they are really voting for their State’s
153.The votes of the electorate are called the
154. State at least one criticism of the Electoral College system.
155. The specific powers of the President come from
156. What is the ordinance power of the President?
157. The War Powers Resolution of 1973
158. The President’s legislative power allows the President to
159. The minimum number of electoral votes in each state
160. A state’s electoral votes are determined by
161. If Arizona has 10 electoral votes, how many U.S. House of Representatives come from AZ?
162.The district plan to modify the Electoral College
163. President’s military powers are shared with
164. The purpose of the War Powers Resolution of 1973 was to
165. A “pocket veto” is used only