Civics Assessments
1.1.1 Identify roles citizens play in civic and private life, with emphasis on leadership.
1. Which action is a civic responsibility of U.S. citizens?
A. voting during local elections
B. paying taxes
C. attending school
D. maintaining security
Answer: A
1.1.2 Explain and provide examples of the concepts “power,” “legitimacy,” “authority,” and “sovereignty.”
1.1.3 Identify and explain competing arguments about the necessity and purposes of government (such as to protect inalienable rights, promote the general welfare, resolve conflicts, promote equality, and establish justice for all).
1. We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; . . ."
This quotation is evidence that some of the basic ideas in the Declaration of Independence were
A. limitations of the principles underlying most European governments of the 1700’s.
B. adaptations of the laws of Spanish colonial governments in North America.
C. adoptions of rules used by the Holy Roman Empire.
D. reflections of the philosophies of the European Enlightenment.
Answer: D
1.1.4 Explain the purposes of politics, why people engage in the political process, and what the political process can achieve (e.g., promote the greater good, promote self-interest, advance solutions to public issues and problems, achieve a just society).
1. Which characteristic of the American frontier continues to be an important part of life in the United States today?
A. widespread support for the Populist Party
B. necessity for families to have many children
C. a predominantly agricultural and mining economy
D. significant opportunities for social and economic mobility
Answer: D
1.2.1 Identify, distinguish among, and provide examples of different forms of governmental structures including anarchy, monarchy, military junta, aristocracy, democracy, authoritarian, constitutional republic, fascist, communist, socialist, and theocratic states.
1. Which feature must a nation have to be considered a democracy?
A. A strong president
B. Citizen participation in government
C. Elected judges to conduct trials
D. A set of laws
Answer: B
1.2.2 Explain the purposes and uses of constitutions in defining and limiting government, distinguishing between historical and contemporary examples of constitutional governments that failed to limit power (e.g., Nazi Germany and Stalinist Soviet Union) and successful constitutional governments (e.g., contemporary Germany and United Kingdom).
1. The Neutrality Acts passed by Congress in the mid-1930s were efforts to
A. avoid mistakes that led the country into World War I
B. create jobs for the unemployed in the military defense industry
C. support the League of Nations efforts to stop wars in Africa and Asia
D. help the democratic nations of Europe against Hitler and Mussolini
Answer: A
2. One reason the Nuremberg trials following World War II were held was to
A. bring Hitler, Mussolini, and Tojo to justice
B. force Japan to pay for the attack on Pearl Harbor
C. make German leaders accountable for the Holocaust
D. punish the German government for bombing England
Answer: C
1.2.3 Compare and contrast parliamentary, federal, confederal, and unitary systems of government by analyzing similarities and differences in sovereignty, diffusion of power, and institutional structure.
1. A government needs what two things to work?
A. power and people
B. people and authority
C. power and authority
D. Military strength
Answer: C
2. Which is a valid conclusion based on a study of the presidencies of Thomas Jefferson and Franklin D. Roosevelt?
A. Strong third parties develop when the two major parties ignore popular demands.
B. Presidential success depends mainly on a sympathetic Supreme Court.
C. Economic crisis can force a President to suspend basic civil liberties.
D. A President’s political program may change in the face of current needs.
Answer: D
1.2.4 Compare and contrast direct and representative democracy.
1. A purpose of direct democracy is to
A. minimize the influence of newspapers.
B. involve citizens directly in decision making.
C. elect political leaders.
D. strengthen political parties.
Answer: B
2. America is a representative republic form of democracy this means that ______.
A. Each person votes for the President directly
B. Congress and the House vote for the President
C. Each person votes for the president but in reality they are voting for a member of the Electoral College.
D. Each person votes for the senator who in turn elects the president through popular vote.
Answer C
2.1.1 Explain the historical and philosophical origins of American constitutional government and evaluate the influence of ideas found in the Magna Carta, English Bill of Rights, Mayflower Compact, Iroquois Confederation, Northwest Ordinance, Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, and selected Federalist Papers (the 10th, 14th, 51st), John Locke’s Second Treatise, Montesquieu’s Spirit of Laws, Paine’s Common Sense.
1. The United States Constitution corrected a weakness in the Articles of Confederation by
A. providing for the abolition of slavery.
B. creating a process for territories to become states.
C. granting Congress sole control over interstate and foreign commerce.
D. banning the possession of guns by citizens during peacetime.
Answer: C
2. The framers of the United States Constitution included the concepts of federalism, checks and balances, and separation of powers in the document because they
A. feared a government with unlimited power.
B. favored the poor over the rich.
C. wanted to increase the powers of the states.
D. hoped to expand the democratic process.
Answer: A
3. Which American document included John Locke’s idea that people have the right to overthrow an oppressive government?
A. Mayflower Compact
B. Northwest Ordinance
C. Declaration of Independence
D. Bill of Rights
Answer: C
4. …I challenge the warmest advocate for reconciliation, to shew [show], a single advantage that this continent can reap, by being connected with Great Britain. I repeat the challenge, not a single advantage is derived. Our corn will fetch its price in any market in Europe, and our imported goods must be paid for, buy them where we will... Thomas Paine, 1776
In this statement, Thomas Paine suggested that the American colonies should
A. negotiate an end to the conflict with England.
B. form an alliance with England.
C. declare independence from England.
D. boycott goods from England.
Answer: C
2.1.2 Explain the significance of the major debates and compromises underlying the formation and ratification of American constitutional government including the Virginia and New Jersey plans, the Great Compromise, debates between Federalists and Anti-Federalists, debates over slavery, and the promise for a bill of rights after ratification.
1. Delegates at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 agreed to the Three-fifths Compromise to solve a dispute directly related to
A. the power of the presidency.
B. representation in Congress.
C. a decision by the Supreme Court.
D. the addition of a Bill of Rights.
Answer: B
2. Base your answer on the statements below and on your knowledge of social studies.
Speaker A: We want a strong national government to provide order and protect the rights of the people.
Speaker B: We want a weak national government so that it will not threaten the rights of the people or the powers of the states.
Speaker C: We want to add a bill of rights to the Constitution to protect the people against abuses of power.
Speaker D: A bill of rights is unnecessary because the new government’s powers are limited by the Constitution.
These statements represent points of view that differ between
A. pro-independence Patriots and pro-British Tories.
B. leaders of the North and the West.
C. supporters of Congress and the president.
D. Federalists and Anti-federalists.
Answer: D
3. At the Constitutional Convention, there was a major debate between large states and small states about representation in the new Congress. This debate was resolved by the Connecticut Compromise, also known as “Great Compromise,” which said that
A. the number of citizens in a state would determine how many seats that state had in Congress, but slaves and other noncitizens would not be counted for this purpose.
B. Congress would have two houses in which the number of seats a state had in each house was based on its population.
C. Congress would have two houses, one in which state representation was based on population and one in which all states had equal representation.
D. Congress would be made up of two houses in which all states had an equal number of representatives in each house.
Answer: C
4. The adoption of the Bill of Rights (1791) addressed Anti-federalist criticism of the new Constitution by
A. providing for an indirect method of electing the president.
B. protecting citizens from abuses of power by the national government.
C. allowing the national government to coin money.
D. establishing a process for impeaching federal officials.
Answer: B
2.1.3 Explain how the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights reflected political principles of popular sovereignty, rule of law, checks and balances, separation of powers, social compact, natural rights, individual rights, separation of church and state, republicanism and federalism.
1. “…He [the President] shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to make treaties, provided two thirds of the senators present concur; and he 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, whose appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by law: but the Congress may by law vest the appointment of such inferior officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the courts of law, or in the heads of departments.” Article II, Section 2, Clause 2, Constitution of the United States
This portion of the Constitution illustrates the principle of
A. checks and balances.
B. executive privilege.
C. judicial review.
D. implied powers.
Answer: B
2. The first three words of the Constitution, “We the People”, reflect which political principle?
A. Popular sovereignty
B. Rule of law
C. Checks and balances
D. Federalism
Answer: A
3. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed
The above section of the Declaration of Independence reflects which political principles?
A. Separation of church and state, federalism
B. Checks and balances, popular sovereignty
C. Natural rights, social compact
D. Individual rights, rule of law
Answer: C
2.1.4 Explain challenges and modifications to American constitutional government as a result of significant historical events such as the American Revolution, the Civil War, expansion of suffrage, the Great Depression, and the civil rights movement.
1. United States government actions were modified under the New Deal, which tried to solve many problems of the Great Depression by
A. providing federal aid to many sectors of the economy.
B. reducing taxes on big business to stimulate job creation.
C. lowering federal spending to maintain a balanced budget.
D. decreasing foreign competition by raising tariffs.
Answer: A
2. Changes to Constitutional government following the Civil War included
A. ending slavery, defining citizenship, and expanding suffrage to men of color.
B. ending slavery, defining citizenship, and expanding suffrage to women.
C. extending equal protection of the law, and expanding suffrage to eighteen year olds.
D. extending slavery, defining citizenship, and limiting voting rights.
Answer: A
3. In 1920, women gained the right to vote as a result of a
A. presidential order.
B. Supreme Court decision.
C. national election.
D. constitutional amendment.
Answer: D
2.2.1 Identify and explain the fundamental values of America’s constitutional republic (e.g., life, liberty, property, the pursuit of happiness, the common good, justice, equality, diversity, authority, participation, and patriotism) and their reflection in the principles of the United States Constitution (e.g., popular sovereignty, republicanism, rule of law, checks and balances, separation of powers, and federalism).
1. Federalism: A way of organizing a nation so that two or more levels of government have authority over the same land and people.
Which fact about American government reflects the above definition of federalism?
A. Power is divided among legislative, executive, and judicial branches.
B. Private organizations in the United States do much of the work that is performed by local governments in other countries.
C. Citizens in the United States are subject to both state and federal laws.
D. Citizens in the United States have a right to protection from intrusion into their private affairs.
Answer: C
2.2.2 Explain and evaluate how Americans, either through individual or collective actions, use constitutional principles and fundamental values to narrow gaps between American ideals and reality with respect to minorities, women, and the disadvantaged.
1. The abolitionist movement, the women’s suffrage movement, and the 1960’s civil rights movement are all examples of reform efforts that
A. succeeded without causing major controversy
B. developed significant popular support
C. achieved their goals without government action
D. failed to affect the nation as a whole
Answer: B
2. The major goal of the civil rights movement of the 1960’s was to
A. establish a separate political state for African Americans
B. gain passage of an equal rights amendment to the Constitution
C. end segregation based on race
D. permit unlimited immigration to the United States
Answer: C
3. The main goal of the Seneca Falls Convention (1848) was to
A. obtain equal rights for women
B. make the public aware of environmental problems
C. correct the abuses of big business
D. organize the first labor union in the United States
Answer: A
2.2.3 Use past and present policies to analyze conflicts that arise in society due to competing constitutional principles or fundamental values (e.g., liberty and authority, justice and equality, individual rights, and the common good).