1. In the Colonial Era, developments such as the New England town meetings and the establishment of the Virginia House of Burgesses represented
/ 2. / efforts by the British to strengthen their control over the colonies
/ 3. / steps in the growth of representative democracy
/ 4. / early social reform movements
2. According to the Declaration of Independence, the people have the right to alter or abolish a government if that government
/ 2. / violates natural rights
/ 3. / becomes involved in entangling alliances
/ 4. / favors one religion over another
3. Which fundamental political idea is expressed in the Declaration of Independence?
/ 2. / The central government and state governments should have equal power.
/ 3. / If the government denies its people certain basic rights, that government can be overthrown.
/ 4. / Rulers derive their right to govern from God and are therefore bound to govern in the nation’s best interest.
“The only representatives of the people of these colonies are persons chosen therein by themselves; and that no taxes ever have been, or can be constitutionally imposed on them but by their respective legislatures.”
-Statement by the Stamp Act Congress, 1765
4. What is a valid conclusion that can be drawn from this quotation?
/ 2. / Only the colonists’ elected representatives should have the power to levy taxes.
/ 3. / The English King should have the right to tax the colonists.
/ 4. / The colonists should be opposed to all taxation.
5. In the 1780’s, many Americans distrusted a strong central government. This distrust is best shown by the
/ 2. / plan of government set up by the Articles of Confederation
/ 3. / development of a Federal court system
/ 4. / constitutional provision for a strong President
6. The authors of the United States Constitution believed that the voice of the people should be heard frequently. Which part of the Government was instituted to respond most directly to the will of the people?
/ 2. / House of Representatives
/ 3. / Supreme Court
/ 4. / Presidency
7. In the United States, the use of implied powers, the amending process, and Supreme Court interpretations have resulted in
/ 2. / a strengthening of the principle of separation of powers
/ 3. / the Constitution being adapted to fit changing times
/ 4. / the limiting of Presidential power in domestic affairs
8. Which quotation from the United States Constitution provides for a Federal system of government?
/ 2. / “Every bill . . . shall, before it becomes a law, be presented to the President of the United States; . . ."
/ 3. / “The powers not delegated to the United States . . . are reserved to the states . . .“
/ 4. / “Full faith and credit shall be given in each state to the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state.”
9. The system of checks and balances is best illustrated by the power of
/ 2. / Congress to censure one of its members
/ 3. / a governor to send the National Guard to stop a riot
/ 4. / state and Federal gov-ernments to levy and collect taxes
10. Which phrase from the Declaration of Independence most clearly reflects the idea that the people are the source of government?
/ 2. / “. .. all men are . . . endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights
/ 3. / “. . . deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. . .“
11. Which factor has made the strongest contribution to the development of religious freedom in the United States?
/ 2. / Religious groups have remained politically unified.
/ 3. / School prayer has been ruled constitutional by the Supreme Court.
/ 4. / Guarantees in the Constitution have encouraged religious expression and toleration.
12. One way in which the United States Constitution differed from the Articles of Confederation was that the Constitution
/ 2. / provided for the direct election of the President by the voters
/ 3. / made the amendment process more difficult
/ 4. / increased the powers of the states
13. At the Constitutional Convention of 1787, delegates from the small states most strongly supported the idea of
/ 2. / levying taxes on exports
/ 3. / popular election of Senators
/ 4. / equal representation for the states in the national legislature
14. One way in which the authors of the Constitution tried to create “limited government” was by providing for
/ 2. / a division of power between the national and state governments
/ 3. / the establishment of naturalization laws
/ 4. / the popular election of Federal judges
“The most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man in falsely shouting fire in a theater and causing a panic.”
-Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes
15. Which interpretation of the Bill of Rights does this statement illustrate?
/ 2. / Constitutional protections of liberty are not absolute.
/ 3. / The Supreme Court can eliminate freedoms listed in the Bill of Rights.
/ 4. / The Bill of Rights does not safeguard individual liberties.
16. Which action was necessary to change from the indirect to the direct election of United States Senators?
/ 2. / passage of a Federal law
/ 3. / a Supreme Court decision
/ 4. / a national referendum
17. The United States Government is considered a federal system because
/ 2. / both national and state governments exist within the nation
/ 3. / foreign policy is handled by state governments
/ 4. / each state has equal represen-tation in the United States Senate
18. The flexibility of the original United States Constitution is due mainly to
/ 2. / its guarantees of freedom and justice for all people
/ 3. / the ability to create new branches of government as needed
/ 4. / the willingness of the states to accept Federal control
19. Antifederalists criticized the United States Constitution primarily because governing power was concentrated in the
/ 2. / President’s Cabinet
/ 3. / delegates to the Constitutional Convention
/ 4. / National Government
“In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this, you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place, oblige it to control itself.”
20. This passage from the Federalist Papers refers to the need for
/ 2. / a system of checks and balances
/ 3. / an independent military
/ 4. / a national education system
21. An example of the unwritten constitution in the United States is the
/ 2. / rise of the two-party political system
/ 3. / right to freedom of speech
/ 4. / use of the electoral college system
22. The United States Government is considered a federal system because
/ 2. / powers are divided between the State and National Governments
/ 3. / the States are guaranteed a republican form of government
/ 4. / the President is selected by the electoral col-lege
23. Which document is best described as a statement of democratic principles rather than a framework for government?
/ 2. / Articles of Confederation
/ 3. / Declaration of Independence
/ 4. / United States Constitution
24. The United States Constitution grants certain powers only to the Federal Government. For example, only Congress can declare war. These powers are called
/ 2. / reserved powers
/ 3. / delegated powers
/ 4. / concurrent powers
25. Which action would be necessary before the government could deny a person a public trial by an impartial jury?
/ 2. / passage of a law by Congress
/ 3. / a unanimous ruling by the Supreme Court
/ 4. / ratification of a constitutional amendment
26. Which feature of the Presidency is a result of a constitutional amendment?
/ 2. / power to appoint ambassadors
/ 3. / duty to act as Commander in Chief
/ 4. / responsibility to nominate Justices to the Supreme Court
27. During the debates over the ratification of the United States Constitution, Federalists and Anti-Federalists disagreed most strongly over the
/ 2. / provision for admitting new states to the Union
/ 3. / distribution of power between the Senate and the House of Representatives
/ 4. / method of amending the Constitution
28. The Articles of Confederation are best described as a
/ 2. / plan of union for the original thirteen states
/ 3. / set of arguments supporting ratification of the Constitution
/ 4. / list of reasons for the secession of the Southern States
29. When the United States Constitution was written, which compromise was reached by the authors to gain the support of the states with small populations?
/ 2. / Five enslaved persons would be counted as three free persons for the purpose of taxation
/ 3. / The President would be selected by the direct vote of the people.
/ 4. / Exported goods could not be taxed, but imported goods could be taxed.
30. Which action could eliminate the electoral college?
/ 2. / a Presidential order
/ 3. / passage of legislation by Congress
/ 4. / ratification of a constitutional amendment
31. The authors of the Articles of Confederation established a decentralized political system mainly to
/ 2. / assist the southern states in their efforts to gain a manufacturing base
/ 3. / promote the common goal of national sovereignty
/ 4. / prevent the abuses of power that had existed under British rule
32. Senate ratification of treaties negotiated by the President is required by the United States Constitution as a way of
/ 2. / preventing Federal abuse of State power
/ 3. / implementing the principle of checks and balances
/ 4. / expanding the authority of the executive branch
33. Which idea had a major influence on the authors of the Articles of Confederation?
/ 2. / All of the people must be granted the right to vote.
/ 3. / Three branches of government are needed to protect liberty.
/ 4. / The central government must have the power to levy taxes and to control trade.
Speaker A:"States must be represented in the national government solely on
Speaker B:"The national legislature must be based on equal representation of the states to protect the interests of the small states."
Speaker C:"States must accept the supremacy of the national government on all issues; otherwise, the system will fail."
Speaker D:"The national Congress should consist of two houses: one in which representation is based on population, and one in which states are equally represented."
34. Which document was being written when this discussion most likely occurred?
/ 2. / United States Constitution
/ 3. / Covenant of the League of Nations
/ 4. / Charter of the United Nations
Speaker A:"States must be represented in the national government solely on the basis of population. It is indeed the only fair situation."
Speaker B:"The national legislature must be based on equal representation of the states to protect the interests of the small states."
Speaker C:"States must accept the supremacy of the national government on all issues; otherwise, the system will fail."
Speaker D:"The national Congress should consist of two houses: one in which representation is based on population, and one in which states are equally represented."
35. Which speaker’s idea about representation was actually included in the U.S. Constitution?
/ 2. / Speaker B
/ 3. / Speaker C
/ 4. / Speaker D
36. Which United States governmental principle includes the concepts of reserved powers, delegated powers, and concurrent powers?
/ 2. / judicial review
/ 3. / federalism
/ 4. / the unwritten constitution
37.The major reason the Bill of Rights was added to the United States Constitution was to
/ 2. / protect individual liberties against abuse by the Federal Government
/ 3. / provide for equal treatment of all people
/ 4. / separate powers between the three branches of government
38. Once an amendment has been added to the United States Constitution, which process must be used to change that amendment?
/ 2. / convincing the states to ignore the amendment
/ 3. / having Congress pass a law repealing the amendment
/ 4. / having the President issue an executive order canceling the amendment
39. John Locke’s theory of the social contract, as developed in the United States Declaration of Independence, stated that
/ 2. / monarchs could rule autocratically, but they had to grant certain rights to their subjects
/ 3. / legislatures should have more power than kings
/ 4. / government should guarantee equal economic conditions to all people
40. Which statement best explains why the Articles of Confederation established a weak rather than a strong central government?
/ 2. / The absence of national problems made a strong government unnecessary.
/ 3. / Colonial experiences under Great Britain had created a fear of unlimited government.
/ 4. / Revenues were not adequate to support a strong central government.
41. Which action in the process of electing a President of the United States is provided for in the Federal Constitution?
/ 2. / the President making an inaugural address
/ 3. / the electoral college casting ballots
/ 4. / a political party adopting a platform
42. The 14th Amendment provides that no "state [shall] deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." A direct result of this amendment was that
/ 2. / the guarantees in the Bill of Rights were applied to state actions
/ 3. / every citizen gained an absolute right to freedom of speech and assembly
/ 4. / the power of the Federal Government was sharply reduced
43. The "clear and present danger" ruling in the Supreme Court case Schenck v. United States (1919) confirmed the idea that
/ 2. / racism in the United States is illegal
/ 3. / interstate commerce can be regulated by state governments
/ 4. / constitutional rights are not absolute