AP Government - Unit 1 Practice Question

The Connecticut (Great) Compromise provided for

a bicameral legislature with one house's composition based upon state population and another's on equal state representation

The framers of the Constitution intended to establish

a representative republic

In The Federalist papers, James Madison expressed the view that political factions

are undesirable but inevitable in a free nation

Brutus was an example of an Anti-Federalist because he

believed a centralized government posed a major threat to individual rights

All of the following are consequences of the federal system in the United States EXCEPT

decentralization of political conflict

All of the following were concerns about the Articles of Confederation that led to the calling of the Constitutional Convention of 1787 EXCEPT

dissatisfaction over safeguards of individual rights and liberties

Diversity of public policy throughout the United States is primarily a consequence of

federalism

The importance of Shays' Rebellion to the development of the United States Constitution was that it

indicated that a strong, constitutionally designated national government was needed to protect property and maintain order

The framers of the United States Constitution left decisions on voting eligibility to the

individual states

In The Federalist No. 10, James Madison argued that factions in a republic are

natural but controllable by institutions

After a constitutional amendment has been proposed by both houses of Congress, its adoption requires

ratification by three-fourths of the states

The Articles of Confederation implemented the principle of

state sovereignty

Throughout most of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, most African Americans were prevented from voting in many Southern states despite the Fifteenth Amendment, which extended the right to vote to African American males. Southern states were able to take this action because

the framers allowed the individual states to create voting processes and voter qualifications

All of the following issues were decided at the Constitutional Convention EXCEPT

voting qualifications of the electorate

A prominent example of the process of returning more of the responsibilities of governing from the national level to the state level is

welfare reform

Develop an argument that explains which of the three models of representative democracy—participatory, pluralist, or elite—best achieves the founders' intent for American democracy in terms of ensuring a stable government run by the people.

The model of representative democracy that best achieves the founder's intent for American democracy is the pluralist view because it allows for many interest groups to be represented, and it allows for the consent of the people to be used to give the government power. Federalist No. 10 argues that an immense republic with many differing views is better because majority factions and demagogues can be avoided. Different interest groups can be represented in a Pluralist Government, avoiding factions. In the US Constitution, it is stated that any rights not given to the federal government in the Constitution are given to the states. A pluralist form of government allows political resources to be shared, and one single form of government cannot become dominant. Because of this, power must be shared between the federal and state governments as the founders' hoped. In Federalist 51, it is argued that the government receives its power from the consent of the governed and from itself. A pluralist form of government would support this argument as the most critical issues are represented by government officials. Also, since different forms of government have to share political resources, the different forms have to get power from each other.

In the 1780s, proponents of the new Constitution cited Shays' Rebellion as an example in support of which of the following criticisms of the national government under the Articles of Confederation?

The national government did not provide sufficient protection of individual rights.

Which of the following is commonly identified as a failure of the Articles of Confederation?

The national government lacked an effective power to raise revenue.

Which of the following clauses in the Constitution justifies the "implied powers doctrine"?

The necessary and proper clause

Which of the following was a direct outcome of the Three-Fifths Compromise?

The number of representatives in the House of Representatives from slaveholding states increased.

Which of the following is true based on information on the map? [Percentage of Unites States Population Living in Poverty, By State in 2015]

The poverty rate in the United States varies by state and region

Which of the following is an example of checks and balances, as established by the Consatitution?

The requirement that presidential appointments to the Supreme Court be approved by the Senate

The debates between Federalists and Anti-Federalists were primarily about which of the following issues?

The scope of power of the central government

Amending the Constitution Proposal: - A national constitutional convention called by Congress upon receipt of petitions from two-thirds of the state legislatures - A two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress Ratification: - Legislatures in three-fourths of the states - Special ratifying conventions in three-fourths of the states

The system should be able to accommodate political change, but the process for change should incorporate checks and balances.

Concurrent powers have which of the following effects on the United States political system?

They make it possible for the states and the national government to simultaneously exercise influence in the same areas of public policy.

Which of the following is a method by which Congress is likely influencing state policy being depicted in the cartoon? [Education Standards vs. Education Resources - Declining resources for higher standards]

Unfunded mandates

I have already intimated to you the danger of parties in the State, with particular reference to the founding of them on geographical discriminations. Let me now take a more comprehensive view and warn you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the spirit of party generally. This spirit, unfortunately, is inseparable from our nature, having its root in the strongest passions of the human mind. It exists under different shapes in all governments, more or less stifled, controlled, or repressed; but, in those of the popular form, it is seen in its greatest rankness, and is truly their worst enemy. The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of public liberty. Without looking forward to an extremity of this kind (which nevertheless ought not to be entirely out of sight), the common and continual mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it. . . . It is important, likewise, that the habits of thinking in a free country should inspire caution in those entrusted with its administration to confine themselves within their respective constitutional spheres, avoiding in the exercise of the powers of one department to encroach upon another. The spirit of encroachment tends to consolidate the powers of all the departments in one, and thus to create, whatever the form of government, a real despotism. - George Washington's Farewell Address, 1796. Which of the following newspaper headlines best summarizes the excerpt from Washington's Farewell Address?

Washington Warns of Dangerous Party Factions

(a) Define direct democracy. (b) Define republican form of government. (c) Describe one reason the framers of the United States Constitution chose a republican form of government over a direct democracy. (d) Describe each of the models of congressional representation. Trustee model (attitudinal view) Delegate model (representational view) (e) Explain why a member of Congress might sometimes act as a trustee (attitudinal view) rather than a delegate (representational view).

(a) The definition of direct democracy is a form of government where people determine the laws and policies themselves rather than electing a specific person (b) The definition of a republican form of government is a government without a monarch, rooted in the consent of the govern, and whose power is exercised by elected officials (c) One of the main reasons the framer of the United States Constitution chose a republican form of government over a direct democracy is because in a country with the population the United States has it would almost be impossible for a decision to be made in a timely manner. Also, with the extent of how many people are in the U.S. it would be extremely hard to make sure everyone votes and most of the time nothing would ever get resolved (d) The trustee model of congressional representation includes a single person, that has been elected by the people, will be the voice of the people and make the decisions. With that, the trustee is trusted to make the best decision for the people - The delegate model of congressional representation includes a single person, that has been elected by the people, that listens to the majority of the people and votes in the same way the majority wanted the vote (e) The representatives have more knowledge and are more aware of the topic therefore they think they know what is best for the people

(a) Discuss two reasons why the framers created a bicameral legislature. (b) Identify one power unique to the House of Representatives and explain whythe framers gave the House that power. (c) Identify one power unique to the Senate and explain why the framers gavethe Senate that power.

(a) a bicameral legislature is a lawmaking body made up of two chambers/parts. The framers chose a bicameral legislature, the idea of checks and balances and equal representation for each state. This is because larger states wanted representation based on population which would yield more power to them. Smaller states desired equal representatives per state so that it would not be a tyranny of the majority. To resolve this indifference, the framers created one of each. The House Of Representatives was based on population, and the Senate contained equal representation with two representatives from each state. Reason 2: Another reason that the framers created a bicameral legislature was to slow the legislative process down itself. This measure was taken to make sure that the legislature was not subject/susceptible to public opinion. (b) House of Representatives has the unique power tointroduce fiscal pieces of legislation. This power was given to the House because the House's representatives are based on population (c) the Senate has the unique power to confirm UnitedStates Supreme Court nominees. This was given to them because the Supreme Court has equal influence over all the states regardless of size or population, so all the states have equal representation.

(a) Identify the party that won the highest percentage of votes and seats in 1982. (b) Describe a change between the percentage of seats won by Republicans in 1982 and 2012. (c) Draw a conclusion about the difference in percentage of votes won and seats won in Ohio in the 2012 election as shown in the charts. (d) Explain why the information in the charts could pose a challenge to participatory democracy.

(a) democrats (b) the change was 26% between the seats won in 82' and 12' - democrats lost 26% (c) the votes changed slightly, whereas the seats changed drastically (d) because the votes did not line up to the seats, which means the electors changed something.

The decision in United States v. Lopez (1995) reflected new ideas about federalism at the time that can be best characterized by which of the following?

A delegation of power from the federal government to state governments, increasing state and local sovereignty

According to James Madison, which of the following best controls the effects of faction?

A large republic

Which of the following is an example of checks and balances?

An unpopular Supreme Court ruling can be overturned by a majority vote of both houses of Congress.

"[A] pure democracy... can admit of no cure for the mischiefs of faction. . . . [S]uch democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property; and have in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths. . . The two great points of difference between a democracy and a republic are: first, the delegation of the government, in the latter, to a small number of citizens elected by the rest; secondly, the greater number of citizens, and greater sphere of country, over which the latter may be extended. . . . [I]t may well happen that the public voice, pronounced by the representatives of the people, will be more consonant to the public good than if pronounced by the people themselves, convened for the purpose. On the other hand, the effect may be inverted. Men of factious tempers, of local prejudices, or of sinister designs, may, by intrigue, by corruption, or by other means, first obtain the suffrages, and then betray the interests, of the people." - James Madison, The Federalist 10. Which of the following sections of the United States Consitution most concerns Madison according to the passage?

Article I, Section 2 - "The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Quyalifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature."

Which of the following is the correct pairing of powers found in the Articles of Confederation and powers found in the Consitution?

Articles of Confederation: Unicameral legislature; United States Constitution: Bicameral legislature

South Carolina passed a law to increase the state tax on gasoline to help fund repairs on highways and bridges. The state tax is in addition to the federal tax on every gallon of gasoline that is sold. Which of the following constitutional provisions does this scenario illustrate?

Concurrent powers

Which of the following powers allows both the federal and state governments to make policies involving taxation?

Concurrent powers

Cooperative federalism can best be described by which of the following statements?

Different levels of government are involved in common policy areas.

American political culture is characterized by strong popular support for all of the following EXCEPT

Economic equality

Which of the following accurately characterizes the main difference between elite theories and pluralist theories of politics in the United States?

Elite theories argue that social status is the major source of political power; pluralist theories argue that wealth is the major source.

Unlike the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution does which of the following?

Emphasizes both national sovereignty and federalism.

Which of the following policies would the states most likely prefer, according to the political cartoon? ["In Two Words, Yes and No"]

Federal mandates

Which of the following constitutional principles best explains why there is variation among states on the use of capital punishment? [Status of Capital Punishment in the United States by State in 2016]

Federalism

Which of the following characteristics best explains the data on the map? [Percentage of Americans without Health Insurance Coverage]

Federalism creates differences between states on the implementation on health-care policy

Which of the following ideals of democracy is reflected in the procedure for apportionment in the House of Representatives?

Government is based on the consent of the governed.

Which of the following describes the social contract theory as advanced by John Locke?

It is an agreement in which the government promises to protect the natural rights of people.

The Connecticut (Great) Compromise drafted at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 is significant for which of the following reasons?

It proposed a Senate with equal representation for each state and a House of Representatives with membership established according to the population of each state.

The president cannot veto which of the following?

Joint resolutions that propose constitutional amendments

Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the checks held by the legislative and judicial branches?

Legislative checks to the judicial branch: appointing federal judges; Judicial checks to the legislative branch: striking down a portion of a law.

"The statesman who should attempt to direct private people in what manner they ought to [operate their business] would not only load himself with a most unnecessary attention, but assume authority which could safely be trusted, not to no single person, but to no council or senate whatever, and which would nowhere be so dangerous as in the hands of a man who [was so arrogant to think] himself fit to exercise it. To . . . direct private people in what manner they ought to employ their capitals . . . in almost all cases [is] a useless or hurtful regulation. If the produce of domestic [industry] can be brought there as cheap as that of foreign industry, the regulation is evidently useless. If it cannot, it must generally be hurtful." - Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations, 1776. Which of the following ideals of United States government is most relevant to this passage?

Limited government

In 1974, the House of Representatives approved a resolution granting the Judiuciary Committee authority to investigate impeachment of President Nixon for obstruction of justice, abuse of power, and contempt of Congress. Which constitutional ideal of democracy is demonstrated in this scenario?

Limited government

"[A] pure democracy... can admit of no cure for the mischiefs of faction. . . . [S]uch democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property; and have in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths. . . The two great points of difference between a democracy and a republic are: first, the delegation of the government, in the latter, to a small number of citizens elected by the rest; secondly, the greater number of citizens, and greater sphere of country, over which the latter may be extended. . . . [I]t may well happen that the public voice, pronounced by the representatives of the people, will be more consonant to the public good than if pronounced by the people themselves, convened for the purpose. On the other hand, the effect may be inverted. Men of factious tempers, of local prejudices, or of sinister designs, may, by intrigue, by corruption, or by other means, first obtain the suffrages, and then betray the interests, of the people." - James Madison, The Federalist 10. Which of the following statements best reflects James Madison's beliefs about political representation as expressed in the passage?

People are best represented by a few politicians chosen to voice their issues.

The theory that all interests are and should be free to compete for influence in government, resulting in healthy democratic compromise and balance, is called

Pluralism

Members of Congress receive many phone calls, meeting invitations, and emails from various competing interest groups asking for support on their preferred public policies. This situation best exemplified which of the following models of democracy?

Pluralist

Which of the following is a model of democracy that emphasizes the role of interest groups in advocating for public policy?

Pluralist democracy

"The vice of the groupist theory is that it conceals the most significant aspects of the system. The flaw in the pluralist heaven is that the heavenly chorus sings with a strong upper-class accent. Probably about 90 percent of the people cannot get into the pressure system. The notion that the pressure system is automatically representative of the whole community is a myth fostered by the universalizing tendency of modern group theories. Pressure politics is a selective process ill designed to serve diffuse interests. The system is skewed, loaded, and unbalanced in favor of a fraction of a minority." E. E. Schattschneider, The Semisovereign People, 1960. Which of the following best captures the author's argument regarding the forms of democracy?

Pluralist democracy, though it involves groups at different stages of the process of developing policy, excludes a significant portion of the population.

The Declaration of Independence states "Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed." This was a revolutionary change from the system of British monarchy, which was based on the divine right of kings. For which of the ideals of democracy does this quote provide a foundation?

Popular sovereignty

The framers of the Constitution all believed that one of the primary functions of government is

Protecting individual property rights

The increasing number of state and local government employees reflects which of the following about the political system in the United States? [Federal, State, and Local Government Employment]

State and local governments provide many necessary public services in a federal system.

"Were it admitted, however, that the Federal government may feel an equal disposition with the State governments to extend its power beyond the due limits, the latter would still have the advantage in the means of defeating such encroachments. If an act of a particular State, though unfriendly to the national government, be generally popular in that State and should not too grossly violate the oaths of the State officers, it is executed immediately. . . . The opposition of the federal government, or the interposition of federal officers, would but inflame the zeal of all parties on the side of the State, and the evil could not be prevented. . . . But ambitious encroachments of the federal government, on the authority of the State governments, would not excite the opposition of a single State, or of a few States only. They would be signals of general alarm. Every government would espouse the common cause. A correspondence would be opened. Plans of resistance would be concerted. One spirit would animate and conduct the whole. The same combinations, in short, would result from an apprehension of the federal, as was produced by the dread of a foreign, yoke; and unless the projected innovations should be voluntarily renounced, the same appeal to a trial of force would be made in the one case as was made in the other. But what degree of madness could ever drive the federal government to such an extremity." - James Madison, The Federalist paper number 46. Which of the following scenarios best exemplifies Madison's argument in The Federalist 46?

States passing laws that allow increased legal use of marijuana even though federal law prohibits marijuana

"We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights governments are instituted, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of those who suffer from it to refuse allegiance to it, and to insist upon the institution of a new government . . . Such has been the patient sufferance of the women under this government, and such is now the necessity which constrains them to demand the equal station to which they are entitled. The history of mankind is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations on the part of man toward woman, having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over her. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world. He has never permitted her to exercise her inalienable right to the elective franchise. He has compelled her to submit to laws, in the formation of which she had no voice. He has withheld from her rights which are given to the most ignorant and degraded men. . . . Having deprived her of this first right of a citizen, the elective franchise, thereby leaving her without representation in the halls of legislation, he has oppressed her on all sides. He has made her, if married, in the eye of the law, civilly dead. He has taken from her all right in property, even to the wages she earns." - Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Seneca Falls Coinvention, 1848. The language in the first paragraph of the selection most closely parallels that of which of the following documents?

The Declaration of Independece

Which of the following is an accurate cxomparison of the arguments made in The Federalist 10 and Brutus 1?

The Federalist 10: Factions are inevitable with popular sovereignt; Brutus 1: A strong national government is needed.

Which of the following is an example of the constitutional design of checks and balances?

The Senate rejects a presiden'ts nomination for secretary of state.

Which of the following was the most important effect of replacing the Articles of Confederation with the Constitution of 1787?

The creation of a strong national government

Which of the following is the best example of a constitutional concept that supports the vision of the United States as a union of states, rather than a union of individual citizens?

The electoral college

Take a position on whether the Constitution should be amended to abolish the electoral college and replace it with a direct popular vote.

The electoral college has its place in our government. If the electoral college did not exist, the widely blue centralized cities would rule the popular vote by voting for people who are only for the majority and not for ALL. James madison voiced his fear of demagogues and mob rule as they would control the country for the worse. In drafting the Constitution, Madison was determined to avoid the fate of those "ancient and modern confederacies,"

Which of the following best defines the constitutional interpretation of federalism?

The federal government and the states have separate but overlapping powers; where these powers conflict the federal government prevails.

The procedure for formally amending the United States Constitution best illustrates which of the following?

The federal structure of the United States government

In the early part of the twenty-first century, public opinion polls showed that a majority of Americans believed it should be illegal to burn the American flag. As a result, many members of Congress introduced amendments to make it illegal to burn or desecrate the American flag. However, these efforts have been unsuccessful. Which of the following statements best explains why these efforts have been unsuccessful?

The framers made the amendment process difficult in order to protect individual rights.