AP Government. Unit 1 Practice Test.

Which one is NOT a presidential role authorized by the Constitution? a. To present the State of the Union address b. To be commander in chief of the armed forces c. To be chief executive d. To negotiate treaties with foreign nations e. To lead the political party of the President

E

"The Congress shall have the power ... to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by the Constitution in the government of the United States, or any department or officer thereof." Intepretations of this clause have been central to attempts to define the nature of which of the following aspects of the United States political system? a. federalism b. Judicial review c. Due process of law d. Pluralism e. Republicanism

A

A consequence of separation of powers and checks and balances has been a. fragmented policymaking processes. b. the tyranny of the majority. c. an "imperial presidency." d. the inability of groups to get their grievances heard. e. streamlined, but hasty, government decision making.

A

All of these are advantages of federalism EXCEPT: A. It reduces the amount of experimentation on public policy B. it allows customization of policies for local needs C. it allows more opportunities for political participation D. it allows for greater diversity of opinion to be reflected on public policies. E. it increases access to government

A

The reserved powers of the state governments can best be described as those powers a. not specifically granted to the national government or denied to the states b. exercised by both national and state governments c. granted to states as part of the implied powers doctrine d. listed specifically in the Tenth Amendment e. implied in the Fifth Amendment

A

Under the Articles of Confederation, most governmental power rested in a. the state governments. b. the town councils c. the president. d. the national government. e. the judiciary.

A

Which of the following was NOT a problem with the national government under the Articles of Confederation? a. the lack of power given to state legislatures b. the inability of the central national government to regulate the national economy c. the lack of an executive to lead the nation d. the lack of a standing army e. the unwillingness of the states to provide money for the central government

A

A birth certificate issued in one state is valid in all states under the constitutional provision of a. separation of powers. b. full faith and credit. c. national supremacy. d. national licensure. e. privileges and immunities.

B

All of the following issues were decided at the Constitutional Convention EXCEPT a. method of electing the President b. congressional power to override a presidential veto c. representation in the legislature d. voting qualifications of the electorate e. qualifications for members of the House and Senate

B

Anti-Federalists argued against adoption of the Constitution for all the following reasons EXCEPT a. it placed too many restrictions on the states b. it failed to centralize power c. it favored property owners d. it responded to the needs of the minority, not the majority e. it neglected individual rights

B

As originally ratified, the United States Constitution included provisions designed to a. limit the importation of foreign manufactured goods b. increase the economic powers of the central government c. increase the economic importance of the agrarian sector relative to that of the manufacturing sector d. guarantee the states a greater role in economic policy-making e. expand the states' powers to regulate their own commerce with foreign countries

B

One way Congress can respond to a Supreme Court ruling that declares a law unconstitutional is to a. draft a referendum that the voters would approve b. pass new legislation that addresses the issues raised by the Court c. pass a law limiting the terms of the justices d. appoint new justices e. reargue the case in a state court

B

In The Federalist papers, James Madison expressed the view that political factions a. should play a minor role in any free nation b. are necessary to control the masses in a free nation c. are undesirable but inevitable in a free nation d. should be nurtured by a free nation e. are central to the creation of a free nation

C

A constitutional amendment would be required to ban flag burning because that activity is currently protected by the right to a. protection against confiscation of private property b. assembly c. free exercise d. symbolic free speech e. due process

D

In which of the following ways does the constitution protect the rights of individuals? a. It allows states to collect taxes. b. It invests the president with the powers of commander in chief. c. It gives Congress the power to impeach the president. d. It prevents Congress from passing bills of attainder. e. It divides government into the national and state levels

D

Informal changes to the Constitution have come about as a result of all of the following EXCEPT a. congressional legislation. b. tradition. c. judicial interpretation. d. constitutional amendments. e. custom

D

The government designed at the Constitutional Convention allowed the voters to directly elect a. the president and all members of Congress. b. only the Senate. c. both the House and Senate. d. only the House of Representatives. e. only the president.

D

Congress would be required to use the "elastic clause" of the Constitution to a. declare war b. authorize the treasury to print money c. increase tax rates d. change citizenship requirements e. impose workplace safety standards

E

Federal policies to regulate food and drugs are examples of: a. expressed powers b. reserved powers c. categorical grants d. constitutionally specified powers e. implied powers

E

Pluralist theory contends that in the United States a. society is governed solely by an upper-class elite. b. most citizens fail to pay attention to serious issues. c. the many members of Congress dominate a singular official such as the president. d. too many influential groups cripple government's ability to govern. e. many groups vie for power with no one set of groups dominating

E

In the Constitution as originally ratified in 1788, the provisions regarding which of the following most closely approximate popular, majoritarian democracy? a. Election of members of the House of Representatives b. Confirmation of presidential appointments c. Election of members of the Senate d. Ratification of treaties e. Election of the President

A

Political parties are an important example of the a. unwritten constitution. b. wishes of the founders . c. rigidity of the Constitution . d. formal amendment process e. Third Amendment.

A

The Tenth Amendment most often comes into conflict with which section of the Constitution? a. The "necessary and proper" clause b. The clause prohibiting states from coining money and entering into treaties c. The provisions for constitutional amendment d. The provisions for the impeachment of a president e. The "full faith and credit" clause

A

The procedure for formally amending the United States Constitution best illustrates which of teh following? a. The federal structure of the United States b. The dominance of the state governments over the national government c. The Founding Fathers' desire to facilitate rapid constitutional revisions d. The dominance of the national government over the state governments e. The Supreme Court's power to review constitutional amendments

A

Which of the following is an example of checks and balances, as established by the Constitution? a. The requirement that presidential appointments to the Supreme Court be approved by the Senate b. Media criticism of public officials during an election campaign period c. The Supreme Court's ability to overturn a lower court decision d. The election of the President by the electoral college rather than by direct election e. A requirement that states lower their legal drinking age to eighteen as a condition of receiving funds through federal highway grant programs

A

Which of the following is true about divided party control of the presidency and Congress? a. It reflects a frequent election pattern over the past three decades. b. It rarely occurs in United States elections, because of straight-ticket voting. c. It is a natural occurrence due to the constitutional system of checks and balances. d. It results from the reapportionment of House seats after the decennial census. e. It promotes quick action by the President and Congress on such issues as the federal budget.

A

In which of the following scenarios would a presidential veto most likely be upheld? a. The proposed legislation was originally adopted by a large majority in both houses of Congress. b. Two-thirds of the representatives and senators are members of the same party as the president c. The President has the support of the Supreme Court. d. The proposed legislation enjoys widespread bipartisan support. e. The President is in a second term, removed from partisan.

B

On the issue of slavery, the Constitution specified a. the Mason-Dixon line to establish free and slave states. b. that three-fifths of the slaves would count for population in determining the number of House seats to which each state would be entitled c. that slavery would be banned beginning in 1800. d. that slavery was guaranteed in all states. e. that a gradual end to slavery must be worked out by Congress and the states within ten years.

B

Shays' Rebellion was a. a slave uprising in Virginia. b. an uprising by farmers to prevent judges from foreclosing on farms. c. the most decisive battle of the Revolutionary War. d. an uprising by small merchants demanding credit. e. an uprising by Revolutionary War veterans demanding pensions.

B

States and localities have the most discretion in establishing policy when federal funding is derived from a. project grants b. block grants c. matching grants d. categorical grants e. grants-in-aid

B

The Framers adopted a federal system for all of the following reasons EXCEPT: a. The population was too dispersed for a unitary system to work. b. Americans had weak allegiance to their states. c. The confederation had clearly failed in managing the country's problems. d. Transportation and communication systems were too primitive for a unitary government to work . e. Americans' loyalty to state governments was stronger than it was to the United States.

B

The United States has increasingly relied on the national government to solve problems primarily because: a. of persistent corruption in state and local government. b. a problem or policy often requires the authority and resources of the national government. c. of incompetence of state governments. d. its unitary system of government. e. the Tenth Amendment gave increased power to the national government.

B

The legislative process at the national level reflects the intent of the framers of the Constitution to create a legislature that would a. involve as many citizens as possible b. be cautious and deliberate c. be less powerful than the executive d. allow majorities virtually unlimited control over policy e. ensure that all groups be equally represented

B

The principle of the supremacy of federal law over state law was affirmed in a. United States v. Lopez. b. McCulloch v. Maryland c. the Tenth Amendment. d. the presidential election of 1800. e. Marbury v. Madison.

B

Which of the following actions by the federal government best illustrates the concept of unfunded mandates? a. Requiring states and municipalities to provide certain services for their citizens without providing resources to pay for those services b. Requiring state governments to guarantee short-term bonds issued by large municipalities in their states c. Requiring that polling booths remain open beyond the hours of the workday d. Requiring all municipalities to impose a minimum property tax on all residential and business properties e. Requiring states and municipalities to privatize many previously publicly funded services

B

The Connecticut Compromise at the Constitutional Convention a. involved the federal judiciary b. established an indirectly-elected president. c. resolved the impasse over the issue of representation in Congress. d. settled the dispute over whether slavery should be allowed in the final constitution. e. added the Bill of Rights to the Constitution.

C

The President can do which of the following with out seeking the consent of either the House or the Senate? a. Declare war b. Appoint ambassadors c. Deploy troops d. Appoint district court judges. e. Ratify a treaty.

C

The framers of the Constitution all believed that one of the primary functions of government is a. protecting new immigrants from persecution b. ensuring that anyone accused of a crime has the right to legal representation c. protecting individual property rights d. expanding the borders of the nation e. educating citizens

C

The new Republican majority in Congress in the 1990s preferred block grants to categorical grants because it: a. wanted to decrease federal aid to state governments. b. wanted to increase federal aid to state governments. c. wanted the federal government to exercise less authority over the states. d. intended to raise more money from state governments to reduce the federal budget deficit. e. wanted federal money to be spent at the neighborhood level rather than the state level.

C

Which of the following is true under the system of checks and balances? a. A bill becomes law when the House and the Senate pass it, and the Supreme Court declares it constitutional. b. House of Representatives appoints justices to the Supreme Court & the Senate approves the appointments. c. The Senate must ratify treaties negotiated by the President before they become law. d. The Supreme court can overrule the President's policy proposals. e. The Supreme Court can remove members of Congress, and Congress can impeach the President.

C

All of the following are consequences of the federal system in the United States EXCEPT: A. decentralization of political conflict B. multiple points of access for interest groups C. inequality in government services across subnational entities D. a strict division of power among levels of government E. opportunities for experimentation in government programs

D

Cooperative federalism includes each of the following EXCEPT a. categorical grants b. federal guidelines c. shared administration. d. federal funding with no strings attached. e. block grants.

D

In a federal system of government, political power is primarily a. vested in the central government b. vested in local governments c. divided between regional governments and local governments d. divided between the central government and regional governments e. vested in the regional governments

D

Madison believed that in order to prevent a "tyranny of the majority" the new government should include all the following EXCEPT a. creating a system of checks and balances b. creating political institutions that could function with the consent of a majority c. limiting the ability of the electorate to vote directly for government officials except members of the House d. limiting the president's term of office e. creating different branches of government with distinctive and separate powers

D

The Madisonian requirement that each branch of government acquire the consent of the others for many of its actions created a system of a. unitary government. b. constitutional republic c. confederated government. d. checks and balances. e. cross-cutting requirements.

D

The terms "fiscal federalism" and "cooperative federalism" refer to situations in which a. state, municipal, and local income taxes are pooled by special agreement and redistributed in accordance with individual need b. the federal judiciary uses its power of judicial review to ensure congressional dominance over state legislatures c. states are forbidden any activity that has not been specifically approved by the Supreme Court d. federal, state, and local governments work together to complete a project, with the federal government providing much of the project funding e. The federal government completely dominates state and local governments

D

Which of the following statements accurately describe the system of check and balances? I. The system of checks and balances prevents the rule of the majority, because one institution cannot gain total power over the others. II. The power to veto bills allows the president to check Congress. III. The system of checks and balances grew out of a long political tradition but is not defined by the Constitution. IV. Congress checks the power of the judicial branch by nominating justices. a. III only b. III and IV only c. I, II, and III only d. I and II only e. I only

D

In McCulloch v. Maryland, the Supreme Court established which of the following principles? a. The judicial branch cannot intervene in political disputes between the President and Congress. b. The federal Bill of Rights places no limitations on the states. c. The federal government has the power to regulate commerce. d. It is within the judiciary's authority to interpret the constitution. e. States cannot interfere with or tax the legitimate activities of the federal government.

E

Which of the following is one of the central concerns of the First Amendment? a. the protection of rights of those accused of committing a crime b. the division of powers among the three branches c. the supremacy of the national over the state governments d. the right of the citizens to bear arms e. the right of citizens to petition the government for redress of grievances

E

Which of the following statements reflects a pluralist theory of American politics? a. American politics is dominated by cities at the expense of rural areas b. American politics is dominated by a small elite. c. The American political arena is made up of isolated individuals who have few group affiliations outside the family. d. Public policies emerge from cooperation among elites in business labor, and government. e. Public policies emerge from compromises reached among competing groups

E