Chapter 3 Government Sections 1,2, and 3
Which statement illustrates how difficult it is to amend the Constitution?
A simple majority is not enough to satisfy constitutional requirements in either the proposal stage or the ratification stage of the amendment process.
Federalism
A system of government in which a written constitution divides power between a central, or national, government and several regional governments
Amendment
An amendment changes in its written words.
The fact that government in the United States is in many ways government through political party is
the result of a long history of informal amendments
Which of the following informal customswas eventually added to the written Constitution through formal amendment?
no third term for Presidents
The idea that governmet and its officers are always subjec to-never above-the law is described as the _______________________________.
rule of law
When James Madison wrote, "The accumulation of all powers...in the same hands...may be pronounced as the very definition of tyranny," he was arguing on behalf of which of the constitutional principles?
separation of powers
the division of power between a central government and several regional governments
separation of powers
The Constitution states that Congress must make changes in the document's wording because of changes in society.
False
Which of the following is an informal process to amend the Constitution?
Supreme Court case decisions
Checks and Balances
System of overlapping the powers of the legislative, executive, and judicial braches to permit each branch to check the actions of the others.
Which amendments were results of the Civil War?
The 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments
Separation of Powers
The executive, legislative, and judicidal powers are divided among three independent and coequal branches of government.
What is the Bill of Rights?
The first ten amendments of the constitution.
Amendments to the Constitution have as much legality as the original Constitution.
True
Formal amendment refers to a change or addition that becomes part of the written Constitution.
True
The Bill of Rights states the guarantees of basic freedoms for the American people.
True
senatorial courtesy
A process by which Presidents, when selecting district court judges, defer to the Senator in whose state the vacancy occurs
Formal amendment
A formal amendmet changes or additions that became part of the written language of the constitution itself.
executive agreement
A pact made by the President directly with the head of a foreign state
Limited Government
Basic principle of American government which states that government is restricted in what it may do, and each individual has rights that the government cannot take away.
Popular Sovereignty
Basic principle of the American system of governemnt which asserts that the people are the source of any and all governmental power; and government can only exist with the consent of the governed.
advisory board to the President
Cabinet
An amendment may be formally proposed ONLY by
Congress or national conventions
Which method of amending the Constitution has been the most commonly used?
Congress proposes, State legislatures ratify
Executive Action
Definition: Actions taken by the President Example: Use of armed forces
Basic Legislation
Definition: Acts of Congress Example: Presidential Succession
Party Practices
Definition: How political parties beliefs affect the nation Example: Elections
Custom
Definition: Practice followed because it has always been done that way Example: Senatorial Courtesy, or Cabinet
Court Decisions
Definition: Rulings of US courts Example: Supreme Court decisions
Over the years, the Constitution has been changed only 10 times.
False
Which of the following is one reason that Presidents use executive agreements with heads of foreign states instead of the formal treaty process?
Executive agreements do not require Senate approval
The _______________________ is the brief introduction that begins the Constitution.
Preamble
Judicial Review
The power of a court to determine the constitutionality of a government action.
What are the two steps in the first method of amending the Constitution?
a. May be proposed by a 2/3 vote in each house b. Be ratified by 3/4 of the states legislature
What are the two steps involved in the third method of amending the Constitution?
a. an amendment may be proposed by a national convention b. then must be ratified by 3/4 of the state legislatures
What are the two steps involved in the second method of amending the Constitution?
a. an amendment may be proposed by a national convention b. then must be ratified by the 3/4 of the state
What are the two steps involved in the fourth method of amending the Constitution?
a. an amendment may be proposed by a national convention b. then ratified by the convention in 3/4 states
Which constitutional principle applies when the Senate confirms or rejects the President;s appointee to run the Central Intelligence Agency (CiA)?
checks and balances
Informal amendment
changes in the Constitution that do not involve change in the written document
The participation of both the Federal Government and State governments in the aendment process is evidence of what constitutional principle?
checks and balances
the group that formally selects the nation's President
electoral college
a pact a President makes with the head of a foreign state
executive agreement
Congress may informally amend the Constitution by passing laws that
expand the brief provisions of the Constitution
The principles of _______________________ expresses the concept that government must be conducted according to constitutional principles.
federalism
Which of the following constitutional principles was devised as a compromise between a powerful central government and a loose confederation of States?
federalism
a governmental system having basic political powers distributed among the three distinct and independent branches
federalism
The principle of popular sovereignty means that the
government must be conducted according to constitutional principles
changes in the Constitution that do not involve changes in the written document
informal amendment
The power of the courts to decide whether government acts are constitutional
judicial review
Which of the following principles holds that government may do only those things that the people have given it power to do?
limited government
a formal agreement between two or more sovereign states
treaty
Judicial review is the power to declare a government action that violates some provision the Constitution to be _____________________________.
unconstitutional
illegal; null and void; of no force and effect
unconstitutional
the President's rejection of an act of Congress
veto
Which of the following is NOT a right guaranteed by the Bill of Rights?
women's right to vote