U.S. Government & Politics Test 1

As originally presented in the Constitution, the Bill of Rights A. limited only the power of the national government, not that of the states B. protected citizens from all forms of government C. protected citizens from the national and state governments, but not from local governments D. limited only the power of state governments

A

Categorical grants are A. grants to states or local governments for specific programs B. emergency grants to states for unforeseen circumstances C. a very recent form of national government support to school districts D. unconstitutional because of separation of powers

A

In future years, the United States will contain a much larger proportion of people of both the following ancestries: A. Hispanic and Asian B. African American and white C. American Indian and African American D. European and Asian

A

One of the main actions of the Second Continental Congress was A. to establish an army and appoint a commander in chief B. to sign a treaty with Britain prohibiting armed conflict C. to sign a treaty with France to declare war on Britain D. the creation of a unitary government in America

A

One of the original purposes of government is A. security, or order B. liberty, or freedom C. promoting equality among citizens D. promoting economic development

A

Shay's rebellion A. demonstrated that the government could not maintain peace and order B. demonstrated the strength of the Articles of Confederation C. demonstrated that the Congress of the Confederation deprived people of their rights D. None of the above

A

State governments in the Revolutionary War period and later A. concentrated power in the legislature B. concentrated power in a strong executive C. weakened the power of the judiciary D. weakened the powers of the legislature

A

The First Continental Congress A. called for committees in every community that would watch the actions of their neighbors B. named Benedict Arnold the leader of the American Army C. proposed acceptance of some taxes if Britain would repeal the rest D. send delegates to France to discuss a treaty

A

The authority to legislate for the protection of the health, morals, and safety of the people is called the A. police power B. statutory power C. protective power D. regulatory power

A

The concept of universal suffrage refers to A. the right of all people to vote for a representative in government B. the problems people face in countries that do not have democracy C. the idea that political power should be used to eliminate food shortages throughout the world D. the belief that the whole world will suffer if certain political and economic ideas are allowed to spread

A

The exclusionary rule is a policy A. forbidding the admission of illegally seized evidence at trial B. that prohibits the arresting officer from serving as a character witness at a hearing or trial C. that prohibits the detention of a suspect for more than 48 hours without the suspect being charged D. limited to the federal courts

A

Totalitarianism as a concept means A. the government controls all aspects of the political and social life of a nation B. the condition of having no government in the people C. the ultimate political authority is vested in the people. D. a limited republic where people elect officials to make decisions for them for a specific period of time

A

"Enumerated powers" mean A. the powers necessary to conduct a census B. the powers expressly delegated to the national government by the Constitution C. the powers reserved for both states and the national government D. powers denied in the Constitution

B

A confederation refers to A. a union with a strong executive authority B. a voluntary association of independent states C. the relationship that existed between the colonies before the revolutionary crisis D. a national legislature

B

A voluntary agreement among individuals to secure their rights and welfare by creating a government and abiding by its rules is called A. a confederation B. a social contract C. a syndicate D. a constitution

B

An agreement between two or more states is A. shared governance B. an interstate compact C. an intrastate treaty D. a cooperative agreement

B

Civil liberties represent A. something that the government must do, such as guaranteeing a privilege to individuals B. something the government cannot do, such as abridge a freedom C. a threat to property rights D. a threat to libertarians

B

Dual federalism ceased to be popularly acceptable after the start of the Great Depression because A. the states relied on each other to fight the Depression B. the public demanded that the federal government do something about the crisis C. the federal government relied on the states financially D. of the prevalence of matching grants

B

Implied powers come from A. precedents established under the Articles of Confederation B. the necessary and proper clause C. Article 2, section 2 in the Constitution D. state constitutions

B

In a federal political system power is A. always vested in a bicameral legislature B. shared between the central government and state or regional governments C. bestowed in the central government, with no power being granted to the regional governments D. concentrated in a unicameral legislature within a strong central government

B

In a voucher system A. states are given a set number of vouchers to support religious educational institutions B. students are given vouchers to purchase education at public or private schools C. local school boards are given vouchers for each student they persuade to attend religious schools D. teachers are given federal tax vouchers when they agree to teach in public rather than private schools

B

In the pluralist view, politics is A. only useful for the wealthy in society B. the struggle among groups to gain benefits for their members C. insignificant at the lower levels of government D. is marked by the division of society into two great classes

B

Slander is A. an attempt to do bodily harm B. a false statement that harms the good reputation of another C. printed material that cannot be proven true D. a law that prohibits the public from making negative statements about elected officials

B

The Supreme Court has allowed municipalities to require permits for parades, sound trucks, and demonstrations A. because such activities are not covered by the First Amendment B. so that public officials may control traffic or prevent demonstrations from turning into riots C. since 1938, when Congress enacted legislation restricting such activities D. both a and c

B

The section of the Constitution in which Congress is given the authority to regulate trade among the states and with foreign countries is called A. the oversight clause B. the commerce clause C. the supremacy clause D the necessary and proper clause

B

To be considered obscene, the work A. must be offensive to a specific religious group B. must lack serious redeeming literary , artistic, political, or scientific merit C. must be determined to be commercial speech D. must employ graphics, as opposed to mere text

B

To ensure that majority rule does not become oppressive, modern democracies A. limit political participation to individuals who are properly educated B. guarantee the rights of minorities C. both a and b D. apply term limits to elected officials

B

A fundamental source of political socialization is A. the American Socialist Party B. the rapid growth of the federal deficit C. the family D. direct payments to individuals from the national government through such programs as Social Security

C

A procedure allowing the people to vote to dismiss an elected official from office before his or her term has expired is called A. a referendum B. direct democracy C. a recall D. an initiative

C

An individual's criminal rights include all of the following except: A. trial by jury B. the right to a speedy and public trial C. the right to not be subject to lengthy questioning D. no compulsory self-incrimination

C

Falsely accusing someone of wrongdoing face-to-face with no one else present A. constitutes slander B. constitutes defamation of character C. does not constitute slander D. a and b

C

In Gibbons vs. Ogden, the court held that A. only state governments could regulate commerce B. state governments cannot enter into interstate compacts C. the national government has broad powers to regulate commerce D. the national government cannot regulate interstate commerce

C

In a confederal political system the central governing unit has A. total power over state governments B. total power over local governments C. only those powers granted it by the states D. the ability to overrule the actions of state governments

C

Inherent powers derive from the fact that the United States is A. a democratic republic B. a confederation formed by state governments C. a sovereign power among nations D. a federal system

C

Obstacles to the creation of a unitary government in the United States, Canada, and India include A. very few governments have had such a political system B. the only countries to have such a system were islands C. the size of the country would make unitary rule operationally difficult D. the public would not accept an idea that was untested by a previous government

C

Symbolic speech is A. a law that is worded in a vague manner B. an area of expression that is not protected by the First Amendment C. the nonverbal expression of beliefs D. usually an expression of obscenity

C

Taxes were imposed on the colonists A. to pay for the coronation of King George III B. to pay for the establishment of more colonies C. to pay the costs of Britain's defense of the colonies against the French D. to purchase Canada (Quebec) from the French

C

The Bill of Rights was important for Constitutional ratification because A. all state constitutions had such rights, and this would have made the U.S. Constitution void without a national bill B. such rights were stipulated in the Articles of Confederation C. some states would not have voted to ratify had the Federalists been unwilling to promise such amendments D. none of the above

C

The Federalists advocated A. the status quo B. return to the Articles of Confederation C. ratification of the new Constitution D. strong state government system

C

The First Continental Congress A. was called by the colonies to seek independence from Britain B. called for the abdication of King George III C. asked the colonies to boycott British trade and raise troops D. was ignored by the British

C

The Fourteenth Amendment A. established the supremacy doctrine B. codified the right to privacy C. in principle, applied the Bill of Rights to the states D. protects individuals' freedom of religion

C

The Geneva Conventions A. were never signed by the United States B. date back to the 1800s C. set forth the rights of prisoners of war D. permit forceful interrogation methods provided that outright torture is not used

C

The Jamestown colonists set a political precedent by A. allowing the governor to use a line-item veto B. instituting a direct democracy C. instituting a representative assembly D. creating a judicial system

C

The Tenth Amendment states that the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are A. the sole authority of Congress B. reserved to the central government C. reserved to the states respectively, or the people D. the sole authority of the executive branch

C

The concept of liberty means A. the protection of personal property rights B. the broadly defined rights of criminals, including protection from self-incrimination C. the greatest freedom of individuals that is consistent with the freedom of others D. the rights of minorities

C

The federal system outlined in the Constitutiion A. provided for extensive states' rights B. was unique in the world at that time C. both a and b D. was probably unworkable in practice

C

The first draft of the Declaration of Independence was written by A. John Locke B. John Adams C. Thomas Jefferson D. George Washington

C

The inalienable rights stipulated in the Declaration of Independence included the right A. of free speech and a free press B. to freely associate and assemble C. to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness D. to privacy from governmental intervention

C

The largest number of Hispanics are from A. Spain B. Cuba C. Mexico D. Puerto Rico

C

The supremacy doctrine A. asserts the superiority of large states over small states B. asserts the superiority of non-slave states C. asserts the superiority of national law over state law D. asserts the superiority of natural law over man-made law

C

A democratic republic is A. liberal B. direct democracy C. impossible D. a republic in which the people elect representatives to make laws

D

A majority vote means the support of A. two thirds of the voters B. more voters than any other alternative C. three-fifths of the voters D. more than 50 percent of voters

D

According to the clear and present danger test, expression could be restricted if A. it does not deal with a political question B. it is found to be offensive to religious organizations C. and only if the United States is at war D. Evidence exists that such expression would cause a condition that would endanger the public

D

Commercial speech is A. defined as any form of expression for which the author is paid B. the electronic communication of words or symbols C. defined as any non-political speech D. defined as advertising statements

D

For a public official to obtain a damage award under libel laws, he or she must A. show that the article is about their private life B. sue in federal court under the Public Official Libel Act C. prove that their chances for re-election were completely lost because of the article D. prove actual malice

D

Government is A. in America, the president B. any institution that has the power to enforce rules C. any club or organization that allocates values D. the preeminent institution in society

D

In a unitary system of government, ultimate government authority is located A. at the state or provincial level B. at the local or municipal level C. at the regional level D. at the national or central level

D

In response to the tax protest known as the "Boston Tea Party," the British government A. closed Boston Harbor B. placed the government of Massachusetts under direct British control C. backed down and repealed several of the most controversial taxes D. both a and b

D

In the United States, the principle for our structure of limited government is found A. in the Magna Carta B. in the Declaration of Independence C. in the Articles of Confederation D. in the Constitution

D

In the years immediately after the American Revolution, the following classes of people were usually denied equal rights: A. men with insufficient property B. women, C. African Americans D. all of the above

D

Politics is A. a process that regulates conflict within a society B. a struggle over power or influence within organizations or informal groups C. fundamentally irrelevant D. both a and b

D

Powers held jointly by the national and state governments are called A. cooperative powers B. statutory powers C. reserved powers D. concurrent powers

D

Prior restraint is defined as A. an attempt by the president to limit actions of Congress B. a method that allows falsely convicted individuals an opportunity to redeem themselves C. the president's power to relieve convicted felons from further punishment D. restraining an activity before that activity has actually occurred

D

States may NOT A. license marriages B. pass laws regulating contracts C. makes laws on divorce D. make treaties with foreign nations

D

Teaching Darwin's theory of evolution in the public schools A. is often controversial because the theory is not accepted as true by many of the American people B. cannot constitutionally be banned C. cannot be subject to a requirement that creationism be taught as well D. all of the above

D

The doctrine of dual federalism represented A. an increase in the powers of the national government B. an equality between federal and state in their spheres of sovereignty C. a return to normality following the Civil War D. both b and c

D

The group that actually elects the president of the United States is called A. the presidential election commission B. the Congressional election forum C. the Association of State Legislature D. the Election College

D

The initiative is A. a way to remove a public official from office before the end of his or her elected term B. a procedure used in Congress to prevent the passage of a bill by talking it to death C. provided for in the Bill of Rights D. a procedure whereby voters can propose a law or amendment within a state

D

Thomas Paine's pamphlet, Common Sense, advocated A. the formation of a new government that would still be loyal to the king B. the establishment of a government that would limit further immigration C. an end of hostilities toward Britain D. the idea that a government of our own is our natural right

D