American Government Mid Term Study Guide

The right to remain silent is guaranteed by the ________ Amendment. a. Sixth b. Ninth c. Fifth d. First

C. Fifth

____ is the mechanism through which each branch of government is able to participate in and influence the activities of the other branches. a. Limited government b. Separation of powers c. Bicameral d. Checks and balances

D. Checks and balances

Following the ruling of Brown v. Board of Education, schools throughout the United States were immediately integrated. True or False

False

The "clear and present danger" test is the main criteria still used by the Supreme Court to decide when government intervention or censorship is permitted. True or False

False

A person's trust in government usually goes up when a member of their political party controls the government. True or False

True

By one measure, most of the global population lives in electoral and closed autocracies. True or False

True

Since 1937, the Supreme Court has expanded the power of the federal government by enhancing its interpretation of the commerce clause. True or False

True

Under the Articles of Confederation, there was no national army, only state militias. True or False

True

A _________ is a centralized government system in which lower levels of government have little power independent of the national government. a. federal system b. dictatorial system c. confederal system d. unitary system

Unitary system

What happened in 1937 that decisively ended the era of dual federalism? a. The Supreme Court issued a series of decisions throwing out the old distinction between interstate and intrastate commerce. b. The Twentieth Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, declaring once and for all that the federal government was supreme to the states. c. The United States formally declared its entrance into World War II. d. Forty-three of the 50 states declared bankruptcy as a result of the Great Depression.

a. The Supreme Court issued a series of decisions throwing out the old distinction between interstate and intrastate commerce.

In Lawrence v. Texas (2003), the Supreme Court ruled that a. laws criminalizing sexual behavior are a violation of the right to privacy. b. states may compel a 48-hour waiting period before permitting a woman to have an abortion. c. mandatory locker searches in public schools did not violate the Fourth Amendment. d. there was no constitutional right to physician-assisted suicide.

a. laws criminalizing sexual behavior are a violation of the right to privacy.

Citizenship refers to a. membership in a political community that confers legal rights and carries participation responsibilities. b. receiving benefits from government programs. c. the act of paying taxes to the government. d. the process of providing passive consent for government's activities.

a. membership in a political community that confers legal rights and carries participation responsibilities.

Shays' Rebellion was an attempt to a. prevent the state of Massachusetts from foreclosing on the lands of debt-ridden farmers. b. invade New England by royalists from Canada. c. force the British government to rescind the Tea Act. d. bring a Georgian slave revolt to Virginia.

a. prevent the state of Massachusetts from foreclosing on the lands of debt-ridden farmers.

Antifederalists bitterly attacked which two parts of the Constitution as unlimited and dangerous grants of power to the national government? a. the supremacy clause and the elastic clause b. the Tenth Amendment and the supremacy clause c. the Ninth Amendment and the supremacy clause d. the Tenth Amendment and the elastic clause

a. the supremacy clause and the elastic clause

What effect did the Immigration Act of 1924, which established a national quota system, have on immigration in the United States? a. The foreign-born population increased by a modest amount as the new law relaxed previous restrictions. b. Because the quota system placed strong restrictions on the number of immigrants who could enter the United States, the foreign-born population reached a new, all-time low of about 5 percent. c. The foreign-born population remained constant, but the countries of origin varied as eastern and southern European countries received more generous quotas for new immigrants. d. The foreign-born population surged with an influx of immigrants from Asian countries and South America.

b. Because the quota system placed strong restrictions on the number of immigrants who could enter the United States, the foreign-born population reached a new, all-time low of about 5 percent

What was the effect of Black Lives Matter? a. The Black Lives Matter protests produced widespread criminal justice reforms calling for more accountability among the police and ending immunity for police officers. b. During the Black Lives Matter protests, public opinion concerning race relations and policing shifted with a majority supporting Black Lives Matter and Americans' views on policing growing more negative. c. The Black Lives Matter protests had no effect on public opinion about policing in the United States. d. The Black Lives Matter protests led to more Americans approving of policing in the United States.

b. During the Black Lives Matter protests, public opinion concerning race relations and policing shifted with a majority supporting Black Lives Matter and Americans' views on policing growing more negative.

Which of the following statements best summarizes John Locke's philosophical arguments in his treatises on government? a. Governments exist to provide their citizens with equality, and the only legitimate use of government force is to provide for the equal distribution of wealth. b. Individuals create governments to protect their lives, liberties, and possessions, and if a government fails in its duties, the citizenry has the right to alter or abolish it. c. Monarchs rule by "divine right" and citizens can only retain those rights that are approved by the king or queen. d. All governments necessarily lose their legitimacy after one generation, and all new generations of citizens must determine which rights should be protected in their country.

b. Individuals create governments to protect their lives, liberties, and possessions, and if a government fails in its duties, the citizenry has the right to alter or abolish it.

Suppose the federal government blocks the states from imposing taxes on high speed internet service. Which of the following would allow it to do so? a. home rule b. preemption c. state's rights d. devolution

b. Preemption

________ prevents people from being tried twice for the same crime. a. Cruel and unusual punishment b. Double jeopardy c. Self-incrimination d. Unreasonable seizures

b. Double jeopardy

Which of the following describes a system of government in which power is divided, by a constitution, between a central government and regional governments? a. antifederalism b. federalism c. bicameral legislature d. unicameral legislature

b. federalism

During World War II, 120,000 individuals of Japanese descent, including 90,000 American citizens, were forcibly placed in internment camps. When did the federal government formally acknowledge that this denial of civil rights was a "grave injustice"? a. in 1944, when President Roosevelt closed the internment camps b. in the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 c. in the 1974 case Lau v. Nichols, which ruled that the government had acted unconstitutionally d. after the Allied victory over the Japanese empire in 1945

b. in the Civil Liberties Act of 1988

If the government stopped the New York Times from releasing the transcripts of cell phone conversations between world leaders, it would be called a. sedition. b. prior restraint. c. speech plus. d. clear and present danger.

b. prior restraint.

The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution deals with a. the quartering of troops. b. the right to bear arms. c. due process. d. self-incrimination.

b. the right to bear arms.

Which of the following statements regarding social movement strategies focused on the executive branch is true? a. Social movements have focused on lobbying the president when the president's party also controls Congress but pursuing a different strategy if the president's party does not have control over the legislature. b. Historically, social movements have focused solely on lobbying the president to achieve their goals because presidents are generally available and open to using their influence to advance a groups' cause through the use of executive orders c. Although presidents rarely have met with members of social movements or used their powers to implement executive policies on their behalf, protest actions have been successful in encouraging presidents to make statements and encouraging legislators to act. d. Studies have found no evidence that social movements have been able to influence the president

c. Although presidents rarely have met with members of social movements or used their powers to implement executive policies on their behalf, protest actions have been successful in encouraging presidents to make statements and encouraging legislators to act.

________ delegates authority to a lower level of government. a. Incorporation b. Redistribution c. Devolution d. Unitary government

c. Devolution

The first provision of the Bill of Rights to be "incorporated" into the Fourteenth Amendment as a limitation on state power was the a. First Amendment's protection for freedom of assembly. b. First Amendment's protection for freedom of speech. c. Fifth Amendment's prohibition on states from taking private property for public use without just compensation. d. First Amendment's protection for freedom of the press.

c. Fifth Amendment's prohibition on states from taking private property for public use without just compensation.

Which president introduced and presided over the New Deal? a. Dwight Eisenhower b. Lyndon Johnson c. Franklin Roosevelt d. Herbert Hoover

c. Franklin Roosevelt

Which of the following statements about LGBTQ rights is true? a. The Supreme Court has always included the LGBTQ community among those protected by the Fourteenth Amendment equal protection clause, so LGBTQ rights followed the same path as rights for African Americans and women. b. LGBTQ rights faced a setback in 2009 when Congress failed to pass legislation extending the definition of hate crimes to include crimes motivated by hatred of LGBTQ people c. No Supreme Court ruling or national legislation explicitly protected gay and lesbian people from discrimination until 1996. d. In Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court upheld the Defense of Marriage Act.

c. No Supreme Court ruling or national legislation explicitly protected gay and lesbian people from discrimination until 1996.

Which of the following statements best describes the 2005 Supreme Court's ruling on medicinal marijuana? a. State governments can legalize medicinal marijuana, but they must pay a tax penalty to the federal government. b. State governments that have legalized medicinal marijuana can prohibit federal law enforcement officials from arresting state residents who use or sell medicinal marijuana. c. The federal government has the power to regulate use of medicinal marijuana under the commerce clause. d. State governments have no constitutional authority to legalize medicinal marijuana.

c. The federal government has the power to regulate use of medicinal marijuana under the commerce clause.

The ability to charter banks is an example of a ________ power. a. police b. reserved c. concurrent d. state

c. concurrent

If an employee's manager issued an explicit or strongly implied threat that submission to sexual demands is a condition of the employee's job, it would be an example of ________ harassment. a. de jure b. cui bono c. quid pro quo d. sine qua non

c. quid pro quo

The Constitution expressly grants Congress the power to a. receive ambassadors. b. appoint judges. c. regulate interstate commerce. d. abolish state boundaries.

c. regulate interstate commerce.

Americans have generally tolerated great differences among rich and poor citizens because a. the Constitution explicitly prohibits government action to redress economic inequality. b. the Declaration of Independence claimed that economic inequality is the inevitable by-product of liberty. c. they believe that mobility is possible and that economic success is the product of individual effort. d. they strongly reject the principles of laissez-faire capitalism.

c. they believe that mobility is possible and that economic success is the product of individual effort.

Which of the following comes closest to describing the political system favored by the American Founders? a. A system of representative democracy in which the ability to vote for elected representatives would be extended to all citizens. b. A system of direct democracy in which the right to vote on laws would be limited to the middle and upper classes. c. A system of direct democracy in which the right to vote on laws would be extended to all citizens. d. A system of representative democracy in which the ability to vote for elected representatives would be limited to the middle and upper classes.

d. A system of representative democracy in which the ability to vote for elected representatives would be limited to the middle and upper classes.

Which of the following statements about the president under the Articles of Confederation is accurate? a. The president under the Articles of Confederation could veto any laws passed by the Congress. b. The president under the Articles of Confederation could appoint judges for the federal judiciary without approval from Congress. c. The president under the Articles of Confederation could declare war without approval from the Congress. d. The president under the Articles of Confederation was the official chosen by the Congress to preside over its sessions, not the chief executive of the national government.

d. The president under the Articles of Confederation was the official chosen by the Congress to preside over its sessions, not the chief executive of the national government.

Which of the following state actions would conflict with the Voting Rights Act of 1965? a. A state with a large Asian-American population requires bilingual ballots. b. A state requires voters to show identification at the polls in order to vote. c. A state hires a federally appointed registrar in a county with a history of discrimination against Black Americans. d. A state requires voter to take a test to prove they can read and write in order to vote.

d. A state requires voter to take a test to prove they can read and write in order to vote.

________ compels state governments to obey costly federal regulations but does not reimburse those costs. a. A block grant b. General revenue sharing c. A grant-in-aid d. An unfunded mandate

d. An unfunded mandate

What is the main difference between libel and slander? a. Libel refers to statements made with a "reckless disregard of the truth," while slander refers to statements that are true. b. Libel refers to statements that are true, while slander refers to statements made with a "reckless disregard of the truth." c. Libel refers to statements that attack the reputation of public figures, while slander refers to statements that attack the reputation of private individuals. d. Libel refers to written statements, while slander refers to oral statements.

d. Libel refers to written statements, while slander refers to oral statements.

What is Islamophobia? a. a federal program that offers grants to organizations aligned with the Islam faith b. the practice of Islam in public schools in the United States c. the policy that gives priority to those seeking asylum who are part of the Islam faith d. the fear of and discrimination against Islam or people who practice Islam

d. the fear of and discrimination against Islam or people who practice Islam