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