AP Gov unit 1
Which of the following excerpts from the passage best describes the author's reason for opposing an expansion of the scope of the federal government?
"... [I]t is impossible to have a representation, possessing the sentiments, and of integrity, to declare the minds of the people, without having it so numerous and unwieldy, as to be subject in great measure to the inconveniency of a democratic government."
Which of the following excerpts from Article I of the United States Constitution resolves a problem described by the author?
"The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;"
At the Constitutional Convention of 1787, delegates from larger states argued that each state's representation in the legislature should be proportional to its population. Smaller states argued that each state should have equal representation, regardless of population. The disagreement over representation threatened to derail the ratification of the United States Constitution. Which statement accurately describes the compromise that led to both sides reaching agreement?
A bicameral legislature with an upper house representing each state equally and a lower house with representation proportional to each state's population
In The Federalist 10, which of the following did James Madison argue would best control the negative effects of factions?
A large federal republic
Which of the following is argued by James Madison in The Federalist paper number 10?
A system of republican representation helps to limit the excesses of factionalism.
Which of the following is NOT a trait of a liberal democracy?
Achieving income equality
Which of the following sections of the United States Constitution most concerns Madison according to the passage?
Article I, Section 2—"The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature."
Which of the following forms of financial aid from the national government gives the states the broadest discretion in the spending of money?
Block grants
In The Federalist 10, James Madison argued that the new constitution would help control faction by doing which of the following?
By creating a large republic, the new constitution made it less likely that a faction could gain enough power to completely dominate.
Which of the following describes a possible method that can check the power of the president who willingly violates the constitutional balance of power as described in the passage?
Congress can impeach and remove a president who is unable or unwilling to perform his or her official functions.
Which of the following statements accurately describes the majority opinion of the Supreme Court in United States v. Lopez (1995) ?
Congress may not use the commerce clause to make possession of a gun in a school zone a federal crime.
All of the following are ways that the legislative branch can check the powers of the executive branch EXCEPT:
Congress may pass a law declaring a presidential action unconstitutional.
Cooperative federalism can best be described by which of the following statements?
Different levels of government are involved in common policy areas.
Which of the following is a consequence of the dynamic competition among branches of government described in the passage?
Effective policy change among governmental levels and branches occurs with little long-term abuse of authority.
In the Constitution as originally ratified in 1788, the provisions regarding which of the following most closely approximate popular, majoritarian democracy?
Election of members of the House of Representatives
Which of the following describes the social contract theory as advanced by John Locke?
It is an agreement in which the government promises to protect the natural rights of people.
Article I, Section 9 of the United States Constitution lists several powers that are denied to the federal government, such as granting titles of nobility and passing ex post facto laws. This best demonstrates which of the following ideals of democracy?
Limited government
"In every free government, the people must give their assent to the laws by which they are governed." Which of the following statements would the author of the passage most likely agree with?
Nations with extended territory cannot fairly represent their citizens in a republican form of government.
In 2015, the United States Supreme Court decided the case Obergefell v. Hodges (2015), which ruled that states must recognize same sex couples' right to marry. Which of the following ideals of democracy would the attorneys for the same sex couple most likely put forth as their argument?
Natural rights of life and liberty include the right to marry whom you choose.
The Declaration of Independence cites specific reasons for separating from British rule, including the British imposing taxes and maintaining a standing army without consent. Which of the following principles or ideas would these grievances be most related to?
Natural rights such as life, liberty, and property
In the passage, Brutus is most concerned with the conflict between which of the following political ideas
Participatory democracy and elite democracy
Which of the following statements best reflects James Madison's beliefs about political representation as expressed in the passage?
People are best represented by a few politicians chosen to voice their issues.
"The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the separation of powers is integral to the Constitution not to preserve the prerogatives of each branch of government but to divide governmental powers among the branches so as to keep power diffused—and thereby limited and protective of personal freedom. . . "Which of the following principles of government is most related to the author's argument in the passage?
Separation of powers is necessary to our constitutional system to limit the power of the three branches and guarantee limited government.
Which of the following is a difference between the Articles of Confederation and the United States Constitution that is a response to a problem expressed in the passage?
The Articles of Confederation allowed for the federal government to request revenues from states but did not permit it to tax citizens directly, whereas under the United States Constitution the federal government could tax citizens directly.
Which of the following procedures results in the removal of the President from office?
The House votes for impeachment, and the Senate conducts a trial and reaches a guilty verdict.
Which of the following is true under the system of checks and balances?
The Senate must ratify treaties negotiated by the President before they become law.
Which of the following political processes would best solve the problem regarding the system of checks and balances, as articulated by the author in the passage?
The Supreme Court rules on a suit brought by an interest group that legislation permitting the president to launch military strikes without congressional approval is unconstitutional.
In the 1950s Southern states attempted to prevent integration of their public schools. In return, the National Guard was sent to force states to implement federal regulations. This scenario illustrates which of the following about the relationship between the state and national governments?
The debate over the role of the central government and state powers is ongoing.
"While [opponents of the Constitution] admit that the government of the United States is destitute of energy," Which of the following experiences most likely influenced the perspective conveyed in the passage?
The debt crisis of the 1780s which the national government was unable to address due to lack of authority
As a compromise, the framers agreed on a bicameral legislature, with the House of Representatives elected by popular vote within states and the Senate selected by state legislatures. The direct election method conforms most to which of the following democratic ideals?
The government should be based on the consent of the governed.
Which of the following is an example of checks and balances in action in the United States government?
The president vetoes a bill passed by Congress.
Which of the following is an example of checks and balances, as established by the Constitution?
The requirement that presidential appointments to the Supreme Court be approved by the Senate
The debates between Federalists and Anti-Federalists were primarily about which of the following issues?
The scope of power of the central government
In the 1780s, proponents of the new Constitution cited Shays' Rebellion as an example in support of which of the following criticisms of the national government under the Articles of Confederation?
There was a lack of a national military power to address security concerns.
The framers of the Constitution intended to establish
a representative republic
In the United States political system, the term Federalism refers to
the division of powers between the levels of government
In The Federalist papers, James Madison argues that political liberty is best protected by
the fragmentation of political power in a large republic
Which of the following statements reflects a pluralist theory of American politics?
Public policies emerge from compromises reached among competing groups
Constitutional checks and balances, especially applied to the president, are designed to
minimize the threat of tyranny from any one branch of government
In The Federalist No. 10, James Madison argued that factions in a republic are
natural but controllable by institutions
The theory that all interests are and should be free to compete for influence in government, resulting in healthy democratic compromise and balance, is called
pluralism
The framers of the Constitution all believed that one of the primary functions of government is
protecting individual property rights
The Americans with Disabilities Act was widely unpopular with governors and mayors because it
required that states and cities pay for federally mandated construction and remodeling
When independent regulatory agencies make rules, enforce those rules, and adjudicate disputes arising under those rules, they risk violating the constitutional concept of
separation of powers
The most significant trend in federal-state relations during the 1980s was
shifting the responsibilities and costs for many programs to state governments
The Articles of Confederation implemented the principle of
state sovereignty
One example of constitutional checks and balances is
the House can impeach federal judges and the president, and the Senate holds the impeachment trial
Which of the following best characterizes the general argument made in Brutus 1?
A large republic is dangerous to personal liberty and undermines the states.
Which of the following is an accurate summary of James Madison's argument in The Federalist 10?
A large republic presents more opportunities for groups to participate, compete, and limit each other.
Under the Articles of Confederation, which of the following were true? I. Congress could not tax the states directly. II. The executive branch of government exercised more power than Congress. III. Congress was a unicameral body. IV. States were represented in Congress proportionally according to population.
I and III
In 1974, the House of Representatives approved a resolution granting the Judiciary Committee authority to investigate impeachment of President Nixon for obstruction of justice, abuse of power, and contempt of Congress. Which constitutional ideal of democracy is demonstrated in this scenario?
Limited government
The Declaration of Independence states "Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed." This was a revolutionary change from the system of British monarchy, which was based on the divine right of kings. For which of the ideals of democracy does this quote provide a foundation?
Popular sovereignty
Which of the following was the most important effect of replacing the Articles of Confederation with the Constitution of 1787?
The creation of a strong national government
Concurrent powers have which of the following effects on the United States political system?
They make it possible for the states and the national government to simultaneously exercise influence in the same areas of public policy.
The Gun-Free School Zones Act made it illegal for individuals knowingly to carry a gun in a school zone. The Supreme Court determined this act to be an unconstitutional stretch of the commerce clause in
United States v. Lopez (1995)
Many scholars argue that categorical grants-in-aid do which of the following?
Weaken the power of state governors and legislators
The Americans with Disabilities Act, which provides protections for the disabled, is an example of
a federal mandate
In The Federalist papers, James Madison expressed the view that political factions
are undesirable but inevitable in a free nation
States and localities have the most discretion in establishing policy when federal funding is derived from
block grants
In order to appease both Federalists and Anti-Federalists, it was agreed at the Constitutional Convention that a group of delegates would be charged with selecting the president. This would ensure that
the most capable individuals would decide which candidate would be president
Which of the following is a fundamental element of the United States Constitution?
Division of government authority across political institutions
Which of the following accurately characterizes the main difference between elite theories and pluralist theories of politics in the United States?
Elite theories argue that a single minority dominates politics in all policy areas; pluralist theories argue that many minorities compete for power in different policy areas.
Unlike the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution does which of the following?
Emphasizes both national sovereignty and federalism.
Which of the following constitutional principles most directly addresses the relationship between the national and state governments?
Federalism
Which of the following cases expanded the powers of Congress by defining the necessary and proper clause more broadly?
McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
Which of the following is the most accurate interpretation of the political cartoon?
State governments prefer federal funding but do not want federal oversight over how the money is spent.
Which of the following best describes Madison's primary concern about representative government?
Those who seek to represent the people may be tempted to act in their own interests instead.
Which of the following newspaper headlines best summarizes the excerpt from Washington's Farewell Address?
Washington Warns of Dangerous Party Factions
In a federal system of government, political power is primarily
divided between the central government and regional governments
The terms "fiscal federalism" and "cooperative federalism" refer to situations in which
federal, state, and local governments work together to complete a project, with the federal government providing much of the project funding
The framers of the United States Constitution left decisions on voting eligibility to the
individual states
A prominent example of the process of returning more of the responsibilities of governing from the national level to the state level is
welfare reform
