Government Semester Review

The Articles of Confederation would only go into effect after ___ of the states ratified the new plan of government.

13

"Full Faith and Credit shall be given in each State to the public Acts, Records, and judicial Proceedings of every other State." —Article IV, Section 1. To which one of the listed situations would the protections of the Full Faith and Credit Clause apply?

A man taking a trip wants his driver's license from one State to be accepted as proper identification in another State.

The concept of democracy was born in ____, as it developed from a collection of many small and loosely independent states.

Athens

In what way is the United States a representative democracy?

Citizens choose small groups of people to make laws and policy for them.

The ___ Compromise proposed that Congress should be composed of two houses, one based on population and the other on equal representation.

Connecticut

Although confederations are rare today, the ___ is the closest approach to this concept in modern times, as it has established trade among its members, which includes a common currency and seeks to coordinate its members' foreign and defense policies.

EU

"The right to swing my fist ends where the other man's nose begins." — Oliver Wendell Holmes What point was Justice Holmes making about the foundations of democracy?

Everyone has rights, but the exercise of these rights cannot endanger others.

"If men were angels, no government would be necessary." —James Madison, Federalist No. 51 In reference to the above quotation, which of the following BEST summarizes this idea?

Government is necessary, because people do not always behave perfectly.

One of the best examples of a unitary government is ___.

Great Britain

A citizen's right to buy or rent property in any State is not protected by the Full Faith and Credit Clause.

False

The Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise safe-guarded buying and selling of slaves for only the States in the South.

False

The Three-Fifths Compromise applied to the count of population for all women, Native Americans, and African slaves.

False

"The first requisite of a good citizen in our republic is that he should be able and willing to pull his weight." —President Theodore Roosevelt, 1902 Which of the following BEST summarizes Roosevelt's statement?

Good citizens should be willing and able to accept the duties and responsibilities of living in a free society.

"To many people, the most meaningful of these classifications [of government] is the one that depends on the number of persons who can take part in the governing process." According to the excerpt from the text, why might this particular classification be most meaningful to people?

It indicates how democratic a government is.

"The Senate will approve only those presidential appointees, such as a federal judge or a United States marshal, who are acceptable to the senator or senators of the President's party from the State involved." According to the text excerpt about senatorial courtesy, which explanation describes the underlying justification that validates this practice?

It is an example of an unwritten rule, or custom, that is closely followed in the Senate.

The ___ Plan retained a unicameral Congress of the Confederation, with each of the States equally represented.

New Jersey

Virginia and ____ were crucial states that needed to ratify the Constitution if the new plan of government would hold any staying power, as they were both highly populated and important to the vitality of the new nation.

New York

Although far from democratic, ____ first developed a representative form of government.

Rome

The system of government that works well at a small, local level and is seen as more pure in nature because the people themselves formulate public policy is a(n) ___.

direct democracy

What is the relationship between democracy and the free enterprise system?

The government does not decide what is produced or what items cost, but does play a role in the economy by protecting the public and preserving private enterprise.

How do the powers of the National Government compare in breadth to the powers of the States?

The powers of the National Government are much narrower.

To what concept of government does this excerpt refer? ...whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundations on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness." —The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America

The social contract

The primary author of the Declaration of Independence was ___.

Thomas Jefferson

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An example of checks & balances in our government would be Senate approval for the appointment of a federal judge by the President.

True

Congress cannot compromise the independence of a State and its ability to manage its own internal affairs.

True

Delegates from several states met in Philadelphia in 1787 to address the issues of the government and revise the Articles of Confederation.

True

Even though our Constitution allows for it, the national government has not created a school system for the whole nation.

True

The Declaration of Independence was revolutionary because it was founded on the concept of the "consent of the governed".

True

The colonists' basic concepts of government also included the idea that government should serve the will of the people.

True

The ____ Plan called for a bicameral legislature with representation based on each State's population or on the amount of money it gave for the support of the federal government.

Virginia

The basic principles of the American concept of democracy include all of the following EXCEPT:

a president with unlimited powers

All of the following were weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation EXCEPT ___.

a strong executive branch

The weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation eventually led the States to determine it was necessary to establish:

a stronger national government.

Government's participation in the ____ serves a two-fold purpose: to protect the public and to preserve private enterprise.

economy

The Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution in order to:

appease Anti-Federalists by ensuring basic rights to citizens.

A government ruled by a dictator is a form of:

autocracy

A(n) ___ consists of a single person that holds unlimited political power.

autocracy

The three basic notions that played an important role in the shaping of government in the United States included all of the following EXCEPT ____.

bureaucratic government

The free enterprise system, also known as ___, is market-based and does not rely on government to decide upon which items are to be produced, how much should be produced, or how much it should be sold for.

capitalism

The Massachusetts Bay Colony was established as the first ___ colony, which featured legislative actions not subject to the veto of the king's governor that oversaw the region.

charter

A ___ is one who holds both rights and responsibilities in a state through birth or naturalization, including full civil rights.

citizen

One drawback of a categorical grant-in-aid is that it:

comes with "strings attached," requiring the State to follow federal guidelines.

The process of blending and adjusting competing views and interests, or ____, is a basic principle of the American system of democracy.

compromise

A(n) ___ is a loose association of several groups for a common purpose.

confederation

In a ____, the responsibility of making and exercising policies rests with the majority of the people.

democracy

A ___ system includes a written constitution that divides power between a central government and several regional governments

federal

"In the compound republic of America, the power . . . is first divided between two distinct governments. . . The different governments will control each other, at the same time that each will be controlled by itself." —James Madison, Federalist No. 51, 1788. Which of the constitutional principles listed was Madison describing and defending in the quotation below?

federalism

The institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies is ___.

government

According to John Locke, political society is created when individuals voluntarily form a government to create and enforce laws, thereby protecting the people who form that government. In this social contract, people give up some of their power to the government, which then rules in their interest. This is the basis of which of the following concepts?

government by consent

The concept of limited government holds that:

government power should be restricted.

States that joined the Union after the original 13 colonies:

immediately received the same congressional status and constitutional rights as the original States.

Also called a representative democracy, a group of persons chosen by the people formulate public policy in a(n) ____.

indirect democracy

The belief of the people that a government has the right to make public policy is ____.

legitimacy

Democracy requires that majority rule restrained by ____, which recognizes the ability of a smaller group to object and bear criticism against the majority.

minority rights

In a(n) ___ the power to rule is held by a small, usually self-appointed elite.

oligarchy

A legitimate government is:

one that is accepted by its people and other governments as the sovereign authority of a nation.

A ___ government includes an executive branch made up of a prime minister/premier, and that official's cabinet

parliamentary

The basic principle of American government which asserts that the people are the source of government power, and government can only exist with the consent of the governed is known as ___.

popular sovereignty

The four characteristics of a state include:

population, territory, sovereignty, & government

A ___ government consists of executive and legislative branches that are separate, independent, and coequal

presidential

". . . some activities that might be carried out privately are in fact conducted by government." Which of the following is an example of the statement above?

providing fire and police protection

The goals that a government pursues in all of the many areas of human affairs in which it is involved is known as ___.

public policy

The Articles of Confederation reflected the colonists' desire for:

state sovereignty.

What event in American history led to the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments?

the Civil War

The Supreme Court has refused to define the term "Republican Form of Government" because:

the Court believes the issue is political rather than legal and should be handled by State and National governments.

Some people believe the organization of the Senate is undemocratic because:

the States' equal representation in the Senate does not reflect the country's population distribution.

"It therefore belongs to [the courts] to ascertain . . . the meaning of any particular act proceeding from the legislative body." —Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 78, 1788. What specific constitutional principle was Alexander Hamilton referring to in this quotation?

the authority to interpret laws

Which of the following features in the Constitution BEST illustrates the concept of limited government?

the prohibition against the Federal Government taxing the exports of any State

A(n) ___ exists where the legal system of a state is based on religious law.

theocracy

In a ___ system, all government powers belong to a single, central agency

unitary