US Government Exam Review

what are three basic power that every government has its possession?

A. legislative - authority to write bills which may become law B. executive - authority to enforce law C. judicial - authority to interpret the law

A formal amendment requires that at least ____ of state ratify the proposed amendment in order for it to become law.

3/4ths

There are ___ members of the Supreme Court.

9

. The President has the power to issue executive orders. An ______ is a directive, rule, or regulation that has the effect of law.

executive order

True/False. Under the US concept of Federalism all laws must be uniform across the entire nation, with absolutely no variation allowed between states on matters of local concern. (The very idea of Federalism allows local governments to have control over matters of local concern.)

false

How many times has the Constitution been amended?

27

What do we call the first 10 amendments to the US Constitution?

1. The first 10 amendments to the US Constitution are called the Bill of Rights. They were added at the insistence of the Anti-Federalists.

What are the four things a President can do with a bill that is sent to the White House by Congress?

1.veto the bill 2.sign the bill into law 3.ignore the bill and let it fail if Congress has adjourned 4.ignore the bill and it automatically becomes law after 10 days not counting Sunday (pocket veto)

. Presidents are allowed to serve no more than ___ years according to the 22nd Amendment. During the last two years of a President's time in office he/she is often times referred to as a lame duck.

10

The United States House of Representatives has 435 number of members, while the US Senate has a total of ___ members.

100

A term of Congress lasts for ___ number of years.

2

Briefly describe the following characteristics of the United States Constitution?

A. popular sovereignty - the power of the government is derived through the will of the peopleB. limited government - the government is not all powerful C. separation of powers - the three powers of government were divided into three separate branches of government.

Describe how the formal amendment process exemplifies the principle of federalism?

All amendments to the Constitution must be proposed at the national level, but ratified at the state level. The shared responsibility is an expression of federalism at work.

What is the difference between an "exclusive power" compared to a "concurrent power" as it applies to Federalism?

An exclusive power is one that can only be exercised by the Federal government, whereas a concurrent power can be exercised by the Federal and the State governments.

The ____ of independence includes the foundational American concepts that people have natural right and have the right to abolish form of government that are abusive

Declaration

In a ____ system of government the bulk of political power is concentrated in regional governments, leaving the central government weak

Confederate

Standing committee is a permanent committee, whereas a ___ committee is where bills are sent to iron out differences before being sent to the President.

Conference

One of the major flaws with _____ is that a candidate can win the popular vote, but lose the electoral vote, thereby losing the election.

Electoral College

As it related to the geographic distribution of power which of the following is a type of government that seeks to divide power between a central and local governments?

Federal

The power of clemency gives a President the authority to grant a reprieve, pardon, clemency, or amnesty to any person who has been convicted of committing a ____ crime, not a state crime.

Federal

Those who favored ratification of the Constitution were called ______. Those who were opposed to it were called____. A. (The Anti-Federalists were upset that the Constitution did not contain protection of Civil Liberties, gave the President too much power, was written in secrecy, amongst other complaints)

Federalists, Anti-Federalists

What were some of the major issues that were debated at the Constitutional Convention? (What was the difference between the Virginia Plan vs. the New Jersey Plan?)

Framers debated several ideas at the Constitutional Convention including how the states should be represented in the national legislature, how slaves should be counted for both representation and taxation, taxing exports, and the slave trade. The Virginia Plan favored representation based on population. The New Jersey Plan favored representation by membership in the Union. They came up with the great comermines

Who is allowed to introduce bills in either the House or the Senate?

Individual members of Congress are the only ones allowed to introduce bills in either the House or the Senate.

The current Chief Justice is ____ _____

John Roberts

When the President gives his/her State of the Union Address he/she is serving in the capacity of Chief ____ . (Know and think about the various roles that a President is asked to play while in office

Legislator

The power of _____ is exercised when the President, acting for the United States, acknowledges the legal existence of another sovereign state.

Recognition

The first document that established the first national government for the United States was called the Articles of Confederation. In the space below list some of the key weaknesses of government that existed under this model of government

No power to tax, no national court system, one delegate per state regardless of population, no power to regulate interstate trade, amendments possible only with unanimous consent, 9/13 needed to pass a law...

In a ____ type of democracy the Chief Executive is called a prime Minister and is chosen from the legislature

Parliamentary

Implied Powers

Powers not expressly stated in the Constitution, but are reasonably suggested and authorized through elastic clause (Art. I Sec. 8 Clause 18)

The idea that the state was created voluntarily by a free people is part of which theory on the origins of government?

Social Contract Theory

Which of the following government officials is not appointed by the President?

Speaker of the House

What does most of the Declaration of Independence (the document itself) go on to criticize?

The Declaration spends 2/3rds of itself enumerating all the wrongs done to the colonies by the British Crown.

What were the Federalist Papers?

The Federalist Papers were a series of newspaper articles written in the state of New York between 1787-1789 urging New Yorkers to ratify the newly proposed Constitution. These articles, written by such notable Framers as Alexander Hamilton, give readers some insight into the reasoning behind our nation's Constitution.

. What is the significance of such historic landmarks documents such as the Magna Carta, Petition of Right, and the English Bill of Rights?

The historic landmark documents listed above all contains elements of limited government which would later influence the writing of the US Constitution, particularly the Bill of Rights.

. Where can a person find a stated expression of the broader purposes of American government? (Hint: it is the opening paragraph to the United States Constitution)

The preamble to the US Constitution is where a person can find the broad purpose of American government spelled out.

What is a formal amendment?

They have been proposed by Congress. (Note: The President has NO official role in the formal amendment process)

Expressed Powers

Those powers directly given to it in Constitution. Mainly Article I Section 8

True/False. The process of redistricting Congressional Districts after a national census is the responsibility of State Legislatures.

True

Full Faith and Credit:

Under Full Faith and Credit each state is expected to respect and uphold the legality of other states' civil laws...i.e. marriage and driver's licenses.

In a ____ system of government all the political powers are concentrated at the national level

Unitary

. According to the Constitution, the official presiding officer in the US Senate is the responsibility of the ______

VICE PRESIDENT.

The Supreme Court is said to have both original and appellate jurisdiction, whereas the Court of Appeals only has _____ jurisdiction and the District Courts have original jurisdiction.

appellate

Government

is the institution which makes and enforces public policy

Concurring Opinion

member of the majority adding their own perspective in their personal analysis of the issue at hand in a case.

It also stresses the people are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable ____.

rights

True/False. The US economic system is said to be a mixed economy due to the fact that it includes free markets principles that are regulated by government regulatory agencies.

true

True/False. The US has a Presidential system of democracy because the Chief Executive is elected separately from the legislature.

true

Majority Opinion

ultimate description of the majority of the court, setting precedent for the interpretation of the US Constitution going forward.

Dissenting Opinion

written from the perspective of the court's minority members. Doesn't create or establish precedent. However, it may influence future considerations on similar matters before the court.

. What are the formal qualifications a person must have in order to become President of the United States?

• 35 years old . • natural born citizen . • resided in the US at least 14 years