AP Test Everything And Then Some

The principle of popular sovereignty is represented by what phrase in the Preamble to the Constitution?* "We the People" "provide for the common [defense]" "form a more perfect Union" "insure domestic Tranquility"

"We the People"

House of Reps characteristics(includes several committees)

* One of their most important powers is to levy taxes * *Rules Committees set the rules for the bills* *Appropriations Committee allocates money* *Ways and Means Committee deals with taxation* *Budget Committee reviews budgets* More strict, highly influenced by party politics, very committee based, majoritarian decisions, and more specialized in particular policy areas

Super Majority

2/3 majoirty

Simple Majority

51% majority

Under the Constitution, the federal government and the states* A. cannot grant titles of nobility. B. can enter into any treaty or alliance. C. can extradite a person to a foreign country. D. can coin money. E. cannot impose tariffs on imports.

A. cannot grant titles of nobility.

In developing the US Constitution, which of the following plans called for a strong national government with three separate branches?* A. the Virginia Plan B. the New Jersey Plan C. the Connecticut Plan D. the Philadelphia Plan E. the Hamilton Plan

A. the Virginia Plan

Congress Checks and Balances

Advice and consent clause, congress can overrun the presidential veto, chooses the P and VP if electoral college cannot, impeachment of president, approve presidential appointments, ratifies presidential treaties, and initiate revenue bills

Senate for Capital Hill(The Capital)

All bills start as an idea, and then they go to a committee and get a name. The bill is discussed and analyzed in the committee(NOT a specialized committee). It's voted on in the committee. If it wins majority in the committee, it goes to the floor(but it may take a LONG time to actually be discussed on the floor). On the floor, the bill is debated on by all 100 Senate members.

What part of the Constitution deals with how the legislative branch will work?* preamble Article I the First Amendment Bill of Rights

Article I

Which of the following illustrate checks and balances in our system of government? I. categorical grants-in-aid II. unfunded mandatesIII. Supreme Court invalidation of a federal statute IV. election of the president by the electoral college* A. I and II B. III only C. II and III D. III and IV E. IV only

B. III only

The Founding Fathers relied on which principle developed by Enlightenment thinkers?* A. habeas corpus B. guarantees of life, liberty, and property C. one man, one vote D. the right to bear arms E. a single-house legislature

B. guarantees of life, liberty, and property

The Great Compromise, also known as the Connecticut Compromise, concerned* A. the power of the president. B. representation in Congress. C. continuation of the slave trade. D. the organization of the federal courts. E. the right to vote.

B. representation in Congress.

The Constitution as ratified in 1788 most clearly reflects the framers' commitment to* A. the idea of direct democracy. B. the principle of limited government. C. the abolition of slavery. D. protecting the rights of the accused. E. maintaining the primacy of the states.

B. the principle of limited government.

Meeting of Congress Process

Both houses meet for a term of two years and then are elected on when their term is up

Which of the following most accurately describes "The Federalist Papers"?* A. The Federalist Party platform during the presidency of John Adams, the first Federalist president B. A popular anti-British booklet of the pre-Revolutionary era C. A collection of essays arguing the merits of the Constitution D. A series of congressional acts defining the relationship between the federal and state governments E. The laws under which the south was governed during Reconstruction

C. A collection of essays arguing the merits of the Constitution

The political theory proposed by John Locke, calling for a nation to be developed as a voluntary agreement between citizens and government, is known as the* A. divine right theory. B. hyperpluralist theory. C. social contract theory. D. state theory. E. elite theory.

C. social contract theory.

Congressional Appointment Districts

Congress established number of reps for House of Reps(435) Each state has at least one rep Reapportionment every 10 years based on national census The number of districts = the number of reps

Congressional Agencies

Congressional Budget Office analyze budgets(CBO), Government Accountability Office deal with audits and investigations(GAO), and Congressional Research Service deal with info and history(CRS)

Which of the following are examples of checks and balances? I. Senate Advice and consent on treaties and appointments II. The congressional Budget Office III. Cooperative Federalism IV. Presidential veto power* A. I and II B. II and III C. II, III, and IV D. I, II, and IV E. I, II, III, and IV

D. I, II, and IV

The principle of freedom "we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal" stated in the Declaration of Independence were influenced by the beliefs of political philosopher* A. Thomas Hobbes. B. Niccolo Macchiavelli. C. Jonathan Edwards. D. John Locke. E. John Calvin.

D. John Locke.

The swift adoption of the Bill of Rights in the years following ratification of the Constitution demonstrates the* A. Framers' unqualified commitment to individual rights. B. small states' determination to receive equal representation in the legislature. C. northern states' support for abolitionism. D. states' fears of an overpowerful national government. E. Federalists' concern that the system of checks and balances would weaken the national government.

D. states' fears of an overpowerful national government.

All of the following influenced the framers who drafted the Constitution EXCEPT* A. John Locke's The Second Treatise of Government. B. the violence of Daniel Shay's rebellion. C. trade disputes between states. D. lack of respect from foreign countries. E. federal abuse of natural rights under the Articles of Confederation.

E. federal abuse of natural rights under the Articles of Confederation.

The Constitution, as ratified in 1788, provided for popular vote for* A. election of the President. B. election of senators. C. ratification of treaties. D. ratification of constitutional amendments. E. members of the House of Representatives.

E. members of the House of Representatives.

The Constitution, as originally ratified, addressed all of the following weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation EXCEPT the: A. lack of a chief executive. B. national government's inability to levy taxes effectively. C. absence of a central authority to regulate interstate trade. D. insufficiency of the government's power to raise an army. E. omission of a universal suffrage clause.

E. omission of a universal suffrage clause.

The Constitution of the US was written as a direct result of* A. the American Revolution. B. orders issued by the second Continental Congress. C. the failure of the state governments under the new federal union. D. the decisions reached at the Annapolis Convention. E. the failure of the Articles of Confederation to provide adequate direction for the union.

E. the failure of the Articles of Confederation to provide adequate direction for the union.

Legislation and Execution

Environmental Legislation is a battle between the branches(funding causes this issue) Weed is a 110 year old issue(change is happening slowly, started in 1910, came from illegal immigration, and causes a constant battle between the branches)

Which of the following is not a benefit of federalism?* Federalism promotes political participation. Federalism encourages economic equality across the country. Federalism provides for multiple levels of government action. Federalism accommodates a diversity of opinion.

Federalism encourages economic equality across the country.

Congressional Oversight(include example)

Has committees that specialize in certain areas(ex: Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources)*Specialized can be under Oversight, but Oversight cannot be under Specialized, but they can also be one and the same*

Structure of Congress

House of Reps is less important than the Senate because the Senate directly checks the power of the president and each member of the Senate is around longer

Senate(checks and balances)

Impeachment trial, check's president's power with advice and consent clause, and chooses VP if electoral college can't

Which statement about federal and unitary systems is most accurate?* In a federal system, power is concentrated in the states; in a unitary system, it is concentrated in the national government. In a federal system, the constitution allocates powers between states and federal government; in a unitary system, powers are lodged in the national government. Today there are more countries with federal systems than with unitary systems. The United States and Japan have federal systems, while Great Britain and Canada have unitary systems.

In a federal system, the constitution allocates powers between states and federal government; in a unitary system, powers are lodged in the national government.

Pork Barrel

Misappropriation of national funds There will be a question that connects pork barrel and gerrymandering(connection of political parties given an unfair advantage)

Senate Characteristics

More formal but less strict, members are more generalist, less committee based, decisions based more on consensus and consent, and more bipartisanship(agreements)

Special Sessions

Often happens at the end of the summer and ending towards the end of September(because that's when budgeting happens) and when the federal budget is not figured out, there may be a government shutdown(not a large one in most cases)

Senate Congressional Leadership Presiding Officers:

President of the Senate: VP of the US, and their only formal power is as a tie breaker in a Senate vote President Pro Tempore: Serves as President of Senate in VP' s absence, and they are traditionally the senior member of the minority party

Riders and Hoppers

Riders-parts of a bill that do not have anything to do with the bill Hoppers-the container they put the bill on

Closed Rule vs Open Rule

Rules committee-closed has very strict on-floor debate rules, no amendments to the bill, and the people who are for the bill prefer no debate Open does not have very strict on-floor debate rules, allows for amendments, and the people who do not want the bill prefer a debate

Senate Congressional Leadership

Senate Majority Leader is the most powerful person in the Senate and determine the floor debate conditions and can be called on for the debates Senate Minority Leader is the second most powerful member of the Senate Senate Majority Whip is second-in-line for Senate Majority Leader Senate Minority Whip is second-in-line for Senate Minority Leader

Joined Committee

Senate and House of Reps together for a bill

All of the following conditions characterized the US under the AOC except: A virtual sovereignty was left to the states Interstate trade and commerce were stifled The federal government was virtually bankrupt Several states were on the verge of rebellion because of harsh new restrictions placed by the national government on interstate trade Series of attacks on courthouses in Massachusetts called attention to the

Several states were on the verge of rebellion because of harsh new restrictions placed by the national government on interstate trade

House of Reps(checks and balances)

Starts impeachment process and chooses the president if the electoral college can't

Redistricting

States draw congressional districts, and the districts must be relatively equal

House of Reps for Capital Hill(The Capital)

The bill is started with an idea. Then, the idea is passed on to a person in the House of Reps(usually, the rep gets the idea from the people they represent). Then it goes to the Rules Committee which makes all of the rules for the bill(including how it's voted on), and then it goes to a specialized committee, which talks about the details of the bill(including whether or not the bill should exist) if it were to be passed. Then, if the specialized committee allows it, the bill will be debated on the floor.

What can the president do once he gets a bill?

Veto it, sign it, keep it for 10 days(if Congress is in session, it becomes a law, and if Congress is not in session, it dies)

Cloture

a way to stop a filibuster(used by the people who want the bill passed)

What is a filibuster?

a way to try to stop a bill from being passed by talking about it on the floor so much that people do not want to agree to it simply because they are sick of hearing about it*need 3/5 majority to stop this*

Which power is not reserved for individual states under the U.S. Constitution?* to conduct elections to establish schools to print money to incorporate businesses

to print money

Standing Committee

together as a committee all the time

Powers of Congress

collect taxes, borrow money, declare war, and the necessary and proper clause(sets up for implied powers)

Congressional Term Limits(includes court case)

congressional members have NO term limits(amount of terms, NOT the amount of years each term is), they may be reelected as many times as possible(US Term Limits Inc. vs. Thornton was a court case because Arkansas tried to create term limits on the congressional members)

The U.S. Supreme Court has the authority to* overturn an executive veto of a bill. appoint judges to federal courts. determine whether state laws are constitutional. vote on bills that may become federal laws.

determine whether state laws are constitutional.

Gerrymandering

draws districts to favor one political party or group over the others

In the United States, state governments do not have the power to* ratify amendments to the federal Constitution. regulate commerce within their borders. establish a standing army. run programs that promote public health.

establish a standing army.

Under the U.S. Constitution, powers that are not specifically delegated to the federal government are reserved to the states. Which function represents a power reserved only to the states?* regulating international trade signing foreign treaties establishing public schools taxing personal income

establishing public schools

Use this excerpt from the U.S. Constitution to answer the question. Article 6, paragraph 2, of the U.S. Constitution refers to the Constitution and other federal laws as "the supreme Law of the Land." In principle, this means that* federal government policies take precedence over conflicting state policies. states may not enact their own laws without federal approval. the U.S. government can deny individuals their constitutional rights. the federal government can veto the ratification of amendments.

federal government policies take precedence over conflicting state policies.

Congressional Leadership of House of Reps(and powers)

has always been from a majority party, but it can technically be anyone. Their powers are that they preside over the House*controls floor debate,* they do NOT participate in debate, represent the people, and are second in line for succession(right behind VP), and the house of reps creates laws

Which responsibility is the primary function of the legislative branch of the federal government?* making laws interpreting laws negotiating treaties enforcing treaties

making laws

In McCulloch v. Maryland, the Supreme Court invoked which provisions of the constitution?* Tenth Amendment and spending clause commerce clause and supremacy clause necessary and proper clause and supremacy clause taxing power and necessary and proper clause

necessary and proper clause and supremacy clause

As provided for in the U.S. Constitution, the principle of separation of powers ensures that* the majority of powers are held by a central ruling body. no single body of government has too much authority. the executive has strong influence over the other branches of government. citizens will participate fully in the civic life of the nation.

no single body of government has too much authority.

One shared power of the federal government and state government is the authority to* establish public education. operate court systems. regulate interstate commerce. establish post offices.

operate court systems.

In the United States, which responsibility is carried out by state governments rather than the federal government? * ratifying amendments to the U.S. Constitution establishing post offices printing currency regulating international trade

ratifying amendments to the U.S. Constitution

In the United States, which responsibility is carried out by state governments rather than the federal government?* ratifying amendments to the U.S. Constitution establishing post offices printing currency regulating international trade

ratifying amendments to the U.S. Constitution

Congressional Decorum

reprimand, censure, and expulsion(in order of severity)

Congressional Staff

research and analyze issues in committees and subcommittees

House Majority Whip

second-in-line for House Majority Leader

House Minority Whip

second-in-line for minority party

Electing the Senate

staggered terms-⅓ of senators are elected every two years State legislatures originally elected the senators, but after the 17th AMENDMENT, Senators were elected by popular vote

Conference Committee

temporary committee formed from both the house and senate to discuss/debate two versions of the same bill

Which part of the Constitution gives Congress a flexible way of interpreting its powers to act?* the power to tax clause the "necessary and proper" clause the implied powers clause the confirming nominees clause

the "necessary and proper" clause

In Louisiana, local governments are established on the authority of* the Louisiana Constitution the US Constitution local councilmen elected mayors

the Louisiana Constitution

According to the U.S. Constitution, which power is held concurrently by different levels of government?* the authority to pass statewide laws the authority to overrule federal laws the authority to establish courts the authority to declare war on other nations

the authority to establish courts