AP U.S. Government Unit 3.1-3.7 & 3.8-3.13 Review

Which of the following scenarios, related to the First Amendment, best illustrates the "right . . . to petition the Government . . ." ?

A citizen calls a member of Congress to persuade her to vote yes on a bill.

The Fourteenth Amendment's equal protection clause declares that "No State shall . . . deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." In which of the following scenarios is this clause most likely to be used by the Supreme Court in its decision?

A local school district mandates racially segregated schools.

Which of the following scenarios illustrates an action that would be protected by the free exercise clause in the First Amendment?

A person wears a necklace bearing a Christian cross to work.

Which of the following applications of affirmative action would the United States Supreme Court likely consider unconstitutional?

A state university refuses acceptance of any new applicants from a specific race.

Which of the following would most likely be protected by the First Amendment?

A student wears a black armband at school to protest government involvement in a war.

Which of the following is most likely to be considered speech that is protected by the First Amendment?

An individual posts something on social media that is highly critical of the president.

In the case Boynton v. Virginia (1960), the Supreme Court ruled that segregation at a bus stop restaurant was illegal based on the Interstate Commerce Act. Which of the following explains how this case is similar to Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954) ?

Both cases struck down local ordinances that prescribed segregation.

Which of the following pairs of cases used the Fourteenth Amendment's due process clause to expand individual liberties?

Case 1 - Roe v. Wade (1973) Case 2 - Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

To enforce the Fourteenth Amendment more clearly, Congress passed the

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Writing for the court in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978), a case weighing whether race can be considered in college admissions, Justice Lewis Powell wrote: "Preferring members of any one group for no reason other than race or ethnic origin is discrimination for its own sake. This the Constitution forbids. . . . The . . . goal asserted by petitioner is the attainment of a diverse student body. This clearly is a constitutionally permissible goal for an institution of higher education. . . . The freedom of a university to make its own judgments as to education includes the selection of its student body." According to the quote, what is the likely effect of the Court's ruling in the Bakke case?

Colleges can consider race but cannot use strict racial quotas in admission practices.

Which of the following principles protects a citizen from imprisonment without trial?

Due process

Which of the following constitutional clauses was most relevant in the Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade (1973) ?

Due process clause

Which of the following constitutional amendments is most related to the issue shown on the map?

Eighth Amendment

Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the establishment clause and the free exercise clause?

Establishment Clause - Prohibits the federal government from promoting religion or creating a national religion Free Exercise Clause - Protects an individual's religious beliefs and reasonable religious practices

To which level of government did the Bill of Rights originally apply?

Federal government only

Interest groups are protected under the Constitution by the

First Amendment

Most of the individual protections of the Bill of Rights now apply to the states because of the Supreme Court's interpretation of the Constitution's

Fourteenth Amendment

The president privately discusses with his staff a decision to increase economic sanctions on Iran. Before a final decision is made, a draft of the proposal is leaked to a reporter. The president orders the reporter and her newspaper to suspend publication of the plan, citing issues of national and economic security. Which of the following best indicates how a court would rule in this case if the Supreme Court's ruling in New York Times Co. v. United States (1971) was used as a precedent?

Freedom of the press includes a heavy presumption against government censorship, and the documents can be published by the press.

It ought to be possible, in short, for every American to enjoy the privileges of being American without regard to his race or his color. In short, every American ought to have the right to be treated as he would wish to be treated, as one would wish his children to be treated. But this is not the case. The Negro baby born in America today, regardless of the section of the Nation in which he is born, has about one-half as much chance of completing a high school as a white baby born in the same place on the same day, one-third as much chance of completing college, one-third as much chance of becoming a professional man, twice as much chance of becoming unemployed, about one-seventh as much chance of earning $10,000 a year, a life expectancy which is 7 years shorter, and the prospects of earning only half as much. This is not a sectional issue. Difficulties over segregation and discrimination exist in every city, in every State of the Union, producing in many cities a rising tide of discontent that threatens the public safety. Nor is this a partisan issue. In a time of domestic crisis men of good will and generosity should be able to unite regardless of party or politics. President John F. Kennedy, Report to the American People on Civil Rights, June 11, 1963 Which of the following expresses the most significant political concern in the passage?

Increased awareness of citizen inequalities that need to be addressed

Which of the following is true of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 ?

It has been a major instrument for increasing the number of African American and other minority voters.

In Engel v. Vitale (1962), which of the following provides the legal reasoning behind the Supreme Court's ruling?

It ruled that the state had no justifiable interest to compel students to listen to a nondenominational prayer led by public school teachers, finding a clear establishment clause violation.

In the majority opinion of a United States Supreme Court case, Justice Alito wrote, "we now turn directly to the question whether the...right to keep and bear arms is incorporated in the concept of due process. In answering that question, . . . we must decide whether the right to keep and bear arms is fundamental to our scheme of ordered liberty." Which Supreme Court case is most aligned with Justice Alito's reasoning to treat gun ownership for self-defense as a fundamental liberty?

McDonald v. Chicago (2010)

The card shown above was issued as a consequence of which of the following Supreme Court decisions?

Miranda v. Arizona

Which of the following headlines is most relevant to the political cartoon?

Nixon Administration Goes to Court to Stop Pentagon Papers Release

14th Amendment (1868)

No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

The establishment clause in the First Amendment does which of the following?

Prohibits the setting up of a state church.

Which of the following best defines civil liberties?

Provisions in the Bill of Rights that provide guarantees against arbitrary interference by government

Which of the following Supreme Court cases establishes that a woman has a due process right to make a decision whether or not to have an abortion?

Roe v. Wade (1973)

A group unhappy with local law enforcement distributes a memo to members encouraging physical confrontations with police officers. The leaders of the group are promptly arrested. Which of the following Supreme Court cases best justifies the actions taken by law enforcement in this scenario?

Schenck v. United States (1919)

In the case of McDonald v. Chicago (2010) the Supreme Court ruled that the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms for self-defense was applicable to the states. This ruling is an example of the application of the doctrine of

Selective incorporation

The Supreme Court ruled in McDonald v. Chicago (2010) that a citizen's right to keep and bear arms at home for self-defense is protected from state and federal infringement. Which of the following is most relevant to that decision?

Selective incorporation

In Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, the Supreme Court established which of the following principles?

Separation of students by race, even in equally good schools, is unconstitutional.

In Gideon v. Wainwright, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the

Sixth Amendment right-to-counsel provision applies to those accused of major crimes under state laws

Which of the following is a principle underlying the Bill of Rights?

Some rights are fundamental and should not be subject to majoritarian control.

After hours of interrogation by police a suspect confesses to multiple felony offenses. His attorney objected to the admission of the confession because he was not advised of his right to have an attorney present nor his protection from self-incrimination. Which amendments are most relevant to this scenario?

The Fifth and Sixth Amendments

The United States Supreme Court has used which of the following to incorporate the Bill of Rights into state law?

The Fourteenth Amendment

Which of the following amendments to the Constitution most likely provides the basis for a driver to challenge the constitutionality of police use of sobriety checkpoints in enforcing drunk driving laws?

The Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable search and seizure

In McDonald v. Chicago (2010), the United States Supreme Court stated that, "[s]elf-defense is a basic right, recognized by many legal systems from ancient times to the present day" and that an individual's right to bear arms was "deeply rooted in this Nation's history and tradition." The quote points to which of the following amendments to the United States Constitution as a basis to limit state action?

The Second Amendment

Which of the following is most likely responsible for the increase in the number of southern African American state legislators between 1960 and 1992 as shown in the graph?

The Voting Rights Act of 1965

The Supreme Court has ruled which of the following concerning the death penalty?

The death penalty is not necessarily cruel and unusual punishment.

In McDonald v. Chicago (2010), the United States Supreme Court stated, "that the [Constitution] protects the right to possess a handgun in the home for the purpose of self-defense" and that the Second Amendment applied to the states through which of the following constitutional clauses?

The due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment

The clause of the United States Constitution that was used in the Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954) was

The equal protection clause

During an investigation, police officers find illegal drugs while searching a home for which they did not acquire a warrant. Which of the following would prevent the drugs from being used as evidence at trial?

The exclusionary rule

A woman is arrested for possessing illegal substances that were obtained after a warrantless search of her home by local police. Which of the following best explains whether the evidence could be used in a criminal trial?

The exclusionary rule, derived from the Fourth Amendment, prevents the evidence from being used against the suspect.

The Washington Post receives a top secret report that details how the executive branch mishandled a deal made with a foreign nation regarding nuclear weapons. The executive branch attempts to stop the publishing of the report, but the publishers cite the precedent in New York Times Company v. United States (1971) establishing which of the following legal rules?

The heavy presumption against prior restraint

Which of the following best explains how poll respondents regard the relationship between the right to own guns and personal freedom?

The poll shows there is an ongoing debate over whether gun control laws promote or interfere with individual rights.

All of the following statements reflect positions the Supreme Court has taken with regard to the right of free speech EXCEPT:

There are no acceptable governmental restrictions on free speech.

At a public high school, several students raised a banner and wore clothing in support of a candidate running in the upcoming presidential election during lunch period. The principal asked the students to put away the banner, citing safety concerns. Which of the following Supreme Court cases is most relevant to this scenario?

Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969)

Which of the following Supreme Court decisions allows public school students to wear T-shirts protesting a school board decision that eliminates funding for high school arts programs?

Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969)

In which of the following situations would the Supreme Court be most likely to utilize the doctrine of selective incorporation?

When an individual claims that a right protected by the Bill of Rights is infringed upon by a state

Which of the following cases decided whether a state could compel children to attend school beyond eighth grade even if it violated the students' sincerely held religious beliefs?

Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)

Which of the following cases examined a state law that required all children to attend school through the twelfth grade in order to promote the general welfare of its citizens?

Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)

A writ of habeas corpus refers to

a person's right to know the reasons for his or her imprisonment

The Supreme Court addressed the admissions policy of the University of Michigan Law School in Grutter v. Bollinger (2003). Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote for the court, "in the context of its individualized inquiry into the possible diversity contributions of all applicants, the Law School's race-conscious admissions program does not unduly harm nonminority applicants." The primary issue of controversy in the Grutter v. Bollinger decision involves

affirmative action

According to the data, both gun owners and non-gun owners

chose freedom of speech as most crucial to their own liberty

The process of extending the protections of the Bill of Rights by means of the Fourteenth Amendment to apply to the actions of state governments is known as

incorporation

The Supreme Court established the incorporation doctrine when the Court

interpreted the Fourteenth Amendment as extending most of the requirements of the Bill of Rights to the states as well as the federal government

The Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution has been interpreted by the Supreme Court to

make most rights contained in the Bill of Rights applicable to the states

Jim Crow laws, still in place in the early 1960s in the South, were outlawed by the

passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act

The Constitution and its amendments expressly prohibit all of the following EXCEPT

sex discrimination in employment

With respect to prayer in public schools, the United States Supreme Court has ruled that

state-sponsored prayer violates the establishment clause of the First Amendment

If a college's admission policy to reserve twenty seats in its incoming class for applicants belonging to racial minority groups is challenged in the courts, a judge is likely to

strike down the policy because reserving seats amounts to a quota system

In Roe v. Wade, the majority of Supreme Court justices determined that

the United States Constitution implies a right to privacy and thus made abortions legal

The Supreme Court's decision about abortion in Roe v. Wade was based on

the right to privacy implied in the Bill of Rights

The "Miranda warning" represents an attempt to protect criminal suspects against

unfair police interrogation

The free-exercise clause protects

voluntary prayer by student groups before school

Which of the following illustrates a situation that would not be protected by the First Amendment due to time, place, and manner restrictions?

Antibusiness protestors are arrested and prosecuted for shutting down major intersections in New York City's Times Square during rush hour.

"The original understanding of the Second Amendment was neither an individual right to self-defense nor a collective right of the states, but rather a civic right that guaranteed that citizens would be able to keep and bear those arms needed to meet their legal obligation to participate in a well-regulated militia. Nothing better captured this constitutional ideal than the minuteman. Citizens had a legal obligation to outfit themselves with a musket at their own expense and were expected to turn out at a minute's notice to defend their community, state, and eventually their nation. Although each side in the modern debate claims to be faithful to the historical Second Amendment, a restoration of its original meaning, re-creating the world of the minuteman, would be a nightmare that neither side would welcome. It would certainly involve more intrusive gun regulation, not less. . . . Gun control advocates might blanch at the notion that all Americans would be required to receive firearms training and would certainly look askance at the idea of requiring all able-bodied citizens to purchase their own military-style assault weapons." Saul Cornell, A Well-Regulated Militia: The Founding Fathers and the Origins of Gun Control in America, Oxford University Press, 2006 Which of the following could be used as evidence to support the author's claim?

At the time the Constitution was written, laws in the states required able-bodied individuals to serve in militias.

"...If we resort to violence then one of two things will happen: either the violence will be escalated and there will be many injuries and perhaps deaths on both sides, or there will be total demoralization of the workers. Nonviolence has exactly the opposite effect. If, for every violent act committed against us, we respond with nonviolence, we attract people's support. We can gather the support of millions who have a conscience and would rather see a nonviolent resolution to problems. We are convinced that when people are faced with a direct appeal from the poor struggling nonviolently against great odds, they will react positively. The American people and people everywhere still yearn for justice. It is to that yearning that we appeal. ...When victory comes through violence, it is a victory with strings attached. If we beat the growers at the expense of violence, victory would come at the expense of injury and perhaps death. Such a thing would have a tremendous impact on us. We would lose regard for human beings. Then the struggle would become a mechanical thing. When you lose your sense of life and justice, you lose your strength...." César Chávez, "He Showed Us the Way," 1978 Which of the following is a similarity between the views expressed in the excerpt above and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail"?

Both César Chávez and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. argued for the continued use of nonviolence to further their causes.

A school district in Seattle used the race of students as a tie-breaking factor to determine which students would be admitted to the more popular schools in an attempt to maintain racial diversity. In the case Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1 (2007), the Supreme Court ruled this plan unconstitutional under the Fourteenth Amendment. Which of the following statements offers the most accurate comparison between this case and the decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954) ?

Both cases ruled against the school district based on the equal protection clause.

In the case Guey Heung Lee v. Johnson (1971), the parents of Chinese American students who attended a primarily Asian American school challenged San Francisco's effort to desegregate the public schools, arguing that their culture and language would be diluted if their children were dispersed from their local school. The Supreme Court denied the challenge from the parents basing their decision on the Fourteenth Amendment. Which of the following cases was most likely used in the decision as a precedent?

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)

Which of the following scenarios best explains how the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment has influenced political behavior?

Civil Rights leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr., cited constitutional arguments as a basis for opposing segregation and inequality.

It ought to be possible, in short, for every American to enjoy the privileges of being American without regard to his race or his color. In short, every American ought to have the right to be treated as he would wish to be treated, as one would wish his children to be treated. But this is not the case. The Negro baby born in America today, regardless of the section of the Nation in which he is born, has about one-half as much chance of completing a high school as a white baby born in the same place on the same day, one-third as much chance of completing college, one-third as much chance of becoming a professional man, twice as much chance of becoming unemployed, about one-seventh as much chance of earning $10,000 a year, a life expectancy which is 7 years shorter, and the prospects of earning only half as much. This is not a sectional issue. Difficulties over segregation and discrimination exist in every city, in every State of the Union, producing in many cities a rising tide of discontent that threatens the public safety. Nor is this a partisan issue. In a time of domestic crisis men of good will and generosity should be able to unite regardless of party or politics. President John F. Kennedy, Report to the American People on Civil Rights, June 11, 1963 The issues identified in the passage reflect a failure to uphold which of the following constitutional principles?

Equal protection

A classified Department of Defense study on the effectiveness of the United States involvement in the Afghanistan War is obtained by a newspaper. The president seeks to block the publication of the document. The court rules in favor of the newspaper, citing as precedent the Supreme Court's decision in New York Times Co. v. United States (1971). Based on the ruling in the Supreme Court's decision, which of the following lines of reasoning does the court most likely use?

Freedom of the press requires that the government show a significant danger to national security in order to stop publication.

"The original understanding of the Second Amendment was neither an individual right to self-defense nor a collective right of the states, but rather a civic right that guaranteed that citizens would be able to keep and bear those arms needed to meet their legal obligation to participate in a well-regulated militia. Nothing better captured this constitutional ideal than the minuteman. Citizens had a legal obligation to outfit themselves with a musket at their own expense and were expected to turn out at a minute's notice to defend their community, state, and eventually their nation. Although each side in the modern debate claims to be faithful to the historical Second Amendment, a restoration of its original meaning, re-creating the world of the minuteman, would be a nightmare that neither side would welcome. It would certainly involve more intrusive gun regulation, not less. . . . Gun control advocates might blanch at the notion that all Americans would be required to receive firearms training and would certainly look askance at the idea of requiring all able-bodied citizens to purchase their own military-style assault weapons." Saul Cornell, A Well-Regulated Militia: The Founding Fathers and the Origins of Gun Control in America, Oxford University Press, 2006 Which of the following Supreme Court cases is most relevant to the topic of the article?

McDonald v. Chicago (2010)

Which of the following scenarios best explains the inclusion of Title IX as part of the Education Amendments of 1972 ?

Members of Congress added the amendment to the bill in response to social movements seeking to address inequality in education for women.

The following questions are based on the following excerpt from a major Supreme Court decision. "Such considerations apply with added force to children in grade and high schools. To separate them from others of similar age and qualifications solely because of their race generates a feeling of inferiority as to their status in the community that may affect their hearts and minds in a way unlikely ever to be undone..." ...We conclude that in the field of public education the doctrine of "separate but equal" has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently inequal. Therefore, we hold that the plaintiffs...are, by reason of the segregation complained of, deprived of the equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment." The doctrine of "separate by equal" referred to above had previously been upheld by which of the following Supreme Court decisions?

Plessy v Ferguson, 1896

Which of the following is an accurate comparison of rights protected and not protected by the First Amendment?

Protected by the First Amendment - The right to burn a flag Not Protected by the First Amendment - Obscenity

Which of the following was an argument used by the Supreme Court in upholding federal statutes outlawing segregation in public accommodations?

Such segregation affected interstate commerce, and Congress therefore had the authority to outlaw it.

It ought to be possible, in short, for every American to enjoy the privileges of being American without regard to his race or his color. In short, every American ought to have the right to be treated as he would wish to be treated, as one would wish his children to be treated. But this is not the case. The Negro baby born in America today, regardless of the section of the Nation in which he is born, has about one-half as much chance of completing a high school as a white baby born in the same place on the same day, one-third as much chance of completing college, one-third as much chance of becoming a professional man, twice as much chance of becoming unemployed, about one-seventh as much chance of earning $10,000 a year, a life expectancy which is 7 years shorter, and the prospects of earning only half as much. This is not a sectional issue. Difficulties over segregation and discrimination exist in every city, in every State of the Union, producing in many cities a rising tide of discontent that threatens the public safety. Nor is this a partisan issue. In a time of domestic crisis men of good will and generosity should be able to unite regardless of party or politics. President John F. Kennedy, Report to the American People on Civil Rights, June 11, 1963 Which of the following pieces of legislation was most likely a result of the passage?

The Civil Rights Act of 1964

4th Amendment (1791)

The Constitution, through the Fourth Amendment, protects people from unreasonable searches and seizures by the government. The Fourth Amendment, however, is not a guarantee against all searches and seizures, but only those that are deemed unreasonable under the law.

Which of the following did the most to expand civil rights in the 1950's?

The Supreme Court decision declaring state-mandated school segregation to be unconstitutional

A public school district implemented a policy that allowed students to vote on whether they wanted a student-led prayer to be read at football games. This policy was later found to be unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court. Which of the following clauses did the policy most likely violate?

The establishment clause

Civil rights activists, such as those who campaign for gay and lesbian equal rights and those who advocated for racial equality in the 1950s and 1960s, often find the most effective way to secure those rights is

through litigation in the courts to gain legal protections against discrimination

"The original understanding of the Second Amendment was neither an individual right to self-defense nor a collective right of the states, but rather a civic right that guaranteed that citizens would be able to keep and bear those arms needed to meet their legal obligation to participate in a well-regulated militia. Nothing better captured this constitutional ideal than the minuteman. Citizens had a legal obligation to outfit themselves with a musket at their own expense and were expected to turn out at a minute's notice to defend their community, state, and eventually their nation. Although each side in the modern debate claims to be faithful to the historical Second Amendment, a restoration of its original meaning, re-creating the world of the minuteman, would be a nightmare that neither side would welcome. It would certainly involve more intrusive gun regulation, not less. . . . Gun control advocates might blanch at the notion that all Americans would be required to receive firearms training and would certainly look askance at the idea of requiring all able-bodied citizens to purchase their own military-style assault weapons." Saul Cornell, A Well-Regulated Militia: The Founding Fathers and the Origins of Gun Control in America, Oxford University Press, 2006 The author's main argument is that the Second Amendment

was added to the Constitution to ensure that militias would have arms

The passing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a significant political event because it

was instrumental in increasing the number of African American and other minority voters

According to the clear and present danger test, speech may be restricted

when it incites violent action