Gov test constitution

American political culture is characterized by strong popular support for all of the following EXCEPT

Economic equality

In 2005, the Utah legislature passed a law that allowed school districts to ignore parts of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), a law passed by Congress in 2001 that supported standards-based education reform. Utah did this despite the fact that it endangered losing $76 million in federal aid to Utah public schools. Which of the following statements best explains why Utah took this action?

Educational policy is not mentioned in the Constitution, which has created debate about the proper role for the national government in educational policy

Too often, we take our form of government for granted, not fully appreciating its unique and exceptional qualities. The framers of our Constitution, having revolted against tyranny, bequeathed to the nation, and to us as its citizens, a form of government with checks and balances intended to assure that we would never, as a nation, be subject to the abuses we experienced as a colony under a monarchy. . . . We should appreciate that the separation of powers enshrined in our Constitution was modeled on the constitutions and declarations of the states, where the separation of powers was equally observed. Mirroring our U.S. Constitution, 40 state constitutions now specify that government is to be divided into three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. The separation of powers at the state level, with an independent executive, legislature, and judiciary, is also one of the fundamental tenets of our democracy. What often gets lost in translation is how dynamic the competition among the branches of government has been, and how much stronger we are as a country because of that ongoing debate. It has been said that the Constitution is not just a historic document, but a living participant in who we are as a nation. Out of the continuing effort to assure the separation of powers, we have built a system of government that functions remarkably well. Although the powers ascribed to each of the three branches may sometimes appear to swing like a pendulum, we have continuously reconsidered and recentered our understanding of the authority and limitation of each of these branches. Linda Leali, "Reflecting on the Great Gift of the Separation of Powers," Daily Business Review, 2018 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

Unlike the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution does which of the following?

Emphasizes both national sovereignty and federalism

Which of the following ideals of democracy is reflected in the procedure for apportionment in the House of Representatives?

Government is based on the consent of the government.

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

The Connecticut (Great) Compromise drafted at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 is significant for which of the following reasons?

It proposed a Senate with equal representation for each state and a House of Representatives with membership established according to the population of each state.

The president cannot veto which of the following?

Joint resolutions that propose constitutional amendments

Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the checks held by the legislative and judicial branches?

Legislative checks to the judicial branch- Impeaching and removing federal judges Judicial checks to the legislative branch- Declaring an entire law unconstitutional

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 statesman who should attempt to direct private people in what manner they ought to [operate their business] would not only load himself with a most unnecessary attention, but assume authority which could safely be trusted, not to no single person, but to no council or senate whatever, and which would nowhere be so dangerous as in the hands of a man who [was so arrogant to think] himself fit to exercise it. To . . . direct private people in what manner they ought to employ their capitals . . . in almost all cases [is] a useless or hurtful regulation. If the produce of domestic [industry] can be brought there as cheap as that of foreign industry, the regulation is evidently useless. If it cannot, it must generally be hurtful. Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations, 1776 Which of the following ideals of United States government is most relevant to this passage?

Limited 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

"[A] pure democracy... can admit of no cure for the mischiefs of faction. . . . [S]uch democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property; and have in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths. . . . The two great points of difference between a democracy and a republic are: first, the delegation of the government, in the latter, to a small number of citizens elected by the rest; secondly, the greater number of citizens, and greater sphere of country, over which the latter may be extended. . . . [I]t may well happen that the public voice, pronounced by the representatives of the people, will be more consonant to the public good than if pronounced by the people themselves, convened for the purpose. On the other hand, the effect may be inverted. Men of factious tempers, of local prejudices, or of sinister designs, may, by intrigue, by corruption, or by other means, first obtain the suffrages, and then betray the interests, of the people." James Madison, The Federalist 10 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.

Members of Congress receive many phone calls, meeting invitations, and e-mails from various competing interest groups asking for support on their preferred public policies. This situation best exemplifies which of the following models of democracy?

Pluralism

The vice of the groupist theory is that it conceals the most significant aspects of the system. The flaw in the pluralist heaven is that the heavenly chorus sings with a strong upper-class accent. Probably about 90 percent of the people cannot get into the pressure system. The notion that the pressure system is automatically representative of the whole community is a myth fostered by the universalizing tendency of modern group theories. Pressure politics is a selective process ill designed to serve diffuse interests. The system is skewed, loaded, and unbalanced in favor of a fraction of a minority. E. E. Schattschneider, The Semisovereign People, 1960 Which of the following best captures the author's argument regarding the forms of democracy?

Pluralist democracy, though it involves groups at different stages of the process of developing policy, excludes a significant portion of the population

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 statements reflects a pluralist theory of American politics?

Public policies emerge from compromises reached among competing groups

Too often, we take our form of government for granted, not fully appreciating its unique and exceptional qualities. The framers of our Constitution, having revolted against tyranny, bequeathed to the nation, and to us as its citizens, a form of government with checks and balances intended to assure that we would never, as a nation, be subject to the abuses we experienced as a colony under a monarchy. . . . We should appreciate that the separation of powers enshrined in our Constitution was modeled on the constitutions and declarations of the states, where the separation of powers was equally observed. Mirroring our U.S. Constitution, 40 state constitutions now specify that government is to be divided into three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. The separation of powers at the state level, with an independent executive, legislature, and judiciary, is also one of the fundamental tenets of our democracy. What often gets lost in translation is how dynamic the competition among the branches of government has been, and how much stronger we are as a country because of that ongoing debate. It has been said that the Constitution is not just a historic document, but a living participant in who we are as a nation. Out of the continuing effort to assure the separation of powers, we have built a system of government that functions remarkably well. Although the powers ascribed to each of the three branches may sometimes appear to swing like a pendulum, we have continuously reconsidered and recentered our understanding of the authority and limitation of each of these branches. Linda Leali, "Reflecting on the Great Gift of the Separation of Powers," Daily Business Review, 2018 The author explains that the powers given to each branch "sometimes appear to swing like a pendulum" from one branch to another. Which of the following best describes how these shifts ensure that constitutional government is functional?

Separation of powers divides responsibilities and authority between branches, which allows each branch to be checked by the other two branches to ensure accountability

I have already intimated to you the danger of parties in the State, with particular reference to the founding of them on geographical discriminations. Let me now take a more comprehensive view and warn you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the spirit of party generally. This spirit, unfortunately, is inseparable from our nature, having its root in the strongest passions of the human mind. It exists under different shapes in all governments, more or less stifled, controlled, or repressed; but, in those of the popular form, it is seen in its greatest rankness, and is truly their worst enemy. The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of public liberty. Without looking forward to an extremity of this kind (which nevertheless ought not to be entirely out of sight), the common and continual mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it.... It is important, likewise, that the habits of thinking in a free country should inspire caution in those entrusted with its administration to confine themselves within their respective constitutional spheres, avoiding in the exercise of the powers of one department to encroach upon another. The spirit of encroachment tends to consolidate the powers of all the departments in one, and thus to create, whatever the form of government, a real despotism. George Washington's Farewell Address, 1796 In what respect does the Constitution address Washington's concern regarding the "spirit of encroachment" expressed in the excerpt?

The Constitution distributes power across national institutions

"We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights governments are instituted, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of those who suffer from it to refuse allegiance to it, and to insist upon the institution of a new government . . ." ". . . Such has been the patient sufferance of the women under this government, and such is now the necessity which constrains them to demand the equal station to which they are entitled. The history of mankind is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations on the part of man toward woman, having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over her. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world. He has never permitted her to exercise her inalienable right to the elective franchise. He has compelled her to submit to laws, in the formation of which she had no voice. He has withheld from her rights which are given to the most ignorant and degraded men. . . . Having deprived her of this first right of a citizen, the elective franchise, thereby leaving her without representation in the halls of legislation, he has oppressed her on all sides. He has made her, if married, in the eye of the law, civilly dead. He has taken from her all right in property, even to the wages she earns." Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Seneca Falls Convention, 1848 The language in the first paragraph of the selection most closely parallels that of which of the following documents?

The Declaration of Independence

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 is an example of the constitutional design of checks and balances?

The Senate rejects a president's nomination for secretary of state

Which of the following is the best example of a constitutional concept that supports the vision of the United States as a union of states, rather than a union of individual citizens?

The electoral college

The next most palpable defect of the subsisting Confederation, is the total want of a SANCTION to its laws. The United States, as now composed, have no powers to exact obedience, or punish disobedience to their resolutions, either by pecuniary [fines], by a suspension or divestiture of privileges, or by any other constitutional mode. There is no express delegation of authority to them to use force against delinquent members; and if such a right should be ascribed to the federal head, as resulting from the nature of the social compact between the States, it must be by inference and construction... There is, doubtless, a striking absurdity in supposing that a right of this kind does not exist. . . Alexander Hamilton, The Federalist 21 In the passage, Hamilton is concerned that under the Articles of Confederation, the federal government does not have sufficient constitutional powers to gain compliance from state governments. Which of the following is a way that the Constitution allows the federal government to address this problem?

The federal government can pass laws that allow it to fine or tax individuals directly

The next most palpable defect of the subsisting Confederation, is the total want of a SANCTION to its laws. The United States, as now composed, have no powers to exact obedience, or punish disobedience to their resolutions, either by pecuniary [fines], by a suspension or divestiture of privileges, or by any other constitutional mode. There is no express delegation of authority to them to use force against delinquent members; and if such a right should be ascribed to the federal head, as resulting from the nature of the social compact between the States, it must be by inference and construction... There is, doubtless, a striking absurdity in supposing that a right of this kind does not exist. . . Alexander Hamilton, The Federalist 21 Which of the following scenarios illustrates a solution for the problem of getting states to comply with federal government policies, as described in the passage?

The federal government can withhold highway funds from states that do not raise the age to drink alcohol to 21

The procedure for formally amending the United States Constitution best illustrates which of the following?

The federal structure of the United States government

Which of the following best describes the influence of social contract theory on the Constitution of the US?

The framers attempted to legitimize the Constitution through an appeal to popular sovereignty.

In the early part of the twenty-first century, public opinion polls showed that a majority of Americans believed it should be illegal to burn the American flag. As a result, many members of Congress introduced amendments to make it illegal to burn or desecrate the American flag. However, these efforts have been unsuccessful. Which of the following statements best explains why these efforts have been unsuccessful?

The framers made the amendment process difficult in order to protect individual rights

Throughout most of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, most African Americans were prevented from voting in many Southern states despite the Fifteenth Amendment, which extended the right to vote to African American males. Southern states were able to take this action because

The framers of the Constitution allowed the individual states to create voting processes and voter qualifications.

The statesman who should attempt to direct private people in what manner they ought to [operate their business] would not only load himself with a most unnecessary attention, but assume authority which could safely be trusted, not to no single person, but to no council or senate whatever, and which would nowhere be so dangerous as in the hands of a man who [was so arrogant to think] himself fit to exercise it. To . . . direct private people in what manner they ought to employ their capitals . . . in almost all cases [is] a useless or hurtful regulation. If the produce of domestic [industry] can be brought there as cheap as that of foreign industry, the regulation is evidently useless. If it cannot, it must generally be hurtful. Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations, 1776 Which of the following best summarizes the perspective of Adam Smith in the passage?

The government should not be used to promote manufacturing

Which of the following is commonly identified as a failure of the Articles of Confederation?

The national government lacked an effective power to raise revenue.

Which of the following was a direct outcome of the 3/5s compromise?

The number of representatives in the House of Representatives from slaveholding states increased.

Which of the following is an example of how separation of powers creates friction between the executive and legislative branches in the policy-making process?

The president threatens to issue an executive order for stricter gun control if Congress continues to refuse to take action.

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 process in the diagram reflects which of the following about the perspective of the framers on constitutional government?

The system should be able to accommodate political change, but the process for change should incorporate checks and balances.

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.

"[A] pure democracy... can admit of no cure for the mischiefs of faction. . . . [S]uch democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property; and have in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths. . . . The two great points of difference between a democracy and a republic are: first, the delegation of the government, in the latter, to a small number of citizens elected by the rest; secondly, the greater number of citizens, and greater sphere of country, over which the latter may be extended. . . . [I]t may well happen that the public voice, pronounced by the representatives of the people, will be more consonant to the public good than if pronounced by the people themselves, convened for the purpose. On the other hand, the effect may be inverted. Men of factious tempers, of local prejudices, or of sinister designs, may, by intrigue, by corruption, or by other means, first obtain the suffrages, and then betray the interests, of the people." James Madison, The Federalist 10 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 is a correct comparison between the US Constitution and the Articles of Confederation?

US Constitution- Granted Congress the power to levy taxes Articles of Confederation- Granted states alone the power to levy taxes

The legislative process at the national level reflects the intent of the framers of the Constitution to create a legislature that would

be cautious and deliberate

All of the following were concerns about the Articles of Confederation that led to the calling of the Constitutional Convention of 1787 EXCEPT

dissatisfaction over safeguards of individual rights and liberties

As originally ratified, the US constitution included provisions designed to

increase the economic powers of the central government

The importance of Shays' Rebellion to the development of the United States Constitution was that it

indicated that a strong, constitutionally designed national government was needed to protect property and maintain order

Constitutional checks and balances, especially applied to the president, are designed to

minimize the threat of tyranny from any one branch of government

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

Of the following, the most significant differences between the Constitution of 1787 and the Articles of Confederation was that the Constitution

provided for a strong national government with many powers, while the Articles created a weak central government with few independent powers

After a constitutional amendment has been proposed by both houses of Congress, its adoption requires

ratification by three-fourths of the states

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

In the Federalist papers, James Madison argues that political liberty is best protected by

the fragmentation of political power in a large republic

All of the following issues were decided at the Constitutional Convention EXCEPT

voting qualifications of the electorate

The Connecticut (Great) Compromise provided for...

A bicameral legislature with one houses's composition based upon state population and another's on equal state representation.

The framers of the Constitution intended to establish...

A representative republic

Which of the following is an example of checks and balances?

A rule issued by a bureaucratic agency may be declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. (A bureaucratic agency is in the executive branch.)

Which of the following is NOT a trait of a liberal democracy?

Achieving income equality

"[A] pure democracy... can admit of no cure for the mischiefs of faction. . . . [S]uch democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property; and have in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths. . . . The two great points of difference between a democracy and a republic are: first, the delegation of the government, in the latter, to a small number of citizens elected by the rest; secondly, the greater number of citizens, and greater sphere of country, over which the latter may be extended. . . . [I]t may well happen that the public voice, pronounced by the representatives of the people, will be more consonant to the public good than if pronounced by the people themselves, convened for the purpose. On the other hand, the effect may be inverted. Men of factious tempers, of local prejudices, or of sinister designs, may, by intrigue, by corruption, or by other means, first obtain the suffrages, and then betray the interests, of the people." James Madison, The Federalist 10 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."

The processes shown in the diagram is outlined in which of the following parts (features legislature majorities).

Article V

Which of the following is the correct pairing of powers found in the Articles of Confederation and powers found in the Constitution?

Articles of Confederation- Unicameral legislature United States Constitution- Bicameral legislature

Too often, we take our form of government for granted, not fully appreciating its unique and exceptional qualities. The framers of our Constitution, having revolted against tyranny, bequeathed to the nation, and to us as its citizens, a form of government with checks and balances intended to assure that we would never, as a nation, be subject to the abuses we experienced as a colony under a monarchy. . . . We should appreciate that the separation of powers enshrined in our Constitution was modeled on the constitutions and declarations of the states, where the separation of powers was equally observed. Mirroring our U.S. Constitution, 40 state constitutions now specify that government is to be divided into three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. The separation of powers at the state level, with an independent executive, legislature, and judiciary, is also one of the fundamental tenets of our democracy. What often gets lost in translation is how dynamic the competition among the branches of government has been, and how much stronger we are as a country because of that ongoing debate. It has been said that the Constitution is not just a historic document, but a living participant in who we are as a nation. Out of the continuing effort to assure the separation of powers, we have built a system of government that functions remarkably well. Although the powers ascribed to each of the three branches may sometimes appear to swing like a pendulum, we have continuously reconsidered and recentered our understanding of the authority and limitation of each of these branches. Linda Leali, "Reflecting on the Great Gift of the Separation of Powers," Daily Business Review, 2018 Which of the following best explains how the view of the author of the passage compares with The Federalist 51 regarding separation of powers and checks and balances?

Both the author of the passage and The Federalist 51 assert that the structure of government helps control ambitions among the branches in such a way as to promote effective government.

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