AP Gov Unit 1
Map courtesy of the US Census Bureau. Which of the following describes a way that the federal government could influence state spending on education?
issuing a mandate tying federal block grants to the amount of state spending per pupil
In June 2017, voters in Puerto Rico voted on a referendum to make Puerto Rico the 51st state of the United States. This is an example of which of the following models of democracy?
participatory democracy
The Three-Fifths Compromise is best defined as which of the following?
For every five enslaved Africans, three would be counted for representation.
Read the passage and answer the following question. "In a pure democracy the people are the sovereign, and their will is declared by themselves; for this purpose they must all come together to deliberate, and decide. This kind of government cannot be exercised, therefore, over a country of any considerable extent; it must be confined to a single city, or at least limited to such bounds as that the people can conveniently assemble, be able to debate, understand the subject submitted to them, and declare their opinion concerning it." -Brutus, No. 1 Which of the following statements best summarizes the author's argument?
A large centralized government is unable to protect individual interests and liberties.
Which of the following is a chief argument in James Madison's Federalist No. 10?
A large, diverse republic will tame factions.
Which of the following conclusions is best supported by the infographic above?
Amendments are proposed more often by Congress than by special conventions.
Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the views of the authors of Federalist No. 10 and Brutus No. 1? (picture)
Comparison C
Which of the following statements best summarizes the decision in United States v. Lopez (1995)?
Congress cannot use the Commerce Clause to regulate the possession of firearms in public schools
Which of the following best illustrates the concept of "separation of powers" in the US Constitution?
Congress has authority over the federal budget, while the president appoints Supreme Court justices.
Which of the following statements best summarizes the decision in McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)?
Congress has implied powers not listed in the Constitution to implement its enumerated powers.
Which of the following scenarios would violate the Tenth Amendment?
Congress passing a law raising the minimum driving age to 21
Which of the following policies is an example of a present-day debate about the balance of power between the federal government and state governments?
Congress passing the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) that decreased the number of standardized tests
The government of Maryland is considering increasing its welfare benefits significantly. Which of the following describes a difficulty that the state government may face in the policy implementation process?
Due to the "privileges and immunities" clause of Article IV, poorer citizens of other states might move to Maryland in order to take advantage of the benefits.
Which of the following most likely accounts for the differences in state spending on education shown in the map?
Education spending is determined by state governments, not the federal budget.
Which of the following scenarios is an example of a present-day constitutional issue about democracy and governmental power?
FBI agents being able to obtain phone records without a judge's approval
Read the passage and answer the following question. "As long as the reason of man continues fallible, and he is at liberty to exercise it, different opinions will be formed . . . The diversity in the faculties of men, from which the rights of property originate, is not less an insuperable obstacle to a uniformity of interests. The protection of these faculties is the first object of government. From the protection of different and unequal faculties of acquiring property, the possession of different degrees and kinds of property immediately results; and from the influence of these on the sentiments and views of the respective proprietors, ensues a division of the society into different interests and parties." -Publius (James Madison), Federalist No. 10 Which of the following statements is most consistent with the author's argument in this passage?
Factions, while inevitable, can be controlled.
Which of the following constitutional principles most directly addresses the relationship between the national and state governments?
Federalism
SECTION 2 "The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States . . . The number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each State shall have at Least one Representative . . . SECTION 3 "The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof, for six Years; and each Senator shall have one Vote." -Sections 2 and 3 of the United States Constitution The excerpt above is the result of which compromise in the Constitutional Convention?
Great (Connecticut) Compromise
Which two were weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation? I. The federal government could not levy taxes. II. The executive branch was more powerful than Congress. III. The federal government could not raise an army. IV. Each state had two votes in a bicameral Congress.
I and III
Which of the following statements can be supported from information in the table above? Federal grants to state and local governments have increased substantially in total dollar amount since 1950. In 1994 the federal government devoted a larger percentage of outlays to grants than in 1980. Between 1980 and 1990, grants decreased as a percentage of federal outlays. In 1994 states were more dependent on federal grants for revenue than in 1990, 1970, or 1960.
I, III, and IV only
Which of the following Supreme Court cases established that federal laws have supremacy over state laws?
McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
The constitutional provision that allows Congress to expand its legislative power is the
Necessary and Proper Clause
In the 1960s, the federal government passed the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act, which compelled state and local governments to desegregate public schools and public places. This is an example of which of the following aspects of federalism in the United States?
Pressure at the national level can force state and local policy changes.
Shana has a daughter in a public school whose students take a national reading test each year. Shana strongly disagrees with the test's methods and believes the test should either be replaced or eliminated. Which of the following is an action Shana could take to influence education policy?
Run for a seat on her local school board in order to influence her district not to use the test
A pivotal event that symbolized the problems with the Articles of Confederation and demonstrated the need to reform the Articles was
Shays' Rebellion
The __________ Amendment says that says that those powers not given to the federal government and not prohibited to the states by the Constitution are reserved for the states and the people.
Tenth
"Given the increasing difference in size between the largest and smallest states, combined with other changes in the American political context[,] any effects of Senate apportionment are greater today than in the past. By reference to the one person, one vote standard, the Senate is the most malapportioned legislature in the world . . . Currently Wyoming, with fewer than half a million residents, enjoys the same level of representation as California, with more than 30 million." -Frances E. Lee and Bruce I. Oppenheimer, Sizing Up the Senate: The Unequal Consequences of Equal Representation, 1999 Which of the following statements best summarizes the author's argument?
The Great Compromise failed to anticipate growing population differences in small and large states, leaving matters unresolved.
Which of the following best illustrates the concept of limited government?
The Supreme Court ruled that a law passed by Congress was unconstitutional.
Which of the following statements is most consistent with Hamilton's argument in this passage?
The lack of specific reference to something in the Constitution does not mean it is disallowed.
"To what expedient, then, shall we finally resort, for maintaining in practice the necessary partition of power among the several departments, as laid down in the Constitution? The only answer that can be given is, that as all these exterior provisions are found to be inadequate, the defect must be supplied, by so contriving the interior structure of the government as that its several constituent parts may, by their mutual relations, be the means of keeping each other in their proper places." -Publius (James Madison), Federalist no. 51, 1788 Which of the following statements best summarizes Madison's argument?
The structure of the government itself should limit its powers.
The debates between Federalists and Anti-Federalists were primarily about which of the following issues?
the scope of power of the central government
"Our Debts being unfunded and unprovided for, the Interest cannot be paid. Those therefore who trusted us in the Hour of Distress are defrauded. To expect that under such Circumstances others will confide in the Government would be Folly, and to expect that Foreigners will Trust a Government which has no Credit with its own Citizens must be madness . . .The United States have call'd for eight Million of Dollars early in November last, of which the first quarterly Payment was to have been made on the first Day of April next. But I cannot find that a single State has laid the Taxes." Robert Morris, letter to the president of Congress, 1782 Which of the following statements best summarizes the author's argument?
The taxation structure under the Articles poses a serious threat to the economic well-being of the United States
Which of the following is a consequence of the principle of separation of powers?
There are multiple access points for stakeholders and institutions to influence public policy.
Which of the following is a reason for the separation of powers?
to prevent tyranny by any one branch
"To what expedient, then, shall we finally resort, for maintaining in practice the necessary partition of power among the several departments, as laid down in the Constitution? The only answer that can be given is, that as all these exterior provisions are found to be inadequate, the defect must be supplied, by so contriving the interior structure of the government as that its several constituent parts may, by their mutual relations, be the means of keeping each other in their proper places." -Publius (James Madison), Federalist no. 51, 1788 Which of the following principles of US government is most consistent with the author's argument?
checks and balances
Removal of a public official for crimes or abuse of power is an example of which of the following principles of American government?
checks and balances
The Constitutional Convention sought to replace the Articles of Confederation because they
did not have the ability to tax and provide for the common defense
Elena Alvarez, a political scientist, decides to use this infographic to argue that the United States practices a particular model of democracy. Which of the following models would Elena most likely argue for, based on the infographic?
elite democracy
What are the two types of powers given to the national government under the United States Constitution?
enumerated; implied
Which of the following may Congress do to limit the power of the executive?
impeach the president
In 2015, the Supreme Court ruled that the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees people of the same sex to marry in the same manner as opposite-sex couples. Following this ruling, the National Organization for Marriage appealed to members of Congress encouraging them to pass an amendment to the Constitution defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman. This is an example of which of the following principles of American government?
multiple access points for stakeholders to influence policymaking
Members of the National Organization for Women (NOW) protest a Congressional bill that eliminates protections for pregnant workers. After the bill passes, they form a letter-writing campaign hoping to influence the president to veto the bill. This is an example of which of the following principles of American government?
multiple access points for stakeholders to influence policymaking
Which of the following actions by the federal government would most likely be considered an implied power based on the precedent established by McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)?
outlawing the recreational use of marijuana
An informal group advocating for a $15 minimum wage collects 590,000 signatures from registered voters in their state. In the next election, this initiative appears on the ballot for voters to decide whether it becomes a state constitutional amendment. This is an example of which of the following models of democracy?
participatory democracy
"In a single republic, all the power surrendered by the people is submitted to the administration of a single government; and the usurpations are guarded against by a division of the government into distinct and separate departments. In the compound republic of America, the power surrendered by the people is first divided between two distinct governments, and then the portion allotted to each subdivided among distinct and separate departments. Hence a double security arises to the rights of the people. The different governments will control each other, at the same time that each will be controlled by itself." -Publius (James Madison), Federalist no. 51, 1788 Which of the following principles of US government is most consistent with the author's argument?
separation of powers
Article VI of the U.S. Constitution establishes that federal law is __________ in conflicts between federal and state law.
supreme
What was the greatest fear of the Anti-Federalists during the Constitutional Convention and subsequent debate?
that a strong national government would infringe on the essential liberties of the people
Which of the following statements best explains how the 14th Amendment has been interpreted to enhance federal power?
the 14th Amendment gave Congress the right to regulate discrimination in states
Social contract is best defined as which of the following?
the agreement between people and the government defining the rights and duties of each
The National Recovery Act of 1933, enacted by Franklin Roosevelt's administration to combat the Great Depression, vastly expanded the power of the federal government to regulate wages and labor standards. This scenario is an example of which of the following aspects of federalism?
the changing balance of power between the states and federal government in response to societal needs
"The Congress has the power...to create all laws that are necessary and proper..." can be found in which part of the Constitution?
Article I
Read the passage and answer the following question. "As long as the reason of man continues fallible, and he is at liberty to exercise it, different opinions will be formed . . . The diversity in the faculties of men, from which the rights of property originate, is not less an insuperable obstacle to a uniformity of interests. The protection of these faculties is the first object of government. From the protection of different and unequal faculties of acquiring property, the possession of different degrees and kinds of property immediately results; and from the influence of these on the sentiments and views of the respective proprietors, ensues a division of the society into different interests and parties." -Publius (James Madison), Federalist No. 10 Which of the following statements best summarizes Madison's arguments?
A large republic can control the negative aspects of factions.
Read the passage and answer the following question. "In a pure democracy the people are the sovereign, and their will is declared by themselves; for this purpose they must all come together to deliberate, and decide. This kind of government cannot be exercised, therefore, over a country of any considerable extent; it must be confined to a single city, or at least limited to such bounds as that the people can conveniently assemble, be able to debate, understand the subject submitted to them, and declare their opinion concerning it." -Brutus No. 1 Which of the following political parties would have agreed with the ideological perspectives in the passage when it was written?
Anti-Federalists
Read the passage and answer the following question. "In a pure democracy the people are the sovereign, and their will is declared by themselves; for this purpose they must all come together to deliberate, and decide. This kind of government cannot be exercised, therefore, over a country of any considerable extent; it must be confined to a single city, or at least limited to such bounds as that the people can conveniently assemble, be able to debate, understand the subject submitted to them, and declare their opinion concerning it." -Brutus No. 1 Based on the text, which of the following statements would the author most likely agree with?
Local and state governments are better equipped to deal with issues affecting people's daily lives.
"Our Debts being unfunded and unprovided for, the Interest cannot be paid. Those therefore who trusted us in the Hour of Distress are defrauded. To expect that under such Circumstances others will confide in the Government would be Folly, and to expect that Foreigners will Trust a Government which has no Credit with its own Citizens must be madness . . .The United States have call'd for eight Million of Dollars early in November last, of which the first quarterly Payment was to have been made on the first Day of April next. But I cannot find that a single State has laid the Taxes." Robert Morris, letter to the president of Congress, 1782 Based on the text, which of the following statements would the author most likely agree with?
The national government under the Articles lacks necessary tax enforcement power
After a constitutional amendment has been proposed by both houses of Congress, its adoption requires
ratification by three-fourths of the states.
Several oil companies donate to a pro-fracking interest group after hearing that the federal government plans to pass a law banning fracking in the United States. The interest group then appeals to members of Congress in attempt to get them to vote against the bill. Which of the following democratic ideals does this scenario best exemplify?
republicanism
Read the passage and answer the following question. "In revising the federal system we ought to inquire 1. into the properties, which such a government ought to possess, 2. the defects of the confederation, 3. the danger of our situation & 4. the remedy. The Character of such a government ought to secure 1. against foreign invasion, 2. against dissensions between members of the Union, or seditions in particular States, 3. to procure to the several States various blessings, of which an isolated situation was incapable, 4. to be able to defend itself against encroachment, & 5. to be paramount to the state constitutions." Edmund Randolph, as recorded in James Madison's journal, 1787 Which of the following was a consequence of the ideas described in the passage?
the development of a new national Constitution
In Federalist No. 10, Madison argued that the Constitution delegates authority to elected representatives. Which of the following constitutional provisions does this?
the election of members of the House of Representatives in Article I
Which of the following was a strength of the Articles of Confederation that the Constitution retained?
the federal government could negotiate treaties with other countries
Republicanism is best defined as which of the following?
the interests of the people are represented through elected leaders
Which of the following best illustrates the concept of limited government?
the president vetoing a bill from Congress
"When the Articles of Confederation were drafted, Americans had had little experience of what a national government could do for them and bitter experience of what an arbitrary government could do to them. In creating a central government they were therefore more concerned with keeping it under control than with giving it the means to do its job." Edmund S. Morgan, The Birth of the Republic, 1763-89, 1956 Which of the following concepts is most consistent with the author's argument?
limited government
In 1984, Congress passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984, stipulating that states must have a minimum drinking age of 21 in order to receive federal highway funding. This is an example of which of the following aspects of federal incentives?
mandates
Read the passage and answer the following question. "In so extensive a republic, the great officers of government would soon become above the control of the people, and abuse their power to the purpose of aggrandizing themselves, and oppressing them. The trust committed to the executive offices, in a country of the extent of the United States, must be various and of magnitude." -Brutus No. 1 Based on the text, which of the following statements would the author most likely agree with?
Citizens cannot hold distant elected representatives accountable for their actions.
Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the two court cases?
Comparison B
Which of the following was a way in which Shays's Rebellion demonstrated the weaknesses of the national government under the Articles of Confederation?
It could not raise money to pay a militia to put down the rebellion.
Read the passage and answer the following question. "In revising the federal system we ought to inquire 1. into the properties, which such a government ought to possess, 2. the defects of the confederation, 3. the danger of our situation & 4. the remedy. The Character of such a government ought to secure 1. against foreign invasion, 2. against dissensions between members of the Union, or seditions in particular States, 3. to procure to the several States various blessings, of which an isolated situation was incapable, 4. to be able to defend itself against encroachment, & 5. to be paramount to the state constitutions." Edmund Randolph, as recorded in James Madison's journal, 1787 Based on the text, which of the following statements would the author most likely agree with?
The United States would benefit from a stronger central government.
The insurgents who were assembled at Worcester in Massachusetts have disbanded. The people at Boston seem to be glad at this event and say it was the effect of fear. But the fact is that the insurgents effected their object . . .The commotions of Massachusetts have wrought prodigious changes in the minds of men in that State [with regard to] the Powers of Government. Everybody says they must be strengthened and that unless this shall be effected there is no Security for liberty or Property. Such is the State of things in the east, that much trouble is to be apprehended in the course of the ensuing year." Henry Knox, letter to his former commander George Washington, 1786 Based on the text, which of the following statements would the author most likely agree with?
The lack of centralized military power under the Articles of Confederation poses a serious threat to the stability of the United States.
The Connecticut (Great) Compromise provided for
a bicameral legislature with one house's composition based upon state population and another's on equal state representation
A Senator wants to incentivize higher education for students from low-income families and wants to provide clear guidelines on how states implement those incentives. Which type of grant should she propose?
a categorical grant
The relationship between the states under the Articles of Confederation could best be described as which of the following?
a loose league of friendship
What is the principle that each branch of the federal government has the means to thwart or influence actions by other branches of government?
checks and balances
After a House of Representatives member supports an unpopular tax despite protests from his constituents, he loses his bid for re-election. This is an example of which of the following democratic ideals?
popular sovereignty
Which of the following is a shared power between states and the federal government?
power to tax
