Civics Midterm Review
The idea of popular sovereignty is most related to which of the following statements from the preamble of the Constitution?
"We the people of the United States"
What Amendment includes freedom of speech, press, assembly, petition and religion?
1st Amendment
What are the qualifications to be President?
35 years old, 14 years a resident of the US, natural born citizen
During a trial in which she is being tried for murder, Lisa chooses not to take the witness stand. What Amendment is she exercising?
5th amendment- no self incrimination
Which type of committee has members from the House and the Senate?
A joint committee
The Constitutional principle of checks and balances is exemplified by
A. Presidential veto
Which of the following is likely to occur in a dictatorship?
A. The government can take immediate action by making decisions without the people's consent
The federal government spends money on health care, Social Security, and veterans' benefits. Which public issue is most connected to these expenses?
A. graying population
Which document is matched to it's owner?
B. Thomas Jefferson- Declaration of Independence
Which of the following is an example of US democracy in action?
B. Your mom goes to the polls to vote for your school's tax levy
What term is used to describe the person who brings an action into a court of law?
B. plaintiff
Which is an example of racism?
C. A police officer pulling over a suspect based on the color of their skin
What happened as a result of the Sugar Act, Stamp Act, Declatory Act, and Townshend Acts?
Colonists united in their anger against the British taxation without representation
What was the pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1775 that argued in favor of colonial independence and representative government?
Common Sense
Which statement is an example of concurrent jurisdiction?
D. A suit may reach any of two or more courts
What statement explains the tossed salad theory?
D. America is made up of many people with individual identities
British taxation without representation was the major reason for passing what document?
Declaration of Independence
What is the main difference between democracy and dictatorship?
Democracy: people have control of the government Dictatorship: one person has all control
What executive cabinet organization is designed to prevent terrorist attacks in the US?
Department of Homeland Security
What government department houses the attorney general?
Department of Justice
How were geography and slavery related?
Geography determined the type of crops grown and the maount of work needed
What court case helped established supremacy of the US Constitution?
Gibbons vs. Ogden
The three-fifths Compromise addressed what problem?
How to count population for the purpose of taxation and representation in the House of Representatives
The ideal representative government was strengthened by the writings of an 18th century English philosopher named what?
John Locke
What political philosopher is best known for developing the concept of "social contract"?
John Locke
What document was written by the Pilgrims that contained the idea that the power to govern should come from the consent of the people?
Mayflower Compact
Which geographical region of colonial North America was known for cold climate and strong Puritan population?
New England
What can Congress do in response to a presidential veto to pass the bill?
Override veto
What legislative body drafted the Declaration of Independence?
Second Continental Congress
The President is Commander in Chief of the military. Congress passes laws and can amend the Constitution . The Supreme Court reviews new laws. The facts above are all examples of _________ principles of the Constitution
Separation of powers
No power to collect taxes, __________, and no executive branch or national judiciary led to the creation of the US Constitution.
Shay's Rebellion
What geographical region in colonial North America was best known for it's focus on agriculture and society based on English aristocracy?
Southern
Why did the Continental Congress have a difficult time funding the Continental Army?
The Articles of Confederation had no power to collect taxes
The development of representative institutions in the colonies during the 17th and 18th century was aided by a movement called __________, a popularization of science and reason.
The Enlightenment
What is believed to be the first written Constitution in the world?
The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
What plan settled the debate over state representation in Congress?
The Great Compromise
What was the 1st representative institution to convene during the colonial period in America?
The House of Burgesses
Which of the following conventions of American government reflects the principle of popular sovereignty?
The House of Representatives is made up people elected every 2 years
What was the Boston Tea Party a reaction to?
The Tea Act-- created a monopoly for the British East India Company
"out of many, one" relates to the United States by
The US nation is made from many states
What was the first representative legislature in the colonies?
The Virginia House of Burgesses
Why did the Articles of Confederation have to be replaced by the Constitution?
The weak central government it created had to be strengthened
What reason best explains why the anti-federalists argued for a Bill of Rights?
They wanted protection against the tyranny of the central government
What us the jurisdiction of appellate courts?
To correct legal errors of lower courts
What is the president's official objection to a bill called?
a veto
What is an aspect of representative democracy that separates it from direct democracy?
an elected group of people make laws
Who selects US Court justices?
appointed by the President, approved by the Senate
How did the Swann v Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education (1969) verify the US Constitution as supreme law of the land?
attempted to force integration in public schools
What term describes a written statement explaining the arguments of one position in a court proceeding?
brief
What is the term for the count of the entire US population?
census
Let's say that the people from North Carolina are unhappy with one of their senators in Washington DC. They are upset because he has not done anything he promised to do during the election.What is the most likely way the citizens of North Carolina can have their views better represented?
circulate a petition to remove the senator from office
What term describes the technique of ending a filibuster in the Senate?
cloture
What term best describes a body of law based on custom and general principles, operation through the use of individual cases as precedents for future decisons?
common law
If the House of Representatives and the Senate do not accept each other's position on a bill, what is most likely going to happen?
conference committee
What type of leader was Adolf Hitler?
dictator
What type of ruler was Mussolini?
dictator
Which term best describes the religious beliefs in the Middle colonies?
diverse
What is the 6th Amendment in the Bill of right concerned with?
due process
What jurisdiction allows only one court to rule on certain subject matters?
exclusive jurisdiction
Because of the Constitutional principle of _________ , the central government must share power with local and state governments
federalism
What term is used to describe someone who favored a strong central government?
federalist
What term is used to describe a tactic available to senators who wish to block the passage of a bill?
filibuster
How did Plessy vs. Ferguson (1896) verify the Constitution as supreme law of the land?
it upheld the "separate but equal" principle
What type of opinion becomes a law in a supreme court decision?
majority opinion
George III was the king of England from 1760-1820. As ruler of the British Empire, King George's policies led to discontent in the American colonies. This content sparked a revolution in 1776, in which the Americans won their Independence from the king's rule. King George's government was what kind of government?
monarchy
What type of jurisdiction do district courts always have? Never have?
original, appellate
What is the meaning of the 9th amendment?
people have more rights than what is specifically in the Constitution
During the Treaty of Paris of 1783, what were the primary issues the American negotiators fought for?
recognition of US Independence and making boundaries
What aspect of American identity was most impacted by the "first great awakening"?
religious pluralism
What term describes a situation in which the state is governed by a set of rules, rather than a group of individuals?
rule of law
What services are provided by the Internal Revenue Service?
tax collection and education
What was the main reason the American colonists wanted to break off from Great Britain and form their own representative government?
taxation without representation
How is "For quartering large Bodies of Armed Troops among us..." addressed in the Constitution?
the 3rd Amendment forbids this
What British document greatly influenced the Bill of Rights?
the Magna Carta
The public policy statement "ignorance of the law is no excuse" places responsibility primarily on whom?
the citizens
Why did the idea of representative government gain popularity in colonial America?
the colonists believed in the principle of self rule
What does the term "loose interpretation" of the Constitution mean?
the document permitted everything that it did not specifically state was not allowed
What is an absolute monarch?
the leader of a country with complete power
What does the 2nd Amendment state?
the right to bear arms
What does it mean for a court to have judicial review?
the right to declare laws unconstitutional
How did the colonists react to the Stamp Act?
they boycotted British goods
What was the main purpose of the Federalist Papers?
to increase support of the Constitution
What problem was addressed in the New Jersey Plan?
unequal representation of smaller states
