Edmentum End of Semester Test: Civics A 2023 (24/26)

A town passes a law banning political protests within town limits. Some of the town's residents file a court case against the town government, arguing that their constitutional rights have been violated. Which of the following provides the best supporting evidence for their case?

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

How are Electoral College votes distributed? A. Each state gets Electoral College votes equal to the number of representatives and senators it has in the US Congress. B. Electoral College votes are distributed equally among the states, with each state getting the same number of electors regardless of population. C. The result of the primary election or caucus in each state determines the number of Electoral College votes for each major party. D. After each US Census, the population of each state

A. Each state gets Electoral College votes equal to the number of representatives and senators it has in the US Congress.

Which minority group was negatively affected by the Supreme Court's decision on Korematsu v. United States? A. Latinx Americans B. Asian Americans C. African Americans D. Native Americans

B. Asian Americans

Which statement best explains why government is important? A. Government exists to stabilize nations and prevent them from undergoing change. B. Government exists to guide citizens' behavior and protect them from harm. C. Government exists to provide political leaders with their basic principles. D. Government exists to tell citizens who is to blame when their needs are not met.

B. Government exists to guide citizens' behavior and protect them from harm.

Which of the following best describes the role of the Supreme Court in protecting Americans' civil rights and liberties? A. It determines how to balance the competing rights of different individuals. B. It decides if any constitutional rights were violated in a given situation. C. It punishes people and institutions that violate civil rights and liberties. D. It creates laws and regulations designed to protect the rights of Americans.

B. It decides if any constitutional rights were violated in a given situation.

What evidence supports the idea that the Bill of Rights was key to the ratification of the Constitution? A. Without it, there would have been no explicit mention of the principle of popular sovereignty. B. Without it, the Founders would have lost the support of Anti-Federalists toward ratification. C. Without it, there would not have been equal representation of large and small states in Congress. D. Without it, the Founders' intentions about selecting the president would have been ambiguous.

B. Without it, the Founders would have lost the support of Anti-Federalists toward ratification.

PARTIALLY WRONG Compare the legislative process in the House and Senate.

Correct - Both: Debates and votes on bills, Committees review and mark up bills WRONG - House of Reps: Bills are introduced by the reading clerk, Unrelated riders can be attached to bills. WRONG - Senate: Only related amendments can be attached to bills, Bills can be filibustered

PARTIALLY WRONG Which two statements best describe the legislative process? The Supreme Court has no role in the legislative process. Most bills never become laws. Most bills die because the president has used the pocket veto. Ideas for bills can come from anyone.

Correct - Most bills never become laws. WRONG - Most bills die because the president has used the pocket veto.

What is the primary reason that elections are important to democracies? A. Elections prevent most major change in government policies, ensuring stability. B. Elections prevent incumbents from being reelected, ensuring new nominees in office. C. Elections allow citizens to view candidates through completely fair, unbiased media. D. Elections allow the peaceful transfer of power between officials though voter participation.

D. Elections allow the peaceful transfer of power between officials though voter participation.

Which statement best describes voting rights in the 1800s? A. The Constitution guaranteed voting rights to all citizens. B. States needed federal approval to make changes to voting laws. C. The Supreme Court made most decisions regarding voting laws. D. States passed laws to disenfranchise voters.

D. States passed laws to disenfranchise voters.

How does the structure of Congress extend the idea of "separation of powers" within the Legislative Branch itself? A. by allowing the House and the Senate to veto the President B. by limiting Congress to only meeting at certain times of the year C. by having the leaders of Congress oppose one another D. by giving the House and the Senate different powers

D. by giving the House and the Senate different powers

The Constitution gives Congress the right to regulate commerce. In 1824, the Supreme Court decision in Gibbons v. Ogden stated that states cannot enact legislation that interferes with that right. What is this an example of? A. judicial activism B. originalism C. loose constructionism D. judicial restraint

D. judicial restraint

Which of these is a power of the executive branch of the government? A. declaring a law unconstitutional B. impeaching presidents C. overriding a presidential veto D. vetoing legislation

D. vetoing legislation

Match each presidential power with its use.

Executive order - make rules without congressional action Pardon - legally forgive a crime Diplomatic Power - author foreign policy Legislative power - recommend policies to Congress Reprieve - cancel or postpone a criminal sentence

What were two reasons why the Founders gave more power to the states rather than the federal government under the Articles of Confederation? If each state had its own government, there was no need for a federal government. People did not feel a national identity as Americans. Most people felt more loyalty to their home states than the federal government. People did not trust a strong federal government after years of British rule.

Most people felt more loyalty to their home states than the federal government. People did not trust a strong federal government after years of British rule.

Which of the following two court cases affected marriage?

Obergefell v. Hodges Loving v. Virginia

What are two ways that the legislative branch checks the executive branch in the selection of judicial appointees? The Senate Judiciary committee makes judicial appointments. The Senate Judiciary interviews judicial appointments. Congress can reject judicial appointments. Congress can change the term length of appointments.

The Senate Judiciary interviews judicial appointments. Congress can reject judicial appointments.

Which two statements describe third-party candidates that have run for the presidency? Theodore Roosevelt ran for president on a progressive platform for the Bull Moose Party in 1912. Bill Clinton ran as a liberal Democrat candidate in the 1992 presidential election. Ross Perot ran for president as a Reform Party candidate in 1995. Donald J. Trump ran as a conservative Republican candidate in the 2016 presidential election.

Theodore Roosevelt ran for president on a progressive platform for the Bull Moose Party in 1912. Ross Perot ran for president as a Reform Party candidate in 1995.

After considering both the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention decided to move forward with the ________. This was an important development because that plan established that representation in the ________would be________numbered equally among all states.

Virginia plan, the House of Reps, based on states population

Match each economic ideology with its correct example.

a business is completely owned and controlled by the government: communism a business exists only to serve the nation: fascism a business exists mostly to benefit the individual owner: capitalism a business is directed by the government to ensure a fairer society: socialism

Complete the paragraph to explain why Article I of the Constitution was so important to the Framers. Legislative powers are detailed in Article I of the Constitution because the ______thought people would be ________with a strong executive if they first saw legislative_____on executive powers. Therefore,______was the first branch of the new government. The House of Representatives and the_____make up the _______branch. Together, they form the United States Congress.

framers, more comfortable, checks, congress, senate, legislative

Which words in the passage from the Declaration of Independence show the influence of the Enlightenment idea of natural law? We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, and that they are endowed with their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That, whenever any form of go

life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, unalienable rights, all men are created equal

What are two methods that some states used to make voting more difficult for some groups following the Supreme Court's decision in Shelby v. Holder? poll taxes photo ID laws literacy tests limited early voting

photo ID laws limited early voting

Two reasons why the media is important to political candidates are the media can create messages that persuade people to vote for a candidate. the media can guarantee that advertisers will want to endorse a candidate. the media can host election debates to present both candidates' ideas. the media can guarantee that one candidate will win an election.

the media can create messages that persuade people to vote for a candidate. the media can host election debates to present both candidates' ideas.

It costs billions of dollars to fund a presidential campaign. One large expenditure is for_____ to move a candidate to fundraising events and campaign rallies. Another is media costs, including ________, which costs campaigns millions of dollars.

transportation advertising

Match each type of mass media outlet the way it most commonly structures and presents information to influence public opinion.

use unreliable sources of information - social media Internet news present sensational information - tabloids try to follow journalism standards - big city and local newspapers