US Government AP All Unit Exams (Ortoleva)
Replace the letters in the figure above with the appropriate institutions to differentiate each institution's specific role in an iron triangle.
A is Interest Group, B is Congress, and C is the Bureaucracy
Based on previous court rulings, which of the following scenarios would most likely violate the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment?
A public school system uses race-based segregation.
Why might the Framers have had to justify the need for and strength of the Executive Branch?
Americans feared monarchical rule after the Revolution.
What was the effect of the opinion in Schenck v. United States?
As long as speech does not present a clear and present danger, it is allowed.
Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the two court cases?
Concluded that "separate but equal" schools are impossible.
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
Based on your knowledge of the Constitutional Convention, how was the matter of congressional representation resolved?
Delegates decided to compromise by adopting a bicameral legislature with each state receiving two Senators and the House reflecting the population totals of each state.
Which of the following actions by a congressional representative is an example of "pork barreling"?
Directing federal funds into the representative's district through legislation
"All communities divide themselves into the few and the many. The first are the rich and the wellborn, the other the mass of the people. . . . The people are turbulent and changing; they seldom judge or determine right. Give therefore to the first class a distinct, permanent share in the government. They will check the unsteadiness of the second, and as they cannot receive any advantage by a change, they therefore will ever maintain good government." -Alexander Hamilton, "Speech in the Constitutional Convention on a Plan of Government," 1787 Which of the following models of democracy is the author advocating?
Elite democracy
" The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts, and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defense and general welfare of the United States;... To regulate Commerce with foreign nations.... To coin money... To declare war... And To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States..." Based on this passage, which of the following type of Congressional powers is outlined in Article I, section 8 of the Constitution?
Enumerated power
Which of the following principles is meant to discourage government from conducting unlawful searches and to protect citizens when unlawful searches occur?
Exclusionary rule
Federalist Paper #10 "AMONG the numerous advantages promised by a well-constructed Union, none deserves to be more accurately developed than its tendency to break and control the violence of faction . . . By a faction, I understand a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or a minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community. There are two methods of curing the mischiefs of faction: the one, by removing its causes; the other, by controlling its effects. There are again two methods of removing the causes of faction: the one, by destroying the liberty which is essential to its existence; the other, by giving to every citizen the same opinions, the same passions, and the same interests. It could never be more truly said than of the first remedy, that it was worse than the disease. Liberty is to faction what air is to fire, an aliment without which it instantly expires." Which of the following statements best summarizes the author's argument in Federalist #10. What does he suggest is the best remedy this problem?
Factions are inevitable, yet a natural product of a free society that need to be limited.
Based on the cartoon, what is the relationship between federal funds and state autonomy?
Federal involvement accompanies federal funds.
The Miranda rule stems from rights protected by which of the following amendments?
Fifth and Sixth Amendments
Which of the constitutional provisions was at issue in Schenck v. United States?
First Amendment free speech and free press rights
Which of the following constitutional amendments address King's concern that there should be racial justice?
Fourteenth Amendment
"Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself, and that is what has happened to the American Negro. Something within has reminded him of his birthright of freedom, and something without has reminded him that it can be gained. Consciously or unconsciously, he has been caught up by the Zeitgeist, and with his black brothers of Africa and his brown and yellow brothers of Asia, South America and the Caribbean, the United States Negro is moving with a sense of great urgency toward the promised land of racial justice. If one recognizes this vital urge that has engulfed the Negro community, one should readily understand why public demonstrations are taking place. The Negro has many pent up resentments and latent frustrations, and he must release them. So, let him march; let him make prayer pilgrimages to the city hall; let him go on freedom rides—and try to understand why he must do so. If his repressed emotions are not released in nonviolent ways, they will seek expression through violence; this is not a threat but a fact of history." --Letter from Birmingham Jail (1963) by Martin Luther King Jr. Which of the following parts of the letter best summarizes King's position?
If peaceful, nonviolent demonstrations do not work, violent actions will be an option.
Which of the following is true about the pocket veto?
It occurs when the President takes no action on a bill for ten days during which Congress is adjourned.
Why might Clinton favor repealing the 22 amendment?
It would allow him to run for office for a third term.
Appointments to the federal Judiciary are often contentious for which of the following reasons?
Life terms for federal judges mean that presidential appointments will continue to have influence long after the president's term is over.
Which of the following Supreme Court cases is most consistent with Hamilton's view in the above passage?
Marbury v. Madison
On which of the following enlightenment ideas does the Declaration of Independence rely?
Natural Rights
Which clause of the U.S. Constitution did the Supreme Court interpret in McCulloch v. Maryland as allowing Congress to create a national bank?
Necessary and proper clause
Which of the following provides for the Constitution's flexibility?
Necessary and proper clause
In what ways do the decisions in Engel v. Vitale and Wisconsin v. Yoder differ?
One suggests a public policy creates an establishment of religion, while the other suggests a public policy denies the free exercise of religion
Which of the following data is reflected in the chart above?
President's nominated judges that were aligned with their own political affiliation.
Which of the following is a form of government in which the people select representatives to govern and make laws?
Republic
It is now clear that the challenged laws burden the liberty of same-sex couples, and it must be further acknowledged that they abridge central precepts of equality. Here the marriage laws enforced by the respondents are in essence unequal: same-sex couples are denied all benefits afforded to opposite-sex couples and are barred from exercising a fundamental right. Especially against a long history of disapproval of their relationships, this denial to same-sex couples of the right to marry works a grave and continuing harm. The imposition of this disability on gays and lesbians serves to disrespect and subordinate them. --Justice Anthony Kennedy, Majority Opinion in Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) Which statement best summarizes Justice Kennedy's opinion?
Same-sex couples are unfairly harmed by states' denial of their legal marriage.
Which of the following Supreme Court cases is the most relevant to the topic of the cartoon?
Shaw v. Reno
Which clause of the U.S. Constitution did the Supreme Court interpret as preventing Maryland from taxing the national bank in McCulloch v. Maryland?
Supremacy clause
Which statement best describes the Supreme Court's interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment?
The Fourteenth Amendment's due process clauses makes most rights contained in the Bill of Rights applicable to the states.
Which of the following is the most complete summary of the selective incorporation doctrine?
The Supreme Court has required states to apply certain rights in the Bill of Rights through the Fourteenth Amendments due process clause.
After a bill is introduced in the House of Representatives, what is the next step in the legislative process?
The bill is referred to a committee
Which of the following constitutional provisions would the Justice Kennedy cite to support the opinion?
The equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment
To complete independence of the courts of justice is peculiarly essential in a limited Constitution. By a limited Constitution, I understand one which contains certain specified exceptions to the legislative authority; such, for instance, as that it shall pass no bill of attainder, no ex-post-facto laws, and the like. Limitations of this kind can be preserved in practice no other way than through the medium of courts of justice, whose duty it must be to declare all acts contrary to the manifest tenor of the Constitution void. Without this, all the reservations of particular rights or privileges would amount to nothing. ...The interpretation of the laws is the proper and peculiar province of the courts. A constitution is, in fact, and must be regarded by the judges, as a fundamental law. It therefore belongs to them to ascertain its meaning, as well as the meaning of any particular act proceeding from the legislative body... -Alexander Hamilton. Federalist No. 78 What constitutional principle does Hamilton address in the above passage?
The interpretation of laws is the proper and peculiar province of the courts
The Bill of Rights guarantees which of the following rights to a person arrested and charged with a crime?
The right to legal representation
With which of the following statements would the cartoonist most likely agree?
There is a constant struggle to define the separation of church and state.
What type of legislature did the United States have under the Articles of Confederation?
a single chamber with each state receiving equal power
THERE is an idea, which is not without its advocates, that a vigorous Executive is inconsistent with the genius of republican government. The enlightened well-wishers to this species of government must at least hope that the supposition is destitute of foundation... Energy in the Executive is a leading character in the definition of good government.... A feeble Executive implies a feeble execution of the government. A feeble execution is but another phrase for a bad execution; and a government ill executed, whatever it may be in theory, must be, in practice, a bad government.... The ingredients which constitute energy in the Executive are, first, unity; secondly, duration; thirdly, an adequate provision for its support; fourthly, competent powers. The ingredients which constitute safety in the republican sense are, first, a due dependence on the people, secondly, a due responsibility. Those politicians and statesmen who have been the most celebrated for the soundness of their principles and for the justice of their views, have declared in favor of a single Executive and a numerous legislature.... --Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 70, 1788 Which of the following did Alexander Hamilton advocate for in Federalist No. 70?
a strong, energetic executive
In which of the following are powers shared by the federal and state governments in a marble-cake fashion?
cooperative federalism
What are the two types of federal powers derived from Article I, section 8 of the U.S. Constitution?
enumerated; implied
Which political science term is best explained in this graphic?
iron triangle
Shays's Rebellion contributed to calls for a stronger national government because
it indicated that the national government under the Articles of Confederation was weak.
The practice in Congress whereby Representative A promises to vote for Representative B's legislation, provided that Representative B will support Representative A's legislation, is referred to as
logrolling
Executive agreements have been cited as evidence that
modern presidents often try to avoid legislative checks and balances on their authority
What constitutional principle did Madison defend in Federalist No. 51?
separation of powers
When independent regulatory agencies make rules, enforce those rules, and adjudicate disputes arising under those rules, they risk violating the constitutional concept of
separation of powers
Nominations to the Supreme Court must be approved by a
simple majority vote in the Senate only
Most of the work of legislating in Congress takes place in
standing committees/subcommittees
Whose job is it to convey the party's position to rank-and-file congresspersons, keep vote counts, pressure waverers, and report the views and complaints of the House to the party leadership?
whip
