Pre/Post Assessment

7th Grade Civics

1st Nine Weeks Grading Period

  1. The concept of rule of law teaches us that nobody is above the law. What can happen if a member of the legislative branch of Congress abuses his/her power and breaks the law?
  1. This member of Congress is part of the government therefore he/she cannot be punished.
  2. The other members of Congress will get angry at him/her.
  3. He or she can be prosecuted under the law.
  4. The president will punish him/her.
  1. Read the oath of office taken by the President of the United States:

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

What major concept does this oath represent?

  1. the supremacy clause
  2. the rule of law
  3. the oath of office
  4. presidential power

Use the image below of “Lady Justice” to answer questions 3 and 4.

  1. The sword on the right hand of “Lady Justice” represents which of the following?
  1. the power of law
  2. the justice power of the court
  3. the rule of law
  4. the court’s coercive power
  1. The scales on the left hand of “Lady Justice” represent which of the following?
  1. the justice power of the court
  2. balance of power
  3. rule of law
  4. competing claims
  1. According to the code, what principle of democracy is Theodore Roosevelt implying with the quote below?

“No man is above the law and no man below it”
- Theodore Roosevelt

  1. federalism
  2. rule of law
  3. nationalism
  4. checks and balances
  1. A person who is not born a U.S. citizen may become a citizen through which process?
  1. citizenship
  2. naturalization
  3. oath of allegiance
  4. petition

Read and analyze the following quote to answer question 7.

“In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district where in the crime shall have been committed…”

  1. The quote above addresses which obligation of United States citizenship?

a.protection of rights of an accused individual

b.serving on a jury

c.individual right to a trial

d.swear allegiance in a trial

Read and analyze the following excerpt to answer questions 8-9.

The following is the Oath of Allegiance a citizenship applicant must take.

"I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God."

  1. Which attribute does the Oath of Allegiance most reflects for a citizen to take?
  1. loyalty
  2. respect
  3. fairness
  4. rule of law
  1. Which clause may be excluded, at times, by citizenship applicants?
  1. “That I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by law”
  2. “That I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign price, potentate”
  3. “That I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same”
  4. “That I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law”

Read and analyze the document below to answer question 10.

Source: Library of Congress

10.The poster above, which appeared in the United States in 1916, best reflects which statement in the Oath of Allegiance?

  1. “That I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same”
  2. “That I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law”
  3. “That I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law”
  4. “That I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law”

11. Being concerned about other countries and protecting the United States flag most nearly identifies with which citizen obligation?

  1. obeying laws
  2. voting
  3. serving on juries
  4. defending the nation

Read and analyze the excerpt below to answer questions 12-13.

“I…declare…that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States…against all enemies, foreign and domestic; [and] that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by law.”

-Oath of Citizenship

  1. Which of the following citizen responsibilities reflected in the excerpt above is adhered to by lawful permanent residents?
  1. obeying the law
  2. voting
  3. serving on juries
  4. serving in election office
  1. “And that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by law,” refers specifically to which citizen responsibility?
  1. defending the nation
  2. obeying the law
  3. serving on juries
  4. supporting arms

Read and analyze the following quote to answer questions 14-15.

“The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and Senators and Congressmen and Government officials but voters of this country”

-Franklin D. Roosevelt (1938)

  1. Which of the following best refers to citizen voting in this country?
  1. Voting is a citizen duty.
  2. Voting is a citizen responsibility.
  3. Voting is a citizen obligation.
  4. Voting is a citizen volunteering in their community.
  1. Which of the following can be concluded from the quote above?
  1. By electing leaders and voting on proposed measures, Americans are defending the nation.
  2. By electing leaders and voting on proposed measures, Americans are volunteering in the nation.
  3. By electing leaders and voting on proposed measures, Americans are expecting public officials to act in their own interests.
  4. By electing leaders and voting on proposed measures, Americans give their consent to the government.
  1. According to Montesquieu, the advantage to separation of powers is which of the following:

a. Allows all branches of government to become strong.

b. Allows all monarchs to keep their full measure of power.

c. Allows for checks and balances within the government.

d. Allows the average citizen to become a political leader.

  1. “Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.”

In this statement by Rousseau, what did the word “chains” represent?

a. chains of natural rights

b. chains of poverty

c. chains of philosophy

d. chains of government

Read and analyze the following quote to answer questions 18 and 19.

“There is no greater tyranny, than that which is perpetrated under the shield of law and in the name of justice” Montesquieu

  1. Based on Montesquieu’s quote, what is meant by the phrase “the shield of law”?

a. the protection of the law

b. the legitimacy of the law

c. the tyranny of the law

d. the dominance of the law

  1. Based on Montesquieu’s quote, which form of government would he most likely prefer?

a. Communism

b. Socialism

c. Absolute Monarchy

d. Democracy

Read and analyze the following excerpt to answer question 20.

We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created

equal, that they are endowed, by 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 Government becomes

destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to

abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its Foundation on

such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them

shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

-Excerpt from the Declaration of Independence, 1776-

  1. Based on this excerpt, the Founding Fathers most likely justified their right to a new government based more closely on the beliefs of which philosopher?

a. Thomas Hobbes

b. John Locke

c. Charles Montesquieu

d. Jean-Jacques Rousseau

21. In the Magna Carta, the idea of limited government requires for the king to govern according to which of the following?

  1. the nobles’ demands
  2. the serfs’ demands
  3. the established rules of the feudal system
  4. established rules of law

22. The following quote, as written in the Magna Carta, “No free man shall be taken, or imprisoned…exiled, or in any way harmed…save by the lawful judgment of his peers [equals]”means which of the following?

  1. security of lawful judgment
  2. rule of law
  3. the judicial branch
  4. the right to trial by a jury.

Read and analyze the following excerpt to answer question 23.

“No country on the globe is so happily situated, or so internally capable of raising a fleet as America. Tar, timber, iron, and cordage are her natural produce. We need go abroad for nothing. Whereas the Dutch, who make large profits by hiring out their ships of war to the Spaniards and Portuguese, are obliged to import most of the materials they use.”

23. In this excerpt, the author is referring to which of the following?

  1. America can trade materials with other partner countries.
  2. The Dutch use their ships in war against the Spaniards and Portuguese.
  3. America can sustain itself and does not need to look elsewhere.
  4. America is obliged to import most of the materials they use.

Read and analyze the following excerpt:

“Youth is the seed-time of good habits as well in nations as in individuals.It might be difficult, if not impossible, to form the Continent into one government half a century hence. The vast variety of interests, occasioned by an increase of trade and population, would create confusion. Colony would be against colony.”

24. The author of the document is referring to which of the following concept?

  1. The threat of confusion exists in the new continent.
  2. Establishing a new government and systems of doing things is easier at an early age of development.
  3. Establishing a new government seeds good habits.
  4. War against colonies will occur.

25. The following quote, “In witness whereof we have hereunder subscribed our names at Cape Cod, the 11th of November, in the year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord King James, of England, France and Ireland the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth. Anno Domini 1620,”is a part of which founding document that the colonists’ experienced during their early views of government?

  1. Magna Carta
  2. Mayflower Compact
  3. English Bill of Rights
  4. Common Sense

26. In The Declaration of Independence “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” are called “unalienable”. What is the definition of unalienable?

a.impossible to surrender

b.impossible for a peasant to obtain

c.impossible to buy

d.impossible to earn

27. What was one immediate effect of the passage of the Stamp Act?

a.Colonists began to make their own paper.

b. British tax collectors began to live more comfortable lives.

c.Colonists began to boycott British goods.

d.British ships refused to dock in Boston harbor.

Read and analyze the following quote to answer question 28.

“The stamp-duty is so repugnant to the ideas of the people of America, that in most of the northern colonies they have obliged the stamp-officers to resign their places…”

28. In this statement from a 1765 London Magazine, what have colonists forced stamp-officers to do?

a.move out of their homes

b.quit their jobs

c.leave the colonies

d.give up their British citizenship

29. Why did the Townshend Revenue Act focus on items such as paint, glass, paper and lead?

a.The British crown needed money to pay for its wars.

b.Colonists could no longer afford these items.

c.The British people preferred colonial goods over British goods.

d.Colonists could not produce these items on their own.

Read and analyze the following quote to answer question 30.

“For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world”

-List of Grievances, excerpt from the Declaration of Independence, 1776

30.To which British act does the above grievance make reference?

a.the Sugar Act

b.the Townshend Revenue Act

c.the Declaratory Act

d. the Tea Act

31. One way in which the United States Constitution differed from the Articles of Confederation was that the Constitution did which of the following?

a. created a national government having three branches

b. provided for the direct election of the President by voters

c. made the amendment process more difficult

d. increased the power of the states

32. A federalist system with separation of powers and a system of checks and balances were constitutional solutions to which of the following problems with the Articles of Confederation?

a. the Amendment process

b. no power to collect taxes

c. enforcement of national laws dependent on state courts

d. too much powers given to the states

33. Which statement most closely explains the following quote?

“ It is not necessary that the [Constitution] should be perfect; it is sufficient that [the Articles of Confederation are] more imperfect.” James Madison

a. The Confederation government was intended to bring harmony among the states, not efficiency.

b. The Articles of Confederation was a decentralized government and the Constitution was adjusted to the idea of a stronger, central government.

c. The Constitution would not have been acceptable if the Articles of Confederation had not first been given a trial.

d. The Articles of Confederation was a detailed and lengthy document while the Constitution was minimalist with powers divided among layers of government.

34. Which of the following intentions of the Preamble to the Constitution is reflected in the following excerpt?

“The states of New York and New Hampshire engaged in a de facto war over Vermont. Pennsylvania hired bands of Indians (and whites dressed as Indians) to scalp persons from other states who were attempting the Wyoming valley region. States engaged in disastrous tariff wars and issued large sums of worthless currency.”

a. Promote the general Welfare

b. Secure the Blessings of Liberty

c. Provide for the Common Defence

d. Insure Domestic Tranquility

35. Which of the following statements best reflect the following excerpt?

“The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;To borrow money on the credit of the United States; To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes; To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States; To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures; To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States.”

a. The power of the national government under the Articles of Confederation

b. The weakness of the states under the Articles of Confederation

c. The power of the national government under the U.S. Constitution

d. The power of the states under the confederation government

36. What does the statement below describe?

“The national government could not tax or regulate commerce among the states.”

a. a weakness of the Articles of Confederation

b. an opinion of a Federalist

c. a weakness of the Constitution

d. a strength of the Articles of Confederation.

37. During the years 1788 through 1791, Americans debated whether to ratify the Constitution. During this time, the Anti-Federalists engaged in many activities to express their viewpoint on the Constitution. Which of the following is a direct outcome of the Anti-Federalists’ activities?

a. The Articles of Confederation were revised.

b. Women were given the right to vote.

c. A bill of rights was added to the Constitution.

d. New amendments were added to the Magna Carta.

Read and analyze the following quote to answer question 38.

“In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this, you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place, oblige it to control itself.”

38. This passage from the Federalist Papers refers to the need for which of the following?

a. a strong executive

b. a system of checks and balances

c. an independent military

d. a national education system

Read and analyze the following quote to answer question 39.

“I will now tell you what I do no not like. First, [there is no] . . . A …

is what the people are entitled to against every government on

earth. . . .”

- Thomas Jefferson, December 20, 1787

39. This quote by Thomas Jefferson refers to which concept of people being entitled to be against every government?

  1. Bill of Rights
  2. independence
  3. rule of law
  4. pursuit of happiness

40. Below is a political cartoon that appeared in a newspaper during the time period when the Constitution was being ratified. If you notice, each pillar represents a state. The eleven upright pillars represent the states that have ratified the Constitution. The two pillars falling down represent North Carolina and Rhode Island.

Which of the following statements best describes the meaning of the cartoon?

a. It represents that without North Carolina and Rhode Island, the new nation will crumble.

b. It shows that all states have agreed on ratifying the Constitution.