7th Grade Civics and Government
Common Assessment Study Guide
In order to prepare for this Common Assessment, students should complete this study guide by definingall of the underlined words, answering the questions and studying the material associated with the definition on the pages listed.
Test Date:______
Ethnic group (Page 8)
institutions (Page 10)
Civics (Page 11)
citizen (Page 12)
government (Page 12)
naturalization (Page 13)
What does the citizenship exam test? (Page 13)
Who would go through the naturalization process? (Page 13)
Who can take away a person’s citizenship? (Page 14)
refugee (Page 15)
duty (Page 18)
List the 5 duties of being an American citizen. (Pages 18, 19, 20)
draft (Page 19)
Taxes provide ______of the money government needs to keep running. (Page 19)
List the three responsibilities of citizens. (Page 21, 22)
tolerance (Page 22)
List some examples of contributing to the common good. (Page 22)
Volunteerism (Page 22)
List the 4 functions of the government. (Box page 27)
Which branch of government has the highest level of authority? (Page 29)
majority rule (Page 30)
What is the agreement between citizens and government under the principle of majority rule? (Page 31)
Citizens agree to abide by______.
At the same time, members of the ______keep all their basic rights as citizens.
Authoritarian regime (Page 31)
__T______rulers use scare tactics, violence and propaganda to force people to obey their ideology. (Page 32)
totalitarian (Page 32)
republic (Page 41)
What was the Articles of Confederation? (Page 73)
T or F. The Articles of Confederation did not regulate trade. (Chart Page 75)
What did Shay’s Rebellion point out to the government? (Page 77)
The government was struggling to maintain______and ______.
What was the purpose of the Constitutional Convention? (Page 78)
To fix ______
Why did the Founders decide not to change/revise the Articles of Confederation? (Page 80)
The current government was too ______to deal with the nation’s many problems.
List the features of the Virginia Plan. (Page 81)
The Virginia Plan had a President, ______, and a ______with two houses.
The Great Compromise called for a ______house Congress. (Page 81)
What were some fears of the Anti-Federalists? (Page 85)
List the six goals of the U.S. Constitution. (Page 87)
An amendment becomes part of the Constitution when _____of the states ratify it. (Page 90)
Rule of Law (Page 94 )
What idea did the French philosopher Baron de Montesquieu contribute to the Constitution?
The ______of power (Page 94)
checks and balances (Page 95)
concurrent powers (Page 96)
Civil liberties (Page 128)
List the 5 rights guaranteed to Americans under the First Amendment? (pages 129-131)
Define Free Speech (Page 129)
T or F. Congress cannot restrict freedom of speech. (Page 129)
Censorship (Page 130)
Define Freedom of Assembly (Page 131)
Petition (Page 131)
Libel (Page 132)
The ______amendment says that a search warrant is needed to search a suspect’s home. (Page 134)
Double Jeopardy (Page 135)
The ______amendment protects a person’s right to remain silent. (self-incrimination) (Page 135)
Suffrage (Page 143)
What is the age requirement for voting? (Page 145)
When the House of Representatives and ______do business together, they hold a joint session. (Page 159)
What is representation in the House of Representatives based upon? (Page 160)
______
How long is the term of a senator? (Page 161)
______
Who casts a Senate vote in the case of a tie? (Page 162)
______
Standing committee (Page 163)
Expressed Power (Page 165)
A power given to Congress is the power to coin and ______money. (Page 166)
Elastic Clause (Page 167)
Implied Powers (Page 167)
List some non-legislative powers of Congress. (Page 168)
The Constitution gives the power to ______an official involved in a serious wrongdoing. (Page 168)
Congress cannot favor one ______over another. (Page 169)
The right to regulate public schools is reserved for ______. (Page 169)
Bill of attainder (Page 169)
List the qualifications for a member of the House of Representatives. (Page 171)
How old does a person need to be to run for the position of Senator? (Page 171)
Lobbyist (Page 172)
Why is the Library of Congress important to Congress? (Page 173)
Approximately how many bills become laws during a session of Congress? (Page 177)
Filibuster (Page 180)
Congress may override a presidential veto with a ______vote.(Page 181)
How many votes does a bill need to pass in each house? (Page 181)
List the requirements to become president. (Page 188)
How often is a presidential election held? (Page 189)
What are the two main political parties in the United States?(Page 189)
When citizens cast their vote for a president, they are really voting for ______in their state. (Page 190)
How does the twenty-second amendment limit a president’s term? (Page 191)
List 4 people according to the order of succession starting after the president.(Page 192-193)
What branch of government can veto a bill? (Page 195)
What is the president’s main job? (Page 196)
Pardon (Page 196)
Executive order (Page 196)
Amnesty (Page 196)
How many members are in the president’s cabinet? (Page 196)
Ambassador (Page 197)
What are the president’s job as head of state? (Page 197)
Foreign policy(Page 200)
Only the ______can order troops into battle. (Page 204)
Civil Service System (Page 211)
Civil case (Page 218)
When does the Supreme Court have original jurisdiction?(Page 229)
How many justices serve on the Supreme Court?(Page 230)
How long do justices serve?(Page 230)
The Supreme Court has the final say on any issues regarding the ______. (Page 230)
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