Government
1. “New Congress to Have Two Houses”
“Slaves to Count as Three-Fifths of a Person”
“President to be Chosen by Electoral Vote”
Which conclusion about the Constitutional
Convention is best supported by these headlines?
(1) The framers of the Constitution were able to compromise on important issues.
(2) States that were small in area would lose power in the new Constitution.
(3) States with large populations controlled the outcome of the convention.
(4) The president and Congress would have equal power under the new constitution.
2. Which power is shared by the federal government and the New York State government?
(1) enacting immigration laws
(2) levying taxes
(3) granting patents and copyrights
(4) issuing passports
3. The unwritten constitution is best defined as the
(1) amendments to the United States Constitution
(2) powers that the Constitution reserves for the states
(3) powers that the Constitution denies to
Congress and to the states
(4) practices of the government that are based on custom and tradition
4. “The Congress shall have Power . . . To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested [granted] by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof. . . .”
This section of the United States Constitution was frequently used during the 20th century to
(1) expand federal control of interstate commerce
(2) reduce the number of federal courts
(3) overturn decisions of the electoral college
(4) impeach the president
5. New York State and the United States have republican forms of government because both have
(1) a bill of rights
(2) a written constitution
(3) an elected legislature
(4) three branches of government
6. In the case of Marbury v. Madison (1803), the
Supreme Court increased its power by
(1) establishing the practice of judicial review
(2) upholding the presidential appointment
power
(3) expanding the meaning of individual liberties
(4) declaring the principle of states’ rights
unconstitutional
7 During the Constitutional Convention of 1787, the plans for Congress proposed by delegates from New Jersey and Virginia differed mainly over the issue of
(1) life terms of office or short terms of office
(2) appointed legislators or elected legislators
(3) equal state representation or proportionate
state representation
(4) power to check other branches or power limited to lawmaking
8 .Which governmental action illustrates the system of checks and balances?
(1) a senator helping a governor solve a state problem
(2) the president negotiating a trade agreement
with foreign diplomats
(3) the Senate ratifying a peace treaty
(4) Congress raising taxes to pay for federal
programs
9. A major criticism of the electoral college system has been that
(1) party loyalty is weakened after a presidential election
(2) electors frequently fail to vote for a candidate
(3) members of the electoral college are
appointed for life terms
(4) a president may be elected without receiving the majority of the popular vote
10. Which feature must a nation have to be
considered a democracy?
(1) a strong president
(2) citizen participation in government
(3) elected judges to conduct trials
(4) a set of laws
6 The Supreme Court has the power to
(1) control the federal budget
(2) vote to end a tie in the Senate
(3) approve presidential appointments
(4) interpret the Constitution
11. The principles of government that Thomas
Jefferson included in the Declaration of
Independence were most influenced by
(1) John Locke’s social contract theory
(2) Adam Smith’s ideas of free enterprise
(3) Louis XIV’s belief in divine right
(4) William Penn’s views on religious toleration
12. The necessary and proper clause, the amendment
process, and the unwritten constitution are
evidence that our constitutional system of
government provides for
(1) popular sovereignty
(2) equal representation
(3) flexibility
(4) ratification
13 In 1788 and 1789, a major controversy between the Federalists and the Antifederalists focused on
(1) expansion of slavery into the territories
(2) the wisdom of creating a two-house
legislature
(3) division of power among different levels of government
(4) the issue of allowing women the right to vote
14. Antifederalist objections to the ratification of the
Constitution led to the
(1) addition of a Bill of Rights
(2) seven-year delay in the ratification of the
Constitution
(3) rewriting of major parts of the Constitution
(4) elimination of states’ rights
15. The Articles of Confederation and the theory of nullification were both attempts to
(1) strengthen the national government
(2) form new political parties
(3) protect states’ rights
(4) strengthen the presidency
16. Which topic has been the focus of four different
amendments to the United States Constitution?
(1) voting rights
(2) term limits on federal officeholders
(3) the electoral college
(4) prohibition of alcoholic beverages
U.S.
17. The Preamble of the United States Constitution states the purposes of government and is based on the belief that
(1) the states have ultimate authority
(2) members of Congress should be appointed
(3) Supreme Court Justices should be elected
(4) the people are sovereign
18 Speaker A: We want a strong national government
to provide order and protect the rights
of the people.
Speaker B: We want a weak national government so
that it will not threaten the rights of the
people or the powers of the states.
Speaker C: We want to add a bill of rights to the Constitution to protect the people
against abuses of power.
Speaker D: A bill of rights is unnecessary because the new government’s powers are
limited by the Constitution.
19 A common theme in the statements is a concern
about
(1) excessive state power
(2) the Land Ordinance of 1785
(3) the rights of the individual
(4) creation of the Articles of Confederation
20 These statements represent points of view that differ between
(1) pro-independence Patriots and pro-British
Tories
(2) leaders of the North and the West
(3) supporters of Congress and the president
(4) Federalists and Antifederalists
21. The framers of the United States Constitution
included the concepts of federalism, checks and
balances, and separation of powers in the
document because they
(1) feared a government with unlimited power
(2) favored the poor over the rich
(3) wanted to increase the powers of the states
(4) hoped to expand the democratic process
22. The power of judicial review allows the Supreme
Court to
(1) repeal amendments to the Constitution
(2) determine the constitutionality of a law
(3) break tie votes in the electoral college
(4) impeach the president and other high-level
Officials
23. The development of political parties and of the committee system used in Congress illustrates the application of
(1) constitutional amendments
(2) federal legislation
(3) the unwritten constitution
(4) Supreme Court decisions
24 A loose interpretation of the Constitution was
applied when
(1) George Washington appointed John Jay to
the Supreme Court
(2) John Adams signed the Alien and Sedition Acts
(3) Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory
(4) James Monroe delivered his State of the
Union message
25. The police enter an individual’s home without
invitation or a warrant and seize evidence to be
used against the individual.
Which Supreme Court decision may be used to
rule this evidence inadmissible in court?
(1) Baker v. Carr
(2) Gideon v. Wainwright
(3) Mapp v. Ohio
(4) Roe v. Wade
26. The ratification of the 26th amendment, which
lowered the voting age to 18, was a result of the
(1) participation of the United States in the
Vietnam War
(2) fear of McCarthyism
(3) reaction to the launching of Sputnik by the
Soviet Union
(4) reporting of the Watergate scandal
27. The decisions of the United States Supreme
Court in Tinker v. Des Moines and New York
Times Co. v. United States were based on
interpretations of the
(1) meaning of a republican form of government
(2) powers delegated specifically to Congress
(3) president’s right to executive privilege
(4) rights guaranteed by the 1st amendment
28. To address the weaknesses of the Articles of
Confederation, delegates at the Constitutional
Convention agreed to
(1) eliminate the slave trade
(2) increase the powers of the central
government
(3) decrease the number of states
(4) allow states to set tariff rates
29. During the Constitutional Convention of 1787,
the major disagreement between the large and
small states occurred over the issue of
(1) continuation of slavery
(2) guaranteeing States rights
(3) representation in Congress
(4) control of interstate commerce
30. “. . . it is the opinion of this committee that a
national government ought to be established
consisting of a Supreme Legislature, Judiciary,
and Executive. . . .”
— Resolution submitted by Edmund Randolph,
delegate to the Constitutional Convention, 1787
In adopting this resolution, the framers of the
Constitution showed their belief in the idea of
(1) judicial review
(2) an elastic clause
(3) States rights
(4) separation of powers
31. The requirement to conduct a census was
included in the United States Constitution to
(1) control the numbers of immigrants
(2) determine income tax rates
(3) determine the number of members from
each state in the House of Representatives
(4) record the birth and death rates of the
population
32. Which role of the president is considered part of
the unwritten constitution?
(1) nominating federal judges
(2) signing or vetoing legislation
(3) acting as the leader of his political party
(4) serving as commander in chief of the armed
forces
33. “. . . Now, one of the most essential branches of
English liberty is the freedom of one’s house. A
man’s house is his castle; and whilst he is quiet, he
is as well guarded as a prince in his castle. . . .”
James Otis, Against the Writs of Assistance, 1761
Which provision in the Bill of Rights includes this
same belief?
(1) right to a fair trial
(2) protection against unreasonable search and
seizure
(3) guarantee against double jeopardy
(4) prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment
34. The Supreme Court decision in Marbury v.
Madison (1803) was important because it
(1) established the principle of judicial review
(2) led to the reelection of President Thomas
Jefferson
(3) showed that the states were stronger than the
federal government
(4) proved that the legislative branch was the
most powerful branch of government
35. The Supreme Court decisions in Gideon v.
Wainwright (1963) and Miranda v. Arizona
(1966) have been criticized because these rulings
(1) expanded the rights of the accused
(2) granted more powers to federal judges
(3) lengthened prison sentences for the guilty
(4) reinstated the use of capital punishment
36. The Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade
(1973) was based on the constitutional principle of
(1) protection of property rights
(2) freedom of speech
(3) right to privacy
(4) freedom of religion
37. The Supreme Court decisions in New York Times
Co. v. United States (1971) and United States v.
Nixon (1974) reinforced the principle that the
president of the United States
(1) has unlimited use of the veto power
(2) is protected from unfair media criticism
(3) may not be convicted of a crime
(4) is not above the law
38. The Great Compromise at the Constitutional
Convention of 1787 was important because it
(1) established suffrage for all males over the age
of twenty-one
(2) ended the controversy over slavery
(3) created a single-house national legislature
(4) balanced the interests of states with large and
small populations
39. To provide for change, the authors of the United
States Constitution included the amendment
process and the
(1) commerce clause
(2) elastic clause
(3) supremacy clause
(4) naturalization clause
40. Filibusters were used by United States Senators
from the South in the 1950s and 1960s to
(1) block passage of civil rights bills
(2) protest United States involvement in Vietnam
(3) override presidential vetoes of environmental
bills
(4) gain approval of presidential appointments to
the Supreme Court
41. Judicial review gives the United States Supreme
Court the power to
(1) declare state laws unconstitutional
(2) override a congressional veto
(3) impeach and remove the president from
office
(4) approve treaties with foreign nations
“Lincoln Suspends Writ of Habeas Corpus”
“Supreme Court Rules for Government in Draft
Resister Case”
“Relocation of Japanese Americans Upheld by
Supreme Court”
42. These headlines illustrate that during wartime
(1) the liberties of individuals can be restricted
(2) the role of the government in regulating the
economy increases
(3) most Americans support participation in wars
(4) new job opportunities are created by
increased demand
43. One similarity in the Supreme Court decisions in
Gideon v. Wainwright and Miranda v. Arizona is
that both decisions
(1) expanded the rights of the accused
(2) improved the ability of the police to gather
evidence
(3) lengthened sentences for violent felony
offenses
(4) set limits on the use of the death penalty
44. The constitutional basis for the separation of
church and state is the
(1) establishment clause of the 1st Amendment
(2) double jeopardy provision of the 5th
Amendment
(3) reserved powers of the 10th Amendment
(4) equal protection clause of the 14th
Amendment
45. Which statement describes a characteristic of the
government established by the Articles of
Confederation?
(1) A Supreme Court had the authority to
declare acts of Congress unconstitutional.
(2) The national government controlled interstate
commerce.
(3) The president maintained exclusive control
over foreign policy.
(4) A system was created where the states held
the most power.
46. Which action is considered part of the unwritten
constitution?
(1) ratification of a treaty by the Senate
(2) formation of the first two political parties
(3) creation of a system of federal courts
including the Supreme Court
(4) presidential veto of a bill passed by Congress
47. Which constitutional principle is best illustrated
by the cartoon?
(1) federalism
(2) popular sovereignty
(3) judicial review
(4) checks and balances
48. “The enumeration [listing] in the Constitution, of
certain rights, shall not be construed
[interpreted] to deny or disparage [weaken]
others retained by the people.”
— 9th Amendment to the United States Constitution
The most likely reason this amendment was
included in the Bill of Rights was to
(1) increase federal power over the people
(2) expand state control over individual citizens
(3) protect rights beyond those listed in the
Constitution
(4) prevent Congress from granting additional
rights to individuals
49. “The right of citizens of the United States to vote
shall not be denied or abridged by the United
States or by any State on account of race, color, or
previous condition of servitude. . . .”
— 15th Amendment, Section 1, United States
Constitution, 1870
Which actions did Southern States take to keep
African Americans from exercising the rights
guaranteed in this amendment?
(1) suspending habeas corpus and denying
women the right to vote
(2) collecting poll taxes and requiring literacy
tests
(3) establishing religious and property-holding
requirements for voting
(4) passing Black Codes and establishing
segregated schools
50. The Supreme Court decision in Plessy v.
Ferguson (1896) had a major impact on the lives
of African Americans because it ruled that
(1) segregation was illegal in educational
institutions
(2) voting was a right guaranteed by the
Constitution
(3) separate but equal public facilities were legal
(4) military occupation of the South was
Unconstitutional
51. The requirement that all persons placed under
arrest must be informed of their legal rights
resulted from a
(1) custom adopted from English common law
(2) law enacted by Congress
(3) decision of the United States Supreme Court
52. Which principle included in the United States
Constitution shows that the framers agreed with
Montesquieu?
(1) separation of powers
(2) federal supremacy
(3) implied powers
(4) due process
53. Which headline illustrates the use of judicial
review?
(1) “Congress Passes a Civil Rights Bill”
(2) “Conference Committee Meets to Finalize
Budget”
(3) “New York State’s Reapportionment Plan Ruled
Unconstitutional”
(4) “President Signs SALT Agreement with Russia”
U.S.
54. The system shown in the diagram was developed under the Articles of Confederation in order to
(1) divide lands seized from the Loyalists
(2) provide an orderly system of development for the Northwest Territory
(3) remove Native American Indians to areas west of the Appalachian Mountains