Name: ______Date: ______Class: ______

Foundations of American Government Exam (Ch.1, Ch.2, Ch.3, Ch.4)

  1. The type of government set up by the Articles of Confederation can best be described as
  2. Unicameralc. Tricameral
  3. Bicameral d. Unilateral
  1. Who was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence?
  2. Benjamin Franklinc. Patrick Henry
  3. Thomas Jeffersond. John Hancock
  1. Powers not specifically stated in the Constitution are considered ______powers.
  2. Concurrentc. Implied
  3. Expressedd. Inherent
  1. A group of people who live in a defined territory that is organized politically
  2. Dictatorshipc. Government
  3. Governmentd. State
  1. A type of government in which rulers are not held responsible to the will of the people
  2. Dictatorshipc. Public policies
  3. Democracyd. State
  1. A type of government in which supreme authority rests with the majority of the people
  2. Dictatorship c. Government
  3. Democracyd. State
  1. The ______said that slaves would be counted as less than a whole person.
  2. 3/5ths Compromisec. Virginia Plan
  3. New Jersey Pland. Emancipation Proclamation
  1. The evolution theory of the origins of the state emphasizes which of the following?
  2. Familyc. Army
  3. Churchd. Government
  1. Which of the following is a direct result of the government’s concern about the general welfare of its citizens?
  2. Providing an army
  3. Establishing a state church
  4. Establishing schools
  5. Resolving disputes between local governments
  1. The Bill of Rights was created because the Anti – Federalists were concerned that
  2. The Constitution would not implement separation of powers
  3. The new national government could trample on individual rights
  4. Representation in the Senate would be based on population
  5. Small states would have as much power as large states
  1. The Founders created a federal system of government because they
  2. Believed that representation on Congress should be based entirely on population.
  3. Did not want the president to become as powerful as a monarch
  4. Wanted individuals to have the right to a fair and speedy trial
  5. Wanted power to be split between the national and the state governments.
  1. Theory that states exist to serve their people
  2. Social Contractc. Evolution
  3. Forced. Divine Right
  1. The 14th amendment did away with the Three-Fifths Compromise by stating that
  2. Every individual counted as a whole person
  3. Interstate commerce could not be taxed
  4. Legislative presentation should be based entirely on population
  5. The people should directly elect the president
  1. A major weakness of the Articles of Confederation was that it could ______.
  2. Not coin moneyc. Establish a bicameral legislature
  3. Collect taxesd. Enter into treaties with foreign countries
  1. To protect freedom of religion, the Founders established separation of ______and state.
  2. Churchc. Citizens
  3. Courtsd. Governors
  1. A concurrent power is
  2. Reserved for the federal government only.
  3. Reserved for the state governments only.
  4. Shared by both federal and state governments.
  5. Voted on by the Congress before enactment.
  1. As the result of events such as Shay’s Rebellion,
  2. Each state was given a single vote, regardless of its size.
  3. Leaders realized the Articles of Confederation were too weak.
  4. The British stopped enforcing the Stamp Act.
  5. The central government had no power to regulate affairs with American Indians.
  1. A typical way for a dictator to gain power is by
  2. Forcec. Appointment of a king
  3. Democratic electiond. The people
  1. In a democracy, sovereignty is located with
  2. One personc. The rich
  3. One groupd. The people
  1. Which of the following is NOT a basic concept of democracy?
  2. Equality of all persons before the law
  3. Necessity of compromise
  4. Individual freedom
  5. Rights of the minority are not respected
  1. What are the roles of the government in a mixed economy?
  2. Control and promotion
  3. Regulation and control
  4. Regulation and promotion
  5. None of the above
  1. An inalienable right that is stated in the Declaration of Independence and contributes to our current national identity is the right to
  2. Representative government
  3. Be able to vote in elections
  4. Be economically secure
  5. Pursue happiness
  1. In the system of checks and balances, veto power is balanced by
  2. The power of Congress to override a veto
  3. The power of the people to vote for legislation
  4. The power of the president to override a veto
  5. The power of the president to write legislation
  1. What did Britain do in response to the French and Indian War that caused the colonists to boycott British goods?
  2. Britain increased the colonists taxes
  3. Britain prohibited the colonies from creating their own charters
  4. Britain removed all of its troops from the colonies
  5. Britain stopped exporting goods to the colonies
  1. The shape of American government is based on the English political idea of
  2. Ordered governmentc. Limited government
  3. Representative governmentd. All of the abovea
  1. Which of the following was a characteristic of the royal colonies?
  2. Their legislatures were unicameral
  3. They did not have charters
  4. Their governors lacked veto powers over the legislatures
  5. The governors and their councils shared the power to tax and spend
  1. The colonies were settled for all of the following reasons EXCEPT
  2. As refuges for victims of England’s harsh poor laws.
  3. To provide a homeland for Native Americans
  4. To provide a home for those in search of greater personal and religious freedom.
  5. As commercial ventures
  1. What idea is NOT included in the Declaration of Independence?
  2. People have certain rights.
  3. God gives certain people the right to govern
  4. Government can exist only with the people’s permission
  5. The people may change or abolish the government
  1. Much of the declaration of independence consists of
  2. Statements of the desire to separate from England
  3. Lists of the rights of all people
  4. Complaints of the wrongs done to the colonies
  5. Threats of revenge for English mistreatment
  1. Some of the 13 colonies were established by ______, under a grant of authority from the English crown.
  2. Quorumc. Repeal
  3. Charterd. Ratification
  1. The colonists organized a boycott of all trade with England, hoping to force the _____ of restrictive laws.
  2. Quorumc. Repeal
  3. Charterd. Ratification
  1. _____ called for representation in Congress by population or by the amount of money given to the central government.
  2. Petition of Rightc. Virginia Plan
  3. New Jersey Pland. Texas Plan
  1. A federal government is one in which
  2. All power is concentrated in the central government
  3. Limited powers are assigned to a central agency by independent states
  4. Power is divided between a legislative branch and an executive branch
  5. Powers are divided between a central government and local governments
  1. A(n) ____ is a way to change the constitution.
  2. Articlec. Amendment
  3. Rule of Lawd. Checks and Balances
  1. A(n) ____ is one of the seven numbered sections of the constitution.
  2. Articlec. Amendment
  3. Rule of Lawd. Checks and Balances
  1. The system of ____ helps keep one branch of government from domination the actions of the others.
  2. Articlec. Amendment
  3. Rule of Lawd. Checks and Balances
  1. The Constitution provides for the ____ by creating three distinct branches of government: legislative, executive, and judicial.
  2. Articlec. Amendment
  3. Separation of powersd. Checks and Balances
  1. A(n) ____ carries the same force of law as a treaty.
  2. Formal amendmentc. Bill of Rights
  3. Executive agreementd. Judicial Review
  1. The first ten amendments are called the _____.
  2. Formal amendmentc. Bill of Rights
  3. Executive agreementd. Judicial Review
  1. Changes to the written provisions of the Constitution may be made only through the process of ____.
  2. Formal amendmentc. Bill of Rights
  3. Executive agreementd. Judicial Review
  1. With the words, “We the People,” the Constitution establishes its authority on the basis of
  2. Popular sovereigntyc. Separation of Powers
  3. The rule of lawd. Limited Government
  1. Which of the following is the subject of a constitutional amendment?
  2. The prohibition of alcohol
  3. Repeal of a previous amendment
  4. Presidential term limits
  5. All of the above
  1. Which of the following accounts for the ability of the Constitution to endure from more than 200 years?
  2. Built – in provisions for accommodating change
  3. Detailed provisions that anticipated changing customs
  4. Very specific language that limits reinterpretation
  5. Inflexible provisions designed to resist change
  1. Plan of government proposed at the constitutional convention that was supported by the smaller states; each state would have equal representation regardless of population.
  2. Virginia Planc. Connecticut Plan
  3. New Jersey Pand. Georgia Plan
  1. Plan of government proposed at the constitutional convention that was supported by the larger states; representation would be based on population.
  2. Virginia Planc. Connecticut Plan
  3. New Jersey Pland. Georgia Plan
  1. Type of government in which power is divided between national and state governments
  2. Federalismc. Dictatorship
  3. Democracyd. Communism
  1. Writings that supported the adoption of the Constitution
  2. Articles of Confederationc. Federalists Papers
  3. Constitutional Conventiond. Communist Manifesto
  1. Known for writing multiple “Federalist Papers” essays
  2. Alexander Hamiltonc. King George III
  3. Abraham Lincolnd. Patrick Henry