POD 2011-2012 1st 9 Week Test

Matching

IDENTIFYING KEY TERMS Match each item with the correct statement below. You will not use all the terms. a. constitution b. executive power c. unitary government d. parliamentary government e. presidential government f. legislative power

____ 1. A ____ is the body of fundamental laws setting out the principles, structures, and processes of government.

____ 2. A ____, often described as a centralized government, is one in which all powers held by the government

belong to a single, central agency.

____ 3. Under a ____, the government must resign if it receives a “vote of no confidence.”

____ 4. ____ is the power to make law and frame public policies.

IDENTIFYING KEY TERMS Match each item with the correct statement below. You will not use all the terms. a. judicial power b. democracy c. Federal Government d. legislative power e. confederation

____ 5. The power to interpret laws, determine their meaning, and settle disputes within a society is known as ____.

____ 6. Independent states that agree to form a(n) ____ may still retain their separate identities.

____ 7. The structure of a(n) ____ requires that power be divided between a state's central and local levels of

government.

IDENTIFYING KEY TERMS Match each item with the correct statement below. You will not use all the terms. a. Anti-Federalists b. boycott c. Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise d. Connecticut Compromise e. English Bill of Rights f. Federalists g. Magna Carta h. unicameral i. representative government j. Virginia Plan k. Petition of Right l. charter colonies m. Articles of Confederation n. proprietary colonies

____ 8. called for representation in Congress by population or by the amount of money given to the central

government

____ 9. idea that government should serve the will of the people

____ 10. agreement that, in Congress, States be represented equally in the Senate and by population in the House

____ 11. those for whom the Constitution represented a too-powerful central government

____ 12. first English charter of liberties which included such fundamental rights as trial by jury and due process of

law

____ 13. organized action to change opponents' behavior by refusing to buy or sell their goods

____ 14. statement that Parliament forced the king to sign, declaring that even a monarch must obey the law of the land

____ 15. organized by people to whom the king had made a grant of land available and could be settled and governed

in whatever manner they saw fit

IDENTIFYING KEY TERMS Match each item with the correct statement below. You will not use all the terms. a. amendment b. Bill of Rights c. checks and balances d. constitutionalism e. article f. rule of law g. separation of powers

____ 16. A(n) ____ is a way to change the Constitution.

____ 17. The government and its officers must obey the ____, which is another way of describing the concept of

limited government.

____ 18. A(n) ____ is one of the seven numbered sections of the Constitution.

____ 19. The system of ____ helps keep one branch of government from dominating the actions of the others.

____ 20. The Constitution provides for the ____ by creating three distinct branches of government: legislative,

executive, and judicial.

IDENTIFYING KEY TERMS Match each item with the correct statement below. You will not use all the terms. a. checks and balances b. Bill of Rights c. executive agreement d. formal amendment e. judicial review f. unconstitutional

____ 21. A(n) ____ carries the same force of law as a treaty.

____ 22. A governmental action that denies someone fair and equal treatment under the law may be declared ____.

____ 23. The first ten amendments are called the ____.

____ 24. Changes to the written provisions of the Constitution may be made only through the process of ____.

Short Answer

INTERPRETING DIAGRAMS Use the diagram to answer the following questions.

25. Which branch of government can declare an act of Congress to be unconstitutional?

26. What powers do the President and Congress have over the appointment of Supreme Court justices?

27. Which branch of government can override a presidential veto?

28. How may Congress check a presidential veto?

29. How can the judicial branch check executive actions?

30. Name the one way that the executive branch can check the power of the judicial branch.

Multiple Choice

Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

MAIN IDEAS

____ 31. Among the broad purposes of the United States government spelled out in the Preamble to the Constitution is the obligation to a. keep the executive and legislative branches of government separate. b. create an autocratic form of government. c. defend the country against Americans who oppose its policies. d. provide for justice and the people's general welfare.

____ 32. The dominant political unit in the world today is the a. government. b. nation. c. Constitution. d. state.

____ 33. A federal government is one in which a. all power is concentrated in the central government. b. limited powers are assigned to a central agency by independent states. c. power is divided between a central government and local governments. d. powers are divided between a legislative branch and an executive branch.

____ 34. In a democracy, the will of the majority a. cannot be changed or improved upon. b. is not open to compromise. c. rarely leads to satisfactory policy decisions. d. cannot be used to deprive rights to a member of a minority group.

____ 35. Which of the following is among the purposes of government outlined in the Preamble to the Constitution? a. defending the nation against foreign enemies b. insuring order and domestic tranquility c. promoting the general welfare of the citizens d. all of the above

____ 36. After the Revolutionary War, the National Government a. proved too weak to deal with growing economic and political problems. b. refused to repay the war debt it owed to the States. c. permitted the States to make agreements with foreign governments. d. began imposing harsh tax policies on property owners and merchants.

____ 37. In Benjamin Franklin's opinion, the final Constitution created by the delegates can best be summarized as a. absolutely perfect. b. as near perfect as possible. c. showing errors of opinion and self-interest. d. as full of imperfections as those who assembled it.

____ 38. At the Philadelphia Convention, the delegates agreed to a. make minor revisions to the Articles of Confederation. b. open their sessions to the public. c. pass proposals by unanimous vote only. d. draft a new constitution.

____ 39. Much of the Declaration of Independence consists of a. statements of the desire to separate from England. b. lists of the rights of all people. c. complaints of the wrongs done to the colonists. d. threats of revenge for English mistreatment.

____ 40. With the words, "We the People," the Constitution establishes its authority on the basis of a. popular sovereignty. b. the rule of law. c. the separation of powers. d. limited government.

____ 41. Which statement about the Bill of Rights is NOT true? a. The amendments arose from the controversy over ratification of the Constitution. b. The amendments were ratified at the same time as the Constitution. c. The amendments guarantee such basic rights as freedom of expression and fair and equal treatment before the law. d. The amendments are the first ten of the Constitution.

____ 42. Changes to the Constitution by means other than formal amendment a. involve changing the written words of the Constitution. b. have occurred very rarely in the past 200 years. c. can occur only with the approval of the States. d. result from the daily experiences of government.

____ 43. Which of the following best describes the concept of limited government? a. Powers are divided among three independent branches of government. b. All political power belongs to the people. c. Government must operate within certain bounds set by the people. d. The people must behave according to rules set by the government.

____ 44. Which of the following is the subject of a constitutional amendment? a. the prohibition of alcohol b. repeal of a previous amendment c. presidential term limits d. all of the above

____ 45. Each of the four methods of formal amendment a. can proceed only with the approval of the President. b. demonstrates the principle of federalism. c. involves unwritten changes in the interpretation of the Constitution. d. is undertaken jointly by the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.

____ 46. Which of the following was formally amended to the Constitution? a. equality of rights for women b. prohibition of alcoholic beverages c. prohibition of child labor d. balanced federal budget

____ 47. According to the social contract theory, the contract is a. a document describing the territory of the state. b. impossible without the king’s consent. c. the purpose of government. d. a constitution.

____ 48. Which of the following would be MOST threatened by the social contract theory? a. John Locke b. divine right advocates c. the people of a state d. the authors of the Declaration of Independence

____ 49. The decision to raise taxes is an example of a. the force theory. b. presidential powers. c. public policy. d. democracy.

____ 50. In a democracy, each minority has a right to a. determine public policy. b. criticize the majority. c. be heard. d. both b and c.

____ 51. For what reason might the ruler(s) in a dictatorship feel threatened by the existence of the Internet? a. The Internet might not be accessible to everyone. b. The Internet might provide a forum through which people could unite and rebel. c. The Internet can be unreliable. d. The Internet can inform, but only when citizens make the effort to utilize its resources.

____ 52. Which of the following can be said to have contributed the MOST toward the realization that the nation needed a stronger central government? a. political issues b. economic issues c. military issues d. social issues

____ 53. During the Critical Period, the States taxed one another’s goods and banned some trade. Later, during the Constitutional Convention, this economic chaos led to a. the Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise. b. the Three-Fifths Compromise. c. the Connecticut Compromise. d. none of the above.

____ 54. Why was it ironic that Virginia was one of the last States to ratify the Constitution? a. It was one of the largest States. b. The new government could not succeed without Virginia’s support. c. Virginia’s leading voices supported a strong central government. d. Virginia delegate James Madison contributed more to the document than any other delegate.

____ 55. The objections of the Anti-Federalists can be BEST summed up as: a. a fear that the small States would not have a say in the new government b. a fear that the new government would be too weak to succeed c. a fear that the new government would have too much power and the people, too little power d. a fear that too few people had participated in the writing of the Constitution

____ 56. The Federalist can be called a “campaign document” because it a. was written to draw people’s attention to the need to defeat the British. b. contained the best political writings in the English language. c. was written to convince voters to support the new Constitution. d. was written by an anonymous author.

____ 57. The government is held accountable for its actions under which of the following principles of government? a. judicial review b. checks and balances c. federalism d. the rule of law

____ 58. Ratification by which of the following is considered to be most in keeping with the principle of popular sovereignty? a. conventions b. State legislatures c. Congress d. none of the above

____ 59. The Constitution requires proposed amendments to have greater State support for _____ than _____. a. proposal/ratification b. ratification/proposal c. conventions/ratification d. proposal/conventions

____ 60. Once ratified, a constitutional amendment may only be changed by a. another amendment. b. repeal by 2/3 of the States in convention. c. the President. d. the Federal Government.