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American Politics and the US Constitution > Pre-assessment > Flashcards

Pre-assessment Flashcards

1
Q

What is a key aspect of John Locke’s view of natural rights?

  • They are granted by an elected government and cannot be abolished by a future government.
  • They are granted by the Church of England and can be abolished through excommunication.
  • They are granted by God and cannot be abolished by the government.
  • They are granted by a monarch and can be abolished by a future monarch.
A

They are granted by God and cannot be abolished by the government.

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2
Q

Who was responsible for drafting the Bill of Rights and submitting it to Congress?

  • Patrick Henry
  • Alexander Hamilton
  • James Madison
  • Thomas Jefferson
A

James Madison

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3
Q

Why did the colonists oppose being taxed by Great Britain?

  • They did not have elected representatives in the House of Commons.
  • They had already paid taxes to fund Great Britain’s war with France.
  • They needed the funds for maintaining the colonies.
  • They were not allowed to import British manufactured goods.
A

They did not have elected representatives in the House of Commons.

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4
Q

What was a Federalist argument in support of the ratification of the Constitution?

  • A strong national government is better for national defense and economic growth
  • A strong national government is better for the representation of small landowners of modest wealth
  • Strong state governments are better for funding internal improvements like roads
  • Strong state governments are better for facilitating business transactions
A

A strong national government is better for national defense and economic growth

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5
Q

Which concept was James Madison referencing when he stated, “Ambition must be made to counteract ambition” in Federalist, no. 51?

  • Free enterprise and competition
  • Life and the pursuit of happiness
  • Separation of powers and checks and balances
  • Equality and individual rights
A

Separation of powers and checks and balances

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6
Q

What was a major difference between the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution?

  • The Articles of Confederation did not provide for a national judiciary
  • The Articles of Confederation required states to provide troops for national defense
  • The Articles of Confederation did not allow states to establish banks
  • The Articles of Confederation required states to pay for land claims west of the Appalachian Mountains
A

The Articles of Confederation did not provide for a national judiciary

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7
Q

Why did the framers design the government under the Articles of Confederation with a Congress?

  • They wanted a government funded by the people
  • They wanted a government that protected state sovereignty
  • They wanted the government to have supreme authority instead of a monarch
  • They wanted the government to resemble the British Parliament
A

They wanted a government that protected state sovereignty

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8
Q

What did the Great Compromise between the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan that was finalized in the Constitution establish?

  • Authority to tax and regulate trade
  • A two-chamber Congress
  • National armed forces
  • A national currency
A

A two-chamber Congress

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9
Q

What were the results of the three-fifths compromise?

  • It allowed free states to pay taxes on only three-fifths of its foreign imports
  • It required slave states to pay taxes on three-fifths of enslaved persons sold domestically
  • It allowed slave states to count three-fifths of their enslaved population for the purpose of representation
  • It required slave states to pay taxes on three-fifths of all imported enslaved persons
A

It allowed slave states to count three-fifths of their enslaved population for the purpose of representation

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10
Q

What is a judicial check on the executive branch?

  • The Supreme Court can veto an executive order
  • The Supreme Court can override an executive pardon
  • The Supreme Court can declare actions by the executive branch unconstitutional
  • The Supreme Court can block a declaration of war
A

The Supreme Court can declare actions by the executive branch unconstitutional

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11
Q

Which power does the president have under the Constitution?

  • Regulating international commerce
  • Appointing judges
  • Declaring war
  • Raising and maintaining an army
A

Appointing judges

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12
Q

What is a protection against an elected president abusing powers for personal gain?

  • The restriction on presidents being elected to only two terms
  • The power of Congress to impeach the president
  • The election of the president by the Electoral College
  • The oath of office needing to be administered by the chief justice
A

The power of Congress to impeach the president

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13
Q

Which constitutional amendment established term limits for the president?

  • The Nineteenth Amendment
  • The Seventeenth Amendment
  • The Twentieth Amendment
  • The Twenty-Second Amendment
A

The Twenty-Second Amendment

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14
Q

What is the purpose of executive agreements?

  • To influence domestic policy without passing legislation through Congress
  • To establish agreements with foreign countries without congressional approval
  • To exercise the use of the military without requiring a declaration of war from Congress
  • To override congressional legislation that the president does not support
A

To establish agreements with foreign countries without congressional approval

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15
Q

Which congressional action would be the result of the implied powers of Congress?

  • Congress passes a law appropriating money to build a new army base
  • Congress passes a law raising the minimum wage to $10.00 per hour
  • Congress passes a law creating a new post office
  • Congress passes a law raising taxes on the top 1% of income earners
A

Congress passes a law raising the minimum wage to $10.00 per hour

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16
Q

What best explains why individual members of the Senate have more power than individual members of the House of Representatives?

  • The increased length of the term of office in the Senate
  • The higher minimum age requirement in the Senate
  • The ability of the Senate to approve members of the president’s cabinet
  • The smaller total number of Senate members compared to the number of representatives
A

The smaller total number of Senate members compared to the number of representatives

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17
Q

What describes the equal proportions method of congressional apportionment?

  • Congressional districts are drawn in order to maintain similar numbers of voters in each district
  • Congressional districts are drawn so that states are each given an equal number of members in the House of Representatives
  • Congressional districts are drawn to guarantee that each district will be equally represented in the Senate
  • Congressional districts are drawn so each will have an equal number of members of the Republican and Democratic parties
A

Congressional districts are drawn in order to maintain similar numbers of voters in each district

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18
Q

What describes the process of bills becoming laws in Congress?

  • Bills change significantly through House and Senate revisions
  • Bills can be filibustered in the House of Representatives
  • Bills are initially proposed by Senate committees
  • Bills that are vetoed must be rewritten in committee
A

Bills change significantly through House and Senate revisions

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19
Q

What is a power reserved for the states?

  • Conducting foreign relations
  • Coining money
  • Declaring war
  • Conducting elections
A

Conducting elections

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20
Q

Which constitutional amendment allows states to reserve powers?

  • The Eighth Amendment
  • The Tenth Amendment
  • The Twelfth Amendment
  • The Nineteenth Amendment
A

The Tenth Amendment

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21
Q

What did the Supreme Court’s ruling in Gibbons v. Ogden establish?

  • A basis for exercising broad states’ rights under the Tenth Amendment
  • A loose constructionist interpretation of the commerce clause
  • A strict constructionist interpretation of the supremacy clause
  • A foundation for the constitutional principle of judicial review
A

A loose constructionist interpretation of the commerce clause

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22
Q

What describes the importance of the Supreme Court decision in Marbury v. Madison?

  • It reinforced congressional impeachment power
  • It protected presidential control over the military
  • It established the principle of judicial review
  • It affirmed the presidential use of veto power
A

It established the principle of judicial review

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23
Q

How many federal appellate courts exist in the United States?

  • 11
  • 13
  • 25
  • 50
A

13

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24
Q

How many sitting justices are there on the Supreme Court?

  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
A

9

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25
Q

How do most states award votes in the Electoral College?

  • Candidates get electoral votes in proportion to their share of the statewide popular vote
  • The candidate who wins the popular vote nationwide gets all the electoral votes for the state
  • The candidate who wins the popular vote in the state gets all the electoral votes for the state
  • Candidates get one electoral vote for each congressional district where they win the popular vote
A

The candidate who wins the popular vote in the state gets all the electoral votes for the state

26
Q

Which amendment provided for the separate election of the president and vice president?

  • The Eleventh Amendment
  • The Twelfth Amendment
  • The Thirteenth Amendment
  • The Fourteenth Amendment
A

The Twelfth Amendment

27
Q

What is true about campaign ads in primary elections?

  • They generally mention all participating political parties
  • They often try to raise the name recognition of a candidate
  • They often discourage people from taking actions to vote
  • They are primarily aimed at more independent voters
A

They often try to raise the name recognition of a candidate

28
Q

Which election cycle event allows local party members to select their delegates for a presidential election?

  • An open primary
  • A nominating convention
  • A closed primary
  • A caucus
A

A caucus

29
Q

What was the purpose of creating the Federal Election Commission in the 1970s?

  • To manage the operation of polling stations
  • To ensure transparency in campaign financing
  • To limit the influence of negative campaigning
  • To regulate the influence of super PACs
A

To ensure transparency in campaign financing

30
Q

What placed limits on total contributions to political parties and established the requirement that candidates include personal endorsements on their political ads?

  • Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act
  • Buckley v. Valeo
  • Federal Election Campaign Act
  • Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission
A

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act

31
Q

Which type of policy would typically be promoted by public interest groups?

  • Federal laws to protect the rights of gun owners
  • Government funding for public school education
  • Tax cuts for domestic automobile manufacturers
  • Tariffs on foreign imports to protect local manufacturers
A

Government funding for public school education

32
Q

What is generally true of interest groups but not true of political parties?

  • They tend to be focused on a single issue
  • They sponsor candidates who run under their label
  • They tend to be broad coalitions
  • They directly control the operation of government
A

They tend to be focused on a single issue

33
Q

Which Supreme Court decision allowed Super PACs to accept and spend unlimited amounts of money for or against political candidates?

  • Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission
  • Shelby County v. Holder
  • Breedlove v. Suttles
  • Crawford v. Marion County Election Board
A

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission

34
Q

In which case did the Supreme Court establish that spending on political campaigns constituted political speech that is protected by the First Amendment?

  • Breedlove v. Suttles
  • Buckley v. Valeo
  • Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission
  • Shelby County v. Holder
A

Buckley v. Valeo

35
Q

Why is it difficult to measure the influence of interest groups?

  • There are too many interest groups to determine which groups are influencing government policies
  • Interest groups tend to support lawmakers who would have likely supported the group’s issues anyway
  • Interest groups are not required to keep detailed records of their campaign spending
  • Most meetings between interest groups and lawmakers are conducted in closed-door sessions
A

Interest groups tend to support lawmakers who would have likely supported the group’s issues anyway

36
Q

What is closely associated with a citizen being less likely to vote?

  • Having a college education
  • Being an older adult
  • Having a lower income job
  • Being a woman
A

Having a lower income job

37
Q

What was required by states under the 1993 National Voter Registration Act?

  • It required states to demand proof of citizenship before allowing individuals to register to vote.
  • It required states to allow individuals to register to vote at the same time they go to vote.
  • It required states to allow citizens to register to vote when they sign up for driver’s licenses.
  • It required states to allow driver’s licenses as identification for those registering to vote.
A

It required states to allow citizens to register to vote when they sign up for driver’s licenses.

38
Q

What was the impact of the 1993 National Voter Registration Act, also known as the Motor Voter Act?

  • Voter registration increased, but voter turnout decreased dramatically.
  • Voter registration increased, but voter turnout was largely unchanged.
  • Voter registration increased, and voter turnout increased dramatically.
  • Voter registration and voter turnout were largely unchanged.
A

Voter registration increased, but voter turnout was largely unchanged.

39
Q

A voter casts a ballot for a candidate based solely on the candidate’s previous vote on a tax cut.

Which type of voting decision is demonstrated in this situation?

  • Inspective
  • Retrospective
  • Introspective
  • Prospective
A

Retrospective

40
Q

What is one of the guidelines for the use of capital punishment as established by the Supreme Court in Furman v. Georgia?

  • The death penalty can only be used in cases where murder has been committed.
  • A person can only be given the death penalty if it is believed they can’t be rehabilitated.
  • A jury must be used to make factual determinations to base a death penalty on.
  • The method of execution must be one that uses the newest technology.
A

A jury must be used to make factual determinations to base a death penalty on.

41
Q

What describes the Supreme Court’s ruling in Miranda v. Arizona?

  • It protected people suspected of crimes from illegal searches by law enforcement officials.
  • It required law enforcement officials to inform people suspected of crimes of their constitutional rights.
  • It required states to provide publicly appointed attorneys for people who could not afford legal counsel.
  • It protected people from having illegally obtained evidence used against them in state courts.
A

It required law enforcement officials to inform people suspected of crimes of their constitutional rights.

42
Q

What describes the Supreme Court’s ruling in Mapp v. Ohio?

  • Law enforcement officers do not need a search warrant when using drug-sniffing dogs.
  • Evidence obtained because it was in plain view is not admissible without a warrant.
  • Evidence obtained without a warrant that does not fall under the exclusionary rule is not admissible.
  • Law enforcement officers are required to have a warrant for a search even if consent is given by the suspect.
A

Evidence obtained without a warrant that does not fall under the exclusionary rule is not admissible.

43
Q

What is a reason people can be convicted of a crime without jury trial under the Sixth Amendment?

  • They cannot afford legal council.
  • They do not understand their rights.
  • They accept a plea bargain.
  • They choose to represent themselves.
A

They accept a plea bargain.

44
Q

Which amendment concerns the rights of individuals engaged in civil disputes?

  • The Fifth Amendment
  • The Sixth Amendment
  • The Seventh Amendment
  • The Eighth Amendment
A

The Seventh Amendment

45
Q

What was the impact of the Supreme Court’s decision in Plessy v. Ferguson?

  • It allowed racial segregation by establishing the “separate but equal” doctrine.
  • It prevented African Americans from serving on juries.
  • It prohibited African Americans from holding elected offices.
  • It allowed states to use literacy tests to determine eligibility to vote.
A

It allowed racial segregation by establishing the “separate but equal” doctrine.

46
Q

In which types of cases would the Supreme Court use the standard of strict scrutiny?

  • Cases that restrict fundamental rights of protected classes
  • Cases related to workplace discrimination against women
  • Cases concerning restrictions of rights against foreign nationals
  • Cases involving discrimination against people with lower incomes
A

Cases that restrict fundamental rights of protected classes

47
Q

Why was the separate-but-equal provision in Plessy v. Ferguson ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in the Brown v. Board decision?

  • It violated the freedom to assemble under the First Amendment.
  • It violated the due process clause protected by the Fifth Amendment.
  • It violated implied protection rights under the Ninth Amendment.
  • It violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
A

It violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

48
Q

Which right is protected under the free exercise clause of the Constitution?

  • Freedom of religion
  • Freedom of speech
  • The right to vote
  • The right to bear arms
A

Freedom of religion

49
Q

What describes the Supreme Court’s decision in Cohen v. California?

  • Symbolic speech to express political opinions is constitutionally protected.
  • Students have the right to politically protest on school campuses.
  • Flag burning is not protected political speech under the Constitution.
  • Pornographic material and other obscenities are not constitutionally protected.
A

Symbolic speech to express political opinions is constitutionally protected.

50
Q

What describes the Supreme Court’s ruling in Texas v. Johnson?

  • Nonthreatening hate speech is constitutionally protected.
  • Flag burning is constitutionally protected political speech.
  • Laws banning same-sex relationships are unconstitutional.
  • Fourteenth Amendment protections extend to all minority groups.
A

Flag burning is constitutionally protected political speech.

51
Q

In which case did the Supreme Court rule that a person must be opposed to all wars and not just a particular war to claim conscientious objector status?

  • Gideon v. Wainwright
  • Miranda v. Arizona
  • United States v. Miller
  • Gillette v. United States
A

Gillette v. United States

52
Q

Which issue did the landmark Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court case concern?

  • Same-sex marriage
  • Flag burning
  • Abortion
  • Euthanasia
A

Same-sex marriage

53
Q

In which case did the Supreme Court rule there is a constitutional right to privacy that protects a woman’s right to terminate a pregnancy?

  • Roe v. Wade
  • Planned Parenthood v. Casey
  • Griswold v. Connecticut
  • Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt
A

Roe v. Wade

54
Q

Which amendment to the Constitution gave women the right to vote?

  • Fifteenth Amendment
  • Nineteenth Amendment
  • Twenty-Third Amendment
  • Twenty-Sixth Amendment
A

Nineteenth Amendment

55
Q

What is an appropriate characterization of media agenda setting?

  • It is based on modern meeting management practices.
  • It determines which events deserve public attention.
  • It is an attempt to cover all news without limit.
  • It censors new stories that are unfavorable to sponsors.
A

It determines which events deserve public attention.

56
Q

What established the requirement that the executive branch provide information to private citizens and news outlets?

  • Branzburg v. Hayes
  • The Freedom of Information Act
  • The Communications Act
  • Miller v. California
A

The Freedom of Information Act

57
Q

What describes the principle of prior restraint?

  • News agencies require permission from government officials before publishing stories.
  • The government can prevent some information from being published if it affects national security.
  • News agencies need court approval to publish stories about government corruption.
  • The government can censor stories that could damage the country’s reputation internationally.
A

The government can prevent some information from being published if it affects national security.

58
Q

Which influence would having parents that are committed and vocal Democrats have on people’s political socialization?

  • They would be less likely to participate in the political process.
  • They would likely become strong Republicans.
  • They would likely become strong Democrats.
  • They would be as likely to become strong Republicans as strong Democrats.
A

They would likely become strong Democrats.

59
Q

How do presidents use mandates after election?

  • They use their public support to implement campaign promises.
  • They use their new power to punish political rivals.
  • They plan reelection for the next campaign immediately.
  • They elect members of their party to local offices.
A

They use their public support to implement campaign promises.

60
Q

Which of the following describes the bandwagon effect in American politics?

  • Democratic candidates are provided preferential treatment in the press.
  • Journalists persuade voters to choose candidates with high social desirability.
  • News media agencies provide more coverage to candidates that are leading in the polls.
  • Candidates that raise the most money get the most media coverage.
A

News media agencies provide more coverage to candidates that are leading in the polls.

American Politics and the US Constitution (4 decks)

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