1 American Government: Roots, Context, and Culture 2 The Constitution Multiple-Choice Questions 1. How does the Preamble to the Constitution begin? a. We the People... b. Four score and seven years ago... c. When in the course of human events... d. In order to form a more perfect Union... e. These are the times that try men s souls... 2. What is a system of government in which members of the polity meet to discuss all policy decisions and then agree to abide by majority rule? a. oligarchy b. direct democracy c. monarchy d. tyranny e. democracy
3. Indirect democracy is based on which of the following? a. consensus b. unanimity c. representation d. mob rule e. the system of government used in ancient Greece 4. What are republics? a. representative democracies b. direct democracies c. a hallmark of unitary governments d. forms of government frequently found in totalitarian regimes e. another name for states 5. In an oligarchy, rule is by which of the following? a. the many b. the few c. one person d. property owners e. all the people 6. The idea that governments draw legitimacy and power from the governed is referred to as which of the following? a. majority rule b. direct democracy c. capitalism d. popular consent e. popular control 7. In general, which of the following is true about the U.S. population? a. It is mostly under the age of thirty. b. It is getting older. c. It is becoming less diverse. d. It is less affected by immigration than in earlier years. e. It is required to own property.
8. Based on the average age of the state s population, which issue would you expect to be least important to voters in Florida? a. Social Security b. Medicare benefits to the elderly c. regulation of nursing homes d. prescription drug costs e. public education 9. Which of the following public policies would social conservatives be most likely to support? a. decreasing defense spending b. prohibiting any references to God or religion on money or government buildings c. providing governmental universal health care d. overturning Roe v. Wade e. regulating the banking and financial sectors 10. Social conservatives, who now form a large part of the base of the Republican Party, often are also members of which of the following? a. pro-choice groups b. groups seeking to enhance marriage by allowing domestic partnerships c. groups seeking to keep government out of Americans private lives d. groups seeking to expand welfare programs e. religious organizations 11. Which of the following is a true statement about liberals? a. They believe individuals should look to churches and other social services organizations instead of the government for assistance. b. They are comfortable with the social status quo. c. They generally favor government intervention to promote equality. d. They seek to end costly welfare programs. e. They are more likely to vote Republican than Democratic. 12. Which of the following is a true statement about moderates? a. They are most aligned with the views of Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter. b. They comprise over half of the U.S. population. c. They largely support an overhaul of the welfare system. d. They believe that a temperate view is the best approach to politics. e. They created the Tea Party movement.
13. Over time, Americans expectations of government have generally. a. increased b. remained the same c. decreased d. been eliminated e. not been measured 14. Which of the following would have been expected of the federal government 200 years ago? a. regulating business b. providing national defense c. providing poverty relief d. inspecting food e. advocating social reform 15. At the Constitutional Convention, the delegates agreed that slaves would be counted as of a person for determining population for representation in the House of Representatives. a. four-fifths b. three-fifths c. two-thirds d. one-third e. one-fourth 16. In what year was the Declaration of Independence signed? a. 1776 b. 1801 c. 1797 d. 1789 e. 1805 17. The U.S. Constitution was adopted in response to the weaknesses of the Articles of. a. Unity b. Revolution c. America d. Democracy e. Confederation
18. Who was the author of the Declaration of Independence? a. James Madison b. Benjamin Franklin c. Thomas Jefferson d. Paul Revere e. John Adams 19. Which clause provides that the Constitution shall be the supreme law of the land? a. full faith and credit b. legal c. primacy d. due process e. supremacy 20. Which of the following generally favored a strong national government and supported the proposed U.S. Constitution? a. Tories b. Whigs c. Federalists d. Anti-Federalists e. Constitutionalists 21. The proposed proportional representation in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. a. Ohio Plan b. Virginia Plan c. New Jersey Plan d. Massachusetts Plan e. Pennsylvania Plan 22. How many amendments have been made to the Constitution since its ratification? a. twenty-seven b. ten c. thirty-six d. twelve e. fifteen
23. The Constitution specifically provides for both the election and the removal of which of the following? a. secretary of defense b. president c. secretary of state d. chief justice e. Speaker of the House 24. Which constitutional amendment allowed voting for citizens who were eighteen or older? a. Twenty-Sixth b. Fifteenth c. Twentieth d. Twenty-Seventh e. Nineteenth 25. Which of the following philosophers greatly influenced the colonists views on the role of government? a. John Dewey b. John Locke c. Martin Heidegger d. Michael Foucalt e. George Berkley 26. Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution contains which powers of Congress? a. enumerated b. restrictive c. military d. implied e. executive 27. Rebellion was a protest by Massachusetts farmers to stop foreclosures by state courts and led to the Constitutional Convention. a. Brown s b. Smith s c. Miller s d. Shay s e. James s
28. The Articles of Confederation required consent from the states for ratification. a. three-fifths b. unanimous c. two-thirds d. majority e. three-fourths 29. Many of the Founders believed that the contract gave the government its legitimacy. a. implied b. social c. governing d. consent e. natural 30. Under the Constitution, the president is elected by which of the following? a. Election College b. Congressional College c. Electoral College d. Presidential College e. State College 31. What is the principle that each branch of the federal government has the means to thwart or influence actions by other branches of government? a. weights and measures b. checks and balances c. balances and powers d. checks and freedoms e. freedom and power 32. In the United States, the national government derives its power from which of the following? a. states b. courts c. legislature d. citizens e. laws
33. What was the subject of the Great Compromise? a. the legality of slavery b. representation in the legislative branch c. the number of states in the Union d. the number of Supreme Court justices e. the form of the executive branch 34. Which of the following was a problem under the Articles of Confederation? a. The national government was too strong compared to the states. b. The government derived its power from the citizens themselves. c. Congress imposed excessive taxes. d. Citizens lacked a national identity. e. Amendments to the Articles were too easy to ratify. 35. Which of the following is a reason for the separation of powers? a. to ensure the power of the executive b. to promote justice c. to prevent tyranny by any one branch d. to create gridlock in government e. to improve international relations 36. Which of the following was part of both the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution? a. Congress b. the presidency c. the federal judiciary d. collection of taxes by the federal government e. unanimous consent for ratification 37. Which of the following can be found in Article I? a. Electoral College b. procedure for presidential impeachment c. necessary and proper clause d. supremacy clause e. penalty for treason 38. Aside from the First Amendment, what portion of the U.S. Constitution deals with the relationship between the state and religion? a. Article III b. Article VII c. Article VI d. Article XIII e. Article IX
39. Which of the following remains a compelling source for determining the intent of the Framers? a. Minutes of the Constitutional Convention b. The Federalist Papers c. Common Sense d. Treatise on Government e. Declaration of Independence 40. What was the greatest fear of the Anti-Federalists during the Constitutional Convention and subsequent debate? a. that a weak national government would undermine the survival of the United States b. that a strong national government would infringe on the essential liberties of the people c. that a powerful judiciary would restrict freedom of religion d. that powerful state governments would never assent to the new Constitution e. that a weak judiciary would be unable to enforce the new Constitution