Indicate the answer choice that best completes the statement or answers the question. 1. a. branches of powers. b. government triangle. c. separation of powers. d. social contract. 2. The English Bill of Rights ended the struggle between a. Britain and the American colonies. b. King John and the noblemen. c. Parliament and the king. d. William and Mary. 3. Which laws were meant to punish Massachusetts, and especially Boston, for resisting British rule? a. Intolerable Acts b. Stamp Acts c. Tea Acts d. Townshend Acts 4. What did most colonial governments have in common? a. an elected governor and a royal assembly appointed by the king b. a governor and assembly both appointed by Parliament c. a governor elected by the colonists d. a royal governor appointed by the king and an elected assembly that passed local laws 5. American colonists had a. fewer rights than citizens living in Britain. b. little knowledge of their rights as citizens of Britain. c. more rights than citizens living in Britain. d. the same rights as citizens living in Britain. 6. Colonists had to provide housing for British soldiers under the a. Declaratory Act. b. Quartering Act. c. Quebec Act. d. Townshend Act. 7. Which of the following groups was responsible for the Declaration of Independence? a. First Continental Congress b. House of Burgesses c. Second Continental Congress d. Sons of Liberty Powered by Cognero Page 1
8. In what way was it difficult to amend the Articles of Confederation? a. A majority of voters in each state had to approve a change. b. Changes had to be approved by a special court. c. One state could block a change. d. States had to vote to approve amendments twice. 9. Why did the delegates to the Constitutional Convention decide to replace the Articles of Confederation? a. They were supposed to be replaced every few years. b. State legislatures demanded it. c. The government they created was too weak. d. The delegates had never favored them. 10. a. attacking a federal arsenal. b. attacking state tax officials. c. burning down buildings. d. stealing money from banks. 11. Why was the national government under the Constitution stronger than the national government under the Articles of Confederation? a. It had the power to enforce its laws. b. The supremacy clause made state laws the highest in the land. c. It did not have the power to tax the people. d. State governments had been dissolved. 12. Which of the following phrases identifies one of the fundamental purposes of government described in the Preamble to the Constitution? a. b. c. d. Powered by Cognero Page 2
13. How does Ford view the presidential veto power? a. as a necessary evil that must be accepted b. as a responsible tool of good government c. as irresponsible to use d. as necessary for the president to review legislation 14. The drafters of the Constitution gave the president the authority to veto because they a. believed that Congress would act irresponsibly b. hoped that the executive branch would have the most power c. thought that all acts of Congress should be sent back for review d. wanted to keep any one branch from becoming too powerful 15. Under the system of checks and balances set up by the Constitution, the legislative branch has the power to a. appoint judges. b. declare laws unconstitutional. c. refuse to approve treaties. d. veto bills. 16. Which group would make such a statement about the Constitution? a. Anti-Federalists b. Enlightenment thinkers like John Locke c. Federalists d. 17. What promise did the Federalists have to make about the Constitution to help win support for its ratification? a. to abolish slavery b. to add a bill of rights c. to change it in ten years d. to drop the Electoral College Powered by Cognero Page 3
18. What was the purpose of James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay in writing The Federalist? a. to criticize the Constitution b. to explain why the government under the Constitution would not work c. to praise the Articles of Confederation d. to win support for the Constitution 19. law? a. to make the states more powerful than the federal government b. to protect individual freedom c. to test whether it would work d. to weaken the Constitution so it would not work 20. Which of the following is a step in the naturalization process? a. b. getting a job c. registering to vote d. taking a citizenship test 21. In which of the following scenarios may a person gain U.S. citizenship by naturalization? a. A person is born in an American territory. b. A person is born on a U.S. military base overseas. c. A person with no U.S. ties immigrates to the United States. d. Two non-u.s. citizens have a child on American soil. 22. a. never to lie b. to be loyal c. to be religious d. to say the pledge of allegiance Powered by Cognero Page 4
23. If illegal aliens are discovered, they a. are given the highest priority to receive citizenship. b. are eligible for government jobs. c. can be arrested and deported back to their home countries. d. can stay in this country indefinitely. 24. Naturalized citizens must fight on behalf of the United States when a. Congress declares war. b. required by law. c. the president orders soldiers into battle. d. they take the Naturalization Oath. 25. Today, the military of the United States is made of a. all drafted men and women. b. all volunteers. c. mostly drafted men and women and some volunteers. d. mostly volunteers and some drafted men and women. 26. Serving as a witness in a trial is a a. duty. b. responsibility. c. right. d. privilege. 27. Registering with the government for military service a. is a legal duty if you are a man between the ages of 18 and 25. b. is a legal duty for men between the ages of 18 and 25 if the country is at war. c. is a voluntary responsibility for men between the ages of 18 and 25. d. is no longer a legal duty for men between the ages of 18 and 25. Powered by Cognero Page 5
28. What is one way that individual citizens can cut down on the amount of pollution in the United States? a. reduce their use of fossil fuels b. close factories that pollute c. shift away from wind power to coal d. use more electricity 29. Which question does Clark advise voters to ask before reelecting a member of Congress? a. Can he or she still think clearly? b. Does he or she hold high positions? c. Has he or she been in office for too long? d. Is he or she young enough to learn? 30. In the United States, voting ensures that leadership a. is changed in a peaceful and orderly manner. b. is never changed. c. ignores the important issues of the day. d. acts in its own interests. 31. Which best explains why much of the Everglades was turned into a park? a. no other use for the land b. to give people a place to relax c. to protect the plants and animals found there d. weather there too cold for growing crops Powered by Cognero Page 6
32. Jefferson attempts to unite his listeners by a. explaining that different opinions do not necessarily mean different values. b. saying that everyone should strive to have the same opinions. c. saying that they should keep their opinions to themselves. d. vowing to fight those who want to dissolve the Union. 33. Some people worried that the Patriot Act, which was passed as a response to the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, was a violation of the a. Fourth Amendment b. Tenth Amendment c. Fifteenth Amendment d. Twenty-sixth Amendment 34. The Eighth Amendment helps remind Americans that punishment should be a. b. determined by the amount of bail paid before the trial. c. forfeited in cases of double jeopardy. d. in proportion to the crime committed. 35. a. affirmative action. b. constitutional reforms from the 1900s. c. Thirteenth Amendment freedoms. d. due process. 36. a. Second Amendment b. Fourth Amendment c. Seventh Amendment d. Ninth Amendment Powered by Cognero Page 7
37. The Tenth Amendment states that powers not given to the national government by the Constitution must be a. reviewed by the Supreme Court. b. considered civil liberties. c. reserved to the states or people. d. added as amendments. 38. a. Citizens may request the government to act on a specific matter. b. Citizens may write articles for government publications. c. Citizens may gather and hold rallies in government buildings. d. 39. a. Elizabeth Cady Stanton b. John Peter Zenger c. Oliver Wendell Holmes d. Thomas Jefferson 40. The Third Amendment was passed as a reaction to a. b. c. d. 41. If the federal government wanted to build a highway on land that you owed, the government would a. be able to take your home, but would need to pay a fair price for it. b. be able to take your home away from you without paying for it. c. have to find a new location for the highway. d. let you decide whether or not to sell your home to it. Powered by Cognero Page 8
42. When a group of citizens gathered to protest against a law that Congress was considering passing, the group was demonstrating freedom a. of assembly. b. of the press. c. to petition. d. to slander. 43. Which amendment would lawyers use to support an argument that stated that the punishment their client received was too serious for the crime he or she committed? a. Third Amendment b. Eighth Amendment c. Thirteenth Amendment d. Twenty-first Amendment 44. By allowing people to consult an attorney, the new Patriot Act protects the rights described by the a. Fourth Amendment. b. Fifth Amendment. c. Sixth Amendment. d. Eighth Amendment. 45. Which of the following is legal for a newspaper to print? a. an article describing crimes that a politician has committed b. an article that tells people why and how to commit a crime c. an editorial telling people to violently overthrow the government d. Powered by Cognero Page 9
46. a. the First Amendment b. the Third Amendment c. the Sixth Amendment d. the Seventh Amendment 47. The Fourteenth Amendment defined a citizen as a. any man born or naturalized in the United States. b. anyone born or naturalized in the United States. c. anyone living in the United States. d. any white person born or naturalized in the United States. 48. A person who is indicted for a particular crime a. cannot be put on trial for that crime. b. has been found guilty of that crime. c. has been found innocent of that crime. d. will be put on trial for that crime. 49. If a police officer wanted to search your home to find evidence of a crime, you would be able to say that the officer needed to get a search warrant because of the a. Second Amendment b. Third Amendment c. Fourth Amendment d. Fifth Amendment 50. Congress is bicameral because the a. Framers believed that 535 members would be too many. b. Framers intended to make it the most powerful branch of the government. c. Framers modeled it after the English Parliament. d. Framers sought a compromise on the issue of state representation in Congress. 51. The power of Congress to draft people into the armed forces is a(n) a. enumerated power. b. expressed power. c. implied power. d. money power. Powered by Cognero Page 10
52. According to the graphic organizer, what does Congress have the power to do with regard to currency? a. to coin money b. to establish post offices c. to make laws d. to regulate commerce 53. Government protection of consumer rights is an example of a. police protection. b. popular sovereignty. c. providing services d. public policy. 54. Article IV (4) of the Constitution explains the relationship between the states and a. foreign governments. b. the national government. c. the people. d. the Supreme Court. Powered by Cognero Page 11
55. The 17th Amendment gave Americans a greater voice in their government by a. allowing people to directly elect senators. b. allowing people to directly elect members of the House of Representatives. c. allowing people to directly elect the president. d. allowing people to directly elect governors. 56. By testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Strossen was exercising the freedom of a. due process. b. speech. c. religion. d. press. 57. Requiring the FBI to describe specific targets of a roving wiretap may help ensure that a. the grand jury obtains sufficient evidence for an indictment. b. the targets do not have permission to leave the country. c. the targets have an opportunity to hear the charges against them. d. the right to privacy for people who are not under investigation is protected. Powered by Cognero Page 12
58. Throughout much of the 1900s, poll taxes were used to a. allow people to pay for the privilege of voting more than once. b. prevent African Americans from voting. c. prevent women from voting. d. raise money for people running for office. 59. Which of the following freed slaves and helped guarantee their civil rights during the 1800s? a. establishment clause b. Civil War amendments c. Gratz v. Bollinger d. Gitlow v. New York 60. "Two-thirds of both houses, three-fourths of all states" explains which process? a. Adding an amendment to the Constitution b. Ratifying the Constitution c. Passing a new law d. Ratifying the Declaration of Independence Powered by Cognero Page 13
Answer Key 1. c 2. c 3. a 4. d 5. a 6. b 7. c 8. c 9. c 10. a 11. a 12. c 13. b 14. d 15. c 16. a 17. b 18. d 19. b 20. d 21. c 22. b 23. c 24. b 25. b 26. a Powered by Cognero Page 14
27. a 28. a 29. d 30. a 31. c 32. a 33. a 34. d 35. d 36. a 37. c 38. a 39. d 40. b 41. a 42. a 43. b 44. c 45. a 46. a 47. b 48. d 49. c 50. d 51. c 52. a 53. d 54. b Powered by Cognero Page 15
55. a 56. b 57. d 58. b 59. b 60. a Powered by Cognero Page 16