Pol Sci 2010 - Introduction to Government » Fall 2022 » American Government Exam Ch 1-3

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Question #1
What is the Bill of Rights?
A.   document authored by Thomas Jefferson that details the rights of the citizens
B.   powers given to Congress in Article I of the Constitution
C.   first ten amendments to the Constitution that protect individual freedoms
D.   twenty-seven amendments added to the Constitution over the years
Question #2
The supporters of the Constitution feared that all of the following states would refuse to ratify the document except
A.   Virginia
B.   New York
C.   Pennsylvania
D.   Massachusetts
E.   Delaware
Question #3
____ theory argues that although there are elite members of society, they do not control the government - rather, a variety of organized groups hold power.
A.   Hybrid
B.   Special interest
C.   Democratic
D.   Pluarlist
E.   Elite
Question #4
What important power did the national government lack under the Articles of Confederation?
A.   It could not coin money.
B.   It could not declare war.
C.   It could not conduct foreign affairs.
D.   It could not impose taxes
Question #5
Which country has a totalitarian form of government?
A.   Cuba
B.   North Korea
C.   China
D.   Sri Lanka
E.   South Korea
Question #6
A Supreme Court ruling that promoted new federalism by curtailing the power and scope of the national government's power was
A.   Marbury v. Madison
B.   Lawrence v. Texas
C.   U.S. v. Lopez
D.   Gibbons v. Ogden
Question #7
After an amendment is approved by two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate, it is sent to the legislatures in all the states. ____ of state legislatures need to vote to approve the amendment for it to become part of the Constitution.
A.   Two-thirds
B.   Fifty-one percent
C.   Three-quarters
D.   Half
E.   All
Question #8
Which statement about federal and unitary systems is most accurate?
A.   In a federal system, the constitution allocates powers between states and federal government; in a unitary system, powers are lodged in the national government.
B.   In a federal system, power is concentrated in the states; in a unitary system, it is concentrated in the national government.
C.   The United States and Japan have federal systems, while Great Britain and Canada have unitary systems.
D.   Today there are more countries with federal systems than with unitary systems.
Question #9
____ is an ideal which calls for equal treatment for all and the destruction of socioeconomic inequalities.
A.   Equalitarianism
B.   Libertarianism
C.   Democracy
D.   Egalitarianism
Question #10
The agreement that citizens will consent to be governed so long as government protects their natural rights is called ________.
A.   the divine right of kings
B.   due process
C.   the social contract
D.   a bill of rights
Question #11
Robert Putnam has argued that civic engagement is declining. Particularly, social capital is declining. All of the following make up social capital except
A.   a sense that one is part of an entity larger than oneself
B.   individualism
C.   ability to trust others
D.   concern for the collective good
E.   networks of individuals
Question #12
Which of the following is not a benefit of federalism?
A.   Federalism promotes political participation.
B.   Federalism accommodates a diversity of opinion.
C.   Federalism provides for multiple levels of government action.
D.   Federalism encourages economic equality across the country.
Question #13
Jefferson charged that the king had done all of the following except
A.   interfered with the colonists' trade
B.   taxed the colonists without the consent of their elected representatives
C.   oppressed the natives, causing conflict between the Native peoples and the colonists
D.   deprived them of their right to self-government
E.   denied them the right to trial by jury
Question #14
President ____ signed the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) that declared that "No state...need recognize a marriage between persons of the same sex, even if that marriage was concluded or recognized in another state."
A.   George W. Bush
B.   Barack Obama
C.   Clinton
D.   George H.W. Bush
Question #15
The presidents who helped secure the era of cooperative federalism were
A.   Theodore Roosevelt and Andrew Johnson
B.   Franklin Roosevelt and Andrew Johnson
C.   Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson
D.   Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt
Question #16
The creation of regional governments in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland is called
A.   federalism
B.   regionalism
C.   unitarism
D.   devolution
Question #17
The Founding Father who was responsible for the Bill of Rights was
A.   Alexander Hamilton
B.   Thomas Jefferson
C.   John Adams
D.   James Madison
E.   George Washington
Question #18
A type of good that is available to many people but only if they can pay the price is called a ____ good.
A.   toll
B.   social
C.   revenue
D.   capital
E.   profit
Question #19
What is the definition of a non-excludable good?
A.   Many people can use the same good or service at the same time.
B.   All people have access to these goods, usually without charge.
C.   Not everyone has access to these goods or they may have to pay to use these goods.
D.   Only one person can use the good or service at any given time.
Question #20
The ______ dynamic refers to a situation in which states compete to attract business by lowering taxes and regulations). It is viewed as a drawback of federalism.
A.   race-to-the-bottom
B.   race-to-liberty
C.   race-to-business
D.   race-to-the-top
Question #21
The last state to approve the Articles of Confederation was
A.   Pennsylvania
B.   Rhode Island
C.   Maryland
D.   Virginia
E.   New York
Question #22
According to the Great Compromise, how would representation in Congress be apportioned?
A.   Representation in the House of Representatives would be based on each state’s population and every state would have two senators.
B.   Congress would be a unicameral legislature with each state receiving equal representation.
C.   Representation in both the House of Representatives and the Senate would be based on a state’s population.
D.   Each state would have equal representation in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Question #23
Democratic countries with unitary systems that have decentralized power include all of the following except
A.   Japan
B.   France
C.   Sweden
D.   China
Question #24
The institutional arrangement that creates two relatively autonomous (independent) levels of government, each possessing the capacity to act directly on behalf of the people with the authority granted to it by the national constitution is called
A.   constitutional authority
B.   checks and balances
C.   separation of powers
D.   federalism
Question #25
The elite theory of government maintains that ________.
A.   poor people and people of color should not be allowed to vote
B.   special interest groups make government policy
C.   politicians who have held office for a long time are favored by voters
D.   wealthy, politically powerful people control government, and government has no interest in meeting the needs of ordinary people
Question #26
____ grants come with less stringent federal administrative conditions and provide recipients more flexibility over how to spend grant funds.
A.   Funded
B.   Unfunded
C.   Block
D.   Categorical
Question #27
Supporting the actions of the Democratic Party simply because one identifies oneself as a member of that party is an example of ________.
A.   latent preference
B.   partisanship
C.   ideology
D.   social capital
Question #28
Which Supreme Court case established judicial review: the ability of the U.S. Supreme Court to rule on the constitutionality of state and federal laws?
A.   Marshall v. Madison
B.   Gibbons v. Ogden
C.   Marbury v. Massachusetts
D.   Marbury v. Madison
E.   Snyder v. Phelps
Question #29
Separation of powers is different from checks and balances because separation of powers
A.   divides the national government into three separate branches and assigns different responsibilities to each one
B.   gives each of the three branches of government the power to restrict the actions of the others, thus requiring them to work together
Question #30
Which country has an unrestricted absolute monarchy?
A.   Iran
B.   Japan
C.   Saudi Arabia
D.   Iraq
Question #31
A form of government where a handful of elite society members hold political power is called a(n)
A.   oligarchy
B.   plurocracy
C.   monarchy
D.   kingocracy
E.   democracy
Question #32
Which of the following powers is expressly denied to the states in the constitution?
A.   Tax imports and exports
B.   Regulate intrastate commerce
C.   Levy and collect taxes
D.   Conduct elections
Question #33
Federalist No. __ assured readers that they did not need to fear that the national government would grow too powerful.
A.   35
B.   51
C.   2
D.   11
Question #34
What is an ex post facto law?
A.   A law that would criminalize an act retroactively.
B.   The right to petition a judge to determine whether a person's detention is legal.
C.   A legislative action declaring someone guilty without a trial.
D.   A law that is signed concurrent with a presidential pardon.
Question #35
In _____ the Supreme Court had to interpret the commerce clause of Article I, Section 8; specifically, it had to determine whether the federal government had the sole authority to regulate the licensing of steamboats operating in NY and NJ.
A.   Gibbons v. Ogden
B.   Marshall v. Marshall
C.   McCulloch v. Maryland
D.   Marbury v. Madison
Question #36
According to the text, two of the most influential political philosophers who contributed to U.S. political and economic ideas were
A.   Smith and Hobbes
B.   Hobbes and Marx
C.   Locke and Hobbes
D.   Marx and Weber
E.   Locke and Smith
Question #37
Which state's delegates made it clear that they would leave the convention if abolition were attempted?
A.   South Carolina
B.   North Carolina
C.   Pennsylvania
D.   Tennessee
E.   Virginia
Question #38
Which statement about federal grants in recent decades is most accurate?
A.   The majority of federal grants are block grants.
B.   Block grants tend to gain more flexibility over time.
C.   The amount of federal grant money going to states has steadily increased since the 1960s.
D.   The federal government allocates the most grant money to income security.
Question #39
The _____ Plan called for a unicameral legislature with one house.
A.   Rhode Island
B.   Connecticut
C.   New Jersey
D.   Virginia
Question #40
According to the text, atheists make up about ___ percent of the population and are thus protected due to minority rights.
A.   13
B.   18
C.   7
D.   20
E.   5

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