Government exam
Misheel
EXAM.docx1. In which type of government would the people be most likely to have political power?
a. Dictatorship
b. Oligarchy
c. Monarchy
d. Democracy
2. Which statement would both Liberals and Conservatives agree?
a. the government should attempt to redistribute wealth equally in a society
b. government should be as small as possible
c. government should be as large and as involved in society as possible
d. none of the above are correct
3. “I believe that people are very self-interested and untrustworthy. We live in a constant state of fear and want to dominate others.” Which philosopher likely would have said that?
a. Thomas Hobbes
b. John Locke
c. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
d. All of the above
4. Which is these is the best explanation for why the Legislative Branch has two parts (the House and the Senate)?
a. to balance the power of small states and large states
b. to assure participation by rich and poor representatives
c. to assure orderliness in the making of laws
d. all of the above are correct
5. A concern of the anti-federalists regarding the new Constitution was...
a. small states had more authority and power than larger (populous) states had
b. it had too many limits on the federal government's power
c. it gave too much power to the states
d. it gave too much power to the national government
6. The group of early Americans that favored a strong central government and were proponents of the new Constitution were called
a. Libertarians
b. Communists
c. Federalists
d. Anti-federalists
7. Which amendment mentions the necessity for probable cause in conducting searches and seizures?
a. 1st
b. 2nd
c. 3rd
d. 4th
8. Plato considered democracy to be the best form of government.
a. True
b. False
9. A major weakness of the Articles of Confederation was...
a. too much power and autonomy was given to the federal government
b. too much power and autonomy was given to the state governments
c. small states were forced to do whatever the larger states wanted
d. all of these answers are correct
10. Which of the following is true of constitutional monarchies?
a. A member of a royal family has complete control over the government
b. Only an elite few people have political power
c. A royal family exists but they do not have total political power
d. None of the above are correct
11. It is relatively easy to change the Constitution and it has been amended more than 50 times since it was written?
a. True
b. False
a. Congress has the power to impeach and remove a president from office
b. Only the President has control over who becomes a Supreme Court justice
c. Once elected, the President cannot be removed from office
d. A President loses his ability to veto laws in the second term of his administration
13. If somebody were to tell you that they “believed in a society in which the role of the federal government was relatively small and most problems were handled by state governments,” what would you call this person?
a. Liberal
b. Conservative
c. Socialist
d. Communist
14. All national, state, and local laws must comply with the Constitution because of...
a. Article III (3) of the Constitution.
b. Article IV (4) of the Constitution.
c. Article V (5) of the Constitution
d. Article VI (6) of the Constitution.
15. The idea that states must recognize (although not agree with) the laws of other states, and that states should cooperate with other states is found in which article of the Constitution?
a. 1st
b. 2nd
c. 3rd
d. 4th
16. The President has complete control over the federal government's budget.
a. True
b. False
17. The 3/5 Compromise was made between northern and southern states regarding the issue of slavery.
a. True
b. False
18. What is meant by the term social contract?
a. In order for a democracy to function, people must participate in government
b. We agree to vote for those that represent us and that by our vote we grant them power
c. We agree to give up our ability to overthrow the government in order to allow the government to exist
d. We agree to give up some of our freedoms in exchange for government’s protection
19. Civil rights are found primarily in the Bill of Rights.
a. True
b. False
20. Which political ideology represents the idea that government should be VERY large and powerful and should have almost total control over the economy, to the point where there is a centrally planned economy?
a. Liberalism
b. Conservatism
c. Socialism
d. Democratic Socialism
21. Flag burning is not a form of speech and is not protected by the 1st Amendment.
a. True
b. False
22. Civil liberties are ways in which the federal government’s power is limited.
a. True
b. False
23. The Bill of Rights would have been strongly supported by which of these groups:
a. Federalists
b. Anti-federalists
c. Zombies
d. None of the above
24. The idea that “cruel and unusual punishment” is unconstitutional is found in which amendment?
a. 1st
b. 2nd
c. 4th
d. 8th
25. Which amendment might people cite as evidence that we do have a right to privacy?
a. 1st
b. 2nd
c. 4th
d. 8th
26. The US Constitution sets up a system of government defined by separation of powers and checks and balances. What is meant by the terms “separation of powers” and “checks and balances” and please give at least 2-3 examples of checks and balances that exist in our government. Be sure to EXPLAIN how these are checks and balances.
27. Our Constitution, with the amendments, is a pretty impressive document. However, many political debates have arisen regarding its meaning and interpretation, and not everyone agrees with what the Constitution says or means. In a few sentences, highlight at least three areas of ambiguity or “vagueness” or “grey area” regarding the Constitution and its amendments. You could choose to highlight some of the articles of the Constitution or some of the amendments, and discuss how those articles or amendments are ambiguous and how that ambiguity has led to some debate. Be as specific as possible and be sure to explain how the particular topic you are highlighting can be viewed differently by different people.
28. The Constitution is a document that can be changed, but it is very difficult to change. Please explain the overall process for changing the Constitution and how this process makes it difficult to change the document. Additionally, please discuss WHY the Founding Fathers might have wanted it to be difficult to change the Constitution and how this difficulty might impact our society today.
