Quiz: The Judiciary
DueApr 14 at 11:59pm
Points30
Questions30
Time Limit60 Minutes
Allowed Attempts2
Instructions
The quiz:
Covers theChapter 16material fromModule 4: Week 4.
Contains30 multiple-choicequestions.
Islimitedto1 hour.
Allows2attemptsand thehighestattempt will count towards the grade.
Isworth30 points.
This quiz is open-book and open-notes. Each question is worth 1 point.
Submit this assignment by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday of Module 4: Week 4.
Attempt History
Attempt Time
KEPT Attempt 2 23 minutes
LATEST Attempt 2 23 minutes
Attempt 1 46 minutes
Correct answers are hidden.
Score for this attempt:30out of 30
Submitted Apr 16 at 10:10pm
This attempt took 23 minutes.
Question 1
1!/ 1!pts
Which issues was the Supreme Court primarily occupied with between 1789 and the Civil War?
States' rights and commerce
Trade relations and states' rights
National supremacy and trade relations
Slavery and national supremacy
Commerce and civil liberties
Question 2
1!/ 1!pts
Jurisdiction refers to which of the following?
The rules and principles announced in court decisions
The authority of a court to hear a particular class of cases
The constitutionality of a law
Statutory law
Common law
Question 3
1!/ 1!pts
How has the Court interpreted the meaning of the “Exceptions” clause in Article III, Section III?
Congress can constrain the Court’s appellate jurisdiction.
Congress can constrain the Court’s original jurisdiction.
Only the Supreme Court can alter its appellate jurisdiction.
Only the president can call for a change in the Supreme Court’s appellate jurisdiction.
Congress can change the pay of Supreme Court justices.
Question 4
1!/ 1!pts
The Supreme Court entered its most active period with the arrival of which chief justice?
Warren
Rehnquist
Burger
Taft
Roberts
Question 5
1!/ 1!pts
If California and Arizona sue each other over water usage from the Colorado River, the case can
be heard only by which entity?
The Water Rights Court
The Supreme Court
The high courts in both states
The U.S. Justice Department
The House of Representatives
Question 6
1!/ 1!pts
Which of the following statements regarding U.S. district courts is true?
They are intermediate appellate courts.
They have final appellate jurisdiction to review cases.
They are state courts.
They are the trial courts of the federal system.
They are courts of limited jurisdiction.
Question 7
1!/ 1!pts
What is suggested by the behavior of Justices Holmes, Burger, and Blackmun?
Presidents can sometimes be mistaken in their predictions about the actions of their judicial
appointees.
The Supreme Court has practiced judicial restraint far more often than judicial activism.
Presidents generally control the Supreme Court through their appointments.
Dissenters on the Supreme Court have more influence than the majority.
Presidents are rarely concerned with court packing today.
Question 8
1!/ 1!pts
The Court of Military Appeals is an example of which kind of court?
Constitutional court
District court
Court of appeal
Legislative court
Alternative tribunal
Question 9
1!/ 1!pts
Which of the following statements about the Senate confirming federal judges is true?
Until recently, most judges were confirmed.
Only liberal judges have been confirmed in recent years.
Activist judges are more likely to be confirmed than constructionists.
The president holds little respect for the opinions of the senators.
Senators nominate judges.
Question 10
1!/ 1!pts
In addition to funding appeals, what else do interest groups do in the judicial arena?
Organize and bring cases to the courts
Explain to the courts that an appellant is indigent
Help their clients avoid litigation
Guarantee that a case will go to the Supreme Court
Exercise binding veto power over court nominations
Question 11
1!/ 1!pts
Which of the following statements describes the idea of precedents?
The common law changes very slowly to permit rational decision making in each branch of our
government.
The Supreme Court is required to issue an opinion after a ruling.
Most citizens can know that the law will become consistent in its expectations for them.
Judges must abide by the decisions of earlier cases unless there is a clear reason to distinguish
the current case from its predecessors.
The Supreme Court can promote judicial review through regularly scheduled reviews of case
law.
Question 12
1!/ 1!pts
Under the doctrine of sovereign immunity, a citizen cannot take which action?
Sue the government without its consent
Bring two suits against one individual for the same crime
Bring the same suit to courts in two different states
Appeal a case that has already been ruled on by the Supreme Court
Appeal a case that was decided more than one year earlier
Question 13
1!/ 1!pts
A lawsuit filed by one person on behalf of that person and all similarly situated individuals is
known as which of the following kinds of lawsuit?
Public suit
Common action
Plurality action
Class action
Writ of mass petition
Question 14
1!/ 1!pts
Which entity creates legislative courts?
Congress
The president
The Supreme Court
The Senate
The House of Representatives
Question 15
1!/ 1!pts
The legal concept of precedent is expressed by which term?
Per curiam
Amicus curiae
Writ ofmandamus
Stare decisis
Writ of certiorari
Question 16
1!/ 1!pts
What is fee shifting?
The practice of dividing attorneys’ fees among all participants in a class-action suit
The practice of reducing fees if the votes of appellate court judges are divided
The practice of getting the government to pay the fees of all parties
The practice of having attorneys adjust their fees according to their experience and the damages
awarded
The practice of getting the loser to pay court costs
Question 17
1!/ 1!pts
Which of the following statements regarding a precedent is true?
It means to reverse the decision of a lower court.
It says the court does not have jurisdiction in a case.
It allows a court to refer the case to the next higher court.
It is the policy of following the law established by previous cases to decide other cases.
It means strict interpretation.
Question 18
1!/ 1!pts
In which case did the Supreme Court hold that the Court could declare an act of Congress
unconstitutional?
Marbury v. Madison
Gibbons v. Ogden
Georgia v. U.S.
Dred Scott v. Sanford
McCulloch v. Maryland
Question 19
1!/ 1!pts
When can the U.S. Supreme Court review a state supreme court decision?
If there are damages in excess of $1,000,000
If the solicitor general asks it to do so
In all cases
In cases in which the state is a party
If a federal question is involved
Question 20
1!/ 1!pts
If a court rules a certain way on a case because previous cases of similar nature were subject to
the same rule, that court is relying on which of the following?
Precedent
Judicial review
Strict construction
Broad construction
Judicial activism
Question 21
1!/ 1!pts
When Congress passed a law that forbade anyone from carrying a gun near a school, why did the
Supreme Court declare the law invalid?
Such behavior was protected by the First Amendment.
Such behavior did not affect interstate commerce.
The practice was not proven to be dangerous.
The practice was jealously guarded by NRA lobbyists.
Such behavior was protected by the Second Amendment.
Question 22
1!/ 1!pts
In recent years, what is true about the percentage of nominees to federal court who have been
confirmed by the Senate?
It has increased significantly.
It has increased somewhat.
It has remained about the same.
It has decreased somewhat.
It has decreased significantly.
Question 23
1!/ 1!pts
An opinion prepared by a judge who supports the court's decision but wishes to in some way
clarify, emphasize, or offer different reasons is known as which of the following?
Majority opinion
Dissenting opinion
A plurality opinion
A concurring opinion
A unanimous opinion
Question 24
1!/ 1!pts
What does the U.S. Constitution have to say about the size of the Supreme Court?
It specifically sets the number of justices at six, but this was later amended to nine.
It specifically sets the number of justices at nine.
It suggests but does not mandate a Court of nine justices.
It does not indicate how large the Court should be.
It specifically places the matter in the hands of the House of Representatives.
Question 25
1!/ 1!pts
The power of the courts to determine the constitutionality of a law or action is known as which
of the following?
Appellate review of fact
Judicial review
Judicial restraint
The writ of judicial appeal
Judicial activism
Question 26
1!/ 1!pts
Which of the following statements about Supreme Court justices and political ideology is true?
Because the job of Supreme Court justices is to interpret the Constitution, each justice’s political
ideology has no effect on his or her conclusions.
The liberal or conservative ideology of Supreme Court justices has an impact on their rulings,
but it is a minor one.
The liberal or conservative ideology of Supreme Court justices can be used to predict their
rulings with near-perfect accuracy.
Because the Supreme Court must be objective in its rulings, people with observable political
leanings are almost never nominated as justices.
The liberal or conservative ideology of Supreme Court justices has a significant impact on their
rulings.
Question 27
1!/ 1!pts
Which of the following occurs when the U.S. Supreme Court decides an issue?
All other courts consider the Supreme Court's opinion in their own decision making.
All other courts are obligated to follow the Supreme Court's ruling.
Each court can decide for itself whether the Supreme Court’s ruling applies to cases in its
jurisdiction.
Congress is obligated to pass laws that support that decision.
It is written into the Constitution as an amendment if it raised a constitutional question.
Question 28
1!/ 1!pts
The Supreme Court's power of judicial review was established by which of the following?
The Court's decision inRoe v. Wade
The Court's decision inBrown v. Board of Education
The Court's decision inMarbury v. Madison
The Court's decision inPlessy v. Ferguson
The Court's decision inKelo v. City of New London
Question 29
1!/ 1!pts
What is illustrated by the litigation involving the four police officers accused of beating Rodney
King?
Some defendants are tried in both state and federal courts.
Some cases can be tried only in state courts.
Civil rights cases can be tried only in federal courts.
One level of government can block the prosecutions of another.
Cases cannot be appealed across the state and federal judiciary.
Question 30
1!/ 1!pts
What is the function of the U.S. solicitor general?
To approve every case the federal government presents to the Supreme Court
To enforce the decisions of the Supreme Court
To serve as the principal legal adviser, or counsel, to members of the Supreme Court
To maintain order in the Supreme Court’s courtroom
To direct participants in oral arguments before the Supreme Court
Quiz Score:30out of 30
