Deck 6: Civics

Question 1

Which of the following statements about the strengths and weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation is correct?

A)The great strength of the Articles of Confederation was that it provided for orderly westward expansion through the Northwest Ordinance of 1787; its great weakness was that it allowed each state total veto power.
B)The great strength of the Articles of Confederation was that it allowed each state total veto power; its great weakness was that it allowed slavery to continue through the Three-Fifths Compromise.
C)The great strength of the Articles of Confederation was that it extended the vote to all free (white) adult men; its great weakness was that it did not establish how new territory should be incorporated.
D)The great strength of the Articles of Confederation was that it created a bicameral legislature; its great weakness was that it did not mention a judicial branch.

Answer 1

The great strength of the Articles of Confederation was that it provided for orderly westward expansion through the Northwest Ordinance of 1787; its great weakness was that it allowed each state total veto power.

Question 2

Which document was written to explain the political theory that informed the U.S. Constitution?

A)The Articles of Confederation
B)The Federalist Papers
C)The Bill of Rights
D)Declarations on the Rights of Man

Answer 2

The Federalist Papers

Question 3

The biggest conflict that arose during the Constitutional Convention concerned:

A)Slavery.
B)How much direct participation voters should have.
C)Federalism versus states' rights.
D)Women's suffrage.

Answer 3

Federalism versus states' rights.

Question 4

Which Frenchman was the primary influence for the U.S. Constitution?

A)Jean-Jacques Rousseau
B)Voltaire
C)René Descartes
D)Baron de Montesquieu

Question 5

Which amendment to the Constitution established the parameters for federalism?

A)The Tenth Amendment
B)The First Amendment
C)The Third Amendment
D)The Eighth Amendment

Question 6

Which term is used to describe a political philosophy based on limited government?

A)Liberalism
B)Constitutionalism
C)Federalism
D)Laissez-faire

Question 7

President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "Court Packing Plan" violated which tenet of American government?

A)Liberalism
B)Eminent domain
C)Separation of powers
D)Executive privilege

Question 8

Which of the following is NOT one of the checks and balances outlined in the U.S. Constitution?

A)The Supreme Court can nullify a law passed by Congress if the justices deem it unconstitutional.
B)Congress must approve the president's judicial and Cabinet appointees.
C)The president can veto a bill passed by Congress.
D)The Supreme Court can try the president for crimes and impeach him if he is convicted of criminal acts.

Question 9

Which amendment from the Bill of Rights is NOT matched correctly with the right that it protects?

A)Third Amendment: protection against unreasonable searches and seizures
B)Fifth Amendment: protection against double jeopardy
C)Sixth Amendment: right to an attorney in defense against criminal charges
D)Eighth Amendment: protection against cruel and unusual punishment

Question 10

What part of the Constitution states that all natural-born and naturalized American citizens are guaranteed equal protection of the laws?

A)Citizenship Clause
B)Fourteenth Amendment
C)Establishment Clause
D)Nineteenth Amendment

Question 11

Which of the following is an unenumerated right according to the U.S. Constitution?

A)Right of the federal government to collect income tax from citizens.
B)Right to a trial by jury.
C)Right to privacy.
D)Right to vote.

Question 12

Which U.S. Supreme Court case is NOT correctly matched with its holding?

A)Brown v. Board of Education (1954): ended "separate but equal."
B)Marbury v. Madison (1803): established judicial review.
C)McCulloch v. Maryland (1819): established that the federal government is granted certain implied powers.
D)Plessy v. Ferguson (1896): established that people of African descent did not have the right to sue in federal court.

Question 13

Which of the following are clauses in the U.S. Constitution establishing congressional power?
I. Privileges & Immunities Clause
II. Commerce Clause
III. Necessary & Proper Clause
IV. Supremacy Clause

A)II and III.
B)I, II, and III.
C)I only.
D)I, II, III, and IV.

Question 14

Which of the following is not a role officially assigned to the President of the United States under the Constitution?

A)Appointing Supreme Court justices.
B)Declaring war.
C)Vetoing a law passed by Congress.
D)Signing treaties with foreign officials.

Question 15

In order to become President of the United States, a candidate must meet all of the following requirements except:

A)Be at least 35 years old.
B)Be a resident of the United States for at least 14 years prior to presidency.
C)Be a natural-born or naturalized U.S. citizen.
D)Be the recipient of a simple majority of the electoral votes.

Question 16

A citizen must be at least 25 years old and a U.S. resident for seven years in order to serve as:

A)A U.S. Supreme Court Justice.
B)President of the United States.
C)A U.S. Senator.
D)A U.S. Representative.

Question 17

Which of the following is a Constitutional requirement or guideline for the U.S. Supreme Court?

A)Justices may serve as long as they remain in good behavior.
B)Justices must have legal training prior to their appointment.
C)There must be at least six Justices.
D)Justices must be native-born American citizens.

Question 18

For which types of federal court does the U.S. Constitution provide? I. Appellate courts
II) State courts
III) Supreme Court
IV) Trial courts

A)I and III.
B)I, III, and IV.
C)I, II, and III.
D)III only.

Question 19

Which of the following is a concurrent power?

A)Ratifying amendments to the Constitution
B)Providing an army and/or navy
C)Eminent domain
D)Regulating interstate trade

Question 20

Which of the following powers do state governments possess? I. Establish educational standards for school curricula.
II) Establish post offices.
III) Conduct foreign policy.
IV) Conduct elections.

A)I, II, III, and IV.
B)I, II, and IV.
C)II only.
D)I and IV.

Question 21

Which article of the Constitution expresses the guidelines for interstate relations?

A)Article IV
B)Article III
C)Article II
D)Article I

Question 22

S. Senator was submitting a bill to create a federal program that would educate veterans to become STEM teachers, which Senate committee would most likely NOT evaluate the bill before it was put to a vote?

A)Appropriations
B)Finance
C)Veterans' Affairs
D)Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

Question 23

The division of legal responsibilities between separate but interrelated government bodies is:

A)Democracy
B)Federalism.
C)Separation of powers.
D)Eminent domain.

Question 24

Which of the following is the best example of pork-barrel legislation?

A)Adding an appropriations request for a needless federal program to an opponent's bill that is already in process in order to diminish the bill's likelihood of getting passed.
B)Budgeting for a defense contract without hearing competitive bids for the project (overspending).
C)A legislator proposing a bill to create a land developing commission in his home state that will ultimately employ his political associates and family members.
D)Money appropriated to research the effects of rising ocean levels on marine life along the Louisiana coast.

Question 25

Which act can bring a filibuster to an end even if the Senator who is filibustering still holds the floor?

A)Cloture
B)Censure
C)Joint resolution
D)Quorum

Question 26

Who or what determines the committee assignments for members of the Senate and House of Representatives?

A)The President pro tempore of the Senate or the Speaker of the House.
B)A group of people who constitute the party leadership within a legislator's respective congressional body.
C)The Constitution dictates a randomized assignment process.
D)The President of the United States.

Question 27

Which two government offices or bodies work together to begin formulating the federal budget proposal each year?

A)The House and Senate
B)The President and Congress
C)The President and the Office of Management and Budget
D)The Internal Revenue Service and the Office of Management and Budget

Question 28

Entitlement programs constitute what kind of spending?

A)Discretionary spending
B)Deficit spending
C)Sustainable spending
D)Mandatory spending

Question 29

Which of the following is NOT an independent agency of the U.S. government?

A)The National Security Council
B)The Federal Election Commission
C)National Aeronautics and Space Administration
D)The Securities and Exchange Commission

Question 30

Put the following members of the presidential line of succession in order starting with the person who assumes the presidency if the vice president is unable to serve: I. Senate President pro tempore
II) Secretary of the Treasury
III) Speaker of the House of Representatives
IV) Secretary of State

A)IV, III, II, I.
B)III, I, IV, II.
C)III, IV, II, I.
D)IV, I, III, II.

Question 31

In what type of primary election must voters choose between ALL of the candidates running for a particular office, regardless of the candidates' political parties or the voters' official party affiliations?

A)Closed primary
B)Open primary
C)Blanket primary
D)Nonpartisan primary

Question 32

Which person would submit an amicus curiae to the court during a trial?

A)The jury foreman
B)The judge
C)The prosecutor
D)A person or organization with an interest in the case

Question 33

How many electors does each state have in the Electoral College?

A)One elector for every member of the U.S. Congress plus three additional electors for Washington D.C.
B)The state's number of Representatives plus two
C)Two
D)100 votes

Question 34

What does the exclusionary rule regulate?

A)The Supreme Court's grounds for declining to hear cases.
B)When information can or cannot be admitted as evidence in a trial.
C)The rule that allows the President to enact a law through an executive order, thereby excluding the other branches of government in the law-making process.
D)The guideline that allows legislators to remove objectionable pork-barrel legislation or earmarks from their bills without nullifying the legislation altogether.

Question 35

At the end of his presidency, George Washington delivered a Farewell Address that included a warning about the negative consequences of:

A)Unregulated immigration.
B)Abolishing slavery.
C)Forming political parties.
D)Westward expansion.

Question 36

What is the goal of a recall referendum?

A)To force a popular vote on a bill or piece of legislation before the state legislature has voted on the issue.
B)To force a popular vote on a bill or piece of legislation after the state legislature has voted on the issue.
C)To repeal a state law.
D)To remove an elected political figure from their office before the end of their term.

Question 37

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission had the most direct impact on:

A)Campaign finance legislation.
B)Ballot counting procedures.
C)Gerrymandering.
D)Televised political ads.

Question 38

Which of the following is NOT one of the reasons why political parties hold conventions?

A)To formally nominate a presidential candidate.
B)To choose electors for each state to cast Electoral College votes on behalf of the people who vote for the party's nominee.
C)To determine the party's platform.
D)To unify and excite the party's base and encourage undecided voters to support them.

Question 39

Which of the following principles would a Libertarian most likely support?

A)Limited enforcement of private property rights.
B)Large standing military.
C)"Small" government.
D)Central bank.

Question 40

In the United States, the "Fourth Estate" is composed of:

A)Corporations.
B)The people.
C)The military.
D)The press.

Question 41

What type of government does the United States have?

A)Constitution-based federal republic.
B)Direct democracy.
C)Representative democracy.
D)Parliamentary republic.

Question 42

A government in which the individual people have the supreme power is called:

A)Socialism
B)A democracy.
C)Pluralism.
D)A republic.

Question 43

Argentina, Egypt, and France all have what type of government?

A)Monarchy
B)Totalitarian regime
C)Republic
D)Parliamentary democracy

Question 44

Which of the following is NOT a tenet of classical liberalism?

A)Widespread democratic participation in government.
B)Broad interpretation of laws regarding freedoms of expression and religion.
C)Removal of protectionist tariffs and promotion of capitalist economy.
D)Concentration of power in an expansive federal government.

Question 45

The major political realignment that occurred in the United States during the late '60s and early '70s was caused by a rise in:

A)Conservatism
B)Anti-establishmentarianism.
C)Liberalism.
D)Pluralism.

Question 46

Ideologically, Nazism in the Third Reich was an oppressive social agenda coupled with what political ideology?

A)Despotism
B)Fascism
C)Libertarianism
D)Socialism

Question 47

According to the Marxist philosophy, the goal was to create a classless society that was guided by the precept:

A)"Better Red than dead."
B)"Serve the people."
C)"From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs."
D)"Work will make you free."

Question 48

Vladimir Lenin compelled what political party to splinter, enabling him to radicalize one faction and begin the October Revolution?

A)Authoritarian Russian Nationalist Party
B)Bolshevik Party
C)Communist Party
D)Social Democratic Labor Party

Question 49

With regard to international relations, what would a political realist be LEAST likely to do?

A)Establish alliances to reduce the likelihood of mutually assured destruction.
B)Instigate a nuclear war.
C)Prioritize state interests ahead of moral interests.
D)Enact restrictive tariffs to gain an advantage over a neighboring state.

Question 50

The United States issued the Monroe Doctrine to oppose:

A)Trade with China during the First Opium War.
B)Involvement in foreign wars.
C)Imperialism.
D)Continuation of the slave trade.

Question 51

Which of the following leaders is not an autocrat?

A)King
B)Tyrant
C)Despot
D)Oligarch

Question 52

In what type of representative government does the legislature elect one of its own members to be the executive office holder?

A)Parliamentary system
B)Diarchy
C)Unitary system
D)Single-party state

Question 53

What did the Thirteenth Amendment federally prohibit upon its ratification in 1865?

A)Racially discriminatory laws that did not treat all citizens equally under the law.
B)Slavery.
C)Secession.
D)Presidential assassination.

Question 54

If a citizen fails the test of "imminent lawless action" the government can restrict which of the citizen's rights?

A)Fifth Amendment Rights
B)Second Amendment Rights
C)First Amendment Rights
D)Sixth Amendment Rights

Question 55

How is the Senate president pro tempore chosen?

A)Elected by all members of the House and Senate.
B)Elected by the majority party in the Senate.
C)Appointed by the vice president of the United States, who is also the president of the Senate.
D)It's a default selection of the senator in the majority party who has the longest record of continuous Senate service.

Question 56

Only one Constitutional amendment has ever been repealed. What did the original amendment ban for 13 years until it was nullified by a subsequent amendment?

A)The sale and transport of liquor.
B)Racial discrimination.
C)Slavery.
D)Presidential term limits.

Question 57

Though popular sovereignty has long been part of the American political identity, it had the greatest impact on what issue?

A)The passage of progressive civil rights legislation at the state level.
B)The spread of slavery to newly admitted states.
C)Southern slave states seceding from the Union.
D)The creation of frontier governments during Westward Expansion.

Question 58

Which of the following reasons is the BEST explanation for why the U.S. Constitution is considered a "living document?"

A)Americans should give it the same show of respect that they would demonstrate for a living leader.
B)It is a body of laws that is still active and in use today.
C)It can be adapted to change according to the will of the people.
D)It is a perpetual, ironclad, unwavering charter.

Question 59

What happens to a law if the President pocket vetoes it?

A)It is sent to the states to ratify individually.
B)It goes to the Supreme Court for judicial review.
C)It is sent back to the legislative body in which it originated for amending or an override vote.
D)It dies and does not become law.

Question 60

What was the term for the body of segregationist laws that the Southern states enforced during Reconstruction?

A)Black Codes
B)Grandfather clauses
C)Slave Codes
D)Jim Crow laws

Question 61

Which of the following terms is associated with a Supreme Court Justice following a strict interpretation of constitutional law?

A)Judicial review
B)Judicial restraint
C)Judicial activism
D)Judicial oversight

Question 62

Which of the following is NOT a civil liberty?

A)The right of male and female American citizens over the age of 18 to vote.
B)The right to speak freely.
C)The right to work.
D)The right to a trial by jury.

Question 63

Since 1966, law enforcement officials have been required to read a criminal suspect his rights at the time of his arrest following the successful Supreme Court case of Ernesto Miranda against which state?

A)Florida
B)Kansas
C)Texas
D)Arizona

Question 64

Which of the following statements about the United States' relationship with supranational organizations is NOT correct?

A)At the end of World War I, the United States joined the League of Nations.
B)At the end of World War II, the United Nations replaced the League of Nations.
C)U)S. President Woodrow Wilson won a Nobel Prize for creating the League of Nations.
D)The United Nations fought the Axis Powers during World War II.

Question 65

Plutocracy is rule by:

A)The people.
B)The wealthy.
C)No one.
D)The military.