Deck 1: American Political Stories

Question 1

Which of the following best explains the outcome of the Mergens case?

A)The Court reaffirmed the principle of separation of church and state by forbidding the creation of faith-based clubs on campus.
B)The Court upheld students' rights to establish faith-based clubs and organizations on high school campuses.
C)The Court refused to acknowledge the Equal Access Act in its application to high school campuses.
D)The Court decided that high school students lacked the maturity to conduct faith-based activities on campus.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

In the Declaration of Independence, those rights that are described as "self-evident" are also referred to as

A)inalienable rights.
B)privileges of opportunity.
C)equality of opportunity.
D)the Bill of Rights.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Based on your textbook, which of the following statements is most correct with regard to the Declaration of Independence?

A)Thomas Jefferson was the singular author of the Declaration of Independence.
B)The Declaration of Independence was intended to be a nonpolitical statement.
C)The Declaration of Independence was highly edited and hotly debated.
D)The Declaration of Independence expressed the beliefs of all Americans at the time.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

According to a recent Harvard study, which of the following statements is most correct with regard to the American Dream?

A)Young people 18-27 showed no belief in the achievability of the American Dream.
B)Young people were more likely than the elderly to show faith in the American Dream
C)The majority of all respondents indicated that the American Dream is no longer alive.
D)Those with college degrees were more likely to say the American Dream is alive.

Question 5

Central to the philosophy of the American Revolution were the ideas of the ______ period in which reason and science were applied to better understand both the physical and social worlds.

A)precolonial
B)Enlightenment
C)continental
D)aristocratic

Question 6

Thomas Jefferson was selected as principal author of the Declaration of Independence primarily because of

A)Jefferson's role as a Southerner and Virginian.
B)Jefferson's leadership role in the Continental Congress.
C)Jefferson's education and academic background.
D)Jefferson's unique reputation as a political "hothead."

Question 7

Which of the following best describes the difference between privileges and rights?

A)Privileges can only be granted by a government.
B)Rights must be earned through social status.
C)Privileges may be granted and withdrawn by government.
D)Rights and privileges are synonymous with each other.

Question 8

Which of these is a fundamental prerequisite to achieving the "American Dream"?

A)talent and hard work
B)equality of outcome
C)economic privilege
D)advanced social status

Question 9

The purpose of the Equal Access Act of 1984 was to

A)enable the ability of public high schools to place limits on faith-based clubs and organizations.
B)restrict the ability of public high schools to limit faith-based clubs and organizations.
C)create new opportunities for students to start a variety of new clubs and organizations.
D)place limits on the types of new clubs and organizations that could be created on a public school campus.

Question 10

An unintended consequence of the Mergens decision was the application of the Equal Access Act (EAA)to organizations and clubs related to

A)intramural sports.
B)free speech and debate.
C)LGBT associations.
D)Bible study groups.

Question 11

Thomas Jefferson saw his primary role in drafting the Declaration of Independence as

A)justifying and defending American independence using logic.
B)complaining to Parliament about the actions of the king.
C)persuading other nations to support American independence.
D)persuading British citizens to support the American ideal.

Question 12

The belief in the special character of the United States as a uniquely free nation based on the ideals of democracy and individual liberty is best described as

A)the American Dream.
B)American exceptionalism.
C)rugged individualism.
D)the pursuit of happiness.

Question 13

In the American system of political culture, the emphasis tends to be on which of the following?

A)equality of outcome
B)equality of income
C)equality of performance
D)equality of opportunity

Question 14

Which of the following statements best describes the Greek system of democracy?

A)Power is held by government leaders.
B)Power is held by economic factors.
C)Power is held by the common people.
D)Power is held by the physically strong.

Question 15

When Thomas Jefferson wrote about the "pursuit of happiness" in the Declaration of Independence, he was actually tapping into

A)the ideals of liberty.
B)fair and equal justice.
C)equality of outcome.
D)the American Dream.

Question 16

The legal basis of Bridget Mergens's claim against her high school was which of the following?

A)the Equal Rights Amendment
B)the Fourteenth Amendment
C)the Civil Rights Act of 1964
D)the Equal Access Act of 1984

Question 17

A system of government in which power is held by the people in that society is best described as a(n)

A)autocracy.
B)plutocracy.
C)aristocracy.
D)democracy.

Question 18

Politics is best described as the process of

A)making and enforcing laws and policies.
B)selecting governmental leaders.
C)influencing actions and policies of a government.
D)administering and executing governmental activities.

Question 19

Bridget Mergens's request to start a new club on her high school campus was different because she wanted to start a campus-sponsored ______.

A)Christian bible club.
B)athletic booster club.
C)Gay and Lesbian Alliance club.
D)political debate club.

Question 20

Politics and government are seen as

A)synonymous with each other.
B)closely connected to each other.
C)unrelated to each other.
D)opposed to each other.

Question 21

In speaking of submitting facts to a "candid world," Jefferson and the members of the Second Continental Congress were specifically addressing which of the following?

A)patriotic Americans
B)American and British loyalists
C)governments of Britain's rivals
D)leaders of the thirteen colonies

Question 22

The second deleted section of the Declaration of Independence dealt with charges against the king involving inciting ______.

A)slave rebellions
B)civil war
C)religious arguments
D)political unrest

Question 23

Colonists who established Jamestown were backed and supported by which of the following?

A)the king of England
B)the British Parliament
C)religious supporters
D)the Virginia Company

Question 24

In which section of the Declaration of Independence is one most likely to find the explanation of natural rights and the justification of American independence?

A)the opening paragraphs
B)the middle paragraphs
C)the concluding paragraphs
D)the entire document

Question 25

Rights which people are born with that cannot be taken away by kings or rulers with absolute power are described as:

A)limited rights.
B)political privileges.
C)natural rights.
D)innate privileges.

Question 26

Both black slaves and indigenous peoples had which of the following in common?

A)a desire to maintain and defend their native territory
B)an ideal that land could not be owned by any man
C)a struggle to maintain traditional ways of life and culture
D)a tradition of involuntary servitude and European dominance

Question 27

Which of the following was most responsible for Great Britain's increased desire to exert centralized control over its colonies?

A)threat of foreign invasion
B)increasing military debt
C)threat of internal revolution
D)increasing foreign interference

Question 28

According to the textbook, deletion of which of the following topics from the first draft of the Declaration of Independence had the most significance?

A)the slave trade
B)autocratic rule
C)natural rights
D)economic privilege

Question 29

The first permanent settlement in North America was at ______.

A)Plymouth
B)Philadelphia
C)New York
D)Jamestown

Question 30

In applying scientific principles learned from the natural world to human political action and interaction, major contributions were made to which of the following?

A)archaeology
B)anthropology
C)political science
D)natural science

Question 31

The first group of African slaves was brought to the Western Hemisphere by ______.

A)British colonists
B)Native raiding parties
C)Spanish explorers
D)Southern plantations

Question 32

British colonization had which of the following effects on traditional native ways of life?

A)minimal and incomplete
B)comprehensive and total
C)moderate and balanced
D)tolerant and measured

Question 33

Initially, British colonists depended upon ______ of native people for their own survival.

A)technological ignorance and cultural diversity
B)political leadership and a lack of weapons
C)adaptive technologies and agricultural advances
D)ineffective agriculture and a lack of weaponry

Question 34

Perhaps the largest factor leading to the decline in Native American populations was

A)technology.
B)agriculture.
C)education.
D)disease.

Question 35

The baron de Montesquieu proposed that

A)power should be shared among political leaders.
B)power should be divided between different branches.
C)power should be delegated by a central aristocracy.
D)power should be held solely by an authoritarian ruler.

Question 36

Which of the following best describes the Virginia House of Burgesses?

A)the first elected assembly in Colonial America
B)the first religious body in Colonial America
C)the first agricultural community in Colonial America
D)the first extension of British rule in Colonial America

Question 37

______ would have been most vocal in its complaints against Jefferson's initial draft of the Declaration of Independence

A)Northern mercantilists
B)Southern plantation owners
C)Western explorers
D)Eastern ship owners

Question 38

Unlike France and Spain, Great Britain lacked a cohesive ______?

A)political policy
B)military policy
C)foreign policy
D)colonial policy

Question 39

In Democratic Athens, political participation was limited to which of the following?

A)free, property-owning males
B)free-born adult men and women
C)all adult men and women
D)all natural-born individuals

Question 40

Political science is the study of how individuals and institutions ______

A)are organized and structured.
B)hold and wield power.
C)shape political outcomes.
D)enforce laws and policies.

Question 41

Which radical organization was most visible and vocal in its dissent against British tax policies of the 1760s?

A)the Second Continental Congress
B)the Sons of Liberty
C)the Daughters of the Revolution
D)the Society of American Loyalists

Question 42

Which of the following had the greatest impact on popularizing and spreading the message of American independence?

A)the Sons of Liberty
B)the printing press
C)improved roads and bridges
D)northern industrial expansion

Question 43

One of the most controversial of British revenue laws of the 1760s was the ______, which attempted to raise money through direct taxes on printed materials such as newspapers, magazines, pamphlets, cards, and dice.

A)Sugar Act
B)Stamp Act
C)Intolerable Acts
D)Currency Act

Question 44

The proposal for a union of British colonies in North America in which colonial legislatures would appoint delegates to form a law-making body under the direct leadership of Great Britain was referred-to as the ______.

A)Connecticut Plan
B)Albany Plan
C)Philadelphia Plan
D)Virginia Plan

Question 45

The primary means of political propaganda during the 1760s was most probably the

A)newspaper.
B)political speech.
C)campaign slogan.
D)pamphlet.

Question 46

Also called the Revenue Act of 1764, which of the following was designed to assert tighter control over trade and to reduce smuggling and bribes, which were costing Great Britain money?

A)the Sugar Act
B)the Stamp Act
C)the Intolerable Acts
D)the Currency Act of 1764

Question 47

Beginning in the 1770s, what happened to political power in the colonies?

A)It began to shift more in favor of the British loyalists.
B)It began to shift away from moderates to radical groups who called for independence.
C)The political power of radical patriots began to decline in favor of moderate ideals.
D)British loyalists began to dominate the political scene, punishing the patriots.

Question 48

What impact did the Declaration of Rights and Statements of Grievances have in lessening pressures between Great Britain and the colonies?

A)It led to earnest discussions between the colonies and the British Parliament.
B)It led to a lessening of British military aggression through the thirteen colonies.
C)It led to the repeal of the Stamp Act but had little effect on the desire for independence.
D)It had minor immediate impact and increased tensions between loyalists and patriots.

Question 49

A common phrase associated with the planned strategy of colonial resistance was

A)"Give me liberty or give me death."
B)"Join or die."
C)"No taxation without representation."
D)"Don't tread on me."

Question 50

During the uncertain political environment of the 1760s, support for American independence was ______.

A)favorable and strong
B)unanimous and assertive
C)weak and openly split
D)contentious yet hopeful

Question 51

In many ways, colonial opposition to British policies was best described as

A)radical.
B)moderate.
C)conservative.
D)liberal.

Question 52

The proposer and greatest supporter of the Albany plan was ______.

A)George Washington
B)Alexander Hamilton
C)Benjamin Franklin
D)Thomas Paine

Question 53

The Treaty of Paris, 1763, left Great Britain

A)a weakened power among Northern European nations.
B)a weakened sea power in comparison to France and Spain.
C)highly dependent upon its colonies for continued power.
D)the unquestioned European power in North America and Canada.

Question 54

Benjamin Franklin's proposal for a unified political body was not adopted by colonial governments for which of the following reasons?

A)Great Britain wanted to deal with the colonies as a single nation.
B)The colonies did not wish to give up their own sovereignty.
C)The colonies saw themselves as an extension of Great Britain.
D)Great Britain saw the colonies as an autonomous political unit.

Question 55

On August 26, 1765, a "scene of riot, drunkenness, profaneness and robbery" ransacked the house of ______, then lieutenant governor of Massachusetts.

A)Thomas Hutchinson
B)William Franklin
C)Sir John Johnson
D)George Hewes

Question 56

Thomas Paine unified the colonists into action at a time when many were ready to receive the message by drawing on which of the following ideas ?

A)American exceptionalism and supremacy
B)freedom from religious persecution
C)Americans were extensions of the British
D)Americans had a unique destiny and history

Question 57

The war principally between France and Great Britain and other European nations across the globe was known as the ______ in North America.

A)French and Indian War
B)Seven Years War
C)War of the Roses
D)Napoleonic Wars

Question 58

Prior to the Seven Years War, British policy toward the colonies could best be described as ______.

A)support the mother land
B)pay your fair share
C)hands-off
D)direct political control

Question 59

A complicating factor for the British revenue policies of the 1760s was that they were instituted during a period of economic ______.

A)expansion
B)recession
C)depression
D)recovery

Question 60

Thomas Paine challenged the legitimacy of the British monarchy and refuted arguments in favor of reconciling England and the Colonies by calling King George a ______.

A)"royal brute"
B)"royal fool"
C) "royal usurper"
D)"royal imitator"

Question 61

Which form of government suppresses the voices of its own citizens to maintain a group in power while allowing some economic or social institutions to exist without government control?

A)authoritarian
B)totalitarian
C)democratic
D)republican

Question 62

American independence came as an immediate result of victory in which of the following battles?

A)the Battle of Trenton
B)the Battle of Bunker Hill
C)the Battle of Saratoga
D)the Battle of Yorktown

Question 63

T monarchies, theocracies, and oligarchies all share which of the following?

A)They admit no external challenges to their power or authority.
B)They allow moderate challenge to their power or authority.
C)They are highly influenced by the power of the individual citizen.
D)They admit some external judicial challenges to their authority.

Question 64

After the Battle of Yorktown, American independence was secured with which of the following?

A)the Treaty of Gent
B)the Treaty of Brussels
C)the Treaty of Paris
D)the Treaty of Versailles

Question 65

Which of the following was an argument used by opponents of American independence?

A)Americans possessed unfair military advantage.
B)Failure might mean the loss of the upper-class privileges.
C)Independence might raise a powerful middle class.
D)The actions of the mobs in Boston had not been forgotten.

Question 66

A system of government in which citizens vote directly on public issues in a society could best be described as

A)direct democracy.
B)indirect democracy.
C)representative democracy.
D)limited democracy.

Question 67

The systematic design to keep women out of involvement in government and public life could best be described as ______.

A)"supportive suppression"
B)"selective obsession"
C)"protective oppression"
D)"collective inclusion"

Question 68

In April of 1773, a group of ______ in Massachusetts petitioned the government for a redress of their grievances, expressing their own natural rights as a reason for their freedom.

A)indentured servants
B)colonial patriots
C)colonial l
D)African Americans

Question 69

Which of the following was a unique exception to the suppression of female participation in colonial times?

A)trade
B)politics
C)ownership
D)religion

Question 70

Virginia representative ______ offered a motion in Congress declaring American independence on June 7, 1776.

A)Thomas Jefferson
B)Richard Henry Lee
C)Patrick Henry
D)John Hancock

Question 71

Which form of government admits no limitations on its power and allows no competing centers of political power?

A)authoritarian
B)totalitarian
C)democratic
D)republican

Question 72

What pamphlet, authored by Esther DeBerdt Reed and published in June 1780, laid out the necessity for colonial women to organize aid to the revolutionary cause?

A)"The Sentiments of the American Woman"
B)"The Declaration of Sentiments, Grievances and Resolutions"
C)"The Women's Declaration of Independent Sentiments"
D)"The Discussion of Women's Grievances and Arguments"

Question 73

In 1773, the Sons of Liberty in Boston created a man-made crisis in order to push away the possibility of reconciling with Great Britain.Their action has been referred to as ______ by historians.

A)the Boston Massacre
B)the Boston Rampage
C)the Boston Tea Party
D)the Boston Uprising

Question 74

Replacement of British textiles, in particular, brought colonial women together in which of the following organizations?

A)Daughters of Liberty
B)Daughters of the Revolution
C)Daughters of Patriotism
D)Daughters of Commerce

Question 75

In 1770, the confrontation between a mob of Bostonians and a small group of British soldiers beginning with taunts and snowballs and ending in the deaths of fie American colonials was referred to as the ______.

A)Boston Tea Party
B)Boston Rampage
C)Boston Uprising
D)Boston Massacre

Question 76

In devising a system of government, basic questions must be resolved with regard to which of the following?

A)conducting and determining elections
B)acquiring and distributing power
C)collecting and spending taxes
D)dividing and limiting government

Question 77

In his 1776 pamphlet entitled "Liberty Further Extended," Massachusetts Minister Lemuel Hayes argued ______.

A)liberty is a natural right
B)liberty must be earned
C)liberty is a privilege
D)liberty is granted by the king

Question 78

Those rules, laws, and structures that channel and shape political actions are described as

A)governmental units.
B)political ideologies.
C)democratic ideals.
D)political institutions.

Question 79

As America moved toward revolution, colonial Americans saw improvements in ______.

A)social equality and liberty at all levels
B)social equality with the exception of Northern mercantilists.
C)social equality with the exception of Southern plantation societies
D)social equality with the exception of Western settlers

Question 80

Which of the following was an argument used by patriot radicals?

A)The threat of possible armed conflict threatened the colonies.
B)A series of early losses dramatically decreased the probability of victory.
C)The publication of Common Sense had little impact on colonial sentiment.
D)Individual colonies were passing resolutions supporting independence.