Deck 10: Constitutional Rights

Question 1

In which 1857 case did the Supreme Court declare that a black man had no rights under a white man's government?

A)Dred Scott v. Sanford
B)Plessy v. Ferguson
C)Brown v. Topeka Board of Education
D)Loving v. Virginia
E)Sweatt v. Painter

Answer 1

Dred Scott v. Sanford

Question 2

Why was the Supreme Court case of Marbury v. Madison (1803) so significant?

A)It established a policy for judicial review.
B)It abolished slavery.
C)It gave complete government power to the Republicans.
D)It established states' rights.

Answer 2

It established a policy for judicial review.

Question 3

In which 1896 case did the Supreme Court rule that "equal but separate accommodations for the white and colored races" was constitutional?

A)Dred Scott v. Sanford
B)Plessy v. Ferguson
C)Brown v. Topeka Board of Education
D)Loving v. Virginia
E)Sweatt v. Painter

Answer 3

Plessy v. Ferguson

Question 4

In which 1954 case did the Supreme Court overturn the finding in Plessy v. Ferguson for public schools?

A)Dred Scott v. Sanford
B)Plessy v. Ferguson
C)Brown v. Topeka Board of Education
D)Loving v. Virginia
E)Sweatt v. Painter

Question 5

What did the Supreme Court decide in California Board of Regents v. Bakke (1978)?

A)It overturned the free speech limits placed at UC-Berkeley.
B)It forced the racial integration of state universities.
C)It allowed the University of California system to charge different tuition rates for in-state and out-of-state students.
D)It overturned a plan to merge UC-Berkeley and UCLA into one giant university.
E)It forbade rigid racial quotas in school admissions policies.

Question 6

The Supreme Court decision Korematsu v. United States (1944) upheld the constitutionality of which controversial US action?

A)Internment camps during World War II
B)The bombing of Hiroshima
C)Restrictions on immigration from Asian countries
D)Not allowing the Soviet Union to compete in the Los Angeles Olympics.
E)Upholding California's decision to ban business ownership by first-generation immigrants.

Question 7

Which Supreme Court case overturned a state law that forbade inter-racial marriage?

A)Dred Scott v. Sanford
B)Plessy v. Ferguson
C)Brown v. Topeka Board of Education
D)Loving v. Virginia
E)Sweatt v. Painter

Question 8

In Lawrence v. Texas (2003) the Supreme Court found that:

A)Everything is bigger in Texas.
B)The Texas anti-sodomy law was unconstitutional.
C)Texas could not vote to become a sovereign nation.
D)The University of Texas had to admit students from other countries.
E)Texas was not allowed to coin its own currency.

Question 9

In Reed v. Reed (1971) the Supreme Court found that:

A)Sexual privacy was an absolute right.
B)Women should receive equal pay for equal work.
C)Arbitrary sex-based classification was unconstitutional.
D)Companies should provide extra training for women who did not have as many educational opportunities as men.
E)"No-fault" divorces were constitutional.

Question 10

In Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson (1986), the Supreme Court found that:

A)Arbitrary sex-based classification was unconstitutional.
B)Sexual harassment was against the law.
C)Companies should provide extra training for women who did not have as many educational opportunities as men.
D)Married women could hold independent bank accounts without the approval of their husbands.
E)The Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution did not cover women.

Question 11

In Olmstead v. L.C. (1999), the Supreme Court found that:

A)The American with Disabilities Act bars the unnecessary segregation of people with disabilities.
B)The Americans with Disabilities Act forces public venues to provide segregated facilities for people with disabilities.
C)The Americans with Disabilities Act was unconstitutional.
D)The Americans with Disabilities Act did not apply to mental health cases.
E)The Americans with Disabilities Act provided incentive to discriminate against the disabled.

Question 12

In United States v. Virginia (1996), the Supreme Court found that:

A)Virginia's laws against sodomy were unconstitutional.
B)States must hire an equal number of men and women.
C)Having a "poll tax" was unconstitutional.
D)State schools could not forbid the admittance women students.
E)Virginia could not annex the District of Columbia.

Question 13

In the Supreme Court case Brown v. the Board of Education, what was the decision to desegregate schools based on?

A)The Bill of Rights
B)The 13th Amendment
C)The 15th Amendment
D)The Emancipation Proclamation

Question 14

What did the Supreme Court case Korematsu v. U.S. decide?

A)The internment of Japanese Americans was illegal and unconstitutional.
B)The internment of Japanese Americans was constitutional and completely justified.
C)All imports from Japan were banned.
D)Immigrants from Asia should be denied entry to the United States.

Question 15

After the Great Depression and the Civil Rights era, which of the following came to be included in the interstate commerce powers of Congress?

A)General movement of goods anywhere around the United States
B)Criminal acts inside states
C)Activities related to economic trade across states
D)Movement of goods and services across state lines

Question 16

Of the following presidents in the late 20th century, who desired the nation to declare a "war on poverty"?

A)Lyndon B. Johnson
B)George W. Bush
C)Richard Nixon
D)Ronald Regan

Question 17

When Progressives demanded major changes in workers' rights, who did it affect most?

A)Members of Congress
B)Republicans first
C)Democrats first
D)Neither party

Question 18

Why was the Equal Rights Amendment defeated?

A)Nixon vetoed it
B)It was found to be unconstitutional
C)Too few state legislatures passed it
D)Congress refused to pass it.

Question 19

Which of the following terms describes the power of government to seize private property for the public good?

A)Writ of certiorari
B)Amicus curiae
C)Eminent domain
D)Ex post facto

Question 20

What group represents the widest gap between those favoring and those opposing gay marriage?

A)Respondents from the East
B)Respondents from the West
C)Respondents who are white
D)Respondents from rural areas

Question 21

Of the following Supreme Court decisions, which dealt with the concept of exclusionary rule and evidence being obtained through illegal means?

A)Korematsu v. United States
B)Plessy v. Ferguson
C)Mapp v. Ohio
D)Munn v. Illinois

Question 22

In 1857, the Supreme Court ruled in the Dred Scott case. Which idea was part of its decision?

A)States have no jurisdiction over Native American tribes, which are considered to be separate nations.
B)Separate but equal facilities are constitutional.
C)Separate but equal facilities are unconstitutional.
D)African American men had no rights that white men were beholden to respect.

Question 23

Why was Peter Zenger's 1735 trial so significant?

A)His case set the precedent for freedom of the press in the United States.
B)Peter Zenger was executed, marking the first instance of capital punishment in the Colonies.
C)Peter Zenger was tried by entirely British officials.
D)Peter Zenger was tried by entirely Colonial officials, marking the trial run in the Colonies by and all-Colonial jury.

Question 24

The individual rights that are promised to citizens under the Bill of Rights were later extended to the states, due to the Supreme Court interpretation of which Constitutional Amendment?

A)10
B)14
C)12
D)16

Question 25

Fill in the blanks:
Early nationalists supported __________.
Localists supported __________.

A)Washington; Adams
B)Jefferson; Hamilton
C)Trading with France; trading with England
D)A conservative agenda; a liberal agenda

Question 26

Federalism maintains the idea that our two major forms of government are both what?

A)Equal
B)Checked and balanced
C)Sovereign
D)Elected

Question 27

What was federalism meant to do in the early days of the republic?

A)Encourage eligible voters to vote
B)Protect the liberties of the nation
C)Allow local governments to flourish and become strong
D)Strengthen the power of the national capital

Question 28

Why did early leaders like Madison fear "factions"?

A)They believed factions would take control of regions and block minority groups.
B)They believed factions would split the country into party groups.
C)They believed factions would have too much influence upon national leaders.
D)They believed factions would stop the ratification of the Constitution.

Question 29

How are the 13^th, 14^th, and 15^th Amendments similar?

A)All protect the rights of property holders
B)All extended voting rights to various groups who had been previously denied those rights.
C)All expanded the rights of African Americans
D)All were ratified during the Civil War period.

Question 30

How did the founders want to limit legislative powers?

A)By allowing only the House would create tax legislation.
B)By giving the executive the power to increase or decrease taxes
C)By not letting them remove certain rights in normal times
D)By giving the executive the power to create independent agencies

Question 31

Which of the following was written by John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison in order to convince the states to ratify the Constitution?

A)Common Sense
B)The Great Awakening
C)The Jungle
D)The Federalist Papers

Question 32

Which of the following terms describes the system that was built into the U.S. Constitution in which the three branches of the government (executive, judicial, and legislative) have separate but equal powers that are limited and fully dependent upon each other?

A)Bicameral legislature
B)Unicameral legislature
C)Checks and balances
D)Delegated powers

Question 33

Which of the following does the term "New Federalism" refer to?

A)The growing power of the federal government over local and municipal governments
B)The growing influence of iron triangles on the federal budget
C)The conservative movement designed to return more power and control of money to the states
D)Increased government spending in education

Question 34

The following concepts are mentioned in the Preamble to the Constitution:
I. Establish Justice
II. Secure the blessing of education
III. Provide for the common defense
IV. Promote the general welfare

Question 35

What is the idea that the Constitution was created by the states and so the states could, therefore, dissolve the Constitution at their will?

A)Spoils system
B)Ordinance of Nullification
C)Compact Theory
D)Tariff of Abominations

Question 36

What does the 22^nd Amendment to the United States Constitution establish?

A)It lowered the voting age to 18.
B)It changed the method by which Congress can raise its members' salaries.
C)It repealed prohibition.
D)It limited presidents to serving two terms.

Question 37

Of the following, who has the responsibility, according to the Constitution, to create additional federal courts and assign the number of judges who will preside in them?

A)The president
B)The secretary of the Department of Justice
C)The Congress
D)The attorney general

Question 38

Under the Articles of Confederation, where does the bulk of the power rest?

A)State legislatures
B)The president
C)Congress
D)The Senate

Question 39

The term "establishment clause" refers which portion of the United States Constitution?

A)Women's right to vote
B)The right to bear arms
C)No person shall be forced to testify against herself or himself
D)Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion

Question 40

What is it called when two or more governments share power over the same area and people?

A)Federalism
B)Democracy
C)Republicanism
D)Separation of Powers
E)Checks and Balances

Question 41

Under which model of federalism do national and regional governments remain supreme within their own set of duties?

A)Cooperative federalism
B)Dual federalism
C)Polity federalism
D)Legitimizing federalism
E)Lame federalism

Question 42

Under which model of federalism do governmental responsibilities and duties get blurred among the various levels of government?

A)Cooperative federalism
B)Dual federalism
C)Polity federalism
D)Legitimizing federalism
E)Lame federalism

Question 43

Which clause of the Constitution is most important in understanding federalism in the United States?

A)The Free Exercise Clause
B)The Three-Fifths Clause
C)The Santa Clause
D)The Equal Protection Clause
E)The Supremacy Clause

Question 44

Why was the Supreme Court case McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) important?

A)It was the first case to establish the principle of judicial review.
B)It was the last time Maryland was represented in the Supreme Court.
C)It clearly declared the supremacy of the federal government over the states.
D)It declared "separate but equal" unconstitutional.
E)It granted the right to anyone to marry whomever they wish.

Question 45

What is the Elastic Clause of the Constitution?

A)It says that Congress may pass any laws that are "necessary and proper" in fulfilling its stated duties.
B)It explains that the division of powers between the executive and legislative branches can be changed as the country changes.
C)It states that neither the federal government nor the states have ultimate authority.
D)It delineates the powers of cities.
E)It describes what cases the courts can and cannot hear.

Question 46

Why was the Supreme Court case Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) important?

A)It instituted the "separate but equal" doctrine.
B)It stated that the Ninth Amendment rendered the Supremacy Clause null and void.
C)It allowed anyone to marry whomever they wish.
D)The Commerce Clause was defined very broadly.
E)It was the first case to establish the principle of judicial review.

Question 47

Which of the following was not a major event that led to the federal government gaining more power over the states?

A)The Civil War
B)The New Deal
C)McCulloch v. Maryland
D)The Civil Rights Movement
E)The Reagan administration

Question 48

Why was the Civil Rights Movement important to the development of federalism in the United States?

A)The states retained the power over whether to enforce federal decisions.
B)The movement was so popular that it brought the nation closer together than it ever had been before.
C)The federal government had to force the states to abide by the new laws and court rulings that came out of the movement.
D)Through the changes brought about, the municipalities (cities and towns) gained as much power as did the states.
E)It led to the election of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was responsible for a massive expansion in the federal government.

Question 49

Which level of government establishes the minimum drinking age in the United States?

A)Federal government
B)State government
C)Municipal government
D)County government
E)There is no minimum drinking age in the US.

Question 50

What does the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the Constitution declare?

A)Whenever one state gets in trouble with the banks, all the other states have to bail it out.
B)Each state must recognize the public records, acts, and licenses of all the other states.
C)No religious perspective can be preferred over another in government policies.
D)The government must give credit where credit is due.
E)The currency of one state must be accepted in other states.

Question 51

If California and Oregon have a conflict over water usage, how does the matter get settled?

A)The two states go to war and the winner decides how the water gets used.
B)A neutral state, such as Oklahoma, makes a binding decision that California and Oregon have to accept.
C)Past water usage records are examined and each state is granted their average usage over the last decade.
D)The federal government decides.
E)Switzerland, due to its reputation for neutrality, issues a binding resolution.

Question 52

When the law-writing, law-enforcing, and law-judging functions of government are practiced by different parts of the government, it is called:

A)Separation of powers
B)Checks and balances
C)Federalism
D)Republicanism
E)Democracy

Question 53

Article I of the Constitution spells out the requirements and responsibilities of which branch of government?

A)The presidency
B)Congress
C)The judiciary branch
D)The bureaucracy
E)The military

Question 54

Article II of the Constitution spells out the requirements and responsibilities of which branch of government?

A)The presidency
B)Congress
C)The judiciary
D)The bureaucracy
E)The military

Question 55

Article III of the Constitution spells out the requirements and responsibilities of which part of the government?

A)The presidency
B)Congress
C)The judiciary
D)The bureaucracy
E)The military

Question 56

President Grande wants to pass a law forcing everyone to have a poster of him hanging in their bedrooms. Can he pass this law?

A)Yes. President Grande is the president and he can do whatever he wants.
B)Yes. The courts would force it to be passed because it is the patriotic duty of all citizens.
C)Maybe. If the Congress passes the law, then President Grande can sign it.
D)No. The courts would declare the law unconstitutional.
E)No. There would be no way to enforce it.

Question 57

Justice Feelgood wants a law passed that makes it legal for anyone over the age of 18 to smoke marijuana. If he convinces his colleagues on the Supreme Court, can he pass this law?

A)No. Laws can only be passed by Congress and the Supreme Court; under no circumstance can the Supreme Court make a decision on this sort of thing.
B)No. Laws can only be passed by Congress. The Supreme Court, however, can issue a "ruling" ordering Congress to pass this law or the executive branch to not enforce any restrictions on adult marijuana use.
C)Yes. The Supreme Court is supreme and can do whatever it wants.
D)Yes. Since marijuana use is an issue handled by the court system, the Supreme Court has the authority to make laws about it.
E)This is a ridiculous question because no Supreme Court justice would ever want it to be legal for adults to smoke marijuana.

Question 58

According to the Constitution, who is responsible every year for writing the budget?

A)The Federal Reserve Board
B)The Department of the Treasury
C)The President of the United States
D)Congress
E)The Supreme Court

Question 59

What formal role does the President of the United States have in amending the Constitution?

A)The president must propose any amendment to the Constitution.
B)After Congress passes an amendment by a 2/3 majority, the president must ratify it.
C)The president can call a national convention to propose an amendment
D)The president must write the text of any amendment before Congress can ratify it.
E)None

Question 60

Who is ultimately in charge of the US military?

A)Congress
B)The president
C)The generals
D)The bureaucracy
E)The Supreme Court

Question 61

In Federalist Paper #51, James Madison wrote, "Ambition must be made to counteract ambition.…If men were angels, no government would be necessary. You must…enable the government…to control itself." In this passage, what was Madison proposing?

A)Separation of powers
B)Federalism
C)Writ of habeas corpus
D)Republicanism
E)Confederated identity theory

Question 62

What is the relationship between "separation of powers" and "checks and balances"?

A)They are the same thing.
B)The concept of checks and balances is technically a violation of the separation of powers.
C)The two concepts are completely unrelated.
D)Separation of powers is more important than checks and balances.
E)They're married.

Question 63

Which of the following individuals opposed ratifying the US Constitution?

A)Patrick Henry
B)John Adams
C)James Madison
D)George Washington
E)John Jay

Question 64

About half of the states did not plan on sending any delegates to the Constitutional Convention. What happened to frighten states into sending delegates?

A)The Boston Tea Party
B)The Battle of Lexington and Concord
C)The Federalist Papers
D)The Gettysburg Address
E)Shays' Rebellion

Question 65

Which of the following was not a reason commonly given by Federalists for why the Articles of Confederation needed to be strengthened or replaced?

A)The central government could not force the states to send it tax revenue.
B)Small states had the ability to "veto" proposed laws, even if the majority of the states wanted them.
C)The Articles of Confederation gave too much power to the Continental Congress.
D)The states were not able to coordinate well in making decisions that affected each other.
E)If one state was attacked by another country (such as England), none of the other states were obligated to help that state defend itself.

Question 66

Political philosopher John Locke is said to have had the most influence over which of the following important US documents?

A)The Emancipation Proclamation
B)The Monroe Doctrine
C)The Articles of Confederation
D)The Declaration of Independence
E)The Federalist Papers

Question 67

What was the Boston Tea Party?

A)A mob of colonists in Massachusetts who boarded ships emptied chests of tea into the harbor to complain about a tea tax.
B)A gathering of political elite to discuss concepts of liberty and equality while under the rule of Great Britain.
C)The celebration of the Boston football team's victory over their arch-rival New York.
D)The first meeting of the Continental Congress.
E)The political convention that nominated George Washington to be the first President of the United States.

Question 68

What did the Virginia Plan at the Constitutional Convention propose?

A)Representation in the new Congress should be proportional according to the population of each state.
B)Each state should be equally represented in the new Congress so that states with fewer people would have as much say as states with more people.
C)Create two houses of Congress. The House of Representatives would represent states according to population and the Senate would have each state be represented equally regardless of population.
D)The nation's capital should be located on the border of Virginia and Maryland.
E)Any future President of the United States could only come from Virginia.

Question 69

What was the "three-fifths compromise"?

A)The compromise over how many Senators each state would get.
B)The compromise that, for purposes of representation and taxation, made each "non-free person" (i.e. slave) count as three-fifths of a person.
C)The compromise between Hamilton and Madison that Hamilton would get to write three-fifths of the Federalist Papers.
D)The compromise on the number of soldiers each state would provide for the US military.
E)The compromise over the number of Senators required to overturn a presidential veto.

Question 70

What is one thing the Federalists promised to do soon after the Constitution was ratified in order to get people to support it?

A)Have Senators serve in office for life terms.
B)Have George Washington serve as the first President under the new Constitution.
C)Create political parties to ensure that the people would have choices in their elections.
D)Create a Bill of Rights.
E)Separate the Congress into a House of Representatives and a Senate.

Question 71

What did Federalism originally mean?

A)Individual layers of government could have unique forms of rights
B)The national government would protect the minimum rights of the states.
C)State and national governments would protect similar rights.
D)State governments would have relatively equal sets of rights.

Question 72

Why was Common Sense, a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1776, so significant?

A)Thomas Paine was a high-ranking British officer who actually supported independence.
B)It outlined the reasons that independence from Great Britain was a logical step.
C)It outlined the reasons that the colonists should not separate from Great Britain.
D)It called for removing the Native American threat from the colonies.

Question 73

What does the US Constitution say about political parties?

A)It establishes a national party structure.
B)It encourages the establishment of parties, but does not require it.
C)It created the Democratic and Republican Parties.
D)It doesn't say anything about them.
E)It says political parties must operate at the state level.

Question 74

What does James Madison say about removing the causes of factions in Federalist #10?

A)It is the only way to maintain order.
B)Preventing factions would be worse than letting them form.
C)A basic separation of powers framework is best suited to prevent factions.
D)The best way to remove the cause of factions is to create an extended union.
E)Factions were a good thing, so it would be wrong to remove the causes of them.

Question 75

As James Madison uses the term in Federalist #10, what is a faction?

A)An interest group that seeks to harm individuals or the country as a whole.
B)An interest group that splits off from a larger interest group.
C)It is the same thing as a political party.
D)Members of Congress who are of a different political party than the President.
E)The result of members of the Cabinet disagreeing with each other on policy.

Question 76

S. Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia (1967) led to the termination of what type of law?

A)Commercialized vice laws
B)Indecency laws
C)"Separate but equal"
D)Anti-miscegenation laws

Question 77

S. Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education (1954) ended the practice of racial segregation termed "separate but equal," which had been made law by which previous U.S. Supreme Court case?

A)Strauder v. West Virginia
B)Dred Scott v. Sandford
C)Plessy v. Ferguson
D)Williams v. Mississippi

Question 78

Which of the following acts is not an act of free speech as protected by the First Amendment?

A)A published parody of a public figure that inflicts emotional distress upon the subject
B)A public speech in which the speaker incites the crowd to kill any member of a certain ethnic group upon encountering them
C)Burning the American flag
D)A single citizen's political campaign contribution that is in excess of $2,500