Chapter 6 Section Reviews

Question 1

What country has the oldest written constitution in effect today?

Answer 1

United States of America

Question 2

Which Supreme Court case expanded the Third and Fourth Amendments to imply a right to privacy as one of American citizens’ fundamental rights?

Answer 2

Griswold v. Connecticut

Question 3

Of the thousands of amendments that have been proposed, how many have been ratified?

Answer 3

27

Question 4

What did the Twenty-second Amendment achieve?

Answer 4

Making the two-term tradition into law.

Question 5

What are the two ways amendments to the Constitution can be proposed?

Answer 5

2/3 votes in both houses of congress or special national convention called at request of a 2/3 the state.

Question 6

What is the power of the Supreme Court to determine the constitutionality of a law passed by Congress?

Answer 6

Judicial review

Question 7

Where is the concept of federalism most clearly found in the Constitution?

Answer 7

10th Amendment

Question 8

What is it when the president does not sign a bill within ten days of receiving it and Congress adjourns within that time?

Answer 8

Pocket veto

Question 9

Is the President required by the Constitution to give Congress a State of the Union address once a year?

Answer 9

Yes

Question 10

Where is each branch of government housed?

Answer 10

Congress - Capitol building
President - White House
Supreme Court - Supreme Court building

Question 11

What is necessary for limited government?

Answer 11

Written Constitution

Question 12

Has bureaucracy grown out of the president’s responsibility to make sure the laws are enforced?

Answer 12

Yes

Question 13

Who is the head of the Senate? When does this person vote?

Answer 13

Vice President; tie vote

Question 14

How does each of the three branches of government checks and balances the others?

Answer 14

1. President may reject or veto bills when presented to them. Whatever he proposes, must be approved by the Senate.
2. Both houses of congress can override him by having a two-thirds majority within them.
3. The court may nullify acts of both congress and the president if most of the justices interpret or act as unconstitutional.

Question 15

How did their knowledge of human nature help the framers of the Constitution?

Answer 15

By knowing how corrupt man is and can be with power, they divided authority within the national government and included checks and balances.

Question 16

What characteristics of the United States Constitution give it flexibility in adapting to change?What characteristics of the United States Constitution give it flexibility in adapting to change?

Answer 16

The Constitution provided sufficient room for interpretation from generation to generation, granted Congress the right to make whatever laws “necessary and proper” for executing its powers, and has provisions for adding amendments that reflect changes in popular will.

Question 17

What is the difference between a strict constructionist and a broad constructionist?

Answer 17

A strict constructionist believes the text of Constitution is important and wants minimum interpretation. A broad constructionist broadly interprets the Constitution.

Question 18

What are the two major phases in the amendment process? What are the various ways an amendment may pass through these phases?

Answer 18

Proposal: by either (1) a two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress or (2) by a special national convention called by two-thirds of the states.
Ratification: by either (1) three-fourths of the states’ legislatures or (2) by three-fourths of special state ratification conventions.

Question 19

What six basic principles of government guided the creation and interpretation of the Constitution?

Answer 19

Limited government, separation of powers, checks and balances, judicial review, federalism, and popular sovereignty.

Question 20

What is the difference between separation of powers and checks and balances?

Answer 20

Separation of powers prevented any group or individual from gaining too much control, national power is divided into 3 separate branches. Checks and balances hinder the concentration of power and thus protected personal liberty.

Question 21

What is the obvious disadvantage of checks and balances? What benefit overshadows this disadvantage?

Answer 21

It is inefficient, no tyranny overshadows this.

Question 22

What is judicial review? Why did Hamilton believe it was necessary?

Answer 22

Judicial review is the power of the judicial branch of government in order to examine any government action and to nullify if it is not in agreement with the court’s constitutional interpretation. Hamilton thought it would keep the U.S. free from dictatorship or autocracy.

Question 23

What unusual situation in America led to the unique federal system that developed?

Answer 23

Federalism helped preserve strength and order to unite the 13 independent colonies.

Question 24

What is popular sovereignty? Where is this principle applied in the Constitution? How has this principle expanded over the years?

Answer 24

The people are the ultimate source of their government’s authority. The principle of popular sovereignty is more accurately expressed in the Constitution through representation and amendment provisions.