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American Government > Chapters 4-5 > Flashcards

Chapters 4-5 Flashcards

Prepare for Test 2

1
Q

What document was the forerunner of the written constitution in America?

A

Mayflower Compact

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2
Q

What documents emphasized the relationship between the king and the colonies?

A

Charters

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3
Q

What was America’s first national constitution?

A

Articles of Confederation

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4
Q

What type of government did the Articles of Confederation establish?

A

Confederacy

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5
Q

In what type of government is the central government subordinate to state governments and has only the powers which they grant it?

A

Confederacy

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6
Q

How many branches of government did the Articles of Confederation provide for?

A

One

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7
Q

What was the crowning achievement of the Articles of Confederation?

A

The wise disposition of western lands

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8
Q

Under the Articles of Confederation, what provided for the surveying of western lands in the Northwest Territory?

A

Land Ordinance of 1785

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9
Q

Under the Articles of Confederation, what provided a plan of government for the Northwest Territory?

A

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

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10
Q

Name a weakness of the Articles of Confederation

A

You could choose any of the following:
(1) At least nine states had to approve any measure before it could be passed by Congress.
(2) The Articles did not provide for an executive or judicial branch.
(3) The Articles did not grant Congress the power to tax.

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11
Q

What event put the fear of rebellion into the hearts of many Americans?

A

Shays’ Rebellion

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12
Q

What was the purpose of the Mount Vernon Conference?

A

To work out differences between Virginia and Maryland over commercial navigation on the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay

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13
Q

How many delegates attended the Constitutional Convention?

A

55

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14
Q

Name one of the two most famous Americans to attend the Constitutional Convention?

A

You could have chosen:
George Washington or Benjamin Franklin

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15
Q

Which Founding Father is remembered as the “Father of the Constitution”

A

James Madison

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16
Q

Who wrote the final draft of the Constitution?

A

Gouverneur Morris

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17
Q

Who was the youngest delegate of the Constitutional Convention?

A

Jonathan Dayton

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18
Q

What year did the Constitutional Convention take place?

A

1787

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19
Q

Where did the Constitutional Convention take place?

A

Independence Hall

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20
Q

In what governmental system are areas of authority divided between the states and the national government?

A

Federal System

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21
Q

In what governmental system are officials chosen to represent the people and the states?

A

Republican System

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22
Q

Which plan at the Constitutional Convention proposed a bicameral legislature?

A

Virginia Plan

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23
Q

Which plan at the Constitutional Convention proposed a unicameral legislature

A

New Jersey Plan

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24
Q

What compromise between the Virginia Plan and New Jersey plan was accepted by the Constitutional Convention?

A

Great Compromise or Connecticut Compromise

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25
Q

What compromise decided that three-fifths of a state’s slave population would be counted in determining both taxation and representation?

A

Three-Fifths Compromise

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26
Q

What compromise decided that Congress could regulate interstate and foreign commerce and trade with Native Americans but could not levy import taxes or regulate the save trade, except by a small head tax?

A

Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise

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27
Q

What did those who favored the Constitution call themselves?

A

Federalists

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28
Q

What were those who opposed the Constitution called?

A

Anti-Federalists

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29
Q

Name one of the three men who wrote the Federalist Papers

A

You could have chosen:
Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, or John Jay

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30
Q

What is considered the premier commentary on the Constitution?

A

The Federalist Papers

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31
Q

What city was chosen as the temporary capital of the new government?

A

New York City

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32
Q

When did the new government begin to function?

A

When George Washington was inaugurated in 1789

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33
Q

What is the introduction to the Constitution?

A

Preamble

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34
Q

Name one of the six purposes for the Constitution

A

You could have chosen one of the following:
(1) To form a more perfect government
(2) To establish justice
(3) To ensure domestic tranquility
(4) To provide for the common defense
(5) To promote the general welfare
(6) To secure the blessing of liberty

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35
Q

What is a form of government in which voters elect others to represent them in government?

A

A Republic

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36
Q

What is a division of the power between the national government and the state governments.

A

Federalism

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37
Q

What are the powers that have been given to the national government by the Constitution?

A

Delegated Powers

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38
Q

What are powers not given to the national government by the Constitution or prohibited by the Constitution?

A

Reserved Powers

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39
Q

What are powers given to both the national and state governments?

A

Concurrent Power

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40
Q

Who did the Founding Fathers get the idea of separation of powers from?

A

Charles de Montesquieu

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41
Q

Which branch makes laws?

A

Legislative

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42
Q

Which branch carries out or “executes” laws?

A

Executive

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43
Q

Which branch interprets laws?

A

Judicial

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44
Q

What is a system in which each branch of government exercises a measure of control over the other branches in an effort to balance the power within the national government?

A

Check and Balances

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45
Q

Which articles describe the legislative, executive and judicial branches?

A

Articles I, II, and III

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46
Q

Which article outlines the federal relationship among the states and between the national government and the states?

A

Article IV

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47
Q

Which article provides for making amendments?

A

Article V

48
Q

What are changes to the Constitution called?

A

Amendments

49
Q

Which article establishes that the Constitution is the supreme law of the land?

A

Article VI

50
Q

Which article sets fort the manner in which the Constitution was to be ratified?

A

Article VII

51
Q

What is the name of the legislative branch?

A

Congress

52
Q

What is the power to make laws?

A

Legislative power

53
Q

What are the names of the two houses of Congress?

A

The Senate and House of Representatives

54
Q

Which house is the lower house of Congress?

A

House of Representatives

55
Q

How many members are in the House of Representatives?

A

435

56
Q

How long is a term in the House?

A

Two years

57
Q

What is the proportional distribution of congressional seats among the states?

A

Apportionment

58
Q

What is a counting of the number of people in a specific area?

A

Census

59
Q

What is a practice in which a state legislature draws its district boundaries so as to purposely favor the party in power?

A

Gerrymandering

60
Q

Which house is the upper house of Congress?

A

Senate

61
Q

How long is a term in the Senate

A

Six years

62
Q

How many members of the Senate are there?

A

100

63
Q

How is representation in the Senate based?

A

Equal representation

64
Q

Which Amendment changed the way senators are chosen?

A

17th

65
Q

How are senators chosen?

A

At-large, by all the voters of their state

66
Q

What is the name of the Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years?

A

General Election Day

67
Q

What are the three qualifications of serving in Congress?

A

Age, citizenship, and state residency

68
Q

Name one of the three leadership positions in Congress

A

You could have chosen one of the following:
(1) Speaker of the House
(2) president of the Senate
(3) president “pro tempore”

69
Q

What is the name of the party with the most members in the House?

A

Majority Party

70
Q

What does the term “pro tempore” mean

A

“For the time being”

71
Q

Who is the chief spokesman of his party and is responsible to secure his party’s interests in the legislative process?

A

Floor leader

72
Q

Who assists the floor leader in his responsibilities?

A

Party whip

73
Q

What is a private meeting of political party members to decide on policy or to choose their party leaders?

A

Caucus

74
Q

What is the most often used system to assign committee or subcommittee chairs?

A

Seniority system

75
Q

Who is the senior member of the minority party?

A

Ranking member

76
Q

What kind of committee is used for investigations

A

Select committee

77
Q

What kind of committee is made up of members from both houses?

A

Joint committee

78
Q

Who is the chief protocol and law enforcement officer for his house?

A

Sergent at arms

79
Q

Who is to advise house officials on rules?

A

Parliamentarian

80
Q

Who ministers to the spiritual needs of members, staff, and their families?

A

Chaplains

81
Q

Who is the official record keeper for his house

A

Secretary

82
Q

Who helps maintain much of the operational infrastructure in the House?

A

Chief administrative officer

83
Q

How long does each term in Congress last?

A

Two years

84
Q

How many sessions of Congress are there every term?

A

Two

85
Q

What changed both the meeting time of Congress and the day on which members assume their duties.

A

20th Amendment

86
Q

What constitutes a quorum?

A

Simple majority

87
Q

What is a required number to do business?

A

Quorum

88
Q

Where is a thorough record of everything said on the Senate floor kept?

A

Congressional Record

89
Q

What states that any pay raise that Congress gives itself cannot go into effect until the next congressional election?

A

27th Amendment

90
Q

What privilege means that congressmen are not charged postage on official mail?

A

Franking privilege

91
Q

What privilege says that congressmen cannot be held liable for any statements made in speeches on the floor of Congress?

A

Congressional immunity

92
Q

What term means “to officially condemn”?

A

censure

93
Q

What is the greatest penalty which either house of Congress may impose on a disorderly member?

A

Expulsion

94
Q

What is the chief responsibility of Congress?

A

Legislating

95
Q

What is a proposed law?

A

Bill

96
Q

What kind of bills apply to the nation at large?

A

Public bills

97
Q

what kind of bills apply to only individuals or groups of people?

A

Privet bills

98
Q

What is a formal statement of opinion or determination adopted by a legislative assembly?

A

Resolution

99
Q

What is a resolution passed by only one house and dealing with matters dealing with that house?

A

Simple resolution

100
Q

What is a resolution passed by both houses and dealing with matters that need joint action but no formal law?

A

Concurrent resolution

101
Q

What term means “to act together”?

A

Concure

102
Q

What is a box on the side of the Clerk’s desk?

A

Hopper

103
Q

What is a bill that is sponsored by both parties?

A

Bi-partisan Bill

104
Q

What term means a bill is purposely put aside and forgotten?

A

Pigeonhold

105
Q

What means that if a house member can get 218 signatures on his petition, he can get his bill out of committee and onto the floor?

A

Discharge Petition

106
Q

What is an attempt to kill a bill by stalling the vote on it?

A

Filibuster

107
Q

What is the only effective way to prevent a filabuster?

A

To invoke the senate’s cloture rule

108
Q

What limits each senator to a max of 1 hour to speak on a bill under consideration?

A

Cloture Rule

109
Q

In what procedure does the House sit temporarily under one committee?

A

Committee of the Whole

110
Q

What is a temporary committee composed of members of both houses for the purpose of working out a compromise on a bill?

A

Conference Committee

111
Q

Congress forbidding the implementation of an agency’s policy without input by the President?

A

Legislative veto

112
Q

Powers given explicitly to Congress

A

Express Powers

113
Q

Powers that are not specifically stated in the Constitution

A

Implied Powers

114
Q

What gives Congress the authority to put into operation both the expressed and implied powers given by the Constitution

A

“Necessary and proper clause”

115
Q

The House of Rep. has what 3 powers?

A
  1. Origination of all revenue bills
  2. selecting a president from the top 3 candidates
  3. conferring charges of impeachment against a federal official
116
Q

The Senate has what 4 powers?

A
  1. choosing a vice president
  2. approving all presidential appointments
  3. trying all cases of impeachment
  4. approving all presidential treaties
117
Q

The House of Reps. has the sole power of what?

A

Impeachment

American Government (6 decks)

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