Exam 1 Flashcards
Which of the following powers is granted to the federal government but not to the state governments?
Regulating interstate commerce
Which of the following constitutional clauses was used by the Supreme Court to apply civil liberties as protection for citizens at the state level?
Due process
Article VI of the U.S. Constitution establishes that federal law is ——– in conflicts between federal and state laws.
Supreme
At times in American history, minorities such as Native Americans, Asians, and African Americans have experienced serve political repression. This history shows that
The United States falls short of the democratic ideal.
When James Madison said that “Ambition must be made to counteract ambition,” he meant that
Government must have the ability to check individual’s private interests, and individuals must have the ability to check the government’s power.
When the government guarantees equal access to the benefits of citizenship by all groups they are ensuring —–.
Civil Rights
What is a mandate?
An order from the federal government requiring the states to take a certain action
Using the analytical framework presented by the authors, which of the following would be considered government factors?
Institutions like the Congress, the president, the federal bureaucracy, and the Supreme Court
Why is it important for democratic citizens to have high-quality information?
High-quality information enables the formation of political opinions that are consistent with one’s values and interests.
On what is the doctrine of preemption based?
The supremacy clause
——–’s Rebellion was a protest by farmers in Massachusetts to stop foreclosures on houses by state courts.
Shays’s
James Madison feared majority rule because he though it would have which of the following negative effects?
It would undermine freedom and threaten individual rights.
The Article of Confedertaion
Was a loose organization of independent states with a weak central government.
During the Constitutional Convention and the ensuing ratification debates, the Anti-Federalists argued that the new Constitution suffered from what fundamental flaw?
The new Constitution created a national government so strong that it would infringe on the essential liberties of the people.
What did Jim Crow laws represent?
The official system of segregation in the South.
Which of the following may be considered a significant difference between direct and representative democracies?
In a direct democracy, citizens make policy decisions; in a representative democracy, citizens choose intermediaries who make policy decisions for them.
According to the text, which of the following is a confederation?
The European Union
Which clause in the Constitution requires that the judicial decrees and contracts made in one state will be binding and enforceable in another?
Full faith and credit
A —— is a large grant to a state by the federal government with only general spending guidelines.
Block grant
Which of the following statements is true about ratification of the Constitution?
Ratification was a closely fought struggle
The U.S. Supreme Court has just declared a law passed by Congress as unconstitutional. In the context of checks and balances, which of the following can Congress do?
Rewrite the law to address the constitutional concerns of the Court
At the Constitutional Convention, the delegates agreed that enslaved people would be counted as ——- of a person for determining population for representation in the House of Representatives.
Three-fifths
What is the principle that each branch of the federal government has the means to thwart or influence actions by other branches of government?
Checks and balances
—– grants typically allocate federal dollars but clearly specify the category of activity for which the money has to be spent.
Categorical
One benefit of the federal system is the ability of the states to operate as —– for new ideas.
Laboratories
In what amendment would you find the reserved powers clause of the U.S. Constitution?
Tenth
If people are to form authentic and rational attitudes about public policies and leaders they require which of the following?
Accurate and insightfully interpreted political information.
Which of the following would be an indication of majority tyranny?
When the majority uses the law to suppress the rights of the minority.
Significant increase in voter registration among African Americans in the South did not occur until after the enactment of the:
1965 Voting Rights Act
What is the core idea that shapes democracy?
Ordinary people are capable of making choices about self-governance.
Which of the following has the effect of strengthening the national government at the expense of the states?
War
Taxation is an example of what type of constitutional power?
Concurrent
The Connecticut Compromise
Created a House where representation was based on population and a Senate in which all states were represented equally.
During which of the following conflicts did the United States not experience a significant expansion of national power?
Revolutionary War
According to Aristotle, Jefferson, Rousseau, and Dahl, which of the following would present a large threat to political equality?
A democracy with a large and educated ruling class where political power is concentrated.
Political linkages are particularly suited to which of the following?
Transmitting the desires of people to representatives in government.
Some people claim that the media increasingly peddle ideologically biased political news. If this is true, which of the following necessary conditions for popular sovereignty is jeopardized?
That high-quality information is available.
What does political equality mean?
Each person carries the same weight in voting and other political decision-making.
How does federalism constrain democracy?
Small-state senators representing a minority of the population can block legislation favored by the majority.
If a governmental system is based on the ideas of popular sovereignty, what is the basis of power?
The ultimate source of authority rests with the people.
Much of the governing work in the U.S. is done by
Local governments
What was the principal philosophical text that influenced the writing of the Declaration of Independence?
John Locke’s The Second Treatise on Government
In a ——-, the central government has all the power and can change its constituent units or tell them what to do.
Unitary system
Which of the following systems of government emphasizes rule by representatives of the people instead of directly by the people themselves?
Republic
