Exam 1

Question 1

Which of the following powers is granted to the federal government but not to the state governments?

Answer 1

Regulating interstate commerce

Question 2

Which of the following constitutional clauses was used by the Supreme Court to apply civil liberties as protection for citizens at the state level?

Answer 2

Due process

Question 3

Article VI of the U.S. Constitution establishes that federal law is ——– in conflicts between federal and state laws.

Answer 3

Supreme

Question 4

At times in American history, minorities such as Native Americans, Asians, and African Americans have experienced serve political repression. This history shows that

Answer 4

The United States falls short of the democratic ideal.

Question 5

When James Madison said that “Ambition must be made to counteract ambition,” he meant that

Answer 5

Government must have the ability to check individual’s private interests, and individuals must have the ability to check the government’s power.

Question 6

When the government guarantees equal access to the benefits of citizenship by all groups they are ensuring —–.

Answer 6

Civil Rights

Question 7

What is a mandate?

Answer 7

An order from the federal government requiring the states to take a certain action

Question 8

Using the analytical framework presented by the authors, which of the following would be considered government factors?

Answer 8

Institutions like the Congress, the president, the federal bureaucracy, and the Supreme Court

Question 9

Why is it important for democratic citizens to have high-quality information?

Answer 9

High-quality information enables the formation of political opinions that are consistent with one’s values and interests.

Question 10

On what is the doctrine of preemption based?

Answer 10

The supremacy clause

Question 11

——–’s Rebellion was a protest by farmers in Massachusetts to stop foreclosures on houses by state courts.

Answer 11

Shays’s

Question 12

James Madison feared majority rule because he though it would have which of the following negative effects?

Answer 12

It would undermine freedom and threaten individual rights.

Question 13

The Article of Confedertaion

Answer 13

Was a loose organization of independent states with a weak central government.

Question 14

During the Constitutional Convention and the ensuing ratification debates, the Anti-Federalists argued that the new Constitution suffered from what fundamental flaw?

Answer 14

The new Constitution created a national government so strong that it would infringe on the essential liberties of the people.

Question 15

What did Jim Crow laws represent?

Answer 15

The official system of segregation in the South.

Question 16

Which of the following may be considered a significant difference between direct and representative democracies?

Answer 16

In a direct democracy, citizens make policy decisions; in a representative democracy, citizens choose intermediaries who make policy decisions for them.

Question 17

According to the text, which of the following is a confederation?

Answer 17

The European Union

Question 18

Which clause in the Constitution requires that the judicial decrees and contracts made in one state will be binding and enforceable in another?

Answer 18

Full faith and credit

Question 19

A —— is a large grant to a state by the federal government with only general spending guidelines.

Answer 19

Block grant

Question 20

Which of the following statements is true about ratification of the Constitution?

Answer 20

Ratification was a closely fought struggle

Question 21

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?

Answer 21

Rewrite the law to address the constitutional concerns of the Court

Question 22

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.

Answer 22

Three-fifths

Question 23

What is the principle that each branch of the federal government has the means to thwart or influence actions by other branches of government?

Answer 23

Checks and balances

Question 24

—– grants typically allocate federal dollars but clearly specify the category of activity for which the money has to be spent.

Answer 24

Categorical

Question 25

One benefit of the federal system is the ability of the states to operate as —– for new ideas.

Answer 25

Laboratories

Question 26

In what amendment would you find the reserved powers clause of the U.S. Constitution?

Answer 26

Tenth

Question 27

If people are to form authentic and rational attitudes about public policies and leaders they require which of the following?

Answer 27

Accurate and insightfully interpreted political information.

Question 28

Which of the following would be an indication of majority tyranny?

Answer 28

When the majority uses the law to suppress the rights of the minority.

Question 29

Significant increase in voter registration among African Americans in the South did not occur until after the enactment of the:

Answer 29

1965 Voting Rights Act

Question 30

What is the core idea that shapes democracy?

Answer 30

Ordinary people are capable of making choices about self-governance.

Question 31

Which of the following has the effect of strengthening the national government at the expense of the states?

Answer 31

War

Question 32

Taxation is an example of what type of constitutional power?

Answer 32

Concurrent

Question 33

The Connecticut Compromise

Answer 33

Created a House where representation was based on population and a Senate in which all states were represented equally.

Question 34

During which of the following conflicts did the United States not experience a significant expansion of national power?

Answer 34

Revolutionary War

Question 35

According to Aristotle, Jefferson, Rousseau, and Dahl, which of the following would present a large threat to political equality?

Answer 35

A democracy with a large and educated ruling class where political power is concentrated.

Question 36

Political linkages are particularly suited to which of the following?

Answer 36

Transmitting the desires of people to representatives in government.

Question 37

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?

Answer 37

That high-quality information is available.

Question 38

What does political equality mean?

Answer 38

Each person carries the same weight in voting and other political decision-making.

Question 39

How does federalism constrain democracy?

Answer 39

Small-state senators representing a minority of the population can block legislation favored by the majority.

Question 40

If a governmental system is based on the ideas of popular sovereignty, what is the basis of power?

Answer 40

The ultimate source of authority rests with the people.

Question 41

Much of the governing work in the U.S. is done by

Answer 41

Local governments

Question 42

What was the principal philosophical text that influenced the writing of the Declaration of Independence?

Answer 42

John Locke’s The Second Treatise on Government

Question 43

In a ——-, the central government has all the power and can change its constituent units or tell them what to do.

Answer 43

Unitary system

Question 44

Which of the following systems of government emphasizes rule by representatives of the people instead of directly by the people themselves?

Answer 44

Republic