Exam #1 Flashcards
Under the Articles of Confederation, a basic element of political culture was that each state retained its supreme authority, its ultimate power, known as
legitimacy
subordination
deference
sovereignty
sovereignty
The compromise at Philadelphia which created a bicameral national legislature was known as the
Virginia Plan
Three-Fifths Compromise
New Jersey Plan
Connecticut (or Great) Compromise
Connecticut (or Great) Compromise
The promise of a Bill of Rights was necessary during the Ratification struggle because…
the Federalists realized that the Antifederalists were right, and conceded the need for such amendments.
the majority of delegates at Philadelphia had wanted one.
without it, the Constitution would never had gotten sufficient support for approval.
none of the above
without it, the Constitution would never had gotten sufficient support for approval.
“Life, Liberty and Property” according to Locke were ______________that government was obligated to protect, or else the people could stage a revolution.
created privileges
artificial states
natural rights
none of the above
natural rights
A loose partnership between sovereign states was set up near the end of the American Revolution with the adoption of the _____________________.
Articles of Confederation
Charter of Unification
Constitution of 1787
none of the above
Articles of Confederation
The plan developed at the Philadelphia Convention to provide for equality of representation among the states, but to set up a stronger executive branch, was presented by William Paterson of ____________.
Connecticut
Virginia
New Jersey
New York
New Jersey
The Congress formulated by the Great Compromise was to be ______________in structure.
unicameral
bicameral
tricameral
none of the above
bicameral
Formal adoption, or ratification, of the Constitution was to be accomplished in accordance with Article VII by requiring nine states to approve it through
state conventions
state legislatures
plebiscites
referendum
state conventions
True or False: The essays written by Madison, Hamilton and Jay which strongly supported ratification of the Constitution were called The Federalist Papers.
True
False
True
Among many criticisms the Antifederalists had about the new constitution, the most serious was its lack of a
provision to elect the President
provision for habeas corpus
Bill of Rights
none of the above
Bill of Rights
Article I provides for the election and powers of Congress; II for the President; and III for the appointment and jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. This arrangement is a reflection of the constitutional principle of _____________.
enumerated powers
separation of powers
federalism
none of the above
separation of powers
A government has this quality when it is chosen correctly, and when it governs consistently with popular expectations, thus joining power and authority:__________.
sovereignty
limited immunity
sanction
legitimacy
legitimacy
The President’s veto, the power of impeachment, and the amendment power are examples within the Constitution of the principle of ___________.
enumerated powers
federalism
judicial review
checks and balances
checks and balances
The constitutional relationship, generally speaking, between the states and the federal government, as set forward in Article IV and in amendments 9, 10, and 14, etc., which operates today as a sharing of power between these governments, is called ____________.
federalism
checks and balances
liberal democracy
none of the above
federalism
The listing, or enumeration, of Congressional powers is found in what provision of the Constitution?
Article I, Section 5
Article I, Section 8
Article IV, Section 1
Article VII, Section 2
Article I, Section 8
With the case of Marbury v. Madison, in 1803, the Supreme Court gained the power to declare federal laws unconstitutional, a power known as federal _______________.
loose construction
instrumentalism
activism
judicial review
judicial review
The “necessary and proper clause” found in Article I of the Constitution is central to the doctrine of loose construction. This clause is also referred to as the
elastic clause
implied powers clause
both of the above
neither of the above
both of the above
The term “mixed government” refers commonly to one having elements of
monarchy, aristocracy, oligarchy and democracy
centralism and devolution
a republic and a dictatorship
feudalism and nationalism
monarchy, aristocracy, oligarchy and democracy
The view held by Thomas Jefferson that government could only do what the Constitution explicitly said it could do, is known as
loose construction
strict construction
original intent
implied powers
strict construction
When one believes one should adhere as closely as possible to what the Framers of the Constitution thought was appropriate for government to do, one holds the doctrine of
instrumentalism
judicial activism
original intent
loose construction
original intent
The constitutional method of interpretation known as instrumentalism is closely identified with what practice today?
judicial activism
original intent
strict construction
the legislative veto
judicial activism
In what major Supreme Court decision did the court say that a state could not tax a national bank, and thus strengthen the concept of federal supremacy?
Marbury v. Madison
Fletcher v. Peck
Lochner v. New York
McCulloch v. Maryland
McCulloch v. Maryland
Nullification means
that the federal government can void state laws deemed unconstitutional
that the state governments reserve the right to declare federal laws unconstitutional and void
that states can refuse to obey treaties negotiated and ratified by the United States
none of the above
that the state governments reserve the right to declare federal laws unconstitutional and void
A formal charter which establishes institutions and lays out basic procedures and principles of government, usually in such a way as to establish government by consent and to protect individual rights, is a
statute
amendment
treaty
constitution
constitution
When the Framers of the US Constitution spoke of a republic, they were referring to what we today would call a _______________ democracy.
liberal
conservative
direct
representative
representative
Individuals with an unusual amount of influence on government action, whether they are officials or not, are
elites
demagogues
autocrats
partisans
elites
The idea that federal and state governments were supreme in their own spheres, known as “dual federalism,” originated in a debate over what clause of the Constitution?
commerce clause
equal protection clause
privileges and immunities clause
contracts clause
commerce clause
The brief introductory paragraph of the Constitution, listing the basic responsibilities of government, is known as
the Preamble
the Preface
the Foreword
none of the above
the Preamble
The notion that local, state and federal powers are so bound up together that they can’t really be separated out is known as the
states rights theory
theory of localism
mandate theory
marble-cake theory
marble-cake theory
When the relationship between the states and national government is centered around federal budgetary (spending) issues, the relationship is known as
fiscal federalism
revenue sharing
the mandate system
states rights federalism
fiscal federalism
