Quiz 5

Question 1

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, long-time champion of gender equality and the second woman ever to serve on the United States Supreme Court, passed away September 18, 2020. President Trump nominated Amy Coney Barrett to serve on the Supreme Court. The Senate voted 51-48 and confirmed Barrett’s nomination. The power of deciding the next Supreme Court Justice being dependent upon two branches of government is an example of …?

A. Bicameral Legislature
B. Executive veto
C. Federalism
D. Judicial Review
E. Checks and Balance

Answer 1

E. Checks and Balance

Question 2

Which of the following examples of constitutional mechanisms is most consistent with John Adams’s recommendations in “Thoughts on Government”?

A. The president of the United States is not elected directly by the people, but by a smaller body of electors.
B. In the Utah state legislature, nearly 90% of legislators are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but Latter-day Saints are only about 60% of the population of the state.
C. In response to the coronavirus, several states have had to dramatically cut education funding, and experts predict that these cuts will hit vulnerable, low-income communities the hardest.
D. The state of Nebraska has a unicameral legislature.
E. Members of the Alabama Supreme Court stand for re-election and can be voted out of office.

Answer 2

A. The president of the United States is not elected directly by the people, but by a smaller body of electors.

Question 3

From his memo on the “Vices of the Political System of the United States,” which of the following best represents Madison’s view about the relationship between the national government and the states under the Articles of Confederation?

A. The national government was entirely too powerful, and states were an important check on national power.
B. The problem was that the national government did not have sufficient power to coerce the states when needed.
C. The states were cooperating with each other when needed, which decreased the need for a powerful national government.
D. The states were able to handle internal disputes and controversies by themselves, but they needed the national government to engage in foreign affairs.
E. Madison believed that the nation needed to place increased trust in the good faith, the honor, and the sound policy decisions of the state legislatures.

Answer 3

B. The problem was that the national government did not have sufficient power to coerce the states when needed.

Question 4

In the article titled “How the Constitution’s Federalist Framework is Being Tested by COVID- 19,” Jennifer Selin argues that the coronavirus pandemic has illustrated weaknesses in the current federalist structure of American government. Which of the following is not one of the problems identified by Selin?

A. Expansion of the powers of state governors
B. Increasing partisanship arising from individual states determining how (and in some cases, whether) to implement federal policy
C. Lack of clear accountability in matters where both the federal and state governments exercise power
D. Decreasing power in the national executive branch
E. Lack of commonality in how elections are administered across the country

Answer 4

D. Decreasing power in the national executive branch

Question 5

According to Alexander Hamilton in his letter to James Duane, weaknesses of the government under the Articles of Confederation included all of the following EXCEPT:

A. States valued their liberty too much to give the national Congress any substantial power
B. Congress being too willing to defer to the states
C. The Articles left the Congress with too few options for sufficient funding
D. Political leaders in the states tended to be too submissive to Congressional leaders
E. Congress’ labored under too much uncertainty regarding the extent and nature of their powers

Answer 5

D. Political leaders in the states tended to be too submissive to Congressional leaders