SG2 Govt

The "cult of the Constitution" refers to A. the tendency on the part of Americans to venerate the Constitution and the Founding Fathers. B. the group of delegates who attended the Annapolis Convention. C. the small group of government officials who are pledged to defend the Constitution at all costs. D. the first ten amendments to the Contitution. E. the group of people who opposed ratifying the Constitution.

What led the British to raise taxes on the American colonists during the 1760s? A. the French and Indian Wars B. the cost of war against Napoleon in Europe C. the expenses incurred in colonizing South Africa D. the extensive roads and canals built by the British in North America E. to penalize the colonists for their actions during the Boston Tea Party

What was the most common form of taxation during the colonial era? A. income tax B. taxes on commercial products and activities C. animal head tax D. taxes for use of governmental services and lands E. taxes on private property

The first written constitution for the United States was called A. the Magna Carta. B. the Bill of Rights. C. the Articles of Confederation. D. the Constitution. E. the Declaration of Independence.

Under the United States' first constitution, A. there was no executive branch. B. the president was more powerful than Congress. C. the Senate was the most powerful political institution. D. the president was directly appointed by the state legislatures. E. the Supreme Court was the most powerful political institution.

Under the Articles of Confederation, the relationship between the states and the federal government can best be compared to A. the United Nations' relationship with member states. B. a state government's relationship with counties. C. a state government's relationship with cities. D. the Soviet Union's relationship with member republics. E. the United States' relationship with the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

As a constitution, the Articles of Confederation were concerned primarily with A. creating a national government that had significant power and authority. B. creating a federal form of government. C. creating a form of government in which the states were largely subservient to the national government. D. limiting the powers of the central government. E. creating a strong and unified national armed forces.

Under the Articles of Confederation, it was left to the ______ to execute the laws passed by Congress. A. states B. chief executive C. courts D. bureaucracy E. president

Which statement about government under the Articles of Confederation is false? A. The armed forces of the United States consisted of state militias. B. The central government could not prevent states from economically discriminating against one another. C. There was no executive branch under the Articles of Confederation. D. Members of Congress had significant independence from their states. E. All thirteen states had to agree to amend the Articles.

A ______ is a system of government in which states retain sovereign authority except for powers expressly delegated to a national government. A. republic B. confederacy C. democracy D. bicameral state E. unitary state

Shays's Rebellion was an attempt to A. prevent the state of Massachusetts from foreclosing on the lands of debt-ridden farmers. B. invade New England by Loyalists from Canada. C. overthrow the federal government under the Articles of Confederation. D. bring a Georgian slave revolt to Virginia. E. force the British government to rescind the Tea Act.

Shays's Rebellion was significant because it A. convinced many observers that the government of the Confederation had become dangerously inefficient and indecisive. B. led to the admission of Vermont into the Union. C. led to the abolition of slavery. D. convinced Congress to approve the Louisiana Purchase. E. led to the start of the Civil War.

The 1787 convention to draft a new constitution was held in A. Boston. B. New York City. C. Philadelphia. D. Washington, D.C. E. Charlottesville, Virginia.

According to the text, the writing of the Constitution demonstrates the A. marriage of interests and principles. B. triumph of self-interest over the common good. C. epitome of civic virtue. D. rupture with the past. E. triumph of the common good over self-interest.

The issue of representation, which threatened to wreck the entire Constitutional Convention, was resolved by the Great Compromise, also called the A. New Jersey Plan. B. Connecticut Compromise. C. Pennsylvania Compromise. D. Delaware Deal. E. Virginia Plan.

The Great Compromise led to the A. legalization of slavery. B. creation of a bicameral Congress. C. creation of the Supreme Court. D. peaceful conclusion of Shays's Rebellion. E. abolition of the slave trade.

The Three-fifths Compromise A. determined that three out of every five slaves would be counted for purposes of representation and taxation. B. determined the ratio between free states and slave states. C. created a bicameral legislature. D. declared that the states would pay three-fifths of the Revolutionary War debt and the federal government would pay the rest. E. determined that all American citizens would pay three-fifths of their income to the federal government in taxes every year.

The system of shared powers, divided between a central government and the states, is called A. the electoral college. B. federalism. C. statism. D. checks and balances. E. the separation of powers.

Which of the following was designed by the framers to be an office directly elected by the people? A. member of the House of Representatives B. senator C. president D. federal court judge E. vice president

Bicameralism is a constitutional principle that means the A. division of national government into two branches. B. division of the powers of the executive branch between two individuals: the president and the vice president. C. division of the powers of the executive branch between two individuals: the head of state and the head of government. D. division of Congress into two chambers. E. division of the federal court system into two levels: the Supreme Court and the appellate courts.

The electoral college is A. an expression of direct democracy. B. designed to select the president. C. established in the Bill of Rights. D. a school attended by all members of Congress. E. the federal organization that oversees the operation of all elections held in the United States.

Which of the following was a way the framers tried to make the Senate a check against excessive democracy? A. The Senate has staggered terms of office. B. Senators have shorter terms than members of the House of Representatives. C. Senators were directly elected by the people. D. Senators are the only officials immune from impeachment. E. Only the Senate has the power to create revenue bills.

What is the term length of a member of the House of Representatives? A. one year B. two years C. three years D. four years E. six years

The three branches of government created by the Constitution are A. constitutional, elected, and appointed. B. executive, legislative, and judicial. C. federal, state, and local. D. military, courts, and bureaucracy. E. economic, political, and social.

Which of the following possesses the sole power to create revenue bills? A. the House of Representatives B. the Senate C. the president D. the Office of Management and Budget E. the Treasury Department

Only one-third of the Senate is up for re-election during any single election year because the framers believed that A. too many elections would be difficult for the states to run. B. the voters should not have to make too many decisions during any single election. C. this was the only way to protect the Senate against radical changes. D. the state legislatures would conspire with each other to elect a Senate dominated by a single party.

All of the following are constitutional powers of the president except the power to A. officially recognize other nations. B. grant pardons. C. veto bills. D. regulate commerce between the states. E. convene Congress in special session.

The framers of the Constitution intended to create a presidency capable of A. completely dominating Congress. B. withstanding excessive popular pressure by making it subject to indirect election through the electoral college. C. spending money with little interference from any other branch of government. D. regulating all forms of commerce. E. declaring war on any country that posed a threat to American national security.

Procedures outlining how to amend the Constitution are found in Article A. I. B. II. C. III. D. V. E. X.

Judicial review is the power of A. the courts to decide on the constitutionality of actions taken by the other branches of government. B. Congress to review the decisions of the federal courts. C. the president to appoint judges to the federal courts. D. the states to review the constitutionality of federal actions and laws. E. the courts to review and edit pieces of legislation before they are voted on in Congress.

What is the term length of a federal judge? A. two years B. four years C. six years D. ten years E. barring impeachment, life

The supremacy clause A. states that Congress is the most powerful branch of the government. B. establishes that no branch of the government is supreme over others. C. announces that the Constitution and all laws made under it are superior to any state laws. D. announces that state laws are superior to any federal laws. E. declares that no European powers shall interfere in North America.

The ability of the president to veto a bill passed by Congress is a good example of what principle of limited government? A. separation of powers B. federalism C. checks and balances D. civil liberties E. majority rule, minority rights

Whose "political gospel" inspired the framers to adopt the concept of the separation of powers? A. Aristotle B. Voltaire C. Machiavelli D. Montesquieu E. Hobbes

In the national debate over ratification of the new Constitution, the Federalists A. supported a return to the Articles of Confederation. B. opposed the Constitution and preferred decentralized government. C. supported the Constitution and preferred a strong national government. D. supported a return to British rule. E. refused to support the Constitution unless a Bill of Rights was added.

During the ratification debates, who were the Antifederalists? A. those who opposed the new Constitution because they wanted a weaker central government B. those who opposed the Constitution because it did not create a strong enough central government C. those who opposed the Constitution because it did not give women the right to vote D. those who supported the Constitution E. those who believed that the United States should enter into a confederation with Britain and Canada

On the subject of representation, Antifederalists wanted A. representative bodies that resembled those represented to the highest degree. B. representatives to exercise independent judgment and wisdom. C. representatives who would reflect commercial interests. D. as few representatives as possible. E. representatives who were significantly more educated and wealthier than the majority of the public.

The Federalists believed that the most apparent source of tyranny was A. the king of Great Britain. B. the popular majority. C. the northern merchants. D. George Washington. E. the landowning elite.

The Antifederalists argued that the powers of government should be limited by A. providing Congress with a larger grant of powers. B. decreasing the powers of the executive branch, especially those of the vice president. C. both confining the powers of the federal government to certain narrowly defines areas and adding a bill of rights to the Constitution. D. creating an internal system of checks and controls within government. E. preventing government from collecting revenue through taxation.

The Federalists believed that the powers of government could be limited by A. providing Congress with a larger grant powers. B. decreasing the powers of the executive branch, especially those of the vice president. C. confining the powers of the federal government to certain narrowly defined areas and by adding a bill of rights to the Constitution. D. creating an internal system of checks and controls within government. E. preventing government from collecting revenue through taxation.

How many amendments are there to the U.S. Constitution? A. ten B. twenty C. twenty-seven D. thirty E. thirty-three

The most common method of passing an amendment to the Constitution is A. passage in both houses of Congress by a two-thirds vote, followed by a majority vote in three-fourths of the state legislature. B. passage in both houses of Congress by a two-thirds vote, followed by ratification by three-fourths of the state supreme courts. C. proposal by the president, which is supported by two-thirds of the state legislatures. D. passage by a constitutional convention, called by three-fourths of the states. E. passage by the initiative process in three-fourths of states and unanimous approval by the Supreme Court.

Where was the execution of laws conducted under the Articles of Confederation? (p. 34) A. the presidency B. the Congress C. the states D. the expanding federal bureaucracy

Which event led directly to the Constitutional Convention by providing evidence that the government created under the Articles of Confederation was unable to act decisively in times of national crisis? (p. 36) A. the Boston Tea Party B. the Boston Massacred C. Shays's Rebellion D. the Annapolis Convention

Which of the following best describes the Supreme Court as understood by the Founders? A. the highest court of the national government B. arbiter of disputes within the Congress C. a figurehead commission of elders D. a supreme court of the nation and its states E. both A and C

Theorists such as Montesquieu referred to the principle of giving each branch of government a distinctly different constituency as A. mixed regime B. confederation C. limited government D. federalism E. none of the above

Which of the following was a concern of the Antifederalists? A. a national government would "swallow up all the power of the state governments" B. the potential for tyranny in the central government C. a strong national government would not truly reflect the needs of a large and diverse nation D. all of the above