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Name:  ______________________________                        H7:  Participation in Government

Date:    ______________________________                       Ms. Butkowski, Social Studies

 

MIDTERM EXAM

 

Part I: Multiple Choice (30 questions, 2 points each, 60 points total)

1. Which allows the President to reject any act of Congress?

1.      Unlimited government

2.      Veto

3.      Judicial review

4.      Impeachment

2. The Constitution of the United States has how many amendments?

1.      Three

2.      Seven

3.      27

4.      50

3. The three branches of government are tied together by a system of  ____________________ whereby each branch is subject to constitutional restraints by the other

1.      Judicial review

2.      Constitutionalism

3.      Checks and balances

4.      Separation of powers.

4. Which of the following is NOT one of the six basic principles of the Constitution?

1.      Checks and balances

2.      Federalism

3.      Unlimited government

4.      Separation of powers

5. The principle of popular sovereignty states that all political power resides with the:

1.      Constitution

2.      Rule of law

3.      Federal government

4.      People

6. A governmental action found to violate some provision in the Constitution is said to be

1.      Impeachable

2.      Anti-federalist

3.      Partisan

4.      Unconstitutional

7. What principal is defined as the division of power among a central government and several regional governments?

1.      Federalism

2.      Democracy

3.      Constitutionalism

4.      Checks and balances

8. The first amendment of the Constitution deals primarily with

  1. states’ rights
  2. property rights
  3. rights of the accused
  4. rights of self-expression

9. In order to win ratification of the United States Constitution, supporters agreed to

  1. add a bill of rights
  2. admit new states to the Union
  3. establish an electoral college
  4. give the Senate the power to ratify treaties

10. Which quotation from the United States Constitution provides for a Federal system of government?

  1. “He shall have power . . . with the advice and consent of the Senate, . . . and . . . shall appoint . . .“
  2. “Every bill . . . shall, before it becomes a law, be presented to the President of the United States; . . ."
  3. “The powers not delegated to the United States . . . are reserved to the states . . .“
  4. “Full faith and credit shall be given in each state to the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state.”

11. The system of checks and balances is best illustrated by the power of

  1. the President to veto a bill passed by Congress
  2. Congress to censure one of its members
  3. a governor to send the National Guard to stop a riot
  4. state and Federal governments to levy and collect taxes

12. One way in which the authors of the Constitution tried to create “limited government” was by providing for

  1. a loyal opposition through a two-party system
  2. a division of power between the national and state governments
  3. the establishment of naturalization laws
  4. the popular election of Federal judges

13. The United States Government is considered a federal system because

  1. national laws must be passed by both houses of Congress
  2. powers are divided between the State and National Governments
  3. the States are guaranteed a republican form of government
  4. the President is selected by the electoral college

14. To interpret the meaning of the laws is a function of which branch?

1.      executive

2.      legislative

3.      judicial

4.      constitutional

 

15. The function of the executive branch is to?

1.      interpret the law

2.      make the laws

3.      Enforce the laws

4.      Question laws

16. Who is the head of the Executive Branch?

1.      The mayor

2.      Senators

3.      The president

4.      Ambassadors

17. Conducting trials is an activity of the branch of government whose function is to?

1.      Make the laws

2.      Interpret the laws

3.      Enforce the laws

4.      Cabinet

18. Who is head of the Judicial Branch?

1.      The president

2.      The judge

3.      The Supreme Court

4.      Senators

19. Who is head of the Legislate branch?

1.      The president

2.      Congress

3.      The Supreme Court

4.      The house of Representatives

20. Which branch of government appoints federal judges?

1.      Legislative

2.      Executive

3.      Judicial

4.      Constitutional

21. Which of the following is an example of a use of a legislative power?

1.      The President of the United States appointing a new ambassador

2.      The Supreme Court of the United States ruling that a law is unconstitutional.

3.      Congress passing a law to raise safety standards in new automobiles

4.      The people of the United States going to the polls to vote

22. Based on the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution, which of the following is a summary of the purpose of the government in the United States. 

1.      To make the United States the most powerful nation in the world

2.      To preserve the liberty and rights of the people

3.      To stay out of people’s lives as much as possible

4.      To tightly control people’s lives and behavior so that there would be life, prosperity, and total equality.

23. Which factor has made the strongest contribution to the development of religious freedom in the United States?

  1. Most citizens have shared the same religious beliefs.
  2. Religious groups have remained politically unified.
  3. School prayer has been ruled constitutional by the Supreme Court.
  4. Guarantees in the Constitution have encouraged religious expression and toleration.

24. At the Constitutional Convention of 1787, delegates from the small states most strongly supported the idea of

  1. establishing a strong national executive
  2. levying taxes on exports
  3. popular election of Senators
  4. equal representation for the states in the national legislature

25. “The most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man in falsely shouting fire in a theater and causing a panic.”

-Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes

Which interpretation of the Bill of Rights does this statement illustrate?

  1. The needs of the government are more important than civil liberties.
  2. Constitutional protections of liberty are not absolute. [unlimited]
  3. The Supreme Court can eliminate freedoms listed in the Bill of Rights.
  4. The Bill of Rights does not safeguard individual liberties

26. When the United States Constitution was written, which compromise was reached by the authors to gain the support of the states with small populations?

  1. Congress would consist of both a House of Representatives and a Senate.
  2. Five enslaved persons would be counted as three free persons for the purpose of taxation
  3. The President would be selected by the direct vote of the people.
  4. Exported goods could not be taxed, but imported goods could be taxed.

Speaker A:"States must be represented in the national government solely on the basis of population. It is indeed the only fair situation."

Speaker B:"The national legislature must be based on equal representation of the states to protect the interests of the small states."

Speaker C:"States must accept the supremacy of the national government on all issues; otherwise, the system will fail."

Speaker D:"The national Congress should consist of two houses: one in which representation is based on population, and one in which states are equally represented."

27. Which document was being written when this discussion most likely occurred?

  1. Declaration of Independence
  2. United States Constitution
  3. Covenant of the League of Nations
  4. Charter of the United Nations

28. The major reason the Bill of Rights was added to the United States Constitution was to

  1. limit the power of state governments
  2. protect individual liberties against abuse by the Federal Government
  3. provide for equal treatment of all people
  4. separate powers between the three branches of government

29. Delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1787 agreed to the Three-Fifths Compromise as a solution to the problem of how to determine the

  1. number of representatives in the House from each state
  2. qualifications of Supreme Court justices
  3. tariff rates on exports
  4. length of the president’s term

30. Soon after the Constitution of the United States was ratified, the first ten amendments were added because many citizens felt the need for

  1. strengthening the power of the federal courts
  2. ensuring the division of powers between the state and federal governments
  3. establishing a national bank
  4. protecting their liberties from abuses by the federal government

 

Part II. ESSAY:  (40 points, 20 points each)

1.       Why did the framers of the constitution feel the need to limit government?   

Explain two ways the Constitution limits government.



2.       The Preamble:  We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.  What is the purpose of the preamble?  


Explain two aspects of the preamble and provide examples of each.