FCLE PRACTICE EXAM 2026

Which of the following cases focused on the Fourteenth Amendment?

Plessy v Ferguson 1896 and Brown v. Board of Education 1954

Which of the following cases established a right to privacy in the marital bedroom

Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)

Which of the following is a case that centered on the First Amendment:

Engle v. Vitale 1962

Which of the following cases declared "students did not lose their First Amendment rights to freedom of speech when they stepped onto school property"?

Tinker v. Des Moines 1969

Which of the following cases overturned the "separate but equal" precedent in education?

Brown v. Board of Education 1954

The power of government to take private property for public use is called:

eminent domain

Which of the following cases determined standardless manual recounts violate the Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses of the Constitution:

Bush v. Gore 2000

Which of the following cases required state law enforcement to read suspects their constitutional rights before custodial interrogation:

Miranda v. Arizona 1966

Which of the following cases limited power held by the states:

Brown v. Board of Education 1954 and District of Columbia v. Heller 2008

A federal judge dismissed a libel lawsuit by Sarah Palin because she could not prove actual malice on the part of the New York Times. Which of the following cases reflects this position?

New York Times Co. V. Sullivan 1964

Which of the following cases established the precedent that the U.S. Congress had the power to establish a bank based on the necessary and proper clause?

McCullough v. Maryland 1819

Which of the following cases rule that states could not put limits on abortion access in the first trimester of pregnancy:

Roe v. Wade (1973)

Which of the following cases established the precedent that the Supreme Court has the power of judicial review

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Which of the following cases limited state endorsed religious prayer in public schools?

Engle v. Vitale 1962

Which of the following cases ruled that achieving "a diverse student body" was a "compelling public purpose,", but the method of a rigid quota of admission slots assigned on the basis of race violated the Fourteenth Amendment's equal protection clause?

Brown v. Board of Education 1954

Which of the following cases established the "separate but equal" precedent?

Plessy v Ferguson 1896

Which of the following cases ruled evidence of crime collected outside of the parameters of the search cannot be used in court:

Mapp v. Ohio (1961)

Which of the following cases centered on political speech paid for by unions and corporations?

Citizen's United v. Federal Elections Commission 2010

Which of the following cases required states to provide attorneys to criminal defendants who cannot afford their own:

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

Which of the following cases centered on the first amendment right of freedom of the press?

Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier (1988)

How does the Magna Carta provide a foundation for the English perspective of participatory governance?

It establishes a basis for individual rights.

What aspect of the U.S. Constitution was influenced by Montesquieu?

separation of powers

What is the significance of the Mayflower Compact?

It is the first attempt by Europeans of self-government in the colonies.

For what purpose did Thomas Paine write Common Sense?

To encourage the colonists to demand independence from Great Britain

Which of the following were thought to be weaknesses of the government laid out by the Articles of Confederation?

no power to tax and no executive or judiciary

Who is considered to have been the most influential Enlightenment philosopher on the Declaration of Independence?

John Locke

For what purpose were the Federalist Papers written?

To support ratification of the Constitution and explain its commitment to limited government.

What rights are listed in the Declaration of Independence?

life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

What did the Anti-Federalists want the Constitution to include?

Bill of Rights

What led to the creation of the English Declaration of Rights (sometimes known as the "English Bill of Rights") in 1689?

Tension over who should rule; an individual or the people

Use the passage below, from a historical document, to answer the question that follows.

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, 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."

(Source: The U.S. Constitution, National Archives and Records Administration.)

Which philosophical movement best reflects the ideals in the passage?

Enlightenment

Laws against defamation, including libel and slander, property damage and breach of contract represent which legal concern underlying most Western nations?

civil law

The Mayflower Compact includes a pledge to ensure that all citizens look out for the general good of the colony. Based on this, what impact has the Mayflower Compact had on modern understanding of the purpose of government in the United States?

The government should provide equal protection under the law.

Use the provided Preamble to the United States Constitution to answer the question.

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, 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."

(Source: National Archives and Records Administration)

Which of the following statements best describes the Preamble of the U.S. Constitution?

Governments are accountable to the citizens over whom they rule.

In the United States, how are conflicts between state laws and federal laws generally resolved?

The conflict must be resolved using the Supremacy Clause.

Use the scenario below to answer the question that follows.

A suspect is accused of a crime in one state and flees to another state where they

are apprehended. The state is very slow in returning the suspect to the state of

origin and keeps them imprisoned.

Which of the following represents a suitable petition for the suspect in this situation, in regard to their constitutional rights?

petition for a writ of habeas corpus

The U.S. Congress fulfilled which of the following purposes of government when it

declared war on Japan after the attack on Pearl Harbor?

providing for the common defense

Use the passage below, from a landmark Supreme Court case opinion, to answer the question that follows.

"So if a law be in opposition to the constitution; if both the law and the constitution apply to a particular case, so that the court must either decide that case conformably to the law, disregarding the constitution; or conformably to the constitution, disregarding the law; the court must determine which of these conflicting rules governs the case."

(Source: National Archives and Records Administration)

Which Supreme Court case established the precedent described in the opinion?

Bush v. Gore

What is the principal function of a written constitution?

outlining the structure and powers of a government

By what process were eighteen-year-olds fully granted the right to vote?

constitutional amendment

Which of the following ancient civilizations established a republican form of government?

Roman

Which modern process would be supported by the ancient Greeks?

electing governors

Use the passage below, from an exchange between former president Nixon and a television interviewer, to answer the question that follows.

"Well, when the president does it, that means that it is not illegal"--Richard M. Nixon (Source: The Washington Post, June 5, 1977)

Which constitutional principle does the statement from President Nixon contradict?

rule of law

At the Constitutional Convention, there was a major debate between large states and small states about representation in the new Congress. This debate was resolved by the Great Compromise. What was the result of this compromise?

Congress would have two houses, one in which state representation was based on population and one in which all states had equal representation.

Which circumstance would require a search warrant?

searching persons with reasonable suspicion

During the 6th century B.C.E., the ancient Athenians divided the powers of their government between two assemblies and guaranteed certain political rights to all

male citizens. How do these political reforms best illustrate how societies develop?

by limiting government authority

In the United States, which of the following is permitted to citizens by the right of freedom of assembly?

the right to demonstrate

Which legislation reflects federal efforts to regulate transportation?

Interstate Commerce Act

Which of the following statements regarding the Monroe Doctrine is accurate?

The Monroe Doctrine prohibited future European colonization in the Western Hemisphere.

Which of the following objectives best describes the purpose of the system of checks and balances, as defined in the U.S. Constitution?

keeping any one of the three branches of government from becoming too powerful

What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens?

to vote in federal election

What is an amendment?

a change

What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?

Bill of Rights

Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?

Franklin Roosevelt

Who is the "Father of Our Country"?

George Washington

What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance?

the US flag

Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government. What is one power of the federal government?

to print money

How many justices are on the Supreme Court?

9

The House of Representatives has how many voting members?

435

What does the Constitution do?

sets up the government and defines the government

In the U.S., voters chose representatives from the state to represent them in the U.S. Congress. This is known as:

indirect democracy

Who is responsible for registering voters in the state of Florida?

a county supervisor of elections

A state that permits citizens to vote directly on laws and policies is practicing a form of:

direct democracy

Which of the following best are the two dominant political parties in the U.S

Democrats and Republicans

In general, the Republican party is ideologically

conservative

An individual's belief that ordinary citizens can affect what government does is:

political efficacy

Who is the chief executive in a state?

the governor

Which of the following are reserved for U.S. citizens only?

voting, serving on a jury, and holding federal office

The principle that authority of the government rests in the hands of the people is:

popular sovereignty

The "rule of law" is best described as:

Citizens are governed by laws; no one is above the law

How many amendments have been added to the Constitution?

27

During the ratification of the Constitution, Federalists eventually agreed to support further ratification of ten amendments to the Constitution in order to appease Anti-Federalists' fears of an overwhelming national government that could impinge upon personal liberties. The first ten amendments to the Constitution are collectively known as the

Bill of Rights

The concept of self-government can be found in

the preamble beginning with "we the people"

To appease some of the fears of the Anti-Federalists and to ensure the ratification of the Constitution, the Federalists promised that they would:

add amendments specifically protecting individual liberties

Signing a petition in support or in opposition to pending legislation is an exercise of which Amendment?

First Amendment

Articles One, Two, and Three in the Constitution reflect which Constitutional principle:

separation of powers

Congress creates laws, but those laws can be vetoed by the president or overturned by the Supreme Court. This is an example of a Constitutional principle known as:

checks and balances

Which amendments expanded protections for voting rights (check all that apply):

15, 19, 24, 26

The Constitution established a system of "dual sovereignty," under which the states have surrendered some of their powers to the federal government, but also retained some sovereignty. All other powers were to be held by the states, local communities, or the people themselves in a concept known as

Federalism

Which part of the U.S. Constitution declares it to be the supreme law of the land?

Article VI