PLATO Government End of Semester Test

state

a region controlled by a single political entity

Which of the following most inspired the inclusion in the Declaration of Independence of the right of the people to revolt against a tyrannical government?

A. the English Bill of Rights

B. Montesquieu's De l'esprit des Lois (Spirit of Laws)

C. Locke's Second Treatise

D. the Virginia House of Burgesses

C. Locke's Second Treatise

Under feudalism, which group was responsible for ruling different regions of a country?

A. peasants

B. knights

C. lords

D. king

C. Lords

Which Roman contribution to political theory was adapted by the Founding Fathers?

A. assembly

B. empire

C. representative government

D. feudalism

C. Representative government

What effect did the Mayflower Compact have on American government?

A. It reinforced British Parliament's control over the colonies.

B. It gave settlers the power to establish colonies.

C. It contributed to the development of representative democracy.

D. It granted absolute authority to the colonial governors.

C. It contributed to the development of representative democracy.

Which ideal is not an essential element of the English political tradition?

A. royal absolutism

B. limits to the power of the king

C. representation

D. protection of certain rights

A. Royal Absolutism

How did Shays's Rebellion highlight major problems with the Articles of Confederation?

A. By ending the rebellion, the strong central government angered the local state government.

B. The rebellion showed that local farmers needed to defend themselves against the government.

C. A prospering Massachusetts showed that a strong central government was not needed.

D. State governments had difficulties fixing their economies and raising militias for defense.

D. State governments had difficulties fixing their economies and raising militias for defense

What was a major problem with the central government under the Articles of Confederation?

A. The central government could collect unlimited taxes from the people.

B. The president could make decisions without Congress's approval.

C. Congress depended on the states for raising funds and defense.

D. Citizens were not able to elect representatives to Congress.

C. Congress depended on the states for raising funds and defense.

Which document does the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence echo?

A. John Locke's Second Treatise of Government

B. Thomas Hobbes's Leviathan

C. Baron de Montesquieu's The Spirit of Laws

D. The US Constitution

A. John Locke's Second Treatise of Government

What form of government did the Articles of Confederation create?

A. a republic with a chief executive

B. a strong central government with many agencies and departments

C. a government with legislative and judicial branches at the national level

D. a league of free and independent states with a limited national government

D. a league of free and independent states with a limited national government

Which idea did most of the Founding Fathers, despite their differences, agree with?

A. Confederation is the best political system available.

B. Freedom must be protected by a central government.

C. The new government needs to balance order and liberty.

D. A limited monarchy should be established to ensure order.

C. The new government needs to balance order and liberty.

Which element of government does the Constitution give full sovereignty to?

A. the state legislatures

B. the president of the United States

C. the Supreme Court

D. the national government

D. the national government

Which issue was at the heart of one of the compromises made between northern and southern states during the Constitutional Convention of 1787?

A. western land claims

B. counting slaves in the population

C. allowing new states into the union

D. regulation of interstate commerce

B. counting slaves in the population

Which commitment of the framers is most clearly reflected in the Constitution as ratified in 1788?

A. the idea of direct democracy

B. the principle of limited government

C. the abolition of slavery

D. the primacy of the states

B. the principle of limited government

For the first 11 years of its existence, which governmental system did the United States use?

A. monarchy

B. confederation

C. federation

D. theocracy

B. confederation

What does a strict constructionist believe?

A. The government should exercise only the powers specifically listed in the Constitution.

B. The government may exercise powers implied by the Constitution, even if they are not explicitly listed.

C. State laws retain supremacy over national laws when they are in conflict.

D. The national government should not share power with the states.

A. The government should exercise only the powers specifically listed in the Constitution.

Why did the Founding Fathers include the Bill of Rights with the Constitution?

A. to define the role of Congress to provide representation for the people

B. to limit the power of the state governments to enact laws

C. to protect the rights of individuals from the federal government

D. to distribute powers between the judicial, legislative, and executive branches

C. to protect the rights of individuals from the federal government

Who can propose an amendment to the Constitution?

A. a simple majority of Congress

B. the president

C. the Supreme Court

D. a two-thirds majority of Congress

D. a two-thirds majority of Congress

What concept is illustrated by the fact that Congress has the power to introduce and pass laws, and the president has the responsibility to enforce all federal laws?

A. federalism

B. separation of powers

C. checks and balances

D. judicial review

B. separation of powers

Why was the Reapportionment Act of 1929 passed?

A. The number of senators per state was changing as the country expanded.

B. Congressional districts were redrawn to establish safe seats for the political parties.

C. Membership in the House needed to be capped to prevent an excessive number of members.

D. The House was limited to two representatives per state.

C. Membership in the House needed to be capped to prevent an excessive number of members.

How long is a term for a US senator?

A. two years

B. four years

C. six years

D. eight years

A. two years

When is the president of the Senate allowed to vote on legislative matters?

A. to end debate on the floor

B. to bring bills to the floor for debate

C. to register the position of the executive branch

D. to break a tie vote on a bill

D. to break a tie vote on a bill

Where do congressional leaders usually refer a proposed bill after its introduction?

A. a conference committee

B. a standing committee

C. an ad hoc committee

D. the floor

B. a standing committee

Who are the only people who may introduce a bill in the House of Representatives?

A. employees of federal agencies

B. lobbyists for special interest groups

C. committee staff and aides

D. members of the House of Representatives

D. members of the House of Representatives

How can Congress initiate the formal constitutional amendment process?

A. through a two-thirds majority vote of each house

B. through a simple majority vote of each house

C. through a unanimous vote of each house

D. Congress cannot initiate the constitutional amendment process.

A. through a two-thirds majority vote of each house

Which group does the president most rely upon for day-to-day advice?

A. the cabinet

B. the Executive Office of the President

C. the Congressional Budget Office

D. state governors

B. the Executive Office of the President

Who is the only US president to be elected to more than two terms?

A. Theodore Roosevelt

B. Franklin D. Roosevelt

C. George Washington

D. George W. Bush

B. Franklin D. Roosevelt

How are electors to the electoral college chosen?

A. They are appointed by the state legislatures.

B. They are members of the candidate's election campaign.

C. The people in a state vote for them on the ballot.

D. They are appointed by Congress.

A. They are appointed by the state legislatures.

What is the primary source of uncertainty over the limits on presidential power?

A. Some presidents win their elections by greater margins than others.

B. Constitutional amendments have greatly increased presidential powers.

C. The constitutional definition of executive powers is broad and unspecific.

D. Some presidents increase power in times of need.

C. The constitutional definition of executive powers is broad and unspecific.

What is the most effective way for Congress to prevent a president's foreign policy?

A. cut off budget support for that policy

B. pass a resolution against that policy

C. rally public opinion against that policy

D. refuse to ratify a treaty

A. cut off budget support for that policy

Which case allowed the Supreme Court to claim the power of judicial review (the authority to declare a law unconstitutional)?

A. McCullough v. Maryland

B. Gibbons v. Ogden

C. Marbury v. Madison

D. Brown v. Board of Education

C. Marbury v. Madison

How long is the term of a federal judge in a constitutional court?

A. two years

B. four years

C. six years

D. lifetime

D. lifetime

What power does original jurisdiction give the courts?

A. It gives courts the authority to hold trials and determine the facts of cases.

B. It gives courts the authority to review the decisions of lower courts and decide whether the law was properly applied.

C. It allows courts to decide only cases involving criminal law, not civil law.

D. It allows a court to share responsibility with another court that is concerned with the case.

A. It gives courts the authority to hold trials and determine the facts of cases.

Which courts in the federal system are considered intermediate appellate courts?

A. district courts

B. circuit courts

C. supreme courts

D. traffic courts

B. circuit courts

Why do federal district courts not try cases dealing with military matters, grievances against the government, or tax disputes?

A. They cannot be expected to rule impartially on cases involving the government.

B. Original jurisdiction for such cases belongs to the Supreme Court.

C. Such cases are tried only in state courts, not in federal courts.

D. Congress has created specialized courts to deal with such cases.

D. Congress has created specialized courts to deal with such cases.

Which sentence describes a legislative referendum?

A. Voters approve or reject a proposal without the legislature.

B. A legislature passes a bill that must be approved by voters.

C. Voters approve a measure that is nonbinding and can be ignored.

D. Voters sign a petition to gather support for an issue.

B. A legislature passes a bill that must be approved by voters.

If you went door-to-door with a petition trying to get enough signatures for a proposal to be voted on by citizens, what form of direct democracy would you be engaging in?

A. recall

B. initiative

C. bond

D. referendum

B. initiative

Which measure can citizens use to vote down the state government's legislation?

A. recall

B. initiative

C. bond

D. referendum

D. referendum

Which type of government structure are school districts an example of ?

A. general-purpose district

B. special-purpose district

C. township

D. municipality

B. special-purpose district

During the 1970s, which piece of legislation did the National Organization for Women actively promote, though it was never ratified?

A. the Clean Air Act

B. the Voting Rights Act

C. the Civil Rights Act

D. the Equal Rights Amendment

D. the Equal Rights Amendment

Why was the Fourteenth Amendment significant to the civil rights movement?

A. It guaranteed all former slaves a plot of land for farming or an adequate job for a steady income.

B. It stated that "separate but equal" facilities for African Americans were unconstitutional, starting the process of integration in the South.

C. It ensured that states guaranteed all people born or naturalized in the United States the rights granted by the Bill of Rights.

D. It guaranteed all minority groups, including women, Latinos, American Indians, and African Americans, the right to vote.

C. It ensured that states guaranteed all people born or naturalized in the United States the rights granted by the Bill of Rights.

Which issue led to the split in the Democratic-Republican Party in the late 1850s?

A. government corruption

B. "machine" politics

C. the New Deal

D. slavery

D. slavery

Which leader helped form the Democratic Party as the first modern political party ?

A. Abraham Lincoln

B. Franklin Delano Roosevelt

C. Andrew Jackson

D. Thomas Jefferson

C. Andrew Jackson

In the modern US political system, what is the main system political parties use to nominate candidates?

A. primary

B. caucus

C. general election

D. party appointment

A. Primary

How are the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates chosen?

A. They are nominated by their state governments.

B. Each is nominated by his or her respective party.

C. Each is chosen by the governor of his or her home state.

D. They are chosen by the House of Representatives.

B. Each is nominated by his or her respective party.

In what year was the United Nations founded?

A. 1919

B. 1939

C. 1945

D. 1956

C. 1945

In what ways does the international system resemble Thomas Hobbes's view of the state of nature?

A. Conflicts are resolved peacefully.

B. One charismatic individual controls the whole system.

C. Stronger nations prey upon the weak.

D. State actors are constrained by an overarching legal system.

C. Stronger nations prey upon the weak.

What was the United States' main motivation for continued participation in the international arena after World War II?

A. to rebuild Japan

B. escalating tensions with the Soviet Union

C. to sanction Germany for its war crimes

D. mutual assured destruction

B. escalating tensions with the Soviet Union

Which primary areas did President Johnson's Great Society seek to address?

A. poverty, civil rights, and health care

B. civil rights, national defense, and energy

C. energy, poverty, and health care

D. health care, the environment, and national defense

A. poverty, civil rights, and health care

If politicians evaluate a domestic policy and grade it as ineffective, what would most likely be the next step?

A. agenda setting

B. budgeting

C. policy adoption

D. problem recognition

D. problem recognition

What is the primary distinction between modern communism and socialism?

A. Karl Marx conceptualized socialism as a response to capitalism, but communism only came into being after the Russian Revolution.

B. Socialism is a theoretical ideal proposed by economists but never put into practice, and communism was the dominant economic system of the 1900s.

C. Communism is a particular form of socialism practiced today in many modern democracies in western Europe.

D. Socialism allows for some private ownership of property and businesses, but communism has the government hold all property.

D. Socialism allows for some private ownership of property and businesses, but communism has the government hold all property.

Which government legislation established a federal income tax in 1913?

A. the Sherman Antitrust Act

B. the Interstate Commerce Act

C. the Sixteenth Amendment

D. the Economic Opportunity Act

C. the Sixteenth Amendment

In which decade of the twentieth century did the government begin to take a much larger role in the US economy?

A. 1920s

B. 1930s

C. 1950s

D. 1980s

B. 1930s

Why do governments provide some goods and services in market economies?

A. They provide politicians with better jobs.

B. Markets cannot operate without some government involvement.

C. Markets are always distorted by laissez-faire policies.

D. All needed services cannot be adequately provided by businesses.

D. All needed services cannot be adequately provided by businesses.

What tool does the Federal Reserve use to influence the volume of money in the economy by buying and selling government securities?

A. personal income tax

B. reserve requirement

C. loose-money policy

D. open-market operations

D. open-market operations