Florida Civic Literacy Examination (FCLE) Sample Items

Vocabulary flashcards for the Florida Civic Literacy Examination Sample Items.

Republican Government

An ancient civilization that established a republican form of government was the Roman civilization.

Ancient Athenian Political Reforms

In 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.

Divine Right of Kings

The traits of power achieved through inheritance, a ruling family for over a century, finite freedoms and rights, hierarchical social status, and a single established state religion are based on the principle of the divine right of kings.

Referendum

The modern democratic concept practiced in the United States that is most like the democratic process of ancient Greece is the referendum.

Written Constitution

The principal function of a written constitution is outlining the structure and powers of a government.

Checks and Balances

The objective of the system of checks and balances, as defined in the U.S. Constitution, is keeping any one of the three branches of government from becoming too powerful.

Rule of Law

The statement from President Nixon, 'Well, when the president does it, that means that it is not illegal' contradicts the constitutional principle of rule of law.

Popular Sovereignty

A republic is a form of government based on popular sovereignty.

Preamble of the U.S. Constitution

The statement that best describes the Preamble of the U.S. Constitution is that governments are accountable to the citizens over whom they rule.

Purpose of Government

When the U.S. Congress declared war on Japan after the attack on Pearl Harbor, it fulfilled the purpose of government of providing for the common defense.

Search Warrant

Examining the contents of a hotel room would require a search warrant.

Freedom of Assembly

In the United States, the right of freedom of assembly permits citizens the right to demonstrate.

Fourth Amendment

A man stopped and searched by police officers in the area where a robbery was reported could contest the search as a violation of his Fourth Amendment rights.

Supremacy Clause

In the United States, conflicts between state laws and federal laws are generally resolved using the Supremacy Clause.

Article I of the U.S. Constitution

Article I of the U.S. Constitution grants the power to coin money, make treaties, and levy import duties.

Writ of Habeas Corpus

A suitable petition for a suspect accused of a crime in one state who flees to another state and is kept imprisoned would be a petition for a writ of habeas corpus.

Power of Impeachment

The power of impeachment is best described as the ability of the U.S. House to charge federal officers with a crime or violation.

Third Amendment

The constitutional provision inspired by the complaint about standing armies in times of peace is the Third Amendment, which limits the quartering of soldiers to specific circumstances.

Enlightenment

The philosophical movement that best reflects the ideals in the preamble of the U.S. Constitution is the Enlightenment.

Declaration of Independence

The document that influenced the aims and strategies of the authors of the Declaration of Sentiments was the Declaration of Independence.

John Locke

John Locke's ideas are best represented in the Declaration of Independence.

Colonial Protests

Colonists living under British rule protested British tax policies because they claimed that the tax policies violated their political rights.

U.S. Constitution Precedent

The Mayflower Compact set a precedent for the U.S. Constitution.

James Madison

James Madison is considered to be the principal author of the U.S. Constitution.

Main Principles of U.S. Constitution

Government by the people and the separation of powers are the main principles of the U.S. Constitution.

Northwest Ordinances

The Northwest Ordinances contains a clause that may have served as an inspiration for the language in the Thirteenth Amendment.

Government's Purpose

Based on the Mayflower Compact, the modern understanding of the purpose of government in the United States is that the government should provide equal protection under the law.

Great Compromise

The result of the Great Compromise was that Congress would have two houses, one in which state representation was based on population and one in which all states had equal representation.

Watergate Break-In

The most important consequence of the Watergate break-in was the resignation of the president of the United States.

Federal Regulation of Transportation

The Interstate Commerce Act reflects federal efforts to regulate transportation.

Plessy v. Ferguson

The U.S. Supreme Court enabled segregating public facilities to continue in its ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson.

Monroe Doctrine

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

Right to Vote

Eighteen-year-olds were fully granted the right to vote by constitutional amendment.

New Deal

Based on the passage about what the people of America want most, the speaker would support the New Deal government program.

Supremacy Clause Violation

The U.S. Supreme Court would most likely decide that violating the Occupational Safety and Health Act violates the Supremacy Clause.

Marbury v. Madison

The Supreme Court case that established the precedent described in the passage is Marbury v. Madison.

Korematsu v. United States

Korematsu v. United States, undermined civil rights and liberties in prioritization of national security.

Gideon v. Wainwright

The Supreme Court case that overturned the trial court’s decision due to lack of counsel was Gideon v. Wainwright.