Virtual SC Government All Topic Tests

How are differences usually settled in a democracy?

by compromise

A central notion of the American concept of democracy is that

the individual is of paramount importance.

The key relationship between democracy and free enterprise is that both

are based on the concept of individual freedom.

Which is a duty of every American citizen rather than a responsibility?

obeying the law

The United States government has a federal system. What does this mean?

The national government and states share power.

Which of the following is a duty of every American citizen?

paying taxes

What is the main goal of businesses that compete in a free enterprise system?

to make a profit

Which of the following best describes a dictatorship?

All power is in the hands of one person

Which is an example of how Congress may use its legislative powers?

It may override a president's veto

In which type of government is power divided between a central government and several local governments?

A Federal Government

How was the United States set up under the Articles of Confederation?

The states controlled most of their affairs

The main reason that Federalists supported ratification of the Constitution was

the need for a stronger central government.

What is the main idea of the Declaration of Independence?

that the colonies would no longer submit to British rule

Why did Britain interfere with colonial government in the mid

1700s?

What was the main problem that led many people to believe that the Articles of Confederation must be revised?

economic instability

What was an important argument against the proposed Constitution?

It did not guarantee basic rights

What pushed the American colonists toward wanting independence from Britain?

Britain put high taxes on certain goods

The Magna Carta

established the idea that the monarchy's power in England was not absolute.

Delegates met in Philadephia in 1787 to revise the Articles of Confederation. What did this meeting become?

Constitutional Convention

Under the Articles of Confederation,

b. Congress did not have the power to tax.
c. strong executive and judicial branches were established.

How did English documents such as the English Bill of Rights influence American settlers?

The government they set up in the U.S. included the same rights as the English documents.

Most of the thirteen American colonies were what kind of colonies?

royal colonies

What was an early act of the Second Continental Congress?

It organized an army to be led by George Washington

Which leader is known as "The Father of the Constitution"?

James Madison

Why did Congress need money after the Revolutionary War?

To pay its war debts

In what way can the executive branch check the power of the legislative branch?

By vetoing legislation

How is the Constitution organized?

a Preamble, 7 articles, and 27 amendments

A constitutional amendment may be proposed by

a two

Through their actions, Presidents have expanded which type of power that is basically outlined in the Constitution?

executive

What is the introduction to the Constitution called?

Preamble

Which amendment abolished (ended) slavery as a result of the Civil War?

13th Amendment

What principle holds that no government is all

powerful and that a government may do only those things that the people have given it the power to do?

Which unwritten custom did the 22nd Amendment establish as law?

limiting a President to two terms

Which is a method by which an amendment to the Constitution can be ratified?

by three

Why did the Framers leave some sections of the Constitution without detail, like an outline?

They wanted to keep the Constitution flexible, allowing for changing times.

How can the courts influence the meaning of the Constitution?

through judicial review

Each branch of the federal government can limit the power of the other two branches. What is this system called?

checks and balances

The Bill of Rights is a list of

basic freedoms and rights.

The nomination of candidates for the presidency

takes place at national conventions.

Which amendment gave African American men the right to vote?

15th Amendment

A state recognizes divorces

only if granted by the State where the person is a legal resident.

A system of government in which a written constitution divides power between a central government and several regional governments is called

federalism

According to the Constitution, the National Government is obligated to

respect the territorial integrity of the States.

An example of a concurrent power shared by the National Government and the States is

federal income and local sales taxes.

Before it can become a State, a territory applying for Statehood must

draft a proposed State constitution.

What part of the Constitution prevents certain conflicts between the national government and the states?

Supremacy Clause

The National Government's power to coin money is

an expressed power.

The expressed powers are exercised by which branches of the federal government?

executive, legislative, and judicial

Extradition is designed to

prevent a person from escaping justice by fleeing to another State.

A state cannot make a treaty with another nation, but it can make which of the following?

an interstate compact

Which is the national government obligated to do, according to the Constitution?

guarantee each state equal representation in the Senate

Which is the last step in the process of creating a new state?

The President signs an act of admission.

Which is a system with a division of power between a national government and several state governments?

a. indirect democracy
c. federalism
d. confederation

Which is a power the Constitution does not grant to the national government and does not deny to the states?

the power to establish public schools

What was the purpose of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787?

to help new states join the Union

Why did the Framers choose the system of federalism?

to prevent the abuse of power by government

Which part of the Constitution allows the National Government to claim implied powers for itself?

the Necessary and Proper Clause

Which of the following is the best summary of the Supremacy Clause?

The Constitution and the laws and treaties of the United States are the supreme law of the land.

Which of the following is an exception to the Full Faith and Credit Clause?

criminal cases

Which of the following best describes the meaning of the word fugitive?

a person who flees from justice

Between presidential elections, the national committee of each party

raises money and recruits new voters.

How did the Democratic Party gain power in the 1930s?

by providing economic help during the Great Depression

The Democratic Party barely survived as a national party after

the issue of slavery split the party

The era of Republicans began

at the time of the Civil War

What are the main reasons why the United States has a two

party system today?

Wards and precincts are units of election administration at

the local level.

What is a political party

people with shared ideas who seek to control the government

What is an important purpose of a major party's national convention

to select the party's presidential and vice

What usually happens to single

issue parties?

Which of the following is a true statement about the beginnings of political parties in the United States

The Framers wished to avoid the formation of political parties.

Graph depicting Relationship Between Primary Turnout and General Election Turnout, 1968

2004

This graph illustrates the fact that

there is a higher turnout for general elections than for primaries

According to the 26th Amendment, no State can deny any person the right to vote if he or she is at least

18 years old

How are political scandals, economic problems, and wars likely to affect voter behavior

Voters may consider voting outside their political party

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 affected voting rights by

banning the discriminatory use of registration requirements

The single most significant and lasting predictor of how a person will vote is

party identification

What is the main reason for nonvoting?

lack of interest

Which federal law passed in 1993 was intended to make voter registration easier?

Motor Voter Law

Which is one of the universal requirements for voting in the United States?

legal residency

Which person would not meet the universal requirements for voting?

17

Which type of voting often results from strong loyalty to a political party?

straight

All federal law dealing with campaign finance is administered by the

Federal Election Commission.

Hard

money contributions are given

How do presidential candidates get most of their money for preconvention campaigns?

from private sources

What is the main problem with punch

card voting devices?

Where do voters within a precinct go to cast their votes?

at a polling place

Which is a voting requirement of all states?

Ballots should be secret.

Why do voters have only two choices for most political offices on election day?

because of the two

Because election results are often seen as indicators of public opinion, a victorious candidate may claim to have a _ from voters.

mandate

Children first begin to learn about politics and current events from

their family.

Only nineteen percent of Americans between the ages of eighteen and thirty

four claim even to look at a daily newspaper. The average age of the American newspaper reader is fifty

Read the excerpt. What does it say about the future of newspapers?

Fewer people will get the news from newspapers

President Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first President to make good use of which form of mass media?

radio

The most widely used sources for political news and information are television and

the Internet

What is the main difference between television and newspaper coverage of the news?

Television mostly "skims" the news, while newspapers go more in depth.

What is the role schools play in the formation of political opinions in children?

Schools indoctrinate children to be good citizens

How does a political party differ from an interest group?

Parties are concerned with the interests of all voters

The AFL

CIO is an example of a very large

What is the main goal of propaganda?

to create a particular belief.

Which is an example of an issue a public

interest group might lobby for?