Which of the following has the power to declare the United States officially at war?
\ c) Congress
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An example of the expanding power of the national government at the expense of the states within the federal system would be
b) Court ordered busing to achieve racial balance in schools across the country
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The Constitution provides that the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall be chosen by
b) The entire House of Representatives
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Senators serve for
a) Six years
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Congress has the power to
b) Provide for funding of the Court
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Which of the following powers is NOT shared by both houses of Congress?
d) The power to start money bills to raise revenue
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The Constitution provides that 1/3 of the senators shall
a) Come up for reelection every two years
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The power to call special sessions of Congress is vested in
b) The President
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To override an executive veto Congress must have
a) A two-thirds vote of both houses
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Congress is forbidden to levy (impose) taxes on
b) Exports
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Which is an example of the use of the ‘implied power’ of Congress?
d) Creating a national bank
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Due process of law means that
c) Civil and criminal proceedings must be conducted in a fair manner required by law
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The power to impeach (not convict) a President is given solely to
b) The House of Representatives
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Authorization for the coinage and printing of money can be done only by
a) Congress
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If neither the President nor the Vice-President can serve as President, the next in line is the
a) Speaker of the House
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The first expression of women’s rights noted in the United States Constitution would be
b) In the 19th Amendment.
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Which of the following is needed to officially propose an amendment to the U.S. Constitution?
d) 2/3 of the House and Senate
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The Bill of Rights provides that
a) ‘the accused shall enjoy the right to a trial by an impartial jury.’
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Freedom of the press and freedom of speech is guaranteed in
b) First Amendment to the Constitution.
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By what means does Congress effectively control the activities of the executive departments of the Federal government?
b) by controlling appropriations (money spent)
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The number of terms a president serves is determined by
d) the 22nd amendment which limits the length to two terms
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The number of presidential electors allocated to each state is
c) equal to the state’s number of Senators and Representatives
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All treaties are made by the president with the advice and consent of the
d) Senate
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To prevent a bill from becoming law without his signature the President must return it to Congress within
a) ten days
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If no candidate receives a clear majority of electoral votes, the President is chosen
c) by the full House of Representatives
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The Constitution mentions all but one of the following duties of the President. Which is not mentioned?
d) He should have a cabinet of advisors to consult
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Which of the following is eligible to be President?
c) a 40 year old woman born of German parents in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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The President of the United States is denied the power to
c) Pardon or reprieve an impeachable offense.
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The Federal Supreme Court would normally not have any jurisdiction (control) in cases involving
d) State crimes like robbery and murder
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When leading the Senate, the vice-president has a vote
d) in cases when there is a tie
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The president's diplomatic duties consists of
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d) All of these functions-Serving as the nation’s chief diplomatic official.- Appointing ambassadors.- Making executive agreements and treaties.
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The power of the Supreme Court to nullify acts of Congress and state laws was
c) Established by early decisions of the Supreme Court like Marbury v. Madison
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What proportion of votes of judges is required for a decision by the United States Supreme Court?
c) Simple majority (5 if there are 9 judges)
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The Constitution provided long terms for federal judges in order to
b) Remove judicial decisions from political and/or popular influence.
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Even if the Supreme Court rules a law unconstitutional the substance of the law may become constitutional. How?
b) By Constitutional amendment
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The function of the United States Supreme Court is to
d) All of these.(a. Rule on the Constitutionality of lower court decisions or laws.-b) Check the executive branch of government.-c) Exercise judicial review.)
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The final decision as to whether or not an enactment of Congress is Constitutional rests with
c) The Supreme Court.
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It is unconstitutional for a person to be
c) tried twice for the same crime (double jeopardy)
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By reading the formal powers in the original Constitution one can find out
a) Who ratifies treaties
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Federal judges serve
b) For life
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If additional land were needed for a park in Des Plaines, a government (in this case a school district) could take private property only
a) after fair compensation determined by the courts
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Which of the following is basic to the idea of a federal system of government? (aka federalism)
a) Division of powers between national and state government
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A law which punishes a man for an act which was not illegal at the time it was performed is called
c) Ex post facto.
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The Constitution prohibits the passage of a bill of attainder. The effect of this prohibition is that a citizen is guaranteed
d) A trial
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The ‘necessary and proper’ clause of the Constitution (aka elastic clause) gives Congress
d) implied powers (not written in the Constitution)
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A citizen of the United States is a person who
d) was born or naturalized in the U.S.
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Which of the following governmental services is least regulated and controlled by our national government?
d) Education
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Which of the following is an example of a power exercised by both the state and national governments?
a) Taxation
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A man accused of a crime in court has a right to
b) Hear witnesses against him.
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The Constitution vests the power to admit new states into the Union in the
b) Congress.
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The constitution of the United States may be amended by
c) A two-thirds vote of Congress and ratified by three-fourths of state legislatures
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A citizen of the United States can be denied the right to vote
d) For none of these reasons. (a. If he has not paid his state income tax.b) If he is eighteen years of age on election day.c) If he has not paid his poll tax.)
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A person may invoke the Fifth Amendment
d) Under all of these circumstances (a As a witness before a congressional investigating committee b) If pressured an FBI agent to confess to a crime c) If arrested and interrogated by the police.)
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The major purpose of the Bill of Rights in the Constitution of the United States is to
d) Protect individual liberties from interference by the federal government.
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The goal of the Framers of the Constitution was to create a
a) republic based on a system of representation
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Budget decisions are made by which branch of government?
a) Congress
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Laws about how to run elections are made by which of the following?