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Among the broad purpose of the United States government spelled out in the Preamble to the Constitution is the obligation to

Provide for justice and the people's general welfare

A federal government is one in which

Power is divided between a central government and local governments

Which of the following is among the characteristics of a state?

All of the mentioned answers/ Population, Territory, Government

Which of the following statements about sovereign states is NOT true?

A country or city is considered sovereign because it is subordinate to a larger form of government

In a democracy, the will of the majority

Cannot be used to deprive rights to a member of a minority group

Which of the following is among the purposes of government outlined in the Preamble to the Constitution?

All of answers provided/ Promoting the general welfare of the citizens, insuring order and domestic tranquility, defending the nation against foreign enemies

Which of the following illustrates the concept of equality of opportunity?

Public schools may not exclude students because of their sex or race

If you live under a democratic government that conducts its own foreign and domestic policies, in an area with a territory of 50 square miles and a population of 50,000, that area qualifies as a

State

Where does sovereignty rest in a dictatorship?

With a small group or a single person

Which feature did the State constitutions and the Articles of Confederation have in common?

Principle of popular sovereignty

With the words, "We the People," the Constitution establishes its authority on the basis of

Popular Sovereignty

Which of the following best describes the concept of limited government?

Government must operate within certain bounds set by the people

The basic constitutional rights of people were FIRST set out in the

Bill of Rights

Which of the following is the subject of a constitutional amendment

all of the answers given are correct/ repeal of a previous amendment, presidential term limit, the prohibition of alcohol

The President's power to veto an act of Congress is an example of

Checks and balances

The Bill of Rights guarantees all of the following EXCEPT

The right of women to vote

Which of the following is NOT an example of the checks and balances system?

The President makes an executive agreement

When there is a seperation of powers

Power is distributed among three independent branches of government

Which of the following is NOT true of the Constitution?

It has not been changed in 50 years

Which of the following was formally amended of the Constitution?

Prohibition of alcoholic beverages

Which of the following amendments was ratified FIRST?

What characteristic of a state did the English colonies NOT possess?

Sovereignty

Both the Connecticut Compromise and the Three-Fifths Compromise were crucial to the small states because

WIthout them, the small states would have carried little weight in the new government

The objections of the Anti-Federalist can be BEST summed up as:

A fear that the new government would have too much power and the people too little power

The Federalists can be called a "campaign document" because it

Was written to convince voters to support the new Constitution

Powers not given to the national government

Reserved Powers

Power shared by both the states and national government

Concurrent Powers

Powers suggested although not specifically states in the Constitutional

Implied Powers

Must be signed by the President in order for a territory to become a state

Act of Admission

Federal money given to a state

Grants-in-Aid

An act of Congress directing a territory to write a state constitution

Enabling act

Division of powers between the states and federal government

Federalism

Prevents a person from fleeing a state to avoid being charged with a crime

Extradition

Guarantees that any American may travel or live in any state

Interstate Compact

Powers delegated to the national government of a sovereign state

Inherent Powers

Agreement between two states

Interstate Compact

Says that the Constitution is above all other laws

Supremacy Clause

Federal money given to states

Grants-in-Aid Program

Powers belonging to the national government alone

Exclusive Powers

"When all government, in little as in great things, shall be drawn to Washington as the center of allpower, it will render powerless the checks provided of one government on another and will become as venal [corrupted] and oppressive [demanding] as the government from which we seperated [Great Britain]."
Thomas Jefferson, 1821
Read the quotation. What point is Thomas Jefferson trying to make?

The national government may become too powerful

"When all government, in little as in great things, shall be drawn to Washington as the center of allpower, it will render powerless the checks provided of one government on another and will become as venal [corrupted] and oppressive [demanding] as the government from which we seperated [Great Britain]."
Thomas Jefferson, 1821
Read the quotation. How did the Framers try to deal with Thomas Jefferson's concern

By reserving for the states all powers not expressly granted to the national government

What is meant by a republican form of government

A representative government

Why did the Framers choose the system of federalism?

To prevent the abuse of power by government

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

A person who flees from justice

In the federal system, local governments are considered

Sub-units of State governments

According to the Constitution, the National government may do any of the following EXCEPT

Ignore the physical boundaries of each state

Critics of grants-in-aid charge that they

Violate the principles of division of power as the national government used them to influence state governments

Which of the following might best describe the Framer's reasoning in choosing Federalism?

A divided government is less prone to abuse

According to the Constitution, which powers are reserved for the states?

Any powers not granted to the National Government and not denied to the States

Extradition is designed to

Prevent a person from escaping justice by fleeing to another state

A political party is a group of persons who join together in order to

Gain control of the government through the electoral process

The two-party system in America goes back to the

Ratification of the Constitution

The function of informing the public and stimulating political debate is performed by

All of the answers giver/ The news media, political parties, interest groups

During which period(s) of American history has the Democratic Party dominated the Federal Government?

1800-1860 and 1932-1968

Multiparty systems tend to produce

Political Instability

Unlike previous periods, during the 1968 to present,

One party has controlled the presidency while the other party has controlled the Congress

The Free Soil Party and the Right to Life Party are both examples of

Single-Issue parties

Party organizations have declined in recent years as a result of which of the following?

The use of television and direct mail campaigns

Districts are the units into which states are divided for the election of congressional representatives

True

The two major parties in the United States are issue-oriented

False

Once its candidates are elected, a political party has a keen interest in whether they perform well in office

True

The function that most clearly sets political parties apart from political groups operating in the United States is the nomination of candidates for elective office

True

The statement that "Americans are an ideologically homogeneous people" refers to the fact that

Americans share basic political ideas

Which of the following groups would be most likely to support the Democratic Party?

People whose parents supported the Democratic party

The Libertarian party is a good example of what type of minor party

Ideological Party

The Bull Moose Party is a good example of what type of minor political party?

Splinter party

The Prohibition party is a good example of what kind of minor political party

Single issue party

The person running for re-election is known as the

Incumbent

A good example of a one-party system can be found where?

North Korea

The smallest unit of election administration is

Precinct

The first Republican to be elected President was

Abraham Lincoln

This even almost ended the Democrat Party

Civil War

The practice of awarding public offices, contracts, and other governmental favors to those who support the party in power

Spoils system

Party's "national voice" that take place the summer of each presidential election year. Presidential and VP candidates chosen, party platform and rules adopted.

National Convention

Voting for candidates of different parties for different offices at the same time

Split ticket voting

Protections from the government; restricts the government from doing things against you.

Civil Liberties

Protection from others by the government; places limits on the power of the majority to make decisions that benefit some at the expense of others.

Civil rights

False and malicious spread of written words

Libel

False and malicious spread of spoken words

Slander

The government cannot curb ideas before they are expressed

Prior restraint

Patrolling of a business site by workers who are on strike

Picketing

Fear of libel suits can cause the press to self-sensor, resulting in what the courts call this

Chilling effect

Key exception to the no prior restraint rule:

National security

American democracy relies on its citizens having enough information to make good decisions and hold elected officialw

Accountable

The first ten amendments to the constitution which contain guarantees of civil liberties

The Bill of Rights

Amendment through which others are incorporated and applied to the state via its DUE PROCESS and EQUAL PROTECTION CLAUSES

14th Amendment

1st Amendment clause that guarantees that there shall be no established state church

Establishment Clause

1st Amendment guarantee of religious freedom, which guarantees to each person the right to believe whatever he or she chooses to believe in matters of religion

Free Exercise Clause

To gather with one another in order to express views on public matters

Assemble

The government may not regulate assemblies on the basis of what might be said; the law must be:

Content Neutral

Type of speech that gets the strongest Constitutional protection. It's given PREFERRED POSITION< which means that any LAW or EXECUTIVE ACT that limits it is almost always struck down by the courts.

Political Speech

Which of the following is NOT a part of the three-prong Lemon Test to decide whether or not a state law violated the 1st Amendment's Freedom of Religion Clause:

A Wall of Seperation

The right to assemble and petition means that you are free to assemble wherever you want, including private property.

False

This Amendment says the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed

2nd Amendment

This Amendment guarantees the right to free speech, press, religion, assembly and petition

1st Amendment

The Mississippi Constitution contains a Bill of Rights

True

The Mississippi Constitution includes the right to bear arms.

True

The Mississippi Constitution guarantees an accused the right to have his/her case presented to a grand jury

True

The Mississippi Constitution includes a "catch-all" section stating that rights not specifically spelled out in the Constitution are still protected, similar to the U.S. Constitution

True

The Mississippi Constitution does not provide for freedom of religion

False