GOVT 2305 Final Review

What principle holds that the people are the ultimate source of governing authority?

a) equality

b) self-government

c) collectivism

d) imperialism

b) self-government

True or False: Liberty is the principle that individuals should always be free to act as they choose

False

True or False: In the United States, it is our political culture that largely forms our national identity

True

True or False: In most countries, their political culture largely forms their national identity

False

Political Science can help with critical thinking by providing us:

a) reliable information about how the U.S. political system operates

b) scientific (systematic) generalizations about major tendencies in U.S. politics

c) terms and concepts that precisely describe key aspects of politics

d) all of the above

d) all of the above

Why is it important to listen?

a) it may help you be more confident and certain of your own beliefs

b) it may help you change your mind, when you are wrong

c) both a and b are correct

d) none of the above

c) both a and b are correct

True or False: Confirmation bias is where people are readily willing to accept things that fit into their preconceived notions of how the world is or should be and almost immediately reject things that do not fit

True

True or False: Although it is a problem when news organizations hide contradictory information, this is not an obstacle to critical thinking

False

True or False: Critical thinking is important because it gives a country’s people the ability to justify their actions when they act irresponsibly

False

What sculpture symbolizes the difficulties associated with critical thinking?

a) David

b) Pieta

c) The Seer

d) The Thinker

d) The Thinker

True or False: The most important requirement to critical thinking is a willingness to listen to others who share your opinions and a desire to know the facts

False

Which element of U.S. political culture may make it difficult to pass laws to help those in need?

a) the second amendment

b) equality

c) individualism

d) socialism

c) individualism

True or False: In order to become a better critical thinker, it is more important to listen than to speak

True

Who said: “War is politics by other means”?

a) Otto von Bismarck

b) Donald Trump

c) Teddy Roosevelt

d) Carl von Clausewitz

d) Carl von Clausewitz

Conflict is:

a) always bad

b) a disagreement based on some level of incompatibility of wants or interests

c)  rare

d) always good

b) a disagreement based on some incompatibility of wants or interests

Politics is:

a) a religion

b) not meant for ordinary citizens

c) the process through which a society settles its conflicts

d) the study of ecology

c) the process through which a society settles it conflicts

Political Science is:

a) not a science at all, but rather a philosophy

b) the systematic study of government and politics

c) only for the rich

d) awful

b) the systematic study of government and politics

“I may not agree with a word you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” This quote is attributed to:

a) Montesquieu

b) Locke

c) Cher

d) Voltaire

d) Voltaire

Critical thinking is:

a) reflexive

b) reflective

c) thoughtless

d) easy

b) reflective

Who said: Education is not the learning of facts but the training of the mind to think?

a) Abraham Lincoln

b) Bill Clinton

c) Albert Einstein

d) Victor Hugo

c) Albert Einstein

Who is a U.S. Senator for Texas?

a) Bob Mendedez

b) Steve Ratner

c) Beto O’Rourke

d) John Cornryn

d) John Cornryn

True or False: Among other things, the Townshend Act taxed newspapers

False

Where did our original notions of limited and representative government come from:

a) the French and their distrust of monarchy

b) the British and the colonies’ own experiments with representative government

c) primarily from Thomas Hobbes and Thomas Paine

d) the Spanish and Christopher Columbus

b) the British and the colonies’ own experiments with representative government

What treaty ended the Revolutionary War?

a) Treaty of Versailles

b) Treaty of Velasco 

c) Treaty of Kyoto

d) Treaty of Paris

d) Treaty of Paris

Which founder was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence?

a) John Locke

b) Thomas Jefferson

c) James Madison

d) George Washington

e) Alexander Hamilton

b) Thomas Jefferson

This European philosopher had the most impact on Thomas Jefferson and his writing of the Declaration of Independence

a) Montesquieu

b) Locke

c) Hobbes

d) Aristotle

e) Burke

b) Locke

The United States first plan for a national government was

a) under the Articles of Confederation

b) a federalist system

c) a unitary form of government

d) a monarchy

e) a theocracy

a) under the Articles of Confederation

Shays’ Rebellion:

a) was a successful revolt

b) convinced many political leaders that the national government was too powerful

c) convinced many political leaders that the national government was too weak

d) reinforced public support for the Articles of Confederation

e) occurred after the Philadelphia convention of 1787

c) convinced many political leaders that the national government was too weak

Under the Virginia Plan:

a) the new Constitution would be only marginally stronger than the Articles of Confederation

b) the enslaved would count as three-fifths of a person when apportioning legislative representatives

c) large states would have more representatives

d) Congress could not regulate either interstate trade or international trade

c) large states would have more representatives

The Great Compromise produced:

a) checks and balances

b) the abolition of slavery

c) a bicameral Congress

d) separation of powers

e) federalism

c) a bicameral Congress

The Three-Fifths Compromise was a response to

a) a conflict over how to count the enslaved for purposes of representation

b) the concerns of Paul Revere

c) apportionment in the U.S. Senate

d) the Electoral College

e) the demands of the Continental Army

a) a conflict over how to count the enslaved for purposes of representation

Who surrendered to George Washington at Yorktown Virginia, effectively ending the Revolutionary War?

a) Benedict Arnold

b) Charles Cornwallis

c) Santa Ana

d) King Henry VIII

b) Charles Cornwallis

According to the video “Compromises and the Constitutional Convention (from The Constitution Center),” the Constitutional Convention is also known as:

a) The Great Compromise

b) Magnum Opus

c) The Miracle at Philadelphia

d) The Magnificent Plan

c) The MIracle at Philadelphia

According to the video “Division of Power and the Three Branches” many people believe the founders thought which branch was the most important?

a) executive

b) legislative

c) judicial

d) the fourth estate

b) legislative

True or False: the fifth amendment is an example of limited government

True

Which of the following is a reason in support of representative government:

a) our country does not have a lot of people compared to other countries

b) people are not always well-informed

c) people have good intentions

d) none of the above

b) people are not always well-informed

True or False: A decrease in the tax on tea was a major reason the colonist revolted

False

True or False: A parliament is a body of government similar to our executive branch

False

Who said: “What country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance”

a) Ben Franklin

b) John Adams

c) Quincy Jones

d) Thomas Jefferson

d) Thomas Jefferson

Who was the leader of the Continental Army?

a) Patrick Henry

b) Eric Adams

c) George Washington

d) Benedict Arnold

c) George Washington

Who was the first Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court?

a) Alexander Hamilton

b) John Jay

c) John Marshall

d) John Roberts

b) John Jay

Which founder is known as the Father of the Constitution?

a) George Washington

b) James Madison

c) Victor Hugo

d) Thomas Jefferson

e) None of the above

b) James Madison

What are the essays explaining the ideas of the Constitution and urging its ratification?

a) the Mayflower Contract

b) The Declaration of Independence

c) The Anti-Federalist Parties

d) The Federalist Papers

e) The Declaration of Conscience

d) The Federalist Papers

Where is the Bill of Rights found in the Constitution?

a) Article I, Section 8

b) Article II

c) The first 10 amendments

d) amendments 17 through 26

e) Article III

c) the first 10 amendments

The principles of checks and balances is based on the notion that 

a) leaders are the trustees of the people

b) a weak government is always preferable to a strong govt

c) all legislative and executive action should be controlled through judicial power

d) power must be used to check power

e) legislators and executives cannot be trusted, but judges can

d) power must be used to check power

judicial review is the power of American courts to:

a) declare laws and certain other actions as unconstitutional

b) suspend the right of habeas corpus

c) impeach the president

d) give advisory opinions to Congress

e) give advice and counsel to the president

a) declare laws and certain other actions as unconstitutional

Marbury v. Madison:

a) created the doctrine of national supremacy

b) established judicial review

c) defined the scope of state powers under the 10th amendment

d) affirmed the necessary and proper clause

b) established judicial review

Who was the 1st U.S. Secretary of the Treasury?

a) Alexander Hamilton

b) Woodrow Wilson

c) Thurgood Marshall

d) John Roberts

a) Alexander Hamilton

Which amendment is known as the catch-all amendment?

a) 1st

b) 5th

c) 10th

d) 9th

d) 9th

Who wrote Marbury v. Madison?

a) Mark Hamilton

b) James Madison

c) Thurgood Marshall

d) John Marshall

d) John Marshall

What power or powers do the other branches have to check the powers of the Supreme Court?

a) impeach them

b) pack the court

c) nothing

d) a & b 

d) a & b

Who referred to political parties as the most fatal disease?

a) George Washington

b) James Madison

c) Alexander Hamilton

d) James Monroe

c) Alexander Hamilton

True or False:The Anti-Federalists were in support of a strong national government

False

The Federalist Papers were originally published under the name:

a) Alexander Hamilton

b) Publius

c) John Jay

d) a & c

b) Publius

True or False: most of the Amendments to the U.S. Constitution sought to limit rights

False

Which of the following is or are in the Bill of Rights?

a) equal protection

b) the right to vote

c) free speech

d) all of the above

c) free speech

According to the video on The Executive Branch, which presidential power is perhaps the most important?

a) serve as Commander in Chief

b) appoint judges

c) make treaties

d) take care that the laws be faithfully executed

d) take care that the laws be faithfully executed

According to the video on The Executive Branch, who seized the steel mills?

a) Harry Truman

b) Teddy Roosevelt

c) John Edwards

d) Hugo Black

a) Harry Truman

According to the video on the Bill of Rights, the 9th amendment addressed whose concerns?

a) James Madison

b) Patrick Henry

c) John Marshall

d) None of the above

a) James Madison

True or False: All the delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the Constitution before it was submitted to the states for ratification

False

In a unitary system of government:

a) The national government is sovereign

b) The state government is sovereign

c) The state and national governments share sovereignty

d) Those in power are always dictators

a) The national government is sovereign

How does a federal system of government protect from a national government becoming too strong?

a) by protecting liberty

b) by moderating the power of the government

c) a & b

d) none of the abov

c) a & b

Nationalization is the process where:

a) national power increases (gets stronger)

b) state government power increases

c) a government moves towards democracy

d) a government moves towards autocracy

a) national power increases (gets stronger)

Which Supreme Court case dealt with the issue of implied power?

a) Plessy v. Ferguson

b) McCulloch v. Maryland

c) Roe v. Wade

d) The Dred Scott case

b) McCulloch v. Maryland

True or False: Enumerated Powers are those implied by the Necessary and Proper Clause

False

Where can you find a list of enumerated powers?

a) 9th Amendment

b) Article I Section 8

c) The Supremacy Clause

d) Article IV

b) Article I Section 8

Where can you find the reserved powers?

a) 3rd Amendment

b) Article I Section 8

c) The Supremacy Clause

d) 10th Amendment

d) 10th Amendment

Today, which system best describes how governing authority is apportioned in the United States?

a) Unitary

b) Confederacy

c) Federalism

d) Depending on the circumstances, all of the above

c) Federalism

Which President threatened to pack the court (add Justices to the Supreme Court) if his New Deal policies were not upheld?

a) Richard Nixon

b) Franklin Delano Roosevelt

c) Thomas Jefferson

d) Alexander Hamilton

b) Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Which of the following are usually considered reserved powers?

a) Marriage laws

b) Local zoning laws

c) Policing

d) all of the above

d) all of the above

True or False: Congress may only pass laws that are specifically enumerated in the Constitution?

False

The federal government’s power to coin money, regulate commerce among the states (interstate commerce), and declare war are all examples of _______ powers

a) reserved

b) enumerated

c) implied

d) concurrent

b) enumerated

Which of the following is most closely related to the concept of implied powers?

a) Necessary and Proper Clause

b) Supremacy Clause

c) 10th Amendment

d) Commerce Clause

e) Power to Tax

a) Necessary and Proper Clause

Which of the following shortcomings of a too weak national government, like under the Articles of Confederation, did our current system of government seek to correct?

a) public disorder (ex. Shays’ Rebellion)

b) economic chaos (need common currency, etc.)

c) inadequate defense (protect from foreign powers, even after the Revolutionary War)

d) all of the above

d) all of the above

Where does Congress get the power to draft or require men to register for the draft?

a) directly from its enumerated powers

b) from its implied powers

c) from the 10th amendment

d) from the commerce clause

e) from its power to tax

b) from its implied powers

The Commerce Clause has been used to justify congressional power to pass:

a) civil rights

b) a minimum wage

c) gun controls

d) all of the above

d) all of the above

Where in the Constitution is the Supremacy Clause?

a) Article VI

b) Article III

c) 10th amendment

d) 27th Amendment

e) Article I, Section 8

a) Article VI

True or False: The federal government has the authority to pass a law that makes possessing marijuana illegal even in states where it is legal?

True

What are some ways the federal government may possibly try to protect abortion rights?

a) withhold federal money to states that limit abortion, under the spending clause

b) protect a women’s right to emergency care as a form of equal protection

c) invoke the Commerce Clause to protect a women’s right to travel for an abortion

d) all of the above

d) all of the above

Which clause was used to justify the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 and could possibly be used to limit other abortions in the future?

a) The Full Faith and Credit Clause

b) The Privileges and Immunities Clause

c) The Supremacy Clause

d) The Commerce Clause

d) The Commerce Clause

Civil liberties are individual rights that:

a) apply in civil cases but not in criminal cases

b) are outlined in the 10th amendment

c) are constitutionally protected from infringement by government

d) are constitutionally protected from infringement by individuals and government

c) are constitutionally protected from infringement by government

The first black woman to serve on the Supreme Court is:

a) Amy Coney Barrett

b) Ruth Bader Ginsberg

c) Ketanji Brown Jackson

d) Sandra Day O’Connor

c) Ketanji Brown Jackson

According to the video on students and free expression, when it comes to First Amendment rights, public school students have:

a) more protection than NFL players

b) less protection than NFL players

c) about the same level of protection as NFL players

d) neither have much protection

a) more protection than NFL players

True or False: Civil liberties are the same as civil rights

False

Betty goes to school wearing a black armband with a peace logo to register her opposition to the war in Gaza or any war. This is an example of:

a) symbolic speech

b) verbal communication

c) direct communication

d) forced speech

a) symbolic speech

Most of our civil liberties can be found in:

a) Article VI

b) Article I Section 8

c) The Bill of Rights

d) The 27th Amendment

c) The Bill of Rights

Which progressive Justice of the Supreme Court passed away while in office, allowing a conservative to be appointed Justice:

a) Amy Coney Barrett

b) Ruth Bader Ginsberg

c) Stephen Breyer

d) John Roberts

b) Ruth Bader Ginsberg

According to the Supreme Court, “In God We Trust” is:

a) unconstitutional because it coerces religious practices

b) constitutional

c) unconstitutional because it violates the 10th Amendment

d) obscene speech and thus not protected

b) constitutional

The right not to incriminate yourself applies to states because of

a) Malloy v. Hogan

b) Miranda v. Arizona

c) the 12th amendment

d) the 21st amendment

a) Malloy v. Hogan

Why is it important to protect freedom of expression?

a) it makes our representatives accountable

b) it is necessary for the discovery of truth and rejection of falsehood

c) it allows for public discussion necessary for democratic self-government

d) all of the above

d) all of the above

The Sedition Act of 1798 allowed for:

a) a fine

b) deportation

c) a & b

d) none of the above

c) both a & b

Which case discussed the clear and present danger test?

a) Dred Scott v. Sandford

b) Schenck v. United States

c) McCulloch v. Maryland

d) Marbury v. Madison

b) Schenck v. United States

Which case held that speech directed at inciting or producing imminent lawless action and that has a high probability of inciting others to take imminent lawless action is not protected by the First Amendment?

a) Brandenburg v. Ohio

b) Bush v. Gore

c) Lawrence v. Texas

d) Loving v. Virginia

a) Brandenburg v. Ohio

The inclusion of certain provisions of the Bill of Rights through the Fourteenth Amendment, so that these rights are protected from infringement by the state governments is called:

a) the preferred position doctrine

b) procedural change

c) selective incorporation

d) the absorption doctrine

c) selective incorporation

The freedoms of speech, press, assembly, and religion are found in the:

a) 1st amendment

b) 4th amendment

c) 6th amendment

d) 10th amendment

a) 1st amendment

Who said there should be a wall of separation between church and state?

a) George Washington

b) Abraham Lincoln

c) Newt Gingrich

d) Thomas Jefferson

d) Thomas Jefferson

The establishment clause prohibits government from:

a) establishing exceptions to the Bill of Rights

b) establishing exceptions to the 14th amendment

c) favoring one religion over another

d) interfering with freedom of assembly

c) favoring one religion over another

True or False: Defamation is a true statement that harms someone’s reputation

False

True or False: A student praying alone at a public school violated the Establishment Clause:

False

True or False: West Virginia v. Barnette held that students must stand for the Pledge of Allegiance

False