Government Final Study Guide

Something silly

Define sovereign state

It has a central government that creates laws for the entire nation

Which function of government does the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) fulfill?

Provides economic security

List the disadvantages of the federal system of government?

Looser federal environmental laws are enforced over state laws

What would occur in a true free market economy?

access to natural resources would be uncontrollable

How do the goals of socialism differ from the goals of capitalism?

only capitalism stresses private ownership of business

Which idea in the Old Testament influenced the authors of the Declaration of Independence?

the law should apply to everyone, even kings

How did the Founding Fathers incorporate Jean Jacques Rosseau’s concept of freedom of religion into the Constitution?

the bill or rights states that Congress cannot make any laws preventing people from practicing their religion

Which resolution was introduced in the Second Continental Congress by Richard Henry Lee in June 1776?

a resolution that called for independence from great britian

Which unalienable (inalienable) rights are listed in the Declaration of Independence?

life, liberty, & the pursuit of happiness

How did the 17th amendment change how U.S. senate positions are filled?

it allowed U.S. citizens to directly elect senators

The Supremacy Clause is found within the Articles of the Constitution. What does this clause state?

it states that the constitution is the supreme law of the U.S.

How is the state legislature method of amendment ratification different from the state convention method?

state conventions allow people to directly vote for amendments

How are the 14th and 15th amendment alike?

they both protect the rights of former enslaved persons and their descendants

Which type of legislature does the state of Nebraska have?

unicameral

What was the main reason that the Farmers of the Constitution created federalism?

to protect citizens from an all power full central government

Define concurrent power

a power shared by both state and federal governments

What has to happen before a territory can become a state?

congress must pass an enabling act

What may a person have to do to establish residency in another state?

live in that state for a certain period of time

What can states do if they are unable to resolve their disputes?

they can take their case to the supreme court

Define public policy

a course of action that a government decides to take

Who would you be most likely to see talking with the President about a house bill?

the speaker of the house

What would make a seat in the Senate more attractive to a candidate than a seat in the house?

senators do not have to run for office as often

The censure of a member of Congress results in what?

a statement of formal disapproval

What is true about a standing committee in the Senate?

the party makeup of each committee can shift after each election

Which Senate position fills a role that parallels the Speaker of the House?

president pro tempore

What is an example of a check on the power of the legislative branch?

both houses must agree on the bill before passing it into a law

Which U.S. President first claimed the power to withhold documents related to private conversations with advisors?

George Washington

What did President Harry Truman use to enact a new policy by racially integrating the armed forces?

executive order

What happened when President Harry Turman seized steel mills before the U.S. declared war on Korea?

the court declared this action unconstitutional

Which U.S. President used executive orders to reduce the rights of certain citizens during wartime?

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Presidential impoundment of funds that were appropriated for new military aircraft is a check on the power of which branch of government?

legislative branch

When a president appoints a Supreme Court justice, how long is this justice able to keep his or her position?

life tenure

Which part of the government decides whether someone’s right to free speech has been violated?

the supreme court

Which amendment protects citizens who express themselves through political opinions?

the 1st amendment

Which part of the Constitution does the free exercise clause relate to?

separation of church and state

Which Founder stated that the establishment clause served as a “wall of separation between church and state.?”

Thomas Jefferson

Which right(s) is protected by due process?

the right to an attorney

Which type of protest did Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. promote?

nonviolent protest

The work done my Martin Luther King Jr. most likely contributed to the passage of which act?

civil rights act

Which type of discrimination is prohibited by Title IX of the Education Amendment Act?

gender discrimintion