Purdue Civics Literacy

Jefferson's original draft of the Declaration

Was longer and contained more criticism of King George

Which of the following writers did not directly influence Jefferson's writing of the Declaration of Independence?

Thomas Hobbes

Thomas Jefferson was born in

Rural Virginia

Patrick Henry introduced what important change in mindset at the first Continental congress

That the colonists should consider themselves American not Virginians, New Yorkers, etc

The first three words of the Declaration of Independence are "We the People." (True or False)

False

As a result of the Great Compromise, which statement is not correct?

A vote for a House district in New York, is worth less than a vote in a House district in Texas.

Who was the ancient sage?

Benjamin Franklin

Which of the following plans for Representation was most similar to that under the Articles of Confederation?

New Jersey Plan

Who was the "One Legged Man?"

Gouverneur Morris

The compromise of allowing slavery to continue in the United States has been "justified" by which of the following?

Without allowing slavery there would have been no new Constitution

Who was the respondent in the Youngstown Sheet & Tube Company case?

Commerce Secretary Charles Sawyer

The first words of Article 1 of the Constitution are

All legislative power

The Constitution gives the President the sole power to make and approve treaties. (True or False)

False

The Founders reinforced institutional separateness by

Having different term lengths for House, Senate and President

Aristotle broke the functions of government down into "deliberative," "magisterial" and what else?

Judicial

What case first established "Judicial Review?"

Marbury v Madison

Who or what was "Gruesome Gertie"?

A mobile electric chair

"Judicial Review" is mentioned in

Judicial Review is not found in the Constitution

Which of the following has not been used as a method of execution in the United States? Select all that apply

Drowning

The 8th Amendment

Protects against "cruel and unusual punishment."

The 11th Amendment

Protects the states from some lawsuits.

The Supreme Court has used the Fourteenth Amendment to

Extend to Bill of Rights to be applicable in the States.

California legalizing medical marijuana and Wyoming granting the vote to women are examples of

The states as "laboratories" of Democracy

The Nielsen and Wardlow cases illustrate

Similar crimes may receive very different punishments depending on which state the crime is committed in.

Luther Martin and George Mason argued

The proposed constitution was a threat to the sovereignty of the states.

Redistricting ensures

House districts across the nation have similar populations

The reallocation of House seats between the States every ten years is known as

Reapportionment

In the majority of States, Federal House district boundaries are determined by

The State Legislature

Differences between the House and Senate versions of the same bill are sorted out through

Conference committee

Which is the only Federal legislative office a person can not be appointed to?

US House

Which Article of the Constitution describes the Powers of the Presidency?

Article II

The recordings of President Nixon's conversations ultimately lead to his downfall. Which of the following is a reason he did not make the tapes?

To implicate White House counsel John Dean.

In United States v Nixon the Supreme Court ruled that

Executive privilege does not cover criminal actions by the President.

Which of the following powers does the President possess?

Grant pardons

Which of the following Founding Fathers was in favor of the strongest executive?

Alexander Hamilton

How is it decided who writes the opinion of the court?

The Chief Justice or the senior justice in the majority decides.

For what reasons might the justices grant cert?

There are conflicting rulings in the federal courts.

Which of the following statements is true regarding the number of justices on the Supreme Court?

Can be changed by an Act of Congress.

How many justices must decide they wish to "Grant cert" for the case to be heard?

4

Justices of the Supreme Court

Have life tenure.

The Court applied the Bill of the Rights to the states

In the 1920s before FDRs New Deal.

In Virginia v. Black, the Court

Struck down the law, as all cross burnings are not designed to intimidate.

Which organization took the Tinker case to the Supreme Court?

ACLU

Which of the following is NOT guaranteed by the First Amendment?

Right to vote

Which is true about Justice Clarence Thomas?

He was nominated by George Herbert Walker Bush

In Cantwell v Connecticut, Justice Roberts broke down the religious element of the First Amendment into what concepts?

Freedom to believe & freedom to act.

In City of Boerne v. Flores the court ruled

The RFRA limited the ability of the States to "regulate for the health and welfare."

The notion that "a wall of separation between Church & State" should exist in the American context, can be first found in

A letter written by Thomas Jefferson

How was Al Smith ultimately allowed to consume Peyote? Select all which apply.

Congress amended the American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978 to protect the use of peyote.

Prior to 1988, which standard did court use to determine if a law affecting the practice of religion was justified?

The Sherbert Test

In United States v Virginia, the Court said

Women are entitled to the same educational opportunities as men.

Which justice wrote that "Our Constitution is color blind and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens"?

John Harlan

In Obergefell v. Hodges, the Court said that citizens had what fundamental right?

To marry

In Brown v Board of Education, the Court held that

Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.

Which case established that "separate but equal" facilities for different races did not violate the Constitution?

Plessy v Ferguson

As a result of the 26th Amendment

18-year-olds could vote

What notable historic document was drafted in Seneca Falls, NY?

The Declaration of Sentiments

In September 2013 Justice Ginsburg pointed out, when written "We the people"

Only applied to a narrow section of society.

Which Amendment granted women the right to vote?

19th

Passage of the 24th Amendment meant people can't be denied the right to vote

Because they couldn't pay taxes

Which of the following philosophers did not discuss the division of state power?

Thomas Hobbes

Truman lost the Youngstown Sheet & Tube Company case, as the court ruled

Congress, not the President, has the power to seize private property

What did the Supreme Court decide in Roper v Simmons?

Executing someone under the age of 18 is cruel and unusual

Which was the first state to use the electric chair as a form of execution?

New York

Federal laws take precedence when in conflict with state laws.

This is an example of the Supremacy Clause

In Miller v California the Supreme Court ruled that

Obscenity is not protected free speech.

The "Necessary and Proper" clause is also known as the

Elastic Clause

Shirley Chisholm was

The first African American woman to enter the House of Representatives

Congress's role in watching over the executive branch is known as

Oversight

The votes required in each chamber to overturn a Presidential veto are

A two-thirds majority in both House and Senate

As Commander-in-Chief, the president has the sole power to declare war.

False

What were the qualifications for the executive agreed upon in Philadelphia and included in the Constitution?

35 years old, 14 years residency in the USA, and natural born citizen

A brief submitted to the court by a person or organization not directly involved in the case is called

An amicus brief.

The majority of cases in the Supreme Court

Are heard at the discretion of the court.

In Tinker vs Des Moines, the court found

Individuals do not give up their rights when they enter a school.

In Texas v. Johnson the Court ruled

The flag is a symbol and as such burning it is a form of speech.

What was the process called, by which the Free Speech Clause of the Federal Constitution, was also applied to the states?

Incorporation

In court, the City of Hialeah justified its ordinance against the practice of Santeria, by claiming which of the following?

Health concerns

As a result of the Supreme Court's decision in Employment Division v. Smith (1990)

Congress passed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

The First Amendment prohibits the establishment of a state religion (True or False)

True

The first woman appointed to the Supreme Court was

Sandra Day O'Connor in 1981

Passage of section one of the 14th Amendment, overturned which Supreme Court decision?

Dread Scott v Sandford

What is defined as "the practice of unfairly treating a person or group differently from other people or groups of people"?

Discrimination

Alice Paul was leader of which organization?

National Women's Party

No signee of the Declaration of Sentiments at Seneca Falls ever lived to be able to vote (True or False)

False

In colonial times,

Women could only vote if they owned property.