Federal Government – Practice Test I – Chapters 1 - 3

Chapters 01-02

Multiple Choice Questions

1. As described in the text, "political thinking" 
A. is the reflection of an individual's ideological position when applied to political issues.
B. results from an individual allowing personal bias to inform all thoughts about political issues, instead of doing objective learning or research to form an opinion.
C. involves the careful gathering and sifting of information in the process of forming a knowledgeable view about a political issue.
D. is the result of an individual's attempts to seek out news media that reinforce a pre-existing political bias.
E. is a strategy taken by those seeking election to public office in which their publicly stated positions are designed to maximize their attractiveness to the widest voting bloc.

2. What is the major barrier to political thinking? 
A. unwillingness of citizens to make the effort
B. lack of access to governmental institutions
C. elite control of political power resources
D. failure of politicians and government institutions to communicate policy details to the public
E. lack of access to news media sources outside of sensationalist television or Internet content

3. Compared to two decades ago, contemporary Americans are, on average, 
A. far better informed about political affairs.
B. at about the same level of being informed about political affairs.
C. getting most of their news from traditional media sources such as newspapers.
D. much more knowledgeable about the functioning of America's political institutions.
E. paying more attention to news sources that have an obvious ideological bias.

4. What type of government suppresses individuality, forcing people to think and act in prescribed ways or risk punishment? 
A. communistic
B. socialistic
C. authoritarian
D. egalitarian
E. republican

5. One example of an authoritarian regime is 
A. Great Britain.
B. France.
C. the United States.
D. China.
E. Canada.

6. Which of the following is NOT one of the core values of American political culture? 
A. individualism
B. equality
C. cooperation
D. liberty

E. self-government

7. The process by which a society settles its conflicts and allocates the resulting benefits and costs is called 
A. politics.
B. government.
C. elitism.
D. socialism.
E. communism.

8. The widely shared and deep-seated beliefs of a country’s people about politics is called 
A. political science.
B. government.
C. elitism.
D. political culture.
E. consensus.

9. The principle that individuals should be free to act as they choose, provided they do not infringe unreasonably upon others is called

A. anarchy.
B. constitutionalism.
C. democracy.
D. freedom.
E. liberty.

10. A free-market system operates mainly on

A. democratic capitalism.
B. individualism and self-sufficiency.
C. private transactions.
D. self-government.
E. socialism.

11. The Declaration of Independence included the ideas of
A. liberty.
B. equality.
C. individual rights.
D. self-government.
E. all of these.

12. The principle that the government has the responsibility to preserve rights is known as
A. inalienable rights.
B. social responsibility.
C. individual rights.
D. lawful powers of the government.
E. a social contract.

13. This person was the chief architect of the United States Constitution and also one of America's top political scientists 
A. James Madison.
B. Andrew Jackson.
C. Woodrow Wilson.
D. Benjamin Franklin.
E. John Adams.

 14. According to the Declaration of Independence, governments get their "just powers" from 
A. "God Almighty."
B. "the consent of the governed."
C. "the various factions."
D. "the teachings of Jesus Christ."
E. "the benevolence of a just king."

 15. The Bill of Rights 
A. reduced the restrictiveness of constitutionalism.
B. enhanced the powers of the executive.
C. further checked the power of the majority.
D. enhanced the majoritarian nature of government.
E. restricted the power of corporate influence in the government.

16. The Bill of Rights added to the Constitution, among other things, 
A. a guarantee of freedom of speech.
B. a division of governmental authority into three branches.
C. checks and balances among the three branches of government.
D. restrictions against the power of corporations to influence the election process.
E. term limits for elected officials to reduce their power.

17. In a constitutional system, 
A. there are no restrictions on the lawful uses of power, as long as this power is obtained by majority rule.
B. there are lawful restrictions on a government's power.
C. the economy is based on the free enterprise system.
D. officials govern according to the traditions established by their predecessors.
E. all citizens have absolute free speech rights.

18. The idea that government should be restricted in its lawful uses of power and hence in its ability to deprive people of their liberty is expressed by the term 
A. federalism.
B. self-government.
C. judicial review.
D. limited government.
E. natural rights.

19. ________ was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence. 
A. John Locke
B. Thomas Jefferson
C. James Madison
D. George Washington
E. Alexander Hamilton

20. The Federalists gained enough votes to get the Constitution ratified when they promised this: 
A. a bill of rights to be quickly added to the Constitution
B. a banning of the slave trade after 1808
C. the right of states to disobey any national law they didn't like
D. James Madison to be the first president
E. a Supreme Court with the right of judicial review

Chapter 03

2. (p. 61) A federal system is one where 
A. constitutional authority is centralized in a national government.
B. constitutional authority is decentralized, only residing in state governments.
C. constitutional authority is divided between a national government and state governments.
D. constitutional authority is unlimited.
E. constitutional authority is divided between multiple branches of the national government.

3. ________ opposed the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. 
A. George Washington
B. Patrick Henry
C. James Madison
D. Benjamin Franklin
E. John Adams

4. The writers of the Constitution established a federal system of government in part because 
A. the states already existed as established entities and had to be preserved.
B. few states in history had successfully established unitary governments.
C. Locke and Montesquieu had concluded it was superior to other systems of government.
D. the British political system was based on the federal principle.
E. the states would be valuable sources of revenue for a federal government.

5. Sovereignty refers to 
A. a government headed by a king.
B. a division of authority between the national government and the states.
C. supreme and final governing authority.
D. sub-national (state) governments.
E. None of these answers is correct.

6. In 1787, most countries in the world had a(n) __________ form of government. 
A. confederal
B. federal
C. unitary
D. democratic
E. theocratic

7. Which choice below describes the American change in governmental structure in 1787? 
A. unitary to confederal
B. confederal to unitary
C. federal to unitary
D. confederal to federal
E. federal to confederal

9. Which of the following is a national power only? 
A. law enforcement
B. intrastate commerce
C. borrowing money
D. transportation
E. national defense

10. Which of the following is almost exclusively a state power? 
A. chartering banks
B. delivering mail
C. law enforcement
D. registering voters
E. loaning money

11. Which of the following is a concurrent power held by both the national government and state governments? 
A. chartering local governments
B. issuing currency
C. taxation
D. foreign affairs
E. national defense

14. Which of the following was an argument in favor of federalism at the time of the writing of the Constitution? 
A. Federalism will protect liberty.
B. Federalism will force officials to be more responsive to the people.
C. Federalism will provide for a stronger national government than existed under the Articles of Confederation.
D. Federalism will be less likely to produce an all-dominant faction.
E. All these answers are correct.

16. The enumerated powers in Article I of the Constitution were intended to 
A. limit the powers of the state governments.
B. ensure that neither small nor large states would be at a disadvantage.
C. ensure that neither northern nor southern states would be at a disadvantage.
D. establish a government strong enough to forge a union that was secure in its defense and stable in its economy.
E. limit the power of the presidency.

17. The federal government's power to tax, regulate commerce among the states, and declare war are all examples of ________ powers. 
A. reserved
B. enumerated
C. implied
D. concurrent
E. None of these answers is correct.

19. Which of the following is most closely related to the concept of implied powers? 
A. necessary and proper clause
B. supremacy clause
C. Tenth Amendment
D. the commerce clause
E. the power to tax

20. The elastic clause is related to which of the following concepts? 
A. enumerated powers
B. reserved powers
C. implied powers
D. concurrent powers
E. All these answers are correct.

21. According to the Anti-Federalists, too strong of a national government meant 
A. eventual encroachment upon the sovereignty of the states.
B. that a new constitutional convention would have to convene every few years.
C. that a monarchy was preferable to a republic.
D. that effective commerce between and among the states was an impossibility.
E. that slavery would be abolished immediately.

22. The Tenth Amendment addressed the concerns of Anti-Federalists about 
A. individual freedoms.
B. the meaning of the commerce clause.
C. popular representation in Congress.
D. the powers of state governments.
E. the Electoral College.

24. McCulloch v. Maryland 
A. ruled in favor of state-centered federalism.
B. asserted that the necessary and proper clause was a restriction on the power of the national government.
C. affirmed that national law is supreme to conflicting state law.
D. established the Supreme Court's power to judge constitutional issues.
E. allowed for a narrow reading of the Constitution.

30. Dual federalism held that 
A. the states were equal to the national government in all respects.
B. a precise separation of national and state authority was both possible and desirable.
C. national and state authority were indivisible.
D. the Senate and the House were equal in their federal authority.
E. None of these answers is correct.

38. At the worst depths of the Great Depression, approximately ________ percent of workers were unemployed. 
A. 10
B. 15
C. 25
D. 40
E. 60

42. The expansion of national authority in the twentieth century first became evident in this decade: 
A. 1930s
B. 1950s
C. 1960s
D. 1980s
E. 1990s

43. Devolution is the 
A. passing of authority from the national government to the state and local levels.
B. expansion of national authority that began in the 1930s.
C. contraction of state authority and the expansion of local government authority.
D. expansion of national authority that began in the 1960s.
E. None of these answers is correct.

45. A public policy program on which national, state, and local policymakers collaborate is an example of 
A. dual federalism.
B. cooperative federalism.
C. unitary federalism.
D. confederal federalism.
E. cosponsor federalism.

46. ________ is an illustration of cooperative federalism. 
A. The U.S. Postal Service
B. Medicaid
C. A marriage license
D. A driver's license
E. All these answers are correct.

53. Political conservatives who favor more political power devolved back to the states would likely prefer which of the following? 
A. categorical grants
B. block grants
C. Pell grants
D. higher tax rates for the wealthy
E. None of these answers is correct.

54. Federal grants-in-aid used only for a designated activity are called 
A. categorical grants.
B. block grants.
C. revenue-sharing grants.
D. targeted grants.
E. streamlined grants.