American Government test 2

Chapter 4: Civil Liberties

1. What is the exclusionary rule?

   • It prevents the government from using evidence obtained illegally in a trial.

2. What does the Eighth Amendment protect against?

   • Cruel and unusual punishment.

3. What is selective incorporation?

   • The process by which the Supreme Court applies the Bill of Rights to the states via the Fourteenth Amendment.

4. What does the Fourth Amendment protect against?

   • Unreasonable searches and seizures.

5. What is a bill of attainder?

   • A law that punishes an individual without a trial.

6. What is the significance of Mapp v. Ohio?

   • It applied the exclusionary rule to state governments.

7. What is the significance of Gideon v. Wainwright?

   • It established the right to legal counsel for all defendants in criminal cases.

8. What does the Fifth Amendment protect against?

   • Self-incrimination and double jeopardy.

9. What case established the right to remain silent and the need for police to inform suspects of their rights?

   • Miranda v. Arizona.

10. What is prior restraint?

• Government action that prevents material from being published, typically considered unconstitutional.

11. What is habeas corpus?

• The right of individuals to be informed of charges against them and to seek judicial review of their detention.

12. What is double jeopardy?

• Being tried twice for the same crime, prohibited by the Fifth Amendment.

13. What is the "Lemon Test"?

• A test from Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971) to determine if a law violates the Establishment Clause.

14. What does the Sixth Amendment guarantee?

• The right to a speedy and public trial.

15. What is symbolic speech?

• Non-verbal communication (such as wearing armbands) that is protected by the First Amendment.

16. What is the Establishment Clause?

• A clause in the First Amendment that prohibits the government from establishing a national religion.

17. What is the Free Exercise Clause?

• A clause in the First Amendment that protects individuals’ rights to practice their religion without government interference.

18. What Supreme Court case dealt with the right to privacy and abortion?

• Roe v. Wade (1973).

19. What is libel?

• Written false statements that damage a person’s reputation.

20. What is slander?

• Spoken false statements that damage a person’s reputation.

Chapter 5: Civil Rights

21. What was the ruling in Brown v. Board of Education?

• It declared that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.

22. What are the Civil War Amendments?

• The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, which abolished slavery, provided equal protection under the law, and secured voting rights for African American men, respectively.

23. What does the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibit?

• Discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

24. What is affirmative action?

• Policies that aim to increase opportunities for historically disadvantaged groups.

25. What is de facto segregation?

• Segregation that occurs through social practices, customs, and institutions, not by law.

26. What is de jure segregation?

• Segregation enforced by law.

27. What was the Voting Rights Act of 1965 designed to do?

• Eliminate racial discrimination in voting, particularly in the South.

28. What does Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 mandate?

• Prohibits sex discrimination in any educational program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.

29. What is the significance of Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)?

• It established the "separate but equal" doctrine, allowing racial segregation.

30. What overturned Plessy v. Ferguson?

• Brown v. Board of Education (1954).

31. What was the outcome of Loving v. Virginia (1967)?

• It struck down laws banning interracial marriage.

32. What does the Equal Protection Clause guarantee?

• That no state shall deny any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

33. What is the Fair Housing Act?

• A law passed in 1968 to prevent discrimination in housing based on race, religion, sex, or national origin.

34. What is the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990?

• It mandates public accommodations be made accessible to those with disabilities.

35. What is a poll tax?

• A tax that voters had to pay in order to register to vote, used to disenfranchise African Americans.

36. What is coverture?

• The legal doctrine under which a married woman’s legal identity was merged with her husband’s.

37. What is the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)?

• A proposed amendment to guarantee equal rights for women, which was not ratified.

38. What was the significance of the Stonewall Inn Riots?

• They were pivotal in the radicalization of the LGBTQ movement.

39. What is the glass ceiling?

• The invisible barrier that prevents women from reaching top leadership positions in corporations.

40. What was the result of Mendez v. Westminster?

• It ruled that the segregation of Mexican and Mexican American students was unconstitutional.

Chapter 6: Public Opinion

41. What is political socialization?

• The process by which individuals form their political attitudes and beliefs, influenced by family, education, and media.

42. What is the bandwagon effect in public opinion?

• The phenomenon where increased media coverage of candidates who are polling high leads to greater voter support.

43. What is the margin of error in polling?

• It indicates how much the poll results could differ from the true population opinions.

44. What is the Bradley effect?

• The difference between a poll result and an election result due to voters giving a socially desirable response rather than their true preference.

45. What is the difference between overt and covert political content?

• Overt content openly discloses its political bias, while covert content presents biased information as neutral.

46. What is the role of random sampling in polling?

• To ensure that every individual in the population has an equal chance of being selected, making the poll results more representative.

47. What is the halo effect in polling?

• The tendency of respondents to give answers that reflect well on themselves.

48. What is selective exposure?

• The tendency to favor information that reinforces one's preexisting beliefs while avoiding contradictory information.

49. What is the importance of question wording in public opinion polls?

• The way questions are worded can influence responses and skew results.

50. What is political efficacy?

• The belief that one’s participation in politics can make a difference.

51. What is the difference between straw polls and scientific polls?

• Straw polls are informal and unscientific, while scientific polls use random sampling and proper methodology.

52. What is the role of media in shaping public opinion?

• Media can influence public perception of political candidates and issues through agenda-setting and framing.

53. What is agenda-setting in media?

• The ability of the media to focus attention on specific issues, influencing what the public considers important.

54. What is horse race journalism?

• A type of election coverage that focuses on who is ahead in the polls rather than on substantive issues.

55. What is political culture?

• The set of attitudes, beliefs, and sentiments that give order and meaning to a political process.

56. What is push polling?

• A polling technique where the questions are designed to shape the respondent’s opinion rather than measure it.

57. What is political ideology?

• A consistent set of beliefs about the role of government and how society should function.

58. What is the role of public opinion in democracy?

• Public opinion influences elected officials and policy-making, reflecting the will of the people.

59. What is the difference between civil liberties and civil rights?

• Civil liberties protect individuals from government interference, while civil rights ensure individuals receive equal treatment.

60. What is the purpose of the Federal Election Commission (FEC)?

• To regulate campaign finance and enforce campaign finance laws.

Chapter 4: Civil Liberties

1. Q: What is the significance of Texas v. Johnson (1989)?

   • A: It ruled that burning the American flag is a form of symbolic speech protected by the First Amendment.

2. Q: What does the Second Amendment guarantee?

   • A: The right to keep and bear arms.

3. Q: What is prior restraint, and when is it typically considered unconstitutional?

   • A: Prior restraint is government action preventing the publication of material, typically unconstitutional unless national security is at risk.

4. Q: What does the Tenth Amendment establish?

   • A: It reserves powers not delegated to the federal government to the states or the people.

5. Q: What is the doctrine of "clear and present danger"?

   • A: A legal principle that speech is not protected if it poses a significant, immediate threat to public safety.

6. Q: What is a "grand jury"?

   • A: A group of citizens that decides whether there is sufficient evidence to charge someone with a crime.

7. Q: What are Miranda rights, and when must they be read?

   • A: Rights that must be read to suspects in custody, including the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney.

8. Q: What does the Ninth Amendment state?

   • A: It recognizes that the people have rights beyond those listed in the Constitution.

9. Q: What is double jeopardy, and which amendment prohibits it?

   • A: Being tried twice for the same offense, prohibited by the Fifth Amendment.

10. Q: What is the "Lemon Test" and when is it applied?

• A: A test applied to determine if a law violates the Establishment Clause by promoting or inhibiting religion, or excessively entangling government with religion.