American Government–Test 1

The first written constitution for the United States was called:

The Articles of Confederation

Under the United State’s first constitution:

There was no president

Under the Articles of Confederation, the relationship between the states and the federal government can be best compared to:

United Nations relationship with its member states

As a Constitution, the Articles of Confederation were concerned primarily with:

Limiting the powers of the central government

As a constitution, the Articles of Confederation, it was left to the _________ to execute the laws passed by congress.

Individual States

The Articles of Confederation were adopted in:

November 1777

What was the purpose of the Annapolis Convention?

To discuss the weakness of the Articles of Confederation

Shays’ Rebellion was an attempt to:

Prevent foreclosures on debt ridden land by keeping the county courts of West Massachusetts from sitting until the next election.

The 1787 convention to draft a new constitution was held in:

Philadelphia

Which was the only state not to send delegates to the Constitutional Convention?

Rhode Island

Shays’ Rebellion was significant because it:

Proved the Government of the Confederation had become dangerously inefficient.

The Virginia Plan of the Constitutional Convention proposed a system of representation in the national legislature that was based upon:

The population of each state/proportion of each state’s revenue contribution/both

What did the New Jersey Plan propose for Congress?

The creation of a bicameral Congress

"Bicameralism" is a constitutional principle that means:

The division of Congress into 2 chambers

James Madison believed that, in the Constitutional Convention, the greatest conflict of interests was between:

The Northern and Southern states who opposed each other

What is the Three-Fifths Compromise?

3 out of every 5 slaves would be counted for representation and taxation

Which of the following was a ramification of the Three-Fifths Compromise?

Mended conflict between Northern Merchants and Southern Farmers–Political agreement between North and South–Constitution briefly supported slavery

The system of shared powers, divided between a central government and the states, is called:

A Federation

Only one-third of the Senate is up for re-election during any single election year, because the Framers believed that:

The only way to protect the Senate against radical changes.

Judicial review is the power of:

The courts to decide on constitutionality of actions taken by other branches

What is the term length of a Federal Judge?

Life barring impeachment

To amend the Constitution requires a _______ vote by Congress, and approval by ______ of the states.

A) 2/3 vote by Congress B) Approval of 3/4 of the states

The Supremacy Clause:

Article VI of the Constitution–laws passed by national government and all treaties are "supreme law of the land" and superior to all adopted by any state or subdivision.

During the ratification debates, who were the Anti-Federalists?

People who opposed the Constitution and preferred a federal system of Government that was decentralized–they wanted a weaker central government.

In the national debate over ratification of the new Constitution, the Federalists:

Supported the ratification of the New Constitution–wanted a strong central government

The Federalists believed that the most apparent source of tyranny was:

Popular majority

The Anti-Federalists argued that the powers of government should be limited by:

Adding a Bill of Rights and limiting government powers

The Federalists believed that the powers of government should be limited by:

Internal system of checks and controls with in government.

What aspect of citizenship was most important for the ancient Greeks:

Talking and debating

Citizenship may best be described as:

Informed and active membership in a political community–more than just voting.

Government can best be defined as:

Institutions and procedures by which a piece of territory and its people are ruled.

A government that accepts no legal limits on its power, but may accept the restraint of other social institutions, such as churches, is known as:

Authoritarian Government

The willingness to be restrained by the power of social institutions, but not political or legal institutions, is a hallmark of a(n) ________ regime.

Authoritarian

A government that is formally limited by laws and rules is called:

Constitutional

The key group in Europe that pushed for limited Government was:

Bourgeoisie

Who described politics as, "who gets what, when, and how?"

Harold Laswell

Direct Democracy is best defined as:

Citizens vote directly on laws and policies

Throughout American history, the concept of liberty has been linked to the:

Idea of limited government

The Bill of Rights is:

The first 10 amendments of the Constitution

In American political culture, economic freedom means:

Laissez Faire Capitalism

A good example of an implied power under the Constitution is the _________ clause.

Necessary and Proper

The full faith and credit clause of the constitution:

Requires states to normally honor the public acts and legal decisions of another state.

The Privileges and Immunities Clause of Article IV is also known as the:

Commity Clause

Which clause of the Constitution has been critical in allowing for the growth of national power?

Commerce

The Bill of Rights was written because:

Anti-Federalists: demanded one as a price for ratification of the Constitution

The constitutional basis for the nationalization of the BIll of Rights is:

The 14th Amendment

The first and most famous test for determining when the government could intervene to suppress political speech was called the:

Clear and present danger test

Miranda vs. Arizona (1966) was important because it produced the rules that must be used:

By police before arresting a criminal suspect

The term, "eminent domain" describes:

Power of government to take private property for public use

BONUS: Who is the author of The Island?

Aldous Huxley

BONUS: What year was The Island published?

1962