First Exam American Government PSCI 1201-001 Fall, 2001 ..., Study notes of English

Download First Exam American Government PSCI 1201-001 Fall, 2001 ... and more Study notes English in PDF only on Docsity! First Exam American Government PSCI 1201-001 Fall, 2001 Instructions: This is a multiple choice exam with 40 questions. Select the one response that best answers the question. True-false questions should be marked 1 if true, 2 if false. You should complete either Scantron Form 882-ES or 883-ES. All exams must be completed in class. Please write your name, subject, date and test number on the Scantron form. The test number is indicated at the bottom of the test near the page number as either "v1," "v2," or "v.3." Multiple Choice: 1. In a democracy, sovereignty rests with the: A. legislature. B. government. C. people. D. executive branch. 2. The most important rules that regulate the American political system are found in: A. the Constitution and its amendments. B. the Declaration of Independence. C. the constitutions of the states. D. common law. 3. Congress can only indirectly exercise authority over education because the Constitution: A. prohibits Congress from passing any education legislation. B. assigns the primary responsibility for education to the states. C. prohibits federal funding for education. D. is totally silent on the issue of education. 4. Americans have "dual citizenship" because they: A. are obligated to obey both state and national laws. B. are obligated to obey both the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. C. can claim citizenship in other countries under certain conditions. D. are required to obey constitutional law and treaties signed with Indian nations. 5. A common example of direct democracy is the: A. United States. - 1 - B. state of California. C. House of Representatives. D. New England town meeting. T F 6. The states had to sacrifice some of their sovereignty in order to accept the authority of the Constitution. 7. The Articles of Confederation were designed to maintain: A. the strength of the central government of the United States. B. the sovereignty of the individual states. C. the supremacy of the executive branch of the national government. D. the independence of the Confederate States of America. 8. The effects of economic crisis and Shays' Rebellion contributed to the decision to: A. declare independence from England. B. abide by plans to amend the Articles of Confederation. C. draft an entirely new Constitution for governing the United States. D. rely on the writings of John Locke to remedy the defects of the Articles of Confederation. 9. The Constitution implemented a system best described as a: A. direct democracy. B. republic. C. confederation. D. parliamentary. 10. Which of the following does NOT accurately characterize a republican constitution? A. it limits the power of rulers B. it implements direct democracy C. it grants citizenship D. it creates government institutions 11. The key issue dividing the large and small states at the Constitutional Convention was: A. representation in the legislature. B. slavery. C. commercial power. D. trade between the states. 12. The provisions of the Great Compromise: A. were an unconditional victory for the small states. B. preserved both states' rights and democratic aspirations. C. denounced the bicameral design as too divisive. D. were identical to the provisions of the Virginia Plan. 13. The main conflict between the northern and southern states at the Constitutional convention was a disagreement over: - 2 - A. citizens are themselves principal participants in making government decisions. B. key decision-making power is concentrated in a few elected officials who can make quick, "direct" decisions. C. binding government decisions are made by elected representatives. D. none of the above. 28. Modern examples of direct democratic mechanisms include: A. direct primary elections. B. citizen advisory boards. C. referendums and ballot initiatives. D. gubernatorial elections. 29. California's Proposition 13: A. triggered a nationwide tax revolt. B. is viewed by its supporters as a good example of the benefits of direct democracy. C. is viewed by its critics as an example of the problems of direct democracy. D. all of the above. 30. Which of the following helps connect the will of the people to the actions of government? A. elections. B. political parties. C. interest groups. D. all of the above. 31. Representative institutions: A. are a primary source of societal conflict. B. should be able to quickly resolve societal conflict. C. reflect societal conflict. D. all of the above. 32. The structure of government: A. refers to the manner in which the government carries out the responsibilities entrusted to it. B. refers to the kinds of activities and responsibilities that rest in the public rather than the private sphere. C. refers to the institutions and mechanisms that constitute the framework of government. D. none of the above. 33. The Articles of Confederation: A. were a national charter granted by Great Britain to the United States. B. served as the first constitution for the United States after it declared independence from Great Britain. C. established a strong national government. - 5 - D. were ratified in 1776. 34. The Anti-Federalists: A. supported the adoption of the Constitution. B. opposed the adoption of the Constitution. C. were the key reason the Constitution was ratified. D. none of the above. 35. At the Constitutional Convention, the Virginia Plan called for a A. popularly elected unicameral legislature. B. a unicameral legislature nominated by state legislatures. C. a popularly elected lower house, and an upper house nominated by state legislatures. D. a bicameral legislature with both upper and lower houses popularly elected. 36. The New Jersey Plan favored the interests of: A. small states. B. large states. C. Northern states. D. Southern states. 37. The controversial question of ending slavery was: A. resolved by the 3/5ths compromise. B. put off for the future by the Constitutional Convention. C. resolved by keeping it legal in all but three New England states. D. none of the above. 38. The original purpose of the Federalist Papers was: A. to persuade New Yorkers to support ratification of the Constitution. B. to lay the groundwork for James Madison's presidential campaign. C. to provide George Washington with a detailed brief on the prospects of ratification in Massachusetts. D. all of the above. 39. Madison argued that __________ is the best way to control the problem of factions. A. direct democratic processes B. a republican form of government C. an autocracy D. an enlightened oligarchy 40. Madison sought to check the evils of faction by: A. promoting majority rule. B. placing checks on the free flow of majority will. C. ensuring that majority preferences always prevail. D. none of the above. 41. The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution are primarily concerned with: - 6 - A. civil liberties. B. majority rule. C. economic equality. D. strengthening the national government. T F 42. At the Constitutional Convention, the large states favored the Virginia Plan, whereas the smaller, less populous states favored the New Jersey Plan. T F 43. In the Federalist Papers, James Madison argued forcefully in favor of the ratification of the Declaration of Independence. T F 44. In Federalist Paper No. 10, Madison argued that the mischief of factions should be cured by eliminating the cause. T F 45. Democratic processes always lead to democratic results. T F 46. Popular sovereignty guarantees the right to be involved in the process of making binding decisions; it does not guarantee that any individual's preferences will be reflected in those decisions. T F 47. Constitutionalism is the idea of a limited government that is constrained from denying the fundamental rights of the people. T F 48. The promise of democracy is that both the method of making collective decisions and the substance of those decisions will uphold the core values of popular sovereignty, political freedom, political equality, and majority rule. 49. The element of federalism NOT mentioned in the Constitution is: A. the national government. B. the state government. C. local government. D. the national court system. 50. The United Kingdom would best be described as a: A. federation. B. confederation. C. quasi-federation. D. unitary government. 51. The provision in the Constitution that asserts that federal laws override or replace state laws is called the: A. elastic clause. B. supremacy clause. C. necessary and proper clause. D. state relations article. 52. Those powers that the Constitution explicitly grants to the national and state governments are classified as the: A. enumerated powers. B. reserved powers. C. concurrent powers. - 7 - 67. The interstate commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution has been used to justify the national government's power to: A. regulate what a farmer can feed his or her chickens. B. prohibit private acts of discrimination. C. license the operation of boats on New York state waters. D. all of the above. 68. The general source of political authority for state governments is: A. the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. B. their own state constitutions. C. the "necessary and proper" clause of the U.S. Constitution. D. the First, Fourth, Tenth, and Fifteenth Amendments. 69. Devolution is a movement to: A. push power from the U.S. Constitution to the Congress. B. push power from the national government to states and localities. C. push power from federal regulatory agencies to Congress. D. push power from the Congress to the executive branch. 70. The notion that federal and state governments have separate and distinct jurisdictions is known as: A. the doctrine of nullification. B. dual federalism. C. cooperative federalism. D. New Federalism. T F 71. The power to coin money is an example of concurrent powers. T F 72. The New Deal transformed the relationship between the states and the national government into a system of dual federalism. T F 73. The Great Depression of the 1930s stimulated extensive national action on such issues as welfare, unemployment and farm surplus. T F 74. The Supreme Court has ruled that the federal government is allowed to place conditions on offers of financial aid to states and localities. T F 75. One of the disadvantages of federalism is that smaller political units are more likely to be vulnerable to a tyranny of the majority. T F 76. California became a state before gold was discovered in the Sierra Nevada. 77. The Progressives brought political reform to California. Among their reforms were: A. the initiative B. the referendum C. stronger political parties D. only A and B - 10 - T F 78. California's first constitution required official documents to be published in two languages--English and Spanish. 79. Who among the "Big Four" Rail Road magnates also served as Governor of California? A. Leland Stanford B. Hiram Johnson C. Edmund G. Brown D. Earl Warren 80. California's first constitution lasted about 30 years. A second constitutional convention was called because: A. Californians wanted an "English only" constitution. B. Small farmers in the Grange Movement opposed the power that Railroad magnates had acquired under the first constitution. C. Irish immigrants and others in the Workingmen's party opposed the power that Railroad magnates had acquired under the first constitution. D. Both B and C - 11 -