A primary concern of Madison was to prevent corruption in Congress.

1. TRUE
2. FALSE

What are the “Civil War Amendments”?

1. Two amendments passed before the Civil War that tried to restrict the rights of African Americans and led directly to the civil war conflict.
2. The amendments throughout the latter half of the 19th century that both extended and then restricted the rights of African Americans.
3. Three amendments that passed in the five years after the Civil War that tried to reunify the nation and guarantee African Americans their civil rights.
4. The amendments that brought the South back into the Union on an equal footing with the northern states.

An overwhelming majority of speech is protected by the 1st Amendment.

1. FALSE
2. TRUE

In order to curb fears of the national legislature becoming too powerful, the delegates decided to

1. Divide the power between two houses so that the power is spread out.
2. Grant the executive a limited veto over legislation with a two-thirds vote of the legislature needed to override it.
3. Grant veto power to the judiciary on any laws passed by the legislature.
4. Allow voters to hold a special election to override the law with a two-thirds vote.

Over the course of the 20th and 21st centuries, civil rights have expanded in scope beyond race to include

1. Religion.
2. National origin.
3. All of these.
4. Gender.

The US Supreme Court in a case called United States v. Winsor struck down

1. Florida’s method of counting votes in the 2000 presidential election
2. Voter ID laws in Wisconsin
3. The federal Defense of Marriage Act.
4. Segregation of private schools in North Carolina.

During the Revolutionary War, most of the states that wrote constitutions did so with the popular approval of their citizens.

1. FALSE
2. TRUE

Anti-federalists were against a strong federal government because they felt that it

1. Would be divisive and favor federal interests over state interests.
2. Was in direct conflict with Madison’s proposals.
3. Reminded them of the New Jersey Plan.
4. Would weaken the executive branch.

The Supremacy Clause designates

1. The US Constitution supersedes state law.
2. All of these.
3. Any laws made that further the intent of the Constitution are protected by the clause.
4. The US Constitution is the law of the land.

Another word for veto is

1. Review.
2. Abstain.
3. None of these.
4. Negative or negate.

Fighting words that are not protected are

1. Writing degrading words on the wall of a public bathroom.
2. Calling a politician an “idiot” in a public forum.
3. None of these.
4. A Naxi shouting hateful slogans but in a peaceful demonstration.

Social movements have been popular in the United States:

1. Mostly in the last 50 years.
2. Since the Abolition Movement just before the Civil War.
3. Since the Progressive Era.
4. Throughout the entire history of the nation.

According to Ange-Marie Hancock, citizens who “opt out” by choosing not to vote have no impact one way or another on the ability of government to meet their needs.

1. TRUE
2. FALSE

According to Hancock, unless citizens attempt to exercise their civil liberties and civil rights,

1. The liberties and freedoms government is supposed to protect will not prevail.
2. Our ongoing experiment in democracy will not function.
3. Federalism is unlikely to work well.
4. All of these.

Even though the British and Americans had many disputes over governance, they had in common a long and historical belief in representative government.

1. TRUE
2. FALSE

The great value of the model provided by the Massachusetts Convention of 1779 was

1. It empowered the legislatures.
2. It allowed taxes to be collected to support revolutionary armies when they were most in need.
3. It provided a workable solution for claiming that the people had given their approval.
4. All of these.

Many people believed that the British Parliament had become too powerful after the decline of the monarchy in the 17th century.

1. TRUE
2. FALSE

Which describes accurately the position of the Federalists?

1. They favored states’ rights over the national government’s power.
2. They supported the French Revolution.
3. They favored strict interpretation of the Implied Powers Clause.
4. None of these.

How is a civil right different than a civil liberty?

1. A civil right guarantees that people from a group (race, sex, sexual identity, religioin) will not be discriminated against if they try to use their civil liberties.
2. A civil liberty deals with individuals rather than groups.
3. All of these.
4. A civil liberty explains the freedom, while the civil right asserts that everyone is treated equally in the use of the freedom.

The Necessary and Proper Clause stated that the

1. Judiciary must determine if laws are necessary and proper.
2. Congress makes any laws necessary and proper to carry out the intent of the Constitution.
3. President can do whatever is necessary and proper for the people.
4. Executive and the legislature work together in a proper way to make necessary laws.

At the Constitutional Convention, Madison

1. Won on some and lost on some of his proposals.
2. None of these.
3. Lost on every single proposal he made.
4. Won on every single proposal he made.

The American Revolution was fought over issues concerning representation.

1. FALSE
2. TRUE

Some Americans are so unhappy with the state of the immigration issue, they want to

1. Deport people living in the US for decades.
2. All of these.
3. Amend the 14the Amendment so that children born to the undocumented in the US can be deported.
4. Deport children born in the US to undocumented persons.

In Roe v. Wade (1973), the Supreme Court based its decision on a women’s right to privacy.

1. TRUE
2. FALSE

The purpose of Alexander Hamilton’s The Federalist was to

1. Persuade the citizens of New York to ratify the Constitution.
2. Designate Boston as the location for the next federal convention.
3. Persuade George Washington to become the president.
4. Convince Americans that they should NOT accept federalism.

A social movement to protest tax increases and discrimination by Great Britain

1. Has been a common event in almost all of the wars that the US has fought.
2. Happened in the midst of WWII, threatening the presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
3. Followed the American Civil War
4. Preceded the American Revolutionary War.

Under a federal system, local governments are

1. An entirely separate level of government that is protected from encroachments or interference from state or federal governments.
2. Subject to the jurisdiction of state government with no separate powers.
3. All of these.
4. Subject to the jurisdiction of the federal government with no separate powers.

The Three-Fifths Compromise provided that

1. Three-fifths of the Congress was a quorum.
2. Three-fifths of the states had to ratify the Constitution.
3. Three-fifths of women would be counted during the national census.
4. Each slave would be counted as three-fifths of a constituent in the apportionment of representation for the House.

“Imperium in imperio” described

1. A state having two sovereigns.
2. A “state within a state.”
3. A “monster in politics.”
4. All of these.

In the period of the 1950s-70s, federal power decentralized from the federal government to the states and then began to centralize again in the 1980s.

1. TRUE
2. FALSE

In the past, especially after the Civil War, there was a lot of battling between the state and federal governments’ powers,

1. But today things are relatively calm and each knows and respects the boundaries of the other.
2. But today the federal government is able to dictate to the states and they rarely battle back.
3. And many of those battles continue to today.
4. But today states and the federal government on dispute about abortion rights.

The following is true with regard to civil rights:

1. Executive orders are usually ineffective to resolve civil rights issues.
2. Civil rights issues can only be resolved in the courts
3. Civil rights issues can not be resolved with Congressional legislation.
4. None of these

Madison’s personal experiences of abuse of power in legislatures came from

1. His time as governor of Virginia.
2. His time as a professor at the University of Virginia.
3. His time as a member of the Virginia Assembly.
4. None of these.

The Framers chose an Electoral College to elect the president because they felt that electors would be better informed about the character and qualifications of those seeking office.

1. FALSE
2. TRUE

An example of direct social action is

1. All of these
2. Ralph Waldo Emerson refusing to pay and encouraging others not to pay their taxes during the Mexican-American War.
3. Mahatma Gandi protesting low wages with textile workers in England in 1931.
4. The Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee organizing protest marches to oppose the Vietnam War.

The idea of the judicial branch as the third branch, following the legislative and the executive, was originated by

1. Montesquieu.
2. Locke.
3. Jefferson.
4. Madison.

The special state conventions that ratified the Constitution could propose amendments, but those amendments

1. Could only be passed one at a time.
2. Could not be amendments for individual rights.
3. Could not be made for ten years
4. Could not be used to block the ratification process.

When there are tensions between federal and state govenments, citizens often have to

1. Move to states where there is less tension.
2. Refuse to vote periodically to demonstrate independence
3. Form social movements and interest groups to advocate for change.
4. Form corporations where they can advocate for change.

According to Hancock, what rights generally fall under the category of “the rights of the accused.”

1. The right to refuse to incriminate oneself, that is not answer questions of the police or a prosecutor
2. All of these.
3. The right to an attorney in case you are accused.
4. The right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure.

One way that the Framers assured that the legislative branch would not become too powerful is that they allowed

1. The executive to nullify laws that do not meet with the meaning of the Constitution.
2. The executive to review the legality of legislation.
3. The judiciary to review the constitutionality of legislation.
4. The judiciary to remove unfit Congressmen from office.

Article II of the Articles of Confederation

1. Specified that the federal government was sovereign over each state.
2. Strengthened the national government.
3. Provided for a bicameral legislature.
4. Specifically stated that states retained sovereignty and held all powers not specifically given to the national government.

The role of the Supreme Court in determining constitutionality of laws is still debated today.

1. FALSE
2. TRUE

What is the path to policy change in a democracy?

1. Legalism, or work through the courts.
2. Legislation, or work through the Congress or states.
3. Direct action, or take to the streets.
4. All of these

Which republic was considered the best model in The Spirit of the Laws?

1. Venetian republic
2. Roman republic
3. Athenian republic
4. Republic of Genoa

On the one hand, federalism has the great strength of being flexible; on the other hand, it has the weakness of

1. Not adequately protecting the rights of individuals.
2. Creating conflicts between the state and federal governments.
3. None of these.
4. Letting the states get too much of the upper hand in terms of power.

John Brown, Gabriel Prosser, and Nat Turner personified the use of direct social action

1. By violent means to end taxation without representation.
2. By non-violent means to end taxation without representation
3. By non-violent means to end slavery.
4. By violent means to end slavery.

In the famous landmark case, Miller v. California, the US Supreme Court defined obscenity as having what feature(s)?

1. The material lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value
2. The material describes sexual conduct in an offensive way
3. The average person would find the material as appealing to a “prurient” interest.
4. All of these.

Issues of civil rights and civil liberties include

1. A corporation suing another corporation for breech of contract.
2. A state refusing to give the right to vote to convicted felons.
3. An employer paying you less than somebody else who does the same job.
4. The NSA tapping your telephones.

The presidency

1. Was a uniquely powerful individual.
2. Was singularly responsible for his or her duties.
3. All of these
4. Relied on Congressional approval or backing for foreign affairs.

According to recent Gallup polls, the trust that Americans have in their government is

1. Actually quite low, much less than half.
2. None of these.
3. Very high, well over half.
4. About half and half the country trusting the government.