Name __________________________________________________ Date ______________________________
Semester One Assessment January 2015
Mastering the Content
1. Which term is defined here?
the right to exercise supreme power and authority over a region, a group, or oneself
A. tyranny
B. legitimacy
C. sovereignty
D. territoriality
2. Which of these is the best example of a public good?
A. a gas station
B. a town library
C. a movie theater
D. a clothing store
3. Which of these is an essential feature of political activity?
A. It is difficult.
B. It is idealistic.
C. It is individualistic.
D. It is purposeful.
4. Which of these individuals is most likely to exercise power without authority?
A. a traffic officer
B. an armed robber
C. a business owner
D. a school principal
5. Which of the following are considered the basic building blocks of government?
A. revenue collection and coercion
B. political conflict and compromise
C. a legitimate ruler and happy subjects
D. a stable population and fixed territory
6. A ruler’s legitimacy depends mainly on which of these factors?
A. the ruler's personal wealth
B. the ruler's political ambition
C. people's fear of the ruler's power
D. people's acceptance of the ruler's authority
7. Which of these is most likely to involve horse trading?
A. a labor strike
B. a local election
C. a business deal
D. a protest march
8. A New England town meeting is an example of
A. confederal democracy.
B. direct democracy.
C. parliamentary democracy.
D. representative democracy.
9. Socialism began as an attempt to correct which disadvantage of capitalism?
A. lack of motivation to work
B. failure to reward new ideas
C. uneven distribution of wealth
D. inflexibility in the face of change
10. Which kind of country is most likely to have a federal system of government?
A. large, with a diverse population
B. urban, with an industrial economy
C. poor, with an unskilled population
D. small, with an abundance of resources
11. Which of the following best defines the principle of popular sovereignty?
A. The powers of a government are limited by the people.
B. Government is based on laws that apply to all the people.
C. The ultimate source of governmental authority is the people.
D. Elected leaders work through government to serve the people.
12. Who is known as the Father of the Constitution and as the principal author of the Bill of Rights?
A. Benjamin Franklin
B. Thomas Jefferson
C. James Madison
D. George Washington
13. Consider the quotations below.
“Life, liberty, and property . . .” —John Locke
“Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness . . .” —Declaration of Independence
Both quotations list what our nation's founders believed to be
A. civil virtues.
B. natural rights.
C. the general will.
D. the rights of Englishmen.
14. The Articles of Confederation reflected Americans’ fear of
A. a permanent standing army.
B. a strong central government.
C. a threatened foreign invasion.
D. a breakdown in law and order.
15. Which political philosopher favored separate legislative, executive, and judicial branches?
A. Thomas Hobbes
B. John Locke
C. Baron de Montesquieu
D. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
16. Which of these terms refers to the principle that people accused of a crime must be granted certain legal rights?
A. due process
B. habeas corpus
C. judicial review
D. eminent domain
17. The Preamble to the Constitution lists which of the following?
A. steps for amending the Constitution
B. purpose to be served by the Constitution
C. procedures for ratifying the Constitution
D. guidelines for interpreting the Constitution
18. Why did the framers of the Constitution create three separate branches of government?
A. to help people with different opinions cooperate
B. to increase the power of the central government
C. to keep any one group from gaining too much power
D. to provide enough officials to handle the volume of work
19. The first words of the Constitution indicate that power and authority in our system of government come from the
A. states.
B. people.
C. voters.
D. lawmakers.
20. Which of these is the defining characteristic of a federal system of government?
A. Elected representatives make decisions for the nation.
B. Power is divided between central and regional bodies.
C. Separate branches have different areas of responsibility.
D. Legislative actions are limited by a set of written guidelines.
21. Over time, constitutional amendments have extended which right to the groups listed below?
- African Americans
- Women
- Residents of the District of Columbia
- 18-year-olds
B. right to an education
C. right to serve on a jury
D. right to vote in elections
E. right to federal employment
22. Which of these is the best example of constitutional checks and balances?
A. Treaties require Senate approval.
B. The Constitution may be amended.
C. The president is paid for his services.
D. Courts decide conflicts between states.
23. The process of amending the Constitution involves both
A. the Congress and the states.
B. the president and the Congress.
C. the states and the Supreme Court.
D. the Supreme Court and the president.
24. Which of these plays the largest role in interpreting the Bill of Rights?
A. Congress
B. state legislatures
C. the Supreme Court
D. the executive branch
25. Which of these is a civil liberty protected by the Bill of Rights?
A. the right to work
B. the right to marry
C. the right to travel abroad
D. the right to religious freedom
26. Which of these unpopular forms of expression is protected by the First Amendment?
A. libel
B. slander
C. obscenity
D. flag burning
27. The process of applying the Bill of Rights to the states through Supreme Court decisions is called
A. double jeopardy
B. prior restraint.
C. incorporation.
D. probable cause.
28. The Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth amendments protect
A. voting rights.
B. privacy rights.
C. rights in the legal system.
D. rights reserved to the states.
29. Which of these rights has not been subject to incorporation?
A. the right to bear arms
B. the right to a fair trial
C. the right to freedom of speech
D. the right to petition the government
30. Presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan both advocated a policy known as devolution. What was
this policy aimed at?
A. limiting taxes levied by states
B. reducing federal grants to the states
C. transferring power back to the states
D. improving cooperation among the states
31. Which of these terms refers to legislation the national government requires state or local governments to
implement largely at their own expense?
A. block grants
B. grants-in-aid
C. federal regulations
D. unfunded mandates
32. Which of these are considered the building blocks of civil society?
A. groups that people join voluntarily
B. media that influence public opinion
C. patterns of generally accepted behavior
D. agencies of local or county government
33. Which part of the U.S. Constitution defines U.S. citizenship?
A. Preamble
B. Article VI
C. Bill of Rights
D. Fourteenth Amendment
34. Which of these areas are conservatives more likely than liberals to favor government intervention?
A. health care
B. moral issues
C. business practices
D. consumer protection
35. Someone from another country who lives in the United States illegally is called
A. a resident alien.
B. a naturalized citizen.
C. a lawful permanent resident.
D. an undocumented immigrant.
36. An individual with a green card is allowed to
A. work at a job.
B. serve on a jury.
C. vote in elections.
D. run for public office.
37. Which of the following committed the United States to protecting the rights of all Americans regardless of
race, sex, religion, or national origin?
A. Plessy v. Ferguson
B. Fourteenth Amendment
C. Civil Rights Act of 1964
D. Brown v. Board of Education
38. What is the primary goal of political parties?
A. to create a national platform
B. to get their candidates elected
C. to collect campaign contributions
D. to attract members who agree on issues
39. How do lobbyists help government officials to function more effectively?
A. by setting the public agenda
B. by funding public election campaigns
C. by selecting candidates for public office
D. by providing information on public issues
40. Which of these is found in a party platform?
A. a description of the party's structure
B. a statement of the party's principles
C. a list of the party's campaign contributors
D. a plan for getting the party's candidates elected
41. Which of these is the first step in the policymaking process?
A. agenda setting
B. policy adoption
C. policy evaluation
D. issue identification
42. The process by which people form their political attitudes and values is called
A. political correctness.
B. political engagement.
C. political participation.
D. political socialization.
43. Which of the following is the best
definition of public opinion?
A. the sum of many individual views
B. what journalists think about issues
C. the beliefs of one or more interest groups
D. how politicians express common attitudes
44. In which type of election is voter turnout likely to be the greatest?
A. primary election
B. midterm election
C. off-year election
D. presidential election
45. Which of these is the best definition of constituents?
A. donors who contribute cash or services to an electoral campaign
B. residents of an electoral district represented by an elected official
C. citizens nationwide who benefit from an elected official's programs
D. voters in an elected official's home state who belong to the same party
46. A conference committee is made up of members from both the
A. House and Senate.
B. majority and minority parties.
C. legislative and executive branches.
D. Republican and Democratic caucuses.
47. What determines the number of seats in the Senate?
A. The Constitution specifies the exact number of seats.
B. The number of seats depends on the number of states.
C. Congress fixed the maximum number of seats in 1911.
D. The number of seats depends on each state's population.
48. Before a bill can be sent to the president, both chambers of Congress must vote to
A. approve the same version.
B. restore the original language.
C. have a supermajority in favor.
D. authorize the president to change it.
49. How can Congress override a presidential veto?
A. Congress must wait until after the next election to reconsider the bill.
B. Congress must agree to amend the bill to meet the president's objections.
C. Congress must approve the bill again by a majority vote in both chambers.
D. Congress must approve the bill again by a two-thirds vote in both chambers.
50. Which of these is not a qualification for seeking the presidency?
A. college graduate
B. natural-born citizen
C. at least 35 years old
D. lived in United States at least 14 years