Houston Community College
Govt 2305
Exam 1 (chapters 1-4) Review
Chapter 1 – Democracy and American Politics
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1. What form of government is a loose association of states or territorial units formed for a common purpose?
2. What type of government is most consistent with rule by the people?
3. What is defined as an ideology that supports stronger government programs and more market regulations?
4. According to the text, while politics can be defined as the process that determines what a government does, is it
True that the American political process is dominated by the wealthy?
5. Generally speaking, is it True that Democratic politicians and activists tend to favor more redistributive tax
policies and social spending on programs for the poor?
6. What is defined as the autonomy of the individual to manage their own financial decisions without outside
government interference?
7. Is it "True" that Federalism divides power and allocates different responsibilities to local, state, and national
governments?
8. Why does the Treasury Department issue bonds?
9. The Greek philosopher, Aristotle, developed a classification scheme for governments that was based on which
three distinguishable types?
10. The U.S. Constitution states that the national government must “insure domestic Tranquility.” How does the
U.S. government perform that function?
11. Which of the following did the Founders of the U.S. Constitution cite as a reason to have a government?
12. The separation of powers refers to what?
13. The division of power between the national government and the state and local governments is called what?
14. Politics are defined as what?
15. What are reasons why there is conflict in politics?
16. The fact that political process matters means what?
17. A system of checks and balances is best defined as what?
18. Which of the following is an example of a public good?
19. The text argues that an important realm of economic conflict in the United States today is what?
Chapter 2 – The Constitution
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20. Which legislative plan proposed congressional representation should be based on a state’s populations?
21. How did the Articles of Confederation limit the influence of a national government?
22. How was slavery treated in the Constitution?
23. Which of the following is true concerning the intent of the Bill of Rights?
24. The process to formally amend the U.S. Constitution involves which of the following?
25. What are some of the arguments behind the Tea Party movement?
26. What ideologies are best represented in the Constitution?
27. Those colonists who remained supportive of the British monarchy during the Revolutionary War were called
what?
28. What was the importance of the Annapolis Convention?
29. What is a form of government that involves popular control of government by the people through elected
officials?
30. What three principles stated in the Declaration of Independence were generally agreed upon by the
Constitution’s framers
31. Who were the authors of the Federalist Papers?
32. The main reaction to the failure of the Articles of Confederation was what?
33. The Antifederalists/Republicans generally supported strong state or strong federal governments?
34. Despite seeking a stronger national government, did the framers of the Constitution believe in the need to limit
the national government through the separation of powers?
35. The legislative plan that led to the legislature having two houses is called what?
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What was designed to address Antifederalist concerns about the absence of limits on national governing power?
The Three-fifths Compromise referred to what?
What are considered exclusive powers of the legislative branch?
What is considered a check that the president holds over the judicial branch?
The ability to remove someone because of corruption or abuse of power is called__.
What can the president use to check the legislative branch?
Chapter 3 – Federalism States and Nations
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42. Is it True that the Federalism centralizes government power at the federal or national level.
43. Is it True that Federalism means separation of powers among the three branches of the national government.
44. The term states’ rights refers to what?
45. The commerce clause gives power to whom?
46. The term fiscal federalism refers to____.
47. What best describes coercive federalism?
48. Is it True that Americans are more likely to trust their local and state governments over the federal government?
49. Liberals tend to favor state power on what kinds of issues?
50. Since the 1990s, the Supreme Court’s principal role has been to do what?
51. What reason are given in the text to support a limited state role in federalism?
52. In 1857, the Supreme Court decided what in Dred Scott v. Sandford?
53. The states hold the dominant power position in which of the following?
54. Is it True that the Tenth Amendment ensures that all powers not specifically given to the federal government are
reserved to the states or the people?
55. Is it true that in McCulloch v. Maryland (1819), the Supreme Court ruled that cooperative federalism was
unconstitutional?
56. A unitary system of government involves what?
57. What is the doctrine of nullification?
58. What best defines “Block Grants”?
Chapter 4 – Defining Civil Liberties
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59. Is it True that of the three Civil War Amendments, the First Amendment was most significant to slaves and slave
owners.
60. Civil liberties are guaranteed by which part of the Constitution?
61. The first ten amendments to the Constitution are called what?
62. Is it True that Gitlow v. New York specifically applied one of the Bill of Rights amendments to state action?
63. Due process rights at the state and federal level are guaranteed by the Constitution through__.
64. Which civil liberties are NOT protected in the First Amendment?
65. The Alien and Sedition Acts passed in 1798 challenged which part of the Bill of Rights?
66. Which event prompted the harshest crackdowns on free speech since the Sedition Act of 1798?
67. Which part of the First Amendment prevents government from regulating most religious practices?
68. What liberties are protected under the Fourth Amendment?
69. Debates over the right to die most concern which civil liberty?
70. Is it True that Americans’ religious freedoms are based on two different clauses in the First Amendment: the free
exercise clause and the establishment clause?
71. The Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion was based on ___.
72. Which Amendment guaranteed newly freed slaves equal rights as citizens of the US?
73. Miranda v. Arizona (1966) required which of the following?
74. Is it True that the right to privacy is explicitly mentioned in the Fourth Amendment?
75. Is it True that Civil liberties are best understood as civil rights?
76. What is the intent of the Bill of Rights?