BE SURE TO WRITE YOUR NAME ON YOUR ANSWER SHEET!!
IMPORTANT: MAKE ALL ERASURES COMPLETELY - IT IS YOUR
RESPONSIBILITY TO CLEARLY INDICATE YOUR CHOSEN
ANSWER. RESPONSES THAT ARE NOT COMPLETELY ERASED
WILL BE COUNTED AS INCORRECT. THIS EXAM IS WORTH 100
POINTS.
Temple College
Government 2301
Summer 1, 2000
Exam #2
MULTIPLE CHOICE. INSTRUCTIONS: Answer each of the following
multiple-choice questions by marking the letter on your scan-tron form that
corresponds to the BEST response. 57 questions/1.75 points each/100 points
total.
1. Which of the following logical fallacies do you commit when you state reasons
or premises that are irrelevant to your conclusion?
a. begging the question
b. slippery slope
c. non sequitur
d. ad hominem
2. Which of the following logical fallacies do you commit when you assume that
there is a cause and effect relationship between Event A and Event B simply
because Event A preceded Event B in the order of time?
a. traditional wisdom
b. slippery slope
c. straw man
d. post hoc fallacy
3. Which of the following logical fallacies do you commit when you attack an
opponent rather than his or her arguments?
a. non sequitur
b. false dilemma
c. post hoc fallacy
d. ad hominem
4. Which of the following logical fallacies do you commit when you assert that, if
a first action is taken, a second, but undesirable action will result, which will
then lead to another even more undesirable result, and so on?
a. begging the question
b. straw man
c. post hoc fallacy
d. slippery slope
5. Which of the following logical fallacies do you commit when you erroneously
reduce the number of alternatives to (usually) just two?
a. begging the question
b. false dilemma
c. two wrongs make a right
d. post hoc fallacy
6. Which of the following concepts describes the dominant theological orientation
of the Age of Enlightenment?
a. atomism b. individualism c. deism d. capitalism e. republicanism
7. Which of the following concepts challenged the idea that society is a living
organism?
a. atomism b. individualism c. deism d. capitalism e. republicanism
8. Enlightenment philosophers advocated which of the following as the preferred
form of government?
a. atomism b. individualism c. deism d. capitalism e. republicanism
9. Which of the following concepts describes an economic system of thought
based on Adam Smith’s challenges to mercantilism?
a. atomism b. individualism c. deism d. capitalism e. republicanism
10. In the American understanding of the concept, a REPUBLIC is a form of
government
a. that is organized from the top down.
b. in which power rests with organized interest groups.
c. that has a king or queen as its symbolic head.
d. other than monarchy and based on consent of the governed and popular
sovereignty with regular elections, universal voting rights, representative
assemblies, and other democratic features.
11. The central government under the Articles of Confederation included
a. a president, but no congress.
b. a congress and a president.
c. a unicameral congress, but no president and no courts.
d. a bicameral legislature.
12. Any amendment to the Articles of Confederation required
a. approval of a simple majority of states represented in Congress.
b. approval of two-thirds of the states represented in Congress.
c. unanimous consent of all 13 states represented in Congress.
d. approval of nine of the 13 of states represented in Congress.
13. The Second Continental Congress authorized the Philadelphia convention to
a. draft the new constitution.
b. create a new system of government for the United States.
c. revise the Articles of Confederation.
d. propose the Bill of Rights to the Constitution.
14. The Virginia Plan
a. worked to the advantage of the more sparsely-populated states.
b. worked to the advantage of the more densely-populated states.
c. was a compromise to provide equal treatment of the more sparsely- and
densely-populated states.
d. was never seriously discussed at the Philadelphia convention.
15. The Great Compromise proposed
a. a unicameral legislature in which each state would have one vote.
b. the end of slavery in all but the southern states.
c. a bicameral legislature.
d. both b and c.
16. The Anti-Federalists advocated
a. return to British rule.
b. strong central government and the new Constitution.
c. the elimination of the state governments.
d. opposition to the Constitution.
17. Separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism, and specific denials
of power to government such as those in the Bill of Rights may be viewed as
efforts to
a. vest government with sufficient authority to govern efficiently.
b. prevent the arbitrary exercise of governmental power - that is, to promote
limited government.
c. prevent the national government from taking over the power of the states.
d. to force George III to capitulate to the American colonists’ demands before
they declared their independence.
18. The guarantee of _________________________ in the Constitution requires
that a jailer must bring an arrested before a magistrate (judge) who then
decides whether there is sufficient cause to detain him or her.
a. bills of attainder b. ex post facto laws c. writ of habeas corpus
d. none of these
19. Amendments to the United States Constitution must be ratified by
a. a majority vote of the people.
b. a two-thirds vote of Congress.
c. legislatures or conventions in three-fourths of the states.
d. two-thirds of state conventions called by Congress for this purpose.
20. The formal amendment process for the U.S. Constitution allows
a. an easy two-step procedure that has resulted in numerous changes to the
document.
b. a difficult procedure that makes amendments unlikely.
c. Congress to alter the Constitution without the approval of the states.
d. the president to veto all proposed amendments.
21. The issue of citizenship (whether a person was a citizen of the United States
and therefore a citizen of the state in which he or she resided or whether a
state could deny citizenship) was settled by which of the following means?
a. formal constitutional amendment b. judicial decision c. legislation
d. none of these
22. Which of the following areas, being unclear under the language of the
Constitution, has been clarified primarily by judicial interpretation?
a. whether it is the president’s or Congress’ power to determine whether the
United States will become involved in an armed conflict overseas
b. what forms of speech are protected by the 1st Amendment
c. whether the manufacture, sale, transport or importation of intoxicating
liquors in or into the United States was illegal
d. all of the above
23. The constitutional principle of checks and balances allows the
a. president to veto congressional acts.
b. president to veto judicial decisions.
c. president to pass laws during a time of crisis.
d. Congress the power to select justices of the Supreme Court.
24. Which of the following statements BEST characterizes the principle of
separation of powers under the U.S. Constitution?
a. Legislative, executive, and judicial powers are separated exercised by
three independent branches of government.
b. The three levels of government in the American system (national, state,
and local) all have separate and unrelated areas of autonomous power.
c. Democrats should either control the Congress or the presidency while the
Republicans control the other -- but neither should control both at the same
time.
d. Each state has sovereignty to control the activities within its own borders.
25. Constitutionally dividing governmental powers between the states and the
national government is referred to as
a. dual legitimacy.
b. egalitarianism.
c. federalism.
d. separation of powers.
26. According to our in-class discussions, the United Nations is an example of a
a. communist system.
b. strong unitary system.
c. confederal system.
d. none of these.
27. The Bill of Rights was important to ratification of the Constitution because
a. all of the state constitutions had such rights and would have made the U.S.
Constitution void.
b. several important states would not have voted to ratify the Constitution had
the Federalists been unwilling to guarantee such amendments.
c. such rights were stipulated in the Articles of Confederation.
d. without a formal statement guaranteeing the rights of Americans the state
governments could have openly abridged the rights of citizens.
28. The Bill of Rights originally limited
a. the power of the central government.
b. the power of the state governments.
c. the rights of the people in each state.
d. both the power of the central government and the state governments.
29. Since Texas became a state of the United States in 1845, Texans have
been governed by five constitutions. The constitution currently in effect was
ratified by voters in
a. 1975 b. 1869 c. 1876 d. 1961
30. Which of the following best describes the Texas Constitution of 1876?
a. short b. general c. frequently amended. d. all of the above.
31. The 1876 Texas Constitution is
a. statute-like. b. well organized.
c. brief.
d. all of the above.
32. Since 1876, the Texas Constitution has been amended approximately _____
times.
a. 25 b. 100 c. 250 d. 370
33. Amending the Texas Constitution requires
a. a 2/3 vote of both chambers of the legislature to propose the amendment
and a simple majority vote of the people to ratify.
b. a simple majority vote of both chambers of the legislature to propose the
amendment and a 2/3 vote of the people to ratify.
c. a finding by the United States Supreme Court that the amendment does
not contradict any provisions of the United States Constitution.
d. none of these.
34. According to Article I, sec. 8:18 of the Constitution, Congress has the power
to make all laws
a. that it considers to be necessary and proper.
b. that promote the general welfare.
c. that are necessary and proper to carry out the powers expressly delegated
to the national government.
d. that it danged well pleases.
35. The idea that state governments reserve any powers not delegated by the
Constitution to the national government is found in the
a. 10th Amendment. b. Article 1, sec. 8:18. c. Article VI, par. 2.
d. the Preamble.
36. The constitutional provision referred to in question #35 reflects
a. the political philosophy of the Anti-Federalists.
b. the political philosophy of the Federalists.
c. the political philosophy of Alexander Hamilton.
d. the wisdom of preventing politics from affecting constitution-writing.
37. The implied delegated powers of the national government
a. are limited by the decisions of the state governments.
b. are specifically mentioned in Article II, section 6.
c. give elasticity to our constitutional system.
d. restrict Congress from passing legislation that is not specifically delegated
in the Constitution.
38. In McCulloch v Maryland (1819), Chief Justice John Marshall argued that
a. the Constitution was highly specific and mentioned all permissible powers
of Congress.
b. the states can countermand an act of Congress if the act isn’t based on
any specific grant of authority in the Constitution.
c. the necessary and proper clause was irrelevant to the case.
d. Congress has the power to enact laws, which are necessary and proper to
carry out its expressly delegated powers.
39. When Chief Justice Roger Taney wrote (in Dred Scott v Sanford, 1857) that
the Constitution “speaks not only in the same words, but with the same
meaning and same intent as when it came from the hands of the framers,” he
was
1. interpreting the Constitution broadly.
2. interpreting the Constitution flexibly.
3. interpreting the Constitution strictly.
4. reflecting his Federalist political philosophy.
5. reflecting his Democratic-Republican political philosophy.
a. 1 and 4 b. 2 and 5 c. 3 and 5 d. 1, 2, and 4
40. Which provision declares the supremacy of the Constitution and all laws
made in pursuance of the Constitution?
a. Article I b. Article II c. Article VI, par. 2 d. 10th Amendment
41. Roger Taney’s interpretation of federalism assumed
a. states’ right to secede from the Union.
b. federal and state laws affected each other as co-equals; that the national
government and the states were “dual sovereign.”
c. concurrent national and state control over education.
d. southern states’ right to maintain slavery.
42. The national government’s power to declare war, to regulate interstate
commerce, and to coin money are examples of ____________ delegated
powers.
a. implied b. inherent
c. expressly d. reserved
43. Which prominent 19th century doctrine assumed that individual states could
declare a law made by Congress void within its borders?
a. the Monroe Doctrine b. dual federalism c. nullification d. national
federalism
44. In the case MISSOURI V HOLLAND [1920], the Supreme Court ruled that the act
of Congress establishing closed hunting seasons and other rules was
a. constitutional because the justices were conservationists and believed
that it was the government’s duty to protect endangered species.
b. unconstitutional because the Constitution does not specifically delegate
these powers to Congress and are therefore powers that are reserved to
the states.
c. constitutional because the Constitution gives Congress the power to
make any laws it believes are “necessary and proper” for the nation.
d. constitutional because the Constitution gives Congress the power to
make laws that are “necessary and proper” to give effect to the president’s
treaty-making power.
45. According to the web article, “Republic of Texas’ Facts, Goals, and Tactics
Are Highly Questionable,” constitutions are ultimately political documents, as
well as legal documents, because
a. politicians write them.
b. they reflect a consensus among members of a political community about
how they want to organize their governmental affairs.
c. they “legalize” or condone corrupt activities by elected officials.
d. none of these.
46. According to the author of the web article, “Republic of Texas’ Facts, Goals,
and Tactics Are Highly Questionable,” the Republic of Texas’s argument that
Texas was illegally annexed by the United States in 1845 is incorrect and
irrelevant because
a. the United States may annex new territory even though the U.S.
Constitution does not specifically give the government that authority.
b. Texans in the 1840s sought to be annexed by the United States; they were
not annexed against their will.
c. generations of Texans since 1845 have behaved as American citizens.
d. all of these.
47. According to your text, “new federalism” under President Reagan forced the
state and local governments to
a. hire people just to write grants and apply from multiple sources.
b. review their funding priorities and focus on basic needs.
c. rely more on their own sources of revenue and less upon federal money.
d. be more creative in budget building and seeking better bond ratings.
48. According to your text, Congress began providing cash grants to the states
from money that the national government collected from
a. toll road revenues.
b. tariffs on exports.
c. income taxes.
d. interstate commerce.
49. According to your text, the single most important source of national
government influence over the activities of state and local governments is
a. the national transportation system.
b. a national welfare system for mothers with children.
c. grants-in-aid.
d. civil rights legislation.
50. A grant for a specific, narrow project is a
a. categorical grant.
b. block grant.
c. formula grant.
d. general revenue sharing grant.
51. With block grants, state and local governments have
a. to follow a lengthy list of requirements in deciding how to spend federal
funds.
b. fairly wide discretion in deciding how to spend federal funds within a
functional area.
c. Specific guidelines to determine items which can be purchased with funds
from block grants.
d. Little discretion in deciding on which projects to spend federal funds.
52. According to your text, direct order to state and local governments to perform
a particular activity or service or to obey federal laws in the performance of
their functions are known as
a. federal cajoling.
b. federal mandates.
c. federal guidelines.
d. legalized extortion.
53. The power of a local government to pass laws affecting local affairs, so long
as they don’t conflict with federal or state laws, is known as
a. home rule.
b. general law.
c. intergovernmental rule
d. local law.
54. A form of city government that gives the mayor considerable power, including
budgetary control and appointment and removal authority over city
department heads is the
a. weak mayor.
b. strong mayor.
c. city commission.
d. council-manager.
55. A form of city government in which policy is set by an elected city council,
which hires a professional administrator to run most city departments is
referred to as
a. weak mayor.
b. strong mayor.
c. city commission.
d. council-manager.
56. A method for a city to borrow money to pay for new construction projects is
a. regressive taxes.
b. general obligation bonds.
c. revenue bonds.
d. infrastructure bonds.
57. A major source of revenue for city governments in Texas is the local
a. poll tax.
b. excise tax.
c. luxury tax.
d. property tax.