Pre/Post Assessment
7th Grade Civics
1st Nine Weeks Grading Period
1. The concept of rule of law teaches us that nobody is above the law.
What can happen if a member of the legislative branch of Congress
abuses his/her power and breaks the law?
a. This member of Congress is part of the government therefore
he/she cannot be punished.
b. The other members of Congress will get angry at him/her.
c. He or she can be prosecuted under the law.
d. The president will punish him/her.
2. Read the oath of office taken by the President of the United States:
"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of
President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve,
protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
What major concept does this oath represent?
a.
b.
c.
d.
the supremacy clause
the rule of law
the oath of office
presidential power
Use the image below of “Lady Justice” to answer questions 3 and 4.
3. The sword on the right hand of “Lady Justice” represents which of
the following?
a.
b.
c.
d.
the power of law
the justice power of the court
the rule of law
the court’s coercive power
4. The scales on the left hand of “Lady Justice” represent which of the
following?
a.
b.
c.
d.
the justice power of the court
balance of power
rule of law
competing claims
5. According to the code, what principle of democracy is Theodore
Roosevelt implying with the quote below?
“No man is above the law and no man below it”
- Theodore Roosevelt
a.
b.
c.
d.
federalism
rule of law
nationalism
checks and balances
6. A person who is not born a U.S. citizen may become a citizen
through which process?
a.
b.
c.
d.
citizenship
naturalization
oath of allegiance
petition
Read and analyze the following quote to answer question 7.
“In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an
impartial jury of the State and district where in the crime shall have been committed…”
7. The quote above addresses which obligation of United States
citizenship?
a.
b.
c.
d.
protection of rights of an accused individual
serving on a jury
individual right to a trial
swear allegiance in a trial
Read and analyze the following excerpt to answer questions 8-9.
The following is the Oath of Allegiance a citizenship applicant must take.
"I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all
allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or
which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the
Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and
domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on
behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant
service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will
perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law;
and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of
evasion; so help me God."
8. Which attribute does the Oath of Allegiance most reflects for a
citizen to take?
a.
b.
c.
d.
loyalty
respect
fairness
rule of law
9. Which clause may be excluded, at times, by citizenship applicants?
a. “That I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when
required by law”
b. “That I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance
and fidelity to any foreign price, potentate”
c. “That I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same”
d. “That I will perform work of national importance under civilian
direction when required by the law”
Read and analyze the document below to answer question 10.
Source: Library of Congress
10.The poster above, which appeared in the United States in 1916, best
reflects which statement in the Oath of Allegiance?
a. “That I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same”
b. “That I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by
the law”
c. “That I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the
United States when required by the law”
d. “That I will perform work of national importance under civilian
direction when required by the law”
11. Being concerned about other countries and protecting the United States
flag most nearly identifies with which citizen obligation?
a.
b.
c.
d.
obeying laws
voting
serving on juries
defending the nation
Read and analyze the excerpt below to answer questions 12-13.
“I…declare…that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the
United States…against all enemies, foreign and domestic; [and] that I will
bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by law.”
-Oath of Citizenship
12. Which of the following citizen responsibilities reflected in the excerpt
above is adhered to by lawful permanent residents?
a.
b.
c.
d.
obeying the law
voting
serving on juries
serving in election office
13. “And that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when
required by law,” refers specifically to which citizen responsibility?
a.
b.
c.
d.
defending the nation
obeying the law
serving on juries
supporting arms
Read and analyze the following quote to answer questions 14-15.
“The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and Senators
and Congressmen and Government officials but voters of this country”
- Franklin D. Roosevelt (1938)
14. Which of the following best refers to citizen voting in this country?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Voting is a citizen duty.
Voting is a citizen responsibility.
Voting is a citizen obligation.
Voting is a citizen volunteering in their community.
15. Which of the following can be concluded from the quote above?
a. By electing leaders and voting on proposed measures,
Americans are defending the nation.
b. By electing leaders and voting on proposed measures,
Americans are volunteering in the nation.
c. By electing leaders and voting on proposed measures,
Americans are expecting public officials to act in their own
interests.
d. By electing leaders and voting on proposed measures,
Americans give their consent to the government.
16. According to Montesquieu, the advantage to separation of powers is
which of the following:
a. Allows all branches of government to become strong.
b. Allows all monarchs to keep their full measure of power.
c. Allows for checks and balances within the government.
d. Allows the average citizen to become a political leader.
17. “Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.”
In this statement by Rousseau, what did the word “chains” represent?
a. chains of natural rights
b. chains of poverty
c. chains of philosophy
d. chains of government
Read and analyze the following quote to answer questions 18 and 19.
“There is no greater tyranny, than that which is perpetrated under the shield of law and
in the name of justice” Montesquieu
18. Based on Montesquieu’s quote, what is meant by the phrase “the
shield of law”?
a. the protection of the law
b. the legitimacy of the law
c. the tyranny of the law
d. the dominance of the law
19. Based on Montesquieu’s quote, which form of government would he
most likely prefer?
a. Communism
b. Socialism
c. Absolute Monarchy
d. Democracy
Read and analyze the following excerpt to answer question 20.
We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created
equal, that they are endowed, by their CREATOR, with certain
unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the
Pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these Rights, Governments are
instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of
the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes
destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to
abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its Foundation on
such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them
shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
-Excerpt from the Declaration of Independence, 1776-
20. Based on this excerpt, the Founding Fathers most likely justified
their right to a new government based more closely on the beliefs of
which philosopher?
a. Thomas Hobbes
b. John Locke
c. Charles Montesquieu
d. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
21. In the Magna Carta, the idea of limited government requires for the king
to govern according to which of the following?
a.
b.
c.
d.
the nobles’ demands
the serfs’ demands
the established rules of the feudal system
established rules of law
22. The following quote, as written in the Magna Carta, “No free man shall be
taken, or imprisoned…exiled, or in any way harmed…save by the lawful judgment of his
peers [equals]” means which of the following?
a.
b.
c.
d.
security of lawful judgment
rule of law
the judicial branch
the right to trial by a jury.
Read and analyze the following excerpt to answer question 23.
“No country on the globe is so happily situated, or so internally capable of raising a fleet
as America. Tar, timber, iron, and cordage are her natural produce. We need go abroad
for nothing. Whereas the Dutch, who make large profits by hiring out their ships of war
to the Spaniards and Portuguese, are obliged to import most of the materials they use .”
23. In this excerpt, the author is referring to which of the following?
a. America can trade materials with other partner countries.
b. The Dutch use their ships in war against the Spaniards and
Portuguese.
c. America can sustain itself and does not need to look elsewhere.
d. America is obliged to import most of the materials they use.
Read and analyze the following excerpt:
“Youth is the seed-time of good habits as well in nations as in individuals. It might be
difficult, if not impossible, to form the Continent into one government half a century
hence. The vast variety of interests, occasioned by an increase of trade and population,
would create confusion. Colony would be against colony.”
24. The author of the document is referring to which of the following
concept?
a. The threat of confusion exists in the new continent.
b. Establishing a new government and systems of doing things is
easier at an early age of development.
c. Establishing a new government seeds good habits.
d. War against colonies will occur.
25. The following quote, “In witness whereof we have hereunder subscribed our
names at Cape Cod, the 11th of November, in the year of the reign of our Sovereign
Lord King James, of England, France and Ireland the eighteenth, and of Scotland the
fifty-fourth. Anno Domini 1620,” is a part of which founding document that the
colonists’ experienced during their early views of government?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Magna Carta
Mayflower Compact
English Bill of Rights
Common Sense
26. In The Declaration of Independence “Life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness” are called “unalienable”. What is the definition of unalienable?
a.
b.
c.
d.
impossible to surrender
impossible for a peasant to obtain
impossible to buy
impossible to earn
27. What was one immediate effect of the passage of the Stamp Act?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Colonists began to make their own paper.
British tax collectors began to live more comfortable lives.
Colonists began to boycott British goods.
British ships refused to dock in Boston harbor.
Read and analyze the following quote to answer question 28.
“The stamp-duty is so repugnant to the ideas of the people of America, that
in most of the northern colonies they have obliged the stamp-officers to
resign their places…”
28. In this statement from a 1765 London Magazine, what have colonists
forced stamp-officers to do?
a.
b.
c.
d.
move out of their homes
quit their jobs
leave the colonies
give up their British citizenship
29. Why did the Townshend Revenue Act focus on items such as paint,
glass, paper and lead?
a.
b.
c.
d.
The British crown needed money to pay for its wars.
Colonists could no longer afford these items.
The British people preferred colonial goods over British goods.
Colonists could not produce these items on their own.
Read and analyze the following quote to answer question 30.
“For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world”
-List of Grievances, excerpt from the Declaration of Independence, 1776
30.
To which British act does the above grievance make reference?
a.
the Sugar Act
b.
the Townshend Revenue Act
c.
the Declaratory Act
d.
the Tea Act
31. One way in which the United States Constitution differed from the
Articles of Confederation was that the Constitution did which of the
following?
a. created a national government having three branches
b. provided for the direct election of the President by voters
c. made the amendment process more difficult
d. increased the power of the states
32. A federalist system with separation of powers and a system of checks
and balances were constitutional solutions to which of the following
problems with the Articles of Confederation?
a. the Amendment process
b. no power to collect taxes
c. enforcement of national laws dependent on state courts
d. too much powers given to the states
33. Which statement most closely explains the following quote?
“ It is not necessary that the [Constitution] should be perfect; it is sufficient that [the
Articles of Confederation are] more imperfect.” James Madison
a. The Confederation government was intended to bring harmony
among the states, not efficiency.
b. The Articles of Confederation was a decentralized government and
the Constitution was adjusted to the idea of a stronger, central
government.
c. The Constitution would not have been acceptable if the Articles of
Confederation had not first been given a trial.
d. The Articles of Confederation was a detailed and lengthy document
while the Constitution was minimalist with powers divided among
layers of government.
34. Which of the following intentions of the Preamble to the Constitution is
reflected in the following excerpt?
“The states of New York and New Hampshire engaged in a de facto war over Vermont.
Pennsylvania hired bands of Indians (and whites dressed as Indians) to scalp persons
from other states who were attempting the Wyoming valley region. States engaged in
disastrous tariff wars and issued large sums of worthless currency.”
a. Promote the general Welfare
b. Secure the Blessings of Liberty
c. Provide for the Common Defence
d. Insure Domestic Tranquility
35. Which of the following statements best reflect the following excerpt?
“The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises,
to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the
United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the
United States;To borrow money on the credit of the United States; To regulate
Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian
Tribes; To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject
of Bankruptcies throughout the United States; To coin Money, regulate the Value
thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures; To provide
for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United
States.”
a. The power of the national government under the Articles of
Confederation
b. The weakness of the states under the Articles of Confederation
c. The power of the national government under the U.S. Constitution
d. The power of the states under the confederation government
36. What does the statement below describe?
“The national government could not tax or regulate commerce among the
states.”
a. a weakness of the Articles of Confederation
b. an opinion of a Federalist
c. a weakness of the Constitution
d. a strength of the Articles of Confederation.
37. During the years 1788 through 1791, Americans debated whether to
ratify the Constitution. During this time, the Anti-Federalists engaged in
many activities to express their viewpoint on the Constitution. Which of the
following is a direct outcome of the Anti-Federalists’ activities?
a. The Articles of Confederation were revised.
b. Women were given the right to vote.
c. A bill of rights was added to the Constitution.
d. New amendments were added to the Magna Carta.
Read and analyze the following quote to answer question 38.
“In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men,
the great difficulty lies in this, you must first enable the government to
control the governed; and in the next place, oblige it to control itself.”
38. This passage from the Federalist Papers refers to the need for which of
the following?
a. a strong executive
b. a system of checks and balances
c. an independent military
d. a national education system
Read and analyze the following quote to answer question 39.
“I will now tell you what I do no not like. First, [there is no] . . . A …
is what the people are entitled to against every government on
earth. . . .”
- Thomas Jefferson, December 20, 1787
39. This quote by Thomas Jefferson refers to which concept of people
being entitled to be against every government?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Bill of Rights
independence
rule of law
pursuit of happiness
40. Below is a political cartoon that appeared in a newspaper during the
time period when the Constitution was being ratified. If you notice, each
pillar represents a state. The eleven upright pillars represent the states that
have ratified the Constitution. The two pillars falling down represent North
Carolina and Rhode Island.
Which of the following statements best describes the meaning of the
cartoon?
a. It represents that without North Carolina and Rhode Island, the
new nation will crumble.
b. It shows that all states have agreed on ratifying the Constitution.
c. It represents that North Carolina and Rhode Island will fail if they
do not ratify the Constitution.
d. It represents the Anti-Federalist view that the new nation cannot
survive without a Bill of Rights.
41. Which of the following applies to people in the United States?
a. people are required to join one of the two major political parties
b. people must be a member of a political party in order to vote
c. people cannot join political parties until they are 21
d. people may choose whether to join any political party, or none
42. If you wish to become active in a political party, it would probably be
easiest to work for the party at which of the following level(s)?
a.
b.
c.
d.
through the Electoral College
at the local level
at the state level
at the national level
Directions: Analyze the following excerpt to answer questions 43-44.
The following is a passage from the platform of the Bull Moose Party, a
third party that competed in the 1912 presidential election.
“Political parties exist to secure responsible government and to execute
[carry out] the will of the people.
From these great tasks both of the old parties have turned aside.
Instead of instruments to promote the general welfare, they have become
the tools of corrupt interests which use them…to serve their selfish
purposes.”
Source: Florida Civics Economics & Geography, McGraw Hill
43. The platform says that the two purposes of a political party are running
the government responsibly and which of the following?
a.
b.
c.
d.
winning elections
carrying out the will of the people
gaining political power
collecting needed campaign funds
44. According to the platform, how had the major parties failed?
a.
b.
c.
d.
by taking away citizens’ right to vote
by doing the will of corrupt interests
by joining together instead of competing
by failing to find good candidates
Read and analyze the following quote to answer question 45.
“The people are not qualified to exercise [carry out]…the executive
department, but they are qualified to name the person who shall exercise it.
With us, therefore, they choose this officer every four years.”
-Thomas Jefferson, letter to a French friend, 1789
Source: Florida Civics Economics & Geography, McGraw Hill
45. What is Jefferson best alluding to in the above-referenced quote?
a.
b.
c.
d.
people are not qualified to vote in elections
people are not qualified to choose the executive through elections
people exercise their officer role every four years through elections
people exercise the ability to choose the executive through elections
Read and analyze the following propaganda statement to answer question
46.
“A survey taken by our campaign staff found that 92 percent of your
neighbors want candidate Rachel Chen to be our next mayor. Join your
neighbors next Monday and help make that wish come true.”
46. Which of the following propaganda techniques is exemplified by the
sample above?
a.
b.
c.
d.
testimonial
glittering generality
card stacking
bandwagon
47. The following is an image of a political commercial advertising the
election of President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952.
The image is showing Eisenhower, as the man from “small town Abilene,
Texas.”
Which of the following propaganda techniques is exemplified by the sample
above?
a.
b.
c.
d.
testimonials
bandwagon
plain-folks appeal
glittering generality
Read the following excerpt describing the United States presidential
election of 2008 and how the candidates used media and political
communications to answer the following two questions (48-49).
The 2008 election, which resulted in the selection of the first African-American president in the nation's
history, was about change. Polls indicated that more than 80 percent of likely voters felt that the country
was on the wrong track or moving in the wrong direction. For the first time since 1952, there were no
candidates on either major-party ticket who have served as president or vice president.
As in 2004, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were important issues, yet foreign policy was strongly
overshadowed by the economy when the credit and mortgage crisis hit full force in September. Other
economic concerns included health-care costs, energy policy, gas prices, and rising unemployment. From
the primary campaigns into the general-election contest, candidates positioned themselves as agents of
change. Normally it is the party out of power in the White House that calls for change. In 2008, both
parties claimed to offer “change,” as opposed to “more of the same.”
The candidates made these claims in an ad war that was unprecedented in its quantity and cost. Ads
were created in rapid-response fashion, timed for the increasingly fast-paced news cycle. Also, as a
reflection of the shift in popular culture toward the provocative tone of the Internet, which relies on bold
statements and humor to inspire “forwardability,” the 2008 ads were noticeably sharper and more
aggressive than that of previous elections.
Source: The Living Room Candidate
48. Which of the following propaganda techniques MOST closely describes
how the candidates use the media, internet, and political communications
to attract themselves to the American public?
a. glittering generality
b. testimonial
c. card stacking
d. bandwagon
49. Which of the following aspects of the political candidates’ run for the
presidency in 2008 in which they utilized the media and political
communications is MOSTLY exemplified in the excerpt above?
a.
b.
c.
d.
debates
issue-based platforms
qualifications
experience
50. Which of the following would be considered a public interest group?
a. a plumber’s union
b. a lawyers’ association
c. a committee for clean water
d. a group dedicated to promoting motorcycle ownership