American Government 100
Patterson, pgs. 41-62, AG3-11
Woll, pgs. 46-50 & pgs. 52-57
Protecting Liberty: Limited Government
Part I
True or False Questions
1. Government has the unique characteristic that it alone has the legitimate right to legally arrest,
imprison, and even kill people who violate its directives. True or False
2. State legislatures are not allowed to propose amendments to the Constitution. True or False
3. Prior to the Constitution's incorporation, Pennsylvania's legislature proved that the majority of
the people would protect the rights of the minority against the abuses of government. True or False
4 In the British government system, the judiciary has the power to review the constitutionality of
parliamentary acts. True or False
5. Although the president has the power to appoint federal judges, he is dependent upon the
Congress for their confirmation. True or False
6. In their wisdom to achieve an effective central government, the framers of the Constitution
explicitly granted the judiciary the power of judicial review. True or False
7. By the term democracy, the framers meant a government in which the power of the majority is
unlimited, whether exercised directly or through a representative body. True or False
8. The Framers believed that a republican government is superior to a democratic one. True or False
9. The Constitution has some provisions for direct popular participation in the making of policy
decisions. True or False
10. Unlike the House of Representatives, institutions such as the Senate, presidency, and judiciary
would not yield to an impassioned majority in a single election. True or False
11. Political parties have created the means of uniting public authorities and linking them with
popular majorities. True or False
12. Although Jefferson was a champion of the common people, he also had a clear vision how a
popular government might work in practice. True or False
13. Based on the Electoral College system for electing the president, it is impossible for anyone to
serve as chief executive by losing the popular vote. True or False
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14. All states have a form of the legislative referendum, but only some states have the initiative and
popular referendum. True or False
15. Charles S. Beard finally reversed himself on his claim that the Constitution was designed to
protect the interests of the wealthy rather than to promote self-government. True or False
16. The United States schedules the election of its larger legislative chamber, the House, and its
chief executive more frequently than does any other democracy. True or False
17. In fact, the link between an electoral majority and a governing majority is less direct in the
American system then in nearly all other democratic systems. True or False
Multiple Choice Questions
1. What did history teach the framers of the Constitution? a) government determines the rights of
the people, b) there will be times when the people must be allowed to violate the rights of an unruly
minority independent of government, c) in times of stress popular majorities have often recklessly
trampled on the liberty of others, d) political leaders must be given the flexibility to restrict the
natural rights of the people.
2. The principle that individuals should be free to act and think as they choose: a) freedom, b)
liberty, c) sovereignty, d) independence.
3. The power of the courts to declare governmental action null and void when it is found to violate
the Constitution. a) judicial review, b) appellate jurisdiction, c) stare decisis, d) writ of mandamus.
4. Based on Article V of the Constitution, an amendment could be proposed by: a) a majority vote
of the Senate, b) a two-thirds vote of the House, c) a majority vote of state legislatures, d) a twothirds vote of Congress.
5. From the framers of the Constitution point of view, what would limit government’s ability to
accumulate too much power? a) the Constitution’s grants and denials of power would suffice, b) the
people’s vigilance, c) the public officials themselves would respect the Constitution’s limitations
and the laws that are its consequence, d) the division of powers among the separate branches.
6. What type of government system did the framers ultimately support when creating the
Constitution? a) a system of concentrated power that assure greater efficiency; thus, limiting the
costs of government, b) a system of separated but overlapping powers that would require factions to
work together; thus moderating demands, c) a system of pure separation to prevent abuses from the
outside; thus, freeing each branch to create the best outcomes, d) a system that restricted the power
of the legislature and maximized the power of the executive; thus, preventing mob rule from
disproportionately infecting government activities.
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7. No institution can act decisively without the support or acquiescence of the other institutions: a)
separation of powers, b) limited government, c) consent of the governed, d) checks and balances.
8. The power of the courts to invalidate actions of the legislative or executive branch: a) judicial
sovereignty, b) judicial review, c) judicial activism, d) judicial restraint.
9. Most democracies in the world are: a) presidential forms, b) federal forms, c) parliamentary
forms, d) confederations.
10. The president’s power to make treaties and appoint high-ranking officials, for example, is
subject to: a) House approval, b) Senate Approval, c) Congress’s approval, d) The president does
not need congressional approval.
11. Government could not lawfully engage in actions, such as the suppression of speech or trial by
jury, that were not authorized by the Constitution: a) reserved powers, b) expressed powers, c)
implied powers, d) conditional powers.
12. How did the Adams administration react to the election of Thomas Jefferson in 1800? a) The
Federalists shut the government down and refused to allow Jefferson the executive office, b) The
Federalists acquiesced, respecting the people's mandate, c) Fearing Jefferson, the Adams
Administration created a slew of federal judgeships and appointed loyal Federalists, d) The Adams
Administration was able to find a loophole in the Constitution that would assure a Federalist
majority in the Senate.
13. A court order that directs an official to take a specific action: a) writ of habeas corpus, b) writ of
mandamus, c) writ of adjudication d) writ of adjournment.
14. Why was Marshall’s decision in Marbury ingenious? a) Because it asserted the power of
judicial review without creating the possibility of its rejection by either the executive or the
legislative branch, b) Because it was able to galvanize public support for creating judicial review
without a constitutional crisis, c) Because it allowed Jefferson some wiggle room to not appear
weak at a time when the young republic had just been established, d) Because it gave the Federalist
Party a victory at a time when it inept.
15. Originally, Senators were selected by: a) the president, b) the people of the state, c) state
legislatures, d) special state conventions.
16. What subsequent changes to the United States government system were designed to lower
barriers and increase the power of voting majorities? a) separation of powers, b) political parties, c)
indirect elections, d) party nomination for public office.
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17. How did Andrew Jackson expand the role of popular sovereignty? a) by creating independent
political parties, b) by ensuring the election of state legislatures, c) by limiting the number of
candidates running for national office, d) by persuading the states to choose presidential electors on
the basis of popular voting,
18. Officeholders are delegates who are obligated to carry out the expressed opinions of the people
they represent: a) Burkean idea, b) Hamilton proviso, c) Plato’s contract, d) Hobbesian mandate.
19. Progressive reforms of state and local governments included: a) partisan caucuses, b) recall
elections, c) party leaders selecting representatives, d) strong support for the electoral college.
20. Citizens place an act of the state legislature on the ballot, which the voters can accept or reject:
a) legislative referendum, b) Initiative, c) popular referendum, d) recall.
21. Which of the following is true in a parliamentary system? a) the legislative and executive
powers are separated, b) the judiciary can check the legislative and executive power, c) the
legislative and executive power are acquired through winning a legislative majority in national
elections, d) the legislative and executive powers are acquired through separate elections for each
branch.
Fill-in Questions
1. Congress's lawmaking powers are specifically listed in Article I, section 8, of the Constitution
with seventeen, including:
a) the powers to ____,
b) to establish an _____ and navy,
c) to declare ____,
d) to regulate _________ among the states,
e) to create a national _________.
2. Based on Article 1, Section 9, of the Constitution, what are some of the rights of citizens against
national government abuse?
a) People have the right of _______ _______, which requires that an individual who is
arrested must be brought before a judge or magistrate to be notified of the charges,
b) People are protected against ___ _____ ______ laws, under which citizens would be
prosecuted for an act that was not illegal at the time it was committed,
c) People are protected against a _____ ___ __________, which would allow the legislature
to determine the punishment for a convicted criminal.
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3. How can Congress limit the power of the judiciary? Congress is empowered to
a) determine the _____ of the federal court system;
b) restrict the Supreme Court's __________ jurisdiction in some circumstances;
c) ________ and remove federal judges from office.
d) rewrite ____________ that the courts have misinterpreted
e) initiate ___________.
4. In Marbury v Madison, the Supreme Court declared that:
a) Marbury had a legal right to his ___________,
b) the Constitution prohibits Congress from __________ the Supreme Court's authority
except through a constitutional __________.
c) The legislation that provided the authorization was constitutionally ________; thus,
_____________ Congress.
d) President Jefferson had failed in his constitutional duty to ________ the laws faithfully.
5. What were the two changes that the Progressives brought about affecting voters and their role in
national politics?
a) The ________ election, which gave _____-____-_____ voters the power to select party
nominees.
b) The second change was the _______ _________ of U.S. senators, who before ratification
of ____________ Amendment (1913) were chosen by ______ _____________.
6. The president would be selected by an __________ College with each state having as many
electors as it had members in _________ and could select them by ____ _______ the individual
state chose.
How Not to Read the Constitution
Laurence H. Tribe & Michael C. Dorf, pgs. 47-50
1. The Constitution was created to strike what sort of delicate balance? a) property rights and
freedom, b) natural law and civil liberties, c) governmental power and individual liberty, d)
judicial authority and states' rights.
2. Dependence of government on the people is not enough to prevent tyranny and it is necessary
to include the following auxiliary precautions: a) a Bill of Rights, b) an effective military, c) a
separation of powers, d) an effective central government.
3. The Eighth Amendment identifies exactly what constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.
True or False
4. Article IV in the Constitution requires that the United States shall guarantee to every state: a) a
Republican Form of Government, b) a Democratic Form of Government, c) a Limited Form of
Government, d) a Government for and by the People.
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5. Tribe and Dorf embrace the notion that the Constitution is an infinitely malleable Constitution.
True or False
6. According to Tribe and Dorf, the terms "liberty," "due process of law," and "unreasonable
searches and seizures" have supporting meanings at opposite ends of virtually any legal, political,
or ideological spectrum. True or False
Hamilton, Federalist 16
Woll, pgs. 52-55
1. The Constitution was going to take some power traditionally within the jurisdiction of state
governments and give it to the newly constituted national government. True or False
2. Ratified in 1781, the Articles of Confederation proved adequate in meeting the minimum needs
of the union. True or False
3. The government of the Articles of Confederation was essentially a league of sovereign states.
True or False
4. What were some of the weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation, according to Woll?
a) They had no __________ or _________ authority and was therefore incapable of
independent enforcement.
b) National actions were dependent upon the _______ for enforcement.
c) Under Article Two, "each state retains its ____________."
d) There was no power to tax and to regulate _________
5. Hamilton believed that the federal government must only be able to act upon state governments
and not directly upon the people. True or False
6. By augmenting the authority of the national government, argued Hamilton, would destroy state
sovereignty. True or False
7. At the time that ratification of the Constitution was being considered, Hamilton wrote that the
states were far more powerful than the proposed national government. True or False
8. Hamilton argues that the resources of the proposed union would not be adequate to maintain an
army to enforce its decrees. True or False
9. "A national government," Hamilton stresses, "must be created that would regulate the common
concerns with the power to execute its own resolutions." True or False
10. If any state should disagree with the authority of the union, says Hamilton in The Federalist, it
could at any time obstruct the execution of its laws. True or False
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11. A state may not only obstruct, adds Hamilton, but it can initiate and direct an active resistance
against the national government to any decision it may find offensive. True or False
Federalist 17
pgs. 55-57
1. Hamilton believes that persons entrusted with the administration of the national government will
want to usurp the authority of the states based on the latter's responsibilities. True or False
2. What are to be the four broad areas of responsibility assigned to the federal government
according to Hamilton?
3. According to Hamilton, it will always be far easier for the state governments to encroach upon
the national government than the reverse. True or False
4. If ever a dispute were to arise between the national government and state governments, Hamilton
believes that the people would be more inclined to support the latter for the following reason: a)
people are easily corrupted by local demagogues, b) people will always be more loyal to a
government which is closest to them, c) patriotism to their country will supersede loyalty to any
state, d) disaffection is difficult to ascertain and therefore, the people would be unable to choose.
Answers
Patterson, pgs. 41-62, True or False Questions
1. True
3. False
5. False
7. True
9. False
11. True
13. False
15. False
17. True
Multiple Choice Questions
1. c
3. a
5. d
7. d
9. c
11. b
13. b
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15. c
17. d
19. b
21. c
Fill-in Questions
1. a) tax, b) army, c) war, d) commerce, e) currency
3. a) size, b) appellate, c) impeach, d) legislation, e) amendments
5. a) primary, rank-and-file, b) direct election, Seventeenth, state legistures
Woll, pgs. 46-47
1. Life, liberty, property,
3. False
5. False
7. loose, , bank, implied, enumerated, commerce
Woll, pgs. 47-50
1. c
3. False
5. False
Woll, pgs. 51-57, Federalist 16
1. True
3. True
5. False
7. True
9. True
11. False
Federalist 17, pgs. 55-57
1. False
3. True
A:AG3-11
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