Question 1
Question
Shays's Rebellion was the first battle of the Revolutionary War.
Question 2
Question
In Gibbons v. Ogden, the Supreme Court decided that the interstate commerce clause allowed New York to grant a monopoly to a steamboat operator.
Question 3
Question
A theocratic government with absolute power is a totalitarian regime.
Question 4
Question
Which of the following were used in southern states during the Jim Crow era to deny African Americans their voting rights?
Question 5
Question
Social conservatives, who now form a large part of the base of the Republican Party, often are also members of
Answer
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programs seeking to expand welfare programs.
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groups seeking to keep government out of Americans' private lives.
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religious organizations.
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pro-choice groups.
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groups seeking to enhance marriage by allowing domestic partnerships.
Question 6
Question
A woman sells scarves to passersby on a busy city street during the week of Independence Day. Three months later, the city council passes a law making street vending illegal. Could the woman be found guilty of violating the new law?
Answer
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Maybe, but only if the law is not considered a bill of attainder.
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Yes, particularly if the law was passed because she was making a disturbance.
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Yes, but only if she was being libelous.
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No, as it is considered an ex post facto law.
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No, because the woman broke law over a holiday weekend.
Question 7
Question
The Supreme Court ruled that individuals who are arrested must be informed of their constitutional rights in
Answer
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Smith v. Massachusetts.
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Mapp v. Ohio.
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Weeks v. U.S.
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Miranda v. Arizona.
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McCleskey v. Zant.
Question 8
Question
The power to regulate car emissions comes from Congress's authority
Answer
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as enumerated in the Constitution.
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under the necessary and proper clause.
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to make the federal budget.
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to approve presidential appointments.
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under the power to tax clause.
Question 9
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Which 1857 Supreme Court decision set the stage for the Civil War by mobilizing the abolitionist movement?
Question 10
Question
Setting the time, place, and manner of elections is a concurrent power.
Question 11
Question
Legal proceedings properly recorded in a court of law in California are generally deemed admissible in a court of law in Texas, or in any other state. This is an example of
Answer
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an ex post facto law.
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full faith and credit.
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a bill of attainder.
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equal protection.
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a writ of habeas corpus.
Question 12
Question
Federal judges cannot be removed from office for any reason because they have lifetime appointments.
Question 13
Question
The existence of two schools on opposite sides of town-one for Caucasian students and the other for African American students-would have been deemed constitutional after the Supreme Court's ruling in which of the following cases?
Question 14
Question
Using slurs toward a transgendered individual is an illegal act under
Question 15
Question
The ________ is empowered by the Constitution to make all federal laws.
Answer
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judicial branch
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executive branch
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legislative branch
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Electoral College
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federal bureaucracy
Question 16
Question
All Senators run for re-election at the same time.
Question 17
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According to the George W. Bush Administration
Answer
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public telephones cannot be tapped without a court order.
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some Bill of Rights guarantees can be suspended in a time of war.
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civil liberties can never be abridged.
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the FBI must show probable cause to investigate citizens exercising freedom of speech.
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Muslim detainees must be treated in accordance with their religious beliefs.
Question 18
Answer
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created the Tea Party movement.
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comprise over half of the U.S. population.
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are most aligned with the views of Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter.
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believe that a temperate view is the best approach to politics.
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largely support an overhaul of the welfare system.
Question 19
Question
Over time, Americans' expectations of government have generally
Answer
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decreased.
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not been measured.
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increased.
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remained the same.
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been eliminated.
Question 20
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The Twenty-Sixth Amendment lowered the national voting age to eighteen.
Question 21
Question
Which Article of the Constitution establishes the legislative branch?
Answer
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Article II
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Article I
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Article V
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Article IV
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Article III
Question 22
Question
The United States has a unitary system of government.
Question 23
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The Constitution did not empower the national government to
Answer
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make all laws necessary and proper to govern the new nation.
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conduct foreign relations.
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levy a national income tax.
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enforce its laws on the states.
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abolish slavery.
Question 24
Question
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits businesses from making discriminatory hiring decisions based on which inherent characteristics?
Answer
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age and disability
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race, color, and sex
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religion and national origin
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sexual orientation
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ace, color, sex, religion, and national origin
Question 25
Question
Why did southern states want slaves to be counted as part of their population?
Answer
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It would increase southern representation in the House of Representatives.
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It would ensure that slaves would receive certain inalienable rights.
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Northerners were advocating for the deportation of slave labor.
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Slaves could then be forced to serve in the military.
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The South would then have a greater number of voters.
Question 26
Question
The Tenth Amendment provides for
Answer
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concurrent state and federal powers.
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enumerated federal powers.
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taking private property for public purposes.
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states' implied powers.
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states' reserve or police powers.
Question 27
Question
Colleges and universities use affirmative action policies to ensure a student body that is diverse in
Question 28
Question
When secular law conflicts with religious beliefs, freedom of religion is
Question 29
Question
The Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments are collectively known as the
Answer
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Civil Liberties Amendments.
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Frederick Douglass Amendments.
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Civil War Amendments.
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Bill of Rights.
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Susan B. Anthony Amendments.
Question 30
Question
Constitutionalism places
Answer
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limits on government through a written document.
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limits on government through oral agreements.
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limits on individuals' powers over government.
Question 31
Question
Which of the following did NOT lead to American settlement in the seventeenth century?
Answer
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The split from the Church of England
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Hobbes and Locke's social contract theories
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Belief in self-government
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Questioning the divine right of kings
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Belief in intelligent design
Question 32
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The difference between libel and slander is that
Answer
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libel is spoken, and slander is written.
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libel only occurs with public figures, and slander can occur with private individuals.
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libel is written, and slander is spoken.
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libel is legal, and slander is illegal.
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libel is illegal, and slander is legal.
Question 33
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In an oligarchy, rule is by
Answer
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one person.
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the many.
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all people.
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people who own property.
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the few.
Question 34
Question
The power to tax is a concurrent power in the U.S. federal system.
Question 35
Question
Categorical grants
Answer
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often involve state matching funds.
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are given to states without conditions.
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are virtually identical to block grants.
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are a remnant of the New Deal.
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ere at the core of Ronald Reagan's devolution revolution.
Question 36
Question
In Plessy v. Ferguson, a majority of the Supreme Court argued that the Constitution should be colorblind.
Question 37
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Critics charge that the USA Patriot Act expands civil liberties needlessly in a time of war.
Question 38
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The division of authority among the three branches of government is called
Answer
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federalism.
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compromise.
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pluralism.
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separation of powers.
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gridlock.
Question 39
Question
All of the following are generally state issues EXCEPT
Answer
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child custody.
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marriage age.
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divorce.
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currency circulation.
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death penalty.
Question 40
Question
The difference between civil liberties and civil rights has often been simplified to
Question 41
Question
Why was indirect democracy a necessary alternative to direct democracy?
Answer
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The people were deemed too ignorant to be involved directly with government.
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It became increasingly difficult to bring all the colonists together in the decision-making process.
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The wealthier and more educated citizens changed the system so they could wield more power.
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The colonies sought to follow the teachings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
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The religious tendencies of the colonists caused them to rebel against the Greek model of democracy.
Question 42
Question
Libertarians would likely advocate for the USA PATRIOT Act.
Question 43
Question
The mass movement for Mexican American civil rights, of which Cesar Chavez was a leader, is known as
Question 44
Question
Gays and lesbians have, on average, far lower incomes than other groups.
Question 45
Question
In New York Times v. United States, the Supreme Court ruled that
Answer
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prior restraint was constitutional.
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false or negligent speech was not protected by the First Amendment.
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actual malice must be proved to support a claim of libel made by a public figure.
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newspaper reporters must divulge their confidential sources of information.
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libel and slander were constitutionally protected forms of speech.
Question 46
Question
The U.S. Supreme Court consistently has found that
Answer
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the disabled can sue local governments that do not make public buildings accessible to the disabled.
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public buildings must always be accessible to the handicapped.
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failure to hire pilots who wear classes can be grounds for a discrimination claim.
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the Americans with Disabilities Act must be interpreted liberally.
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workplaces must make accommodations for learning disabilities.
Question 47
Question
Anti-Federalists would most likely align themselves with today's libertarians, who decry the extent of the powers wielded by the national government.
Question 48
Question
In Lawrence v. Texas, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that
Answer
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gay marriage represented an issue best left to the states.
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the equal protection clause prohibits discrimination against gay Americans.
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a Texas law criminalizing sexual behavior was unconstitutional.
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there was a homosexual agenda in the United States.
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the Boy Scouts could prevent homosexuals from becoming troop leaders.
Question 49
Question
American political culture embodies many key concepts including
I. absolute personal liberty.
II. political equality.
III. majority rule.
IV. individualism.
Answer
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II and III
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I
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II, III, and IV
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I and II
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I, II, and III