Govt 2305 CTC Lesson 1 Quiz – Flashcards
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What was the name of the landmark case that concluded when a state supreme court's decision is in direct conflict with a decision by the United States Supreme Court, each state legislature must abide by those rulings?
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Martin v. Hunter's Lessee
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The passage of the National Minimum Drinking Age Amendment is an example of
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a coercive burden on states that rely on federal funding
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In one state, the civil court settles a dispute concerning assets in the estate of a deceased person. The one who loses the case in civil court cannot go into another state and have that state's civil court revisit the case. This is an example of
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an application of the full faith and credit clause of the U.S. Constitution
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Constitutional powers that are shared by both the federal and state governments are called
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concurrent powers
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The power to coin money is an example of Congress'
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enumerated power
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If one state does not have a death penalty, can that state refuse to return a fugitive to face a possible death penalty in another state?
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No, states must respect and uphold the extradition laws of other states
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Devolution is a term that is used to describe a system of federalism in which
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the central government voluntarily transfers power to state and local governments.
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"Marble Cake Federalism" is a system in which
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state and federal authority is intertwined in an inseparable mixture.
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The power to register voters and conduct elections is an example of a(n)
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reserved power
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In a system of federalism, in which sovereign government does the individual hold citizenship?
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The individual is a citizen of both the state and the national government.
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When the Congress exercises power given to it under Article I, the federal law it creates may supersede a state law. This process is known as the doctrine of
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preemption.
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Article I of the U.S. Constitution grants that Congress has the power to make laws that are "necessary and proper" to carry out its duties. What is the meaning of this statement?
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Congress has implied powers that are not expressly stated in the Constitution
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The Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution provides that
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any powers not expressly given to Congress are reserved to the states
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During the first 30 years or so of the new constitutional democracy in the United States, what was the relationship between the states and the new federal government?
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The states managed their own affairs with little interference from the federal government.
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During the administrations of George Washington, and John Adams,
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the federal government cautiously but consistently increased its powers and reach
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According to Article IV, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, when a fugitive from one state is apprehended in another state, that state must
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extradite (return) the prisoner to the original state for disposition
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Individuals in the U.S. have official status as citizens
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in both the state in which they reside and in the nation as a whole
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The doctrine of "nullification" was all the following, except
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a reaction to the fugitive slave law
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In the U.S. Constitution, powers that are not expressly given to the national government but are retained by the states are called
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reserved powers
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What generally happens with federal power during major economic depressions or world wars?
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The powers of the federal government usually increase and state prerogatives decrease
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England has a strong elected Parliament that serves as the central government. All local governments are subordinate to Parliament. This governmental arrangement is an example of a
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unitary system
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From a state's perspective, a positive aspect of cooperative federalism is
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grants-in-aid and block grant funds.
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Article VI of the U.S. Constitution contains the supremacy clause provides that
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no state laws or constitutions may override the U.S. Constitution
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A confederation form of government
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may be a league of independent states that voluntarily unite to achieve certain goals.
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The underlying concept behind the principle of separation of powers is that
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when power is not exercised by the same institution, it cannot be easily abused
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The power of the United States Supreme Court to determine the constitutionality of an act of Congress was established in
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Marbury v. Madison
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One of the core principles of the U.S. Constitution is popular sovereignty, which means that the
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people are ultimately in charge of their political and social destiny
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Madison declared that a federal system allows the states the ability to counter "ambitious encroachments of the federal government" in
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Federalist No. 46
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Hamilton argues that the judiciary is the weakest branch of the government in
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Federalist No. 78
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Madison explains how the many different parts of the government and its attendant "multiplicity of interests" significantly reduces the chance of a majority oppression of individuals or minorities in
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Federalist No. 51
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Under the Articles of Confederation the number of votes each state cast in the U.S. Congress was
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one vote for each state delegation regardless of population
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An important aspect of the American constitutional arrangement, which distributes powers between two levels of government (state and federal), is called
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federalism
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The U.S. Constitution allows some powers while denying others. Such explicitly stated powers are referred to as
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enumerated powers
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What was the significance of Shays's Rebellion in Massachusetts in early 1787?
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A weak federal government carried the danger of violence and disorder
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The primary purpose of the system of checks and balances is
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to ensure that no one interest or faction could easily dominate the government
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The Great Compromise provided for a
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a bicameral legislature, one house elected by the people and the second state legislatures
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The Constitutional Convention that convened in Philadelphia in May 1787 had as its original and stated purpose the
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amendment of the Articles of Confederation
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What has been the most common method used to amend the U.S. Constitution?
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2/3rds of both chambers of Congress, then ratified by 3/4ths of state legislatures
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Unlike our current constitution, the Articles of Confederation could be amended
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only with the unanimous consent of the states
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Hamilton attacked the Articles of Confederation based on the impossibility of governing if each state is essentially sovereign in
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Federalist No. 15
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At the Constitutional Convention in 1787, the Federalists
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were in favor of a strong central government and ratification of the new constitution
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With the original Constitution completed on September 17, 1787, how many states were needed to ratify the new governmental in order for it to become operative?
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Nine
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The wording of the Declaration of Independence drew heavily upon John Locke's theories of
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natural rights and social contract
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The most effective complaint raised by the Anti-Federalists against the proposed Constitution in 1788 was the
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lack of a bill of rights to protect individuals against government abuses
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In opposition to the recommendations of the Virginia delegates during the Constitutional Convention, the New Jersey Plan advocated a single-chamber legislature with
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equal representation among the states regardless of population.
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Under the Articles of Confederation, the office of chief executive as president of the United States
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did not actually exist
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During the Constitutional Convention, the Virginia Plan called for a two-chamber legislature in which recommended that
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number of representatives in each chamber should be based on the state's population
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The Sugar Act of 1764 placed tariffs and duties on goods imported into the colonies by England. However, its political significance was that
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it opened the debate by the colonists of taxation without representation
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The Virginia Plan provided for a
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bicameral legislature, one house elected by the people and a second selected by the first
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The concept of strict construction requires that the Constitution
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may only be changed by the formal amendment process
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The Declaratory Act was passed to make clear the principle that the
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king and Parliament had final authority over the colonies
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"Separation of powers" is an application of the political philosophy of
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Montesquieu
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On behalf of the Continental Congress, the draft of the Declaration of Independence was written primarily by
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Thomas Jefferson
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The concept of individualism is a collective American value meaning that
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citizens are primarily responsible for their lot in life
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A(n) ______ is a form of government in which a small exclusive class holds supreme power.
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oligarchy
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The extent to which the people afford government the authority to exercise power is referred to as:
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legitimacy
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Political philosopher Thomas Hobbes believed that the essence of government is to
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manage naturally occurring conflicts.
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Which of the following terms best describes Hobbes's image of society without government?
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Brutish
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John Locke purposed that ______ law superseded any law made by government.
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natural
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Who determines public policies in an indirect democracy?
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The representatives
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In policy development the majority rule is very much dependent upon
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public opinion
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How does a direct democracy work?
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All members of the public meet to discuss policy and make decisions
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That "the will of people" ought to guide public policy is a concept that is defined as
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majority rule
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__________is a collection of public institutions in a nation that establish and enforce the rules by which the members of that nation must live.
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Government
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John Locke argued that the basis for government, or human laws, is
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on the consent of the governed
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Jean-Jacques Rousseau, an eighteenth-century French philosopher, posited that
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social contracts are a fact
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__________ is a state of lawlessness and discord in the political system caused by lack of government.
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Anarchy.
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Which of the following accurately describes an indirect democracy?
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Representatives of the people are chosen by ballot
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Representative democracy is often referred to as which of the following synonymous terms?
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republic
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A form of government in which one person exercises supreme authority is a(n)
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absolute monarchy
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