Chapter 5 Multiple Choice Answers – Flashcards

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As an arbiter between the rights of the individual and the exercise of power by society, the Supreme Court ______.
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has acted in an inconsistent manner across the spectrum of possible positions over the course of American history
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The Supreme Court began the process of applying the Bill of Rights to the states ______.
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in a piecemeal fashion starting in 1897
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In the conflict between accommodationist and separationist views of the establishment clause, the Supreme Court has, in recent times, ______.
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established no clear pattern and has favored each position at various times
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The founders argued that freedom of religion is valuable for all of the following reasons EXCEPT this one:
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Religion is largely myth and therefore is not important enough to be of concern for government.
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An interesting result of the obscenity debate has been ______.
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the alliance of conservatives and radical feminists in opposition to obscenity
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The Supreme Court has ruled that public figures can win libel suits against the mass media only when the ______.
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claims made by the media are known by them to be false or are made with reckless disregard for the truth of the claims
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The exclusionary rule is the Supreme Court rule that states that ______.
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illegally seized evidence cannot be used to obtain a conviction
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The Supreme Court has ruled that the exclusionary rule should ______.
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apply only when the police conduct an illegal search deliberately; however, the burden is on the police to show they acted in good faith
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All of the following statements concerning the right to privacy are true EXCEPT this one:
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The founders debated whether to include a right to privacy in the Constitution and rejected it.
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According to the textbook, conflicts of rights often come down to conflicts ______.
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of power
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An action that criminalizes an act after it occurs is a(n) ______.
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unconstitutional ex post facto law
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The Supreme Court demonstrated the difficulty of balancing the free exercise of religion clause of the First Amendment with the need for social order in ______.
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in a piecemeal fashion starting in 1897
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Which of the following statements concerning the protection of free expression in the United States is NOT true?
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The Supreme Court has consistently favored expansion of the freedom of expression.
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The founders' opposition to prior restraint showed their commitment to ______.
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freedom of the press
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It is difficult to know when to apply the prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment because ______.
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the definitions of cruel and unusual are difficult to establish
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The Supreme Court's ruling in Griswold v. Connecticut is significant because it ______.
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opened the door for a variety of claims regarding the right to privacy
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According to the textbook, we value individual rights because they lead to ______.
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collective benefits
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Which of the following is not an example of a conflict of rights among individuals?
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The right to free speech versus the ability to carry a weapon
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The right of an accused to be brought before a judge and informed of the charges and evidence against him or her is known as ______.
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habeas corpus
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Separationists differ from accommodationists in that ______.
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separationists favor a stricter separation of church and state than accommodationists
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The Supreme Court's ruling in Brandenburg v. Ohio is significant because it ______.
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created a new standard for regulating political speech
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According to the textbook, free speech is valuable for all of the following reasons EXCEPT this one:
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It is good for economic development.
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Based on Supreme Court rulings, in which of the following situations is the death penalty permissible?
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When lethal injection is the method used to impose the death penalty
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According to the Supreme Court, for school prayer to violate the establishment clause, it must be ______.
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part of official school activities
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Written defamation of character is known as ______.
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libel
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It is difficult for the Supreme Court to determine the exact meaning of obscenity because ______.
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the whole area is so subjective that wide disagreement exists
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Support of capital punishment has been weakening in the United States, mostly due to public concern that ______.
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the system might be executing innocent people
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The current status of the exclusionary rule is that ______.
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unconstitutionally gathered evidence may be used in court as long as the police did not violate the Constitution deliberately; however, the burden is on the police to show they acted in good faith
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The idea that language shapes behavior and, therefore, should be regulated to control its social effects is known as ______.
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politcal correctness
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The right against self-incrimination ______.
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applies at all stages of a criminal proceeding at the state and national levels
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Miranda v. Arizona held that ______.
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police have to advise people of their constitutional rights prior to questioning
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The example provided in the textbook concerning the response to the September 11 attacks demonstrates that ______.
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it may be hard to protect both liberty and security
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The Supreme Court has ruled that ______.
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West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette
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In the conflict between media access to a trial and a defendant's right to a fair trial, the Supreme Court has ______.
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generally permitted press access to most stages of the legal proceedings
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The Supreme Court has most recently ruled that what happens between consenting adults ______.
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is protected by the right to privacy
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All of the following statements concerning incorporation of the Bill of Rights are true EXCEPT this one:
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The Supreme Court began the process of incorporation of the Bill of Rights in the late 1960s.
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The Lemon test established that ______.
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there shall be no excessive entanglement of government and religion
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The Supreme Court has ______.
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generally protected freedom of expression on the Internet
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The Supreme Court has ruled that the right to refuse medical life support ______.
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is a matter for individuals to decide for themselves
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The authors of the text conclude that the question of whether and how the states should regulate abortion ______.
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is likely to remain a divisive issue in American politics for some time
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The source of authority cited by the Supreme Court for applying the Bill of Rights to the states is ______.
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the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution
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The current status of the right to counsel in criminal trials is that ______.
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in many places, the right to counsel is complied with on a minimal basis
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In reading about the issues discussed in the textbook concerning the right to privacy, one would conclude that most of the controversies over this right involve ______.
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life and death
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The Supreme Court has ruled that prior restraint ______.
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may be upheld only in cases of extreme emergency
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The Supreme Court most recently ruled that the Second Amendment individual right to bear arms ______.
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applies to the states as well as to the national government
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According to the textbook, all of the following statements concerning rights are true EXCEPT this one:
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Rights involve the absence of power, not the creation of power.
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The Supreme Court demonstrated the difficulty of balancing the free exercise of religion clause of the First Amendment with the need for social order in ______
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West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette
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The test that seems to provide the most protection for free speech is the ______.
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imminent lawless action test
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In attempting to decide when speech can be prohibited, the Supreme Court has ______.
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made it harder for the government to suppress speech
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The difference between civil rights and civil liberties is ______.
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that civil rights involve government action to secure rights of citizenship, whereas civil liberties involve individual freedoms that limit the power of government
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The establishment clause guarantees ______.
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that government will not create and support an official state church
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The national government decides to prosecute a speaker who states at a political rally, "The U.S. government's policy toward the Middle East is responsible for the violence in the region, and our leaders should be forced to change their policy." Although the government would most likely be unsuccessful, for what would the government prosecute the speaker?
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sedition
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The rights the founders believed were essential to maintaining a representative democracy included all of the following EXCEPT this one:
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Establishment of religion
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Which of the following statements does NOT describe the Supreme Court's views regarding due process of the law?
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The death penalty is racially biased.
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Which of the following statements best describes the constitutional right to privacy?
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A right to privacy is not clearly spelled out in the Constitution, but many people argue the right is implied.
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