government lesson 2 – Flashcards

Article Three of the Constitution describes the powers of the a. executive branch, such as enforcing laws b. judicial branch, such as interpreting laws c. legislative branch, such as declaring war d. state governments, such as health care

The Articles of Confederation placed most government power and responsibility with the a. local governments b. state governments c. federal government d. national government

Article Two of the Constitution describes the powers of the a. executive branch, such as enforcing laws b. judicial branch, such as interpreting laws c. legislative branch, such as declaring war d. state governments, such as health care

Articles I, II, and III of the Constitution describe the a. responsibilities of each of the state governments b. powers of the branches of federal government c. methods to propose and ratify amendments d. duties of states that propose amendments

Which of the following statements accurately describes the relationship between the principle of "separation of powers" and the Articles of Confederation? a. Because the Articles of Confederation created a bicameral legislative branch that could make and enforce its laws, it clearly illustrates the principle of "separation of powers". b. The Articles of Confederation created both a legislative branch and an executive branch, making this document a clear illustration of the principle of "separation of powers". c. Because the Articles of Confederation created a central government that contained only a legislative branch, it does not reflect the principle of "separation of powers". d. The Articles of Confederation created only a judicial branch that could interpret matters of law for the states, therefore it is a poor example of the principle of "separation of powers".

Article Six of the Constitution illustrates how the national government's power is a. derived from the states and the people b. granted through the executive branch c. interpreted through the amendments d. shared between separate branches

"The United States in Congress assembled shall never engage in a war, nor grant letters of marque or reprisal in time of peace, nor enter into any treaties or alliances, ... unless nine States assent to the same."—Articles of Confederation This quote directly reflects the principle of a. federalism b. republicanism c.separation of powers d. checks and balances

The amendment process to the U.S. Constitution reflects the principle of a. popular sovereignty because it requires a national direct vote by citizens b. checks and balances because the House proposes and the Senate ratifies c. republicanism because the people elect representatives to sponsor the idea d. federalism because it requires support from state and national governments

"Every Bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it become a Law, be presented to the President of the United States: If he approve he shall sign it, but if not he shall return it, with his Objections to that House in which it shall have originated..."—U.S. Constitution This quote directly reflects the principle of a. federalism b. democracy c. popular sovereignty d. checks and balances

How is the principle of "rule of law" evident in the Constitution? a. It lists the laws of the country and gives states the power to enforce them. b. It creates a government that can make, enforce, and review its own laws. c. It grants the executive branch the power to make and execute the laws. d. It provides a method for making laws that the court system carries out.

Reserved powers are a. granted to the national government by the U.S. Constitution b. granted to state governments by the U.S. Constitution c. not given to the national government and are retained for state governments d. not given to the state governments and are retained for the national government

Expressed powers are a. granted to the national government by the U.S. Constitution b. granted to state governments by the U.S. Constitution c. also referred to as concurrent powers d. also referred to as reserved powers

The term federalism describes a. powers granted to the national government by the U.S. Constitution b. the collection of laws, treaties, and programs governing relationships with other nations c. a legal division of authority between the national, state, and local governments d. powers granted to the state governments by the U.S. Constitution

A criticism of the American system of federalism is that it is a. unresponsive when it is faced with a dangerous emergency situation b. excellent at dealing with emergencies yet inadequate in daily matters c. inefficient in responding to crises involving multiple levels of government d. too expensive to maintain as a basic principle in the national government

People who take a "marble cake" view of federalism believe that a. state governments are too weak to meet most citizen needs b. state governments are supreme over the national government c. national and state governments cooperate to meet citizen needs d. national government should entirely control the state governments

Which of the following is an example of a delegated power? a. state government passes a tax to pay for highway maintenance b. state government orders the local governments to enforce a law c. national government passes a law that lowers rates of taxation d. national government creates a treaty with a sovereign nation

The supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution has supported the a. national government's sovereignty over matters related to citizen health care and education b. national government's sovereignty over matters of foreign policy and interstate commerce c. state governments' sovereignty over matters related to citizen health care and education d. state governments' sovereignty over matters of foreign policy and interstate commerce

Article Four of the U.S. Constitution a. explains the powers delegated to the national government b. lists the powers implied as belonging to national government c. explains the powers reserved to the state governments d. lists the powers concurrent to the state governments

The Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution a. reserves to the states any powers not delegated to the national government b. reserves to the national government any powers not delegated to the states c. implies that certain powers are the responsibility of the national government d. implies that certain powers are the responsibility of the state governments

The state of Florida passes a law requiring high school students to take an online course as a graduation requirement. This is an example of a a. reserved power granted to the state governments b. reserved power granted to the national government c. implied power granted to the state governments d. implied power granted to the national government

People who take a "layer cake" view of federalism believe that a. state governments are too weak to meet most citizen needs b. state governments are supreme over the national government c. national and state governments must cooperate to meet citizen needs d. national and state governments are exclusively sovereign in their areas

According to the American colonists, a government is only legitimate if it has a. direct or pure democracy b. consent of the governed c. declared independence d. contracts with citizens

Which of the following principles is evident through the "necessary and proper clause" in the U.S. Constitution? a. rule of law b. individual rights c. popular sovereignty d. checks and balances

Which of the following amendments to the U.S. Constitution reflects the principle of federalism? a. The 1st Amendment prevents states from taking away any of the people's rights to free speech. b. The 4th Amendment prevents states from ordering searches and confiscating private property. c. The 8th Amendment reserves states the right to decide appropriate punishment for criminals. d. The 10th Amendment reserves rights to the states not assigned to the national government.

Which of the following parts of the U.S. Constitution best reveals the principle of federalism? a. Oath of the president b. Amendment process c. Branches' structure d. Supremacy clause

Expressed powers are a. delegated powers of the state governments b. delegated powers of the national government c. implied powers of the state governments d. implied powers of the national government

A person who strongly believes in the principle of federalism would favor a government where a. the federal government has the majority of government powers and responsibility b. power is as equally divided as possible between the state and central governments c. state and local governments share the bulk of government responsibility and power d. a president enforces all decisions made by a majority vote of the state governments

Which of the following quotes best reflects the principle of social contract in the Declaration of Independence? a. "He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures." b. "...a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation." c. "...it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security..." d. "He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries."

Which of the following quotes best reflects the principle of popular sovereignty in the Declaration of Independence? a. "He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures." b. "Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed." c. "All men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." d. "He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us."

The framers of the Constitution could not have anticipated creating an air force. Therefore, its creation is an example of a. a concurrent power b. an implied power c. an expressed power d. a shared power

Which of the following is an example of an implied power? a. granting professional licenses b. creating the post offices c. establishing an air force d. borrowing money

"(The power to regulate commerce is) the power to regulate; that is, to prescribe the rule by which commerce is to be governed. This power, like all others vested in Congress, is complete in itself, may be exercised to its utmost extent, and acknowledges no limitations, other than are prescribed in the Constitution."—Supreme Court The Supreme Court defined the meaning of the power to "regulate commerce" in the case of a. District of Columbia v. Heller b. McCulloch v. Maryland c. United States v. Nixon d. Gibbons v. Ogden

Which of the following makes a true statement? a. The Constitution itself without its amendments contains no protections for individual rights. b. The Constitution limits the powers of governments as one way of securing individual rights. c. The Bill of Rights clearly and definitively lists specific situations where rights can be limited. d. The Bill of Rights contains many loopholes government can use in order to restrict rights.

What effect could the "necessary and proper clause" to the Constitution have on rights? a. It places restrictions on rights during times of emergency such as a natural disaster. b. It safeguards rights by denying the power to make laws that would restrict them. c. It has the potential to lead to limits on rights by giving flexibility in making laws. d. It gives rights strong protection against government actions that limit them.