question

The government provides a number of public safety services, including

answer

law enforcement

question

State governments must follow which type of laws

answer

federal

question

Which best describes the two main functions of US government

answer

Government creates laws and provides leadership

question

Which best describes why voters choose political candidates

answer

to represent their interests in government

question

A purpose of government in the United States is to

answer

guarantee rights for citizens

question

Which form of government serves the interests of royal family members

answer

monarchy

question

Which best states a difference between voting in the US and in other countries

answer

In some countries, citizens do not have the right to vote

question

A country governed by a central party is best characterized as

answer

communist

question

A public safety service the US government provides is

answer

police officers

question

The division of the US government into three branches is called

answer

separation of powers

question

One responsibility of the government is to provide public works, which includes

answer

building bridges and roads

question

What does the US government help regulate

answer

the economy

question

The part of the US government that interprets laws is the

answer

judicial branch

question

The government provides a number of public welfare services, including

answer

public education

question

What are two types of oligarchies

answer

theocracy and communism

question

Which statement best defines a communist government

answer

A communist government is led by one political party

question

In an autocracy, what kind of power does the leader hold

answer

he holds all of the power

question

How long is an individual monarch's term of rule

answer

from the time of taking the throne to their death

question

Central and state governments influence each other in

answer

federal system

question

The best reason why direct democracy would not work well in the United States is that

answer

large groups of voters would be difficult to manage

question

The two forms of democracy are

answer

direct and representative

question

Why did direct democracy work for the ancient Greek city of Athens

answer

Athens had a small population

question

Which statement best characterizes a dictatorship

answer

The leader maintains power through force

question

In a parliamentary system of representative democracy, the prime minister

answer

is the leader of the party that won the most seats

question

In a direct democracy, who votes on government policy

answer

all citizens

question

In the United States, who elects the legislature

answer

citizens

question

What is the main way a representative democracy differs from a direct democracy

answer

Citizens elect leaders who vote on the issues in a representative democracy, and citizens vote on the issues in a direct democracy

question

An oligarchy is best defined as

answer

a government ruled by a small, elite group

question

A benefit of a bicameral legislature is that it

answer

separates powers, keeping one body from gaining too much power

question

How many of the Ten Commandments can be found in the laws of the United States

answer

three

question

All citizens in ancient Athens took part in government by voting in the

answer

general assembly

question

The most important way in which the Greeks influenced American democracy was by allowing

answer

citizens to participate in government

question

What would most surprise an ancient Athenian about government in the United States today

answer

Women can vote and serve in government

question

Pericles claimed that the Athenian government, unlike other Greek city-states

answer

treated all its people fairly regardless of class

question

A direct democracy is one in which all citizens

answer

vote on important decisions

question

In what way did ancient Athens influence the framers of the United States Constitution

answer

The legislative branch in Athens had two main bodies

question

Where did democracy begin

answer

Greek-city states

question

You shall not render an unjust judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you shall judge your neighbor. Which principle of American government is reflected in this passage

answer

equality of all citizens

question

The Ten Commandments are a list of rules for

answer

living and worshiping

question

Judeo-Christian principles refer to the religious beliefs and values held in common by

answer

Christians and Jews

question

In addition to Judeo-Christian principles, American government was influenced by principles first used in ancient Greece and in

answer

rome

question

A bicameral legislature is made up of how many bodies

answer

two

question

state which becomes progressively more and more a unity will cease to be a state at all. Plurality of numbers is natural in a state; and the further it moves away from plurality towards unity, the less of a state it becomes. Aristotle believed that the citizens of a successful state must

answer

allow for a diversity of opinions

question

The English document that laid the groundwork for judges in the US to rule based on precedent is known as the

answer

Commentaries on the Laws of England

question

An important effect of the Magna Carta on English government was that it

answer

gave more power to the people and protected their rights

question

What was an important effect of Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England

answer

common laws became more accessible

question

The English Bill of Rights declared that each member of Parliament had the right to

answer

speak freely

question

According to the English Bill of Rights, who makes laws regarding taxation

answer

parliament

question

The Magna Carta led to the creation of Parliament, England's

answer

legislative branch

question

The Magna Carta was presented to King John in 1215 because people

answer

were tired of his tyrannical rule

question

The English Bill of Rights put limits on the power of

answer

the monarchy

question

Which of these best completes the empty box to the right with limited government and rights for citizens

answer

common law

question

William Blackstone was important because he

answer

created a record of common law

question

The Magna Carta placed clear limits on the power of the

answer

king

question

No freeman is to be taken or imprisoned or disseised of his free tenement or of his liberties or free customs. . . . To no-one will we sell or deny of delay right or justice. This part of the document granted people the right to

answer

due process

question

Key privileges included in both the English Bill of Rights and the US Bill of Rights include

answer

protection against unusual punishment and the right to trial by jury

question

Which rights for citizens appear in the English Bill of Rights? Check all that apply

answer

right to trial by jury, bear arms, and protection from cruel and unusual punishment.

question

That the freedom of speech and debates or proceedings in Parliament ought not to be impeached or questioned in any court or place out of Parliament. According to this excerpt, members of Parliament are allowed to

answer

communicate opinions and ideas

question

Common law refers to laws determined through

answer

precedent

question

The Glorious Revolution of 1688 demonstrated that Parliament had

answer

power over the English monarchy3+

question

When the legislative and executive powers are united in the same person, or in the same body of magistrates, there can be no liberty; because apprehensions may arise, lest the same monarch or senate should enact tyrannical laws, to execute them in a tyrannical manner. According to the quote, what is lost if one person has too much power.

answer

freedom

question

What did the philosophers of the Enlightenment seek to understand

answer

the natural rights governing human behavior and society

question

John Locke believed humans are

answer

naturally reasonable

question

Have the bravery to use your own reason! - that sums up the meaning of enlightenment. According to the quote, the Enlightenment encourages people to do what for themselves.

answer

think

question

The key idea of John Locke's Enlightenment theory was to protect and enhance the freedoms and rights of

answer

individual

question

Who supported the Enlightenment idea that people are naturally selfish

answer

Thomas Hobbes

question

Locke argued that all humans are born with what natural rights

answer

life, liberty, and property

question

Law was brought into the world for nothing else but to limit the natural liberty of particular men in such manner as they might not hurt but assist one another and join together against a common enemy. According to Hobbes, what is the primary purpose of the social contract?

answer

to reduce liberty

question

What did philosophers of the Enlightenment have faith in, believing it could answer questions and solve problems

answer

human reason

question

According to John Locke, who must respect the rights of the citizens

answer

rulers

question

Which term is synonymous with "natural rights," according to Enlightenment philosophers

answer

universal rights

question

John Locke helped develop the idea of a social contract between citizens and the

answer

government

question

Why did Montesquieu advocate the separation of powers

answer

to limit the power of any single group or person

question

John Locke thought that people were neither good nor bad innately. How did Hobbes's views differ from those of Locke's

answer

innately violent

question

How did the Enlightenment's theories of government view the role of government

answer

as useful

question

The Enlightenment was an age of inquiry based on what, not religion

answer

reason

question

John Locke believed that natural rights

answer

do not come from the government

question

Under what circumstances did John Locke think it would be acceptable for the people to overthrow the government

answer

government violated social contract, it is okay

question

Which could be considered an act indicating acceptance of the social contract

answer

driving on the highway

question

Which best summarizes the social contract outlined in the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence

answer

Government has the power to protect natural rights, but people can change their government if it fails to do so

question

Which statement describes a natural right

answer

the rights that cannot, or should not, be taken away

question

The Declaration of Independence refers to rights as being unalienable. What does "unalienable" mean

answer

cannot be surrendered

question

Which part of the Declaration of Independence acts as an implied plan of action, in that it lists laws and practices to be changed

answer

the body

question

John Locke, an Enlightenment-era philosopher, influenced the American movement for independence. Locke believed that all people were entitled to natural rights. Which quotation from the preamble to the Declaration of Independence enshrines natural rights

answer

They are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

question

Why were taxes an ongoing source of conflict for the American colonists

answer

They were taxed without having representation in Parliament.

question

Does the preamble to the Declaration of Independence indicate reasons why the new independent government might be similarly removed or overthrown? Why or why not?

answer

Yes. It outlines when it is appropriate to remove a government.

question

Why did Thomas Paine question British authority to rule the colonies in Common Sense

answer

He believed the king would only approve laws that benefited Britain.

question

As the result of a conflict between British troops and a colonial militia in Massachusetts

answer

Thomas Paine published Common Sense

question

Which best describes why the Boston Tea Party is considered such a significant event in US history

answer

It was the first major act of defiance by the colonists

question

In which section of the Declaration of Independence is the purpose of government described

answer

the Preamble

question

As the colonies moved toward independence, the First Continental Congress was created in

answer

1774

question

Which type of rights did the colonists who drafted the Declaration of Independence most want to protect

answer

inalienable

question

The preamble to the Declaration of Independence outlines the principles upon which the new government would be based. Which of these best describes one of those principles

answer

a government based on a social contract

question

The Declaration of Independence intended to end British rule in the colonies, and grant citizens

answer

the right to self-govern

question

Was the Declaration of Independence intended to be a formal declaration of war? Why or why not

answer

No. The war started a year before the Declaration of Independence was written.

question

Which had the greatest influence in prompting the Second Continental Congress to declare independence

answer

increased open public support for independence

question

If the cartoon is interpreted with the Articles of Confederation in mind, what would it most likely be saying?

answer

In order for the Articles of Confederation to be more successful, all states must work together.

question

Which responsibilities were assigned to the federal government under the Articles of Confederation

answer

drawing up treaties

question

If a power was not specified under the Articles of Confederation, who would be responsible for it

answer

the states

question

The fact that there was no national military was a weakness in which area of government

answer

administrative

question

Which was a main reason for creating the Articles of Confederation

answer

to have a unified nation for times of war

question

Why was it very difficult to get laws passed under the Articles of Confederation

answer

Nine of the states had to agree before a law was passed

question

Which word best describes the federal government that was created under the Articles of Confederation

answer

weak

question

Why did colonists feel the Articles of Confederation were necessary even though the Declaration of Independence was already written

answer

The Declaration of Independence outlined a relationship between individuals and the government but did not detail the power and control of that government

question

What was the main failure of the Articles of Confederation that eventually led to the US Constitution

answer

The national government didn't hold enough power.

question

What would be the federal government's biggest problem if a war was imminent

answer

The federal government had no national army

question

Which reason most closely illustrates why the federal government was unable to maintain order in the new nation

answer

There was no national court system

question

A state legislator wants to amend the Articles of Confederation. How many states would have to agree in order for the amendment to pass

answer

all of them

question

Why was the issue of slavery so important to the delegates of the Constitutional Convention

answer

Both regions recognized that how enslaved people were counted would significantly affect representation

question

What is the best definition of bicameral

answer

a government made up of two parts or houses

question

Why did the state delegates meet in 1787

answer

to discuss a better system of government

question

The issue of slavery at the Constitutional Convention was actually an issue about

answer

representation

question

Which statement about the northern states in the 1780s is accurate

answer

They generally had less enslaved labor than the southern states

question

In what part of the Great Compromise are the ideas of the Virginia Plan represented

answer

the House of Representatives

question

According to the 1790 census, where did enslaved people live within the United States

answer

in every single state

question

What was the primary way the farms in the South differed from those in the North

answer

The farms of the South raised agricultural products

question

How did the Great Compromise resolve the dispute about representation

answer

It created balance by blending the Virginia and New Jersey plans

question

What were the men who came to the Constitutional Convention referred to as

answer

delegates

Flashcards on Government Unit 1

Unlock all answers in this set

Haven't found what you were looking for?

Search for samples, answers to your questions and flashcards