Poli Sci Exam 1 Study Questions – Flashcards
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What is a system of government in which members of the polity meet to discuss all policy decisions and then agree to abide by majority rule?
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direct democracy
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The ancient Greeks considered representative government to be which of the following?
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undemocratic
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Indirect democracy is based on which of the following?
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representation
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What are republics?
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representative democracies
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In an oligarchy, rule is by which of the following?
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the few
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Which function of government provides for police protection?
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ensuring domestic tranquility
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The Framers agreed that the new nation had to be founded on notions of which of the following?
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religious freedom
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How many citizens did the Constitution initially mandate that each member of the House of Representatives should represent?
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30,000
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In general, which of the following is true about the U.S. population?
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It is getting older.
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One of the most long-standing and dramatic regional differences in the United States is between which of the following?
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North and South
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The percentage of households in the United States consisting of a single person is nearly __________ percent.
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30
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The reason that some pro-choice conservative voters may choose pro-choice liberal candidates over other conservatives is most closely related to which of the following functions of ideology?
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orientation
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Which of the following public policies would social conservatives be most likely to support?
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overturning Roe v. Wade
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Social conservatives, who now form a large part of the base of the Republican Party, often are also members of which of the following?
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religious organizations
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Which of the following is a true statement about liberals?
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They generally favor government intervention to promote equality.
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Which of the following is a true statement about moderates?
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They believe that a temperate view is the best approach to politics.
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Over time, Americans' expectations of government have generally __________.
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Increased
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Americans' faith in institutions in the United States has __________.
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generally decreased.
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Americans have the highest levels of trust in which of the following?
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medicine
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Indigenous peoples had been living in North America for more than 30,000 years before the arrival of the first European colonists.
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true
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Monarchy is a type of government that Aristotle considered rule by "tyranny."
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true
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Many colonists were uncomfortable with the term democracy because it conjured up fears of the people and mob rule.
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False
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Over time, our notions of what governments should do have expanded along with the size of government.
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True
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Over the years, our attitudes about personal liberty have remained unchanged.
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False
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The elderly often vote against programs favored by younger voters, such as money for new schools and other expenditures they no longer view as significant.
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True
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At the Constitutional Convention, the delegates agreed that slaves would be counted as __________ of a person for determining population for representation in the House of Representatives.
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three-fifths
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__________ is an economic theory designed to increase a nation's wealth through the development of commercial industry and a favorable balance of trade.
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Mercantilism
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In what year was the Declaration of Independence signed?
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1776
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How many constitutions has the United States had in its history?
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2
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The U.S. Constitution was adopted in response to the weaknesses of the Articles of __________.
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Confederation
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The colonists rebelled against the unilateral imposition by the British government of which of the following?
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Taxes
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Who was the author of the Declaration of Independence?
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Thomas Jefferson
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Which congress debated and drafted the Declaration of Independence?
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Continental Congress
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Which clause provides that the Constitution shall be the supreme law of the land?
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supremacy
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Which of the following generally favored a strong national government and supported the proposed U.S. Constitution?
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Federalists
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The __________ proposed proportional representation in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
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Virginia Plan
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How many amendments have been made to the Constitution since its ratification?
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27
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What's article 1?
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Article One of the United States Constitution describes the powers of Congress, and the legislative branch of the federal government. The Article establishes the powers of and limitations on the Congress, consisting of a House of Representatives composed of Representatives, with each state gaining or losing representation in proportion to its population, and a Senate, composed of two Senators from each state. The article details the manner of election and qualifications of members of each House. It outlines legislative procedure and enumerates the powers vested in the legislative branch. Finally, it establishes limits on the powers of both Congress and the states.
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What's article 2?
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Article Two of the United States Constitution creates the executive branch of the government, consisting of the President, the Vice President, and other executive officers chosen by the President, including the Cabinet.
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What's article 3?
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Article Three of the United States Constitution establishes the judicial branch of the federal government. The judicial branch comprises the Supreme Court of the United States and lower courts as created by Congress.
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In what year was the U.S. Constitution ratified?
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1788
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Which of the following is a branch of the U.S. government?
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Legislative
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The Constitution specifically provides for both the election and the removal of which of the following?
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President
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Which constitutional amendment allowed voting for citizens who were eighteen or older?
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26
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Which of the following philosophers greatly influenced the colonists' views on the role of government?
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John Locke
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During the colonial era, the colonists retained the right to do which of the following?
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levy taxes
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Which of the following required all paper items in the colonies to carry a stamp of the Crown?
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Stamp Act
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Which Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence?
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Second
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Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution contains which powers of Congress?
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enmurated
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During the Constitutional Convention, which states generally opposed an unelected federal judiciary?
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Southern
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__________ Rebellion was a protest by Massachusetts farmers to stop foreclosures by state courts.
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Shay's
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Many of the Founders believed that the __________ contract gave the government its legitimacy.
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social
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Under the Constitution, the president is elected by which of the following?
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Electoral College
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What is the principle that each branch of the federal government has the means to thwart or influence actions by other branches of government?
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Check and balance
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Which article is the procedure for amending the Constitution?
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5
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What Are the Separation of Powers and How Do Checks and Balances Work Under the U.S. Constitution?, the executive branch is in charge of which of the following?
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making foreign treaties
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The colonists generally believed that a constitution should mark the limits of what type of government power?
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legitimate
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The "Intolerable Acts" was the colonists' name for the __________ Acts of 1774.
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Coercive
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In the United States, the national government derives its power from which of the following?
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citizens
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Jackie attends a protest against animal testing. Which of the following secures her right to attend this protest?
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Bill of Rights
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What was the subject of the Great Compromise?
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the form of the legislative branch
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Which of the following was a powerful economic group during the colonial era?
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New England merchants
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Which government entity has the power to settle disputes between the states?
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Supreme Court
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Aside from the First Amendment, what portion of the U.S. Constitution deals with the relationship between the state and religion?
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Article VI
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What was the greatest fear of the Anti-Federalists during the Constitutional Convention and subsequent debate?
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that a strong national government would infringe on the essential liberties of the people
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Article I describes the powers of the president.
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False
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Article VI of the U.S. Constitution establishes that federal law is __________ in conflicts between federal and state law.
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supreme
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The __________ Amendment says that says that those powers not given to the federal government and not prohibited to the states by the Constitution are reserved for the states and the people.
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Tenth
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__________ powers are shared by the federal and state governments.
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Concurrent
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What was the first major Supreme Court decision to define the relationship between the federal and state governments?
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McCulloch v. Maryland
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In Gibbons v. Ogden, the Supreme Court held that Congress has the power to regulate __________ activity.
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Interstate
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Which amendment, identified in Figure 3.2 How is Governmental Power Distributed in the Federal System?, gave Congress the power to levy and collect taxes on incomes without apportioning them among the states?
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sixteenth
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In cases like Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857), the Supreme Court's decision___________ the scope of national power, while it ___________ that of the states.
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narrowed; enhanced
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What are reserved powers?
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powers not specifically delegated to state governments by the Constitution
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Which of the following clauses requires states to return criminals to states where they have been convicted or are to stand trial?
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extradition
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New Federalism favors which type of government grant?
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block grants
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The No Child Left Behind Act is an example of a
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categorical grant
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Which of the following is an implied power of the federal government?
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coining money
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Civil liberties are __________ that the government cannot take away.
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personal freedoms
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The Bill of Rights is made up of the first __________ amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
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Ten
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Which clause prevents the national government from sanctioning an official religion?
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free exercise
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Which rule bars the use of illegally seized evidence at trial?
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exclusionary
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Which U.S. Supreme Court case found that a woman's right to have an abortion is protected by the implied constitutional right to privacy?
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Roe v. Wade
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Article I of the Constitution prohibits which of the following, which make an act punishable as a crime even if the act was legal when it was committed?
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ex post facto laws
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A false written statement is __________; the same statement spoken aloud is __________.
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libel, slander
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Which amendment protects the right to bear arms?
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Second
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The Constitution protects against search of an individual's person, home, or vehicle without __________.
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a warrant
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What does the Sixth Amendment guarantee to those accused of a crime?
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a jury trial
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Today, the United States is the only western country to use which of the following to punish crime?
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death penalty
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The free exercise clause guarantees that the national government will not interfere with which of the following?
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religion
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Profanity, obscenity, and threats are examples of which of the following?
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free speech
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Which of the following generally is unconstitutional in school?
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Prayer
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According to Justice Blackmun, a woman had which type of right to an abortion in her first trimester?
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an absolute right
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The doctrine of prior restraint prevents the government from prohibiting speech or publication __________.
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before the fact
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Miranda rights include the right to which of the following?
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counsel
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The USA PATRIOT Act enhances the government's ability to do which of the following?
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examine private records
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The Supreme Court briefly outlawed which of the following in the 1970s by asserting that it was being imposed in an arbitrary manner?
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capital punishment
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What kind of speech is by its very utterance intended to inflict injury or incite an immediate breach of peace?
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Fighting words
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What type of due process protects citizens from arbitrary or unjust state or federal laws?
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substantive
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The Sixth Amendment sets out basic requirements for which type of due process?
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Criminal
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In matters of religion, the free exercise clause protects individuals from which of the following?
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In 1914, the U.S. Supreme Court announced a strong version of the exclusionary rule, in the case of Weeks v. United States, under the Fourth Amendment prohibiting unreasonable searches and seizures
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The USA PATRIOT Act expands an exception found in which amendment to allow spying?
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Fourth
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The "right to remain silent" is a citizen's protection against which of the following?
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self incriminating
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If a police officer has a reasonable belief that someone is committing or about to commit a crime, that officer can stop and frisk the suspect without __________.
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a warrant
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The double jeopardy clause prevents an individual who is acquitted of a crime from which of the following?
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being tried again
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Which is an example of procedural due process?
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the right to a speedy trial
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The prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment comes from which law?
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English
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What created the right to privacy?
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Bill of Rights
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Shouting profanities in public is an example of __________, which is not protected speech.
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obsentity
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In recent years, the Supreme Court has struggled to address __________ on the Internet in a First Amendment context.
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obscenity
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What is the most common form of firearm regulation?
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enemy combatants
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What kind of law is Alien and Sedition Acts?
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prior restraint
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Did the Fourteenth Amendment suggests that the protections in the Bill of Rights could be interpreted as applying to the states?
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True
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Writs of habeas corpus are laws declaring an act illegal without a judicial trial.
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False. There's a trial.
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Planned Parenthood v. Casey held that a state court could limit abortions as long as the regulation did not pose an undue burden on pregnant women.
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False
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Burning the American flag is not constitutionally protected symbolic speech.
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False. Burning the flag is protected by symbolic speech.