POLISCI (1-3) – Flashcards
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Today the federal government is:
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an enormous institution that enacts a large number of programs touching on nearly every aspect of American life
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A representative democracy is a system of government that
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gives citizens a regular opportunity to elect top government officials.
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The Bill of Rights was designed to protect
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liberty
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What are the three core values in American politics?
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liberty, equality, and democracy
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In general, Americans' trust in their government has _____________ since the 1960s
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fallen sharply
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The belief that you can influence how your government acts is called
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political efficacy
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The first step to increasing political efficacy is
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increasing political knowledge
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Poilitcal apathy among Americans hurts which core political value the most?
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democracy
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Survey data shows that the level of Americans' political knowledge is
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low and spotty
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Government can be best defined as:
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the institutions and procedures by which a territory and its people are ruled
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Which of the following is an instrument of direct democracy
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initiatives
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The right of each citizen to vote is an example of
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political equality
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In American political culture, economic freedom means
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capitalism
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Which of the following statements concerning political values in the United States is true?
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American values often conflict with each other in practice
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Prior to Prop 25 in November of 2010, a 2/3 vote of approval was required when the California State Legislature
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increased taxes and passed a budget
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Gerrymandering of seats in the California Legislature has led to
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More liberal Democrats and more Conservative Republicans as elected members "safe seats" for the large majority of incumbent members The creation of a citizens commission to begin drawing political boundaries (after the passage of Prop 11)
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California is less majoritarian than other states- doesn't use as many forms of direct democracy to change the constitution
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False
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A government that is not constrained by legal limits and also seeks to eliminate those organized social groups that might challenge of limit their authority is known as
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totalitarian
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Which of the following is an example of the process of direct democracy?
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A group of citizens collecting signatures so that the public can vote on whether to enact a law guaranteeing minimum amounts of living space for pregnant pigs
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Which of the following statements about the changes in American society between 1910 and 2010 is NOT true
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The average age of Americans has fallen
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Which of the following statements about the United States Census is most accurate?
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Who is counted by the census and how they are categorized by race and ethnicity has changed significantly throughout American history
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What led the British to raise taxes on the American colonists in the 1760s?
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French & Indian Wars
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The events that led to the Revolutionary War were triggered by which of the following ?
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The British raised revenue by increasing the tax rate of the colonies
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Colonial protestors of the Stamp & Sugar Act rallied around what famous political slogan?
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"No taxation without representation"
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Why was the Declaration of Independence a remarkable political statement for its time?
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it helped unify colonial groups that were divided along economic, regional, and philosophical lines by identifying shared problems, grievances, and principles
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What was the first written constitution of the United States called?
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Articles of Confederation
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Under the Articles of Confederation, it was left to the ______ to execute the laws passed by Congress.
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states
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Which system of government allows the states to retain sovereign authority except for specific powers expressly delegated to the national government
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confederation
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The issue of representation, which threatened to wreck the entire Constitutional Convention, was resolved by the Great Compromise, also called the
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Connecticut compromise
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Why was Shay's Rebellion significant?
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it convinced many observers that the government of the Confederation had become dangerously inefficient and indecisive
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The Virginia Plan of the Constitutional Convention proposed a system representation in the national legislature that was based upon
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the population of each state or the proportion of each state's revenue contribution or both
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What did the New Jersey Plan propose for Congress
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Representation would be equal for each state
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The Great Compromise led to the
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creation of bicameral Congress
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3/5 Compromise
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determined that three out of every five slaves would be counted for purposes of representation and taxation
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The framers employed the separation of powers and federalism in order to
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prevent the new government from abusing its power
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The framers of the Constitution attempted to create a government that could do all of the following except
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lead to the eventual inclusion of nonwhites in political life
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Bicameralism is a constitutional principle that means the
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division of Congress into two chambers.
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During the ratification debates who were the Antifederalists?
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those who opposed the new Constitution because they wanted a weaker central government
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In the national debate over ratification of the new Constitution, the Federalists
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supported the Constitution and preferred a strong national government
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The supremacy clause
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announces that the Constitution and all laws made under it are superior to any state laws.
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The Antifederalists argued that the powers of government should be limited by
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both confining the powers of the federal government to certain narrowly defines areas and adding a bill of rights to the Constitution.
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The idea of a "living constitution" means
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the judiciary can shape the interpretation of the Constitution in line with contemporary problems and values
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To amend the Constitution requires a ______ vote by Congress, and approval by ______ of the states.
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two-thirds; three-fourths
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Which of the following is tool used for direct democracy in California?
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initiative, Recall, and Referendum.
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The Progressive Movement resulted in very few real reforms for California
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False
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The California Constitution _______ amend compared with the US Constitution
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is easier to
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Which of the following statements best describes the history of American federalism
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Throughout American history, there has been considerable debate about the allocation of responsibilities between the states and the federal government
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In a federal system, governmental responsibilities are
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shared by both state and federal authorities
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What constitutional clause affirms that national laws and treaties, made under authority of the Constitution, are the supreme law of the land
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supremacy clause
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The federal system can be best defined as
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a system of government in which power is divided between national government and lower levels of government
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The specific powers granted to the national government in Article I Section 8 of the Constitution are called the
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expressed powers
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Which of the following powers do state governments not have
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to coin their own money
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Purpose of the tenth amendment
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limit the powers of the central government by establishing reserved powers for states and individuals
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When both state and national governments possess a certain level of authority, it is called a
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concurrent power
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A state's government's authority to regulate the safety, health, and morals of its citizens is called _____ power
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Police
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The full faith and credit clause of the Constitution
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requires states to normally honor each other's public acts and legal decisions
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Which constitutional clause has been central in debates over gay and lesbian marriage
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the full faith and credit clause
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The ___ clause of the Constitution requires that states should normally recognize the laws, acts, and judicial decisions of other states
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full faith and credit
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Which of the following statements best describes the discussion of local government found in the Constitution
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local government has no status in the Constitution
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The Constitution says which of the following things about relationships between states?
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No state shall enter into a contract/agreement with another state without the approval of Congress
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According to the text, when was the era of dual federalism
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from the ratification of the Constitution until the New Deal
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What was the overall importance of the Supreme Court case McCulloch v. Maryland
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The court interpreted the delegated powers of Congress broadly, creating the potential for increased national powers
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The constitutional idea of states' rights was strongest during which historical period
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the years immediately preceding the Civil War
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___ describes the strategy of delegating a policy program to a lower level of government
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Devolution
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Those seeking to restrain the powers of the national government look to what part of the Constitution
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Tenth Amendment
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When the national government appropriates money to the states but simultaneously demands the authority to dictate its distribution, this money is identified as
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grant-in-aid
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When the national government funds a project that is actually implemented by the states, its an example of
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cooperative federalism
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The term marble cake federalism is meant to refer to what development
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intergovernmental cooperation of blurring the lines between different layers of government
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Using block grants to return power to the states was part of the Nixon and Reagan administrations'
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New Federalism
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