question

In order to be a good citizen, it is most critical to possess

answer

knowledge

question

The willingness to be restrained by the power of social institutions, but not political or legal institutions, is a hallmark of a(n) ______ regime.

answer

authoritarian

question

According to the text, what is the goal of politics?

answer

to have a say in the government's leadership, organization, and policies

question

Direct democracy is best defined as

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a system that allows citizens to vote directly for laws and policies

question

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

question

A representative democracy is a system of government that

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gives citizens a regular opportunity to elect top government officials.

question

The Bill of Rights was designed to protect

answer

liberty

question

What are the three core values in American politics?

answer

liberty, equality, and democracy

question

In general, Americans' trust in their government has _____________ since the 1960s

answer

fallen sharply

question

The belief that you can influence how your government acts is called

answer

political efficacy

question

The first step to increasing political efficacy is

answer

increasing political knowledge

question

Poilitcal apathy among Americans hurts which core political value the most?

answer

democracy

question

Survey data shows that the level of Americans' political knowledge is

answer

low and spotty

question

Government can be best defined as:

answer

the institutions and procedures by which a territory and its people are ruled

question

Which of the following is an instrument of direct democracy

answer

initiatives

question

The right of each citizen to vote is an example of

answer

political equality

question

In American political culture, economic freedom means

answer

capitalism

question

Which of the following statements concerning political values in the United States is true?

answer

American values often conflict with each other in practice

question

Prior to Prop 25 in November of 2010, a 2/3 vote of approval was required when the California State Legislature

answer

increased taxes and passed a budget

question

Gerrymandering of seats in the California Legislature has led to

answer

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)

question

California is less majoritarian than other states- doesn't use as many forms of direct democracy to change the constitution

answer

False

question

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

answer

totalitarian

question

Which of the following is an example of the process of direct democracy?

answer

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

question

Which of the following statements about the changes in American society between 1910 and 2010 is NOT true

answer

The average age of Americans has fallen

question

Which of the following statements about the United States Census is most accurate?

answer

Who is counted by the census and how they are categorized by race and ethnicity has changed significantly throughout American history

question

What led the British to raise taxes on the American colonists in the 1760s?

answer

French & Indian Wars

question

The events that led to the Revolutionary War were triggered by which of the following ?

answer

The British raised revenue by increasing the tax rate of the colonies

question

Colonial protestors of the Stamp & Sugar Act rallied around what famous political slogan?

answer

"No taxation without representation"

question

Why was the Declaration of Independence a remarkable political statement for its time?

answer

it helped unify colonial groups that were divided along economic, regional, and philosophical lines by identifying shared problems, grievances, and principles

question

What was the first written constitution of the United States called?

answer

Articles of Confederation

question

Under the Articles of Confederation, it was left to the ______ to execute the laws passed by Congress.

answer

states

question

Which system of government allows the states to retain sovereign authority except for specific powers expressly delegated to the national government

answer

confederation

question

The issue of representation, which threatened to wreck the entire Constitutional Convention, was resolved by the Great Compromise, also called the

answer

Connecticut compromise

question

Why was Shay's Rebellion significant?

answer

it convinced many observers that the government of the Confederation had become dangerously inefficient and indecisive

question

The Virginia Plan of the Constitutional Convention proposed a system representation in the national legislature that was based upon

answer

the population of each state or the proportion of each state's revenue contribution or both

question

What did the New Jersey Plan propose for Congress

answer

Representation would be equal for each state

question

The Great Compromise led to the

answer

creation of bicameral Congress

question

3/5 Compromise

answer

determined that three out of every five slaves would be counted for purposes of representation and taxation

question

The framers employed the separation of powers and federalism in order to

answer

prevent the new government from abusing its power

question

The framers of the Constitution attempted to create a government that could do all of the following except

answer

lead to the eventual inclusion of nonwhites in political life

question

Bicameralism is a constitutional principle that means the

answer

division of Congress into two chambers.

question

During the ratification debates who were the Antifederalists?

answer

those who opposed the new Constitution because they wanted a weaker central government

question

In the national debate over ratification of the new Constitution, the Federalists

answer

supported the Constitution and preferred a strong national government

question

The supremacy clause

answer

announces that the Constitution and all laws made under it are superior to any state laws.

question

The Antifederalists argued that the powers of government should be limited by

answer

both confining the powers of the federal government to certain narrowly defines areas and adding a bill of rights to the Constitution.

question

The idea of a "living constitution" means

answer

the judiciary can shape the interpretation of the Constitution in line with contemporary problems and values

question

To amend the Constitution requires a ______ vote by Congress, and approval by ______ of the states.

answer

two-thirds; three-fourths

question

Which of the following is tool used for direct democracy in California?

answer

initiative, Recall, and Referendum.

question

The Progressive Movement resulted in very few real reforms for California

answer

False

question

The California Constitution _______ amend compared with the US Constitution

answer

is easier to

question

Which of the following statements best describes the history of American federalism

answer

Throughout American history, there has been considerable debate about the allocation of responsibilities between the states and the federal government

question

In a federal system, governmental responsibilities are

answer

shared by both state and federal authorities

question

What constitutional clause affirms that national laws and treaties, made under authority of the Constitution, are the supreme law of the land

answer

supremacy clause

question

The federal system can be best defined as

answer

a system of government in which power is divided between national government and lower levels of government

question

The specific powers granted to the national government in Article I Section 8 of the Constitution are called the

answer

expressed powers

question

Which of the following powers do state governments not have

answer

to coin their own money

question

Purpose of the tenth amendment

answer

limit the powers of the central government by establishing reserved powers for states and individuals

question

When both state and national governments possess a certain level of authority, it is called a

answer

concurrent power

question

A state's government's authority to regulate the safety, health, and morals of its citizens is called _____ power

answer

Police

question

The full faith and credit clause of the Constitution

answer

requires states to normally honor each other's public acts and legal decisions

question

Which constitutional clause has been central in debates over gay and lesbian marriage

answer

the full faith and credit clause

question

The ___ clause of the Constitution requires that states should normally recognize the laws, acts, and judicial decisions of other states

answer

full faith and credit

question

Which of the following statements best describes the discussion of local government found in the Constitution

answer

local government has no status in the Constitution

question

The Constitution says which of the following things about relationships between states?

answer

No state shall enter into a contract/agreement with another state without the approval of Congress

question

According to the text, when was the era of dual federalism

answer

from the ratification of the Constitution until the New Deal

question

What was the overall importance of the Supreme Court case McCulloch v. Maryland

answer

The court interpreted the delegated powers of Congress broadly, creating the potential for increased national powers

question

The constitutional idea of states' rights was strongest during which historical period

answer

the years immediately preceding the Civil War

question

___ describes the strategy of delegating a policy program to a lower level of government

answer

Devolution

question

Those seeking to restrain the powers of the national government look to what part of the Constitution

answer

Tenth Amendment

question

When the national government appropriates money to the states but simultaneously demands the authority to dictate its distribution, this money is identified as

answer

grant-in-aid

question

When the national government funds a project that is actually implemented by the states, its an example of

answer

cooperative federalism

question

The term marble cake federalism is meant to refer to what development

answer

intergovernmental cooperation of blurring the lines between different layers of government

question

Using block grants to return power to the states was part of the Nixon and Reagan administrations'

answer

New Federalism

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