Political Philosophy
In his Second Treatise of Government (1689), John Locke wrote, "Being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions." This sentiment is also expressed in
(a) the preamble of the Constitution
(b) article I of the Constitution
(c) Marshall's opinion in Marbury v. Madison
(d) the Declaration of Independence
(d) the Declaration of Independence
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."
Republicans are more likely than Democrats to favor
(a) regulation of business to promote worker safety
(b) regulation of business to promote product safety
(c) lower taxes and less spending on social policies
(d) higher taxes and less spending on social policies
(c) lower taxes and less spending on social policies
Slave state delegates wanted slaves counted for the purposes of _____, but did not want slaves counted when it came to the issue of _____.
(a) representation; determining taxes
(b) determining taxes; tariffs
(c) tariffs; determining taxes
(d) tariffs; representation
(a) representation; determining taxes
Which of the following best describes the context in which the Constitution was created?
(a) Most elites believed that the Articles of Confederation were effective
(b) Most Americans had a prosperous and peaceful life
(c) Life in America was fairly chaotic at that time
(d) Shays's Rebellion demonstrated that the national government could manage a domestic crisis
(c) Life in America was fairly chaotic at that time
A system in which each branch of government has some power over the others.
Checks and Balances
_____ said that life in the "state of nature" would be "solitary, poor, nasty,brutish, and short."
(a) James Madison
(b) George Washington
(c) Thomas Hobbes
(d) King George III
(c) Thomas Hobbes
Democrats and Republicans most strongly disagree about which area of economic policy?
(a) free trade
(b) gold or silver standards for currency
(c) redistributive tax policy
(d) campaign finance reform
(c) redistributive tax policy
If the Great Compromise had never been reached and the Constitution had created the same type of representation system in the House as exists in the Senate, then
(a) low-population states would have more power
(b) high-population states would have more power
(c) "one person, one vote" would have been the policy from the beginning of the United States
(d) there would have been no significant changes
(a) low-population states would have more power
Who wrote the Federalist Papers?
(a) James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and John Jay
(b) John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Alexander Hamilton
(c) Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and Thomas Jefferson
(d) James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay
(d) James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay
A form of government in which power is divided and shared between a central government and state and local governments.
Federalism
What did British philosopher Thomas Hobbes mean by the "state of nature"?
(a) a belief that all people were basically good
(b) a belief that the laws of nature gave kings the right to rule by divine right
(c) life without any existing government
(d) a world in which people lived in harmony
(c) life without any existing government
Which of these groups tends to vote for Republicans more often than for Democrats?
(a) Asian Americans
(b) Cuban Americans
(c) African-American men
(d) women
(b) Cuban Americans
Which agreement gave the legislature two houses?
(a) Great Compromise
(b) Three-Fifths Compromise
(c) Virginia Plan
(d) New Jersey Plan
(a) Great Compromise
To deal with the problem of factions, James Madison proposed
(a) controlling them through checks and balances
(b) controlling them by prohibiting citizens from taking certain actions
(c) reducing factions by encouraging citizens to have the same interests
(d) eliminating factions through limits on individual liberties
(a) controlling them through checks and balances
A democratic government in which some citizens (such as the wealthy, better educated, or certain social groups) have disproportionate influence over government policy.
Elitist Democracy
James Madison assumed that people
(a) preferred anarchy over the creation of a government
(b) were basically self-interested
(c) were basically civic-oriented
(d) preferred a monarchy over a republican form of government
(b) were basically self-interested
A libertarian is likely to favor
(a) greater regulation of business to protect workers
(b) the legalization of marijuana
(c) laws restricting or abolishing abortion
(d) social programs to help the poor
(b) the legalization of marijuana
Note: A conservative would be more likely to favor (c) laws restricting or abolishing abortion
The Three-Fifths Compromise referred to
(a) giving states with small populations three-fifths of the number of representatives as large-population states
(b) allowing three slave states into the Union for every five non-slave states allowed to enter
(c) counting large states as equal to small states in the Senate but not the House
(d) counting slaves as three-fifths of a person when determining a state's population
(d) counting slaves as three-fifths of a person when determining a state's population
Which group pushed for the concept of reserved powers?
(a) Tories
(b) Whigs
(c) Antifederalists
(d) Federalists
(c) Antifederalists
Powers explicitly granted to Congress, the president, or the Supreme Court in the first three articles of the Constitution. Examples include Congress's power to "raise and support armies" and the president's power as commander in chief.
Enumerated Powers
____ argued that in order to preserve liberty, one branch of government should be able to check the excesses of the other branches.
(a) John Stuart Mill
(b) Thomas Hobbes
(c) Baron de Montesquieu
(d) Thomas Paine
(c) Baron de Montesquieu
Liberals tend to support which of the following views?
(a) Government involvement in social welfare should be limited
(b) There should be greater government regulation of economic markets
(c) Government should support the pro-life position on the abortion issue
(d) Government should end all restrictions and regulations on trade with foreign nations
(b) There should be greater government regulation of economic markets
Which of the following slavery issues was addressed by utilizing logrolling?
(a) counting slaves in determining state population
(b) importing slaves from other nations and dealing with runaway slaves
(c) counting slaves in determining taxation
(d) determining which states would be allowed to maintain slavery
Which article of the Constitution describes the procedures for ratification?
(a) Article VII
(b) Article VI
(c) Article III
(d) Article II
(a) Article VII
The power of the courts to declare laws and actions of the local and state governments or the national government invalid if they are found to contradict the U.S. Constitution.
Judicial Review