Supreme Court Cases
Jack Smith is accused of armed robbery and put on trial. He is too poor to afford a lawyer. The judge tells Jack that since he cannot afford a lawyer, he will have to defend himself. Jack is convicted and sent to state prison for five years.
Which Supreme Court decision did the actions of the judge violate?
A. Bush v. Gore
B. Mapp v. Ohio
C. Miranda v. Arizona
D. Gideon v. Wainwright
D. Gideon v. Wainwright
Which was NOT one of the demands of AIM (American Indian Movement)?
A. more federal aid to American Indians living on reservations
B. revising school textbooks to include the American Indian perspective
C. division and distribution of remaining reservation lands to individuals
D. ending biased depictions of American Indians in movies and television
C. division and distribution of remaining reservation lands to individuals
The diagram below gives details about the 1970s and 1980s: Defeat in Vietnam, Pentagon Papers, Watergate Scandal, and the Iran-Contra Affair. Which phrase completes the diagram?
A. Efforts to Reduce Presidential Power
B. Events that Weakened Public Trust in Government
C. Clashes between the Executive and Legislative Branches
D. Disagreements between the Supreme Court and the President
B. Events that Weakened Public Trust in Government
This 1970s scandal led to the first and only resignation of a U.S. President.
A. Teapot Dome Scandal
B. Watergate Scandal
C. Iran-Contra Affair
D. The Pentagon Paper
B. Watergate Scandal
How were the attacks on Pearl Harbor in 1941 and on the World Trade Center in 2001 similar?
A. Both resulted in global economic depressions.
B. Both caused Americans to enter into armed conflicts.
C. Both led to military conscription of adult American men.
D. Both convinced American voters to retreat into isolationism.
B. Both caused Americans to enter into armed conflicts.
What was the reasoning of the U.S Supreme Court in its opinion in Roe v. Wade (1973)?
A. A balancing of the interests of the woman and the state give the woman the right to abort early in her pregnancy, but not later.
B. A woman’s right to privacy prevents any outside interference with her right to abort her pregnancy.
C. The right to an abortion is a question that should be determined by state legislator and not the courts.
D. Because many religions teach that life begins with pregnancy, abortion cannot be permitted.
A. A balancing of the interests of the woman and the state give the woman the right to abort early in her pregnancy, but not later.
Which law ended the system of quotas based on national origins and allowed
every country an equal number of immigrants into the United States?
A. McCarran-Walter Act
B. Immigration Act of 1965
C. Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986
D. Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996
B. Immigration Act of 1965
Which step did Mikhail Gorbachev take to overcome stagnation in the Soviet Union in the 1980s?
A. ending the system of apartheid
B. increasing the size of his nation's armed forces
C. permitting greater freedom of expression through glasnost
D. creating a new free trade zone with the countries of the Warsaw Pact
C. permitting greater freedom of expression through glasnost
Mikhail Gorbachev used this term to describe a new policy of "openness" in the Soviet Union.
A. Perestroika
B. Détente
C. Glasnost
D. Containment
C. Glasnost
What has been an important consequence of globalization on the United States?
A. Fewer Americans are working in other countries than previously.
B. Many U.S. jobs have moved overseas, where labor costs are less.
C. Prices for most manufactured goods have increased substantially.
D. The U.S. population has decreased because of environmental concerns.
B. Many U.S. jobs have moved overseas, where labor costs are less.
What did the Supreme Court decide in the case of Gideon v. Wainwright?
A. If the police violate the law to obtain evidence, they cannot use that evidence in count.
B. The government must provide an attorney to a person accused of a serious crime who cannot afford one.
C. Police should inform suspects of their right to remain silent or have a lawyer present before taking their confession.
D. The government cannot prevent a newspaper from printing a story without proving that this would be a clear threat to national security.
B. The government must provide an attorney to a person accused of a serious crime who cannot afford one.
Which applicants were given priority for admission to the United States under the Refugee Act of 1980?
A. those with close relatives already living in the United States
B. those needing immediate medical treatment only offered in the United States
C. those who fear political, social or religious persecution in their own country
D. those looking for better economic opportunities than exist in their own country
C. those who fear political, social or religious persecution in their own country
Which has been an important goal of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East?
A. helping local leaders suppress popular movements for democracy
B. replacing the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
C. assisting Islamic Fundamentalist groups in establishing Islamic republics
D. achieving a peaceful settlement between Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO)
D. achieving a peaceful settlement between Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO)
This organization is responsible for the 1970s oil embargo that caused gas prices to skyrocket in the U.S.
A. OPEC
B. NATO
C. NAFTA
D. The United Nations
A. OPEC
How did the U.S. Supreme Court influence the Presidential election of 2000?
A. The Court halted a recount in Florida, resulting in the winner.
B. The Court disregarded the results of the Electoral College.
C. The Court decided on the winner of a disputed election.
D. The Court required voting to be held again in Florida.
A. The Court halted a recount in Florida, resulting in the winner.
What was the conclusion of the 1978 Supreme Court decision in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke?
A. Universities could take race into consideration in their admissions but could not establish racial quotas.
B. Universities should rely exclusively on high school grades and SAT scores for their admissions process.
C. Universities could establish racial quotas as part of their admissions process to reverse earlier racial discrimination.
D. Universities could not take race into consideration in their admissions at all because this would violate the 14th Amendment.
A. Universities could take race into consideration in their admissions but could not establish racial quotas.
Mapp v. Ohio
Gideon v. Wainwright
Miranda v. Arizona
What has been the long-term effect of these decisions?
A. More women have been elected to public office.
B. Poll taxes and literacy tests have been prohibited.
C. The rights of those accused of crimes have been protected.
D. Representation in state legislatures and Congress has became more equal.
C. The rights of those accused of crimes have been protected.
1. The objectives of this Agreement, as elaborated more specifically through its principles and rules, including national treatment, most-favored-nation treatment and transparency, are to:
a) eliminate barriers to trade in, and facilitate the cross-border movement of, goods and services between the territories of the Parties;
b) promote conditions of fair competition in the free trade area;
c)increase substantially investment opportunities in the territories of the Parties ...
Why did both Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton support the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)?
A. They believed that Japanese manufacturers intended to open factories in Mexico.
B. They thought it would stop the United States from joining the European Union (EU).
C. They believed it would help Canada and Mexico to resist the appeals of Communism.
D. They hoped more trade with Canada and Mexico would stimulate U.S. economic growth.
D. They hoped more trade with Canada and Mexico would stimulate U.S. economic growth.
This economic trend involves the shift of manufacturing jobs from the U.S. to countries with lower labor costs.
A. Industrialization
B. Globalization
C. Isolationism
D. Protectionism
B. Globalization
In 1978, President Jimmy Carter hosted a historic meeting with foreign leaders at Camp David. What was the outcome of this meeting?
A. The United States and its allies halted grain sales to the Soviet Union.
B. The United States persuaded Egypt and Israel to sign a future peace treaty.
C. The United States signed a treaty promising the return of the Panama Canal Zone.
D. The United States successfully rescued hostages held by Iranian students in Tehran.
B. The United States persuaded Egypt and Israel to sign a future peace treaty.
All things being equal, with no history of discrimination, it might well be desirable to assign pupils to schools nearest their homes. But all things are not equal in a system that has been deliberately constructed and maintained to enforce racial segregation. The remedy for such segregation may be administratively awkward, inconvenient and even bizarre in some situations and may impose burdens on some but all awkwardness and inconvenience cannot be avoided in the interim period when remedial adjustments are being made to eliminate the dual (segregated) school systems.
According to this excerpt, which action was justified?
A. maintaining some racially segregated schools
B. sending students to the schools closest to their homes
C. substituting private and charter schools for public schools
D. busing students to more distant schools for racial integration
D. busing students to more distant schools for racial integration
What was the significance of President Nixon’s visit to Communist China in 1972?
A. It led to the reunification of Taiwan with Communist China.
B. It persuaded Chinese leaders to introduce capitalism into the marketplace.
C. It showed that the Cold War between the “Free World” and Communism was over.
D. It opened the way for China’s entry into the United Nations and trade with the United States.
D. It opened the way for China’s entry into the United Nations and trade with the United States.
How did President Bush respond to the acts of terrorism committed on September 11, 2001?
A. He sent troops to Israel to protect it from terrorist attacks.
B. He ordered a boycott of goods from Afghanistan and Iran.
C. He invaded Iraq since he thought Saddam Hussein was behind the attacks.
D. He sent troops to Afghanistan when it refused to surrender Osama bin Laden.
D. He sent troops to Afghanistan when it refused to surrender Osama bin Laden.
This term describes the 19th-century era of rapid economic growth that appeared "golden" on the outside but had corruption underneath.
A. The Great Depression
B. The Progressive Era
C. The Gilded Age
D. The Reconstruction Era
C. The Gilded Age
In January 1974, Americans faced severe gasoline shortages and gas rationing. What was the primary cause of these shortages?
A. A war in Afghanistan had cut oil supplies from Central Asia.
B. The Mexican government had nationalized its petroleum industry.
C. Arab members of OPEC had placed an oil embargo on the United States.
D. Iran had halted its oil exports after the former Shah was admitted into America.
C. Arab members of OPEC had placed an oil embargo on the United States.