US Government AIR Test Released Items Review

Branches of the US Government

US Constitution & Amendments

Ohio State Government

Local Government

Civil Rights, Civic Duty, and Participation

100

Which branch of the US Government has the power to declare war?

Executive Branch
Legislative Branch
Judicial Branch

Executive Branch

100

Which action is a violation of the First Amendment?

A: A citizen's house is searched without a warrant.

B: An individual is put on trial twice for the same crime.

C: A person is forced to testify against himself or herself in court.

D: A reporter is arrested for writing an article that criticizes the government.

100

How are the powers of Ohio's state government consistent with the powers of the U.S. federal government?

A: Ohio's legislative branch has the power to pass laws.

B: Ohio's legislative branch has the power to appoint all executive officials.

C: Ohio's executive branch has the power to negotiate with foreign nations.

D: Ohio's executive branch has the power to appoint Supreme Court justices

A: Ohio's legislative branch has the power to pass laws.

100

Jeff wants to make sure his local town has adequate fire service and protection. What action could he take at the Local Government level to ensure this?

A: Petition the state government for more funding for city fire departments.

B: Join his city's volunteer fire department.

C: Write a letter to Ohio's senator to push for a national law increasing fire department funding.

D: Create a national firefighter emergency hotline to call other fire departments for fires when needed.

B: Join his city's volunteer fire department.

100

Which responsibility of U.S. citizens is associated with the right to free speech?

A: Paying taxes

B: Serving on a jury

C: Engaging in civil discourse

D: Performing community service

C: Engaging in civil discourse

200

Which branch of the US Government interprets the Constitution?

Executive Branch
Legislative Branch
Judicial Branch

Judicial Branch

200

Which phrase describes the system of federalism established by the United States Constitution?

A: The restriction of the government to exercise only the powers granted to it by the people.

B: The ability of one branch of government to restrain the powers of the other branches.

C: The distribution of powers among independent branches of government.

D: The division of powers between the national government and the states.

200

What is the legislative body of the Ohio Government called?

A. Ohio Congress

B. Ohio General Assembly

C. Ohio Supreme Court

D. Ohio Board of Regents

B. Ohio General Assembly

200

A citizen of a town is dissatisfied with the location a playground being built in their city. What action could the citizen take to solve this?

A: Write letters to the governor and members of the General Assembly

B: Campaign for a challenger running against a current U.S. senator

C: Speak at a city council meeting

D: Sign a petition that will be sent to the president

C: Speak at a city council meeting

200

Citizens engage in civic duties and political activities at the local, state, and national levels. Some types of activities often take place at one level but not at another.

Which civic or political activity can citizens carry out at the state level?

A: Organizing a neighborhood watch patrol

B: Serving in the active-duty army or air force

C: Testifying before Congress on a regional issue

D: Signing a petition to place an issue on the Ohio General Assembly's ballot

300

Which power can the U.S. Supreme Court exercise with reference to the U.S. Constitution

A: Propose, alter, approve, and craft constitutional amendments.

B: Veto proposed constitutional amendments before they are ratified.

C: Provide clarification and/or extend the meaning of constitutional provisions on a case-by-case basis.

D: Formally add new constitutional language by rendering decisions, interpretations, and ruling on a case-by-case basis.

C: Provide clarification and/or extend the meaning of constitutional provisions on a case-by-case basis.

300

What was the direct effect of the 13th Amendment?

A: The abolition of slavery

B: The desegregation of public schools

C: The enforcement of poll taxes by state governments

D: The establishment of African-American National Guard units

A: The abolition of slavery

300

In 1851, the state of Ohio drafted a new constitution.

Identify the changes that were implemented in Ohio's government as a result of the new constitution.

A: The Supreme Court of Ohio was required to meet at least once in every county each year.

B: District courts were added to the judicial system.

C: Poll taxes were introduced to raise state revenues.

D: Provisions were made to limit the debt incurred by the state.

E: The power of the governor was greatly reduced.

F: Judges were elected by the people

B: District courts were added to the judicial system.

D: Provisions were made to limit the debt incurred by the state.
F: Judges were elected by the people

300

A citizen fears the environmental impact of a state road construction project. What is one action they could take to solve this?

A: Write letters to the governor and members of the General Assembly

B: Campaign for a challenger running against a current U.S. senator

C: Speak at a city council meeting

D: Sign a petition that will be sent to the president

A: Write letters to the governor and members of the General Assembly

300

What do compromise, persuasion, negotiation, and consensus building all have in common?

A: All of them are nonviolent methods of conflict resolution.

B: All of them involve getting each party to make sacrifices.

C: All of them typically produce unequal results for opposing parties.

D: All of them involve enabling opposing parties to have their positions accepted.

A: All of them are nonviolent methods of conflict resolution.

400

From time to time, the Supreme Court has extended civil rights protections to groups that historically have been denied rights guaranteed to other Americans. Sometimes the Supreme Court has done this by interpreting and applying principles found in existing Constitutional amendments.

Which legal principle did the Supreme Court use to extend the Bill of Rights guarantees to state laws and to broaden civil rights protections for minorities?

A: The "two-thirds clause" of the 12th Amendment

B: The "punishment clause" of the 13th Amendment

C: The "due process clause" of the 14th Amendment

D: The "apportionment clause" of the 16th Amendment

C: The "due process clause" of the 14th Amendment

400

What was the immediate impact of the 14th Amendment?

A: It granted citizenship to African Americans.

B: It guaranteed suffrage rights to African Americans.

C: It prohibited the use of poll taxes in the United States.

D: It outlawed the segregation of public facilities in the United States.

A: It granted citizenship to African Americans.

400

How did the adoption of the Ohio Constitution of 1851 weaken the power of the General Assembly?

A: By creating district courts throughout the state

B: By banning the use of poll taxes during elections

C: By allowing people to begin voting for the office of governor

D: By establishing that major executive officials would be directly elected by the people

D: By establishing that major executive officials would be directly elected by the people.

400

Citizens have the ability to help support their state and local communities in various ways. Identify three ways citizens can directly support their local communities.

A: Becoming a Supreme Court Justice

B: Serving as a volunteer firefighter

C: Serving in the U.S. Army or Navy

D: Starting a neighborhood watch

E: Running for city council

F: Running for President

B: Serving as a volunteer firefighter

D: Starting a neighborhood watch

E: Running for city council

400

A coalition of environmental groups released a study on how a proposed new housing development would impact local wildlife. Which factor should be considered in evaluating the credibility of the study?

A: Cost of publishing the study.

B: Use of graphs to display research data.

C: Possible biases of the sponsoring organization.

D: Public opinion about the housing development.

C: Possible biases of the sponsoring organization.

500

The Executive Branch creates an overly powerful executive order. The judicial branch declares this order unconstitutional. The Legislative branch passes a law preventing such a powerful executive order from being passed. The executive branch disputes this, and it is brought before the judicial branch for constitutional review.

What 2 principals of the US Government are demonstrated in this situation?

Popular Sovereignty
Federalism
Separation of Powers
Anti-Federalism
Checks and Balances
Limited Government
Civic Duty

Checks and Balances

Separation of Powers

500

Which statement summarizes the original Federalist position on the Bill of Rights?

A: Additional amendments were needed, given the Constitution's lack of individual protections.

B: Adopting the Bill of Rights was too risky because it might threaten ratification of the Constitution.

C: The Bill of Rights should be adopted because national sovereignty should always come before states' rights.

D: No amendments were needed, as the Constitution already had protections against excessive government power.

500

The 1802 Ohio Constitution was severely flawed. What were the issues with the 1802 Ohio Constitution?

Pick all that apply.

A. The Ohio Government was not in compliance with federal laws, and thus a new constitution was needed.

B. The General Assembly had too much power over the rest of the Ohio Government.

C. The Ohio Government was not able to maintain a militia or national guard, and therefore was not able to defend against Native American Attacks.

D. The State was allowed to borrow too much money and was in massive debt.

E. The State Government didn't have all 3 branches of government as the federal government did, and thus a new constitution was needed.

F. The Ohio Supreme Court was the only established court in Ohio, causing court cases to back up and causing long waits and overworking of the Supreme Court Judges of Ohio.

B. The General Assembly had too much power over the rest of the Ohio Government.

D. The State was allowed to borrow too much money and was in massive debt.

F. The Ohio Supreme Court was the only established court in Ohio, causing court cases to back up and causing long waits and overworking of the Supreme Court Judges of Ohio.

500

In order from lowest to highest level of government, order the following levels of government:

State, Municipality, County, District, City, Zone

Zone, City, Municipality, County, District, State

500

A group of citizens wants to persuade the city mayor to add bike lanes along the side of roads.

Choose all the statements the group of citizens can use to persuade the mayor.

A: The idea of adding bike lanes requires further investigation.

B: Bike lanes may decrease the revenue of the city's bus system.

C: Bike lanes in other cities have increased commuting times for drivers.

D: Bike lanes reduce vehicle crashes and make sidewalks more pedestrian-friendly.

E: As an alternative to car travel, bike lanes may help reduce vehicle emissions in the city.

D: Bike lanes reduce vehicle crashes and make sidewalks more pedestrian-friendly.

E: As an alternative to car travel, bike lanes may help reduce vehicle emissions in the city.