Question 1

The principle of checks and balances is based on the notion that

Accepted Answer

A)   leaders are the trustees of the people.
B)   a weak government is always preferable to a strong government.
C)   all legislative and executive action should be controlled through judicial power.
D)   power must be used to offset power.
E)   legislators and executives cannot be trusted, but judges are trustworthy.F) A) and B)
G) A) and C)

Question 2

The writers of the Constitution devised the Electoral College as the method of choosing presidents because

Accepted Answer

A)   direct election was impractical due to the poor systems of communication and transportation that existed in the late 1700s.
B)   that method would shield executive power from direct linkage to popular majorities.
C)   that method guaranteed a majority winner.
D)   that method would give weight to the preferences of ordinary people.
E)   the framers had a great deal of faith in the wisdom of the masses.F) A) and B)
G) A) and E)

Question 3

Progressive reforms included

Accepted Answer

A)   primary elections.
B)   direct election of U.S. senators.
C)   the initiative and referendum.
D)   recall elections.
E)   All of these answers are correct.F) B) and C)
G) A) and D)

Question 4

The framers of the Constitution understood democracy and republic to mean different things. Explain this difference and identify which concept the framers favored.

Accepted Answer

As the framers understood the word democ...

Question 5

The direct election of U.S. senators came about due to

Accepted Answer

A)   passage of the Second Amendment.
B)   political pressure from the Progressives.
C)   Jeffersonian democracy.
D)   Jacksonian democracy.
E)   the fact that state legislators no longer desired to select them.F) B) and E)
G) C) and D)

Question 6

Which of the following is an example of checks and balances?

Accepted Answer

A)   the veto
B)   the impeachment process
C)   approval of treaties
D)   judicial review
E)   All of these answers are correct.F) A) and B)
G) None of the above

Question 7

The Constitution prevents the government from suspending the writ of habeas corpus, meaning that the government cannot

Accepted Answer

A)   prosecute persons for acts that were legal at the time they were committed.
B)   establish a state religion based on Christian beliefs.
C)   enact laws that would legalize the practice of indentured servitude.
D)   jail a person without a court hearing to determine the legality of his or her imprisonment.
E)   silence freedom of the press.F) A) and E)
G) None of the above

Question 8

Where is the Bill of Rights found in the Constitution?

Accepted Answer

A)   Article I, Section 8
B)   Article II
C)   the first ten amendments
D)   amendments 17 through 26
E)   Article IIIF) A) and B)
G) C) and D)

Question 9

Which of the following was NOT provided for by the Articles of Confederation?

Accepted Answer

A)   a national Congress
B)   each state having one vote in Congress
C)   unanimous approval by the states to amend the Articles
D)   a federal government subordinate to the states
E)   an independent federal executiveF) C) and D)
G) B) and E)

Question 10

During the debates over the ratification of the Constitution, most people assumed that this person would be the first president:

Accepted Answer

A)   James Madison.
B)   George Washington.
C)   Thomas Jefferson.
D)   Alexander Hamilton.
E)   Benjamin Franklin.F) B) and E)
G) B) and D)

Question 11

Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress had the power to

Accepted Answer

A)   regulate commerce between states.
B)   regulate commerce between states and foreign countries.
C)   tax individual citizens.
D)   tax individual states.
E)   amend the Articles of Confederation.F) A) and B)
G) C) and E)

Question 12

A contemporary legislator who voted for a bill because of a belief in its benefit, even though his constituents back home overwhelmingly opposed the bill, would be performing the Edmund Burke role of

Accepted Answer

A)   trustee.
B)   delegate.
C)   statesperson.
D)   politician.
E)   oversight.F) A) and E)
G) All of the above

Question 13

The writers of the Constitution used the term ________ to describe a form of government that consists of carefully designed institutions that are responsive to the majority but not captive to it.

Accepted Answer

A)   democracy
B)   republic
C)   federalism
D)   majoritarianism
E)   separation of powerF) A) and E)
G) None of the above

Question 14

According to John Locke, inalienable rights in a social contract

Accepted Answer

A)   belong to the government only.
B)   belong to individuals but can be denied by government.
C)   belong to individuals and cannot be denied by government.
D)   cannot be guaranteed by any governmental body.
E)   are no longer as important to the individual as in a state of nature.F) A) and C)
G) B) and C)

Question 15

Which of the following nations is often noted as an example of a government that has a system of checks and balances but is often plagued by political extremes?

Accepted Answer

A)   France
B)   Japan
C)   Mexico
D)   Great Britain
E)   CanadaF) A) and D)
G) A) and B)

Question 16

The words of the Declaration of Independence reflected

Accepted Answer

A)   Aristotle's conception of democracy.
B)   Montesquieu's view of constitutionalism.
C)   Hobbes's idea of the state of nature.
D)   Locke's philosophy of inalienable rights.
E)   Madison's view of factions.F) All of the above
G) A) and E)

Question 17

Presidents are

Accepted Answer

A)   directly selected by the people.
B)   selected by votes of the state legislatures.
C)   selected by votes of the Electoral College.
D)   subject to recall elections.
E)   subject to confidence votes by Congress.F) C) and D)
G) A) and C)

Question 18

The inalienable rights enumerated in the Declaration of Independence are

Accepted Answer

A)   life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
B)   liberty, equality, and fraternity.
C)   life, liberty, and property.
D)   life and property only.
E)   equality and liberty only.F) A) and B)
G) B) and C)

Question 19

Which of the following developments in the national political system did NOT provide for more popular control?

Accepted Answer

A)   primary elections
B)   direct election of U.S. senators
C)   recall elections
D)   initiative and referendum
E)   judicial reviewF) A) and D)
G) A) and C)

Question 20

The Federalists gained enough votes to get the Constitution ratified when they promised this:

Accepted Answer

A)   a bill of rights to be quickly added to the Constitution.
B)   a banning of the slave trade after 1808.
C)   the right of states to disobey any national law they didn't like.
D)   James Madison to be the first president.
E)   a Supreme Court with the right of judicial review.F) B) and C)
G) A) and B)

Exam 2: Constitutional Democracy: Promoting Liberty and Self-Government

Which of the following developments in the national political system did NOT provide for more popular control?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following nations is often noted as an example of a government that has a system of checks and balances but is often plagued by political extremes?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The Constitution prevents the government from suspending the writ of habeas corpus, meaning that the government cannot

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The framers of the Constitution understood democracy and republic to mean different things. Explain this difference and identify which concept the framers favored.

Correct AnswerverifiedAs the framers understood the word democ...View AnswerShow Answer

Where is the Bill of Rights found in the Constitution?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Presidents are

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The direct election of U.S. senators came about due to

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The writers of the Constitution devised the Electoral College as the method of choosing presidents because

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following is an example of checks and balances?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The words of the Declaration of Independence reflected

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

A contemporary legislator who voted for a bill because of a belief in its benefit, even though his constituents back home overwhelmingly opposed the bill, would be performing the Edmund Burke role of

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The Federalists gained enough votes to get the Constitution ratified when they promised this:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The principle of checks and balances is based on the notion that

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

According to John Locke, inalienable rights in a social contract

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The writers of the Constitution used the term ________ to describe a form of government that consists of carefully designed institutions that are responsive to the majority but not captive to it.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following was NOT provided for by the Articles of Confederation?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

During the debates over the ratification of the Constitution, most people assumed that this person would be the first president:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress had the power to

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Progressive reforms included

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The inalienable rights enumerated in the Declaration of Independence are

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified
As the framers understood the word democ...
View Answer

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified