Under the United States Constitution, each principal organ or branch of the national government has some authority over the decisions and actions of the others and a strong incentive as well as the right to delay or block those decisions and actions. This feature of the American constitutional system is known as -- A. federalism;  B. checks and balances;  C. political centralization;   D. simple, unchecked democracy;  E. separation of powers.
[Correct Response: B]

The U.S. Constitution divides the national government into three institutionally separate and largely independent branches of government, legislative, executive, and judicial. This feature of the American constitutional system is called -- A. federalism;  B. checks and balances;  C. political centralization;  D. majoritarianism;  E. separation of powers.
[Correct Response: E]

The U.S. Constitution prohibits the practice of the same persons simultaneously holding office in two or more branches of the national government. This feature of American government is referred to as -- A. federalism;  B. checks and balances;  C. political centralization;  D. majoritarian government;  E. separation of powers.
[Correct Response: E]

Separation of powers in the American governmental system -- A. tends to prevent a situation in which two or more governmental branches are controlled by the same political faction;  B. facilitates majority rule in the national government;  C. helps ensure that the three branches of government will be largely independent of each other and will operate on an equal basis with each other;  D. is characterized by A and C above;  E. is characterized by B and C above.
[Correct Response: D]

The constitutional power of the President to veto a bill passed by Congress is an example of the Framers' application of the principle of -- A. federalism;  B. checks and balances;  C. political centralization;  D. straight majority rule;  E. separation of powers.
[Correct Response: B]

When the U.S. Supreme Court, through exercise of its power of judicial review, finds the actions of Congress or of the executive unconstitutional and null and void, the Court is following most closely the principle of American government that is generally referred to as -- A. checks and balances;  B. federalism;  C. liberty;  D. equality;  E. majoritarianism.
[Correct Response: A]

The Framers' incorporation of separation of powers and checks and balances into the U.S. Constitution resulted in a national government characterized by -- A. strict separation of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches;  B. separated institutions sharing powers;  C. complete independence of the different branches and organs of the national government;  D. a preponderance of political power concentrated in the U.S. Congress;  E. none of the above.
[Correct Response: B]

The American system of checks and balances -- A. enables the three branches of government to participate in one another's processes;  B. prevents the three branches of government from participating in each other's processes;  C. allows the three branches of government to counteract one another's exercise of power;  D. does A and C above;  E. does none of the above.
[Correct Response: D]

The system of separation of powers and checks and balances in America's national government -- A. means that no branch of government is allowed to assume and monopolize a function or activity that is the primary responsibility of another branch;  B. prevents one branch of government from participating in the primary functions of the other branches;  C. results in the concentration of political authority in the hands of a single majority faction;  D. makes the three branches of government completely independent of each other;  E. is characterized by none of the above.
[Correct Response: A]

Under the American system of separation of powers and checks and balances -- A. no one person can serve in the executive branch and the judiciary simultaneously;  B. no one governmental branch, acting alone, chooses the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court;  C. U.S. Senators and Representatives are chosen from different sets of constituencies;  D. all of the above are true;   E. none of the above are true.
[Correct Response: D]

Balanced government requires -- A. all government officials to be popularly elected;  B. all powers to be separately exercised;  C. voting rights for felons;  D. each branch of government to exercise its powers with the concurrence of the other branches;  E. concentration of legislative and executive powers in the popularly elected chamber of the legislature.
[Correct Response: D]

The American system of balanced government -- A. enhances prompt and speedy government responses to crises;  B. prohibits one branch of government from exercising any control over the functions performed by another branch;  C. prevents quick and easy majority decisionmaking;  D. makes the judiciary the first among equals in the national government;  E. facilitates legislative supremacy.
[Correct Response: C]

Provisions of the U.S. Constitution reflecting the Framers' belief in balanced government include the -- A. absolute veto that each house of the U.S. Congress possesses over legislation favored by the other house;  B. duty of the President to function as guardian of the Constitution;  C. preponderance of political power lodged in the U.S. House of Representatives;  D. conditional veto that the U.S. Senate possesses over legislation supported by a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives;  E. power of the U.S. Supreme Court to declare unconstitutional and null and void a formal amendment to the Federal Constitution.
[Correct Response]

Provisions of the U.S. Constitution reflecting the Founders' belief in balanced government include -- A. the conditional but very strong veto the President possesses over congressional legislation;  B. the power of the U.S. House of Representatives to impeach the President;  C. the requirement that the President appoint high executive officers by and with the advice and consent of the U.S. Senate;  D. all of the above;  E. none of the above.
[Correct Response: D]

Provisions of the U.S. Constitution reflecting the Framers' belief in balanced government include -- A. the requirement that the President appoint U.S. Supreme Court justices by and with the advice and consent of the U.S. Senate;  B. the power of the U.S. Senate to try impeachment cases;  C. the authority of Congress to regulate and make exceptions to the appellate jurisdiction of the U.S. Supreme Court;  D. all of the above;  E. none of the above.
[Correct Response: D]

America's national government is characterized by -- A. quick and easy decisionmaking by a narrow majority of the voters in a single national election;  B. a fusion of legislative and executive authority in the lower house of the national legislature;  C. quick and easy decisionmaking by simple majority of the voters' elective representatives in the national legislature;  D. numerous checks and balances which operate to prevent quick and easy decisionmaking by a simple majority;  E. a single popular organ of government which dominates the entire governmental system.
[Correct Response: D]

In the American system of government -- A. every public office is filled by election or by appointment according to law;  B. prolonged debate and deliberation and continuing political negotiation, bargaining, and compromise are required for governmental decisionmaking and action on major issues of national public policy;  C. the legislature and the executive have separate grants of constitutional power;  D. all of the above are true;  E. none of the above are true.
[Correct Response: D]

The American system of government is -- A. a constitutional monarchy;  B. a direct democracy;  C. a constitutional republic;  D. an oligarchy;  E. characterized by unlimited majority rule.
[Correct Response: C]

53. Under the U.S. Constitution -- A. a presidential veto of a congressional bill cannot be overriden by Congress;   B. Congress lacks means to check and restrain the President in the exercise of his powers;    C. the President's veto of a bill passed by Congress can be overriden by simple majority vote in each of the two houses of Congress;  D. the U.S. Courts do not possess sufficient authority to effectively check and restrain Congress in the exercise of its powers;  E. Congress can override a presidential veto of congressional legislation, but only with great difficulty.
[Correct Response: E]

54. Provisions of the U.S. Constitution reflecting the Framers' belief in balanced government include -- A. those stipulating a bicameral Congress;  B. those establishing three institutionally separate and largely independent branches of government;  C. those giving a majority in the U.S. Senate the power of absolute veto over presidential appointments;  D. all of the above;  E. none of the above.
[Correct Response: D]

Under the U.S. Constitution, as drafted by the Federal Constitutional Convention and ratified by the thirteen states, the U.S. Senate was characterized by -- A. members whose short terms of office made the body subject to public pressures;  B. an indirect method of electing Senators;  C. its democratic and majoritarian nature;  D. members elected to office by direct popular vote in the states;  E. its chief function being to serve as an advisory body to the President.
[Correct Response: B]

Under the U.S. Constitution today -- A. the President is elected by nationwide direct popular vote;  B. the U.S. Senators from a particular state are elected by the legislature of their state;  C. the President is elected by an Electoral College in which the presidential electors chosen by a given state register the will of the voters in that state in voting for a presidential candidate;   D. the U.S. House of Representatives elects a nine-member Council of State, which appoints the members of each of the fifty state legislatures;  E. the President is elected by an Electoral College in which each presidential elector normally functions as an independent decisionmaker in voting for a presidential candidate. [Correct Response: C]

In the contemporary American system of government -- A. a single national popular majority selects the persons who are to occupy the elective offices in the national government;  B. the American electorate is divided into multiple constituencies with varying and competing interests;  C. both chambers of Congress represent and are responsive to the same set of interests;  D. the President and the U.S. House of Representatives represent and are responsive to identical interests;  E. none of the above are true.
[Correct Response: B]

The Congress of the United States is -- A. a unicameral legislature;  B. the supreme executive authority in the national government;  C. a bicameral legislature;  D. guardian of the U.S. Constitution;  E. none of the above.
[Correct Response: C]

Under the U.S. Constitution, Congress can check and restrain the Federal Judiciary through exercise of congressional authority to -- A. remove a federal judge from office by simple majority vote in each of the two chambers of Congress;  B. pass a joint resolution calling on the President to dismiss a federal judge;   C. create and eliminate by statute the lower U.S. Courts;  D. deny reelection to U.S. Supreme Court justices when their terms expire;  E. rescind a Supreme Court decision by a simple majority vote in Congress meeting in joint session.
[Correct Response: C]

Lower federal courts in the United States are established by -- A. presidential directive;  B. the U.S. Constitution;  C. congressional statute;  D. decree of the U.S. Supreme Court;  E. none of the above.
[Correct Response: C]

Federal judges receive their offices by means of -- A. election by Congress from candidates nominated by the state legislatures;   B. presidential appointment, subject to Senate confirmation;  C. election by the Judicial Conference of the United States;   D. appointment by the President from candidates nominated by the state governors;  E. direct popular election.
[Correct Response: B]

As a consequence of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Marbury v. Madison (1803) -- A. cases may be appealed from the state courts to the U.S. Supreme Court;  B. the Supreme Court has the power to declare congressional legislation unconstitutional;  C. the President cannot dismiss federal officeholders, except for cause specified by law;  D. a state cannot be sued without its consent;  E. the U.S. Courts lost the power of judicial review.
[Correct Response: B]

The formal process of amending the U.S. Constitution involves -- A. proposal of the amendment by simple majority vote in each of the two houses of Congress;  B. ratification of the amendment by state legislatures or conventions in three-fourths of the states;   C. proposal of the amendment by a two-thirds vote in each of the two chambers of Congress;  D. A and B above;  E. B and C above.
[Correct Response: E]

One-third of the U.S. Senate is elected every -- A. two years;  B. three years;  C. four years;  D. five years;   E. six years.
[Correct Response: A]

Until ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, members of the U.S. Senate were selected by the -- A. U.S. House of Representatives;  B. state legislatures;  C. President, on the state governors' recommendations;  D. voters in statewide popular elections;  E. voters in a single nationwide popular election.
[Correct Response: B]

Since ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment, members of the U.S. Senate have been chosen by the -- A. U.S. House of Representatives;  B. state legislatures;  C. President, on the state governors' recommendations;  D. voters in statewide elections;  E. voters in a single nationwide popular election.
[Correct Response: D]

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives are selected by -- A. the U.S. Senate;  B. the voters in statewide popular elections;  C. majority vote in the Electoral College; D. the state legislatures;  E. the voters in congressional districts.
[Correct Response: E]

The U.S. Senate, as originally designed, was intended to -- A. make certain that national legislation would not be enacted without the approval of a majority of the states;  B. represent the interests of the "natural aristocracy" within American society;   C. ensure national legislative decisionmaking by concurrent majorities, rather than by a single numerical popular majority;  D. protect the rights of the wealthy and propertied minority and prevent tyrannical rule by a popular majority and its elected representatives in the government;  E. do all of the above.
[Correct Response: E]

Under the U.S. Constitution, Congress possesses power to lay and collect taxes in order to -- A. pay the debts of the United States;  B. provide for the common defense of the United States;  C. provide for the general welfare of the United States;   D. do all of the above;  E. do none of the above.
[Correct Response: D]

A "treaty made under the authority of the United States" is one which is -- A. proposed by simple majority vote in the U.S. House of Representatives and ratified by a three-fourths vote of the entire membership of the U.S. Senate;  B. proposed by a majority of the entire membership of the Federal Cabinet and approved by simple majority vote in the Senate;  C. submitted by the President to the Senate and ratified by a two-thirds vote of the Senators present and voting;  D. initiated by the U.S. Supreme Court and approved by a unanimous vote of the Senate;  E. initiated by the U.S. Secretary of State and ratified by simple majority vote in a national referendum.
[Correct Response: C]

In the contemporary American governmental system -- A. the central government operates through the states, depending on them to enforce the laws enacted by Congress;  B. only the states and their local subdivisions exercise power directly over individuals;  C. Congress can, by statute, abolish the states and their local units or completely reorganize them at will;  D. both the national government and the states operate through their own agents and exercise power directly over individuals;  E. none of the foregoing are true.
[Correct Response: D]

Under the U.S. Constitution, the United States of America is a -- A. confederation;  B. dictatorship of the proletariat;   C. federal union;  D. unitary state;  E. simple, unchecked democracy.
[Correct Response: C]

The United States of America is a closely-knit union of partially self-governing smaller, regional political communities called "states." This feature of the American constitutional system is referred to as -- A. unitary government;  B. federalism;  C. confederal government;  D. political centralization;  E. state sovereignty.
[Correct Response: B]

The U.S. Constitution protects the right of both the national government and the states to exist. This feature of the American government is known as -- A. unitary government;  B. federalism;  C. confederal government;  D. political centralization;   E. state sovereignty.
[Correct Response: B]

The United States Constitution -- A. delegates certain powers to the states, denies certain powers to the national government, and reserves all other powers to the national government;  B. vests all governmental powers in the national government, but permits Congress to enact legislation delegating certain responsibilities to the states;  C. delegates certain powers to the national government, denies certain powers to the states, and reserves all other powers to the states or to the people;  D. vests sovereignty in the states;  E. guarantees each state the right to nullify acts of Congress.
[Correct Response: C]

In the American constitutional system -- A. the states receive their powers from statutes enacted by Congress;  B. only the national government derives its powers from provisions of the U.S. Constitution;  C. the national government and the states receive their powers from a common source, the U.S. Constitution;  D. the central government exercises powers granted to it by treaties concluded among the fifty state governments;  E. the states have control over matters of general concern to the country as a whole.
[Correct Response: C]

The basic principle governing the division of governmental power between the U.S. national government and the fifty states is embodied in the -- A. Statute of Allocation;  B. Tenth Amendment;  C. Act of Settlement;  D. Fourteenth Amendment;   E. Eighth Amendment.
[Correct Response: B]

The powers granted to the central government by the U.S. Constitution are called -- A. reserved powers;  B. delegated powers;  C. concurrent powers;  D. residual powers; E. exponential powers.
[Correct Response: B]

The constitutional powers of the states are referred as -- A. delegated powers;  B. enumerated powers;  C. implied powers;  D. reserved powers;  E. specified powers.
[Correct Response: D]

Those powers listed in the U.S. Constitution as express grants of authority to the national government are called -- A. enumerated powers;  B. reserved powers;  C. implied powers;  D. residual powers;  E. inherent powers.
[Correct Response: A]

Those powers mentioned in so many words in the U.S. Constitution as belonging to the central government are referred to as -- A. enumerated powers;  B. reserved powers;  C. implied powers;  D. residual powers;  E. inherent powers.
[Correct Response: A]

The theory that the national government can exercise only those powers expressly granted to it by the Constitution is known as -- A. broad construction;  B. strict construction;  C. the Hamiltonian interpretation;  D. liberal construction;   E. the prerogative theory.
[Correct Response: B]

Alexander Hamilton's interpretation of the constitutional grants of power to Congress is called -- A. broad construction;   B. strict construction;  C. narrow construction;  D. all of the above;  E. none of the above.
[Correct Response: A]

Thomas Jefferson's interpretation of the constitutional delegations of authority to Congress is referred to as -- A. broad construction;  B. strict construction;  C. loose construction;  D. liberal construction;  E. none of the above.
[Correct Response: B]

As regards controversy over the correct view, or interpretation, of the constitutional power relationships between the U.S. national government and the states, the centralist position has been called -- A. broad construction;  B. loose construction;   C. the Hamiltonian interpretation;  D. liberal construction;  E. all of the above.
[Correct Response: E]

As regards controversy over the correct view, or interpretation, of the constitutional power relationships between the national government and the states, the decentralist position has been referred to as -- A. strict construction;  B. narrow construction;   C. the states' rights interpretation;  D. the Jeffersonian view;  E. all of the above.
[Correct Response: E]

The constitutional basis of the theory that Congress possesses many implied powers as well as its expressly granted powers is the -- A. Due Process Clause;  B. Enforcement Clause;  C. Necessary and Proper Clause;  D. Equal Protection Clause; E. Takings Clause. [Correct Response: C]

Clauses in the U.S. Constitution that have been used to expand the power of Congress include all but the -- A. Commerce Clause;   B. War Powers Clauses;  C. Tax Clause;  D. National Supremacy Clause;  E. Big Stick Clause.
[Correct Response: E]

The theory of constitutional interpretation upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) is known as -- A. the Haniltonian interpretation;  B. narrow construction;  C. the states' rights interpretation;  D. strict construction;  E. the Jeffersonian interpretation.
[Correct Response: A]

In McCulloch v. Maryland (1819), the U.S. Supreme Court -- A. held that state legislatures may legally tax instrumentalities of the national government;  B. very strictly construed the powers of Congress under the U.S. Constitution;  C. ruled that Congress may constitutionally exercise its enumerated powers in a variety of appropriate ways;  D. declared the federal income tax to be unconstitutional and null and void as an unapportioned direct tax;  E. held that Congress lacked authority to incorporate a bank.
[Correct Response: C]

The power of Congress to spend money out of the U.S. Treasury for financial assistance to the states and local communities in their performance of state and local functions is one of the -- A. enumerated powers;  B. reserved powers;  C. implied powers;  D. residual powers;  E. inherent powers.
[Correct Response: C]

Article VI, paragraph 2, of the U.S. Constitution defines the supreme law of the land in the U.S.A. as consisting of -- A. the provisions of the U.S. Constitution;  B. the laws of the United States made in pursuance of the U.S. Constitution;  C. all treaties made under the authority of the United States;  D. all of the foregoing;  E. none of the foregoing.
[Correct Response: D]

Under the U.S. Constitution -- A. the national government possesses every power constitutionally granted to it by expression or reasonable implication;  B. the states, in the area of America's internal affairs, or domestic public-policy issues, have all powers which the U.S. Constitution neither grants to the national government nor prohibits the states from exercising;  C. the national government and the states share certain powers;  D. all of the foregoing are true;  E. none of the foregoing are true.
[Correct Response: D]

According to the U.S. Supreme Court, inherent powers in the area of foreign policy and international relations -- A. are denied to the national government;  B. belong to the states;  C. belong to the national government;  D. belong neither to the national government nor to the states;  E. can be exercised by the national government only if they are supported by expressed or reasonably implied constitutional grants of power.
[Correct Response: C]

The concurrent powers are -- A. exclusively granted to the national government by the U.S. Constitution;  B. powers left exclusively to the states by the U.S. Constitution;  C. powers shared by the national government and the states;  D. powers that the Constitution denies to both levels of government;  E. none of the above.
[Correct Response: C]

The U.S. Constitution prohibits Congress from -- A. imposing a tax on exports;  B. granting titles titles of nobility;   C. changing state boundaries without the consent of the legislatures of the states involved;  D. levying a direct tax -- a head tax or land tax -- without apportioning it among the states according to polulation;  E. doing all of the above.
[Correct Response: E]

The obligations of the national government to the states under the U.S. Constitution do not include -- A. guaranteeing and observing the territorial integrity of the states;  B. guaranteeing each state a republican form of government;  C. protecting each state from foreign attack and invasion;  D. guaranteeing each state an equal share of appropriations from the U.S. Treasury;  E. protecting each state from domestic violence. [Correct Response: D]