CYBERLAND UNIVERSITY OF NORTH AMERICA

Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr.

University President & Professor of Political Science

FIRST PAGE

POLITICAL SCIENCE 201B:

AMERICAN NATIONAL GOVERNMENT & POLITICS


REVIEW FOR EXAMINATION I


SECTION A: MULTIPLE-CHOICE EXERCISE

DIRECTIONS: Choose the expression or term that best or most correctly completes each sentence.
 1.  Constitutional democracy is a system of government in
     which--
     A.  the voters have effective means of ultimately control-
         ling their elected representatives;
     B.  the powers of government are defined, limited and dis-
         tributed by a body of fundamental law;
     C.  the voters are in a position to hold elected represen-
         tatives accountable for their decisions and actions
         while in office;
     D.  all of the above are true;
     E.  none of the above are true.

 2.  Modern constitutional democracies keep their political
     leaders accountable to the general populace through--
     A.  the operation of rigidly doctrinaire and uncompromising
         political parties;
     B.  elections as the medium for transfer of governing power;
     C.  oligarchy and the coup de e'tat;
     D.  revolutionary social movements;
     E.  none of the above.

 3.  "Constitutionalism" means--
     A.  limited government;
     B.  government based on the whim of public officials;
     C.  unlimited government;
     D.  absolute government;
     E.  authoritarianism.

 4.  In a governmental system characterized by constitutionalism,
     the constitution--
     A.  allows the government to exercise unbridled power;
     B.  may prescribe certain procedures the government must
         follow in making and enforcing decisions;
     C.  may prohibit the government from making and carrying out
         certain decisions;
     D.  is characterized by A and B above;
     E.  is characterized by B and C above.

 5.  The functions of a constitution include--
     A.  setting the limits of political influence;
     B.  defining the powers of government;
     C.  specification of the major offices and institutions of
         government and how each is to be filled;
     D.  A and C above;
     E.  B and C above.

 6.  The constitution of a political community such as the United
     States of America--
     A.  takes precedence over all other laws of the community;
     B.  is subordinate to statutes enacted by the legislature;
     C.  to be valid and enforceable, must be in harmony with
         orders issued by the chief executive;
     D.  limits the powers of all organs of government except the
         upper chamber of the legislature;
     E.  is characterized by none of the above.

 7.  When governmental power is constitutionally allocated in
     such manner as to ensure that the principal organs of gov-
     ernment will check and restrain each other, prevent any one
     organ from becoming dominant and thereby maintain an equi-
     librium of political power, the system of government is
     called--
     A.  authoritarianism;
     B.  absolute democracy;
     C.  balanced government;
     D.  simple, unchecked democracy;
     E.  majoritarian tyranny.

 8.  In the American constitutional system--
     A.  formal power relationships do not exist among the
         principal organs of government;
     B.  the formal power relationships among the principal
         institutions of government result from the constitu-
         tional division of political influence among them;
     C.  constitutional power relationships exist among the
         President, the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of Repre-
         sentatives, and the Federal Courts;
     D.  the U.S. Constitution limits the powers of all organs
         of government except the Office of President;
     E.  none of the above are true.

 9.  In the American constitutional system, constitutional power
     relationships exist--
     A.  between the national government and the fifty states;
     B.  among the two major political parties;
     C.  among the more powerful political interest groups;
     D.  between the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
         and the House standing committees;
     E.  between or among none of the above.

10.  The central purpose of constitutionalism is--
     A.  to determine who within the society is to control and
         run the government;
     B.  to check and restrain the persons who hold public
         office and exercise governmental authority;
     C.  to certify political parties qualified to compete in
         elections;
     D.  to allocate among citizens the material costs and
         benefits of living in the community;
     E.  none of the above.

11.  In an authoritarian system of government--
     A.  political power is concentrated in a single power
         center;
     B.  the constitution effectively imposes limits on govern-
         mental power;
     C.  there is a total or near-total absence of checks and
         restraints on the exercise of political power;
     D.  A and C above are true;
     E.  none of the above are true.

12.  In a dictatorship, unchecked and unrestrained political
     power may be in the hands of--
     A.  one person;
     B.  an olirarchy, or small, closely-knit group of persons;
     C.  a majority of the voters or their elected representa-
         tives in the government;
     D.  any of the above;
     E.  none of the above.

13.  In a representative democracy, the legitimate power to
     make the official decisions of government--
     A.  is exercised by the whole body of adult citizens;
     B.  is acquired and retained either directly or indirectly
         as the result of winning free elections;
     C.  is vested in a mass legislative assembly in which all
         qualified adult citizens have the right to participate;
     D.  is exercised by the voters in national plebiscites held
         regularly and frequently;
     E.  resides in a single ruler wielding unchecked and un-
         restrained political power.

14.  The constitutional ingredient of modern constitutional
     democracy relates to--
     A.  who holds and exercises governmental power;
     B.  how political authority is divided, distributed, and
         limited by law;
     C.  how political authority is acquired and retained;
     D.  the organizational structure of political parties;
     E.  none of the above.

15.  The democratic ingredient of modern constitutional democ-
     racy relates to--
     A.  who holds and exercises governmental power;
     B.  how governmental power is divided, distributed, and
         limited by law;
     C.  how political authority is acquired and retained;
     D.  A and C above;
     E.  B and C above.

16.  Under the Articles of Confederation--
     A.  the members of the U.S. Congress, in voting on measures
         pending in that body, functioned as independent deci-
         sionmakers;
     B.  the U.S. Congress possessed a general, virtually un-
         limited power to lay and collect taxes;
     C.  the states were represented in Congress on the basis of
         population;
     D.  the central government of the U.S.A. existed and oper-
         ated at the sufferance of the states;
     E.  decisions on national legislation were made by simple
         majority vote in both houses of a bicameral legislature.

17.  Under the Articles of Confederation--
     A.  each state retained its sovereignty and independence;
     B.  a national judicial system was established to settle
         disputes among the states;
     C.  Congress possessed authority to levy taxes only on
         landed property.
     D.  each state was represented in Congress on the basis of
         taxable wealth;
     E.  the national constitution could be amended, if two-
         thirds of the states agreed to the amendment.

18.  Under the Articles of Confederation--
     A.  the national legislature consisted of a three-chamber
         Congress;
     B.  the members of Congress were appointed by and received
         their compensation from the state legislatures;
     C.  the central government could pressure states into taking
         action contrary to their own best interests;
     D.  Congress had the authority to regulate trade with other
         nations and among the states of the American union;
     E.  enactment of a national law required a simple majority
         vote in Congress.

19.  A movement to revise the Articles of Confederation emerged
     because--
     A.  the colonies were having difficulty bringing the Revolu-
         tionary War to a successful conclusion;
     B.  the military establishment was gaining too much power;
     C.  the young American nation was facing serious problems
         and the central government lacked sufficient authority
         to deal with them effectively;
     D.  the people were beginning to see the central government
         as possessing and exercising excessive power;
     E.  of none of the above.

20.  George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison
     were among those American leaders who--
     A.  believed that a stronger national government was
         essential to the survival and progress of the U.S.A.;
     B.  sought to make the Baptist Church the established
         religion of America's central government;
     C.  came to view reunion with the British Empire as the only
         avenue of escape from America's predicament during the
         late 1780s;
     D.  advocated a substantial transfer of political authority
         from the national government to the states;
     E.  sympathized with and supported revolutionary movements
         seeking to bring about the violent overthrow of existing
         state governments.

21.  The delegates who attended the Federal Constitutional Con-
     vention of 1787 and drew up the U.S. Constitution were
     greatly influence by--
     A.  dissatisfaction with unbalanced state governments
         dominated by their state legislatures;
     B.  problems created or aggravated by existence of a weak
         and ineffective central government under the Articles
         of Confederation;
     C.  the perceived threat of majoritarian tyranny and mob
         rule in the states;
     D.  all of the above;
     E.  none of the above.

22.  The motives of those who led the movement to obtain a new
     national constitution to replace the Articles of Confedera-
     tion included creation of a national government strong
     enough to--
     A.  check and restrain the state legislatures;
     B.  protect and promote commerce;
     C.  suppress internal disorders and maintain domestic
         tranquillity;
     D.  do all of the above;
     E.  do none of the above.

23.  The Framers of the U.S. Constitution sought to structure the
     central government in such manner as to--
     A.  establish and maintain a balance of political power in
         the governmental system;
     B.  limit the power of popular majorities;
     C.  protect and preserve liberty;
     D.  do all of the above;
     E.  do none of the above.

24.  The Framers of the U.S. Constitution sought to structure the
     national government in such a way as to--
     A.  make decisionmaking by majority in the national legisla-
         ture slow and difficult;
     B.  facilitate the formation of cohesive national political
         parties;
     C.  make decisionmaking by majority in the national legisla-
         ture quick and easy;
     D.  make decisionmaking by majority in national elections
         quick and easy;
     E.  do none of the above.

25.  The central controversy at the Federal Constitutional Con-
     vention was over--
     A.  counting slaves as part of a state's population for
         purposes of determining the state's representation in
         the national legislature;
     B.  the treatymaking power of the national government;
     C.  whether the states were to be represented equally in the
         national legislature or on the basis of population or
         wealth;
     D.  the nature and method of selection of the national
         executive;
     E.  counting slaves as part of a state's population for
         purposes of determining the amount in direct taxes the
         state would have to contribute to the national treasury.

26.  At the Federal Constitutional Convention, the set of propos-
     als that called for a bicameral national legislature in
     which the states would be represented according to popula-
     tion or wealth in both chambers was the--
     A.  Georgia Plan;
     B.  Virginia Plan;
     C.  Massachusetts Plan;
     D.  New Jersey Plan;
     E.  North Carolina Plan.

27.  At the Federal Constitutional Convention, the set of propos-
     als that called for a single-chamber national legislature in
     which the states would be represented equially was the--
     A.  Georgia Plan;
     B.  Virginia Plan;
     C.  Massachusetts Plan;
     D.  New Jersey Plan;
     E.  North Carolina Plan.

28.  At the Federal Constitutional Convention, the compromise
     that provided for a two-chamber national legislature, with
     representation according to population in one chamber and
     equal representation of the states in the other chamber,
     was the--
     A.  Missouri Compromise;
     B.  Three-fifths Compromise;
     C.  New York Compromise;
     D.  Connecticut Compromise;
     E.  Philadelphia Compromise.

29.  The Federalists--
     A.  favored ratification of the U.S. Constitution;
     B.  opposed ratification of the U.S. Constitution;
     C.  advocated confederation;
     D.  worked for the creation of a unitary state;
     E.  favored authoritarianism.

30.  The FEDERALIST PAPERS urged--
     A.  adoption of the Declaration of Independence;
     B.  ratification of the Articles of Confederation;
     C.  rejection of the U.S. Constitution:
     D.  ratification of the Mosaic Code;
     E.  ratification of the U.S. Constitution.

31.  The FEDERALIST PAPERS--
     A.  offered arguments in favor of the Articles of Confedera-
         tion;
     B.  explained how American government would operate under
         the U.S. Constitution;
     C.  were politically neutral;
     D.  were intended to convince New York that it should reject
         the proposed new Constitution;
     E.  recommended formation of a constitutional monarchy in
         the U.S.A.

32.  During the Ratification Campaign, a concession made by the
     Federalists to ensure ratification and adoption of the U.S.
     Constitution was an agreement to amend the Constitution to--
     A.  provide for a Federal Bill of Rights;
     B.  provide for representation of the states according to
         taxable wealth in one house of Congress and representa-
         tion of the states on the basis of population in the
         other house;
     C.  require the President to submit treaties to the U.S.
         Senate for ratification or rejection;
     D.  delete all references to civil liberties in the Consti-
         tution;
     E.  withdraw from Congress authority to levy taxes.

33.  In order to obtain Massachusetts' ratification of the U.S.
     Constitution, the supporters of ratification allowed a con-
     cession on the content of the Constitution that included--
     A.  counting each slave as three-fifths of a person;
     B.  election of U.S. Senators by direct popular vote;
     C.  incorporation of a Bill of Rights into the new Consti-
         tution;
     D.  giving U.S. Supreme Court justices life-time appoint-
         ments;
     E.  legal recognition of the legitimate right of a state to
         secede from the Union.

34.  In FEDERALIST 51, James Madison asserted--
     A.  to protect liberty and prevent tyranny, ambition must be
         made to counteract ambition;
     B.  separation of powers alone can be depended upon to func-
         tion as an effective roadblock to tyranny from any
         source;
     C.  because the executive tends to predominate in republican
         governments, the top executive authority should be a
         plural body, with each member having only one vote in
         decisions of the executive;
     D.  to safeguard liberty and prevent tyranny, there must be
         a total transfer of political authority from the states
         to the central government;
     E.  none of the above.

35.  Under the U.S. Constitution, each principal organ or branch
     of the national government has some authority over the de-
     cisions 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.

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

37.  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.

38.  Separation of powers in the American governmental system--
     A.  tends to prevent a situation in which two or more gov-
         ernmental 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.

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

40.  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.

41.  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.

42.  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 partici-
         pating 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.

43.  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 pri-
         mary 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 inde-
         pendent of each other;
     E.  is characterized by none of the above.

44.  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.

45.  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.

46.  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 na-
         tional government;
     E.  facilitates legislative supremacy.

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AMERICAN NATIONAL GOVERNMENT & POLITICS


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