In order to be a good citizen, it is most critical to possess
knowledge
The willingness to be restrained by the power of social institutions, but not political or legal institutions, is a hallmark of a(n) ______ regime.
authoritarian
According to the text, what is the goal of politics?
to have a say in the government's leadership, organization, and policies
Direct democracy is best defined as
a system that allows citizens to vote directly for laws and policies
Today the federal government is:
an enormous institution that enacts a large number of programs touching on nearly every aspect of American life
A representative democracy is a system of government that
gives citizens a regular opportunity to elect top government officials.
The Bill of Rights was designed to protect
liberty
What are the three core values in American politics?
liberty, equality, and democracy
In general, Americans' trust in their government has _____________ since the 1960s
fallen sharply
The belief that you can influence how your government acts is called
political efficacy
The first step to increasing political efficacy is
increasing political knowledge
Poilitcal apathy among Americans hurts which core political value the most?
democracy
Survey data shows that the level of Americans' political knowledge is
low and spotty
Government can be best defined as:
the institutions and procedures by which a territory and its people are ruled
Which of the following is an instrument of direct democracy
initiatives
The right of each citizen to vote is an example of
political equality
In American political culture, economic freedom means
capitalism
Which of the following statements concerning political values in the United States is true?
American values often conflict with each other in practice
Prior to Prop 25 in November of 2010, a 2/3 vote of approval was required when the California State Legislature
increased taxes and passed a budget
Gerrymandering of seats in the California Legislature has led to
More liberal Democrats and more Conservative Republicans as elected members
"safe seats" for the large majority of incumbent members
The creation of a citizens commission to begin drawing political boundaries (after the passage of Prop 11)
California is less majoritarian than other states- doesn't use as many forms of direct democracy to change the constitution
False
A government that is not constrained by legal limits and also seeks to eliminate those organized social groups that might challenge of limit their authority is known as
totalitarian
Which of the following is an example of the process of direct democracy?
A group of citizens collecting signatures so that the public can vote on whether to enact a law guaranteeing minimum amounts of living space for pregnant pigs
Which of the following statements about the changes in American society between 1910 and 2010 is NOT true
The average age of Americans has fallen
Which of the following statements about the United States Census is most accurate?
Who is counted by the census and how they are categorized by race and ethnicity has changed significantly throughout American history
What led the British to raise taxes on the American colonists in the 1760s?
French & Indian Wars
The events that led to the Revolutionary War were triggered by which of the following ?
The British raised revenue by increasing the tax rate of the colonies
Colonial protestors of the Stamp & Sugar Act rallied around what famous political slogan?
"No taxation without representation"
Why was the Declaration of Independence a remarkable political statement for its time?
it helped unify colonial groups that were divided along economic, regional, and philosophical lines by identifying shared problems, grievances, and principles
What was the first written constitution of the United States called?
Articles of Confederation
Under the Articles of Confederation, it was left to the ______ to execute the laws passed by Congress.
states
Which system of government allows the states to retain sovereign authority except for specific powers expressly delegated to the national government
confederation
The issue of representation, which threatened to wreck the entire Constitutional Convention, was resolved by the Great Compromise, also called the
Connecticut compromise
Why was Shay's Rebellion significant?
it convinced many observers that the government of the Confederation had become dangerously inefficient and indecisive
The Virginia Plan of the Constitutional Convention proposed a system representation in the national legislature that was based upon
the population of each state or the proportion of each state's revenue contribution or both
What did the New Jersey Plan propose for Congress
Representation would be equal for each state
The Great Compromise led to the
creation of bicameral Congress
3/5 Compromise
determined that three out of every five slaves would be counted for purposes of representation and taxation
The framers employed the separation of powers and federalism in order to
prevent the new government from abusing its power
The framers of the Constitution attempted to create a government that could do all of the following except
lead to the eventual inclusion of nonwhites in political life
Bicameralism is a constitutional principle that means the
division of Congress into two chambers.
During the ratification debates who were the Antifederalists?
those who opposed the new Constitution because they wanted a weaker central government
In the national debate over ratification of the new Constitution, the Federalists
supported the Constitution and preferred a strong national government
The supremacy clause
announces that the Constitution and all laws made under it are superior to any state laws.
The Antifederalists argued that the powers of government should be limited by
both confining the powers of the federal government to certain narrowly defines areas and adding a bill of rights to the Constitution.
The idea of a "living constitution" means
the judiciary can shape the interpretation of the Constitution in line with contemporary problems and values
To amend the Constitution requires a ______ vote by Congress, and approval by ______ of the states.
two-thirds; three-fourths
Which of the following is tool used for direct democracy in California?
initiative,
Recall,
and Referendum.
The Progressive Movement resulted in very few real reforms for California
False
The California Constitution _______ amend compared with the US Constitution
is easier to
Which of the following statements best describes the history of American federalism
Throughout American history, there has been considerable debate about the allocation of responsibilities between the states and the federal government
In a federal system, governmental responsibilities are
shared by both state and federal authorities
What constitutional clause affirms that national laws and treaties, made under authority of the Constitution, are the supreme law of the land
supremacy clause
The federal system can be best defined as
a system of government in which power is divided between national government and lower levels of government
The specific powers granted to the national government in Article I Section 8 of the Constitution are called the
expressed powers
Which of the following powers do state governments not have
to coin their own money
Purpose of the tenth amendment
limit the powers of the central government by establishing reserved powers for states and individuals
When both state and national governments possess a certain level of authority, it is called a
concurrent power
A state's government's authority to regulate the safety, health, and morals of its citizens is called _____ power
Police
The full faith and credit clause of the Constitution
requires states to normally honor each other's public acts and legal decisions
Which constitutional clause has been central in debates over gay and lesbian marriage
the full faith and credit clause
The ___ clause of the Constitution requires that states should normally recognize the laws, acts, and judicial decisions of other states
full faith and credit
Which of the following statements best describes the discussion of local government found in the Constitution
local government has no status in the Constitution
The Constitution says which of the following things about relationships between states?
No state shall enter into a contract/agreement with another state without the approval of Congress
According to the text, when was the era of dual federalism
from the ratification of the Constitution until the New Deal
What was the overall importance of the Supreme Court case McCulloch v. Maryland
The court interpreted the delegated powers of Congress broadly, creating the potential for increased national powers
The constitutional idea of states' rights was strongest during which historical period
the years immediately preceding the Civil War
___ describes the strategy of delegating a policy program to a lower level of government
Devolution
Those seeking to restrain the powers of the national government look to what part of the Constitution
Tenth Amendment
When the national government appropriates money to the states but simultaneously demands the authority to dictate its distribution, this money is identified as
grant-in-aid
When the national government funds a project that is actually implemented by the states, its an example of
cooperative federalism
The term marble cake federalism is meant to refer to what development
intergovernmental cooperation of blurring the lines between different layers of government
Using block grants to return power to the states was part of the Nixon and Reagan administrations'
New Federalism
